Review: Creative Careers Day in Film Making

So last week I got to attend a fantastic opportunity at Home (formerly Cornerhouse) in Manchester. The new venue is currently hosting a bunch of fantastic events for young people to achieve training and hands-on practical experience.

The day was from 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. and consisted of a group of us learning about camera work, shot angles, shot types, having a chance to create a short film ourselves and even use professional editing software to see the finished film. We started off by introducing ourselves to one another and then quickly moving on to using the cameras and tripods - we looked at white balance, shot types such as: wide shots, long shots, medium shots, close-ups, big close-ups, extreme close-ups and even had a chance to look at the three shot technique (master shot, medium shot, and close-up) and experimented with the 180 degree line rule. We then looked at shot angles, such as: point of view (POV), over the shoulder (OTS), establishing, low and high angles and canted (or dutch) angles. We even got the fantastic opportunity of having a personal tour around the theaters and the projection rooms.

After trying out several of these shots in small groups we then had the chance to go into the Home gallery and shoot a short film for ourselves incorporating as many of the shots we'd discussed as we could (our group decided to play a goofy game of wink murder which turned surprisingly sinister at the end).

I loved doing this as it was really beneficial and also super fun, when we finally returned to the room we got to use industry standard editing software to piece together the film and add effects, titles and sounds. Seeing the end result was a real treat and all of the pieces created were really fantastic.

Overall, I had a fantastic time and learnt so much from Home. If you're interested in getting involved in any creative days - whether it be film or art, visit the Home website (http://homemcr.org/) for more info! 

The 'Fuck My Life' Complex

I've come to realize something very abruptly in the last 10 months of the first year of college, and that is that most students seem to have an attitude towards their personal lives, their own egos, appearance, even their own personality, which is so far beyond negative it's verging on mass suicide. It's something which I've branded the, 'Fuck My Life' complex, particularly in students who undertake studies in arts, performance or something of the creative persuasion seem to have an uncontrollable need to help others and hide away from their own problems - and as I undertake 4 courses (and 3/4 of these are creatively based) I see how I've fallen into this category myself. 

Recently, I posted a review of a trip I took in February with my art class to Morocco, when I was there we had many unsuspecting tender moments which shocked and moved me. Pretty soon into the trip I found out that two of my friends had attempted suicide in the past 8 months, many of us had self-harmed and at one point a guy who I have never seen at any sort of low burst into tears and left the room. It soon dawned on me that most of my class mates are, well, pretty fucked up (myself included). Depression, self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, personality disorders, sleep disorders, self-deprecation, self-loathing were- no, are enormous issues in today's youthful society. And what bothered me the most was when I was keeping up-to-date with the UK general election, there was only one Party Leader during the Leader's Debate (Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats) who mentioned (and I say mentioned purposefully, as it was skimmed over so briefly that it was almost whispered) the tsunami of mental health illnesses that have flooded into our country and swept up so many people in the process.

During March of 2015, the HSCIC publicized their monthly statistical report for the end of December 2014 concerning mental health and learning disabilities: 921,498 people were in contact with mental health services... Nine hundred thousand people. And that's just the people that actually contacted services for help! I'm physically disgusted with today's attitude towards mental health shame, and how so many people are suffering inwardly as well as outwardly. Just because you may not spot it, doesn't mean it isn't there. And I'm not saying that there aren't already enough problems what with ISIS, the economy, education, employment - I understand that the current government has a lot on it's plate but they're looking the wrong way! How are we expected to be strong in hard times when there is so little help and support coming from our own government. So, in my next posts I'll be writing about mindfulness, tackling depression, battling self-loathing and dealing with sleep disorders and offering as many links to help people understand and deal with their problems, because frankly, I'm sick and tired of people saying, "Oh yes, it's just awful" and, "There's so much that needs to be done" and then going home having a bath and watching TV in their own little world. Stop saying, and start doing. Because if this post helps just one 12 year old girl from cutting her arm tonight I'd say it's a pretty good start.

http://www.mind.org.uk/ - A brilliant charity website which offers guidance on mental health