The Reluctant Blogger

Production The reality sequences were filmed over two days in West Bromwich Central Public Library and The Pavilion Café in Stoke-on-Trent. These scenes made up the beginning and end of the film. THE LIBRARY In the library the character (Kim) introduces the audience to her world. Scenes of books and pages are shown, and a ghost-like  time-lapse  was created.   Extra sounds were recorded for the library scene in which Kim hears whispers coming from the books like the moment in Inkheart. We had to create a sign for the cafe as there isn't yet one at the library, which then cut to the location in Stoke. The library was really helpful when it came to filming, and the whole scene was shot in about 2 hours. THE CAFE The cafe scene was filmed on a different day to the library. In the cafe Kim meets the Barista, or Atsirab, and orders a cup of tea and a muffin. The timing for the shoot was limited and as we worked on the lighting outside lessened. In

How it all started... Last year my sister wrote a 1000 word short story for the BBC Young Writer's competition. Meanwhile in university the current assignment was to create a short narrative film. At the time I was thinking of creating a half stop-motion animated short, and when I read my sister's story I found great potential. We then collaborated and created a script based on her original piece. In the interview below she talks about her inspirations and how she came up with the idea: Q1: How did you come up with the idea for Writer's Block? A1: Coming up with Writer’s Block was a funny process really. I was trying to come up with a story for a writing contest and nothing I came up with was good enough. I said to my mom I had writer’s block and being the sarcastic lady that she is she said to me "I've never been there, what's it like?" And I thought: ‘What if the Writer’s Block was a place!’ Q2: Were there any other novels, artworks

All filmmakers are influenced by other people's ideas and creations. If one was to watch what everyone else was watching, then, in theory, one can only think what everyone else is thinking. This is why individual ideas and viewpoints are so important. A world where everyone has the same opinion would be a boring world indeed. My current influences are as follows: Film Directors: Peter Jackson J. J. Abrams Ridley Scott Georges Melies Tim Burton Photographers: Henri Cartier-Bresson Dorothea Lange Joel Robinson Ansel Adams Artists: Oliver Jeffers Alan Lee Beatrix Potter E. H. Shepard Judith Kerr Authors: Jane Austen J. R. R. Tolkien Michael Morpurgo Noel Streatfield Suzanne Collins Agatha Christie Classical Music: The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit Soundtrack (Howard Shore) The Kings Speech Soundtrack (Alexander Desplat) Raindrop Prelude (Frederik Chopin) Dance of the Cygnets (Tchaikovsky) Mars/Jupiter (Holst) Liebesträum

The concept for this assignment was to create a one minute film using two characters and 1 light. The camera was handheld throughout, and captured one character’s point of view for the purpose of building an atmosphere of intensity. The chosen light source was a torch – which directly interacted with both characters – and was used to reveal things hidden in the darkness and create ghost-like reflections. Sound effects were recorded on location using radio mics, and additional recordings were made (such as footsteps) for foley design. These were the intentionally added in order to achieve the desired effect. In post-production, a static effect – which both incorporated the visual and audio aspects of the film – was added to help achieve a ‘poor quality’ look that also provided a way of piecing the footage together. As we filmed the short in a ‘haunted’ part of an old Pub, it was a little terrifying at times. There was little natural light to film with, so we had to ens

THE BRIEF:   Advanced Film Production Module - Assignment 1: 'For this assignment you will need to shoot, edit, grade and sound design a short film detailing the journey from dawn to dusk.' Dartmouth Park Considering that 2014 was the 100 year anniversary of the end of the First World War, I wanted to create something that tied in with that theme. Although I wanted to concentrate on the First World War, I also wanted to remember every soldier who fought for our country in the many wars previous and since. I researched many of the cenotaphs and memorials around the Black Country, and decided to visit and 'catalogue' each one. FILM DESCRIPTION: Dawn till Dusk is a short 2 minute film that takes the audience on a journey around the Black Country, visiting all of the War Memorials in each borough over a period of time. The phrase 'Dawn till Dusk' is taken literally in several ways: the period of time; the beginning and end of the First World War; the na