NOTE TO SELF: It is an absolutely stupid idea to go out on a Wednesday night with no regard for the following day of 9-3 camera class. And no, the 1hr lunch break is not sufficient enough for a 'cure-all-ills' nap. (But damn it Coco Solid was worth it)

It still amazes me how unaccustomed I still am to such a daunting workload. It is not anything new that’s for sure but sometimes you just want to switch off for a day or two.

OUR NEXT LOT OF TASKS: (not including assignments from the 3 extra secret papers outside of this course - shhh...)
*critique a short film on 'Being Santa" - I was blown away by its simplicity. Such a decent impact for such a modest film
*critique two Wild Asia documentaries (At The Edge & In The Realm of The Red Ape) - at least two pages
*write an outline for a story inspired by something you saw in the Monday ODT
*panning and tilting shots - following objects or a scene.
*film a sequence of your flatmate going to collect the mail - make each shot long enough to be edited after
*find a scientific article on a prospectful topic and note how you could use it for a film
*critique a short 2 page story by Annie Dillard *watch X-treme doco's before meeting the makers
*PREPARE A THEMED MEET-&-GREET DO AT THE ZOOLOGY DEPATRMENT FOR FRIDAY - budget of $40

It doesn't look like much I know but there isn't much time to switch off in between classes, assignments, eating, sleeping and the occasional catch up with mates to regain sanity. At least everyone in the course has that undeniable strive for perfection. Ok, enough of that - I'm sensing a bit of angst at having just spent the last 3hrs working on a couple of the tasks above and dreaming of dreaming in bed.

We got our first boost of publicity last Tuesday (apparently) - three of us got into the ODT while filming the DunedinMusic.com gig at Backstage - yet there was no mention of why we were there (although most of us jumped at the opportunity to be absorbed in the impressive range of local music). We also were lucky enough to get a tour of the Zoology department where we have most of our classes. We were taken into every nook and cranny, every lab, up to the roof where the bees lives and intimidated hard working lab techs with our mob-like presence. These guys will have to be one of our most important allies in making a successful and passionate film. Jay working on fresh-water bugs only opened his mouth for a few sentences and already some of his obsession rubbed off on us. Fingers-crossed they won't think were snobby simply because we hide away in classes all day and barely come talk to them - I feel its more the guilt from eating, I mean 'drinking', all their Milo from the staffroom is to blame for the occasional avoidance of eye-contact. Looking forward to breaking the ice this Friday at our 'party' - hopefully it'll bring all their favourite animals out of their costume cupboards, from native bees and penguins to Giant Kokopu and frog embryos.

My brain is neglecting to provide me with a decent seg-way into topics I'm thinking of for my final film. Initially the dedication was inspired by a jaw-dropped-reaction when hearing how much trouble they are getting in and how so few people know anything about our only extant indigenous mammals (despite my strong objections to choosing something 'easy', charasmatic or already overdone). I get the feeling its no secret that I've had a heavy eye on the short-tailed bats (distinct from our long-tailed bats) for a long time now, but this has only meant people keep coming up to me with angles I should think about. I know another student last year was thinking of doing them, but found the footage too awkward to get, which I always thought would be the best excuse to break out of the norm and experiment with different perspectives. Get inside their head. See the world the way they do. Forget narrative. Visual communication is more powerful than most believe. As well as researching different story-approaches, I hope to research different communication methods - talk to several designers, graphic artists, animators, artists, photographers, etc. We have a whole city of talent to delve into, from polytech to uni to community art galleries and workshops. Even this blog site could draw on people's input - CALLING ALL BRAINWAVES!!

However, I'm not committed wholeheartedly to just one idea at the moment. Everyday at least two more ideas pop into my head, a few being a bit too obvious that I've noticed other classmates mentioning the same topic yet with a completely unique approach. I still believe in keeping things broad for now, especially as we will have to pair up and 'be prepared to kill our darlings' (*said in a Swedish accent*).

Hmmm - I apologise for the lack of energy in these posts. They feel more like a stream of consciousness - a way of organising my thoughts so I can fall asleep as fast as possible without lying there until 2am with the same points going over and over with no hope of reconciling (so far its not working...). If you've made it this far through my posts, you should definatley check out the other blogs from people on the course this year - its strange how they already feel like family.