Behind the Scenes look at the 60's

Recently I stumbled upon a Netflix documentary, Magic Trip. A film directed by Allison Ellwood and Alex Gibney about Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady and the Mery Pranksters, Magic Trip was released in 2011 by Magnolia Pictures after being shot almost 50 years prior on 16mm film. This documentary grabs your attention as it captures bizarre yet cultivating color footage of a cross-country bus trip that forever changed the United States culture. With figures such as Ken Kesey an American author best known for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and a crew of fired up explorers known as the "Merry Band of Pranksters" this film is one of hell of a ride into the 60's. As the bus "Further" is packed full of wild young adults experimenting with hallucinogens and other such drugs this footage discovers a closer look at piece of American history known as the "hippie" era. Along with the crazy characters seen in the documentary the whole crew does a magnificent job documenting the trip from a point of a view perspective. Altogether this film is a must see that will take you deep into the 60's culture.

       


   

An Unearthly Child, a.k.a. Ha ha! More Doctor Who!

Oh hi, everyone. You thought that Doctor Who was over, right? You figured that since series 6 ended two weeks ago, I'd be done talking about the series? No. You're wrong. Go fly into the Time Vortex. And while you're there, say hi to the Bad Wolf for me.

This is part of the very first episode of the first serial of Doctor Who. Filmed in 1963, the entire episode was shot live to tape, which means that all of the visual effects happened during filming. Most of the scenes took place in the studio, including the TARDIS shots and the junkyard. This shows how possible -- if limited -- it is to film without fancy VFX, and provides insight on how to make something so practical look so good. Because there is no room for error, every shot, every movement, and every position has to be perfect. Sure, if you look closely in this episode, there are a few glitches here and there; but that's to be expected of a show that a) had a low budget, and b) was probably going to be canned anyway. (SPOILER: It wasn't.)

What really shines here is how different the story was in the beginning. In the latest series, the Eleventh Doctor was a bombastic young man who was friendly with his companions and had a legacy that nearly killed him. The First Doctor is an old man who would rather be alone than have stowaways, stumbles over his words, and tends to work in the shadows instead of run headlong into danger. We don't know much about the Doctor or his companions or his travels yet; but it's great to watch the story unfold from here. Of course, if you watch every single Who episode from this point, it might be a bit of a trauma.

Also, you'll start hearing the TARDIS sound whenever the wind blows. (It's not fun. I'm beginning to look like a crazy person.)

Next week, we'll take a look at something different. Maybe.