Finally...I'm there.

After returning from New Zealand about... (god, how long has it been now?!) 10 months ago, I have been waiting patiently for film school to come around. Well, as of three days ago, it did.

HUZZAH!

Situated in Harrow, it's only twenty minutes by tube out of Central London, which I think is an excellent location. Postcard wise, it's not the prettiest borough in the world, but it has everything a student could need; coffee shops, costcutters, supermarket, pub, gregg's bakery. I have been up there a couple of times now and it's not too bad!

And the campus, it's excellent! It's very green, with fields and parks within and just outside. From my window I can see Wembley Stadium and the distant townships (I'm top floor, 16D - it's one hell of a walk up the stairs) and I also see the hospital. Now, I'm not going to lie, the hospital isn't overly attractive. Covered in soot and grime, people get leaukemia just looking at the place. But hey, if I happen to fall down my very long stairs or overdose on calpol, it's location might come in handy. I will stick up some pictures when I have the time to take and upload them!

We began with an induction to the course which was good fun. It was held in one of the studios and we all sat surrounded by huge digital cameras and sound equipment (terribly exciting!) We listened to the lecturers, which was all well and good, as they introduced what the course would be like, a sharp mix between theory and practical, with an emphasis on collaboration. We had to also write what we wished to specialise in come the second year. I had a slight problem with this, not knowing whether I should go for being a writer or a director. Directing is what I would most like to do, but as everyone seems to want to direct and writing is a very close second with me, I chose writer. Anyhow, many people initially wanting to direct change their mind later due to the full on commitment, so I might jump in and change should that particular path suit me. To the top it all off however, we were filmed individually being asked "What made you want to study film?" Well, everyone I have spoken to were under the distinct impression these films would be shown after the degree was over but, oh my dear lord no. We had to sit through about ten excruitaing minutes of waiting to see yourself pop up on screen and mumble something about being passionate and not being able to imagine doing something else. I can't remember exactly what I said, but it was something along the lines of wanting to be Woody Allen and choosing the course which would make my parents the unhappiest (only kidding.)

Today, the other film students and I all took the tube down to the British Film Institute where we watched Germany In Year Zero (1949), a neo realist film by Italian director, Roberto Rossellini.
Set in the ruins of post war Berlin, the film undoubtedly had alot to say and portrayed a clear insight into the lives of poverty stricken Germans struggling to survive without food, health care and, most importanly, money. A few moments struck as me as incredibly poetic, especially the shot of when the young Edmund has a play gunfight with his own shadow. Another, when the recorded speech of Hitler declaring that Germany shall have victory in the war echoed across the stricken streets of the bombed out city. I have to say though, overall, I did not enjoy the film. It comes down to taste in the end, and as I am not a huge fan of neo-realism in general (with the exception of some films by Fellini) it didn't strike me as a great film, especially when one considers that Casablanca was made around the same era and is so far superior in, pretty much, every aspect. After the BFI screening, me and some others from the course went to Tate Modern for a small while and happened to see some rather disturbing experimental films by Paul Macarthy. As the sign on the door said "THIS EXHIBITION CONTAINS STRONG SEXUAL/VIOLENT CONTENT" I was of course attracted to the idea and so unknowingly entered. What I saw were films being projected onto the wall and my my my, they were really something. A naked man punching himself bloody, some woman smearing what looks like guts and blood and god knows what all over her...it was quite a sight let me tell you, one that allowed my jaw to drop instantly and stay firmly on the floor. Subtle art at it's best, I feel.

Well, the course has yet to start but when it does I shall eagerly write up whats new. Till then

ciao!

The Motorbike Killer

So, it's film school in 13 days. Yikes. I still haven't prepared myself in any way, save buying myself a mini fridge freezer which I will store in the room I haven't paid for. So, though I have student loans, finances, a job, new people, new course, writing essays and London on my thoughts, I am also thinking alot about a film festival.

Well, I say film festival. I'm not sure it really counts. More a showcase, if you will. In this particular showcase, all the new film students will be showing everyone else a clip (maximum five minutes) of the work they've done in the past. Now, when you think that thats 5o students chosen out of 1000 applicants, you expect the standard to be pretty high! This means that I have spent literally hours searching through my old films trying to find a sequence that I could show but to no avail.

Instead, I've decided to show the opening of my new film (a film I am currently writing, directing and editing) called "The Motorbike Killer." The film itself is a bit of a tribute to grindhouse films, much in the same way Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez did a couple of years ago, but with considerably less money. The film is about the ghost of a Nazi SS Officer who returns from the grave to slaughter one remaining Jew who has just moved into the neighbourhood. In order to do this final act of evil, he possesses a motorcycle and it's rider, using the machine to cause chaos and despair in it's search for the 'one that got away.' The film once again stars Samora O'Neill. I actually shot his scenes while he flew here on holiday, so there's no chance of any pick up shots. I just have to work with what I have...and what I have is alot of shots of people with their backs to the camera, pretending to be Samora.


Let's face it. The film isn't in good taste. I think when one of your lines is "This is for the holocaust, motherfucker" you know you're treading into dodgy ground. But, I find it hard to care! Im so happy that I'm actually getting back into real filmmaking, telling a story, rather than making documentaries or some abstract art piece. This is just a dumb story with funny characters and a cool villain! The only problem is that I've once again do what I always do and fail to stick to a schedule, meaning that I literally writing, shooting and editing all in the same period of time. Not the best way to get a film done effciently, but eh! What are you going to do?!

I'm looking forward to seeing the reaction of this sequence. I wonder if anyone will show anything quite like it?

Let me explain.

First of all, allow me explain something.

My name is Mike Morrell and I am soon to be a film student at Westminster Film School in London. That "soon to be" is in fact two weeks! Man, time flies by when you're...doing nothing.

The idea of this blog is to allow anyone the chance to follow my filmmaking journey. Though I start in humble beginnings, my aim is to make it to the top (and unlike most film students, I don't mean top of the nearest Tesco management scheme.)

Sure, it sounds unlikely.
Everyone wants to be a film director.
Everyone wants to go to Hollywood.
Everyone wants to be in the movies.

But I just think back and realise that even Francis Ford Coppola, the director of 'The Godfather', started in film school. Sure, he was in Los Angeles and I'm in London, but we all have to start somewhere, right?

Though I am often filled with doubt that I could ever make my (and excuse the disney like sentiment) ...dreams come true... I'll do what it takes to work as a productive and finally, influenetial member of this brilliant industry.

This blog will serve as part personal diary, part record of my filmmaking journey, spanning film school and hopefully beyond. I figure that if so many people try and fail on this journey, it might at least help for me to look back on the choices I've made and maybe, maybe get some advice from my readers in the future.

The journey begins. I think it starts uphill.