LAVERTY: It’s a very organic process. But throughout all the films we’ve made, I suppose what is key to us is trying to examine the notion of hope. Even if it’s absent in a film, that’s a really, really important question. And you have to be truthful to the premise to each film. But for this one, we felt there was really unfinished business [in the North East]. We really felt that we had to try to examine that hope and see how those human connections can be made and nourished in a setting where you don’t have control of the most important things in your life, like the economy or housing.
When we start off, we don’t know what we’re going to find. You can’t copy a script from the street. But the more you talk and the more you think, you start to make connections. What was amazing was talking to the older people. There were people in their 90s who had lived there through the time when the mining communities functioned well when there were workers there. And there really was a sense of community, identity and pride. Even the way they dressed, how they looked after their hair. And then you’d go to another part of the same village, and you’d meet many, many lost souls. Literally lost.
I don’t want to stereotype them, but a lot of people were really struggling. There were big stories of addiction. Many stories of hopelessness. I found some marvelous people there, working in church groups, and they told us about some people who had recently committed suicide. So, we saw both extremes. And the more we talked about it, the more it became apparent that the past was a real character in this film. But how do you give that life? Then we noticed that so many of the public institutions were closing down: the places where people met were closing down. We thought, what if we put The Old Oak right at the center of this community? And, dramatically, that really helped us make the past not just something that’s added on or stuck on with bolts but absolutely integral to the story.
LOACH: One thing that was very much in our minds was that these circumstances were consciously created. This was not some accident; this was not an act of god. It was a conscious political decision by the Thatcher government to destroy these communities. And that was endorsed by Blair’s New Labour governments. They were left to rot. Tony Blair was an MP for Sedgefield in County Durham. Peter Mandelson was the MP for Hartlepool, just at the edge of the mining area. And they consciously allowed it. They consciously allowed it. That’s the wickedness at the heart of the political decision. Knowing. And [the government], and their friends in the media, create the scapegoats. It’s part of the same politics. So this isn’t some accident, this is a calculated determination to undermine the strength of those who could oppose it. And I think as a society, as a political discourse, we never nailed that. These situations are caused, and they take advantage of them in the most malicious way they can, to keep the class division alive.
and @OWYAC ,
proofing presses like the one you picture are nice, but limited. by that, i mean it is difficult to maintain any registration, making multi-color work unlikely. very short run or one-off prints (hence the name - “proofing” - you make a proof impression to proofread your type, or get a progress report on an image you may be working on.)
i needed something i could fit in the shop and use for multiple purposes, so i chose a 13x18 etching press. i have modded it to accept a removable platen - a 13x18 inch stainless steel plate, hinged to the mount. without the platen, i can use the cylinder to impress in the intaglio style of print, which is great fun. attach the platen, and i have registration guides to accurately place the paperstock. the typeform is mounted on the press bed, platen is lowered, then the sandwichis rolled under the cylinder to make a relief print. i designed this set up to get dual use from the one press:
press with platen attached.
apologies to the thread for this long derail.
resume whatcha watchin’ and @timd and @OWYAC we could take it up on the whatcha workin’ on thread?
A very early episode, when the show was trying to be strictly edutainment. They found as many facts about the Aztecs as they could, and wove them together into a story.
John Ringham is great as the villain who wants to perpetuate human sacrifice. He plays the part like Laurence Olivier as Richard III.
Interesting to note, in episode II the character Ian performs a Vulcan Nerve Pinch. And this was 1964.
that was some great, classic, First Doctor!
those sets were so cheesy, and you know you’d see them again in another, different setting. much like Star Trek TOS, only years earlier.
Aztecs is definitely a favorite of mine!
I wish they’d do some edutainment episodes in new Who. I feel like they’ve ventured near a couple times, but they always have to throw in some angry lizard man or time anomaly or something. I think sometimes it’d be cool to just explore how amazing having a time machine would actually be, from a human perspective and setting aside all the Time Lord lore and aliens just for a minute. Or failing that, a vacation episode where they go visit an exotic locale and there isn’t a body count or messed-up dystopia, and it’s all neat positive alien culture and the characters talking to each other and deepening their relationship.
Then again, I think they should make a Jurassic Park movie where they finally get it right and the movie is a rom-com focused on a couple spending a wondrous day at the park, without any power failures or fleeing for their lives involved. I may not be a good judge of what makes the monies.
The funny thing is, they had a huge backdrop of the city of Tenochtitlan, but it was only fully seen once in the last episode.
By Joe Bennett (co-creator of “Scavengers Reign”) and Steve Hely (American Dad, Veep) and studio Green Street Pictures (“Scavengers Reign”).
That CEO is definitely Hank Hill.
Has anyone watched the Pitt?
I hadn’t even heard of it until today when Dr. Mike dropped a reaction video to it. Usually, when Dr. Mike reacts to medical dramas, he’s stopping the video every 30 seconds to explain what’s wrong about the given scene. Not this time. In fact, at the end of his video, he said “it’s a little too real.” I may have to check this out. Plus, Noah Wylie!
I watched the first two episodes, but I haven’t been able to watch any new episodes (busy).
I liked it. Yes, similar setting with ER. The Pitt makes ER look relatively tame (other than that one doctor on ER who had problems with helicopters).
It seems to be looking at one doctor’s PTSD after dealing with Covid-19 outbreak. Each episode is in real time (something that ER did with one episode, IIRC), and one “season” makes up one day at the ER.
Are you into gratuitous ultraviolence just for the shock? If you answered yes, the next season of Invincible is due next week.
Saw this pop up on my YT homepage, i am excited. Though waiting until 2026 will be so loooooong.
This is a follow up to one of the most excellent fan-made vids i’ve ever seen. Made by one guy, though he worked at Blur studios so his expertise is pretty high. As far as i understand the sequel is being animated by a team now.
It’s a pre world war II story transposed to the present day.
Edward and Wallis spent much of the rest of their lives after the second world war in semi-exile in France, after their 1937 tour of Nazi Germany led many to conclude they were Hitler sympathisers.
Ugh…
In 1980, Simpson lost the ability to speak and towards the end of her life was unable leave her bed or receive any visitors. Simpson said of her life after her third marriage: “You have no idea how hard it is to live out a great romance.”
Oooh, thanks! On my list it goes.
I loved Christian Petzold’s Barbara, and Phoenix.
Petzold has quickly become one of my favorite directors. To think that I picked up a disc of Afire essentially at random.
Kanopy, which may be available through your public library, has seven of his films.
He was also involved in the And They Shall Know No Fear episode of Secret Level.