The Very (Very) Amateur Filmmaker

#TVVAF What Were You Foreshadowing Dylan? You may have picked up from the mentions in the previous two posts (if not, you should read them!) that girlfriend Ellie was visiting. Since we don't get to see each other all that often due to the whole, "she lives in Italy" thing, it felt like making a short film was the perfect way to relive this week until the next time. This resulted in what is to me, the best video so far. I feel like the overall production quality was lifted and shots felt crisper and clearer than before. Be this the experience I've been slowly accumulating, or simply making a short film with a more attractive star to the video than me (compliments to boost my self esteem are encouraged.) Tangent warning:  Around Christmas time, some of my family friends asked to see a picture of Ellie. After one caught a glimpse (cheers Davy), he was quick to voice his opinion of her being "out of my league". What f...

Halloween  I've always liked halloween.  When I was younger, it consisted of going round the village with some friends and trying to get as many sweets as possible. Thinking back, it was definitely one of my favourite days. The best part for me was each house trying to guess who was under the mask, but it wasn't until I left home that I realised this might not be a thing in larger communities, am I alone here? Anyway, onto the video as I just found out the word count for each blog is to be under 330 words (lol). Nightmare on Craigpark Drive (wooo spooky) So halloween had arrived and I knew I wanted to make a film but what I planned to make and what transpired were two polar opposites. My initial aim was to create a behind the scenes style video of my flatmates and I getting ready since girlfriend Ellie (more info on the next post, foreshadowing no. 2) was over, and it would have been foolish not to take advantage of her unreal ...

#TVVAF My strange addiction If theres something I've learnt about this week, it's procrastination (a word I spell wrong every time). With the mid semester rush on at university, I had a stupid number of assignments, presentations and tests to do and so, reluctantly, the blog and filming had to take a back seat (sad face). However, What certainly didn't take a backseat is my ability to procrastinate. I like to think that this is genetic (thanks mum), but really it probably comes down to the sheer number of distractions at hand. It's as if I'm addicted to procrastinating and the very thought of sitting still and getting some work done is an impossibility. The video for this post then is dedicated to mine and many others favourite pastimes, procrastination.  But how is this any different? This was the first video that was scripted. This means that rather than going out and filming what happened, it was shot more like a film. It was also the first that I ...

#TVVAF Surprise! If you read the last post you saw I left you (well at least tried to) with a cliffhanger. If you haven't read it then what are you waiting for, go give it a once over! Well now that we're all caught up to speed it's time to introduce you to my 4 wheeled pink surprise... Maybe a bit underwhelming if it was a car that you were expecting but I've wanted a Penny Board for the longest time and to finally have one is the best feeling. Before diving into the film attached to this post here’s some quick points: •    My family think I am far to clumsy to ride one •    Hot pink wasn't my first choice but it was the only one left on sale •    It is a nickel board (a size up from the penny) Learning to Penny Board The initial idea for this film was to document the process of learning how to ride a skateboard, from the falls at the start to cruising the streets. However, once filming commenced I soon realised a flaw : I just...

#TVVAF Go Getters When you think "famous filmmaker" I imagine some of you go straight to the Steven Spielbergs, the Christopher Nolans or the Alfred Hitchcocks. But for me and many others these aren't the names that first come to mind. For us it's independent creators choosing to publish their work for free online. It was years and years of watching these go getters that finally made me decide that I wanted to have a go at this. I started making short videos on my phone and getting to grips with editing software. The next step was to buy my first camera. The Big Fat Highland Wedding. 22nd of September, 2017 Storytelling is something that can be very difficult to pin down (as you can see from my videos lol). In its most basic form, storytelling is the thread that runs through a video, the thing that ties everything together. There are thousands of videos that have amazing visuals and incredibly creative shots but once you've finished...