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Saturday, August 27, 2005 

Shoppers World in Brampton, Ontario, Canada asks its visitors to “look up, look way up” this October.

The Highway 10 and Steeles Avenue mall is encouraging Bramptonians to paint a ceiling tile for charity this summer, for their upcoming “Looking Up to the Arts” event. The tiles should represent either what Brampton means to you, or the arts in Brampton.

Anyone can paint a tile for the event by buying one at the customer service desk for $5. Once tiles are completed and returned for the event, participants receive a gift certificate for $5. The ceiling tiles must be finished and returned by October 7.

The tiles will be auctioned off at the end of the event, with money going to the Brampton Arts Council.

Local dance, music, theatre and visual arts group will perform and promote at the mall’s event, which will be held from October 12 to 22.

This isn’t Shoppers World’s only celebration of the arts. The mall is the permanent home of the Artway Gallery, a community exhibit space on the west side of the mall. Organized by Visual Arts Brampton, the space allows anyone in the community to exhibit publicly.

Friday, March 25, 2011 

The BBC have made the decision to cancel My Family, a televised situation comedy series which airs on BBC One in the United Kingdom. Danny Cohen, who is the Controller of the television channel, stated: “Now that all the Harper children have fled the nest we feel it’s time to make room for new comedies”.

The programme, which was created by Fred Barron, launched in September 2000. It was the first BBC Television series of this genre to make use of production methods originating from the United States, including a group of employed writers and the studio being used solely for the purposes of the sitcom during the process of production. Over one hundred episodes of the show have been created since that time.

Series ten of My Family, which was broadcast in the summer of 2010, received approximately 4.6 million viewers on average. The eleventh and final series of the show is expected to be broadcast on BBC One later in 2011. Cohen has stated that Robert Lindsay and Zoë Wanamaker, who both feature in the TV show, will continue to be “part of our BBC One comedy family.”

Meanwhile, Cheryl Taylor, commissioning controller for comedy at the BBC, explained: “Now that almost a generation of British children have grown up with the Harper brood, played over the years by Kris Marshall, Daniela Denby-Ashe and Gabriel Thompson, we’re looking to the future with new families and new comedies that we hope will prove equally popular.” Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, actor Robert Lindsay explained how he was “amazed by the public’s love for the series.” “When Kris Marshall left in 2005 I was convinced that was it. But somehow Zoe and I have kept the essence of it together,” he said.

In response to the announcement of the cancellation of My Family, English actress Miranda Hart made comments about the story in an audio clip available on BBC News Online. “After 10-11 years, it’s not a slight to be taken off-air. It’s an amazing achievement and I think it’s done a lot for studio audience sitcoms,” she said. “It became a bit ‘uncool’, for one to address a word, but I always stood by it. [...] Having that many viewers says it all, really. [...] I think it’s amazing what they achieved.” Hart thought that the show will be remembered “[p]robably with Robert and Zoë. You know, they put a lot of work in and they did fantastic performances, you know, that really endeared the nation to them,” describing Lindsay and Wanamaker as “great comedy actors.”

Thursday, December 1, 2011 

Today saw Edinburgh’s Scottish National Portrait Gallery reopen following a two-and-a-half-year, £17.6m (US$27.4m) refurbishment. Conversion of office and storage areas sees 60% more space available for displays, and the world’s first purpose-built portrait space is redefining what a portrait gallery should contain; amongst the displays are photographs of the Scottish landscape—portraits of the country itself.

First opened in 1889, Sir Robert Rowand Anderson’s red sandstone building was gifted to the nation by John Ritchie Findlay, then-owner of The Scotsman newspaper and, a well-known philanthropist. The original cost of construction between 1885 and 1890 is estimated at over 70,000 pounds sterling. Up until 1954, the building also housed the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland who moved to the National Museum of Scotland buildings on Chambers Street. The society’s original meeting table now sits in the public part of the portrait gallery’s library, stared down on by an array of busts and phrenological artefacts.

Wikinewsie Brian McNeil, with other members of the press, received a guided tour of the gallery last Monday from Deputy Director Nicola Kalinsky. What Kalinsky described as an introduction to the gallery that previously took around 40 minutes, now takes in excess of an hour-and-a-half; with little in the way of questions asked, a more inquisitive tour group could readily take well over two hours to be guided round the seventeen exhibitions currently housed in the gallery.

A substantial amount of the 60% additional exhibition space is readily apparent on the ground floor. On your left as you enter the gallery is the newly-fitted giant glass elevator, and the “Hot Scots” photographic portrait gallery. This exhibit is intended to show well-known Scottish faces, and will change over time as people fall out of favour, and others take their place. A substantial number of the people now being highlighted are current, and recent, cast members from the BBC’s Doctor Who series.

The new elevator (left) is the most visible change to improve disabled access to the gallery. Prior to the renovation work, access was only ‘on request’ through staff using a wooden ramp to allow wheelchair access. The entire Queen Street front of the building is reworked with sloping access in addition to the original steps. Whilst a lift was previously available within the gallery, it was only large enough for two people; when used for a wheelchair, it was so cramped that any disabled person’s helper had to go up or down separately from them.

The gallery expects that the renovation work will see visitor numbers double from before the 2009 closure to around 300,000 each year. As with many of Edinburgh’s museums and galleries, access is free to the public.

The expected significant increase in numbers has seen them working closely with the National Museum of Scotland, which was itself reopened earlier this year after extensive refurbishment work; improved access for wheelchair users also makes it far easier for mothers with baby buggies to access the gallery – prompting more thought on issues as seemingly small as nappy-changing – as Patricia Convery, the gallery’s Head of Press, told Wikinews, a great deal of thought went into the practicalities of increased visitor numbers, and what is needed to ensure as many visitors as possible have a good experience at the gallery.

Press access to the gallery on Monday was from around 11:30am, with refreshments and an opportunity to catch some of the staff in the Grand Hall before a brief welcoming introduction to the refurbished gallery given by John Leighton, director of the National Galleries of Scotland. Centre-stage in the Grand Hall is a statue of Robert Burns built with funds raised from around the British Empire and intended for his memorial situated on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill.

The ambulatories surrounding the Grand Hall give the space a cathedral-like feel, with numerous busts – predominantly of Scottish figures – looking in on the tiled floor. The east corner holds a plaque commemorating the gallery’s reopening, next to a far more ornate memorial to John Ritchie Findlay, who not only funded and commissioned the building’s construction, but masterminded all aspects of the then-new home for the national collection.

Split into two groups, members of the press toured with gallery Director James Holloway, and Nicola Kalinsky, Deputy Director. Wikinews’ McNeil joined Kalinsky’s group, first visiting The Contemporary Scotland Gallery. This ground-floor gallery currently houses two exhibits, first being the Hot Scots display of photographic portraits of well-known Scottish figures from film, television, and music. Centre-stage in this exhibit is the newly-acquired Albert Watson portrait of Sir Sean Connery. James McAvoy, Armando Iannucci, playwright John Byrne, and Dr Who actress Karen Gillan also feature in the 18-photograph display.

The second exhibit in the Contemporary gallery, flanked by the new educational facilities, is the Missing exhibit. This is a video installation by Graham Fagen, and deals with the issue of missing persons. The installation was first shown during the National Theatre of Scotland’s staging of Andrew O’Hagan’s play, The Missing. Amongst the images displayed in Fagen’s video exhibit are clips from the deprived Sighthill and Wester-Hailes areas of Edinburgh, including footage of empty play-areas and footbridges across larger roads that sub-divide the areas.

With the only other facilities on the ground floor being the education suite, reception/information desk, cafe and the gallery’s shop, Wikinews’ McNeil proceeded with the rest of Kalinsky’s tour group to the top floor of the gallery, all easily fitting into the large glass hydraulic elevator.

The top (2nd) floor of the building is now divided into ten galleries, with the larger spaces having had lowered, false ceilings removed, and adjustable ceiling blinds installed to allow a degree of control over the amount of natural light let in. The architects and building contractors responsible for the renovation work were required, for one side of the building, to recreate previously-removed skylights by duplicating those they refurbished on the other. Kalinsky, at one point, highlighted a constructed-from-scratch new sandstone door frame; indistinguishable from the building’s original fittings, she remarked that the building workers had taken “a real interest” in the vision for the gallery.

The tour group were first shown the Citizens of the World gallery, currently hosting an 18th century Enlightenment-themed display which focuses on the works of David Hume and Allan Ramsay. Alongside the most significant 18th century items from the National Portrait Gallery’s collection, are some of the 133 new loans for the opening displays. For previous visitors to the gallery, one other notable change is underfoot; previously carpeted, the original parquet floors of the museum have been polished and varnished, and there is little to indicate it is over 120 years since the flooring was originally laid.

Throughout many of the upper-floor displays, the gallery has placed more light-sensitive works in wall-mounted cabinets and pull-out drawers. Akin to rummaging through the drawers and cupboards of a strange house, a wealth of items – many previously never displayed – are now accessible by the public. Commenting on the larger, featured oils, Deputy Director Kalinsky stressed that centuries-old portraits displayed in the naturally-lit upper exhibitions had not been restored for the opening; focus groups touring the gallery during the renovation had queried this, and the visibly bright colours are actually the consequence of displaying the works in natural light, not costly and risky restoration of the paintings.

There are four other large galleries on the top floor. Reformation to Revolution is an exhibition covering the transition from an absolute Catholic monarchy through to the 1688 revolution. Items on-display include some of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery’s most famous items – including Mary Queen of Scots and The Execution of Charles I. The portrait-based depiction of this historical age is complemented with prints, medals, and miniatures from the period.

Imagining Power is a Jacobite-themed exhibition, one which looks at the sometime-romanticised Stuart dynasty. The Gallery owns the most extensive collection of such material in the world; the portraiture that includes Flora MacDonald and Prince Charles Edward Stuart is complemented by glassware from the period which is on-loan from the Drambuie Liqueur Company which Kalinsky remarked upon as the only way Scots from the period could celebrate the deposed monarchy – toasting The King over the Water in appropriately engraved glasses.

On the other side of the upper floor, the two main naturally-lit exhibitions are The Age of Improvement, and Playing for Scotland. The first of these looks at societal changes through the 18th and 19th centuries, including Nasmyth’s 1787 portrait of the young Robert Burns and – well-known to past visitors to the portrait gallery – Raeburn’s 1822 depiction of Sir Walter Scott. These are complemented with some of the National Gallery’s collection of landscapes and earliest scenes from Scottish industry.

Playing for Scotland takes a look at the development of modern sports in the 19th century; migration from countryside to cities dramatically increased participation in sporting activities, and standardised rules were laid down for many modern sports. This exhibition covers Scotland’s four national sports – curling, shinty, golf, and bowls – and includes some interesting photographic images, such as those of early strong-men, which show how more leisure time increased people’s involvement in sporting activities.

Next to the Reformation to Revolution gallery is A Survey of Scotland. Largely composed of works on-loan from the National Library of Scotland, this showcase of John Slezer’s work which led to the 1693 publication of Theatrum Scotiae also includes some of the important early landscape paintings in the national collection.

The work of Scotland’s first portrait painter, the Aberdeen-born George Jamesone, takes up the other of the smaller exhibits on the east side of the refurbished building. As the first-ever dedicated display of Jamesone’s work, his imaginary heroic portraits of Robert the Bruce and Sir William Wallace are included.

On the west side of the building, the two smaller galleries currently house the Close Encounters and Out of the Shadow exhibits. Close Encounters is an extensive collection of the Glasgow slums photographic work of Thomas Annan. Few people are visible in the black and white images of the slums, making what were squalid conditions appear more romantic than the actual conditions of living in them.

The Out of the Shadow exhibit takes a look at the role of women in 19th century Scotland, showing them moving forward and becoming more recognisable individuals. The exceptions to the rules of the time, known for their work as writers and artists, as-opposed to the perceived role of primary duties as wives and mothers, are showcased. Previously constrained to the domestic sphere and only featuring in portraits alongside men, those on-display are some of the people who laid the groundwork for the Suffrage movement.

The first floor of the newly-reopened building has four exhibits on one side, with the library and photographic gallery on the other. The wood-lined library was moved, in its entirety, from elsewhere in the building and is divided into two parts. In the main public part, the original table from the Society of Antiquaries sits centred and surrounded by glass-fronted cabinets of reference books. Visible, but closed to public access, is the research area. Apart from a slight smell of wood glue, there was little to indicate to the tour group that the entire room had been moved from elsewhere in the building.

The War at Sea exhibit, a collaboration with the Imperial War Museum, showcases the work of official war artist John Lavery. His paintings are on-display, complemented by photographs of the women who worked in British factories throughout the First World War. Just visible from the windows of this gallery is the Firth of Forth where much of the naval action in the war took place. Situated in the corner of the room is a remote-controlled ‘periscope’ which allows visitors a clearer view of the Forth as-seen from the roof of the building.

Sir Patrick Geddes, best-known for his work on urban planning, is cited as one of the key influencers of the Scottish Renaissance Movement which serves as a starting point for The Modern Scot exhibit. A new look at the visual aspects of the movement, and a renewal of Scottish Nationalist culture that began between the two World Wars, continuing into the late 20th century, sees works by William McCance, William Johnstone, and notable modernists on display.

Migration Stories is a mainly photographic exhibit, prominently featuring family portraits from the country’s 30,000-strong Pakistani community, and exploring migration into and out of Scotland. The gallery’s intent is to change the exhibit over time, taking a look at a range of aspects of Scottish identity and the influence on that from migration. In addition to the striking portraits of notable Scots-Pakistani family groups, Fragments of Love – by Pakistani-born filmmaker Sana Bilgrami – and Isabella T. McNair’s visual narration of a Scottish teacher in Lahore are currently on-display.

The adjacent Pioneers of Science exhibit has Ken Currie’s 2002 Three Oncologists as its most dramatic item. Focussing on Scotland’s reputation as a centre of scientific innovation, the model for James Clerk Maxwell’s statue in the city’s George Street sits alongside photographs from the Roslin Institute and a death mask of Dolly the sheep. Deputy Director Kalinsky, commented that Dolly had been an incredibly spoilt animal, often given sweets, and this was evident from her teeth when the death mask was taken.

Now open daily from 10am to 5pm, and with more of their collection visible than ever before, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery will change some of the smaller current exhibits after 12 to 18 months on display. The ground-floor information desk has available five mini-guides, or ‘trails’, which are thematic guides to specific display items. These are: The Secret Nature trail, The Catwalk Collection trail, The Situations Vacant trail, The Best Wee Nation & The World trail, and The Fur Coat an’ Nae Knickers Trail.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007 

New Zealand’s new digital free to air television platform, Freeview was ‘switched on’ today at the Auckland Museum by the Government. This is the beginning of digital, and within 10 years, analogue transmission will be switched off for good.

Broadcasting minister, Steve Maharey said that it may take time for people to be persuaded to change to Freeview, but says changing to it is necessary. He describes Freeview as the path to a digital nirvana.

Broadcasting spokesperson for National Dr Jonathan Coleman says that the Government was told that, for Freeview to work, quality content was needed, otherwise people wouldn’t see a need to change.

Before the launch of Freeview, the only way New Zealanders could watch digital TV was to subscribe to the only pay TV operator, SKY Network Television.

Viewers who have bought the required NZ$300 set top box can only watch TV ONE, TV2, TV3, C4, and M?ori Television. Radio New Zealand National and Radio New Zealand Concert are also available on Freeview to listen to. The most notable exception from the current line up of channels is SKY’s free to air channel, Prime.

There is a possibility for an extra 13 channels to be added at a later date.

State broadcaster, Television New Zealand (TVNZ), who owns TV One and TV2, announced earlier that they will be launching two new channels. One will carry family, arts and entertainment type programmes and the other will be a news and current affairs channel. The former will be launched later this year, and the latter being launched next year. As well as the $25 million the Government has already contributed to Freeview, TVNZ’s new channels will be given $79 million over five years.

Various local broadcasters are also worried how they will survive when the analouge transmission is turned off. The Regional TV Broadcasters Association Chairman Jim Blackman has estimated the cost for regional broadcasters to be up to $1 million annually. He says the Government needs to help these broadcasters for them survive.

“Every New Zealander can now receive digital television with no monthly fees and no contracts. They simply purchase a Freeview satellite set top box, and if they need one, install a dish, and their favourite television programmes are free,” Freeview General Manager, Steve Browning said. Freeview terrestrial transmission will start sometime next year.

Controversy has been thrown up recently that Sky has told its contractors not to help install set top boxes for Freeview. SKY refused to comment to Radio New Zealand about this.

Mr Browning said that the launch is as significant as the launch of colour television was 30 years ago.

This guide was created by IlyaHaykinson (talk) to help any future photographers at red carpet events. Please feel free to modify and expand as desired

Recently, I was asked by User:Zanimum to be the Wikinews photographer at an Oscar-viewing red-carpet party in Beverly Hills, California. Since this was my first time doing this type of photography, I received some very useful tips from Zanimum who has organized such events before, and came up with some recommendations of my own. This document attempts to synthesize all of these recommendations. Some of these may not apply to events of other types or sizes, but are nonetheless probably somewhat useful. — IlyaHaykinson (talk) 08:18, 8 March 2009 (UTC)

Basically, when well-known people show up at events, they are paraded one by one in front of waiting photographers and videographers. The photographers and videographers are allocated some space right next to the red carpet. Each VIP is given anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes to parade down the specific section where the cameras are — on one side are the cameras, on the other is a backdrop with event or sponsor logos.

It is the job of the red carpet photographer to do three things:

All of these will be discussed below.

Try to get to the event early. Fifteen minutes before the event is probably too late; two hours is probably too early. When you get to the event, you may need to go to the press check-in to receive some sort of a media pass. It may help to print up (or pretend to have forgotten) some Wikinews or otherwise semi-legit looking business cards — these provide credibility. Even more so, a nice camera set up will qualify you as a photographer.

The reason you need to get there early is to find a good spot. The red carpet press section is not very big, and if there are many photographers then some get to be in the front row and others get to be behind them. It is in your extreme interest to be in the front row, right by the rope separating you from the red carpet. If you are going to be in the second row, you will have very little ability to choose your shot, influence the quality of your picture, or keep track of whose photo you have just taken. If you are not very tall, you will have an especially hard time. If you get there early, however, take up a spot somewhere in the middle of the photography section, right at the rope. Note that at some events you may not get to choose.

Once you have selected your spot, do not move from that spot under any circuimstances. Event photographers are amazingly combative; they may find stand-ins to take their place if they need to leave for a few seconds, or they may engage in some light pushing etc. Ensure that your place at the rope is uncontestable: keep a hand on the rope, and don’t leave until the job is done.

When you go to the event, you will want to bring your best photographic equipment. Unless you are a professional photographer, the other event photographers will be using far better equipment than you. And they’ll have a lot more practice with it, at similar events. That doesn’t mean that you can’t get away with taking great shots. Here’s what I recommend that you bring for your camera:

You may also want to bring a foldable and small stepladder; this will let you sit on something before the event and climb on something if you end up in the back. An alternative to this would be a box or a stepstool that raises you 20-30cm above everyone else (more if you’re not very tall).

Finally, bring a digital voice recorder. Hang it on your neck on a string. You will need this to keep track of whose picture you are taking.

It seems like photographers dress in dark clothing; some dress in suits. You will not be out of place if you dress in dark business-casual attire. This is probably to lend a bit of credibility to you, as well, since it’s actually very hot near the bright lights and you’ll end up sweating.

Generally, this is what happens: someone you probably don’t know starts walking onto the carpet from one side. They come in front of the first one or two photographers and stop while those photographers take their picture. Then they move a little bit, and the next group of photographers can take their picture. Then they move further and so on, until they run out of photographers in line.

Now, there’s nothing preventing you from taking their picture early — when they’re just in front of the previous photographers. The issue will be that they are not looking at your camera: they’re looking at theirs. Sometimes this is OK, but that means that you can’t focus on their eyes and they’ll be sideways to you.

The more well known the person is, the less likely they actually need great photos in entertainment rags. So they are thus less likely to want to stop and give each photographer some individual time to take the perfect picture. If they are not well known at all, however, they will give you a lot of time.

So what are your challenges?

You need to keep track of what’s going on with the carpet. Are people being paraded down, and if so, are you taking their picture? Have you taken a full-body shot, and a closeup, and a few of each, and reviewed them on your camera’s display to ensure that the quality is fine? If so, you can relax for a bit. Otherwise, get to shooting: Wikipedia could certainly use good photos of people, even if other entertainment sites or magazines don’t care to spend a lot of time on lesser celebrities.

There are basically a few things that can happen: a person may get shoved onto the carpet, walk the entire length, and you may not know who they were at all; or some VIP handler may walk up to the front-row photographers and tell them quickly who the person is; or the VIP handler may hold up a piece of paper with the person’s name; or you may just recognize them.

The digital voice recorder helps you with knowing whose pictures you are taking. You can quickly press the record button and say who is coming up, if you know from the handler or paper or recognition. Every so many people, mention what they look like as well, or what they are wearing — this will help you connect the name with the photo later on in case you miss a few folks. If you just do not know the name, ask the photographer next to you: perhaps they know!

The easiest would be if the VIP handler walks around with a sign or card showing the name of the VIP. In that case, use your camera to take a picture of the sign and then immediately of the person. Also don’t forget to record something on your voice recorder, even if just a mumble that such-and-such had a card with their name.

To take a good photo on the red carpet, there are two basic rules: eyes, and pose. Your goal is to have the VIP look at you while you are taking your photo (or preferrably several photos in rapid succession: their attention span is very short). To get them to look at you, try everything: yell out their name, say “/their name/, over here please” or “/name/, down at the front center please” etc. Addressing them by name — if you know it — may help them look at you. Be ready for that shot! For pose, you can be passive (looking for a good shot) or active (tell them what to do). If the VIP is carrying a purse, ask them to swing it or hold it up or to the side or whatnot. Tell them “/name/, do something with your hands”, or “show me the back of your dress”. More often then not, they will comply with your request.

If you think you’ll have a second go at a VIP, quickly review your photos on your camera. Were they alright looking? Did you need to repeat the shot, or could you switch to a closeup?

In general, try to get a few full-body shots, and a few closeups. Try your best to get them to look at you, and focus on their eyes.

Friday, January 11, 2013 

All 187 store locations of Jessops camera retailer are closing in the United Kingdom today. The business, which went into administration earlier this week, is to leave its workforce of approximately 1370 jobless. While staff at the business’ top office in Leicester, in central England, are not being made redundant with immediate effect, they are in the next few weeks to lose their positions.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the firm declared administrator of Jessops two days ago, has said an examination of the company indicated it was no longer capable of operating successfully. “It is apparent that we cannot continue to trade”, said joint administrator Rob Hunt of PwC, “and as a result we have had to make the difficult decision”.

PwC say no Jessops branches will open tomorrow and people who have bought items from their businesses will not be able to return them. However, stock “will be returned to suppliers if they are entitled to it”, according to Hunt.

Hunt said PwC “will continue to ensure that employees are paid as they assist us during the closure” at Jessops. In a comment to the BBC, Hunt described the situation at Jessops as “a horrible end to a very intensive couple of days”.

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