The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy

I had something interesting to write but then I got sidetracked so now rather the riveting piece I had planned to share with the internet, I will instead write some banal and uninteresting collection of poorly chosen, and even more poorly assembled words.

I am sick and it may be swine flu, it could just be good old fashioned flu, but then I am prone to melodrama on occasion.

Why we couldn't make do with the flu the way it was I shall never fathom. I suspect it has something to do with the rampant consumerism the world is drowning itself in. The flu like everything else in the world nowadays feels the need to keep up with the Jones's. It's not content to just simply hang around in the lungs and kill old people, it has decided to move into a new market, deeper into the lungs therefore scaring the willies out of everyone and causing widespread panic.

I've been reading the Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy's radio transcripts and I've been enjoying it immensely, strange because I'd almost forgotten about it. The first time I read the book I was amazed that the written language could be so funny. I remember reading it in bed aged about thirteen and howling with laughter until my eyes watered and sides burned.

I had no idea that it was possible to write and be that funny it was a revelation, one that led me to the Discworld series, I've been a fan of both ever since.

Reading the series today reminds my how good of a comic writer Douglas Adams actually was.

Immensely funny and still funny to this day, I thought that time may gave diluted his jokes, but actually I'm still marvelling twenty one years on at how bloody good it is.

In fact it's a bit distressing for all of my flaccid attempts at humour I am still a single celled organism on the boot of the gods of comedy.

Still being a bit crap hasn't stopped the BBC from churning out middle of the road after middle of the road sitcom. There's hope for me yet.

It's been a while

Hmm, another long gap between posts and now it's late october. What's been going on, you may ask? Actually you probably won't ask, you probably got bored waiting for me to write another post.

So it's october and I've just celebrated my 35th birthday, celebrated might be too strong. I woke up and was 35 whether I like it or not.

The last year has been really busy, which is great. I recently returned from cannes as I attended Mipcom an international television and film market. A couple of days in the sun to meet and collect business cards from people who all go to cannes to meet and collect business cards.

I feel I now have a much better grasp of the business of collecting business cards, I may write a book on it.

Now I'm back in London and I've just finished directing an animated Pilot for Nickelodeon. It's strange because it's animated and for all of my attempts to get away from it, I keep getting sucked back in.

I've stopped fighting it however and now I've decided to go with the flow. My head is in a strange place, actually my head is where its always been which is at the top of my shoulders, but it's not enjoying there.

This may have something to do with the weather, I always get restless as the season turns, at least that's what I like to tell myself.

I also like to tell myself I'm not going bald, the futility of struggling against the certainties of the universe can sometimes make life easier.

I am currently working on a few projects, a pitch for Nickelodeon, a straight to TV movie and of course my sitcom, which seems to be getting closer and closer to a resolution.

I have resolved to start writing again, probably a response to the not so big thirty five. I have one or two things I intend to do this year. I shall no doubt make some vague attempt to update this blog as and when the mood takes me......

A bit of a break.

I've had no time for blogging recently, I'm directing three films for the COI and it's taken up all of time so I've had to put everything else to one side.
There is fortunately light at the end of the tunnel, hopefully by the 5th of May the films will be done and dusted and I can get on with all of the other stuff I've been working on.
I haven't been able to do much of anything, but I have somehow persuaded my friend Rahul Pathak, who is currently working at the Al Jazeera news networks to film a small section of the Half Hour, Half Hour pilot.
Even though it's a small piece it still feels pretty damn good to have something in the can. My plan is to begin filming pretty much as soon as I return from LA in the middle of May.
For now though, I've been writing some quite random bits and pieces, I've been forced to rethink my strategy due to lack of resources.
So I've been trying to come up with ways of producing material that doesn't have to look like its
a feature film.

Here's a sneak peak at a frame.....Rahul, was in the original version of "In The Running". It doesn't take much imagine to see he's playing a newsreader.



This is a still and is without the channel logo and extra bits that need to go on. Ordinarily I would keep everything under wraps but this project has been burning a hole in my brain and is something I desperately want to make happen. Uploading this image makes it somewhat more of a reality for me.

Its.......

I'm currently reading an autobiography by the Pythons and I'm finding it fascinating, it's really great to get an insight in the way the show was put together.
Its got me fired up and motivated, although its hard at the minute with all of the other things going on.
I desperately want to get my pilot made, I'm not sure If I'm motivated by a need to get the show on air, or just by the act of making it. I suspect its the latter.
It's unbelievably frustrating to have a script and not be able to do anything about it. Time is rapidly going by and I don't want the script to be forever just a collection on ink stains on paper.
I'm also aware that I won't be able to produce the entire thing. The most I can hope for are a few minutes, if I intend to make it with the level of quality I expect for the whole show.
It boils down to money, or lack thereof, I simply have no resources and I'm not connected enough to be able to put together an amazing team of people for next to nothing.
onwards and upwards.

Running A Marathon

Occasionally I look back over the work I've done and think, wow there's quite a backlog of work building up and I get a very small feeling of accomplishment. The feeling never lasts long.
The problem is there is no time to be resting on my laurels, I'm currently and very thankfully working on a great project for my company.
Things have been very quiet of late and financially I've not been in the best situation.

However I'm all too aware that I still have so far to go on my pilot, now the script is finished....at least for now, I can't afford to sit back and let the world happen around me, without trying to push on.
In the next few months I need to go out and film a section of the pilot, otherwise I think the show will be dead in the water.
Sometimes its a bit wearying that as soon as one milestone is reached, you look up to find another one which is invariably further away.
The stakes have been raised now, I can't afford to go out and come back with poor footage that can be "fixed in post".
from here on in I have to get it all right and whatever I do can't be undone, there will be no second chances.
Whatever I shoot has to conceivably be the thing that will go on screen, should we get a commission.
In terms of resources I have and always have had very little, a pop gun to everyone's elses arsenal of professional camera crew and contacts.
But I don't want to give up, not having all the resources may make for a difficult journey, but the
last few years haven't been easy, so a little more struggle isn't the end of the world.
I want to be out filming soon, but this time for real, no more practice, no more lame excuses and no more dodgy sound.

Synopsis

Today I'm taking a break from my usual work and am in the middle of wrting a synopsis for a film
a friend has shown some interest in. It's not really my usual fair, that's to say it's not a comedy.
it was a story I'd started a few years ago, I'm not exactly sure why I decided to write it, I think I may have been attempting to figure out what kind of thing I wanted to do.
The project which may or may not happen for one reason or another is a drama and is very personal, so personal in fact that I have no interest in writing it. The plan is to get it to a stage where a "real" writer can take what I have a produce a blinding script with it.
The thing is, is that I'm really close to it and even just attempting to get back into it is hard work.
There are no jokes in the script, in fact it's a pretty grim story.
Still I suppose its a challenge to write outside of the comfort zone of fart and knob gags.

I haven't blogged for a while, actually I've not had the inclination for one reason or another. The
last few weeks have been really stressful, I'm hoping that now there may be some light at the end of the tunnel.
I've had to let things slide a bit recently, I've been pressed into doing other things.
I'm currently waiting to find some time to mix the sound on the remaining sketches. I'm aware that they are not really good enough. It's been a good few weeks since I've been concentrating on the Half Hour, Half Hour, now I have to get back on the horse and try and finish the package.
I have decided that I want to shoot a section, I knew I would have to do this sooner rather than later.
If and when it happens I'm going to do it right this time, no shoddy sound or image problems. There won't be any second chances.