Narrative
Out of 6 choices, I decided, after much deliberation, to go for choice number 2 which is where a character has to enter unfamiliar territory (either inside or outside) convinced that they are about to encounter their worst fears or that something is waiting for them. The film had to convey what the character is experiencing using strong directorial skills and cinematic technique, and take the audience on a rollarcoaster ride of emotions using suspense, shock and creative film making, and was to be between 4 and 8 minutes long.
I chose this particular assignment as I have access to Dingle Woods in Leeswood as I live practically right in front of it. I wanted to film during twilight or night hours as I thought it would portray a more spooky atmosphere, but due to time, equipment and weather constrictions, I was forced to film during a sunny, windy Sunday afternoon.
I was helped by a classmate and friend of mine, Andrew Argyle, who also provided the camera along with a tripod and shoulder mount. I appointed Andrew as my Director, as I felt he had more of grasp of this particular role than myself, with myself as Assistant Director. We conversed on how I wanted certain shots to look and whether I wanted dialogue or not in certain places. We decided against dialogue in the end as we thought if I found the right kind of soundtrack this wouldn't be needed.
I was to play the lead, and only visible, character with Andrew, using the shoulder mount, being a secondary character who wasn't seen. This was to add an air of mystery and make the action seem more scary as the audience couldn't see who the secondary character was.
Due to the size of the woods being on the small side, several scenes were filmed in the same location within the woods but different camera angles were used to make them seem as though they were filmed in a different part.
I decided to download a 30 day free trial for AVID Studio, a home version of the popular editing software used by professionals. As I have a PC and not a Mac laptop, I am not able to install Final Cut and Adobe products tend to be on the costly side. When the 30 days are up, I can purchase the full version of AVID Studio for just shy of £100 which is more within my price range.
When editing, I tried to darken a certain scene to see if it would give the effect I was originally going for but I felt that it didn't work as well as I'd hoped so decided to just go with what was originally filmed. This could've been because the day of filming was very sunny without a huge amount of clouds or I might have used the wrong effect from the choice in the editing software.
I also had trouble creating the credits, as while there is a title creation button, the ability to make the credits move slowly from bottom to top is unclear. As such I had to create a part of the credits one at a time, but I made a mistake in the transitions between them by making them too fast and not easily readable.
As I stated before, I thought I'd be able to get away with no dialogue if I found the right soundtrack. That was easier said than done I'm afraid. I trawled through the in-software tracks to see if there was one suitable. There was one that came close, but the presence of what could be bells or chimes ruined what could've been the perfect choice. I was unable to use most of the sound recorded on the day of filming as the wind overpowered most of the ambiant sound. I ended up using parts of soundtracks from 3 other well-known films as I had them to hand on CD. I thought they worked well with the film as a substitute for an original soundtrack.
Overall, I was pleased with how the film came out, but I will look to changing the soundtrack and credits. I might also play around with the lighting on the film and perhaps add some subtle ambiant sound.
Non-Narrative
This part of the assignment had 3 choices to pick from. I chose number 2 where I had to produce a soundtracked sequence (not necessarily music) based on colour or fluidity. The subject matter should be singular or related and be 2-4 minutes long.
I had quite a few ideas for this particular assignment including using ink, paint and oil and dropping them into a tank of water. Melted chocolate and flourescent liquid were also suggested to me by peers. I also thought of using coloured sparklers at night and was quite taken with this one until several obstructions came about. These included the short duration that sparklers have when lit, the lack of availability of coloured sparklers and only one can be held at a time. I ended up going with using glowsticks, both thin and fat, which was a more viable option due to availability, they last a long time and the fact I could use them indoors.
I was helped by Andrew Argyle, Emma Powell and Claire Dodds, and loads of fun was had throwing and spinning the glowsticks about in the dark room the University has available. About halfway through, it was noticed that the camera had the ability to slow the shutter speed down whilst filming, which was useful.
Whilst editing, I noticed that the footage that had been slowed down by the camera was better than the earlier, normal speed footage. Thus I used this part of the footage for my film. Although some parts that were filmed was really effective, I decided not to use most of it as I could see where we were standing at the time.
I was able to use a piece of music from the editing softwares library bank and I thought it worked really well. Even the title - Running Colours - was appropriate for the theme of the film.
Overall I am pleased with how this little film came out and enjoyed making it. I may have a play with the remaining footage to see what else I can produce.
ARD504 Creative Futures 2
Alexandra Burden, Level 5 Creative Media
Industrial Visit to London
13th - 16th March 2012
Overall, this industrial visit to post-production companies in London was a very interesting experience and one that I'm quite glad I decided to go on as we got to see inside the companies that bring everything together to produce the commercials, T.V. shows and films that we all love. I am very grateful to those companies who took the time out to show us around and talk to us about their work.
Thursday 15th March
Framestore
Framestore is a 20 year strong company specialising in visual effects and computer animation with offices in Soho, London and New York. They have numerous credits to their name including:
Commercials
- Vauxhall C'Mon campaign
- Sure Go Wild
- Sky HD Supertelly
- Primeval 1-3
- Space Odyssey
- Walking with .... series
- Clash of the Titans
- Avatar
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
While it was very kind of them to take the time out of their work to see us and it was a good opportunity to get into company, they are mainly a Visual Effects company which is not really the area that I wish to get employment in. The talk was also quite rushed and, in places, miss-matched. They also came across, at first, as quite high and mighty but this may have been due to a high workload (I don't actually know but it's possible).
Molinare
Molinare is a film and broadcast post production company based in Soho, London that, this year, won the Best Post-Production House award at the Broadcast Awards 2012. The company has been around for 40 years and work on the post-production for shows such as Silent Witness and Misfits, and films like The King's Speech.
We had a 7pm appointment at Molinare which, by the end, was quite exhausting but it did gives us access to most of the rooms on our tour around as there wasn't a lot of people about. We were shown VFX suites, the Foley and sound recording and editing rooms, editing suites, the state-of-the-art theatre that used to be a recording studio.
Unfortunately there was a meeting in progress in the room that we were going to use to view some videos on but it was interesting to go around one of the main buildings that houses the equipment they use. It was said that anyone who wanted to get into editing would have an advantage if they had experience in the program AVID, which is something that I will be looking into. I enjoyed having a look around this company, the only downside was the amount of stairs we had to climb.
Wednesday 14th March
Double Negative
Double Negative is mainly a visual effects company that has worked on some major movies including most of the Harry Potter series and the new Captain America film. They also work on independent films. Starting in 1998, Double Negative were a boutique post-production facility focusing on film with around 30 people. Today, there are two bases; one in Soho, London with a staff force of around 1,000, split between offices, and one in Singapore that has around 150 employees. Even though the company has grown with success, they have still retained their original 'DNA' as they put it.
During the visit, they mainly talked to us about the visual effects they did for Captain America. They were involved in 8 sequences of the film using programmes like Maya, Nuke, Houdini and Mari. It was interesting to know how they'd gone about creating the different sequences and put them together.
They don't offer work experience at present, but it is something they are looking into for the future. As most people start as runners and work their way up, they have 5 different areas that runners can progress to:
- Roto/Prep - 2D
- Matchmove - 3D
- ATD/Pipeline - 3D Research & Development
- Editorial Assistant - Editorial
- Production Assistant - Production
All in all it was a very interesting experience that was given to us and everyone that went is very grateful that they took the time to see us. There was a quick tour round but as they were working on a new film due to be released, we weren't allowed to take any photographs.
ENVY
ENVY Post Production is a very modern, constantly expanding company that have one main online building and 3 offline buildings all in the Soho area of London. They mainly focus on commercials but also do broadcasts, promotions and documentaries and have been working on their second film project.
They try to meet client specifications when it comes to software and they have programmes like Autodesk, Nuke, Adobe and Avid, among others. They also have 3 grading suites, 8 vfx workstations and the largest installation of Digidesign Icons mixing consoles in Europe.
ENVY do offer work experience placements, the only company that we visited that do at present, which is something that I think I need to look into. As with the other companies, they take on runners and allow them to think on where they want to go next and give them continuous training so that they can go to the next step.
The experience was very relaxed, which is what they project to help clients keep calm and enjoy their time there. As we were in one of the offline buildings there was a small tour of some of the offices they have there. It was a slow start but once they started talking about their work, it picked up and was very interesting.
Tuesday 13th March
BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre is, at the moment, the main broadcasting centre for the BBC, although they are moving up to Media City in Salford, Manchester and selling the Television Centre.
After a delayed start, our guide Nick Davey (former North Wales School of Art & Design student) first took us to the BBC shop for us to look around and buy something if we wished. We then went to the very top of the building and onto the balcony part at the front to look out onto London. Nick then took us into a boardroom and talked to us about Graphics for the News as that is his job. He told us that the graphics that we see on news programmes fills the gaps when nothing else can and is either Tonal or Informative. They use Timelines to compress the important points of a story and use moving graphics to keep it interesting. The programs they use for the 3D elements include Cinema4D and Maya, and After Effects is used to composite.
While Graphic Design isn't the area of employment I wish to enter, it was a very good experience to be able to go around some of Television Centre including parts that aren't on the public tours. We were lucky enough to be able to go into the Newsroom that is seen on television and we even met George Alagiah as he'd just finished the 6o'clock news bulletin. We also had fun having our photographs taken next to a replica of the Doctor's TARDIS that is under a cover at the front of the Centre.
Creative Futures
5th - 8th March 2012
In conclusion, this week of talks was interesting although there could have been a more diverse range of subjects as there was often talks on that I wasn't interested in going to, or, at some times, there were 2 that I wanted to go to that were on at the same time. There were also a couple of cancellations which left me with no where to go as none of the other talks were related to my subject choice or I felt were interesting.
Below are a list of helpful websites that were given throughout the week :
www.cla.co.uk, www.prsformusic.com, www.theaoi.com, www.dacs.org.uk
www.epuk.org, www.lightstalkers.org, www.a-n.co.uk, www.copyright4clients.com
www.mediadeskuk.eu/training, www.eave.org, www.cyfle.co.uk
www.bip-online.com, www.freelanceuk.com, www.photographers.co.uk
Thursday 8th March
Life in the Afterworld
The first talk of the day was from a photographer called Alison McLean, who graduated from Glyndwr - North Wales School of Art and Design - in 2010 and has started her own business becoming a Freelance Experimental Photographer and Filmmaker in North Wales specialising in fine art photography.
Alison talked to us about how to get our work out into the world using a variety of different ways. Having an online presence is important in the current society where people want easy and immediate access to information, so having a website showing your work is useful. Spreading the word through different word of mouth, networking and social media also help to get your work out there. When networking, business cards are must to make sure people remember your work. Keeping inspired and continuing professional development help to keep your work looking fresh and to help you try out new ideas and techniques. Alison also gave us some websites, some that have been given before, to go to for inspiration and tips.
Alison's talk was both informative and useful and, even though it was leaning more towards the photography side, most people could take this information and adapt it to their own career choice. The websites are more photography based whereas I want to go more into the film side, but they could be helpful in the future.
This talk was from 3 ex-students of Glyndwr who have managed to start there own business called Minimal Media, a creative production company who, even though they are based in North Wales, travel across the country, and have even been abroad, help companies communicate their ideas in the simplest way possible through still and moving image.
They each said a little about their own student life and then went on to talk about how we can get into a similar position. "Never Say No" and "Be Passionate" were two of the big themes of this talk; being passionate about what you do is one of the things that will get you ahead of other people in the industry. Saying yes to any work that comes your way, no matter how small, will add to your growing experience and knowledge of how to go about doing certain ideas if the need ever arose to do a similar thing again.
There were some useful tips within this talk about how to go and get the experience and work that we need to get on with our careers and become the best that we can be. After 4 days of listening to these talks, a lot of what was being said was similar to the earlier talks which meant that it got a bit boring. Overall, this was an interesting talk that was mostly informative if a bit repetitive.
Going into Business as a Young Entrepreneur
The last lecture of the week was from Charli Dickenson who works for Launch Wrexham, a company funded by the Rural Development Plan for Wales in Wrexham, who offer 16-30 year olds in rural Wrexham, who are looking to start a business, grants ranging from £500-£1,500.
I wasn't that interested in this talk as I'm not looking to start my own business at the moment but the information is there for me to go back to if I ever have the need at a later date.
Going into Business as a Young Entrepreneur
The last lecture of the week was from Charli Dickenson who works for Launch Wrexham, a company funded by the Rural Development Plan for Wales in Wrexham, who offer 16-30 year olds in rural Wrexham, who are looking to start a business, grants ranging from £500-£1,500.
Charli talked about the basics involved in starting up your own business. Four points to remember are:
- Talk to people
- Research
- Marketing
- Financing
I wasn't that interested in this talk as I'm not looking to start my own business at the moment but the information is there for me to go back to if I ever have the need at a later date.
Wednesday 7th March
Ffresh
Ffresh is the Student Moving Image Festival of Wales, offering students a chance for their work to be viewed by company professionals from directors to international effects companies. The festival is organised by The Festivals Company Ltd, from which Berwyn Rowlands came to speak to us about the festival that is coming to Glyndwr in 2013.
Berwyn talked to us about the benefits of entering into Ffresh next year where it will be held at Glyndwr University in February. It is open to students in the UK and abroad, is free to enter with no limit on the amount of entries by an individual. There will be a mix of speakers at the festival and the opportunity to get our work viewed by industry professionals.
This was quite a short talk about Ffresh with no real depth into the festival. It was interesting to know about the opportunities that will arrive with such an event but have to remember to make sure there is no copyrighted material in any submitted film, or that the copyright is cleared with the owner(s).
Film, Funding and Wales
Adam Partridge is from the Film Agency for Wales, a company that helps fund Welsh-born or Wales-based writers, directors and producers that have theatrical project idea.
Adam talked firstly about the film agency and how it works. Then it was onto the different festivals and markets that are on all over the world that we can look into for ideas or even to enter our own films. Some websites were given to us that have training courses from all over the world for people in the media industry. The International Film Business by Angus Finney and The Film Business Handbook by Mike Downey are the names of the two books recommended by Adam. He also gave us 10 notes to guide the future:
- Audience Research
- Select your project for the right reasons
- Remember; screenplay is the most important element
- Build up relationships - sales agents, bankers, lawyers
- Cornerstone strategy - lock in the first financial sources
- Don't try to run before you can walk
- Know the value in the marketplace
- Make it for less than its value
- Know when to give up
- Remember the last 10
Digital - Fluid Film
Dan Fox gave the last talk of the day. Dan, like many of the speakers, was a student at Glyndwr - then NEWI - and, with another student, started Chat Noir Productions Ltd in 2003; a company bringing creative video services to North Wales.
Dan's talk was about how 35mm film is better than digital film when creating the very best in clarity and quality. He talked about how improving technology has shaped the way we make film but that it is not always to the benefit of the productions. He went on to ask if filmmakers are being led by software or by creativity, and how the increasing use of photo elements trick the eye into thinking that it's the real deal. Getting references by going out and finding similar items to what you are filming is better than just using what the software has to offer. Filmmakers are becoming lazy, Dan goes onto say, for example; there used to be a lengthy pre-production stage, the actual production of the film and then the post-production stage where everything is put together. Now, there isn't much in the way of pre-production, the filming takes place but then the mistakes are solved in post-production. Dan lastly goes onto say that you can do anything, but never rely on technology - learn to use the tricks but try to get a balance.
When I came out of this talk I thought it was interesting and was wondering whether we could go back to using film with elements of digital technology thrown in. I have since found out that Dan was very hypocritical in what he said and was told to take it with a pinch of salt.
Tuesday 6th March
Getting that Job
Wendy Rees, Head of Operations for North Wales for BBC Wales, was the speaker for the first talk of the day. BBC Wales is part of the BBC which is the world's leading public service broadcaster and started out in 1922. Services include: 10 national TV channels plus regional programming, 10 national radio stations, 40 local radio stations and a website.
This talk was about how to get a job with the BBC which currently employ 20,000 people. There are currently 4 different trainee schemes that people can look into which can be found in the jobs section on the BBC website. There are also work experience opportunities in the same section. The new BBC buildings in Salford currently host the sport and children's sections of the BBC. Wendy talked to us about the recruitment process and that to stand out, an individual has to show that they have something different - extra work is an option. Being flexible helps in this hectic time where multi-skilled operators are preferred due to the variety of ways that content is received and delivered. In Wales, being able to speak both Welsh and English can also help to speed up the delivery process. Wendy told us that being passionate about what you do is an important factor, not only in the recruitment stage, but also to be able to deliver the best work possible.
This talk was very informative and gave a useful insight into what to do about getting a job at the BBC and how to do it. It also gave me another push into the possibility of improving my Welsh language skills.
Piece to Camera
Another BBC Wales employer, Matthew Richards - a reporter for Wales Today, came to speak to us, this time it was about how to speak to a camera.
Matthew went through how a piece to camera works, looks, to speak and how to storm out (this tends to be done by the interviewee). Matthew told us that what makes a bad interviewee includes: fidgeting, no straight answers or explanations and rocking back and forth. He also told us that most interviewees, particularly politicians, since the 1990's have had some form of media training, where they have consultants to help get the message across. When someone has had bad training, they normally just ignore the question that has been asked. Matthew went over interviewee and interviewer objectives, how to start an interview, information on what's best not to wear on camera and some top tips which include the fact that about 90% of the original content from the interview will be edited out so just be natural.
This talk was an informative look into the world of broadcasting, but which actually focused more on the what to do if you're the interviewee rather than the interviewer. There were some awkward and slightly unnecessary join-ins and while the schedule stated that this would be split into 2 halves, there was only one 1 hour talk. Personally, I'd prefer to stay behind the camera.
Monday 5th March
Copyright for Creatives
The first talk of the week came from Janet Jones, a member of one of the National Council for the Training of Journalists' examining boards, and was about copyrighting for photographers, film makers, artists and illustrators.
The Copyright Designs & Patents Act 1988 covers original work after 31st July 1989, including Patents, Designs and Trademarks, and comes into effect as soon as the original piece of work is created. It protects people skill, time and labour and gives the owner of the copyrighted material the right to profit. There are several myths in the world of copyright;
- Copyright can protect my ideas? - No, but you may be able to apply for a Patent
- Posting your work to yourself proves you own the copyright - Don't need to do this and it is not always foolproof. It is better to post it to your solicitor. An exception is if you produce work for an employer.
- I can use 10% of the original material without infringing copyright - Any unauthorised use can potentially be infringement, always have sufficient use of author references in any private study or research material (e.g. use in educational environments).
- Everything on the Internet is in the public domain and so is free to use - Just because it is on the Internet does not mean that the copyright has lapsed, always check first.
- Original literacy, dramatic, music or artistic work - creators life plus 70 years.
- Film - life plus 70 years after the last death of the principal director, the scriptwriter and the composer.
- Sound, film and video recordings - has changed to 70 years.
- Broadcasts and cable programmes - 50 years.
- Typographic arrangements - 25 years after creation.
This was an informative and interesting talk that has cleared up some confusions, but has equally created more, about copyright durations and what it covers. I think this will need more research.
Getting Started in Photography
This talk was given by Paul Herrmann, photographer and Director of Redeye a non-profit organisation run by photographers for photographers based in Manchester. It helps to support photographers at every level and give them the opportunity to access events, advice and information that would be difficult to find elsewhere.
Paul started off by giving a bit of background information on Redeye and then went on to ask us to think about where we would like to be in 5-10 years time. He then gave us some recipes for success on how to be a star photographer in the form of quotes;
He also gave us 2 paradigms for top photographers:"Work hard & be nice to people" - Wallpaper
Old
- Primacy of craft
- Narrow range of work
- Tight circle of clients
- Primacy of ideas
- Complementary range of work
- International and virtual circles
This talk is definitely one for those who wish to pursue a career in photography, but could be useful for people who work with photographers now and then. There were some helpful tips in each of the different topics that was talked about.
Influence Boards
Growing Up
Middle Child - Being the middle child tends to be difficult, add the age gaps between me and my siblings and I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one side, I'm trying to live up to the standards set by my older sister and on the other, I'm trying to be noticed for any good that I've done over my mollycoddled younger brother.
Bullying - As like most people, I have been bullied and as such it has influenced how I have dealt with things and how I let others see me.
Arguing - No-one likes arguing, but this seems to be what most of my home life is based upon in one way or another. This has influenced my personal life by the ending of a relationship partially due to this.
Friends - My choice in friends has influenced me in lots of different ways; from how I interact with friends from different parts of my life, to what I do during my evenings and free time. My friends really are the family I've chosen.
Love - Love came to me at a young age and as such things didn't always go right, but I would never have changed that part of my life for anything in the world. To be able to share yourself with one special person is the most influencing part of your life, especially if they share themselves back.
GCSE's - The dreaded O-levels as they used to be called, influenced what I could carry on learning about by what results I received. Although I've changed my mind about what I want to be since then, they are a good way of telling you what you're good at.
Heartbreak - This is devastating whether you suffer it several times, 30 years down the line or only after 3 years. It has influenced some decisions I have made since then, a couple I would wish to take back, but then they have influenced me in ways as well.
A-Levels - These are the same as GCSE's in how they influence you and the choices for your future career. Sometimes I think about what I would've done if I'd taken different subjects, but what's done is done now.
Let go, Come back - This quote, or that of a similar wording, has been said to me a couple of times and has influenced my way of handling things in my private life.
Hard to tell your mind - This quote was one I found while looking for the images for these boards and was one I thought rang true for me. My heart has influenced my mind, and vice versa, several times in different situations.
Books
Famous Five - From reading these books by Enid Blyton, they have influenced my interest in crime drama programmes. These could be considered a forerunner to the Scooby Doo cartoons.
Harry Potter - This well-known series of books has influenced me in ways that could be good or bad. I can get lost in the 'magic world' time and again due to the brilliant writing of J.K Rowling.
Doctor Who - These are a continuation of the current TV show series of Doctor Who. They have influenced my imagination for what happens between the adventures we are shown.
Films
High School Musical - My childish side and my friends influenced me to start watching High School Musical. This has then influenced me to read the books, listen to music from the actors/actresses and watch other films that they have starred in.
Thunderbirds - Watching the original T.V. series influenced me to watch the live-action remake. I have watched it repeatedly since which has influenced decisions about future film choices and what to watch if I fancy a film at home.
Team America - I actually ended up watching this after missing my train stop with my boyfriend of the time and having to walk back from the next one, subsequently missing the film we were going to watch. This film has influenced other film choices that I have made.
Charlie's Angels - Watching both of the Charlie's Angels films have influenced my film genre likes to include action films. They have also influenced some T.V. programmes that I have watched.
Legally Blonde -The plot of both Legally Blonde films have influenced some other film/T.V. choices, but have also influenced, perhaps to a minor extent, a few decisions or actions I have taken in my personal life.
Charlie St Cloud - The lead actor had an influence on me watching the film due to previous films I've watched. The storyline has influenced my view on supernatural happenings.
17 Again - The lead actors influenced me to watch this film and the storyline has influenced my thoughts on what would I change about my own past decisions if I had the chance.
The Little Mermaid - Probably my favourite Disney film is The Little Mermaid. This has influenced the magazines I got as a child and the slight possibility of my interest in magic.
Dumbo - Dumbo is only one of a few Disney films that I remember watching as a child. It may have influenced my other Disney film choices I made back then.
Bambi - Another Disney film I remember watching as a child, this could have influenced my music taste as the songs within the film were very well done.
Matilda - This was a favourite film of mine when I was younger and I still enjoy it now. It has perhaps influenced my interest in magic, which leads to other books, T.V. shows and films such as Harry Potter.
Madeline - I watched this film when I was younger and it could have influenced my choices in film and T.V. programmes that I have watched since.
Music
S Club 7 - S Club, formally S Club 7, were a big influence in my music and T.V. choices, as my like for them as a group led me to watch the 4 series of television programmes they made as well as other shows some of the members have since appeared in - Hannah Spearritt stars in ITV series Primeval.
Busted - Busted were the first 'boy band' that I liked, and they were also slightly different in the style of music I had normally listened to. This then influenced my choices in other male orientated groups.
Britney Spears - During Britney's music career, the lyrics of the songs started to influence my decision on songs that regularly listened to. I also started liking the non-released album singles more than the released ones.
McFly - I am a big fan of McFly, and this has influenced my music choices and free-time activities. They were the first band I went to see in concert as a single group/artist, and have since been to see them 6 or 7 times now.
Kelly Clarkson - My choice of Kelly's songs that I listen to have mostly been influenced on the lyrics and sometimes the timing of the singles release has combined with goings on in my personal life.
Katy Perry - I enjoy Katy's music and have been influenced by her quirky sense of style and fashion choices within her music videos. I have also been influenced by the lyrics in a few of her songs, and her collaborations with other artists.
Ashley Tisdale - High School Musical influenced me into listening to Ashley's solo singles, even though her character wasn't my favourite. I have found I enjoy her songs immensely and a couple of my favourite songs are more lyric influenced.
ABBA - Growing up listening to one of my mother's favourite artists, ABBA has subsequently influenced my choice of music genre that I tend to lean towards now.
Cliff Richard - Cliff is my mother's favourite singer and as such, was played a lot at home while I was growing up. His music has also influenced my own music choices.
The Beatles - As my father is a fan of The Beatles, I have grown up listening to their music. This has influenced my choice in music genre to a degree, as I listen more to pop/pop rock style music.
TV Shows
Famous Five - The books influenced me to watch the T.V. programmes which, in turn, influenced my like of mystery dramas such as Scooby Doo.
Bagpuss - My older sister introduced Bagpuss to me as a child. This programme probably influenced my choices of similar T.V. shows at the time.
The Clangers - Having been influenced by my father to watch The Clangers, I have thus been influenced to watch other programmes from the same era.
Thomas - Thomas was probably one of my favourite shows as a young child and could have influenced both my actions then and my choice of toys, books, etc.
Tom and Jerry - My father influenced my like of Tom and Jerry as he was a fan himself. This has also influenced my choices in other cartoons.
Thunderbirds - My father was a big fan of Thunderbirds when it first aired in the 60's, and so I was introduced to it when they repeated them. It has since influenced my decision to watch the live-action movie as well as other puppet-based shows/films.
Looney Tunes - Looney Tunes was one of the major cartoons when I was a child. Watching them influenced my, probably subconscious, tendency to watch Warner Brothers films/T.V. shows.
The Magic Roundabout - I loved watching The Magic Roundabout when it was aired in the 90's. Having watched the T.V. series, thus influenced my want to see the CG Animated film that was released in 2005.
Sesame Street - This is the first T.V. show I remember watching. As such, it has influenced subsequent programmes and also influenced the way I speak, particularly the alphabet (I have a tendency to say 'zee' instead of 'zed').
Top Cat - I was introduced to Top Cat by my father as a child and have loved it ever since. Watching this programme has influenced subsequent choices in T.V. shows.
Wacky Races - Wacky Races was a really funny programme and has influenced me to watch a spin-off programme called Catch the Pigeon, amongst other similar cartoons.
Doctor Who - From the start of the new set of series' - 2005 to present - I have loved Doctor Who. This has influenced me to watch some of the earlier episodes, head towards the Doctor Who section in shops, read the books that have since been released and watch the 2 spin-off shows.
Sarah Jane Adventures - Being influenced by Doctor Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures was a programme I didn't like to miss and I was very shocked and upset when I heard that Elizabeth Sladen had past away. This show has often partially influenced what I tend to get into talking about with my friends along with Doctor Who and Torchwood.
Torchwood - The first of the modern spin-offs, Torchwood is Doctor Who for the older audience but without the time travel. This has influenced what I read and look for in shops as well as other programmes that star the actors/actresses.
Friends - Friends was a show that, when it was on, I'd always watch. This has influenced me to watch other comedy programmes.
Hustle - I loved this programmes and was sad to hear it was being cut. Hustle has influenced decisions I've made to watch other programmes of a similar genre and also my awareness of strangers around me.
Midsomer Murders - My mother influenced me to watch this particular show. In turn, this has influenced my love of crime drama programmes.
Spooks - I didn't watch this from the very beginning, but I enjoyed the series' that I did see. This influenced my decisions to watch other spy-related programmes/films.
Waking The Dead - I was sad to find out that this particular programme had finished, but it did influence me to watch shows of the same genre, and also it's spin-off series, The Body Farm.
Silent Witness - My favourite crime drama series that is running at the moment, I didn't start to watch this from the beginning but from Emilia Fox's debut, which was purely coincidental. The show has influenced my decisions to watch other programmes through the genre and actors/actresses.
Interests
Flowers - While I am not a keen gardener, nor do i know many names, I do like flowers and i particularly enjoy photographing them. Perhaps a garden abundant in flowers has influenced me in this way.
Astrology - While I don't set much store by it, I do enjoy astrology and this has influenced my choice in jewellery, in particular. It also influences my designs of gifts for my friends.
Astronomy - I have always loved looking at the stars, which is probably what influenced my love of astronomy and working out the names and positions of the constellations.
Butterflies - I think a primary school project on caterpillars influenced my interest in butterflies. I love going to the butterfly house in Chester Zoo and I always point them out when I am out and about.
Dolphins - I'm not very sure on when or why I started liking dolphins but this has since influenced my choices on jewellery, ornaments and cuddly toys, amongst other things.
Jigsaw Puzzles - I enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles and have done since I was a child. The figuring out of places and satisfaction of completing them has influenced my decision to become an editor, as I see a similarity between them.
Drawing - I think my mother has influenced me on this as she taught me how to draw when I was young. Through this tuition, I have since been influenced to draw a lot, which then led to me having art as my favourite school subject.
Girlguiding - After being a Brownie, waiting a couple of years, I was then a Guide, Senior Section member and am now a qualified Leader. This has influenced my decisions and actions both in and out of meetings.
Tennis - I have played tennis since I was about 6 and have won a few tournaments in my time. I was influenced to play by my father, who also influenced my later decision to stop for a few years due to overbaringness. I have also been to Wimbledon quite a few times and these combined influenced my decision to ballgirl at some of the local professional tournaments for players who have a low rating.
Craft - I have always enjoyed art and craft, art was my favourite subject at school. This has influenced my decisions on possible careers and activities that I could do with my younger family members and at Guides.
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