Last days are strange

I find myself on a bus at two in the morning. The top half is filled with students chanting and clapping. A saxophone plays. The people who got on the bus with me had glanced upwards but stuck to the main floor. I went upstairs. Stomps, shouts, tamborine. Mardi Gras come to London…

Ending a job on a Monday is strange. It’s the start to the week. It’s busy. Never more so then where I’ve been for the past 6 months. Meeting day. A day for nothing but preparing for the week ahead.

All the normal leaving things happen. One last lunch with too little people. One last meeting. One last coffee. One last awkward goodbye with a card, a few words and shuffling feet.

Computer is wiped clean of files and favourites and handed in. A chat on the sofa. I can’t give trade secrets. Or say I still work there. I think in case I forgot and I said I did the next day at the conference I was speaking at. I think I get that. The not working there part.

I get one last ride with Claire, the woman who, in half a year, taught me the importance of process and how to look at all situations from different angles. I didn’t necessarily always follow this guidence but now it’s in my brain.Or at least in the left hand side of it.

Dropped off at Westfield. It’s all glass and confusion. Browse Apple store and pick up the new mac. Heavy. A man nods at me. Still the same weight he says. I nod back. Put it down. Browse shops. Try on clothes I’d never buy. Eat veggies and rice in under ten minutes. Run to the tube. Play Angry Birds until Oxford Circus.

I meet Sophie. We are seeing a live BBC radio show. First one I’ve been to. There is a metal baking pan in my bag. Something I left at work that now had to come home. I’m afraid I won’t be let in. Only crazy people carry around baking pans.

They let me in.

Tonight it’s Tim Key, Mark Watson, and…some other guy. We drink wine. They make us laugh. I see they only go through half of their material. Jill Abram, a poet I know, is working in the booth and says hi. We talk about what I’m doing next. I can’t say.

Find out via Twitter that my friend Nick is doing the Arabic World Service broadcast and he is in the same BBC building as me. He signs us in and we rotate through an impossibly slow revolving door to join him for coffee.

Drink it black. One sugar. Nick and I talk about possible futures. His seem heroic. Enlightened. I consider mine. Am I making the right choices?

He runs off to press buttons to project news into places I’ve never been. I slowly rotate out into the night.

"In the Mood" is in my head. I sing through all the parts. You can do that at one am.

Walk from bus stop to bus stop and back again. The 88 arrives. I hear the stomps and whoops and hollers. I have to see what the commotion is. Go upstairs. It’s heaving. A sat down parade careening through London.

Trafalger square. The motley crew sing their way off. “We Got the Funk.” Stomp. Stomp. “We Got the Funk.” The doors close. Their singing becomes distant. Like the muffled sound of too loud earphones a few seats down.

They wave from the street.

I wave back.

Video lighting tips

Now let’s go a bit technical (but not too technical) and delve into the world of lighting. Saying that, let’s assume that you don’t have any additional lights and you’re only working with natural light.

1) Shooting indoors: One key thing to remember is not to sit your interviewee in front of a bright window as they will be in silohette and you won’t be able to see their face. It’s better for you to be by the window and have them face the window. You can then use the light coming in to light them.

Also make sure they are not sat too close to a wall. One metre away is best as then they won’t cast too much shadow behind them.

2) Shooting outside: If you are shooting for the whole day, the position of the sun will change so will your lighting. It’s something to be aware of and make sure you plan for it.

Also remember that the sun can overexpose your shot. Your subject may be too bright and their features will be washed out. It may be better to film them somewhere shadier.

And just as shooting indoors, make sure you don’t shoot towards the sun. Have the sun at your back so that your subject is lit and not a massive shadow.

That’s a few tips and tricks around lighting. Next week, I’ll do up a post about sound, interview tips and a couple of my bug bears. Want to know more about anything else, let me know and I’ll write it up!

Video tips: Beginning, middle, end

I often make fast and off the cuff videos. So I thought I’d send my next few blog posts giving some tips and tricks. It won’t be everything (as that would be endless) but should be easy to understand for the beginner mobile filmmaker.

So let’s say you want to make a video of your event or of a charity. But where do you start?

Well when you shoot an event or an interview, it’s telling a story just like any film. You need a beginning, middle and end. I often start with something to camera saying:

• who I am


• what the event actually is


• where I am

I also make sure I get shots of the outside of the event (location shot) as well as people doing things at the event or in the case of an interview, shots of them interacting with other, working or doing things that relate to the subject of the interview. This is so when I’m editing I can cut between bits of the interview seemlessly even if the clips of what they are saying are not originally said at the same time.

I often end the piece with something to camera to either:

• give the viewer a call to action (like “Donate now” followed by where to donate)


• Or an overview of the event - a good one liner on why it was good or why it was important

It’s worth noting that you don’t have to talk to camera yourself. When you are interviewing people, you can get them to give those answers yourself.

This is just the beginning. Next post? Using natural light when you film.

My brush with The End of History

I took myself over to ThursdayClub with the expectation of having a drink and a catch up. Little did I know I’d be experiencing my first brush with The End of History.

This strange creation by the genius if not slightly warped minds of the boys at BrewDog is, I believe, the strongest beer in the world at 55%. Yes, that’s right. 55%. But that’s not what makes it unique. It’s the fact that it was housed in a squirrel that boggled my mind.

Don’t worry it’s not directly put in a squirrel, just the bottle is. But to hold a squirrel and put it up to your lips as it’s beady, dead eyes stare at you is off putting to say the least. I guess I feel slightly better that they were road kill and not killed specifically to house beer bottles. So it makes me feel slightly better (but not really as I’m a vegetarian).



There is a ton of history around “The End of History” and description of the process of the beer making on the blog post BrewDog wrote on the subject. It’s actually worth taking a peruse of their whole site. They are really trying to do something different in the brewing of beers and I think they are the forefront of the march towards more craft beers being available throughout the UK.

I think I’ll try them again. But maybe not out of a squirrel this time. I’ll deem that a one off.

Side note: When my flatmate saw these photos she said: “Where has this come from? I don’t like it. It makes me uncomfortable.” I think won’t tell her where it came from so she’ll still drink BrewDog in the future.

Changing the rules: a short short overview

When I taught script writing, I often had students who had never written a script before who came in and wanted to do everything differently. I’ve always been that way too. Wanting to change the rules and do it my own way.

What I’ve come to learn is that it is important to figure out the rules first. There are always things you can learn from what currently works. At that point, you can see how you can make what may have worked before, into something that works better now. Just don’t forget that sometimes why something is set out the way it is, is because that way works best for users. You have to find out what needs to change, why and who for. If it’s to improve the user experience, then let’s go for it. If it’s just to make it easier for you, you should perhaps look further into what you want to change and why.

If you are a company that’s just starting out, it can sometimes be easier to do some things differently. You are creating an expectation for your customer and your team. Changing the rules externally often means changing them internally too. The bigger challenge is in the companies that have been around for decades. Not only are there expectations of how things are done internally, customers will expect a certain thing from the business. Not that I mean they expect customer service to be crap so they only want crap customer service. But they have an expectation of how things work and how they relate to the company.

I liken it more to someone who talks about cats for 15 years and then suddenly only wants to talk about industrial washing machines. It doesn’t work very well. But if it gradually merges and you only take the elements you and your customer need, you can change the rules. Or, in some cases, it’s about keeping the current divisions and experiences as is and adding new divisions to change the rules through that.

As this is a short, short overview, I recommend to learn what’s happened before. What were the rules 10, 20, or 50 years ago? What are the rules now? And what needs to change to make the experience better for the customer? What will make your work more effective? What will make it an easier journey? Changing the rules are often a necessity. But only if you know why you need to change it and how it will make the landscape better and more productive.

The most excellent Mexican

No, I’m not talking about Gael Garcia Bernal though he is most excellent. Today my flatmate Trish and I made a Mexican meal that would make the entire population of the UK fall to their knees in joyous rapture. Well. That might be an exaggeration. But I’m sticking to it.

As we had different takes on the taco, I’ll review mine first. I essentially eat vegan so I had Linda McCartney ground round with half an onion and garlic. We split the taco mix between us so it wasn’t as taco-y as it normally is so I added cumin, chilli powder, tumeric and hot pepper sauce.

To accompany my wide bottomed taco I had grated vegan cheese, green salsa from M&S (though I usually make my own), tomato, chopped green chillies and cabbage (due to an unfortunate lettuce allergy). To top it off, homemade guac. Normally it consists of mashed avocados, cilantro, red onion, chopped tomatos and the magic ingredient of cumin. As we were having it with tacos, I skipped the tomatoes and left out the cilantro as Trish isn’t a fan.

Overall it was crunchy, spicy and fresh with tomatoes and cabbage bought this afternoon. The veggie mix could have have a bit more taco spice but with the melted vegan cheese it was almost unnecessary - and also it allowed me to really taste the other ingredients which doesn’t always happen when it is too taco-y.



And now for the meateater’s point of view…

My beefy version of the above was equally as crunchy, spicy and fresh - but with the added benefit of Waitrose Essential beef mince (and the irony of shopping at Waitrose but buying their budget range is not lost on me…).

Like Heather said, we could’ve done with a little more of the taco seasoning, as we were a little over keen with our quantities. I like a big taco flavour, personally, but it was still more than satisfactory. Ladening my wide-bottomed taco (for a wide-bottomed girl!) with strong cheddar made it totally tasty, and with Heather’s guac slathered on top, and a glass or two red to top it all off, I’d be hard pressed to think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Good food, good wine, good company - ole!

Why I've fallen in love with Craig Ferguson

When I was home in Canada at Christmas, every night at 11 pm, my parents would watch Craig Ferguson on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.” For me it was a first. There is a robot (made by the boys from Mythbusters) who likes to answer most questions with “Balls” and a dancing horse Secretariat who drops by from time to time. Everyone (including people at home if my mom is anthing to go by) dances along.

In the UK, Craig (who I’ll be on a first name basis today) was a comedien and at one point toured with Harry Enfield and dabbled in television. His big break came after he hit the US and starred in the Drew Carrey show as Mr. Wick. He’s also written and been in tons of films but you’ll have to go to Wikipedia to read more about all he’s done. IN 2005, he moved to take over the Late Late Show on CBS and has completely changed the nature of the TV monologue. As the televison historian Ben Alba said, Ferguson “has already made his mark, taking the TV monologue to new levels with an underlying story. But he is only just starting …He is making up his own rules: It’s the immigrant experience.” And that was in 2008. It’s now 2011. I’m sure many more rules have been broken since.

What I love about him, is his honesty. He is who he is and his comedy is wacky and there are sexual indeundos abound (which is why my family loves him) but he also talks about real things. And by getting his questions about life and America answered, he is educating his audience. An audience that doesn’t get it many other places.

For instance, take this clip from around the time of Britney Spears shaved her head and was sent to rehab. Craig had just celebrated 15 years sober. He says: “I have a thinking problem. Not a drinking problem. Certain kind of people can’t drink. YOu have to be responsible for your actions, sick or well.” It’s 12 minutes long but worth the watch.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bbaRyDLMvA&w=480&h=390]

The moment I truely fell in love with him was when I saw his show on Black History month. He had Dr. Cornel West on his show. And he asked though questions about what Black History month really means and the history of the United States. You should watch the entire thing. Here is a little clip about changing yourself from the inside out and how our thoughts are shaped (and a little fun bit of banter about Titalation).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg5gpoHQ_zA&w=480&h=390]

I applaude CBS for supporting his show. And I hope it has a long life. In the UK, it seems we look only to the Daily Show as a top program for enlightment and thought provokation in a battle against the fear mongering of Fox network news. I’d add Craig Ferguson to my list. Yes, there is a lot of craziness on there (I love that kind of humour) but there is a lot of great thought there too. If you can find it on the Internet I hope you watch too.

Twitter: Podium vs Network

This is the first in a Saturday blog series #usguysblogs where a group of writers/thinkers/ponders/people write on one subject. Today’s question is “Twitter: Network vs. Podium”

I’ve always likened Twitter to a cocktail party. There are some people who lurk in the corners. There are others who only talk about themselves incessantly without listening to anyone else.

When I talk to businesses (and anyone else who’s interested), I tell them not to be that second person. Because if you’ve ever been to a cocktail party, you know that no one wants to be around that type of person for long and they often end up being the saddos in the corner. Or not invited to the party at all.

I liken that to being on a podium. You, in front of an audience, talking at them. Not interacting with them. Who wants to listen to that person day in and day out? Not me.

But then I looked up the meaning of Podium. I didn’t want to miss a trick. “Podium: a platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it.” So that could mean that Twitter by its follower structure could give more importance to someone. Some look at follower numbers as being the be all and end all. If you have a lot of followers, you can reach a lot of people ergo you are more influential.

But the more you look at Twitter, the more you realize it doesn’t work that way. You also need to look at how often their message is passed on. Are their tweets being amplified? Or are their messages falling on deaf ears?

So for me Twitter is a network. It is its own community (and not just a platform as too many businesses consider it). Your community is the place you go to first for answers. For some it’s Facebook, others it’s a forum but for me it’s mostly Twitter. Yes, I use Twitter for news and information and often I find out what’s going in the world before I see it on TV or in papers. But it’s really a place where I can interact with people from around the world and engage with friends new, old and ones that I may meet in the future. I don’t get the negative trolling I’ve seen on forums and though I don’t always get an answer to every question I ask, I’ve discovered which ones my network have the interest to engage with and answer.

Through Twitter, I have created a network of colleagues and friends. And for my Twitter is not about seeming profound or diluting my tweets to only be those that I deem professional enough to be my public persona. I do make sure what I say is something I’d say in front of my grandma, for instance, but I also allow parts of my life in there. By doing that, part of my personality and passion comes through. For the most part, what you see on Twitter (on my personal account) is me. And I am more interested to follow people and businesses that allow that personality to come through, then those that tweet in fear. It’s more transparent and gives me a connection that lasts so much longer than with people who are too precious about what they say.

Twitter is an incredible and fluid organism. A worldwide network that has put individuals in the same room together. Thoughts pass by in a flash. I miss some but I never ponder those, as there are hundreds to follow. Twitter has changed my life - has given me opportunities I would have never dreamed of. It’s actually changed the whole course of my career. It’s a network I love to be a part of.

Though it isn’t for everyone, I hope we can maintain it as a viable, real-time network of answers, opportunities and uncensored information (that can surpass government sanctions and the tamed tone of PR). Twitter is beginning to allow people who use it to question the world around them. How could you ever consider that, or want that to be, a podium.

Take your deck.ly and shove it

Yep. I said it. Please. For gods sake everyone. Stop using the twitlonger/deck.ly/extenderthingy on Twitter. It’s annoying.

And by annoying, I mean that by using this added “functionality” you are actually destroying the functionality and flow of the tool itself. Twitter allows you to get the message in one hit. It’s not very consumable if you have to click away to an external browser to read the whole message. Twitter is 140 characters. 20 characters less then a standard text. It’s not hard to do.

I love Tweetdeck. I use it everyday and love to support a British company. I big it up when I can. But why deck.ly? If it was purely a URL shortner (like I set up for giffgaff (giff.ly) or setting up for myself (heather.ly)), I’d be OK. I’d think it was cute. But to encourage this browser/ app mess? Ugh.

Yes twitter is not for everyone. If you want to send a more detailed message, guess what? Take it off Twitter. You’ve got Facebook and email and even text messaging. Just because we can send huge text messages doesn’t mean the same needs to apply to Twitter. Maybe we could build it up and send 1000 word essay form tweets. But how about we just call it hotmail then?

If you want to violate the constraints of Twitter it’s OK but do it elsewhere. If you really need to DM me a message longer than 140 characters, then we shouldn’t be tweeting about it.

So keep it out of my stream. I mean it.

(PS. I was going to tweet this, but realised it was too long. Some people may have used deck.ly but I POSTED IT ON MY BLOG. Rant over.)