Character Interview - Jamie

Q&A – Jamie Smith

Jamie Smith, 34, was born in Bristol but moved to London after a successful job promotion. Jamie the eldest of the two siblings, was given two dog tags by his father who was dying of a serious illness in which one was for Jamie and other for his younger brother albert. On the tag tags with their full names and dates of birth, unfortunately as to having no outside family to take them in and their mother not being present, Jamie and his younger brother were sent to a care homes fortunately Jamie was adopted by a rich couple who couldn’t have kids and given a loving and caring home, whilst albert was left behind due to the couple only wanting one child, leaving them separated.

When were you happiest?
When I became successful in my career
What is your earliest memory?
When my dying father gave me and my younger brother a dog tag in his memory
Which living person do you most admire and why?
Alan sugar as he’s a professional business man I look up to and admire
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I’m too competitive in the sense it sometimes overtakes me
What was your most embarrassing moment?
When I was in school, I came out the boys toilets with a toilet paper stuck to my shoe , everyone was laughing
Property aside, what's the most expensive thing you've bought?
I invested in a property for a quarter of a million
What is your most treasured possession?
My dog collar
What would your super power be?
I would say invisibility as because as a child my favorite cartoon show character was ‘Mr. Invisible’ and even till this day I would still want to be him
What makes you unhappy?
When things don’t go my way, fore.g. when people cancel important meetings
What is your most unappealing habit?
I have a bad habit of biting my nails
What is your favorite smell?
Musk reminds me of my mother as a child
What is your favorite word?
‘Kool’ as I use it very often when talking with my peers and family
What is your favorite book?
20 shades of gray
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
binge eating on Belgium chocolate , that is my biggest weakness
To whom would you most like to say sorry and why?
To my long lost brother in which I have no contact with, as I left him in our care home when we were younger
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Kate smith whom I am now married too, we were young lovers since school around the age of 16
What does love feel like?
Completeness like that missing puzzle has been complete.
What was the best kiss of your life?
when I was 10 years old and kissed my first ever crush
What is the worst job you've done?
working in a food supermarket as a cashier!
What has been your biggest disappointment?
not getting my promotion at work and loosing it to my arch enemy
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
my family life including sticking around for my brother and bettering my relationship with my parents whom are now not present.
How often do you have sex?
every week , as I have a busy schedule and I’m very tired from the day I spend 1 whole day a week with my wife where we have our private time.
What is the closest you've come to death?
Nearly got run over by a car when saving my long lost brother.

#what do you consider your greatest achievement?
Succeeding &perusing in my career as a stock broker
What keeps you awake at night?
Stresses of work, social &family life
How would you like to be remembered?
As a very successful individual or even a ‘living legend’


What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
To succeed in life you must strive and be motivated

Moodboard

Article/ Stories -Research on Journey

Thousands race in Great Scottish Run through Glasgow

ome of the world's top athletes joined thousands of people taking part in the Great Scottish Run.

About 23,000 club, fun and charity runners took part in the half-marathon and 10k events in Glasgow.

Ethiopian former Olympic and World champion Haile Gebrselassie won the half marathon event with a new course record of 61 minutes and nine seconds.

A number of roads were closed for the races, which started at George Square and finished at Glasgow Green.

Three Scots finished in the first four of the women's half marathon, with Leeds-based Susan Partridge beating Freya Ross to the line. Kenya's Pauline Wanjiku third and Steph Twell fourth.

Following his victory, Gebrselassie said: "After losing out in the last mile at the Bupa Great North Run I had to get clear today and decided to make my move when I did and it worked so well, I'm happy with this win."

Super Saturday

Scottish Finance Minister John Swinney was among those due to run the half marathon course.

World champion swimmer Keri-Anne Payne, Celtic manager Neil Lennon and Emmerdale stars Chris Chittell and Eden Taylor Draper were due to run in the 10k.

The reason i have chose this type of research for my story is because it is related to themes of my story. i have interpreted the meaning of journey in a different style. i have not used the ordinary interpretation of a person going through an emotional journey which leads him to be a better person, but instead i have researched about a marathon run that takes place in Scotland, Glasgow  which is supposed to be a fun charity run that not just marathon runners have participated but also celebrities and amateur runners which shows a remarkable journey between the start and finish line.

Articles/Stories - Research on Lost Siblings

Coastguards today called off a £10,000 search for two boys who were thought to have gone missing from a popular tourist beach.
A three-hour search for the youngsters, aged six and eight, who were reported missing after they were last seen on the seafront at Ryde on the Isle of Wight this lunchtime, was later stood down.
The Marine and Coastguard Agency said on Twitter at 4.25pm: ‘We've searched the sea and shore and we now don't think there are two kids in danger.’


Coastguard rescue team, helicopter and lifeboat were all involved in the search. Hampshire Constabulary said it was triggered when the force was alerted at 1.21pm by Solent Coastguard.
The boys were apparently last seen near Appley Tower. The six-year-old boy was said to have dark brown hair, pale skin, dark brown eyes and the eight-year-old had a mole on his left shoulder.

'When we were told about the missing children it was awful. You always assume the worst and being a mother, I felt sick'
Sarah Thornton, beachgoer

‘Police deployed officers and staff to check nearby public places, tourist attractions and hotels. Details of the boys were circulated to public transport operators and Solent ferry


'We've searched the sea and shore and we now don't think there are two kids in danger'
Marine and Coastguard Agency
'We've searched the sea and shore and we now don't think there are two kids in danger'
Marine and Coastguard Agency

This research is important to our group because the theme is linked to our story. it is also important because it gives our story a sense of direction and how to conduct our story into a real life situation. i have researched this specific topic about a "missing boy" because it is related to our main theme about lost siblings.

Pockets - Short Film

“Pockets” – Short Film

 

The set up of the film “Pockets” is about a poor man at the end of his rope, unable to provide or the woman he loves. As a result he decides to rob a stranger in order to get a good meal.

The reason I chose this particular film is because of the unique and clever storyline. I liked the fact that the creator of this film has turned a real life situation such as theft/robbing and has turned it into a unique and ironic situation.

In the opening scene of “Pockets” it opens with an explosive non diagetic sound with the film titles in bold white capital letters appearing. I found this technique interesting because it grips the audience straight away because of the unexpected powerful sound. There is also an off-screen voiceover of the troubled man communicating about his problems suggesting he is directly trying to communicate with the audience. This is a unique technique because it has used a variety of communication skills instead of just the man speaking to himself. A quirky element of the film which I found interesting is the scene where the troubled man is about rob another man who is a complete stranger in order to eat well. The real quirkiness o the scene is that he threatens and also searches him with a sharp knife, so as he invades the victim’s pockets he finds himself mysteriously entering his own pocket which i found very “quirky and anxious. A non diagetic soft tune quickly plays to signify something “out o this world” has occurred.



This technique is very creative and clever because this situation would not happen in real life and has creatively turned a serious real situation into an “ironic” and mysterious turn of events. I also admire the fact the film title plays an important role in the film, the camera use in the film is effective especially when the victim attempts to punch the troubled man and as he approaches him a freeze fast paced camera motion happens. This camera technique is very effective because it used to show the intense scene between the two characters.  I also found the way the cut-away scenes were presented, the type of cut-away shots have been used as a “blend” and “continuous” Example of this in the film is when  the victim opens his coat in an emerged and powerful way then simultaneously  the camera transfers to the troubled man eagerly running from him. I also liked the fight scene between the two characters because it wasn’t fought in the clichéd type of way, instead it was two rivals fighting each other using their “pockets” which again emphasises the quirkiness and powerfulness pockets can be. I admire the fact that simple unnoticed things such as pockets can be protagonist and can play an important role in a fantasy human life. Another quirky and interesting moment in the film is when the victim is threatening a woman with a sharp knife without thim being in contact with her. I find this technique ambitious because it is unique and really grips the audience to find out how that shot has been made. The close ups  used are very precise and intense, example of this is when the victim has found out that he has eaten heat pockets which could potentially kill him, therefore a quick cut into his face show his emotions due to the consequences. This film ends  in the same explosive non diagetic sound it opened with, this shows consistency and creativeness and that the creator has put thought to this film.     

                                          

Storyboard

Question 7

Pre – production – During the preliminary task I decided that we should have our opening scene in a house, we all agreed because it contrasted with our film. We decided to film at Leanne’s house who was a member of our group because she lived close to the school, until we realised she was going to Amsterdam for an exchange programme. This was a problem we encountered because we had to find a backup location. This was a big problem because we couldn’t film in my house or Grace because of the distance away from the school. The solution was resolved because Leanne came back in time for the main task. The key lesson learnt was that in the future I should always have in mind of a backup location just in case. During the prelim task we needed cast to act in our opening scene. I suggested we needed at least 6 cast preferably 3 males and 3 females. A Problem encountered because some of our cast were also acting in other groups so we had to find a way of fixing the problem. In our main task I organised the time and day that our cast would be available, this was effective for us because it meant that our cast would act for us on this certain day and time and also at the meantime be filming with another group. At the end we managed to have our 6 casts. The key lesson learnt is that I should be organised and construct my actors and be aware of the time and day they will be available. Production- As a group we decided that weather would pay an important role in our film because some of the shots were shot outside. If the weather was bad we would have to leave out the shot because of the surface and the camera. In the main task I decided that we should beforehand check the weather for that day and see the if it was okay to carry on the outside shot. Luckily the weather was decent and we could still carry on our shot outside. The key lesson learnt was that to be prepared and to be organised instead of waiting for things to occur then trying to fix it. The variety of shots were a problem during the prelim ask because of the location it was set in. for instance in our opening scene we wanted to start it with an establishing shot of a bedroom. This could not happen because the bedroom was too small and we could hardly fit the camera in. In the main task I decided that we should change the variety of shot and instead do a wide shot. This worked well and was actually theoretical better than having to do an establishing shot. The lesson I learnt was to be creative and also have other alternatives if things didn’t go to plan. For our prelim task we needed equipment’s to merge in with the shots we needed. We needed equipment such as paper, mugs, pens, kitchen appliances etc. There were slight problems because we couldn’t purchase the items or did not own them. In the main task I used my initiative and bought some equipment’s such as an alarm clock and pens to help bring realism to the opening scene and make it look more convincing. The lesson learnt here was to use my initiative and be aware and to also take actions. Timing was very important because we had to finish each shot at a certain time. This was because we used the location in one of my group’s house so we had to finish on time to pack up all the camera equipment and bring it back to the media department. In the main task we had a better story board so we could easily be aware of how long each shot would take. This made things much easier for us and in the end all our shots met the deadline. Post production& feedback In the prelim we didn’t know much about sound like whether it should have been copyright free or not, but in the main task we knew what websites to download the copyright free sounds from. The key lesson learnt was by listening and learning from our teachers and being knowledgeable. The feedback given to us in the prelim were not taken into action. Some of us were not listening to the feedback or did not understand how to improve the work. But in the main task we took the feedbacks more seriously. We incorporated feedback from Stewart, our media supporter who gave us important feedback which everyone took serious and also improved in their work. Stewart also gave us feedback about music choices because some sounds did not fit in with the match-on action so we took the constructed criticism and chose the right sound. In the prelim task we was doing stuff without thinking and jumping into conclusions with a lot of faults and errors. This feedback was vital because there were some errors like the camera shots, sound and continuity that we didn’t recognise but adjusted it and made it better.