I do a lot of shopping in, and around, Ealing Broadway shopping centre. There are a  number of things there to be observed.

Normally, I travel to the centre via the free shuttle bus service provided to me by the university, however, if I need to go on a weekend, I make the journey by walking from my flat. However I get to the centre, I am also shocked as to how suddenly it can become packed with people. As soon as I step off the bus or, if I'm using my legs, once I've past Beehive, I find myself constantly dodging people coming from the opposite direction like I'm playing a game of Frogger.

Some of my favourite people to observe at Ealing Broadway at the market salesmen. Whatever time of day I'm around their stalls, they always seem so energetic and full of life. They are constantly advertising their products to the people walking around. Their voices sound almost sing-song in the way they encourage you to buy their vegetables. They work in a really small, tight island in the town centre, and I find it incredible how they produce such speedy service considering their limited workspace. As someone who grew up in Somerset, looking at these salesmen, it's as if I never left home. The veg sellers seem like they've come straight from the farms they were grown on. As mentioned previously, these men selling greens look exactly like they would do back home, right down to their choice of headwear, the classic flat cap. I have grown accustomed to these guys to speak in a thick West-Country accent, so it is a little off-putting to hear them talking like they're from LUN-DUN.

Whenever you're making your way into Ealing Broadway, make sure you take a detour to say hello to these salesmen. They're a bunch of really cool blokes. Anyone who offers me 2 avocados for £1 is alright in my books.

I recently watched Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine. It is a documentary, produced in 2003, about a chess match between Garry Kasparov, a world chess champion, and Deep Blue, a computer created by IBM that could play chess.

The main focus of the film is that of a match between the two in 1997. Much of the film is Kasparov, Deep Blue's programmers and other people involved in the match, talking about the event and the part they played in it. There is a lot of exposition which puts the film an observational mode.

The film uses Archive Footage in many scenes. It's used to show Kasparov in the past to showcase his history as a Chessmaster. Interviews are used as the film's main tool of furthering the plot. Most of the interview subjects are filmed in much the same way. In medium-shots to show part of their location before going into close-ups to show a bit more emotion.

Kasparov's interviews a filmed using a number of techniques. When Garry showcases the room in which IBM defeated him, it is done using a handheld camera and sometimes moves erratically in a way that can replicate his own feelings towards the game. At the film's beginning, the plot focus on Kasparov's origins and how he was before the match with Deep Blue. During these parts, he is shot from a low angle, making him seem more powerful. This goes well with his stories of being the world's best chess player. When the narrative comes to the part where Kasparov has been defeated by a machine, this is replaced with high angle shots. It's as if the audience looks down on him literally and figuratively. 

Shots of Deep Blue, the computer that defeated Kasparov, is also shot in an interesting fashion. It's introduced with a long panning shot. The film then uses low angle shots, similar to how Garry was shot early in the film, to give the impression that the viewer is looking up at the machine. This gives the audience the impression that the IBM computer is menacing and something to be feared.

I feel like that's where the film's main strengths lay. The story of the film is definitely interesting but not immediately captivating. The plot is elevated by strong camerawork and cinematography.

God's Gift to the Dole Queue: The Steve Roney Story

This Documentary shall tell the story of my Dad, Steve Roney, beginning with his school days. The film's main conflict will be between my Dad and the teachers who said he'd never amount to anything. This documentary will bounce between a subjective point-of-view and a neutral one as the film will have a message but one which will be subtly added. This also works as the main focus needs to be my Dad's life story. I expect my film's structure to be determined by my Dad's life as it happened and how those events relate to the conflict of the piece. Ultimately, I want the audience to understand that just because someone has a difficult upbringing doesn't mean they won't achieve anything and hopefully inspire younger viewers that similar things could happen to them.

The film's subject is my Dad. Steve Roney was born in Blackburn within a military family. This meant the family regularly moved internationally. Some of his childhood was spent in Cyprus, Germany and Northern Ireland. He found school in Blackburn difficult. While he exceeded at sports, he received little support from staff or his family. One teacher even said he was "God's Gift to the Dole Queue". This is a comment which has stayed with him all his life. After finishing school at 16, he left home by train to Plymouth to join the Royal Navy. None of his family saw him off or attended his passing parade despite every other seaman being cheered on by loved ones. In 1985, he married Samantha,  my Mum and the two of them lived in Yeovil. Due to his commitments with the Navy, in 1994, my Dad and my Mum moved to Belgium where my sister was born a year later. Just a few years later, my parents moved back to Yeovil where I was then born. My Dad struggled to be away from his family, so in 2004 he decided to call time of his Navy career after achieving the rank of Chief Petty Officer. My Dad eventually found a job working at Westfield Community School. He started as an Attendance Officer before moving onto Head of House. With this role, he gives students support that was not available to him when he was their age. Despite being told he'd be on the dole queue, my Dad has never been out of work. This is also the school both his children went to, allowing him to see them every day.

It's where my Dad's story ends that shows the resolution of the film's conflict. As someone who had little to no support from school staff or his own parents, he has overcome this by giving to the next generation of children what he never had.

I also hope this film will shed some light on how society perceives children who misbehave at school. Similar to how Educating Yorkshire showcases kids like this and the school staff that give them the help they need.

Uni Task: Interview with Myself (Participant)

Q: So Will, you're leaving Abbey104 with quite a bang. What made you want to do a 24-hour show to complete your time with the station?

A: A lot of things made me want to do this. I know some bigger station have done this before a few times before as a sort of charity fundraiser. But mainly, I just knew that I didn't want my last show before leaving for Uni to be just business as usual. I knew it needed to be a bit more special because first of all, It would be a bit too plain for my liking, and secondly, if I'm knackered by the time I need to leave, I'm not going to be too emotional when I walk out the door for the last time.

Q: How are you going to keep yourself awake for a whole day?

A: Hopefully my plan will work. I've got many themed hours planned for this broadcast. As long as there's something interesting and full of energy, it's unlikely I'm going to doze off during this. I'll just keep surprising myself. That should work.

Q: How long have you been at Abbey104?

A: I have been here for 2 and half years now. Since April 2015.

Q: What made you want to join a Community Radio Station?

A: I was at college, studying Media, and I felt like I needed some work experience within this sector. I used Google to see what Media jobs or volunteer stuff going on around my area. I found this station just a 20-minute drive from my house, so I emailed the station asking what I could do. I then had a meeting with Taff and Ken (current and former chairmen of Abbey104) and then I had to go through a number of training session with Ken. Then I eventually got given a slot on Sunday and I was off.  It started off as a one-hour show but once I turned 18, I asked Phil (programme controller) if I could expand my show to 2-hours. That move really helped me expand my show in terms of quality as it allowed to put more of my ideas to the test.

Q: What can we look forward to in this 24-hour show?

A: Loads of fun. Lots of guests from the station coming in and out to chat and play some games. We've got hours dedicated hours based on Disney, international music, Reading Festival. I'm especially looking forward to Midnight where I'm playing an hour of horror inspired tunes.

Last Saturday, I visited the Moniker Art Fair in Whitechapel, London.

The exhibition showcased a number of artists from all over the world and brought their works to The Old Truman Brewery in East London.

During my time browsing the art fair, I number of pieces caught my eye. I especially liked the works of a Japanese artist who took "pop-up art" to a whole new level.

Graffiti was a common motif of the exhibits. The installation featured many alternative takes on famous cartoon characters. As a fan of animation, it was fascinating to see these twisted versions of iconic characters.

I began to notice a recurring theme of the pieces that I was drawn to. The art that I found memorable was very surrealist and out of left field.

I believe I can use that fact in my future projects whether it's my film projects with Uni or my personal radio show. It's okay to do things a little differently than others. I'd say that in order to be as unique as possible, I might have to really put my imagination to the test to create some work that is eye-catching and, most importantly, my own.

Observational Task: Men at Work

Here's a little video of me.