Sunday, July 08, 2007

Five Questions, Five Answers

I have been interviewed by Emma from All About My Movies!

1. I know that you’re a Film Studies student. Does studying it at AS-level heighten your appreciation of the visual medium?

Well, yes... and no. I appreciate certain things much more since I have studied them (e.g. the importance and sometimes beauty of cinematography), but I feel that sometimes we look so deeply into the technicalities of a film that we lose its true essence and meaning. Incidentally, my next piece of coursework is on auteurs, in which I'll be looking at Jodie Foster. I find these aspects of the course highly interesting, although endless discussions on, say, mise en scène can prove tiresome and unnecessary. Overall, studying Film does heighten my appreciation of the art, partly because I have been introduced to ideas that I may not have come across otherwise, even though the course can occasionally be overly academic.

2. If you could work in any job in film, what would it be?

Honestly, almost any job in film sounds appealing to me. However, considering I can't act or write creatively, there go two potential careers. Directing sounds extremely interesting because it is completely encompassing; there's so much involved and a lot of pressure, which I thrive under. Editing also interests me, as does creating theatrical trailers (is there a professional term for that?). Although it may not be a job in film in the strictest sense, a film journalist would probably be the career I'd choose. Being the editor of a magazine like Empire would be beyond incredible.

3. Describe to me your ideal life in 10 years' time.

I'll interpret that as "your ideal life over the next ten years". Well, I'd pass my degree in Politics at a prestigious university and do my post-gradute qualification somewhere in the USA. After that, I'd move back to Britain and start a job as a civil servant or something. I'd save up a considerable amount of money and then travel for quite a while (I'm aware of how many people say this and never get round to it, but I will), before concentrating on my career and starting a family.

4. This could be difficult, but what are your top 5 films?

I'm not one of those people who can readily rank their one hundred favourite films. I've barely seen any older films, so currently my taste is distinctly modern (although I'm looking to change this soon). Right now, I'd probably say my five favourite films are (in order) Moulin Rouge!, The Hours, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Lord of the Rings and Kill Bill. I was seriously tempted to throw Finding Nemo in there, to represent my extreme love for anything Pixar.

5. What was the film that made you become a Kidman fan?

Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge!
And Moulin Rouge!
For more on that, please see the post below.


Thanks, Emma. That was fun!

Here are the interview rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Saturday, July 07, 2007

The Performance That Changed My Life

I decided to make my first post my contribution to Emma's blogathon at All About My Movies. As soon as she told me about her excellent idea, I immediately knew what I would choose as the performance that changed my life, without any doubt in my mind: Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge! I could spend all day listing superlatives to describe her jawdropping turn as Satine, and even then it wouldn't scratch the surface of my intense admiration. So, instead, I decided to do something a little different and make a video tribute to her performance, in the hope of showing you why I adore it so greatly. When I first saw Moulin Rouge!, I was not familiar with Nicole Kidman, nor was I hugely interested in films. She changed this. I fell in love with her, both as a character and an actress, and it remains to this day my favourite performance, as well as the performance that changed my life.