Initial Ideas

Hi everyone... Actually getting really excited about this project so here are some initial ideas I brainstormed today that I thought I would share. I thought it would be good to use this site for all our research and then use it for our pitches next week. I haven't actually been to Kentish Town yet (going to go on Saturday and will take photos / do research to post on here) so hopefully will have much more to say after that, but here were some initial ideas:

Initial ideas:

- people and stories: think it would be good to focus on what makes a community - it's people. Had an idea of profiling different characters within the community so for example there could be 'The Greengrocer', 'The Butcher', 'The Clubber', 'The Artist' etc - this would not only give you a really interesting look at people but through interviewing them you would show different aspects of the area itself. Also this idea of different characters would give fun scope for graphics and visuals.

-  thinking about people and stories I thought about the places you find the most interesting stories: pubs, laundrettes, hair dresser's, beauty salons etc - it could be a little feauture called 'Tales from the Laundrette' or something like that. I was just thinking about real people and real stories, where people meet and chat and finding interesting things in less obvious places - going deep with our research and getting to the real people and their real issues, also getting to a broader scope of people than just people like us

- I thought it would be interesting to talk to estate agents in the area because they would know it really well, also cab drivers and just generally people that live and work in the area. What clubs and meeting places are there?

- viewpoint - especially for broadcast element thought it would be interesting to think about a unique and focused viewpoint (or viewpoints) that could add an original slant on the area, so Kentish Town viewed through the eyes of a specific person / character (this could be anything from a market stall holder to a city fox - anything that is a bit different and would give scope for interesting viewpoint looking at the Kentisth Town THEY see and how it is different for different people)

- A Day / Week in the Life of Kentish Town - just an idea that would really show the life of the area.

-I think one of the key things I picked up on today was that the best ideas from last year were ones with a really clear and concise focus and theme - I think often it can be something really simple (like the night time one we saw) but if we carry it through well and in all areas of our project it can be really effective.

Initial Research

I have just been doing a bit of research on my computer now - obviously nowehere near as good as going there (as I will on Saturday), but found some things to get us started / thinking about....

Nightlife:

The Forum - an old art deco hall that was originally designed as a cinema in 1934, a music venue that has seen the likes of Van Morrison, Radiohead, Prince etc. See http://www.timeout.com/london/venue/8821/the-forum

Bull and Gate Pub - apparently the pre-gig pub for the Forum and a great place to spot unsigned musicians. See http://www.timeout.com/london/venue/704/bull-gate

Oxford pub - See http://www.timeout.com/london/bars/venue/2:4095/oxford

Map Café - a jazz bar, see http://www.mapmusic.net/cafe.php

I thought we should go out in the area as much as we can and just meet people. What is the atmosphere like? In terms of fashion - what are the people wearing when they go out?

Shops

Ace Sports - an old school sports shop open since 1949, it's an independent store so thought maybe we could do something about independent retailers? see http://www.timeout.com/london/shops/venue/2:27581/ace-sports-leisure

Owl Bookshop - an independent bookshop see http://www.timeout.com/london/shops/venue/2:27400/owl-bookshop

Other stuff

Kentish Town City Farm - yes that's right guys, they have a farm! I am extremely excited about this because I have fallen in love with Hackney City Farm where I live, and from my experience there it is a really great community place so we might meet some interesting people there. Also if we were thinking about profiling different characters, how about 'The Farmer' - not what you expect in a magazine about London. How about farmyard fashion?! How do city folk cope with a visit to the farm? Do you throw away your wellies when you move to London?? see http://www.ktcityfarm.org.uk/

Kentish Town Community Centre - thought community centres are great places for meeting people and finding stories - even if it's just from looking at some notice boards there. They have a youth project that I thought might be interesting, plus a gardening project and how about really going for it and joining a class / club there to really find out what Kentish Town and the people there are like?! see http://www.ktcc.org.uk/


In terms of general things I thought it might be a good idea to, after visiting the area individually and sussing it out, seeing what catches our eye etc - to assign different areas of research. So for example some people might be in charge of Kentish Town at night, some might be in charge of Kentish Town at the weekend - to fit around our commitments and mean we each get a really deep understanding of a specific aspect of the area rather than all trying to live and breathe the place despite the fact most of us don't actually live near there! Anyway, just an idea.

That's all for now, these are just things I've come up with today so they might not be amazing but I just wanted to get some ideas out there to get the ball rolling. Really pleased to be working with you guys, definitely think we have a great group :)

Libby