#Graeme Braidwood

[willstafford]

What the Dickens!

BLEAK EXPECTATIONS The Crescent Theatre, Birmingham, Saturday 14th September 2024 What started off as a silly Radio 4 comedy series became a silly West End show.  The works of Charles Dickens pillaged and parodied to Pythonesque proportions.  Writer Mark Evans, adapting his own series, makes certain there is plenty of visual humour and physical comedy, things that don’t work too well on the…

[randomfoggytiger]

The X-Files: A Day-in-the-Life On-Set

An extract from this (very long) 1995 Chris Carter post.

CRUSHING TIMELINES AND ULTIMATE FREEDOM

…The Los Angeles office, housed in its own bungalow, is nicely appointed but relatively spare. 

The [Los Angeles] office itself is bustling this particularly morning, as writers move in and out--- occasionally invading the space of researcher/officer manager Mary Astadourian, where various drawers full of research material are kept. In there, the scribes will find literature on the paranormal, diseases, viruses, and various monsters, with folders that carry labels like “Roswell” or “Loch Ness.” 

…Part of the morning is devoted to the regularly scheduled writers’ meeting, with the entire staff… assembling to go over that week’s script, blocking out the teaser and all four acts��.

The other writers question each nuance, throwing out suggestions to refine the story and make sure it’s clear…. Despite the need for exposition, Carter also stresses not letting the pace drag, wanting to spread action within the hour (or more precisely, 44 minutes or so minus commercials) allotted them. “Make sure you keep it hoppin’,” he says. 

…Eventually, it’s suggested they shift some action from the second act into the first in order to achieve the proper sense of pacing. The move requires some reconfiguration of other plot elements, but once those are blocked out the producer and other writers seem content. “That works for me,” says Carter, sending the show’s writer off to do another rewrite. 

Carter’s daily schedule, however, is just beginning. The writers’ session is followed by what’s known as a concept meeting-- a teleconference with the staff in Vancouver to grapple with various production issues before the begin filming a new episode…. 

Other issues involve the number of extras they can use….

Because money is always an issue, and time a luxury the crew usually doesn’t have, compromise and ingenuity remain key….

The producers also pride themselves on finding means of scavenging resources, then developing different ways to capitalize upon them. A prime case involves the crew getting access to a Canadian Navy destroyer that was then used in three different episodes, including “Dod Kalm”... and “End Game”.... “It’s fun,” Carter says, “to make something out of nothing.” 

Episodes must be plotted down to the most minute details-- in part because Carter is a perfectionist, and in part because the show is under a microscope now, with fans picking and nitpicking every conceivable aspect. Issues raised include what sort of garb Native Americans depicted should wear, with an emphasis on being as faithful as possible to tribal customs. (A Navajo group has complained because a character wore his hair down, something the elders in that tribe wouldn’t normally do, in the episode entitled “Anasazi.” Carter subsequently visited a Navajo reservation and attended one of their ceremonies.) 

From a more practical standpoint, the Vancouver team wants to know whether they can wardrobe the actors in blue jeans because some postproduction special effects shots use blue-screen, which essentially eliminates that color. 

The L.A. staffers are also assured that a shoot-out sequence will be top-notch, with bullet hits and ricochets plus a movie-style car explosion. Can it be done? “The answer’s yes… with disclaimers,” quips Beck good-naturedly adding, “One big disclaimer: How much money you got?” 

…The crew clearly takes enormous pride in the series, which presents them with such challenges on almost a daily basis and allows them to put their skills to the fullest possible use. Some freely admit, in fact, that they’ve been spoiled by their involvement with "The X-Files" and would have a hard time working elsewhere. “They’d have to drag me kicking and screaming off this show,” Gauthier says. 

The same goes for makeup special effects supervisor Toby Lindala…. Still, Lindala has proven up to most any task, with the Flukeman-- a costume his crew created in 10 days that had to weather water and other shooting ordeals-- still his proudest accomplishment. “That was probably the most insane undertaking for a time period,” says Lindala, who worked a 28-and 28-hour day during that stretch to get the suit ready in time. Even so, Lindala grew up watching monster movies and isn’t complaining, relishing the opportunities the show has provided to fool around with such projects. “I love making ‘em,” he says. 

Goodwin, a veteran producer who has worked on such series as "Life Goes On" and "Mancuso FBI", now tries to provide more lead time to prepare such major undertakings, but in most instances Lindala and his team (four people, including Lindala, work full time in that area) have just seven days’ notice to put a makeup effect together, and his services are needed in virtually every episode. 

…Careful planning remains the main hedge against both cost and time crunches, with Goodwin pointing out that in television time essentially translates directly into money. “The quicker you have to do it, the more it costs,” he says, adding that while some in the industry are tempted to cut corners, “My motto is, ‘Quality, whether they want it or not.’” 

…Kim Manners, also one of the show’s pool of directors, lauds Carter for treating each installment like a mini-movie. The process gives the individual directors-- who in episodic television, which is dominated by executive producers, are often viewed as transient guns for hire-- the opportunity to truly ply their trade. “He insists that you go out and be a filmmaker,” Manners says. “He doesn’t want you just go out and be a traffic cop.” Because of that freedom, he adds, the show is “the zenith of my career.” 

…Unlike most television shows that shoot on location, on "The X-Files" whoever scripted that particular episode goes to Vancouver to scout out locations and do other preparatory work. “To make sure,” as story editor Frank Spotnitz puts it, “everything is in sync with what the writer had in mind,” from casting to production design. In the cryptic vernacular of the show, the process stems from commitment to “purity control.” 

…For the episode in question, that means co-executive producer Howard Gordon, the only member of the writing staff other than creator Chris Carter who has been with the show virtually since the beginning, has made the sojourn to Vancouver. “As a writer, you don’t get that experience on any other show,” says Gordon. 

…Other matters have also arisen, some remarkable in their degree of minutia. Gordon’s script for the episode being prepared, for example, contains a seemingly innocuous reference to being “in the mood for some Quarter Pounders,” and Fox’s legal department wants them to clear the wording with McDonald’s…. “That’s a great line,” says an only slightly exasperated Manners…. Hours later, it’s decided to change to a more generic term rather than hassle the legal issue. 

…A later shot involves disposing of the [dead] cow, and Gordon-- a city kid from New York-- has actually researched the matter…. …But in light of McDonald’s headache, Carter has another suggestion. “How ‘bout if we just have a truck with golden arches on the side?” he jokes, spurring laughs from everyone in the room. 

…The attention to detail, again, proves remarkable, driven by Carter’s commitment to perfection. 

The entire process involved in shooting an episode of "The X-Files", from the first day of preparation to the last day of postproduction, usually takes six to eight weeks, with the seven days of preparation key to ensuring that the eight days of production that follow go smoothly-- though even the enormous effort that goes into planning can never account for every detail that can delay filming and raise blood pressure rates all around. In the middle of the season, as time grows shorter, there’s occasionally been as little as five weeks from prep to air. 

Just two days before shooting is to begin, Manners, Gordon, Carter, and co-executive producer R.W. Goodwin cram into a small audition room, where they’re scheduled to see more than 20 actors in just over an hour….

Manners, Gordon, and about 15 crew members, including special effects ace Dave Gauthier, production designer Graeme Murray, and others from various departments, later embark on a technical survey. They pile into an air-conditioned bus to scout out all the locations that will be involved in the upcoming shoot, usually a six-to-eight hour pilgrimage. “And this is the easy part,” laughs set decorator Shirley Inget. 

Carter follows the group to the door but has too much work at the office to come along. “I’m gonna miss this one, you guys,” he tells them, which is met with a collective “Aw” from the bus. 

…The bunch straggles back to the studio around 7:30 P.M., almost eight hours after their departure. On a near-by soundstage, meanwhile, Bowman is directing stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, trying to keep the level of enthusiasm up with another long night of work to do. Shooting is frequently a tedious process, with long lapses between the action as shots are set up. The two stars carry out an emotional scene in front of an elevator that isn’t really an elevator, with a crew member behind the soundstage wall sliding a wooden door closed to approximate the effect. “I love it!” Bowman proclaims as the scene ends, watching the shot through a monitor and lauding his star as “One-take Duchovny.” 

Outside, Anderson’s baby, Piper… plays with various staff members as well as her father, assistant art director Clyde Klotz, who’s just returned from the technical survey. Piper shows off her mother’s piercing eyes and frolics later with Duchovny’s dog, Blue (his constant companion on the set), both seemingly fascinated with and a bit perplexed by the other. "The X-Files" is, indeed, a family affair, underscored when Goodwin brings his 10-year-old son and a friend into the production office the next morning, the latter collecting autographs from everyone on that week’s script. 

A short time later Duchovny and Anderson arrive, enjoying a few quiet moments while Piper plays nearby in a small red tub, watched carefully by her nanny. …Though he isn’t shooting that day, actor Mitch Pileggi (who seems to create quite a stir among the female office staff) also pops by to look over dailies, or raw footage, of a fight sequence featuring him shot earlier in the week.  

…Bowman has to deal with five actors (Anderson, Duchovny, and Gunmen Dean Haglund, Bruce Harwood, and Braidwood) in a relatively confined space, so the staging will be critical. After Bowman aligns them one way, Duchovny suggests an alternative in handling the shot, and various configurations are tried. As they begin rehearsing, everyone still seems a bit punchy, and the mood is light. Haglund keeps wanting to call a Nazi scientist “Kempler” instead of “Klemper”, and Duchovny has a hard time not laughing each time Braidwood (who comes up roughly to the actor’s chin) approaches him, with Frohike supposed to act relieved to see Mulder alive after the events that closed the second season. “Did you ever see the Star Trek where Spock thought that Kirk died?” Duchovny tells him with his trademark deadpan delivery. ‘That’s what you want to be doing.” 

Production ultimately won’t conclude until near 2 A.M. that morning…. 

[downtomarsartist-blog]

Abuelo Ovalhouse, 2015 & Birmingham REP, 2016

A performance piece sharing the relationship and parallels between a grandfather and granddaughter. ‘Abuelo’ is an exploration of culture, generations and heritage amidst a story of migration, identity, trauma and new beginnings

Images: Graeme Braidwood.

[tipsoctopus]

"Announce Graeme Murty" - These Rangers fans have had enough after latest setback

Loads of Rangers fans have been reflecting on the weekend’s action, and more than a few are calling for Steven Gerrard’s head after yet another disappointing display.

Rangers were held to a 1-1 draw by Kilmarnock at Ibrox on Saturday, and if truth be told they really didn’t deserve anything more.

The Gers fell behind early when Conor McAleny raced right through the middle of the defence to latch on to a long ball and finish past Allan McGregor, five minutes after the shot-stopper had been booked.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Gerrard switched things up at the interval by bringing on Eros Grezda and Borna Barisic, and they eventually drew level when Alfredo Morelos slammed home his 29th goal of the season.

Still, a 1-1 draw at home is simply not good enough, especially when it all but secures the title for Celtic.

Gerrard had an exciting start to his time in charge of the Gers, cruising through the Europa League qualification stages with plenty of drama along the way, but loads of fans have now had enough after this latest setback.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Announce graeme murty pic.twitter.com/uvRjCCVpLb

— Mark Russell Davies (@Kramseivad102) March 16, 2019

Getting sick of feeling like this ever week now. Gerrard ruining our team for all to laurf at. #gerrardout

— Noza Render (@NozaRender55) March 16, 2019

GERRARD OUT !!!

— Adam Biggins (@adambiggins) March 16, 2019

Said it before and I’ll say it again #GERRARDOUT ???

— Sam72 (@__Sam1972) March 16, 2019

As a rangers supporter I want steven gerrard out now as the job is too big for him and mr Rae please let the fans talk and disagree with you over rangers matters

— Isabel Braidwood (@weebluebellizzy) March 16, 2019

Gerrard out

— Sir Walter Smith (@Im_oot_Ma_EBTs) March 16, 2019

Unless it’s a resignation i’m not interested.

— Bruno (@daddybroon) March 16, 2019

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[thedeathshow-blog]

The Death Show

Created and performed by Antonia Beck and Lucy Nicholls

Photo credit: Graeme Braidwood

[glitchdotbot]

Performance of The Marriage of Lady Mede as part of Fair Field at Ledbury Poetry Festival - 1 July 2017 http://ift.tt/2q4pTkS Photography by Graeme Braidwood

[nutcrackermommy-blog]

The Nutcracker - Birmingham Royal Ballet

Photo by Graeme Braidwood

[willstafford]

In and Out

HOUSE and GARDEN The Crescent Theatre, Birmingham, Saturday 3rd/Sunday 4th February 2024 That ever-ambitious lot at the Crescent have chosen to mark the theatre’s centenary by staging Alan Ayckbourn’s double-bill, where two plays run simultaneously, one on the main stage and the other in the studio, but (here’s the rub) there is only one cast between the two.  When someone leaves the house,…

[willstafford]

Ashes to Alaska

A HAROLD PINTER DOUBLE BILL: Ashes To Ashes / A Kind of Alaska The Crescent Theatre, Birmingham, Saturday 28th October 2023 Relieved to be able to make it to the final performances of this double bill, I settle into my seat.  The Ron Barber Studio has been rendered even more intimate, with seating raked high on three sides of the stage area.  It’s like an anatomist’s theatre.  The whiteness of…

[willstafford]

Odds and Sods

QUEERS The Crescent Theatre, Birmingham, Friday 12th May 2023 This series of eight monologues, presented in two batches of four, is an excellent showcase of the talented actors and directors of the Crescent.  Simply staged (a bar and a couple of pub tables with stools) the monologues come across as one-sided conversations, the sort you  might have with a stranger in a pub.  Part history, part…

[willstafford]

Great Danes

HAMLET

Crescent Theatre, Birmingham, Sunday 1st March, 2020

  I’ve lost count of the number of Hamlets I’ve seen over the years, and a problem I have every time I go to see it again is its overfamiliarity.  It’s not just a question of knowing the plot; the entire script reads like Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits, with almost every line or phrase well-known and, more often than not, part of our…

[willstafford]

Oranges Are The Only Fruit

Oranges Are The Only Fruit

NELL GWYNN

Crescent Theatre, Birmingham, Sunday 15th September, 2019

  The Crescent’s new season opens with this banger of a production from director Dewi Johnson.  The Ron Barber Studio is transformed to evoke a Restoration playhouse, with gilded columns, heraldic emblems and decorative friezes.  A purpose-built thrust stage puts us very much in the playhouse, while lending an intimacy to the…

[downtomarsartist-blog]

Concubine Birmingham REP, 2018

A performance piece commenting on race and exploitation, on the fetishisation of Black womxn and girls, on consent and abuse and how the industries are complicit in this. The story is told through the lense of an artist grappling with her place in the industry, a young victim of sexual trafficking and a girl coerced into sexual abuse in manipulation of her dream to become a musician.

Concubine is being remounted and then tours in 2019. This project has spearheaded other works, including a series of workshops for teenagers and an intimate installation and audio project.

Images: Graeme Braidwood.