A job on the radio
Admittedly, only a four-minute job, but a job nonetheless. I love Front Row on Radio 4. I think we've established already that I love Mark Lawson. But I also love John Wilson and Kirsty Lang and all the producers who work tirelessly, five days a week, 52 weeks a year, to fill 30 minutes of Radio 4 a day, usually live, with Arts. Because a new horror film is coming out called Quarantine, which is all set in one house, one of the many enterprising producers got in touch and asked me to write a "column" (which is basically a short essay, or rant, written and read out by the author) about films that are set in one location. Because I clearly don't care about being on the radio any more, I said yes immediately.
Enthused by a flippant comedic conceit I came up with on Friday - which I knew would be easily achievable in post-production in their able hands - I wrote it yesterday morning, recorded it in the afternoon and it went out, on Radio 4, last night. It's up on the iPlayer, and if you want to listen to it, it's at about 15 mins in, but the whole edition's pretty good. Typically for Front Row, it came after a discussion about I'm A Celebrity and before an interview with the Swedish crime novelist Henning Mankell. I love Front Row.
Now, back to not being on the radio.
posted by Andrew Collins @ 1:13 PM
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19 Comments:
I can't listen to it just yet as I'm at work with no audio - but Quarantine (if you're not aware) is a poor copy of a Spanish zombie movie called [rec] which is absolutely magnificent and one of the better recent undead pictures.
I know about both movies, Swines (although have seen neither). However, I ignore them in my column, as I knew Mark L would reference them in his set-up.
I've seen Rec, and enjoyed it. I've heard the remake doesn't change it much, as it shouldnt'.
Enjoyed your monologue Andy. Thanks for pointing us to it.
Not good enough!
Get hold of [rec] immediately or I boycott this blog.
I'm trying to think of films set in one location... and have come up with Reservoir Dogs and Rope. Then there's Night of the Living and Dawn of the Dead I suppose. And most zombie films, come to think of it.
Ooh nice! I enjoyed that, especially as it gave the producing people a chance to rummage around their old sound effects LP drawer.
As an addendum to your piece, and in no way a criticism of it, I must say I always thought the ultimate cheap one-location film was Cube, where the characters moving from room to room was signified by someone changing the colour of the light behind 10ftx10ft perspex walls. Though it's possible I've misremembered it slightly, as it freaked me out so utterly (I am a feeble child when it comes to horror) that my brain probably tried to convulse it out of my memory banks.
I'm not sure about Quarantine, but I know Rec starts in a fire station and then moves to the house. And it's a big, sprawling house attached to a factory.
Not sure about other films, I think The Others is set entirely in and around that one house. The Ruins is mostly on a pyramid. And there's the version of Armageddon that I filmed on my own, in mum's greenhouse.
It's a fertile area, but you can only fit so many examples into a four-minute radio column without it turning into a list. (I did mention Das Experiment, but it was cut out, for time.)
Were you actually in a jungle? Or did they just add the sound effects? Did the Front Row budget cover more than one location?
It took about four minutes for me to record it (they don't call me One Take Collins for nothing - in fact, they don't call me it at all): one mic, one BBC studio, and me sitting further away from the mic for the "exterior" bits. Jermome, the producer, did all the post-production between when I finished recording it at about 4.30 and when the programme went out.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7736353.stm
radio news just in. political correctness gone *mad*
another job opportunity looms for the liberal janus faced no-shock jock.
get your C.V. in now Mr Collins.
Another job on the radio has become available.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7736353.stm
There's captain universe, recorded round my house when I was wee...
Here if anyone's vaguely interested. Please note our only comment. Heartbreaking.
Films set in one locations other than Rope and Reservoir Dogs: Sleuth (1972), Eraserhead (sort of), The Shining (after the first 15 mins) ... ummmm does David Cronenburg's Shivers ever leave that hotel? That's all I got. The recent Frank Darabont film The Mist is 95% in one location too.
The mention of Rope has reminded me to link to my website: http://www.parviniworld.pcriot.com/
It's about to get a big update sometime very soon with an updated and revised Top 100 films and a Top 200 songs article. May be of interest to film or music buffs.
I would listen to your piece Andrew, however I am loathe to download BBC iPlayer.
Oh, I just clicked on your link and you don't actually have to download anything.
So I listened to it. Good stuff. I like monologues of that nature. That said, I disagree with your argument. One of the functions of cinema is escapism but surely it's a bit facile to reject one-location films on the basis of that. Don't you like Rope?
I've just thought of another one-room film: Al Pacino's little seen "Chinese Coffee".
"Rope" was mentioned but surely the sine qua non of Hitchcock single set films is "Lifeboat" ?
Also worthy of mention : "Arsenic And Old Lace" being, essentially, a stage play has one interior locale and and an associated exterior.
And the magnificent Monty Wooley/ Bette Davies film "The Man Who Came To Dinner" is all shot on a single set with the exception of two very short exteriors at the beginning and end of the film.
I liked that Swineshead. Will there be any more? And who are the players?
Thanks Pest.
My middle brother is the villain in the pink suit, my eldest brother is behind the camera, I'm the Captain himself, BPPerry (or Napoleon, depending on what blogs you read) is the henchman with the ludicrous fringe and my two school chums are his sub-henchmen - General Hassan and Kung Fu.
All shot in Great Hale Fen, Lincolnshire in the 80s.
It's a bit Son of Rambow ain't it?
Great peice Andrew, I really enjoyed it, although I was expecting a film review of Quarentine....oh well.
REC* definitley delivered big time.
Andrew you mentioned Das Experiment. That leads me to another great one location film.
Das Boot
and some more:
John Carpenters The Thing
Clerks
I love Front Row too - but only with Mark Lawson. Can't stand John Wilson (liked his Dad) or Kirsty Thing. It's like the Collings & Herrin podcast done by John Humphries & Esther Rantzen...sort of.
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