nickboocock.com
  • Home
  • Features
    • A Hard Day's Heist
    • Henry The Ninth
    • Saving Albion
    • Ringer
    • Piers, Pies & Thighs
    • Wally Lewis Is Coming
    • A Delicate Nature
    • The White Horse
    • Shafted!
    • Fool Such As I
  • TV
    • Boss Man
    • Blind Justice
    • Brambledown
    • Ready To Drop
    • Leg Day
    • Ed Gibbons Uncut
    • Ed Gibbons: Best Bits
  • Web & Shorts
    • Lilly's London
    • Reply To All
    • New Dad
    • Leg Day
    • Tooth*Fairy
    • Saddle Sores
  • Comedy
    • A Hard Day's Heist
    • Henry The Ninth
    • Saving Albion
    • Ready To Drop
    • Brambledown
    • Piers, Pies & Thighs
    • Reply To All
    • New Dad
    • Saddle Sores
    • Leg Day
    • Ed Gibbons Uncut
    • Ed Gibbons: Best Bits
    • Shafted!
  • Drama
    • Boss Man
    • Blind Justice
    • Ringer
    • Wally Lewis Is Coming
    • A Delicate Nature
    • The White Horse
    • Fool Such As I
    • Tooth*Fairy
  • Contact Me

WRITERS' BLOG TOUR 2014

8/2/2014

0 Comments

 
I've been invited by screenwriter KT Parker to take part in the Writers' Blog Tour. 

The brainchild of UK screenwriting luminary Danny Stack, The Writers' Blog Tour is an initiative to connect UK screenwriters, get us talking about our projects and what inspires us. Once you've taken the Tour, you pass it on to three fellow writers to do the same.

It takes the form of four simple questions, so without further ado, here goes something...

What am I working on?
 As always, a number of projects. So much to write, so little time to do it!!
1) "Henry The Ninth", a quintessentially British comedy-drama feature. The original treatment won the Euroscript Screen Story prize for 2012, but it has evolved quite considerably since then. Originally intended as a bittersweet satire on vacuous celebrity, it has morphed into a quirky character piece with a feelgood vibe. Currently at the third draft stage.

2) "CUT!", a Wigan-set comedy feature revolving around the infomercial industry and an unashamed farce at that! Based on an original idea I had over 4 years ago, but has been given fresh impetus by my inviting Wigan-based screenwriter Scott Davenport to join me as co-writer. I met Scott at the post-London Screenwriters Festival 2013 drinks in the World's End pub on Baker Street. We got chatting and upon learning that he was from Wigan and had previously worked in the TV shopping channel game I let slip that I had this long-neglected project which encompassed both of those elements. I asked him there and then if he'd like to collaborate and the rest is ourstory. Currently at the first draft stage.

3) "Brambledown", a sitcom based around a dysfunctional neighbourhood watch group. Another collaboration, this time with a US-Style writers room team comprising five like-minded writers who met at the London Screenwriters Festival. We convene once per month to break story and punch up the draft before I don my corduroy slacks and elbow-patched jacket to turn teacher and send everyone away with some homework to prepare for next time. It works remarkably well and I'd recommend it to all. We've received some very positive feedback from BAFTA's Rocliffe new writing scheme on an early script sample and having completed the first draft we are now at an advanced stage of polishing before submitting to production companies.

4) I'm also working on another sitcom which has an independent Producer attached, but am not allowed to share any information at present.

How does my work feel different to others of its genre?
Well, I don't try to re-invent the wheel but one thing I have been told is that my writing has a natural emotional depth which not all comedy writers achieve. That, and I've been told that my secondary characters are fully-fleshed and compelling in their own right. 

Why do I write what I do?
 Simply because I've got an idea that I find funny, compelling and oddly truthful, and think plenty more people out there will too. I have many more ideas that are much more subjective and in-jokey - of the "you had to be there" variety - but am disciplined enough to keep these for my own amusement and not dilute my writing with them.

How does my writing process work?
I'm a planner and plotter, for sure. Some people favour a stream of consciousness approach - just start writing and see where it takes them. That's great, so long as you've got a sharp in-built editorial sense which is going to be needed once you re-draft. 

Once I've got an idea, I'll let it gestate for a few weeks - brainstorming different story and character possibilities to spin off from it. When I think I've got enough material - say 4 pages of brief story and character notes - I'll try and work it into an Act or Beats structure. This is not a cast-iron template, but what it does is test whether the various ideas can link up convincingly to make a whole. Once I've done that, I'll pull it all together into a treatment - typically between 6-8 pages.

If that's working, then I'll start to outline my scenes to make sure they can coherently segue into each other. For this I use the Save The Cat software, which is essentially like using the traditional index cards and pin-board except it's all on my laptop. So, no need to worry about misplaced cards or stray pins (which Mrs B may tread on or Baby B may try to eat!)

Scenes outlined, that's it - embark on the first draft. Having done all of the above, first drafts take me 1-2 weeks for a sitcom and 2-4 weeks for a feature. I never get stuck or blocked because I've already planned it out so forensically - I always know what's coming next and how it will segue. Having completed the first draft, the fun really begins. If I'm working with a collaborator, naturally I'll kick it back and forth with them. If I'm working solo, then I'll look for feedback either from a trusted peer or a professional source like Euroscript. I can easily run up to a dozen or more re-drafts - each taking 1-2 weeks - before I have what I consider to be the finished article. 

And which any Producer will consider to be a first draft ;-)




So, that's me.

I'll be back soon with links to the writers whom I've passed the baton on to. 

In the meantime, why not check out KT's answers here...


0 Comments

18th / 19th January 2014: Location shoot of "REPLY TO ALL"

1/25/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture


Following our successful pre-Christmas crowd-funding campaign, we proceeded to shoot "Reply To All" on the weekend of 18th/19th January 2014.

The venue was The Richmond Hill Hotel, situated at the brow of Richmond Hill - a bona fide London beauty spot on the edge of Richmond Park (local residents include The Who's Pete Townshend and Sir David Attenborough). I personally selected the venue as I felt its suites offered a bridal feel, and I was aware that these had suitable balconies which we would require for a key scene.



Picture
So it was an early start on Saturday morning, for a shoot which was not without its challenges:

* The film runs in almost real-time, meaning that light conditions must be consistent throughout. All of the action occurs during daytime, so evening and night scenes were a no-no. With daylight hours being at a minimum at this time of year, this cut our hours of possible filming considerably.
 
 Fortunately our Director Josh Westbury compiled a meticulous shot-list which enabled us to make the most of the limited daylight hours and ensure we shot the key balcony scene accordingly.

* For much of the film, the central character "Becki" sports a mud-pack on her face. Now these things set and dry fairly rapidly, but given the film's real-time duration (approx. 10-12 minutes) we needed to keep that mud-pack looking freshly-applied.

 Hats off then to our hair and make-up artist Cat Corderoy for her endless supply of mud-packs and diligence in removing and re-applying it identically to Tracey's ("Becki") forehead time and again. 


...Oh, and we nearly had a disastrous start on Saturday when Anne - one of our Sound Recording team, and who was carrying most of our audio equipment, got knocked down on her way to the shoot.

By an ambulance, of all things!

Right outside Northwick Park Hospital.

Now, one can be flippant and say if you are to get knocked down at all, you're best off doing so via such a vehicle and at such a location - but Anne did remarkably well to dust herself down (thankfully unscathed) and put in a full shift like nothing had happened. 

Anyway, the shoot got underway more or less on schedule, and pretty much to plan.

In the role of "Becki", Tracey Pickup put in a tremendous comedic turn in what is essentially a one-hander role. Throughout the two days, her performance levels never dipped and nor did her patience as we put her through multiple variations of the same scene to ensure we had the maximum amount of footage to pull from in the final cut. 

We selected Tracey from a field of 450+ applicants, and she lived up to the billing - pitching the role just right to measure up against the animated elements we will add in post-production.

Another individual whose patience and energy levels are to be applauded is Director of Photography Oliver Cross. Oli had just flown back from a trip to his native New Zealand 48 hours prior to shoot, and yet the inevitable jet-lag never showed as he adjudged each take on its merits, never skimping in his quest for the best shot at all times.


As with all film shoots however, the clock - or more specifically the fading daylight in our case - will always run against you, and despite our superb progress over the tight 2-day shoot, we had to rally to shoot the final scenes as time dwindled away. This led to a high-pressure final scene. Now I'm not going to give away any spoilers here, but let's just say it is a ONE-TAKE ONLY scene - get it wrong, and we won't be able to go back and re-do it...

Could we pull it off?

We all held our breath as Tracey ************SPOILER....NOT TELLING YOU!!!***************  .......and then, slowly pulled away to reveal.......

YES! WE DID IT!!!!  

Huge - silent - grins broke out around set, until Director Josh finally called "And Cut!" - leading to a spontaneous outbreak of applause and relief from all involved.

And that was it - our location shoot was done. Fantastic work by all.

Must also mention: Producer Sophie Caramigeas for  her tireless co-ordination of the whole shoot and acquiring the kit; Art Director Jeremy Hay who was integral to the shot composition and operating the clapper-board; Location Photographer Stuart James Hall, who took 800+ invaluable snaps which will help us market the film when completed; and Music Composer Ian Roullier for his Sound Recording work.

Official Photographs will follow soon.

NEXT UP: Voiceover recordings for our animated characters on 1st February....
0 Comments

WE DID IT!!!...REPLY TO ALL HITS CROWD-FUND TARGET

12/16/2013

0 Comments

 
WE DID IT!!!!

We have successfully completed crowd-funding on my debut short film REPLY TO ALL , produced by Caramie Productions.

Reply To All is a unique comedy about an everyday disaster. It will be made using combination of live action and animation.

Logline: An over-tired bride-to-be fires off a confidential email rant, slating her future mother-in-law, on the eve of her big day. One problem: she REPLIED TO ALL...copying in the entire wedding party. Can she prevent the old dragon from reading the mail and ruining her married life before it has even begun?  

Many thanks to all who backed the film. We really couldn't have made it over the line without your generosity.
Shooting takes place in Richmond, South West London on the weekend of the 18th/19th January. 
Josh Westbury will direct, with Tracey Pickup cast in the lead role of "Becki".
0 Comments

PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE TO READ THIS...

11/28/2013

1 Comment

 
HAVE YOU EVER ILLEGALLY DOWNLOADED A FILM?

BOUGHT A PIRATE DVD?


Be honest, who hasn’t?

In the past I have certainly listened to music that was ‘copied’ - although I have never knowingly bought a pirate DVD or CD and the threat of virus or hacking has always deterred me from using illegal file-sharing sites.

However, there comes a time when we should put our money where our mouth is. Give the artist their due.

It’s the fairest way to ensure quality films continue to be produced. If piracy and illegal downloading continues to grow at the rate it is, then mark my words - 10 years from now you will see a huge decline in the quality of films hitting your screens.

Some of you may feel this is happening already.  But next time you feel let down by the poor production values of a supposed blockbuster, you’d do well to consider why Producers’ budgets don’t stretch as far as they used to. Or if you feel short-changed by the poor ending of a mystery thriller, it could be because the Producer couldn’t afford to pay the Screenwriter for one last “spit and polish” draft of the script that they both knew it needed.

Those scary ads are true. Piracy really is strangling the movie business. I’ve seen the figures.

It’s not the multiplex cinemas you’re hurting – they’ll just whack up the price of popcorn and stick a bowling alley in the foyer.

It’s the grass roots film-maker who takes the real hit – with fewer funds available to produce their work. And unlike musicians, film-makers don’t have the outlet of live performance to make up for the shortfall in revenue.

Crowd-funding is a great way to help a film-maker that YOU KNOW get a leg up.

Please help to crowd-fund my debut short film and launch a career that you can all share in. I really am quite good, and have won awards and numerous plaudits already in my fledgling career.

Now I just need a little help from my friends to take me to the next level.

Please CLICK HERE to visit our campaign page on Kickstarter and if you like what you see, do give a little.

Thank you.


1 Comment

REPLY TO ALL: More Worthy of your support than X-Factor!

11/23/2013

1 Comment

 
1 Comment

REPLY TO ALL: THE OFFICIAL PRE-PRODUCTION PHOTOSHOOT

11/23/2013

1 Comment

 
Here are the official photos from last weekend's pre-production photoshoot. Images taken by our Illustrator Jeremy Hay.
1 Comment

REPLY TO ALL: A message from "Becki" ( Tracey Pickup)

11/20/2013

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

REPLY TO ALL: Pre-Production Photoshoot

11/16/2013

0 Comments

 
As you'll see from the pics below, our pre-production photoshoot took place today, Saturday 16th November.

The location was the beautiful Richmond Hill Hotel on the edge of Richmond Park. This is the location we will be using for the actual Reply To All short film shoot, and the one I had in mind when I wrote the script. It is also very popular with weddings, so I felt it had the right vibe for our wedding-based film.


For those that don't know, the hotel overlooks a stunning vista across The Thames towards Twickenham. It was made famous by a landscape painted by JMW Turner - so much so, that the view is the only one in the UK to be protected by an Act of Parliament. This is the view you can see behind Tracey in the final pic. 


(The footpath you can see behind Tracey is a personal favourite of mine too - I use it for hill sprints. It is exactly 200m from the bottom of the hill to the bottom of the steps - and a punishing 200m it is too! I'll try and do 3 consecutive ones before jogging home on my legs of jelly, absolutely spent. My PB is 37 seconds - which is about double the time it takes Usain Bolt to do a flat 200m. I often wonder what time he would clock for the hill).


Anyway, back to the shoot. After being beautifully made up our Hair & Make-Up artist Cat Corderoy, we put Tracey through her paces as Becki. Our Illustrator Jeremy Hay was Photographer for the day - directing Tracey through a variety of distressing poses before braving the raw 5C temperatures for the hill shot you see. Tracey was warmed somewhat by the kind well wishes from passers-by, who understandably assumed that she was posing for pics on her actual wedding day.


Jeremy got some great shots, which I will share as soon as they are uploaded. In the meantime, please do check out my 'unofficial' shots below. 


Consider them as a kind of 'Making of The Making of...' gallery...
0 Comments

REPLY TO ALL: Pre-production Photoshoot, featuring Tracey Pickup as 'Becki'. Hair & Make-up by Cat Corderoy

11/16/2013

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

REPLY TO ALL: Campaign goes live on Kickstarter. Back us today...but not before you have a giggle at our trailer :-)))

11/16/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
An over-tired and over-emotional bride-to-be fires off a confidential email rant about her future mother-in-law on the eve of her big day. One problem: SHE HIT REPLY TO ALL...copying in the entire wedding party. With the clock ticking, she's in a race against time to stop the old bird from reading the mail and ruining the happiest day of her life...

Our crowd-funding campaign is now live on Kickstarter. 

We have until 15th December to raise our target of £9,600. 

We'd love for you to watch our campaign trailer, and would like to offer you a little challenge:


i) if we make you laugh, maybe consider backing us

ii) if we make you laugh twice, give some serious thought to backing us

iii) if we make you laugh three times, reach down the back of the sofa and give us whatever you can spare


After all, if we can be this funny in the campaign, just think how hilarious the actual film will be :-)

And please, please, please share us with your friends....

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER...AND LOADS MORE COOL CONTENT...NOW!

0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    I am an emerging screenwriter, specialising in comedy. That's enough about what I do. This page will be all about HOW I do it. And, if the existential urge takes me, the occasional WHY...

    Archives

    August 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.