Wednesday, June 29, 2005
See, someone from the DangerousInterweb™ lent me the box-set of Firefly. Despite my usually quick descent into soporifia at the first sign of a slidey-spaceship-door (sci-fi ain’t my bag), somehow I fell head-over-heels in love with this thing. I’m having slight trouble justifying it to myself, because I know that it isn’t exactly Six Feet Under/Sopranos goodness, but dammit if I couldn’t watch any episode over and over again with a silly grin on my face. I know it’s a bad sign in the world of TV_Show_Obsessions when I start researching actors’ relative heights on IMDb. Also due to the canon of the TV_Show_Obsession, I start thinking that brown jumpsuits are a good fashion forward decision. Especially when worn tied at the waist. And oh how am I scared out of my life that I’ll catch one or more of the apparently major spoilers before Serenity hits cinemas.
So seeing a bit of my work in a big-ass movie in a big-ass screen was ridiculously exciting. My head near hit the Vue ceiling in glee every time I saw it, and I kept grinning all the way from a third through when I started to recognise things. But oh-so-depressing at the same time. While I’m intensely proud that I did that, and try to convince myself that it can happen again, it was fairly hideous to return to shuffling invoices on the Monday morning.
It’s slightly surreal that I own one of the ‘making of’ books for one of the preceding films, bought purely for the costume designs and gadget drawings. This book in fact led me towards doing the first costume paintings that made me believe realistically that it was not unreasonable to try to go and study such a thing as a profession. In terms of judgement, I hoped that I had a pragmatic idea of my abilities compared to long-held ambitions, and that work cemented my direction. Those first drawings were in the theme of this series. And so, while the pen-pushing is frustrating, if I could go back and tell my acrylic-painting 16-year-old self that I’d be working on the sequel/prequel to that film, that 16-year-old would have fell flat backwards. Which is useful to remember.
On an up note, I now have a proper ID pass for work. The kicky elastic pull-out thing makes me ridiculously happy. I'm an easy sell. Not being one to take fifty-million photos in order to get a flattering one (the old phizzog ain't magically going to get better on the 83rd go) I had to choose from gormless or half-shut-eyed drunk. I went for the drunk. I feel it is an appropriate expression of my attitude to my work.
So seeing a bit of my work in a big-ass movie in a big-ass screen was ridiculously exciting. My head near hit the Vue ceiling in glee every time I saw it, and I kept grinning all the way from a third through when I started to recognise things. But oh-so-depressing at the same time. While I’m intensely proud that I did that, and try to convince myself that it can happen again, it was fairly hideous to return to shuffling invoices on the Monday morning.
It’s slightly surreal that I own one of the ‘making of’ books for one of the preceding films, bought purely for the costume designs and gadget drawings. This book in fact led me towards doing the first costume paintings that made me believe realistically that it was not unreasonable to try to go and study such a thing as a profession. In terms of judgement, I hoped that I had a pragmatic idea of my abilities compared to long-held ambitions, and that work cemented my direction. Those first drawings were in the theme of this series. And so, while the pen-pushing is frustrating, if I could go back and tell my acrylic-painting 16-year-old self that I’d be working on the sequel/prequel to that film, that 16-year-old would have fell flat backwards. Which is useful to remember.
On an up note, I now have a proper ID pass for work. The kicky elastic pull-out thing makes me ridiculously happy. I'm an easy sell. Not being one to take fifty-million photos in order to get a flattering one (the old phizzog ain't magically going to get better on the 83rd go) I had to choose from gormless or half-shut-eyed drunk. I went for the drunk. I feel it is an appropriate expression of my attitude to my work.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
I CAN BUY WINE WITH MY NEWLY WON LUNCHEON VOUCHERS!
It's the deal you do with the devil. Go permanent on crappy office job and get free* alcohol. I'm an easy sell.
Other benefits? Glamorous day trips tosunny somewhat rainy Doncaster. It's the high life of business travel, I tell ya.
*Apart from having paid tax on it. Grr.
It's the deal you do with the devil. Go permanent on crappy office job and get free* alcohol. I'm an easy sell.
Other benefits? Glamorous day trips to
*Apart from having paid tax on it. Grr.
