So, the Doctor Who finale was yesterday, the last big bang - excuse the Doctor Who reference - before it returns at Christmas. Except...did this series seem a bit, unsatisfactory? Maybe its because I didn't really get in to this series this year, or because, as a fan, I've become all to familiar with the format and my passion for the show is lagging a bit. However, I am not the only one to feel that the last series wasn't the best, and in some ways its not surprising. Shoving the series back to September meant people used to the April scheduling had to wait several months, and then they've gone and shortened the series. I originally though they'd shortened it to only six episodes, which was annoying enough, given that we usually get twelve to thirteen. Only to find that actually it's been shorted to five. The sixth is the Christmas special.
Meanwhile the episodes themselves have been a bit more hit and miss than usual. The twist in episode was very, very good - no doubt about that! But for a classic Whovian like myself, the representation of the Daleks felt a little off - the Daleks, asking the Doctor for help? Then there was the killing of the villain in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, which seemed slightly off, especially when the next episode was all a debate about how far the Doctor should go! And then we have a finale episode. Possibly the weakest out of all them in my opinion, mostly because it was pretty obvious, once I knew that the last episode involved the Weeping Angels, that Amy and Rory were going to be sent back in time by the angels, and that was how they'd leave the Doctor. True, I fell for the Amy and Rory jumping off the building thing for a moment, but in the end, I was right and the angels got them, and got them good. The idea of New York, and all the statues, and the angel babies were all very good, but parts of the episode got a bit over melodramatic for me. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to seeing Richard E. Grant play the villain in the Christmas special and finding out if the next companion is going to be a Victorian or not - she's all a bit mysterious at the moment.
So, I haven't posted for a month and a half - but I am back, with a new view to be less inconsistent with my posting, and an aim to write once a week on all the wonders of the film, radio and tv industry. Well I say wonders. Let's not be coy here, the media industry, and the film industry in particular, is difficult to break in to. Especially, according to a producer friend of mine, if you are in your early twenties. Which is partly why I knew I had to return to this blog, and start writing again - because in this industry you have to show what you can do. I like to think I can write, so here I am. Again. And I have lots of plans for blog posts - Halloween is coming up next month, so a short history of our very own home-grown Hammer Horror films seems appropriate, as well as perhaps a guide to the best movies to watch on Halloween for those who don't like serious or gory horror - such as the Saw franchise. I also recently been to an excellent course, again run by First Light/Second Light, but this time in collaboration with the The Script Factory. It was an excellent course on screenwriting, with some great speakers - such as TV writer and director Michael Walker who had written an episode of Primeval and co-wrote Collision with Anthony Horowitz. And going on the course has reminded me that I've picked up some useful tips, links and general knowledge about screenwriting over the last few years that are worth sharing with young writers, like myself, who may not have come across them - for example, Mandy.com and Talent Circle are two great sites to browse for media jobs/experience in the UK! - so I'll probably sit down and write out some of my favourite screenwriting tips and links. Then there's also all the classic films I have that I keep intending to watch, which I could review, for example The 400 Blows (1959) and The Stranger (1946). So in short, I have plenty of material to bore the internet with. And again, I offer you the opportunity through these blog posts, to join me in learning more about film, TV and radio, and the world of the media.
