Here is Tim in the Globe rehearsal room, for those who still don't know who he is, or don't believe I've met him...
Monday 23 April 2007
Here's the man himself
Here is Tim in the Globe rehearsal room, for those who still don't know who he is, or don't believe I've met him...
Nearly there
I've been slaving away at Tim's profile all day now, and I think it's nearly ready to become someone else's property. I wonder what they'll do to it - how much, or how little will change. I've sent a copy for Tim to check over for mistakes, but I don't think he checks his emails, so I won't hold my breath.
The editor at The Stage said to include Tim's top tips for aspiring actors in a box out, and I've been trying to get hold of him to ask some more questions. But I know that he's in the thick of Iago's consciousness and probably isn't thinking about anything else right now. So, I've chopped and changed the piece so that I've got Tim's top tips for playing Iago instead - just in case he doesn't call me back tomorrow.
I also hammered out my business feature this afternoon, and it seems to look OK. The transcript took me a few hours, but I high-lighted all the bits of relevance and wrote a good plan first, and that made it easier to write. It has a good narrative thread, mainly because it's another profile, so it's kind of in a chronological order.
Luckily enough, this profile was easy to set up, as I knew Tom Raffield, (co-founder of sixixis) from my undergraduate days and we quickly settled an interview on Friday. It was lovely to catch up with him and talk about his booming new business (bespoke wooden furniture design). He's just won a the Laurent-Perrier design award and that included a grands worth of prize money and a trip to Champagne. It's amazing that someone the same age as me is enjoying such success, and receiving an enormous amount of press coverage...Vogue, all the national papers, international magazines...but, he says he's still not rich.
It seemed strange that I was on the industry side of the conversation, it was so obvious that Tom had been asked all these questions a hundred times before - he was on auto-pilot. Weird, but it was fun to have a good gossip about the media industry and how it all seems to be run by affluent middle-aged women and people only interested in the next big thing. I hope I can get his profile published, but it's going to be difficult to find a publication that he hasn't featured in...
The editor at The Stage said to include Tim's top tips for aspiring actors in a box out, and I've been trying to get hold of him to ask some more questions. But I know that he's in the thick of Iago's consciousness and probably isn't thinking about anything else right now. So, I've chopped and changed the piece so that I've got Tim's top tips for playing Iago instead - just in case he doesn't call me back tomorrow.
I also hammered out my business feature this afternoon, and it seems to look OK. The transcript took me a few hours, but I high-lighted all the bits of relevance and wrote a good plan first, and that made it easier to write. It has a good narrative thread, mainly because it's another profile, so it's kind of in a chronological order.
Luckily enough, this profile was easy to set up, as I knew Tom Raffield, (co-founder of sixixis) from my undergraduate days and we quickly settled an interview on Friday. It was lovely to catch up with him and talk about his booming new business (bespoke wooden furniture design). He's just won a the Laurent-Perrier design award and that included a grands worth of prize money and a trip to Champagne. It's amazing that someone the same age as me is enjoying such success, and receiving an enormous amount of press coverage...Vogue, all the national papers, international magazines...but, he says he's still not rich.
It seemed strange that I was on the industry side of the conversation, it was so obvious that Tom had been asked all these questions a hundred times before - he was on auto-pilot. Weird, but it was fun to have a good gossip about the media industry and how it all seems to be run by affluent middle-aged women and people only interested in the next big thing. I hope I can get his profile published, but it's going to be difficult to find a publication that he hasn't featured in...
Friday 20 April 2007
First Offer
It's all starting to make sense now.
I've been given an offer for my Tim McInnerny profile - by The Stage Magazine. At last I've broken through the icy exterior of the media industry. And it wasn't too difficult. On Wednesday night I wrote a couple of pitch letters and sent them off very late (Stranger, Cornish World, Times Culture and The Stage), in the vague hope that I might get one reply. Then went to bed feeling anxious and unsure if I was really going to get anything out of the pitches.
But when I opened my emails yesterday morning, I was ecstatic to find an email from Chris at Cornish World, saying they were interested in one of my pieces. The other email was from the editor of The Stage, Brian Attwood - saying he wanted me to make amendments to the McInnerny profile, but was definitely interested in publishing it. How unusual is that - to get such a rapid response direct from the editor, the day after a pitch, when I said I'd call him on Monday! My confidence has been re-instated, and I feel like I'm getting a good handle on the industry.
I probably won't get much money for the feature, but I don't care - I want to see my words in print. The big bucks will come later...I've got another feature I can submit to The Stage soon after this one, probably another profile. Two days after I interviewed Tim, I interviewed his partner Annie Gosney in Somerset. (She's friends with my parents and agreed to an interview at her sister's house in North Curry.) Annie is a prestigious theatre producer and set designer. She also organizes fancy parties and writes books. She was a brilliant interviewee, very forthcoming and exciting to listen to.
So, I'm thinking that I will pitch it with emphasis on her inventive skills for props and stage mud (you'll have to read the feature to find out...). Its fantastic that I've got the material for two features, just from a chance encounter at a party, but I guess it has to start somewhere.
And, I found out from Annie the day after my interview with Tim that he missed twenty minutes of a Man United match because our interview over-ran! Apparently he has season tickets and they scored three monumental goals in the first half hour...oops! Oh well, I guess it shows he's a true gentleman.
I've been given an offer for my Tim McInnerny profile - by The Stage Magazine. At last I've broken through the icy exterior of the media industry. And it wasn't too difficult. On Wednesday night I wrote a couple of pitch letters and sent them off very late (Stranger, Cornish World, Times Culture and The Stage), in the vague hope that I might get one reply. Then went to bed feeling anxious and unsure if I was really going to get anything out of the pitches.
But when I opened my emails yesterday morning, I was ecstatic to find an email from Chris at Cornish World, saying they were interested in one of my pieces. The other email was from the editor of The Stage, Brian Attwood - saying he wanted me to make amendments to the McInnerny profile, but was definitely interested in publishing it. How unusual is that - to get such a rapid response direct from the editor, the day after a pitch, when I said I'd call him on Monday! My confidence has been re-instated, and I feel like I'm getting a good handle on the industry.
I probably won't get much money for the feature, but I don't care - I want to see my words in print. The big bucks will come later...I've got another feature I can submit to The Stage soon after this one, probably another profile. Two days after I interviewed Tim, I interviewed his partner Annie Gosney in Somerset. (She's friends with my parents and agreed to an interview at her sister's house in North Curry.) Annie is a prestigious theatre producer and set designer. She also organizes fancy parties and writes books. She was a brilliant interviewee, very forthcoming and exciting to listen to.
So, I'm thinking that I will pitch it with emphasis on her inventive skills for props and stage mud (you'll have to read the feature to find out...). Its fantastic that I've got the material for two features, just from a chance encounter at a party, but I guess it has to start somewhere.
And, I found out from Annie the day after my interview with Tim that he missed twenty minutes of a Man United match because our interview over-ran! Apparently he has season tickets and they scored three monumental goals in the first half hour...oops! Oh well, I guess it shows he's a true gentleman.
Tuesday 10 April 2007
The Accidental Actor
Proceeding a few days of anticipation and subtle cajoling, I persuaded Tim to give my assistant photographer (and beloved sister) Lilli and I the opportunity to meet him at Shakespeare’s Globe for a bit of a photo session. But of course, it didn’t quite go to plan. The Othello rehearsal ran over by forty-five minutes and then the Globe stage was booked, so we had to take photos in the rehearsal room instead.
Which really wasn’t as bad as it sounds; because the room was spacious and there were a few props we could use to make it look more like a theatrical space. He’d obviously had a hard day (they’re only two weeks into rehearsals), and I got the feeling we needed to move things along swiftly. After Lilli had done her stuff with the camera, I suggested we buy Tim a drink – he really looked like he needed it! So we vacated to a pub near by.
The Thames looked beautiful as the sun set and throng of foreign kids idled beside us – we looked for an outside table to soak up the atmosphere, but hundreds of others had the same idea. Tim insisted on buying us both a G&T and we settled at a less-than-ideal table by a frosted glass window. The first ten or fifteen minutes of the interview were a bit strained, Tim seemed a little on edge, but he soon relaxed and settled into his answers.
I started with questions about the production of Othello and how rehearsals were going. He was very forthcoming and gave an in-depth analysis of the play and his character, Iago. Who incidentally – has the most lines (other than Hamlet) in any of Shakespeare’s plays. Iago is one of Tim’s biggest challenges yet, but one he says he’s determined to crack. It was interesting to hear Tim say that if there wasn’t a certain amount of fear involved in a role, it wasn’t worth pursuing – he wants to be constantly pushed by his character.
And for a man who never intended to be an actor – this speaks volumes. It was fascinating to discover that Tim only discovered his talent when his geography teacher secured him a place at the National Youth Theatre – without him even knowing! But it was obviously a push in the right direction, because he hasn’t looked back from the day that he reluctantly accepted a role in his first school play. Before he got the acting bug, Tim wanted to be a poet/novelist/tennis player, shying away from anything collaborative. To reach such a level of professionalism in the fickle entertainment trade is some feat, and the relative obscurity he came from only adds to the endearment of his rise to fame.
We also talked about his role in Severance and how he’d love to work with director Chris Smith again, and his love for working on radio and animation voice-overs. The only question he wouldn’t answer was about future projects. Understandably he doesn’t want to jinx himself by saying, “yes, I’m playing the lead in the latest Tarentino and then back to the theatre for Macbeth.” But it left me really wanting to know what he’s been offered. It must be big, if he’s worried about getting his own hopes up.
Tim had to rush off just after an hour into the interview – I had many more questions, but had plenty enough material to go home with. I think it went well, it was just a shame that the location wasn’t ideal and that Tim had had a heavy day of draining rehearsals. But it wasn’t just him who was drained. I got up after a measly three hours sleep (I always worry myself out of sleep the night before a big day), to catch the 7.01 from Penmere.
Why did I wear THOSE SHOES? Bearing in mind I’ve only ever worn my T-bars under a layer of alcohol cushioning, I didn’t realise that even before I’d left the train – I was going to be in agony all day. And to add insult to injury, I had to stand up in the train from Taunton to London because (of course) everyone and their cousin were travelling home after an Easter weekend away. I can’t even be bothered to moan about public transport, I did enough of that in the radio workshop last week…
Lilli was in the same league of pain as me, except she had socks on and so avoided the sweaty, squeltchiness entailed with bare feet and early summer heat. We hobbled around like a pair of cripples, trying our hardest to look sophisticated. We had a little light relief at lunch in the park, but by the time we’d walked to Trafalgar Square – we were gagging to find a Boots for some kind of blister/ball-of-foot assistance. We bought two pairs of insoles and found a quiet spot to load them up.
Only they didn’t make the slightest bit of difference.
I started to feel guilty that we hadn’t done anything with our day, so we got on the tube to Tate Modern. But when we got there all we could do was sit and watch as we regained consciousness in our lower extremities. If we’d have been in trainers our day would have looked remarkable different. We probably could have taken in at least two exhibitions, done some shopping and avoided most of the tube stops. I just had to go and ruin both my feet and my capacity to travel as normal.
I was so worried about this discrepancy that I started to think it would affect the interview and my performance as interviewer. Needless to say, it didn’t actually make any difference to the interview, but bloody hell – we still had to get back to Paddington and then to bed… in…those…heels. Those wretched but oh-so-beautiful heels…I officially no longer wish to suffer in the name of fashion or professionalism!
Which really wasn’t as bad as it sounds; because the room was spacious and there were a few props we could use to make it look more like a theatrical space. He’d obviously had a hard day (they’re only two weeks into rehearsals), and I got the feeling we needed to move things along swiftly. After Lilli had done her stuff with the camera, I suggested we buy Tim a drink – he really looked like he needed it! So we vacated to a pub near by.
The Thames looked beautiful as the sun set and throng of foreign kids idled beside us – we looked for an outside table to soak up the atmosphere, but hundreds of others had the same idea. Tim insisted on buying us both a G&T and we settled at a less-than-ideal table by a frosted glass window. The first ten or fifteen minutes of the interview were a bit strained, Tim seemed a little on edge, but he soon relaxed and settled into his answers.
I started with questions about the production of Othello and how rehearsals were going. He was very forthcoming and gave an in-depth analysis of the play and his character, Iago. Who incidentally – has the most lines (other than Hamlet) in any of Shakespeare’s plays. Iago is one of Tim’s biggest challenges yet, but one he says he’s determined to crack. It was interesting to hear Tim say that if there wasn’t a certain amount of fear involved in a role, it wasn’t worth pursuing – he wants to be constantly pushed by his character.
And for a man who never intended to be an actor – this speaks volumes. It was fascinating to discover that Tim only discovered his talent when his geography teacher secured him a place at the National Youth Theatre – without him even knowing! But it was obviously a push in the right direction, because he hasn’t looked back from the day that he reluctantly accepted a role in his first school play. Before he got the acting bug, Tim wanted to be a poet/novelist/tennis player, shying away from anything collaborative. To reach such a level of professionalism in the fickle entertainment trade is some feat, and the relative obscurity he came from only adds to the endearment of his rise to fame.
We also talked about his role in Severance and how he’d love to work with director Chris Smith again, and his love for working on radio and animation voice-overs. The only question he wouldn’t answer was about future projects. Understandably he doesn’t want to jinx himself by saying, “yes, I’m playing the lead in the latest Tarentino and then back to the theatre for Macbeth.” But it left me really wanting to know what he’s been offered. It must be big, if he’s worried about getting his own hopes up.
Tim had to rush off just after an hour into the interview – I had many more questions, but had plenty enough material to go home with. I think it went well, it was just a shame that the location wasn’t ideal and that Tim had had a heavy day of draining rehearsals. But it wasn’t just him who was drained. I got up after a measly three hours sleep (I always worry myself out of sleep the night before a big day), to catch the 7.01 from Penmere.
Why did I wear THOSE SHOES? Bearing in mind I’ve only ever worn my T-bars under a layer of alcohol cushioning, I didn’t realise that even before I’d left the train – I was going to be in agony all day. And to add insult to injury, I had to stand up in the train from Taunton to London because (of course) everyone and their cousin were travelling home after an Easter weekend away. I can’t even be bothered to moan about public transport, I did enough of that in the radio workshop last week…
Lilli was in the same league of pain as me, except she had socks on and so avoided the sweaty, squeltchiness entailed with bare feet and early summer heat. We hobbled around like a pair of cripples, trying our hardest to look sophisticated. We had a little light relief at lunch in the park, but by the time we’d walked to Trafalgar Square – we were gagging to find a Boots for some kind of blister/ball-of-foot assistance. We bought two pairs of insoles and found a quiet spot to load them up.
Only they didn’t make the slightest bit of difference.
I started to feel guilty that we hadn’t done anything with our day, so we got on the tube to Tate Modern. But when we got there all we could do was sit and watch as we regained consciousness in our lower extremities. If we’d have been in trainers our day would have looked remarkable different. We probably could have taken in at least two exhibitions, done some shopping and avoided most of the tube stops. I just had to go and ruin both my feet and my capacity to travel as normal.
I was so worried about this discrepancy that I started to think it would affect the interview and my performance as interviewer. Needless to say, it didn’t actually make any difference to the interview, but bloody hell – we still had to get back to Paddington and then to bed… in…those…heels. Those wretched but oh-so-beautiful heels…I officially no longer wish to suffer in the name of fashion or professionalism!
Monday 2 April 2007
The Green Light
It's all settled. I'm meeting Tim McInnerny for an interview in London on the 10th of April.
After a couple of days trying to get hold of Tim (why are actors so illusive?), I have finally arranged my first star interview! I'm taking my sister alone to take photos (she's an ace photograph and cheap too), and I'm hoping to get some shots at the Globe, where he is rehearsing for the part of Iago in Othello (ready for production in May.) But I won't hold my breath, after a day of playing a villain with the most lines of any Shakespearean play, I'm sure Tim will be pretty desperate to get away from the place...
I must now concentrate on my research and drumming up some business for the finished feature. I'm going to pitch it to one of the weekend supplements, probably the Times or the Observer. It going to be tricky, but with such a big name and such a topical subject, I'm feeling quietly confident about it. I may ask Christina to help me decide the best way to go about selling it, because I don't want to make any mistakes.
I'm now back in Falmouth after a fabulous two weeks work experience in Bristol. I went to a production company situated by the docks (next door to Aardman and the ss Great Britain). Calling The Shots are a micro indie, which means they have a small team of dedicated staff, with a real passion for reaching the voice of the local community. Obviously they aim for the big commissions, but the terrestrial broadcasters don't seem to want to spend much money on the indies. Which is a shame, because the quality of their work, and the issues they specialise in are more interesting than most of the crap you see on TV today.
In my first week I read a pile of scripts and wrote reports for each of them. I enjoyed this immensely, and it was great to see what makes a good script and to look at a script with the production values and budget allowances in mind. I had to consider if the writer was worth working with, if they had the right 'talent' for CTS, and if I thought the script was worth pursuing. At the end of the week I was researching funding and commissioning opportunities in the UK and Europe, which benefited CTS and opened my eyes to the current trends in commissioning.
I also went to the Watershed to help film an interview with Sue Lion, who is the managing Director of the Encounters Short Film Festival. I got her business card and I will be taking part in the festival in November as a volunteer. I won't get paid and accommodation won't be included, but it'll be a grand way of meeting a bunch of actors/producers/commissioners/directors.
In the second week I helped edit a live script, which was being put into production as we were working on it. We made a few alterations and then I was asked to do some archive research and sourcing contacts for the project. In the middle of the week I went to Gloucester with Marina to film part of a documentary with an animator whose been commissioned by Channel 4. As the week drew to a close, I felt a bit sad - I was really enjoying my time there, really felt like I was beginning to fit in.
Steve took me to a Media Networking event in a really posh bar on Park Street - I felt so very out of place. I really don't like this side to the industry - hob-knobbing for the sake of finding a connection. But, Steve introduced me to some lovely people, including a script editor for Channel 4, Abigail Davies. She was very enthusiastic and impressed with the cheap business card I gave her, complaining that she still wouldn't know what to put on her business card! I got her email, and I want to try and get an interview with her at some point for bloc-online.
On my last day, Jeremy and Marina took me out for lunch, and we discussed the placement. They have offered me some copy writing work, and have told me to get in contact with them when I move to Bristol. Lovely people, really honest and down-to-earth. I hope to work with them again some day soon.
After a couple of days trying to get hold of Tim (why are actors so illusive?), I have finally arranged my first star interview! I'm taking my sister alone to take photos (she's an ace photograph and cheap too), and I'm hoping to get some shots at the Globe, where he is rehearsing for the part of Iago in Othello (ready for production in May.) But I won't hold my breath, after a day of playing a villain with the most lines of any Shakespearean play, I'm sure Tim will be pretty desperate to get away from the place...
I must now concentrate on my research and drumming up some business for the finished feature. I'm going to pitch it to one of the weekend supplements, probably the Times or the Observer. It going to be tricky, but with such a big name and such a topical subject, I'm feeling quietly confident about it. I may ask Christina to help me decide the best way to go about selling it, because I don't want to make any mistakes.
I'm now back in Falmouth after a fabulous two weeks work experience in Bristol. I went to a production company situated by the docks (next door to Aardman and the ss Great Britain). Calling The Shots are a micro indie, which means they have a small team of dedicated staff, with a real passion for reaching the voice of the local community. Obviously they aim for the big commissions, but the terrestrial broadcasters don't seem to want to spend much money on the indies. Which is a shame, because the quality of their work, and the issues they specialise in are more interesting than most of the crap you see on TV today.
In my first week I read a pile of scripts and wrote reports for each of them. I enjoyed this immensely, and it was great to see what makes a good script and to look at a script with the production values and budget allowances in mind. I had to consider if the writer was worth working with, if they had the right 'talent' for CTS, and if I thought the script was worth pursuing. At the end of the week I was researching funding and commissioning opportunities in the UK and Europe, which benefited CTS and opened my eyes to the current trends in commissioning.
I also went to the Watershed to help film an interview with Sue Lion, who is the managing Director of the Encounters Short Film Festival. I got her business card and I will be taking part in the festival in November as a volunteer. I won't get paid and accommodation won't be included, but it'll be a grand way of meeting a bunch of actors/producers/commissioners/directors.
In the second week I helped edit a live script, which was being put into production as we were working on it. We made a few alterations and then I was asked to do some archive research and sourcing contacts for the project. In the middle of the week I went to Gloucester with Marina to film part of a documentary with an animator whose been commissioned by Channel 4. As the week drew to a close, I felt a bit sad - I was really enjoying my time there, really felt like I was beginning to fit in.
Steve took me to a Media Networking event in a really posh bar on Park Street - I felt so very out of place. I really don't like this side to the industry - hob-knobbing for the sake of finding a connection. But, Steve introduced me to some lovely people, including a script editor for Channel 4, Abigail Davies. She was very enthusiastic and impressed with the cheap business card I gave her, complaining that she still wouldn't know what to put on her business card! I got her email, and I want to try and get an interview with her at some point for bloc-online.
On my last day, Jeremy and Marina took me out for lunch, and we discussed the placement. They have offered me some copy writing work, and have told me to get in contact with them when I move to Bristol. Lovely people, really honest and down-to-earth. I hope to work with them again some day soon.
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