Christiana Brockbank

Ooh dear -- Look what I forgot to mention...

Before I went to the London Comedy Writers' Festival I placed in the top 6 of a competition running in conjunction with the fest called 'Laugh a Minute'. Sadly I didn't win. But as my mother one said after I came second one year in the easter bonnet parade, it's always nice to be noticed. She cried for weeks after, but I think that was just because the daffodil she had crafted from tissue paper needed using up and she never was a wasteful person.

Now you might notice someone called Christiana Brocklebank in that list of runners up... That is me. Frankly, as an alias it doesn't really cut the mustard. Especially when your name is down correctly in the first batch of finalists.

And, just in case you were wondering, it's pronounced Brock-le-bonk (Yah, French you know).

ANYWAY... Back on topic. Watch as I clunkily try to validate my bragging by insisting that there's purpose to this post...

This was a pretty good opportunity. The script could only be one page. Any more and you would be (quite rightly) decapitated. Your head would (quite rightly) be displayed on spikes at the entrance to Regents College, London as an example to others during the festival and (quite rightly) remain there until it had fully decomposed.

As well as being something that (compared to most competitions) didn't require too much time and commitment, it emphasised the importance of brevity. It forced you to really look at every single word in your script and question its right to be on the page. That is a great lesson for any writer to learn and improve on. Particularly in the rather pernickety world of comedy writing, where one misplaced word or jumbled syntax can make or break a gag.

How was that? Yeah?! Convinced?!

Suckaaas!

Guess what--

I've got my first ever writing credit on IMDB for the short film Speechless that I co-wrote with Rick Maughan. HERE.

Pretty exciting, non?

Well I think it is.

Hopefully it'll be the first of many.

But probably not if I keep writing double spaced like this so it looks like I've written more.

Anyway, if you didn't already know (where have you been??) Speechless is a gentle but quirky comedy short about a guy who longs to be a stand-up comedian. Only one teensy, tiny problem... his speech impediment. That and his fear of talking on the phone, never mind speaking in front of an audience.

Some people have said it's a bit like The King's Speech (which it's not), only better (which it is).

Speechless is set to do the rounds on the festival circuit in the coming year.

Look out for it!

Well after much hard work from my partner in crime, Lorenza Samuels, the Evidence-Interactive website is up and running.

So if you would like to while away an hour or two investigating the disappearance of Emily Simons, click on the link below to take a look at the evidence table and solve the crime.

http://evidence-interactive.co.uk/

Or you can listen to the radio play in full by clicking on the bottom centre notice on the home page.

Enjoy!

Well it's been a while hasn't it. And no excuses this time, well except one. I've just completed a module of my MA called 'Cross-platform' practice where the brief was working in a group to create a cross-platform product for kids. Part of this also involved writing a blog, and while I was busy scribbling down every little detail of the last six weeks, I neglected you. My first, my last, my everything...

If you're having problem sleeping and would like to take a look at my project blog (warts and all), it can be found here:

http://cmbrockbankxplatform.blogspot.com/

I can't say I'm not relieved that it's over and done with, but it has been an experience. I think the most valuable thing I can take away from it has been working with people that I'd never even talked to before, even dare I say it, building friendships. Of course I didn't get on amazingly with everyone but the people with who I most certainly did, made up for it. It was also interesting being involved in other disciplines, things I'd never even considered being a part of. And I found out that actually I'm not half bad at some other stuff... and some things I'm appalling at. Acting for instance (videos not to follow) was something I realised, despite my desire to be the next Helen Mirren, should be left to the professionals.

But the thing I realised most, after six weeks of being away, the written word is my bff and it's been too long.

But honey I'm home and I've missed you.

If there's one thing I've learnt from pursuing a career in writing it's that a good idea is half the battle. If you don't have something in your head that you actually care about and want to see where it will go, you might as well stop staring at a blank screen and give up. Because it's certainly not going to come that way.

Well this is my experience anyway. I'm not sure whether this is particular just to me but I usually find that once I have an idea mapped out in my head and the first few lines of a script written on the page the rest is easy. Well no, not easy. But easier. The first few lines and the commitment to the chosen story is just the encouragement needed. There will be plot changes, name changes and countless rewrites. But the very essence, the bare bones of what will one day be deemed good enough to be referred to as the final draft is there. And that always feel nice.

At the moment, I'm onto my third draft of a 20 minute comedy screenplay I am writing as part of my MA. The majority of the script uses inner monologue which I have used before but never to this extent. I would be lying if I said it wasn't a challenge. But what has shocked me about this script is the realisation that the rewriting and reworking that I often found extremely tedious is fast becoming my favourite part of the process as I fiddle and tweak changes that however insignificant always seem to make rather more of a dramatic change than I expected. Perhaps it's because in the past I was ignorant enough to think that the editing, re-writing and different drafts were not necessary. Looking back on the atrocities to English Language committed in my name, they most certainly were. How very silly of me. Will try Harder.

February 13th: The pre-cursor to a day of disappointment. Expectation is high, and self esteem is low.

Most people are hoping for at least one card even if it is from their Mum. And to be honest I never even got one from her (make of that what you will). And guess what, I'm not a fan of St Valentine and his annual day of ridicule (or is that not what he's the patron saint of?)

And it's not for the reasons most people site. Yes it is a horribly commercial and contrived celebration. Restaurants churn out crap mass produced dishes from a set menu and charge you extra for the privilege. Yes that's annoying too, but what really gets my goat is that Valentine's Day implies that you have to be madly in love with someone to be a part of the sham celebration that is February the 14th.

I remember vividly that when I was about 11 years old my older sister asked me who I was going to send a Valentine's card to. I panicked. I really didn't know who my valentine was. The day was fast approaching. I ended up blurting out the only boy who I knew my sister could verify was real even though I had no feelings whatsoever for my poor unsuspecting friend. Which, looking back I can see is perfectly natural as 11 was far too young to be considering such things as love and marriage. Even at the age of 23 I'm still not completely sold on the whole idea.

Eventually though I was outed as a fraud after I went on about it a bit too much, declaring my undying love rather too nonchalantly. My sister had uncovered my secret. And I was ashamed. Why didn't I fancy anyone. And of all month's to be so indifferent in relation to the subject, why February.

And that's why I don't like Valentine's day because it forces people to make bad decisions based on the fact that they don't want to be single or alone on this day. Like all the holiday seasons (if Valentine's day can be classed within this category) waiting for one day of the year to act a certain way is a cop-out.

So the next advertisement you see that tries to convince you to buy something nice or take that special person out for the evening, leave it a few days, a week, or a couple of months and show the person that you love just that.

Not because someone else thinks you should, but because you want to. I wonder which they'd prefer?

And if like me are almost puking onto your keyboard as you read this I shall leave a little video that for me, really encapsulates the spirit of the whole subject.

2. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

What good is a Christmas Countdown without a Christmas classic?!

Jimmy Stewart stars as George Bailey in this moralistic movie about a man who thinks the world would be a better place if he didn't exist. Cue Clarence (Henry Travers) the angel on a mission to convince Jimmy otherwise and earn his wings.

Suicide and money troubles aside, It's a Wonderful Life is the ultimate feel-good movie directed by the masterful Frank Capra. And Capra and Stewart both cited it as their favourite of the films they were a part of and that's got to count for something.

The film was released later in colour but I wouldn't recommend it. A little bit of charm is lost with the bringing of colour technology to this film. The black and white version the original and just the way it's meant to be.

If you haven't watched the film and don't want to see the ending avoid watching the clip below... Even though it is brilliant.