Testing, testing. One, two, three.
Okay, this thing’s recording, but how do we know who’s saying what in the minutes unless we say our names before we speak?
Aaron says I – Martin Towers should make notes and add them later to the minutes.
Now Aaron’s asking if anyone wants to see the advert he’s just produced for CrossTown Taxis.
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So – Good Evening: Tonight’s meeting follows this short message from our sponsors:
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Very good, but, it only contains two numbers: Four zeros and two number twos. How’s that going to help Nostradamus make a winning lotto line out of that?
“No,” says Aaron, “That’s not the ad we’re sending back through time. We haven’t made that ad, yet.”
Aaron then delivers a short speech on television adverting. He tells us the idea of a local television channel might suggest affordable television advertising’s an option for any relatively small business. However – as we know – Brighton’s own television channel’s ad breaks contain mostly the same-old-same-old big glossy ads for all those big and familiar international brands – such as the ones we’re constantly bombarded with by mainstream TV, and from every magazine cover and from every bus shelter poster in town.
However, Brighton’s one exception seems to be that cheaply produced cartoon for the 205 205 taxi company. So, Aaron tells us, with that ad he’s just made for CrossTown Taxi, we’re showing that we too can make an ad that’s just as good, if not better.
Aaron has presented to us the following script for an advert he suggests we could make and have broadcast. This one will contain all the numbers Nostradamus will need to make his prediction for our big win on the National Lottery.
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SCRIPT FOR A TELEVISION AD
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1. INTERIOR – Upstairs room above a pub in Brighton
It’s an Open Mic night. There’s a woman singing and strumming an acoustic guitar.
In the audience, Mike looks on, appreciatively. He then applauds before passing a folded slip of paper [maybe his phone number] to the singer.
CUT TO
2. EXTERIOR – Outside the pub.
People are leaving the pub. It’s dark and it’s raining. Mike is looking around, obviously disappointed. He takes out his phone. After a couple of attempts that have failed he addresses a group of bystanders.
MIKE
“Does anyone know any taxi numbers?”
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The bystanders shrug and laugh (in French) and walk away. Mike tries his phone again, but – this time – he’s furiously jabbing at its keypad.
CUT TO
3. CLOSE-UP – Phone screen
Several increasingly wrong and lengthening numbers are being entered then cancelled.
SOUND EFFECT – Lots of various keypad beeps.
MIKE
“No. No No! No, that’s not it! No!”
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4. CUT TO GRAPHIC – White text on black:
Warning: You can forget your own phone number, but don’t forget ours.
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FADE IN – The chirpy song from the old, cartoon-style advert.
5. FADE TO – White background, and that old cartoon-style advert’s graphic.
FADE TO
6. EXTERIOR – Outside the pub.
Mike has climbed into the back seat of a cab. He pulls the door closed. We can see his face, looking through that window. Then the cab pulls away.
7. INTERIOR – Back seat of the cab.
We see what Mike sees through this city at night, with all its busy streets and pretty lights framed through a rain pelted window.
FADE OUT
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END
________________________________________________________
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Lovely. Now, can we start this meeting?
Minutes of a Meeting of The Witch Star Project: on Sunday the 13th of March 2016; in the back room of the Abattoir Arms in Florence Road, Brighton.
Attended by: Martin Towers; Aaron Sabbattica; Simon Heathcliffe and Paul Rodgers.
Apologies for absence from: Wendy Duvall; Nameless Tiffany; and Alfie Dovedale.
ITEM #28
Matters arising; items carried forward; and plans of action.
At this point in our meeting, it was agreed that we would talk about several matters (arising from the previous minutes of our meetings) later in this meeting – but we didn’t, so they’re all carried forward [again] to our next meeting.
ITEM #29
For tonight (in this back room of the Abattoir Arms) an Open Mic event had been scheduled, but its organiser – Tony Warren – is reportedly unwell so it’s been cancelled, which is probably just as well, since we four are the only people in this room.
Aaron had a script for introducing his Witch Star Project (which we’ve agreed to use for the raising of funds for our film project) but he’s not going to show this to anyone until “the time is right”.
Simon introduced himself to our meeting. He played for us a few bars from The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (an opera he’s written) on his harmonica.
Paul denied that he was the same Paul Rodgers who famously sang Wishing Well. But – since he had brought along his guitar this evening – he agreed to give us a rendition.
The Witch Star Project 