Summer Updates 2017

Summer is upon us once again, so it's time for another round of updates: all the latest developments in my creative life.

Firstly, I'm afraid I've got some disappointing news. For the next year or so, I will be taking my focus away from the blog. That means, outside of my regular Top 5 and Oscar posts, I will most likely not be updating this blog between now and July/August next year. Now, bear with me: there is a good reason behind this I swear.

It's not because I'm losing interest in the blog, nor is it because I'm running out of ideas. Far from it, in fact. I think I've got more drafts of potential ideas than I have actual published posts. Of course, trying to write up those ideas into fully fledged posts is a separate challenge, and while finding the inspiration and motivation to write up these posts inbetween all the other written work I have to do for uni is a genuine issue, my break from the blog is a completely unrelated matter. Instead, I am working hard on a different writing project.

Back in 2015, I started writing a novel titled Chrysalis about the struggles of two alienated teenagers and their social, domestic and societal struggles. Whilst I never lost interest in the project, I hadn't formally added anything for a good year or so, but now that's begun to change. Inspired recently by one of my close friends who just released his first EP, I have decided that I want to finish my first draft of Chrysalis by this time next year. This is my big creative goal at the moment, and with an estimated twenty chapters, I've worked out I'm going to need to be writing at least one chapter every three weeks to keep up with this target, so consequently, especially with everything else going on, I just won't really have time to focus on the blog.

If successful, this will be my first completed book since 2007 (which I don't think really counts), and considering how many books I've started (I count about seven), actually finishing one is kind of a big deal.

Two chapters of Chrysalis are already available to read for free here, with a third arriving in the near future, and you can keep up with the book's progress via my facebook page.

In the meantime, I'm also working towards my fourth short film, currently under the working title of Dead Tired (hopefully not the final title, I feel I can do better than that). We've had a few issues with scheduling, so shooting hasn't started as early as I'd like, but we plan to start on the 22nd, with the majority of the shoots taking place in the last week of August. This is going to be the first film where I have complete creative control, so I'm very much looking forward to it, not to mention I'll be able to put my new-found knowledge from uni to the test, as well as several hundred pounds worth of new equipment I've bought, including two new prime lenses and proper audio equipment.

I can't really give a specific date of completion yet, but I'll be editing throughout September, hopefully finishing and uploading the film by the end of said month, to coincide with my return to university. The best way to keep up with the film's progress, and hopefully see some behind the scenes content, is to like my facebook page, although I may mention it briefly on the blog too.

Lastly, just a quick mention that I've added a new page to the blog titled 'Other Works', essentially a list of all the creative projects I've made and been involved with. At the moment, that translates to a list of short films and novels, but as I work on more and more projects, there should end up being a wealth of content there, with links when possible.

And I think that's about it. Well, I've got a book to write and a film to storyboard, so I'll catch you all in December for the Top 5 of 2017. Over and out.

Mini-Update: Facebook

Good afternoon, all. I know, it's yet another update post instead of any actual content but I've got something pretty neat to announce.

There now exists a Facebook page for all my creative works! I know right, it's the peak of internet innovation circa about five years ago. There's a link here, and soon there'll be a permanent link in the sidebar somewhere.

This page will essentially be the central hub for anything me-related. I do try to post updates about stuff I do on the blog, but it is much quicker and more accessible to do it over on Facebook. This page will have:

• Updates for new blog posts (especially helpful considering how irregular these posts are)
• Updates for releases of new short films and videos
• My photography work, sorted into albums by subject/theme
• Any updates on interesting developments, such as awards or upcoming projects
• Permanent links to my Instagram, Vimeo, Letterboxd and the blog.

So, if you wanna keep up with everything I'm doing, I'd highly recommend liking the page, that way you can receive actual notifications when stuff happens instead of just having to check the blog on the off-chance I've posted something new.

And if you've come here for the first time via the new Facebook page, firstly, Hello! Secondly, check the about me page or the intro post if you need some more information, otherwise, head up to the archive and have a look round, see if anything takes your fancy. If you like reading Oscar predictions or apologies for not posting much, you're in for a real treat.

That's it for now, but there is more content on the way soon, I promise! Thank you all for your continued patience, and I'll be back soon.

Summer Updates 2016

Well, it's summer again (just), so I guess it's time for another update of things going on in my life. Quite a few things have been happening, so let's jump in.

Firstly, and probably the biggest news, I got into university! Despite some actually pretty crummy exam results, I just about managed the AAB I needed to get into York, where I shall be studying Film and Television Production. I am very much looking forward to studying film full time, and this also (theoretically, at least) means more blog posts for you guys, since there will be plenty of film topics on the mind.

Second on the agenda, my most recent film, Viewfinder, which I made for my A2 coursework is now available to watch on Vimeo (link here). It's the most ambitious project I've done so far, being my first solo piece, yet also being my longest and most demanding. Since I've spent so long making it, I naturally loathe every frame of it, but my peers have informed me it's good, and with a couple of award nominations from my teachers along with the full marks it's scored under assessment, I guess there's a chance it's alright. My original idea has been cut down somewhat, but I'm working on an extended edition which will add in the stuff which my teachers advised me to cut, which will hopefully be out shortly.

Additionally, since I forgot to mention it before, my first film Maxwell is also available to view on Vimeo. Originally I was going to wait until I'd re-edited it, but in the end I uploaded it anyway. Luckily, I had backups of the footage, so despite The Great Computer Crash of '16, there's still hope for the re-edited version someday. There's also a short experimental film I've been starting to put together: whether it will see the light of day anytime soon, I have no idea, but just for the record, there are more films in the works.

And to wrap this up, a subject slightly closer to home (or relevance, at least), blog posts. I've been having quite a few ideas for topics lately, about eight posts worth, so don't worry if you're missing the film talk, because there's plenty of it lined up (actually, that's a little inaccurate; only about half of them are film related). Either way, there's content on the way, just as soon as I write the damn things, so stay tuned.

I think that about does it for now. Hopefully, I can get at least two of these posts out before Christmas, but this is me we're taking about, so who really knows. Until then, adios!

PS: Shoutout to people who've got here via my brand new Instagram account! (Yes, that's a thing that exists now). Yes, this has been around a while and yes, these posts are really long. Welcome to the club!

The January Hiatus

Ok, I'm back. Phew. I'm a little behind schedule with the blog right now, for which I do apologise. Luckily, I managed to find the time to get the first of the Oscar posts up (and in a pretty timely manner too), but we are behind on the Muse Retrospective feature. I had intended for Part 2 to go up some time in January, but unfortunately that didn't quite transpire.

Three major things happened in January (that are relevant, at least). Thing no. 1: my computer broke down. The initial issue is still undiagnosed, but I suspect it was some kind of software issue. Anyway, my computer wouldn't log in to my user area, and then upon gutting the engine and plugging the hard drive, power supply, graphics card etc. into another motherboard, things only got worse, and after about a week of me basically Frankensteining two PCs together in various arrangements trying to isolate the problem and get a working machine of some description, I've managed to bugger up my hard drive instead. As you can imagine, this isn't the most ideal of circumstances, considering there's literally years (~600GB) of work, photos and videos that may have been lost, the majority of it not backed up, because I'm an idiot who rarely ever backs stuff up, despite being a former computing student.

Anyway, I've been stuck on my horrendously slow laptop for the past few weeks. Now, I could still have been getting posts out (albeit taking about three times as long as I wait for my laptop to register inputs), if it weren't for things 2 and 3: Film Studies coursework and University Interviews.

It's hard enough that I was working on a re-edit and a stop-motion project for my interviews and trying to write a deceptively difficult 1500 word research project for Film, without my computer melting down, leaving me without any of my film-making resources, and with only my laptop to try and finish my coursework on. You can understand that the blog wasn't at the top of priorities.

So that was my January: not the best month I've ever had, but at least the storm has passed. My coursework has been submitted and I've got a replacement computer (on a side note: fuck Windows 10) with pretty impressive specs which I'm not allowed to use for gaming in case it 'overheats' (which is what my mum is convinced killed my last computer for some reason), meaning that I can also get back to improving my portfolio for my remaining interviews (two down, two to go).  So now, slightly more relaxed, I can get back to blogging and watching films and just not being as stressed out as before. So there's my excuses out of the way; back to the schedule. You can expect to see the second part of A Muse Retrospective and the Oscar Follow Up post this month, along with a possible third post that I may reveal in due time.

Damn, look at me being all mysterious. Anyway, stay tuned for my regularly scheduled ramblings, and in the meantime, I bid you adieu.

(And while you're at it, fuck Windows 8, too)