The Kelpie

This is another piece of exciting news I have had recently.

A couple of weeks ago I recieved a call from a writer in London called Don McVey who was looking for a director for his feature film script, The Kelpie. He had sent the script out to a number of other directors who had taken an interest in it. I read the script and called him back immediately - I loved the story - it is based on the Kelpies, a supernatural race on the Isle of Skye and a family that live there.

We spoke on the phone at length about the project and I explained my ideas about it. He loved my vision of the project so after a while called my back and offered me the job.

He has several influential people on board, including actor Ford Kiernan who has a cast role as well as having offered help from his production company, Effingee. Angela Murray, a producer has also offered her services on the project. It will be very exciting to work with such talented and experienced people.

I will be meeting Ford, Don and Angela at Ford's house this coming Friday to discuss the next stages.

With this and 'The Secret Commonwealth' going on - I hope to be very busy and involved with film projects over the coming time.

I will keep the blog updated as things develop.

2 Seconds

As editor, I have very little to blog about to do with my experience of the end of year shoot so far.

I was brought on as stand-in boom op for the first day of shooting. The day went well and everything needed was shot. A minor slip-up held us back slightly at the beginning of the day but we soon caught up.

I will begin capturing tapes on Monday and will begin the edit soon after.

EIFF 2010 - The Film Part

A Spanking in Paradise (Feature)

Now paradise this was not! An Edinburgh based film, the story of a brothel owner who employs his newly qualified lawyer nephew to work for him while he waits for his American Visa to be processed. I believe the tone was confused - it was supposed to be a comedy, however the subject matter was too serious to be funny yet it was too light hearted to be serious. The script, in my opinion, was badly written, full of constant swearing and one-sided phonecalls. It was also visually poor, bad camerawork and average lighting, and what can I say about the performances - altogether, not great with a few, again, average performances.

All in all, not a film I would recommend.

International Shorts 2: Little Earthquakes

This was a collection of international short films - to my surprise - I enjoyed every one of these films - however one in particular stood out.

A film called Echo by the Polish Film School told the story of a boy who descended from cold control into madness after he murders a young girl. I felt everything was right about this film, the pace, the tone, the writing, the cinematography, the performances - a really strong piece of work! The cinematography was bleak, mirroring the bleak landscape and situation of the film, it was paced slowly, no quick, fashionably dramatic cuts made popular by American cinema - it fitted the film, long, drawn out thoughts. The writing and the performances were terrific, the script was truly captured the destruction of the boy's mind - his descent. The performances are also truly worthy of special mention, in particular the final scene where the boy must confront the parents of the murdered girl. There is a deadly silence, unspoken shock between the boy and the girl's mother - no reaction from either until the boy releases all of his feelings in one uncontrolled scream.

EIFF 2010 - The Filmless Part

Edinburgh Film Festival has been the experience of a lifetime.... not only have I seen a vast range of different, unique and fascinating films - there have been a number of fantastic networking opportunities and the chance to meet a lot of fascinating people also.

On the first afternoon of the festival, I had arranged to meet up with the world class cinematographer, Seamus McGarvey, with whom my friend has been working with for the last few months and whom I had spoken to before through Facebook. I met up with him at his Edinburgh flat where, over lunch, we had a fascninating discussion about his work - it was truly inspiring to be around someone so talented and successful for that length of time!

Seamus has been our guide for most of the week!

That evening, Seamus invited myself, my friend Sian and other friend Matthew (who has produced a number of my film projects) to a drinks reception at the Hilton hotel in Edinburgh which we were told actor Brian Cox would be attending.

That evening we arrived amongst many talented individuals, filmmakers and actors alike. My networking senses most definitely tingling. Everyone was very warm and friendly with fascinating conversation. After an introduction by Seamus, I got to have a long an in depth conversation with Brian Cox - After complaining briefly about the cost of living in New York and the state of the film industry in general... he began asking about some of the projects I was working on -I described the idea of 'The Secret Commonwealth' - he loved the sound of the project and asked if I would send him more info as he would potentially be interested in taking a part in the project - of course at this, I jumped at the opportunity - handing over cards and email addresses etc. I had said from the start of this project that this very man would be perfect for one of the lead roles - Little did I know I would be meeting him very soon after that! I also had an interesting discussion with actor, Rhys Ifans about his recent work and his involvement in the festival - I found him friendly if not a little whacky! Although I did not get a chance to speak to him properly - I was also introduced to director Ken Russell who although appeared to have been suffering from ill health at the time, talked at length about the film festival.

The next day saw another introduction to a favourite actress of mine, Tilda Swinton. She was holding an event for a charity she runs called '8 1/2'. Because Seamus had just been working on a film with her, he introduced us and we got a chance to have a brief chat.

All in all, the week has been very exciting and busy, as well as the odd moment relaxing in the hot hot sun!

Milk

This was one of the most powerful films I have seen in a long time.

'Milk', directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Sean Penn, is a fascinating and moving look at the life of one of the leading gay rights activists of all time.

The film has a slight mock-documentary look about it - in that I mean that it is not full of distracting special effects and in-your-face fancy cinematography - the film is solely about the story and about the performances. It stirs up the full range of emotions in you... happiness, sadness, pride, sentimentality and occassionally presents the odd bit of humour. Penn's performance is outstanding (deservedly winning 'Best Performance' Oscar), he is powerful, emotional and most of all, extremely believable. His performance is only raised by the stunning supporting cast performances, notably James Franco as Penn's lover.

This is a film for everyone - no matter how you feel about the issue at hand, you will truly be touched by this story.

There is really not much more to say about this incredible piece of cinema other than, that if you have not seen it, SEE IT!

A little bit of reflection

I thought it about time I reflected on some film work I am doing outwith the Academy.

Currently, I am working on two projects - I am set to direct a historical fantasy independent feature film called 'The Secret Commonwealth' which is in the development stages with Workshop Productions, a production company based in the north of England, also I am still working on some short promotional pieces (commercials for broadcast on PBS WLiW21 in the States and web promotions) for internationally acclaimed singer, Fiona Kennedy's new music show called 'Highland Heartbeat'.

With 'The Secret Commonwealth', I am feeling very positive - it is a new experience for me and a new way of working - rather that having the utmost control - I have been placed in a professional environment as director - with just that role to perform. The film is essentially for commercial purposes so that also adds another dimension to the project - a real life situation - real pressures, real deadlines and most exctitingly of all, REAL money. The producers of the film (also the managing directors of Workshop Productions), Christopher Abbott and David T Guest have been most supportive through the whole process, giving me control yet also mentoring me through the processes I have not totally come to grips with yet. The film began when Workshop Productions approached me with a provisional offer to distribute my first feature film, 'Kirk', on their DVD label, A1 Pictures, after seeing the trailer online (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfpnLXkAsiE) and reading some of the online reviews written after its win at a film festival in Manchester (http://www.mjsimpson.co.uk/reviews/kirk.html & http://www.amazingmovieshowblog.com/2009/10/kirk-2009.html). We met in November of last year and after discussing the prospect of a release, we realised that the film, in it's current state would need additional work. They then proposed the idea of re-scripting, re-casting and re-shooting the film - of course I jumped at this chance. I did have to be slightly wary to begin with (having had a number of bad experiences in the past - especially a potential film I would be directing with a 'production company' called Palm Tree Films who turned out to be crooks!) although the Academy were very supportive and checked them out - and I'm very glad to say, everything seems fine and is set to go!!!

With 'Highland Heartbeat' - I am creating some short promotional pieces for the show. It is a Scottish music show led by Fiona Kennedy (daughter of Callum Kennedy) and features her and range of other talented singers from around Scotland. The show is narrated by Emmy Award-winning Scottish actor, Brian Cox. I became involved in the project when the initial show was filmed in the Theatre Royal in 2008. I arranged to do some work experience on the show as a runner but ended up working with the Behind The Scenes camera man and shooting a lot myself. It was a great experience at the time to be involved in such a huge production which was being covered by American TV channel PBS - the show was set to broadcast with them so they came to shoot pledges for the channel as well as interviews with the cast.

A few months after this, I was invited in to watch the edit of the show at the ARC post-production facility in Glasgow (I had previously donw my school work experience at ARC so knew a few people there already). Fiona came in to supervise some of the edit and it was then I grabbed the chance to do a bit of 'networking'.

I had just finished shooting, and was in the process of editing a 40 minute teen drama caled 'When I Grow Up' and was looking for a suitable soundtrack - I asked Fiona in the edit suites if she would mind recording a song we had had written for the film and she agreed. It was after the screening of 'When I Grow Up' and after a few more conversations that she asked if I would be interested in shooting some commercials and promotional material for the show. We arranged to begin shooting in July of 2009, after I was scheduled to finish shooting 'Kirk'.

This was a totally new and exciting experience for me - I had never shot music promos before but was most definitely eager to give it a go. We shot in a recording studio in Glasgow, in the Eden Court theatre in Inverness and at 'The Gathering' festival in Edinburgh - here is an example of one of the resulting pieces - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksss-c4OlFo.

I guess this is where I am now - I will update as things progress.

www.michaelfernsfilms.com

Shampoo

Now, I admit I didn't know what to expect when we were assigned the task of watching, 'Shampoo' - from the DVD box, it appeared to be simply a camp 70s chick flick - however I was definitely wrong.

'Shampoo' actually worked for me on several different levels - it was on one level, a flick but again on the other, quite an emotional character drama which tells the story of George (Warren Beatty), a playboy hairdresser who's philandering lifestyle truly gets the better of him. This film does not have a happy ending, rather it ends on a message - a moral and most likely, a truth.

The film deals with George's lifestyle which, at first, appears glamourous, but soon we see the true effect of his ways on both himself and others - as he tries to deal with all the women in his life while trying to raise funds to open his own hair salon.

The performances are, in my opinion, average on the whole. Warren Beatty gives a credible but not outstanding performance as does Julie Christie as Jackie Shawn, Beatty's lover.

It does, however, have many comic moments and was probably rather outrageous for its time. I made the mistake of not noticing the rating on the DVD box and was surprised to hear some of the graphic references to sex and the amount of swearing! It is of a classic 70s film style - the women are glamourous and the hair is big and brilliant.

The film represents women well, all four lead female character's are strong... in fact stronger than the men - although George is essentially the film's protaganist - he is not in control. The women of the film make the desicions and control the drama.

George's lifestyle is also a reflection of the society and culture of the time - set in 1968 just as Nixon is coming into power - it was a time of free love and lots and lots of sex!

I did enjoy the film - however I feel it could be percieved as rather dated now - I believe it will be remembered more as a snapshot of life at that time rather than a timeless comedy.

Robin Hood (Longstride)

This film, to many people's surprise was not really a film about Robin Hood at all - at least not the Robin Hood we know. This is his backstory, the time before he became the outlaw we all know and love him for. This is the run up to his rejection of the law, the film finishing on his decision - a sure promise of a sequel I would think.

The film has its flaws - it did not do as well as was predicted at the box office, critics complained that Russell Crowe (as Robin Longstride) looked 'far too fat and old' to play the legendary character, and the most infamous flaw of all, the Irish accented Northern Englishman - Indeed, Crowe did not agree, exploding when interviewer Mark Lawson suggested on BBC Radio - not surprisingly this clip hit youtube in about 3 minutes (or the time it takes to upload a video) after it was broadcast.

However, contrary to the last paragraph, I really enjoyed the film - it was the perfect boys action movie. Crowe was accompanied by a tremendous supporting cast - the likes of Cate Blanchett (as Marion Loxley) and Danny Huston (as King Richard the Lionheart). It sported lots of blood and sword fights and it was a beautiful film to watch. The colours, I felt, really gave a sense of the period, and the mood of the time without seeming unrealistic.

Now one would expect, on a film of this scale, to find many a spectacular, epic, arial battle shot featuring tens of thousands of soldiers fighting to the death - this was not the case. Ridley Scott held off using these shots until towards the end, during the film's climactic battle - this resulted in these shots being a treat to watch and held a sense of power and drama which they would lack had they frequented the movie.

Only one issue I would like to bring up personally was the lack of light-hearted moments - even a few would have kept the pace moving and not made the film feel quite so depressing. Admittedly, depressing works for the story however I feel it would not have been as heavy if it had included some...... smiles perhaps? (Crowe maintains his trademark frown throughout the entire movie).

All in all, it was an entertaining movie - definitely one to see before it leaves cinemas - its not the Robin Hood you will expect - however I suppose that really is a good thing, given the thirty-odd classic Robin Hood movie that preceded this one.

This film, the characters and the story, truly stand alone.

Election 2010 coverage

This is the time that most of us 'just turned 18 year olds' have been waiting for - our first chance to vote... and I hope you all will be voting!

Now, as Andy stated in his brief for this assignment - television's function in the election should be to inform the electorate and therefore allow them to cast a sensible, logical and well informed vote on May 6th.

Now, there is no doubt there has been quantity of coverage, but the real questions is, is it quality or merely style over substance.

The usual coverage has been there, many tv news debates, a mass of party political broadcasts, coverage of the leaders visiting the public - including the recent 'scandal' involving Gordon Brown where he was caught off camera calling a women from Rochdale a 'bigot' - here is an example of where the press have made a huge fuss out of nothing, this one minor incident has reeled in far more press coverage than any other serious discussions about the election - this is a real example of how shallow our understanding of politics is - why are our television broadcasters, including the BBC (who appear to be becoming more pro Tory as every minute passes) are focussing on such a minor issue involving the Prime Minister making, in what my opinion was a very accurate judgement.

Anyway, before I was side tracked I was listing the usual tv coverage of an election - however this year saw something, up until now, unseen - a leaders debate - where the leader of each of the three leading political parties came together and debated their policies in front of a live studio audience. I believe Gordon Brown should be commended as he is the first ever Prime Minister who has agreed to do this.

I feel these debates were covered well on the most part, the host giving each leader a fair chance to speak. There was, however, an element of style over substance, with a lot of the audience being distracted from Nick Clegg's wishy-washy policies by his clear and concise delivery, people favouring David Cameron for his short, ill informed statements, refuting every word that came out of the Prime Minister's mouth, and people not hearing the substance behind a lot of Brown's arguments because of his stilted and slightly awkward delivery.

The parties have also got celebrities on board for their campaigns - the Conservatives being supported by Gary Barlow from 'Take That' and the Labour party being supported by our very own David Tennant, who I think made a sensible point when he was quoted saying - "I would rather have a Prime Minister who is the cleverest man in the room than a Prime Minister who looks good in a suit".

All in all, I think the television coverage of the election has been okay - however I think a lot of television stations have shown some biases. I know I have shown a bias throughout this blog but realistically this is how all viewers will approach and take from the coverage - taking from it what they want.

I do find that it is sad that we only have the option of voting for two parties, possibly three this year, as I would probably vote for smaller party but we do not get the coverage for these smaller parties in the media - we are only told about the mainstream parties.

I will stop here and we will soon see how the coverage of the actual election on Thursday May 6th will play out.

Cemetery Junction

My first visit to the cinema during the Easter break was just last night - one day before we returned to school, and having seen the trailer for Ricky Gervais' third film - I thought I'd better check it out.

I know what a flop Gervais' first two features were - 'Ghost Town' was terrible, plot was unoriginal and any good jokes were stuffed into the trailer (therefore there were absolutely no surprises left), and The Invention of Lying was really not much better.

However, 'Cemetery Junction' had a different feel about it, plus with Stephen Merchant on board, perhaps the award winning comedy duo would create something great. I was right.

'Cemetery Junction', set in 1970s England, follows the story of three young guys living in a small town. Freddie aspires to become rich and successful, to leave his working class life behind, while Bruce, struggles to leave his youth behind, rebelling and constantly in and out of jail, he is happy with his life and wishes everything to stay the same. Snork, (the film's comic relief) a socially awkward loveable loser, is the third member of the group - he just wants to get on with his life, meet a girl and settle down.

The film is funny and extremely touching, and although I didn't live through the 70s it also has a strong feeling of authenticity. The character's seem real and believeable and I think the majority of the audience will be able to relate to one, if not all of the characters in some way. It is a classic coming of age movie dealing with the relationships between the three main characters, their relationships with their families, especially Bruce and his father's turbulant relationship, and Freddie's love for the leading lady.

The perfomances were excellent, perhaps becuase Gervais and Merchant did not take leading roles. The three young leads delivered powerful and totally believeable performances as did the supporting cast which included Ralph Fiennes as Freddie's boss, a harsh and cold business man, Gervais, as Freddie's layabout father and for a brief one line, Merchant, as a dinner party guest.

The film could be related to the likes of 'Billy Elliot' and 'The Full Monty' in terms of setting and style, it makes full use of the 1970s backdrop in a subtle and effective manner.

All in all I feel it was a film definitely worth seeing, an enjoyable coming of age movie and certainly Ricky Gervais' best feature film so far!

Now this is not a film I had heard very much about... perhaps passed it on the odd shelf in HMV or Virgin or flicked past it on TCM or Movies4Men... but hearing that it starred none other that John Wayne - the king of the western, I went straight to my grandfather (a devoted John Wayne follower).

I said (Grandson to Grandfather) - "we are to watch Stagecoach and blog about it for school" - and after requesting the definition of 'blog' he immediately went and retrieved the shiny DVD boxset that was the entire John Wayne collection - hence how I came about watching 'Stagecoach'.

'Stagecoach' was not exactly what I expected - I did not expect to enjoy it (not being a fan of old westerns) however I was pleasantly surprised. I also expected it to open on John Wayne's heroic entrance although I was surprised to find that he did not appear until much later in the film. The film is essentially an action road movie which follows a disparate bunch of people in a 'stagecoach' as they embark on a perilous journay accross Apache territory. I thought Wayne's performance as Ringo Kid was excellent, subtle and very human. The same can also be said of the supporting cast who were all equally convincing. Every character is unique (although they appear as stereotypes on the surface) - none of them turn out to be as they first appeared.

The direction by John Ford was magnificent (our film tutor Andy Dougan is constantly praising him - and now I can agree). I thought the film was paced very nicely - heart-pounding action as well as some very touching and emotional pieces - e.g the final battle near the end really focusses more on the character interaction rather than the battle itself.



All in all I think this was a wonderful piece of movie-making and with two Oscar wins and whole host of other awards - it can most definitely be considered a classic!

Casablanca

All you need to do is mention the words 'classic film' and immediately 'Casablanca' springs to mind - admittedly I had not seen it before now, however I can most definitely appreciate why it is considered so.

'Casablanca' is a timeless love story, directed by Michael Curtiz, that follows the stories of two men, Humphrey Bogart playing the cynical yet sentimental bar/casino owner, Rick Blaine and Paul Henreid playing the heroic French resistance leader, Victor Laszlo, both fighting for the love of one woman, played beautifully by Ingrid Bergman. The film, made in 1942, is part romantic drama and part intense wartime thriller and I believe will relate to fan's of most genres. It can be enjoyed both politically, deeply rooted in the Second World War, and apolitically, just as a plain love story – either way this film is truly enjoyable. In fact, I read online that the film was written day to day as it was being shot so no one knew how it was going to end!



The entire film was shot on studio sets, which at the time it was made, meant a great deal more freedom with the cinematography. It is shot beautifully and I felt it had a real ‘film noire’ feel to it. Many different elements of the film grasped my attention – the amazing performances (deemed to be Humphrey Bogart’s finest ever) were made with subtle glances and gestures – the tone, poetic, brave and heroic – and the famous score, composed by Max Steiner, adds much of the film’s mysterious and suspenseful atmosphere. ‘Casablanca’ also has a number of famous lines of dialogue - "Here's lookin' at you, kid," and (although this is not exactly said in the film) "Play it again, Sam".

The film has gone down the in the history books as a ‘must-see’ film and I would most definitely agree.

Last week saw our first short film shoot. Our remit was a two minute film based around the theme of 'Home'. To begin with, we met a number of times to brainstorm ideas eventually settling on a sequence of shots and connecting scenarios with a voice-over which illustrated how different people felt about home - what home meant to them? Where they felt most at home?

The first sequence we shot was a ballet dancer - filmed in the RSAMD concert hall - this was pivitol to the rest of the filming as it allowed almost everyone to work together and get to know the kit properly in a time-pressured environment. After much stress and hassle - we managed to get the shot we needed.

The next piece of filming took place in the RSAMD student halls. This was probably the most stressful time of the entire experience. Not only was the time restrictive, but the space was small and cramped - some of the equipment was not working as we wanted, there was a complicated green shot necissary and to top it all off - the fire alarm went off mid-shot, triggering the fastest de-rig any film set has ever seen. However, again, we managed to get the sequence we required.

Thursday began with a very early start and a jolly trip to a very wet and cloudy Loch Lomond. I had recruited almost my entire family for this shoot - from sisters to grandparents to dogs. However, contrary to the previous night's shoot - this day went very smoothly - no technical or time issues - we got all the shots needed and were packed and away for 3:30 - a success!

We will need to wait and see how the edit turns out but if nothing else - then this was a good and collaborative experience for most involved.

King Kong 1933

"Oh no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast."

This universally known quote is instantly recognisable and is synonymous with the world's biggest movie star, the terrifying yet compassionate fifty foot ape, Kong.

When it was announced that we would be watching 'King Kong' as our Friday screening, I was really pleased - I had seen the Peter Jackson remake and had enjoyed it - and having watched the majority of the bonus features, I knew that the original version, made in 1933 was Jackson's inspiration for his film. He had always loved the story and claimed that he did not wish to replace the original, but rather he wished to allow a modern audience to witness 'the 8th wonder of the world' in all its glory.

I as not disappointed - I thought it was a well constructed, well written and well acted piece and, although they look dated now, the use of stop-motion animation was ground-breaking for the time the film was released. I foudn myself totally distancing myself from what was evidently a two foot platasine monkey and getting totally emersed in the plot and the action on screen - I was even siginificantly repulsed as Kong, in a successful attempt to save Ann Darrow (played by Fay Wray), ripped open the jaw of a dinosaur and played with its carcus jsut ot make sure it was dead. I was not at all aware of how long the film was, perhaps because in comparison to Jackson's 201 minute epic it was a mere short, but I found myself at the end of the film, having not noticed the time pass. this is probably one of the first times this has happened in a while when watching a film for the first time - it was good, heart-stopping yet touching drama.

As an audience, we are given the opportunity to make up our own mind about Kong, his intentions and awareness - I cannot say how I would feel towards the character had I not been predisposed to the idea that Kong falls in love with Ann (through the 2005 version) - it is definitely up for discussion. This, I suppose is more realistic - whether we read into Kong's emotions or not - he is not going to come straight out and tell us!

I feel, it was most definitely, a worthwhile watch - a landmark film - as Andy said - "1933's Avatar".

Lighting Assessment

All in all, I felt the assessment went smoothly. There were just a few small mistakes I made:

Firstly was setting my back-focus: Although, apparently by a complete fluke, it was set okay – I did not open the iris fully while setting. I will make sure from now on to focus on the smaller details such as this.

Secondly, I finished earlier than expected, setting up the camera and lighting, and shooting the required shots, however I did not finish de-rigging the kit until the just before the end of the assessment – I will, from now on, focus on packing away the kit more efficiently, which, as Ray explained at my tutorial, will be advantageous when on set (to save valuable time).

I must admit, I expected the assessment to be a little more intense – more questioning – I was slightly daunted, worrying about being asked specific questions about colour temperature values etc however it did not come up. I understand the principals of this and I feel totally comfortable putting it into practice.

I don’t really have any more to say other than I am now fully comfortable with all that we have learnt in Ray’s class up until now.

Television 'The Small Screen' module summary

I was already exceedingly passionate and interested in the art of filmmaking when I began the RSAMD’s Digital Film and Television course in September 2009 – and I do believe that if I had been asked back then if I knew much about television, my response would have been an unhesitant ‘yes’ – although I now know that this was not the case. As it turns out, I knew very little about the historical and current landscape of television – its programmes, the makers, the range of genres, styles, the structure and the many formats. There is so much more to television than most of us know. Our television module – ‘The Small Screen’ – has helped to open my eyes to the vast amount that television can offer – the BBC’s motto, to ‘inform, educate and entertain’. Informing us of news events and current affairs – educating us though documentaries teaching us about history and wildlife – entertaining us with powerful, emotional escapist drama, light entertainment shows and comedy.

Television affects all society and culture – and in some cases very much dictates both (e.g. pop-culture – the music we like, the clothes we wear, the food we eat). I have learnt of the power that television wields and we have had the chance to debate the pros and cons of this.

Throughout this module, led by film journalist and author, Andy Dougan, we have experienced all genres of television, from powerful drama like ‘The Street’ to light entertainment reality shows such as ‘Big Brother’, through screenings, lectures and passionate debates. It has helped us to contextualise our practical work – our screenwriting, camera and editing work – and by placing these skills in context, we can improve, for I believe to be good at these you must know why you are doing them, what you are creating and for whom.

I really look forward to further work in this class - exploring these ideas further, and I feel our first module has really helped to prepare us – placing us in the right mindset.

Desperate Housewives

Okay, a tad embarrassing but now that it's out in the open, I feel I can continue.

My reason for watching this series was really one of pure coincidence. I believe it was a Wednesday morning, a few weeks ago. I was staying at my girlfriend's flat and she had already left for the academy early that morning so I thought I should spend my time constructively. I thought, a film and television student - I should watch a television programme however given that what was being broadcast at that point in time was mostly the likes of Jeremy Kyle, How Clean is Your House and A Place in the Sun - (programmes that, shall we say, are aimed at a particular niche market of which I am not a member) - I turned to the trusty DVD boxsets. The first thing that entered my line of vision was a show I had heard lots about but had never really watched - Desperate Housewives, series one. So I thought, 'why not, I'll try one episode' - this plan did not really come to fruition.

Desperate Housewives, the evidently highly addictive, Emmy Award winning show focusses on the women of Wisteria Lane and their struggles to cope with everything from murder to gardening - basically, American suburban life. Episode one of the first series opens with one of the central characters friends committing suicide - from this point on, she acts as narrator as the repercussions of this mystery start to unfold. The use of narration adds a creative, yet strangely creepy touch.

The stars of the show all give great comedic performances - the writers playing on every character's stereotype - Susan, the klutz - Lynette, the over-worked mother - Bree, the uptight and clean-freak housewife and Gabrielle, the spoiled ex-model. The show uses both hilarious and heart-breaking storylines and as well as the truly likeable characters to keep the audience enthralled. And I think it's fair to say, there are more than a few outrageous moments and situations to keep you going. For example, in series one alone, we are presented with Bree's husband's S&M fetish, Lynette's addiction to her son's medication, a suicide, a strangulation, Gabrielle's affair with a minor and a hit and run - things are only getting more outrageous and complicated as the series progress and now with series six now being broadcast - I'm sure we can expect a whole lot more!

The show is both laugh out loud funny and exremely touching - an unusual choice for me but nonetheless(having completed 4 series boxsets in only a few weeks), I feel, a good one.

A little time to reflect...

Here we are again - the end of another week and sitting down ready to document. Well, without further ado...

1st, 2nd & 3rd Feb
Monday - This chilly, bitter and overcast morning felt like the perfect welcome home to Richard - getting back to his roots, from L.A to Glasgae and from sun to sleet - I'm sure he was thrilled.

Anyway, he entered Room 1 on Monday morning to be met by 13 alert and eager faces, ready to learn how to write. I'm sure I speak on behalf of the class when I say that Richard has been truly missed and we were all very excited to have this intense block of screenwriting with him. We began with an outline of the plan for the next three days, one of which included a lesson set for Wednesday morning entitled, 'What we don't like about ourselves" - knowing from past experience (the post-secret lesson), the intensity of some of our screenwriting classes, a feeling of apprehension was shared by a few quick glances between ourselves.

The first two days we focussed on structure and character - doing exercises to demonstrate theory and looking at examples. I found that I got a far better understanding of how most film scripts are structured,and although I was less aware before, I can now see where this applies in the majority of films I watch.

I felt tired at the end of each day, the lessons are structured so that there is not one minute where you can sit back and just listen - it is a fully interactive experience, we are kept on our toes, constantly questioning ourselves and creating new ideas.

Wednesday morning finally arrived - we had been instructed the day before to bring in food and coffee to mellow this inevitably uncomfortable experience. However, I was surprised to find how easily and comfortably we all shared our answers to the question - Perhaps this is an indication of how close we have become as a class - we are able to share, without embarrassment or shame, some of our deepest feelings and worries without worries of judgement. I think this is a result of the kind of course this is that, although we have only known each other since last September, we feel more of a team than I did with anyone at school.

Wednesday afternoon consisted of individual tutorials with Richard to discuss the short film scripts we had written over the Christmas period. I found Richard's advice constructive and I feel I would approach the same story slightly differently now, having had this block of lessons.

4th Feb
On Thursday morning we had an interesting talk from John Yorke, the controller of Drama at the BBC. He took us through how television drama scripts are structured, comparisons between 3 and 5 act structures and the formulas behind writing successful tv drama. It was exciting to have someone so successful and high up in the business to talk to us - talking from real experience - this is one thing I like about the course - the chance to meet and make contacts with real, experienced industry professionals.

On Thurday afternoon we had our History of Cinema class with Andy where we talked about the editing styles of both Russian and German Expressionist cinema. Another interesting class full of info that helps us to contextualise our practical work.

5th Feb
On Friday morning we watched another, and my favourite so far, film from the silent era, and none other than the king of silent cinema, Charles Chaplin in City Lights. Made a few years after the invention of talkies (films with sounds), City Lights was a hilarious, yet sweet and touching film. It follows Chaplin's reoccurring character, the little tramp, as he falls in love with a blind girl and convinces her he is rich by befriending an alcoholic millionnaire. Another 'great' from Chaplin.

On Friday afternoon we had a group tutorial in the Fyfe to discuss our group task - the class has been split in two - one side arguing that television is part of the glue that hold our society together and the other arguing that television is nothing more than a box of lights and wires - I am a member of the latter. We discussed with Andy how we were planning on taking the research forward so that we can then form a presentation to pitch at next week's debate. I enjoy these interactive activities as it lets us share how passionately we feel about certain subjects and simultaneously learn from one other.

TO BE CONTINUED...
Tune in next week to hear another exciting adventure from DFTV1.

A Week's Worth of Reflection

25th & 26th Jan

The beginning of this week started slow as we had two days off from the Academy. Monday morning's class with Kim Millar had been cancelled (disappointingly I must say as I was really looking forward to continuing where we had left it the week before). I believe Gav and Ray had an industry event to attend so Tuesday's technical classes were also cancelled.

27th Jan

However there we all arrived, bright eyed and bushy tailed on Wednesday afternoon for Andy's class on television. Again we were in the boardroom (another exciting feature of Wednesday's classes), to watch and discuss the television broadcast that has recieved the most viewers ever for one single programme - the Morcambe and Wise Christmas Special 1970-something. Having never seen any Morcambe and Wise shows before, I found this very interesting, firstly to see what the hype around them was about and to see exactly why it recieved the most views of all time! I thought it was a nice mix of witty humour and good music (Elton John's star appearance).

28th Jan

Thursday marked a milestone in DFTV 1's filmography - our first shoot. This was a collaboration with the Technical & Production Arts course to execute a 3 camera shoot of a live gig. Our call time was originally 9 o'clock but was changed until 12. However , I came in at nine anyway to use the edit suites for a music promo I have been editing - I am finding the suites excellent to use - it's very nice to work in a professional environment with a pro set-up - I'm finding it helpful to have as much time as I need to get used to the set-up so that when we work on projects in the future I will be better prepared. I was given the role as camera assist on our shoot - this involved the set-up of one of the cameras - setting the viewfinder, monitor, back-focus, white balance, exposure etc. I believe this was beneficial as it allowed us to practically apply the skills we have learnt in class in a realistic situation.

29th Jan

On Friday morning - we had our usual screening - another silent film named Sunrise, I found myself totally emersed in the story, both the performances and the visuals were also stunning. Andy had told us about this near the beginning of the year and had told us how good it was so I was very pleased we were finally getting a chance to see it. The cinematography and use of moody lighting gave the film a strangely mysterious feel although the interaction between the two leads was both tense and touching in equal measure. It was essentially a very sweet film and, unlike in some of the other films of the silent era that we have seen, I was not aware of the absense of dialogue - the film was carried with effective subtle gestures and glances.


Anyway, that's all for that week - to be continued...

A little bit of reflection

Monday 18th Jan

This is a lesson we were all looking forward to - the first of our promised host of various industry practitioners that would be gracing us with their prescence throughout the course. I'm not sure exactly what we were expecting but one thing I can say, and I think I speak on behalf of the majority of the class also, is that we did not expect Kim Millar, a successful soap storyliner and writer, to be so young. Having heard all about her career and having researched her online before the class, I was very impressed that someone her age had achieved the success that she had.

I felt this was a very educational, interesting and exciting lesson. We discussed her career, the path she had taken to get there, exactly what the job involved with the odd anecdote about some soap opera celebs! We have been set the task of creating an original soap character and to write them in to one of the big soap operas - Coronation St (which Kim assured us was, by far, the most well respected and best written soap out), Hollyoaks, Emmerdale or Eastenders.

I believe we get the most out of lessons where people can share their own experiences - able to tell us what it is really like out there, how to make it, to cope. This is the type of learning that best suits me, hearing about it first hand then getting to do it yourself rather than just discussing the theory of film and television production.

Tuesday 19th Jan

Our day began with Ray's technical class where we focussed on lighting. Putting the lamps up and donw and setting up the cameras under different lighting conditions. I have used a lot of the lighting before so I knew some of the stuff we were learning however I feel it's always good to over things again an again - always improving. Also to know how things are handled in the industry - standard precedure - the lingo!

The afternoon consisted of a short tutorial with Gav in the edit suites to discuss our editing theory and practical assesment we sat before Christmas. I felt this went very well - we discussed some of the correct terms to use for certain editing techniques for the theory test and he was very pleased with my cut of the 'Dukati' Motorbike commercial. I enjoy and feel I get a lot out of the classes and discussions I have with Gav - he is very approachable and takes an interest.

Wednesday 20th Jan

We had our television class with Andy, discussing the impact of reality television from COPS to Big Brother Season 500! As usual it was packed with interesting facts and debates. I think because our class is so small - these kind of lessons are very open - anyone can give their opinion and discuss the topics.

Thursday 21st Jan

As we only had tutorials with Adam on this day - I was only in for a very short period of time. We discussed the television ideas we had written proposals for before the new year. We discussed the idea and how to develop it - Adam suggested ways of expanding the themes which I found very useful. We will be taking these ideas forward for the foreseeable future so I feel it is very important now that we are satisfied with our plans.

Friday 22nd Jan

Here came another silent film, Nosferatu - as I had fully expected not to be totally enthralled (having not enjoyed Battleship Potemkin the week before), I was pleasantly surprised to find myself really getting involved. It is very early cinema although it really sets up the 'vampire' genre which we are all so used to today.

All in all, a successful week I feel. Heres hoping the next week will be the same!

My Sister's Keeper - Christmas Highlight

Now, normally when we hear the word 'highlight', we assume something happy, something joyous. However - as good as this film was, it was no happy experience. I, admittedly did not choose the film to watch, it was my sister's choice, telling me she had seen it before and that it was definitely worth seeing. Had it not been for the subtitles, I probably wouldn't have heard the film through the deafening sobs.

I thought this film was excellent, a truly touching story with incredible performances and approporately moody cinematography.

Based on the novel by Jodi Picoult, 'My Sister's Keeper' tells the story of an 11-year-old girl who sues her parents for "medical emancipation" and the right not to donate a kidney to her sister, Kate, who is terminally ill with cancer. Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) gives a very convincing and subtle performance which drives the emotional weight of the film. Her dying sister, played by Sofia Vassilieva, although not as demanding a role, is equally as convincing and along with Cameron Diaz, Joan Cusack and Alec Baldwin creates a film with uniquely powerful performances.

The gritty cinematography shows the landscapes of southern California in a different light, we truly feel for all the characters involved. One scene in particular, where, knowing that their daughter will die in a few days, Kate's parents grant her the wish of taking her to the beach. Watching her brother, sister and father play catch from under a blanket on the sand, Kate accepts and becomes at peace with her fate. This scene is a pivotal moment for Cameron Diaz's character as she accepts the inevetable and decides the spend some quality time in the last moments of Kate's life.

I found that, although and uncomfortable experience, it was a worthwhile one, a compresensive guide to evoking emotion in an audience.

Sherlock Holmes

I must admit - as a film student this is poor - but this is the ONE new movie I saw over the festive period, not only that but two days before we returned to the course.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect - Granted, I had heard rave reviews but I knew very little about the character of Sherlock Holmes, plus the fact that it had been directed by Guy Ritchie (not famed for his amazing movies - having been nominated for two Razzie awards for worst script and worst director - the latter of which, he won), however I let neither of these put me off. I went with several friends, two of which are avid Robert Downey Jr fans, which as you can guess, somewhat influenced our choice of film - it was either going to be Holmes or Avatar (unfortunately in 2D).

I was pleassantly surprised to be exiting the cinema, 128 minutes later, very satisfied. The film had flown by - I had been fully engrossed the entire time.

I found the story extremely engaging - it had the right amount of mystery and suspense, balanced with heart-pounding action and yet pulled off some very soft, touching and emotional scenes. The dialogue worked very well - playing, not too heavily, on Holmes' eccentric nature while also portraying the strong and intellectual character within. Watson could have been written and played as a weak sidekick, naive of Holmes' genius and trying to contradict him with science, however he appeared strong, powerful and intelligent while still encompassing a subtle vulnerability so as not to relinquish Holmes' position as leader.

It was also incredible, visually. It portrayed 19th century London beautifully - realistic yet with a sense of fantasy also. The setting felt, not so much a backdrop, but an engaged and interactive environment in which all the characters worked within.

The film was very fast, this pace kept the film moving dramtically - almost every moment revealing something new, either about the plot or about a character. Small humorous moments lightened the films essentially dark and mysterious tone - this was brought about by Holmes' dog whom he experiments on but who Holmes' repeatedly says - "doesn't mind".

If there is one thing I didn't like quite so much about the film - it would have been Rachel McAdams' performance. I don't think it was necissarily bad - I just felt it was nothing special - a lot more could have been done with her character. Probably partially to do with the writing however I just feel that it was one element that let the film down a little.

All in all, I think this is a movie worth seeing. I don't think it will go down in cinema history as a classic but it is a truly enjoyable watch!