The music. The first time I entered I had an idea for a Bridezilla video that I could turn around quick enough to be worthwhile. Great band. Shame they didn't go for it. I did become friends with the winning Director so it's all good. This time round I had a small team that I had just worked on a fashion project with and wanted to do something else together before pitching for a commercial project. We're all starting out and practice makes perfect. Again I came up with an idea that we could turn aroud in a reasonable time frame. It was also improtant to me that the idea was a story that I wanted to tell and that it showcased some of my fabulous friends. That way win or loose I'd still have a little film that I'd be proud of. I'm aware of the criticism that it's driving directors to do projects for free and to this I'd say make sure your doing it for yourself first and that you're prepared to loose. If you end up feeling like you've made a band/website promo for free it's your own fault, get real. I like the international nature of the comp. Being a finalist makes me feel like I'm in an art show and in good company. There are some really great entries, I hope we all go onto great things.

My greatest strength right now would be embracing limitations, I have a mental list of resources available to me and come up with ideas to suit them. I imagine I'd be very frustrated if I came up with the 'perfect' idea and realised I didn't have the resources to do it. Arts always been about embracing the accident so right now this is ok with me. I don't see the point in trying to shoot TV studio stuff when you're not a TV studio. There'll be time for that later in my career. So while a TV crew may have all the jibs and dollies and fluffers they'd have to pay $1500+ a day for locations I can get for free. Play to your strengths. Be happy when you've done your best and people see your work. Write down the perfect idea for later. There's a whole life to strive for perfect. That's what I keep telling myself anyway.

I stated doing quick live videos of friends bands without even telling them. I shoot in the shittiest conditions in a pub, with a $400 camera that the shop assistant laughed at me when I bought. They'd find out about the video when I'd send them a link and ask for permission to use their song. It really does take all my creativity to make something that looks intentional and planned out of really rubbish footage. The Laurels video is a good example: http://tinyurl.com/2ax4fwj. After this film school of sorts I feel spoilt any time I get clean footage or have the chance to plan shots. I've been applying these lessons mainly to work in fashion videography and am just starting to do proper music videos. I'm co-directing one for Chain Gang this weekend.

I've had the benefit and misfortune of crewing on studio films. Feature films are unimaginably large projects. If I think about the possibility of directing one, I get the fear and I don't want to get out of bed. So instead I concentrate on the next few steps forward. I can safely say that every video I've made has in some way been an improvement on the last. I'm looking forward to working on things with higher production value. Initially this is going to be music videos and fashion films and after that short films and after that featu... excuse me I have to hide in bed now... deep breaths... happy place.. spirit cave.. Looking forward to a moment of zen when I see a music video I directed on TV for the first time, it's getting close now. Moving towards my big goal smoothly as long as I don't think about it, I should leave little momento guy notes to myself to keep me on mission. Like this, note to self: Rock on!!