Guide Bridge theatre volunteering.

Now also volunteering at our local Guide Bridge theatre, in Audenshaw GBT.  I got stuck in on my first day helping to paint the set for the production of Henrik Ibsen's play 'A Dolls House'. Paint brush in one hand and roller in the other I helped paint the set in green and brown Victorian style colours. Decorating was really good, something I've never done before and I have to admit the set looked really good after we had finished.  The people that run the theatre are really dedicated to producing plays every few months.

I have to admit it's been quite hard work so far but I've already learn't a few skills and made new friends. I'm looking forwarding to learning more about the theatre, soon I'll be able to help out with more interesting jobs, alongside the cleaning and vacuuming, like sourcing props and costumes (working at the charity shops will probably be helpful with this), also helping with 'front of house' during performances, making cups of tea, selling sweets etc...















I took my mum and sister to watch 'A Dolls House'. I feel proud how everything looks and how it's all pulled together. The set, the props and costumes look fantastic and the actors are brilliant. :)

Review published in local Tameside Reporter.

Charity Shop Volunteering.

I decided I wanted to do something different and help others so I've started working in my local charity shops.

Fridays is the DEBRA shop.  This charity tries to help children who are born with a painful skin condition.

Saturdays I help out in our local Willow Wood hospice shop.  Willow Wood hospice is a home which provides special nursing care for mainly terminally ill people.

Working with my friend Ben, our jobs include sorting through bags of donations and putting these items into groups, books, clothes, glassware etc.  Dusting and polishing, shelf and clothes rail organisation, price tagging and best of all steaming clothes, Ben and I are quite competitive when deciding who has control of the steamer...

Working with ITV!!!!!!!

Not much of a summer holiday so far, but I shouldn't complain - I've still been busy catching up with friends, the usual glued to the computer, twitter and tumblr - my favourite.  The downside is I've also had lots of research and summer work to do for my A levels...

BUT... late last month I received an e-mail from ITV and their 'Work Inspiration' team - I thought it was a joke at first but quickly replied to their invitation to join their 1 week work placement at their studios in Quay Street and Media City, Manchester. :)

When I was 15 I applied and won a place on one of their workshops. Myself and about 100 other kids had to basically compete and win a place on the next placement for 20 candidates. Sadly I didn't make it then, which really gutted me as I tried really hard, however ITV wrote to me this time inviting me straight on to their placement because I was so close to getting through last time, they gave me a chance :) ;)

Bright and early Monday 29th July, I met up with the other kids at ITV studios - Quay Street, Manchester and from then on spent an intense, exciting and exhausting week attending presentations and talks from some of the many ITV departments, I really liked the Art department presentation held in the 'Coronation Street' Rovers Return set.

We learnt lots about creation of the sets and props and had a chance to break beer bottles over each other and hold fake premature babies (bit upsetting) used in the programme, they were scarily lifelike...

Going through the week, we were present during filming of the 'Street', was really interesting to find out the programme is shot around 6 weeks in advance, had a look around the sets, we shared our ideas to hopefully help improve/modernise ITV's 'Text Santa' Christmas charity, learn't all about programme content (another of my favourites), programme organising and scheduling, had hands on experience with camera and editing equipment.

We popped over to the other ITV studios at Media City -  Salford Quays, where we were all fascinated by 'children's ITV', the animation department was really interesting :).

Within minutes of arriving at Media City we were introduced to the Children's ITV production crew and listened to how animated programmes are created and produced.





It was fascinating to learn how time consuming it is to create just 30 seconds of animated film, the characters having to be moved ever so slightly for each shot.

The animation crew also shared a few hints and tips on how to create realistic effects for water and other not so nice substances...

Leaving Media City - finished for the day.

Finishing off the week at ITV Quay Street, myself and my fellow 'Inspiree's' were split into 2 groups and we had to create, act, film, edit and produce our own short Coronation Street clip.  

This was a little scary but earlier on in the week we had received lots of hands on experience and information from the ITV crew, so we all cracked on.

Here is a copy of my groups short film :).

Sadly our ITV Work Inspiration 2013 came to an end.......

We all had a fantastic time, met some lovely, interesting and professional people and learn't a lot about the media industry, particularly how television programmes are produced.  

We all got together for a screening of our group Coronation Street short film clips, we also had the opportunity to video link to our fellow Yorkshire 'Inpiree's' who had also been working for ITV on their 'Emmerdale' set.  It was our chance to find out what everyone had been up to and what we thought of the Work Inspiration scheme.

 I made a lot of new friends who I hope to see again soon.