viSion711

Behind the Scenes on VIRAL

2009-07-10T20:24:00.004+01:00

Young Irish Film Makers have started shooting their Summer film, titled VIRAL.
No I can't say anything about the film, but I can offer some Behind the Scenes footage of the shoot as it progresses!
I've been there a couple of days now, shooting away, and so far so (mildly) good! My stomach has growled louder than ever at times, and I'm sure I've passed out at some point from boredom at stages of the shoots where I'm just not doing anything.
But on the bright side, a film set is a great place to get decent shots, and there's always a group of people who don't actually mind having their photo taken, as opposed to most people these days.
Anyway, I won't spend too long on this so for the full set of shots from behind the scenes on Viral, check them out my Flickr, and leave feedback!

A Devious Well-Wishing

2009-07-08T14:38:00.003+01:00

The Devious Theatre Company have just released their trailer for their upcoming production, Stags and Hens.

I've had the good fortune to get to do a small amount of behind the scenes work on this show, and I think I can safely say that it's going to be a tremendous play.
Sadly, I'll be missing the show, as I'll be in Irish College while it takes it's five day run in the Watergate Theatre from the 21st till the 25th of July.
I'd just like to use this post to wish them all the best of luck, and I hope it goes really well for them!
I hear there will also be a '70s Night fundraiser for the show on Saturday the 11th of July in Cleeres, Kilkenny, from 9:00pm.

For more, go to the Devious Theatre web page.

The Room Gets a Revamp: Stage 1

2009-06-30T20:33:00.006+01:00

Having not lived in my own room for the past few months, I've found out just how much I need my own place to be?! I've been carted all over the place, in search for a place to sleep since January. I've lived in my brother's bedroom, my friends' houses, my sitting room (?!), my garage, and finally, I'm moving back into my old room!
I see it as an occasion worth marking, so I've decided to do up the room a bit, or give it a revamp, if you will.
Stage one of this revamp involved taking everything out, and filling in all the holes I made with filler stuff. Once that was done, taping up shit, and breaking out the paint!!
Hmmmm.... Painting a wall? Easy? NO! First off, my manky carpet is now even mankier, as it has blotches of paint all over it (some help that big grey dustsheet was), and after a day of working at it, all I got done was the feckin' corners and edges? I'm not amused, wall!
Tomorrow will be another day of heavy painting, and buying materials for a new desk, which I've deisgned, as the one I'm using now is a load of bollox.
Once the desk is bulit, the buying begins: This will include a kettle, a water dispenser, a mini fridge, shitloads of new posters, a neon clock (if I can get it cheap), new bed stuff and a big ass canvas of Jim Morrison, like so:

POLL: The Stig: Hoax or Not?

2009-06-22T00:18:00.002+01:00

Yes, the question that is on everyone's mind, and I decide to do a little poll. So here's the Q, is Michael Shumacher the Stig? What do you think?
Let me know!
Just reply to this post with a yes or a no, and give a reason for your answer.
:D

The Late Night / Early Morning Journal - Entry 1

2009-06-19T01:24:00.002+01:00

Ah, it's that time of year again when school is over, and I end up losing track of the amount of time I spend gazing at the screen. And in this new addition to the viSion711 blog, I'll be chatting with whomever maybe reading (and by chatting I mean one way speaking) about ongoings, and whatever else pops into my head in these early hours of the morning.
I'd like to note in this post, that today marks a very special day in my life, does the 19th of June. On the 19th of June, 2008, I discovered for the first time in my life that I wanted to spend my life as a photographer. Now, one year later, I find myself still pursuing that dream, and making a hell of a lot of progress, now working with bands, theatre groups and travelling the region with friends in search of good shots.
This is the longest that I've ever followed through with something with a passion, and I take great pride in that.
I remembered today, because the other day I happened to come across the batch of photos I took on the 19th of June 2008 in a folder somewhere. Looking at them now, I'm laughing at the dodginess of everything in the folder. But they also make me feel really good that my biggest interest, and the thing I love doing more than anything started with these grainy, blurry images taken with my dad's camera.
This occurance made me look back on that day, and how far I've come since then, and how far I still have to go.
In other news, The Lonely Island have recently released their new music video, which is pure gold. Watch "Cool Guys Don't Look at Explosions" here. Probably my favourite of their songs.
Also worth discussion, is it just me or is V for Vendetta possibly the most perfect piece of cinematic work ever to be released onto this planet? After watching it last night for the second or third time, I'm declaring it my favourite film at the moment. I coud say it was epic, enjoyable, entertaining, mind-blowing, stunning, but these words would do it no justice. If you haven't watched it, WATCH IT!!
Well, I've ranted and raved about stuff for a good while now, I'm off to do some browsing.
I'll be back, with more to add to this journal, after the longer-than-usual break. Stay tuned!

Conceptual/Promotional

2009-06-16T23:32:00.003+01:00

Once again, I've been doing work for local band JAR, this time more difficult. I made up a small set with a couple of stage lights, a white sheet. All I needed was a couple of props. Naturally I wanted an instrument, but I wanted to make the photographs more than just an image.
In the past while, I've been playing with conceptual photography. This idea came to me first about a month or two a go, and the result was the shot I Was Dancing When I Was Twelve, inspired by the popular T-Rex song, Cosmic Dancer.
I wanted to do something like that for thse, so I could get some shots that would make people think more about the photo, and what it might mean.
It occured me that JAR are largely into a hippy-style genre. Their last gig type thing was in the park, for Christ's sake?! So, a flower? Not too difficult to find, and it went nicely with the sheet, making it less obvious than the microphone, but still evidently there.
Once it was all set up, the time came to get the dan camera settings right. This, too more than a smile. Shooting withn two powerful stage lights and no diffusion causes a bit of trouble with shadows. I wanted shadows, to give it some contrast, but not too many. Also, white balancing the image was a bitch, because I had nothing white to set it from.
Anyway, eventually, when all that was done, I got around to taking the pictures, and after some last minute additions, I picked out three that I thought did the job best. Here's one of them, the other two can be seen here on my Flickr, or on JAR's bebo page.

JAR - An Upcoming Talent

2009-06-14T00:36:00.005+01:00

I was doing a small shoot for local band JAR today. The shoot went really well, but I couldn't get over how great the guys were. The chemistry between the three of those guys is unreal, I had to stop taking photos and pick up a guitar several times throughout the afternoon, and just jam with them.
One of the members, Adam Nolan, took part in the Busker 2009 competition on the same day, so when the voting begins, please vote for him on the Busker webpage.
But seriously, keep your eyes open for these guys, they're good, they've got a bucketload of talent between them, and they're some of the soundest people you'll ever meet. Check them out here on their Bebo Page.

More photos from the shoot can be seen here on my Flickr account.

Review #2: The Adventure of a Vultures Premiere

2009-06-07T13:25:00.004+01:00

Once again, I return from another premiere of Vultures, this time, episode 5, entitled The Adventure of the Hidden Microfilm. The episode sees the detectives on the trail of a microfilm (or maybe a USB stick) containing top secret Pinkertons information. The problem is, the bringer of this good news may have the microfilm inside him.
The episode is possibly the Vultures' best to date. The story is definitely the strongest, and most 3D, and raises a lot of questions about previous epsidoes that may have before seemed irrelevent to the current plotline. It gives an audience what they want, and still leaves them wanting more.
The previous episode, The Case of the Poisoned Dates, while very well made, and written, left a lot of loose information hanging, which episode 5 ties together nicely, still leaving room for a fantastic finale to the series.
The episode was once again directed by Ross Costigan, who has added an element of "laugh out loud" to the last two episodes, which is great to see, as the series appears to be gathering more people, an getting bigger laughs at the premieres.
The comedy is also appearing stronger on the writing side, credit to John Morton and Paddy Dunne. The jokes are getting smarter, the characters are getting better, and the epsiodes are getting funnier.
A couple of people who have to be mentioned as "stand-outs" in The Adventure of the Hidden Microfilm, are Stephen Colfer as Tom Moriarty, and Gus McDonagh as Noah Hennessy, who completely stole the show last night as the sleazy womanizer, and the semi-insane taxi driver/meat merchant.
All in all, it's clear that the story is definitely picking up, and the cast and crew are improving rapidly. My hat goes off to all involved (or it would if I was wearing one). Roll on Episode 6 & 7!

Vultures can be watched and appreciated at vulturespi.com

The Summer Slate

2009-05-28T21:30:00.003+01:00

The Summer roof more like. It's that time of year when I take a step back and look at what's on the table for the next few months. Firstly, there's YIFM's Summer Feature Film, which I have agreed to participate in the writing of, and during the filming process, I'll be on set every day, taking behind the scenes stills of the production, which will be released online coming up to the premiere of the movie.
Then, that aside, as I mentioned before, (I think) I'll be doing a bit of photographic work on the upcoming Devious Theatre production, Stags and Hens.
I've also got a couple of band promo and gig shoots lined up with a band or two, namely J.A.R, who I'll be working with at a gig this weekend.
And lest we forget Irish College. Three weeks in Connemara, with no phone, no internet and no TV. ... Good fucking riddance.
Sketches! This Summer I've vowed to get back into some serious urban sketching, like the good ol' days.
All that, and I'm sure much more will turn up.

The Playboy of the Western World - Now Online

2009-05-27T23:06:00.004+01:00

The Playboy of the Western World ran in the Watergate from April the 28th till May the 2nd. It starred Peter O'Connor as Christy Mahon, and Aoibhín Murphy as Pegeen Mike. The play, written by the iconic John Millington Synge was directed by Mike Kelly of YIFM and was prduced by Dreamstuff Youth Theatre. Here it is:

The Playboy of the Western World from Young Irish Film Makers on Vimeo.

There were two camera setups, one on the floor of the theatre, which I operated, and one on the Balcony, operated by one Lisa Heeran. The play was cut together and uploaded by Lisa, and features music from Western Irish trad band, Líadan.

Graphic Design #1 - Business Card

2009-05-27T18:11:00.003+01:00

This is a new feature I'm adding to the viSion711 blog, one of many updated features to come. I was thinking recently that since I've got Transition Year all next year, instead of wasting my time studying and whatnot, I should be doing something In really love. Taking photos. SO, as a way of getting more photographic opportuniteis over the coming months, I decided to throw together a business card, that I could leave scattered all over places, hoping someone sees it. Here it is, in all it's rushed glory. Let me know what you think!

Most of it was put together on XaraX, as opposed to Photoshop, except for the sketch, which I drew myself, and then scanned to a computer.

A Devious Weekend

2009-05-24T19:04:00.006+01:00

After a few weeks of wondering what Devious Theatre's next production would be, I finally got my answer in the poshest way possible. At a wine and cheese launch in the Watergate Theatre in Kilkenny, taking photographs of the event.
Unfortunately, I will be on the other side of the country while the play is running in the Watergate, but with some luck, I'll find a way of venturing down on the Saturday night. Also, I'll be doing a bit of photographic work during the rehearsal progress of the play, so if I don't get the chance to see it in the Watergate, at least I won't be completely missing out on it.

The play is Willy Russell's classic Stags and Hens and will run in the Watergate Theatre in Kilkenny from July 21st till the 25th, so I'm told.

See all the photos from the Launch here.

Running, Jumping and Throwing

2009-05-20T22:30:00.003+01:00

The other day, I spent the afternoon taking photographs for the CBS Sports Day in Scanlon Park and the Watershed. I had never done any sports photography before, so I figured this would be a nice way to get into it. My first thoughts were "Bollox. Rain, clouds, mud, wind, and a bunch of sporty feckers, who don't want to be photographed. But it turned out to be the complete opposite of what I had expected. People seem to love jumping in front of a camera when they're doing all that sporty stuff. Cheers to anyone who let me snap away at them. Plus, it stopped raining very quickly, and to my delight, the sun began blaring for hours on end, which meant low ISO, high shutter speeds, and open apertures all around!! :D
I'm looking forward to doing more work on sports, I was really happy with some of the shots that came out in the end (check them out here).

The Play's the Thing

2009-05-05T22:10:00.002+01:00

Finally, after weeks of telling myself I'll write a stage play about Bradford, I'm finally getting down to it. So far I've got a basic outline (I won't show it to ye now, because... well, let's just say it's not at it's best), and a few characters (all of whom I'm very happy with, and a name (which is my favourite aspect of what I've done so far, which is very little).
So no, it's not in the latest stage, but hopefully it will develop over the coming weeks.

More on this soon:

The Play is Unleashed:

2009-04-28T21:08:00.005+01:00

This will be my last post on the Playboy of the Western World. My last photo shoot was last night in the Watergate theatre in their tech rehearsal, and it was by far, the most tiring, but well-going shoot I've done for that play. Once again, please go and see it, it's running from tonight (28th April) till Saturday (2nd May). These lads have worked really hard, and the play is in great shape, the set is brilliant and the script is a classic.

Dreamstuff Youth Theatre presents The Playboy of the Western World

2009-04-25T22:19:00.003+01:00

It's finally a couple of days away, and from my last venture to the rehearsals, it looks like the play is in good shape!
The play will run in the Watergate Theatre in Kilkenny from the 28th of April to the 2nd of May, 8pm Nightly.
Tickets are 10 euro (8 on opening night)
It is directed by Mike Kelly, and stars Peter O'Connor as Christy Mahon, and Aoibhín Murphy as Pegeen Mike in JM Synge's classic tale of envy, deceit and pride.

Visit the Dreamstuff Page for more info on bookings, or email darragh@yifm.com.

Life In England - Chapter 3: Back Home

2009-04-22T21:37:00.003+01:00

My trip to th UK has come to an end, and a lot has been learned. For example, English people are more dangerous to be around than Irish people; Bradford is a photographic heaven; Pies are an excellent source of heart attack; AC/DC are still one of the greatest bands under the sun, so on and so forth.
In the last couple of days, I've been too busy to blog, so now I'm back home, I'm taking the oppurtunity to cover the last few days of adventuring:
On Monday, I went to Bolton, just next to Manchester. I liked that a lot, it was the first place where I got the chance to get a camera out without the fear of being shot. First, I set aside a few hours to go on a walk around Jumbles Reservoir in the vallew of the Bradshaw Brook. All of my shots from there can be seen here on my Flickr.
Then, heading back into the town of Bolton, I went into the Bolton Museum, Art Gallery and Aquarium, which housed historical objects and fish, just begging to be photographed.
Then on Tuesday, myself, my dad, brother and sister headed into Manchester for the day before going to the concert.
Throughout the day, we went to another museum, this time, Museum of science and Industry. Since then I've been telling myself it's just about time I stopped getting amused by concave mirrors and the likes. Unfortunately I didn't get to the Energy, Transport or Communications sections in time, which I would have liked to get some interesting shots of.
By the time evening fell, everyone was tired, the air was hot, and I would have given anything just to fall back into bed and sleep for twelve hours.
Which is why I spent three hours in the overpacked MEN Arena for a night of AC/DC. The concert was too good just to mention briefly in a blog, so a full analasis will be posted shortly.
Then today was back on the boat, and the long trip home, where I sorted through six hundred and forty nine photos, and wrote a blog. I'm starting to kind of miss England... Looking forward to going back!

Life In England - Chapter 2

2009-04-19T18:36:00.008+01:00

It's now Sunday, my time in the UK is running out, and I haven't gotten enough photos! I've spent the last couple of days around the Leigh/Manchester area. I didn't know how rough England could be till I spent a bit of time in Leigh city center. Some man pushed me over with force while I was trying to get a street-view shot. I think some people have a natural need to be dickheads..?!

Today I went to the Trafford Centre, a great excuse to get any normal person frustrated at the obscurity of modern day shopping. You would think that in this day and age, what with the recession, you might be able to walk into somewhere as big as the Trafford Centre and buy a pair of cheap cargo trousers? The only thing on the market seems to be jeans that don't fit and are over priced! I've been in at least thirty clothes shops today, and only one had what I was looking for, and even they were thirty odd pounds!?

On the bright side though, the weather is great, and (I never thought I'd hear myself say this one) I'm here till Thursday.

Still waiting on that tripod... :P

Life In England - Chapter 1

2009-04-17T23:56:00.008+01:00

So two days into my expedition to England, already I've travelled from Wales, to Manchester to Leigh and then to Otley!? Although, regardless of the 10 hours of constant travelling, it was a very pleasant surprise to find my Nikon D40 waiting for me at the first house I was staying in. In the last twenty four hours, I've been taking photos pretty much non stop, including in a very interesting National Media Museum, which was quite enlightening from the point of view of nybody interested in photography. Take a look at it if you're ever in Bradford.

Another point I picked up in Bradford was the mental note to both write a play on Bradford, and to find a band, and take them to Bradford for a photo shoot.! Seriously, it's an amazing place through a lens (or so I would imagine, I didn't get much of an opportunity to take much shots there), any photographers should seriously consider a weekend in Bradford with a camera.

Currently I'm sitting in my cousin's sitting room typing up this blog, so I should probably hurry up and be a bit more social.. :P
Hopefully I'll get another day in Bradford over the next few days, I'm off to see AC/DC in Manchester on Tuesday (Awesome..), and my tripod arrives tomorrow, so I'll head into town at night at some point.

More photos from my exploration in Britain coming soon, I don't have time to upload much now.

Attic

2009-03-28T18:13:00.005Z

Attic (2009) from Young Irish Film Makers on Vimeo.

A Night at the Movies

2009-03-24T17:32:00.008Z

So last night was the official premiere of YIFM's The Suitors. It was a night of much dancing, lots of laughs, and very, very swav suits. The Suitors was directed by Stephen Colfer, and based on an original idea by John Mort on. It was shown with two other Film Makers films, one Sclever, the winning film of this years 24 Hour Film Festival, Caffeine, and Attic, a film I wrote and Peter O'Connor directed.
First off, I have to say that The Suitors is definitely my favourite film to come out of Film Makers. It stars Jessica Walsh, Stephen Colfer, Peter McGann, David Thompson and Charles McCarty in the story of three men (Stephen/Pip, Peter and Charles) who fall in love with the same woman (Jess), and engage in a series of messy situations to get her. The music was composed by Neil Brand, and goes perfectly with the movie.
For myself, it was great to see people's reaction to Attic as well. Going in their, I felt quite nervous, to see how people would take it, but they seemed to enjoy it so I'm not complaining! I also wnat to mention Geoff Warner-Clayton, who couldn't be there last night, who composed some great music for the credits of the film.
Attic will be online within the next few hours, so I'll post it on this here blog when it is, and give as much feedback as possible, please!
The other film shown, Sclever, is definitely worth mentioning. It's got a great series of locations, along with a genius twist at the end, so definitely give it a look!
It was a fun premiere anyway, looking forward to the next one!

The Playboy of the Western World

2009-03-20T21:14:00.008Z

After a couple of VERY tiring photo shoots, I'm done with rehearsals for a few weeks, so I thought I'd take the time to write a little blog.
The rehearsals from what I've seen are going great! think it's gonna turn out to be a really nicely done play! I haven't made it easy on them on the nights I've been there (I apologize for that) I'm sure, shining bright lights in their faces, and snapping away at them all night, but it meant we've got some photos online all over the place, hopefully making internet users all over Kilkenny consider going to it when it comes to the Watergate on April the 28th.
There's a few of the photos here, much much more can be seen on my Flickr Photostream.
So I've got a few days off shooting and filtering through, and uploading, and all the stuff I've been doing pretty much non-stop for the past week, and I get to take a relaxing weekend off.
Got a poster shoot for the play coming up soon, getting help from Michael Murphy (whom I've got to thank deeply for lending me his camera on Thursday) for that, and then a programme shoot, and then a night at the Watergate Tech Rehearsal and then I'm done!
Till the next play, of course. ;)

For more on bookings, e-mail: mike@yifm.com or go to the YIFM Homepage.

The Secret of Kells: Review

2009-03-11T21:58:00.003Z

So I says to myself I says, "Why not start reviewing some movies on this ol' bloggeroo?" So what better movie to review than Cartoon Saloon's The Secret of Kells?
I saw this movie on Saturday the 7th of March, and I was nothing short of blown away. Every frame is absolutely perfect. The style is like nothing I've ever seen before. I heard about it in early 2008, from Mike Kelly, the man who runs Young Irish Film Makers, and I found myself looking forward very much to it, not fully knowing why. I think I was just excited about the fact that something was actually coming out of Kilkenny, that was going to be released worldwide. So when it was released in cinemas on March the 6th, 2009, I made it my most highly prioritised plan to get my ass to the cinema and see the film that had been hyped up by Filmmakers all over Kilkenny. And naturally, I was stunned.
The film follows the journey young Brendan must travel to create the fabled Book of Kells, and the dangers he must encounter. It opens beautifully, giving the viewer a look at monastic life in the 9th Century, and the fear of the Northmen, or the Vikings. As the film progresses, with some amazing sequences, Brendan's discovers his task, to complete the book, and the difficulties this task entails, such as the ever-approaching Vikings, and his iron-willed Uncle, the Abbott of Kells, played by Brendan Gleeson.
The film isn't a typical Disney, highly priced, overblown animation, it's something much, much more. It also sports a truely fantastic soundtrack, for those of you interested in Old, Celtc style music. The people who do the voices were perfectly cast. The young boy who plays Brendan, delivers a subtle, yet powerful performance as the young and curious monk.
All in all, the film is an experience, and a real treat for Irish people to see something of this quality put together in Ireland, and I think everyone in the country is no less than obliged to see it.

Attic: Finished

2009-02-19T08:40:00.012Z

As I said in the previous post, we've finished shooting Attic, and the first cut is done. Just wanted to take the time and reflect over the last three months, and talk about how it all started.
In November 2008, Mike Kelly, who runs YIFM told everyone to go home and write a film beginning with INT.ATTIC.DAY. That's about the time I started putting characters together in my head. So I went home and I wrote a first draft. Not thinking much of it, I brought it in and showed it to Mike, pretty much just to show him that I did something. So I was fairly surprised to hear that he liked it and wanted to turn it into a short film!
At the time, I still never imagined it would be quite as big a deal as it turned out to be, we put a crew together, arranged that Peter O'Connor would direct it.
I headed home once more, to re-draft it. When I came back to Peter with a second draft, this was when we needed to start putting a cast together. We had a couple of people in mind, but nobody we had seemed to be available.
Then Mike said to us one day "Well what about looking into Devious actors?"
To cut a long story short, we did.
And that's where we got our cast! By January 2009, the cast was organized to be John Morton, Ross Costigan and David Thompson.
We went straight into pre-production for it, and we started shooting late January, and over the next month, We came out with Attic.
After filming finished, I didn't really want to abandon those characters, because, to be honest, they were just too much fun to write! And that's where "Attic - The Short Stories" came from.
So after three months, we've got a short film, a great Behind the Scenes Vlog, coutesy of Ross Costigan, and now a series of short stories! All started by that INT.ATTIC.DAY.
Attic is planned to premiere along side The Suitors, sometime in March.

All photos were taken by Ross Costigan
Check out his work at OSS237.com

Hmmmm

2009-02-17T00:51:00.000Z

OK, so I haven't really been keeping up to date with the blogs recently. Probably becasue I have been very, very busy filming, editing, preparing, writing, planning, and on top of it all, school.
But I do have this few minutes to let the uninterested world know what I've been up to these past few weeks.

Well first off, we wrapped on Attic today for filming, so that's a big thanks to John Morton, Ross Costigan and David Thompson (for whom I do not have a hyperlink) for helping us out with that over the past couple of months, knowing that it must have been a pain in the arse, what with Vultures. But we are really grateful for it so thanks guys!
Attic will be shown at the premiere of The Suitors (the most recent Young Irish Film Makers feature movie) some time around the beginning of March.
I've also been pondering with the idea of making a short series of mini-stories based on the three characters in the film, and post the stories on this here blog-thing, so we'll see!

Other than Attic, my Mocks have begun, and I have to say, I'm thoroughly enjoying them! Not that I'm enjoying the exams, but the whole mood of "not school" is really great. Plus, who can complain about the two and a half hour lunch breaks, in which it is only obligitary to spend in the Tea Rooms, drinking copious amounts of tea, and laughing at modern-day culture. Looking forward very much to TY!

Myself and Jessica Walsh have started a lovely little mini-series (which I really want to continue doing, cause I loved doing episode 1). It's entitled "The Adventures of What? The Mug". It shows the acting abilities of Oxtail Soup and What? The Mug.
It explores the boundaries of stop-motion animation with cups (In Jess' and my own personal opinion, anyway). We do both want to make more, but time is always hard to get these days as we're both doing exams this year. But I think we should sure as hell try!

Outside of that, there's more work on films and stuff being done. Still waiting on word from Mick Murphy for Playboy of the Western World photoshoot dates and times, but as far as I know, that's still on the table.

Just went into shooting a new short called "Before Heaven" by Carl V. Rossi. I really enjoyed the screenplay, and I think it'll make a nice short when it's done. I'll keep ye posted as shoots go by.

That's pretty much all that's going on with me at the moment. I think I'll try posting more specific things in the future... Hmmm...

After a Long, Blog-free Time...

2009-01-20T07:12:00.000Z

Right, I'm back, after quite the while. I've been fairly busy these past few months, what with school, filming, writing and plays, but I've made a late New Years Resolution to blog more, and blog longer.
So I thought I'd get the 2009 ball rolling by mentioning a few of the things that I've been up to lately, and some of what '09 has in stock.

Recently I was involved with the filming of Vultures. Unfortunately I can't say much about it for a while yet, but I thought it was a good start to the year, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out in the end. Check out the show at vulturespi.com.
Sadly, I have the Junior Cert coming up, but I'm doing my best to try and not worry too much about it, and get on with my life as normal.

Which is why I've written a short film that (if it turns out well) will be entered into the Fresh Film Festival. It's called attic, and it's going to be directed by Peter O'Connor. He did a great job with a short play I saw recently, and I have no doubt that he'll do the same with this. Shooting starts on Wednesday 21st, and finishes on Wednesday the 28th. There's a really good cast and crew ready to go. Actually, we were really fortunate with who we do have, becasue this started as a bit of a disaster to be honest. As a first draft it didn't really work, but with some help from a Mr. John Morton, and a good bit of encouragment, it's turned out as a script with some potential, if I do say so myself.

I've also been brewing around ideas for both a play and a film (full length). I'd like to write something long, decent, that can be turned into something. Acting-wise, I've just come out of playing Francis in Dreamstuff's production of Monty Python's Life of Brian, and am just waiting for opportunities now. Unfortunately, I can't audition for Dreamstuff's next play, The Playboy of the Western World, because of upcoming exams.

However, I am able to be involved with the production in some way. For the next few months, I'll be doing any photography for the play, and I have to say, that I'm really excited about doing it. This'll be my first time doing a full time commited photography excercise, and I'll also be designing posters for the play, involving a two day photo-shoot and designing the layout for the posters. I'll keep posting on progress and whatnot.

So all in all, it looks like it will be a good year, and I'm sure there'll be more to come!

Guitar

2008-11-22T16:59:00.000Z

Today I had to put up an ad on buy and sell. My beauiful Dean Dime O Flame is being sold, sadly. But i need the money. It took me a long time to make up my mind, because I worked very hard for that guitar, but...
So if you want a Dean Dime O Flame for five hundred (which is damn cheaper than you'll get it anywhere else, please contact me at preventine@msn.com

Rant #1

2008-11-14T19:23:00.000Z

I can't shake the feeling that I don't belong where I am. I shouldn't be around the people I spend my time with in school. I should be living, spending time with people who know what the term "outside the box" means, doind what I love, travelling, etc. I'm not saying I should leave school, but I shouldn't let it dominate my life. The people I spend time with in school are so fucking trapped inside their own little box of rules, and restrictions, and all that shit, and don't give a second thought to the possibility that they have a choice, and that they don't need to do what people tell them to do.

Take 'teachers'. I talk to teachers like people. Because what else are they? What have they got, that we should fear them , and no matter what they do, they're right and we're wrong? Why shouldn't we be allowed express our opinions and feelings? Now I know so many people who will simply go along what they tell you, and cower when they shout, and smile when they say smile, and write 100 lines of shite that will be of no benefit without question.

Back to my first rant. I don't know what it is, but I feel trapped. I feel like if I don't get out of this constant, repetative lifestyle, doing the same thing every day, (and don't get me wrong, i don't want to leave school, school is grand, it's the people in school that just make me feel imprisoned) and having nothing I can do about it.

A Quick Post on Trainspotting

2008-11-12T23:10:00.000Z

Started reading Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting today. I've only read five chapters, and I've had a revalation. Where the fuck have I been, and what the fuck have I been reading that I missed out on THIS all this time!!??!?! I was so taken aback by the rawness of the story, and the vivid, dreary imagery Welsh uses. I still can't get over how I've never read anything as good as this before. For anyone who hasn't read it, I recommend that you stop reading this right now, and go buy the book.

Irish Pubs

2008-11-09T21:52:00.000Z

I love the Irish. Know why? I watch this online, Kilkenny-based sitcom called Vultures ( www.vulturespi.com ), and episode three was being shown in Ryans pub in Kilkenny at eight PM. I decided "there's no way I'm not going to that", so I called couple of friends and invited them along. I, of course, had no idea how I, being fifteen would get access to a pub at eight o clock on a Saturday night, but I tend not to worry about these things till the problem comes up. So at eight o clock, I showed up at Ryans, looked around to see a full pub, and everyone with a beverage in their hand. We continued in. One of the people (who were also there to watch Vultures) said quietly, "Seeing as your underage..." I held my breath "...you should get into the screening room fairly lively, before you get kicked out." And he winked at me. On my way to the Screening Room, six other people, including a bar-tender looked at me, smiled and nodded, or winked or said "ya chancer" and laughed. I have to say, I was very pleased with myself, and I'd say that if I had waited till the next day and watched it online like most other people, I wouldn't have enjoyed it half as much.

Photography = ... Satanic Worship?

2008-11-09T01:27:00.000Z

So I woke up today, and thought, right, got a new film loaded into my camera, it's a good film, and I haven't gone out specifically to take photos in a while. So I threw on a jumper and a hat and headed into town, hoping to get some decent rainy day shots, and some night life shots. I saw a decent picture standing outside Dunnes of an old man playing a violin. The light was very strong on his left side, but quite weak to his right, giving the image nice lighting before i even took the picture, and he was smiling as he played, despite the freezing weather and the rain. I gestured to him, showing i wanted to take his photo. He nodded, so I raised my camera, adjusted the aperature, and suddenly was pushed aside, by a small lad in a white tracksuit and a skinned head I looked across, to see a group of similar people, laughing. I ignored this, and continued to set up the shot. After numerous attempts, I gave up, due to these guys constantly walking across the frame, and put my camera back in my bag, disappointed, and started walking, and as I walked away, I heard from behind me one of them saying "fuckin' goths with their fancy cameras". I laughed, and carried on walking. I'm wondering now whether people actually associate this hobby with satanic worship...?