The Last Few Months
I would like to start with an apology – it has been a few months since I have posted any news. This is due to the amount of work I have been doing and getting ready to leave for Australia.
The film “Breakdown” was written and directed by Alan McLaughlin. He is just finishing his third year at university. He brought on board a great team of students who were all just as excited as I was to be working on his project. I have now seen the end product and I am very impressed with all aspects of the film and I believe he will do well in his chosen industry.
Straight after “Breakdown” I worked on a film called “Morning After” written and directed by Ashar Aftab and Steve Pool. This was a small budget film based in Edinburgh about a woman who is with a younger man and they have a pregnancy scare, which makes her questions the relationship. On this project I got a lot of experience. We had some exceptionally long and tiring days but I got on well with the people involved.
Since my last news update I have now had my Graduation Ceremony. This was held in the Greenock Town Hall near James Watt College where I studied. It was a fantastic day out with my family and I got to see old class mates and lecturers. I was also awarded the “Charles Fox Make-up Award” for my efforts in and out of class. The award was a nomination by the lecturers of the college. I am so grateful for everything they have done for me during my three years with them.
The news about my trip to Australia to work in the Melbourne Arts Center and the Sydney Opera House has appeared in an article in the “Edinburgh Evening News” The article reads as If I am moving over indefinitely which is not the case. I have been offered a 6 month working experience placement. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to have this and would like to say a big “Thank You” to Andrew Keshan the Head of the Department..
On my placement I will be working on:
The Mikado written by Gilbert & Sullivan,
The Pearlfishers written by Georges Bizet,
La Boheme written by Giacomo Puccini,
Don Giovanni written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and finally
The Merry Widow written by Franz Lehar
The final film I have worked on before I leave for Australia is a short called “ No More Shall We Part” written and directed by Shaun Hughes, a masters student from Edinburgh college of Art.
This film is set in Quebec Canada, 1847. We join Henry in his remote log cabin pulling the body of Grace, his dead wife, from an old steel bathtub. A former butcher by trade he has been primitively trying to preserve her body to keep her around for companionship, emotionally continuing their relationship and avoiding the onset of grief and loneliness. After losing his two daughters to cholera, contracted on their journey after being forced from their home during the Highland Clearances, Henry cannot and will not accept the loss of his wife. Problems arise when James, Henry’s rebellious brother from Scotland, arrives seeking refuge. In an act of panic, alarmed by the possible discovery of his wife’s corpse, Henry shoots his brother. Through James’ death Henry is finally able to let go of Grace. Burying her beside their two daughters he begins the grieving process but keeps James’ body around for companionship.
The cast of experienced actors were so professional and just phenomenal to watch. The crew ranged in age and experience and the whole experience which was a fantastic opportunity to learn from. I thoroughly enjoyed the week we were filming and I truly believe we have made a great film.