Surprise surprise...
Ok what have we got here.
I just received an email informing me that I've been nominated for the McNally Award, an award given to the best achieving students or something like that. And it said I'm the top scoring student of the Media Arts faculty. I though Sara scored higher than me? And I have no idea how someone who scraped through by 0.33% to get first class can be the top of the faculty. Many question marks indeed.
Nevertheless, just by being nominated, it is truly an honour. And I have none to thank but God, who provided my mates, the strength, the ideas, the quick-thinking at the times I need, and most of all patience and perseverance. And it is by nothing but grace that had brought me to this place.
Recently, I had to repeat the journey since I graduated from poly for quite a few people to hear, and each time I tell it, it is more apparent to me that God had plough a path for me to walk. Most people don't know, but film was not my first choice. I had applied to Theatre Arts and got a place only to receive a call 2 weeks before school to find out that the course can't go on because of poor intake. I scrambled for my second choice, which was film. All I cared about was to get into a place where I can write and do creative work. I had a bad working experience after graduating from poly and that fueled my desperation.
So I entered film school, all lost and not knowing what to expect, full of doubts and feeling intimidated by the fellow classmates who seem to know what they were doing, as opposed to me, who have no idea why I'm sitting amongst film students. The assignments and projects came and I was obviously underperforming as compared to my peers. That discouraged me a lot.
I survived the horrendous level 1, unsure if I ever get my chance for anything at all. I persevered and slogged for the egos of others. Level 2 came and I found my love for editing and opportunity to write. I gained experience by crewing on many sets in school and professional sets outside. Finally, the first film that I wrote was an affirmation in my pursuit to write.
In level 3, I was determined to make my own learning curve. I stuffed myself into the directing module, took up extra roles as the producer and sound recordist/designer apart from my major and minor subjects all because I knew opportunities in doing those are scarce outside. Better to do them now than to miss the chance.
So level 3 sort of concluded school very nicely for me. Having learnt almost all the aspects of filmmaking, I am now a jack of all trades but a master of none. It's good and bad I guess.
The first class honours haven't really done much for me. Some people just brag about me being a first class student but no one is even thinking of paying me a little more for the fact that I'm first class. So much for paper qualifications.
I'm gonna just start my work, do my freelance stuff, rack my brains for creative ideas. That's all.
