The Secret Star Trek Universe

Be warned: turn back now if you’re not a Star Trek fan.

The Problem with Star Trek

I love Star Trek. I love it all (in varying degrees). Always have, probably always will. My go-to incarnation is The Next Generation, but I can appreciate it all for different reasons. The adventure of the classic series, the thoughtfulness of The Next Generation, the complexity of Deep Space 9, the fun of Voyager, the mixed bag of the movies, the colour of the animated show, the earnestness of Enterprise, the lot!

It used to be easy to enjoy Star Trek. There was The Original Series (TOS), then TNG, then DS9 and Voyager. All nice and linear, from A to B to C to 1701D. But things aren’t so simple any more.

Prequels and Reboots

It started to get complicated with Star Trek Enterprise, a prequel series set a century before the original series. Warp flight was still a novelty, transporters were a dangerous piece of kit, and we’d never met a Klingon. Enterprise isn’t my favourite show, but there’s still much to like here. But there’s also a lot that doesn’t quite fit with what we know lies ahead with TOS. The design, the look and feel of the ship, the costumes all suggest a slightly more sophisticated and advanced culture than the one we know and love from TOS, and there’s a very good reason for this: Star Trek isn’t real! It’s a TV show designed and filmed in the 1960s onwards. Enterprise was made for a millennial audience, it had to evolve, it had to be modern. It couldn’t have had retro sixties futurism, could it? Maybe, but that’s an argument for another day. The reason Enterprise doesn’t look like a real-life precursor to TOS is because it’s not real life. (By the way I love the NX-01 ship, it’s a great design with fantastic attention to detail, but it never felt like a predecessor to the original Enterprise to me.)

Now we have a new series about to hit our screens: Star Trek Discovery, set just ten years before TOS.

Another prequel that doesn’t seem to fit with the design of TOS – because Star Trek isn’t real.

But what if Star Trek was real? Is it possible to reconcile these differences inside the bubble of the show’s reality? Well, yes, I think it is, and we only have to look at the reboot movies to show us how.

The Kelvin Universe

When JJ Abrams re-booted Star Trek for the big screen he used time travel as a way to protect the original established chronology while also being able to start again. He didn’t want to rub out everything that had gone before and paint over it with his own version. So we got two universes: the Prime Universe and the Kelvin Universe. Everything before the 2009 reboot was in the Prime universe, including Enterprise and the new show, Discovery. The three movies existed in the alternate Kelvin Universe. JJ established that messing about with time travel and tampering with established events creates a new alternate universe where things can play out in their own way… Well, that’s not the first time that’s happened.

A Third Way?

Remember Star Trek: First Contact? The Borg travel back in time to assimilate the Earth. The Enterprise E travels back as well, averts disaster, defeats the Borg, but tampers with established events and leaves behind crucial advanced technology in the past. What if this temporal incursion created the same split that we see happening with the creation of the Kelvin Universe. There’s evidence to back this up: in the Prime Universe we knew nothing of the Borg until Q introduced us to them in the 24th Century. Now, after defeating the Borg in the past we have dead drones left in the debris of a destroyed Borg sphere in the Arctic ice.

Fragments of 24th century technology have been discovered in the 22nd century. Could this change the flow of events? Could this spawn a new universe with distinctive differences to the Prime Universe? I believe so, and I’d call it…

The Phoenix Universe

Here’s my theory: the Phoenix Universe came into existence when the Borg travelled back in time to try to assimilate the Earth, as seen in Star Trek: First Contact. This temporal incursion and subsequent tampering with the course of established events created a divergent timeline – named after the Phoenix ship seen in the movie. This is a universe where Borg debris litters parts of the Earth, where we have access to Borg corpses and their implants, where the details of the first warp flight and first contact with the Vulcans played out differently to those established in the Prime Universe. This is a universe where aesthetics and technology differ to those we’ve seen in the classic series. This means that ALL of Enterprise takes place in the Phoenix Universe. This explains why it doesn’t quite match up with the Prime Universe we saw in TOS. All of Discovery will presumably take place in the Phoenix Universe as well, but it’s hard to be sure until we see it. I created this graphic to help explain my theory.

The Triple Universe Theory: Prime, Phoenix and Kelvin

Do we need a Third Universe?

A third universe? Isn’t two enough? Doesn’t this make things even more complicated? Yes, but it also means I can love Enterprise and Discovery a little bit more because they don’t inflict a new ideology onto the classic Prime Universe shows of TOS, TNG, DS9 and Voyager – they remain intact. And it gives potential scope for exploring other parts of the Phoenix Universe. We get a whole new universe to explore.

Other Universes

Of course this is just my theory, and it’s not like we haven’t seen time travel and alternate universes before in Star Trek. There could be dozen or even hundreds of universes if we apply this logic to every single time travel adventure. But I think there’s a strong argument for the Phoenix Universe over other potential candidates; it ticks a lot of boxes, it irons out some inconsistencies and (I believe) it can increase our enjoyment of the prequel shows, letting them stretch their legs without fear of stepping on other beloved shows.

What do you think? Does the Phoenix Universe exist? Or should I turn off the TV and get out more?

 

Writing & Stuff #02

The second edition of Writing & Stuff is now live on YouTube for your pleasure, affection and scorn. This time I talk about character and how sometimes you need to take a step back from your work and figure out what purpose that character serves within your story. Also I visit the Game On exibition in Newcastle and review IDW’s Miracleman Artifact Edition collection. Please do subscribe, hit the like button or leave a comment. Thanks.

Writing & Stuff #01

I’m trying out a new YouTube series of videos called Writing & Stuff. It’s a regular(ish) series covering my writing process, what I’ve been up to and what I’m reading. Have a look at the first episode here and, if you like it, please do subscribe, hit the like button or leave a comment.

CGI strain

Have you ever been in a cinema, watching the destruction of a city, and found yourself being bored?

It’s an odd sensation. There’s so much to see in front of us, carnage on a scale we’ll hopefully never witness in real life, entire buildings lifted from the ground, ripped apart by superheroes, aliens, military helicopters, whatever! But we yawn, we check our watch and – most importantly – we disengage from the story. We start to plan what we’ll have to eat when we get home.

We’re bored of CGI! We’ve seen so much of it over the last twenty years that we’re no longer impressed by it. Those amazing visuals aren’t enough to keep our attention, we need something far more fundamental: reality.  We get that through a compelling story,  which is why I can happily watch TV from the 70s and 80s and still be captivated while my daughters laugh at the crude visual effects. Or maybe it’s nostalgia?

Either way there’s been a resurgence in practical film-making in recent months. JJ Abram’s Star Wars promises practical sets and real props and costumes, something sorely missing in the prequels. And it’s not alone. In Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation Tom Cruise is hanging off the side of a plane, shouting “Look! This is real! This is real!” Movie makers are keen to show us that their films exist, that they have really made the things they’re showing us, that people toiled and risked life and limb for your entertainment.

CGI vs HGI

But take a moment to think about those CGI artists. Often, they’re the ones who are blamed when for a movie’s bad. It’s not their fault! Yes, there are artists behind those effect shots we yawn through. They are usually the last part of the pipeline, and while they should be included from the very beginning they’re often not. Sometimes they’re just an afterthought: “Oh, those CGI people will sort this out. OK, the script might not be perfect but the big fight sequence when the city gets destroyed will look amazing! We’ll use that in the trailer.”

Perhaps part of the problem is in the name: Computer Generated Imagery, or CGI for short. It’s a term that dates back to the beginning of the technique and it’s understandable why it’s been adopted. But it’s misleading. Graphics and animation are no more computer generated than this blog post, or one of my novels is. Just because I write on a laptop using text-specific software we wouldn’t dream of calling books Computer Generated Novels. CGI is created by humans, not computers. Those humans are skilled technicians and artists, but their skills are no longer seen as a craft, they’re seen as a way to speed up the film-making process and, most importantly, to cut costs. And as artists we’re guilty of underselling our skills, of devaluing them and doing jobs for little or no money just so we can work on a major movie or a cool project.

So maybe we shouldn’t call it CGI any more. Maybe we should put those creative, enthusiastic, starstruck people back into the equation and call it Human Generated Imagery. HGI. Why not? Maybe then film makers (and film goers) might remember that those impossible pictures are made by stressed, overworked people in a sunless basement who toil away, hoping they do good work. After all they don’t want to make bad CGI but sometimes they just don’t have a choice. Money, time and a “Who needs to plan? We’ll fix it in Post” attitude conspire against them, forcing them to compromise their craft.

Another thing to remember is we only notice bad CGI. The good shots are invisible. I’ve done my share of VFX work and I was always delighted when I managed to do something that no one would ever see. The good stuff gets missed. It looks real! Which is, after all, the point of CGI.

RocketJump Film School say it so well in this video:

CGI isn’t a sticking plaster to fix a bad movie at the very end of production, it’s a tool that should be used alongside practical effects, models, make-up, and a good script, to make the best possible picture.

I’ll end with a clip of what is still, in my opinion, one of the best uses of CGI alongside models, practical effects and sound. This famous sequence from Jurassic Park works so well because it was planned meticulously by a director at the top of his game. He didn’t use CGI as a gimmick, it was first and foremost a tool to aid the story, nothing more. Which is exactly what it should be. So it’s ironic that the very same director is behind Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull…

Some further reading: Why the VFX of Jurassic Park and Starship Troopers hold up

 

My 2014 – a better year

Years have a funny way of creeping up on us, don’t they? We think we know exactly where they are then some time around August they hide behind our backs, jump out and whack us in the face with a fist full of December. BAM! The year’s out. Done and dusted. And all those ambitions will have to wait until next year. So I’m ending 2014 with a few intentions left hanging, the biggy being the completion of my third book.  I haven’t finished it, but I’m really, really close.

Even so I’d say 2014 has been a much more settled and satisfying year than any of the last half dozen. If you read my blog post this time last year you might recall I described it as the best and worst of times. At least 2014 has had less bumps in the road, even if the highs haven’t been quite as high. Here’s my year:


2014 JanJanuary

With a belly full of chocolate and a head full of good intentions I set out to dominate the literary landscape. My first plan, to elaborately murder all other children’s writers is soon dismissed as I’m not big on driving, and they live all over the country! I fall back on plan B: write stuff.

2014 FebFebruary

Sorrowline is on the longlist for the prestigious Brandford Boase Award. Even though it didn’t make the cut for the shortlist I’m still thrilled. But it’s not the only awards news: Sorrowline is also short-listed for the Spellbinding 2014 award. And Read Regional kicks off!

2014 MarMarch

To coincide with World Book Day Timesmith is published in the UK! I do a launch event in my local Waterstones and I feel like a proper author!

 

2014 AprilApril

I’m temporarily teleported to an alternative dimension where I’m the only author. I’m hailed as a gold-like hero and am promoted to the board of Waterstones AND Amazon. For a few short weeks books outsell nappies, chocolate and shampoo. But the stress of writing ALL books is just too much and my pen runs out of ink. I return home in shame after the great Waterstones/Amazon War wipes out the entire population of East Grinstead.

2014 MayMay

Spring spings and I boing all over the place! I make a return trip to Sweden at the invitation of The English Bookshop and meet lots of very friendly readers.

 

2014 JuneJune

Sorrowline is published in Brazil! This is the third foreign language edition of my first book after Germany and Thailand. I also do quite a few events including one for the National Literary Trust at St James’ Park in Newcastle. But it’s not the only unusual event: I talk at the launch of the Cultural Ambassadors scheme in my home town and take part in a live chat show in a comedy club in Newcastle! Normal service resumes next month.

2014 JulyJuly

I have a blast working with the super talented Mark Jobe helping the pupils of Macmillan Academy in Middlesbrough to write, develop and animate their own film about climate change. The project even won a few awards and was screened at a festival in Hollywood!

2014 AugustAugust

Time for a break! I have a family holiday in Spain and, while on a day trip to the beautiful city of Barcelona, I have a strange literary encounter. I’m reading George Orwell’s 1984 when I stumble into square named after the great man! I had no idea he had such a big connection to the city until that moment. I’ve now read more about his life and have realised what a fascinating figure he was.

2014 SepSeptember

I attend FantasyCon in York. It’s my first fantasy convention and I have a great time meeting up with lots of other Team Mushens authors. It’s also my first visit to The District CE Primary in Newton-le-Willows where I’m Patron of Reading. The staff and pupils have such enthusiasm for books!

2014 October

October

I’m deep into writing my next book, a dystopian sci-fi adventure about two siblings facing the end of the world! I’m hoping to finish by Christmas, but it might take a bit longer than that. It’s good to be writing something new again.

2014 NovemberNovember

I’m involved with a writing workshop for the pupils of The Avenue Primary School in Middlesbrough, helping them create their own story for a play about electricity consumption. Over a series of workshops they brainstorm ideas, develop characters and story then rehearse and perform the play.

2014 DecemberDecember

The brilliant staff at the District CE reveal their Story Steps, and I’m thrilled to be one of the steps! I can’t wait to visit them again in the New Year and see it for myself.

 

It’s the end of the year already! It’s been a bit of a blur, hasn’t it? As Christmas fades away I’m still working on the new project. There’s a lot of story to tell so I’m not worried that it’s taken me longer than I’d hoped. Roll on 2015 and a fresh year to squander! I hope the New Year is good to you, thanks for your support during 2014.

 

When is the Movie coming out?

Since I became an author there are some questions that have come up again and again. They’re often to do with the writing process, how and when I write, where the ideas come from, how I got published, that sort of thing. But there’s one question that has nothing to do with creating books at all: “When is the movie coming out?”

I’d like to think this is a compliment on my visual writing style, or maybe it’s to do with the fast action scenes or Sorrowline‘s big climax that would probably translate quite well into a film. But I think the question has more to do with the general expectation for books today than with my personal writing adventure. We’re so used to modern children’s novels being turned into huge blockbuster franchises that it seems like the expected – the only – path they can take: write a children’s novel (preferably a series of novels), sell the movie rights, make a fortune, become momentarily famous, then step aside for the next big thing. Franchises like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia spring immediately to mind but this is hardly a new phenomenon, it dates back to the early days of cinema. Disney and most other studios have been at it for years! So the expectation that this is the norm is understandable.

Books to Movies

If I’m honest I’ve hoped for this too, as I’m sure almost all authors do. Yes, a book is a self-contained world and it doesn’t need to be made into a movie to exist, but movies, even bad ones, bring the books they’re based on to a much wider audience. It’s basic economics: an author’s career is much more secure if there’s a movie or two based on their work. It can allow an author to keep doing the thing they love to do: write. And that’s not a bad thing, is it?

But the movie world is a notoriously fickle beast and many books are optioned by production companies and studios but never get much further than that. They sit on a shelf waiting for the right conditions to blossom. I’ve had this happen to me with an animation TV series I developed a few years ago. I sold the option to a Canadian production company, we negotiated a contract and I was to be Executive Producer and Story Editor! It all sounded too good to be true! And it was. The option ran for three years. In that time we had a few meetings, we did a bit of development work, but not enough to really get things moving. The option expired and that was that. It happens every day. But not to me. This was a potentially life-changing moment! We’d even started making plans to move to Toronto for the duration of the production! So when it almost happened again with Sorrowline I was a little bit more cautious – but it’s hard to keep my excitement in check!

Claridges

Interest in the film rights came over a year before publication, from a Hollywood production company who had a track record in making films that I’d actually heard of! They’d even handled a few children’s book adaptations before! So when they asked to meet I’ll admit I forgot all of the pain I’d gone through with the TV option and jumped on a train to London. My literary agent, Juliet Mushens, had set the meeting up with the studio exec who insisted on a mid-morning breakfast at Claridges. I’m not sure if this was designed to intimidate or impress me but, as a northerner and a new writer it managed to do a bit of both.

Claridges medusa chandelierWe met, we ate breakfast, we talked about the movie(s), about the huge scale of them, and how they wanted me to be at the heart of them! Oh, and would I like to write the screenplay? How soon can you start? You can imagine how hard it was to keep my feet on the ground. Throughout the meeting I kept looking up at the beautiful Medusa chandelier directly above our table and thinking how odd and interesting it was. It pretty much summed up the whole meeting.

Over two years later and I’ve yet to write the screenplay and we’ve yet to sign a deal. All the urgency of the first meeting has fizzled out but we still hear from the production company from time to time. They’re still interested, they say. They still love the concept and want to make a movie. After all, this is Hollywood, where no one ever says NO, but rarely says YES!

There’s been other interest too, for TV rights, but for now I’m happy to put my energy into my third book. I’m enjoying the writing process without the worry of what to wear to the première. That said, if anyone wants to make a movie or two and has a big bucket of cash to burn do feel free to call. 

 

 

 

You can’t afford me any more!

This blog is shorter today than it would have been if you’d read it yesterday. It’s not my fault, really it’s not. I’d love to rattle on all day about nonsense, and if I lived in a land where gratitude and goodwill bought me chocolate and wine then I probably would. But no amount of wishing is going to transport me to a world of drunken confectionery-induced comas. Like most of us I live in the real world – the world of economy, of money and tax and inflation.

This month rail fairs went up an average of 4.1% – the latest in a long stream of incremental increases which have happened with frightening regularity. I’m a rail user, I commute all round the country to do book events. I also regularly trek down to that City of Broken Dreams and Smelly Drains – London as it’s also known – for meetings, so trains are no stranger to me, and neither is their extortionate fares. Now, I like the train. It’s probably my most favourite of all the ‘transports’. It’s a place I can relax, sleep, watch TV, write and dream. But it’s also a place where I sweat, ache and lose more hours than a amnesiac at an absinthe party.

The creative person standing on platform 1...

The creative person standing on platform 1…

As a creative type I don’t often see my wage increase – in fact I can’t remember the last time it happened. Money from writing tends to be agreed years in advance and is not connected to inflation. And my freelance animation work tends to be on the same rates I’ve charged for years. The usual way most creatives make more money is by producing more stuff! But maybe we should all be thinking like the train companies and put up our prices every January. We should send out a letter to all our clients in December telling them why we have to put our prices up, how we’ll use that extra money to buy better pencils, to invest in nicer tea, and to generally make their creative ‘experience’ more enjoyable. I’m sure all of my clients would completely understand! And it would make my Christmas break the adrenaline-junkies dream, wondering if there will be any work to come back to!

Thing is I’m not much of an adrenaline junkie, and I don’t think most creative people are. We like stability, we don’t like asking for money at the best of times. And the idea of putting our prices up for no good reason? Well, it’s just not going to happen, is it? But maybe it should. Maybe we should approach our passion with a bit more business nous. Maybe we should start valuing our skills in the same way the Railway values its carriages and stations and tracks: as assets, something worth investing in.  And if we don’t hike up our prices, if we don’t pass on our costs to the client then what’s the alternative? Well, it’s simple: do less. 4.1% less, to be precise. So that’s why this blog post is shorter. In order to cover my increasing costs I’ve had to curtail my output accordingly. This way I can at least keep my costs the same and I can avoid the horrible confrontation with clients to discuss the horrible subject of money.

But it’s a shame. You see, I’d come up with something quite profound, something to end this blog that would have blown your mind out of your right ear! Really, it was incredibly good! But I’ve had to delete the last 4.1% of this blog which means it all ends rather abruptly somewhere around h

 

 

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My 2013 – the best of times, the worst of times.

2013 was my first year as a proper published author, and what a strange, exciting, terrifying, anxious, fun year it’s been! I think Charles Dickens was onto something with his opening line from A Tale of Two Cities: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness.

Sorrowline tower

January

Sorrowline is published! The year is off to a great start! Being published is a great feeling but also strangely anti-climatic. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for so long that when it finally arrives it seems like just another day. The focus now seems to be on the NEXT book. 

February

I have a proper grown-up launch party, thanks to Andersen Press and New Writing North, in Waterstones Newcastle. The doubts floating over me last month evaporate in the excitement of the night. But I’m beginning to realise that the work is never really done. Publication is just the start.

School visitsMarch

I do the first of many school visits! I ease myself in gently by doing local schools but it’s not long before I’m travelling further afield. I begin to enjoy doing them, although I’m learning with every event!

April

More reviews appear online and thankfully I’m not mauled. In fact Sorrowline is very well received. I’m still glowing from this reader’s review on The Guardian website! ‘This book is a terrific, scary time-travel thriller’

May

Editing continues on my second book, Timesmith. I’ve chopped it down to a good fighting weight. It goes back to my publishers for the last round of notes and feedback.

ZeistJune

I am taken to the planet Zeist to have parts of my brain reprogrammed. My left foot is accidentally replaced with an umbrella stand. We all laugh about it afterwards.

timesmith docJuly

Timesmith is finished and signed off! It’s heading off to the printers soon and it’s time I started thinking about my next book! I told you it never ends! And this is where the worries for book two being. Will people like it? Will they buy it? I’ll know by March next year.

Doctor facial sketchesAugust

Finally my work on the animation for the Doctor Who DVD of The Ice Warriors is released. It’s a bitter-sweet time as it also marks the end of my working in animation full time and a new adventure in writing. I’ve been running my own animation studio for 11 years and it’s time to move on. There’s a mix of emotions – everything from relief to anger to anticipation for the next chapter in my life. Change is often painful but necessary.  But I can’t really call myself a full-time writer just yet as I’m continuing to do mentoring and consultancy work in animation but I’m getting closer to that dream.

September

I attend my very first book fair, in Gothenburg, Sweden. I was sent by New Writing North as a sort of ambassador for North-East Writers. Luckily I avoid any major international incidents.

Banner_thai_publicationOctober

The German & Thai versions of Sorrowline are published. I’m officially an international author translated into two languages. Who would have guessed? Strange that I still don’t feel like I can call myself an author.

Timesmith & Sorrowline togetherNovember

I get my hands on a copy of my second novel, Timesmith! It’s not due out until March 2014 but it’s satisfying to be able to place it next to Sorrowline on my bookshelf. Of course there is still one more book to be written before this trilogy is complete…

IMG_0174December

Timesmith wins Mr Ripley’s Book Cover Wars! I receive my first proper fan letter! I’m starting to let myself look forward to next year. I’m letting go of the stress that’s dogged me over the last few months and I feel like I’m ending the year in a better place than I started. That’s something worth celebrating.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the last year, you’ve really made a huge difference! I hope you’ll stay with me during 2014! Have a brilliant New Year! x

Just keep plodding on!

I don’t like Taxi drivers talking to me. I prefer them to keep looking at the road and keep the conversation to its bare minimum. Why? Well, if we get talking they usually end up asking what I do for a living. When I say I’m an animator (I’ve not had the courage to say I’m a writer yet!) they often look confused and I have to resort to, “You know, cartoons,” which is nowhere near accurate but it gets us close to the right area. The driver usually smiles, asks a few more questions and says something like, “that must be a really interesting job!”

And it is! Working in the creative industries can be fun, but like any job it does have its down days. I think people who do ‘real’ jobs sometimes forget our jobs can be just as stressful and tiring as any other line of work – it just looks like more fun from the outside. After all, we don’t wear suits! But we still get dark days. Its on those days that you can find yourself wondering why you do it. Life would be easier doing one of those ‘normal’ jobs, wouldn’t it?  Besides, the world is full of writers, artists, animators, musicians and poets. What’s so special about what I have to say? What’s so clever about my drawing that means I have to share it with the world? Well, in truth the answer is both nothing and EVERYTHING! The reason we do it is because we can – we WANT to do it. We want to do good work that’s appreciated. We want to add our mark to the creative landscape. And hopefully we can make a living doing it – if we’re very lucky!

But in spite of that creative drive we all have days where the hill is just too high. The summit is so far away it’s not even worth starting the climb! I’ve had a fair few of those days, and I finding myself stopping, wondering why I didn’t bring a map, why I’m wearing slippers and not hiking boots. Then I remember this is just a metaphor, and slippers are just fine. And the map? Well, we make up our own maps, don’t we?

When I was having one of those days recently I was moaning to friend and author, Dan Smith, and he gave me this perfect little gem of advice: “Just keep plodding on.”

It’s simple, but so true. Just keep plodding on, one step at a time, even on those mapless days. I saw this advice echoed to me again when I was re-watching Finding Nemo:

Just keep plodding on, just keep swimming, and eventually you’ll get somewhere, even if you’re not wearing the right shoes.

How the Multiplex is killing Cinema

I love the cinema. Don’t we all?

I remember the excitement of going there as a child, sitting in the darkness, watching the swirling cigarette smoke create shafts of dancing light in the projector beam, the red dots of fire as a match was lit, the boiled sweets being thrown from the balcony, the torn and broken seats, the snogging couple, the usherette, the interval!

Oh yeah, and the film.

Going to the cinema was always an event. Something to look forward to. Something special. In some ways the film itself was irrelevant, it was more about the anticipation, the wonder at seeing something new. But of course I saw some amazing films there. Star Wars came to town when I was seven and expanded my tiny world like a celluloid fueled big bang.

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