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!
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!
