Our Super-AWESOME Canada Trip

SO today is thursday, and we have had one crazy week for sure.

Monday we screened our independent movies that went down a treat, and we really had a great time watching other student’s work, and how amazing some of them actually were.

Tuesday we had the documentary timeline extended, which could be seen as a great thing, but it is still needed to be done to be happy with it, before we leave for the U.K - which by the way is only 14 days away, it is crazy.

So on wednesday - we all worked in our separate ways, and groups and got our advertising groups presentation scripted etc, and even started on the rough cut for our documentary. 

Today i think i can happily say on behalf of the group that we are happy that we have completed the advertising presentation, however that officially means that the classes have come to a close, which is upsetting, but hey time flies when you are having. 

So in a week after an incredible party we are traveling to Montreal, where although a short stay will be fun, we would have experienced yet another part of glorious Canada for sure. 

Anyway until the next blog…. if there is a next blog…..

Goodbye..

Reece 

x

So it seems like as it is Easter holidays (or at least Easter weekend here in Toronto) we should be celebrating by hunting for superficial chocolate eggs around Toronto and having a chill-out session- but as it seems… looking through my blood-shot eyes right now we have camped out in the RCC (Uni building with lots of edit rooms) in an beautifully ugly edit room and we all are all trying our hardest to get as much done for the monday deadline,as due to many rumours etc it seems alot of the university will be closed due to the Easter weekend, and as it is Good Friday right now- we are working our little fingers on the keyboards and making magic!!!!

So Adrian has gone home after finishing, Just been to Mac’s as Metro is inconveniently closed, and stocked up on fatty foods to pretend to give us the needed boost of energy…. i am currently waiting in anticipation for the moment of truth with a very  slow in deed quicktime export of my commercial…..which is taking forever!!!!!!

Anyway, so we only have 3 weeks left now, and things are really starting to creep up….all the lovely deadlines and end of classes have begun…. and with another attendance assignment completed in News and Current Affairs…..we are apart from those who have not completed their blogs…… only have to revise for the exam….

Advertising-our amazing meeting/presentations for our campaign are next thursday, and then after that it is just focus on the exam…. The independents are being edited and finished as we type, and they are due to be screened over the next two following weeks…. mine is 4th on monday…… scary…..then with a production analysis we have finally completed that course.

The documentary is due a rough cut for next tuesday, then the completed version one week later….so in all by the 13th everything will be over apart from the convenient 2 exams on the 20th….

So as i sit waiting and twiddling my thumbs, i think stupidly of what we expect to complete when going back to Bournemouth, and how the life in Canada will surely be missed….. although seeing 6 beautiful cats (and hopefully 4 lovely newborn kittens) and my family is much more rewarding…

Anyway back to work

Reece

x

Hello

We have (well apart from Reece) pretty much neglected this blog.  Sorry.  I’ve got loads of videos and photos and stuff I have wanted to upload, I also wanted to finish my incredibly detailed and media rich post on what we did in New York, but never really got round to it.  

I’m not going to upload that stuff today - I instead will give you a 5 point run down of what we have been up to.

NUMBER 1 - INDEPENDENT PROJECT

This has been quite fun so far.  The premise of the class is to pretty much do whatever you want, but to a professional level.  We have free reign of all the equipment that the Ryerson Radio and Television department has to offer, which includes big expensive Sony EX3 cameras, lighting, sound, dollys, cranes, studios, computers, editing labs, recording studios and more… all to make a project that we have ‘always wanted to make’.  It’s great!  I’ve wanted to make an iPhone app for world travellers for a while, with downloadable guides for various cities around the world, with video, audio, text, maps etc… But as I don’t have enough time/skill to make that, I’m currently working on a web application for iPhones for visitors to Toronto.  So far I’ve filmed all over Toronto with a very talented presenter off our course, and built the basic design and functionality of the web app.  I now just have to edit the video, and fill the app with content (which I hope to do this week).  Everyone else is working on there own projects, including Abbey with her Toronto educational film for children, Adrian with his epic opening to a feature film, and Reece with his fashion/perfume inspired video podcast.  We’ve also all been working on other people’s projects, I’ve been camera man a few times on some different projects, and I also should be working on designing someone else’s DVD.

NUMBER 2 - DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION

We are also all taking Documentary Production as one of our 4 classes.  We are all working together on a documentary on North Korean refugees living in Toronto, which I am finding very interesting, and our professor seems to like it too.  I am also being interviewed by Radio Free Asia (USA sponsored radio station broadcast across Asia) next week about why we are making the documentary.  Bit worried I will come across to the whole of Asia as an idiot, I will keep you updated on how I get on.

NUMBER 3 - BIT OF THEORY

Our other two classes are News and Current Affairs and Advertising in Electronic Media.  I’m no fan of theory, but they are two subjects I am interested in, so it has been good to learn a bit about these two subjects from a Canadian perspective.  News has been a lot to do with Al Jazeera, the domination of news worldwide, photojournalism, war news, and throwing in a few cheeky theorists like Chomsky.  Me and Abbey have got to do a presentation next week on Facebook and the Public Sphere, which shouldn’t be too bad.  Advertising has been very Canadian based, so it has been interesting to compare the way things are done here to back home.  We have to pitch an advertising campaign for a local business to our class in a couple of weeks, and my group are doing a local Vegetarian Restaurant near Kensington Market.

NUMBER 4 - TRAVELLING

Most of us have been off on our own little adventures around North America.  I went on a short trip to California, to San Francisco and Orange County during reading week, while Adrian went off to see more of Canada (Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City).  Reece went to Niagara Falls for a few days during reading week, and has now gone to Las Vegas to drink heavily and gamble his remaining Canada money away.  We hope to visit at least Montreal before we go, but our return flight is almost a month away now! (scary)

NUMBER 5 - EXPLORING TORONTO

We’ve been trying to see as much of Toronto as we can before we go.  Now the weather is kind of getting nice, we’re able to go visit more outdoorsy places such as Toronto Island, High Park, Beaches etc…  We have explored quite a lot of the areas around us, including Cabbagetown just down the road, Little Italy, Chinatown (a lot), Kensington Market, Queen Street, St Lawrence Market, Distillery District and a lot more.  We’ve made a list of other things we want to do, and doing one of them on Wednesday, going to an NBA game at the Air Canada Center!  Should be fun.

NUMBER 5 AND A HALF - OLYMPICS

Didn’t think this warranted a full point of it’s own, but it was the Winter Olympics here in Canada a few weeks ago, and many Canadians were quite obsessed by it.  Apart from the Canadian Olympic merchandise everywhere, and pretty much every TV channel and bar showing non-stop coverage, we didn’t really see that much of it.  It may be because we didn’t have a TV, or maybe it’s because our planned trip to Vancouver to watch the games live never really happened, but the only game we watched with excitement and in it’s entirety was the Ice Hockey final between USA and Canada.  Canada won, so we, along with most of Toronto, went a few blocks down the road to Dundas Square to celebrate with all the other Canadians.  There was drumming, chanting, crowd surfers, people climbing things and more.  It was great!

That’s my blog! I can’t be bothered to read it back so I hope it makes sense.  Bye!

It seems i am breaking the Reece trend here…. He has done well keeping it up, in stark contrast there is mee, who has written practicaly nothing… So here i am trying to make up for it. Hi…  

So we have around 5 weeks left, Its mental. I thought we would have so much more time, and while being sooo crazily excited about seeing my friends, family, my boyfriend and all the amazing people in Bournemouth, i cant help but not want to leave Toronto and Ryerson… Maybe im being a tad premature in being all reflective and such but we did a production schedule for our Documntary today and staring at the weeks left on the page like that made it seem as if we have no time at all, and what with finishing 2 production pieces and presentations and exams. We dont really.

Anyway i’ll save the crazy emotional reflective crap for a later post (which there will be by the way) What have we been up to…..

Well the weather has been amazing recently, raining on the wekend which sucks! but the weeks have been in the teens and so sunny, NO COAT WEATHER!! so not what i expected but defo not uninvited! with this i found a cute little coffee shop called Bulldogs coffee which is just around the corner from neil wycick on church street. Amazing chai latte! 

Went to the bar/club Sneeky Dees - that was great funtimes - music was interesting but it diddnt matter, it included fairy lights which I think James would agree really enhanced the enviroment ten fold.  It was a cool venue, cheap(ish) drinks and the street car gives you easy access to get there… (but depending on how many there are of you it might be cheaper and warmer to get a taxi) Oh yes after we went to the golden griddle, on college between younge and church, 24 hour ‘family’ restaurant, however i would think that after around 2/3am the family aspect of it goes outta the window, Great however if you need food after night out!

During the rainy days we rented where the wild things are and made pizzas, drank and played kings- great times, and memories i will treasure. 

Apart from that been work but thats not fun to talk about. I will mention tho that scince being at Ryerson i am feeling alot more confident with the kit now, and if anyone who comes here next year reads this and gets the chance, they should take Independant project, its a hell of a lot of work but I personally have learnt so much just by being rediculously hands on!

Ok thats all for now, i’ll put some piccies and videos up from the time i have been absent. xx

So, it is tuesday night, and it has been a crazy week so far.

Saturday - we began filming our documentary with a guy from an organization, fighting for the rights of North Korean refugees. This is amazing - was fun to learn some stuff  and was a good chance to use the camera, and identify our goal in the documentary,

Sunday - Sunday was the oscars - me and Sanaa went to Bloor cinema, and we watched live coverage of the event, this was amazingly fun.

Monday - Today was the rough cut screenings for our independent shoots, however i managed to slice my thumb in half and couldn’t possibly manage to make it on time to the screening - shame! Maybe next week!

Tuesday - oh hey thats today - so me and Adrian had our presentation in the news and Current Affairs lesson - where we spoke in our pretty english accents, all about the lovely issue of globalization. This was fun - we also recieved our grades from the mid-term essay - i got an 88 YAY, and also the attendance assignment.

James and Abbey were filming another section of the refugee documentary….. apparently this seems like it was a huge success - so YAY!!!!

So whilst i sit here deliberating on how to end this beautifully written Blog entry - i am going to reflect on a moment in time - which has no relevance to anything - did you know in 1909 Canada had one of its first Radio transmissions….

How bloody insightful am i !

So it is thursday night, and we have just done our slavery of recycling for the building we are living in.

So what a crazy week this has definitely been. Monday saw everyone studying hard, and writing, re-writing the news and current affairs Mid-Term essay - in which we were required to closely deconstruct an article applying a huge amount of theory to it. This for me was really fun, as i love theory and studying……

Tuesday - James made it back today from his reading week vac-ay….. We all got some more writing done, then went to the documentary proposal meeting, in which we found out that our documentary idea - documenting the North Korean refugees residing in Toronto, was approved and providing that we actually get some people that are willing to be apart of the documentary; this will be amazing.

So after coming back and then doing more work on our essays, we finished just in time to print them out and then go to news and current affairs class. We listened to some presentations, and then handed our work in…. we were so suprised when given an assignment pop-quiz, but i am really happy with mine. so hey….

Tuesday night  - we collapsed in bed…..

Wednesday - was filled mainly with a detailed study and revision session for the mid-term exam we face tomorrow for advertising in the electronic media. Studying, the history, the impact, the glossary definitions, and all relevant details regarding the advertising standards canada etc. i managed to fill more of my stomach up with brilliant iced cappuccinos from tim hortons (Canadian Starbucks wannabe) and obviously Starbucks delightful treats.

Thursday (Today) - i am sat with Adrian uploading some of my footage filmed 2 weeks ago, and probably start another blog entry tonight for News… i am actually addicted to reading gossip and analyzing it….. i am sure i could become the next Perez Hilton for sure. So today we had the Advertising exam - which i felt went really well, we are all rather happy with the questions, and what we wrote…. The only surprise being with some glossary definitions we weren’t to familiar with - but hey we all got them wrong - so we are in this together.

So what is in store for us this weekend:

Tomorrow is an important pre-production day for Abbey, obtaining all the relevant items for her shoot which is on the weekend. Also for some (not me as i am a geek) there is a mid-term report to be handed in….. But i think this weekend is going to be fun…..

The blizzard has arrived, and we are all for once getting a little bit cold - and looking like snow men when we arrive back into the building…. Oh we have been finding many little mouse’s in the apartment also, and are all looking forward to some nice sun again..

James should be uploading a video….maybe…..soon….. new blog video…..but till then or till i speak again…..

GOOD BYE XXX

REECE

X

Wow just coming out of my room for a bottle of water, and i come across some intruder in our flat, wearing a horrible orange sweater. I was totally taken back, and considering everyone was in rooms on the other side of the building, leaving me alone in the darkness - this was not a pleasant experience.

I think i started him more though, as he was very quick to run out of the fire exit door  - and thankfully with non of our stuff…..

We all have our hockey clubs at hand.

Niagra Falls tomorrow - YAYA

Hey Guys,

So it is the end of a lovely sunday day, and it has been filled up with much excitement and predication, with my Gaga inspired unisex perfume commercial…. It went really cool - got all needed to be filmed on time, had a lovely dominoes, and sorted much needed heavy stressful work out. The actors were both really hot, and really amazing, developing onscreen chemistry, which was amazing.

I had a brilliant team, from camera/sound operators to the creative directorial of Sanaa and Ludivine with hair, costume and make-up.. I feel so much better now that it has all been filmed - although due to film one more shot in the morning - with natural light of the bottle……

Also after my documentary production presentation and deconstruction, i have received my grade and got 100% which i am so chuffed about.

Also - tried a Starbucks Chai Tea Latte - it is phenomenal….

Adrian and Jean’s birthday this week - so we are all going to pull together a brilliant party….. I cant wait…

Speak Soon.. Reece x