In 2003 he produced his first feature film, BAFTA award-winning A Way of Life. The film, which had its world premiere at The Toronto Film Festival, was released in the uK in October 2004 to critical acclaim, receiving 12 international awards. He has since produced two series of Extras for HBO/BBC, and won a Golden Globe for the Extras Special Finale. In 2010 he produced Whites for BBC2, starring Alan Davies, as well as his second feature, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's film Cemetery Junction for Sony International. In 2011, Charlie produced Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's new television comedy series Life's Too Short staring Warwick Davis. Charlie then went on to produce two series of Ricky Gervais's Derek for Channel 4 and Netflix.
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| Extras and producer Charlie Hanson |
He started his career in theatre as a director, but then wanted to help bring more diversity to the small screen, so Humphrey Barclay (the Head of Comedy at London Weekend Television at the time) and Charlie developed No Problem! together. I found an interview he gave on Creative & Cultural Skills where he shared some of his experiences and advice.
"The comedy world moves quite quickly and you have to always be aware of what is out there."
- This made me think about the audience and channel that we market VET-MAN: On the Road to. I need to know what type of shows are on each channel at the moment to know where VET-MAN: On the Road is suitable. The two channels which jump to mind are BBC and Channel 4. BBC is home to many well known sitcoms, such as Miranda and Not Going Out, these are more 'laugh out loud' style sitcoms, however this isn't the tone we want for VET-MAN: On the Road. We are aiming to create a dark sitcom, with subtle humour. Channel 4 was home to sitcoms such as Peep Show and Man Down which match the tone and edginess we are aiming to create in VET-MAN: On the Road, therefore, we think that Channel 4 is the channel which best suits our show. We also want to aim the show to 16-30 year olds, which aligns with Channel 4's output.
- I am expecting to be needed to do a lot of different jobs during the production. I will be in charge of arranging auditions, script editor and organising work with locations. I am aware that I may need to look at one of Alex's scripts before holding auditions or visiting locations on the same day.
It's clear that Charlie has had a lot of experience creating feature films and series' and therefore, knows the difference between them. Knowing the difference between a sitcom and a comedy feature is essential in creating a successful sitcom. I watched a short interview with Charlie Hanson on youtube. A couple of points I picked up were the differences between sitcoms and comedy features:
Sitcoms:
- Keep coming back to the same group every week
- Remain on the same problem / dependant on each other
- Don’t want them to resolve conflict
- Each week takes you on another journey but still end up back where they started
Comedy features:
- They go from point A to Z
- Learn things along the way
- Character is a different person by the end of it
As I am the script editor, these points are something to keep in mind while reading the script drafts. As we are creating a sitcom, we have to obey the rules regarding them. Alex will only be submitting the latest script draft in the package, however, he will have ideas for future episodes which will include the same main characters. The idea of a sitcom means that it is ongoing for a while, rather than a feature length film which has to end in an hour or so, to add to the humour each episode, the characters can try to solve a problem but end up back where they started. However in a feature length film, the characters would have solved the problem and it would have finished with a happier ending.
The script and each synopsis should include a problem with the characters trying to solve it with them failing each time. The humour comes from the script not just the actors so this is essential in creating a successful sitcom script.
Advice from Charlie for aspiring comedy producers:
Patience
The ability to stay calm and a good sense of humour.
Perseverance
See as much comedy as you can. Find the comics you like and try to work with the kind of talent you like.
Passion
In comedy you have to really believe in your material.
Reflection:
- To produce comedy I need a good sense of humour myself, I need to be open to find Alex's scripts funny otherwise I won't believe that it's a good script. I also need to be able to stay calm, the role of producer can be demanding and busy according to Charlie's second quote. I may be required to do lots of different jobs on one day. To keep this on target, I will ensure everything is scheduled as this will help me stay calm if everything is organised already.- I need to watch as much comedy as I can to see how different comedies engage to different audiences. As I have previously established, we want to aim VET-MAN: On the Road to a Channel 4 audience, therefore, I will start watching different Channel 4 comedies, such as Man Down and Peep Show. As a result of doing this, I will be able to gather the type of comedy that engages their audiences and then I can look out for this in Alex's script drafts.
- I believe that I'll be able to be passionate as a producer. Once I get on board with Alex's idea I'll be able to get involved myself by finding the most appropriate costumes, props and locations. By doing this, I will start to believe in our film and will be able to see it coming together.
References:
- http://www.entertainment-masterclass.tv/portfolioentry/charlie-hanson/
- Saeed, A. (2012). A comedy producer’s career. Available: https://ccskills.org.uk/careers/advice/article/a-comedy-producer-career. Last accessed 20th Sept 2018.
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