At some point the latest obnoxious act from Ultan becomes boring.Because that's Ultan's thing. He's obnoxious.And it doesn't move the needle round the water cooler.Now, if Ultan were to start hugging people or sobbing uncontrollably that would be a different story. That would be interesting. As a PR specialist once said:'Dog bites man' isn't newsworthy but 'Man bites … Continue reading Man bites dog →

"Greatness, no matter how brief, stays with a man.” Gene Hackman in The Replacements. I think the same is true of beautiful emotional moments. I think they linger longer than your average moment. They replay in your head over and over again in the immediate aftermath and they show off their potency when remembered years … Continue reading Beautiful moments →

The comedian holds the audience in the palm of her hand when she starts to detail a serious and sad experience.The audience wants out. They want to laugh or cry or applaud. Anything to relieve this tension!Then the comedian hits them with the punchline, releasing the tension and it gains the biggest laugh of the … Continue reading Creating, holding and releasing tension →

Knowledge says today is Johnny's birthday but tact is knowing not to suggest everyone at the funeral sing him happy birthday. Knowledge can get you far but tact saves you from fiascos.

They won't let me work on my dream projects! Really? They explicitly said that you can't work on it? Well... They came to your desk and stopped you working on it? Em... Well actually I was being sent other things to do and I took them instead because I was afraid of working on and … Continue reading They’re stopping me →

I think what separates the good from the truly charismatic speakers is the perceived level of comfort. They might be terrified and anxious on the inside but if the crowd only sees a relaxed and calm persona it is extremely impressive. I was at a stand up comedy gig recently and with the warm up … Continue reading Comfortably charismatic →

They say that a film is the culmination of thousands of ideas. Well you don't have to have all those ideas once you step on set. You can, if you wish, 'scrapbook'. A process whereby you take note of all the techniques/moments/ideas you like from other sources and might potentially use in future productions. Thereby … Continue reading Scrapbooking →

In the script for 'Reservoir Dogs' we see a few peculiarities. Peculiarities such as precise descriptions of the movement of the camera and instead of generic terms like 'music plays' we have Stealer's Wheel's hit 'Stuck in the middle with you' plays over the speaker. It is a level of specificity that Tarantino does not … Continue reading Risky reservoir dog →

Change doesn't happen without tension. The agonising torture of a bad performance review, the discomfort of a scolding, the awkwardness of your poor small talk, the feeling of inadequacy, the thought of being left behind, a look of disgust, the pain of being ridiculed for your eccentricity. Whilst it might feel uncomfortable, if one's goal … Continue reading Change and tension →

The cure for bitterness and resentment is a courageous act. Let's take for example a difficult conversation. The mere thought of it will terrify most and they will dismiss their bones of contention as minor manageable inconveniences. On the other hand, if one goes through with the tough conversation then the bitterness and resentment are … Continue reading Cure for bitterness →