Projects

I Did This (2013). Documentary. Unreleased.

i Did This (2013)

Stand-Up. Documentary. Unreleased

As part of my PhD I produced a documentary which predictably documented me trying to change the world through attempts to do stand-up comedy. **Spoiler Alert** I didn't change the world - but did I? Or was that the point? Or was it? Who are I?

Includes a PhD thesis if you ever fancied a read.

NB This project remains incomplete and unreleased as I am currently awaiting my viva.

Richard Hanrahan is making us laugh - still taken from "I Did This" (2013, dir. Richard Hanrahan)

Richard Hanrahan having a shave - still taken from "I Did This" (2013, dir. Richard Hanrahan)

A Bit More Information

Part of what I was attempting to capture was an authentic depiction of stand-up comedy. We see stand-up shows, but when we see them they are often as polished as can be, by successful individuals who have trialled their jokes, trimmed them and toiled endlessly. Partly what this documentary depicts, is the trials and tribulations of that process - or does it?

It was overly familiar, both in some tropes surrounding the grotesqueness of reality television, but also in the depiction of a documentary film-maker on a quest to make a difference.

Only difference was never a possibility - which is why I was able to change everything. For somebody, even if it was just myself.

Failure was an important thread in my documentary. What do I mean by failure? Without getting too technical, it embraces sincerity and openness, while exploring ideas of shame, masculinity and appearance. On one level, it is of a nobody stand-up, and that process of struggle, of a means with no end in sight, touched upon that failure.

Wet Paint Interviews

As part of my documentary process I experimented with a different kind of interview. I threw aside the conventional observational/talking head mode, and tried to instigate a more nuanced, interesting discussion where the interviewee was the interviewer, without informing them in advance. I talked with a number of people involved with comedy, about comedy. For editorial reasons, none - or at least very few - of the interviews made it into the final documentary, but I have kept many of the raw interviews online, partly out of transparency, and partly because they were really good. The topics were diverse and, I hope, interesting. Here are a few of the videos from the series, relatively unedited.

Martin Bearne

Rhys James

Scott Jeffrey

Patrick Turpin

Mark Smith

Lovdev Barpaga

Hari Kanth

Alex Kealy

Gallery

Richard Hanrahan having a joke with some audience people - still taken during filming "I Did This" (2013, dir. Richard Hanrahan)

Richard Hanrahan is looking a bit angry - still taken from "I Did This" (2013, dir. Richard Hanrahan)

Richard Hanrahan is taking suggestions from a real live person - still taken from "I Did This" (2013, dir. Richard Hanrahan)

Richard Hanrahan is having had a drink - still taken from "I Did This" (2013, dir. Richard Hanrahan)

Richard Hanrahan is having a he is not the messiah kind of moment - still taken from "I Did This" (2013, dir. Richard Hanrahan)

Richard Hanrahan is on the floor - still taken from "I Did This" (2013, dir. Richard Hanrahan)

Richard Hanrahan is far too close and personal - still taken from "I Did This" (2013, dir. Richard Hanrahan)

Richard Hanrahan is having a haircut - still taken from "I Did This" (2013, dir. Richard Hanrahan)

Richard Hanrahan is revealing his soul perhaps - still taken from "I Did This" (2013, dir. Richard Hanrahan)

Richard Hanrahan is off on an adventure please - still taken from "I Did This" (2013, dir. Richard Hanrahan)

Richard Hanrahan is having a think 30 years ago - still taken from "I Did This" (2013, dir. Richard Hanrahan)

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