somers town
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- itstimefortea
I'm not sure if this has been discussed already but I read this comment on the guardian website and wondered what everyone thought....
"The acting's great, and parts of the film are really lovely. But it's just one long advert and it's obviously had a client dictating parts of the dialogue and the story - especially the ending. The general denial from the critics that this is the case is almost worse than the script-tinkering itself."
- Leigh0
Eurostar paid for the whole film.
- Koopsy0
Haven't seen it... who's the addery for?
- Leigh0
I've seen the film and it's not bad actually.
theres a good article here about it.
- Koopsy0
"the fuck you looking at you fucking northern bastard"
"I weren't looking at you, I were looking at that big train behind you, look""Shall we buy some fags and smoke them by the canal then?"
"Canal stinks bad, let smoke them by that lovely train over there, look"."So why did you run away then kiddo?"
"Dad used to beat me"
"With his belt?"
"No, with this lovely glossy train brochure, look".- 'lets take some photos of ourselves with eurostar tickets!'itstimefortea
- "I fuckin hate all you immigrant bastards. If I had my way, I'd send you all back, on that train there, look"Koopsy
- hahaharoundabout
- itstimefortea0
i wasn't too sure about the film... i did enjoy watching it but after i left the cinema there wasn't a lot to think about.... and the ending was a little sickly sweet. but that guy tommo is really good. can't wait to see what else he does.
i saw 24-7 the other night, meadows first film, and thought it was great. i feel like somers town is at the bottom of his pile just above once upon a time in the midlands.
- kezza_20
I think thats pretty cool. As an ad creative, what a fucking amazing idea to get made.
- calculator0
all the meadows films i've seen have been depressing, dark twisted affairs. this sounds a bit light hearted for him.
- Koopsy0
I like Shane Meadows' stuff but it often seems to be a re-working of someone else's stuff. This Is England.... I really loved it, but it was Made in Britain mixed with Johnny Jarvis. Can't remember what others, but each time I watch him I think, "ah, that's copied from so-and-so".
- max_prophet0
"As an ad creative, what a fucking amazing idea to get made."
FUCK OFF CUNTYPILE.
seriously, what a fucking shitty, cynical way to look at things – it's a pathetic reality that in order for films to get made some fucking advertising/PR agenda has to be behind it is fucking ridiculous... the british film industry is pathetic in that regard. "oooh make another 4 weddings, make another full monty!"
Let's keep advertising in the intermissions shall we, and on the popcorn cartons.
I haven't seen this yet but my impression is that it looks weak, certainly no Dead Man's Shoes or Room for Romeo Brass.
- kezza_20
Bit over the top Max, but whatever...
Seriously imagine being a creative team who said I know what, why don't we make a film about kings cross to promote Eurostar. The idea was liked and the client actually paid for a great director to make it. I mean seriously thats pretty cool from where i'm sat.
I mean it's not like it's a completely new idea, Channel 4 paid for films to peddle a film channel, Canel + do the same. I'm sure Marvel comics didnt need to much persuading to make all these superhero films. Brand behind films isn't that unique an idea.
- The Channel4/Canal analogy doesn't work. Its the vehicle promoting the product, not the product promoting the vehicle.Koopsy
- its completely cynical, underhanded and undermines what should be an artistic venture, while you are talking about 'great directors'.max_prophet
- about great directors. I know it's not new, doesn't mean it's good.max_prophet
- Koopsy0
Are you sure it was that way round Kezza, not that the director needed funding to make his film, and the investors then steamed his concept with brand messages under threat of pulling the funding?
- kezza_20
"The film is the first release from a new division set up by Mother advertising agency, Mother Vision, which aims to create “entertainment ideas and non-traditional communications”, and it was funded by Eurostar, as part of the promotion for the UK’s first high speed rail service, which runs from the new St Pancras station. “They were interested in marking the occasion with a piece of communication that had more longevity than perhaps a traditional ad campaign, something that could be enjoyed long after the station opened,” says Mother."
- kezza_20
"It is easy to have a knee-jerk cynical reaction to this and accuse Mother and Eurostar of sneaky advertising tricks. Yet it would be naïve to think that the movie industry as a whole exists above such commercial tactics, after all product placement has existed almost as long as cinema itself. And ultimately a good film has been made, which has already garnered awards and rave reviews. Perhaps the key to this was Mother’s intelligent choice of working with Meadows - a director who has an audience of fans in the UK who will be interested to see a new film by him, regardless of how it was produced."
- I'm not convinced. Placement has always taken place not precidence.Koopsy
- Presidence? precidents?... presidents!... its the president's fault, as usual!Koopsy
- Castaway? Tom hanks meets Fed EXkezza_2
- The perfect example why it should only be allowed to take place (at best), and not take precidence.Koopsy
- WILSON!!!Jnr_Madison
- max_prophet0
Meadows insists Eurostar had no input to the film, or he wouldn't have made it - I'm a bit dubious about that statement but anyway, proof is in the pudding I guess.
Aside from all the ad hoohaa, my impression was that Meadows was out of his depth dealing with an area he has no knowledge of, and had to introduce a northern country boy as a vehicle of his experience. Somers Town is bare rough blud, not really advertisers material if you look at it from the a real world perspective.
- BUt like I say, this is just from snips, clips and trailers I've seen. Looks a bit nicey nicey.max_prophet
- thebottlerocket0
Where exactly is the 'creativity' for the Ad agency here? It doesn't take a genius to say 'lets make a movie and get our brand dove-tailed in there'. Its not like it hasn't been done before and the whole process is refreshing because of its originality. The question, you have to ask from 'Mother Visions' perspective, is, would the film have been better with their involvement? I doubt it.
- or would it be at all? they got the film funded, collecting the bulk of the budget in the process I presumerafalski
- they managed to brand themselves as artsy product placement experts as well in the end.. cleverrafalski
- Well is conjecture how they're managed to position themselves at this stage. One could also say that they've also been branded as cycnical manipulators of the film going public with underhand product placement,thebottlerocket
- ...they've also positioned themselves as underhanded manipulators of the flim going publicthebottlerocket
- janne760
now i am sure that max_prophet is rasko. i was never sure.
i am sitting with a smile now. :')
- He's never tried to hide it Janne, you daft bugger.Koopsy
- i am daft. bugger i need to look up in this context.janne76
- who is koopsy then? everyone has different nicks nowadays, even rand.janne76
- Oh God, you asked me that on the weekend Janne... Spooky.Koopsy
- In the context I used it, bugger has no meaning, like 'daft clot', or 'daft wally. The word otherwise means anal sex.Koopsy
- Koopsy0
If you ask me, for an ad agency to be acting as go-between between funder and film-maker - something that has never previously required advertising agency initiative - suggests that they might be searching for a new raison d'etre in these rapidly shifting times.
If they had no creative influence, then what exactly was MotherVision's crucial contribution here?
Its a bit like me getting a call from a client who wants me to do something, but I know instinctively that a puppeteer is what they want, not an illustrator. I can say "Look, what you need is a puppeteer. Illustration isn't going to deliver what you want" or I could say "I'm going to set up a division called "StudiospookyPuppets and then I'll hook you up, pretend it was my idea, skim off a bit of a fee, a bit of kudos, and a hell of a lot of PR bullshit in accordance with the spirit of the times".
Its a modern disease.
- I'm with you Koopsy, if only I had the time to compose such a clear response.thebottlerocket
- It was inspried by your last post to be honest. And funded by Smith's Crisps too.Koopsy
- DEY GOD A CAN DOO ADDIDUDE DADS WHAD DEY GOD!!max_prophet
- WANKERSmax_prophet
- DEY GOD MASSIVE OBERHEADS IN A SHRINKIN SECDOR DATS WHAD DEY GOD!!!Koopsy
- kezza_20
I'd be very suprised if Mother didnt actually come up with the concept of a film about kings cross and maybe even a notional script to pitch to Eurostar.
The way tv ads are made is Idea > Script > get a director > sit back take all credit.
I imagine this was no different