Some good stories are trickling in as we clear out venues and get buried in invoices. The couple who met while Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan wailed in the background. The metal fan from Telford who went to Until The Light Takes Us and ended up returning to the festival every day. The gentleman at the same screening, reading Folk Tales of the North York Moors (see above). The Flatpacker who locked her keys in the car and had to smash her own window so she could pick up Stuart Braithwaite from the airport. And the woman with two bags of heavy shopping who mistook Julien Maire’s Digit performance for an information desk. She asked where the computers were. Julien paused for a moment and then swiped his finger across the paper in front of him, leaving a line of text in its wake. The woman’s bags plunged to the floor.
Today Flatpack has seen workshops on animating vegetables, tours of the region’s old Odeon cinemas and more shorts than you can shake a stick at. We are now preparing for A Plasticine Party, an Eastside knees-up featuring a DJ set from Stuart Braithwaite from Mogwai, punk-dub multimedia threesome Jackdaw with Crowbar and Zappa influenced Moon Unit. There will be plenty of plasticine to play with and competitions between some of Eastside’s cultural organisations in building an alternative plasticine universe!
Tomorrow (remember that the clocks go forward one hour tonight) sees more films for children and the young at heart, including the rarely screened The 5000 Fingers of Dr.T, the only feature film written by Dr.Seuss. The hyper fantasy musical looks like the Wizard of Oz might have done if Salvador Dali had designed it. Later there are a multitute of music documentaries including a rare screening of Rudies Come Back on two-tone with footage of the Specials in ‘79 in Three Minute Heroes and The Family Jams, travels with Joanna Newsom and Devendra Banhart on their 2004 US tour.
On Sunday evening Belbury Youth Club comes to Vivid with a screening of spooky seventies drama Penda’s Fen and a night of psychedelia, folk, squelchy synths and clattery breakbeats from Belbury Poly, Moon Wiring Club and The Focus Group.
Day four of Flatpack brings terrific treats including magic from artist Julien Maire, an odd insight into the lives of Finnish men in Living Room of the Nation, and Mexican horror Alucarda.
Tonight, Synth Eastwood are putting on a spectacular night of music, animation, installations and interactivity at the Rainbow Warehouse. Over the last three days they could be spotted around Birmingham taking photos and films to use in tonight’s show, Fast Forward. It will also feature a one-off sound collage from Clark (Warp Records), a set from the spectacular French AV duo Gangpol & Mit, and sets from Sarsparilla and Health & Efficiency. As well as music there will be installations such as Hugh Cooney’s Info Processor, Synth Eastwood’s GIF Shoot!, Birmingham Says Hello and the Fast Forward Group Project.
The weekend brings even more parties, features shorts, films for children and animations. We hope to see you there!
Remember: the clocks go forward 1 hour at 1am on Sunday 28 March!
Uncle Hans-Peter is a character from the world of Let Me Feel Your Finger First. He started out in comic books, then animation, and now has a whole evening at VIVID devoted to him. Each guest receives a free mask and comic.
Or if you’re after something a bit more genteel tomorrow there’s a double-bill of 30s events at Ikon Eastside; a look at Birmingham’s literary and cultural scene, and then a programme of animation, docs and avant-garde shorts all shown by Birmingham Film Society around the same time. Tickets are £6 each, or £9 for both on the night. As a bit of homework for the literary event, check out Michael Johnston’s google map of 30s Birmingham.
Today Flatpack has seen workshops on animating vegetables, tours of the region’s old Odeon cinemas and more shorts than you can shake a stick at. We are now preparing for 
Day four of Flatpack brings terrific treats including magic from artist 
