Stephen Embleton

 BIG BROTHER 22 September 2008 You broke the ice, you paved the way You lived life to the edge, you did it your way. You covered sex and drugs and rock ‘n roll Pretty hard core but still a gentle soul. Big footsteps I followed and resolved I must, As a kid brother I said “In Big Bro I trust.” You showed me how grand the world can be. You showed me how to bloom and be free. I may have started out by living through you, Comparing, trying to be more like you. But I saw you weren’t trying to be someone else, You were just being you and no one else. Long and short hair, a broken bone, a bullet or two: Sometimes I’m grateful I never kept up with you. You showed me the world can be pretty damn rough “Have no fear,” you smiled, “they just act like they’re tough.” “Don’t let fists, knives or people with guns, Stop you from smiling and having some fun.” “The world has no limits, so you shouldn’t either. Live it to the fullest, no matter the weather.” I know that one day, when one of us goes,...

07/04/2007 Planning the ultimate "Job": Simple. Nothing fancy. One shot and it's done. In and out without anyone suspecting anything. But is it what it seems? Is it as simple as we assume? And can they really do it in one shot? After coming up with the ultimate "job", our main character sets about getting the right crew for what seems to be an armed robbery. One shot and they are outta there. But as we are taken along for the ride we realise that it's not what it seems. The "ultimate" job is in the shoot. The film shoot. What could the ultimate shoot be? From start to finish - all one shot! Take the camera from one angle to the next, seamlessly, with no special effects or cuts. The question is: can they pull it off? Download Script

In 2003 I got to see the Hollywood machine in action and got to personally work with (the formidable) Wolf Kroeger (Production Designer of "The Last of the Mohicans", "First Blood", "Equilibrium", "Reign of Fire" etc). I learned so much from Wolf, particularly the fickle nature of the business and standing your ground in your artistic vision. This was for the 2005 Warner Bros film  "Racing Stripes" out on location for 6 months in the KZN midlands. I did the design and illustration on the circus convoy (hardly visible in a storm sequence) at the beginning of the film – a simple airbrush style – as well as other elements in the film, including the racetrack branding, signage and posters. At first we started a P. T. Barnum style to the circus artwork, but Wolf was inspired by Cirque du Soleil and we pivoted to a slicker look. I got to visit the sets, see the machine of filming on a massive scale as well as seeing my artwork on the vehicl...

 Me 29–6–2003 Faced with myself, I like what I see. It doesn’t matter what I seem like to thee. I am who I am. The best I can be. I cannot be you. I have to be me.                                             – Stephen Embleton

Hearts Afire To Riley – Valentine’s Day 2003 Hearts afire, hearts aflame. I burn inside when I hear your name. The heat of the sun doesn’t come close, I wish each day I could give you a rose. The flame, the heat, the burning golden light, And still a chill I get when you are in sight. Roses are red, flames burn hot. Any more words, I have not.  

 Missing To Mom 23–12–2002 As a father I’ve come to know That kids are precious things. And although we want to watch them grow To see what life them brings, We cannot always be there to see, To share and to protect. So God gave us that special gift That now ‘n again we collect. He calls it something just off target When you try to give a clout. It’s something dainty like a teacher But one that doesn’t shout. He calls it “Miss” ‘cause you thought of something That seeing would make a “Hit”, So when you think of something dear, That feeling sinks in a bit. Missing someone lets you know There’s someone that you love. Someone who you want to share Each moment sent from above. But all you can do is miss them more And tell them when you do. ‘Cause how precious is that love together When someone misses you. So onward up this mountain-side each and every day I climb in a body that you gave to me to feel how I miss you all the time.

Mothers To Mom 11–05–2002 Mothers are mothers for more than one reason, Mothers are mothers for more than one season. A season of laughter, a lifetime of love. All our moments together are sent from above.  Mothers are special and, in our lives, have a place. We remember their voice and their touch on our face. Soft and tender and loving and dear, They speak to us in words that make life so clear. No matter how wise and old we may get, They remind us of the child inside that we forget.  In our hearts they remain forever and always For they touch our lives in so many ways. One day a bird in a film said to me, “Stephen, ‘Mother’ is the word for God on the lips and hearts of all children”.

All Along The Beaches 02-04-2002 On the sand a young man sits But blink and he is old. For one day when you read these words Your story too is told. And so he sits and ponders so, The things before his eyes: The sea, the sky, the clouds and air All things he’s to surmise. The golden glow of the sun at dawn Dives deeply in his eyes. A gull in silhouette he sees That close to the water flies. And there he sits, hands and heels dug in Waiting for the tide. The moon has told him it will come And on it he must ride. And as a wave does rise and fall The foam his skin does seek. He silently turns, to look behind, To take just one last peek. Toes go cold, his chest breathes in, He recognises faces. All those from his life are there. All from familiar places. Too far away on the land they play, Out in the farthest reaches. But then they smile and wave to him From… all along the beaches.