Everyone Loves A Meltdown

Many of us have felt it, the creeping sensation that everything is getting a little but too much. Not being able to think straight, irrational anger bursts and evil, vengeful thoughts. I almost had mine when working at a security firm, where everyone wore suits in different shades of grey and spoke in constant jargon. Now, when a meltdown happens, its not that funny, but watching a meltdown is hilarious.

Television has realised this and a trend it appearing of characters who are constantly close to the edge. This allows for these people to say outlandish things that secretly we would love to try and get away with and to act in a completely unorthadox fashion.

Some of the best:

Ari Gold from Entourage: Super agent Ari has a fast mouth, quick wit and no sense of the politically correct. Despite the massive personality defects, he seems to be the most popular character from the HBO show.
Example: "A wife is like a herpes sore. She comes and goes as she pleases".



Malcolm Tucker from The Think of It and In The Loop: The foul mouthed government spin doctor from the BBC series and recent feature film.
Example: "I'd love to stop and chat but I'd rather have type two diabetes".



Mark Corrigan from Peep Show: Seems to be the more normal and level headed of the two lead characters in the Channel 4 sitcom, until pressure is applied. So far has taken a wee in the desk of a fellow employee and poked a colleague through his front doors letterflap with a broom.
Example: "Very funny every, I can take a joke. But if it happens again I'll take you to a fucking industrial tribunal".



Reggie Perrin from Reggie Perrin: Although resurrected as Martin Clunes in the current BBC sitcom, Reggie Perrin was at his best when played by Leonard Rossiter. A mundane life leads to thoughts being vocalised and an impending midlife breakdown.
Example: (Dictating a letter to secretary) "Your complaints about late delay are not only completely unjustified, but also ungrammatical. The fault lies in your inability to fill in an order form correctly. You are, in effect, a pompous, illiterate baboon".

NFTS Open Day

Have been reading back my posts since returning from Sins of London, and realised that in all of the excitment that I had forgotten to post anything about the open day I attended at the National Film and Television School.

It is difficult to describe this place, but the best way is part university, part mini film studio. It is like a shruken Pinewood, complete with sound stages, post production facilities and even recording studios for capturing scores.

The Producing course is 2 years in duration, with the first year about learning the ropes and the second about collaborting with other Masters students to create a working crew. One of the last tasks is to go on a networking exercise to the Cannes Film Festival.

One of the main things I noticed about the whole school is the quality of the students and the work produced. Nothing less would be expected from a place that takes only 8 Masters students from well over a hundred applicants every year.

Even though I am delighted with the place already granted to me at Royal Holloway, University of London, I am still preparing my entry documents for consideration in May. Even though the chances of a place are slim, the motto that you have to be in it to win it ring true. All I can do is work my very hardest on the application tasks and then equally hard in any subsequent interview should I be lucky enough to get one.