THIS PAST MONTH: JUNE 2016

Goodbye student house, you won’t be missed. That’s right; the time finally came for me to leave the house I lived in throughout my second year of university. Let’s take a trip back to the 12^th of July 2015, or more specifically a post titled “This Past Week #2 Mojitos Please”. In this post I said “I already love my new house”, well it’s safe to say that the novelty wore off as I couldn’t wait to see the back of the house I once loved. I could talk for hours about how much some landlords take advantage of students and how much my housemates and I were dissatisfied with our house for multiple reasons  but I will spare you. Although, to look to the positives for the first half of the year I was very happy living where I was, there was definitely issues but I knew I was more suited to living in a student house than in halls of residence. Even if it did mean that I couldn’t leave home at 8:55 and be in a lecture at 9:00. However by the end of the year I was completely sick of feeling like I was being ripped off, messed about by the letting agents and more than ready to move. At least the only way is up for my next student house. If you want to read my advice on student house-hunting, you can read a post here.

At the beginning of the month I went back to Sheffield for my first placement, a short placement at a Sheffield theatre producing a promotional video. I really enjoyed my time working with the theatre, the people I worked with were really lovely and I love working with video. Although, working on a video project solo was quite intimidating. I have only ever worked on video projects with a group or with Lucy and it’s actually a big task to do everything alone. It was a strange moment when people much older or experienced were asking me for direction. I really enjoyed the process of editing the footage; the aim for the finished product was something completely new to me so I learnt a lot of new editing techniques.

Working on a video project for a community theatre

I was living in my student house without the usual seven housemates and it was strange at times. It mostly meant that I was doubly cautious about locking everything at night and could lie on the sofa all day without judgement but it proved lonely at times. Spending so much time on my own was something I hadn’t given much thought to. Since I was little I have always been able to entertain myself and I wasn’t worried about the time I’d have around working around my placement. Although I had not anticipated that I would have SO MUCH free time. Because I was working on my own project I only needed to be at the theatre once or twice a week, often for just a few hours each time. That meant a lot of time to fill on my own. I read somewhere once that you should know how to spend time alone otherwise you will never know if you seek company out of choice or out of loneliness. (Hey, pinterest can be very wise.) Having no choice but to go it alone seems to be a part of growing up. I was basically living on my own with only one or two friends close by, I could either sit inside waiting for them to be free and maxing out my amazon prime free trial or get out and mingle with civilisation. There was something strangely wonderful about wandering around a city I’ve lived in for two years but out of term time and knowing nobody. And of course it made the time spent with friends even better. I met up with friends to have the last student night out for a while (*sobs*) before we all move away to do grown up stuff. I also visited my friend Kate in York for a much needed catch-up after not seeing her for almost a year. In my last couple of weeks living in Sheffield one of my housemates was back at the house and it was really nice to spend time with her and not feel so alone in the house.

Pancakes at 'Brew and Brownie' in York

My TV show of the month was definitely Outlander. My love for this show is no secret but I’d fallen drastically behind on it after I found the first episode of the second season very confusing. However I am so happy I could catch up because this season may even be better than the first. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you haven’t already, go watch Outlander. I have also loved reading recently, after being in a Bronze-Horseman-induced reading slump (would not recommend) I managed to love reading again, look out for the long overdue ‘Recent Reads #2’ coming very soon.

That’s about it for my June, have a great July!

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THIS PAST MONTH: MAY 2016 + NEW NAME?

Something is different around here… That’s right; there’s been a name change. I have never been happy with my blog being called ‘Amie’s Space’, I never wanted to have my first name in my title and I also never felt like the title really resembled what the content for my blog was. I have wanted to change it for a while but it has taken me almost a year to think of something I wanted to change it to. I wanted a title that allowed me to write film and entertainment content but allowed room for me to write some more personal and lifestyle related posts. Last week I finally decided on a new name. For those wondering, a contemporary ‘B-Roll’ describes supplemental or secondary footage that helps tell a story, sometimes this includes behind the scenes and unedited footage. Obviously having a film related term fits perfectly when I post film related content. But this title leaves room for posts, such as this one, that are more personal, posts that are unedited and tell you more about me, the person behind the blog. So welcome to 'The B-Roll' I hope you like what you find. 

May was the month where I fully finished my second year of university, all assignments were handed in and much celebration ensued. I also spent a week at home at the end of the month, heading home to dog-sit while my Mam and Dad were on holiday. Going home to see my family and friends from home was a welcome break. One of my favourite parts of May was my week of blogging every day. I finally got my blogging mojo back! I don’t mind admitting how much of a slacker I’ve been with my blog for the majority of this year, I’ve struggled to find the incentive to blog around university but setting myself the simple challenge of posting every day really helped me to come up with new ideas and stick to a schedule no matter what my other commitments were. I covered a few topics including my second year of PR and Media and film reviewing. I also reviewed X-Men: Apocalypse, you can read it here. I’m going to try my best to keep posts coming while I have a lot of free time.

Speaking of free time, I have caught up on a lot of my favourite shows. I have particularly loved ‘The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ and ‘Penny Dreadful’.  These two shows couldn’t be more different but they are the two that I loved the most in May. Kimmy Schmidt is a quirky and hilarious comedy written by Tina Fey and Penny Dreadful is a Victoria set Gothic Horror Drama featuring some of the most iconic of Gothic literature characters including Victor Frankenstein and Dorian Gray. I’m currently working on another list of my favourite binge-worthy TV shows; look out for a post coming soon.

So what does June look like? Marking the beginning of my placement year, I will be working on a project with a Sheffield based theatre. The project is mainly video based and I’m excited to start. I will be producing a short promotional film similar to ones I’ve worked on before with my friend Lucy. This will actually be the first time I film and edit the video independently which will be a little strange. I will also be moving out of my student house at the end of the month, honestly I can’t wait. Flash back to last July and I proclaimed how much I loved my new house but the novelty wore off fast once university started. Now I’m more than ready to leave this house and the unreliable letting agents behind.

What are your plans for June?

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THIS PAST MONTH: APRIL 2016

I’ve been racking my brains to think of what I did in April for about ten minutes now. If I’m honest it'a a bit of a blur of the university library, deadlines and squeezing in as much fun before the academic year ends. April was a busy month, lecture and seminars may have finished for another year but the work was only just beginning as I became no stranger to ten hour stints in the library. I write this now with free time aplenty, well until I start my work placements (more on this next month), I’ve handed in all of my assignments for almost a year and a half I will not be at university which is kind of scary.

At the beginning of April I worked on my project for a module on TV news. The task was to put together a short news package on a story from the South Yorkshire region. I chose to film and interview a dog owner who had won an obedience title at Crufts, also delivering a piece to camera while holding the award winning pooch. Note to self: you’re already shaky in front of the camera, a small dog licking your face while you try and say a line does not help.  Co-star aside, I’m very proud of the finished TV package and I’m happy for any opportunity to build on my camera and editing skills.

April definitely wasn’t all work and no play. The wonderful thing about the impending placement year and not knowing when I’ll see friends again is the splendid excuse it provides for fitting in nights out between essay writing. You’ve got to take advantage of the time you have and all that. In the middle of the month I also spent a day in London. My friend Lucy had a job interview so I tagged along for some whistle-stop sight-seeing once the interview was over. Travelling there and back in the same day may have meant that we only had six hours in the capital but we managed to pack in Oxford Street, Carnaby Street, Westminster, Buckingham Palace and Covent Garden.

To make up for the terrible blogging month that was April I am attempting to post every day this week, so look out for new posts daily!

I hope you’re having a great May!

THIS PAST MONTH: MARCH 2016

Ally Pally Springfest

Looking back at what I did in March reminds me of what a great month it was. I hope you enjoy my highlights…

I handed in my first assignment of semester 2. Saying I submitted my first assignment of semester in March feels very strange. I honestly feel like I’ve constantly had work to do since returning to university after Christmas.

‘What have you been doing then?’  You may ask. Well, let’s talk about my favourite topic – placements! I’m finally making progress (hooray). For the sandwich year of my degree I need a minimum of 24 weeks of work placement to pass the year. According to my calculations I only have four weeks left to find to secure my placement year credit. It is such a weight off of my shoulders. Placement hunting is so much harder than I ever could have thought. To the point where I have to stop myself thinking about it in the evening or I’ll be awake all night worrying. But opportunities come from unexpected places. The hard work has paid off and it’s finally falling in to place.

My Dad, Sister and I walking in the Peak District

At the beginning of March I went to the Peak District with my family. We stayed in a converted barn near Bakewell. It was a really lovely weekend; eating lots of tasty food, enjoying time away from my usual city surroundings and generally seeing my family after not seeing them for months.   

Tilly in the converted barn

Another highlight from last month was Springfest at Alexandra Palace, a huge German beer festival on Good Friday. 2016 has been the year that I have discovered a love for Bierkellers and steins. Seriously, the Bierkeller in Sheffield is so much fun. The beer festival was such a fun day/night, lots of beer consumed and shapes thrown over an eight hour period made for some sore heads the next day. 

The view from Alexandra Palace

Travelling home to Newcastle for Easter break and travelling back from my friend Lucy’s house after the festival meant that I spent quite a lot of time alone on long train journeys. Is it weird that I actually really like travelling alone on the train? Yes, the form of public can be stressful at times and I’m no stranger to dragging heavy luggage along platforms but the actual journey is a chance to just sit and relax by yourself. I usually read on train journeys but in March I dipped my toe in to the mysterious world of podcasts. I have become absolutely hooked on ‘Serial’. One of the most popular podcast series, it’s a real crime tale where the narrator explains everything that happened and what her investigations have uncovered. Fans of Netflix’s ‘Making a Murderer’ should definitely give it a try. I was sceptical about how I’d like the format of a podcast but Sarah Koenig’s narration is so engaging I was quickly engrossed in the complex story.

Speaking of Making a Murderer, I have finally watched the series. I was late to the party but my Mam and I watched it over Easter and it is so worth the hype! I’m not sure if I really need to recommend it since everyone seemed to watch it before me but if you still haven’t watched it, you should give it a try. Another Netflix pick that I got addicted to in March is 'Jane the Virgin'. Man this show is so addictive, it somehow manages to be hilarious, serious and romantic all in one. I love it!

How’s your April going?

THIS PAST MONTH: FEBRUARY 2016

2016 has had a serious lack of ‘This Past Week’ posts. You know the ones, a quick rundown of my week that goes up on a Sunday. But let’s face it, towards the end of last year I was doing well if I got the post up by Wednesday. Towards the end of January I decided that I did not want to continue my Sunday summary style posts. The reason being that I really struggle to write them, at first I loved it but as I wrote more, the enjoyment was dwindling. More often than not, my week doesn’t contain all that many things to write about. There are only so many posts I can write about nights out and roast dinner cravings.  I also want my blog to have more of a film and media focus and when I restrict myself to writing a personal post every week I don’t have as much time as I’d like to write film related content. Instead of posting about what I’ve been up to at the end of every week I’ve decided to write a post at the end of every month running through the important stuff from the last 30/31 days. So here we go, starting a new series of monthly posts. I hope you enjoy.

February was the month that University properly started again, it might officially start in mid-January but it’s in February when the module introductions stop and you remember that you actually have to do some work at University. One of the biggest things I am working on is an ongoing placement search. Next year I will be leaving the safety of campus for a year in industry and I never anticipated the search would be so hard. It’s well known that finding a job is a job within itself and the same should be said about looking for placements. The idea of having a year out of university to get industry experience is very exciting and I can’t wait until I have it sorted. I know a few people who have given up on finding a placement after small amounts of searching but I will not give up. It’s tough and stressful now but I’m determined to find the placements to fill the sandwich year of my degree.

At the beginning of February something quite crazy happened. While out recording vox pops for a TV News module my friend and I were approached by a lady who asked us what we were filming. We explained that we were media students and we were filming for our coursework, she then asked if we would like to come to her choir group to film for them. The next week we filmed the singing and over the course of the rest of the month, edited together the footage to create a promotional video package. From this I unveil ‘BG Productions’, a company name that we have created, with which we will be doing freelance video production.

What does BG stand for you may ask… it comes from my second name which is Blair and the G to my B is my friend Lucy Gilbert who I mention on here all the time. You can also read her blog here. On the very last day of February we filmed a band in Leeds, a particularly gruelling 12 hour studio shoot but the end product is going to be great. As you can imagine we are both very excited about the prospect of having our own small production company, we’re currently working on an online portfolio which will be found here.

Finally, I have loved how much good TV there is at the moment. The early months of the year are the perfect time to binge on much loved shows or try something new. Not only have TV shows come back for new seasons or after mid-season breaks (Suits, Girls, New Girl) but I have found new additions to my watch list. Over a weekend I caught up on the first season of BBC’s Happy Valley, it’s some seriously gripping stuff and I really need to watch more of series two.

What was a highlight of your February?