Doctor Who - My Inspirations

Today I read that fans on twitter are sending abusive messages to Steven Moffat. Honestly I don't understand this. Generally I don't understand abusive behaviour at the best of times but this took the biscuit.

For me Doctor Who was a major inspiration, and one of the reasons I decided to enter into the world of Visual Effects. As a six former, young and somewhat naive, I was studying chemistry and opting for a very safe career path as a science teacher. This was who I was when the announcement that Doctor Who was returning to our screens. As a much younger person, I had grown up on classic science fiction reruns, Doctor Who included, so this breaking news sent me into a giddy overload which ultimately resulted in my exclusion from most social groupings. At this point in time I had a love for film particularly visual effects, but to me it was "computer magic" that I would never understand, let alone be able to one day do.

Fast forward a few years and I'm at university, a very good one, studying chemistry and generally unhappy with my life. It was at this time I started building websites for fun and sometimes money, and managed to get sucked into the magical world of the Doctor Who online community. My levels of Geekery massively increased ten fold, but something amazing happened. I discovered photoshop. With this knowledge, practice and development of artistic flare, I learned I could thrill people with my digital art work. I started making banners for other people's websites, members of the Doctor Who community would set me challenges to create wallpapers and blends to meet certain criteria. It was then that I realised chemistry was not the way forward.

The rest as they say, is history. I got myself some formal IT qualifications and went back to university to study visual effects. One day I hope to work on the Doctor Who series. That is my ultimate goal. Of course I would like to work on film and become a millionaire, swan around in a convertible and generally be loved by all, but honestly I would trade this just for one day working on this iconic show.

Doctor Who is a show for the whole family, it frightens children, stuns us with it's beauty and takes us on a moral and emotional roller coaster on a week by week basis. What other show in the world could do that? Russell T Davis brought this show back from the dead. Steven Moffat took it like an olympic relay baton and is racing to take it to new heights of incredible. If haters bring down this show, they would have destroyed something monumental. There are so many of us out here who still love it.

Flickr

I have recently set up a Flickr page to showcase some of my better photographs. As a beginner with a dSLR I am still learning and hope that the internet will provide me with constructive criticism that will help me improve and evolve. I hope you enjoy.

... Why? (My thoughts on the riots of UK)

I'm not particularly knowledgeable on politics or on social or economical issues, and thus I rarely use this blog to stand on my soap box because a) I fear ridicule when commenting on something which is obviously wrong, and b) I fear the backlash of making a statement which is potentially politically insensitive. This is why I choose to stick to the film industry. However the news of the last few days has had me both scratching my head and completely aghast. I believe everyone has the right to put their comments forward and I know many have and I will too.

What causes me the most confusion is the cause of this situation. We have young people of various backgrounds (I don't believe this is a race problem but a class problem) standing up and claiming they are ignored and mistreated by the government. Having not lived in these sorts of places I'm afraid I can't say whether or not this is true, but I am forced to ask the question, "If you are angry at the government for your rubbish lot in life, why are you then burning down YOUR OWN COMMUNITY, rather than taking the fight to those responsible?" Meanwhile people of the same community, are suffering because some misguided youths have decided to burn down their homes and their livelihoods. THIS DOES NOT HELP ANYONE.

Another reason put forward by those more knowledgable than I, is that they are bored. Yes I agree that the vast majority of the violence that occurred last night was nothing to do with the previous suggestion, but in fact young people witnessing the riots in Tottenham and jumping on the bandwagon. They're bored, they're angry (aren't all teenagers?) and they believe they can get away with it. Plus you can get some really cool swag. IS THIS REALLY AN EXCUSE?! Sorry but it wasn't long ago that I was a teenager and when I got bored, I played computer games, read a book or went for a bike ride. Go home, and play FIFA, stop setting fire to things! For some reason this generation has it's moral code on backwards and this is something that seriously needs to be looked into. The causes of this stretch back a long way and it is no good simply arresting and bailing the offenders, something needs to be done to prevent this happening again.

Currently I am Living in the country I have little fear of the sort of violence we see on the tv, but I fear for my friends living in London and Birmingham, I hope the peace is maintained tonight. Good luck to those serving in the police force. Stay safe.

Book Snobbery

When faced with the open choice of what exactly to write my dissertation about, my initial response was: a) write what you know, and b) write about something your lecturer will like. So obviously having already written an essay on him, and knowing my lecturers love of him, I chose Milton Glaser.

Obviously I then changed my mind.

I appreciate that Glaser is in fact one of the greatest graphical minds of our time (and even a previous time) but why should i write about what I already know about? Surely the whole point of this dissertation, and even university, is to learn. I want to be able to research and develop, perhaps find a passion I didn't know I had, and even a whole new inspiration that will blast my practical work into a whole new dimension.

I switched my idea to comic books, and how they translate to the movie industry. This may seem like an odd decision, certainly a more difficult one, and one of no academic consequence. I definitely know what my colleagues think, having put up with their mocking as I sit nose deep in graphic novels as they play countless games of bridge. But I believe this to be the correct choice.

From an early age I remember being taught to read. My mother, brilliant woman that she is, used to play games with flash cards, slightly larger than a deck of playing cards with words and images on front and back. Connect the correct word to the picture is how it all began, and later copying entire sentences, learning spellings and joining up letters. By the time I started first school I could already read. My fondest memory is of curling up in bed with my mother, all jim jammed and surrounded by pastel stripes and brightly coloured pictures of animals as she read to me. My brother, 2 years older than I, would feign disinterest but would eventually end up perched at the end of my bed as the story went on. I never remember picture books, always proper hard back books; The Famous Five, Brear Rabbit, and my all time favourite, The Magic Faraway Tree. As I got older it was I who read to her every night and eventually, I read alone.

It was this advanced reading ability which led to a certain snobbery. I didn't read books with pictures(except for a certain dinosaur book - how embarrassing). In year four when I was just 8 or 9 I remember sitting in class reading Watership Down, a massive 400 page beast that put the other children in class to shame. Whilst they were discovering comic-books and using the pictures as aides, I was far ahead. Perhaps this is why, up until this summer I had never read a comic-book. Now I have developed an overwhelming need to enter this world and find out what I've been missing all these years. I have friends, intelligent people, who know the Marvel universe like it was their own. I watch the new Marvel movies and catch just a glimpse of of that wonder. I'm a decade late, but this is as good a time as ever, and now the otherwise useless information I shall gather will in fact have use.

An Intermission

Constantly behind on the blog posts of late. As it was said somewhere in literature (of that I am sure) "a happy person has no need for a journal" and the same can be said of blogging. That is not to say I have been inactive. My cinema trips are often though pricey with the complete lack on Cineworld situated nearby. I have seen the latest Harry Potter movie, on that I have plenty to say, and the new Marvel movie, Captain America on which I will say simply "watch it" as it is amazing and everything it should be without being overly patriotic and sickening to us Brits.

Currently I am working full time in chemistry laboratory, which isn't entirely interesting though I have met plenty of characters and spend many hours washing up glassware whilst inventing new comic book super heroes and planning my next film project in my mind. I have also become the proud owner on an iPad 2 which is amazing for jotting down notes, quick sketches and brain storming, all of which would be lost in the depths of my pockets on random scraps of paper if it was not for this amazing device.

I'm also trying to read as many books on my chosen dissertation title (which I shall not divulge here in fear of it being picked up by anti-plagiarism software and causing my own title to be flagged as stolen!) as possible, leaving me little time for anything else! Certainly busy times, and I look forward to my return to full time education where I can focus entirely on upping my game and raising those grades of mine.

Late Reviews

Because I have been AWOL I have an awful lot of reviews to write up. As I am still going to the cinema regularly despite it now costing £7.50 for a student ticket in my home towns Odeon, so I shall probably not find the time to write up all these movies. However I shall review the ones I have something to say about, and will try and keep up to date from now on!



Movies of March

• The Adjustment Bureau

• Submarine

With a combination of a friend working on this film and it being filmed locally, it was inevitable that I would see this movie, despite it not being a massive film. I must say from the trailers I went in with low expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised. The characters were peculiar and yet somehow believable and the humour was dark but very funny. I enjoyed the tale of a young boy dealing with love and a parents divorce and I particularly liked the colour grading that gave the film an almost retro feel.

• Ironclad

Another local one. Considering the sort of budget this movie had, it was surprisingly good. The matte painting and sets were beautiful and that alone made it worth seeing. The story was interesting and did not suffer to the long action sequences. All in all a good film and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

• The Resident

• Rango

A fun animated movie with a bit of a difference. Though it was marketed toward children, it seemed too dark to be a kids movie and made me uncomfortable watching this whilst there were young children in the cinema. The film however was good, the animation incredible and they got the western feel just right.

• Unknown

• Battle Los Angeles 

Incredible. I held my breath for the entire movie. VFX, stunning.

• A Turtles Tale

The animation in this film was not quite up to the same standard of other 3D animated films out at the time. However the story was well thought out, educational and really quite moving. Both funny and sad, a must see for families with young children. 

• Hall Pass

• Limitless

Movies of April

• Source Code

Kind of like Groundhog Day with a twist. A very enjoyable movie with some fantastic acting. 

• Hop

Animated bunnys and dancing chicks, what else can you ask for in a movie?

• Sucker Punch

I really didn't like this movie, and for me the only thing that saved it was the VFX, which were stunning. Some would say "cartoony" but I would say stylised to give the action a dream like quality. The robots and the dojo backdrop I particularly liked. It was like looking at a masterpiece. However, the movie itself lacked story and drive. It became formulaic and boring. It was such a shame because the premise of this movie is really quite clever, and with gentler handling this could have been an amazing hit. Instead it turned into what I can only describe as every teenage boys wet dream.

• Scream 4

Surprisingly good considering it was a late sequel to the original trilogy.

• Anuvahood

Hilarious

• Red Riding Hood

Some clever twists and turns. Weird but somewhat wonderful. I enjoyed this film and loved the colours and camera work that made this movie so surreal. 

• Rio

The orange adverts ruined this movie for me...

• Thor

• Fast & Furious 5

• Arthur

Generally I hate Russell Brand, but I found this movie so funny.

Movies of May 

• Attack the Block

Though this movie is quite funny I found it a disturbing reflection of the youth of today. The story was stronger than expected as were the VFX. I particularly liked the glow in the dark teeth. 

• Hanna

• Pirates of the Caribbean 

Quickly turned into the Captain Jack show. 

• Blitz

• Kung Fu Panda 2

• X-Men: First Class

Though this film has a few inconsistencies with the original movie trilogy, I really enjoyed it. So much I saw it twice. A great story with some fab new characters and a nice insight into the origins story. I had my reserves about James McAvoy playing Xavier, but he sold the role perfectly. Great movie, definitely my film of the month!

AWOL

I have been a little bit AWOL for the last few months, this is mostly due to my Final Major Project which is now complete. I do however have 3 months of movie reviews to write and some work to post (my previously mentioned FMP). In the meantime I shall post some lovely photos I took on my last trip to Bute Park.