A long time ago, my son wanted to be an actor...back then I could barely understand a word he said, and neither could anyone else, but I tried not to crush his dream, unlikely as it seemed. Later he wanted to be a director, but eventually this desire went by the wayside for a while.
The social challenges back then seemed so huge, that although I always held hope that the potential I had seen in him would be realised, and he might even work in a creative field, a
lot would have to change for those dreams to even begin to become a reality.
Recently though, after working a couple of jobs that have been less than fulfilling myself,( prior to which I worked as a musician where I experienced how passion and work can come together), I've been dusting off my own dreams and examining all kinds of possibilities. It has always been my desire to for work to be something that is also related to passion. Like my son, boredom doesn't sit all that well with me, and I like to be growing and learning all the time. Being a mother of a special child required putting a lot of my own development on hold and it feels like time to invest in myself again. Strangely though I find myself heading in a direction that links back to my sons dreams.
Since finishing a stint as a temp at a cheese factory (now THAT was exciting lol) I've had quite a bit of time, but not so much money. One of the things I did when I was working, was to buy a decent camera. My little camera also has a not so bad video option, and I've been playing around with it and making little movies and learning how to edit and add effects. (You can see one of my early attempts from my Youtube account with this post)
Recently a job has come up as a projectionist at a local cinema. I'd
love to get it and think I have the experience on the computer to
be able to handle the software involved and learn the skills
required, but I started to think I might have more chance to get
the job if I could tell them I was enrolled at film school. My
technical capacity might seem more believeable. I've been
wanting to increase my skills in this area anyway, and there just
happens to be a digital film course that is taught by distance
learning and is free. I've been trying to find the edge that might
just make the difference to me getting this job, as 1- I think
I'm more than capable of doing it, and 2 -I could learn film skills
from watching all those movies. 3 - I need a job I feel some
inspiration about.
So all this has been bubbling about and the whole idea of getting
into film as a medium has been coming into focus (lol). So far in
my life I have been involved more of less intensely with art and
music. I've enjoyed immensely my recent foray into filmwork,
and putting sound to images, using my design skills to choose
camera angles, and painting a picture and telling a story with the
camera. Usually, though, when I get a technical problem, whether
using the camera for filming, or the computer for editing, I go to
my son for help.
Anyway life has a way of moving mysteriously towards a
certain direction. we have recently began connecting more to a
group of kids, from nearby families that are treated as outcasts by
much of the community. Because of knowing the pain of how that
feels myself, I've been really aware that they are just kids that
need love, like any other kids. I wrote a bit about them in
my previous post.
