Andrew Sparkes

Hackney Library show'n'tell

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:59:00 +0100

After getting a Facebook message a few weeks ago from an ex-coursemate, Laurent (who is now living in London for a while), asking to meet up sometime to share ideas, I got all excited about writing again. While I’ve been trying to write a web series for a while, I did that age-old trick of procrastinating for months - it’s easy when you have no-one to answer to.

Soon after I got that message, I whittled down the first season from 24 roughly 10-page episodes to 13 roughly 15-page episodes. This has cut a lot of the fat from the main ongoing plots and actually made it much more possible to shoot on a budget. The whittling down included basic breakdowns of what the six main characters would be doing in each episode, quick character bios and possible ideas for later seasons if the first goes down well (both for the cast/crew and viewers). I even wrote the pilot script, which was the main thing I was putting off - once that gets written, there’s no pretending it’s just an idea anymore.

So, today, I carted myself off to Hackney Library to see him and share ideas. On a quick side-note, Hackney has definitely cleaned up it’s act. The library was probably the best modern public library in London I’ve seen, and the area itself doesn’t deserve the “it’s run-down” complaints I’ve heard since as long as I remember.

Laurent actually chuckled at a few things in my pilot script, which surprised me - I know it’s meant to be a comedic drama, but I was scared I’d lost the comedy by way of trying too hard to introduce the characters and set-up relationships between them. He also had a few ideas for elements to include in every episode, such as keeping the opening of each episode similar in every episode (much like how My Name Is Earl finished every episode with Earl and Randy talking in bed). It also allowed me to look at the characters in a new way through someone else’s eyes and add some personality traits that would make sense and take away others that would detract from their planned arc.

He himself had a brilliant project that I hope to contribute to, and has a similar intrigue for web content, which should make it easy to bounce ideas off him in the future, as it’s definitely what I’m most interested in at the moment. We’re planning on making it a weekly thing, which is something I’ll definitely need as it finally gives me someone to answer to!

Eleven of my favourite films

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:06:00 +0100

I’m a film geek, so it’d be impossible to choose my favourite ever, and I know I’ve missed out a few, but here’s 11 that I think everyone should watch. Exactly. I couldn’t even reach a Top 10…

The Shawshank Redemption - Critically acclaimed movie to start off the list on a high. Great acting, great writing, great cinematography. There literally isn’t a fault with it.
The Lion King - So what it’s Disney and animated and thus ‘a kid’s film’, but it’s f’n amazing in almost every way. The comic relief characters get to me a bit but everything else makes up for it.
The Truman Show - One of the first films I remember coming out of the cinema after, thinking “Wow..”. Jim Carrey showed he can actually act and it’s a disgrace he didn’t get the Oscar. Score’s great too.
Midnight Run - De Niro and ‘the dad from Beethoven’ playing a bounty hunter and his white collar criminal target who have to get from NY to CA before the end of the week, being pursued by the FBI, the mob and another bounty hunter. Perfect buddy action comedy.
Ghost - Yes, it’s another genre that I, as an adult male, ‘shouldn’t like’, but all-round, it’s a great film that’s stood the test of time.
Fight Club - Another of those films that just doesn’t have anything wrong with it. Norton, Pitt and Bonham Carter are so perfect that you literally can’t imagine anyone else playing the parts.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Who’da thunk that Carrey would be in two of my favourite films? I don’t even like his typical goofy stuff, but like Truman Show, this is one of those where he pulls it back and is all the better for it. Kate Winslet, Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry complete the power team.
Garden State - Braff needs to write more. Nuff sed.
K-PAX - Jeff Bridges plays a workaholic shrink, distant from his family, landed with a man who claims he’s an alien who teaches him what’s important. The concept speaks for itself, but the writing and acting is pitch-perfect too.
Hook - Another of those ‘kids’ films’ that aren’t really just for kids. It’s magical yet human - another example of what happens when an actor best-known for comedy pulls out a dramatic turn.
Knocked Up - It’s ‘just another teen comedy’ to most people, but it’s another film that has just enough actual drama to mean something. Rogen is destined for greatness, so long as he follows in Carrey’s and William’s path with a few dramatic roles in among the comedy. He has the skillz.

Things I used to think were overrated but are actually quite good

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:39:00 +0100

Bruce Springsteen, Imogen Heap and MGMT (I thought they were overplayed but I’m playing them way more on my iPod now than I’ve ever heard on the radio…)
Skins, The Inbetweeners and The Sopranos (overwatched and quoted but decent)
Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Ashton Kutcher (okay, I’m liking the Twitter thing), Russell Brand
Nintendo Wii (it’s just..fun :-D)
Blogger (horrible to code but way easier for non-geeky beginners to use than WordPress)
Looking smart (I can’t pull it off, but don’t think it’s so overrated anymore when other people can)
Newspapers (because being ignorant is worse than being stupid)
Wine (but wine it’s apparently more civilised, I still prefer cider)
Driving (though not at the same time as wine…)
Family dinners

Oscars: Who I Want To See (and Who I Think Will) Win

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 13:14:00 +0000

Best Picture
Want to see Slumdog Millionaire win (based on seeing the film)
Think The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will win (based on ‘Hollywoodness’)

Best Director
Want to see David Fincher win for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (based on the rest of his career)
Think Danny Boyle will win for Slumdog Millionaire (based on reviews)

Best Actor
Want to see Brad Pitt win for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (based on the rest of his career)
Think Mickey Rourke will win for The Wrestler (based on reviews)

Best Actress
Want to see Kate Winslet win for The Reader (based on the rest of her career)
Think Angelina Jolie will win for Changeling (based on the rest of her career)

Best Supporting Actor
Want to see Heath Ledger win for The Dark Knight (based on seeing the film)
Think Heath Ledger will win for The Dark Knight (based on his death)

Best Supporting Actress
Don’t really know or care enough about this category

Best Original Screenplay
Want to see Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter win for WALL-E (based on reviews and wanting to see the film)
Think Dustin Lance Black will win for Milk (based on reviews and ‘Hollywoodness’)

Best Adapted Screenplay
Want to see Simon Beaufoy win for Slumdog Millionaire (based on seeing the film)
Think that Peter Morgan will win for Frost/Nixon (based on ‘Hollywoodness’)