i make films
on Monday @ 6:41 PM
I met a new human yesterday, called Callum. He is my sister's best friend's baby and he is nuts. He's now old enough to crawl so he sausage rolls around everywhere. And if he bumps into anything he just rolls back the other way.
Me and Beki had decided to go see something in the cinema and as I discussed what films were on and when with Rory (over the mighty internet) I decided to ask him to join us and he decided to accept.
We chose an early showing of Volver and got Beki's blessing. We met briefly before it and I got the tickets utilising some vouchers that I got last Christmas and have failed to remember on previous occaisions.
The film had a really cool style and story and I really enjoyed it, but wasn't over enthused by it.
We then took Rory to the footlights to get a drink and some cheap food (topped chips and stuff). It was fun and we stayed way too long, talking about subjects like what jobs we wanted on the short film our class is making about an old superhero and me and Rory both expressed interest in directing.
We didn't have to wait long to find out. Me and Rory are now both directing the film; he is doing the present day story of the superhero and I am directing the 60s infomercial where he advertises nuclear power. So I guess we're both pretty happy about that. I found it weird that more people didn't want to direct the film, but it suits me just fine.
on Saturday @ 5:38 PM
I've been back at work recently. My first shift this week saw me working for 3 hours at Jenners. They wanted some staff to give out champagne and canapes at a fashion show with ballet dancers modelling some of the ballet-inspired outfits and models too. It was about the easiest shift of work I've done in my life and they gave us a goody-bag with stuff that must have amounted to more than we were actually being paid for working there. It was full of perfume, chocolate, make-up and stuff so I gave it all to Beki because that's what sort of boyfriend I am (kind enough to give away bags of stuff that are no use to me).
My next shift was back to Perth races. I was doing bar work this time and I spent the whole day looking after a corporate box of 16 people. One of the guys there was being treated to the day by his lawyer and after he had drank a few large glasses of white wine he moved onto a bottle of Courvoisier. A whole bottle. By the end of the night he was shouting and bragging about his collection of cars. He kept testing my knowledge of cars and car history which is less than minimal. I didn't mind much though because they really looked after me tip-wise.
Last night I went to Mikey and Lisa's house again (me and the Beckster were there the night before for fajitas) with cake and Steve and Tom were there. We went up to The Filling Station for Lisa and Mikey's old workmate Stuart's leaving do.
It was quite a weird night and people kept turning up all the time but it was good fun. I get to spend today watching movies and chilling out with Beki, which is always nice.
on Monday @ 3:02 PM
Sam, tricking us into two parties for her birthday (most people get one you know), had her second one a couple of nights ago. It was all party foods and drinks in her crib and then off we go to Tokyo.
Everyone got so excited when we were on our way into town that Harry and Charlotte got in a play fight and she burst his nose. He thought it was funny, but not funny enough not to throw her into a hedge in retaliation. That made Sam's dad not-so-happy though.
Beki had a nice time but she also cried a lot, because all of her friends are leaving her for different cities.
Sam was on the phone to someone already but clearly Beki or whoever didn't think she had enough phones. So she was handed another. From memory I think this happened constantly from this point on and Sam ended up with dozens of phones.
I don't know why I always look unhappy in photos, it's probably because Beki is using my camera and her favourite hobby is dropping my camera.
Paddy found a red rope thing and thought it was a winners belt that he had one in a boxing match earlier in the night.
Anyway, I just ate a double pepperoni oven pizza and it was just plain bad. Double pepperoni my foot. It's not as bad as frozen oven pizza though, if somebody made me one of them at their house, I would fake an illness and run all the way home.
on Saturday @ 5:47 PM
My first film for a client has been filmed (mostly). I spent alllll day yesterday getting footage of the official opening of Telford, with lots of Jack McConnoll and dancing and everything else that went on through the day.
We were getting told not to go in places and I finally just muscled my way into a room where BBC or STV was filming Jack and filmed him too. He was quite funny but what was funnier was seeing how tv companies just tell him what to do and he does it.
In this photo I look like I'm just posing with a camera but I swear I was just about to start shooting Jack's arrival.
For such a long shift, the day went by fast and was actually pretty fun. We got so much free food too (2 lunches with seconds available) and at dinner the Indian, Chinese, Chippy, French deli and an outside bbq were all running for FREE.
Needless to say, I had two dinners.
One thing I really like about filmaking in general is that you seem to be allowed lots of places, you can film anything you want if you look professional and you get to meet anyone you want, because you have a reason to.
There was a balloon-man or a magician or something and he was surrounded by young girls. They kept pestering him and when one of them asked for another balloon animal or whatever, she followed it up with:
"You did this at my son's first birthday."
I could see he was trying to figure if she was being serious, when he realised she was he simply said,
"Did he enjoy it?"
"Yeah, it was over a year ago now though."
I tried to work out how old she could be but gave up because she looked 14.
After the multi-floor light, dancing, dry-ice and pipers finale, me and Beki headed to Avoca to meet Paddy. Not before seeing a fox, though.
Little did we know Sam, with Chris and her parents, was out for her birthday meal. They saw us going into Avoca and followed us in shortly.
When I found out that her real birthday was at midnight, I got Beki an dPaddy to run round the corner to the shop with me and buy a cake and candles. We got a coconut sponge and birthday candles. When we went back I somehow managed to convince Sam and Chris that it was a pizza for later. Beki confused matters further by taking the 'pizza' to the barman and asking him to bring it out at 12.
The whole place sang along and made it very embarrassing and we ate cake and gave some to the staff. It was a randomly good night.
on Tuesday @ 11:41 AM
I feel like I'm constantly forgetting something at the moment and it's confusing and disorientating. It might be the fact that I have little routine to work, college and socialising at the moment. Plus I don't get to see everyone who I'd like to (or at least as much as I would). I've not seen my friends properly in ages and I've not had a night in with Beki in ages either. Work or something always gets in the way.
I've been listening to the Kooks recently, they're better than I first thought. And so is the Fratellis album. I gave them no chance when they were first releasing limited singles and a couple of my friends (ok, ok..) were buying them. But it is cool and you should try it out, Scottish band and all.
I'm going to do a dry-run of the film I'm doing on Jack McConnoll later on today, with a different politician. I don't know who he is but even when I hear his name, I doubt I'll know him.
There was a Super Dog show at Cammo Park this weekend. That means it was right in front of my house. There was all these cars parked places they shouldn't be and all these crazy dogs with their even crazier owners walking about.
I don't really know what it was all about and don't really want to either. You see way to many dogs as it is, living beside a park.
And, as if you weren't sick of them already, I have even more photos of the Italy trip, courtesy of Lisa/Beki/Steve's Dad, Neil. Enjoy..
on Saturday @ 2:53 PM
Have you been to the cinema twice this week? I have, and that's not happened in a time that is too long for this sort of thing to happen. First off, we had The Wicker Man. Ehhhhhhhhh nah. It was okay, really, but it was just that. Nothing special and certainly pointless compared to the original. Last night Little Miss Sunshine opened and Beki and I went to the evening showing. I would definitely recommend it, although I'm not sure it is worthy of all the awards it seems to have gathered.
Those are the BEST photos I have taken all week. No real camera and no real picture taking really, I need to buy some batteries asap.
It's actually been really quite easy to get to college from Dalry and I've had a pretty good week. I've been picked to make a short documentary about the opening of Telford, with Jack McConnell making a speech and whatnot. Aman has also been picked and we have full creative control, a budget, full access passes and will get paid for it. Really glad, actually.
There's a video of Lisa, Beki an Steve doing the Hand Dance this week, in Beluga.
on Tuesday @ 11:07 AM
Beki and I are staying at my sister Tessa and her husband's flat while they are away on holiday in Minorca. It's nice to have a place to ourselves again but it's too far from our places of work, study and where we live normally to be here very long.
They have a large collection of DVDs which we are enjoying but I can't seem to connect to the internet and this is more than difficult. We have been doing a lot of cooking and we could hear all the fireworks from the flat but because we had been working and had a very early start, we didn't go out to witness them (but whoopdedoo did).
+ + +
Carrying on the colour-coded theme of how good my different jobs are, I'm going to rate a few of my recent outings.
I had to do a shift at a high school, a mix between a KP and a lunch lady. It was short but really demeaning. I had to cook pasta and serve it with one of four sauces that the kids chose.
Rating: Beige
Another long one on Friday saw me waiting and bar-tending at a wedding. The people were pretty cool, the managers were cool and none of the jobs were bad at all. The tips were pretty decent also.
Rating: Purple (meaning exciting, as in the colour of the snug-fit tshirt on my first good shift)
A last minute thing I did (to avoid a 630am start) was to work at the International Conference centre. I spent most of the shift not having a single clue what to do, despite asking people over and over. I just think there wasn't anything to do and they didn't want to hire temps for just one hour (which is how long this particular conference ran). The manager was one of those guys who though he had good chat with all the staff and was really funny, but he wasn't and he made me get annoyed and want to avoid him. Also, the people attending the conference were doctors from around the world and were very arrogant towards the staff. I was really glad to get out of there.
Rating: Red (meaning bad, after the colour I was seeing after the briefing from the 'manager')
+ + +
I'm back at college proper now. I spent my first day back laughing. Hard. Being at college is so much better than being at work of any form or even waiting about the night before I have work. I'd really like a stable-r job, that I know the hours, the location, the people, all in advance.
I promise to take some pictures today and tomorrow because I think they spruce this place up.