After more than 7 years as a b3tan and /links supporter, allow me this one please...
My brother is a writer. He's been writing for a long time now, and he's pretty much paid his dues to the industry. Corporate videos. Public information shorts. He's done the lot.
Remember the channel 5 programme "Axe Men"? When it was brought over to this country he re-scripted the voiceover to make sense to an English audience.
In short, he's done some pretty low-rent stuff over the years to keep money coming in.
Over a decade ago he had an idea for a film. Nothing overly revolutionary, but a solid romantic comedy in good keeping with British film making tradition. After many years of pitching this fruitlessly to all and sundry he finally found a producer willing to take a chance on him, and wrote up the first draft.
Several more years, and countless redrafts later, pieces of the jigsaw began to slot into place. They'd assigned a director to the project and started sounding out potential product sponsors and cast members. They got a bunch of people interested in it varying from the teen idol, through the emerging prospect, to the established legend.
About 18 months ago they got the green light to shoot it. A few months later they had a first cut of the thing to take round promoters to see if anyone would take the risk of putting this onto any screens.
Today, the concept that my bro came up with 10 years ago hits the screens in nearly 400 cinemas nationally. Hell yeah!
I wouldn't expect it to be of overwhelming interest to the majority of b3tans, but it's a good script (I'll admit to a certain bias on that one), well-realised, and I'm immensely chuffed for, and proud of, him. In a struggling British film industry it's good to know that an unknown writer can still take an idea from the margins into what will hopefully become a decently successful movie and a good foundation for more stuff.
He's got a blog too. Quite an interesting look at the process from script to screen.
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barryheadwound Mul-ti-pass? Multipass!, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:44,
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ohhh this looks like my kind of girly film!
I'll rally the troops and see if they fancy an orange wednesday!
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Mrs. Spatum, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:49,
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Yeah yeah get all the obvious ones out early ;op
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barryheadwound Mul-ti-pass? Multipass!, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:52,
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Cor Brooke Shields
Congratulations to your Brother
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ERG1008 is climbing in yo windows & snatchin yo people up, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:52,
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YAY!
Going with me dear old mum this very evening!
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Herb Alpert's Taxi Driver I have very beautiful lips, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:53,
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I can understand how you feel and congratulations are well deserved all around.
Whatever people think of screen writing the truth of the matter is that of all the thousands of scripts submitted into the system, what you see on screen represents the best of what's out there. Which is both depressing and amazing. Hopefully this movie will open a few more doors (and make a fucking shit load of money).
(, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 10:58, Share, Reply)
Cheers!
I'd qualify the use of the term 'best', although it is definitely very good :o)
As a first script, Tom knew that the need to get something produced and out there to begin getting his name recognised, superseded his desire to produce a searing, oscar-sweeping epic that would never get off the ground.
I think a lot of writers suffer from holding too tight to their work, and as such there are a lot of truly excellent pieces that never make it out of the gate. Sure if you're an established industry mainstay you can be more assertive, but at the outset, knowing when to hold on and when to let go is crucial.
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barryheadwound Mul-ti-pass? Multipass!, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 11:06,
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Very astute and probably very true.
I have only ever written one script in my life but just by finishing it I knew that I had done something that 95% of people who pick up a pen never do.
(, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 11:11, Share, Reply)
You should have a surf round his blog. There's one about 'lessons from production' or similar that you might find interesting...
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barryheadwound Mul-ti-pass? Multipass!, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 11:21,
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I hope it does well, and that this is the first of many for your bro :)
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Monty Propps, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 11:42,
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Well done to him
I have endless admiration for people who can take an idea and run with it - even if it is stomach churningly awful.
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SpunkyBackpack, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 11:47,
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There's a double-edged compliment ;o)
Similarly, one of its early reviews described the film as 'the best British romcom since Love Actually'
errr...
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barryheadwound Mul-ti-pass? Multipass!, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 11:58,
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Congrats to your brother, I hope he makes enough from this to retire or whatever his dreams desire.
I also hope he falls off his bike, at low speed, and grazes his knees and palms; or perhaps bangs his shin quite hard on a step so that he'll still be rubbing it better half an hour later.
...because the actual film looks a bit rubbish.
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mr.dogshit The world's premier anthropomorphic canine faeces, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 12:14,
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I did say it wouldn't be to everyone's taste round here...
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barryheadwound Mul-ti-pass? Multipass!, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 12:39,
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actually...
upon re-reading that, it comes across as a bit spiteful and that wasn't my intention.
What I should've said was... WOOYAY
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mr.dogshit The world's premier anthropomorphic canine faeces, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 12:46,
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He's got no great illusions about the calibre of movie he's put together.
It's more important at his stage of career to demonstrate that you can write a movie that sells. Behind that though is some genuinely good writing, and the fact that the marketing people are going straight down the Ed Westwick/teenage girl route kind of conceals the fact that there is a broader appeal in it.
Most of the individual reviews have been along the lines of 'I got dragged along to this by my missus/daughter expecting to hate it and actually almost caught myself enjoying it in parts'. Which is pretty good considering.
:o)
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barryheadwound Mul-ti-pass? Multipass!, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 12:50,
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surely scraping his shin down bear trap pedals would suffice?
you 'orrible bastard
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real i'm not happy 'til you're not happy, Thu 24 Mar 2011, 2:20,
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urgh
as if this isn't shoved down our throats enough. keep this forgettable trash away from me. This film will disappear without a trace into the abyss of human excrement it came from. The very concept sickens me with boredom and dread. Bill Nighy? He's never been funny. Obviously Bill Bailey has been paid a very handsome cheque to do a pointless bit part in this with the soul purpose of attracting 1% more men to see this than the 1% who already will, either by accident or via force.
This is part of a problem in the film and music industry. Slosh aims directly at young female audiences because female audiences make up 80% of the people who pay hard cash for music and video. Look at how much music and media is now aimed at a certain type of female. It's horrendous. The entire mainstream media produces nothing but castrated, inoffensive, irrelevant material for an imaginary demographic of superficial femme bots. Miranda winning the British Comedy award? For that innoffensive and infantile comedy? And in the face of such unjust and stupid times that we live in.
and fuck calling me a sexist, this isn't about euqality its about Ad Men giving money to the least important creatives to make the least important media to sell it to the biggest possible paying demographic to make the most money in order to give it to the least important people.....blah blah blah. Thank god we've got the internet.
(, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 12:21, Share, Reply)
I wish him all the best with it.
However, as a single male, I shall not be going to see it.
I frequently go to the cinema alone; but there're some films where that'd just be weird. This is one such...
:)
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Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 12:52,
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You'll be waiting for the DVD release then...
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barryheadwound Mul-ti-pass? Multipass!, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 12:56,
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I'll be building a special shrine in which to keep it.*
*Possibly not entirely true.
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Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 13:00,
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Saw it for free the other week..
Tis was an enjoyable romp, good sort of hungover on a Sunday film, plus everyone looks pretty in it, and Bill Nighy is ace.. and knowing it's roots i'll forgive some of its faults, good work to your brother sir..
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Sheep in Socks it is illegal to take a lion to the cinema., Wed 16 Mar 2011, 13:49,
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Free O_o
Did you go to one of the previews or have you been nawty?
Cheers, btw.
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barryheadwound Mul-ti-pass? Multipass!, Wed 16 Mar 2011, 13:56,
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Still...
Congrats on getting Nighy and Bailey in there - that's classic British Rom Com gold, right there. I doubt I'll see it though - recession, poverty, bone idleness, et al. But you never know - there's always the Bargain Bin purchases for poor scum like myself! It'll be there in what - three weeks? That's the state of the industry right now, isn't it?
(, Fri 18 Mar 2011, 17:59, Share, Reply)
Absolutely
I was watching that trailer thinking "congratulations but not my thing," and then at the end, ooooh!
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Batsgirl, Mon 21 Mar 2011, 10:57,
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that's awesome.
I doubt I'l be able to catch it in the cinema but I will rent it for sure to help B3ta peeps : D
nice one and good lluck to him and the film. Hope it does really well.
: )
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--- ---, Fri 18 Mar 2011, 18:20,
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Excellent
Regardless of what your opinion of this film is, breaking in to the film industry (especially the British one, in the romantic comedy field) is a fantastic achievement. Best of luck to your brother!
(, Fri 18 Mar 2011, 18:20, Share, Reply)
Very inspiring stuff that because, its a massive achievement, a friend of mine has just done the same kind of thing...
...with a believe it or not a love story for a film called "Turnout" which is actually screening tonight for cast & crew somewhere up the west end and, he's only a young guy as well + a total gentlemen. If that was my bro I'd be very chuffed too, bravo, also bookmarked his blog for a read later nice one.
(, Fri 18 Mar 2011, 19:10, Share, Reply)
I remember seeing the trailer for this
at the cinemas a few months back. Small world?
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thyrf as in turf, but not, Fri 18 Mar 2011, 19:19,
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Oooh you naughty shameless plugger you
Just for that I will take mrs Spleen to see this fillum
(, Fri 18 Mar 2011, 19:57, Share, Reply)
Grats to your bruv :)
Plus anything with Bill Bailey in it is a win as far as I'm concerned :D
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Jeccius Steam Borderlands 2 junkie, Fri 18 Mar 2011, 20:10,
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is
click for bb2
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dazbrilliantwhites has been meaning to change this..., Sat 19 Mar 2011, 13:27,
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Yay! Thanks to all the Newsletter peeps for replying too. Luv y'all :oD
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barryheadwound Mul-ti-pass? Multipass!, Fri 18 Mar 2011, 21:28,
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