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Creative Arts

CREATIVE ARTS
Last updated May 2008

Browse our collection of creative arts titles.

DVDs are available "on approval" for 14 days.
Fax or post your official order to Maxwell’s Collection
or use the Email Order Form.

Programs are available for sale within Australia & NZ only.

 
Art in Reverse
Art Shorts
Famous Artists
Great Artists
Howard Goodall's Big Bangs
Monumental Vision
Music Behind the Scenes
Opera Diaries
Successful Video Production
 
 
ART IN REVERSE
This Australian Art series provides a behind the scenes glimpse into the artistic process. Each episode in the series presents the stages of production from inspiration through to exhibition-in reverse-starting with the gloss and polish of 'opening night'. The weeks and months of work are wound back, tracking the realities of the processes and the network of relationships that swirl around the artists, their artworks and exhibitions.

Teachers Notes included.
Executive Producer Liz Courtney
©2004 Guiding Light Productions
7 x 23 minute programs

Art in Reverse Series Set of 3 DVDs $234.00 GLD101


or DVDs available individually $88.00 each
 
Art in Reverse-Susan Baird / Alexander Seton
An Urban Canvas-Susan Baird

Presents the journey of painter Susan Baird as she creates a body of work for a solo exhibition staged independently of the gallery system. Follow in reverse the challenges of taking on such a monumental task on her own.
An Artful Illusion-Alexander Seton
Set amongst the dust and pressure of a sculptor's studio as Alex Seton manages to complete a large carved marble sculpture for Sculpture by the Sea and a body of work for his very first solo exhibition.
DVD Format $88.00 GLD102
 
Art in Reverse-Jonathon Jones / Vanila Netto
Shadow and Light-Jonathon Jones

Go behind the scenes as Jonathan Jones works towards completing three light sculptures and works on paper for a show at the GBK Gallery in Sydney.
Digital Portrait-Vanila Netto
The journey of a private commission is traced back in time as Vanila Netto submits a photographic portrait into the Archibald Prize.
DVD Format $88.00 GLD103
 
Art in Reverse-Akira Isogawa / Marion Borgelt /
Clinton Nain
The Vintage Dolls-Akira Isogawa

Designer Akira Isogawa creates a collection for a Paris fashion show that becomes the centre piece for his first major solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria.
Liquid Light-Marion Borgelt
Follows the preparations of Marion Borgelt as she resolves a major private commission piece while simultaneously producing work for a major solo exhibition.
Living Art-Clinton Nain
Melbourne based indigenous artist Clinton Nain prepares for a solo show that took place in his studio and included a performance piece at the opening.
DVD Format $88.00 GLD104
 

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ART SHORTS
Art Express in Process
Follows three Year 12 Visual Art students as they make, complete and submit their bodies of work for the HSC and then go on to enjoy the thrill of being exhibited in Art Express 2005, an annual event held at the Art Gallery of NSW. (12minutes)
Sculpture by the Sea in Process 2004
Three artists share their thoughts about art, sculpture and an iconic annual event which sees Bondi transformed for three weeks into the world's largest outdoor sculpture park. Follow the process as new works by Alexander Seton, Robert Hawkins and Ingrid Morley make the journey from studio to coastline. (10minutes)

©2004/2005 Guiding Light Productions
DVD Format $66.00 GLD105
 

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FAMOUS ARTISTS

The lives and works of six of the world’s great artists are presented in these superb documentaries from the BBC and Atelier D Paris.  Beautifully filmed, the programs show what influenced and shaped these artists and features many examples of their works.

Duration: 5 x 49-75 minute programs
DVD Format (Set of 5 DVDs)  $396.00  SBD207
or DVDs available individually, $88.00 each.
 


Marc Chagall: The Poet of Painting
Marc Chagall, who died in 1985 at the age of ninety-seven, reached out to people like no other artist, inspiring fascination and admiration across the world. He is a glorious presence in this film, captured in archive footage, sound recordings and extracts from his writings. A rich visual tapestry of his paintings, graphic works and stained glass windows conjures up the unique world of pathos, poetry, humour and enchantment he depicted in his colourful dreamscapes and narratives.  (49 minutes)

Produced by John Read
©BBC Television
DVD Format  $88.00  SBD203
 


Goya: Crazy Like a Genius
Art Critic Robert Hughes explores the world of Goya and gives a very personal commentary on his paintings and charts his achievements.  He gives an insight into the huge changes that took place in Goya’s work in the course of his life: the shift from light to dark. In Spain, he travels to Goya’s native Aragon and, in Madrid, he visits the galleries, palaces and churches where Goya’s works are on display today.  (75 minutes)

Written and Presented by Robert Hughes
Directed by Ian MacMillan
©2002 BBC Television
DVD Format  $88.00  SBD205
 

Matisse / Picasso
Henri Matisse (1869-1954) and Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) are the acknowledged twin giants of modern art, between them having originated many of the most significant innovations of twentieth-century painting and sculpture. This film is an encounter with the two pioneers, two adventurers in painting, who opened new frontiers.  With archive footage and photos and a wealth of examples of their work, this documentary traces the separate paths Matisse and Picasso followed, looks at their points of contact, and sheds light on how the genius of each artist nourished that of the other.  (52 minutes)

Directed by Philippe Kohly
©2002 NBD Television
DVD Format  $88.00  SBD206
 

Claude Monet: Painter of Light
By the end of the 1880s, Claude Monet (1840-1926) was a successful artist, famed for his landscape painting.  He had played a key role in creating and establishing one of the most influential styles in the history of art – Impressionism.  In 1883, Monet moved to Giverny, charmed by the village, and purchased a house there and planted a large flower garden and water garden.  These carefully tended gardens became his prime subject for the rest of his life.  Between 1900 and his death, he produced some of the most original work of his extremely long career, landmarks of Late Impressionism.  (55 minutes)

Directed by Dominik Rimbault
©2000 Atelier D, Paris
DVD Format  $88.00  SBD202
 

Paul Signac: Revealing Light
Under Georges Seurat’s influence, the young Paul Signac (1863-1935), who had taught himself to paint by studying the works of Monet, abandoned Impressionism to experiment with Pointillism, or Divisionism, the technique of using myriad tiny dots of paint.  This documentary sets Signac’s life and work in the context of his day, evoking the vibrancy and vitality of the art scene at that time.  Signac was a keen sailor and traveller and one of the joys of this film is seeing his paintings of places where he spent time, juxtaposed with contemporary archive photographs and footage of the same locations today.  (51 minutes)

Directed by Dominik Rimbault
©2001 Atelier D, Paris
DVD Format  $88.00  SBD201
 


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GREAT ARTISTS

An illuminating documentary DVD series examining the lives and works of 14 of the greatest artists of the western world. What influences shaped these outstanding artists and what makes their work so remarkable and draws us to these paintings centuries later? Written and presented by art historian Tim Marlow.

A Seventh Art Production
©2001 Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited

14 x 24 minute programs on 7 discs
DVD Format (7 discs) $396.00 PED301

or available individually, $77.00 each program.

Great Artists Volume 1 - Giotto, Leonardo
DVD Format $77.00 PED302
 

 
 
 
Giotto
Giotto di Bondone (1266-1337), the son of a Tuscan shepherd, became the most important artist of his age with his naturalistic and emotive treatment of medieval Christian iconography. He enjoyed a level of fame no artist had previously enjoyed, receiving commissions from princes, kings and Popes, that helped raise the status of the artist from craftsman to poet or philosopher.
Beginning his apprenticeship aged 12, Giotto spent a decade in the flourishing city-state of Florence at a time of great cultural change. He worked on the Franciscan Centre, developing a more realistic and emotional approach to faces and figures and greater use of perspective. This was a departure from the Byzantine style that had previously dominated Christian iconography. Commissions poured in, paving the way for the Renaissance masters such as Leonardo and Michelangelo. For the first time, an artist had developed an individual style.

Leonardo
Over the course of his amazing life (1452-1519), Leonardo da Vinci created what were to become some of the most famous paintings in the world, including his great masterpiece, the Mona Lisa – undoubtedly the best known painting in the history of art.
As well as painting startlingly emotive and intimate religious scenes, including The Last Supper, and St John the Baptist, Leonardo led the way in two new genres of painting – those of portraiture and historical imagery. His methodical approach to art developed several important painting techniques. The man’s genius, not just an artist, but as a scientist, an engineer and an inventor, a man who drew plans of flying machines and made accurate studies of human anatomy, meant that his was a truly unique contribution to the development of art in Europe.

Great Artists Volume 2 - Durer, Michelangelo
DVD Format $77.00 PED303
 
 
 
Durer
Albrecht Durer’s (1471-1528) greatness lay in his ability to capture an unparalleled degree of reality in his art. He was a master of the woodcut and the etching, with which he created nightmarish visions of the apocalypse, and his most accomplished works in oil are the very first individual-figure self-portraits in the history of art.
Like Leonardo, Durer studied the world around him with a scientist’s eye, making detailed studies of plants and animals, which remain unrivalled to this day. From humble beginnings as a craftsman, Durer became revered across Europe. His workshop in the German city of Nuremberg provided a centre for what was to become known as the ‘Northern Renaissance’. This established the artistic traditions of northern Europe as equal to those of Italy.

Michelangelo
Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) stands alone as an artist, so great were his achievements. His career spanned seven decades, and he was instrumental in the development of a style of art that has come to represent the pinnacle of the Italian High Renaissance.
Michelangelo's unrivalled genius, violent temper and singular determination to pursue his art meant that he often worked alone, undertaking great feats of physical and intellectual endurance. As an architect, he designed the dome of St Peter’s in the Vatican, the single most important church in Christendom. As a sculptor, he produced figures of unimaginable quality, such as his iconic statue of David. As a painter, he single-handedly undertook the decoration of the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, regarded as one of the finest achievements in the history of art.

Great Artists Volume 3 - Raphael, Titian
DVD Format $77.00 PED304
 
 
 
Raphael
Raffaello Santi (1483-1520) is known for the beauty of his portraits and the perfectly balanced composition of his larger historical paintings. His works are sensual and measured studies of the human form. Known for his many studies of the Madonna and Child, Raphael became a favourite of the papal court, undertaking commissions from Popes Julius II and Leo X.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Raphael did not simply copy from nature, but formed a certain idealised concept of beauty. Such was the admiration for his idealised forms that they were adopted by artists and art academies as the model of beauty until the end of the 19th century.

Titian
The Renaissance Movement found a new centre, the city of Venice, and a new master, Tiziano Vecellio (c1485-1576). Known to English speakers as Titian, he did more to establish the principles of modern painting than any of his Florentine contemporaries. He painted most often in oil and his radical approach to light, colour and composition set him apart from those around him, and his free brush strokes are widely regarded as more expressive than anything that had come before, providing an alternative to the linear and sculptural Florentine tradition championed by the likes of Michelangelo and Raphael.
Titian’s enormous talent was quickly recognised across Europe, and he received commissions to paint portraits of some of the most powerful figures of the age, including Pope Paul III, and the Holy Roman Emperor, King Charles V of Spain.

Great Artists Volume 4 - Bruegel, El Greco
DVD Format $77.00 PED305
 
 
 
 
Bruegel
Little is known about Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525/30 – 1569) whose enigmatic, humorous, sometimes, grotesque paintings remain among the most distinctive examples of Dutch art. In Bruegel’s fantastical landscapes, it was the common peasant folk who took centre stage, often sidelining the saints and members of the holy family who were the supposed subjects of many of his artworks. His paintings and etchings served as windows into other worlds, illustrating the mountains and rivers of far-off lands, a geography that was exotic to people in the flat Netherlands.
Bruegel lived through a period of growth in trade and commerce and immense social and religious upheaval. Among the first artists to paint almost exclusively for the growing class of merchants and intellectuals, Bruegel’s ability to combine gritty humour with a unique style of political comment has never been equalled.

El Greco
Greek artist Domenicos Theotocopolous (1541-1614), dubbed ‘El Greco’ by the Spaniards, was among the most distinctive artists of the early modern period. In fact, his work was so ahead of its time in its departure from the naturalism and careful modelling of the Renaissance that it was all but ignored for 300 years!
This visionary artist varied his style enormously throughout the course of his career. In Italy, his paintings reflected the bright colouring and loose brushstrokes of Venetian masters such as Tintoretto, while in Spain the fervour of religious belief and lingering medieval sensibilities added an emotional intensity and a mystical quality to his work. The result was a highly individualistic style of painting which, though heavily criticised at the time, was enormously influential. El Greco’s dramatic approach paved the way for the Baroque, and 20th century Expressionism.

Great Artists Volume 5 - Rubens, Velazquez
DVD Format $77.00 PED306
 
 
Rubens
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) is highly regarded as the chief exponent of the Baroque style, merging the grace of the Italian High Renaissance with the realism and landscapes of the northern tradition. His career mirrors the rapidly developing politics of an emergent Europe, as he painted not only for the Italian nobility, but also for the Spanish, French and English courts. A highly versatile artist, Rubens was equally at home painting altarpieces, historical and mythological scenes, portraits and landscapes.
He is perhaps best known for the voluptuous female nudes, which are often found in his large-scale mythological allegories. These were so influential that, even today, portraits of generously proportioned women are described as ‘Rubenesque’. Rubens became the most celebrated painter of the early 17th century and did much to develop different genres of painting.

Velazquez
In a Spain dominated by a fervent religiosity, Diego de Silva y Velazquez (1599-1640) emerged as a master practitioner of a secular form of art. His masterpiece, Las Meninas, is a painting full of mystery and intrigue, a work of startling intellectual and artistic complexity, the culmination of a unique relationship between the artist and his patron, King Philip IV of Spain.
Velazquez single-handedly redefined the image of the Spanish monarchy and while his output was dominated by royal portraiture, he also produced psychologically useful studies of people on the margins of society, such as the buffoons of the royal court or the poor people of Seville. Velazquez’s unique painting style, which combined dramatic lighting, intense colouring and increasingly loose brushstrokes, was dominated by a single preoccupation – to capture a degree of naturalism never achieved before in the history of art. His work came to be admired by many in the centuries that followed, and as the French painter Edouard Manet remarked, "he is the painter’s painter."

Great Artists Volume 6 - Rembrandt, Vermeer
DVD Format $77.00 PED307
 
 
Rembrandt
Rembrandt Van Rijn (1606-1669), was a 17th century visionary painter, sketcher and exponent of the realist style.
Rembrandt's passion for painting led him to Amsterdam, where the tolerant new Dutch republic encouraged artists to work freely. He began painting the heads of family and neighbours and produced hundreds of works, but focused most heavily on himself. His own face became a source of fascination and the central vehicle of his work - in total, Rembrandt created 75 self-portraits.
Commissioned by the Surgeons Guild to paint The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tull, Rembrandt demonstrated masterly dexterity in portraying the human form. But his genius was in creation of powerful introspective portraits using thick pastes, eschewing the trend of lighter tones and gentle strokes. He died poor, leaving "an immense body of work that has never been surpassed in its insight into the human condition."

Vermeer
Dutch painter Jan van der Meer (1632-1675), painted domestic scenes which displayed a mastery of perspective and a playful ambiguity. Though he painted less than 40 works and died unknown outside his hometown of Delft, today Vermeer is considered as large a talent as Rembrandt.
Son of an innkeeper and art dealer, Vermeer was immersed in the local art scene from a young age. It was the golden age of Dutch painting and he became the most respected painter in Delft, even though he only completed two to three paintings a year, such was his attention to detail!
Vermeer's early works were based on mythology and Biblical subjects, his later ones on domestic scenes. But his virtues remained constant: the portrayal of the effects of light; a prodigious sense of perspective; an almost photographic sense of realism; a talent for composition; and a sophisticated ability to draw the viewer into a ‘dialogue’ with the picture.

Great Artists Volume 7 - Turner, Van Gogh
DVD Format $77.00 PED308
 
 
 
Turner
JMW Turner (1775–1851), was a visionary painter whose shocking use of colour, sublime use of light and tendency to abstraction divided contemporary critics. But today, he is considered maybe the finest British artist of all time.
Turner was a precocious talent who was accepted at 14 to study at the fledgling Royal Academy of Arts, the institution that helped make his reputation. He started painting watercolours, and his prolific work, aided by experimentation with the newest synthetic colours, won him many patrons.
But this scruffy and eccentric man was more interested in exploring the boundaries of painting, than being flavour of the day. Turner worked increasingly in oils as he explored several main themes; the smallness of man against the forces of nature; the qualities of light reflected in the sea and sky; and the ambiguous feelings engendered by the Industrial Revolution. His works, with their almost frenzied brushstrokes, expressed a romantic affinity with the sublime; and the abstraction of many of the forms influenced later movements in impressionism.

Van Gogh
In ten turbulent years, Vincent Van Gogh (1853–1890) painted over 1,000 works, but sold only one of them. Lonely and mad, he shot himself aged 37. Van Gogh was the son of a preacher, who loved nature from a young age and showed early artistic promise. The painter took a while to develop his style, moving from area to area, always broke and often depressed. It was in Arles where his creativity flourished, the Impressionists inspiring him to use more rapid brushstrokes and bright colours. Van Gogh returned to certain subjects (sunflowers, self-portraits) again and again in an effort to fight his mental darkness and works like Starry Night, with its swirling skies, were psychological self-portraits through the medium of landscapes.
However, his psyche was deteriorating and he spent time in asylums. Painting intensely in periods of sanity, his perception of colours and light intensified by his condition, many of his finest works come from the artist's last few months. The foreboding Wheatfield with Crows was painted two weeks before he committed suicide. But his work will live forever.
 
  14 x 24 minute programs
Great Artists Series DVD Format (7 discs) $462.00 PED301
or available $77.00 per Volume

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HOWARD GOODALL'S BIG BANGS

The story of five discoveries that changed musical history
Looking back down the corridor of a thousand years, composer and broadcaster Howard Goodall guides us through the stories of five seismic developments in the history of Western music.  Howard Goodall has the gift of making these complicated musical advances both clear and utterly fascinating.  His vivid presentation is full of colourful characters and graphic illustrations of technical processes.  Big Bangs opens a window on the crucial moments in our musical culture – discoveries that made possible everything from Bach to The Beatles.

Duration: 5 x 60 minute programs
Written and Produced by Howard Goodall
Directed by Rupert Edwards
©NVC Arts Ltd and Channel Four

DVD Format  (Set of 5 DVDs)  $396.00  SBD118
or DVDs available individually, $88.00 each.
 


Howard Goodall’s Big Bangs - Notation
Imagine a world with no Beethoven or Beatles. Without a particular stroke of genius from a little-known Italian monk in the 11th century, we would still be listening to the solemn tones of Gregorian chant, if anything at all. Armed with a refreshing dose of wit and charm, Howard Goodall charts the crucial turning points in musical history, the Big Bangs, starting with the inspired invention of a thin red line.  (60 minutes)

DVD Format  $88.00  SBD119
 

Howard Goodall’s Big Bangs - Opera
Of all music’s forms, opera is the one that generates the most excitement, rage and passion – love it or hate it, opera wouldn’t even exist today if it hadn’t been for the unique presence of mind of a certain visionary, Monteverdi. Without this momentous Big Bang, there would be no Madame Butterfly, no Marriage of Figaro and no fat men singing in the park.  (60 minutes)

DVD Format  $88.00  SBD120
 

Howard Goodall’s Big Bangs - Equal Temperament
Ever wondered why that jangling music in the local tandoori sounds quite so tuneless? Believe it or not, all Western music obeys one mathematical formula which took centuries and centuries to develop. Without this magic formula, the world of music would be dramatically different – no orchestras for a start. Howard Goodall steps back in time to investigate the origins of this musical Big Bang, starting in the workshop of Greek mathematician Pythagoras where the seed for this all-powerful tuning system was known – a system we now take so much for granted that anything else positively grates on our ears.  (60 minutes)

DVD Format  $88.00  SBD121
 

Howard Goodall’s Big Bangs - Piano
It is probably no exaggeration to say that there is no other musical instrument in the world quite as influential and ubiquitous as the piano. Without the dedication and skill of yet another Italian musical genius back in the 1700s, a vast proportion of Western musical heritage simply wouldn’t exist. Howard Goodall investigates one of Western music’s most spectacular inventions.  (60 minutes)

DVD Format  $88.00  SBD122
 

Howard Goodall’s Big Bangs - Recorded Sound
Vinyl, cassette, CD, mini-disc, internet…..Whatever format you prefer, music has never been the same since the invention of recorded sound. Imagine a world deprived of the rich plethora of sounds that surround you daily whether at work or at home. In the last programme about the evolution of music, Howard Goodall looks back at a century of massive change and explores perhaps the most dramatic Big Bang of them all.  (60 minutes)
DVD Format  $88.00  SBD123
 


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MONUMENTAL VISION
Andrew Rogers, one of Australia's most distinguished, international, contemporary sculptors, works in remote and exotic locations around the world to create exquisite and exacting monumental Earth Art called Geoglyphs which re-connect indigenous peoples and places to their history, stories and ancient symbols. At each location, the artist works with the elders of the area to identify important cultural symbols and together they plan an artistic bridge to the past. Local pride is developed through the teamwork required to create a lasting piece of historical artwork.

5 x 23 minute programs, 1 X 50 minute program
Produced by Liz Courtney
Directed by Kay Pavlou
©2005-07 Guiding Light Productions

Set of 6 DVDs $330.00 GLD201
or available individually
 

 
SRI LANKA
The sculptor works with over 1,000 stone masons across 3 sites to create Pride The Lion - the national symbol of Sri Lanka, The Rhythms of Life - Roger's signature piece, and Ratio, depicting the temple stairs leading to the heavens. (23 minutes)
DVD Format $66.00 GLD205
 

 
BOLIVIA
Potosí in Bolivia is where the artist attempts to create the highest outdoor sculptural exhibition in the world. Over 1,500 people work across the three sites to create significant earth artworks that can be seen from all around Potosi. (23 minutes)
DVD Format $66.00 GLD202

 
AUSTRALIA
Aboriginal elder, Jida, recounts the story of “Bunjil the wedge tail eagle”, a dreamtime story of significance to the indigenous people of the Geelong area. Stone artworks are planned on three sites in the area. (23 minutes)
DVD Format $66.00 GLD204
 

 
ICELAND
Along with his signature Rhythms of Life piece, the artist creates a large Nordic Eagle which appears on the Seal of Iceland, and a Nordic Rune symbol which reaches back into an Icelandic Folktale “The Guardian Spirits of Iceland”. (23 minutes)
DVD Format $66.00 GLD203
 

 
CHINA
Jia Yu Guan, in the Gobi Desert is the site for three monumental Geoglyphs - The Horseman, an ancient image dating back to the Wei (220-265CE), The Caveman, based on a series of frescos in the nearby Mogao Caves, and Roger's Rhythms of Life. (50 minutes)
DVD Format $88.00 GLD206
INDIA
On the steep slopes of the Aravali mountain range, north of Jobner in the Indian state of Rajasthan, Andrew Rogers sets out to create two monumental geoglyphs: his signature work "The Rhythms of Life" and a chosen work by the elders of the area “The Ascend”. (23 minutes)
DVD Format $66.00 GLD207


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Music Behind The Scenes
Music has become a powerful tool for today's directors that can in seconds create an emotional shift of enough intensity to reduce an audience to tears, laughter or have them jumping out of their seats.

Music Behind the Scenes offers an entertaining and emotional journey into this most crucial aspect of all great movies. It is the definitive look at the way music has become an integral part of movie-making.

The series looks at specific movie genres and uses a wealth of instantly recognisable film footage, archive clips and interviews with major directors, their composers and stars.


6 x 60 minute episodes
Produced by Gavin Alexander, Directed by Howard Hull
©2001CreaTVty Ltd and Take 2 TV Partnerships
Co-production in association with NBD Television Ltd


Music Behind the Scenes Series
Set of 6 DVDs $484.00 SBD104

Or DVDs available individually $88.00 each

Music Behind The Scenes: Love & Seduction
The history of music for love scenes is also the history of our own changing and contradictory attitudes to love and sex. The music for love scenes is often among the most cliched in cinema: swelling strings, lush themes and sentimental arrangements.
This episode will focus on the traditional compositions for a love scene and how, more recently some composers have avoided or reinvigorated the cliches to create some of the most emotional examples of film music.

Films include: Love Story, The English Patient, Romeo & Juliet, Emma, Dangerous Liaisons, Don't Look Now.

Interviews include: Anthony Mighella, Stephen Frears, Nic Roeg, Francis Lai, Saul Zaentz, Gabriel Yared, Walter Murch, George Fenton, Pino Donaggio, Rachel Portman, Maurice Jarre.

DVD Format $88.00 SBD105

Music Behind The Scenes: Suspense
This episode examines how composers create suspense and terror in a movie scene and how sweet melodies are used to subvert the shocking visual material of a film. Scenes expressing horror are preceded by an extended drone note to replicate anticipation of terror. Composers play with this convention - Bernard Hermann composer for Psycho recreated sounds of stabbing with short staccato notes from violins while Walter Murch used silence and sound effects for dramatic effect in The Godfather.

Films include: Chinatown, Halloween, Midnight Express, The Godfather, Mona Lisa, Donnie Brasco.

Interviews include: Jamie Lee Curtis, Jerry Goldsmith, John Carpenter, Giorgio Moroder, Michael Madsen, Mike Newell, Alan Parker, David Puttman, Steven Berkoff.

DVD Format $88.00 SBD106

Music Behind The Scenes: Heroics
Heroes such as James Bond and Superman are frequently preceded on screen by the sound of their own theme tune. This episode will uncover the contrast between scores for fictional heroic characters like James Bond to real life heroes such as Dith Parn in The Killing Fields. The program will also look at the way Eastern & Western films have borrowed from each other's conventions of heroic music in such films as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Last Emperor.

Films include: Dr. No, Gladiator, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Rocky, Tomorrow Never Dies, The Last Emperor, The Killing Fields.

Interviews include: Ridley Scott, Bill Conti, Ang Lee, David Arnold, Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, Hans Zimmer, Bernardo Bertolucci, James Schamus, Tan Dun, Sir George Martin and Mike Oldfield.

DVD Format $88.00 SBD107

Music Behind The Scenes: Humour
The conventions of slapstick humour were set with the silent films of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin accompanied by silly sound effects of bird whistles, spring and drum bangs. Henry Mancini turned convention on its head for the Pink Panther movies and created a theme as memorable as James Bond, although embodying all the inefficient pomposity of Inspector Clouseau himself. This episode will focus on how music can enhance a narrative to gain the best creative effect for the movie.

Films include: Beverly Hills Cop, Nurse Betty, Life of Brian, Brazil, Airplane, The Full Monty and Young Frankenstein.

Interviews include: John Morris, Anne Dudley, Elmer Bernstein, Harold Faltermeyer, Michael Kamen, Geoffrey Burgon, Rolfe Kent, Jim Abrahams, Terry Gilliam, Neil LaBute, Terry Jones, Carl Davis.

DVD Format $88.00 SBD108

Music Behind The Scenes: The Chase
The chase scenes in films are often the most memorable. Today, the special effects and stunts of blockbusters such as Mission Impossible have turned action films into a series of chase scenes, demanding a constant stylistic variety from director and composer to keep up the tension. In Speed the tension of chase scenes can become the premise for the entire film. This episode illustrates the tricks that composers use to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat throughout extended scenes.

Films include: Terminator 2, Speed, Mission Impossible, The Great Escape, Thelma & Louise and Diva.

Interviews include: Elmer Bernstein, Mark Mancina, Vladimir Cosma, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Brad Fiedel, Lalo Schifrin, Jean-Jacques Beineix, Jan de Bont, David McCallum, Larry Mullen, Adam Clayton.

DVD Format $88.00 SBD109

Music Behind The Scenes : The Independents
This episode will focus on independent cinema's use of conventional music in unconventional settings. From pop, jazz, rap and black music, directors such as Spike Lee, Jim Jarmusch and David Lynch used these soundtracks to convey a sense of detachment and sinister themes within a laconic style of filmmaking.

Films include: Clockers, Straight Story, Edward Scissorhands, Crash, Fargo, Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, Once Upon a Time in The West, The Good The Bad and The Ugly.

Interviews include: Ennio Morricone, Angelo Badalamenti, Ryuichi Sakamaoto,Terence Blanchard, Spike Lee, Howard Shore, David Lynch.

DVD Format $88.00 SBD110

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OPERA DIARIES

A dynamic short series that follows five emerging young singers at the Pacific Opera Company. From training to auditions, call backs, rehearsals and opening night, Opera Diaries captures a 'slice of life' in the development of these promising young opera stars of tomorrow. Share the tears, laughter, low points and high notes of Pacific Opera's unique youth training program. Introduced by artistic director Christine Cardiner, we learn about the challenges and frustrations faced by emerging opera singers.

Auditions
200 hopefuls turn up for the “cattle call” audition and only 12 are selected for the call back auditions. Competition is fierce as the short list sing their hearts out, whilst the playing the characters in La Boheme.
Sing-off For The Lead
Hopes and anticipation collide in a pressure cooker environment as Sharon Zhai signs-off for the lead role in La Boheme. Tensions and tantrums abound over the half day session. As Mimi, she must explore the character and create her own interpretation of the role in a contemporary setting of Redfern.
Rehearsal
Young, talented and a bit of a wild boy, Martin Buckingham is definitely not your traditional opera singer. His passion for singing is contagious, and his desire to turn the opera world upside down is evident in his unique approach to his rehearsal, character analysis, and training.
Opening Night
Backstage chaos, triumph and tears are the culmination of Margaret Plummer's personal journey as she prepares to sing a very difficult aria. A bright and very promising rising star on the opera circuit, Margaret reflects on her chosen path and what it really takes to prepare to sing on an opening night.
Inspiration
Christine Douglass the artistic director of Pacific Opera Company, carefully crafts and nurtures these young emerging opera singers during their rehearsals. She provides an insight into the opera scene in Australia, and why so many of our young and promising stars are leaving our shores in droves to find opportunities and work in the US and UK

25 minutes
Directed by Liz Courtney and James Marshall
©2006 Guiding Light Productions
DVD Format $66.00 GLD106
 


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SUCCESSFUL VIDEO PRODUCTION
A DVD series illustrating the principles and creative techniques involved in producing videos.  Dramatic and documentary examples, filmed in varying locations provide real-life demonstrations of good and not so good film-making.

Programs are divided into short sections for easy group viewing and discussion.
Comprehensive Users' Guides accompany each program.
Written and produced by Mik Parsons, Bournemouth University, England
©1999-2002 ViTMedia
 

 
Successful Video Production Volume 1-DVD
Successful Lighting

This is a creative skill and there are no "correct" ways to light a scene. Understanding the fundamental differences between the way our eye sees and a camera sees and how to control light to produce the best pictures and create different effects is discussed. (30 minutes)
Successful Sound
Getting the right balance between picture and sound is a shared skill between writer, director and editor. Sometimes sound provides most of the information either by commentary or non-verbal background atmosphere. (30 minutes)
DVD Format $88.00 VTD201
 
 
Successful Video Production Volume 2-DVD
Successful Camera

Most portable video cameras are a combination of camera and recorder, with automatic functions for ease of use. To get the best technical results, an understanding of these functions and the ability to use them manually is essential. Equally important is to know what type of shots to take and how they will edit together. (30 minutes)
Successful Low Budget Drama
The processes involved in making video drama on a shoestring budget from the initial script idea through pre-production, shooting on location and final post-production. A 6 minute fantasy Frostbite is used as an example. (50 minutes)
DVD Format $88.00 VTD202
 
 
Successful Video Production Volume 3-DVD
Successful Non Linear Editing

The principles and practices of video editing using examples from actual drama and documentary situations. The program is divided into bite-size sections including: The Edit Window, Choosing the Shots, Time and Place, Association of Ideas, The Interview, The Line of Action, Sound, Dialogue, Digital Effects, Music. (34 minutes)
TV News - Editing the Story
Writing commentary for TV news and techniques for editing materials are illustrated using actual stories and rushes from a news archive. Shot-logging, writing and non-linear video-editing skills are demonstrated. (37 minutes)
DVD Format $88.00 VTD203
 
 
Successful Video Production Volume 4-DVD
Projects to Edit: Reel 1 (Total Duration 50 minutes )
Cops 'n Robbers: Basic experience in cutting dialogue and action using sound overlaps and split-edits, time compression, sound effects, and continuity editing. Watches Interview: Basic documentary technique. Camera rushes (7 minutes) include a single interview and visual supporting material for editing.
Spaghetti Hero: A more substantial experience for the learning editor. The rushes contain complete takes, sound effects, voice over, and music for a 5 minute drama.
Projects to Edit: Reel 2 (Total Duration 80 minutes)
Snookered: Basic drama editing technique. 10 minutes of video camera rushes to cut, creating three short scenes.
Fire Station: Basic documentary technique requires cutting skills and a good sense of dramatic pace. 15 minutes of rushes are provided for two 30 second edited versions.
Frostbite: The rushes, sound effects, music and special visual-effect sequences of a story are provided for the learning editor to create a 6 minute short story.
DVD Format $88.00 VTD204
(Suitable computer/video editing software is required to take full advantage of the film rushes on Volume 4.)

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Maxwell's Collection - Education Video Specialist
Maxwell's Collection Pty Ltd
www.maxwells.com.au
PO Box 575 Avalon Beach NSW 2107
Australia
FreeCall 1800 249 786 • FreeFax 1800 249 022
Email enquiries@maxwells.com.au
ABN 39 003 610 893

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