We are now entering the Twilight Zone… the place of no return… in a galaxy far, far away… the last leg of the race… really the last week of the year – the two-year film course that has taught me so much more than what many of my years have done for me.
Yes, we are nearing the last run of our two years here at the International Film School Sydney, and it’s actually daunting to a few of us here (we’re just the types that don’t show it). But I write because over the past weekend, a friend and I decided to re-arrange our hard drives and re-organise our files only to find some of a memorable nature. We just took trips down memory lane over the two years that the both of us stood by the school (a year and a half between the both of us). We watched our first coverage exercises, our most memorable lighting class, a fair few memories that have lasted since forever (like our stunts class), and almost every other sort of thing we’ve recorded on digital film. We even watched some BTS (behind-the-scenes) footage of some of our shoots, back when we were Tier 2’s, Tier 3’s, and even more recently Tier 4…
It was a great way to remember what we’ve all gone through, what we’ve achieved, sadly what we had to put up with, but most of all, all the good times we had and the memories we shared together. I know I’m probably referring back to a few of my old posts about what the future is going to bring for all of us, what paths are we going to take, and where they’ll take us – but I can’t help but linger on the thought that we all survived these two years and created something together – we all created a painting together, a vision, a dream… These past two years have been like a dream – one that is neverending and constantly on my mind. I’ve personally changed so much over the years, maybe not as much as I wished, but I think back to my two-year younger self – a much softer, quieter, shier maybe, version of myself – and I look at who I am now… slightly more aware, and now able to look out for myself (some of the time). Compared to how I used to be, I’ve grown so much and now I have plans to make for the future ahead of me.
Truth be told, I only have a rough idea of how to go about things. There are a few obstacles in the way, that I’m sure, but I know that I’ll get by and take things one step at a time. It only makes it harder to think about these things when a lot of people have asked me, on a career-basis, how I’m going to take my first steps out of film school. I’d like to think of things from a different perspective – I know a career is important, but I’m thinking of myself mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, how I’m going to tackle the next six months of my life from here. I’ve even considered (and been advised) to take a gap half-year or less just to get things together. That’s actually not a bad idea for now. But I digress…
Though a lot of these things are brewing in my mind, deliverables being one of them to be handed in for our diploma, watching back old footage, remembering the “good old days” and thinking about the future was a great reminder of how much we’ve all changed, and how much we’re all going to strive to do better for ourselves. It’s a hard step, probably harder than admitting ourselves into the school (yeah right!) but at the end of the day, our time has come to make this step. So, where are you heading?