"The Band rehearsal room is ready"

Every now and again, you meet someone amazing. Someone who, although only having known a short period of time, feels like a life long friend. Eric, has that charm. It feels like he’s been with us for years, watching us grow up, and being there to see the building develop into something truly great. Eric came at a time when much explaining needed to be done. People are still learning what is where, and what is what. He’s there with a smile, and he’s there with a wisdom and dignity I discover everyday. Shake his hand, talk to him, listen to him talk.

Just thought I’d share this image with you. I took on my way back from The Troyeville Hotel. Apart from some colour tweaks, this is exactly what the sunshine was doing to the Main Street Life sign. We had actually walked to The Troyeville, so it was a pretty big occasion. It was very similar to the time a few of us walked to Ghandi Square, or to The Top of The Cartlon. We actually have that city life, the one we dreamed of where we can walk about…we just didn’t know it.

I wrote about this video months ago, and now its finally here. This is video for Maraza and Bobzin Dash feat Kay Soul that was shot right here in Main Street Life, back in the day when it was still a complete construction site, sans yours truly.

2011 saw the opening of Chalkboard, the Red Team Go business by The Bioscope’s Darryl Els and Russell Grant. The two teamed up with Mpho Masango to put the cafe together. Geared up to be ideal of business and networking, the cafe is surrounded by chalkboards that are there for anything from strategy meetings in a new and original environment, to general doodling in cafe with good quality take way food.

Other reasons mentioned included the formation of The Bioscope, a Red Team Go project done alongside Darryl Els. The infamous Noodlebox Cinema nights get a mention.

Johannesburg now has its own independent art house and cultural cinema. Something every major city should have, but Johannesburg didn’t. Perfectly positioned in downtown Johannesburg, on the ground floor of Main Street Life, another site that Red Team Go is heavily involved in through Main Street Life .TV

As a project now, the space needs to just grow into itself. Both myself (Russell) and The Bioscope co Founder Darryl Els need to just refine our systems and practices so that project can grow steadily. The excitement of Main Street Life, and the every growing Maboneng Precinct were key in making the project happen. Now, it just comes down to the love and excitement we have for independent cinema, and a little bit of that good old fashioned grease you get coming out of your elbow.

]]> http://www.redteamgo.com/index.php/building-the-bioscope/feed/ 0 http://www.redteamgo.com/index.php/before-the-sun-sets-launches-on-main-street-life-tv/ http://www.redteamgo.com/index.php/before-the-sun-sets-launches-on-main-street-life-tv/#comments Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:43:07 +0000 Russell Grant http://www.redteamgo.tv/?p=547 Before the Sun Sets is one of the first TV shows to have been developed by Red Team Go inside Main Street Life. The series is a great example of how those living inside the building can produce and exhibit their work, a vision laid out by property development company Propertuity from the beginning. Before the Sun Sets sees musicians come up and perform on the roof of the building as the sun sets over the city behind them.

The first performer in the series is Cape Town based singer and songwriter Gary Thomas. Although now operating solo, Thomas first hit the scene as one half of acoustic duo Cabins in the Forrest. Gary took the time out of his busy Joburg tour to film this and we’re proud to see him be the first in the series.

It also acts as a great example of a much smaller Red Team Go project. as opposed to one with infrastructure, development, and man power, here’s one that requires a small crew, quick turn around, but at the same time quality product that can reach a wide audience.

National South African newspaper Mail & Guardian were quick to add the video into their famous online section. see article

check out how we did it

Independent cinema The Bioscope is all set to launch DOC LOVE, the latest and greatest in what will eventually become regular events at the cinema. The event is in collaboration with the DFA (The Documentary Filmmakers Association). The evening is all about the screening of a documentary near to completion. And the could not have been a better film to have launched the event with than Adi Loveland’s highly anticipated Unhindged: Surviving Joburg.

With a crowd of filmmakers, DFA members, and general public, the filmmaker has the chance to make one or two changes, before sending it out into the world, and the audience leave feeling a part of something. There are many events like this in the pipeline for The Bioscope. All of which will be shown, right here as well as the official site.

The interactive elements to the marketing campaign not only show off Red Team Go’s foresight into new media strategy, but also put Red Team Go in an incredibly powerful position to show off all its capabilities and other projects such as Jobusy, or The Bioscope through this channel.

Enough talk, its always better to show than tell…..

go check it out for yourself

702 morning host Bruce Witfield interviewed The Bioscope Co Founder Darryl Els on Friday 8 January. In true testament to the networking power of the radio station, The Bioscope’s mail box quickly reached near flooding. The next screening by The Bioscope is sceduled to be on the 22nd of Jan. All will be revealed both here and on the official site

www.thebioscope.co.za

After the second successful screening of The Bioscope Summer Series, the venue housing the screenings is quickly becoming home. The large space upstairs in Art on Main is made available for events like these, yet talks are already underway to make it the home base of Red Team Go’s independent cinema project The Bioscope. Its important that people see the extent of comfort made available by The Bioscope’s screenings. More often than not, cinema goers make due with plastic stairs or pillows, but when a feature length film is involved you need all the comfort and viewing angle you can get.