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In May 2011, a screen popped up in Dalston, showing classic films with a view overlooking London. Word spread, cinephiles gathered, and this summer it's all started again. I spoke to the founders of Midsummer Night Screen about the project, and film in general.

How did the idea for Midsummer Night Screen come about?

 Midsummer Night Screen is run by a two person team: Jen Corcoran and Rachel McWhinney. Jen works in film and Rachel works in music, and we both wanted to do something outside of our normal day jobs that brought our interests together. We’re both in love with cinema, and had long wanted to do some kind of outdoor film screening event, with a musical theme! So, we came the idea of programming films with cult soundtracks, or films in which the musical element was key, with DJs playing songs inspired by the films during the event.

  How is film important to you?

We spend a lot of our spare time watching films together and separately. Film can open up a whole plethora of new ideas and approaches to situations that you wouldn’t have otherwise considered and can give you an insight into the lives of people you would probably never meet as an individual. We love the work of directors who concentrate on the human side of any situation like Kieslowski or Wes Anderson.

  This summer's programme is comprised of very cool, classic films. How do you choose which films to show?

 Our remit is always to have films with amazing soundtracks, so we pretty much start from there! We make a longlist of films we’d love to show, and sometimes watch a few new films to see if they’d work within the remit. We like the events to be as immersive as possible, choosing music, food and decorations to recreate the mood of the film, so we then brainstorm ideas for what might make a cool event – for example, the record fair we’re running in conjunction with Empire Records, or the rollergirl waitresses we roped in for American Graffiti! We then narrow it down to four films that reflect a cross-section of genres or eras to give the season a little variety, but that also reflect our personal tastes and work together to make a cohesive whole.

  How do you feel about the standard indoor cinema as a viewing experience?

 We both love going to the cinema, and are staunch supporters for particular indoor cinema viewing experiences that you can’t get anywhere else – from a super hi-tech screening of a gorgeous, expensive blockbuster on a massive screen, to a late night showing of some obscure foreign gem in an intimate art house environment, or the kind of thoughtful programming and unusual events that the likes of the Curzon and Picturehouse chains go in for. I think we see ourselves as a complementary experience to standard indoor cinemas – another way for film buffs to enjoy themselves, to see films they might not see anywhere else, in an environment that sinks the viewer into the mood of the film on screen. Our screenings are not for profit – we price the tickets as low as possible as we want them to be accessible to people like us – beginning professionals, or those on a low income who love to spend a summer evening outdoors watching film but who might not be able to afford to attend one of the bigger outdoor screening events 

  What's a lesson that you've learned from all this?

 That if you are passionate about what you do and believe something is a good idea, your audience will respond to you with equal enthusiasm! Also that you should never rely on the English weather to behave itself when planning an outdoor event...

  How do you feel about film today as a medium for captivating viewers?

 There are so many different ways you can enjoy film today, from the exciting things that are happening in the exhibition sector (pop up cinemas, 3D and 4D cinema, excellent programming at arthouse chains), to developments in internet technology which mean that you can access high quality film streams how and when you want them. Audiences certainly have so much more at their fingertips, and the luxury of greater choice than people did in past eras. Having said that, the economic conditions of our era mean that mainstream film production is rather too concerned with the twin lures of guaranteed box office dollar or awards glory - there is far less invention and fewer risks taken with storytelling. Independent film-makers can find it hard to get their ideas financed and out into the world. In that sense you could argue that film-making for the pure joy of it was more prevalent in past eras. 

[questionkid-blog]

Dylan Owen is a rapper from Goshen, NY, who recently came out with his new EP, ‘Keep Your Friends Close’. I had the chance to ask him a few questions about it, and you can download the whole thing at www.dylanowenmusic.com.

Why did you choose to call the EP 'Keep Your Friends Close'? Over the course of the story on the EP, the word "close" has different meanings but still always refers to the same general concept. So it makes sense to me on a few levels. I went through a lot of turbulence in writing these songs, and it was only fitting to name the project something that suggests struggle with change, distance and permanence.

How is this EP different from your others? Senioritis, my full-length album, came out in summer 2010. This came out in the start of 2012. I feel like my technical skills improved in that time, and so did my grasp on my artistic identity. I think of it as an updated and more personal Dylan than Senioritis, that's my younger self. Just a little bit younger though.

There are a ton of references to other artists on the tape, from a Simon and Garfunkel sample to a Mobb Deep reference. How has music influenced both your rapping and your personal life? Music has taught me everything, besides math.

I saw that you've said you prefer the second half of Cole World to the first, and that half seems to me to be the more lyrical. Do you see your music as more focused on lyricism and wordplay than the beats? I do, in the sense of it's ultimately about the story that's being told. However, I'm extremely particular about my production, and the producers I work with are a huge part of my sound. Nico Marchese's beats, for example, aren't just beats that he sends me then I throw my vocals on. We sit down in his studio and decide together how much swing that electric piano should have, or how the music is going to differ from track to track on the project, how loud we want the shaker in ‘Lonely Mexico’ to be, etc. You get the point.

You've shared stages with Mac Miller, Chiddy Bang, Asher Roth and Wiz Khalifa among others. What was that like? So much fun. Every show is totally different and inevitably a valuable learning experience. Traveling for shows is unlike anything else. You meet cool people, music related and non music related, you get to see the world, and you spread music that you believe is important to spread. Dope combination.

So what's next? Do you have other hobbies and interests you'd like to pursue outside of rap? Nope. Just rapping, all day, every day. And occasionally experimenting with crossover styles, a bit like ‘Die Antwoord’, so let's see where it takes me.