I have felt uncomfortable all morning. Annoyed, cheated, deceived. I stubbornly glanced through the bus window as it neared towards Uxbridge town centre. I saw another shattering reminder monitor the street we rode on. My chances of pulling off my fantastic script had just been ruined. I glared daggers back at it - tempted to hurl abuse to its audience but refrained. Its already six years too late.
Thirteen and infatuated - six years ago, I dedicated all my spare time to film-making and writing various scripts. As a young teen, my fellow friends joked about it and I joked back... They spent their time chasing boys while I already had the love of my life behind the camera. It got acclaim from other script writers and was chosen for workshops. But what use is this script now? I threw it into the corner and left it to gather dust. Just another romance gone stale.

Just an idea that never was. Or if I really hoped, it may even have been a classic black comedy that never graced the screens... Writing a black comedy takes the analogy of raising a child - if you don't pay careful attention to every detail, they could turn out to be a little uncontrollable monster. Behaviour becomes unexplained, plots are lost, interest levels plummet. Not the best foundation to a good storyline, eh? Think of how many films you've seen where tables were turned, stories unexpectedly spiralled and twisted. Where revenge was sweet when fictitious characters got away with murder. Probably seen a few gooduns right?

Well, meet another example. Say hello to 14 year old Angel, the star of my script. Like typical femme fatales - Angel is quietly spoken and is over-shadowed by many other key characters but throughout incidences in the script, she unveils herself as a dark, calculated and strong victim turned avenger. As nail biting and edge-of-your-seat excitement these creations attract... science and technology has stumped me on this one. You see, technology has gotten all clever on us and would have traced every move of Angels tracks.
DNA testing would have marked her to have been present at all of the murder scenes. Analysing her accounts would have proved that she bought film fix to kill one of her targets and a Stanley knife for another. The schools security system may have even provided photographic evidence for her arrest and conviction. Like many other femme fatales, Angel wouldn't really have a realistic chance of getting away scot-free. Ack!!

Maybe my strange imagination has gotten the better of me this time cos all of this has got me interested in the system of privacy and surveillance. Think about the minor things in everyday life that you don't think about or don't take much notice of. Try and recollect every form you've filled in, all the receipts you've shoved in your pockets, all your medical problems - charted, noted, recorded. Everything and all about you. This doesn't necessarily mean that all of our phones are tapped or there are secret cameras a la Truman show style plotted in our homes. Oh no not me guvner, I wouldn't go as far as that. But what about something simple like the everyday tapes of kids slobbering over food in cafes, picking their nose at cash points or snogging in the street, etc.

Who can promise that phone conversations aren't covertly listened to or if e-mails aren't being scanned? Personal files, bills, medical records, school achievements can all be altered by touches of the keyboard. Bank accounts can be wiped, databases can be tampered with, identities can be erased by Big Brother even. (Small query for Tony Suspect and Wolfie - have your CD packages been opened by Royal Mail JUST because of the "suspect" zine name printed on the envelope?).

If we check out something as simple as yer average street camera, there has been some sequences that I've come across in different documentaries recently. There was a recent one looking into the operation of CCTV and its uses. Footage ranged from those discreetly filmed in-store dressing rooms to bank robberies and various offices. My overall opinions would support some areas of surveillance as a good thing. It makes the streets a little safer to walk on, captures those who commit serious offences amongst other things. At the end of the day, the system is controlled by those with knowledge and power - were just the observed. I'm sure I've bugged Cov John and my mates with such suspect ramblings while we've been hanging out. "No more X-Files for you missy", they would declare. But I figure, the next time you're in the street (shop or at train and tube stations), look up and wave because you're on camera again!
Anyhows, gone are the days of scripts - now onto real life rambling tomfoolery in columns and zineage. Well, its been almost over a year since I wrote my last Happy House column. Just a note to say congrats to Rick & Sam for bringing out such good zine stuff even with Ellie keeping em busy! We were all waiting and were pleased with your last efforts. Cheers to everyone who has also been so positive about my new zine and to The Tone/Southport for putting on such great shows!

The latest PLAN 13 fanzine is free (just send 40p postage + SAE), write to: Jen, 186 Knutsford Rd, Warrington, Cheshire, WA4 2QU. My e-mail is transistorsis@hotmail.com
Thanks for reading this far.

Jen 13