It's Been a While

So, after my last post, it's been a little while since I've written here.

A lot has happened, some good, some not so good, but progress is being made on all fronts, which is very good.

So, the individual film. The idea has changed slightly, because before, I couldn't pin it down and that would only cause problems later on in the process. The idea is still centered around a musician and dancer, only now, it's two friends, who have come together to rehearse for a show. This is a show with a difference though. It's in total darkness, the pair illuminated only by glowsticks, and maybe the odd disco light, if it doesn't ruin the effect.

I tried something similar last year, and a lot of people said it was a good concept that just needed more time and development. Last time it was simply a series of moving glowsticks, this time there's a story and something more substantial there.

Anyway, obviously I'll need actors for this, and I did my auditions on 16th February. They went well and I basically have my 2 actors, which is fabulous.

Now, the main bulk of the work is researching the concept, and scripting etc.

The collab idea, well, it's getting there. We've not hit on an idea we're confident with yet but we're hoping to do that within the next week. I can't really say more than that to be honest, as we're still working on things.

On the photography front, I think I'll leave that for another post. It's getting there, but I've still got 2 games' worth of photos to edit, so will share more when they're done, which should hopefully be later today.

Community Spirit

I know this is a film and photography blog, but I just want to get a quick message out. To cut a long story short, my good friend Helena's hip popped out of place at Sunday's Phoenix game, meaning an A&E trip. Now, I'd like to say thank you.

To every single person in that rink who helped us, supported us, or asked after us, THANK YOU! It was appreciated immensely.

Special thanks have to go to Jason, who kindly transported Helena and I to A&E in his wheelchair accessible car, meaning we didn't have to get an ambulance out. If you read this, you are a lovely person and we can't thank you enough for your help.

And a big thank you to Richard and Yolanda, who joined us at A&E after the game (we left at the end of the first period) and helped Helena deal with the pain, as well as keeping us both entertained through the rather lengthy visit.

So, what's this got to do with community spirit?

I've been told by various relatives, of a time when people would routinely call in on older relative or neighbors, who'd look out for each other during bad weather etc. You just don't see that very often now. But the hockey community should be very proud. People made sure that Helena got the help she needed, and a fair number asked after her. Word can spread quickly in an ice rink, and when the message got to us that all these people had been asking after Helena, it brought a smile to both our faces.

Helena and I have a group of friends we call our Phoenix family, because of how well we get on and how welcoming they've been to both of us this year. And now I understand that nickname more than ever, families look out for one another, as do communities, and I can now use both words to describe the lovely people I see in the rink every week.

So to those that say community spirit is dead, I urge you to talk to some ice hockey fans, because I bet there are a lot of stories like this one out there.

Random musings for the weekend

Well, I said I'd be back soon, with updates, and I am! My individual film is unfortunately not moving along as quickly as I would've liked, especially in the casting department. So I'm rewording my casting call so that more people apply. My collab film, with Holly, is progressing quite well actually, we're just waiting on a yes or no answer from a possible contributor, and then hopefully things will fly along with that.

I said in my first post, that I was a keen photographer. Well, I've uploaded some images from last weekend, so here's some photos for you to look at:

I'm still learning this skill, and to be honest, I'm really lucky because I've got people around me who are willing to give me advice, or point out that the pictures are improving, despite what I may think. Because, when you're looking at your own work, it's so hard to spot improvement, but when someone points it out, it's a great feeling.

One of the people kind enough to advise me and teach me how to get these pictures, is also a blogger, so I urge you to go and check out his blog here: http://rgallanphotography.blogspot.com because it's a near certainty, that you'll a) learn more from reading it and b) see a better quality of picture.

However, that's not to say I don't like my own work, I do! But there's always someone you can learn from, which is the point I'm trying to make. Every shoot is an adventure, and a chance to learn something new, and that's the philosophy I'll be taking into the game tomorrow.

Oh, I'll also be remembering to format my memory cards before the game, which will help.

What's all this about then?

Right, what's this blog about? A simple question, and fortunately, one that has a simple answer. This blog is here to follow the progress of my 2 final year films, and also to chart the success, or otherwise, of my photography exploits.

So, on that note, I should probably go ahead and post something useful. This past weekend, I was once again sitting by a freezing ice pad, watching my favourite sport - ice hockey. The ins and outs of how I came to be a Manchester Phoenix fan really don't matter, all that you need to know is that I was sat, with my good friend Helena, watching a game, and taking a load of pictures, as I normally do.

Except, I've usually got the brains to format my memory card first. Yep, I shot the entire warm up on a card which already had a load of pictures on it. That was annoying. What was more annoying was that I managed to fill the card part way through the first period. And why is it, fellow photographers, that the need to change cards never happens at a good time? I don't remember what was happening at the point when my card said "No more! I'm full!" but I know, it wasn't during a stoppage. So, a quick change over, and I was back to shooting more pictures. Overall I broke my all time record, over 300 pictures taken.

I'm now in the process of sorting through them, editing and then watermarking the ones I want to put online. I could go on forever about how irritating it is that I, as someone who is not a professional and who shoots for fun, has to basically double their work to put the watermark on. But, the sad fact of life is, people steal photos, and I don't want it to happen to me.

Now, film wise, it's all go at the minute. Research is being done, scripts are being written, then re-written, and locations sorted out. The only problem is, I've had 2 responses to my casting call. One could well end up getting the role, and one I had to turn down as they were in London and things would've gotten very expensive, very quickly. And making a drama is expensive enough as it is.

So, I'll leave it there for now, and come back to you soon, hopefully with progress on the film, and hopefully with some nice pictures to show you from the weekend.