Broadening my perspective

I find inspiration sometimes from the strangest sources and something i'm trying to do and have been doing for the last year or so is attend things I wouldn't normally. This is something that Jools mentioned we should really try and do this year in particular so i'm going to try and make every effort to do just that. I find a lot of my inspiration currently comes from the music I listen to or sports. I'm a big sports fanatic and find it very inspiring and not necessarily in the obvious way. Sometimes I see a person use a particular skill or movement during a game or event that inspires me to think of a different camera angle or inspires me to be a little bit more inventive. It just helps me sometimes to add a little twist to whatever it is i'm doing.

Last Saturday I got talked into a trip to the theatre to see 'Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat'. The warm cushioned seats of the Theatre Royal is not a place my buttocks is regularly accustomed to, but it was a welcomed change from the hard, cold, red plastic flip seats that i found myself on at Anfield the week before. Some could argue that the Football that weekend was probably more theatrical than Joseph to be truthful but i will refrain to comment further on that! I admit Joseph was good and i did somewhat enjoy the performance. There was the expected plentiful supply of bright colours on display and watching a musical gave me the opportunity to witness story telling of a different fashion so maybe I can draw on that experience at some date. The theatre isn't really my cup of tea but i'm glad i went and who knows maybe i will be attending a show there again soon.

Im also currently watching the England v Montenegro game which is NOT inspiring!!!

INSPIRED BY THE SUMMER

Well the summer feels long gone now but i did take the opportunity to learn, develop and be inspired. I've got to say there's two particular area's of my summer that stand out for me in terms of inspiration. One is the good old USA and the other is TRENT BRIDGE! I was lucky enough to spend three weeks of my summer in sunny California and the baking hot Nevada. VEGAS, what can i say? Well, if you are ever in search of inspiration Las Vegas is the place. What Vegas haven't got or haven't tried probably isn't worth doing. The city is a mass of craziness. While I was there I managed to go and see a 'Cirque du Soleil' show.....one word....UNBELIEVABLE!!! I'm not a show person but i will never forget that show at Treasure Island. The walls moved, the floor moved, incredible acrobatics from the ceiling, amazing examples of strength, the public interaction was next level and there was giant 25ft snail! I've honestly not got a bad word to say about the show 'Mystere'. I could talk forever about the show but i could probably never do it justice in words. Check it out if you get chance! Vegas as a whole is full of colour, dramatics, the outrageous, the unthinkable and of course Casino's but everywhere you look there is something that inspires you and makes you think outside of the box. Las Vegas is the perfect example that anything is possible.

After Vegas I travelled over to LA to check out Hollywood. I spent 4 nights there visiting the Kodak and Chinese theatre on the walk of fame and also had the chance to experience the back lot tour at Universal Studio's. The experience was fantastic although it was hampered slightly by a day of clumsiness which was completely my fault. From LA we travelled up the California coast visiting some of the smaller towns of Monterrey, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara etc before heading inland to Merced (Stupidly hot, 110 degree's), Mariposa and Yosemite National Park (A whole other story......Absolutely breath taking place!). Finally we finished off at Alcatraz!!!! (We chose to go there!) San Francisco to be more precise. There was plenty of art along the way from the bright lights of Vegas, the scenery of Yosemite and the hippy culture of San Fran. What i'm trying to get at, is the trip opened my eyes to new fresh thoughts and versatile ideas which i hope can inspire me throughout the year.

The other summer inspiration came from Trent Bridge (or work to me). The home of the Notts Outlaws is my job away from uni and where I spent many, many, many, many hours of work. Surprisingly I learnt a lot there that actually tied in nicely with my uni work. I had the opportunity to make coaching video's, player interview video's and promotional video's throughout the season. I had to be on the ball (excuse the pun) all the time. Straight after a T20 game we were running out onto the field for a player interview and had to have the camera, tripod and sound all set and ready to go inside 30seconds to a minute. The video was then edited and on the club website before most people had even left the stadium. I spent my time during play as the sound-man for the entertaining T20 fixtures. My role was operating the audio system for the whole ground from my little glass room located in the new stand. I had to work in a team of 7 providing the matchday entertainment package. The 7 of us (Media Manager, Match Operation's Manager, Camera Operator, Sponsorship Manager, Screen Operator, Myself on Sound and BBC's Colin Hazelden who was the live PA) had to be in constant communication via earpiece and radio to guide each other through the entertainment schedule. I had to organise the playlist before and after play, play the corresponding music for any boundaries or wickets, the team and sponsorship tracks, volume controls for each individual stand, microphone volumes and video screen sound.