You’ve got the love.

Last night I was fortunate enough to be invited along to the Screen Geek team’s Christmas drinks. I’ve mentioned the site before. I have started doing a wee bit of review/freelance work for them. Check it out here.
It was the first time I had met them all, except Sam, the editor, who boldly stated that we were “in the trenches together”.

What I will take away from last night is the subject I want to talk about, the subject of passion and pride in one’s work. I feel very lucky and privileged that I get to write about films, that I get asked to go and review new films, that I get sandwiches and wine and private screening rooms. It is worlds away from the Empire in Basildon.
It seemed to me that everyone in the room last night felt that way. They all love film. All you had to do was shut up for five minutes and take it all in to realise how emotional and motivated and animated they become on the topic.
There’s always a fear that if you keep doing something for long enough then you lose sight of why you started out on the journey in the first place, and that you end up going through the motions. Of course I’m aware that it is very hard to get paid writing work doing what we do and forgive me if I am wrong but there appears to be a good deal of jumping ship and mutiny when the situation calls. Think The Rum Diary, the book, not the film.

I write because I deep down adore writing. I can’t get enough of it. There is so much to say. There are so many stories tangled up and I get frustrated that it takes so long to pull one free and see the end of it.
It’s the same with playing guitar. I know that the likelihood is I won’t ever become a credible musician but there comes a point where you carry on playing beyond the idea of wanting to be Jimmy Page or Bob Dylan. It is just something I love to do.
I feel the same way about relationships. Kate and I made an agreement a long time ago that if we ever stopped having fun and enjoying one another’s company then we would have the good sense to walk away from the whole thing. It keeps me on my toes. I’m also fortunate in that every time I am in the build up of minutes before I see her I still get that irregularity to my heartbeat.

I was told last night to hold onto the reason that I love film and the reason that I started reviewing. I feel I should comment to myself now that there is something good to be taken from practically any film. It is an art form. It is to be respected and if you ever forget that I’ll be coming for you.