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EventsPlacesHypeCinemaForums Hiroshima - 05:04 AM. Mon, 21 July 2008  
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Making Sparky

Jan Watson chatted with Craig Noels and Andrew Pearce, two English teachers who, along with Mike Waugh, have spent most of the last year putting together the minute film, Sparky: A Modern Love Story. Shot entirely in Hiroshima the film premieres on Saturday November 27.

You have to think the 'odd couple' when you see them together. Andrew should have a carefully rolled umbrella and a bowler hat, Craig shouldn't have another drink. It's Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. I find out later that Andrew really does cook healthy dinners while Craig plays poker through a bottle of whisky.

Sometimes they live up to the image as when I ask them about the inspiration for Sparky;


L-R Andrew, Craig, Jon
Craig: No idea.
Andrew: Yes, you do, remember you told me about when you lived in that place...
Craig: No.
Andrew: The one where the serial killer struck down the hall and you were the last one to see her alive besides him....
Craig: (Changing the subject) Actually I was in one of those girlfriend situations where I was supposed to 'do something'.
GH: Serial killer?
Andrew: He had to testify in court.
Craig: What's that got to do with it?
Andrew: Because Sparky is you. The one-liners and the disgusting behaviour, the seedy existence. Sparky is the classic inexplicably, confident loser.
Craig: I think everyone is a little bit like Sparky.
Andrew: except me.
Craig: yeah except you.
Andrew: I like a little mediocrity just like everyone else though. I watch Cheers too you know.

What's it about?

Craig: A somewhat 'normal' young student rooms with an overconfident hermit and then shit happens.

Since you decided to turn Craig's 'Modern Day Love Story' script into a 45 minute black and white movie, you've actually moved in together and remodeled the apartment into a movie set. How did it get done? How much did it cost?

Craig: We did the whole thing for about ¥80,000.
Andrew: Pretty much guerilla tactics. We photocopied for sets, made stuff by hand, got friends to help, begged or stole locations. Paul from Gethiroshima loaned us the camera.
Craig: Andrew did most of that. I provided atmosphere. Actually, I wrote the script and got the cast together. I am playing Sparky, maybe it isn't much of a stretch. Mike plays the lead role as Doug - I decided he had the right look for the role. He looks like Zach from that awful American TV show Saved by the Bell. Mike agreed that he did indeed look like Zach. After that it wasn't hard to find people who were right for each of the roles and had the right attitude. The actors worked for chips and beer.

What do you think people will think of it?

Andrew: Hopefully they will laugh a lot and be quite shocked as well. I'm really proud of it technically and obviously there's a hell of a lot of effort that has been put in on a Macintosh computer. But the goal is to produce a truly nasty piece of theatre. I've actually mislead students because I am scared of losing my job.
Craig: I refused to show my parents the original script, but they found it on the internet in about 5 minutes. My mother to my knowledge hasn't read it and my father read about 12 pages before he reassed his second son and stopped reading.

Any surprises or revelations during the process?

Craig: I've never been around someone who has 'projects' from the moment he wakes up to the moment he hits his futon. Some would say this is noble, others a little sad.
Andrew: I'd hate to waste a minute (I do wash pretty incessantly). I work hard for about 2 months and then I crash with migraines and all. Weirdly enough, I get my best ideas in a kind of lucid period during the time when I'm laid up.
Craig: OK, that is pretty out there. Anyway it is clear that nothing would have been made without Andrew's strange brain. Personally the way I conduct myself in everyday life is just as embarrassing as anything I do on film.


Jan Watson
November 2004

Sparky is playing at 9.00 at Hiroshima City Plaza (doors open at 8.00 pm). The after party is at Fourtune from 10.00 pm. Nov. 27th.
Click here for more details

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