Something of an introduction...

Blogggy bloggy, blog blog. I felt like writing, so here I am. But what to write about? I get the feeling that an ongoing personal blog from me would go untended over time, I just don't think it's important enough to put out into the world. Don't get me wrong, it's important to me, just don't think it should take up anyone else's time. So, since I didn't want to get too personal I will write about what I do. And what I love to do is create. The areas of creative work I'm most interested in are filmmaking, writing and music.

Filmmaking -

“Now more than ever we need to talk to each other, to listen to each other and understand how we see the world, and cinema is the best medium for doing this.” – Martin Scorsese

I've been in love with film since I was a small boy; it always seemed slightly like magic to me. When I was six or seven years old my mother took my younger brother Brian and I to see our first film; a re-release of the Disney classic, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. We went to the old Ambassador cinema at the end of O’Connell street; I remember thinking the building was huge and had to lean back and crane my neck to take it all in. The smell of the popcorn, the royal red carpets and hanging curtains, the man in a tuxedo who broke our ticket stub, the musty smell of old tobacco smoke (this was back when people could still smoke at the cinema), the huge auditorium with what seemed like endless, plush red seats; from my perspective it was majestic. We sat down and as I sank into the chair the red curtains in front pulled slowly back to reveal the screen, which, moments later, lit up with the opening reels. I was transfixed. I remember being drawn so deeply into the story and the beautiful imagery on screen that I actually forgot where I was, who I was. I was hooked. I’ve been hooked ever since.

My being involved in filmmaking as a career is a long story but summed up it involved a post secondary school flirtation with art and design college, a year or so in a factory assembling circuit boards, a 6 year career in financial administration (no, seriously) and the eventual decision to pack in that career and go back to education full time. I chose Communications in Dublin City University (DCU) because it had a very broad mandate of subjects; from psychology to sociology, cultural and communication theory to the practical elements like video production, photography and radio production. Obviously I opted for video production and cut my teeth on various college projects and many projects with DCU's Media Production Society (MPS - of which I've been on the committee the last three years).

I also began working with several people who I've worked with either continuously or on several projects with over the years so you'll hear their names a lot on this blog, along with the names of the production companies I'm involved in. In terms film projects I've worked on a few projects now - some shorts, a documentary which was our final year thesis project (for which we received a first), a music video and an award winning video for the Kings of Concrete urban sports and culture festival in Dublin.

Writing -

I've been writing in various forms since childhood; short stories first, then when I got into music it became lyrics and poetry, this later turned into ideas for films/TV Shows/comedy sketches/documentaries/whatever. I've been getting into script writing properly only in the last year or so. I felt I really needed to study how it works, rather than just open up a document and giving it a go. That approach works for some but I am quite methodical and I'm gonna say it right now; I'm a horrible perfectionist. It's just part of who I am, especially when it comes to my work.

Music -

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." -- Berthold Auerbach

I've been involved in music since I was 14, when I picked up my first guitar. My music taste has continued to expand and vary with time which, when you understand just how much incredible music is out there, can only be a good thing. I've been involved in several musical projects since teenhood, a lot of different bands and musicians. I've really only been comfortable with my musical endeavours in the last few years though. I've become much more experimental as a songwriter but am also aware of how important melody and lyrics are; it's easy to get lost in soundscapes and forget to, you know, write a song. I've put all of the music I've written in the last 3 years (33 songs and counting) under the name "The Future Exits", which comes from a song I was writing when the idea for this project really started to come together. I will post songs occasionally, whenever I deem any of them fit for human consumption. I expect to finish a first 5 track e.p. by 2011. But don't hold your breath!

That's it then, more to come on projects past and future, for now live long and prosper,

Peace!

Ps. I will link to any video projects I have online soon along with any other content!