Making Tracks: feeding the world's silent movie addiction...

Posted by Katie on Monday 16th January 2012

Making Tracks on Saturday night was our most successful yet! We had an audience of 230+, whom we dazzled with more live scores (that Cabinet band just keep on churning them out!) and 16mm films courtesy of The Suitcase Cinema. Big thanks to London Short Film Festival for spreading the word - it was a pleasure to be part of such an innovative and bold film festival. Check out Katy Austin's review of the event and her fascinating insight into the world of the modern silent movie.

The evening also included a Q&A between the musicians and four filmmakers - Srdjan Keca, Hannah Robinson, Max Lincoln and Jo Shaw - giving the audience an insight into how the musicians went about creating a brand new score to their films and what the filmmakers thought of the final result.

We have several Making Tracks events booked already for the year ahead, including a set at Student Film Festival London next month where we will show off a bunch of amazing student films with their new live scores. Stay tuned for more info!

Making Tracks, January 2012 - The Retro Edition!

Posted by Katie on Thursday 22nd December 2011

Join us on 14th January for a retro celluloid-themed edition of Making Tracks, as part of the London Short Film Festival. We are teaming up with Suitcase Cinema to showcase a number of shorts on a 16mm projector, ready to be re-imagined by The Cabinet of Living Cinema. This is your chance to be transported back to the golden age of cinema, with the whir and flicker of the projector and an entracing soundtrack being created live in front of your eyes!

Saturday 14th January, 7.30pm
Rich Mix Bar, Bethnal Green Road
£6 advance / £8 door

Buy tickets More info

Call for Entries: Making Tracks (January 2012)

Posted by Katie on Tuesday 8th November 2011

We are currently looking for films to show at our event Making Tracks on Saturday 14th January 2012. This will form part of the London Short Film Festival and, to tie in with this year’s ‘film’ theme, we are looking to showcase shorts made on 16mm film. With the assistance of a 16mm projector, we will show films as they were originally meant to be shown, accompanied by a brand new live score. If you have made a film on 16mm, this is your chance to get it seen!*

Super 8 films are also welcome, but to be shown digitally, as are any digitally-made films. If we are unable to show your work in January, we will endeavor to show it at a later event.

To qualify, your film must:
- Have a duration of less than 12 minutes
- Be visually descriptive, so will speak for itself when soundtrack is removed

To submit, please download a submission form below and send it completed to hello@whirlygigcinema.com by Friday 9th December 2011.

*We would prefer it if you have a digital copy of your 16mm film as well as the original, as this will make it a lot easier for us to view and select.

Download submission form

Contains Mild Peril - something to get your teeth into!

Posted by Katie on Wednesday 2nd November 2011

We had a great time on Sunday night, frightening our fans with some spooky but spoofy short films from some great filmmakers! Great turn out and some seemingly satisfied customers, especially when bags of sweets were given out by our lovely usherettes Helen and Beth! Thanks to St Margaret's House Settlement for providing us with such a perfect venue, and thanks to everyone who came to enjoy it. Hope you weren't too spooked!

Reap What You Sew (Making Tracks)

Posted by Katie on Monday 17th October 2011

To get a taste of what we do at Making Tracks, take a look at this film by Alex Collier & Jurate Gecaite. The soundtrack was created 100% live (music, sound effects and all) in August by The Cabinet of Living Cinema. Sceptical? Come along on this Friday (21st October) to see them do it again, along with with a varied programme of other amazing films.

Whirlygig seeks Marketing / Events Assistant (voluntary position)

Posted by Katie on Thursday 13th October 2011

We are currently seeking an enthusiastic volunteer to assist with marketing and events within the project. This will include distribution of promotional material both physically and online, as well as opportunities to get involved with the various events we run. We have two forthcoming events in London this month (Making Tracks on 21st and horror-themed Contains Mild Peril on 30th) so would preferably need our volunteer to be available on both these dates, as well as the odd day or two during the next couple of weeks leading up to them.

This position is perfect for anyone looking for entry-level experience within the film / events industry and there may be opportunities to get more involved with the running of the project as a whole at a later stage.

Update: The position has been filled, thank you for all the interest.

Contains Mild Peril, 30th October 2011

Posted by Katie on Friday 30th September 2011

This Halloween, Whirlygig Cinema will present an evening of frights and delights, of chills and thrills. Behind the closed doors of the secluded and haunting chapel in St Margaret’s House Settlement, we will chill you to the bone with a programme of short films by some fearless filmmakers daring enough to tackle the horror genre. Scare yourself silly with our selection of terrifying tales, creepy music videos, blood-curdling animations and gruesome spoofs, all in the name of good fun old-fashioned horror.

Due to limited capacity there will be two screenings, one at 7pm and another at 9pm. Book for your preferred time or turn up early to guarantee a seat. Meet in the cafe 15 minutes prior to screening time ready to be escourted to the chapel. Booking recommended.

Submissions now closed for Making Tracks (October)

Posted by Katie on Saturday 24th September 2011

Although submissions are now closed for entries to Making Tracks in October, there are still plenty more opportunities to get your work seen with Whirlygig Cinema in the near future. Submissions are still very much open for our Halloween event 'Contains Mild Peril', where we will screen a bunch of freaky films in a chapel in East London on 30th October. We are looking for films with a horror-theme, from genuinely terrifying to silly and spoofy, and with a duration of 10 minutes or less. Email katie@whirlygigcinema.com by Sunday 2nd October if you would like to submit.

We also always on the look out for films to show at future Making Tracks events; following October our next event will be part of the London Short Film Festival in January. The theme is 'film', so get submitting your 35mm, 16mm and super 8 masterpieces! Find out more at http://whirlygigcinema.com/makingtracks

Vhirlygig Vants Your Vilms!

Posted by Katie on Saturday 10th September 2011

We are celebrating the horror genre with a garish, ghoulish and ultimately fun Halloween night on Sunday 30th October in an East London venue. Send us anything from scary spoofs and homemade vampire movies to creepy animations. Think hand-held cameras, stairs leading down into basements (no, don’t go down!), empty old houses, ghouls and gremlins, alien attacks, zombie invasions and epic world apocalypses.

Your film should be no longer than 10 mins to give everyone a chance of being part of this event. Nothing too graphic, obscene or inappropriate please!

To submit a film, please download a submissions form and send it to katie@whirlygigcinema.com by Sunday 2nd October.

Making Tracks "Open Mic" at Shambala Festival

Posted by Katie on Monday 8th August 2011

Breaking news! At the end of the month we will be taking Making Tracks to Shambala Festival, to be part of touring picture palace The Lost Picture Show’s extraordinary film programme. EXCEPT this time, instead of having a professional live rescore band perform the soundtracks to films, we are opening it up to the general public.

We are looking for a bunch of people who have a ticket for the festival and are up for getting involved in this exciting experiment. The idea is simple: we play the films, and you play the music in front of a live audience. If you’ve always fancied yourself as the next Michael Nyman or Hans Zimmer, now is your chance!

We have put together a selection of films (all previously rescored at London events) for you to choose from. Have a look and see if there is anything that takes your fancy, and email us if you'd like to get involved. We will need to designate films on a first-come-first-serve basis to ensure that there is no repetition in the programme, so please let us know your first and second preferred choices.