This month there are high profile returns from both film and television.
Two years ago, ‘It’ (based on the novel by Stephen King) became the highest grossing horror film in history after amassing $700 million worldwide on a $35 million production budget. In that story, children of a small American town are terrorised by a shapeshifting clown and in its sequel, ‘It: Chapter 2’ released on 6 September 2019, those children return as adults to destroy the evil clown completely. With an impressive ensemble cast that includes Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year) and James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class), will this installment topple its predecessor Pennywise? I can only apologise.
Witness the grand reopening of ‘Downton Abbey’ on 13 September 2019, four years after the multiple Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe-winning drama series closed its doors after six series. In this film, a visit from the Royal Family of the day causes much more drama with Hugh Bonneville (Paddington), Elizabeth McGovern (Ragtime) and Maggie Smith (Gosford Park) reprise their roles from television while newcomers include Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake), Geraldine James (Sherlock Holmes) and Stephen Campbell Moore (The History Boys) joining this expansive cast ensemble.
Also releasing is ‘Ad Astra’ with Brad Pitt (Moneyball), Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive) and Donald Sutherland (Ordinary People) on 18 September 2019.
Following that is ‘The Kitchen’ with Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Elisabeth Moss (High Rise) and Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip) on 20 September 2019.
In Scotland I attended Dunfermline High School from 2010 to 2016 and Edinburgh Napier University from 2016 to 2020, emerging with two Advanced Higher and five Higher qualifications from the former and graduating with an undergraduate bachelor of arts honours degree in journalism from the latter. After two years away from further education due to the coronavirus pandemic, I'm going to be studying the MFA Photography course at York St John University in England from 2022 to 2024. I've achieved The Duke of Edinburgh’s (Bronze) Award and received grade five level certification for electronic keyboard from Trinity College London. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, writing, watching television series, listening to music and going to the cinema as well as catching up with friends, travelling by railway and hostelling overnight and overindulging in food and drinks in a pub or restaurant then having to go to the gym to burn it all off again.
By studying journalism and photography, my aim of practicing photojournalism professionally will hopefully be once step closer. Both are partial artforms requiring the rest of the work to be undertaken by the audience, the specialism of photojournalism, however, providing each of its two parts with greater context. Exploring photographic techniques (aerial, timelapse, editing) through a variety of journalistic styles (features, poetry, songwriting) will allow me to develop my portfolio, hone my camera skillset and narrow my focus further in anticipation of working life. Without a global pandemic to deal with this time. Fingers crossed.
