I spent the bulk of today at King's College, London in an Introduction to Screenwriting workshop. The delivery of the course itself was outstanding, but also the course admin was probably the best I have ever experienced. And I've been on a lot of courses.
It was easy to find the room and the people, with information provided readily and helpfully. The staff introduced the day both professionally and with great humour.
Whether I manage to write anything useful or entertaining is entirely down to me now.
I'm feeling inspired and armed with some interesting tools.
Watch this space!
Posted via my iPad
Saturday 31 May 2014
Wednesday 28 May 2014
Life and circles
Breaking free of bad habits is hard and I'm beginning to see how much of life is dictated by the past. Truth be known, my bad habits are really not THAT hideous. I swear more than I would like, talk too much and fail to make the most of opportunities sometimes.
If I have more, please feel free to point them out,
But recently I've noticed how some things just keep on happening, over and over. Not necessarily to me, but those around me seem to sometimes appear to draw certain things into their cosmos. No naming names, but there's a couple of circular lives going on around me and all I can do is observe (see? That's me trying not to talk too much).
When I wrote my car off and metaphorically - although not literally - walked away from it, I was forced to spend time on my sofa in recovery. The drugs allowed me to absorb some really, really rubbish TV and it was some of that which showed my lives made up of drama. Drama that came from nowhere or seemed to be the result of self-fulfilling prophesy.
Eighteen months later, I've definitely changed. I don't want everyone to know about my illness, nor my inability to carry a bag without shattering pain in my shoulders. (Well, clearly I'll open up sometimes!) Most people I see have no idea. And I like it that way. It's horrible when you've let slip to someone that you're having a test and they ask you straight after if you're feeling better. Tests don't usually have that rapid a beneficial effect!
Sometimes, breaking the circle by refusing to talk about the stuff of life makes the sun shine. Going round and round, over and over the same ground doesn't seem to make any sense.
What's that saying? If you keep doing the same things the same way, you'll always get the same results. Or something.
Posted via my iPad
If I have more, please feel free to point them out,
But recently I've noticed how some things just keep on happening, over and over. Not necessarily to me, but those around me seem to sometimes appear to draw certain things into their cosmos. No naming names, but there's a couple of circular lives going on around me and all I can do is observe (see? That's me trying not to talk too much).
When I wrote my car off and metaphorically - although not literally - walked away from it, I was forced to spend time on my sofa in recovery. The drugs allowed me to absorb some really, really rubbish TV and it was some of that which showed my lives made up of drama. Drama that came from nowhere or seemed to be the result of self-fulfilling prophesy.
Eighteen months later, I've definitely changed. I don't want everyone to know about my illness, nor my inability to carry a bag without shattering pain in my shoulders. (Well, clearly I'll open up sometimes!) Most people I see have no idea. And I like it that way. It's horrible when you've let slip to someone that you're having a test and they ask you straight after if you're feeling better. Tests don't usually have that rapid a beneficial effect!
Sometimes, breaking the circle by refusing to talk about the stuff of life makes the sun shine. Going round and round, over and over the same ground doesn't seem to make any sense.
What's that saying? If you keep doing the same things the same way, you'll always get the same results. Or something.
Posted via my iPad
Wednesday 21 May 2014
FTF help Cunard celebrate the Queen Mary 2's 10th birthday
Cunard tasked FTF Worldwide Event Management to create a 10th birthday celebration in Southampton for a very special lady – Queen Mary 2.
It was a very early start for the FTF team – months of planning came to life when sister ships Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth sailed into Southampton to arrive minutes before Queen Mary 2 appeared majestically alongside just before 6am.
Immediately the three were together in port, an impressive rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ was played on ships’ whistles. Heard by passengers and crew on all three ships, plus the attending press and locals, the sound was suitably deafening.
A glorious day followed, filled with celebrations on all three ships and culminating in a spectacular firework display, planned in minute detail by Fully Fused Fireworks.
"It was carefully orchestrated to begin precisely at 10pm and last 10 minutes," said FTF Managing Director Cliff Stonestreet. "We used the music from the Queen Mary 2's naming ceremony and used exactly 10,000 separate effects. It was a clear night and sound and light travelled brilliantly across the water to the three ships.
"We also organised helicopters and HD filming in Lisbon and Southampton used by many TV networks and newspapers as the ships left Lisbon and arrived in Southampton. This didn't just happen and needed a great deal of work with the Portuguese and UK aviation authorities as both locations were on the approach to the airport and the amazing shots at sea outside Lisbon were in Military airspace."
The FTF team travelled to the quayside in Southampton on 9 May by car, van, truck, coach, minibus, train, helicopter and even aboard the legendary ship, the birthday girl herself.
FTF prepared tonnes of equipment and fireworks and moved it all down to Southampton for the event. A mobile editing suite for the aerial photography from helicopter was specially chartered for the event, filming the ships from Hythe.
“We were proud to have been asked by FTF Worldwide to supply all the audio elements for the event,” said Martin Knight, Director of Professional Audio Company.
“We helped the ships whistle ‘Happy Birthday’ through to the music mix and projection of the fireworks music using sound systems on the quay side. We also provided the FM radio broadcast to Queen Mary 2. It was a long and hard day for all the crew but it's certainly one we will remember for a long time."
While events began in Southampton, the bands of the Welsh Guards and Royal Scots Guards were gathering their instruments and uniforms in London and preparing for the journey. Each band performed on board the ships and gave rousing send-offs with quayside marching concerts as the evening turned to night. Cunard was delighted to host HRH the Duke of Edinburgh onto Queen Mary 2 and all the ships' guests were entertained throughout the day.
The event itself took nine months of planning, with more than 40 of the FTF team in town on the day to complete that careful planning. Event Co-ordinator Tracey de Vere White said: “It was a major operation to ensure everything went without a hitch, from the early start to the spectacular firework display as the ships set sail.
“Our logistics and careful preparation meant everything went smoothly, with entertainment throughout the day from just before 6am until the display finished at ten past ten – all to celebrate Queen Mary 2’s tenth birthday!”
Monday 19 May 2014
The end result (well, partly) of my day in Southampton
Working alongside the rest of the team for FTF Worldwide Event Management, I was on duty from just after 5am to just after 10pm. Most of the day was spent looking after these guys - the band of the Royal Scots Guards. It was hard work and a long day, but worth every moment. Not only were they accomplished musicians, but fun to be around and no trouble to manage for the day.
It's amazing the diverse jobs I get involved in and immensely rewarding. I've written the press release about this event and feel I know it inside and out.
Friday 9 May 2014
Moments like this make me lucky
No matter what, I am fortunate in sitting here, on deck nine of Cunard's Queen Victoria. Green tea beside me, a beautiful view all round and technically I'm working.
The day began at 4am to ensure I was in position atop a car park, watching the three Queens - Elizabeth, Victoria and Mary - arrive in Southampton in style. As ships' whistles blew a very loud Happy Birthday to Queen Mary 2 in honour of her tenth birthday, I realised that it was a tiny moment in history.
Life as a writer is pretty awesome and long may it continue.
Posted via my iPad
Thursday 8 May 2014
The very idea of kidnap terrifies me
Whether you are a young British girl on holiday in Portugal or a mother in Northern Ireland or a group of girls pursuing your education in Nigeria, how can you just disappear?
How is that even possible?
While people disappear really - probably every day - that leaves families and friends distraught. Not knowing whether those men, women and children will ever be seen again.
And, quite possibly, someone else knows the secret and fails to tell. Just as culpable as the kidnappers are the facilitators - the people around them who choose to ignore what they know is the truth. And who go on ignoring the truth or hiding it while other grieve. Or Dear all I really wanted to come tonight, but I don't think I'll be able to, feeling rough and unlikely to be back from London until gone 7pm. I sort of enjoyed 'The Great Lover' but, for me, it fell between two stools. Neither biography nor fiction. It's probably why I've always hated historical fiction as a genre. Can someone let me know the general consensus of everyone else sometime, please? cannot grieve, because they have none of what the Americans call 'closure'.
So, as I feel safe in the knowledge that my children, my parents and my friends are safe, I feel for every individual who doesn't have that basic right.
If only we could have an amnesty for all the disappeared around the world. Let their hiders and facilitators tell them truth, once and for all. Give everyone a little peace.
Posted via my iPad
How is that even possible?
While people disappear really - probably every day - that leaves families and friends distraught. Not knowing whether those men, women and children will ever be seen again.
And, quite possibly, someone else knows the secret and fails to tell. Just as culpable as the kidnappers are the facilitators - the people around them who choose to ignore what they know is the truth. And who go on ignoring the truth or hiding it while other grieve. Or Dear all I really wanted to come tonight, but I don't think I'll be able to, feeling rough and unlikely to be back from London until gone 7pm. I sort of enjoyed 'The Great Lover' but, for me, it fell between two stools. Neither biography nor fiction. It's probably why I've always hated historical fiction as a genre. Can someone let me know the general consensus of everyone else sometime, please? cannot grieve, because they have none of what the Americans call 'closure'.
So, as I feel safe in the knowledge that my children, my parents and my friends are safe, I feel for every individual who doesn't have that basic right.
If only we could have an amnesty for all the disappeared around the world. Let their hiders and facilitators tell them truth, once and for all. Give everyone a little peace.
Posted via my iPad