A Spring Update
It’s been a while since I’ve last updated my headspace and as much as I have been keeping busy with studying, it’s also been rather quite as expected with the pandemic. Mainly I’ve been walking a lot more, one of the keen advantages of the Pandemic and better weather, as well as taking more photographs. This one is from a walk on The Waters of Leith through the iconic Dean Villiage. I’m really lucky to be living in Edinburgh, it’s very much the perfect sized city for me. Not too small as to feel like a town or village where everyone knows you but not too large as to feel overwhelming. Plus the variety and quantity of quality cinemas in the local area is unrivaled in Scotland or the wider UK.
My studies have been going well and I am close to finising up my first semester of my MA in Arts, Festival and Cultural Management. This has been a really interesting semester focusing on Finance & Fundraising and Planning & Marketing Cultural Projects as well as general studies, research and a series of interesting talks. One of my highlights was a discussion on Film Education and Audience Development from Yvonne Gordon from Filmhouse, Edinburgh and Becca McSheaffrey from Glasgow Film Theatre, hosted by QMU lecturer Robert Munro. A really interesting discussion into their respective roles within their cinemas and festivals as well as focusing on creating welcoming spaces in cinemas for discussion and learning especially for audiences that are often represented such as Young people and getting them more involved in the running of cinema spaces. As someone who has reaped the benefits of this as a Young Programmer, it was really interesting to see how far initiatives such as it have developed over the past decade.
Additonally, my experiences at university have given me the great benefit of being able to focus more on film exhibition but also take opportunities to practice and work in other aspects of the creative and cultural industries. My assessments, work experience and industry talks focusing on a variety of areas and mediums, giving me an open perspective of how they work and how I can take aspects and skills to implement into my own work. I’m really looking forward to further exploring this in September, especially with restrictions expected to be more eased in the new semester.
Outside of university, I’ve also been doing my best to start on new projects and take on new opportunities within cinemas and film exhibition. The main highlight of the past few months being a part of an article for the Independent Cinema Office focusing on Mental wellbeing during COVID-19. Not only was it great to get some paid writing but also to really share my experience during the pandemic, dealing with redundancy and setting myself up as a freelancer which has been a really interesting experience.
In terms of other things of other notable things to talk about this month, I was really encouraged to see the stats released from UK Cinema Association. Cinema is something that, unless your a millionaire, is so difficult to replicate at home. It’s such a shared experience and is so rewarding to audiences as much as showing great films is rewarding for cinemas. I’ve missed the experience so much, both as an audience member and working in the industry. It’s very different watching a film in a cinema, by yourself or with others, to at home which I often struggle with. I can’t wait to be back.
In the meantime, I’ve been very much watching movies at home and most often with my flatmates as we’ve come up with method of picking movies to watch which has been really enjoyable so far which we have coined “Wagon Wheel Movie Nights”, named after the tin movie selections are held in. We’ve each chosen 10 films to put in the tin, a mixture of classics, blockbusters, amazing movies from our childhoods and some downright stinkers, which we select each night. 15/30 films watched and we’ve really enjoyed it so far, lets us express ourselves and our tastes as well as generate some rather interesting double bills.
As we get towards the middle of April, I’m really looking forward to the Summer and what it has to bring. An easing of lockdown, re-opening of cinemas, good weather and hopefully, new opportunities. As I finish up with my assessments, hopefully done by the end of the month, I’m really looking forward to putting myself out there for new opportunity and projects. Keen to get involved and really put my ideas and experience towards something, might it be by myself or within a team. Things are looking up and I hope things are going to be more positive for the rest of the year.
