Something to do with having too many blogs: All my film-related blogs...

I've had a few different blogs and here I want to provide a brief outline of each and how they interrelated with or have been absorbed into Something to do with Film.

Something to do with Writing and Something to do with Making Films

When I first started Something to do with Film all the way back in 2011, I also started two sister blogs to go with it... Something to do with Writing and Something to do with Making Films.

I had never started a blog before and my thinking at the time was to have a blog to cover each focus of my BA (Hons). Those being a writing focus, a film theory focus and a filmmaking focus.

Looking back on it now, it was a complete mistake to start three blogs all at once, because it just tripled my workload!

It would have made more sense to just have one super blog or, at the very least, merge the film and making films into one blog and keep the writing one solely for my writing.

Ultimately, all the posts I did manage to post on my writing blog and making films blog ended up being reposted on this film blog.

So my film blog did end up becoming the super blog that covered my BA (Hons) studies; as well as some of the filmmaking I have done as part of my self-directed master's degree. 

I have now deleted both Something to do with Writing and Something to do with Making Films.

Both Something to do with Writing and Something to do with Making Films had identical layouts and similar design aesthetics to this blog. Although, the look of Something to do with Film has shifted since I first launched it. 

Something to do with Writing

This is what I wrote in the intro post of Something to do with Writing, which was titled 'Me, My Blog & the Unbearable Existence of Not Writing!'...

“If you are an aspiring writer – write! Don’t think about writing. Don’t plan to write. Don’t hope to write. Just write…”

- Neil Gaiman, Doctor Who Confidential (2011).

A student of creative writing, film studies and film production, I am currently studying at Bath Spa University in my second year. Fortunately, for my sanity, these three subjects are the holy trinity in my life. Although, it does have to be said that Doctor Who features on par with the trinity, but Doctor Who is a whole other belief system in itself! At the moment, it feels that not a second of my Uni life is being wasted, as it centres on developing everything I love. Hence, the reason for this blog – just another step forward in that development.

Me in the TARDIS.

There are three purposes for this blog:

1. To act as a journal to chronicle my development as a writer in my Creative Writing Degree.
2. To act as a canvas on which I can present any observations, or anxieties, or suggestions, or anecdotes about writing, obviously. I will also post reviews of things I have read and any other writing related stuff that can be cooked up into a blog post, it’s too early list everything I haven’t thought up yet.
3. By far, the most important - to keep me writing! There are periods, especially as a student, when writing is as rare as a money tree. No more! There is no reason for me not to be writing when I have a blog to update!

In relation to my writing, the blog will be concerned, primarily, with Scriptwriting and Life Writing, as these are the two that I enjoy the most. Of course, I will endeavour to touch upon other types; it may even be that I start taking a shine to another type of writing, but, these will be the two that I focus most on, for the time being.

Comments, criticisms and suggestions are absolutely welcome, but should be expressed politely and with a positive attitude. Naturally, as this is a writer's blog, I would like it to have a writers' workshop feel.

Alongside this blog I will also be running two others: Something to do with Film and Something to do with Making Films. As their names suggest they will be focusing on the other areas of my degree: Film Studies and Film Production. And, yes, I am mentioning them, purely, for advertisement.

Finally, I would just like to finish, with something that links up with Neil Gaiman’s quote, by saying that writing can be an absolute pain in the behind. But, once you start writing and then keep yourself committed to writing, it’s surprising how quickly you start to enjoy both the process and the outcome. So, blog, here goes…

Something to do with Making Films

This is what I wrote in the intro post of Something to do with Making Films, which was titled 'Me, My Blog & the Destructive Urge to Create'...

“Making movies is the most wonderful thing in the world. Working with friends. Entertaining people.”

-          Ian Mckellen as James Whale, Gods and Monsters (1998).

Me and my trusty JVC hard disc camcorder

Currently, I am studying Film Studies with Creative Writing with Planning and Making a Film in my second year at Bath Spa University. In terms of my career aspirations and general interests these three subjects cover both, and I’m very much loving Uni life because of this. The process behind the creation of a film has always been something that has fascinated me. While I have certainly studied many aspects of film production, up until now, the only practical experience I have had has been on  my JVC Hard Disc Camcorder and has been incredibly amateurish (but, that is not to say I haven’t enjoyed it).  

Following in the same vein of my other two blogs: Something to do with Film and Something to do with Writing, this blog will record my progress and development, inside and outside, of the film production part of my degree (If I am referring to the name of my course, Planning and Making a Film, I may abbreviate it as PAMAF, as its a hell of a lot shorter).

The content of posts, primarily, will be reports of what I have been up to and achieving week by week. I may also post reviews or suggestions of any course related books or resources I have used. However, because the three parts of my degree are in quite closely related areas it may be that posts will be spread across blogs, and I will post links where necessary. I’m also blogging about this module on a shared blog: BSU Making A Film 2011, again I will post links where necessary.

I welcome comments, criticism and suggestions, but if you should comment all I ask is that comments are expressed politely.

j

Lastly, I have always enjoyed making things - the fact that I have created three blogs in quick succession is testament to that (I also hope they don't all collapse under the strain). But is making movies really the most wonderful thing in the world? Well, I believe it is and, this is the important point, I want this blog to illustrate why it is. So, let's get started - lights... camera... action!

366 FRAMES 2012

366 Frames 2012 is pretty self-explanatory, it is the blog that chronicles my 366 project in which I took a photo a day for the whole of 2012.

The blog also contains vlogs related to the project and two summative videos I produced.

The blog is still online.

Go to blog

EYES of a Storyteller

EYES of a Storyteller is the blog I created to chronicle the development of my EYES web series concept proposal package that I orchestrated for the practical dissertation/creative enterprise project of my BA (Hons).

Originally, I had envisioned building a separate website to house the portfolio, but time would not allow it. Therefore, the blog ended up doubling as the project portfolio as well. 

This blog is still online.

Go to blog 

Ways 2 Interface

Ways 2 Interface was my personal journal of mass communications and media studies 2.0.

This blog is the sequel to my award-winning BA (Hons) theoretical dissertation, Ways of Being: The Spectator and the Spectacle, hence the Ways 2. 

The blog picks up where the larger media focus concerns of my undergraduate degree left off. 

In other words, Ways 2 Interface covers everything media related that is too broad to be covered by Something to do with Film.

When I graduated with my BA (Hons), I wasn't even sure if I was going to do a master's degree or if I was going to continue the research I had started.

Ways 2 Interface was just my way of keeping that research focus alive while I figured out what I wanted to do with my postgraduate studies.

Ultimately, my research focus morphed into my desire to build my own transdisciplinary postgraduate education and Ways 2 Interface slowly became defunct.

Although, it did serve as something of a blog for the building of my postgraduate education, until I brought the blog to a conclusion.

Now anything related to my self-directed master's degree or media-related concerns is being covered on my main Pete Be Creative blog.

Ways 2 Interface is still online.

Go to blog

365 FRAMES 2015

Like 366 Frames 2012 before it, 365 Frames 2015 is the blog that chronicles my 365 project in which I made a video a day for the whole of 2015. 

The blog is still online.

Go to blog

Cinema Breakdown

Cinema Breakdown was a private blog I created to organise the development of The Miracle Mockumentary and The Cinema Complex documentary with my colleague, George Oram.

All the posts from this blog can now be found on Something to do with Film.

This blog has now been deleted.

Breaking Cinema Presents...

Breaking Cinema Presents... (a very confusingly similar name to Cinema Breakdown) was a private blog I created to organise the development of the Breaking Cinema Podcast.

All the members of the podcast had access to this blog.

All the posts from this blog can now be found on Something to do with Film.

The blog has now been deleted.

Pete Be Creative

Pete Be Creative is my personal website that includes a blog, which is now my current and main super blog.

Being a polymath who is interested in many different focuses, which extend far beyond film and media, I have always felt restricted by what I can write about on my previous blogs.

Therefore, I was always keen to launch a personal website and blog that would have a very loose focus and would allow me to post about whatever my heart desired... that's Pete Be Creative.

As soon as I have Something to do with Film fully tied and concluded as my pre-2022 film-related blog and filmmaking archive, Pete Be Creative will take over for any future film related blog posts. 

Go to my personal blog