"Video: Richard Curtis - “I Rewrote ‘Four Weddings’ 19 Times!” | BAFTA Guru – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3u9mR9qy_k&t=107s&ab_channel=BAFTAGuru
Transcript:
“GETTING INTO THE FILM INDUSTRY
Question: How did you get started in the industry?
Richard Curtis: Actually in terms of getting into the industry at all my dad who was quite a serious man said that I had one year of fooling around and then I had to enter the marketing department at Unilever and in my first year I and I think 546 pounds or something like that but I then luckily got my first TV commission and that got me through the door as far as he was concerned and I got an agent actually by someone seeing me performing up in Edinburgh I got very lucky just that some lovely keen American woman who was living in London liked my jokes I got started in television by hanging onto the coattails of Rowan Atkinson who when he was 20 was a genius and it was obvious that he was going to be a TV star and I was his closest friend and wrote things for him and so we drifted in as comedians tend to by doing stage stuff of our own up in Edinburgh and then did a radio show which the traditional radio for which was pretty poor and then started writing sketches for a sketch show which became not the local news and then I wrote for that for for series so it was a very traditional route and then from a sketch show I went into a sitcom and then from a sitcom I went into films.
INFLUENCES
Question: What film or programme has influenced you the most?
Richard Curtis: John Cleese in many ways weirdly is the most influential person in my career because when I was young Monty Python was all there was 50% of your conversation with friends was just quoting Monty Python sketches so as it were like a generation before would have had the goons and the generation after might have had you know the young months as it were for me it was Monty Python and that’s what made me interested in humor and started me writing sketches and then strangely the reason we wrote Blackadder was because Fawlty Towers have been so extraordinary that when I tried to write a modern sitcom it just looked so pathetic in comparison to 40 does that we only wrote historical one to avoid Fawlty Towers but the big influence on my films would probably have to be Woody Allen just because I so loved his films when I was young and he made films changed style and developed so quickly so you were always interested by what he was going to do next and he gave me the confidence to try different things and it was particularly for me had written silly sketches and a silly sitcom so Woody Allen did silly films when he started out at Scotland from sketches and ended up writing Annie Hall which was much closer to what I loved and the first film of his that I really loved so me then having the confidence to arrive for weddings may have been based on my passion for our confidence gained from Woody Allen.
ADVICE
Question: What advice would you give to someone starting out?
Richard Curtis: My obvious piece of advice is to make sure you write or do what you really like there was a bit of a pressure on me when I started they would say you know British rails funny or you know dreadful sandwiches that you buy and M&S a funny write joke about that and I think it’s really important to do what you think is interesting not what other people tell you might be interesting for me writing to sort of get work because you know that sort of work is popular as a disaster so I would say right from the heart and hope that somebody likes it as a sort of person in films I suppose my obvious thing would be to take every stage of the process incredibly seriously and I would say to get very involved so I had a script editor who’s also my girlfriend who made me rewrite “Four Weddings” 19 times so I didn’t just handed something that I thought might be okay it would be ruthlessly dealt with I then worked with a director who was obsessed by casting and the casting process took forever so actually once the movie had been cast it was almost made and then I think the final thing is that when you’re editing you can fix most films I mean at least three of my films have been when finished the first really careful cut of being spectacular disasters really really bad failed movies and we managed just by determination and thinking you know things through in a different way to make them eventually work by hook or by crook so those are some of my pieces of advice.”



Video: Script to Screen Red Carpet: LOVE ACTUALLY with Richard Curtis | Matt Ryan – YouTube
https://youtu.be/NbYecUZHgy4
Transcript:
“Interviewer: I have question for you when you when you take something like “Love Actually” which i love dearly uh when you have like a multiple protagonist how do you balance like you know the screen time could you you have to cut some things you probably really cared about you know because you have multiple characters to explore.
Richard Curtis: Well “Love Actually” of all the films i’ve written is the one that turned out most wrong after we’d shot it so in fact i think it’s very hard to judge what you’ve got to try and do is write good stuff for all of them and then actually remake the order and remake the dynamic of it once it’s shot that’s what we did on “Love Actually” the the script i wrote had all the same contents but in a completely different order to the finished film.
Interviewer: So something like “Notting Hill” was a little easier for you basically two characters
Richard Curtis: She walks into the room she kisses him she goes away but in this one it was like playing three-dimensional chess because after every scene you could put any scene from any of the other 10 stories.
Interviewer: So and maybe on uh when you do an ensemble piece and it’s more the director on set which we directed of course has a lot more to do trying to rework the script at the same time
Richard Curtis: no no i think they’ve got a lot to do in the edit that would be what i have to say i think they’ve got a lot to do in the edit in some ways they’re great fun to do because you only have to work for a week or two with each actor so they never see through you and realize what a bad director you are.”


Video: Richard Curtis On Creating A Classic Rom-Com | Fast Company - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FENpwVe14MA
Transcript:
“INTRO:
(00:00) - Seeing as how love is quite a big subject. And I often think about serial killers. There’ve only been about eight of them. And yet, there are about 100 movies about them. And yet, every day a million people are in love, so I can’t believe that romantic films won’t, sort of, stay at the core of cinema, in one way or another.
(00:17) (cheerful music)
NOTTING HILL
- I do solemnly declare. - I do solemnly declare. - [Priest] That I know not of any lawful impediment. - That I know not of any lawful impediment. - Why I, Lydia. - [Groom] Why I, Bernard. - “Four Weddings,” which is thought of as a romantic comedy, I didn’t see as that. I thought of it as a semi-autobiographical film about love and friendship.
(00:51) I wasn’t really aware that there was genre or a rule book. Then I became more aware, with “Notting Hill,” that that was what I was up to. Every Thursday, I used to go and have dinner with my friends, Piers and Paula. And I just thought, if I turned up at Piers and Paula’s, if Madonna was my date, how would they react? Helen Fielding, who then wrote Bridget Jones, obsessive Madonna fan.
(01:16) She would scream a lot and lose her cool. And neither Piers, nor Paula, would have any idea who she was. And that exact scene actually happens in “Notting Hill”. - Last film you did, what’d you get paid? - 15 million dollars. - Right. - The curious thing about “Notting Hll” is that, even though Hugh had been the star, Hugh Grant had been the star of “Four Weddings,” I didn’t want Hugh Grant.
(01:40) I very specifically didn’t want him. Because I thought it would so fantastic to have a complete unknown, which would really have made the movie be like a perfect mirror to the story itself. But we auditioned about 10 people, and I thought, oh god, I’ll never find anyone who’s any good. We might as well cast Hugh.
(01:59) I’m quite embarrassed by "I’m just a girl, “standing in front of a boy,” because I clearly thought it was a good line. Because in the next scene, one of the characters says to Hugh Grant, “what did she say?” And he says, “oh, she’s just–” - A girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.
(02:17) - So I obviously thought, I better repeat it, like it was going back to the chorus, or the hook, in a song.
BRIDGET JONES
(upbeat music) Well, the terrifying thing about being involved in “Bridget Jones” was actually Helen Fielding, because she was my best friend; it was her book. And I’d actually read “Bridget” seven times before it came out because she gave it to me with every extra 50 pages.
(02:40) We cast Renee, and we made the film. And then we had trouble editing the film. And Helen was full of, "that’s not quite like Bridget. “This isn’t quite right.” And then you realize the big revelation to making movies, that there comes a point where you’ve gotta stop thinking about your source, as it were, stop thinking about the script you’ve written, or the book that the script you’ve written is based on, and say our Bridget is Renee.
(03:04) And the moment that we accepted that, and all the wonderful qualities that she brought to the film, some of which might not be the exact representation of the book, but was a fully-fledged, fabulous human. You then edit the movie towards what you’ve got, and that means that, in some ways, it’s better for that, because you’ve got an embodiment of a special, cinematic Bridget, rather than an attempt to just reproduce what was in the book.
LOVE ACTUALLY
(03:33) ♪ I’ll take you down ♪ ♪ I’ll take you down ♪ ♪ Where no one’s ever gone ♪ - Yeah. - I mean, “Love Actually” was partly inspired by the fact that I had done these three romantic comedies before, and I, in fact, didn’t want to write another one. The plot in that movie, of Hugh and Martine, was a whole film I thought of doing.
(03:54) And the plot of Colin Firth’s story was a whole film that I had intended to write. So, what I was trying to do was, it was push the romantic comedy genre as far as it could possibly go. And just take the three best scenes of 10 different films and shove them all together. The big inspiration was “Nashville,” a Robert Altman movie, and “Short Cuts,” a Robert Altman Movie.
(04:17) Which are very standards to be aiming for, because these are two of my favorite movies of all time. These movies with a lot of plots are tough to do. “Love Actually,” in its first edit, was the third worst film of all time. I mean it was really the worst example I can remember of something which had worked brilliantly in a read-though, not working well.
(04:39) So it was like playing three-dimensional chess, because any scene could go after any other scene, from any other point, in any of the other stories. So, that was very, very hard work. I was a new director. And if it had been a movie in which there was a cast who would’ve had 10 weeks to get used to me, maybe they would’ve got used to me.
(04:58) But we only had one week per plot. So I felt I was auditioning for the actors every single week. What I realized was quite how unfair I’d been on the directors that I’d worked with beforehand. Because there’s this terrible contradiction in movies, that a writer’s got two years to fix absolutely everything, and then the director’s got one day in which to shoot it.
(05:21) And suddenly I understood why sometimes the directors had rushed through things I thought was important or been happy when they got it. Because I was always saying, oh, let’s have another go, let’s try it another way. - I’d only give one piece of advice to anyone marrying: try and marry someone kind.
(05:39) - The original inspiration for “About Time” is the scene that most people talk to me about, which is the scene on a beach, when the leading character travels back to just spend an afternoon with his dad who’s just died. And, almost for the first time in the movies, the idea I had was based on a visual thing.
(05:58) And I remember starting now, at last, as a writer, to start to sort of think, well, what really matters about that scene isn’t so much all the words that they’re saying, but where they’re standing, that it’s a lonely street. So I think, at last, by “About Time” I was gaining a bit of visual confidence.
(06:17) And I hired the cameraman from my favorite visual movie, called “Like Crazy,” that Drake Doremus made. And I started to think, if you want to fall in love with a character, then the words can do two-thirds of it, but if you can shoot it well, then maybe that’s gonna be the thing which, as it were, goes into your heart without knowing how it got there.
(06:42) ♪ Oh, I believe in yesterday ♪ - Oh my, when did you write that? - I didn’t write it; Paul McCartney wrote it, the Beatles. - Who? - I mean I’ve been obsessed by the Beatles for the whole of my life. That’s the real inspiration. But then, of course, the inspiration that the Beatles gave me was that a lot of their stuff was about love.
(07:08) We got permission, fabulously, to use, I think, 18 Beatles’ songs, and they didn’t say which. It was a wonderful thing to write, because I’d be typing along and think, okay, he’s having a crisis. And then I’d go through the Beatles catalog and think, well, “Help” is clearly, if he’s gonna sing any song now, it should be "Help.
(07:26) " It was a wonderful thing ‘cause they’ve got such a range that, as I told this tale, there was always a perfect Beatles’ song to go in. I think that the curve of my career is to realize that love doesn’t end at the first kiss or as you walk down the aisle in wedding. That’s where some of my movies did end.
(07:46) When I went to “Love Actually,” which had brothers and sisters, and fathers and sons, and married couples. And then, “About Time” was a romantic comedy for half of it and then a film about death and family and marriage. And that “Yesterday” is a movie about love of music and love.
(08:03) I think I’ve learned that love’s a big subject that the traditional shape of a rom-com doesn’t quite cover.”


Video: “When I write about love I’m accused of being untrue” | Richard Curtis | Google Zeitgeist - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjOACVD4cJw
Transcript:
(00:02) Interviewer: good morning everyone I’m Jacqueline fuller and I lead google.org Google’s philanthropy and I’m so pleased to be here with Richard today so Richard I was gonna wear those shoes for you yeah I’m sorry I didn’t well I’m not sure where to go with that but so Richard as we saw from the introduction you are known in your creative world in for capturing in one scenes sort of the whole zeitgeist er essence of a film as we saw with I’m just a girl so translating that over to your work with the global goals how would you what’s that scene how would you translate for this audience the 15 year Odyssey that’s been the global goals
Richard Curtis: I think we would have to by the way it’s very good to be here and I do get sort of nervous thinking about the potential that you all have changing the world in many ways so it’s a great pleasure - real pleasure to be here I think when you’re thinking about these goals which are a plan from 2015 to 2030 the the sequel as it were to the MDGs I think you’re talking you talking in (01:20) terms of sort of massive endless Netflix series so as it were think of the sustainable development goals as the game of Thrones there are some there are some there are some baddies who will you know get elected and then over the time people who you don’t think are gonna be very powerful and strong will grow to huge strength and take on power and new alliances will be forged I mean it’s a decade of delivery that we’re now looking for it’s 11 years so I think it’s not one line it’s like every (02:00) person in a room like this thinking well where does my particular power lie outside just the work that I do in order to try and sort of change up the world then a very interesting fact the other day that just about the importance of a sort of interrelationship between business and and the goals that someone said to me that if temperature were to rise by 4% the insurance industry would cease existing there could be no more insurance because they’re all insurance companies would go bankrupt with the extent that they had to pay back things (02:38) so the interrelationship between climate and business and sustainability is so crucial
Interviewer: well the idea behind the goals are so brilliant right it’s it’s hey let’s do this together let’s set our ambition our strategy our objectives as a global human family and they’re ambitious around poverty and climate change and health but they can also feel overwhelming and challenging and a bit hopeless sometimes so how do you stay optimistic as you as you’re thinking about rallying the world rallying all of (03:14) us to take on these these goals
Richard Curtis: well I don’t I mean I don’t know how much all of you know about the goals they were negotiated in after a loan negotiation by a hundred and ninety three countries there are seventeen of them I think they break down into 169 targets and the idea behind them was to be comprehensive you know I think that one of the things that is sometimes hard for all of us is you say well I’m gonna really commit to this issue you know I’m gonna support Amnesty International or I’m going to worry (03:47) about plastic in the oceans and everything you think well while I’m committing to that one should I be committing to other things and to you know is is am I in conflict with people who believe those when we did the Make Poverty History campaign which led to Live Aid there was an extraordinary moment when climate stormed out of the room I remember he was wearing shorts and carrying a bicycle and we just decided it was too complicated a mixture of things to deal with and the point about these goals is they really do say (04:20) that everything is interdependent and that actually extreme poverty is a massive Vishu in terms of climate and that injustice will also lead to extreme poverty so that all of those things are tied together so I think the idea really is that it does give it’s really useful to have a big plan I mean all of you run companies you have a very very complex agenda towards absolutely everything that you do you’re used to complexity and the idea that you could solve the problems of the world by sort of three simple nice phrases would be ridiculous (04:54) so the goals do actually give you an opportunity to put everything next to everything so that you actually can align the policies of a government or the policies of a business next to it and see really how you’re doing and I think that makes us feel very safe and very you know United
Interviewer: but do you ever do you ever feel that the challenges are just you know too far away and that we’re not making the kind of progress that we should as a globe or do you see hope and some of the indicators that we’re seeing at this point where we’re (05:28) going
Richard Curtis: yeah I’m naturally an optimist and I mean there are clearly a lot of very dark things in the world but that that speech you just saw President Obama say you know he said if there was one moment in the history of the world in which you would be best to be born that moment is now I saw an astonishing graphic of mortality in African countries between 1950 and 1920 20 the other day which was you know all in lines and they just went to just getting smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller and you do see (06:12) extraordinary I mean you just have to look out for things to be optimistic about when I write my romantic films I’m sometimes accused of being sentimental and and untrue and I don’t understand that at all so if someone someone makes a film about a serial killer they’ve only ever been four of them and it’s called a you know searingly realistic portrait the problems facing modern society and I write a film about love and probably at least 60% of you are in love with someone at the moment and there are 7 (06:50) million people in love in London then for some reason it’s called sentimental and unrealistic and untrue and I think that it just depends which way you know which way you look and my experience when I started comic relief you know I was depending on comedians many of the least nice people in the world and certainly were those selfish and I was saying to them will you do what you can for charity and we’ve raised whatever it is 1. (07:20) 3 billion and and and the what’s happening in terms of diseases is extraordinary and I remember I wrote a film about malaria and I had a very angry phone call from the director of it saying and it took a while to make an effort and he said you haven’t even checked your facts he said you know there’s only 250,000 children died of malaria this year not as I had in the script five hundred thousand and it was because in the four years since I’d originally written it the number had gone down so dramatically I said to you by the way this is good news I said no (07:53) if I’m about 5 million accurate writing that’s good news but I do look around me and I think that I mean you must all feel that there is power and technology to do bad but astonishing power and technology to do good there’s you know terrible worries about climate change but an astonishingly empowered younger generation that has suddenly started to get the message it tremendous questions of you know inequality in terms but you know particularly of men and women but you know we are also the me two (08:28) generation things ignite things change so I think you have to sign off and say you know cynics knows days never made any money yet not a single dollar and I think that if you’re optimistic and if you view the things that are working and I think then the goals provides a plan for that there is no reason not to think that you can’t change the world magnificently
Interviewer: well you have been obviously so successful in getting your films out globally people know and love them everywhere as you think about this part of your life where you’re trying to get (09:04) the world the globe to know about and think about and care about the global close how do you think you know what’s the best way to do that how do you inspire people to to be involved and reach people
Richard Curtis: well I mean I’ve taken rather a sort of when you make films the people you hate most of the people you make the posters from the trailers particularly the posters and ghastly retouched photograph poster makers probably probably not even with your stars actual bottom probably somebody else’s bottom of the photograph and then (09:43) and then you know a line you didn’t write so this whole thing that you’ve made that you’ve put so much effort into well I’m the poster guy for the goals I’m trying to make them we came up with this graphic we’re trying to make them simple we argued about you know trying to keep the names of them short and I’m just trying to get the word out there because what you want is that when people you know go to their employees and say let’s do something about the goals you want them to have just glimpse (10:12) them come across them in some way when you make a film there’s a big tradition now of you know trying to sort of get some shot of the making of the film into the newspapers so that when people see the poster it’s the second time they’ve heard about it and when they see the trailer it’s the third time and then they may be tempted to go to see the film so what we’re trying to do is to spread the word in as many ways as we can through pop music through concerts through graphics through this thing we (10:41) could do called the world’s largest lessons through partnership through businesses you know to try and get the idea of them out there so that when people actually you know in companies and in politics focus on them they believe that it’s something that the public will endorse and possibly feel passionate about
Interviewer: And one of the things that we’ve chatted about backstage is just you know the role of Technology so how are you seeing technology advancing and being able to help us to get get to these goals
Richard Curtis: I think you probably I mean I (11:17) think that you know there’s an enormous amount that technology can do I mean well I’m really you know you do look for technology just have some of the you know actual answers but certainly we have never been in a world where there’s more possibility for a message going virally and hugely and then once you get that message as it were being able to press on the button of each of these and see what are the things that you can do because by the way I’m a huge believer that we can do things individually in (11:51) our lives and I think that is a very good way of as it were starting with meatless Monday and giving Tuesday and change your pension scheme Wednesday and what but no but tell me Jacqueline what’s your sense about what Google could do and what technology can do for the goals because that’s the world in which as it were my kids are living and most people are referring to that for their information in their…
Interviewer: well you know I think like you were saying we’ve we’ve seen great progress and in some ways you know we’ve we’ve have (12:26) child poverty and great advances in health but the rest of the gap is really gonna take new solutions and I think that’s where technology especially AI can be really helpful we just you know at Google we’ve been trying to think about how can we inspire the world especially young technologists people who are researching nonprofits social businesses to align their work with with the global goals and so one of the things that we did is we we actually launched a competition this last year an open call where we put out 25 million (13:00) dollars in a pool of funding and then expertise from our AI professionals and then said okay right tell us your idea align it with the global goals tell us how you’re going to use AI and the winners which we just you know they’re doing incredible work for example a team in Africa in Uganda is using really low-cost sensors that they’re putting on the backs of motorcycle taxis and they’re using that to map and track air pollution which is one of the silent killers and then using that to measure what’s being effective (13:35) in fighting that air pollution a team in India for example is using AI to help diagnose what the the pests and the diseases are that subsistence farmers are facing and then put the right pesticide against that and that’s gonna help not only the farmers to earn more income but it’s going to help reduce pesticide use which is gonna help the environment that’s also frontiere was one of our winners here in europe and they’re doing amazing work on antibiotic resistance so they have a smartphone app (14:04) that an untrained community worker in the field could use in a low resource environment to read whether the bacteria that someone has is resistant that way they’re gonna do better health for the individual but they’re also going to help the globe with this kind of resistance so there’s all sorts of ideas many of them being led out at the global South on how we can apply AI so we we are just trying to think about how can we seed and support inspire those kinds of technologies so we also published (14:38) some research on our site you know a lot of people think AI is just sort of magic pixie dust and don’tyou know they know it’s super powerful and has so many opportunities but don’t know exactly how that could apply to their cause the issue that they care about so we published some research on our site a eyes for social impact people and you can see there how what are all the AI technologies that are showing the most promise for each of the global goals so I think this kind of building the ecosystem and and building up partners (15:09) who are working on this issue is is the way that we’re gonna get technology to help us accelerate and close that gap
Richard Curtis: well that’s so exciting to me I do think that this idea that we may have a generation now and I hope it applies to everyone here that thinks what is my work for if it’s not for tried to make the world better I believe that they be making this up Paul Palmer told me that they they did two ads for the same job at Unilever and they tested one which stressed what Unilever does for the world and it’s sort of sustainable commitments and (15:48) the other one that stretched the perks and the wages and many many more people applied through the ad on the sustainability and what they do and I think the idea that you can point a generation in the direction of thinking that it’s a both/and you don’t need to say well I’m either gonna make a lot of money and sell my patent for millions or I’m gonna change the world you can make yes okay yes it changes the world and then you can also make a lot of money
Interviewer: Well I think you’re right that many (16:18) people are motivated and many people just want to know what can I do so what would you say Richard to this audience if they want to get behind the global goals and help with the work that you’re doing
Richard Curtis: Well I mean I think there there is an enormous number of things that you can do one just in your own lives as I was saying think about the things which could make a difference I’m really finding that helpful I will now buy an electric car because I just think that it’s important to know that in the (16:48) texture of your own lives you’re actually doing the things that you’re meant to do because that’s what you know and then inspires you textually I think that it is really it would be brilliant to communicate something about the goals to your employees because I do think this is a sort of bounce thing the moment that you say to the people who work for you we’re interested in these things have a look at them check them out yourselves and then as it were counter check with us I think that you will find an amazingly interesting (17:21) dialogue between you on all the areas of your behavior on your supply chains on you know gender equality on how you’re affecting the environment I think that would be an amazingly helpful dialogue check your pension fund I think this is a really interesting idea you know someone said to me the other day they’re like a third of the world’s money’s owned by governments a third of it’s owned by rich people and a third of it’s owned by us as it were you know we the way that we’re gonna get (17:50) more investment in all the extraordinary projects like the ones that you’re describing is by pension funds and investment investing increasingly and sustainability and an impact and in those things that will change the world and I would love the feeling that when you start to talk to your employees they will say well how’s our pension fund invested where’s our money going and that will increasingly go into all the best projects that they can do and that some of those projects will of course be things that you yourselves are working (18:20) on now so I think it’s just to introduce it into the environment of the place that you work and then really check out whether or not the things that you do are in accordance with it it’ll be helpful if it hadn’t been for the ten commandments I would have been committing adultery and murdering people every day of the week but I was definitely so so I just think that it’s a really useful purpose and plan and if you don’t know them this is the time by the way because in 2005 when we did the (18:57) Make Poverty History campaign Live Aid I couldn’t the meetings with people in business were so ghastly they really just thought this is a bunch of dangerous lefties who want to give away all their money and now business as you know as there were you talking about the things that you’re backing they’re actually ahead they’re the ones you’ve seen that there’s a whatever business from betterworld said twelve trillion advantage in actually working for an investing of the goals people can (19:26) see that that’s the way that business should go so this is exactly the moment and if we can create a dialogue between business and government because governments much prefer talking to businesses than they do talking to charities they hate charity people they always just go on repeating themselves but if you can start a dialogue 2020 is the moment to kind of start the second phase of the and so anything that any of you can do and what to have a conversation without some project everyone you know would be (19:55) dreaming.”


Video: Richard Curtis | Wiki4All – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5gMq1nmjBE
Transcript:
(00:01) Richard Wally Anthony Curtis CBE is a British screenwriter producer and film director one of Britain’s most successful comedy screenwriters he is known primarily for romantic comedy films among them: Four Weddings And A Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Love Actually, Bridgette jones the edge of reason, About Time and Yesterday he is also known for the drama war horse and for having co-written the hit sitcoms Blackadder, Mr bean, and the vicar of Dibley. His early career saw him write material for the BBC’s not (00:33) The Nine O’clock News and ITV’s spitting image in 2007 Curtis received the Bafta Academy Fellowship Award the highest award given to a filmmaker by the British Film Academy at the 2008 Britannia awards Curtis received the Bafta Humanitarian Award for co-creating Comic Relief and for his contributions to other charitable causes in 2008 he was ranked number 12 in a list of the 100 most powerful people in British culture compiled by the telegraph in 2012 Curtis was one of the British cultural icons selected by artist sir (01:06) Peter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork the cover of the Beatles album sergeant.


Video: “Richard Curtis And His Very Limited Experience Of Life” - Notting Hill Screenwriter Criticised - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVQnQC8vGdo
Transcript:
(00:00) well comedian Ria Lena joins us in the studio now Ria what do you reckon um do you reckon that that the Richard Curtis should be regretting these jokes that he’s made in the past or do do you think he’s learned his lesson do you know I think it is about whether he should or he shouldn’t I think it’s the fact that he is he is looking back and he is seeing in his old work through current eyes and I think there’s a lot of people that agree with him are they looking at their work through current eyes um and (00:27) regretting what they did is there not just an acknowledgement that really the world’s changed I mean this is a really inter my gosh that is the most leftwing question you’ve ever asked I’ve been watch for a while I’m being serious I know the world’s changed but you can’t apologize for everything listen to this this is interesting Tina we’ve got loads of respon to this section there was no one more loved or more relevant than Robin Williams nothing was off limits he was comedic genius that’s why we loved (00:51) him he must be turning in his grave to see what’s happening to Comedy now because they look back the whole time I think it’s a very relevant point I and I’m trying to think of of something that Robin Williams said that that in any way was was offensive he did Cover a wide range of topics he wore a fat suit for Mrs dfire was that disrespectful no that was Mrs Doubtfire he was pretending to be a Scottish nanny I don’t are we implying that all Scottish nannies are we didn’t have enough time in this (01:17) segment to discuss Mrs delire what a film in itself uh but well the thing is is that if you want to be successful you’re going to want to make most of the people laugh most of the time all right nobody’s really said that anything’s per se of limits but it might limit who’s going to enjoy your artwork so Ava Santina and I were talking about this earlier in our pay-per review uh the fat jokes that he would make about Bridget Jones uh and about Marty McCutchen’s character in Love Actually where car (01:46) another character called her the chubby one which she wasn’t at all we were led to believe at me as a young girl that Bridget Jones was overweight or even fat and I look at her now with Modern Eyes and go she hardly had on it no but I think a film but part of that part of that was the fact that the actress are suffer El wagger it was a whole publicity compan how much weight she had to put on for it because they didn’t even cast somebody you know that that would fit that would fit that role I think the Bridget Jones thing is (02:19) interesting I don’t think that I mean yes there were a lot of fat jokes but what I think that was if you look at the original Helen Fielding books you know he didn’t completely rewrite the books this was a character that was sad to be single she was obsessed about her weight uh I think the issue was is that it was it was screen written by a straight white male instead of perhaps a woman that could understand exactly what Helen Fielding was getting at with that character and then just portray that the (02:43) way that we women would understand give you Steven both of you understood this it’s ridiculous apologizing for a joke written 30 years ago if it was funny then in my mind it’s funny now I’m sick of being expected to accept that everything I’ve ever learned loved and laughed at is wrong it is not wrong simply a reflection of my life and time no I’m sorry about the reflection of your life and time Stephen but but he has a right to that opinion and I have a right to have an opinion on his opinion (03:07) um so when we move to the the the topic of minorities in Richard Curtis films there’s no doubt you watch Notting Hill there’s not a single black character in it you watch Love Actually there are very few black characters in it and that’s you know London in the naughties OR Notting Hill in the ‘90s OR that’s Richard Curtis and his very limited experience of life he said himself he went to her and then he went to Oxford and he never looked outside of that and that really is a question about who are (03:35) we allowing to write art and who are we turning to and that is you know brings us on to the diversity question I know a lot of people going why do we have so much diversity so that we can have a wider range of authentic artwork put in front of us comedy or otherwise in terms of what’s on or off limits I mean we we cover all things in drama all things are covered what what why you’re you’re she got a lovely Tour on rear Awakening I get that to 2023 where are see well that we’re getting free tickets putting you on is that (04:03) right where are you where are you next where are you next I’m well I’m going to be I’m going to be in leads on Thursday I’m doing Cambridge uh we’re going to do more dates in Guilford and Maiden head because the first two sold out 1 of November at the London comedy and what’s your what’s your favorite joke try to make me laugh tell me an unpolitically tell my mother’s favorite joke go on then did you hear about the miracle baby no it was born with a penis and a brain see that just you see that (04:28) absolutely sums up that I’m rounded Kevin did you hear that joke it’s very anti-men it is very anti-men sexist joke anti-men that’s the problemay no listen oh well listen riina I love that R re yeah re Reawakening Reawakening it’s where can they find out more where can they find out more uh real. (04:50) com all tickets are on there but you two email me and we’ll get your tickets fabulous absolutely let’s just point out though Love Actually was a fantastic film and it was a massive hit but there we go it was it’s my I’ve T up I didn’t mean to do that I thought it was a piece of paper I was that is no way a reflection look we’ll put it back together now you have to come to the show and you have to laugh at every every single joke every joke you send me tickets listen I go anywhere for free don’t I care do you get sick and tired (05:13) of people saying yo you’re a comedian make me laugh because I think every time someone meets me or you they go oh yeah yeah you do the breakfast show tell me some news.”


Video: Richard Curtis: Career In Four Minutes - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4XaYbQlKxI
Transcript:
Richard Curtis: (00:04) hello my name is <PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_PERSON> and this is apparently my career in four minutes
[extract from a movie] my dear son this is going to sound strange but there’s this secret but the men in this family can travel in time
Richard Curtis: Wow I mean I think of anything the secret of my films has been alive still tried to keep writing sketches and many of them if you look at “Four Weddings” it’s it’s in a funny way sketch movie really this these two jokes of this wedding these two jokes of the next wedding and if you look at “Notting Hill” (00:36) those seen when in the junket where is being interviewed that’s like a sketch about somebody misunderstanding a film or not have you seen a film so I think they’re sketch writing definitely informed and was crucial to the movie career I think the magic of sitcom is probably still writing sketches in sitcom but the plot structure of sitcom which is so crucial I don’t think resembles the structure of movies very much so I think this it’s harder to see the line between the sitcoms and the films. “The Tall Guy” was a very happy (01:07) film Jeff gobble a very funny man and I particularly remember just roaring with laughter in a scene where Rowan was having a party when he’d sacked Jeff go from and he for the party just bought a mini bottle of champagne because at the end of my tour with Roman we did 72 dates and Roland had a party and he bought one bottle of champagne and one pizza not one pizza for all of us one pizza so I remember having a very good time on that the successful forwards and femur was a complete surprise to everybody I got a piece of paper from (01:43) MGM or whoever owned the movie and Paula Graham who at the movie and next to America of the expected earnings that said naught so it was a great shock to everybody the strange thing was I remember thinking of the plot of Notting Hill on a very wet afternoon sitting in a waiting room with corin redgrave who played and in the dalles husband and James fleet on for wedding so I actually thought of knotting here while we were making for wedding so it was lucky for me that that coming out of the success of for weddings I already knew what I (02:19) was going to do rather than thinking oh god what’s next the thing about Love Actually is it was a curious film because everybody was only on it for a week or for two weeks so that nobody could see quite how bad I was about it because just when they were thinking of my god really doesn’t know what he’s doing they were off so it was it was it was it was nerve-racking but it was like I could start 12 times you know every time we’ve got a new bunch I would be a little bit better one of the reasons I (02:46) wrote that film was because there’s a whole chunk of it was particularly the Robert Altman ones but I love Nashville as a movie called smooth and I love they loved pulp fiction so there were a lot of a multi-storey for shortcuts it was a genre i love the strange thing about the cast of the boat rocked as they were almost all in every single scene so that was when i started directing just with the camera on people’s shoulders so that instead of saying a single of him a secured him a single of helena chemicals (03:16) go like that and find whoever was talking I think what I learned was the sort of negative lesson which is that I didn’t like the formal structures moving making I did not like doing the wide shot followed by a two-shot follow back because he just get locked in at the beginning of the day into one performance and one geography so I think that I in this in the boat the rod and now in about time the cameras very fluid and flexible and just waiting to catch good things rather you know being part of a verse of a (03:43) formal shooting straight working with earl morris with students berber was absolute joy because steven is a sultan it really is storytelling genius so you would come up with a scene and he would say what that sounds great how about this and suddenly he would imagine 10 minutes of cinema that you can completely see if you said well I’m not sure that’s right because this character wouldn’t do that he’d imagined another whole 10 minutes of cinema I mean he was fantastic like someone who could go on (04:09) writing brilliant Tunes one after anot her well it’s funny I have already written to time travel thing said there was time traveling in a black and a special that we do and I did a doctor who which was fun time traveling back to him Vincent van Gogh so I obviously am interested in it I didn’t research time travel movies before I made my wanted to go back and watch I mean at the moment I’m not intending to direct something again the moment the message of about time is just do stress do less stressful (04:40) things and enjoy yourself and so the next time i work with bill will be working on a walking holiday rather than a movie.”


Video: Richard Curtis and His Start with Four Weddings and a Funeral - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YutcjLfHVRI
Transcript:
(00:04) Interviewer: the film that we first got to know you with As Americans uh was “Four Weddings and a funeral” was it the first film you wrote
Richard Curtis: second I wrote a film called “The Tall Guy” which was Emma Thompson’s Emma Thompson and Jeff Goldblum MH that that smatter is an exact proportional representation um of how much money that movie made in comparison to Four Weddings
Interviewer: okay so “four weddings and a funeral” um introdu gave us Hugh Grant in America that’s sort of what all sold us on Hugh Grant um would you like to apologize to anyone right now
Richard Curtis: (00:39) the answer the official answer is only to Divine Brown isn’t it that’s the that’s the official answer to the question but no no I mean I didn’t I tried not to allow Hugh to audition because I thought he was too handsome and I thought it would…
Interviewer: he wasn’t he wasn’t you didn’t think he was right for that part
Richard Curtis: no no and in fact in the end were me the director and the producer and it came down to choosing between Hugh and Alan Rickman and I voted for Alan wow so I I I was so wrong um but would have been a very (01:14) different part yeah and the thing is I’d imagined it like breaking away in a film called Gregory’s girl a very great English movie where uh I thought that that the the guy had to be not attractive particularly that had to be the explanation and then he found true love I didn’t realize that by making him attractive it would make the film sort of three times as successful but Hugh was uh Hugh was the only but Hugh was the only person who could do the lines of all the 70 people we auditioned and he was extraordinarily on point he was (01:47) completely accurate he he did everything as exactly as I’d dreamt it I was I was very lucky.”


Video: ‘Love Actually’ writer Richard Curtis on film’s legacy - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNspva0W3xY
Transcript:
Interviewer: (00:00) 20 years
Richard Curtis: yeah I know I think the 20 years shows what a youthful optimist I probably was when I wrote it
Interviewer: he says he still wants to write about our Humanity the surprising ways we are good to each other in a world that has so many movies filled with trauma and violence
Richard Curtis: we get thousands of films about serial killers and there’s only ever been about nine of them and yeah there’ll be a million people falling in love feeling it’s the most interesting moment of their lives Good Deeds inside families and Good Deeds inside (00:38) communities if you look at what happened during covid and the extraordinary sort of bravery and heroism I do think the way to think about life is that every day has the potential in all its Simplicity just to be just to be gorgeous.”


Video: (1) Richard Curtis explains why he likes to set his films in Britain - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCvBZnc_Wbg
Transcript:
(00:03) and I wrote the script and it was set in Boston and I went to see the people at MGM and they said this is amazing this is a fantastic script I said oh I’m so thrilled and they said except the two leading characters we don’t like I said why and they said well it’s sort of weak no one’s gonna admire them we’ll want to spend time with them I said no and they said the dialogues very English it doesn’t really read American so you’ll have to work on that and I said oh right and then they said which means that most (00:38) of the jokes don’t work because people won’t get their humor so I said that only needs the title that’s the only thing we’ve got and they said we hate the time and I I flew home two weeks later and I swore I’ll never do a film that’s not set actually where I live.


Video: Richard Curtis Fellowship tribute - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dWYjDuaRBg
Transcript:
(00:17) Person 1: Richard Curtis is the most splendid bandy utter knob head i’ve ever met
Person 2: I congratulate BAFTA on giving Richard Curtis this award I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more if if only because he makes the world a better place to be
Person 3: and I think Richard Curtis is the greatest living Briton who happens to be from New Zealand
Person 4: five words to describe Richard Curtis: funny, saintly, didn’t write Angels.
Person 5: all his work is as seamless thing that the Vicar of Dibley and Blackadder and Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a (01:00) funeral and comic relief and Love Actually and Make Poverty History are all part of who he is as a man and also as this incredibly talented writer and creative artist
Person 6: well he’s an enigma and rather like the character of Charles and Four Weddings when I was sent that script I never really understood the character because I thought no one in England is both funny and nice you know you can’t or not the sort of a servic and nice but Richard does bring off that strange balancing act
Person 7: no I think what he he’s a master of is the apparent (01:35) inability of people to communicate certainly that was true of the character I played in Love Actually and I think it’s very true of the character that Hugh Grant plays in Notting Hill
Person 1: Richard’s funniest lines are undoubtedly Hugh Grant’s lines which are always ““t…th…er…d…um…t…th…s…er…”
Person 7: what’s actually happening is that he’s expressing something very very precisely in this apparent breakdown of language in this district
Person 1: ““t…th…er…d…um…t…th…s…er…” I love those
Person 2: the trademarks I suppose of a Richard Curtis script apart from the fact that it will always be intelligent clever and (02:28) purposeful is the fact that every minute and a half or so he’ll deliver a world-class joke
Person 5: the thing that marks our Richards work from it everyone else’s is that it’s a seamless part of who he is as a person and so that he didn’t write Love Actually in order to make a crowd-pleasing film he wrote it because that’s his philosophy of life
Person 6: basically yeah I’m afraid to say he actually does quite like people you know he’s the exact that’s what makes it makes me laugh that I play these (03:00) characters which are basically him in his films because he is basically nice and full of benevolence and I am basically nasty and full of hatred
Person 7: if one is right in thinking that Richards view of the world is very focused on love as a force in common with all humanity and love and all its difficulties in that it’s the thing that somehow drives us all which is the thesis of Love Actually I think that does lie at the root of his work for Africa
Person 8: I mean we all saw the Michael Burke films from that came out of (03:35) Ethiopia but instigated live oh but we should actually went on his own money to go and look and to see what he could do to help
Person 9: he invented Red Nose Day I mean it’s not given to many people who invent a day there’s a man Jesus I’m not sure how many others I can name
Person 3: the Red Nosed they affect is extraordinary the level of knowledge about issues around poverty is so high in Britain compared to the rest of Europe or America
Person 8: is immensely generous with his time you know when it’s a comic relief here he’ll give up (04:05) six months of his life sometimes twelve eighteen months to make sure something will happen properly
Person 4: couple of years before the Gleneagles g8 summit we were in desperate need of the best storyteller we could find to communicate these rather dull issues of debt and trade to the British public so he asked Richard to take a year off and make poverty history
Person 7: looking back at the Live 8 (concerts) I think it’s quite remarkable that his efforts together with Bob Geldof got people talking in a way that had never happened before never would (04:39) have been possible
Person 2: “The Girl In the Café” was a great opportunity for me and it was something that I’m extremely proud to have been associated with it’s a perfect amount of of entertainment and information and it made a big impact all over the world particularly in America where it was extremely well received
Person 3: his work with Comic Relief and Make Poverty History is responsible for saving the lives literally countless mothers daughters fathers and sons across the world
Person 7: when looking at what he’s achieved I think (05:14) it’s very very important to remember that he is also very largely responsible for Hugh Grant and I think that has to be taken into consideration when looking at the good side of Richard
Person 4: Richard congratulations mate you’re an absolute national treasure
Person 1: I think it’s very important that Richard Curtis should own this fellowship because otherwise how will he return the ring to Mordor


Video: Richard Curtis, What’s Funny? | MontclairFilm – YouTube
https://youtu.be/-UqyVPGVM_8?list=LL
Transcript:
Interviewer: I understand, and tell me if I got this right, is that when you first started writing a wrote for the BBC, and that you were given a list of things that were funny.
Richard Curtis: Yes, that’s absolutely right, yeah.
Interviewer: Okay, that’s a difference between American comedy and British comedy. No one gives us a list of things that were funny when we started writing job. What was this list? The government had officially determined.
Richard Curtis: No. I didn’t like that list, but they were, and they were in a funny way, summed up by Cambridge, an Oxford when I was there. Cambridge had a real sort of system. You’ve probably heard of the Cambridge Footlights, and you kind of auditioned for it. They had a show up in Edinburgh. So they’d almost sort of math and math-ish-sized comedy. Time you saw a sketch of theirs. You thought, oh, that’s very highly wrought and very clever, but there was very little humanity in it. And actually, you see a lot of that in Monty-Python. Not that much humanity. And that had sort of crept into the BBC. And so when you went there, they said, well, we’re doing a satirical program, and the funny things are trade unions, British rail sandwiches. You know, the chancellor’s eyebrows. And I thought the funny things were someone who’s a bit uneasy with the person sending next door to them, because they’re taller than they are. Do I mean, everything I thought was funny, was to do with human beings interacting, and nothing to do with politics and preconceptions. So that was the reason I failed failed so badly on weak ending the satirical radiation.


Video: Exclusive Insight from Rowan Atkinson & Co-Creator & Writer, Richard Curtis | Happy Birthday Mr Bean | Mr Bean – YouTube
https://youtu.be/Xt8agz7jipY
Transcript:



Video: Filmmaker Richard Curtis reveals his screenwriting secrets | CNBC Conversation | CNBC International TV – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFxQ1U28WAk
Transcript:
(00:00) Interviewer: people are fascinated by how you write and of course you’ve been very successful as a screenwriter and a director as well do you have a particular way do you have to sit down is it how do you do it what’s the Richard Curtis screenwriting?
Richard Curtis: nobody knows I don’t even I don’t know I can’t remember I can’t remember how it’s done that’s the strange thing is it is a sort of organic organic process so one of the things is to make sure that you really do believe in the story that it keeps coming back to you so that as it (00:35) were there’s a purpose to it I then I mean I used to be the most ill-disciplined writer I would get up at one watch some television have some tea make some phone calls have some dinner big oh I should probably start now but since I’ve had kids and a family I actually do try and go to a quiet place and write a lot
Interviewer: have you had a favorite character?
Richard Curtis: I’d I liked the stupid ones I like the stupid characters so there was baldrick and Blackadder and Emma chambers in The Vicar of Dibley and Rhys Ifans and Notting Hill it’s just so nice (01:14) to have someone who gets a laugh
Interviewer: and any advice for young screenwriters of today Richard?
Richard Curtis: my advice is to work with people you genuinely admire I think that it can be a real mistake and this goes back to what you know we’re doing here which is you find the people who are passionate and you work with them and you find the companies who are passionate the politicians who are passionate and I think sometimes young writers will make a mistake of saying well this is a famous name if that person wants to make my film that would be fantastic and (01:53) that’s a famous actor and if they want to be in my film that’s fantastic but if you don’t like that directors work and if that actor is not the right actor for the part it will the whole thing won’t you know won’t work so I think trying to keep your sense of integrity even in the face of more shiny objects


Video: Exclusive Insight from Rowan Atkinson & Co-Creator & Writer, Richard Curtis | Happy Birthday Mr Bean - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt8agz7jipY
Transcript:
Person 1: (00:06) what was usually funny was just the process of of how he gets out of a difficult situation or how he gets into a difficult situation
[Extract from Mr Bean]
Charcter 1: done your revision?
Bean: oh yes i’ve concentrated on trigonometry
Character 1: i’ve done calculus mainly
Bean: i believe they concentrated on calculus last year
Character 1: oh dear
Character 2: quiet ladies and gentlemen please the exam starts now
[end of extraction]
Person 2 (Rowan Atkinson): bodily expression particularly with mr bean is so very very important it’s sort of screaming at you you know there may be no words but you’re being shouted at i think very loudly by the (00:59) bodily expression the word compelling is quite good because i think that’s what draws you into a lot of mr bean sketches
Richard Curtis: you only have to have the starting point of the idea he gets locked out of his room or he’s going to a swimming pool or something like that and then you could be pretty confident that we would be able to to make it work
[Extract from Mr Bean]
Character 2: with those who answer the green calculus papers please put them in the green box and those who answer the white trigonometry papers please put them in the white box
[End of extract]
Richard Curtis: what i’ve always done on the mr beans is (02:09) it where i’ve done the charcoal outline and then rowan adds all the color and the texture and i laughed at him while he’s doing it
[Extract from Mr Bean]
Character 2: i said stop writing will you stop writing
Narrator: it is 30 years since the first mr bean was shown on british television and it became an instant hit between 1990 and 1995 the team went on to produce 14 episodes in total
Person 3 (Sir Tony Robinson): i didn’t know until this moment there were only 14. (02:49) i thought there were probably 114 and that roman had been coining in for years and years making this never-ending flow of mr beans
Person 2 (Rowan Atkinson) : we did the other 14 episodes in drips and drabs we didn’t make 14 at once we made two and then we made three more and then we made one one and we made four more and eventually we got to this rather poultry sum of 14. (03:16) they were always given a sort of prime spot and and they keep that and suddenly you know people realize that visual comedy could actually hold a large audience
Narator: after the overnight success of episode 1 the team was in need of new material and comedy writer robin driscoll was hired he would also feature in various sketches as a straight man to rowan
Richard Curtis: i would say in the story of mr bean it’s rowan, robin, and then possibly me i was thinking away rowan and i did the obvious ones we got the low hanging fruit and what was brilliant about robin (04:08) is that he’s just kept as it were squeezing the lemon finding new things finding different ways taking a little thread be it to do with the car or with the teddy or anything like that.


Video: Richard Curtis | BAFTA Screenwriters’ Lecture Series - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMcXrAPmchk
Transcript:

 
Video: Richard Curtis Talks ABOUT TIME with AMC - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqQJK3xXDrc
Transcript:
Interviewer: (00:05) so now you came up with this premise over a pretty simple conversation right about what you would do with the last 24 hours liv
Richard Curtis: yeah actually i i came up with the idea that i wanted to write a film about how to be happy and about appreciating a normal day that actually your happiest day wouldn’t be some exotic day in las vegas with winning a million dollars and hearing you’d be nominated for an oscar that’d be tense and nervous but uh the idea my first idea was in fact to write a really simple film about (00:35) a normal day and then i thought that’ll be dull so i then thought i’ll write a huge science fiction time travel movie where the person finally decides that all he would do with this gift is simply lead a normal day and travel back to the beginning of each day and just live it again and enjoy it
Interviewer: and i felt like you really wrote that in bill nye’s character out of all of them because you know even with this gift it kind of goes back to that simplicity of just the beauty of our everyday life
Richard Curtis: right yeah that’s so true and bill and I (01:06) talk about this a lot now i mean i think we’re we’re both saying to each other are you sticking to the moral of the movie we’re trying to make sure we’re holding to it because both of us feel as though we should you know be more happy just with the normal day and not worry so much
Interviewer: so what i love so much about your films is that all these characters they’re witty and intelligent but very very relatable i feel like we can all relate to at least one of them and the same goes with gleason and mcadams characters (01:35) their chemistry on screen was amazing what was it like watching you know these characters come alive in the two of them again with chemistry that can’t be taught it’s there or it’s not
Richard Curtis: no it’s so interesting i’m not i i until my films are well cast they’re no good at all it would you would be interested how in the casting sessions i just lose confidence with every single person who comes in and it’s only when you actually get the perfect person like as there were love in life suddenly when donald came in for the (02:04) first time the part was funny and i think that you tend to cast people who kind of appeal to your heart and then once you’ve done that they are likely to have some chemistry they are likely to get on with each other you know i could tell that both donal and rachel were basically sweet people with a naughty twinkle and i think that’s why they got on so well
Interviewer: i like that naughty twinkle so out of all the amazing characters that you have created and there are so many of them who do you think from a past film would (02:35) have been a good addition in this film
Richard Curtis: oh what an interesting question um i don’t know if you i mean that’s an interesting question because spike you remember who Hugh lived with in notting hill if you see course very bad he wouldn’t have fitted into this movie at all but there was a character in “four weddings” a very sweet character played by james fleet who was the not very clever posh rich friend yeah i can imagine him fitting into this movie and then Bill’s character in love actually could just have been on the (03:06) telly because i think it’s ten years since the movie came out and i’m sure he would be re-releasing the movie the dodgy song for christmas to try and make a few extra
Interview: i think you should throw him in every movie that character the rock star
Richard Curtis: on the radio
Interviewer: yes so why do you think amc theater audiences and audiences everywhere are going to love this movie
Richard Curtis: i hope that they will get slightly more than they bargained for i mean i it is quite a romantic film but i hope there are lots of jokes in it there actually (03:34) is some time travel and some of the normal chaos that time travel chooses and then i think in the end the movie turns out to be a little bit more emotional than expected i’ve known a lot of people who say that the moment they walked out they rang their dad or ran their son so i hope it’ll be a movie that actually leaves something in your mind when you’ve seen.


Video: Richard Curtis Interview: Love, Actually, Genie, Notting Hill, and Pirate Radio | Collider Interviews – YouTube
https://youtu.be/8DSE5a0Xvyc
Transcript:
When I spoke to you for yesterday, you told me you had a five-hour cut of Pirate Radio. My question is, when can I see it? You can never see it. No one will ever see it. But it’s a funny thing with Pirate Radio. Now I think about it, I think if I’d written it now, I would have done it as a TV series. Actually, it was very kind of episodic, and we should have done one where they raid another boat, one where they start to drown, one where the electricity goes down. But it was fun at five hours, but I don’t think for human consumption. Well, you never know. I mean, Baz just released his Australia cut on Hulu as a miniseries. So maybe you want to revisit that as a… Anyway, that’s just a hypothetical. So I read a few years ago that Hugh Grant revealed Notting Hill was maybe based on a friend of yours. And I wanted to know if it’s possibly time for the truth to come out. No. I wouldn’t go to Hugh Grant for the truth, if you’re searching for it. It was really based on a kind of fantasy I used to have. I used to go for dinner every week with the same people and have the same conversation. And I remember when I was an obsessive Madonna fan, I thought… what would it be like if at last I managed to walk in with with a woman instead of just on my own with a warm bottle of white wine and kind of so the movie started with that kind of dream scenario of what would it be like if you could and you know I was thinking about Madonna and one of my friends at that dinner was an obsessive Madonna fan and the other one would definitely never have heard of her so it was based on a on a dream rather than on a on a fact. So it’s the 20th anniversary of Love Actually and it’s now become a Christmas classic you know people love the movie I love the movie and if it comes on it means I have to keep watching. When did you realize wait a minute this film has become something special to a lot of people? It was it was when I started getting texts from people I didn’t know very well saying we’re watching it again you know it was it did take a while and it’s still a bit of a mystery to me I mean I’ve got a theory I think the reason people watch it again is they can never remember what’s going to happen next you know normally when you watch a movie you know they’ve robbed the bank they’re going to get in the car drive away and then they’re going to get shot by the police whereas even I when I watch Love Actually don’t have any idea what the next scene is so I think it kind of it’s bearable to watch it again because it’s always surprising you but you know it’s a once in a lifetime bit of luck when you make something particularly Christmas. I used to so love watching Charlie Brown’s Christmas every Christmas and White Christmas every Christmas. So I’m, it’s a real little, it’s a real little boost for me. Did you ever think the Andrew Lincoln storyline might be a little too weird? I am very often told it’s a little too weird. It didn’t occur to me at the time, but you know times change. And I remember someone once saying they would like to interview me about it and they would be focusing on the stalking scene. And I said, “Oh, I didn’t know there was a stalking scene.” And they said, “Yeah, yeah, no, you know, the Andrew Lincoln, that’s like top notch stalking.” So, you know, slowly but surely I’ve realized what a dreadful mistake I made. I don’t think it’s a mistake as much as, you know, it’s a little different than the rest. But anyway, there’s a new 4K release that’s about to come out. What are you actually most excited for people to see on it? Well, it is very pretty now. I mean, it is interesting. You know, one of the things I do like about Love Actually is I love how kind of it looks. I think actually the kind of texture of it is very, has a sort of magic to it. And we’ve really added to that. The 4K, you know, where there were fuzzes in the background, you can see chandeliers and candles and everything like that. So I think it’s just a sort of general feeling that the movie somehow got. a little bit better, that it’s even more cheerful than it was before. That, so the grade is really lovely and then we’ve also remixed it and that’s fun as well because, you know, technical things do improve as time goes by. If you can imagine watching a brighter version of White Christmas, what joy that would be. You’ve directed, you’ve written a lot, but you’ve only directed a few things. Do you have plans for directing something else or you, no? No, I found directing quite tricky. And I mean, this movie is a great example. I wrote a movie set in New York, which is such a pleasure for me, but I would have felt really insecure as a non-American directing it. And also, you know, I’m getting old and Sam Boyd who directed it is not only an American, but young. So I think I’ll always find someone who’s better than me now. I don’t necessarily better than you, I’d just say different than you. Also, I’m trying to keep my weight down. And when you direct movies, you have to eat a certain number of donuts and bacon sandwiches. And I think that’s, you know, that’s a heavy price to pay. I don’t think people realize, actually, the one thing is there’s a lot of food on movie sets, not in the UK. The UK is a little stingy, but in America, forget it. Whatever they call it, that service table. It’s the most dreadful temptation. Making a movie is like going to Willy Wonka. Yes. It’s just sweets everywhere. Unless you’re in the UK. I’ve done UK set visits and you’re lucky to get a cup of tea. No, it’s true. American movies are better. Just on craft service. On craft service. Right, exactly. So a lot of people with Genie will not realize this is a remake of something you made many years ago. And so I’m just curious, how did it come about to remake this? Well, it’s funny. Not long after I made the original movie, which is only an hour long, I thought this would have been fun as a movie movie. But time goes by, you have children and all that kind of stuff. And then just a couple of years ago, I thought I will go back and look. And my circumstances, that’s about kind of a sad singleton who’s just lost his girlfriend. And I thought, well, I’d love to make a movie about families on Christmas. And I can actually write a really different movie. I can set it in America. We can have a female Genie. And then, you know, the dream came true and we got Melissa. So there was just enough, you know, a lot of extra things. And then I do love Christmas movies. And if I can, you know, do another one, that makes me happy. One of the things about a film where you have a Genie and they can wish for anything is it can get expensive very fast. So how much in the writing of this, of the remake, are you thinking we can’t afford that? So let me not even write it. you know, what normally happens is you write a movie and then people tell you, you can’t afford it. So I don’t remember thinking, I’ve got to, I can’t do this or that. And then I think there were moments of realism, you know, we couldn’t get a real cap. But I think that on the whole, my imagination is pretty modest. So most of it happens, you know, in a pretty realistic environment. And then once in a while they say, you know, change a, you know, Christmas market to, you know, a coffee stall. Sure. You have a number of references to Tom Cruise in the film. And I’m curious, did you need permission when she’s wearing that shirt? Like how did that all come about? We did need permission from Tom. It was so sweet that he gave it, you know, because there’s an element of teasing. I once worked, tried to do a film with Tom and he was always so delightful and friendly to me. And I don’t know whether the reason he said yes is because, you know, he was so chummy then. But I love the fact that I have eventually written a Tom Cruise movie. Just so happens Tom’s not in it. Exactly. But he’s on the t-shirt. He’s on the t-shirt and we’ve got like a three second clip from Mission Impossible. Yeah. When I saw that, I was like, oh, wow. I mean, you need permission for this. This is a, you know what I mean? So one of the things about this is that it’s more of a family film. And I’m curious, how did the balance of that come about in terms of how much, no, actually, let me skip that question altogether. I’m fascinated by the editing process ‘cause it’s where it all comes together. How did this possibly change in the editing room in ways you didn’t expect? Or was this all Sam and you just saw the finished film? - No, no. I mean, editing is my favorite part of the process because it’s just so interesting. You write a film, it reads really well. You shoot the film, you watch it, you think it’s the worst film you’ve ever seen. And it’s really interesting. And one of the thing, you know, how you have to take out bits, change bits, stress bits. You know, one of the great things about Melissa in this is she’s both magical, but very normal. And the first time I thought it, about an hour in, I thought, “Oh, I’ve forgotten she’s a genie.” You know, she’s just a lovely woman. And then you have to build up, put scenes where she does magic closer together. And then the great thing about Christmas movies is just the wealth of wonderful Christmas songs. You know, you suddenly can, if it’s getting a bit weak, you throw in the OJs or Otis Redding or a bit of Anvil and suddenly the movie perks up. So, no, just like all my movies, it was a bit of a struggle. But. Particularly because the two leads, well, I say the two leads and Mark Maron and Louise Guzman, because the cast was so strong, we had very firm foundations. But as always, it was a it was a journey. What do you think would surprise soon to be fans of Genie to learn about the making of Genie? Well, I think they shouldn’t be surprised that some of the funniest lines were written by Melissa McCarthy and Mark Maron. You know, I’m quite a tyrant in terms of my own lines, but these were really clever, great American comedians. And they added, you know, they added stuff in. And I think that, you know, I think everyone will perhaps be surprised how convincingly American it is. And that’s because, you know, Sam’s an American director. And so I hope that it feels like a Richard Curtis movie, but in a whole new in a whole new world. I am a fan of your work, have been for a very long time. I’m obviously very curious what you are working on now. Well, I’m working on buying Christmas presents and decorating the tree. You know, that’s that’s the big stuff. Oh, I’ve got a few things. I’ve been working on an animation, which has been a gripping process. I mean, it’s the longest filmmaking in the world. But it’s really interesting because you write, direct, cast, shoot and edit all at the same time. So that’s been very interesting to me. And now I think I might write a play. Really? Yeah, go on. Are you writing it now, or it’s… I’ve had a go. I’ve started a couple of them, so I think that might be the next thing I do. The animated thing you’re talking about is called “That Christmas.” Yes. Oh, I didn’t… That’s my final outing to Christmas, by the way. It is? It’s all going to be Easter and Midsummer’s Day from now on. Sir, you have an addiction to Christmas. I’m sure that the play takes place at Christmas. No. No. There’s not going to be any Christmas. I’m going to do “Delete All” on my computer whenever Christmas is mentioned again, but I’m hoping… You know, with Jeannie, I’m trying to go out with a bang. No, I think you mean “That Christmas,” you’re going to go out with a bang. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I’m going out with a pre-bang on Jeannie. Exactly. When actually is that coming out? Do you know? Next Christmas, because Christmas takes so long. So a year from now, we will be talking again? I hope so. And you will be talking about how the play all of a sudden went to taking place at Christmas. Yeah, the play will be “Christmas Carol” by then. Right. You have actually done a tremendous amount through your career, and I am curious, if someone has never seen anything you’ve done before, what do you want them watching first and why? Wow. What a… Do you know, the thing I really like… Sometimes I go online and I find that somebody who isn’t me has edited… like my movies down to three minutes with a really pretty pop song. I think start with that. You know, lots of pretty people and no, you know, dodgy jokes. I’d go for Richard Curtis, the montage. Start there. I’m very… I think Four Weddings is lovely. And I wrote a TV show called Blackadder. And the final episode of the final series of that is, I think, an interesting piece of work. So there are some things I like. But start with Genie. Start with Genie. - Of course. Last question for you. Which of the films that you worked on or wrote do you think changed in the editing room? Which of the films changed the most in the editing room in ways you didn’t expect going in? - Oh, that’s definitely Love Actually, strangely. Because Love Actually was, you know, 10 stories and it seemed to work well. And it is in a completely different order to what we wrote it in. It’s unrecognizable from the original order, even though the scenes are the same. It was like playing three-dimensional chess because you could put any scene after any scene at any point. That’s definitely the one that changed most. - On that note, sir, I wish you nothing but the best. Thank you for giving me your time and good luck with the rest of your speed dating. - That’s so sweet. Don’t go changing and Merry Christmas. - Great. See you later from Horton Held.


Video: Richard Curtis | BAFTA Screenwriters’ Lecture Series | BAFTA Guru – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMcXrAPmchk
Transcript:
Macaron I’m Jeremy Brock, welcome to the BAFTA and BFI International Screenwriters lecture series for 2013. I was on the BAFTA film committee and discovered I was the only screenwriter who’d ever been on it. And after I got over the shock, I decided that the best I could do for my screenwriting brothers and sisters was to set up a lecture series in the name of BAFTA and we were able to bring the BFI in on that. This year we got a fantastic lineup, we start with David Eskoyer, we end with Richard Curtis and in between we have Hosseina Minis, Susanna Grant and Tony Gilroy. These are serious heavy weights from the UK and from America. You will be inspired by these individuals. We have been trying to get Richard Curtis since day one of day one. So this is a huge pleasure because I had begun to give up hope that we would ever manage to lure Richard in. If you ask someone in the street to name a famous screenwriter, they probably couldn’t, but they might come up with Richard Curtis. That’s how famous he is. And if you look at his filmography, you’re looking at the list, not the list, the list of the best selling British films of all time. He’s almost created a genre of his own and has written a mirror that holds itself up to us as British people. One of the keys to the success of the series is that we don’t give up on those we love and even though they come up with very, very good excuses, we just don’t accept that. So it’s a particular pleasure to have Richard Curtis closing the series because tonight we have some serious heavy weight writers in the audience. And I am really looking forward to hearing what he has to say. This is almost my first lecture or the other lectures I’ve ever given of being to my children. And I’m still doing the washing up. So I’m not exactly convinced of the efficacy of the lecture form. And also I do also want to say that everything that I say will only be partially true or as it were only true for me, which is a really important thing. I’m screenwriters on the whole don’t talk to each other about what they do. For instance, I’ve always think it’s a clever thing to leave myself notes for the next day. So I’ve never woken up and started writing with an empty page in front of me. There may be other people for whom the empty pages absolutely key. Without it they couldn’t as it were, feel the challenge. I write enormous amounts. I write 20, 30 pages of stuff a day and hope that some of it’s good. There may be other people who do the exact opposite who care about every word and don’t put it down until they’re sure it’s right. So I seriously don’t know what’s right or wrong. All I can do is tell you what’s true for me. And the first bit now is going to be of the evening. I’ve decided to use like inspiration, Jeremy Paxman. And because I’m just going to ask myself the same question a few times and try and give a few different answers. And the question is why I’ll be answering that. And then I think Edith and I have agreed that we might talk about how, as it were, about the process as a little bit more and then you can ask whatever you like. The first question that I asked myself is why did I start writing films? And the answer is because someone called Michael an American asked me to write a film. So I got a phone call from my agent saying he wants to see you tonight. And I thought of the idea for the film that I was going to sell him on the Northern line. And that was the first big mistake that I’ve never made again, which is that I always have lived with the idea of any film that I’m going to do for at least a year before I eventually start writing it. Films can’t be in factuations. They’ve got to be relationships. And I suppose this is my first observation that I think the difference between having a good idea for a film and a finished film that you like is the same as seeing a pretty girl at a party and being there when you’re wife delivers the third baby. It’s an incredibly long journey. And a good idea is only the tiny little spark at the beginning of this immense process. I came up with the idea for Michael. It was about a father and a son who both found out on the same night that the girls they were with, the girlfriend and the wife were having sex with other people. And so they both as it were left their flat and their house and moved in together in a hotel and had to as it were deal with their peculiar situations together. And it was called four eyes and fat thighs. And I think that’s the only thing I really got out of it because that’s weirdly close to four weddings and a funeral. So it was the first and then I wrote a draft. I went out to L.A. and I wrote a second draft under the producers E. Goli in his guest room and then he put me together with a director with whom I wrote a third draft and then we handed it in and we had what I think is quite a typical American meeting. They loved the script. They really loved it and I asked them did they have any reservations at all because their smiles were so big and they said the dialogue wasn’t great. It was to English and a bit too formal. And I said, all right, then they said that the two leading characters were not good because they were both weak and they needed someone to be able to root for in the movie. And then they said, and obviously the jokes are all very English. So we’d have to think of jokes that would appear more to an American sense of humour. And then I remember saying to them that really only leaves the title and they said we hate the title. But the strange thing was they still said, can’t wait to get the next draft. So I went home. I was staying with a friend of mine by the stage because I was sorted out of the nose breakdown. I got a self-induced temperature of 103 about a week later. I flew home to England and met a girl in May as sued me in perpetuity. I never delivered the script and that explains pretty well everything about what I have done since then. First, never do a project that you haven’t thought about beforehand. Be sure of that you’re working with people who actually like the work you do, which I think is hugely important. Choose the people you work with really carefully. This director was a lovely man but I remember when we were talking about the film the very first day. He said, oh, I so I don’t know if I would have this film. When my wife left me, I’d just went out and had sex with a different girl every night for a month. And this was a film about two men who don’t have ever had sex with one person in their entire lives. So he was completely and utterly the wrong man to be making this film. But most importantly, and this isn’t a rule for everyone, but it sort of is explains everything since then. I decided that I would never write a film about anything that I didn’t really know about very personally. I didn’t know. I realized when I was writing the film where American shopped, I didn’t know what they’d watched on TV when they were kids. I didn’t know anything about the structure of their schools. So I came straight home and I wrote a film called Count Townboy, which was eventually called the Torguei about someone who lived in Count Town where I lived about someone who had Heifever, which I had, and about someone who’s job was to be a straight man to a comedian whose name was in the script, Ron Anderson and my job was to be Rowan’s straight Rowan Act in straight Ram. So I have always since then basically stuck to what I think is true to my experience and emotionally right for me. So that’s why I started on a career of small personal English films. And it was absolutely key. And I think the other thing that was key in the development of myself as a screenwriter was one sentence in William Goldman’s fabulous book called Adventures in the Screen Trade, which I would recommend anyone who hasn’t read to read, where he said that most directors end up making films that vaguely remind them of a screenplay that they once read. And it’s that sentence is the stake of fear through my heart that’s dominated everything I’ve done since then. The next question I’ve asked myself is why so many of the films or the films have generally turned out as I hoped they would. And this is quite a complicated and odd thing. And I didn’t realize as it was going to be the core of what I was going to say when I was asked about, and I thought, oh well, I’ll write about playing lots of pop music while I’m writing. But on the whole the films that I’ve worked on have turned out as I intended. And I don’t know how replicable it is and I don’t know if my experience is very personal. But I would say that from my point of view a huge amount of the challenge facing a screenwriter is about control. And that is a very important trickieria. When it came to four weddings, I decided I was going to take it even more seriously. We made a deal that we, me and Duncan, would be involved in every part of the process of making the film, which meant being there when it was being cast, being there every day when it was shot and being there a lot of the time when it was being edited even though not all the time. And so strangely for me in the end I decided simply in order to stay alive that I would take to directing myself, which obviously comes with pluses and minuses. I am probably the worst director that I’ve worked with. But at least I know what I want and and how it should be and that it will be accurate. What you’ve got to be very careful, I’m particularly aware of how horrible it is to have a stubborn writer in the edit and I hope that I’m more ruthless in editing my own films than anyone else could possibly be. Certainly that’s been my experience. I’m always saying take out more. But I do feel that you should as a writer if you can try to be there when it’s done because you don’t want to waste your life making or having other people make the wrong films. And now the final bit, which is the most surprising bit to me of all and I’ve only it’s been made seem odd to you but I only started to think about it for days ago is why I have actually written the films that I’ve written at all. I suddenly thought why have I written this bunch of films instead of another bunch of films? I’ve said here when I thought of first writing movies, these were my favorite 10 films. Godfather one, Godfather two, the Avengers of Robin Hood, Doge Day off to noon, Emmanuel one, Emmanuel two, white Christmas, closing cows of the third kind, animal house and a street kind name desire. And it never even occurred to me that I could write anything like any of those films in the same way that often you end up marrying someone who’s not the slightest bit like you. But there was another bunch of films which for some reason or other I felt I could identify with and could do something like and I’m interested in why I thought that, why I didn’t think I could do the other type. And the strange thing to me is that I wrote my first film when I was 30 and I really ended up the key things that I’ve written have been on the same subjects about they’ve been about love and they’ve been about friendship and they’ve been about family. And thinking about tonight I’ve been as puzzled as some of the people who are very critical of my films are why I would bother doing it again and again and again. And I’ve tried to think about this. Why have I not gone down a lot of other routes? And I’ve taken a bit of consolation. I’ve got a second slide here from thinking about artists and I’m not comparing myself with these. But I don’t know if you’ve got sugar. There are lots of cities and lots of you know cafeterias and lots of soup cans. But every time he sat down he thought, oh I know, I’ll make everything a bit blue and put some flowers in it and on the whole people it’ll be jumping over houses. And then if we just go on and look at the other two, oh there we go. Must have led a life of great variety but every time he put pen to paper, these people. And then just the last one, there we go. Really? Oh, I mean, all you thought, he must have been able to see there were other ways of going about things. But for some reason or other and I do think that there is a thing about style, you know, as it were brushed to paper and pen to paper, which is the thing that you do and there’s probably not much that you can do about that. And so I’ve just been thinking that it must be the reason I’ve written all these films. There’s because the things that I feel most deeply must be about those subjects in my own life. So I was raised in a family that was full of love. That’s what was the big thing in my youth was as it were family love. And all the big emotions and all the big things that I felt have been in this area in the area of romantic love, family love, friendship and not as it were in the area of serial killers, superheroes, people who died 300 years ago, secrets, scandals, corruption, action, sporting victories, gangsters, things from outer space. All of these things that are a few gentrists to other people and take up their time were clearly not being the thing which inspired me. I’ve just written a lot of times about love, friends and family because it would seem that if you really write what you care about, you as it were, have no choice. And that must be why I’ve really written about anything else. Maybe that takes me back to the beginning. All the mistakes I made on the first firm, I found that what I do best is when I write what is true to me, what I understand. And I hope that I have listened in more ways than one, to my own instincts and my own heart. And at least for the moment, that’s my explanation why I’ve ended up writing the things that I have. We’re off. Are you ready to really push control slightly? Yes. Good. Glad to hear that. Have you got all the clips I told you that we must have really… Thanks, so they’re already with Big Red Botan up there. Yeah, we’re ready, we’re good. Before we get to the clips, we’ve got to start with the question on how, how you approach writing a screenplay. I mean, just very quickly on that. I’ve been trying to think, how do I write a screenplay? Because I certainly don’t sit down in a month or two months. I think the answer is, I think of an idea ages before. And then I kind of write a long, weird, prose poem to myself with lots of bits of dialogue in it, which is just a discussion. So I say, this might happen in the middle of these, might be the characters. This might be the end. This might be the beginning. I mean, I would never write a treatment, by the way. I think they are… shockingly bad idea. I genuinely think that a treatment is the equivalent of a prose description of a painting. I think I will draw a picture of a pretty woman with a landscape behind her and you’re not quite sure whether she’s smiling or sad. That’s the Mona Lisa. But I genuinely think they’re nonsense. So I would have never done that if I can. And then slowly, I kind of, I then I think I’d write down on cards, incidents that are in it and see whether or not, suddenly I’ve got 100 things that start to be in an order that’s vaguely sensible. And then I will start having a go at writing. I find it really fascinating when you were talking in your lecture about how involved you are. I mean, is that quite a unique thing for a writer who’s not the director of a film to be that involved through that whole process? I think it is, but we’ve made it work and it’s been complicated. I mean, I think I really do think of my job as a screenwriter being pretty well equal. And I mean, actually, obviously, if you’ll then direct in the movie, that bit’s equal. My contribution to the directing of the movie was not as important, I think it’s very important to be there. But I think the editing of films, again, it really is a massive rewrite. And it is a extraordinarily important part of the process. And I can’t, if I could take you guys through time to see how disastrous at least four of the films that I’ve been involved in have been when they were thought to be finished. It is, I mean, Bridget Jones was catastrophic. Yeah. And the movie we shot, even though every single frame of it was then in the finished movie, it was not the right movie. We just got all sorts of things wrong in the screen play. Like there were two laughs in it in the whole film. And some of you who may have seen it recently and think that’s more than I remember, but in front of a crowd, it used to get some laughs and we just, we were going completely the wrong reaction of the film. And then suddenly one day, we realized that the problem was that Bridget has presented on film was a pretty girl in a good job who both Hugh Grant and Colin Firth wanted to sleep with. And it was not a challenging scenario one where somebody deserved a much sympathy or interest. And so what we did quite near the end is we took the saddest scene in the film, which was right at the end when she’d been dumped for the third time by Mr. Darcy or I can’t remember where it was, but it was the last five minutes or ten minutes in the movie. And we made it the credit sequence of the film. So I think it might be interesting to look at the credits of Bridget and see that the reason why people then were sympathetic and liked the film. I mean we did then cut 15 out of the next 30 minutes to try and speed it up and stuff. But the credits of this film, this was the emotional climax and end of the film until as it were she ran through snow. The strange thing is that is two, her emotion is two big for a opening credit sequence I think. Now you can see how that would have been quite near the end of the movie with her and real trouble and really, really saddened everything. But by moving that up, we changed the fate of the more swimming watch and that we go, I did that maybe about a month ago. The characters almost have, you know, do you do associate characters with certain pieces of music then as well whilst you’re writing? It’s a good that, it’s a good that far. I don’t know that it’s character as much as emotional moods. Talk of emotional moods if you want to get to a point with something, do you feel like with film and with screenwriting you need to find a journey to get there as opposed to just seeing things as they are. Because you’ve got a great example of you just from noting hell of this the scene with Julia and you of all of all. I’ve actually got my pocket, my hints and if you’ve got time, I’ve got to have it as I might just tell you as it were, things tricks that I use which I’m sure will not be useful to most of you but interesting. I mean, I’d just be honest. One of the things that I found in most of my films and I was a bit torn between an example I could have given you for almost every film that sometimes when I’m stuck on a film completely and trying to work out what to do and feeling that I haven’t got there, and this will unfortunately destroy the scene that everyone’s about to see. But I just write exactly what the film is about in what people say. It’s so often, I think it’s a bit of a bit of a bit of a tradition. I actually won’t, I won’t quite ever say, well I let people maybe imply vaguely what the emotional journey was meant to be. And I’m quite a believer in going straight for it. So, I mean this is a, this is a, you know, key scene in Notting Hill but if you listen to it again, again, you’re a discriminating audience, you probably thought the first time you saw it. Wow, this is exactly him saying what the film’s about, but this was me writing straight at Notting Hill to try and say what I thought the film was about. I live in Notting Hill, you live in Beverly Hills. Everyone in the world knows who you are. My mother has trouble remembering my name. Fine. Fine, good decision. Good decision. The famous thing isn’t really real, you know. And don’t forget, I’m also just a girl, standing in front of a boy. Asking him to love her. So, well, I’m just saying there is that was a piece of work, you know, a very deliberate thing to try to exactly sum up what I thought the whole film was about. How do you know when something’s funny? That’s quite interesting. You do laugh when you write something funny. I mean, and that is really interesting because when we wrote Blackouter, I used to notice that because Blackouter was quite, you know, constructional, you know, you’d kind of knew what people would do and how the plot would go. And you could make things funny in a way. And there were quite a lot of things we did repetitively. And whenever I actually laughed, I would underline things. So, I would remember that actually made me laugh rather than something that I worked towards. And at the end of the whole process, Ben said, what was funny lines that used to be underneath the script? So, he’d obviously never noticed. They were the funniest lines that I’d ever read. Okay, questions from our audience. You mentioned your own family background. And whereas most family backgrounds that are mentioned are bad memories for the person telling you about them, you refer to a close and loving family background. My question is, if you had not had that kind of family background, does it mean that you simply would not have become a screenwriter or would you think have written films with influence from the kind of awful background you’d had becoming a parent? I realize in retrospect, I’m very interested in things going well. I think there is a, it’s a real, it would be interesting to talk with people who disagree because I find things going well, very, very interesting. And I know that there are lots of people who when they see a situation, look for the thing that’s wrong and say that’s the truth. And when I have said before, that I’m sometimes puzzled by the fact that when I write films about people falling in love, they are critically taken to be sentimental and unrealistic. And yet, 4 million people in London are in love tonight and today all around the world hundreds of thousands of people will fall in love. When someone writes a film about a soldier getting a wall and breaking into a flat and murdering a young pregnant woman, something which has happened twice in history, that film will be described as seringly realistic. I don’t see how that’s true. I was on a beach in Southworld the other day. And you look along, you see fathers playing with their children, people in love holding hands, older couples having cups of tea with each other, no sign whatsoever of ruthless violence and hatred on that beach. Now of course I know from my work with comic relief about the dark art of the UK, but that’s not the only story and I think stories of joy and love are definitely worth worth telling. And I’m a beneficiary of that. And long may tell them. APPLAUSE We feel we let you go. Can we have your tricks of a dream or what to have these? We’ve got our eyes. So I did just write them down. These are absurd. I cannot believe. I’m going to say this in front of me. Most books are the ready. I can’t believe I’m saying this in front of Christopher Hampton. I live in a street with only two houses in the street. And I’m the second best writer in the street. And the third best director, as my son Charlie now knows more about what if I written here? I’m not going to say that. I want you all time. I’ve said the thing about going on the nose. Oh, this is just a hint of mine, which I do think is helpful if you’re a writer. Is when I get stuck, which is often, I always write 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in the gap on the page. And then I give myself five goals at the problem. So I don’t have that dreadful pressure of thinking, I’ve got to get it right. There’s time, what is he going to say to her, what can they do? I just write something that’s the same as the thing I wrote before, something that’s a bit different. Something that’s completely different, something with another character and something from our spaces at web. And by the time you’ve relaxed enough to write the five, you often find that somewhere in the five is the answer that you need, whereas the pressure of having to get it right, I find very hard. To get right was book often. No, I mean, I get completely stuck. And that’s when I start typing and sit down with a pad and write impensal. So I can’t see what I’m doing. This is bad thing to reveal, but I do. I have to admit that I do sometimes at certain points, right, as I say, like a mixing desk. I’ve got to a certain point and I can see it’s all a bit fungi. And so I say, if you’ve ever been in a studio when they’re making a record, it’s so annoying, because they turn up the sacks and then they fiddle with the sacks for two hours. And you say, oh, god, this is all going to be sacks. The whole thing. And then they fix the sacks and then they pull it down and it rejoins the track. And I do have some days where I just say, I’ve just got to do plot. I’m sure there’s something wrong. So I just do plot. And then the next day, I’ve taped down the plot and lift out the character. And I get characters, why don’t you talk and do each other convincingly. And they talk to each other all day. And then when I fix that, I reintroduce that. And then I’ll do jokes and other day. I said, just isn’t funny enough, and I’m going to go through it all and try and do that. So that’s another, as it were, workmen like trick that I do. Never leave a black page in the morning. This is the most important one of all. Don’t call your boys by girls names and your girls by boys names. It’s so annoying when you read a script and the husbands call Carol and the wife’s called Alex. And the whole way through the film, you can’t remember who why. And then for some reason, her other Alex is giving birth to somebody and stuff. So you can change the when the actors have faces. You can call them whatever you like, but in a script, call them by names that are identified by the right sex. This was a card just to say, if anybody ever talks about the death of romantic comedy, I think that should be ignored because I think good romantic comedies are funny films about love. And I would say this decade we’ve had lost in translation, 500 days of summer, a tunnel sunshine at the spotless mine. These are great great films about love. Probably better than in the 10 years before they were, all the 10 years before that. So I think it’s just a question in terms of movies about love of rephrasing it and not just going by by a formula. And then the most important one of all, oh no, here’s one, not very important one. Which is if you’re a writing comedy and you want to make something funnier, the web way to do it is go to where it’s already funny and make it a bit funny at the mad. So in Notting Hill there’s a scene where Hugh goes in and he’s pretending he’s from horse and hound and he interviews due to and when Tim Bevan gave me his note that he’s given on every single film I’ve ever written, which is not very funny is it. Then I went to that bit and I thought, okay, so he comes out and I knew that bit was funny and I thought, how can I extend that bit rather than finding another bit where I make it all funny? So I thought what would happen if we came out on the corridor and then we said, now you can talk to everybody else. So that’s just a little practical comedy hint. And then this is the last one I’ve written where I say love yourself 99% failure is a triumph. And I often do think that I think when I’m talking to people who are writing and they say, if I write and there’s one good bit that is an extraordinary day and I will think I’ll end it and I’ll think I’ve really got that bit and wouldn’t it been my I can see that being in the final film and I know that many young writers they write and they say it’s all shit and then they say, I mean there was one bit there might be okay but the whole day was dreadful and you’ve got to just reverse that and see that if you’ve produced anything that’s of worth in terms of the life of writing a film because films are quite quick to write because they’re just dialogue you could type out a film in three days you couldn’t type out an novel in three days but you should be proud of hope full of observant for anything that’s anything that’s good. Which I thank you so much for tonight could have been very helpful for the film.


Video: Richard Curtis - Exclusive ‘About Time’ Interview (2013) | Rotten Tomatoes – YouTube
https://youtu.be/74mMMMnjZjw
Transcript:
Yes, great-ray course and hound magazine. Oh, my goodness! It may be you see that film again. There’s a castle made of horse and hound. And when I saw it, they’d done the front cover and they’d misspelled the word millennium. No. So it’s gone a little leaf. I took a leaf off. I put a plant next to it. Took a leaf off it and put the leaf over the mistlete of millennium. Yes. This is going to sound strange. But there’s this family’s secret, but the men in the family can travel in time. This is such a weird joke. Your movies are responsible for so many warm fuzzies in my life. I was looking through them all and I mean, for God’s sake, even it’s not even just the specifically romantic ones. You don’t war horse has that element. Right? Yeah, it’s just even I will tell him that he’s good at warm fuzzies. Yes. I, as far as I’m concerned, I’m a huge fan and I think that you’re sensing that as I sit very close to you. I want to know like what is your idea of the most romantic date that you could be on? I was mess up romantic days. That’s the point. There’s a scene in love actually where he goes and we then can go outside care as door and he’s got a course there. And I remember writing five ideas for that. I’m going out into my office where there were four girls typing and saying which of these is a good idea. And then I did the first one. They went, ah, the second one. Yeah, no, I’d hate the guy and then fortunately one of them, the cars, one, they said, oh, maybe that’ll be all right. So just because I write about it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m any good at the romantic things myself. Okay. And I think the thing that made my life turn out all right was realizing what sort of person I should be going out with. I remember driving along in the car and saying I must stop trying to go out. I must go out with someone talkative. Ah, that makes sense. That’s the most important thing ever. A beautiful moment in anybody’s life when they realize the partner that they’re looking for. Yeah. I like that. Have you ever had a particularly memorable New Year’s Eve like in the film? A good Orbad. Oh, New Year’s Eve was always so awful for me. I mean, so, my main memory of New Year’s Eve is like my daughter, my parents cracking in about 11, 30 and saying, do you mind if you go to bed? And then going in and kissing my mum and she used to wear cold cream. And when you kissed her, you would fall off her face onto the arms and the pillow. And then we started going to a family and New Year’s Eve just like the ones there. And they would play charades and at 12 o’clock you’d be playing, you’d be trying to mind jaws. And then we started going to a family and New Year’s Eve. Just like the ones there, and they would play charades. And at 12 o’clock you’d be playing, you’d be trying to mind jaws. So that New Year’s Eve has always been so depressing for me. Well, and you get a chance to kind of make these things into fantastic films, I see, from the stories. Well, I do in the end end up writing about things that I care about. And thus, post love and family and friendship, but being the things that have got me through. Not, I’m superheroes and great sporting occasions. Would you say that you learn from something and situation in the right about it? Or backwards? You write about it and learn from that. Such a good question. Then this case and this fellow, I tried to write myself into a corner where I actually think about what the film is about, which is enjoying a normal day.


Video: Richard Curtis Reveals What Happens To LOVE ACTUALLY Characters 20 Years Later | INTERVIEW | Jake’s Takes – YouTube
https://youtu.be/rssrnQXOc8o
Transcript:
"The story that I loved two decades ago “is different than the story I love now as an adult.” So two decades later, what is the storyline that you see most differently? Not because the movie has changed, but because you’ve changed. - Oh, that’s such an interesting question. (dramatic music) - Where we’re going, we don’t need roads. (dramatic music) - Mr. Curtis, an honor to see you again, sir. How are you? - I’m very happy now. It’s, you know, it’s pitch black here in England. - It’ll be pitch black in Chicago in about four hours. So we’re right behind you, sir. I’m gonna jump into this. - We’re ready for mulled wine over here. - Oh, always. I exist in a constant state of ready for that. I’m gonna jump into this. You know, for so many people, Christmas movies are a tradition. They watch the same ones every year. It’s a comfort for many of us, but I want to know for the people who create these Christmas movies, whether you’re writing or you’re directing them, do you allow your own films to be a part of your Christmas tradition? Would you ever gather the family around and say, "All right, guys, it’s time to watch ‘Genie.’ “All right, guys, gather the kids. “It’s time to watch ‘Love Actually.’” - I mean, I think they’d kill me if I said it was time to watch “Love Actually” again, but maybe this year. I mean, I don’t know. Our family aren’t getting together till, you know, December the 18th, and we might watch the “Genie” film this year if we can hold off. That is a possibility, even though it’s a- - A battle between anything I’ve ever tried and Elf. And normally Elf wins. - I would always choose you, sir, over Elf, always. When you start talking about genies, I try not to ask cliche junket questions, but the concept of wishes is always gonna come up. So I’m gonna try to approach this from an angle that not everyone’s doing. When you first put pen to paper and start writing a script, what is wish number one that you really hope comes true? - Wow, I mean, look. My friend Danny Boyle said that the secret behind movies, the only thing that matters in a movie, as he said, is the beginning and the end, and the beginning not so much. So the first thing I hope for is that the movie’s got a good end. ‘Cause no matter how hard you try, if the end’s no good, everyone walks away saying, “I didn’t enjoy that much.” And this movie started with the end. I kind of knew where it was going the whole way through. My wish is always that I’m not hoping the end appears, but that I start knowing with how it’s gonna finish. - Can I just honestly tell you, and I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t believe it, it’s a great ending. It’s honestly, it’s fantastic. So you crushed it. If I didn’t believe so, I would just awkwardly move on to the next question. So you absolutely crushed it. - Thank you very much. - Yes, sir. You know, speaking of, you mentioned “Love Actually” before, 20 years since it hit theaters. And the thing I always say is that movies don’t change. We change. The story that I loved two decades ago is different than the story I love now as an adult. So two decades later, what is the storyline that you see most differently? Not because the movie has changed, but because you’ve changed. - Oh, that’s such an interesting question. Do you know, now that my life is sort of calmer, and now that I’m a gentle, older man, last time I watched it, I really loved the stupid story with Colin going to America. I thought I wasted my youth and I wish I was 27 again. So I’m sorry, I’ve got more shallow rather than more deep. - I just love just how that story turns out. The walking into the bar, it’s brilliant. It still yields one of the biggest laughs every time one of the girls walks in. People think I’m crazy when I say this, but I truly believe that love actually is the reason that “All I Want for Christmas” has become the hit that it is, why it plays every year. Can you talk about using that song in the film and the impact you think love actually had on it? - I mean, don’t say that anywhere near Mariah Carey. She’s gonna sue you out of your job. But the truth of the matter is, I really listened to that a lot while I was writing the movie. You know, you’re sitting in a dark office in the middle of March. and you’re just dreaming about a movie. And that song is so irresistibly cheerful that I would sometimes like put it on a loop. So it was kind of the fuel behind the movie. So if I’ve managed to get rack up any extra sales from Mariah, I’m delighted. - Because God knows she needs it. - I don’t think she needs it. - You know, it’s, I feel like the sign of a good movie and it’s the same case with “Genie” as well. But a sign of a good movie is when it’s over years later, you’re still wondering, I wonder what happened to those characters. I know we got a little bit of a follow-up on “Red Nose Day” but I’m sort of curious of all the “Love Actually” storylines, which one is the most that you find yourself wondering, where are they today, 20 years later? - Well, I mean, I think Hugh Grant would definitely be divorced. I don’t think there’s any doubt in that. I think what I do is I tick through them and say if any of them lasted 20 years. I think the naked couple would have lasted but Hugh would be onto his third wife. There’s no doubt about it. - That’s fantastic. I’ve got to tell you, swinging back around to “Genie,” there is a line in the script that literally made me spit out my drink. And it’s when Melissa says about Jesus Christ being the son of God. I thought he was kidding. I’ve got to tell you, you have made lines that make me laugh, that make me cry. The “my son, my dad” moment from “About Time,” I crumble every time I watch that. So I’m sort of curious for you, I know you’re sort of very close to all these projects, but what is the line or the moment you’ve written or directed in your career? that still has the most emotional effect on you when it’s played out on the screen? Well, do you know, I think, I mean, there’s a lovely line at the end of this one, you know, when Melissa says most people are cruel and selfish, but that was never you. And I think she did that phrasing. And I love that. I like the end of About Time, where he says, you know, life’s a roller coaster, we have to relish this remarkable ride. That’s kind of what I’m trying to do every day. Just see what’s around you. Try not to hope for more and see whether you can just enjoy the texture of every day. I love that. Mr. Curtis, I asked for extra time with you just because I’m such a fan of you and your work. So in every word that you’ve put down on paper is a blessing to all of us. So I appreciate you giving me that time. And thank you for always doing just such incredible work that makes all of our lives richer, man. It was a real always an honor to speak with you. You’re so sweet. Thank you. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Bye guys.


Video: Richard Curtis: Christmas Forces My Family To Come Home 🎄| Virgin Radio UK -YouTube
https://youtu.be/pxpp0C7wIPA
Transcript:
So this is in London on the 7th to the 11th of December. It’s an amazing show curated by this man here. This genius in front of us. Yes. The South Bank Centre, tickets available southbank centre.co.co.com. Can I say they are? It really is a case of well-stocks last. I think if anyone does want to go, they should like do it today. Oh, right. They’re selling fast. Of course they are. Southbank Centre.co. What, what makes the question? How come, why wouldn’t you run this for longer? Because people would go and see this for like a month. Well, I do have a little plan, which is that if it works out and if it turns out to be a kind of script that’s reproducible, I would love it to be something that lots of theatres could do from year to year and maybe even schools could do and maybe they could even do an Australian America. It’s kind of because some of the money is going to come at really. So the idea would be just like, you know, J.M. Barry, don’t, don’t, some of the money from Peter Pan always go to the great Ormans Street. All of it. All of it. So I’ve got a little hope that if it works out well, if we get as sufficiently enthusiastic and merry audience, that it might be something that lasts. J.M. That was, he was a guy I wasn’t he. His story is unbelievable, isn’t it? He was a single parent, wasn’t he? And he carried on writing was a great dad, wrote all these amazing stories and posthumously every single penny of profit from his estate goes to great Ormans Street. Did you think I should do that? I think it’s worse than done. You’re not following me, or leader. Okay, I should give nothing to charity after I die. Richard, I think you’ve done you bit by the way. I mean, a lot of health from you. We’ve had some fun over the years. We sold the Queen’s car last year on the way. We sold the New Times, just a couple of days ago, children need something. Congratulations, I think. But that was so far. Well, more than the mutual party. That was Matthew’s idea. Yeah, what’s this? So you got a car frame, I said, I know, but I think we’re dealing it on. Anyway, this is great, man. And how much you love Christmas, I attend? You still have full on 10? Yeah, I’m still full on 10 because it is. You know, I’ve just made this genie movie. And the genie movie is all about, you know, you get a genie. You could have anything in the world, but the thing that you most want really is just have a lovely meal with your family. And Christmas forces my family, who many of them are fled to America. To come home and it’s the one time we see them. And I like Turkey. Right before. Before. So by the way, I love Turkey. I want to have it more often. Yeah, don’t you? Well, I want to have it more often. I want to have it both out of cold. Yeah, I love it. I love it. Picked. To win right now, pull off. Poor us, cafe. Our on mile a bone, Lane. Just takes how much is now. We should go ahead and neck. We should go after this. Yeah. Before we move on, just one more plug for this. Christmas actually, Southbank Center’s Royal Festival Hall, 70, 11th December. Lots of the province going to comet relief. It’s a great show. This man in front of us curated it. He noticed his Christmas trees. There are lights. There’s smoke. There’s mystery. There’s even a scary bit in it. Southbank Center. Yeah. So what is the arc? It just give us the elevator pitch of the arc of the tale. Well, no, no, it’s not a story. Right. It’s a misson and a knee. So you come on and you think, what’s going to happen? And then everything happens. And we get literally all my favorite things. We like to tell four Christmas stories. There’s the Christmas in the trenches story. There’s the bandage story. There’s the story about how a polo eight went around the moon on Christmas day and took the first pictures of the, you know, that we’ve ever seen of the earth from space. We went to the moon, but we discovered the earth. And then flowing, Joan, who are those brilliant comedy, they’re going to come on and play. And I guess, star rocks up and gives presents to the audience. I mean, I think anybody who comes and isn’t entertained wasn’t alive when they entered the building. Yeah. Okay. That’s great. So those four stories, that’s why it could roll out. I was wondering how you’re going to roll it out if you don’t have a story, but that’s how come. Yeah. And the songs are written in the song. Yeah. I mean, there is some fantastic, we’ve just been to this thing with the, if we’re going to at the end of it, we’re going to sing all I want for Christmas is you. And I’ve got the members of the cast of the film, filmed them holding up the lyrics in the same way as Andrew Lincoln held up the card. So you can sing along and they’ll be Bill Nye and Andrew Lincoln. I mean, here are nightly and stuff. So it’s full of gimmicks. There’s a little bit of Charlie Mackenzie in there. You know, it’s going to be, I think it’ll be gorgeous. Just briefly on Bill Nye’s role. Yes. I mean, love actually. Yes. He was first engaged for the read through as a reader. And that is an accepted role in acting in the world of acting. And you are, you, you accept that role on the understanding that you’re not, you’re not auditioning for the film. You’re merely helping the writers to get the script right. I’ve seen him on stage. I hadn’t liked him. He rocked up there because we were thinking of casting two other people. Couldn’t decide who this is true. Bill turns up. Does it so perfectly? He gets a laugh for every line. We cast him five minutes later. And I’ve, every film I’ve done since then has been in. Wow. And it was a really, really lucky day. Who were the others for me? I’ve never revealed them. But they were. Just a can’t remember them. You’re six years. Actually, I think one of them was Robby Cole train for instance. Okay. I mean, he wouldn’t mind you saying that. Well, he’s not a lot of other people. I know. I know I’m aware that he’s deceased. I know that go wrong. It’s going so well to them. It’s not a point. A gene. Well, but life is a rich mixture of sorrow and joy. And we’re just trying to pump up the joy. Pump up the joy, man. Pump up the joy, pump up the jam. So, Jeannie, this film, sorry. Listen, McCarthy. Yes. Now, the last time we exchanged emails in the middle of the night, I think you were off to direct her or something. Well, I wasn’t directing, but I was thinking of that to eat the craft table. You’re a parachute to didn’t work. Something happened. All right. So, what is Jeannie? How did it come about? How happy are you with it, etc. I’m doing it all the work here. Aren’t these the, you ask your questions now. Well, you’re telling me some stuff. It’s the last time I fired the shark tell me about this before. I think it’s the big piece. It’s a very funny and joyful film. It’s based on a film I originally made with Alan coming. Lenny Henry and Drone Accumson. Alan coming has aged. He was like 25 then. He’s now 55. And he’s a great singer. He’s a great singer. He’s a great singer. He’s like 25 then. He’s now 55. And he is playing the villain. I saw he’s playing the villain’s part in it. But the Jeannie is now played by Melissa McCarthy. She is fabulous. I mean, she’s such a sweet woman and a funny woman. Many comedians are cool. You know that. You’ve come across them. But she’s so gentle and so all the emotion in this story. She carries. But she’s also hilarious and very amusing. The dress and Papa SEA do one of Britain’s greatest actors. The greatest handler to his generation is playing Burnett. And his life is going very wrong. He rubs a box outpops Melissa McCarthy with hilarious consequences for a burn hour. And then there’s like a sad bit where it turns out their best friends ever. And then there’s a happy bit where everything turns out well. So this is all on Sky. Sky is from the first of the family called Jeannie. Tell us about the world of proper movies. Not straight to video movies as they were once straight to TV movies as they would be now. But proper movies now getting their first their premiere on domestic platforms. Tell us about that world. How that’s changed filmmaking. Well, I mean, I don’t we try this hard on this. I’ve tried on any other. That’s what I mean. That came out. So I think the truth is that it’s just a kind of different kind of quality control. You know, they make a lot of movies for streamers. A lot of them people don’t not many people watch. We hope that millions of people watch this. When you try as hard as you possibly can, the budget was actually great. I mean, one of the reasons I did this movie is I wanted to make a Christmas movie set in New York. You know, because all my movies are set in the street where I live. Basically, I’m sheer laziness. But I wanted to make a movie that had a wide shot of the Empire State Building in it. That’s literally true. But I think that’s true. It’s actually the not in the street where you live. The street down from where you live. So you can still get to sleep at night. Yeah. And when I wrote Notting Hill, I sent out the location fighter to come up with the house. That a huge grant’s character could live it. And he came back with one Polaroid photograph. And it was of the my front door. And I thought that’s a joke. But it turned out to be right. But unfortunately, they then built use flat at Pinewood. I think, well, shut up. Yeah. I don’t remember which. So I still had to travel into work. That house came up with a cell a couple years ago again. Did it? Your house, yeah. Yeah, I should never have sold. It was beautiful. What a beautiful house. No. So, yeah. So we flew to New York. We filmed in the snow. We filmed. We also snowed. What’s your snow like? I’m not going to reveal that in case it breaks the magic for the viewer. But then quite a lot of it’s been added. True lies. I think true lies snow was salt. Salt is the best, isn’t it? I don’t know. I noticed that some of the snow was just sort of fabric. Right. Yeah. In the distance it’s fabric. And then some of it’s some of it’s. Oh my goodness. So even Richard, even at the age of you are, you still have a bucket list of movies to be made and where to make them and why. Yeah, I think I should make the thing I’m thinking about is I think I should make them slightly funny a version of the life of Napoleon. I feel that really. I’ve seen it. Yeah. But I feel probably not as many gags. Not as many. Not as many hype gags as I think I would. You did anything I think I would go for. I mean, you have previous as far as that’s concerned. Oh my goodness. I was talking to you now last night about you coming on today. Because we were playing the Beatles. So last night we had, um, there’s no night. It’s just no night. At T-Tama in a Monday, it’s a good day. It’s about 14. Right. To the back half six. And, um, he was playing some Beastie boys yesterday. And he said, how could of the Beastie was? I said, yeah, I know. But can you imagine them rocking out to the songs in period having just written them? I mean, they’re great now. But in the kings of the world, then. And then we had, there was a quantum leap. I think we went somewhere else. We went to, there’s a particular Beastie boys on which is the most downloaded, I can’t remember the name of it. It’s not quite for you right. But, um, and it sounds for all the world. Like, I thought it sounded like Joy Division and the level of Terrors of Part that began in a sense. I said stick on Joy Division. One of those great conversations. You know, when you stand out, they’re the best, right? I know. And he’d never heard of Joy Division. And then, and then we put on level of Terrors of Part. And then he said, it doesn’t, it’s a satisity. Will in a minute. He said, oh, yeah, I get what you mean. And then he said, but this sounds like Pimbo. Where’s it? On Ghost Pimbo, where’s it? He then he asked me about the Beatles and about guitars. And I said, well, no, a lot of the Beatles songs. Um, if you listen to the, um, the demos on, uh, for example, the anthology, which is amazing. So, so Richard, we stuck those on. And I was literally weeping. I was sobbing because of the beauty of. If you listen, if you hear the demo of, um, George Harrison’s Walmart guitar gently weeps, you know, and he wasn’t, he, he was no one near the best songwriter in the Beatles. You listen to that song and that vocal. And his original acoustic guitar, it will break your heart into a million pieces and you don’t know why. And I still don’t know why. But I had to be reassembled to go and pick you like that. But I had past six. Anyway, we get onto that and we’re talking about you because you love the Beatles. We always have our Beatles conversations. And then I said, you know, notting hell. You won’t, excuse me? And I realized he’s not seeing nothing hell. Four weddings in the funeral. He’s not seeing four weddings in the funeral. He’s got this all to come. Well done, you. These films that young people don’t watch. These films are great. Oh, okay. And they’re seminal and they’re at least. Well, that’s very, you know, it’s, I feel just very lucky. You write what you write. You hope that people like it. And then, you know, if they turn out to be repeatable, that is fabulous. And then, I did do that film yesterday, you know, which was sort of about the Beatles. And I’ve had some fun with my son recently. He used to be so against the Beatles, you know, absolutely wrapped generation. He said, Dad, they write nursery rhymes. He said, everything rhymes. They’re silly little tunes. And now he’s completely spun over. And I got a text from him saying, have you ever heard till there was you? Which is like the sweetest cover version by the Beatles and everything. So, you know, eventually they’re going to creep into your soul. Well, he wasn’t, he wasn’t anti-Beatlers. He was anti-Dat. Yeah, I wasn’t. Yeah, that’s what that was. That’d be the same. And by the time you realised your mum and dad were right about the Beatles, you’ve got a kid who thinks you’re wrong about the Beatles. Um, do you know, when I was little, the Beatles came to Sweden where I was living. And it was so, I mean, my parents were always so naive. It didn’t occur to them. We were utterly obsessed by the Beatles. That if the Beatles come to Sweden, you could buy a ticket to see them play their music. Yeah. Just didn’t occur to them. So, for four days in a row, me and my sisters would driven by my dad to stand outside the Ferresta hotel and wait for the Beatles to come out on the balcony. And we were there in the snow and finally the four of them came out and weaved to us. And that was the best moment in my life until now. Until you saw the peeing the playground. That’s the best. No, I’m not going to talk about it. But that’s your comedy philosophy. My comedy philosophy is repetition is a good thing. It’s just like every joke that we have with our friends is a joke that we had with our friends, the day before and the day before and the day before. So, you’ve written this film, this Christmas film, based in New York, some of the And I’m before. The Napoleon film with Gags could happen. My very well-loved up and now you said out loud. What are the boxes you might want to take making? Because you said you were going to stop doing all this. You said that a few times. Yeah. Well, I don’t know. Actually, it’s quite interesting. I’ve got a… Someone’s talking to me about this metaphor the other day that you can’t… You can’t leap onto a new trapeze until you let go of the one you’ve been holding. So, I’m actually aiming for one of those moments where I’m going to sort of stop not having any new commitments and then find out what, as a human being, I would like to do the new thing I’m going to grasp. What’s going to come to you? Well, I’m thinking of poetry, Chris. No, you know. It’s a piece of things. I might write a play. I’d like to be a DJ. I think that’s really easy. Well, we did it by the way. I know that. I’ve heard that. I’ve got friends who are DJs. They never do any homework. They just ask you any old random questions. They say, what’s happening, etc. etc. I think I could do that. Well, if you could do that. Then why did you employ a load of those as consultants on your film? They’re both their rocks. Oh, okay. He’s paid me once. He paid me once to be a consultant. A movie consultant. You have paid. Oh, we got it. You’re so pretty. I think you’re the film. You’ve just been the best. So might leave for that. With 30 years of service to come, I really feel like I’ve got my own back. Good. So what’s the answer to the question? Seriously, I don’t know. I think you’ve got to be a movie consultant. Maybe you find out. Still films, though. Well, I don’t know. As I say, I think you might write a play. I might be getting involved in a musical. Oh, that says like it’s happening. Please check your whole body line. Just change. I don’t know. We’ll have to keep some secrets. He’s that I’ve got a secret. I’ve tried to encourage me. My now wife is trying to encourage me to write four funerals and a wedding. It’s going to happen. Because we do go to quite a lot of funerals. And we just are arguing about… No, we’re arguing about the wedding. Because I think the wedding should be a lovely wedding with young people. She thinks the wedding should be a death bed wedding. But I said, you know, one of those words were just as the guys about to concoat. He says marry me and then he dies as he’s shoving the ring on the finger. So that would be four funerals and a funeral wedding. Well, exactly. That’s where I think the weakness is. No, no, it’s not a deal. Like being in the rightful stream, four funerals and a wedding. That’s one of the funerals. But people think it’s the wedding. But no, the wedding still comes. Because that’s also the funeral. Well, no, no, you have three funerals. Then the wedding, then the other funeral straightaway. I disagree with you because she wrote for me. That’s a great idea, though, isn’t it? Well, I look. She used to have to pitch to people. Oh, did people say, please come in. Here’s the door. Would you like to your coffee? Well, I think if I pitch then Napoleon, let’s forget this. Just try the Napoleon thing on the back burner for him. Yeah, I mean, I’ve tended to have quite mainstream ideas. So it’s often, you know, easier. But yeah, no, I don’t get anything for free. And there’s a brilliant young generation of filmmakers who are much much better than me. Have you seen Raelane? No. Oh, that’s why I don’t want you to see many movies as a used to it. Yeah, no, that’s why I’m a bit silly and now. Movies. Just as you get older, yeah. So like, when I see the billboard if someone dressed up as someone. Right. You go, it just looks like you’re dressing up party now. Unless they’re a genie. Yeah, and it’s not just what you’re, you’re films. Yeah, you have to be dressed like a Christmas. You know what I mean? Cause I used to love to suspend disbelief and dive straight in. But now, I mean, you know, movies like all quiet in the western front. Of course, of course. And I had, which we watched at the weekend, if you see Niyad, 24-5-7. Oh, the chain. Oh, that’s really exciting. Do you know, I feel what you feel when I’m watching Subhiir and movies now? I think, oh, that’s poor actor. You know, they’ve had to muscle up so much. And they’re dressed like, you know, a child that I’ve had to dress party. Yeah. And they’re having to have really slow, serious conversations about the end of the world. And I do, I do worry about them. But I saw this movie past lives recently. There’s a beautiful. Starting. Can’t remember either of the names of the actors. Big, big. No, it’s a tiny little sort of career in the movie. No, no, no. And then you nickel a skidge, me be supposed to be nice as well. Yeah, my kids saw it. I was once at a stage. Hello. A skidge. Honestly, it was so exciting. That’s actually his face. That’s actually what his face looks like. A stage stage. We’re going to finish with the Beatles now. And then, um, Thank you for coming in. You’re amazing. Well, if anybody wants to see that show, see the show. If anybody wants to have a life of laughter, watch the genie. And if anyone wants to be happy for the rest of their lives, listen to Chris. Oh, come on. Oh, come on. I’m very, very, very, very, very. Oh. And if anybody wants to fund, should we make, look, let’s go at war six, six funerals and four weddings. Oh, my God. Let’s, let’s make that show. Sounds like the new football football when everybody scores later goals. Var. Exactly. Var should appear. Right. Right. Let me do this properly. So, Christmas actually, the South Bank centres are all festival in London. A seventh till the 11th of December, Royal Festival Hall. Yeah. Yeah. South Bank Centre dot code of T.K. Book for that now. Genie is on Sky Cinema from the first of December. And four funerals and a wedding is going to happen. We were in the conversation. So technically we are contributors. So change your word, take a third or kind of stuff. Yeah. You’ll be hearing from our people. And I could see you playing a priest. Tang what? A priest. A priest? No, a priest. I can see you. I can see you in the cameo. We’ve always planned. Cameo? Yeah. Cameo? Ha ha ha ha ha. All right then. Bye.
1. A very brief background of the writer and the films known for writing


Richard Curtis - who was born in New Zealand and moved to London when he was 11 - has been one of the most influential, profitable, and talked about figures in British comedy.
The talented 67-year-old has written more rom-coms than Sainsbury’s stocks popcorn for with classics such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Love Actually all coming from his fair hand.
In addition to the epic filmography, Richard also penned Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Vicar of Dibley.
When he’s not tickling your funny bones, he is the co-founder of British charity Comic Relief along with comedian Lenny Henry.
As if that’s not enough for his CV, Richard Curtis has also been awarded a CBE by the Queen, won two BAFTAs and been nominated for an Academy Award… Is there no stopping him?!


Windle L (2017) COMIC RELIEF LAUNCH Who’s on The One Show tonight? Richard Curtis joins Michelle Ackerley and Matt Baker to launch Red Nose Day 2017, The Sun website, accessed 21 March 2024. https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/2749624/who-the-one-show-tonight-richard-curtis-michelle-ackerley-matt-baker-red-nose-day-2017/
Kavanagh J (2019) RICHARD, ACTUALLY How many films has Richard Curtis written and who is the Comic Relief founder’s partner Emma Freud?, The Sun website, accessed 21 March 2024. https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/8515172/richard-curtis-films-comic-relief-founder-wife-emma-freud/


2. Identify and define the writer’s approach to the screenwriting process?


Curtis has described himself as the ‘luckiest man in movies’ for having the chance to write multiple redrafts – with the assistance of his partner Emma Freud – and the power to influence casting choices, select the director, and to intervene during the shooting and editing process.
He has also made no denial that his scripts are largely based on his own career and personal experiences.
He only writes ‘on something he was a hundred percent sure of and no one in the world knew more about than him’.


Leggott J (2012) ‘Travels in Curtisland: Richard Curtis and British Comedy Cinema’, British Comedy Cinema, 184-195, Routledge.


3. What narrative structures and themes does the writer typically use within their writing and films?


Curtis-ian elements of cinematic comedy were present right from the start. First, there is the classic “fish out of water” hero…Next, there is the “love interest,” a thoroughly modern young woman…And finally, there is the “last act dash”…Those same essential elements, held together by an apparently unceasing stream of jokes and one-liners… would be used by Curtis in his hugely successful romantic comedies.
That there are enough narrative, thematic and tonal similarities between all of his major films to establish Curtis as an auteur is usually taken as a given…a philosophy about love and human dependency that had simmered throughout the entire Curtis oeuvre.
Romantic comedy is the main genre, but Curtis injects social commentary and explores cultural clashes.
He uses elements like pop culture references, music, and high/low culture clashes to generate humor and drama. (e.g., contrasting references to David Cassidy and John Lennon with the National Film Theatre in “Four Weddings”)
There’s some variation in tone and style between films (“The Girl in the Cafe” vs. “The Boat That Rocked”).
There’s a recurring theme of the value and commoditization of art (e.g., “Bean” with Whistler’s Mother painting).


Keady M (2020) The Great Screenwriters: Part 29 – Richard Curtis, The Script Lab website, accessed 21 March 2024. https://thescriptlab.com/features/screenwriting-101/11472-the-great-screenwriters-part-29-richard-curtis/
Leggott J (2012) ‘Travels in Curtisland: Richard Curtis and British Comedy Cinema’, British Comedy Cinema, 184-195, Routledge.


4. What insights do they have to the screenwriting process?


Curtis’s insights into the screenwriting process highlight the importance of authenticity, personal connection to the material, and the power of collaboration. He values storytelling that resonates with audiences on an emotional level while incorporating elements of humor and wit.


Leggott J (2012) ‘Travels in Curtisland: Richard Curtis and British Comedy Cinema’, British Comedy Cinema, 184-195, Routledge.


5. What insights do YOU have to their screenwriting process


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6. Identify and Analyse at least one of the writers well-known screenplays and discuss the different strategies and approaches to their writing, including:


Movie: FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL (1994)


Logline: Over the course of five social occasions, a committed bachelor must consider the notion that he may have discovered love.


Synopsis: Lovable Englishman Charles (Hugh Grant) and his group of friends seem to be unlucky in love. When Charles meets a beautiful American named Carrie (Andie MacDowell) at a wedding, he thinks his luck may have changed. But, after one magical night, Carrie returns to the States, ending what might have been. As Charles and Carrie’s paths continue to cross - over a handful of nuptials and one funeral - he comes to believe they are meant to be together, even if their timing always seems to be off.


1. Structure
Organization: The film is structured around five major events - four weddings and a funeral.
Settings: Primarily takes place in England, with weddings at various locations and a recurring pub where the friends gather.
Characters:
An ensemble cast of friends in their 30s, including the commitment-phobic Charles (Hugh Grant)
The American beauty Carrie (Andie MacDowell)
A supportive group with their own romantic entanglements.
There’s a notable inclusion of a healthy gay couple, Gareth (Simon Callow) and Matthew (John Hannah).
Stage Directions: not applicable
Special Features: The film’s charm lies in its witty dialogue and relatable characters, not special effects.

2. Story

Given Circumstances: Charles, a charming but commitment-averse man, finds himself repeatedly drawn to Carrie at weddings.
Dramatic Action: The story follows Charles’ emotional journey as he navigates missed opportunities, self-doubt, and ultimately, pursuing true love. A central event is the unexpected death of a friend, Gareth, which adds a layer of grief and reflection.

3. Pace & Character Arcs

Pace: The film cleverly balances humor and emotional moments, with a light and breezy pace at the weddings, punctuated by the more serious funeral scene.
Character Status & Function:
Charles: Protagonist, overcoming his fear of commitment.
Carrie: Love interest, initially hesitant about commitment.
Supporting characters: Each friend has their own quirks and romantic struggles, adding depth and humor.
Relationships: The film explores the complexities of friendship, love, and facing adulthood.
Objectives & Obstacles: Charles desires a committed relationship with Carrie, but his own indecisiveness and her past relationships create hurdles.
Character Arcs: Most characters experience growth. Charles learns to commit, Carrie embraces vulnerability, and the friends find solace in each other.

4. Text Structure & Dialogue

Text Structure: Dialogue-driven, with witty banter and emotional exchanges between characters.
Function of Dialogue: Reveals characters’ personalities, drives the plot, and provides humor and emotional depth.
Word Choice: Clever, witty, and sprinkled with British slang.
Characteristics of Dialogue: Fast-paced, natural-sounding conversations that feel realistic.

5. Themes & Genre

Themes: Love, commitment, friendship, facing mortality, the importance of human connection.
Genre: Romantic comedy with dramatic elements.
Idea: Finding love and happiness can be messy and unpredictable, but true connection is worth the journey.
Philosophy: Life is a mix of joy, sorrow, and self-discovery.
Atmosphere: Upbeat and humorous, with moments of poignant reflection.
Central Image: The repeated motif of weddings and a funeral symbolizes life’s milestones and the importance of cherishing relationships.
Audience: Primarily targets adults who can relate to the complexities of love and life in your 30s.

Additional information:
Screenwriter Richard Curtis’s own experiences as a wedding attendee inspired Four Weddings and a Funeral. According to Curtis he began writing the script at age 34, after realising he had attended 65 weddings in an 11-year period. At one wedding he was propositioned by a fellow guest, but he turned her down and forever regretted it; accordingly he based the origin of Charles and Carrie’s romance on that situation.

It took Curtis 19 drafts to reach the final version. He has commented on director Mike Newell’s influence; “I come from a school where making it funny is what matters. Mike was obsessed with keeping it real. Every character, no matter how small, has a story, not just three funny lines. It’s a romantic film about love and friendship that swims in a sea of jokes.”

Curtis chose to omit any mention of the characters’ careers, because he didn’t think a group of friends would realistically discuss their jobs while together at a wedding.

Cormier R (2016) 15 Splendid Facts About Four Weddings and a Funeral, Mental Floss website, accessed 21 March 2024. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/73509/15-splendid-facts-about-four-weddings-and-funeral
Thompson A (1994) ‘‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’’ a surprise hit, Entertainment Weekly website, accessed 21 March 2024. https://ew.com/article/1994/05/06/four-weddings-and-funeral-surprise-hit/

Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis, CBE (born 8 November 1956) is New Zealand-born British screenwriter, music producer, actor and film director, known primarily for romantic comedy films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Notting Hill, and Love Actually, as well as the hit sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Vicar of Dibley. He is also the founder of the British charity Comic Relief.

Richard Curtis is probably the most successful comedy writer in the world due to one of his many characters: Mr. Bean. He created the 15-show series with actor Rowan Atkinson and it has become one of the most successful British cultural exports in history with hundreds of millions of fans worldwide.
He co-founded Comic Relief in 1985, a British charity that has raised more than $1bn by getting famous people to do silly things and by encouraging others to wear clown red noses.
His fascination with love stories began at age seven after he became infatuated with a girl who rejected him. He remained obsessed for two years. “I was always an absolute fool for love… somewhere deep inside, that is a problem,” he said, adding. “Definitely, there was some psychological freakery there.’
At 13, he won a scholarship to private school Harrow, where he excelled, and left as ‘head boy’. He also won a place at Oxford University where he became friends with Mr. Bean actor Rowan Atkinson and they worked together on Atkinson’s Edinburgh Fringe show.
After graduation, Richard co-wrote the British comedy classic Blackadder, which ran through the ‘80s with Atkinson as its star. The program also cemented the comedy careers of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.
In 1989, Richard wrote his first comedy movie: The Tall Guy starring Jeff Goldblum and Emma Thompson. By the ‘90s he was a big name in British comedy and an international celebrity when his low-budget movie Four Weddings and a Funeral became a runaway success. He followed that with the first Mr. Bean movie, then broke box office records again with the Julia Roberts and Grant movie Notting Hill (1999).
The hits kept on rolling though the 2000s as he has worked with stars such as Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, and Dustin Hoffman.
He co-founded Comic Relief in 1985, a British charity that has raised more than $1bn by getting famous people to do silly things and by encouraging others to wear clown red noses.
Richard’s charity work started almost by accident. Like many others, he’d been deeply affected by Live Aid. “I happened to go to dinner and met a girl who ran a charity and was about to go out to Ethiopia,” he said. He went with her and found the experience ‘startling’.
“I was there towards the end of the famine, but I saw things of such horror that I couldn’t stand by and do nothing. You’d have a situation where people were separated into different corrugated iron huts - one would have people who were going to die that night, the next would be people who were probably going to die - and the last hut was people who might just survive.”
He never got over it. When he returned to London, he decided to do everything he could to make comedy contribute to aid - from stage shows, to TV, to merchandise, as if he were the CEO of a business.

Comic Relief’s aim is to create a just world, free from poverty. That’s also the aim of the campaign group Make Poverty History, which Richard also founded. It’s a coalition of aid agencies and campaign groups that lobby to cancel Third World debt among other goals. He’s pointedly aware of the “slightly peculiar contradiction in my life between the Comic Relief side and the comedy writing side,” but has an explanation.
“What we do on Red Nose Day is make things as funny as we can so that people can see the other side to all the sadness we show,” he said. “I suppose what we are fighting for is that everyone should have the privilege of leading a happy life and being able to laugh like the rest of us instead of being worried that their husband is going to beat them up or they are going to die of a mosquito bite.”
Richard considers Comic Relief and Make Poverty History to be his main priorities even at the expense of his personal life. “I help edit almost every appeal film we do,” he said in 2019. “When I see a film about a child who hasn’t got a mosquito net, and the impact that makes, I’ll then write to Kiera Knightley and ask her to do something to help us scale the impact.”


Given all the materials and video transcripts above, write me a video script with a length of minimum 5 minutes and maximum 7 minutes that satisfy these requirements: "please reflect on the following questions

A very brief background of Richard Curtis and the films known for writing
Identify and define the writer’s approach to the screenwriting process?
What narrative structures and themes does the writer typically use within their writing and films?
What insights do they have to the screenwriting process.
What insights do YOU have to their screenwriting process
Identify and Analyse at least one of Richard Curtis (“Four Weddings and A Funeral, Love Actually or Bridget Jones’ Diary) well-known screenplays and discuss the different strategies and approaches to their writing, including:
- structure (organization, settings, characters, stage directions, special features)
- story (given circumstances, dramatic action, pace, arc)
- character (status, function, relationships, objectives and obstacles, arc)
- text (structure of dialogue, function of dialogue, word choice, characteristics of dialogue)
- overall themes and genres (idea, philosophy, atmosphere, central image, audience)” Remember: First, only do voice-over/narrator. (2) quotes from Richard Curtis as extracted from the video transcripts above as much as possible. (3) Let the title’ travels in curtisland: Richard CUrtis and British comedy cinema” be your inspiration to write the script. (4) FOCUS SOLELY ON THE SCREENWRITING ASPECT