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When I last wrote a blog post I was probably right in the middle of serious dissertation research. Well, I powered through them and ended up with two dissertations that I was really genuinely proud of - in my opinion, by far the best things I wrote while at university. I received my marks on the 1st July and got great marks for both dissertations, giving me an overall Second Class Honours, Division I degree, or a 2:1 to you and me. I was so pleased! After I managed to royally mess up my second year (probably a fair consequence of not turning up to anything) it was so satisying to be able to turn myself around this year and get down to my work. As a result I really enjoyed my third year at uni (even though it went by SO quickly!) and the researching and writing of my dissertations was arguably more pleasure than pain. My 2:1 also means that should I one day wish to return to university to take an MA (a distinct possibility), then I have the grades to do so. Anyways, so uni is all over and I'm only just starting to properly realise it. Some things I won't miss, but some things I really, really will. It hit home on 1st July when my student card became no longer valid! No more beautiful discounts - terrifying! My graduation is this Thursday, my graduation ball this Saturday, and after that it will all start to feel even more real. It's so strange no longer being a student after all these years, flung out into the big wide world, from student to unemployed all in the space of a day. So begins the grand job hunt and, alongside that, a real push to get this film career up and running! Thanks for all the good times Sussex Uni, you were pretty swell. --------------------------------------------------------------
From the 21st-28th June I enjoyed yet another amazing holiday with my girlfriend, this time to Praia de Oura (not far from Albufeira) in Portugal. It was probably my favourite of the three summer holidays we've been on so far (it's difficult to compare Paris to those kinds of holidays) and both of us had a great, relaxing time and a satisfying amount of sun, sand and sea. The room we stayed in was certainly the nicest of the ones we've had so far - it could've easily slept 4! We relaxed on the beach and by the pool, enjoyed many many lovely meals, took a taxi into the Old Town of Albufeira, and went on a day trip to the Aqualand water park, which was great. We had some more nasty delays on the journey home, but nothing quite as awful as last year! All in all, a brilliant holiday and we're both really hoping we can afford to go away again next year. There are still so many places to go! --------------------------------------------------------------
On the 1st July (a busy day!) I began to move stuff into my new flat in Southampton, where I am now living with my girlfriend. After a seriously hectic first couple of weeks sorting out, amongst other things, furniture, council tax, internet, phone line, water bill, gas and electric, TV licence, shopping, and the small matter of being without hot water for far too many days, we are finally able to relax and really begin to enjoy the experience. It's a particularly big step for myself and I'm looking forward to getting the most out of city life - it's a big contrast to what I'm used to! Location couldn't be better, as the flat is five minutes away from the train station, a few minutes from Sainsburys, five minutes from most of the good clubs and bars and ten minutes from West Quays and all the other shops. The flat itself is starting to look really nice and is nearly there in terms of things IN it. Last Tuesday we had friends (Hugh, Kieran, Wigsy, Toby, Bayliss and Lydia) round for our first night out while living together in Southampton. It was great to have people round and I got a couple of awesome flatwarming presents (by this I mean booze). We pre drank at mine and then moved onto Reflex for some wonderful 80's and 90's cheese. Hopefully it will be the first of many such nights out in the upcoming year! So we're getting all settled into the flat, FINALLY have internet after 2 weeks without (enabling me to write this!) and looking forward to a really good year ahead. --------------------------------------------------------------
On the 10th and 11th July I made my latest short film in Southampton with two actors, Sally Paffett and Ryan Carter. The film is called 'Whirlwind Summer Romance' and follows a young couple's relationship from its beginning to its end over the course of one long summer, taking in all the high emotions that come inbetween. The shoot worked really well- I got everything I needed, the actors were great and perhaps most importantly it was a genuinely fun shoot. I travelled back to Westbourne on Saturday to spend the day editing the short and it's pretty much done, music added and everything (thank you once again Moby Gratis!). Once it's been put onto DVDs and labelled properly I can move on with getting the film out there, submitting it to festivals around the UK. This was a real motivating factor in making this short, that of creating something that could be sent off to festivals and, potentially, be selected for at least one of them. I consider the festival circuit to be a fantastic way for any young and enthusiastic independent filmmaker to see their film careers take off, and I'm hoping this will be the same for me. I have a long list of festivals (local, national and international) to send Whirlwind off to and will start to hear in the coming months if I have been successful with any of them. In the meantime I intend to continue writing and making short films (I have a few good ideas buzzing around) in the hope that one of them will get me to where I want to be. I'm also in the process of writing a feature film (around a third of the way through as I write this) that, with any luck, I may actually get to make next spring/summer! The script follows a group of 18 year olds as they look to spend their last summer together before heading off to uni etc, and covers all the 'shenanigans' (LOVE that word) they get up to in the process. If done right, it should be a great mix of happy and sad, providing the audience with nostaglia and memories of their own young experiences. I have a producer on board who I will hopefully be meeting and discussing ideas with in the coming weeks, and he should be integral to the process of getting a terrific cast and crew together. I aim to have finished the script by the end of this summer and hopefully running casting auditions for the film by September/October. It's all very exciting! I can't wait to really get stuck into my very first feature film. If it happens it's going to be a terrific experience, another thing to add to the CV and another film to submit to festivals. So it's full steam ahead in the film department!
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