videobasement

The People Vs. Crossrail

2010-01-20T04:09:00.000-08:00

By bringing forward a scheme which is feasible, practical and likely to achieve private sector partner funding, Crossrail will help to support economic growth and boost the region's regeneration areas.To achieve this, we have consulted with a broad range of stakeholders and the public at large.

-Crossrail’s website

“We are a very successful business but could not find anywhere suitable to move to in just three months. The employees are not going to find jobs now. I spent 17 years of my life working to build this place up and now I have nothing. I just have to worry about if and when I get any kind of compensation. It is devastating, but more for my staff.”
-Domenico Savaresa, 45
Owner, Spaccanapoli restaurant,
Job losses: 24

'Crossrail is forcing us out of business and the compensation is tiny, '
- firms Sri Carmichael and Benedict Moore-Bridger

We are currently squatting The Bath House Pub on 96 Dean St. This is part of two main blocks in Soho which have been comopulsery purchased to aid the development of this transport project. The blocks have been empty since early November when all residents were evicted.

Crossrail plan to extend their platform from the current Tot Crt Rd stn to Dean St making their trains some of the longest in Europe. Crossrail have taken two blocks in Soho, when in fact their plans only show the need for one. They have no use for the second block in their plans making some question how they have been allowed to compulsory purchase this land at under its market value. Some have speculated that the site is in motion of sale with the purpose of making it a shopping centre.

We are supportive of public transport schemes provided they are lawful, provide value for taxpayers’ money and do not cause unnecessary harm. The present Crossrail scheme fails on all these counts, while benefiting the UK’s richest community, namely the City and Canary Wharf .A total of 55 businesses have been ordered to leave Soho, central London.

They did not pay the proprietors full market value for the property. Many small local business' forced to close forever without proper compensation. All in the name of 'progress and redevelopment' what this means is that Tesco and other major corporations can stay and continue to take over what little 'soul' was left in Soho.

This is a microcosmic example of what is happening all over London, where normal people are being forced to leave for big bussiness.

We got an adjournment against Crossrail in court because they could not sufficiently prove that they owned the building, but they have now cut off our water and nailed our roof hatch down...

Please call 0203 229 9188 and complain for us.

Thank you!!!

Persons Unknown VS. The Secretary of State

2010-01-15T17:53:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday the 13th of January the collective formally known as Video Basement, went to the Regents Park County Court on bicycles, looking like the cast of Fame after they had been dragged through mud and frozen glitter. They were there to defend their current home, The Bath House no. 96 Dean St. And were being represented by Trevor Love, a member of the commune. They were accompanied by Michaela, one of Pauline’s friends who has lived in the same block for many years and is very angry about the way Crossrail have treated local residents and businesses. The case began with DJ Lightman asking Crossrail to prove how they own the property. He did this after reading the squatters defence which points to a paragraph in crossrail’s case where they state they have freehold f all properties in the block with some exceptions Green King Ltd, 96 Dean St being one of them, Veronica Glass, could respond with nothing but, ‘they just do.’ She looked embarrassed at the major mistake, that her firm (which had won 2009 Law firm of the year award) had made. DJ Lightman said that the best he could offer mistress glass was an adjournment and suggested that Crossrail contact Green King Ltd, the current legal owners, who would need to evict the occupants. The DJ then went on to praise the defendants saying and this is a quote ‘who wrote this case, it’s very good.’ Love replied that it was their handsome housemate Pauline. The judge then looked to make a new date for the case and after looking in his diary muttered 1st Feb, with DJ Lightman, that’s me. One the squatters laughed at this point, to which the judge responded angrily. ‘There is nothing funny about the law.’ But there most certainly is. Before the case was closed, Love requested to ask two questions ‘why was this case private? And, why were some of our friends turned away?’ The DJ said he had not been asked that question in a long time, and needed to look it up. He looked in his book of law and read that ‘since 1998 any case concerning landlord and tenant should be private.’ He then said that this being a squatting case, it should be public and that it was another error on behalf of Crossrail. The second question was 'Did Crossrail have permission from the secretary of state to act on their behalf?' This answer was muddy.They have 2 more weeks til they return to court.

Nature Reserve

2010-01-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

we want to make our Crossrail site into

a nature reserve.

check this shit

2010-01-14T05:45:00.000-08:00

WE NOW COVER CLASSIC HIP HOP TRACKS
up soon.

DEAR GUARDIAN WANKERS

2009-12-21T10:54:00.000-08:00

Fuck off.

We are not interested in any sort of coverage from the mainstream media. Aside from the fact that they are usually factually incorrect, and make everyone come across as complete wankers, we see any news articles or similar as detrimental to the squatting movement. It is articles like this that have, and will lead to the laws being changed, making it much harder for squatting to exist at all.

Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 16:42:59 +0000
Subject: From the Guardian
To: videobasement@hotmail.com

Hello there
Helen Pidd here, I'm a reporter from the Guardian. I'm working on a piece about the different squatting groups around London, and have heard about what you lot have been doing this year. The idea of the piece is to round up all of the squatting activity to hit the headlines this year - the Da! collective, the Park Lane squatters, Mark Guard and his curious project, the Oubliette, plus the VHS Video basement.
I know you're currently resident in the Puss in Boots strip club, and wondered whether I could come along one day soon to have a chat to you about what you are doing and why. Is it an art project? Just somewhere to live? A political statement? All of the above?
Hope to hear from you soon,
thanks
helen

--
Helen Pidd
Reporter, the Guardian

2009/12/14 Pavel Velour :
Hi "Helen",

We have a "policy" that we don't respond to "major news reporting". In general, coverage of "squatting" has been predominantly detrimental to the movement, with for example the newer anti squatting laws introduced around the heyday of media coverage of the previous major squatting drive.

We understand however that your interest is in us as a "collective", and appreciate this and your interest in "us". Not sure what to say about what we "do". We're slowly drifting away from the arts and are drifting towards shoplifting and "petty crime" more recently.

Someone else has written an article about our "current space" which is quite relevant:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article36886.ece#ixzz0WvdupiRx

I don't really know how to respond in emails, how to type and get my "ideas / feelings" across. Would you watch a video if we made it for you?

xx

"VHS" Video Basement?

Puss in Boots Strip Club
11 White Horse Street
Mayfair
London
W1J 7LL

Date: Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:15:33 +0000
Subject: Re: From the Guardian
To: videobasement@hotmail.com

er "thanks"

From:	Pavel Velour (videobasement@hotmail.com)
Sent:	14 December 2009 11:36:53

Would you still like us to make a movie for you?

VHS Video Basement

---

AND WE ARE SQUATTERS.

Developed

2009-12-12T07:48:00.000-08:00

Recipies for Disaster

2009-12-08T05:47:00.000-08:00

This is a really great zine for 16mm crafts

CAMERALESS FILM

is easy.

Things you need
- some clear/ blank 16mm film avaliable on Ebay cheap
- a 16mm projector, available for hire here or you can get for as little £20 on Ebay.
- then you need stuff to put on the film (can use anything as long as it runs through the projector and does not cover the sprockets)
*india ink
* bleach
* hole punch
*lettraset
*found footage (if you have a projector in which the sound works you can make OPTICAL SOUND, used by Guy Sherwin)

Mothlight by STAN BRAKHAGE
made after seeing a moth fly into a candle

VISION

2009-12-06T14:39:00.000-08:00

So we have another week in the strip club... On Monday we have a short film making workshop all day from 10am.
Bring a camera.
The theme of the workshop is Riot .

In the morning each group will pick two restrictions out , so they should think about these these as weLL
eXAMples

1. Riot
- a film longer than the time you have left to live
- shot with no sound

2. Riot
- a film backwards
- a musical

Tuesday we have Bring YOUR OWn shorts from 8.30pm, but we want the theme of a holiday. We want you to bring anything to tell us a 5 minute story about your holiday. So either video footage or a photo slide show, come narrate the visuals live. It could be a month long trip to India or a day trip to your grandma, as long as it was a holiday it's great. We're still showing shorts as well so bring those too! PLus the films made on Monday.

And, on Thursday there is an acting improvisation workshop from 3pm and then films from 7pm
LA HAINE and BATTLE OF ALGIERS in preparation for Copenhagen...
The discussion will be around violent resistance.

See you in the week!

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GUITAR?

2009-11-29T14:44:00.000-08:00

HORROR GUITAR MISSING SINCE 28TH OF NOVEMBER. CULPRIT UNKNOWN. MANY FOND AND NOT SO FOND MEMORIES. MANY MEMORIES. HORROR GUITAR MISSING.

SHORT FILM NIGHT

2009-11-16T05:37:00.000-08:00

Hello, how is everyone? Tomorrow (Tuesday 17th) at 9pm is short film night as normal, bring your own short films and discuss them, or just come along to watch. We are also cooking lots of food beforehand, so if you want in on that get there at 7ish. Includes Mayfair strip club setting, and our brand new projector! Bring your own drinks.

Below is also a rough schedule for the next few weeks (the band on saturday are not confirmed yet). If anyone is interested in putting on an event or workshop please let us know. Keep checking the Blog and website for updates, we will be adding much more as we go.

Hope to see you all tomorrow,

Love,

VHS xx

WE HAVE A BUILDING!

2009-11-15T04:05:00.000-08:00

It is a three floor strip club in Mayfair. We have a sex swing, poles and disco balls. We are in the process of sorting out events very the next few weeks. Obviously short films will still be on saturday aswell, so don't forget to come along then, and bring your own films.

If anyone wants to organise events please get in touch! Photos of the space follow.

xxx

BIG PROJECT

2009-11-07T06:54:00.000-08:00

Is coming. Woo! We will be doing a really big call out for anyone who would like to put on events, run workshops or anything like that, in a really big building. Soon as possible we will post a link to a blog for the new place.

Also here is a link to a zine all about our last house/pub. Hard copies will be available soon, get in touch if you would like one, or you can download this one for free.

Museum St 14th September-14th October 2009

2009-11-01T15:45:00.000-08:00

A murder which David Banner can never prove he or the creature didn't commit. So he must let the world go on thinking that he too is dead,

2009-10-31T14:49:00.000-07:00

WE'RE BACK!

2009-10-27T05:10:00.000-07:00

So we are using this blog again. Hello.

Great Chapel Street 26th June- 14th September 2009

2009-10-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

new website

2009-08-04T05:09:00.000-07:00

ALL INFORMATION WILL NOW BE GOING ON OUR WEBSITE

www.videobasement.org

glue yourself to the screen and eat the images
thanks

2009-07-24T10:50:00.001-07:00

22-July

2009-07-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight we're showing Christiane F. - Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo at 8pm, about the drug scene in Berlin in the 70's.

At midnight we'll be digging in for Apocalypse! Now, perhaps the greatest film made on war and madness, set during the Vietnam War.

Tomorrow is our pre-court mini festival, so Law and Order, The Prisoner, and other court related movies and shows throughout the day.

As usual, open dinner at 6.30pm, so bring something to eat and join us in the "executive dining room" with "panaromic views of London" and a view that stretches "from the foot of the BT tower to the shores of France".

Article in Timeout

2009-07-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.timeout.com/london/big-smoke/blog/8234/Inside_the_cheapest_cinema_in_London.html

The next few days

2009-07-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

We’ve got some big plans for this weekend.

Continued we have an open dinner every night at 6.30pm, so bring some food and come meet us in our “executive suite” and help us plan some further events.

Friday night we’re having a Jungle Book dance and jam-a-long movie party. We’ve got someone on the ukulele already, but bring along any instruments you have and learn some of the chords or the songs and come jam with us. If you don’t play any instruments then come along for the dance. We’re going to start around 8 after our open dinner, and after the movie we’ll keep dancing.

Saturday we’re having a BBQ on our roof, so bring some food and come hang out with us. Afterwards at midnight we’ll be screening the Grindhouse double bill in the basement.

This weekend until Monday there is also the DIY cinema festival, where we’ll be watching first movies of directors, or movies that were made with little funding, movies that broke the mold, and then discussing them afterwards. Friday has Mean Streets at 12am, Martin Scorsese’s first film, and then Burden of Dreams at 4pm, a documentary about Werner Herzog’s struggle to make Fitzcarraldo, a film about a man pulling a boat across a mountain.

Saturday has Julien Donkey Boy at 12am, Harmony Korine’s Dogme ’95 film, (“Writer-director Harmony Korine attempts to show the world through Julien’s eyes: a schizophrenic kaleidoscope of images — some hauntingly beautiful, some disturbing and violent.”) it’s funny and strange and beautiful, and at 4pm we’re playing Pi, Darren Aranofsky’s first film, a gritty dark film about a number theorist who gradually goes insane looking for the answer. It’s beautifully shot and was made for dirt cheap, and it drags you along just as strongly as Requiem for a Dream, his second film, did.

Tied in with this, on Sunday we’re having a frame by frame movie workshop. We’ll be watching a film and whenever anyone wants to stop it they just say stop and we discuss it from there. This film will be chosen from one of the other four we watched on either Friday or Saturday We’ll gradually work our way through the movie and see what we can discover. Roger Ebert calls it Cinema Interruptus, and he talks about it here - http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/08/how_to_read_a_movie.html

On Monday at 2pm we’ll be watching The Brown Bunny, Vincent Gallo’s second film which Roger Ebert notoriously called the worst film to show at Cannes ever, but after it was recut he ended up loving it. It’s about a motorcycle racer who drives cross country haunted by memories of his former lover. After the movie we’ll be running a workshop to see if we can build our own steadicam, so if you want to sit in on that and help us brainstorm and work it out, that’ll be at 4pm.

Rohan, our resident stunt man, is also running a physical theatre workshop on Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 12am. If you want to do some things with your body, learn how to fall down stairs, breakdance a bit and learn about physical theatre itself, come along.

Monday night we’re having a 16mm film party, and also using the projector to make some shadow puppets. Osita is also coming around to read some poetry, and there will be readings and music to accompany the silent films. At midnight we’re showing They Shoot Horses Don’t They?, a movie about an endless dance marathon.

Tuesday night is our big Open Projector Night, so if you’ve made a film bring it along on a DVD or 16mm reel and we’ll show it. Right after you’re screening it would be great if you’re up for a Q&A so we can learn how you got the film made. We’ll be showing some other short films in between as well to mix it all up.

There’s a chance that there will be another workshop in the Gallery on Sunday, but more about that to follow.

Schedule is up

2009-07-13T04:03:00.000-07:00

2 week film festival

2009-07-13T03:26:00.001-07:00

VHS Video Basement and Picture House presents

A two week free film festival

14-24/07/2009

9 Great Chapel St,

Soho

Ring the buzzer

Festival including:

Famous first movies/

Frame by frame movie class/

Midnight movies/

House favourites/

New film makers/

Director Q/A

If you have a film you would like to show or want to get involved please contact greatchapelcollegeclass09@gmail.com or call 07962483750

www.ohninesoho.blogspot.com

If you would like to show a film or play music

2009-07-09T02:53:00.000-07:00

we have a performance space in the basement
Please email
greatchapelcollegeclass09@googlemail.com with film and music in the subject

if you would like to submit work to the gallery

2009-07-09T02:49:00.000-07:00

-photos to come-

please email greatchapelcollegeclass09@googlemail.com with gallery in the subject

Class Of '09 has arrived.

2009-07-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

We are located at Great Chapel College,
9 Great Chapel St
SoHo

We have a gallery space,
dark room,
cinema with 16mm projection,
rooms and space for workshops...

Class of '09 is also host to The SoHo Dectective Agency