Mini-Reviews

A week with too few films to fill a post, so I'm throwing in one other art-form: panto!

The Gold Rush - A really enjoyable Chaplin film, much like The Kid. The narration was a bit much at times, and it would have worked better without it. You'd need some title-cards, but they're quite charming in these films. I liked the story, but I still struggle to think that the ending was in any way satisfactory. He likes her, she doesn't like him, she plays tricks on him, he becomes rich, she likes him, they end up together. Lovely message. Almost as bad as Grease.

Sherlock Jr. - Whilst it lacked the character of a Chaplin film (referring literally to Chaplin's Tramp character) it was very enjoyable. A different type of humour. Sometimes you want a long, clever and brilliant gag, and sometimes you want a pie-in-the-face. Technically it was really good, too, with some really cleverly-shot moments. And whilst not a part of the original film, I liked the music. Okay, wrong style for the period, but I thought it suited the visuals.

Lakeview Terrace - A very thought-provoking film about a black cop in LA who has a problem with the interracial couple who move in next door. Surprisingly dramatic and suspenseful, and quite exciting because of this. I really thought, based on discussions we have had in Richard's classes, that there would be a twist of some sort. But it played out as you would think, with both style and tension. As I said to Paul whilst descending on the escalators, sometimes the biggest twist is no twist at all! Probably because audiences have come to expect twists these days.

Mother Goose - The RSAMD's panto this year, and all I can say was it was ruddy brilliant. The cast were fantastic, as you'd have to expect, with Mother Goose, Fairy Fortune, and Diavalo all really standing out. On the TPA-side of things the show was on-par with most major productions, and better in some cases. It was well written too - because panto has a tendency to cater to the kids and adults separately, but here the adults were laughing at the kids' jokes too, shouting along with no inhibitions! I think I can say with some certainty that this is the best panto I've ever seen! Tip top.

The Day the Earth Stood Still - I had such low expectations for this film that it was almost impossible for it not to impress me. It was by no means a great film, but I enjoyed it whilst I was watching it. It was a very simple, very commercial attempt at a remake of a classic. Whilst I've not seen the original, I do imagine there was more to it than there was in this version. There must be, as it's clearly stood the test of time!

Assessing Jamaica Street's Snowman

I've held off this post about the events of the past week for one simple reason: I can't remember much happening! So, half waiting to remember, half waiting for other things to happen that I can talk about, I didn't have much to say. And I don't really right now, either. But I'll try.

What did we do last Thursday? Seriously, I can't recall ... Okay, checked my emails to remind myself - we watched the Mitchell and Kenyon films! Of course. I don't know why I had forgotten. Certainly not a comment on the class or its content, which I enjoyed! Each clip was very individual, from the very real shots on Glasgow's Jamaica Street, to the staged events at the school. But they all had a great deal to say about that period in history.

Sound on Friday was good. Not much to say, really, other than I think we're slowly getting the hang of it. I feel we all need more time with the mixers, as they're quite complicated. But we'll get there.

Then came Monday. Well, technically Saturday and Sunday came first. But in terms of lessons, then came Monday. Richard's class was quite enjoyable, as they've all been so far. We handed in our outlines and I'm pretty happy with mine. There are a few things which I already know I want to change, but I'll wait and see what Richard thinks. The discussion about characters and little details about their lives was quite fun too, though I wasn't as happy with the ideas I came up with on my own; possibly because I was tired. As I said, Saturday and Sunday came first.

The confusion about Tuesday was a large mix of communication and lack-of-communication on all parts. The clash on the timetable and the assumption that we were to be assessed individually made us confused, and by not double checking whilst in on Monday just complicated matters. The assessment itself wasn't much better. It was quite a hectic day. I think we got too focused on making the films than letting the people who were doing camera and sound do a good job by themselves. Ach weel. We'll soon hear how it went.

On Wednesday we watched Sherlock Jr, but I'm about to do a second post with my mini-reviews. Yes, a dual-post-day - or a "DPD". That'll fit in nicely with those other acronyms: PATs, PDPs, VLEs, RPJs, etc.

And, finally, today's class - with toys! - was really fun. I've spoken of my fondness for Physics before, and I knew a lot of the science behind moving pictures from two topics in Standard Grade: Physics in Medicine (in which we studied how the eye works) and Electronics (which covered TV). Also, having done animation, I'm familiar with Persistence of Vision - just not that terminology! And, since I'm in such a crazy mood, here's a recreation of our zoetrope:

That was fun.

Two and a Half Panopticons of Sound

As ever, I've a lot I feel I should cover in this post, so keep hold of your hats!

Last week's pitching of ideas (both the premises in Richard's class, and the Drama series in Adam's) went pretty well. I was slightly annoyed at the wording of one of my premises, making it sound a bit rubbish... But I've sorted it now, and I'm currently outlining it in its new-and-improved-goodness.

The excitement - and the cold - of the Panopticon hit us on Thursday. I loved that place. The atmosphere reminded me of an episode of Torchwood (Captain Jack Harkness, S01E12). In the episode they travel from the present-day wreck of a building through time to it's past, to see it in its glory. It was interesting, because the parts that were still to be restored felt like "present-day", but the main part of the room - with flags and posters - felt very much like the "past". And, of course, I can't forget to mention that Judith Bowers was brilliant. She really knew what she was talking about and was really engaging! Had it not been so ruddy cold, I'd have happily listened to her insightful stories for a good while longer.

Sound on Friday was good. We covered the very basics, but that'll do me for now. I knew most of the theory, but it was good to see it in practice with the equipment we use. Plus, Simon's drawings took me back to my days of Higher Physics. I loved Physics. Had Advanced Higher Drama not clashed with Advanced Higher Physics, I'd have taken both! Stoopid High Schools.

Following this, we had a class on sitcoms! Hooray! I've loved I Love Lucy ever since a neighbour let me watch it whilst babysitting me when I was young. Only two episodes, but it was great. So I enjoyed watching both this and The Dick van Dyke Show. Followed by these two classics was a third; The Simpsons. I can understand the dilemma that Andy must have faced when picking an episode! This was a good choice, though. Both for festive reasons, but also because it shows the origins of the show, which was relevant to the subject matter of the class. I've seen the episode many times, but it is a good'un! Finally, we watched an episode of Two and a Half Men. It's quite enjoyable, and I've seen the occasional episode before, but I probably won't make a point of watching it. Though, if ever I'm channel-hopping, it may get one more viewer!

Now, some Gavin-endorsed sitcoms: Arrested Development, Coupling, Frasier, The IT Crowd, The Big Bang Theory, Blackadder, and 3rd Rock from the Sun. With the exception of Frasier, I've seen every single broadcast episode of each of these series. That includes all 139 of 3rd Rock. No wonder I've never any spare time!

The start of this week saw me opening a few new doors. Firstly, my advent calendar. Secondly, Richard had asked us to dig deep and have a heart-to-heart in class. We each shared three things about ourselves that we would change, and then discussed related themes we could explore. It was a surprisingly successful process in terms of helping me think about what I want my scripts to really say. Couple a strong premise with a good theme, and off you go!

Watching short-films and shorter-films with Adam was fun. I really liked Divine. I need to look at getting it for myself! I was also surprised by the films made at Napier Uni in Edinburgh, as they were more impressive than I'd have assumed. They were shot very nicely, but one might expect such when the course involves such a lot of photography. I myself applied to their course in Photography and Film, but withdrew my application when, at the open day, they seemed so narrow-mindedly focused on Photography, to the extent that they asked applicants to submit a portfolio of photographs but nothing film-related. Boo them! And I know that makes me sound bad - but I was looking for the perfect film course. Good news: I found it, and I'm now on it! But don't confuse this with me saying "photography has no importance in film". Of course it does! But major kudos to those film-makers who not only filmed underwater, but filmed underwater with a baby! The stress that day would have killed me.

I enjoyed the lesson on gameshows yesterday. Not half as bad as Andy seemed to think. I suppose our lack of response was because it's hard to be critical of a gameshow in the way we are of other formats, not because we were uninterested. Trust me, that class was far better than any lesson in Advanced Higher Maths last year. Apart from one at Christmas, when we did some silly "fun" maths things, like singing about Differential Equations to the tune of Jingle Bells. Though Andy's Christmas lesson with toys may possibly top this!

Anyhoo, today's screening of Goldrush will be covered in this week's Mini-Reviews. So it's good night from me, and it's good night from him!

Mini-Reviews

I've decided that, since I keep seeing many films in a week and never really speaking about them at all, I may try doing a set of mini-reviews at the end of the week. Worry not, however, as I shall keep up with my current ways of blogging too.

Mama Mia - An enjoyable and entertaining film which, as I've heard from pretty much everyone, has little technical merit. In terms of musicals, it still suffers from an awkwardness when songs begin. I have a theory about a better way of doing this on film, so I may need to experiment. But I certainly think that it must be a fantastic stage show!

HSM3 - Yes. I saw it again. But you can refer to my dissertation below if you want to hear my thoughts on this. But, for the record, HSM3 > Mama Mia.

Dogma - A very enjoyable film, with a really strong cast. Alan Rickman is always great, and I really liked the way it dealt with religion and beliefs. Whilst one may not realise this, Kevin Smith actually made the film about his own his Catholic beliefs. He makes some very good points about religion that I agree with, even though I'm not religous myself, and I'd recommend this if you ain't seen it!

May Payne - Ugh.

The Kid - Awesome. Much more gripping and exciting than Max Payne! And it was made more than 85 years earlier! Chaplin = Great. Coogan = Great. Chaplin + Coogan = Much Greatness. A really nice story, with a strong narrative, which had me laughing quite a lot.

Big Fish - Whilst a very enjoyable film, it didn't quite feel like it was Tim Burton's. It didn't have the visual style we're used to from Burton. It was a very visual film, but it lacked something. But I did enjoy it - particularly seeing Albert Finney (from Erin Brockovich) in another film. I really liked his performance.

Changeling - Go and see this film. It's a really gripping drama, and I can't even think of it critically because of my strong emotional response (see, I have been learning!). The film made me angry - angrier than I think any other film has made me. And, as has been reported, Angelina Jolie is astounding. Go and see this film.

That's it for this week. Stay tuned for more Mini Reviews!

Mad Week = Mad, Weak

Just as I had foretold, the past week was mad. Very mad in fact. But I'm not half as exhausted as I feel I should be. If I just force myself to have a reasonably early night tonight then I'll hopefully be fine for the rest of the week!

So, firstly, let's talk Attenborough. That was a truly inspiring masterclass with an incredibly lovely and respectable man. It had crossed my mind that he may not be quite as nice as his characters in Jurassic Park and Miracle on 34th Street - but he was Hammond, Santa, and much, much more! To comment a little more on the structure of the masterclass, it was brilliant that Andy had such a nice chemistry with Attenborough. I've been at an "in-conversation" masterclass with Sharon Osbourne which was being conducted by the ruddy editor of Heat! Of course Sharon was tight-lipped and awkward! This man has no doubt spread all sorts of rumours about her family, and could quote her on anything as an exclusive! Nice to see that Attenborough was clearly comfortable. Also, well done to Andy for not only dismissing that strange-man's pitch, but also turning it into a question that was a little more appropriate!

As if one star wasn't enough, we then had the chance to sit-in on a workshop between actors and DFTV4s, at which James McAvoy was present. James' presence was nice, but he was by no means essential to the class. Whilst it was only covering the basics, it is important to keep in mind that this was only for the benefit of the actors. I hope that the democratic way that they had input into each shot has not made them think that they have the same creative power on an actual film. I don't mean that in a nasty way at all, but I just hope that they don't bounce onto a set and tell the DoP how to shoot them, cause that's what he'll do: shoot them. But I think that James clarified this himself. It was just to let them understand why such decisions are made - not how to make them!

That brings me to the shoot at the weekend, which is really hard to summarise. I was asked by a Young-Person film-making group that I used to attend in Edinburgh to direct their latest script. I had been around for some of the conception, and I agreed on the basis that I was only directing the filming, but am not really the "director" of the entire film. The pre-production and post-production duties are all democratic and theirs to deal with. I've learnt several things from this shoot, however:

• I don't like commuting from Edinburgh every day. (Thank god I moved!)
  
• When working 8 - 12 hour days, I need more nutrition than just crisps, peanuts and jam sandwiches. Also, I need plenty of water.
  
• I don't mind 12 hour days, but not when they have so much to be filmed in them.
• I like shouting "reset". Makes everyone move.
• I don't like working on scenes with loads of people in them - particularly extras. I found it rather stressful, and completely hit a wall when we had quite a few people (friends of the cast) who don't really know how a film set is run... or how to be quiet between takes.
• HDV is pointless if it's not 3CCD.
• You can make a salad dressing out of pumpkin seeds.
  

Whilst this list consists mostly of bad things, I did have fun shooting it. But I've no idea if what we shot was any good. Whilst I won't be around for the repercussions, my name will still be attached in some way, so I have a bit of an investment here.

That's all for now. As a reward for my work over the weekend, I've the latest Doctor Who Magazine to get reading!

A Day of Melting and Crushing

The title? No, I didn't have a terrible assessment with Ray - that actually went pretty well - I am of course referring to the film that myself, Murdo, Paul, Phil and Charlotte made over the weekend for the Stanford Innovation competition. Thanks to you guys for the efforts you made, by the way. It was loads of fun! Anyway, you can see the film below if you haven't already seen it!



This experience was exactly what I needed. Not that I felt anything was wrong before-hand, but the making of this film reminded me of why I'm on this course. It was the least stressful shoot I've ever been on, and the editing was far simpler than it should have been. We had quite a lot of crazy random happenstances that worked out perfectly for us, giving us more time for tweaking and animation. But I really enjoyed the whole time doing it. Maybe I'm too fond of the final film, but making it was the first time that I've felt at home in Glasgow... or perhaps more like I have a purpose in Glasgow. I know that sounds strange, but that's how it felt! You see the actors acting, the musicians music-ing, the TPA people TPA-ing, so it was great to finally be DFTV-ing! And I will never forget my favourite moment so far whilst here - Vasso running up and down Buchanan Street, shouting about bottles in front of the public. It was priceless. I've watched the full recording so many times, and it's so very, very funny having been there when she did it. She was fantastic! This clip is a part of the out-takes that I've put on YouTube. As to not clog this blog with too many embedded-videos, you can click here to see it. (It has some bad language, but who gives a f**k?).

Sorry, that was tasteless.

Anyway, we talk so much about films - both in and out of class - that what we want to do (the actual film-making) can seem almost forgotten. What we do in class is essential, of course, and we have to remember that we are working towards the practical. But if patience is a virtue then I'm not particularly virtuous! It just felt great to make something! It was also nice to see everyone enthused more about film-making than films on Monday, with those who didn't enter the competition planning a potential film-making scheme... Is it a scheme? Or a project? Well, no need to be so specific; it's a thingy. Yes, much better. A film-making thingy. I think maybe a YouTube channel would be a good idea if it all goes ahead. But we'd need a name! I quite like "Rogue Directors"... and a quick google (in the verb-sense) shows that it's not already taken, on YouTube or otherwise.

So, what was this particular post about then? Well, there is no real point to this one. A bit of reflection, a bit more of my personal thoughts. I'm just trying to encourage myself to post more often, as I'm really into this whole blog thing but I'm so terribly busy that I've barely posted about things in class, let alone my own thoughts! So I'm just letting myself type what I feel like, rather than my normal way of doing things, where I slave away over the whole thing! Unfortunately, this week is my busiest yet; I've got to be in Glasgow during the day on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but in Edinburgh in the evenings!! So most day's I'll be leaving straight from the Academy to a bus or train (depending on where in Edinburgh I'm to be, and how fast I need to get there), and coming back in the mornings. Expect a very tired Gavin.

Also, do you think I can ask Richard Attenborough if his brother was jealous that he got to work with dinosaurs? Though I've read rumours that he may be reprising his role in Jurassic Park IV. That'd be great, if the script was right! That way he could get his brother a cameo! The Attenbrothers! Ba-doom.

PS - Sorry for the long post and lack of pictures. Just google (verb, again) something relevant yourself!

Choke

Choke is one of those films that defies expectations. For those easily offended, it is the most explicitly disgusting film of the year. For those who are not, much like myself, it can be an enjoyable film.

I found myself laughing at times, but still being caught up in the story. I admit that it had a rather confusing string of flashbacks – but these scenes gave the film some depth. It became about the mother-son relationship, and the progression of this over the years. The memory-loss of the mother was moving, but it also reached a great climax of comedy and tragedy coupled together. Angelica Houston was well cast, and I really enjoyed watching her scenes.

Unfortunately the style of the film meant that you questioned if a scene was real, or if it was a dream – the first scene in the church stands out particularly. Additionally, there is a twist that is not prepared for, and has a few plot-holes.

But, whilst it had its problems, it’s an entertaining film – though I can’t help thinking that the trailer is targeted at an audience who expect a comedy with sexy scenes, when it is really a drama with un-erotic sex.

Week-in-a-blog!

I've yet to post anything about the past week - it's been a bit busy - so I'll just reflect on the most important matters since my last post.

Tuesday morning was the technical assessment with Ray. Whilst I did everything properly, I wasn't as good with answering his questions as I perhaps should have been. I didn't anticipate that as much, but I guess I should have read all the notes, not just my notes on how to set things up. But I think it went okay. Editing with Gavin saw us learning how to log clips and organise our projects. I didn't find it as boring as I probably should have, but having edited on projects that lack structure (not my own, I hasten to add!) it's really good to see the correct way. It's much more efficient, and will certainly save time and preserve sanity.

Wednesday was fun. I woke to hear that Obama had been voted President - hooray! - and I had two screenings to look forward to. The first was the elective screening of Chaplin, which I really enjoyed. Robert Downey Jr.'s performance was really good, and I was overall impressed with the direction from Lord Attenborough. The second screening of the day was Donnie Darko. As I've said before, I first saw this when I was 11, so back then there was a lot I didn't understand. Whilst there's still a lot that lacks explanation, it made more sense than before. I think it did appeal to me more now, and I don't mind it's lack of explanation. I didn't realise how similar it was to The Butterfly Effect, but I think they're both really good. I'm a sucker for a bit of time-travel (as my yet-to-be-posted review of Back to the Future will tell you), and they're also very similar in terms of tone.

I enjoyed revisiting our favourite films on Thursday morning. Interesting to hear people trying to sell their choice to the rest of us! There are a few I'll need to add to my to-view list. Whilst our voting system didn't make perfect sense, it's true that there is no better system for creating a top list of films. It's entirely subjective. Following this class we watched The King of Comedy, which was quite a strange film. It was a comedy, and yet it wasn't really funny until the last half an hour. Until that point it had just been rather uncomfortable viewing. The ending was just as uncomfortable, but it was also funny - as if the ending were the punchline of the film. Extra points to Sandra Bernhard for an impressive performance! I know her from something else, I'm sure...

Friday was the School of Drama open-day, so not a lot worth saying - though I did realise that I'm still rather unfamiliar with parts of the building whilst helping with a tour. Nice to see where TPA lives.

So that's this week in a blog. I'm off to watch something now. Not sure what yet, as I'm a little spoilt for choice!

Progress So Far

I'm aware that I've not really reviewed my own progress in classes yet, and so I've decided to do just that.

I was happy with the premises I had come up with for today's screenwriting class, and people seemed to respond well. I guess people like superstition, divorce and incest. All is right with the world! But seriously, I was very impressed by the levels of creativity and originality amongst the class. It was also good to get some feedback from Richard on our short-stories. I agreed with his main point for my own development, which was about the lack of character. Richard's theory that perhaps I knew about the character and just didn't describe him enough is quite true in hindsight, and I'll look at how I can avoid this in the future.

I'm enjoying the technical classes. I'm very happy with the pace at which we are learning - there's no point in rushing into anything - and I think I'm really understanding everything. I've been reading over my own notes in preparation for tomorrow's evaluation with Ray, and I think that it'll go swimmingly. I also really enjoyed the editing that we did in Gavin's class last week. I've used Final Cut Pro before (a few years back), and I'm very familiar with Premiere Pro, which is pretty similar. The footage we had to work with was really nice: stunning scenery, very high quality, and incredibly well shot I thought. A very good choice for our first editing session.

In both the classes with Andy and those with Adam I'm happy with my contribution to discussions. I feel comfortable enough to express my opinion and discuss the issues. I'm really enjoying the topics in these classes, too. I've been fascinated with massively over-blown and ever-escalating media-scandals since the Celebrity Big Brother Racism Row in 2007, and there have been many since then that I've made an effort to follow, including the Phone-in Scandals, Rigging Scandals, and Crown-gate. Discussing Manuel-gate (as I've heard it's now known) was therefore really interesting for me. Additionally, in these classes I've really loved discussing the strange and curious ways in which TV programmes are made, scheduled and broadcast. This Industry is just so very bizarre in many ways, which helps keep things interesting!

Dead Set

I put off talking about Dead Set until I had been a zombie myself. Now that I've had that experience, at a Halloween party this weekend, I can properly delve into Charlie Brooker's latest TV show. And, just because Andy got to name-drop earlier in the week, I'll just casually point out that I met Charlie Brooker earlier this year. Whilst at the time I knew very little about any of his work, he was a very funny guy.

Whilst I've seen very little horror, perhaps because I'm not really scared very easily by films, I quite enjoyed Dead Set. I agree with those who think that it didn't quite work as a mini-series. It felt like it was a film that had been chopped up rather uncomfortably (like any film on ITV when they need to squeeze in the ads!). There was probably just over one-episode's worth of unnecessary rubbish, and if they'd got rid of that and played it over fewer nights it would have been a little more special.

I thought Davina's cameo was fantastic. She's always up for a little fun, and she doesn't take herself too seriously. I also admire that Endemol didn't have any problems with doing it. Their biggest show, and yet they don't mind people within their own company using it to make a point about reality TV. Though had it been a fictional Big Brother-like show it wouldn't have been half as effective as them using the real Big Brother.

I loved the role the Producer played, too; particularly when he abused the Big Brother control room (flashing lights, putting down the shutters and sounding annoying alarms) to get those in the house to come and save him. And the character's demise was, as I had speculated, a satisfyingly-gory mauling by a herd of zombies.

"Rude and Not Ginger"

Like I promised, this'll be a short post!

David Tennant just announced that he'll be stepping down as the Doctor at the end of the 2009 Doctor Who Specials, and that when the show returns for the fifth series in 2010 (under the brilliant mind of Steven Moffat) it will be with a new Doctor.

I'm upset. David Tennant is brilliant, and I'd have loved to see the Tenth Doctor have a whole 13 episodes of Steven Moffat's brilliant stories! But I'm equally excited about the specials in which Tennant will bow out, as it will also be the last of Russell T Davies' era, so it's bound to be huge! Plus, a new Doctor written by Moffat? Awesomely exciting! The show depends on change and updating its image, and this'll be the first proper time that's happened since the show returned in 2005!

High School Musical 3

I think I may be alone in the opinions I'm about to express amongst our male-dominated class, but I don't care. If I like something it's important that I'm open about it. So, yes, I will write a positive review about High School Musical 3: Senior Year!

This is the first to play in cinemas, and I have to say that I was nervous about sitting in one of the many sold-out screenings with hundreds of children and teenagers! But similarly to when I saw The Rocky Horror Show, being in with the crazed fans improved the experience. And, just like Rocky Horror, there was audience-participation. People clapped-along, cheered, wolf-whistled, and sang. It didn't ruin the experience - it added to it!

It's also the first of the films to actually feature a high school musical. In doing so they could feature truly theatrical songs and actually cut to the stage-musical which the film was building towards without taking itself too seriously. The songs themselves were good. Different enough from the previous films to feel fresh, but not so different as to sound like they belong elsewhere. One thing that struck me in this one was the struggle to start songs. On a few occasions it felt awkward when someone, mid-conversation, bursted into song.

Most musicals struggle in getting the audience to suspend their disbelief. In real life people don't burst into spontaneous musical numbers. I'd argue that that's more a problem with reality than musicals. But when you see a film like this you surrender your right to complain about that. And because the audience accept it, musicals can often do other unrealistic things. With HSM3, though, I felt that they abused this right when the roof of a treehouse magically opened up during a song for no reason! Poetic, yes, but it brings you out of it! They made up for this, however, when two characters rolled under a car and came out the other side as themselves, aged-7, and carried on the song - dancing and all. It was brilliant and hilarious. Those are the sort of shenanigans that you can only pull in a musical!

But it's not just a camp, light-hearted musical. There are serious issues about leaving high school, choosing a college, peer pressure, and - to some extent - relationships at a young age. Though, as expected, it does Disney-up high schools; no drinking, smoking, drugs, sex, teenage-pregnancies, etc. But surely we want kids to retain their innocence as long as possible!

I think that the main cast are really talented, and it's good to see long-serving supporting-characters rewarded too. I've read some reviews which criticise the film for under-using Lucas Grabeel's character, Ryan. Personally I disagree. They remained faithful to his character, and allowed the audience to see how his confidence has grown since the second one. Yes, character development! I think that's more important than screentime, even if he is a good actor.

The main reason that I like this film, however, is that it remains true to its roots. What made the first so good was that it was just a small, made-for-TV musical which nobody expected to do well. In that sense, it deserved all the attention it got. There wasn't a huge marketing campaign to begin with and it doesn't feel commercially driven. It has a unique quality that is hard to describe, but resulted in this huge phenomenon. This quality it present in HSM3 too - probably because it's the same people making it, just with a bigger budget. But I'd still argue that the film's plot is not commercially driven. The fact that it was made was, but the film itself is a loyal continuation of the series. We live in a world of franchises now, sadly, but I think that this one deserves everything it got because it was made by people who loved what they were making. You can always tell, and it's worth a lot more than production values! And when you couple the two, you end up with something huge.

Okay, next post will be short. I promise.

The Story Thus Far

My Back to the Future post will have to wait, saved as a draft for now (a very useful function!), as I've decided that I'll catch up on all the events so far. I thought it may be too long a post, but Paul's posts have been pretty long too, so that makes it okay! Doesn't it?

I enjoyed Creative Beginnings. I'm always better at socialising if I'm working on something with people - like as part of a film crew. Creative Beginnings made up for Freshers' Week in terms of getting to know people, particularly from the other courses. The Derive is what, like many, I would say was the high-point of the fortnight. It really worked for our group! And then making an instillation afterwards was a great chance to be creative together, which was nice. Equally, the improvisation day was a great bonding session for everyone. Even though we were in our derive groups, all the new students were united in creating those performances. Those dark, warped performances.

I do agree that some of Creative Beginnings was boring, and it could have potentially been done over a single week, but the housekeeping was important. We need to have a Diversity and Equality talk, we need to talk about PDPs, and we need the ability to define beauty. Okay, not the last one, but the majority of it was necessary.

The course itself has been great so far. Every expectation surpassed all round, so I'm pretty excited to be here! We've watched a lot of films and a bit of TV so far, and whilst in the future I will reflect on as much as I watch as possible, there are just too many films so far to catch-up on: Thelma and Louise, Citizen Kane, Burn After Reading, City of Ember, Shawshank Redemption, Inside Man, The Truman Show, Broadcast News, Stone of Destiny. Below are some of the most important things I want to say about a few of them.

• Broadcast News featured two very familiar voices. I later discovered, through the magic of IMDB, that Holly Hunter (who played Jane Craig) was the voice of Elastigirl in The Incredibles, and Albert Brooks (Aaron Altman) vocied Marlin in Finding Nemo, along with numerous characters in The Simpsons.
• Both Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon were fantastic in Thelma and Louise. I've seen them both previously and liked their work, but they worked even better as a pair! I also loved the way that the story built up. If I remember correctly, Louise compares their escalating situation to a rolling snowball, and I couldn't agree more.
• When watching Citizen Kane I found myself thinking "that shot feels really 3D". Not 3D-glasses '3D', but I felt there was a lot of depth. Andy explained afterward that Gregg Toland pioneered deep-focus which created the great feeling of depth, and I really like it. It worked really well on tracking shots. And, as an audience member, I do find my eye straying onto something in the background sometimes, and so having everything in focus allowed me to do that easier.
• Following the above point, I watched Shawshank Redemption again and noticed that it used deep-focus a lot. There's a great shot where the camera flies over the prison building, and then sweeps over the prison yard, with prisoners in it. Everything was really sharp, and the motion, again, created a great feeling of depth. Plus, it's a really good film in other ways too!
  

That'll do for now, I think. I'll soon blog about High School Musical 3: Senior Year. I bet ya' can't wait!

What is in a name?

Well, here it begins. The trouble with this blog, however, was coming up with a name. It needed to sum up what this blog is all about. I quite like what I've got now. It was between that and the rather similar G. Laing's Blog of Cinematic Sorcery. When I saw that 'Wonderment' fitted perfectly beneath 'Motion Picture', however, it sealed the deal. Well, in the loosest meaning of that phrase. I can always rename it!

Then came designing a logo; I always do that first. Whenever I venture into anything that could use a logo, I find myself making one. It helps me establish the feeling of whatever it is I'm working on. Though this logo ended up classier than I thought it might. It makes it look as though this blog takes its title seriously. Perhaps I should have used Comic Sans...

Anyway, this post has hopefully exemplified the type of reflection that shall take place here. Though I vow to be more serious with it when I'm reflecting on important things. Like films. I watched Back to the Future this evening - I'll write about that soon. Though so much has happened over the past four weeks that I should reflect on! I may, in a similar way to Paul's first blog, catch up with everything that's go on. That'll take a good while. I may need to do it over a few posts to retain my sanity whilst writing it, and yours whilst reading it. Not that you have to read it! The true purpose of these blogs is for the benefit of the writer themself, really.