Volume II

Recently I've been watching a lot of movies that were made back in the day, and I can't deny that I've enjoyed almost every one of them. Yeah you get the odd fake/unusual bit of acting at times, but the whole feel and taste of the movie kind of cancels that out.

Now I've not seen many as a whole rack full, and I don't think I've seen all the best ones either, but I'm going to shout it and say that True Romance is the best I've seen. Personally, I feel it's the best pulp ever written (by Tarantino). And I dare to say this, but even better than Pulp Fiction.

It's a straight forward plot of what love can do to a person. Make them crazy, change, and make a mind and heart clogged with filth turn into something pure and clear. It's full of the graphic violence and the no nonsense dialogue Tarantino is known for, and with an unforgettable cast it's very hard to put this movie down. I only wish I could've watched this movie when it was first released just to feel the buzz and excitement it must've created amongst movie buffs back then. But years later now, I'm sure this movie is still admired, and is simply one of the best movies ever made.

Oh, and although it's taken me somewhat months to convince myself this, but I got to say, movies made back then, they thrill me more than most of the movies made today.

Yesterday I did my first ever photo shoot. I must admit, it went pretty well and I'm satisfied with the results I got. I've not had a chance to look at them (images) properly yet, but that is planned for later.

Before you look at set-up below and say that's not professional, let me just say that I'm just a beginner in photography, and didn't really want to go all savvy since the project I'm doing now (FMP) or the one's I've done will not be going anywhere. Now that's not to say I don't take pride in my work because I do, but I'm sure we all have things where we just want more than the basic, but not go really far so that it becomes a burden.


I decided to go digital (for obvious reasons hinted above) and went with a Fuji. The lighting didn't have to be really savvy so a basic tungsten was used and the backdrops ... well as you can see I used card. Tacky and cheap looking I know, but it worked, and will suffice for now. I do have hopes of using the studio more next year and really step up the game a little with equipment and direction, but that'll matter on the kind of briefs that are set.

Hmm, seems like this is my first ever image post aswell. It's odd how I didn't even think of posting any images before. Hopefully I'll try posting images more often now, but only if they're really needed.

Right now though, I have a weeks break in which I must complete the project and get it printed and ready for my presentation on the Friday we go back. Oh and I do have more details of the show, but will get to that later.

When it comes to English, I'm no professor. I didn't pass my English at school, and didn't get the best marks in the papers all the time. I do however know good English from bad English.

Although the English language is very crazy and weird, there is always an explanation. I don't know the answers to any of these, but I'm sure there's a reason as to why the plural of tooth is teeth yet the plural of phone booth is not phone beeth and why the alarm clock goes on when it goes off. But one thing I do know is that there surely isn't an explanation to this phrase, '...maximum infinity', which I heard from downstairs on bus today morning.

Yeah, how stupid. I don't normally like to listen into people's conversations, but on a bus so packed and with that one person that always insists on speaking over everyone else, you have no choice other than to listen in. Anyway, I couldn't help but grin a little when I heard that. Made the rainy weather out the window this morning seem a little distant for a while.

I got into another critique session argument again with my tutor today. She didn't moan about me not being in college for like a week, but she did decide to have a go at me with the direction of work I was taking.

There was my point, and there was hers. I was 100% sure my point was stronger than hers (like most times) and as expected, she ends up saying 'but I'll be marking it and I know what gives marks'. Fuck, don't you just hate that. Now I have to go back a bit, re-brainstorm my thought train, and get started on some new layouts.

Now believe this, we got robbed a whole week of project time. The hand in date has been shifted back a week so that we can set up the end of course show for those who want to come and see. See like we got given a timetable of the whole year and a lecture on time planning, and now we have to speed things up and get told to stuff the timetable and any time planning we'd done because of some show which will mostly be attended by old folks with walking sticks. How friggin' deceptive of them.

But honestly, I don't even really care. I'd planned to finish a week early anyway, and I think the earlier we have this show done, the quicker this course is over and done with. I'll be blogging more about the show at a later date. And if you're in around near Dewsbury, you might want to attend. There'll be free nibbles and some wine too.

Time to get some sleep now, I'm knackered

It's been a while since I wrote about any movies I've seen recently, and so I thought I'd give a quick rundown of some of the cool things I've watched over the past few weeks.

When talk first came around about animated movies, it didn't really appeal to me. I was taking it to be a thing for kids, and kids only. Then when a classmate who loves comics and is an avid fan of the whole comic-superhero movement told me they're not, and that some of the animated movies which come out nowadays are actually for quite mature audiences, I decided to give them a go. I have to say, I feel like a fool for not watching them earlier. Animated movies are so cool, and I've already made notes of future releases which I must watch.

Although not very original, Hoodwinked was one I really liked. The way the writers pinched bits from other scripts and decided to create one big twist from the very beginning was a good job nicely done. Ice Age was also cool too (no pun intended), and I can't wait to get my hands on Ice Age part 2 when it's released. I just hope that poor squirrel gets the nut. Both of these had well created computer generated graphics, and ended up being a real treat to watch. Other animated movies I've watched are Tim Burton's Corpse Bride which I didn't fancy too much, Ultimate Avengers which was fun, but since I'm not into the whole superhero thing it didn't entertain me as much, and The Incredibles which I loved very much.

I can't help but think now that some day in the future we can move away from Hollywood and blue-screens and hand crafted backdrops to fully computer generated movies in animation. I'm sure some of you will also love to see the next Bad Boys in animation - that would be so cool!

Moving away from animation, yesterday I watched Lucky Number Slevin. The promotion for this movie was up and running early on billboards and t-side bus ads everywhere in the UK and I'd made mental note to watch it since then. When the ending credits rolled on screen yesterday, I sat back and couldn't help think that this movie was a little over the top. With a lot of loopholes in the script, it was enjoyable to watch, but not so convincing. I like to watch a movie and then think 'crap, that shit can really happen' but with this movie, it was the opposite.

Following in the same trait, Chaos was one movie I quite liked. With a script lending its ideas from The Usual Suspects, it ended up being a good movie with the right amount of action and twists towards the end. Jason Stratham played a really good role in this, aswell as Wesley Snipes. Although Stratham is one of my favourites, I don't feel the same about Snipes anymore. Another movie of his I've watched recently is The Detonator which I think was a straight-to-video/DVD. The movie; it was nothing but one big rip-off.

And just before I forget, I've just caught Firewall too. I was expecting it to be some really good action filled tech-robbery, but ended up with nothing but a mere product placement movie. I could've just walked into a room full off computers in a bank operating Windows OS instead. Did that make sense?

That's it for now anyway, hopefully I'll blog some more on movies at a later date.

My FMP is hard as it is. It's a total of 3 units and which I intend to ace all 3. The criteria for each is pretty though too, but with a little effort, there's nothing that can't not be done.

The hardest choice to make with my FMP is type. The type in any design work should be considered and given much thought, but when you have a choice of one thousand and plus typefaces, you don't really know where to start. You could say the beginning, but that'll take hours. I spent the most of Sunday looking at all the many typefaces I have available, and I've been through almost 600 or so and still not yet made a decision. Well I did at one point, only to get told it's not the right choice to go with after by people who consider themselves experts at typography.

You could say I'm being silly, or paranoid, but making the right typeface choice could be the difference between a design working and not working. I don't want to get a lower mark just because I didn't care too much about the type, I want to go through whatever it takes to make sure this projects turns out to be a success. Even if that means endless hours on sketching layouts, selecting typefaces, or fighting with colour.

One of the things I've never been able to do successfully is to open a new bank account for myself. The last time I tried to open one was on Friday. Before that, it was sometime last year. I wanted myself a debit card and so I went into a Halifax bank branch in town to open it. Why Halifax? Well I've already got a savings account with them which I've had since I was a kid.

Anyway, I told them I needed a new account, something which would give me a debit card so I could purchase things online using it. I filled out an application and got a reply back some weeks later saying it had been declined but they'd like to offer me another account - an easycash account. So I said ok. When the card came, it was a damn Link card which ofcourse is of no good when you want to purchase things online. Some days later I walked into the main branch in town (we have two Halifax banks in town) and told them what had happened. Now apparently, I hadn't scored high enough on their credit scoring system (being 18, at college, with no job) and so they couldn't offer me one and could give me an easycash account only. I must say, I was unhappy about it all and it took me a while to come to terms with it. I used my sisters' card after that anyway.

This past Tuesday I went bank into the main Halifax bank branch in town again and this time asked them if I could open a student account. I got given an appointment for Friday because they thought I needed to have a chat with one of their advisors to see what financial solutions I should need since I'll be a student. Hmm, whatever. Anyway I went, and would you believe it, the same darn thing happened. I hadn't scored high enough on their credit scoring system again. Now this was weird, I'm needing a student account, how on earth am I supposed to score high with credit? The advisor, a Miss Natalie something, was also shocked about this and said she couldn't understand why it had declined me for a student account. Anyhow, we chatted for a bit more and then I said it. 'Forget it, I'm going to HSBC.' The smile on her face dropped and she was lost for words. All she could say was 'you could come back later once you've started your course, maybe it'll score higher then?' Yeah right.

Anyway, I went into the HSBC bank which is round the corner and got the job done like clockwork. It was being renovated too and was looking extremely nice. I got myself a student account with a debit card, credit card, cheque book, and also a much bigger interest free overdraft limit than what Halifax were offering. If only banks could be this easy on their customers.

I've also decided to close both of my accounts with Halifax in a few weeks time and tell them goodbye too. Halifax bank sucks!

From above, I thought only God had the right to give us direct commands which we must obey or suffer thereafter. Today, I realised the sun also has this right to give us men and women on earth the command too, and shall we choose not obey, we will suffer.

Yesterday was hot. Today seems even hotter. Still, it isn't that hot that you should feel the need to strip down and remove almost every item of clothing on your body, yet why do people insist on removing every item of clothing and roam the streets like they've just been dropped out their mothers wombs? I don't know whether it's a cool thing to like walk around with no top on, but it is pretty disturbing for those in the right (my) mind.

On the way home from college I had my head against the window trying not to move and cool down a little. I tried to get some rest too but had to keep an eye open to keep watch over the wasp that was buzzing a few windows away from me. I hate wasps. Anyway, I saw one guy who had nothing on other than a yellow tracksuit bottom and some gloves. Would you believe it, he was wearing gloves, but no top to cover his not so manly body. Weird I know.

It scares me to think that the days are only going to get hotter now. I just hope it doesn't get so hot that everyone starts walking around naked.

Back in high school I used to hear the word 'gigo' (garbage in, garbage out) all the time during ICT lessons. I didn't know whether they, the teachers, were just trying to be smart with us, or actually if there was such a thing/phrase that existed. GIGO is ... well I'll let Wiki tell you.

GIGO is usually said in response to users who complain that a program did not "do the right thing" when given imperfect input ... For example, a badly written TeX document will look bad because the user did not correctly typeset the TeX source properly. This instance of GIGO could be described in a similar vein to WYSIWYG - what you see is what you get.

Well anyway, this phrase has lived with me ever since. Today was a perfect example of when it surfaced again. I'm currently doing my FMP, and since it's going to be marked by the exam board which I think I will have to present to, I have to make sure it looks thick, and well created. Everything must appear of good quality. That means the work, and the pages the work's been done on.

Hmm so sketchbooks. Now at the college shop they come pretty cheap. The paper quality and batch isn't bad too, but this time I went a little out of league. Rather than buying a sketchbook (A3) for £4 at the college shop, I got one for £12 from a shop in my town. I've already finished one of these bad-arse looking sketchbooks, and bought another today. I felt bad of how I'd just spent now a total of £24 on just sketchbooks, but whilst buying it I kept thinking 'GIGO'. The more I put into the whole presentation and look of my work, I should get better marks. I should hope so anyway.