tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41231757306206076482024-03-18T19:52:27.916-07:00Philip Fraser 135PhilipFraser135http://www.blogger.com/profile/03134275690794245379noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123175730620607648.post-36205935787959618242012-02-04T13:28:00.000-08:002012-02-04T13:28:40.977-08:00Lights, Camera, Action!Hello fellow bloggers! Firstly, I know some of my friends have long been awaiting this post, as I haven't updated my blog for a while! So this post is dedicated to them...you know who you are!<br />
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Ok, well there have been many things, happenings and <span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">shenanigans that have been going on since my last post way back in early January. I have done everything I stated I would do in the last post, and more! So here it is peeps!</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">Firstly, in early January and even before the premiere of War Horse, my Dad's friend who is hoping to become a professional actress recommended a 1-day Saturday film school to me, which taught the basics of filmmaking and directing. I was quick to respond to this opportunity and grasped it with both hands; I went on the Saturday Film School, by the Raindance Film Festival. This course was purely theoretical with no practical element involved, but was still very interesting and much the eye opener to the film industry! Two famous phrases which I thought were purely mythical, before I even thought about the idea of becoming a film director, are very much true! In the film industry, "it's not what you know, it's who you know" and "time is money!" are indeed very, very, true. So much so that I even think to myself on occasion, when it comes to the first phrase, that my whole future career is potentially entirely dependent on luck! That said, it is necessary to know the fundamental basics of how to make a film, to be a film director. This is why I am furthering my knowledge on the subject of filmmaking by going on short courses. Film school is also a favourable option after university, expensive though it is. Anyway, back to the Saturday Film School; the day started off early and ran through until the evening, covering a wide range of topics, from screenplay writing, through to making a movie, directing and finally "breaking into the film industry". As I have mentioned in previous posts, the likely options would be to either go to film school or to dive straight in at the deep end by applying for runner jobs, the first rung on the ladder of the crazy industry that is, the film industry. Tinsel Town. La la land. You get my point. Finally, at the end of the day I had time to chat to the main tutor of the course which happened to be the somewhat wacky founder of the Raindance Film Festival, Elliot Grove. Famous for his teachings within the industry, Elliot Grove has produced and directed a few films but his main career involves teaching filmmaking to anyone that's insane enough to give it a shot, excuse the pun. That reminds me of someone...I haven't got a clue who would be crazy enough to try to break into the most competitive industry in the world! To those people who are agreeing with that last comment, don't. Live your life, go for it, take a chance...why not!!! So overall, the Raindance Saturday Film School gave me an incredible insight into the world of the film industry and I am very thankful to Vicky (my Dad's friend) for recommending it to me!</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">Onto the next event, which has to be one of the most awesome things I have even done when it comes to being a film geek. To put it simply, I have been to the premiere of War Horse. I have met the legendary Steven Spielberg! An honour, a <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">privilege</span>, and the culmination of waiting hours in the cold at Leicester Square. The day started very, very early, around 6am. I went along to the premiere with my Dad, who offered to film while I was taking pictures and hoping to get autographs. Needless to say, as a result of a collaborative effort, we got everything. My Dad's not so bothered about attending premieres, which is why he offered to help out and film, instead of fully engaging with what was going on at the event. I'll quickly add in that I normally go into detail about each premiere I go to, but for this one, I can summarise it more than the others. So after waiting for hours at the front of the barriers and watching the premiere being set up and the red carpet rolled out, the stars and guests, along with a real horse on the red carpet, who was the star of the film, started to arrive. I was only there for one person, however. One person who, without whom, Hollywood wouldn't be what it is today! Arguably the creator of the Hollywood summer blockbuster, the most famous movie director in the history of cinema itself, the one and only Steven Spielberg! When the time came, I couldn't believe that he was actually right next to me! I know that does sound a little corny, but in the world of Hollywood, I guess I can say he's my idol. So it seems reasonable to feel like jelly when your idol is standing in front of you. So he walked past me and I captured a few decent photos of him. I also held out a small book for him to sign, which he did. Along with these items, I was also holding a small piece of paper with my contact details on, in the hope that he may take it, which could ultimately lead to something great. You're probably thinking, yeah, like that'll happen. Well that's correct, he didn't take the small piece of paper and on reflection, he didn't seem like he would've done anything like that for anyone. I did but try, which comes back to one of my philosophies in life...just go for it! I had nothing to lose by handing out this small piece of paper but ultimately knew that it would be highly unlikely he would accept my kind offer of my excellent filmmaking services...Overall however, I have my whole life to go for it.</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">So with that sweet flyby of Steven Spielberg, a few other members of the cast and crew walked by, including Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Sherlock in the hit TV series. Finally, after security had cleared the red carpet, there were two more people who you might have heard of that walked by, without stopping. Might I mention that this was a royal premiere and thus, Prince William and Kate Middleton graced the red carpet with their presence. I didn't intentionally come to see them, but it was very much a bonus! I managed to get a very nice shot of them as they walked by us along the red carpet and straight into the Odeon cinema. And with that, the premiere was done, a success. If I only had one regret, that would be to have not been able to get a photograph of me with Steven Spielberg. At the next opportunity I get to see him, I'll jump into action! Excuse the pun.</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">So onto the next event. Still during the Christmas holidays, I managed to get a few more interviews for my dissertation. I had the opportunity to go to Shepperton Studios to meet only the best; not one but two Bafta award winning film directors, to be able to interview them for my dissertation and to also ask for any help and advice they had in becoming a film director. I got much more than what I <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">bargained</span> for!! Not only did I get an interview, they recommended various film schools, courses and even books I could buy to get my film school knowledge on the way. They even very kindly offered to see some of the future films I make, once I've made them and added them to my YouTube channel. I had the <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">privilege</span> of meeting Neil Armstrong. Whoaa! you say. Or you might not. You might now be thinking why I've suddenly jumped from film to space. Well, I am a space geek but I'm not someone who randomly goes off on a tangent, no sexist joke intended. I didn't meet <em>the</em> Neil Armstrong, but Neil Armstrong and David Skyner, of Strong Sky Media, based at Shepperton Studios. So there you go. They were both extremely helpful with both my dissertation and also <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">furthering</span> my knowledge of how to break into the film industry and so for that, I thank them <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">immensely</span>.</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">Finally, onto the most recent event which further develops my <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">knowledge</span> of the film industry, helping me to inch ever closer to my dream. I have, along with the Raindance Saturday Film School, been on a two-day film school course, this time mainly <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">practical</span> in nature. As I stated in my previous post, I have never made a film before. Well, as I'm writing this I can now say that I have made my first ever film! Surely a significant point and chapter in my journey to become a film director! I have been on the Met Film School's "Two Day Intensive Filmmaking" course, which was very, very awesome, to say the least! The Met Film School is based at Ealing Studios so the first ever film I have made has been filmed and produced at a real working film studio! Awesome stuff! On the first day, we were put into two groups (there were only about 15 of us on the whole course all together), and were given a script from a part of a scene of a feature film, to remake and to film again, in our own way. Much like what I'm also going to be doing back home with my Dad's friends, Stuart and Vicky. So we were given a part of a script from "Thelma & Louise", a film shot in 1991, directed by Ridley Scott. With the script already made for us to use as our armour, we planned each shot, created a storyboard and a shot list of what we needed to make the scene. We then, after a brief introduction to thousands of pounds of video and audio equipment, headed out to shoot the scene. During the shoot, we took it in turns to experience the various different roles involved with the production of a film; director, <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">cinematographer</span> (A.K.A. Director of Photography), sound, 1st A.D. (1st Assistant Director) and finally continuity, who's responsible for the continuity of all props and actors on set, during shooting. Immediately, I learned something new for the first time, that the job of the cinematographer was very appealing to me! Basically, this guy is responsible for the camera; essentially the cameraman. However, he always has to do as the director wants and can't frame any shots of his own, although this sometimes does happen; both cinematographer and director work together to get the best out of their professional expertise. Overall, I learned that directing is for me, although many directors start off doing other jobs in the filmmaking process and work their way up to director. This is also an appealing option for me, which would involve me starting at the bottom as a runner, who is also known as the Third Assistant Director! After shooting, we then headed back inside to an editing suit, where all the original footage was already inserted into the industry standard editing program, Final Cut Pro. I then worked with another group member on the course, who happened to be a writer for the Armstrong and Miller Show! Very awesome! Needless to say I managed to exchange contact details, in the hope that he may be able to write something for me in the future! So we then proceeded to edit the footage together to produce something quite professional looking. Not bad for my first time doing everything professionally! I've edited several things before, so Final Cut Pro was relatively easy to grasp and to understand. Overall, the first day was great!</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">We arrived back in the morning on Sunday, ready to make a full on film. Although a short film, it still would require time and effort in all stages of production, from pre-production right through to post-production and the making of the DVD! Just a small note to add in here; the more I write this <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">particular</span> blog, the more I find myself using all the correct film industry terminology, which is simply quite amazing. I'm slowly developing myself into the world of movie making! So the second day started relatively similar to the day before. However, we weren't going to be thrown in at the deep end and have to write out own script, that would take time and we only had a day. Time is money! I knew I would use that line somewhere! So we got the script to a short film, which apparently is the first ever short film made at the Met Film School at Ealing Studios and has been made into a film on numerous <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">occasions</span>, by a whole range of students at the film school. We were simply the latest in line of past student filmmakers, turning the script into a film. The film is called "A New Life with Maurice 13". I won't say anymore about it, in case I am able to upload it to my YouTube channel for you all to see. So we planned each shot, created a storyboard, got the equipment, gathered together the professional actors and headed out to shoot. We actually shot on location in a park just off from the studio. We also shot one scene inside. The script was divided into 4 scenes, of which our group shot and edited the first 2 and the second group shot and edited the last 2 scenes, to which we would collaborate and bind together both sets of scenes to make up the short film. So we all had a go at directing, cinematography, sound and 1st A.D, along with continuity. You may or may not be thinking, what about the lights?! Well, daylight was our new best friend so we didn't need artificial lighting, both outside and also indoors, apart from a reflector which we needed indoors to reflect natural light coming from windows onto the actors' faces. The shoot lasted a couple of hours, after which we had lunch then got straight into editing. Now a little more familiar with the Final Cut Pro interface, I, along with one other group member, got to work on editing scene 1. It was therefore our job to include a <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">title</span> sequence, along with the beginnings of the story, introducing the <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">characters</span> and so forth. So after around 1 hour of editing, we had all finished and went to a classroom to await the final product, being bound together by an industry professional. Speaking of which, our course leader was also a film director himself, who had directed a few feature films and has also worked on a few episodes of "The Bill". To add to that statement, film and television go hand in hand. People who work in television can easily come across to working on films, and vice versa. That's an interesting thought. So after a whole day of practical filmmaking, the day ended with a premiere screening of the finished film, to the ones who worked on it. Might I say that it is very professional and has a very good, interesting and funny story. It's a comedy, that's all I'll say. So with a very awesome two days of very intense practical filmmaking, along with a whole host of new contacts and knowledge, I left and headed back to Canterbury, with the knowledge in me that I now have to be able to say I think I can now make a film and know the fundamentals of filmmaking. Sweet! So if anyone has any ideas for films they would like made, let me know!!</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">So that's it folks! I hope you've enjoyed reading my long awaited, detailed post about developments which have taken place in the last month or so, and I'll leave you with the knowledge that I'm now working on producing my own film right here in Canterbury with a few good friends, which, once made, I'll upload to YouTube, as a proper part of my show reel. I'll leave you with these two simple but powerful words.</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">Dream big.</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">God Bless.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNB2R119CM2fhmu2PPVTjKzJ-RZypnv0zhMMRBs9bYRP-pC5RwJTx6KxteX-QExQ027EudfrnJ-acMncS609d_lR3_67A6OylzfDnB3FYoWbGT73-nB1USpTl3Lv6LrdcGEn7XEnoH42R/s1600/IMG_0763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNB2R119CM2fhmu2PPVTjKzJ-RZypnv0zhMMRBs9bYRP-pC5RwJTx6KxteX-QExQ027EudfrnJ-acMncS609d_lR3_67A6OylzfDnB3FYoWbGT73-nB1USpTl3Lv6LrdcGEn7XEnoH42R/s320/IMG_0763.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>PhilipFraser135http://www.blogger.com/profile/03134275690794245379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123175730620607648.post-27122726791841940522012-01-06T09:09:00.000-08:002012-01-06T09:09:16.101-08:002012 - The Start of my Life...well career at least!Hello fellow bloggers! Firstly let me just start by saying that I hope everyone's had a fantastic Christmas and Happy New Year 2012! Now 2012 will be a very special and important year for me, as it is in this year that my career will be fully launched, as for me, it'll be one small step for man, one giant leap into Hollywood!<br />
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Firstly, I will be finishing my degree and my time at university. I will also produce small videos, show reels and even short films while still at university. I also hope to be working with my Dad's friends who are hoping to become professional actors and who are hoping to make it big.<br />
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Along with this and in the very first part of this year, in early January, I will be attending the premiere of "War Horse", with the aim of meeting a person who I can only describe as a living legend. What a better way to start the year than by meeting simply the most famous movie director in the history of cinema itself! The one and only Steven Spielberg! Everyone's heard of him and most probably are able to name at least 3 of his films; namely Jaws, Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park, which I would think would be the first films which come to mind when the name Spielberg is mentioned.<br />
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Along with that and still in January, I will also be going on a 2-day intensive film school course to, for the first time in my life, get a full hands-on experience of filmmaking, including the chance to direct professional actors as part of the production of a short film. This will take place at Ealing Studios. And as I have already said earlier, I am aiming to become a film director and as yet, I haven't even made a proper film before! Well in this year, I will be taking the first steps into the industry as I will be making my first film ever, and what a better way to start off making my first proper film than at a proper film studio, with professional actors, a talented crew and awesome equipment, such as Final Cut Pro, the industry standard editing software. I am thoroughly looking forward to this!<br />
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Along with this, I have also mentioned earlier that I have also never been to Hollywood! Well, in this year I will experience the magic of Hollywood for the first time in my life, as I venture to Los Angeles, California, on holiday this summer. A taster, no doubt, of what is to come!<br />
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This is all very inspiring and exciting stuff! I often think to myself, why on earth am I choosing to do this? Why on earth am I going for the most competitive and challenging job on the planet? And then I think, quite simply, why not? Take a chance, risk it, be daring, because with <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">perseverance</span></span>, <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">commitment, </span> dedication and a little bit of luck, in the words of Gareth Edwards, the first movie director I ever met, "It'll happen!" Those were his words of advice to me and I keep reminding myself of them day to day. So as you welcome in 2012, just stop and take a moment to think that you have the power and opportunity to do whatever you can possibly dream of doing. You just have to set your heart and mind to accomplishing it. This is my philosophy in life. I shall leave you with that.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-qv6wwvV_DcJ8LtpUbX4rT8irntBQOIV9dmQYm1Nm4fxKgwa-1uvdgoshydlZdBtVh9Z8OuQ8U7LmJTKPbn-4kSTjkxqCjCBj_N1PGEDrYF7esazkLS2ACPloxRTa5orro0AobgX54RV/s1600/129582458041o139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-qv6wwvV_DcJ8LtpUbX4rT8irntBQOIV9dmQYm1Nm4fxKgwa-1uvdgoshydlZdBtVh9Z8OuQ8U7LmJTKPbn-4kSTjkxqCjCBj_N1PGEDrYF7esazkLS2ACPloxRTa5orro0AobgX54RV/s320/129582458041o139.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>PhilipFraser135http://www.blogger.com/profile/03134275690794245379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123175730620607648.post-91444067059214971242011-12-15T12:01:00.000-08:002011-12-15T12:01:34.809-08:00UK Premiere of Mission: Impossible - Ghost ProtocolHello fellow bloggers! This is my first post from back home; I am home for the Christmas holidays. Like the post I wrote a while back, about my experience of the premiere of Johnny English Reborn, here is a post documenting my experience of arguably the best premiere I have been to so far! I now realise more than ever that this is what I want to do...becoming a film director is arguably one of the best jobs on the entire planet! Notice how I'm restricting it to the surface of the Earth, as in my opinion, an astronaut is the best possible job...it's quite simply out of this world! Ha ha ha. Well anyway, back to the best premiere I have been to so far.<br />
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The UK Premiere of "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" or "Mission: Impossible 4" as it is also known, took place at the BFI Imax Cinema in London on 13th December 2011. Tom Cruise and Simon Pegg, along with other actors and celebrities, are currently touring Europe, taking the film and <span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">premiering it in several European countries; the UK is just one of many. The day started out not so normal, with a 5:30am start. I was planning on meeting a friend from university at Waterloo, to go together to the premiere. Ready with my video camera, still camera, autograph book and phone (in the hope that Mr. Cruise would talk to my mum, which he has been known to do!), I set out for a half an hour walk to the station. It was still dark, being practically the middle of the night, so I can only describe it as a very eerie, deserted walk to the station, with only a couple of low flying pigeons to dodge. I arrived at the station at around 7:00am, with the aim of catching the 7:10am train to London Waterloo. However, national rail decided that this was the day when they would mess up any travel plans the UK public had, specifically on the day when the earlier you were, the more likely chance you'd have of being next to the red carpet. Thus, the 7:10am train was appropriately cancelled. And to rub it in even more, the train after that was cancelled. So after about 1hr 15mins of annoying announcements, along with not being able to get on the third train due to a high density of humans, I finally got the 8:25am train to Waterloo, which arrived at 8:50am. I met up with my friend and walked across the road to the BFI IMAX Cinema. To my surprise, we were still early enough to be one of the first one's there! We secured our spot right against the barriers which, at this time in the morning, ceased to exist; we were then ready for the 9 hour wait for the premiere to start and the stars to arrive! As I said in my post about the previous Johnny English premiere, call me a geek. But in the end, it was very much worthwhile, as I got the opportunity to meet one of the most famous Hollywood superstars on the planet!</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">So we spent a good portion of the day watching the event being set up. We watched the red carpet being rolled out, the barriers put up, the posters put up and the appropriately placed BMW cars with the registration "M:I GP" being driven into the area. Pretty cool stuff! One thing which occurred to me while watching everything being set up was that I bet the stars don't fully appreciate the time and effort involved with the setting up of a premiere; the whole cinema has to be transformed into a dazzling spectacle of lights, stages, and carpets. They practically have to create a miniature tinsel town right in the heart of London! Excuse the pun, with it being Christmas time and all. Overall, it was very interesting to see everything being set up. With persistence and a little bit of luck, I will hopefully have my own premiere in London or Los Angeles in the future. I have a dream, that one day this nation will rise up , and let me into Hollywood.</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">So I'll skip forward to around 5:30pm; the stars were due to arrive at 6pm. As we were right in the front and quite a lively bunch, the press started to gather and to my enjoyment, we were interviewed by several presenters and camera crews! First was an American woman for Sky News Movies who asked us what we think of Tom Cruise! I simply replied, "Awesome! An amazing actor!" Second was a live interview, but I don't know who it was for. And finally, a film channel wanted a reaction shot from the crowd, so we did 3 takes of putting our arms in the air and screaming like there was no tomorrow. We were all very excited that a true Hollywood legend was about to grace us with his presence.</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">Then came the time when the man himself arrived, followed a little while later by Simon Pegg. Cool music was playing, the guy with the microphone announced he had arrived; things were starting to liven up. I saw Tom round the corner of the cinema; the IMAX is a round cinema, so he had to make his way around a circle. Tom adhered to his normal protocol (excuse the pun), of taking his time with his fans, making sure he met everyone! At this point I phoned my mum and kept her on the phone until he came to us, in the hope that he would speak to her! However, at the time he did come to us, I had to do something no man has ever done before. Multitask. It may have been too much for me to try to do, but I tried to get his autograph, have a picture taken with him, film him and get him to talk to my mum! I was successful with 3 out of the 4 things. I wasn't able to get him to speak to my mum on the phone. That gives me another opportunity to go to the next premiere which he's in so that I can try once more! Overall however, it was fantastic to meet and talk to him and I would like to say that Tom Cruise is truly a gentleman and should set an example of how celebrities should interact and engage with their fans. I managed to get a photograph with him, which I will keep as the best souvenir of the evening, along with his autograph.</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">About 15mins later, along came Mr. Simon Pegg. Also a very nice guy, I talked to him for a few minutes and also managed to get a photo with him along with his autograph. The two of them together are a very funny duo, as Simon had a thing going on with Tom, where he was trying to teach Tom how speak with an English accent. It's hilarious! I'm sure there are a few videos on YouTube that show them together.</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">So after they both passed and moved onto to the rest of the crowd, a few other celebrities came past, out of which, I only recognised one. The hamster himself, Richard Hammond was there. However, I now know from personal experience that he's a bit of a [insert rude swear word here] type of guy, practically ignoring us as he passed. But as soon as the cameras were on him, of course he was signing things for the crowd on the opposite side of us! In my opinion, Tom Cruise should teach him a lesson...on how to be human.</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">So that was it for the evening! A fantastic time with Tom Cruise and Simon Pegg at the premiere of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. But that's not all, folks! Just as we were leaving, one of the officials can over to us with spare tickets to the premiere itself! Apparently the film was moving from this cinema over to the BFI Southbank Centre. She told us if we ran fast enough, we would get in to see the film. However, we should have checked the ticket itself before running like headless monkeys to the BFI Southbank Centre, as the ticket stated we needed to arrive at 6pm and be seated by 7pm. We were given the tickets at 7:20pm. It was potentially a fantastic opportunity, but overall was false hope. So there we go. At least I have a ticket to the premiere to keep as a souvenir!</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">Well that's pretty much it for my experience of the premiere, but there was one last thing. After leaving the BFI Southbank Centre, having been turned away by security who told us the film had already started, my friend and I wondered onto a film set, right in the centre of London! They were in the middle of shooting on location for a brand new feature film, the title of which I've forgot but will surely remember when it comes out, as I'll remember the name when I see it! So I got talking to the director and a few of the camera crew, along with the grip guy. That was pretty fantastic, albeit short! I'll definitely go see the film when it's out in summer 2012, along with of course Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, when it's out on Boxing Day!</span><br />
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<span style="padding-bottom: 14px; padding-right: 15px;">So that really is it for now folks! If I don't blog until after Christmas (I should write a few posts before Christmas, as I am hoping to go to a few film studios for my dissertation), then have a very Merry Christmas! I'll leave you with a few photos of the premiere, along with this: If you want to succeed in life...there is one simple thing to do...be there!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GACOEC-gMN3L8PnklrT0nQUpmZZX_zhX5JhdHNpUufCqvL7VN9porbmh0RtPbZ1wy5dtEunYDfKSZjpyUN_XKzEerWf-01PE6_BudWDjHaFpV6Lsc3jQIUV3_T86LHyoYNLMl1Dbkp0H/s1600/DSC00135+-+Copy+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GACOEC-gMN3L8PnklrT0nQUpmZZX_zhX5JhdHNpUufCqvL7VN9porbmh0RtPbZ1wy5dtEunYDfKSZjpyUN_XKzEerWf-01PE6_BudWDjHaFpV6Lsc3jQIUV3_T86LHyoYNLMl1Dbkp0H/s400/DSC00135+-+Copy+%25283%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmWG86lvfqqIWbwqhGCyeGZtf-mPm6RGpkZsYBuof4wCZqmZ7oYE4ij8Ody5arFmz_u5ApDILCbU1FZsMZNRxz1xTPGjILRYzd-1WFhFNjBEXHwbN9zfricw5iF4_ngntD0jmp6UuWTbBy/s1600/DSC00134+-+Copy+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmWG86lvfqqIWbwqhGCyeGZtf-mPm6RGpkZsYBuof4wCZqmZ7oYE4ij8Ody5arFmz_u5ApDILCbU1FZsMZNRxz1xTPGjILRYzd-1WFhFNjBEXHwbN9zfricw5iF4_ngntD0jmp6UuWTbBy/s400/DSC00134+-+Copy+%25285%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>PhilipFraser135http://www.blogger.com/profile/03134275690794245379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123175730620607648.post-14333518629895533512011-12-06T21:11:00.000-08:002011-12-06T21:11:01.293-08:00My First Production for Fraser Films!Hello fellow bloggers! Here is an update to say that I have filmed and produced my first video for my new YouTube channel and soon to be professional film production company, Fraser Films! I have filmed, for my university's Christian Union, their production of "The Nativity" and have uploaded it as the premiere video for my channel! The video is called "The Nativity by the Pond" and was filmed on 2nd December 2011. So far, it has gained over 250 views and will hopefully gain many more! I would like to take this opportunity to say that it was great to work with my CU to produce this short film. I would also like to state that although not intended to be part of my showreel or a fully planned out short film, this production was purely intended to be a memento of the evening, to give others the opportunity to see the Nativity, who weren't able to attend. I will hopefully be making many more productions for the CU during the short but precious time I have left, here at university. I will finish university in May 2012...to pursue and to chase my dream.<br />
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I would also like to say here that I have also successfully produced another short film, between now and the last post below. I have made a short film documenting my experience of the last space shuttle launch, "STS-135 Atlantis: The Grand Finale". Like the above production, this is also intended to purely be a memento for me and my family of the day when we witnessed history in the making. However, I could also consider it something which could be seen as a short film. That's for the audience to decide! I am debating whether to upload it to FraserFilms135, as I have used three songs to which I do not own the copyright. If I am to upload it, I would have to clearly state that I do not own the copyright to the songs used in this short film. However, ignorance of the law is no excuse and I fully understand that. I also understand that on a day-to-day basis, people all over the world upload music videos of songs they do not own. So to sum up, you might see this video on YouTube...you might not. I hope to get permission from the copyright owners to upload it, so that I can show more people my shuttle launch production, other than just family and friends!<br />
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So I'll leave you with this...anything is possible...when you believe. Subtly quoting SeaWorld Orlando? Or something far greater? (again another SeaWorld quote!) I'll leave you to figure out the rest. God speed. Whoops, just given away the answer!PhilipFraser135http://www.blogger.com/profile/03134275690794245379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123175730620607648.post-26965634441217321852011-11-26T16:32:00.000-08:002011-11-27T09:42:28.262-08:00Launch of the Mars Science Laboratory - Curiosity!Hello fellow bloggers! Now I don't normally post anything else on my blog, other than film stuff. But I found today so awesome that I felt I just had to write about it!<br />
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As you may or may not know, I am a NASA geek! I've been to Florida twice and have been to NASA's Kennedy Space Center more times than I can recall. I've also had the honour of experiencing, first hand, the last ever launch of the space shuttle, STS-135 in July 2011. Today has been a very eventful day in Florida, as the Mars Science Laboratory, a.k.a. the Mars Curiosity Rover, launched today from Cape Canaveral, atop an Atlas V rocket, bound for the red planet! I watched it on NASA TV today and continued watching after the launch until the end of the coverage, along with a few extra news conferences and programmes about Mars and it's future new inhabitant, Curiosity. After today, I feel even more interested in space science, planetary science and science in general and have even considered going along the path of doing something scientific in life, instead of a job in the arts, as a film director. However, I still think I'll go into the film industry, as its a possibility for me to potentially involve my interest in space and in science, by making a film about NASA for example! It's been done before (Apollo 13, Transformers: Dark of the Moon) to name but a few. So there is that cool possibility to combine science and the arts!<br />
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Well that's pretty much all I wanted to say for this post! All that's left to do to climax this awesome day is to listen to David Bowie - Is there Life on Mars, go outside and admire the red planet, assuming a clear sky of course and finally say...<br />
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GOOD LUCK CURIOSITY!!! I hope there ain't any cats on Mars...PhilipFraser135http://www.blogger.com/profile/03134275690794245379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123175730620607648.post-66540487362659708072011-11-24T18:31:00.000-08:002011-11-24T18:31:36.281-08:00My Brand New YouTube ChannelHello fellow bloggers! This is an update to say that I have created a brand new YouTube channel!!!<br />
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Simple called, "Fraser Films", I have specifically designed it to showcase my short films and showreels on. I feel that I can potentially go very far with it! I have been thinking for a while now, since deciding to become a film director, that one good thing to do would be to create an independant film production company, with a group of friends, all of whom are like minded individuals who are hoping to also break into the film industry. I have also had this name in mind for a while. Short, sweet and to the point (excuse the pun...I'll be making "short" films...yep...ha ha). Anyway, this is just a quick post to say that I have created my all new YouTube channel. I haven't uploaded any videos to it yet, but that will soon change, from early December, as I have been given the opportunity to film my University's Christian Union nativity play. This will most likely be the first video premiered on my new channel!<br />
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So that's all for now folks! I will keep updating my blog when I'm home during Christmas, as I hope to be visiting a wide range of film studios in the UK, mainly to gather data for my dissertation. I'll also take the opportunity while I'm at these studios to have a look around and maybe get to talk to a few people in the business! Namely, directors, producers, even actors! So that's it for now!<br />
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I'll leave you with this...love life and live it to the fullest! Also love the one's around you, your family, your friends...and during this festive season, remember this...your family are the most important thing in the world, the best gift you've been given. Far better than the latest iPhone 4S, PS3 game or film. All I want for Christmas is my awesome family and friends around me. I hope you do too.<br />
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(Instead of ambitious, inspirational advice, which I normally give, I personally believe, above all else, family and the people around you are your number one priority in life. Your career goals, aspirations and dreams come second. There we go people!) God bless.PhilipFraser135http://www.blogger.com/profile/03134275690794245379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123175730620607648.post-82667279609493785032011-11-09T13:13:00.000-08:002011-11-09T13:13:00.324-08:00My First Big IdeaHello fellow bloggers!<br />
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I write today after having created an idea which I think has the potential to be a great success! However, this film will be very hard to make with the equipment I have at my disposal at this moment in time. It will therefore be an idea I will keep throughout the development of my career as a film director and will be made when I will hopefully become successful enough to be able to direct a multi-million dollar feature film. I have high hopes for this film; it is an original idea that hasn't been done before, combining popular genres of action, adventure and comedy, all mingled into what, in my opinion, I believe to be a recipe for success. I may be getting way too ahead of myself, as I am just starting out. However, it's good to think big!<br />
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For now, I won't release any details of the film until much later, just in case anyone out there decides to go with this idea and make it into a film before I get the chance to! I have a pitch, a plot outline and 2000 words of notes about the film, which I won't disclose on here or anywhere on the internet. All I will say however, is that it relates to my interests and travel experiences, combined into one story. The only other thing I will say about it is the genre, which I mentioned above as being a combination of action, adventure and comedy. For now, I'll leave you to guess the rest!<br />
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So with that short post, I'll leave you with these awesome words of advice...<br />
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Dream big, because you never know where life will take you!PhilipFraser135http://www.blogger.com/profile/03134275690794245379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123175730620607648.post-45288111563443311952011-11-03T13:25:00.000-07:002011-11-03T13:25:09.605-07:00My First Short FilmHello fellow bloggers! Since I last updated my blog, I have been thinking long and hard about ideas for films, both feature length and short. My friend James and I were having a brainstorming session and one idea has come about, inspired from reading a script of a classic comedy film, Ace Ventura! I won't disclose the title of the film just yet. That'll have to wait until it is finished. But for now, for this very short but awesome post, I will say that the film is currently in development; we're writing the script, casting the actors, many of whom are close friends, and working on composing the music, of which my musical friend James Brown will lead.<br />
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I've also just heard about the new James Bond film, Skyfall, which will be filmed at Pinewood Studios, starting monday! This is very exciting to hear; I may also have an opportunity to potentially play a small part. From my first visit to Pinewood Studios, I gained two contacts. I will therefore try to send an email to ask if it's possible to visit the studios this coming monday! This would be fantastic. I will keep you updated about whether or not I succeed in future posts.<br />
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So that's what's been happening in my world for the last few weeks. I leave you with this...quite a powerful message on a poster I have.<br />
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If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place. Powerful words right there.PhilipFraser135http://www.blogger.com/profile/03134275690794245379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123175730620607648.post-45667458034431707272011-10-16T19:45:00.000-07:002011-10-16T19:58:41.640-07:00UK Premiere of "Johnny English Reborn"Hello fellow bloggers! This is my first blog post back at university; I am now in my third and final year at Canterbury and will continue to update my blog from here! I am writing this post atfer what has been a simply amazingly inspiring day I have had yesterday with my friend, James Brown, at the UK Premiere of "Johnny English Reborn" at the Empire Cinema in Leicester Square. And yes, my friend is actually called James Brown...and I think he feels good...and so do I after yesterday's awesome events!<br />
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Well, it all started off from checking online for the latest premieres that are happening in London. Having decided that this seemed like a cool one to go to, I started to invite friends...and ended up with my best buddy, James. We were planning on getting the first train from Canterbury to London Waterloo on the day and returning in the evening. However, a phone call from home gave us the idea which would eventually lead to us getting a front row view of the red carpet! With no prior notice at all, we decided to act on a spur of the moment decision and to go to London the night before the premiere! And if you're thinking that we camped out, we didn't. We stayed the night at my house, in order to get there as early as possible the next day! And sure enough, that's what we did; we were greatly rewarded by our 6:00am start...we were the first one's there! I know, I know, call me a geek. But hey, it's not every day you get to meet a Hollywood star!<br />
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So we arrived in Leicester Square even before anything was set up! So what did we do? We waited...and waited...and waited...I noticed that in fact, we weren't quite the first one's there, as 3 people were there already...now I recognised these 3 people. It turns out that I had met them at an earlier premiere I attended, the most recent one to date. That was the premiere of "Cowboys and Aliens" at the O2 a few weeks back. I also met them throughout the next 3 days running at the movie event at the O2 called "Empire Presents Big Screen", which was England's version of "Comic Con", the American movie event of the year. You're probably thinking, why did I not mention that I went to this before? Well, for the simple reason that I had not created my blog at that point! So there you are, I have been to those two events, along with several film premieres before then, including "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1" and "The Expendables", both in Leicester Square. In fact, these are the only other premieres I have ever been to! I hope this low number will soon change, as my decision to become a film director is now set in stone. I hope, one day, to have my own premiere either in LA or London. One can do one's best to achieve this...and I aim never to falter in my goal.<br />
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So back to the main event of the day, the premiere of Johnny English Reborn. After a period of what seemed like quite a while, 5 hours in fact, everything started to take shape. The barriers were put up, the red carpet was rolled out and slowly but surely everything started to come alive! The news media arrived opposite us, we secured our place in the front of the barriers and the stars started to arrive. First of the stars to arrive was Dominic West, followed shortly by Daniel Kaluuya, who plays Johnny's assistant. As they both started making their way up to our end of the red carpet, the director Oliver Parker, Tim McInnerny, Gillian Anderson and finally the man himself, Rowan Atkinson arrived in quite a spectacular fashion...in a Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé...the car used in the film. Slowly but surely, they all started to head our way and to our delight, stayed for a while in front of us on the opposite side of the red carpet to where we were, as this is where the press were set up. After a period of press interviews, Rowan Atkinson came to us! If there ever was a point during the day which I felt could've been better, it was the moment I actually got to meet Mr. Bean personally! I was, to put it simply, star struck. I didn't say a word. All that I could eventually mutter out were the words "can you sign my poster"? My friend, James, on the other hand, actually had a decent conversation with him, mentioning that we got up at 6am to see him and that it was a pleasure to meet him. How jealous am I? Very, I tell you. Very. Oh well, hopefully one day I'll be able to say that I have worked with him, along with many other stars. That day will come.<br />
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So as the remaining guests wandered through into the cinema and things started to wrap up for the day, with James delighted at his success with Rowan, myself not so much, we decided to go to McDonalds for lunch. It was at this point where I thought, before heading back to Canterbury; let's see if we can obtain a few more film posters to give to friends. After the meal in McDonalds, we headed back to the cinema and got talking to a few very nice security guards. They told us that we could take down the gigantic poster boards that surrounded the cinema. The only thing I thought, being the more practically minded of the two of us, was how on earth would we get any of them back to Canterbury? A challenge in its own right, I'm sure. And it proved to be one heck of a challenge.<br />
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It was at this point where my luck with the stars soon made an about turn, as we just happened to be in the right place at the right time. On a greater scale, the success of my career will potentially involve me being in the right place at the right time!! The stars and guests had finished watching the film and were starting to exit the cinema. At this point, what I can only describe as a convoy of Mercedes Benz cars started to appear around the cinema! We were in luck. We would get to see Rowan Atkinson for the second time! A chance no doubt, for me to redeem myself of my earlier impression of a fool I made of myself in front of him. To be honest though, it's his job of making a fool of himself in front of others...I guess I was merely trying to copy him! What happened in the next few minutes was very awesome, indeed. We didn't get to meet Rowan again; he walked past us into his car. However, Warwick Davis, A.K.A Professor Flitwick in Harry Potter walked right by us! I wish to state that I was not star struck; instead I struck up a conversation with the man himself, shook his hand and felt very delighted! It had indeed made my day! I had met Warwick Davis.<br />
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What followed after everyone left was something which was a joint decision, a little crazy and definitely something which I won't do again. James and I attempted to get the gigantic poster boards off the wall, keep them and carry them on the train back to Canterbury. At the time, we thought it a cool idea to have these boards as one of the most awesome souvenirs of the day. However, we realised the hard way that the sheer weight of these boards was more than double our entire body weight. Yep. I think you can come to the conclusion that we in fact didn't carry these boards back to Canterbury! We tried...we came close...but we had no cigar at the end. However, I decided that our effort shouldn't be wasted; we managed to get one of the best boards back to Canterbury, along with the standard movie posters which we aim to give out to friends. How we managed to practically get these posters along with just one board back to Canterbury, all the way through London, somehow mystifies me. I can only describe it as a miracle.<br />
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So, after a long but very awesome weekend, we arrived back in Canterbury at about 1am the following day. We had a quick glance at YouTube to see any videos the press uploaded of interviews, in the hope that we might have been in the background. Well now, there was one final surprise of the day! One video we found through YouTube, that we were filmed by the media! Well, we were obviously the centre of attention...it's just that Rowan Atkinson was in the same shot. The video was by itn's "showbiz" channel. The best way for me to describe the video to you is to link it at the bottom of this post! So there you have it, my experience of the UK Premiere of Johnny English Reborn.<br />
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As I update my blog in the next few months here in Canterbury, with updates to films I've seen, premieres I will be going to and films I will be making, keep this somewhat funny but true thought in mind. I am aspiring to become a Hollywood film director, yet, I have never been to Hollywood and I have never made a proper film before! However, I will probably be going to Los Angeles with my parents next summer and I have an aim of making one proper film during my final year of university, with a few friends and aspiring musicians. Not to mention any names, James! He will be helping me with the music side and will be the musical director and conductor for future films I endeavour to make. I also have recently been playing and experimenting with my new green screen, which came with my Pinnacle Studio video editing software. I've found out the practically infinite things I can now do with it!<br />
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So for now, keep this more important thought in mind, instead of the above. God has given you the gift of life. The least you can do is live it! That's what I'm planning on anyways!! Goodnight all.<br />
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</div>PhilipFraser135http://www.blogger.com/profile/03134275690794245379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123175730620607648.post-88714885695492292512011-09-22T08:36:00.000-07:002011-09-22T08:36:22.382-07:00Developments<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hello fellow bloggers! I will firstly start off by saying that I know I haven't updated by blog recently. I therefore hope to no longer have any long gaps such as this one from now on and will try to keep you updated with new developments that come about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ok, so since my last blog post, there have been a good few things which have happened in my life. I have been to another film studio, this time Elstree Film Studios, to go on a course entitled "An Introduction to the Film and TV Industry", which proved to be very much of an eye opener and has led me to, along with various other events, decide that I really will be going for my ultimate goal in life. I won't stop until I get there; there ain't no prizes for second best! The course was taught by Phil O'Shea, a film director, who has directed many films to date, including Vampire Diary and Spirit Trap.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Along with my day to Elstree Film Studios, I have also taken a leap into the world of YouTube...for the second time. I mentioned in my first post that I have a newly created YouTube channel with my friend Alex. For our first video, we chose to somewhat copy an idea from my friend's idol, Danny Wallace; every Friday he goes out to try to get as many "high fives" as he can in one minute. We tried to beat his record...I'll let you see for yourself how successful we were!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">So along with trips to film studios and uploading a new YouTube video, I have also been given a very big opportunity which could potentially become a turning point in my overall career goal of becoming a film director. My Dad has a couple of friends at work who are looking to become professional actors. They have done a few plays together and are looking to get themselves more known in the filming industry. I will also take this opportunity to say that they are engaged, so I wish them the best of luck with the start of their lives together! Back to the main point, however, which is that they both want to act. I, of course, have grasped this opportunity with both hands and believe I can help them. They would like to do a show real with me, including making a short film together, whereby I would direct the film, along with being the cameraman, editor, producer and basically everything behind the camera. However, as this will be my first proper experience of making a film, along with the fact that they are both fully trained actors, I will take a step back and let them guide the overall process of creating the film, thus leading to me gaining much wanted experience and have something to show for it at the end! As my Dad has said to me, it's a win-win situation; they are getting themselves known as actors and I am getting myself known as a director. I am very excited to be getting this opportunity and will update you in a later post to let you know how it's going!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">So there we go. As you can see, I have now reached a point in developing my career whereby I have moved on from merely thinking of becoming a film director, through to thinking practically of how I can achieve this, through to finally making some physical progress and gaining contacts and making short videos!! So I leave you with this thought in mind...one can do whatever one wishes to do in life...all you need is ambition, commitment and the desire to achieve!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/LdNSbKBvGSU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>PhilipFraser135http://www.blogger.com/profile/03134275690794245379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123175730620607648.post-37295632384378689792011-09-01T10:15:00.000-07:002011-09-01T10:19:39.101-07:00My First Experience of the Film Industry!<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hello fellow bloggers! Today I have taken my first step into the glamorous world of filmmaking by visiting the world famous "Pinewood Studios". On first impressions...amazingly awesome! I went there today to gather primary research for my dissertation, in which I am taking my two main interests of geography and film and combining them for my third year geography dissertation. I was greeted at reception by a warm welcoming lady, who gave me an "Access All Areas" pass, to which I was very greatful I had, as it allowed me into places any ordinary member of the public cannot get into. I guess, however, I am actually an ordinary member of the public, but as I arranged two meetings with 2 film companies at Pinewood, I was allowed to "take one small step" into the industry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway, my first meeting got off to a flying start as I interviewed Jim Groom from Ivory Tower Entertainment, a film director...a very friendly and welcoming film director at that! He gave me lots of advice of how to start off in the industry; the general trend I found is through work experience and becoming a runner. That is considered to be the benchmark, entry level job into the business. After all, most famous film directors all had to start somewhere...at the bottom...and worked their way up, which is what I hope to do. There is of course going to film school, which is always another option.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So after my meeting with Jim, I had a walk around the studios and managed to get a glimpse of some of the sets. It was during this period of time between interviews that I actually accidentally wandered onto the film set of "Dark Shadows"; what a very happy "accidental stumble" it prooved to be! I was magically transported to Main Street, USA! I have to say seeing my very first real set really made me think to myself that this is really what I want to do! I've been to Universal Studios theme park in Florida before, but this was the real McCoy! I think it's appropriate for me to apologise to anyone on the production team of "Dark Shadows" if I wasn't meant to be on set, but it was truly awesome!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, after that nice surprise, my second interview also went very well. It was with Robbie Moffat of Palm Tree Entertainment, also a film director. He was also a very nice guy to chat to, giving me advice on the first steps I should take and also gave me a whole loada DVD's of productions by Palm Tree Entertainment! So Robbie, if you're reading this, thank you very much! Thanks also to Jim for the meeting!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After that, it was with great happiness that I then left Pinewood Studios after a spot of lunch and returned home. A great day had by many, especially moi. Here's to winning the pub quiz tonight, let's hope it's film themed!</span>PhilipFraser135http://www.blogger.com/profile/03134275690794245379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123175730620607648.post-64268808586090319242011-08-29T08:46:00.000-07:002011-08-29T08:46:21.201-07:00My First Blog!<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So here it is, my first blog for you guys! I'll start off by saying that I am currently a student at Canterbury Christ Church University and about to enter my third and final year. I am studying geography. After university, I hope to pursue a career in the film industry, as a director. These are the first few days of, shall I say, "getting in there", in terms of meeting people, making contacts and networking with the film industry. I have also just started up a new YouTube Channel with my friend Alex Harris, who is also hoping for a career within the media. It is a joint venture into the world of YouTube, where so many things can happen...who knows what will come of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Before university, I went to college and before that, school. I know, pretty obvious to be honest. But I also was a part of the Royal Air Force; I joined the air cadets when I was 12 and continued for 6 years, gaining the rank of corporal. During my time in the air cadets, I had many unique opportunities to see inside the world of the Royal Air Force, including going on summer camps to RAF bases, flying the RAF aerobatic trainer aircraft, the Grob Tutor, participating in my squadron drill team and above all, making many new great friends. Overall, I gained a lot of life experience from the air cadets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Finally, here are some of my main hobbies and interests. I am what you might call a "space geek"; I love NASA and anything spacey...excluding Kevin...I mean he's a cool actor and that but...oh you get my point. Anyway, I have been to Florida twice with the most recent time being the best; I witnessed the last ever launch of the Space Shuttle, STS-135 Space Shuttle Atlantis, which was one of the most, if not <em>the</em> most awesome thing I have ever seen in my life! My other main hobby is of course, filmmaking. I have made a few short productions and I think now would be a good time to point out that, along with my joint YouTube channel, I also have my own, called PhilipFilmProductions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So anyway, that's me in a few short paragraphs! I hope you will like reading my blog and I ask you to join me in my life adventure to my ultimate goal of Hollywood! God speed to you all.</span>PhilipFraser135http://www.blogger.com/profile/03134275690794245379noreply@blogger.com0