Brain Fog

Been getting a lot of 'Brain Fog' recently, that oft-toughted long term side effect of Covid. I sincerely hope its just a case of having a late night yesterday, but concentrating felt strained today. Didn't help when the whole nation was rushing to submit an online meter reading and jamming up the website. Shame on the suppliers for not anticipating the last minute rush of people that was an undue stress for sure.

Crumble Crunchdown

Just like Snow White, I spent an idle afternoon making a fruity dessert. Alas, I didn't have the help of animal companions (even our cat was uninterested), nevertheless I produced an apple and blackberry crumble which looked pretty as a picture. Rebecca and I were off socializing at Mark and Lucy's tonight and a pudding was the very least we could offer to pay back their hospitality. Salmon tacos started the night off which some board games as a neat little chaser. Explaining the rules of Ganz Schon Clever to newcomers is always a marvel and watching Rebecca's confused face melt into an expression of calculated concentration was a quiet pleasure. The crumble went down well too! Perhaps I made a little too much and dished up Goliath sized portions. Stoically, we all filled our boots but there was no shame in admitting temporary defeat - pudding portion control never was my strong suit as my stomach size matches my eyes. Had a lovely evening though, been too long since seeing those guys all together, the only thing better than board gaming with them is reminiscing about our least favorite science teachers at school.

Shooting for the Moon

My laptop at long last returned to me, all it's problems resolved for free as it was still under warranty (by a single week). Back to work on my next YouTube video script I go - I even confided my idea to Rebecca over dinner and she agrees it's a little ambitious, but if I can pull it off I'll be pleased as punch.

I got head huntered for a potential job starting next month too today, so far it looks like it can fit in my ever-so-busy work schedule. Updated my CV once again and shot it over, the planets are aligning once more!

C'mon UPS

 Wasted the day away sat in front of my postbox awaiting the return of my laptop by the UPS delivery driver. They kept me in tender hooks saying delivery would be in the morning, then the evening... Then tomorrow. No bother, I passed the time doing a bit of job hunting and belated weekend shopping. It's always nice to share a working space with Rebecca too during the day but she was understandably a bit low today. She does cat-sitting as a side job, a message she received today informed her the cat she was looking after got hit by a car and died. None of it was Rebecca's fault mind as that cat had free-reign of his comings and goings but it hit her hard either way. Put life into perspective a bit.

Keeping Up with the Cat-dashians

Wished my Mum a happy Mother's Day ten slipped out the door with my running gear to try and make the most of a 23 hour day. In want of a hearty foreign language film I trawled Letterboxd and found Ingmar Bergman film that pique my interest: Autumn Sonata... which only several hours after watching it I realised is the best 'Anti-Mothers Day' film out there. Been a very long while since I've seen a Bergman picture and I don't know why I've been keeping him at arms length. Autumn Sonata unfurls like a play while a Mother and a Daughter pick at each other, first passive aggressively and laterly they emotionally eviscerate one another. Sharp dialogue and superb characters meant this was a satisfying watch, one that nourished my craving for a good watch.

Rebecca returned home and jokingly went straight to cuddle the cat over me... I think she's settled in a lot more now and is very comfortable and grateful for our company. Couldn't resist taking this picture.

Sunbeam Crawl

 Bid farewell to Rebecca who went for a weekend jaunt with her family, meaning it was just me and the cat today. Over the last few days we've both learnt what times the patches of sunlight trickle into each room and together we go on a 'Sunbram Crawl', mostly she sleeps while I busy myself with games or films. She is incredibly sleepy during the day but once she's had her dinner she's got a new lease on life... That's when I get dozy though so it never quite lines up for the better. Well, it might after tomorrow once the clocks do their thing. An hour less in bed... Hurts just thinking about it, but we reap the benefits in 6 months time. I'm still secretly waiting for daylight saving to be abolished just some we can tell future generations about how as a nation we all collectively wound our clocks back and forth an hour - they'll all think we're pulling their legs.

Cocktail Connoisseurs

It's never too early for a BBQ! Especially in this streak of great weather we're having. Louis and Rachel invited us round for a night of grilled meats and refreshing salads... Plus a cocktail tasting session. Rachel was given a trio of espresso martini taster bottles a startup company are trialing so we got to compare flavors and fill out a survey. Never done a cocktail comparison before but we all had a ton of fun doing it! Louis got a bit giggly after a few drinks which is always a hoot, in fact we all did, only an Eton Mess could help sober us up.

Brave Little Kitty

Our cat had a prearranged trip to the vet that we needed to make with her - just routine vaccination so nothing serious but it did give me my first ever vet experience. I was fully expected to step into a waiting room that was rife with sickly goldfish owners, fellows with eloborate and limp pet snakes and dogs wearing impossibly large lampshade collars. In reality, I walked into an empty waiting room, the silence in there was intermittently shattered by our cats gentle meowing. She was good as gold with the vet though, the whole thing only took a few minutes and I was able to get her back home where we loaded her up on treats and strokes for being so brave.

Sooty

Lounged around on the living room floor again with our new cat, watching films and soaking up errant sunrays. Tell you what, our cat is a real cutie when she's asleep next to you. But the moment Rebecca came home the cat made a beeline for the chimney again and actually made it a fair way up. I came to the rescue, shaking a packet of treats which got her scarpering out. I saw the humour in the situation but Rebecca was, understandably, a but anxious about the whole event. So after dinner we tapped tin foil over the fireplace... Once again this blog dares to write sentences you'll never read elsewhere. Unless there's a cat-shaped hole in the foil tomorrow morning we'll know we've done a good job.

Cushion Kerfuffle

Returned my car first thing, and thus, a day full of quality time with me and my new cat was laid out on the horizon. And by 'quality time' I mean hurriedly running out sofa cushions into the washing machine as she decided to pee a little on them. It was a little uncharacteristic of her because she's been using her litter tray flawlessly until now, I'm chalking it up as a fluke this time but Rebecca and I will keep and eye on her. Our heads were turned onto our TV though while watching Sanditon. We're trying to finish season 1 so we can jump into the newly released season 2 (which I of course, spent a good deal of last year working on). Eager to see all my hard work pay off, but I'd like to see the full story unfold first so I can get a true sense of the entire show.

London in a Day

Final day on the comedy pilot and there was only one last big job to do: drive to London and back again to return some kit. It was about as exciting as it sounds, Mark and I loaded up a couple of boxes, I drove for 2 and a half hours to then unload for 5 minutes, then I turned the car around and drove back home. Couldn't have asked for a nicer day to be on the motorway though and I somehow missed all the possible traffic, just me, a podcast and the setting sun.

Actually, I just remembered I have one last, last job to do tomorrow: return the hire car. It was big and chunky, but it was a cosy ride that introduced me to automatic transmission. Won't miss parking it on our road, but I'll miss everything else.

Potato Planter

 Got plenty of dirt under my nails as today was all about garden care. Louis and Rachel popped round to drop off some planting potatoes and I sowed more lawn seed where the weather and housework rendered it pathcy. It's always hard to see the short term gains while gardening, you just have to imagine the outcome and that keeps you motivated... Plus the thought of delicious potatoes helps a bunch.

Cat Naps Around the Home

Entered out living room to the sound of gentle meowing, Tulip was waiting for us to open a 'delicious' wet pouch to start her day. Remarkably, she's rather well behaved right out of the gate when it comes to food. She never leapt up on the table while we were eating, though she did try to earn some sympathy points by running around your legs - Rebecca and I both know better than to feed her table scraps though. Gradually we introduced the entire house to her and the spare room is becoming a fast favourite for her, thanks in part to the sofa bed that perfectly positioned to catch the afternoon sun.

We didn't spend all day fawning over out cat though. It was a bakingly hot March Saturday so we took a long walk all the way around Bristol's Harbourside, quenching our thirst with a 'beer slushy'. So many people out and about now and it actually felt great to see humans enjoying the weather and the company of their friends again. Already got me excited for Summertime in Bristol.

Tulip

That's a wrap ony latest project! One week of shooting is over, but not after a sprint finish of taxi runs, packdowns and handshakes. Really lovely little job this with a lot of familiar faces, all if which have only become more professional since I last met them. 

However, this accomplishment pales in comparison to this latest announcement... As if today Rebecca and I are proud owners of our very own cat. Rebecca went to pick her up this evening and she's been a curious being ever since. We were expecting her to be super nervous, I didn't even expect to see her for the first few days. But already, she's chilling out on the sofa and enjoying our company. Her name is presently Tulip, but we are looking to call her something new. We go the whole weekend to get to know her better and hopefully settle in for good.

 

Crinkly Denim

Turned up to work with a little bag holding some costume options in. One of our scenes required a few house party guests and I fit the 'mid 20's' brief. Showed my clothes to the costume designer who signed off the double denim look but added 'Oh Theo, you must iron that shirt...' 

Sadly, I never did get a chance to star in the deep background of a shot because the scene was cut for time reasons, just as well too because a lot of my errands were off site today, I believe I spent more time sat in my car rather than at my desk. Keeps the might machine of production ticking over though so I'm always happy to do the odd jobs.

Over the Shoulder Scripting

Did a rainy morning drive to pick up a french press plus coffee for our cast, sadldone barista skills are in minimal demand on this job but I can still make good brews for myself. Once most of my daily duties were done I asked if I could go shadow the Script Supervisor on set to get a little more experience in that realm. The on set atmosphere was busy, but friendly, I got a whole hour in of watching takes and note taking, always interesting to see how different folks do their work too. Then there was a manic taxi booking and printing session, good to be busy but I'm knackered now. I forgot just how much I enjoy sleeping, whenever I wake up I can't wait to get back to bed.

Train Dash

 6:30am til 7:30pm work day, one of the longest feeling days I've done in a while too. We had a lot to cram in today and the crew did their darnedest to get it all in, behind the scenes, where I was, we had a lot of comings and goings with the cast - so much so that I had to step up and get involved. The traffic near our base gets manic during the school rush, we were low in Unit Drivers so I volunteered myself to drop a bunch of them to the train station. This turned into a race against the clock ad I fought road closures and nasty traffic all to get my guys to the station in time for their train. With literal moments to spare, we made it. High fives all round, they're going home on the quick train... Only it turned out their ticket was no longer valid and they didn't even get passed the barrier... I made a sheepish getaway and let that problem run its course. 

Back to normal shooting times tomorrow, a tiny bit more time in bed and an overall more chill day - can't wait.

Crafty Cake

Mini heart attack at the start of my morning. All the callsheets I'd printed had mysteriously vanished and they desperately needed to be in the hands of our actors. Turned out Mark had moved them but for a good few minutes I was questioning my sanity. My day went smoothly, the biggest task was arranging the pick up of a cake for a cast member. My usual place agreed to rustle up a vegan cake which was so fresh it was still a little warm when I collected it. Sadly, we couldn't share it around with the crew at the time as the day was slipping away, no doubt it made them smile after I hid it in their trailer. I feel like I'm always getting birthday cakes for people on jobs, hope they make an impression.

Bestest Brownies

Nestled myself deep into the kitchen, as I often do these Sundays. Seeing as it's the first day of the shoot with a new crew tomorrow I thought I'd make a batch of brownies to expedite the friend making process. Could hardly help myself from scoffing more than a fair portion when they were done, they came out with a really molten, truffle like centers which is perfect. I also attempted to make bean burgers for the first time (not for my co-workers, for me and Rebecca). I kinda messed up the consistency a wee bit but the flavours were on point, nice to do a veggie meal once in a while - it's better for me and I didn't smoke out the kitchen with cooking juices. 

Haven't even got the Sunday blues tonight, I'm ready to face tomorrow, early start and all. I booked our director a taxi at 6:40 this morning, I'll be monitoring that pick up like a hawk and if it goes well, then the rest of the day will trundle along smoothly.

Cat Shrine

 Took a laser focused trip up to IKEA first thing to pick up some goodies including a new rug for the spare room. Then we headed to a shop I reckon we'll be frequenting a lot more in the coming weeks: Pets at Home. A few preliminary bits were bought for our upcoming cat adoption, bless Rebecca, she's getting so excited about it all now. She's tucked att eh cat stuff against a wall in anticipation - it looks like a little shrine to the cat now.

Turning Red

The final day of prep was spent booking taxis for our director and triple checking all the paperwork. Production Coordinators, I've learnt, are masters of ensuring the crew don't feel like headless chicken and are kept in the loop - misinformation is the enemy. If even one letter on a postcode is wrong on one document the entire day of filming is potentially in jeopardy. I did a lot of proof reading today and I'm confident we'll hit the ground running on Monday.

Because I've got my finger on the film pulse, I knew that Pixar's latest film Turning Red was coming out today to Disney's streaming platform. I was quite jazzed to see it, Rebecca too, we were big fans of the director's short film Bao so this would be a good time. And for the most part it kinda was. I was so sold on the opening 15 minutes, great energy, humour and characters, it even eluded towards going into very bold territories. But then it fell into a slump which it never quite got out of. There were still fun moments peppered in, but it was clear the film wasn't going to do it's best with it's own identity. I felt a similar way at the end of Encanto, and watcht the credits for both films seemingly confirmed my suspicious on what went pear shaped for both these films: the Story and Creative departments are enormous in these films. Whenever it feels like Turning Red offers up a unique direction, it gets reigned in to take the path well-trodden. I have a sneaking suspicion that the first few drafts if the story were infinitely more interesting than the final product, but the narrative by committee neutered this. It's almost like Disney's teams have a default formula for story which is so rigid that films must sacrifice their originally bin order to appeal to a mass market. Turning Red felt like the most egregious example of this to date. A delightful concept mangled into something palettable... And ironically it's all the blander for it.

Putting a Ribbon on Everything

 Printer turned up today so I was in my element. Prepping wifi posters, trailer signs and lanyard inserts, I've done enough rodeos now that all this is muscle memory. With just a single day left of prep, me and my team are working to put little bows on everything now. All the travel documents are going out and the paperwork for next week is all prepped and ready to go. Tomorrow will be the final push before the shoot but it'll all be over before we even realize.

The job I interviewed for last week got back to me and unfortunately turned me down. I guess it wasn't meant to be, and as Rebecca and all of my friends have said 'Well, it's their loss.' It's obviously a little disappointing but I'm keeping my head held high.

Script Synopsis

Rode the bus into work, listening to music as I went while feeling like I was in a moody music video. I arrived a while before everyone else so I took it upon myself to familiarize myself with the script we're filming and make my own synopsis for each scene. Now it's firmly in my head and as an exercise, I found it a lot of fun - hopefully I can manufacturer a useful application for it. 

Other exciting news, we are on the road to getting our very first cat! We were so smitten with the one we saw over the weekend in we put an offer in which got accepted. Now we just need to make our house 'cat ready' and then she's good to move in... Just need a dynamite cat name now.

Sandwich Shuttle

Surrendered my wheels to another Runner on this job. They'll be driving a lot of costume stuff up to London tomorrow morning while I get the bus to work instead. Made good use of it today though carrying plenty of sandwiches to work for our (admittedly brief) production meeting. Feels like everything is falling into place, still a few variables to iron out but best I can do is keep fixing problems and feeding the masses.

No Gears on Me

 Back in the saddle again. I sat down with Mark and a whole other bunch of crew mates from The Last Bus as we continued prep work for our next short project.y very first job was picking up my car - an absolutely mammoth sized mini SUV with an automatic gear box. Freinds warned me that going auto was like switching to a colour TV - you'll never want to go back. Gears already feel archaic to me, but it's comfort to replace charm ultimately. Glad I'm getting a chance to properly give one a shot though, it was super helpful getting office furniture and kitchen supplies anyway. The shoot starts next week so plenty of stuff to crack on with in the mean time.

West Side Story (The New One)

Rebecca's dream of owning a cat is one step closer to coming true. This morning we visited what could well be our first ever cat at her current foster home. We sat in with her and played a little bit, imagining what she'd be like in our home. Still a lot to discuss and think about but it starting to feel a lot more real now.

After dinner we settled into the new version of West Side Story that Spielberg recently put out. We saw the original about two years ago so the story is quite fresh in our minds. For what it's worth, it is one of the best 'remake' of a film I've seen. A lot of remakes get bogged down in the idea of being a legacy piece, they give too much gravitas to moments because it's close to a lot of people's hearts. While this West Side Story is a little more po-faced, it is apparent that Spielberg has a sincere love for the original - it has quality and doesn't feel like a soulless cash grab. That said, it doesn't top the original by a long shot. While the production design is spectacular, the film gets besotted with it's own look at times. The same is true for the camera work which is appealing but a little flashy at times. These wouldn't be problems normally, but in West Side Story these elements often obstruct what should be the star of the show: the dancing. The '61 film was initially directed by Jerome Robbins, the Broadway show's choreographer, he did what is now some of the most cherished dance sequences from the original file. Because Spielberg is a film maker through and through his vision would've likely struggled to conjour the same energy we fell in love with back in the day. That is the secret sauce that's missing here, but as I said it isn't completely charmless or without merit. The remixed storylines and songs mostly benefit the pacing, and the final hour still packs it's punch. Just not sure if I'd ever revisit this revisit though.

Petite Maman

Since technically this is the last weekend I have off before heading back to work, I wanted to make sure Rebecca and I got some quality time together. A trip up Park Street to tour the bookshops is something we love to do together so we did exactly that, plus a little window shopping elsewhere. I walked away with a lovely espresso cup and saucer plus another Ray Bradbury book to add to my shelf. Pinkman's bakery was our lunch spot of choice (a classic) and we couldn't resist a Sourdoughnut. 

A big part of our weekends is often films and today I had the pleasure of finally watching Petite Maman. The movie is like finding your childhood jacket in the back of your cupboard, the smell takes you back to your Summer holidays and the pockets are still full of conkers and acorns. It's a film about growing up that doesn't lean on easy nostalgia, it's just pure in the same way Winner The Pooh is or My Neighbour Totoro. Though it was all in French, the dialogue and themes were so universal it was like watching a dream. It's such a gentle and whimsical watch, and at just 73 minutes, it's a fleeting embrace of a film that you'll wish lasted for just a little longer, just like the very best farewells.

Coffee #1 Chum

I was late getting up on account of my late night drinking session last night. Thankfully I didn't feel too ropey and got to work pushing out the fruits of my time off: 130+ lines for Louis' game, all typed up and ready to ship. Reading them all back I'm very proud of all the lines I wrote, everything fits Louis' tone and I reckon it adds a lot of value to his package. 

Though I was hot off the heels of a boozy night, I arranged to have a pub session with an old Coffee #1 colleague tonight after weeks of clashing plans. Rebecca and I met up with them at an old favorite pub we hadn't been to since the pandemic. The venue and the chum were firing on all cylinders I'm pleased to say. I took a lot of guts for me to try and persue this friendship after it had gone quiet, but we both left with a newfound fondness and promises of future get togethers were made - just gotta keep up that momentum.

Sanditon Screening

This morning was all about prep time for my Zoom interview. I rehearsed my upselling lines and did my superhero pose all in preparation. The call itself only lasted a few minutes but made them laugh so I reckon be I left a good impression - fingers crossed I get the job!

This evening I attended a screening for the first episode of Sanditon. Everyone from the cast and crew turned up to celebrate something bigger than ourselves. And you know what, the first episode was pretty good! Beers, wines and cocktails ensued at the nearby bar, we'd finished Sanditon so that was cause for celebration enough. It was great to see a bunch of familiar faces and raise a glass with them, because I never independently know when to leave social functions I stayed right till the end. I shook my Producers hand then walked off mysterious into the night.

By that I mean missed my bus and gingerly walked home at 1am...

Vegetable Database

Dreaming up dialogue for Louis' vegetables is one thing, but inputting them into his database is a different ballgame. I like it though, its the fun kind of busywork, plus it gives me a chance to quality check each line as I input them. I sharpen a few up and cut the naff ones. I'll be delivering about 100+ more lines of dialogue for Louis' next beta by the sounds of it, that'll give a nice heft to the update.

Prepping for my online interview tomorrow morning too. I'll be doing that most of the morning, rehearsing what's best to say and how to come across. I feel pretty confident doing these now, but it's always good practice to not squander opportunities due to overconfidence. I'll tell you all about how it went very soon.

Pancake Day 2022

Tidied up my covering letter and sent it over to Rebecca to get a second pair of eyes on it. While awaiting her feedback an email landed in my inbox. One of the jobs I put my CV forward for want me to do a Zoom interview later in the week! Jazzed about that now, fingers crossed it leads to something.

Louis and Rachel popped round for Pancake Day. I russled up my new traditional crepe suzettes for them, Rachel and Rebecca got the good ones while Louis and I scraped off the 'over caramelized' burnt bits off ours. I made the same mistake last year I recall now, 2023's batch will be all the better for my mistakes.