Don't Worry Bro, It's Saturday

When the weekend rolls around my cicadian rythem from the week rolls over. I feel myself inclined to open my eyes at around 6am - my brain then wakes me up properly rather than relaxing into the usual 'don't worry bro, it's Saturday' mode that most are blessed with. As such, I slept less hours than usual last night and spent the remainder of the day paying for that mistake. It's fortunate then that today was a 'Free Parking' space for Rebecca and me since we had zero plans... Minus a quick trip up to a framing shop which all felt very adult. I'm still running in low power mode but hopefully I'll catch some real shut-eye tonight so I can be hit Monday with all my . might.

Drone Take 2

I was back out with the drone team once again for a much bigger 2nd unit day. We hiked up a hill, threw the drone up into the air and got some absolutely stunning material that will be the building blocks for a great little montage. The team was lovely too, just a small crowd working a camera and hanging out amidst some beautiful countryside. To keep the good time rolling, once we rejoined with main unit we got the drone team to take out crew photo which was fun and then we wrapped half an hour early!

I rushed back from Wales to dive back into a big old board game night up the road. Wow it was busy! Plenty of people to chat with and hang out with, just a great vibe overall. We even had to say goodbye to one of our regulars who is now moving out to Spain so it was a bittersweet last night. We all wished him a safe trip and to hit us up if he was ever back in the UK. More than anything it was very sweet to feel part of something where we care about our members and our team. It's hard to find that outside of work right now and it's remarkable to think a bunch of strangers, united by a love of board games have now formed a tight-knit unit. So all in all, today was as good a Friday as anyone could have hoped for.

Tenure Cut Short

As a keen bean I manufactured a bit of an early start for myself. I was ready to do a bunch of prep and networking meet 'n greets ahead of doing my 2nd unit stuff today. In reality, my tenure was cut in half by the custody battle over our drone team who main unit had first dibs on. At least I got to do some cool stuff with a driving up and pass followed by a few other bits. Same again tomorrow, but hopefully it all goes to plan this time.

Collective Yearning for Bed

I'm driving the Director's Assistant into work at the moment and we had a long chat early this morning about how we already can't wait to be back in bed. That sums up how we were already feeling, the 2nd day back into a short work week. The location took us out to a familiar and remote spot which was a bit of a schlep to get to, but the day went well and we shot everything we needed to in good time. The second part of the day was heading over to our accomodation ready for tomorrow. Always nice to hang out with some crew and grab a quick drink with them. Already missing home a fair bit though and spending time with Rebecca and the Cat.

Cobbling a Plan

Worked alongside a new Script Supervisor while my regular boss is away on holiday. Was great to be with someone with a slightly different means of doing the gig and we got on pretty well to boot. The day itself was little hectic on account of a planned camera technique suddenly becoming unavailable to us so we were forced to cobble together a plan. We did well under the circumstances but it was a lot for me to juggle - hopefully I kept up and rolled with the punches.

We're getting into the rhythm of some earlier starts now on account of how far we have to travel to get to work each morning. The tiredness hit me like a ton of bricks when I got home. I just have to remember to pace myself this week and ensure I don't burn out too hard.

Robot Dreams

Thank the Lord for the film workers union who managed to wangle a good deal on working Bank Holidays. You either get paid more or you get the day off, a win in both cases but in this instance I got the day off to enjoy brunch with chums and a sleepy afternoon at home with Rebecca. It's a fairly big week coming up at work so it's great to get a little extra rest in before it all gets hectic. We watched Robot Dreams this evening - an effectively silent animated film which is just what the doctor ordered today. Just a straight up story about friendships and wrestling with lonelyness. No villains, no grandiose moments, just a lotta heart and plenty of animal related visual gags. A great family watch which should delight viewers of all ages.

Washing or Baking

It'd been a while since I saw Louis so I wanted to do something nice for him and Rachel. With it being Sunday as the Summer heat is slowly slipping away, it was high time for a Sunday roast. It has been so long since I'd done one I'd almost forgotten the steps myself though I had a firm memory on how to do the potatoes. All I needed was a secret ingredient: bicarbonate of soda. Alas, I used all of ours up the other week to clean out all that mould growing on our carpet, though Rebecca enthusiastically revealed that she bought some from a refill shop. I dug around the cupboard to find a small, unmarked jar full of white powder. Rebecca was adamant that it was either baking soda... Or laundry soda... Guess we got lucky because we're all still alive after ingesting that mysterious white stuff and I got plenty of kudos for the potatoes themselves. Nothing like the flavor of gravy to onset the Sunday blues... 'cept I got tomorrow off for a bank holiday too!

Posing for Sculptures

The cat woke us up at a surprisingly civil time first thing this morning. Gave me a good excuse to get up and play some Saturday morning video games (one of life's greatest pleasures). I had to put down the controller and pile into the car a bit later though because it was time to call into Newbury to visit my folks. The rain kept us shut indoors for a spell, but a break in the weather let us check out a sculpture exhibition going on at Shaw House. Admiring the works was pleasant but the real fun was figuring out the best poses to strike for photographs which became a game in itself. Rebecca and I mostly just enjoyed existing while soaking in Mum and Dad's good company and cooking. It was only a flying visit back home, but a lovely recharge.

Friday Crunch Time

On the face of it, today looked like a pretty easy day. Two guys talking in a room basically with a little extra action to keep it spicy - no biggie. Yet it felt like everything in the universe was conspiring against us getting it done. One of our lighting rigs broke down almost immediately, leaving the whole unit to twiddle their thumbs for over an hour. Following that an internal fan at our location decided to switch on whenever the room hit a set temperature... And when there's two dozen people working with hot lights in a confined space, the fan had a nasty habit of turning on just as we went for a take to the chagrin of the sound department. So we were on the backfoot for most of the day but we powered on regardless. Everyone knew we were running behind and that galvanized our unit: crunch time to get it done in fear of doing OT on a Friday. 

Glad we didn't go over because that meant there was more time to spend up at the board game night. We had a really solid crowd up there too, plenty of laughs to be had, especially over the exacting definition of a 'sandwich' which got everyone talking feverishly, all for the sake of a few imaginary points in a board game. Always a fun way to capture off a Friday night.

Reunited with Juice

It always amazes me how in spite of being a highly mobile unit with loads of pieces of kit, things going missing is surprisingly rare. I lost a battery pack that was pretty new only a few weeks into filming. I was kinda bummed and made my peace with the fact it was now lost to time. Well today I looked over my shoulder at a trolley and there it was, 'borrowed' by another department who honestly thought it was lost property. So I'm better than ever having been reunited with my battery pack... Then again we did 45 minutes overtime so my bonus wages could have bought a few more and then some. 

I'm so looking forward to Friday now. Can't wait to dive into a big 3 day weekend, I'm dreaming of it an smiling so much now, I'll literally be counting down the hours tomorrow.

Knackeredness

 The tiredness only hit me a little after lunch. Turns out doing 2 hours claw backs into early starts is a recipe for knackeredness. Upshot is I got to enjoy a real chunk of my evening watching TV with Rebecca. We are slap-bang in the middle of Better Call Saul at the moment and it feels great to be devouring a quality show again...

Speaking of, Rivals has finally got a release date of October 18th! I'm exceptionally jazzed to see the finished product, plus my name in shining lights.

Middle of Claw Backs

 Slap-bang in the middle of some naff clawbacks today so my sleep and free time hours are at an all time premium. Even so I managed to drag myself to work, complete the day then head out to the pub to catch up with a good friend. I'm slowly trying to plan our movements for the bank holiday weekend which had crept up on me - lots of little fun ideas that just need to fall into place now but that's giving me something to look forward to once the week is over. For now though, I need to catch up on some sleep and set my alarm for 'earlier than I'd like it to be' mode. No doubt I'll be cursing my past self as soon as the beeping invades my dreams.

Ever-tempting Brunch

 Later start for work meant I got a little Monday lie in and chill out. I totally bungled my eating hours though, a bowl of cereal first thing then I remembered work would be serving brunch which meant the options were greatly expanded and ever-tempting. I abstained in fear of getting lethargic before my day had even started which would have been extra bad because I was handed over some new responsibilities today which actually gave me an even better sense of place. I think I did a good job too so I hope we can just keep a good thing rolling.

Munich Sunday

Rebecca's dad has really started taking great pride in his own scrambled eggs. Recently he's taken up a challenge from Rebecca to be a bit more savvy in the kitchen and eggs is a great place to start... Especially because it means we get a good breakfast out of the deal! We came back home to Bristol shortly after and I've been catching up on gaming and TV for the rest of the day. I did a schnitzel for Rebecca and myself tonight, somewhat inspired by us reminiscing about our interrailing adventures a couple years back. Rebecca ate some form of escalope in every nation we visited it felt like, I just brought home a great new technique to make my own schnitzels even better. It's so simple too: brush the pork in mustard before doing the whole dredging process. That my friends, is the Munich Style Schnitzel, best enjoyed on Sundays.

Walking Tour of London

Accidentally slept in for a bit longer than I had anticipated - turns out my body needed the extra few hours before heading into the Big Smoke. For Rebecca's Mum's birthday we did a walking tour of London. There were no guides however, we just followed her around her old neighbourhood as she told us about the houses she remembered visiting for Christmases long past and the office block she worked at for 14 years. Central London is culturally tectonic with business, brands and buildings changing every year so it was endearing to hear how the geography of a certain pocket of the city stayed familiar.

A lot of the day was spent of public transport and I felt myself slowly nodding off. The rocking of buses and the soothing sound of the city lulled me back into a sleepy stupor. Guess I still need a bit more shut eye before I'm 100%.

Doughnuts & Ice Cream

The Friday feeling was infectious on set since we had treats coming out of our ears. A cast member bought everyone doughnuts and later the craft truck wheeled out some miniature tubs of ice cream for everyone. The biggest treat of all was going home on wrap though, the week has gone quick but I felt myself getting increasingly tired as the days went on. I'm in London now for Rebecca's Mum's Birthday but it's a great opportunity to recharge.

Movie Memes

 My greatest contribution to the crew today was a meme I made of a fellow crew member who can take a fun joke. In fact, his department liked the picture so much they put it around on the monitors as a a little Easter egg for people to enjoy. We earned a bit of a right to goof off because we were on pace for a nice early wrap... Then of course there was a small complication with the old car we were using - a bonafide classic reason why filming grinds to a halt. Then our final shot was a big, sweeping exterior of our location and naturally it started raining as soon as we head outdoors. Still, we got off 15 minutes early so I could hurry home and help Rebecca mix up some butter icing for her Mum's birthday cake. I even got to lick the spoon afterwards!

Stiff Location

I once again managed to just waltz home from set after work since it's closer for me to do that. Really been enjoying walking to and from work when I have the opportunity. The day itself was rather unremarkable, in fact a lot of people were kinda complaining about how bored of the location they were. New challenges await tomorrow, but Lord knows they'll find something new to gripe about. 

Halfway through the week already is a nice feeling though, I'm already planning my weekend which will once again be down in London. Rebecca's Mum celebrates her birthday on Saturday so I'll be there to help eat a slap up meal.

Locking Eyes

We were out and about in the centre of Bristol filming today and Rebecca and I always joke about bumping into each other when that happens. Well, I saw her this morning on her way to work, then again at the end of the day as she was walking home - both times unprompted and only occured because I shot a glance over my shoulder at the right times. We walked home together though which was a rare treat - one I suspect won't ever be repeated while I work in TV.

We powered through our scenes today - knowing that our scene list was mammoth lit a fire under us so we cracked through at a good pace. Tomorrow will be a bit more of the same, but that's the nature of the beast.

Beginning Block Blues

Back to a rather unremarkable day at work. But like gradually walking into the cold ocean, today was always going to be a slow re-acclimator for another block of filming. At least the hours are a lot more sociable for the next couple of weeks, for most of today I kept thinking how nice it'll be to be back home with Rebecca and the cat - I actually have evenings with them at the moment which makes such a difference. A few hours to watch TV and decompress together is such a blessing.

Farewell Olympics 2024

Funny how my two week holiday co-insided so neatly with 2024's Olympics. Looking back on past fortnight, between the time off in Bournemouth and time at home I think of the idle 15-30 minutes we'd spend each day watching the Summer Games. Diving, Clay Pigeon Shooting, Volleyball, it's all been a ton of fun to tune in and get invested in for a wee bit. It's a mite sad knowing it's all over now as it's indicative that it's back to normal now for so many of us. I'm back on set bright and early tomorrow. I've gone past the 'scaries' now and I just feel my heels dragging as I head back into the next few months of filming.

Night Glow

I'm currently reading a book about narrative and storytelling and today's chapter was all about managing coincidences and surprises. Basically, happenstance is the spice of everyone's day to day - a rouge email or a telephone call often changes everyone's day so people can relate to some odd occurrences in a story. When Rebecca and I went to Bristol's Night Glow, an event housing easily 5000 plus people I couldn't believe my eyes when I bumped into a Uni course mate I hadn't seen since graduation. Such a small world.

Irrespective of that coincidence, I've had a jolly big fill of hot air balloons today. The evening ascent followed by the night glow - it's a big deal for Bristol and it was fun to finally be a part of it. The running joke is I'm always busy or the event has been cancelled, so 8 years after moving here it felt right to at long last fill my eyes with a sky full of balloons.

Just Visiting

Though I wasn't on the clock, I ended up on a film set this morning. I was invited to do a little set visit on Malory Towers seeing as they were shooting in a nearby studio. I had the day off so I thought 'hell yeah', let's go see the old gang. So nice to not only see an ocean of friendly faces, but to have so many of them remember me! From the chaperones up to the director and DOP, everyone was pleased to see me and gave me a firm old handshake. Matt Winlow acted as my wing man as he showed me around the sets (which all looked fabulous) and around to all the rest of the crew. As we were sat together in a corner of set he said '10 years ago we were making live studio dating shows at uni together, now we're watching the monitors on a proper job together.' Life seldom turns out quite the way you expect it to, but in this instance I always wished that would be the case for our future's. Very lucky to have a good friend in Matt and to be a part of this little industry.

Damn Spores

 I finished up a replay of The Last of Us around lunchtime. I was once again blown away by the ending and grateful that I didn't live in a post-apocalypse ruled by mushroom spores... Turns out though less than a meter away from the coffee table I set my controller down on was a miniature fungal colony living rent-free in my own home.

As one of my 'holiday chores' I did a little clear out of our understairs cupboard. Underneath every single shelving unit was white patches and discolouration in the carpet - mould in other words. So I went nuclear. Everything out and wiped down, carpet hoovered and hit with a white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda mix (which I had to run out and get). I was scrubbing the floor down on my hands and knees with a metal scourer praying that I was doing some damage to it all. We left the dehumidifier running in there overnight so hopefully we'll see some improvement - I just could have done without the fear of losing the house to mould gripping me all afternoon.

Speaking of ropey feelings, I watched the recent action film Nobody in an effort to have some 'brain off' time. Instead I was rewarded with an underwhelming, plodding flick about an ex-assasin trying to live a quiet life, who secretly yearns to be an assassin again but actually yearns for the quiet life, this time for real? It was messy so I wrote up my feelings on Letterboxd:

I love Bob Odenkirk as much as the next fella, but it's hard to get behind his character who loses and gains nothing. The story is mercilessly held at gunpoint by the plot which dictates every beat and shields all the 'good' guys with impregnable plot armour for the vague hope of a sequel. The creaky dialogue would have been fun in a B-movie but the tone never lets us relax into it's style and crucially this hurts how we, the audience, can involve ourselves into this world and it's people. It's a redemption tale without a payoff and a goofy action flick without any creative flourishes.

Left in a Drawer

A writing maxim I'm fond of repeating here on this Blog is to do a bit of work, put it away in a drawer for a week or two and then come back to it with fresh eyes. Before I landed my current bit of work I got a script for a new YouTube video about 95% done. I took my first look back at it today and it's actually better than I remember it being. I'm awaiting a book to land at the local library to put the final quotes in but I'd love to get it written at least before the week is out. 

Our guests this weekend cancelled on us a few hours ago - the introvert in me drew a sigh of relief but now we have to dream up some new plans. They'll be hot air balloons aplenty in Bristol so no doubt I'll be spotting them at some point. I still want to get a few more movies ticked off before I'm back at work too.

A Perfect Impression of my Teeth

I did the Worlde while I sat in the dentist's waiting room, I got there early so I had some time to kill. I went in for a consultation visit to discuss me getting braces and today they needed photos of all shapes and sizes. First up was a waiver for me to sign basically saying I was happy to use the pictures for dentist training or promo stuff - I didn't mind so I signed my life away. Then I was passed a pair of cheek retainers that I was asked to hook into either side of my mouth to keep my lips super wider apart. I looked like a total fool, but that just the price I gotta pay. Then I was taken upstairs for a scan. Basically a technician went all around the inside of my arches with a smaller camera to get a 3D image of my teeth. I was super impressed with the technology as the end result was legitimately 1-1, replicating everything in stunning detail all right before my eyes. Nothing to do now except wait for them to scrutinize those pictures and come up with a game plan for me.

In the meantime I wanted to get my homework done and dusted. I read through all of the next blocks scripts again and wrote little synopsis beats for each scene plus a few other details. Essentially breaking down the script in a light fashion so all the events of the story stick in my brain. Though time consuming, it was genuinely super helpful, if anyone came up to me with a question about the script I feel super prepared now.

Goblin Monday

 I treated myself to a goblin mode day, a whole 24 hours where I had no pressing responsibilities - all I had to do was play games and watch movies. Of course I did some grocery shopping and cooking but that fun for me so we'll let it slide. The rest of the week I'll be continuing to take it easy albeit with a few drops and drabs of little chores to crack on with. I'm at the dentist bright and early tomorrow, depending on how that goes I'll see how I feel about anything else. Might do some writing or maybe a bit of 'homework', the world really is my oyster.

Margarita Moggie

That 5th pint last night was a mistake. I got up in slow motion, feeling like I was puppeteering my limbs from another planet. I flicked the kettle on, then immediately felt queezy so I did the Men's 20 Meter Sprint up to the toilet. Luckily the feeling passed, but I still just wanted to wallow on the sofa, feeling sorry for myself. From the couch I have a great view of the garden, in particular the wall where the cat hops up and down after her exploits. From the corner of my eye I saw her returning home carrying a 'present' in her mouth. Rebecca burst into action, locking the cat flap with milliseconds to spare. On closer inspection, this was also a false alarm. Rather than a mouse, the cat brought home a slice of margarita pizza - perhaps we could train her to home her skills.

I felt much better after a coffee though so I was spry and ready to go hang out with some friends visiting Bristol. During our walk around the harbour side we kept bigging up a great place we wanted to take them to lunch. The hype was building, only for the restaurant to be closed. Hearts were broken but quick thinking saved our stomachs and poke bowls stepped in. I felt just right enough for a shandy at a nearby pub plus some board games, basically had the ideal hangout day in Bristol.

While Rebecca is back to work tomorrow I still have the whole of next week off to enjoy a 'staycation'. I'm lining up the movies because I want to make the most of my time off.

Catch Ya Later, Bournemouth

It was hard waking up this morning. Again, it marked the end of our holiday which is a ropey thing to bear. I realized I hadn't strolled around the house much so I took the time today to walk around the bedrooms and consider their history. The one that really stood out was the old Cafe Studios 'Office'. Endearing called the 'Blue Room' for years on account of its navy carpet, this room was once both the hub of Mark and me's operation, and where I played video games for hours at a time. We compromised 'The 14' in there (one film for every day to celebrate 2014). Feels odd typing that now ten years later... 

Anyway, enough nostalgia, we rushed home to see our cat and so I could catch a 30th birthday party for a colleague. It was odd aippi Guinness 50 meters away from a Far Right protest rally but I did my best to live my life as if nothing was unusual. Truth be told I stayed out longer than I had anticipated, but I always figure that someone's birthday needs ringing in with everything their guests have got. It latterly turned into a wedding disco type affair so I gave it my all to the delight of some of the partons. Gotta humiliate yourself slith for the greater good I figure.

One Last Dip

Our second guests down to the Bournemouth house were Rebecca's folks. These guys joined us for our final full day of our holiday which we spent revisiting the town center for one last wistful look over our shoulder at the golden sands and foamy seaside. Rebecca and I dipped our feet in one last time, she didn't want the moment to end as it was a mark of an ending, but all good things...

We prepped one last meal for everyone, trying to use up what we could from our counter top of leftovers. We still had plenty of strawberries and cream leftover for pudding too which was great. In a bid to create some whipped cream I grabbed 2 forks in place of a whisk and applied some elbow grease. 

I'm projecting an image of maturity by being rational about the holiday drawing to an end, mostly to make Rebecca feel better. Deep down I'm also hurting. Luckily I have another week off before I'm back to the grind but this has been such a lovely getaway it'll be sad to leave.

Cream Tea Champ

Our guest in Bournemouth today was none other than my Mum! We headed out to do one of our new favourite things in the New Forest area: picking your own fruit! We filled two punnets of strawberries (which we enjoyed much later on with meringue and cream), tuckered out from fruit spotting I suggested a cream tea as a pick me up which everyone thought was a cracking idea. A quick Google pointed us a few minutes up the road to a garden center with remarkably good scones and a few new plants for Mum to plant at the house - never in all my life has a swift bit on online research resulted in such a big win. We waved goodbye to Mum a little after dinner (though we'll be seeing her again very soon), but a part of us realized that our time away on holiday was drawing to a close. Just one more full day tomorrow to enjoy, better make the very best of it.