Troubleshooter TV
 
 
 
 
RULE 94:  TIME CAN BE THE GREATEST ORGANISING PRINCIPLE OF A FILM.
RULE 95  SHORTER IS INVARIABLY BETTER
RULE 96  TITLES MATTER ENORMOUSLY.  SAY ON THE TIN WHAT IS INSIDE
RULE 97: THE MOST OBVIOUS IS OFTEN BEST,
RULE 98  BE TRUE TO YOURSELF, AND TRUE TO YOUR
PRESENTER
RULE 99  CHECK EVERY FACT INSIDE OUT
 
and some extras...
 
RULE 99b TURN FROM HUNGRY YOUNG TURK TO GRAND OLD MAN IN ONE PIROUETTE
RULE 99c IF YOU ARE A FILM-MAKER WHO GETS TO MANAGE AVOID GOBBLEDYGOOK, AND THE LATEST FAD
RULE 99d WIN AS MANY AWARDS AS POSSIBLE
 
RULE 100  DON’T PANIC
RULE 101  ONCE YOU'VE LEARNT THE RULES IGNORE AND BREAK THEM,
 
 
I often think of  filmmaking as being mostly like filing all the papers  on your desk.  It doesn’t really matter of you file it by date or subject,  colour or who the bill was from  So in filmmaking you need to find an organising principle and stick to it. An awful lot of my work is just getting rid of intercuts and putting things in order
 
And truth...well it’s a big subject but here is a little bit: a lot of commissioners say they don’t want formats any more; what they mean is formats that are untruthful to the contributors.  I see so many formats that fail because of this. Try to stick to asking contributors to do things they would anyway, that are in keeping with their characters, and try (if you are lucky) to make films that are true to you too.  
 
Robert’s new seminar A.U.T.H.E.N.T.I.C  is devoted to this timely subject
CHAPTER 8  TIMELINE, TITLE AND TRUTH   -