Today a vital book for my dissertation arrived. It was recommended by a friend who is doing a similar study to me relating to fan culture. "Fan Cultures" by Matt Hills. I'm breaking into it now as at the moment for my dissertation I am researching fandom and fan culture side of my dissertation. I've already submitted questionnaires to do with audience research and 'LOST' fandom on several 'LOST' fan forums and on my other blog fal108-themediastudent.blogspot.com where followers or viewers e-mail me via my dissertation e-mail thelostdissertation@hotmail.co.uk. So far, the dissertation of writing it into words, is going slow, so I am praying that the more research stuff I do, the more books, articles, journals and online stuff I read, then I might get a light bulb that might charge the super speed writer in me that I am used too.
So, on top of my 10,000 word dissertation to write, I also have to take part in the production of a 20 minute film, a research and development project where I have to research a company, get an interview and aim to get either an internship there or a job for after graduation. On top of all that, I also have to write an essay on contemporary media. All by May 7th, however, dissertation, which is the bigger of both projects at the moment, has to be in for first week in April. Is that doable? Well, I guess I am about to find out. I really don't have any choice in the matter. Oh, and I also forgot to mention an in-course retrieval to do. Basically, that means re-sitting an assignment that I failed last semester – "Horror and Fantasy" – which I failed as it had to be sacrificed to ensure group work was completed for another project at the same time.
Ok, so my readers' maybe thinking that "why are you wasting your time writing a blog on here, rather then getting down with your studies?" – simple answer, it's what I do when I run into a writer's block, or I need a break, or as a warm up.
So... apart from uni work, what's new with me? Well, nothing much really. Just been doing my usual hours at work (the odeon), which does me just fine. I enjoy it, which helps. Also means I've already seen the new Alice in Wonderland film, which I think was really good. Not what I expect, but very enjoyable, and to the standards I expect from Tim Burton. I was also quite shocked to how short the film was then I would expect. Went in for the film at eight o'clock and was out by just after 10pm. When you include adverts and trailers which are normally twenty to half an hour long, that pretty much adds up to the film being just over an hour and a half long. Maybe I'm just used to films these days being at least two hours long.
Other films I've seen recently have been 'Leap Year' and 'The Lovely Bones'. 'Leap Year' was surprisingly funny. I thought it was going to be a typical, really corny, really cheesy, shitty film, but I actually found it really entertaining, and was laughing a lot of the way through. My friend told me she thought that Matthew Goode could not do an Irish accent, but it was good enough for me. The ending was predictably cheesy, and in that way, a bit disappointing, however, the rest of it was worth a giggle. What is it about the Irish that makes them so damn attractive?
I found 'The Lovely Bones' one of the most emotional films I've ever watched. I've not read the book yet, so I am unable to compare the two. I always do this if I know a film is coming out based on a book. I've learnt my lesson on this. As a general rule, I always find that the films are never better then the book they are based on, so since I learnt this, I have been watching the film before I read the book, then I usually find I enjoy the book even more. Ok, I've kinda cheated with reading all the 'Twilight' books before each film has come out separately, but I figured that I would run into too many spoilers in-between the making of each of the other films. Anyway, back to 'The Lovely Bones'. There were so many moments in the film that either made me cry, or made me want to cry. It made me think so much of myself and my relationship with my dad, and placing myself and my dad in the shoes of Suzie and her father, Jack. It made me think of how destroyed my dad would be if what happened to Suzie had happened to me when I was fourteen. Then it made me think how I'd feel if I had lost my own child in such away.
Basically, Peter Jackson did a superb job with the film, and I would definitely watch it again. It was so beautiful. Although never with my dad. That would be horrible.
Anyway, it's late. I better get in some more reading and note taking for a little while and then some good earned rest. Busy, busy, busy day tomorrow. Much needed trip to the gym, taking back a dress to the shops due to it being a bad quality that it broke on my first night of wearing it. A seam came undone and the zip broke. NOT impressed. So that, and uni work, and then important law society events in the evening.
So I am going to say ciao for now, and hopefully, I'll write again soon!
Zoe.
