My son (5 years old) and I were playing superhero fights recently (we each play the role of a superhero and have a pretend battle e.g. Batman or Wolverine against, say, Hulk or the Joker). This was the selection process: Him: “Dad, let’s have a superhero fight.” Me: “OK. Who are we? Him: “I’m Iron […]
Building Character Read More »
“Powerpoint leads to unoriginality, unoriginality leads to boredom, boredom leads to suffering.” When Yoda meets Anakin Skywalker for the first time, he declares that he sees his fear, and predicts that it will lead to anger, then hate, then suffering. And let’s face it, he has a point. Perceptive chap. But in the world of
Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fjim0ooJGdg It’s Ricky Gervais at the 2008 Emmy awards. Notice how at 2 minutes and 8 seconds, he apparently goes off-script and verbally attacks Steve Carrell. It’s a fantastic example of how doing something seemingly unprepared creates an atmosphere of compelling uncertainty. At an event where everything is strictly regimented and unsurprising, you can be sure
Sensational Improvisational Read More »
Heroes. They’re my favourite people, whether it’s fantasy characters like Batman or Luke Skywalker, stand-up comedians with their stories of righting wrongs, or real-life people who endure and then overcome true hardship. The underdog who steps up to the challenge when it really matters is a true inspiration to me, fictional or otherwise. And so
I like to mess about. When it comes to most things in my life such as my finances, my family – you know, the important stuff – I like order, for things to be in their place, to have logic, predictability and safety. Left brain stuff. But when it comes to anywhere you can be
