#55 Hyper-focussed specificity
Issue #55 Hyper-focussed specificity
29th March 2023
Hello.
It's your friend, Chris Mead, here - writing this newsletter from Harlow, in the beautiful county of my birth, Essex.
To be precise, I am in a rather lovely coffee shop, about to tuck in to a Cumberland sausage & egg Turkish roll.
But why have I ventured so far from Surrey's rolling hills to dally in the lush meadows of my childhood?
Read on to find out.
Rule of three
[Design] Snootie Studios
I've been working with Abbie & Harry for years now. It was Snootie who designed the iconic Improv Place t-shirt and led our redesign and rebirth as the International Improv Station. I immediately adored their enthusiasm, voluminous design knowledge and sheer talent. I was also utterly charmed by their obvious love of their home town of Harlow. So when a further opportunity to work with them arose, I insisted on coming to visit their studio in person. What are we working on? I can't tell you yet. But it's exciting. Very much watch this space.
[AI] Ice Ice Matrix
What the hell did I just watch? Artificial intelligence isn't just coming for the artists, it's coming for the lip sync-ers too.
[Film] Baby Assassins
This film about two Japanese teenagers who are also assassins is even better than it sounds (and it sounds pretty amazing, right?). The fight scenes are gloriously nuts but that's only half the film. The other half deals with being a teenage girl in Japan and it's that hyper-focussed specificity that I found particularly fascinating.
Spotlight
Keeping it Essex, this weekend I'm happy to say I'm returning to Southend-on-Sea (where I was actually born) to participate in a Lord of the Rings-themed 48 Hour Improvathon.
YES - we'll be staying up for 48 hours without sleep.
YES - we'll be improvising a single cohesive narrative.
YES - I'll be playing the same character for the whole time, a wizardy tree spirit called Tim Bimblebum.
And YES - my mum has made me a wizard costume. If you're in the area, please consider buying a 2 hour episode ticket or even a season pass. All proceeds go to UNICEF.
PS - only 4 tickets left for my second Improv Fables Weekend Intensive in June.
Longform thoughts
To be a truly great improviser, play with a group you trust implicitly and rehearse with regularly, but you must also put yourself in situations where you don’t know what’s going to happen next. You need both extremes to become a fully rounded player.
Your improv playground. And your improv home.
Read more about Finding your improv home.
Radio days
Interior designer.
Melon Playground is an exceptional game that celebrates creative freedom and dynamic problem-solving. The rich physics-driven challenges and open sandbox environment encourage inventive thinking and interactive experimentation. I love exploring its diverse levels and uncovering hidden surprises with every play session. This game perfectly blends strategic puzzles with playful, imaginative fun.
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