On the way to college, I saw Rob so I walked with him. Once there, to our surprise, Brian took us for an hour, instead of Bronek. He wanted to give us our project brief and talk about it for bit after which, we just got on with whatever, for most that was the animation - I still haven't even started mine. For me, I was trying to get used to using InDesign, but I still think that while it is indeed a powerful program, it's not at all user friendly. I find it very hard to come up with ideas while working in it, whereas if I open up Photoshop, I can have ideas down in minutes.
Bronek came in after a while and he talked to us about his project (a 60 second video). He asked who hadn't got any footage and I said I hadn't, and one or two others said they weren't sure about what to do, so we gathered together and we talked about it for a bit, each person explaining their idea, if they had one. Most people seemed a little lost and confused about it, but have some raw footage which they don't know what to do with. I on the other hand, know exactly what I'm doing for my video, what the story is going to be about, music, filming the scenes etc. I just haven't done it yet.
The deadline, incidentally for all the projects given to us by the tutors is January 20th, at which time we're supposed to give a presentation of our work. I'm not looking forward to that, since as of right now, I have a very, very minimal amount of work that I could actually present.
By the time Bronek had finished talking to us, it was lunch. Since I didn't have any video, Bronek asked me if I wanted to film some of it after lunch and I said sure, but I needed a victim volunteer to star in my movie. Sean reluctantly offered, after Bronek pretty much forced him to do it.
As everyone left the class for lunch and Bronek went back to the staff room, I stopped him for a moment.
"I just want to apologise for being off", I said to him.
"It has been noted", he said to me in a knowing tone.
"I try so hard to get to college, but sometimes it just doesn't happen. It's just so hard for me to get to sleep sometimes."
"I know, we are aware that there are problems. Don't worry too much about it."
"I just don't want you thinking that I'm not in because I'm just lazy or something."
"Nah, we don't think that."
So that was my apology to Bronek. I felt it neccessary to say, because I don't want to be kicked off the course because of my absences.
Back and 1pm, and I got the camera and tripod from the technician's office and then asked Sean to help me out. Though I much prefer the role of director to actor, I feel very awkward telling people in my class what to do - even when I'm right - because I know they're not that willing to do it. For this reason, I know that some of the shots that I've filmed won't be as good as they could be if I had given better instructions of how to do something.
I filmed eight scenes in total and it was fun to do. I've always wanted to do a little bit of filming. I still have to do a lot more, but I had enough to put into Premiere to edit and I was fairly happy with how I had filmed it so far, but to be honest, I don't really want Sean as my character - he doesn't look the part. My character needs to have the same kind of enigmatic, smooth look as someone like Travolta (yes, I know that's stretching it a bit) - The kind of person who looks the part as soon as the camera starts rolling on them. Sean is not that person and if I use him, it will detract from what I want to achieve. I may ask someone else to do it instead, but I'm sure he'll be insulted if I say "You'll make my movie suck". Ha.
4pm came around very very quickly and wished Bronek a happy Christmas as I gave him back the camera and tripod, before leaving college for the last time this year.
On my way home, I picked up a bottle of Aftershock and two tubes of Pringles for my houseparty. I did intend to get a lot more, but I wanted to play it safe, as I still don't know if it will even happen and I don't want to blow a load of my own money of stuff if it's not going to be used.
Wednesday was a bit non-eventful, as I woke up at 10am, but went back to bed around 5pm and didn't get back up till 11pm. It was just because I could I guess.
While sleeping, I had one of the most real, and disturbing nightmares I've had in a long, long while. I actually dreamt that I was sleeping, in my bed, in my room as normal and then I woke up (in the dream) and when I opened my eyes, I was in a first person perspective, when usually I never see out of my own eyes in dreams. But, then the scary stuff happened. I tried to sit up in bed and as I went to, got held down by some unseen force. I tried again and again, I got pushed back down. This happened a good few times, and it got scarier and scarier. At one point, I managed to get out of bed and I was about to run out of the room, only to get pulled back and pushed onto the bed again. I was trying my hardest to scream, yet all that was coming out was a murmur. I don't know how long I was in the middle of that dream, but I was pretty damn glad when I woke up for real. I actually turned the light on straight away and sat up in bed, just to make sure I actually could, because that dream had felt so real. Scary.
Today has been pretty uneventful too. However, the one small bit of news is the fact that I seem to be going to one of my mum's friend's houses with her for Christmas dinner. I feel awkward about it. I feel the only reason I've been invited is because my mum has probably told her friend, Richard, who is also a friend of Gary's that I'm going to be here on my own on Christmas day and hinted, if not asked if I could come with her to his. The gesture is nice of course, but under those pretences, it just feels kind of embarassing. However, I said yes.
I don't even know this Richard guy. At all. I've never met him, I've never talked to him. All I know is that he is a Detective Inspector and he knows my mum via Gary. My mum happened to note that he has a son, 14 and a daughter, 18 who'll be there too.
This will be really weird.
Going to a stranger's house and eating dinner with his family, just because my mum happens to know him and on top of that, sitting at the table with his son and daughter who you also don't know? You can't say that isn't awkward. Still, maybe it will be better than spending Christmas here, in this house, on my own, since if I say no, then my mum will go to Richard's anyway and Laura isn't here either, because she's going to Chris' house instead.
I don't even like turkey!
