I've Moved

Hey guys, I've moved!

You'll find my new blog at www.rooaroundtheworld.com

Practical Project Portfolio (5)

Over the last week I have mostly been focusing on my dissertation and getting a solid first draft done so that I can really turn my attention to this project, because knowing me, once I properly start the editing on the various parts of my portfolio, I won't stop, and everything else will be out of the window!

Other than that, there's not much to report. I'm slowly chipping away at this mountain of work that seems to be piling up, but I'm not too worried about it...there's plenty of time to get it all done. Actually, right now I'm working out a Project Plan that encompasses everything from my dissertation, to extra curricular activities, to each individual part of this project. This will allow me to set myself weekly/monthly targets and tick them off as I go along, which I love as it give a real sense of achievement when you know you've completed something.

I've also been sampling a few songs that could be possibilities for my showreel, and at the moment I'm really loving the song 'Welcome Home' by Radical Face, as it fits with exactly what I want - with some slow and gentle moments and then a build up to something with a faster pace, so that I can exemplify different styles within the one showreel.

That's all for now. More to come soon.

Post-holiday, Pre-uni blues

Now that my lovely, beautiful, sunny holiday in Mauritius is over and my friends have all gone home after our New Year's celebrations in London, it is back to the grind of work work work, dissertation, dissertation, dissertation. And I've got to say it's thoroughly depressing. The only thing keeping me going is the thought that in just over 5 months time (on the 20th of May, to be more specific), all of this will be over. My work will be done and dusted, and all handed in, leaving me free to enjoy a few weeks of a Cornish Summer, before I (fingers crossed) head out to America to begin my Summer Camp adventure!

And after that...it's a round the world trip with my best mates. So enjoy me while you can, England, I'm gonna be gone for quite some time!

Hello, Sunshine

For Christmas I went to Mauritius with my (very extended) family...that is, my dad, my elder sister, my two younger half-sisters, my ex-stepmum, her new boyfriend, and their two-year-old (whom I consider my sister). See, I told you it was complicated.

The view from my sun lounger

Because of all the snow in London, we nearly didn't even make it there, which would have been an absolute disaster, but has luck would have it, it stopped snowing for just long enough so we could make it out of the country...we were the first flight out to Mauritius for five days! Phew...Christmas would have been lame if we hadn't been able to go - we'd already done Christmas dinner and presents and everything, so that we wouldn't have to carry extra stuff on the plane.

Anyway, after a long 12 hour flight, we arrived in hot and sunny Mauritius and quickly sorted ourselves out in our rooms at the Sugar Beach Hotel on the west coast of the island and were soon lying on the beach, soaking up some rays. It was beautiful, with white sands and blue sea, a book in my hand, and music in my ears. What more could a girl ask for?

Family Lunch

Over the week, we did nothing and everything. Everyday we'd eat ourselves silly at the buffet breakfast then play in the pool and lie on the beach before having an incredible lunch of sushi, noodles, salads, burgers, grilled sandwiches, fish...we ate it all! After all that food we thought it would be best to do some exercise, so we'd all go off to the watersports hut and go sailing or kayaking or on a pedalo. And about halfway through the week I got a quick wind-surfing lesson and went out on the sea for a few hours, using every muscle in my body to pull up that hefty sail. It was so much fun, I didnt want to stop, but when a big fish decided to sink it's teeth into my foot I thought it was time to call it a day!

Sunset over the South Pool

In the evenings we'd go for dinner in one of the hotel's three restaurants - at the main buffet they had a different theme every night, so one night it was oriental food, one was Lebanese, and of course there was Christmas dinner on the day itself. After stuffing ourselves to excellent sufficiency, we'd head over to Tides bar for some cocktails and dancing. Well, I say dancing...but I really mean that Thalia (the 2-year-old) had the time of her life dancing to the live band, while the rest of us watch on, thinking how cute she was! On some nights there were also live dance shows, ranging from belly-dancing to a traditional Mauritian dance display on our last night, a fantastic way to end our stay.

So, if anyone fancies a Christmas getaway, I would definitely recommend Mauritius. It's got everything you could want and more. But most importantly, it's not cold, grey and wet, like England!

Practical Project Portfolio (4)

I've been away on holiday in Mauritius for Christmas and so have had no internet for over a week, hence the late blog post.

To be honest, I'm a little ashamed to say that there's not much to report in the way of progress. This is due to hectic-ness of family and Christmas, and of course a holiday in the sunshine! I have, however, managed to complete one of my 2000 word essays - the contextual one about the theoretical and practical aims for my portfolio. I'm pretty pleased with it, and I feel that it succinctly sums up what I want to get out of this project and why I'm doing it, looking into what influences me as an editor and the different theories that I can apply to the individual projects in this portfolio, whether they are a music video, a documentary or a trailer.

The trailer mash-up of The Breakfast Club and Ocean's Eleven is getting there, but it's pretty slow going, as matching up audio of one film to the video of another is a lot harder than I thought it would be! I've also begun to make plans for what pieces of work I'm going to include in my showreel, so as to best display my skills as an editor using different genres and styles

So at the moment progress may be a little slow, but I know that once this Christmas/New Year's period is over,  I will get straight back to it and try to get as much done before term begins as possible.

Practical Project Portfolio (3)

I am making progress.

At least I hope so. I've made a start on two of my essays, the contextual one about the role of the editor, and the write-up of my work experience placements. They're going pretty well - although at the moment they're more in the planning stages than the actual writing phase. I want to sort exactly what I want to say in them, and get all my research down for the contextual essay before I actually write them up. But to be honest I don't see them being too difficult. I find writing quite easy really, and I know it's just a matter of sitting down and doing it. The work experience write up in particular shouldn't be too challenging, and I'm hoping to get it done before I go on holiday to Mauritius (!) next week. I just need to try to remember exactly what it was that I did and what I learned whilst I was on my placement (s). And as for the contextual essay, if I can get about half of it done before I leave for the sunshine I'll be happy.

I'm still working on the trailer mashup, and it's coming along nicely. Then I'll begin work on the other parts of the showreel - my own work and a re-cut trailer. I haven't decided which film yet tho...I'm thinking of doing a REALLY terrible film, and completely changing the look of it in the trailer, like doing it in a different style, or using secondary characters or something like that, to totally alter people's perceptions of the film that was previously conceived to be absolute rubbish. Any suggestions?

Wakey! Wakey!

Last night I went to a very intimate gig Upstairs at the Relentless Garage in Highbury, London, to see the incredible band Wakey! Wakey! Some of you might know who I mean if I say that the lead singer is Michael Grubbs, of One Tree Hill fame. With the set list including the songs 'Dance So Good', 'Brooklyn' and 'Light Outside', Grubbs had the 150 person audience in the palm of his hand within seconds, his beautiful voice and haunting lyrics ringing true in the hearts of every person there.

Wakey! Wakey! album artwork

"So yeah it feels bad now, but it's gonna get better someday" is just one such line from the song 'Almost Everything' that makes me love this band. It's just so perfect...it's applicable to any situation and is uplifting even in the hardest of times.

And what can I say about the man himself? Michael Grubbs is a very very talented man, a true artist. And he's really funny too - he was cracking jokes all the way through the set, even telling one about Kid Cudi getting kicked off the Lady Gaga tour for an altercation with a fan, regarding an unfortunate misunderstanding over some wallet throwing!

It's on nights like these that I'm reminded why it is I love music so much. When the artist just loves to play, and when every person is a true fan, there for the music, not the celebrity, or to jump on the bandwagon.

I even got a photo with Mr Michael Grubbs, the star of the show!

The gig was so small that it wasn't even the whole band, just Grubbs and his violinist, making it even more special...I'm not sure how many times that's ever going to happen again.

These guys are going places, and fast.

If what I've described sounds like it's up your street, then the full band will be playing another gig at the same venue in January, check out their website for more details.

Practical Project Portfolio (2)

Over the last week I've been busy planning out what I'm going to be doing for my final project. Last week I mentioned what is going to be in my portfolio, and since then I've been working on a few more ideas, particularly for my showreel, as this is the section that I can really start working on straight away, without having to wait for production to start on the two 10-minute films that I'll be editing.

Obviously a showreel needs to display different skills and qualities, so I intend to include a variety of my work, past and present:

• One of my main interests is travel, and I have made quite a few films about the places I have visited, so I will be using parts of these and re-cutting them into the showreel (including my STA application videos, which I believe to be some of my best work to date).
• I will also be using footage from the films I have made over the last few years (whether in the role of director, producer, camera operator or editor), as I feel it is important to show my abilities in editing different styles - my work includes silent films, comedies, dramas and music videos.
• I am also very interested in the speciality of promos and trailers, so I will be creating my own trailer of an already release feature film...and which film? Well, that I'm not sure of yet. On my list are Into The Wild, Lords of Dogtown, Almost Famous, and (to go for a cheesy teen movie) 17 Again (If you have any suggestions or ideas for what film I should do, just comment below)
• Finally, as discussed last week, I will be cutting a trailer mashup of The Breakfast Club and Ocean's Eleven, using the visuals from OE, and the audio from TBC. I've already started on this one, and it's proving a lot of fun.

I'm also trying to make a start on my contextual essay, which is going to be about the role of the editor in a professional context. I've been doing a bit of research and at the moment I'm reading a book by award winning editor Walter Murch, called 'In The Blink Of An Eye', which is all about different editing styles and the reasoning behind why we cut films, and how it works. It's really fascinating, and I hope to focus a part of my essay on Murch and his editing theories.

So that's all for now...I'll let you know how I've been getting on with everything in next week's post.

Practical Project Portfolio (1)

So, for my Uni Practical Project Portfolio, I've been asked to keep a blog about what I'm getting up to and the progress I'm making with my work. I'm doing an Editing skills portfolio, so I'll be editing a couple of films and making some trailers. Sounds more like fun than work really, doesn't it?!

Firstly, here's my task list for the next few months (all of which I need to complete by the end of May next year):

1. A Contextualising Essay on the theoretical and practical aims and outcomes for and of the project.

2. 2 films plus 3 minute collection of trailers (own work, mash-ups and re-cut trailer)

3. Write up of work experience (2000 words)

4. This Blog (updated weekly)

5. A Self Reflective Essay (min 1500 words)

I'm pretty chuffed with this, as I can actually start a lot of it now, and get it done and dusted before production even begins on the two 10-minute films that I'm going to be cutting.

I'm most excited about the trailers part of the portfolio, especially after finding this, a mashup trailer of Toy Story 3 and Inception:


I'm going to be doing something similar to this, and at the moment I'm working on a trailer that combines The Breakfast Club and Ocean's Eleven, and then I'm thinking of doing one that merges Toy Story 1 with The Departed. So yeah, it's all under way!

Summer Camp USA

So I've decided that next summer, instead of just going on a few holidays and generally bumming around, I'm going to actually get off my arse and DO something. And after speaking to the BUNAC people at a careers fair the other day at uni, I've come to conclusion that the something I will be doing is going to Summer Camp in America to be a camp counsellor...no not that sort of counsellor. It means I'll be looking after the kids, doing activities with them like film-making, photography, all sorts of sports, and generally just having a good time.

I want to do this soooo badly...At the moment I don't really have enough formal experience working with kids, so I've contacted the Girlguides people and will hopefully be volunteering with them (starting asap, fingers crossed!) which will beef up my application form.

Ah yes, the application form...what a palava. They want so much information, about me, about my background, my experience working with children, that sort of thing. And then I have to go to an interview (I'm hoping to book it for late January) for them to see if I really am suitable for it and what kind of camp I should be placed at...and then they have to find a job at a camp for me! If I get accepted that is.

But if all goes according to plan, I will be in America come the end of June. And I cannot wait!

I Made A Little Video

I went with some friends to Trebah Gardens the other day...a beautiful place with exotic plants and water running through it. But to be honest, what we enjoyed most was the zipwire!

Paris Paris Paris

So, nearly 2 months since returning from Paris, I have finally had the time to put together the footage i took, and make a lovely little video to show you all just what we got up to while we were there. I hope you enjoy!

I'm Baaaaack!

I'm well aware I've been pretty absent recently, apologies for that...life's been pretty hectic. Oh, and my laptop broke and I've only just gotten it back...a month later!

So what's been happening, I hear you cry?!

Well...where did I leave off? I was back in London after numerous holidays and fun travels and before long the monotony of being in one place was really starting to get to me. So fortunately I managed to get week's work placement at Tiger Aspect (a TV & Film production company) in the editing department, which was amazing as I got to really experience how it all works in post production and I actually got to sit in my own edit suite and play around with a cut of the BBC programme 'The Deep', as well as working with a director to put together a rough cut of a pitch video for a new show.

Tiger Aspect Avid Edit Suite

It was so much fun working there, and I really hope to go back in my Christmas holidays...it really has just confirmed that editing is definitely what I want to do after Uni, and now I'm so excited to get stuck into my final projects and just work on my craft.

I would have love to do another week at Tiger, but I'd already made plans to go with a friend to Paris the following week to see Canadian band, Stars.  Time for another adventure...but more on this another time - out escapades deserve their own post I think!

For now, I'm back in Falmouth...term has started and I'm finding that 3rd year is freakin' terrifying! On the plus side though, it'll all be over soon and then I can disappear off round the world!

Oh, and I got a car. A Seat Arosa. He's a beauty. Bucket List Number 49 - complete!

My lovely car...any name suggestions?

That's all for now. Byeeeee
x

Sometimes

[Found on postsecret.com]

 Sometimes it's like they don't remember that I miss you.

Music Music Music

In order to be a bit professional I've decided to keep my films (uni or travel etc) and music separate, so I've created a youtube channel just for music, where I'll be uploading videos of me playing guitar and singing mostly covers as well as doing the odd original song. There's a few up now, and I hope to do some more very soon.

I hope you enjoy them and if you've got any requests for songs, just let me know.

http://www.youtube.com/user/rusjafostermusic

Nothing In Particular

I found these and thought of you...

Home At Last

Mykali Bay. You can see Turkey off in the distance.

I'm back in London after my (almost) month of travels and I have to say it's been a pretty sweet summer so far. I went down to the south of France for a few days before catching a plane (or three) to Samos Island, Greece. Samos is pretty much the furthest you can get from mainland Greece before you're in Turkey...I mean, I probably could have swum across it's really that close (have a look at the photo and you'll see what I mean).

Our room at the Sandalis Hotel

If you're ever in Samos and you want somewhere fairly cheap to stay, go to the George Sandalis Hotel in Pythagorio. It's only 30 Euros per night for a double room with en suite bathroom, balcony and little kitchen area (with fridge). It's clean and tidy, and the old couple who run it, Angelo and Maria, are awesome!

For the first few days we went to a little beach to the right of the harbour (where the sun loungers cost 3 euros each), which was nice, if not a little busy. After that, we found Pythagorio Beach, just a 5-10 minute walk back along the main road out of Pyth. It's a much longer stretch of beach, the sun loungers are only 2 euros 50 cents, and the sea is nicer to swim in.

Pythagorio Beach

We also visited a friend of mine who is working as a sailing instructor (among other things) in Mykali Bay, a beautiful beach area, where the sea is a perfect blue and has a sandbank that stretches for what seems like miles (see photo above). There are also kayaks, jet skis and other water activities available to try.

At night time, Pythagorio really comes alive and the many many many bars and restaurants that line the harbour front are always buzzing...I would recommend Zephyrus for their crepes and delicious milkshakes (and free wifi...just ask for the code when you buy a drink), and Thomas Bar for the most comfortable chairs in the world. No joke. They're incredible.

Zephyrus Bar (it was usually busier than this!)

Samos is a great place to just chill out and get some sun. However, if you're the type of person who needs activity then there are loads of daily boat trips to other beaches around the island and plenty of car/moped/quad-bike hire places if you fancy doing a little exploring.

Sadly though, all holidays come to an end...there's always next year!

Take Me Back To My Youth

I've just been to see Toy Story 3 and I cannot explain how much I loved it. It by far exceeded my expectations and has reminded me why it is that I love film so much...why I want to be a part of this amazing industry that can have a whole room of total strangers laughing, crying and cheering together.

There is a reason they waited eleven years to make this film...and that reason was to make it so bloody brilliant that there are just no holes to pick at. From the beautiful and astounding animation to the wonderfully witty script, this film soars through emotional highs and lows as all your favourite characters are brought to life once more to battle an evil teddy bear. Woody has remained as loyal and charming as ever, Mr Potato Head is just as grumpy and yet so so lovable, Slinky is...well...Slinky, and Buzz? Oh Buzz goes through some changes in this one. All I'm going to say is...'Hola Señor!'.

So if you've got a few hours this summer, and if you're going to see just one film...please make sure it's this one. I promise you will not regret it.

Dear Grandma...

Due to some rather sad and unforeseen circumstances I find myself back in London today and for the next few days. I am deeply sorry to say that my grandmother died a few days ago, so of course I have come back for the funeral, which will take place on Monday. She was an amazing woman and will be sorely missed by everyone, including all ten of her grandchildren and her two new great-grandchildren (one of whom was born just a day after her passing...there is life in death, after all). Grandma, we love you and we will always remember you...you and your watered-down apple juice.

My Grandma, Rachel Foster

And So It Begins

Finally my summer travels have begun, and although not quite as exciting or adventurous as it would have been had I won the STA WTI, I am just ecstatic to be going anywhere, to be moving, to be on the road.

I'm currently in Tuscany, Italy, staying in the most beautiful villa about an hour south of Florence, with my Dad and two younger sisters. It. Is. Heaven. The weather is glorious, the food delicious, and the pool is the exact right temperature - not too cold, not too warm, just perfect. Oh it's a hard life.

We've really just been doing nothing since we arrived. Just lying by the pool, reading, listening to music...mostly waiting for the next meal! And I wouldn't have it any other way. Although I think tomorrow we're going to Siena for a bit of a change of scenery.

I'm here until Friday and then it's a nice long train journey to Nice, France (I think I have to make about 3 or 4 changes...that could be interesting as I really don't speak a word of Italian. Or French for that matter. All part of the adventure I suppose!) and then on to my Grandma's house in a little village called Coursegoules, up in the mountains. It's so beautiful there, and I've been going every year since I was three, so it's kind of like a home-from-home.

And so, the journey continues...