Well here we are, almost at the end of April and a third of the way through the year! What has Trashtastika been doing? (Other than speaking about herself in the third person!) Strangely enough, my hair, and changes therein, have a lot of story to tell. Here’s a quick vlog to bring you up […] Read more…
Social Media and me For many years I kept my work life and love for social media separate. Since 2003 I worked in the government/transport sector looking at a screen all day (or night – it’s called shift work!). On days off or during breaks I’d spend time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other digital […] Read more…
One of the most formative events in my life was my first travelling experience: India. I have since been 4 times, having spent over a year there all up, and am still fluent in the bit of Hindi/Urdu that I know (and numerous Bollywood songs!) It has formed much of who I am as a […] Read more…
I’m writing today from Phuket, Thailand, having completed my first short film “The Morning After“, in Siem Reap Cambodia – at the age of 52! Never one to do things quite the same way as everyone else, me. The film started life as a writing exercise for my screenwriting course at AFTRS, and boy, would I […] Read more…
You know when you see a snippet of a trailer for a sitcom or web series and you think: “wow, that’s my kind of show”? Well, I definitely had that response when I first saw the trailer for upcoming web series Bruce. Bruce the show Written by Warwick Holt and Mat Blackwell, it was directed/produced by the […] Read more…
I’m continuing to learn SO much in my Advanced Diploma in Screenwriting: Series Television course at AFTRS. I haven’t yet written much about the course, but one of our subjects was Production Process and the Writer. The Assignment There were two assignments or tasks: a written report where we interview a series television scriptwriter (coming soon), and a video assignment […] Read more…
In the last year I’ve become a massive fan of web series – they’re great to watch in bite sized pieces: on the train, on your phone at lunch, while waiting for ads on tv to finish, on the toilet (is that just me? oooooook, then). Web series are also a great way for writers, directors and filmmakers […] Read more…
Ahem! Well, it’s been RATHER a long time between posts hasn’t it? *whistles* There’s a device in TV shows and films called a ‘reversal’, which is a plot twist that reveals something new, reversing the audience’s expectation, and spinning the plot off in a new direction. (For more on reversals, see Five Types Of Plot Twists) […] Read more…
I’m just back from my whirlwind tour of the US & Tokyo – first stop – HAWAII!! My first 2 visits there, I did what everyone else does and stayed in Waikiki, shopped and ate (with the exception of venturing downtown one night for a punk gig – but I digress). This time I wanted […] Read more…
One very important factor when travelling a lot as I do, is the right luggage. My backpack is fine when I’m doing the south east asia thing, jumping on and off boats, buses, trains etc, trekking and so on. But when it comes to hitting an urban centre where you just know that you’re gonna […] Read more…