Heh...

There is no advertising on the subscription channels. You get an extra
ten minutes per episode too. Audiences for the good stuff are
surprisingly low too if wikipedia is to be believed.

 

It is by the people who want to make and watch decent drama on TV. It
doesn't seem to be of interest to the people with the money, though.

--
Veggie Dave
http://www.iq18films.co.uk

"To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim
that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine

 

It's a fair cop.

 

eastenders? only if your idea of entertainment is an interminable viscous
river of utterly pointless, dreary, predictable and depressing drivel.

 

I get through about three books a week and spend far too much money on
DVDs. I don't watch TV anymore because it's full of shite that's of no
interest to me, nor was it ever intended to interest me in the first
place as I'm not in the target demographic.

--
Veggie Dave
http://www.iq18films.co.uk

"To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim
that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine

 

It will never change. It's probably too late now anyway. It would take
huge investment to even try and compete against US production quality.

The whole UK TV industry's fucked. There's no intelligent investment,
there are no active mentor or training schemes. It's an industry for
middle class white kids to play in because no one else can afford to do
it.

The few people who get into it early enough and who have real talent
either end up in the US, where they can actually get work, or work for
US productions in the UK (where the profits from their work goes into
the US film industry, not the UK one, so produces no real benefits for
this country or its industry at all).

--
Veggie Dave
http://www.iq18films.co.uk

"To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim
that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine

 

I've not watched Eastenders for... well, over ten years. I'd still rate
Dot Cotton as one of the greatest fictional creations of all time. You
could transpose her into a Dickens novel quite easily, for example.

 

There is still good stuff about though.

That Iran thingy on the other night was very good, and Mackenzie Crook
is doing an excellent turn on Skins.

 

She's old enough to be a Dickens original.

 

Yeah, there's a few things. I liked the recent stuff about Darwin, the
Victorian Farm is quite interesting and Moses Jones is a decent enough
"gritty" drama.

Of course, there's a new David Attenbrough natural history programme
starting tonight, so that'll be worth a watch. It's a shame we don't
have HD at the moment.

 

Speak for your-fucking-self.

 

Yes, you do. Not that often, I'll agree, but you get it. Like decent
comedy - it exists, but it's not as common as it used to be.

 

And also, erm, ah, that supernatural drama comedy about werewolves and
such like. With the false nose.

And nobody seems to have mentioned natural history programmes which are,
in the UK, simply beyond compare.

 

Christ, how pikey does it have to be to not have FX.

 

No, you don't. FFS...

I said very, *very* intentionally 'TV drama PRODUCTION'. That would be
producing a drama in a intelligent thought out way. It doesn't happen
because drama production is one huge compromise that makes the final
programme no where near as attractive to international buyers as the
story, acting and script deserves. So, less money is spent on the next
production, making the final drama even less attractive etc. etc.

But as you're the expert in drama production, too, I'll shut up.

--
Veggie Dave
http://www.iq18films.co.uk

"To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim
that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine

 

I can't help feeling you're having a whinge because you can't make it in
TV yourself.

As you say, I know nowt about 'production'. But I do know a decent drama
when I see it.

 

Yep, that's all it is. Rather than talking about how an industry is
killing itself it's just me whinging that I can't make it.

I really wish I could be a huge success and work on a trade magazine no
one's ever heard of - oh, hold on, I did that for years. Ooh, I could be
a huge success by writing for a bike mag. Damn, no, I've done that for
years for many mags around the world, too.

Oh well, I'll just have to keep working on award winning dramas and hope
to one day attain the heights where you feel I'm an equal to you.

Unfortunately, we weren't talking about that but please don't let that
stop you...

--
Veggie Dave
http://www.iq18films.co.uk

"To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim
that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine

 

I couldn't resist.

It's was simply because we had people coming who wanted to learn
stand-ups, one-handed wheelies, going through the gears. What we found,
though, was that very very few of them were at the point where they were
good enough to try any of those things. We weren't prepared to teach
them because there was no doubt they would crash. If you're at the point
of learning the more difficult wheelie variations, then you should be
able to teach yourself. If you can't then you shouldn't be doing them.

The other major rule change was stopping teaching novices, who picked up
wheelies really quickly, how to change gear, stand up etc., because we
felt that was simply too much to give someone on the very first day of
doing wheelies. No matter how natural you are, until you have some
experience you're not going to know how you handle something going wrong
until something does - and we didn't want that to happen to someone
doing three figures speeds on the back wheel with just one hand on the
'bars. Apart from the obvious safety issues, and the fact that even
though we are both more than used to seeing and dealing with serious
injuries (not at the school, obviously), we didn't want to see anything
we didn't have to. And, obviously, we could just imagine the court case
when we're asked if we thought letting someone with only a couple of
hours experience do 100mph+ wheelies was a good idea...

The answer's no. The only exception made to this rule are the stunt
register boys who come down to practice for film gags, and the very
occasional pro stunter practicing for a comp or show.

--
Veggie Dave
http://www.iq18films.co.uk

"To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim
that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine

 

No, it makes good sense, as I've acknowledged.

 

Maybe so. Sorry. But you seem to do a lot of whinging.

But none that anyone has ever heard of?

I don't really GAF what I or who I work for as long as it's fun and well
paid. And in my case, it's both of those.

Um: "I said very, *very* intentionally 'TV drama PRODUCTION'. "