This is a short film by the young amature american director Kurt Schneider. I really enjoyed this film i think it is shot well and everyone can relate to the main character in the respect that nobody wants to have regrets in life.

Thrush is the winner of the vimeo winner for best narrative. It is a funny and inventive video that kept my interest the whole way through.

I really like stop motion, it is something that takes a whole bunch of time but i love the effect and result you get out of the time you have put in.

My single camera drama is covering the topic of The Big C, some of the material i have found that i like are about this subject so i have been using it as material to help me write my own script.

“Last Minutes with Oden.”

“Last Minutes with Oden.” won the vimeo best video. It follows the journey of a dog owner and how he felt when his dog Oden dies of cancer. He re-lives his memorys in the video it is a well shot video.

MYTH: The pain will go away faster if you ignore it.

Fact: Trying to ignore your pain or keep it from surfacing will only make it worse in the long run. For real healing it is necessary to face your grief and actively deal with it.

MYTH: It’s important to be “be strong” in the face of loss.

Fact: Feeling sad, frightened, or lonely is a normal reaction to loss. Crying doesn’t mean you are weak. You don’t need to “protect” your family or friends by putting on a brave front. Showing your true feelings can help them and you.

MYTH: If you don’t cry, it means you aren’t sorry about the loss.

Fact: Crying is a normal response to sadness, but it’s not the only one. Those who don’t cry may feel the pain just as deeply as others. They may simply have other ways of showing it.

MYTH: Grief should last about a year.

Fact: There is no right or wrong time frame for grieving. How long it takes can differ from person to person.

source: http://helpguide.org/mental/grief_loss.htm

Death is fearful because It doesn’t choose those who are young or old, or sick or healthy, it just chooses. Randomly. That’s what makes it scary.

Teens & Young people dealing with loss

‘Teens are no longer children, yet neither are they adults. With the exception of infancy, no developmental period is so filled with change as adolescence. Leaving the security of childhood, the adolescent begins the process of separation from parents. The death of a parent or sibling, then, can be a particularly devastating experience during this already difficult period.’

Signs a Teen May Need Extra Help

Be on the watch for:

symptoms of chronic depression, sleeping difficulties, restlessness and low self esteem
academic failure or indifference to school-related activities
deterioration of relationships with family and friends
risk-taking behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse, fighting, and sexual experimentation
denying pain while at the same time acting overly strong or mature.

source: http://www.hospicenet.org/html/teenager.html

Children who experience a major loss may grieve differently than adults. A parent’s death can be particularly difficult for small children, affecting their sense of security or survival. Often, they are confused about the changes they see taking place around them, particularly if well-meaning adults try to protect them from the truth or from their surviving parent’s display of grief.

Limited understanding and an inability to express feelings puts very young children at a special disadvantage. Young children may revert to earlier behaviors (such as bed-wetting), ask questions about the deceased that seem insensitive, invent games about dying or pretend that the death never happened.

Coping with a child’s grief puts added strain on a bereaved parent. However, angry outbursts or criticism only deepen a child’s anxiety and delays recovery. Instead, talk honestly with children, in terms they can understand. Take extra time to talk with them about death and the person who has died. Help them work through their feelings and remember that they are looking to adults for suitable behavior.’

i found this from the website http://www.healthyplace.com/depression/grief/coping-with-loss-bereavement-and-grief/menu-id-68/page-2/

although it is not useful to me as i dont want my main character to be a child and the insight into this could influence what my lead character could feel.

I gathered this research from this link http://www.healthyplace.com/depression/grief/coping-with-loss-bereavement-and-grief/menu-id-68/

‘ the loss of a loved one can cause emotional stress and turmoil and an emotional crisis’ within the person.

After the death of a loved one you go through a grieving process but there is no right or wrong way to grieve as it is indivudual to each person. The process generally brings up common emotions but these can be in any order the person experiences  them in.

The common emotions are:

• Denial
• Disbelief
• Confusion
• Shock
• Sadness
• Yearning
• Anger
• Humiliation
• Despair
• Guilt

The guerrilla film makers handbook-Chris Jones & Genevieve Jolliffe

Making short films- Clifford Thurlow

Page 19 section of Questionnaires, Paul Trowlers- Investigating the media

http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/filmmaking/guide/distribution/legal-guide-publicising-your-short

being the bbc i thought it would be more a trusted a  useful source.

I contacted this person because they were a big part of the production of the film in itself.

i asked questions which i thought would add to my knowledge of the film itself and the process which was taken in making it.

I believe this will benefit my case study as i know the information will be from a trusted reliable source and i can tailor the questions pacifically so i can get the questions i want, answered.

I also conducted primary research for my research essay i contacted an industry worker to ask them why conducting research is important within the media industry, i spoke to someone in marketing and who works with graphic designs, they described how important it is to have research particularly when it comes to working on a new project or ad campaign.

The nominees are:

The films i think deserve the most consideration are:

Avatar, it is as visually stunning as any film can get. The storyline of this film is strong and keeps you entertain, lets face it there must be a reason why this film grossed £1.15bn in the first 6 weeks of release.

The Blind Side is a film that is enjoyable and has a strong moral message.

The hurt Locker is a film that keeps its audience captivated and makes them feel the tension that the film creates.

Up, hands down one of the best animated films ever. In the first five minutes of this film alone it takes you through every different emotion, what more could you want from a film?

Overall i would be pleased if any of these films won, i can see Avatar winning it though as it is arguably the biggest film of the year and the highest earning.

Eight which had a working title of “N ‘ That” won the 1998 Jerwood film prize. It was then made into a film and directed by Stephen Daldry. It was then shown

http://www.projector.demon.co.uk/nthat.html

To be part of a fandom means to meet like minded people that like the same show or shows as you. It can be anything from fans discussing episodes, posting pictures, writing fan fiction (making up stories about their favourite shows) or making icons to show people what they like.

Fandom can be a big tool for shows, it can boost the shows appeal, generate more hype around it and ultimately lead to more people tuning into watch.

Let me introduce you to two of my favourite fandoms.

Skins

Skins has one of the best fandoms, e4 who make skins have realised this especially within the last two seasons.

They are one of the best companies to communicate with their fans they are always running competitions to get them involved in the making of the show including becoming extras, winning a chance to learn with the skins editors, and  the chance for your music to be featured in an episode.

e4 know skins is nothing without the people that watch the show and they know that the more people they can involved the more people they get tuning in, when you have the fans making the show their going to turn the tv on to watch the show.

Enjoy the trailer for season 4 of Skins.

Glee

I love this show!!

It has some of the funniest writing ever in it and some of the best acting….hello Jane Lynch.

The cast are brilliant at their characters and know that there are alot of people out there that are in the same situations as the characters in the show.

This show goes on tours and connects with its fans and have also recently launched a casting search in the states to give everyone a chance to audition to be in the show.

There are about a million fan fictions written about the characters and loads of fan sites.

Here’s a clip of Glee, if you don’t watch the show already i think you should!