What’s the impact of holding a worldview that demands that we are always productive, measuring our worth according to our output? As part of a ‘What If?’ speaking series at Oasis Church Bath, I present the idea of ‘sabbath’ as a radical and restful resistance to our western system of consumption and productivity.
I kick off an advent podcast series at Oasis Church Bath by looking at how ‘revolution begins by believing the impossible’. I cover how revolution involves breaking rules, and that includes the self-imposed rules that limit and restrict us. Believing the impossible involves being a rule breaker, and moving beyond our fear.
An important aspect of being human is self-care, but how does this differ from self-comfort? Should we always choose one over the other and how can we tell the difference? In this talk given at Oasis Church Bath I help us identify what can work for us as we aim to take care of ourselves.
In this speaking series at Oasis Church Bath on the parables of Jesus, I explored and unpacked the Parable of the Prodigal Son. How would a Jewish audience have understood this parable and what can we learn from it to apply to our lives today?
What do Christians really believe about hell and where do these views come from? In this talk for Oasis Church Bath I attempt to expose some of the myths we’ve been led to believe and look at what the bible actually says. What kind of hope can we have for the future and how should this impact how we live now?
My friend Iain Cotton is an exceptionally talented artist who works with stone to carve letters and make sculptures. While working for Bath College as a media lecturer I used my ‘selfie day’ (a great initiative giving staff a day off each year to invest in themselves and do something different) to visit Iain at his studio and film him at work. The location itself was a film maker’s dream and the process of stone carving is mesmerizing to watch. As an editor I added very little, I just showed the process in a simple, gentle way and I’m really pleased with the results. What I loved the most about this film was actually being able to see Iain’s reaction – that happens very rarely these days as films are sent to clients usually online via links sent in an email. To watch him experience the film and react to it quite naturally in an overwhelmingly positive way was one of the best experiences I’ve had making films. Anyway the film is below, and you can find out more about Iain and his work here.
I’m no longer working with film in any kind of professional capacity, but I’m keen to continue to keep my skills sharp and to get back into making the films I want to make again. I’ve set myself a target to try and make at least one film a year, and this year I had great fun filming one of my favourite things – cake. My brilliant friend Laura has started a business selling bespoke cakes and cupcakes, and she is really good at it! I offered to make her a promotional film to spread the word and here is the result. You can check out Laura’s website here.
How effective is a deficit based approach at resolving social problems and is it the right route to identify robust and sustainable solutions? How can we take a more positive approach to identifying and resolving the route of the problem? In this short talk given at TEDx Bath in 2019, I highlight the benefits of applying the positive approach of Asset Based Community Development in the resolution of social problems.
This was a challenging collaborative effort, done with no budget, limited time and lots of wonderful volunteers! My former church – Vineyard Bath, wanted a short and simple film which communicated the overall vision and mission of the church. We decided to involve lots of different members of the church saying parts of the church vision statement to camera, with a nice white background created by a makeshift studio in the church office. We added text to introduce some colour and movement, and to make it more accessible. Here’s the final version…
We begged and borrowed a few different pieces of kit, but the film was shot using two Canon 5D Mark IIs, one with a 50mm prime lens and the other a 24 – 105 zoom lens. Sound was done with a Rode VideoMic Pro on a mic stand linked in to a Zoom H4 audio recorder.
