Been a while since I’ve put something up. Anyway, I hope you’ve all had a good summer… I guess. I’ve certainly been thinking a lot more about what job opportunities there are out there for when I graduate and the best way to try and go about getting a career in the field that I love, film.

Some of my thoughts on the tasks we have been set;

Simulated Alumni Project – Due in – 27/10/11
I actually really like the idea of this mock client project as it gives us a sort of test run for what to expect for the official one however I imagine the official one would be a lot more concise in the sense that we won’t be allowed to make something based on such a broad brief as this one. Nonetheless I am enjoying this project and in the process now (literally) of editing my footage for what shall be a cancer research awareness video that is based on University students and will hopefully be useful material for the Alumni sector to use in their campaigns to raise both awareness and funds for the cause.

On a side note, this is the first time where I have been granted permission from a composer to use their work for my video. I consider sound to be a huge priority when I make anything and I came across this very sad, sombre sounding piece, emailed the composer and fortunately not only got a response, but a positive one at that. I had previously tried to email the company that are associated with the artist Enya, but the cheeky mare never got back to me.

Here’s the soundtrack;



To Be Uploaded





Task Enjoyment Rating- 8/10

Research Topic Form – Due In – 25/10/11
Originally the thought of carrying out such an extensive piece of research daunted me and I felt like I would never be able to come up with an idea that was both substantial and interested me to the point where I would be happy to go to the extent of conducting experiments and making video’s which help to further my findings and support my case. (By the way, I hate describing these as… artefacts… this isn’t bleedy time team). Anyway after some thought I came up with a question that I find both interesting, relevant and extensive enough that I can focus my research project on it.

My research question is; ‘How is suspense created within the film genre of horror?’

I enjoyed filling out the topic form as it fired the passion inside me and made me feel enthusiastic about starting the project.

Task Enjoyment Rating – 7.87/10


Factory Start-up Report - Due In – Some Time in November.. 2nd or 3rd
I have found this task so to be challenging so far in the sense that I am not used to thinking in such a business-like mind-set however I can see that the purpose is to enlighten us to just that, thinking as business people and not just worthless, dossing waste of space students.

I am in the process of getting my first draft sent for inspection. I will be trying to refine this piece of work until I am happy with it and take with me the lessons I’ve learned whilst researching what goes into making a successful business.

Task Enjoyment Rating – 5/10

Your Highness Review

Your Highness
Directed by David Gordon Green
Writers: Danny McBride, Ben Best
Stars: Danny McBride, Natalie Portman and James Franco

After making a rare cinema visit yesterday I felt a noticeable change in my attitude. I still had a passion for film however I could feel an overwhelming negativity for what I was about to watch despite having no knowledge other than the title and even that I couldn’t recollect until the adverts ended and the film began. Maybe the explosion of 3D visuals recently had cast a dark shadow over my judgement of recent movies, although considering this film wasn’t even shot in 3D it appears I may have just been unnecessarily pessimistic going into the screening of Your Highness. This however made that fact that I was undoubtedly entertained throughout all the more impressive and I’m happy to say the film was a great example of a pleasant surprise to me.



From what initially feels like a slow, not so funny few opening minutes soon turns into an edgy, dynamic and enthralling take on a well-used genre. All the characters felt like they did their job and nothing felt unneeded or bland with each delivering their fair share of hysteria and memorable moments. Danny McBride fits perfectly as the younger, less achieving brother of Fabious (Franco), his highly desirable sibling. When the evil wizard Leezar, played by Justin Theroux kidnaps Fabious’ bride in an evil yet hilarious act of sexual desire our journey takes shape. With excellent contributing performances from Natalie Portman, Rasmus Hardiker and Toby Jones everything feels complete.

The film is well worth the watch in my opinion and I particularly liked the crossover in dialogue from folklore style linguistics to modern day slander. There are a host of negative reviews I’ve seen for the movie thus far however I can’t understand why or at least, the reasons seem very feeble. Yes Hollywood has been producing many duds recently but Your Highness for me, actually delivered and I found myself chuckling away countless times. Also, Natalie Portman makes mention of her ‘beaver’ which surely is enough reason alone to check this one out.

Bad – Some of the fighting scenes were drawn out and the sound became extremely mishmashy, though the comedy element allows some leeway for over the top antics.

Good – Most the gags are good ones, the characters fit together terrifically and the narrative, despite being fairly simple and following a timeless formulae, keeps you engaged throughout.

9/10

Film Review - Paranornal Activity 2

Here is a review I made for one of the few films Ive actually seen recenty;

Paranormal Activity 2

As an expert on the horror genre… no. As a horror film enthusiast...not quite. As a horror film fan…yes that’ll do. I recently went on a rarity these days. I went to the cinema to watch Paranormal Activity 2 and was bitterly, bitterly under-whelmed. Maybe it’s because I, like many others have been exposed to the high levels of violence, gore and unusual events of recent times and therefore acquired somewhat of a shock immunity and increased resistance to film like this. Or maybe, it was mainly because the film wasn’t very good. There were some good points of the film although the swimming pool cleaner wasn’t quite enough to deter me from the shamble’s that made up the rest of this jump-out-of-your-seat thriller/horror.



A few of the jump moments did catch me out rather well, especially during the end however I felt that the overly loud thudding sound effects coupled with the under climatic results from the mysterious events were an all too familiar trait of an unconvincing scary movie. For example, yes, having the pan drop from its hanger in the middle of the night at first caught out most in the cinema when it first happened, but then it was followed up every five minutes or so with something else dropping, with the occasional door opening on its own for no reason flung into the mix. Before long I was finding it an effort to actually hype myself up to become scared, shocked or even intrigued. Thankfully there were a couple of spots that got me, though not so much the timing element than the action that took place such as the when a possessed Katie lunged towards Daniel in a crazed vampire-ish fashion.

In all I’d class PA2 as not being a terrible film of its genre and perhaps even an acceptable form of what it was, when you think of other examples of shock horror. I’d be surprised if on first watching this you don’t get caught off guard at least once, however most of the jump scenes are weak and easily predictable, the characters although I felt seemed realistic as a family being filmed, were dull and even annoying at times and as a film… well, it seemed much more like a low budget ghost hunting documentary although its arguable that the director may have intended on it looking somewhat similar to that.

Film- 6/10
Scare Factor- 7/10

Know your role!

I have learnt amongst many things that film making at a professional level is at its most efficient when everyone involved does what they are set out to do. Though this may seem common knowledge, to the amateur film maker entering the business side of film, it may come as a shock when they are given no more creative control than their specific job title entails. For instance, working as a team on a study project or a practise piece may mean that everyone chips in and offers there two cents on each aspect of the pre production through to the post production. In the real working world however, a lighting coordinator would not be entitled to question the creative direction of the director. Everyone should maintain a mutual level of respect for one another however there is a hierarchy that exists and an authority from the director, producer and their assistants. So, where in a practise film or a non-work related film everyone may be on the same wavelength and have the same creative input, it is important to remember that in a professional business you will have a given role which you should stick to.

Poster for film idea

Here's another poster I made, trying to outline an idea that I have for a short. The film would be based around the subject matter of depression and the story will be based on how a lot of people put on a front to mask how they really feel behind closed doors. I may try to make an awareness style film for it around christmas time as I feel this is a fascinating topic. I have a basic structure of what I'd like to do.


Here's the poster anyway,



I tried my best to blend two main images and combine them with background effects, tints and other blending tools to give an idea of the feel, atmosphere and how I imagine the film to look. I'm not too sure on the text however I need to download some text packs since most my fonts are pretty generic looking. I really like designing images for filmic ideas as I find it gets me really motivated to then go out and make something based upon it. Mostly however, I create banners for already existing products. I see the banner as a way of making a first impression for a product so the more convincing it is for a viewer, the more likely they'll be to indulge further and buy into that product.

Poster for Train

Here's a poster idea I just made for our team project. I like to work alot with Adober Photoshop and enjoy trying to design posters for film.

'Train' Important things to remember during our pre production phase

First of all, here's a list of the roles for our team project Train because I'm sure you're all dying to know;

Uri - Producer............'the organisational cheif'
William - Director................'The man with the vision'
Vyte - Art Director/ Locations Manager/ Storyboader.........'the sane one'
Kieron - Assistant Director and Producer.................'the super helper'
Tasha - Lighting/ Storyboader.........................'lighting up the show'
Alex - Editor/ Photographer.......................'putting the pieces together'
Jack - Camera Operator..........................'cameras rolling everybody'
Andrew - Sound Co-ordinator..................'The souunnddddd maaaannnnn'


Things to remember during pre production:

Supporting eachother- Although we all have our own specific roles,and it is important to carry out those roles, we still pitch in and help out as a team so that noone has to be left with an unfair amount of work on their hands.

Listening to eachother - Basic things such as team morale can be overlooked within the hustle and bustle of trying to construct a project in a short space of time however these things are important since I think a worker does their job best when they feel that they’re ideas and concerns are at least being taken into account. I also think it’s very important that idea’s about the film or any elements surrounding it are shared amongst all members of the group and people be allowed to voice their opinions since sometimes the director can miss things or they could do with a second or third opinion on something.

Knowing our roles - As well as helping eachother when it's needed, one of the most important things to remember is what our particular role is and making sure we have a clear understanding of that role and what is expected of us.

Clear Narrative - Even if we wanted to make the most obscure, abstract, mystifying film ever then we would still need to have constructed some kind of narrative or vague story that is unfolding otherwise it would end up looking like a sequence of random events which don’t have any relevance at all. It’s also important to know what you’re character want to achieve and what actions are to take place during that process of trying to achieve goals. I like to use Todorov’s equilibrium theory to remind me of the three states of a story when planning it out. Once you have a narrative that works and have a clear direction then you can build your ideas on from there. Think of it as a Christmas tree ready for you to add all the decorations on perhaps.

Horror(ific) Post

With the Horror Film Festival coming up shortly I thought I’d write a little about one of my favourite horror films and the first horror film I recall watching when I was younger and explain what it was that I found most interesting and good both generally and technically.


Candyman
Director: Bernard Rose
Writers: Clive Barker (story), Bernard Rose
Release Date:19 March 1993 (UK)



Helen Lyle is a student who decides to write a thesis about local legends and myths. She visits a part of the town, where she learns about the legend of the Candyman, a one-armed man who appears when you say his name five times, in front of a mirror. Of course, Helen doesn't believe all this stuff, but the people of the area are really afraid...





I feel that generally, horror films get a bad rap and are often seen as the bottom of the barrel when it comes to cinema and as a genre generally. Given the good to bad ratio with scary films however, I do see why so many people turn their noses up at the idea of watching another cheesy, poorly made depthless film about someone being chased in a house by a mad being wielding an axe and making peculiar noises. There have been so many disasterpieces in this genre that many won’t give a seconds thought to a horror film however I am convinced that this is one of the most interesting and entertaining types of film to watch or help make... if done well!




Anyway, back to Candyman. Critically, not the greatest horror film ever by any means however it did receive fairly positive reviews all in all which isn’t too common as mentioned with horror films, I enjoyed most the way that psychological themes were blended with bloody and violent dark ones. Most horror films deal with psychology in some form or another, some such as The Grudge for instance, are so hyped up in messing with one’s mind that the ‘hardcore bloodfest action’ takes a back seat and I think the scary child in the film must have under a minutes worth of screen time throughout the whole film. Candyman gets the balance right I thought and the characters were given the depth they deserved but it was done in a way that kept my interest and also made me care about what happened to people in the film, especially the protagonist.

Kieron's Corner 1st addition About A Boy

Based on Nick Hornby's best-selling novel, About A Boy is the story of a cynical, immature young man who is taught how to act like a grown-up by a little boy
Directors: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
Writers: Nick Hornby (novel), Peter Hedges (screenplay), and 2 more credits »
Release Date:26 April 2002 (UK)





Often regarded as being amongst Britain’s top rated films of the past ten years About a Boy is a film that I’d highly recommend to anyone interested in 21st century British cinema.

I like how the film tackles a multitude of different issues and yet retains a clear, easy flowing narrative which is both funny and interesting at the same time. Hugh Grant’s performance I felt was superb and I’d also recommend the film to anyone who hasn’t experienced a performance from him which wasn’t just floppy hair and a lot of bumbling. The film also stars Nicholas Hoult who many may recognise from his more recent role of Toby in teenage sitcom Skins. He plays here Marcus, a troubled 12 year old boy and many credit this as the role that helped elevate his career.

Things I liked about the making of the film;

The soundtrack – The score from Badly Drawn Boy was fantastic and really worked well here, with its cool, uplifting style and gave the film a contemporary British feel I felt. I have heard the same tracks from the artists used numerous times in TV shows and such since and it helps create a really good vibe for whatever material I’ve seen it collaborated with.

In Depth Characters- Due to there not being all that many characters in the film I found that each of them were given the appropriate amount of build up and screen time which a lot of films seemingly don’t do. This allowed me as a spectator to invest more emotionally as to how I felt about each person in the film and how much I cared about their aims and well being.

Lack of action- Although the heading would suggest a negative comment it’s quite the contrary, more appraisal as I felt that for a film that essentially has no stunt scenes, action scenes, violence or blood it still had my attention and I found it entertaining. If it wasn’t for the high critical acclaim the film has garnered then you could just say I’m easily pleased however it was genuinely good viewing. And more to the point, a great example of how you don’t necessarily have go to extreme measures in order to keep an audience entertained.

‘Feel Good’ Factor- A great movie I felt for when you want to leave the cinema (or wherever you watch it) feeling happy about life generally. Though a vast majority of films end with cheesy happy ever afters and soppy moments anyway, I felt that About a Boy, with its charm and refreshing wit, showed class and style throughout technique wise, something that Hugh Grant hasn’t always been accustomed with.

Performances- Last but not least, it goes without saying (so why do you continue to type you may ask) but even if you have a golden narrative with all the guidance and panache you could ask for then it would come to nothing if either your actors and actresses were either off form or just useless to begin with. Thankfully, everyone puts in a great performance here and for Hugh Grant fans, or even those who loath the washed up twit (don’t mean it really Hugh) then I’d recommend watching just so you can see him in a much less familiar role than most of his other movies and one that he carries out very well I’d say.

If you’ve actually read this, then thanks.
If you read and actually liked this, then I solute you, there will be more instalments of Kieron’s Corner coming shortly.

Continuity with shots

We will be making many moving image works this year ranging from documentary, to short fictional films and they will all require a high level of continuity in order to be taken seriously, look professional and try and create the right meanings and be believable from the spectators point of view.

Continuity is often amongst the first aspects of a film to be criticized and this comes naturally as the intention of the film is to be as realistic as possible and try to make the spectator buy into the ideas, characters and storylines in the ways they had intended.



Shot selection in particular can make the different between a free flowing, believable scene and one that is disjointed and doesn’t come off very well.



Of course, in certain cases a director may want the viewer to be confused or disorientated however the same principle of keeping the continuity in check and gathering the desired response from the audience is very important.


Continuity, Mise en Scene

We noticed whilst filming material for Malac that there were a few continuity errors in our scene. The props, some of which had consisted of candles had been removed from there position in the room after it was thought they wouldn’t be needed any longer. However, after trying out a different camera angle later on, we realised that the absence of these candles was evident in the shot and therefore we had to replace them in order to make the room appear as it was earlier during the filming. Mistakes like this are very easy to encounter when filmmaking and I think that clear planning and just a thoughtful method of going about scenes.

Ethics and School Research handbook

I have read through and agree with the requirements within this handbook and shall ensure they are implimented for each of my projects.

Thoughts on Moving Image Courseworks

1
Showreel Project – individual work
Produce a showreel that showcases your development as a Moving Image
practitioner.

I am quite aprehentious about this project since I do not feel that I have a substancial amount of quality work yet to use for this project however I am hoping to get involved in as many opportunities as I can in order to add both work and experiences to my repertoire. I will make sure that I only add work that I feel is to a high standard or is particuarly relevant. This is a simple point however many people confuse the idea of a port folio with that of simply creating a mass bank of work consisting of various levels rather than a method of showcasing your most valued and accomplished work.


2 Essay
Practitioners Essay – individual work
After investigating three practitioners working in Moving Image Production e.g.
director, editor, VJ, etc produce a 1,300 word essay that explains which
specific skills, knowledge and attributes are required for being employable in
these roles.

Include a S.w.o.t analysis and an action plan
I am looking forward to this task because I feel that it is both important to know the specific skills thatare required for the different jobs available in the sphere of moving image and I also enjoy learning more about certain directors, cinematograhphers and other practitioners from this field. I also feel this is a task that I can get stuck into fairly quickly.


3
Fictional Project – team work
In your give teams of 7/8 produce a
six minute fictional film using the
given script. You must choose the
role(s)

I am looking forward to this project as I feel the subject matter of fiction will encourage us to use our imaginaton and perhapse try new and more innovative ideas and approaches to our work. I enjoy fiction work because it is a terrific way of delving out from the realms of reality and escaping into a world or situation in which we usually can only derive from our dreams.

4 Documentary
Documentary Project Group production and individual evaluation
As a group of 4/5 produce a 10 minute documentary programme. Each
member of the group should take pair of the following major and minor roles.

I have watched numberous documentaries over the years and find them to be a fascinating insite into a subject matter or case example which we have likely never even been aware of or have previously had a very poor understanding of. I personally enjoy the human disorders and biological style documentaries most as I find they give a great deal of perspective to the viewer. Usually I preffer to be involved in the editing process of the projects however I would like to have a more on set role for a task such as this.

5
Titles Design Project – individual work
Task: Research a number of titles sequences examining their technical and
creative conceptual underpinning. Create a 20 second sequence for a given
film using specific techniques and creative concepts you have identified.

I am probably looking forward to this project least because I would have preffered to of been given a much broader choice on what we are designing the title sequence for. With that said, this may help me to increase my skills with title developing which I've learnt is now a completely seperate role in its own right.

6 Research
Research Project – Individual Work
You are to find an area of AV that you wish to investigate. Within this area you
are to find a question that can be investigated using short artefacts.
You will produce a 5 minute presentation that includes A description of the
aspect of AV that you intend to research. An explanation of why you wish to
investigate this area. A description of the artefacts you would use to investigate
your subject.

I think that this project will be won or lost depending on how interesting/relevant the question is that I choose to investigate. I am hoping that I can use my debating skills and analysitic style when working on this project but also try to focuss other aspects such as presenting, taking accuarate records and making sure I abide by the marking criteria as much as I can without going off on various tangents.

7 Protools Audio Mix
Design and produce a sound mix using Protools – Group
Students in teams of 2 will produce a sound mix using ProTools. Initially
instruction in the system will be provided. The students will then complete a
mix of a piece of recorded music or a soundtrack.

I have been interested in the audio aspect of film for a while now and feel that sound and image go hand in hand and the art of composing music which sets the perfect moods and atmopsheres is in itself a specialists craft. I am also looking forward to improving my knowledge on the practicalities of audio.

Screen shots of my lair and Inspiration for it *to be annotated*

Virtual Environments!

Making an emotional investment


Cover for the game Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha


Emotional investments, what is ment by this? Well basically, it can be to do with literally anything that you have any significant care for and interest in what happens to this person/thing.

More specifically, in the worlds of film and games design, which I think are becomming further and further linked over time due to a players ever increasing expectation of the game they are playing and the life like graphics that are now being created; making an emotional investment is to care about a character/ story or any aspect of a games or film product enough to grasp your concentration and ultimately keep you hooked on it, enough to purchase the product, enjoy it and possibly buy the next installment should there be one.

This theory is also very business orientated, as the producers ultimately want this empotional investment of the specatotor/player because it means that they will be selling the product which of course means money... We do however, expect a certain level of quality and interest when we make these purchases, so these creators arent getting their money for nothing, especially in this ever evolving age of technology and innovation which as a result means that it takes more and more to satisfy us the customer.

Why the hell am I going on about this so much? :/

Because, in order to gather a lot of interest, revenue, and overall success for your product, whether it be a game film or even somethin to do with flash, one of the most important and deciding factors rests on your abilty to make people care about what it is you are making.

Why did so many people tune in to watch the live episode of Eastenders not too long ago? Because many people must have at least cared remotely about Bradley and enough to get them to tune in an watch to find out his fate. The same principal applies here.

For me, just one of many examples of a game that has captured my attention in the past made me become emotionally invested was Street Fighter. At the time, I had a Sony Playstation One and was relatively new and novice to the field of games such as this one. The theme of the game was very simple, the player can either fight against another opponent which could be a friend or the computer controlled AI player, or you could compete in the arcade mode to try and concure each character in which was the 'meat and potatoes' of the game.


Protional poster showing many of the character from the game

What made this game, which to complete, did not take much time, nontheless so compelling to me was the fact that each character/fighter had been so carefully crafted and built up. It wasnt as if the game consisted of a load of crazed maniacs attacking eachother for the sake of doing so. Rather, each character had their own story which gave us an insight into their lives and why they are doing what they are doing. There was a lot of variety and I found that there were at least some character who's style and technique I felt I could relate to. This encouraged me to play the game more and spend more time playing each character, honing their craft and distinguishing each of their different nuances, moods and personalities as well as fighting style.

The reason I used Street Fighter as an example of an emotional investment was because it represents how a game that isnt particuarly multi platformed such as its counterparts at the time (ex. Spyro) can still have longetivety and cause the player to emotionally invest in the game.

Readdd Mee Now!!!!

Well I have been told to leave by the secertary guy person at Waverly and the video's for my two Figure edits arent displaying right


So please for the time being, just click on the title that appears when you hover over the video and it will send you to youtube and you can see it that way, thanks :)

Moving Image, Two Edits for 'Figure'

Here is the first edit that I made for our film, Figure.




The basic idea that our group estabolished after reading through the original script was to have an inventor win an award for something that could be potentially dangerous and even world ending. We edited the script a fair bit and used the awards speech as the main structual point of the film.

I personally changed a few things for this edit as I wanted to include some additional shots that I had filmed over easter, without scrapping many of the pre existing ones. Therefore I used a few of the excess footage, particuarly the grave yard scenes to create a preminition sequence that we had not before disccussed.

Due to a tape malfunction, the workshop, flashback sequence in this edit appears to be currupted however with it being a flashback in time, we felt that we could improvise and almost use it to our advantage to help the sequence look older and dated. The 'actor' was rushed in at the last minute as I knew him from my uni accomdation and thankfully he was more than happy to help us out and being from Bulgaria and having a different speaking style, we felt it helped and suited the style of what we felt Stan the professor would be like.

I used music that I had brought especially for this edit as I thought they would match the particular shots and sequences well however I struggled to blend them in certain parts so it may have been better to use just one main soundtrack.

Credits for this work go to;
Hannah Gregory - Director
Annie Landau - Producer
Alex Mitchel- Sound Co ordinator
Lars Thurlow- Camera Operater
Me- Editor and Lighting
Mr. V/ Vasil.S - Stan the Professor





Here is the second version of our short film for moving image




For this second edit we had a different actor because I could not get hold of the original person due to him being away at the time and we didnt have enough time to wait. The main reason for the second shoot was because the tape had previously currupted and some of us werent happy with the way it looked. Also, we felt we could include more dynamic shots the second time around and also shoot an improved awards acceptance scene with better lighting.

I tried to use a different style for this one and also test a few thins out such as having a voiceover to accompany the music in the climatic shots in an attempt to increase the tension.

I wanted the ending shots and apocolytic stage of the second edit to contrast with the style I used for the frist by having the pace gradually speed up and get very frantic towards the end, creating a panic, hectic sequence which along with the fast paced music at the end helps to replicate a race against time effect which I thought worked well with the theme of the film.

This differed from the slower, more methodical ending to the first edit in which I tried to emphaise the grinding loneliness of a desertless world.

I am happier with the seconf edit overall because it feels smoother and I think keeps the viewers concentration better whereas there are a number of mistakes I made with the first one that I am not happy with and would go back and change if I had the time. Namely, these are the noticeable inclusion of people/ cars and obvious signs on life in the supposed end of the world shots. I am however pleased overall and enjoyed this module a lot.

View/Read before you read 'Text Transformation'

Here is a brief summary of the book 'The Curious Incedent of the dog in the night-time' in which the post below is based on. If you havent read the book and are interested in reading my text transformation then here's the summary;



"15 year old Christopher Boone is autistic. One day he discovers that his neighbour's dog has been murdered with a garden fork. He decides to launch an investigation and write a murder mystery about it. Christopher has great trouble coping with other people. He screams if he is touched and doesn't understand facial expressions. He uses math, for which he is very talented, as a coping mechanism.

During his investigation he discovers that his mother isn't dead as he thought but is living in London and has been writing him weekly letters which his father has been hiding. On learning that his father actually killed the dog Christopher is frightened and decides to embark on a terrifying train and underground journey to go and live with his mother in London. This award winning novel captures with humour and empathy the terrible plight of a troubled mind. "
John Marcel, Resident Scholar




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWY3ntr3sdI

Above is a link to a video I found on youtube which seems to describe AS syndrome well and watching this should help you understand a little more about how the character in the text transformation piece below behaves and has to live with. You do not have to watch this video or read the piece but maybe you'll like it if you did :)

Text Transformation

Here is a text transformation peice I did last year as part of my English course. I have posted it as I felt it was a good way of getting to thoroughly get to know a character and then place that character in a different situation and see how it turns out. In this case, I took, Christopher, a 15 year old boy with AS syndrome from Mark Haddon's 'The curios Incedent of the dog in the night time' and decided to have him make a detective guide. If you have not read the book then this may be confusing however I thought it was quite interesting and enjoyed writing it.


Based on Christoper Price from The Curious Incident of the dog in hhe Night Time




My name is Christopher Price and I have decided to write this guide about how to become a detective so that other people who might have been in a situation like I was can be able to solve problems and find a solution. I thought that I would write this explanation because uncle Mick who has come down to visit me this weekend said that to make my guide more professional looking, I would need to explain what I was going to be writing about. I said that the title on the front being “How to become a Detective” might have given people an idea. I explained anyway because he said he would take me out to the park later and there were lots of nice dogs there and if you get there just at the right time then you can see the sun setting which mum says would be a beautiful picture idea to include in my guide. I told her that I don’t think I will include a picture of a sunset in my guide though because it does not have anything to do with detective work I don’t think. Now I am going to make a list of all of the things I think help to make a good detective...

One- Know yourself first...
Mum said that if I start, point with a sentence called a cliff hanger, then it should draw in more people. I was a little confused because I wasn’t going to be drawing people in this book, it wasn’t a sketch book. A few seconds later though I realised she meant drawing more people in as in attracting more people to read my guide. I was annoyed at myself for making the mistake so I punished myself when mum turned away by pouring my apple tea down the sink even though I was very thirsty and now the inside of my throat feels rubbery and I can feel the air catching more as I breath. I had to look at the first point that I have got written down in my notes again because I have done one of the things that my Sociology teacher Miss Gray tells me I shouldn’t and go off on a tangent. I don’t know if I should listen to her or not though because the other teachers at school, some say that Sociology is a silly subject and doesn’t get you anywhere and Melissa from the year above me shouted something the other day about Miss Gray having escaped from a mental home. I was shocked so told my mum when I went home but she said it was just a joke and Miss Gray was nice really and that I shouldn’t believe everything I hear.

My first point is to know yourself. By that I mean to know what your own problems are before you go out trying to solve other peoples. I told this to Nana May who is 73 years old and wears tweed jackets that mum buys her from the second hand shop but tells Nana May that really she brought them from Marks and Spencer’s and Nana May likes Marks and Spencer’s so she is very happy when mum does that. Nana said the point about knowing yourself was good and important and then talked to me for approximately 359 minutes about how the world works which just made me more confused than I was before but I said thank you Nana May anyway and carried on typing this on the new computer than I got for Christmas. I know what my problems are, I was going to make a long list but mum said to keep it brief so I will just list a few so you can see...

A: Not talking to people for a long time.
B: Not eating or drinking anything for a long time.
C: Not liking being touched.
D: Screaming when I am angry or confused.
E: Not liking really small places with other people
F: Mother has just looked at me typing and said that’s enough. I think she made a joke because she just said ‘Don’t make any more negative points about yourself Christopher or the readers might think you are a devil.” Then she laughed a bit and told me my dinner will be ready in two minutes and to press save as on the computer and shut down the computer so I can help set the table with uncle Mick so I will continue my guide later tonight if mum lets me go back on the computer. She said that I can’t if Heartbeat is on later though, because if I ask for help then she will miss who gets killed. I said “ok”. I better go now...







Back now and on a new page. I was worried that by starting writing on a new page that it would mean I was evil because it was wasting some of the paper on the previous page and therefore contributing to the rapid cutting down of the rainforest. I told mother this and she replied “just finish your banana milk Christopher and write your next tip for your guide.” I would have done, except for the milk being chocolate flavoured and not banana which meant that I couldn’t drink it because I knew that chocolate was brown and I didn’t like that colour. Mother eventually realised this and said sorry and has now gone off to the shop to get different milk even though I said it’s alright.

She said to make sure I have written another tip before she gets back so I need to hurry now. Hurrying feels strange as this next tip is all about focussing which involves doing the opposite and taking your time.

Two- Concentration and Observing
This tip I think is really important because when being a detective there will be lots of times when you need to just take a step back and think everything through. I find this difficult sometimes especially if there are lots of people near me, like the time I was in the shop and it was busy and mother said we would be home in ten minutes but I looked at my watch and it was 19 minutes and we were still there. I wasn’t happy and started screaming because I wanted to get away from all of the people which mum says caused a big scene at the time. I think I also wet myself but I was five so she says it was nothing to feel embarrassed about. When I screamed though, it helped me to concentrate and go into my own world. In my own world no one can hurt me and I can’t hear what is around me. Most importantly, I can think a lot clearer. In the shop ten years ago when I was screaming it was just to block out the people and think. I realised that soon I would be home and my favourite police programme, The Bill would be on. Unfortunately though, I had wet myself before screaming...it was a learning experience anyway.

So, that is concentrating and I decided to include observing in this tip because when you concentrate it is then easier to “observe” what is around you which you need to be good at if you are going to be successful in your investigation. To be good at observing, you need to be able to pick out every part of the scene no matter how little it might seem at first. For example, I don’t really like anyone to go into my room because my room is my own little house according to dad. People have to always knock to be allowed into my room but I don’t like it. Sometimes I can tell when my dad has been in my room. He says he doesn’t go in there but when using observation skills, I can see that he has. I will walk in and look around, being careful not to accidently move or touch anything. My dad tries to make it look like he hasn’t been there and nothing seems to have been moved. I thought that after ten minutes of observing that maybe dad was right and I was just being paranoid because I had checked the windows, carpet, bed cover shape, my pencil crayon arrangements and drawings from when I was three but none of them seemed any different. I decided it was worth checking everything a second time to make sure for definite and it was then when I saw a paperclip on the carpet. I never used paperclips for my work so I went downstairs to where dad was cooking dinner and asked him, “Dad, could I please borrow a paperclip... if you have any that is.” He replied “Of course Christopher, I’ve got stacks of them, keep falling out of my pockets.” He laughed little and I tried to laugh a little but I had just found out that it must have been him and that he did go in my room. So, be observant and on another note, mum has just come back from the shop so I better go and drink my milk which will be the right flavour this time I hope...

Three- Interviewing people
One of my teachers at school once said “strike when the iron’s hot”. I wasn’t sure what this meant and thought it could be dangerous because if you strike a hot iron then you will get burned but the teacher just told me to settle down and that it was just a figure of speech that meant when you are getting into a rhythm make the most of it. I think I am getting into the rhythm now so I will strike because the iron is currently hot.

Having interviews is a really good way to get information from people that seem suspicious or might be able to help you solve a mystery. This was something that I didn’t find easy when I was trying to find out who killed Wellard the dog. I am not very good at talking to strangers and I don’t think that anybody should because they can offer you a lift in their car and then drive you away somewhere and chop your legs so you can’t get home. When I knocked on Miss Shears’ house which was opposite to ours, I thought that maybe I shouldn’t have been because was on my own. I quickly had a talk to myself in my head where I reached the conclusion that a 74 year old lady probably won’t chop my legs off. When interviewing, I think that you should always tell the person what your name is and what you are trying to uncover. This way, the person shouldn’t think you are being rude. Miss Shears’ wasn’t a stranger, but she was very strange. She used to make trays of cookies, biscuits and little fairy cakes even when there was no one there but herself to eat them. Dad said it was just to help keep her busy since her husband died ten years ago. When I knocked on her door I said ‘hello, my name is Christopher Price, I live opposite to you and I am trying to find out who killed Wellard.” She looked quite shaken at first, as if she had just thought she had won £100 on the lottery, but then found out it was really £10. She said “Hello young man, yes I know who you are, your father tells me allot about you. I think you should leave the detective work to the police, don’t you?” Before I could answer she continued. “Would you like to come inside and have a chocolate Christopher?” I didn’t want to for two reasons. One, I wouldn’t feel safe if I went inside Miss Shears’ house because then she could lock the door and I would be trapped and two, chocolate cookies are brown.




Hello, I’m back now. I decided to leave four spaces between the last tip I wrote so show that I stopped and have started writing again. I am not feeling very good and cannot find my notebook which I write down my thoughts in. Sometimes I can just write down my notes in my head but my head feels like a room full of drawers and those draws are split up into different groups. For example if there is something I eat for the first time and liked it, I will store it in my food and drink drawer. I seem to be able to recall things by doing this, the problem though, is that all my drawers seem to be full. They are overflowing and when I try to remember something I get angry because it feels like the thing I’m trying to remember is trying to escape. Mother just came over and said that I need to stop ‘babbling’. I don’t think she understands sometimes. No one does. How can they? Time for another tip I think, I am getting side tracked.

Four- Do it yourself
I think that it is a good idea to avoid including anyone else in your detective work because it will case more problems. I hate it when Mr Eklewait, one of my Maths teachers, makes the class work in teams for everything. It encourages discussion he says. We always have to work in teams and I usually end up being teamed with Mitchell who pulls faces a lot and always wears the same red, chequered shorts to school. Last time we were a team, the subject was prime numbers which is my best but Mitchell felt sick and vomited on the paper so we came last. When I am at school I do not argue about having to work in teams because I don’t want to get told off and be kicked out of school because then I wouldn’t be able to take my maths test and get to university. Luckily, outside of school I can do things by myself. I always like doing things on my own because I can decide by myself the best way to go about solving things. It might just be because I don’t have many friends but my uncle always tells me that as long as I’m happy inside it doesn’t matter what people on the outside think. When trying to solve the curious incident of the dog in the night time, I found that doing things my own way worked better than it would if mother, father or anyone else had trying to get involved.

Well I am finished now, thank you for reading and I hope you have found my guide useful.

Tuesday 13/4 Lecture

Representatives from each pathway

I found this a very helpful lecture as it gave me more insight into each of the three pathways and how the people who have chosen them have changed as practitioners as well as what specific tasks they have been set.

Notes I made from each pathway, via the questions presented to the representatives;

Interactive Media
-Learning not just Flash but a range of scripts such as Java and PHP

-It is recommended that you try to make a range of websites both for practise and for customers in order to gain more experience

-I do not like this pathway


Virtual Environments

-Probably the most time comsuming and intensive of the three pathways

-I seemed more interested by the modules in this pathway and the creative freedom

-The pathway is the broadest and there are decisons to be made on which area you wish to focuss on

-Rendering takes a very long time


Moving Image

-Working in groups for two out of seven projects.

-Making work for companies such as Broadway, YMCA and any other additional work is very important for building a port follio.

-There is a chance to experience a range of different role in film production such as camera operator, director, producer, editor and more.



My thought;
Im torn between Moving Image and Virtual Environments.. I will see how I feel about Virtual Environments tomorrow when I have my first seminar finally.

Seminar, reflection

In the past seminar I learnt the importance of thoroughgly thinking out possible questions and making sure I become efficicent at answering them.

It also allowed me to think about what influences, research and practitioners as well as other factors, have helped developed my work so far during the course.