RAG Reels – Student Films for Charity

Continuing our RAG Week coverage, I wanted to point out the updated LooSE TV page which now includes the entries for RAG Reels. The contest pits student filmmakers against each other, with the winner being chosen by the amount of money they raise for RAG charities at the “Cannes-esque” award night on Thursday. The theme for this year was “a gift”, which was meant to provide a loose (get it??) orientation for the short films, all of which are around 2 minutes long (you’ll need the latest version of Apple Quicktime installed to watch the films on the website, or else you can download them and watch locally from your hard drive).

It’s probably worth it to check out all of the films, as the directors and actors put a lot of work into them, but we wanted to highlight our favourite three for you lot. So, in no particular order, here you go:

Small Moving Parts is the most fun of all the films, with a student jumping inside his toy robot and battling it out with an interloping villain. Although the stop-motion animation could probably have been somewhat more fluid, this is still the most imaginative and joyous of the films.

Love Justice Death tells the story of an LSE student who suddenly discovers his powers of clairvoyance when he comes upon a deck of tarot cards. This film features the best acting of the bunch, with lead Mark Richardson seeming very at ease in his character, as compared to the more stiff portrayals in some of the other films.

Several of the films used the bridges crossing the Thames as a setting, but I would have to single out Bubbles of Love as the one that made the best use of its surroundings, and the film with the best cinematography of the lot. However, it does have a rather incomprehensible monologue at the end which lends its sort of corny title.

Check out the rest of the entries on LooSE TV’s website, and don’t miss the awards ceremony on Thursday at 6pm in the New Theater.

A New Governor?

Given the fight that some members of the Students Union have put up against the new chair of the Governing Council, I wonder how they might respond to one of their own ascending to the conclave? Former LSESU General Secretary Martin Lewis announced on his blog that he was being considered for a spot on the schools governing body.

Lewis, who graduated in 1994 and served as GenSec the following year, has gained some fame since that time by appearing on several TV shows and operating a popular personal finance site and blog, moneysavingexpert.com.  He recalls his time at the LSE as formative, as well as containing plenty of partying, but also notes his chairing a discussion between the Israeli ambassador and the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s European delegation (maybe his expertise could be brought to bear on the current state of discussion in the SU?) and his subsequent championing of student finance education.

He could well be a useful ally to the students on a board that is heavy on lawyers and businessmen, although he’d be far from the only alumnus. How will the SU react? I would only presume positively.

What’s On

Eminent sociologist, globalization scholar and LSE professor Ulrich Beck will deliver a lecture on individualization and cosmopolitanization of religion in the department of sociology’s public lecture series. The Observer understands that this will be a highly attended event, so try to get there early to grab a seat.

When, Where: Tonight, 6:30pm in the Old Theater

Following on the heels of celebrated microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus, another individual who has been recognized for empowering many impoverished Bangladeshis, Iqbal Quadir, will drop by the LSE. Quadir, a professor at MIT’s Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship and the founder of Gonofone and Grameenphone, will deliver a speech on “Decentralized Prosperity”.

When, Where: Thursday, 6:30pm in G108 (20 Kingsway)

Not exactly in the same vein as putting modern communication technology in the hands of the disempowered, Gazprom is nonetheless among the worlds largest gas and energy giant. The Russian state-owned utility has been flexing its political-economic power in recent years, and has cut various deals for energy exploration and pipeline deals around the world. Vitaly Vasiliev, the CEO of Gazprom Marketing and Trading in the London office, will talk about the contemporary gas market, as well as Gazprom’s plans for the future.

When, Where: Friday at 4pm, New Theater