EVALUATION OF PRACTIONERS:

The first of the practioners I have looked at are Zetia productions. These are a duo of music producers from nottingham. I have had the pleasure of working with these producers on personal music ventures and their style of Hip Hop music is very original and elcetic. I felt they were valuable to look at as practioners as i'm familiar with their work and know that they use a great range of production methods to deliver their exceptional blend of underground music.

see: www.myspace.com/zetiafamilia

The second practioners I have looked at are the Cohen brothers. I have been a fan of their films for a long time with big favourites such as "The big Lebowski" and "O brother where art thou" their new film "no country for old men" was not a dispapointment. The stylistic approach to their films is something I would love to emulate in my own work - or if I were to venture in Directing for film.

"Owing a heavy debt to film noir and other film styles of the past, the Coen brothers' films combine dry humor with sharp irony and shocking visuals, most often in moving camera shots. The Coens prefer not to put the opening credits at the very beginning of the film. The Coens are also amongst the few contemporary filmmakers who have shown a great affection for the screwball comedies of the 30s and 40s, and have incorporated their influences with varying degrees of subtlety, ranging from entire movies in the screwball mode like The Hudsucker Proxy and Intolerable Cruelty to occasional fast-talking wacky characters like Steve Buscemi's cameo in Miller's Crossing. Their style of characterisation creates a world in which even characters with small speaking parts seem to have exaggerated traits or characteristics. This can be attributed to the settings of many of the films (for example the weird and wonderful characters in The Big Lebowski do not seem out of place in the many niche communities of LA). "

In the latest film I found it really refreshing to engage in a film that did not stuff itself full of cheesey dialogue and fake emotion filled music. The film lacked both completly which really allows you to watch and digest the visual masterpiece they bring to their films.

The third practioners I have looked at recently are graffiti and artists OXYEN THIEVES.

These guys are collective of street artists and illustrators from Nottingham. They recently had an exhibition titled "Fat people are harder to kidnap". It was showed various black and white illustartions and canvas paintings done by each member of the crew. I am good friends with these artists and have been a keen fan of the street art and urban graffiti they have done over the years. The main member of the group Kid30/Smallkid is a well respected artist across the UK and also does workshops for young people similar to those who I teach. I have chosen him as a practioner to show because he has given me alot of help in my career as a tutor and is someone I respect as a self made artists - something I hope to achieve.

Small kid took part in a "draw off" artist battle in london.

you can see their designs all over Nottingham city or visit www.smallkid.co.uk