Angel Heart and other stories

Hey guys, I've not posted in ages I know. I've been really busy and stuff but now I have something to blog about so here we go!

As I am back at Uni now, I have a massive project to do. I've decided to make a film which I am going to write, direct and edit.
I have started to look at different films for some inspiration as I normally get writers block, and because the films I like to write are always a bit mystical and psychological they aren't the easiest to churn out.
My film will be a bit like Donnie Darko, Jacobs Ladder and Angel Heart, which brings me to the point of my blog,

My tutor recommended that I watch the film Angel Heart, directed by Alan Parker. It is a very dark visual piece with fantastic editing and camera work. It amazed me just how close the story is to the film I am writing too!
It's a film about Identity and the devil. It's very cryptic and have a deep story which is fantastic! The visuals are fantastic too! For example, the opening shot if of a dark alleyway with a blue light cast over it. We see a silhouette of a man walking down the alley while the camera remains static. A dog begins to sniff around and there are cut aways to an observing cat. There is no dialogue in this scene as the visuals tell the story. This is how I want my film to be.

If you havent seen Angel Heart I really suggest you watch it! It is fantastic! It also has Robert De Nero in it.

check it out!

The Playstation Move

So the Playstation Move is out and naturally because it came out at Loan time, I bought myself one...

Now when I first heard of the move, I instantly thought it was going to be a glorified Wii remote. But it doesn't use infrared to connect with the playstation...instead it is made up of a number of things which detects motion...

For starters, there is a large orb on the end of the remote. This orb lights up to a colour that contrasts with your background, so the Playstation Eye camera can clearly see it. Because of the camera looking at the orb, it can detect the remote's position in 3D rather than just a 2D plane.

It is very accurate in it's detection. Fluid movements, quick detection and a lot better than the Wii remote! I don't mean to constantly compare them but they are the same thing really, but the Move being the better option.

Now we just have to wait for the games to come out for it! Heavy Rain has already had the patch to enable Move controls...which work fantastically well, and the few launch games that are available are pretty good too!

Check out EyePet Move Edition. It's fantastic!

The Story of the RMS Titanic - Part 13

At 12:01pm, Titanic's wireless operator Harold Bride, the only one to survive the disaster, assists Carpathia's wireless operator Cottam wit his work. Cottam has been working all night, sending messages from Titanic's survivors, as well as his own workload and other official messages. Even though Bride has badly frost bitten feet, he is determined to do what he can to help, probably to take his mind off the loss of his work partner Jack Phillips.

Captain Arthur Rostron requests that a complete list of survivors is compiled and sent as soon as possible.

More news slowly gets to New York, but there is still no definitive details of what happened. Speculation still circulates around New York. The families of the passengers on Titanic crowd at the White Star offices demanding news.

Finally, the R.M.S. Olympic sends a message to New York simply saying, "Titanic has gone down". Panic ensues throughout New York. Families demand to know if their loved ones are safe. Newspapers go wild with headlines. Survivor numbers are corrected, names omitted and edited as more reports come through. No one will know the full facts until Carpathia reaches New York.

To be continued...

The Story of the RMS Titanic - Part 12

April 15th 1912, 9am in New York, White Star President, Phillip Franklin learns of Titanic's distress call! He immediately begins to panic and the news spreads through out the offices and eventually on the street.

Without any real news, Newspapers begin to speculate. One newspaper's headline says "All Titanic Passengers Are Safe; Transferred in Lifeboats At Sea"

Another says "New Liner Titanic Hits an Iceberg; Sinking by the Bow at Midnight; Women Put Off in Life Boats; Last Wireless at 12:27 A.M. " Slightly more accurate but no real details of what happened.

People begin to panic and the White Star offices are mobbed.

On the Carpathia, J. Bruce Ismay, still shaken from the disaster, sends a wireless message to his bosses. "With deep regret I inform you that Titanic sunk this morning after a collision Iceberg, resulting in serious loss of life. Full particulars to follow. Bruce Ismay."

This message makes it's way to New York.

To Be Continued.....

The Story of the RMS Titanic - Part 11

April 15th 8:30am, for the past four hours, Carpathia has been recovering Titanic's lifeboats. The final lifeboat has been picked up and Carpathia makes a final search of the area, finding nothing other than wreckage and one body. The women aboard still don't fully realise that they are widows. They believe that their husbands are on another ship or are still in the sea alive.

The S.S. Californian sails in from the north. Wireless Operator Evans has just recently turned on his Wireless to learn of Titanic's sinking. Captain Stanley Lord recalls of the reports his crew gave him of 8 rockets fired in the distance. He has never publicly admitted, but he surely can't deny now that the ship 10 miles away from him was indeed the Titanic.

At 8:50am, The Carpathia makes preparations to return to New York. As they make their way, an iceberg is spotted with a mark of red paint along the base.

Prayers are held in the lounges for the survivors while Carpathia heads for New York.

To be continued ...

The Story of the RMS Titanic - Part 10

About 45 miles away, the S.S. Carpathia steams full speed at 17knots to try and reach the Titanic and rescue the survivors. They do not know that the Titanic has already gone down and approximately 1500 people are now desperately swimming in the freezing water.

The lifeboats drift around the wreck site. They won't return to the people swimming in the water. The survivors in the boats are too scared that the people in the water will swamp the boats, even though many of the boats are less than half full. There seems to be no hope left for those who didn't find a lifeboat.

The screams and cries from those in the water die down after about 2-3 minutes. Fifth Officer Lowe begins to round up several lifeboats and begins to distribute his passengers, leaving a couple of crew members in with him. He discovers a man dressed as a woman.

After emptying his boat into the others, which shows just how much more room the lifeboats had, he heads back to the people in the water, hoping to find any survivors. When he arrives, there is very little movement. There is a horrible silence to where the hundreds of frozen bodies bob around in the water. Lowe manages to rescue 4 more people from the water, two of which die shortly after. Lowe also rescues the people who cling to the slowly sinking boat A before rejoining the other lifeboats. Most of the women in the lifeboats are now widows, but they will not realise this until the reach New York.

Finally, after hours of drifting around the sea in freezing conditions in uncovered lifeboats, at 4am, the S.S. Carpathia steams into the wreck site to find the lifeboats scattered around the sea. Lifeboat 2 is the first to be recovered.

To be continued...

The Story of the RMS Titanic - Part 9

At approximately 1:28am, the S.S. Californian, only around 10 miles away, sees Titanic's distress rockets. They believe that she is a tramp steamer heading to the south west. They attempt to call the Titanic with the morse lamp, however Titanic does not respond. The Californian can easily reach the Titanic in time to help, yet the do not do anything, and since their wireless operator has already gone to bed, they do not know of Titanic's distress calls.
Bewteen 1:30 and 1:35, lifeboats 9, 12 and 11 are launched. They are filled with 50, 30 and 70 people respectively.
At 1:40am, Lifeboat 13 is the 13th to be launched, it dips forward as it is lowered, nearly tipping out some passengers, It slowly reaches the black sea, only to drift under lifeboat 15 which is also being lowered, Passengers shout to stop the lowering but the crew on the boat deck can't hear them. Some passengers fumble to cut the falls which still hold the boat to the ship. They try to hold up boat 15 but eventually drift out of the way just as boat 15, overloaded with 70 people, hits the water.


At around1:42am, Captain Smith orders Lifeboat 6 to return to the ship to pick up more passengers. Margaret "Molly" Brown is in boat 6, she demands to go back but the sailor in charge refuses. Only one boat will return to look for survivors that night.
Boat 2 is launched with only 25 seats occupied.

The steerage passengers attempt to reach the lifeboats by running through unfamiliar parts of the ship. Some make their way up the grand stairs while others try to rush up from the promenade deck, only to be restrained by the crew. It's now 1:48am, there are only 5 lifeboats left for the rest of the 1500+ passengers left onboard.
1:50am, Lifeboat 4 is the 16th boat to be launched from Titanic. It leaves with 45 seats occupied. The last distress rocket is fired to no known response from the near by ship. The sea soon approaches the A Deck Promenade.

At 2am, Collapsable Boat C is launched from the starboard side. White Star Director J. Bruce Ismay steps into the boat just before it's lowered, an act he will be criticised for for the rest of his life. The boat leaves full with 39 seats occupied.
At 2:05, Collapsable Boat D is the 18th and final boat to be launched from the Titanic. It leaves with only 24 seats occupied. Shortly after at 2:07, Captain Smith relieves the wireless operators of their duty. Captain Smith announces that it is now every man for himself and he heads down to the slowly flooding bridge. This is the last time people remember seeing Captain Smith. To this day no one knows what happened to him and his body was never recovered.

2:12 am. Officers attempt to release Collapsable boats A and B from the deckhouse roof. Boat B flips upside down as it falls while Boat A is lowered to the deck on some ores which snap under the boat's weight.
The Band begin to play "Nearer My God To Thee", which band leader Wallace Hartley had selected for his own funeral. To the passengers that hear it, it is like a final prayer for them. Thomas Andrews is last seen in the 1st Class Smoking Room stood before the painting of Plymouth Harbour.
Water sweeps along the boat deck which makes Collapsable A drift off the deck. The forward funnel begins to fall crushing those beneath it, including John Jacob Astor. The wave it creates washes upturned Collapsable B away from the ship. Some cling to it, including 2nd Officer Lightoller.

Many passengers gather on Titanic's Poop Deck as the stern rises higher. Father Byles listens to confessions and gives solace to those left on the ship.
As the ship gets lower, Water floods the once elegant grand staircase. The glass dome above is engulfed as water crashes through, ripping up the staircase from it's foundations. Furniture and cargo crash to the forward end of the ship as it rises out of the water. Titanic will remain afloat for another 3 minutes.

At 2:18am, the Titanic's lights flicker then go out for the last time. A loud roar can be heard as the ship strains. She suddenly breaks apart, the stern falling back into the water. The bow, still attached to the stern, pulls it slowly downwards. After rising once again, the Stern bobs around for a minute or two, then slowly slips below the waves carrying around 1500 people with her.

To be continued...