Things I Love This Week

Nine Inch Nail's 'Still' Album - Amazing! Perfect mood altering/movie score music!

Vintage Movie Cameras - I now have 5 after starting a collection only last week! Going to try and fix them to see if I can get them working. If not, they're pretty to look at.

The Mighty Boosh - Comedy gold.

David Guetta - He's come out with plenty of songs I like, but I'm over the moon that the boyfriend got to cook for him at work whilst he was staying in the hotel before playing at Creamfields!

Project Black - Had a blast shooting it, really sad to see it end though.

Golden Syrup - Sooooo tasty! Especially on ice cream.

Things I Love This Week

My New iMac - Very confusing for a non-Mac user, but I'm slowly getting there!

Promotion At Work - I got promoted to Senior Sales Assistant after wanting it for a good while! Very happy!

Filming - It's good to be finally shooting Project Black after all that planning and casting!! Find us on Facebook here: Project Black Facebook Page

Nandos - Nom nom nom

My Birthday - I suppose being 23 isn't that bad so far...

The Mighty Boosh - Quality programming!!!

Film Adaptation: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Another essay from my uni days, this one was part of a Film Adaptation module during my second year at TASC

Discuss the fidelity of the film adaptation of Ken Kesey's 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' in relation to audience theories; including the reception of the film and the difference between readers of the novel and viewers of the film.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest was a 1962 novel written by American author Ken Kesey. It was adapted into a film of the same name in 1975. Actor Kirk Douglas originally played RP McMurphy in a stage version of the novel, after purchasing the rights to film the piece he passed them onto his son, fellow actor Michael Douglas who set into motion the production of the film whom also acted as producer for the film (Dirks). It was claimed that the film was made in order to appeal more to contemporary audiences. At the time, the now all-star cast were all relatively unknown, the film propelling their careers due to its critical acclaim, both as a film and also in novel form.

The film is set in a mental hospital in the 1960s and followed a group of patients on an all male ward. Kesey himself had spent time as a guinea pig for experimental drugs as well as an aide on a ward in a hospital in Oregon, and based his novel loosely upon his experiences and patients whom he had met during this time (Huffman, 2002). The novel is told from the point of view of a large Indian patient known as Chief Bromden, whereas the film is told from a more neutral view point, but closely follows McMurphy. The story begins when McMurphy is brought onto the ward after his behaviour becomes questionable whilst serving a prison sentence working on a farm after committing a string of crimes, the latest of which being statutory rape. The rest of the plot continues on, showing the reader and view what everyday life in the asylum is like. However McMurphy, not content with this, sneaks prostitutes onto the ward, gambles with the other patients and in the film, steals a bus and boat in order to take the men fishing (Dirks) (Kesey, 1962) (Forman, 1975).

Bucket List

I have decided to start a Bucket List. A list of things I want to do before I die, in no particular order. I'll keep updating it as life goes on!

*To produce a horror film that causes uproar because of its controversial content
*To have a successful career within the film industry, ultimately culminating with being a (paid!) producer
*To make a success of Little Lost Pegasus Films
*To have one of my own produced films shown in an art house cinema
*To watch every film on the Video Nasties list
*To produce fashion films for good designers
*To shoot music videos for bands that may actually make it big
*To shoot a Video Nasty style film of my own
*To meet Jack Nicholson
*To dive with sharks in the sea
*To compete in Show Jumping once again
*To own my own horse
*To do a charity ride (across a desert or up a mountain)
*To visit the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California
*To properly visit Egypt
*To own more than 5 pieces by Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Chanel
*To get married in a Vera Wang wedding dress
*To UrbEx at least 10 places
*To have an inspiring mentor
*To be able to watch at least 5 films a week for most weeks

Well that's it for now, I'm sure I'll add to it at a later date!

Can Japanese Cinema Be Fully Understood By Western Audiences?

I've covered some really interesting topics through my degree and masters degree courses, so thought I'd pop them onto my blog so that people can see some elements that interest me from a film studies angle! This essay was from my second year at Trinity and All Saints College during my Film & Television Studies degree.

Discuss the claim that Japanese cinema cannot be properly understood by Western audiences without a wider understanding of the country’s history and society.

                Japanese culture is very different to that of the western world. To say that Japanese cinema cannot truly be understood by a western audience is only partly correct; it is true that a basic knowledge of Japanese society is useful, as the society structure is a lot different to that of Western areas, however it is not vital. For the majority of Japanese cinema it does not matter if the audience knows much about the history of Japan, as generally many relevant aspects are explained, however the more knowledge that the audiences possesses, the more sense the film will make and audiences will be able to place it into context more easily.

                History is important in Japan, and has helped to shape the way society is structured today. Events such as World War Two and the rise of Japan’s economy in the 1970s have had huge impact on Japan (Bordwell, 2003), especially as relationships with work are of huge importance to the Japanese as individuals. After Japan had boomed successfully, a recession began and the long time leaders, the Liberal Democratic party were shown to be corrupted on multiple occasions (Bordwell, 2003, p. 646). Aspects such as this are an important influence on films and the making of the films themselves, little knowledge of these events can hinder ones knowledge of the country as a whole, but generally are less relevant to most films, unless they are about a certain event itself, for example war, in which case historical facts are generally explained in the films plot or narrative. 

The Confrontation

Short film written and directed by my fellow filmmaker Stuart Leah, about an enraged brother confronting his drunken brother-in-law.

I helped out with some camera/sound work and with pre-production stuff too!

Things I Love This Week

Queens Of The Stone Age - Incredible band! One of my all time favourites. I've loved everything they've brought out, including spin offs such as Eagles Of Death Metal and the Desert Sessions. Seeing them years ago at Leeds festival was incredible, very badly want to see them live again!

Beyoncé/Destiny's Child - Encouraging women to be more independent is only a great thing. Beyoncé was awesome at Glastonbury!

Grey's Anatomy - Still addicted...

Fire - Sitting outside with the boyfriend and his family in the evening sat round a fire was very enjoyable.

Gecko Babies - Nearly 3 years since I've had them!

New Riding Boots - Been years since I wore long boots, but they're so comfy considering they're new!

Things I Love This Week

Dukan Diet - Going to be giving it a go, hopefully it will enable me to have some better eating habits if nothing else!

Days Off - A rarity, but has given me a chance to completely tidy my room and throw away some clutter. Much prefer working on a film though!

Scripts - For every 2094834 scripts that are rubbish, there's always one thats unique - Bad Penguin anyone?

Old Rock Sound: Music With Attitude CDs - Rediscovering my love of songs and bands I used to listen to years ago; Breed 77, Open Hand, Silvertide, InMe to name a few.

Kerrang! Smash It Up CD - The BEST free CD I have ever owned! Completely reminds me of being 15 on holiday and first starting to get into punk and punk rock music.

Charlottes Birthday Meal - Lovely meal at Ask Italian restaurant with the work girls.