Paul Middleditch - Plaza Films
Eat Interesting These are wonderfully nuanced and funny pieces - I love how beautifully written and observed the characters are, and find the anti-cliche approach to the humour really refreshing. An aging geek isn’t funny because he’s geeky and old; he’s amusing because in his mind (and his world), he really “stands a chance” with this woman… possibly because he doesn’t know what standing a chance with a woman actually means. And the mother that hasn’t twigged to her son’s obvious gayness isn’t stupid. She’s just a bit guileless and deluded like Mums can be: like our dating guy, her own sense of what she wants to believe is more powerful than reality. This endearing sweetness puts an empathetic spin on the Nando’s wholesome personality, offering fabulous opportunities for the observational humour that comes with real characters whose perceptions gently contradict each other’s. This style of comedy demands brilliant unforced timing, superb casting and above all, authenticity and originality. There are no stereotypes here, and if we get it right our viewers will definitely fall head over heels for these characters and these will become really classic spots. My intention is to ensure this happens by casting brilliantly and really searching out unfamiliar actors who will give effortless funny performances. Viewers will be left smiling and knowing that Nando’s is more than just great food; it’s a social environment that anyone would like to hang out in.
Paul Middleditch - Plaza Films
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Classically Funny These are what we call ‘classic’ moments. If we haven’t personally experienced them, then we’ve heard of or know people who have. But what makes them classically funny is the subtle way that the humour emerges out of each situation. So just like there is nothing fast food about Nando’s, there is nothing fast or fake about these ads. This is the antithesis of the norm in this marketplace. The dialogue includes pauses and body language that further punctuates the humour. For instance, an effortless well-timed bite of a drumstick coupled with a knowing glance can make a moment hilarious and just like a scene from a film. It’s often what is not said that makes us feel the reality of the situations. Classic comedy like this is very understated and doesn’t require fancy effects or an overt camera style. In fact I envisage each of our scenes evolving in a very observed manner with beautifully uncomplicated cinematography using a mix of medium and long lens and minimal cuts. And while everything is photographically stunning and caught in the best natural light, nothing ever feels directed to camera – including the food. The outcome is candidness that feels very relatable. And what’s great about this degree of believability is that each situation comes across as funnier.
Paul Middleditch - Plaza Films
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The 4 Scripts Your scripts are already really strong so the following are brief notes for each script covering details that I can see being important. At times, I also can see the potential for an extra moment or a reprise. For even a small look can carry that funny moment to even greater heights. So ideally let’s explore a few ideas that will give us choices in the edit. And the same goes for the performances. These scenarios offer so many great opportunities to improvise and run with the ideas inherent in them. This is something I would like to do in call-backs and also on the shoot days, so we have lots of options when we get to the editing room. Let’s now take a look at each one remembering that I’m open to discussion in regards to any of this…
Paul Middleditch - Plaza Films
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ONLINE DATE: Summer Evening So who are these two characters? I see him as being 45 – 50ish a bit on the short side with small hands and a real passion for stuff like model making and an enthusiasm that is strangely infectious. He’s keen to make a good impression and has neatly pressed creases into the sleeves of his stripy short sleeved shirt that is tucked into his wash’n’wear suit trousers. He’s not creepy or even ugly, just a bit odd and very excited by the idea of new love. Even first love…. A bit of back-story… perhaps he sleeps in a single bed with a photo of a train and his mother (and him as a little boy) next to his bed. He is very neat. The picture he put on the website isn’t an outright lie for as far as he’s concerned, on the inside he really is that guy, it’s who he will be to the right girl. When she says the word “…modelling”, he might beam at her. He doesn’t hear the incredulous tone in her voice. For him, this is a word that he associates with a great passion in his life. Maybe we cast someone who’s really expressive with his hands and comes across as very outgoing…it’s just that he’s never noticed that people give him odd looks when he becomes so enthusiastic. This way we love him for being to darned happy and clueless!
Paul Middleditch - Plaza Films
She however is a 30 something who is over being single and is giving the online game a whirl. This guy has her worried - but in a confused rather than threatened way. She’s baffled by his self-deception and can’t quite believe that he’s for real. She’s reasonably attractive, and quite kindly and well-intentioned - so his bubble is never burst. Mainly she’s in shock but she’s also really polite so she stays there for the duration of the date. She’s really a bit floored by this situation. I love the idea that she carefully and slowly eats as she mulls this over… while he, oblivious, tucks in with gusto. In fact the food is a godsend as it gives her time to collect her thoughts as she wonders what on earth to do next. Maybe at the end when again she checks the shot of him online yet again… she looks up at him incredulously. He responds with a wink (he’s practiced doing this) followed by a beaming smile before he takes another bite of his drumstick. She’s just stunned. In terms of shooting this, the entire scene could play out very simply with them predominantly in profile the camera at the end of the table observing and a few cuts to her view of him and the image on her phone.
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Paul Middleditch - Plaza Films
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OLD GUYS: Midday Lunch This is a brilliant script and already I love the sense of timing you are suggesting. What’s beautiful about this situation is the ordinary-ness of it. The banal ebb and flow of the chat makes this scene seem so visceral and classically funny. I picture them in their 50s/60s and this bunch has been gathering like this (say once a month) for the past 20 years. They have that lovely ease that comes with long-term camaraderie whereby a thrown look speaks volumes, and they are comfortable with playful jibes. The eating is very much part of this story. When guy 2 says “Nice” he is probably staring into his meal accessing what angle he is going to tackle it from. They all lean into the table and enjoy the chews as much as the banter. The casting these guys is also everything. This is a scene from Cheers or Seinfeld so the acting and timing must be just as good. Perhaps a really good bunch of actor mates could make this work. It’s one of those scenes where the subtext of their relationship is revealed in their body language and gestures - and their character faces, that we all believe in. Again I see the shooting approach as pretty straightforward and we simply cut in every now and then (just like the eye would) to have us focus us on the story and the characters.
Paul Middleditch - Plaza Films
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GAY SON: Early Evening The beauty of this script is that the gag is shifted from the obviously gay guy to the slightly ditsy mother. I love that - this scene really encompasses the unique humour that makes this campaign distinctive. So, the son is late teens or early 20s and totally - I mean totally cool with his sexuality. That said, like many sons he maybe hasn’t had the big talk with Mum as yet. One would think it was obvious given his look and even Dad knows…but Mum just won’t see him as anything but a heterosexual who has some slightly individual and adorable characteristics. Although he should be at first glance recognisably gay I don’t think we need to over do his look. Too much and it feels a bit disingenuous and mum really begins to look a couple of cards short of the full deck. Yet even without pink hair this guy, to us, is clearly gay. I feel like we should be very clever with how we style him and rely quite a bit on his performance too. His demeanour, for example the delicate way he eats, even the way he wipes his mouth with the napkin is a dead giveaway. Dad, who
Paul Middleditch - Plaza Films
is fairly macho, can beautifully counter this. Whilst he’s cool with his son’s sexuality, he’s also quite blokey. I like that they both share a sense of complete bafflement over how Mum is in such denial. Now Mum is just a honey. I see her being in her 50s and perhaps her style is a bit on the floral side. Because love can be deaf as well as blind, she just simply sees her boy as a slow starter. This meal is precious time and these days she seizes every opportunity to encourage him into getting a girlfriend. We see in her eyes her genuine care for him and her sense of urgency in her plotting and planning. So when Dad mentions that their son bats for the other side, he might gently clasp her arm as he does as if to soften the blow. It could be funny also for her to make a slight clicking noise with her tongue – indicating a ball flying off the edge of a bat – as she says the line: “That’s great... I didn’t know you were into cricket.” On her enthusiastically played misunderstanding, their mouths (both Dad and son) might hang open for a bit…
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Paul Middleditch - Plaza Films
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BIRDS & BEES: Weekend Lunch This kid reminds me of how I imagine my son in a few years - I almost want him to be giving his Dad a “are you kidding me?!” look throughout, implying “actually Dad I already know this so what the hell are you saying!” Then of course Dad totally misreads this as a look of enquiry and plunges on… I do like that this happens at distance and that the meal can be cleverly used as visual cues and props. Perhaps Dad gets really inventive with a chilli giving it swimming actions like sperm…maybe he even has sound effects. I suggest we cast a Dad who has an awkward meets gung ho approach to fathering. We sense that through his improvising that he feels he’s doing his level best to be detailed and anatomically correct – and modern. The kid is just aghast – speechless in fact. So when Mum returns, she twigs that not all is right and looks questionably to her now sheepish husband.
Paul Middleditch - Plaza Films
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Imagine our Nando’s environments carrying a warm buzz. The individually designed restaurants all look great, and at a glance we sense we are in a friendly, universally enjoyable social meeting place with a relaxed ambiance and great food that is the perfect relaxed dining experience. Whilst we won’t necessarily pack our Nando’s out with extras, we do need enough people in the deep background for the place to feel inviting. I envisage our scenes happening at slightly different times of day that befit each scenario. Therefore we’ll require a location with plenty of natural light and a good neighbourhood vibe.
Paul Middleditch - Plaza Films
Whilst the food is not the focus in these films it will be subtly woven into all the scenes. At times, we will incorporate the action and pleasure of eating Nando’s into the conversations. What I love about this is that it gives the filming entirely over to the drama without forgoing those all-important shots that indulge the delicious food. I love how eating well enables two dialogue threads to happen concurrently. For instance, the guy on the date really digs this girl, but equally he loves Nando’s and doesn’t hold back as he rips into it. Equally, the gay guy might be a little more discerning and delicately nibble on the drum while his dad is really relishing that sauce… So, in enjoying the food, we also glean personality traits of our characters. I also talked earlier about how empowering the eating can be to the comic moments. This is something we will definitely play with on the day. Suffice to say the Nando’s will look mouth-watering.
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Paul Middleditch - Plaza Films
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CONCLUSION Thanks for sharing such great material with me. I’m really excited by the potential of this campaign and would love to help you bring it to life. Looking forward to talking more. Paul.
Paul Middleditch - Plaza Films
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