Pages

Wednesday, 19 April 2017

Why we need more writing like Broadchurch...

So this Monday was the last ever episode of Broadchurch. Now I don't necessarily want to talk about whether the ending was satisfying or not (for me, it mostly was). What I want to focus on is why we need more writing like Broadchurch.

(Disclaimer, I am in no way a writing expert, a TV expert,a series expert or an anything expert so please please please don't take anything I say as solid word on this; this is purely my own thoughts and opinions on it all.)

So let's begin. (There may be spoilers so please only read if you've seen all three series)

Firstly, it passes the Bechdel test, which if you didn't know, means that the series has at least two named female characters who talk to each other (have solid back and forth dialogue), about something other than a man. It's usually applied to films and believe me you'd be amazed at how many fail the test...Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Pt 2? The entire Lord of the Rings trilogy? The oh so beloved Original Star Wars trilogy? You see where I'm going with this.

This leads nicely onto my second point. Across the whole of the three series all of the characters we meet, although some are shrouded in mystery, are well rounded and fully developed and they are all flawed human beings. Each character serves a purpose. They're all believable as real people in a small seaside village. You develop some kind of connection with every character, you're either rooting for them or hate them or laugh at them or feel sympathy, and you don't get that with two dimensional characters. It's what makes the series so interesting, because as well as being invested in the plot, you're invested in the lives of completely fictional characters. 

Along with that, the relationship dynamics between the characters are so well written. You've got the contrast between Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller, the moody DI and the chirpy DS at base level, the characters work together brilliantly because their dynamic creates a low level of conflict, they both have the same end goal but different reactions to case developments and different ways of tackling things, just like real people do. They develop an odd sort of friendship which feels very genuine. You really see their working relationship grow and the dynamic changes as the case goes on (in the first series) and continuously develops through the second and third series. 
Then you have the Latimers', a family dynamic which is strained after the murder of their son in series one. We get to see the effect this has on a marriage, a mother daughter/father daughter relationship and it all feels very real. They band together, they become volatile, there are explosions of emotion littered throughout each series. The beauty of Broadchurch is that it doesn't just drop the relationships into black and white territory, it's incredibly rare that the characters have straight up opposing view points, they all have their own complex reasoning and motives behind everything they do. 
In the third series we see how the Latimers' are coming to terms, in different ways, with Danny's death and the fact that Joe Miller was found not guilty despite his initial confession. We see the effect this has had on their relationship, Beth and Chlo are trying to move on with their lives, while Mark is stuck focusing on the loss of Danny and is trapped in his own guilt and grief as a father. We watch the turmoil they all go through, each in their own unique way, and how this essentially tears the family apart. Beth and Mark still care for each other deeply but it's clear the emotional damage of losing a child and the way they each deal with that has had an impact on their relationship. 
Broadchurch doesn't shy away from not giving the viewers what the want. 
In an ideal world the heartbreak would have of course brought them closer together, and in some ways, it has, but ultimately it spells the end of a marriage and the breakdown of a father to the point of attempting suicide. 

I could write for days about the complexity of the plots in each series, but I think all I need to say is, that guessing who killed Danny, will Joe get off, and who raped Trish, has been the main topic of conversation in many a work place and in many a coffee shop. There are enough twists and turns to keep you interested but not so many that you can't follow what is happening. The array of characters has you constantly speculating. Just like all good TV drama should. 

The show is unlike most detective 'who dunnit' shows on TV for one main reason. It focuses on the people, the raw human reaction to the crime that has taken place. It focuses on the emotion that atrocities such as murder and rape draw out of people. It picks apart the volatile nature of the court of public opinion. It tackles irresponsible journalism and the dark turn it can take. Ultimately it highlights, interrogates and forgives the fundamental flaws of human nature.  

AND THAT IS WHY WE NEED MORE WRITING LIKE BROADCHURCH.

Friday, 14 April 2017

It's the light

Most people have something about themselves that they don't like. Whether it's a weight thing, or a face thing, or a hair thing, or something entirely different, most people will have something they're not totally comfortable with. Their own personal kryptonite if you like. Most days you can just get on with it and not really give too much of a shit about that bit that you don't absolutely love, you ignore it and go out and have a great time.

Yesterday was not one of those days.

I woke up in a great mood, had a shower, got dressed, did some work. Then I decided I wanted to go out. Now at the minute I'm trying to give my skin a bit of a break from makeup; I'll still fill in my eyebrows and do eyeliner, mascara and lipstick and maybe add a bit of eye shadow if I'm feeling it, but that's it. So I did what I usually do. Except I hated it. To me, my skin looked awful, it was grey and creased and dotty, and I felt like my makeup just highlighted that. My brows looked too dark and uneven, my eyeliner wasn't how I wanted it to be and I felt like I looked like shit. It was all I could see when I looked in the mirror. So I took it all off. 

I started again, except this time, despite my whole trying to feel comfortable with my skin and giving it a break blah blah blah thing, I started with foundation. I thought it would make me feel better, and spoiler, it did...until I did my eyebrows again and I felt like every little dent in my face was screaming at me. So I added some concealer, there we go, sorted, skin's looking okay. So I did the rest of my makeup, complete with contour, blush and a fuck tonne of highlight because oh yes if I'm ruining my skin with foundation may as well go the whole hog and achieve that ethereal insta-perfect glow.

So I thought I looked alright, I was actually quite happy with myself. Then I stepped out of the bathroom and caught my reflection in the full length mirror that stands opposite my wardrobe. Fuck I looked like shit. My blush was too bright, my lipstick wasn't totally perfect, my eyebrows weren't as 'on fleek' as I wanted them to be. I almost took it all back off again. Almost.
Instead I stood in front of my window and opened instagram front camera, highlight on point, eyeliner as even as it was ever going to be, hell I even quite liked how my skin looked. I moved back to my full length mirror and just like that it all looked too much, and I hated it. I went back into the bathroom and it switched again, I was so bloody happy with how my eye shadow has blended.







So I took some snapchats, I took some selfies. (Just, in front of the window, not the mirror) 


And I went out.

Because, I'm not going to let not looking good from every angle or in every space stop me from having a nice day.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that everyone has days where they don't particularly like how they look (yes, even those perfect beyond words insta queens) and that's okay, in fact, it's completely normal, it's part of being human!

And even if you think you look shit,
it's not you, you're just standing in the wrong light.

Tuesday, 11 April 2017

Creativity

Creativity can be hard.
(It's a long one, you might want to grab a cuppa☕)

Since coming to uni I've never felt less creative, which is odd considering I'm studying a subject I have so much passion for.

It's been incredibly hard to stay motivated with my degree this year, and I hate to say it but I think that's largely to do with my lecturers. With the exception of my creative writing lecturer, (who has been an absolute dream this year and the only thing that has kept me on the course this long), and my physical theatre tutor, none of them seem to have any passion for what they're teaching; and when they have no passion it's so uninspiring.

I go to an actor training workshop knowing that we'll probably only scratch the surface of an exercise that should be studied for weeks, even months. You do the reading on the exercise and practitioner and see that it has so many more levels. You find that in the space of 20 minutes you've skipped straight from step 1 to step 20 having gained no real understanding of what it is that you're supposed to have achieved. It's frustrating. Everything seems rushed and half arsed. 

When showing work for feedback we were told not to criticize. But that's what I want. That's what we all need. Constructive criticism. I want to be told ''no that's not good enough, do it again, try it like this.'' We're first years and nothing is going to be perfect. It's all well and good being polite and kind and saying ''I really like that bit when....'' but it wont get you anywhere. 
You won't develop as a performer. And that's what we're paying tuition fees for right...? 
TO DEVELOP AS PERFORMERS!

I would rather be told a performance was absolute shit in the rehearsal stage to avoid the embarrassment of presenting a shit scene for my assessment. Yes it might dent your ego a little if you've worked hard on something; but in the real world people will give you the straight up truth in reviews, in person, on social media. If what you do isn't good enough, audiences will let you know. And I know not everyone can handle criticism, so okay yes, give some praise to soften the blow if you must; but if you can't handle the critique (which only serves to help you improve) at university level then I don't think you're looking to head into the right industry; where everything you do will be scrutinized and torn apart by anyone and everyone, often in a very public way.

Quite honestly I don't know if I've gained any skills at all from my actor training lessons this year. I feel like I've left on exactly the same level as when I started.

Creative writing, however, has been an absolute blessing this year. I have never felt more inspired or pushed do something impressive than I have in these seminars. We've covered everything; from monologues, to screen plays, to novels, to poetry, to play writing; the list is endless. I feel like I've gained so many new skills and so much knowledge. I am leaving this year so much more comfortably a writer. 
We've explored how to take your own life experiences (you're not as boring as you think, trust me) and turn them into something creative, and then disguise the fact that they even belong to you. The lessons have constantly been thought-provoking, with open class discussion and sharing of work. Everyone has been so supportive, giving praise and improvements in equal measure. Our tutor has picked apart our work to make it the best it can be, and none of the changes made to your writing ever dent your oh so precious ego, because it's incredibly obvious that he is always working in your best interest. 
I've learnt so much about film and psychology and the way all mediums of art and expression fit together. I never expected to explore human psychology on a drama degree, or examine the way colour and music are integral to a film - especially in the first 10 seconds. We've looked at pitching a TV series and how to keep an audience interested in what they're viewing. There have been so many things I never expected to come across on this degree. 
I feel so lucky to have had a tutor with so much passion and life experience and genuine enthusiasm for the subject and helping students develop their skills and passions. I'm glad I chose this course, purely for the three hours of enlightenment a week in the form of creative writing. 

If nothing else this year has given me a whole new range of skills and ideas to keep working on and developing as I go on to study elsewhere.
I think the main thing I've taken from this is that ALL ART IS VALID, so you should always create whatever it is that you want to create. People will always find meaning in things, even if that meaning is different to what you intended.

So I'm trying to get back into being creative, it's taking me a while, but I think I'm getting there.


Sunday, 29 January 2017

2017...and we're back?

Well hello there, welcome to 2017! Long time no see I know, I know. It's been quite a while since I've been on the blogging scene, my last post was literally two years ago which seems absolutely crazy to me! To tell you the truth I fell a little out of love with this blog as my space on the internet, believe me I've written posts over the last two years, but none of them ever seemed to be what I wanted them to be and so they remained forever in the drafts section; I couldn't quite bring myself to bin them completely but I didn't feel like I wanted them out there on my blog.

And so here we are, two years later and the first, fresh blog post.

Why now? Well since moving to Bristol for uni, despite the fact that I'm doing a drama degree, I've been feeling significantly lacking in the creative areas of my life. It's been fun to adjust to a new city and a new pace but I just feel like I'm missing something, and so a return to this blog which has given me a freedom to write whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted (no matter how awful it may have been, especially in the beginning) seemed like a good place to start.

Now I won't promise that my posts will be frequent or even on similar topics, I'm just gonna run with it and see what happens. I think I lost my love for blogging when I felt like I had to create the same posts as everyone else - makeup reviews, hauls etc. so this time it's going to be different. I'm just going to post about anything and everything that makes doing this mean something to me. I'm still figuring out the new layout of the blog (so you might notice that my old posts don't quite have text in the right places and a few photos are floating in rather odd positions), but I wanted to switch things up a bit and I'm not particularly good at customising templates so if anyone has any tips they'd be greatly appreciated! Bare with me and we'll see where it all goes.

Follow me on bloglovin

Tuesday, 13 January 2015

2015!

Ah here we are again, another new year and I'm back on this blog! As with the start of any new year, all I see flying around the internet on every single form of social media are endless lists of resolutions, failed attempts at resolutions and other such things (thankfully I am yet to see a 'new year, new me' status)! As I've never really made resolutions before I figured that maybe this was the year to give it a go! I'm not promising I'll keep them! I know lots of people are really strict with the resolutions they come up with (although, I believe most fail) I'm going to think of this as more of a list of things I'd quite like to do throughout 2015, rather than some kind of rule book I have to stick to!


Here we go...



Number 1: Document more of what I do!

Looking back over last year, I actually did quite a lot of nice things such as going out with friends and family holidays and stuff but I realised I have absolutely nothing to look back at! I want to start taking more photos and making notes of things so I have something tangible to remember things that happen in 2015 by!


Number 2: Take More Risks!

Now I have to admit I did get slightly better at this last year and generally think I'm a far more confident person than I was before I started sixth form! I spoke to people I probably usually wouldn't and applied for work experience that I actually got on to so it definitely had some good outcomes! I just want to continue doing things I wouldn't usually, and force myself to say 'yes' to more things!


Number 3: Work REALLY hard and get into uni!

This one is much more specific, I really want to get the grades I need to get into uni and if I'm going to do that I need to work bloody hard! Most places I've applied to are asking for AAB-ABB (although I'm still waiting for offers...fingers crossed!) which I should hopefully be able to get but I need to make sure I'm 100000000% ready for these exams!


Number 4: See people more often!

I have friends that I don't see all the time purely because they're at different colleges, or work, or even at the same sixth form but their frees don't fit with mine etc etc and to be totally honest I don't always see these people as much as I want to (people have such busy lives!) So this year I want to make sure I see everyone as much as possible, even if it's not doing anything particularly exciting! Costa and a catch up always works!



These are just a few 'resolutions' I hope to keep throughout 2015!
I'm so much looking forwards to this year, more so than any other (this may or may not have something to do with the fact that I turned 18...)!

Do let me know in the comments if you've made any resolutions and how they're going!

Until Next Time, Cheerio!
xx



Tuesday, 30 September 2014

'You're allowed to think you look good'

Source
Now, earlier today I was having a conversation with a good friend about compliments in which I said that I found them incredibly awkward. My reasoning for this is simple: if you say 'thank you' I feel as if it sounds like you're agreeing with the compliment you've been given; and if you disagree with the person it can sound as if you're fishing for further compliments and self-affirmation. Basically I feel as if compliments are just a black hole of social awkwardness waiting to suck you into their trap. 
My friend then said something that I almost couldn't quite understand...

'You're allowed to think you look good'


Woah, woah, woah. Hold on a second. You mean, I can actually think I look okay? Really? Are you sure? This got me thinking, are we actually allowed to think we look good? Are we allowed to appreciate ourselves and show other people that 'yeah, I think I look good today'? Because I'm not entirely sure...

There are so many ways, especially with social media, that people can show the world that they think they look good. Just see Instagram and Twitter and Facebook for selfies! The person has usually uploaded the selfie because they like the way they look in it and of course they want to share that with people because well, why not?

Lets just take a look at how society reacts to people who actively display that, hell yes, they love who they are and think they look pretty great, especially if they do it on a regular basis. People are called 'attention seeking,' 'full of themselves,' 'up their own arses,' 'arrogant,' 'shallow' and even 'narcissistic.' It's seen as a negative thing to love yourself and think you look good and I think it's time for a change. 

I constantly see people tweeting and blogging about how we need more body positivity and then see those same people judging those who openly show that they feel good! We're obsessed with putting people down in our society! Why shouldn't someone be able to think they look good? Why shouldn't someone be able to love their body and the way they look? Why do we teach and applaud self-loathing and judge those who have the confidence to say 'hell yes I look good today!'? 
I say go for it! Love yourself! Yes you're allowed to think you look good and for gods sake don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise!

I hope you enjoyed this post and hopefully got something out of it! 
I've been seeing a lot of negativity on the internet recently and I've realised how easy it is to let this negativity slip into every aspect of our lives! 

I'm also aware that I have been severely lacking in posts for about two months now! 
To be perfectly honest, I've been lacking the motivation and creativity...
I'm so glad a simple conversation has inspired to me blog again!

Do let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Let me know how you handle compliments and if you've had any good or bad experiences with body positivity!

Until next time, Cheerio!
xx

Friday, 22 August 2014

Liebster Award!

So a few days ago I saw I had a new comment and it turned out it was from the lovely Abbie over at About A Girl nominating me for a Liebster Award! Now to be totally honest I've seen these floating around and didn't really pay much attention to it, but from what I can gather it originated in Germany and is generally a way of promoting smaller blogs and showing the blogs you like that you like them! So thank you Abbie! (You should all head over to her blog straight after reading this!) 

However there are some rules:
  • You have to link back to the person that nominated you.
  • Write 11 facts about yourself.
  • You must answer all 11 questions given to you by the person who nominated you.
  • After completing these questions you must nominate 11 bloggers with under 200 followers and give them 11 questions of your choice. (I'm allowing myself to nominate bloggers with slightly over 200 as well...it's only fair!)
  • You must not nominate the person who nominated you.
  • You must let your nominees know that they have been nominated and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it.
So here are my 11 facts about me! (Wow they were surprisingly hard to think of!)
  1. I cannot stand anyone touching the front of my neck! I don't know why but it REALLY freaks me out...I think it just makes me feel like someone is going to strangle me! (I have friends who take great delight in trying to touch the front of my neck, they're such lovely people!)
  2. I play piano (although not as well as I'd like to) I have my grade 5 and it's one of the ways I stop stressing about things and just relax! (Wow that was kind of cheesy)
  3. My favourite subject is drama, I am literally obsessed with all things theatre!
  4. I once ate a fish eye...It was for a dare, don't worry! (Your opinion of me has probably significantly decreased now)
  5. I absolutely love the 1950s fashion, hair, everything...I'd love to be brave enough to style myself in that way but sadly I am not!
  6. My favourite book is George Orwell's 'Nineteen-Eighty-Four.'It's such an incredible book and I really recommend you read it! A fantastic theatre company called Headlong also produced a stage version which was simply mesmerising and that is also currently my favourite piece of theatre! (I highly recommend you check them out if you are so inclined)
  7. One of my favourite films is 'Trance' directed by Danny Boyle, starring James McAvoy. It has so many plot twists and I mean, who doesn't love a bit of James McAvoy...?!
  8. My obsession with Doctor Who got way too out of hand a long long time ago!
  9. Sometimes meeting new people actually terrifies me, I'm really bad at starting conversations...I never know what to say!
  10. I find it really difficult to think of 10 facts about myself!

Questions asked by About A Girl:

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Oooo this is really difficult! I have so many to choose from! I'd say that visiting family in Australia was definitely a highlight!

Who was your first concert?

I'm pretty sure that P!nk was the first concert I went to! It was honestly incredible...I think I was about 8?


What is the worst thing you have endured?

I don't think I've ever endured anything particularly bad...
Although once when I was younger, we went to Turkey and these really nice shop owners gave us food to try and it was horrific! But I had to eat it out of politeness even though it tasted awful!

What is your favourite social networking platform?

I'm a bit of a twitter addict if I'm honest so I'd have to say twitter! You can follow me if you like @EveryEnvy is my blog twitter and my personal twitter is @pal0mafaith (Shameless plug!)


What is the craziest thing you have ever done?

Ooo, the craziest thing I've ever done...I don't think I've done anything that crazy to be totally honest! I've been zorbing which was so much fun, although half way down the hill one of the straps holding me in came undone meaning I basically had to cling to the strap and hope the other one didn't come undone! We went in two different types of zorbing balls, one was just the usual clear ball and the other was pitch black! 

Where do you go for your sweet escape from reality?

I absolutely love the theatre and I think that gives an escape from reality, both watching and performing! (Oo-er cheesy response) If I'm not doing anything drama related though I'll probably just go to my room and read a book or play piano!

Would you ever consider shaving your head for money?

I would depend, I mean if someone was offering me a significant amount of money then I probably would. It's just hair, it grows back!


What is the most endearing book you have ever read?

I would have to say 'Nineteen-eighty-four' OR in a clichéd response 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'

What is the one song you would skip if it came on the radio?

I think this is pretty predictable but honestly, any song by Justin Bieber would be skipped without hesitation...


First word that comes to mind?

Eclectic (I have absolutely no idea why!)


What is your favourite pineapple brand?

I have no idea! I prefer fresh pineapple so I'll just say Tesco pineapple...

The wonderful bloggers I have nominated are: 













Question Time!:
  1. If you had a time machine and you were only allowed one trip where would you travel to and why?
  2. Why did you start blogging? And is this your first blog?
  3. If you were to binge watch an entire series of a TV show what would it be?
  4. If you were to write a book what would it be about?
  5. What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?
  6. Would you kill one innocent person if it meant saving one hundred others? (getting deep now!)
  7. The most exciting thing that has ever happened to you?
  8. Chocolate or sweets?
  9. What is the worst lie you've ever told and were you caught out?
  10. Describe yourself in 4 words (but only positively!)
Bonus Question (It's my blog I'll do what I like): Favourite piece of theatre?

I hope you all enjoyed this post, once again it's a little different (what is going on with my blog at the minute?) but I think you guys now know a little more about me!
I urge you all to check out the blogs mentioned here!

It'd be really great if you maybe left a comment with a random fact about yourself, or maybe you'd like to answer one of the questions yourself?
Do let me know some of your favourite blogs too! I'm always on the look out for new ones!

Until next time, Cheerio! 
xx