Hi.

My name is Tom O'Neill and welcome to my first blog. I think I'll take this opportunity to tell you a little about myself and my aims in what I hope to achieve through my Film Annex.

I am 20 years old and currently in my second year of my degree at Staffordshire University, where I study Media (Film) Production. I am based in Stoke, where I have lived for a few years. Before this, I have been fortunate enough to have lived in a number of wonderful places across Germany and England.

My love for film and filmmaking in particular arose whilst I was studying Media Studies at college. I thoroughly enjoyed analysing different genres of films and the various practical activities I was given, but I discovered that analysing films wasn't enough for me. One of my teachers told me to contact their brother who is a freelance director, and he invited me to the exciting world that is the film industry. Since then I have been determined to learn more about making films, and I feel that choosing Media (Film) Production was an important decision in my path as an upcoming filmmaker.

In my course I have made a number of films, of which I hope to eventually upload here for you to see, taking on a number of different roles such as Director, Runner, Camera Op and Sound Artist. I feel that my passion is in the Sound Design department. Having a huge love for music and sound, I think that this is where I can excel and where I have the appropriate skills to do well in. I play music in a band, and help out at a nearby recording studio which has given me experience at musical composition and recording techniques. 

Taking up film has helped me discover who I am as a person. It sounds cheesy, but I never thought that I was a creative person before I started, and I now have somewhere that I can aim my ideas and direct my enthusiasm at.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this and I will keep you informed about my films. Watch this space for my next film which I will be blogging about in the next few days. 

Thanks.

T