Vanessa - Ghosts of Mississippi

I just came across this article from a 2014 best-of list from The Saturday Paper. Scanning the list of stories mostly reminded me that the publication has been a bit of a disappointment over the course of the year. But one story jumped out at me from the Travel section that I hadn't noticed when it was first published, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Singer/songwriter Darren Hanlon visits a tiny town in Mississippi he knows only from a favourite 1950s Elia Kazan film. I won't say any more, you guys might have read the story already, and if you haven't it's best to just read it. It's nicely written, using just enough words to paint a distinct, atmospheric picture. Like Sean's earlier post about The Multiple Meanings of a Philip Guston Drawing, it's another great example of going down the rabbit hole of a personal obsession.

Ghosts of Mississippi by Darren Hanlon

Sonya - This Is Radio

Check out  these beautifully shot video profiles of prominent public radio presenters and producers from the US and Canada.

Made by Andrew Norton, a producer working with Transom, This Is Radio is a video series that takes us behind the mic and speaks to radio makers about the stories they love, how they work and best of all - takes us into their cities and working spaces.

Of course I went straight to The Kitchen Sisters video and then Radio Diaries creator Joe Richman and while I recognise most of the names, the series has also been a fun way to discover new programs I might like.

One interesting thing about the series is that it maintains the Transom ethos of sharing knowledge. Beneath each video you'll see that the producer's published notes on the challenges he faced when shooting each of the profiles. He shoots Roman Mars from 99% Invisible early on and writes about how he decided to try to avoid Pro Tools shots at all costs in the stories that followed.

Once you start watching them, you'll find even more gems, like these posts by The Kitchen Sisters on collecting visuals and using music.

And somewhat related, if you haven't already, I'd highly recommend checking out Jonathan Goldstein's Radio Yak episode of RadioTonic. So many creative radio ideas awesomely realised in his selections.

Sonya - The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

Last night I watched The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, a truly delightful documentary about the Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli. It's principally about famed director Hayao Miyazaki, who at 72 is directing his final animated feature.

I am a very big fan of his work and was introduced by the film My Neighbour Totoro and have since started to collect and watch every one of his animations. I watch other Studio Ghibli cartoons as well, but the ones he writes and directs are by far my favourite. There is something very human, whimsical and childlike about the films but you also get a sense that he's somewhat of an environmentalist - with films like Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind focusing on our significant and adverse impact on the natural world. And a fun fact - the heroine in most of the films is a little girl or young woman. 



A still from My Neighbour Totoro (1988)





Ponyo is the studio's adaptation of The Little Mermaid released in 2008.

The doco is so rewarding for Ghibli fans, from the gentle music of the opening sequence that makes you feel like you're watching another animation to the fun little facts about film's Miyazaki's worked on, like why the sidekick cat in the witch movie Kiki's Delivery Service stops talking at one point, and never regains his ability to communicate with humans.

I have a feeling it'll still be enjoyable for those who aren't super fans, it's a lovely documentation of the unusual way in which Miyazaki writes films and works with his small team and the daily rituals that have come to inform what he cares and writes about. The documentary follows the production of his final film The Wind Rises which is being produced in parallel to another Studio Ghibli film, being made by the man who discovered Miyazaki and mentored him, although the pair later become rivals. The studio schedules their final films to be released on the same day as a nod to this but it's really a film about Miyazaki and life in Japan.

I haven't watched The Wind Rises just yet (am racing out to buy the DVD today, Studio Ghibli films are so hard to rent on iTunes or at video stores) but think it'll be great companion viewing to this doco. The Wind Rises is about a boy who grows up fascinated by planes who goes on to engineer war planes. It' said to be loosely based on Miyazaki's father who manufactured parts for war planes during the Second World War, and an exploration of whether someone who doesn't believe in war can still contribute to it through their talents.