bracket magazine

[THE CUSTARD FACTORY EDITION]

[BRACKET]

[CONTENTS][4]

HISTORY

[11]

SHADED ROSE

[37]

EMMA CASE PHOTOGRAPHY

[48]

SHUTTERBOX FILMS

The Custard Factory was built 100 years ago by Sir Alfred Bird. Alfred Bird was the inventor of egg free instant custard. In

addition to this, he also invented baking powder.This was all for his wife who had yeast and egg allergies.At one point over a thousand people were working at the factory and it’s rumoured to have helped create the British empire. The Birds company moved on to a new site at Banbury and in the 1980’s the Custard Factory fell into disrepair.

The Custard factory was taken over by its current owners in the 1990’s and they began to restore it. This was done in 3 phases. Phase one was Scott House, which now houses hundreds of artists. Phase two was Gib Square, which is now home to new media businesses. Phase three is called Zellig, this was assisted by Advantage West Midlands and has created 100 new workspaces and offices.

[HISTORY]

4

[Shaded RoSe]

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Shaded Rose is a Photography,Graphics and Print company based in the Custard Factory and is made up of Jet, the photographer and

John, the graphic designer. I had a chat with Jet and he showed me around their studio.

So, are you from Birmingham?Yeah, I live over in Sutton Coldfield, not far from my colleague John, we both live over that way

Did you always want to do Printing and Photography?Photography yeah, I’ve been doing it since I was a kid, from when I was 10 years old I’ve had a camera in my hands. About 16 or 17 years ago I went professional and I’ve stuck with it. Its how I met John, because he’s got the graphic design background he used to do my printing when he had a business in Sutton Coldfield, doing canvases and framing. So we knew each other from there about 7 years ago, after that I lived in London for a bit, and I’d just moved back here when he closed up his previous business and we

just joined up on this venture. We were round the back of Aston to start with, doing t-shirts and we decided to move over here, to the custard factory and we’ve gone on to bigger and better things. Well, were still finding our feet, but its been better since we’ve been here.

Who are your biggest influences, in a photography sense?My biggest influence is a family friend, over in Ireland, really kept on inspiring me. He really put the fire underneath me. Some of the more famous people like Joe McNally who’s got really amazing lighting skills. Chase Jarvis, one thing he taught me is it looks cool to just lie on the floor, covered in crap, and that everything doesn’t have to be at eye level. Everything about him is just cool, it does help that he uses Nikon! There’s also another guy called Joey Lawrence, he’s a young guy and its inspiring to see how far he’s got so quick. Another guy who has really nice lighting is Martin Schoeller, he shoots headshot with tube lights and its really cool. And just magazines in general, and once you’ve got a photographic eye you look at things in a

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different perspective. You don’t see what everyone else sees, you look at everything like a photo. And I suppose my brother is an inspiration as well, he did a photography degree, even though he hasn’t taken it up after that, it was in the dark room days but he inspires me as well.

What do you enjoy most about being based at the custard factory?Being here, I think it’s the people. Its like every body’s mates, everyone’s a friend you just don’t know them yet. The people, the like-mindedness, the willing to help, and the workflow that comes through from them. We’ve hit a niche market here, because of all of the new businesses coming here. Everyone needs business cards, promotional material, and websites. We do the photography, the work wear, the t-shirts. It’s nice to be here, we like to be here, the doors always open, and we’ve got music on and cooking food. It’s like a common room, people come in, have a cup of tea and a chat. The only thing that I’ve found funny is that no one sells custard!

How long have you been based here?Since April, in the space of about 2 weeks, we came and had a look, but we thought about it too long and we lost out on a different place. But I hindsight that was a good thing because they found us this place and its great. We’ve got 24-hour access here, where as the other place shuts at 12. Which is great when your getting stuck into a job and you don’t want to loose momentum. It’s a really nice space to bring people too, the big windows and balcony are a really nice extra, but we’ve out grown it so quick.

You can find out more about Jet’s work atwww.shadedrose.com

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[Get A Grip]priNt SHOp

24

[RetRo WoRld]records, games and all things retro

[Provide]clothes

30

[EMMA CASE PHOTOGRAPHY]

&[SHUTTERBOX FILMS]

Emma Case is an alternative wedding photographer. She runs her business with her husband Pete, out of a studio in the Custard

Factory. She also shares the space with the video duo, Shutterbox Films.

Where abouts are you from? Local? I’ve been living in Birmingham for the past 7 years but grew up in Southampton. Before the photography I was an Actress so moved to Birmingham for a Theatre Tour.. liked it and stayed! I now live in Selly Oak..

Did you always want to be an artist? I’ve always been creative.. mostly drawing and art at school and then drama at college.. I then worked with Theatre Companies for over 10 years devising plays so being creative has always been a part of my job. I’ve had a few periods of work where jobs haven’t been creative and I’ll be honest.. I never feel like I’m functioning at my best.. I have to be doing something creative.

How long have you been a photographer? My husband bought me my first DSLR 5 years ago and I’ve been doing it professionally for the past 3 years.

When did you get into the world of Wedding photography? My husband bought me my camera the same year he proposed. I began researching wedding photography and was really disappointed with what was out there.. I then found American Wedding Photography.. it was natural, creative, emotive.. I want’t to take photos like that.. I wanted photographs like that for my wedding.. So I became a photography nerd.. Shooting constantly, watching tutorials.. Soaking up as much as I could.. I then was asked to shoot a friend’s wedding in October 2010.. it was an alternative wedding which then was blogged by Rock ‘n Roll Bride (a wedding blog). We then were inundated with enquiries to shoot other people’s weddings and we had to make the decision to set up the business.

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Has photography always been your medium? Or did you fall into it by accident?Total accident. I’d had a Polaroid camera and a few point and shoots but I’d never been overly interested in photography.

Who are your biggest influences? One of my main influences is Featherlove. She’s a wedding photographer based in San Diego. I found her when I was searching for a photographer for our wedding ( before I started the business).. her art is incredible.. she seemed to take pictures of what I had in my head and was completely unapologetic about doing things differently. Aesthetically she is incredible but I mostly admire her bravery.. For carving her own path and being a complete niche in a sea of the same.

What do you enjoy most about being based at the custard factory?The community. It’s a really lovely place to work.. We’ve made a lot of friends and all with very different businesses..

But all seem to have created their business’ themselves.. turned their dreams in to a reality.. It’s amazing to watch them be successful.. Especially in this economic climate..

How long have you been based here? we moved here in April time.. it’s constantly evolving and there’s a real buzz about the place now.. we work here and then I shop here too.. it’s ace.

You can find a sample of Emma’s work on the next page and on her website,www.emmacasephotography.com

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[THE STUDIO]

48

Shutterbox Films is the husband and wife filmmaking team, Lee and Dawn. Not only do they shoot HD, but they’re making a hit with 8mm

film. I got in touch with Lee and he kindly answered some questions.

Where abouts are you from?I grew up in the West Midlands and currently live in Staffordshire with my wife (who is also my business partner), Dawn… and our cat, Stephen.

Did you always want to be an artist?Being creative has always been a huge part of my life. My school days were littered with creative subjects… Art, Music, Textiles and Graphics. After studying an Art A-Level I swiftly moved on to a Music Performance course at College. I ended further education studying Musical Engineering at University.

How long have you been a filmmaker?I originally wanted to be a Foley Artist but have always had a keen interest in most areas of film production.

My wife was shooting Super 8mm shorts when we met and we now shoot wedding films together. We have been shooting wedding films for around 3 years now.

When did you get into the world of wedding filmmaking?Wedding films get a lot of bad press. I’m trying my hardest to change that! They don’t have to be 3 hours of a camera slowly panning the room. I shot my first wedding around 3 years ago and was instantly hooked. Now I’m lucky enough to shoot weddings full-time with Dawn. Our couples want something ‘different’ and we’re happy to help!

Has filmmaking always been your medium? Or did you fall into it by accident?Filmmaking has always been a creative outlet for me. After University I began teaching TV & Film at a local secondary school. I had a life changing 3 years teaching but began to feel a little inhibited and needed a less controlled working environment… I now have a job I adore and the spare time for personal projects.

49Who are your biggest influences?Most probably, producers of world cinema. Visual storytellers and directors such as Park Chan-Wook. I find his direction has an extremely powerful outlook - stunningly beautiful but sometimes flawed… which to me is a true representation of film. However, I do love a good pop-promo!

What do you enjoy most about being based at The Custard Factory?The creative surroundings. Arriving here and seeing so many talented people is totally inspiring. It’s a huge community with an amazing atmosphere.

How long have you been based here?We moved here in April 2012. Over the past 12 months it has evolved into such a vibrant community of creatives and I’m so proud to call it home.

You can find the work of Shutterbox Films on their website and blog.www.shutterboxfilms.co.uk

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