Sydney, I wish I knew how to quit you!

The last two weeks have been a hectic, but extremely pleasant frenzy of farewells. I found that even saying goodbye to my hairdresser and selling my car to the wreckers was emotional. (RIP little blue Mazda, I won’t forget you!) I caught up with so many people, said so many goodbyes, and organized -- with the help of many kind friends!!! -- a rockin’ trivia night.

Throughout the fortnight I stayed relatively calm and focused. My friend, Maddy, commented that even though I kept saying ‘Stop it, you’ll make me cry’, I was actually in complete denial about my imminent migration. The gravity of leaving didn’t hit me until I hugged my Dad at the airport. I became awash with tears and they didn’t dry up until I reached New York. How could I leave so many wonderful people? How could I leave such a wonderful life? How could I move to another city all by myself?

My beautiful French boyfriend, Alexis, came to the airport to see me off. The scene was reminiscent of a classic Hollywood movie except that rather than standing in front of a steaming train with whistles being blown around us, we both cried as we leant against the window of a duty-free store listening to people being paged over the loudspeaker. Who knows when we will see each other again? I’ve promised to make him my date at the Cannes film festival if ever I make it that far!

Saying goodbye to all my friends and family will be great motivation for me. I’m in New York to learn, to become an artist! I’m not going to waste time away from the people I love being frivolous and melancholy! It’s time to get to work!

I’m also scared about leaving my mentor, Lizzy. Her support and encouragement over the last couple of weeks has been incredible. I really have done things I never would have dreamed of before I met her. I can’t say thank you enough Lizzy! Here’s an example of her incredible PR work: http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/film/swapping-film-credits-for-course-credit.aspx

F-1

I got my Visa! Woo! I'm locked, loaded and ready to go!

Film Trivia Night

I'm having a Trivia night in Sydney to raise money to get to New York. Come along!

Brooke2nyu

What a crazy week! I launched my brooke2nyu video last Tuesday and it’s now been viewed more than 360 times! Initially I was really embarrassed to send it out to people but the feedback has been so positive. I’ve been really encouraged by how many people have contacted me after seeing it to tell me that they liked it or just to express interest in what I’m trying to do. It’s so nerve racking when you don’t know how something is going to be received and I was really worried that no one would get the humour. But people’s reactions have been awesome! My friends really encouraged me and they couldn’t have been more helpful with the distribution. A few of them posted it to their Facebook sites as status updates. How sweet! What am I going to do without you guys??? Xxx

Here's a link to the video, just in case you missed my last post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1Wgxi2bqBA

New Video

I’m launching my video today. Eek! Hope you like it. Remember we only had a couple of weeks to put this together! It’s about what would have happened if some of the big directors who came out of NYU hadn’t been able to afford to get there. My dear friend Nic Mckenzie did the animation and the voices of the directors. I really wouldn’t have been able to do it without him! I hope it’s funny and interesting enough to grab some attention. Who knows? The power of the Internet is so vast. The other day I was sent that video of the couple dancing down the isle with all their bridesmaids and groomsmen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0).Now they’re on the US Today Show and in newspapers around the world! Keep your fingers crossed for me. That would be great! B

Panic!

I’m starting to feel really nervous about the big move. I haven’t found anywhere to live yet and I’m supposed to watch 50 films before the course begins. I’ve been so busy with all my fundraising that I’ve only managed to watch about ten. Isn’t it amazing to HAVE to watch terrific films, though? It’s easily one of the best perks of being a filmmaker.

One of our first assignments is to shoot a 16mm black and white, silent film. It has to be set outside and it can’t have any dialogue. What a challenge! When Todd Solondz did the course he made an amazing piece, which set the tone for the rest of his career. In it, he depicted a geeky young man in his late teens committing suicide and becoming an angel. The soundtrack was the boy singing softly to himself in a distorted mumble. Oh Todd Solondz, how do you do it? Every time I watch one of your films I feel as if someone close to me has died and I’ve just laughed and laughed.