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About A Boy

Leila Johnston
November 19, 2011
760

About A Boy

I did this talk at Boring 2012, for the first and probably last time (unless someone decides to run an event about filming locations?)

So... here are the slides for internet posterity.

The collaborative google map is at http://g.co/maps/tetfw

Leila Johnston

November 19, 2011
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Transcript

  1. About A Boy The film that taught me what it

    means to be bored Saturday, 19 November 2011 It’s coming up to the 10 year anniversary of About a Boy. I’m sure you all have your own private ways of celebrating. This is mine.
  2. Will invents a son and attends groups for single mothers

    to try to meet women Meets a woman who leads him to her friend Fiona and son (Marcus) Fiona attempts suicide, Marcus tries to hook her up with Will to fill the gap Will befriends Marcus and meets a better single mum The End The plot Saturday, 19 November 2011
  3. 91% 9% Percentage of About a Boy that is about

    boredom Saturday, 19 November 2011
  4. 91% 9% Percentage of About a Boy that is about

    boredom Percentage of About a Boy that is about A Boy Saturday, 19 November 2011
  5. Romcom French ennui Four Weddings and a Funeral Saturday, 19

    November 2011 The French invented boredom
  6. Romcom French ennui Four Weddings and a Funeral Bridget Jones’s

    Diary Saturday, 19 November 2011 The French invented boredom
  7. Romcom French ennui ‘Allo ‘Allo Four Weddings and a Funeral

    Bridget Jones’s Diary Saturday, 19 November 2011 The French invented boredom
  8. Romcom French ennui ‘Allo ‘Allo Four Weddings and a Funeral

    Gerard Depardieu Bridget Jones’s Diary Saturday, 19 November 2011 The French invented boredom
  9. Romcom French ennui ‘Allo ‘Allo Four Weddings and a Funeral

    Gerard Depardieu About a Boy Bridget Jones’s Diary Saturday, 19 November 2011 The French invented boredom
  10. Will Freeman, a modern flaneur Saturday, 19 November 2011 It’s

    Will’s embracing of boredom that’s most incomprehensible to his critics. In another culture, he would have been accepted.
  11. Will Freeman, a modern flaneur Saturday, 19 November 2011 It’s

    Will’s embracing of boredom that’s most incomprehensible to his critics. In another culture, he would have been accepted.
  12. Player... Self-indulgent... Idle rich? Will Freeman, a modern flaneur Saturday,

    19 November 2011 It’s Will’s embracing of boredom that’s most incomprehensible to his critics. In another culture, he would have been accepted.
  13. Player... Self-indulgent... Idle rich? Will Freeman, a modern flaneur Saturday,

    19 November 2011 It’s Will’s embracing of boredom that’s most incomprehensible to his critics. In another culture, he would have been accepted.
  14. Player... Self-indulgent... Idle rich? ...or innocent victim of a society

    intolerant of boredom as a Baudelarian lifestyle choice? Will Freeman, a modern flaneur Saturday, 19 November 2011 It’s Will’s embracing of boredom that’s most incomprehensible to his critics. In another culture, he would have been accepted.
  15. “The key is to think of the day as units

    of time, each consisting of no more than 30 minutes. Taking a bath: one unit. Watching Countdown: one unit. Having my hair carefully dishevelled: two units.” Saturday, 19 November 2011 The film is all about organised boredom. Will basically lives life as an old lady. To criticise him is therefore ageist.
  16. Filming locations in About A Boy The best places to

    shoot Hugh Grant Saturday, 19 November 2011 Some of my learnings
  17. Saturday, 19 November 2011 and then I started going out

    and taking photos in the exact places I remembered scenes being shot
  18. Thresholds Saturday, 19 November 2011 I noticed a lot of

    the key moments for Marcus occur around doors, those liminal spaces. It’s all about being on the verge of things. But most interestingly, this preoccupation helps to
  19. Thresholds St James W alk Saturday, 19 November 2011 I

    noticed a lot of the key moments for Marcus occur around doors, those liminal spaces. It’s all about being on the verge of things. But most interestingly, this preoccupation helps to
  20. Thresholds St James W alk West Hill Primary Saturday, 19

    November 2011 I noticed a lot of the key moments for Marcus occur around doors, those liminal spaces. It’s all about being on the verge of things. But most interestingly, this preoccupation helps to
  21. Thresholds St James W alk West Hill Primary 28, Lady

    Margaret Road Saturday, 19 November 2011 I noticed a lot of the key moments for Marcus occur around doors, those liminal spaces. It’s all about being on the verge of things. But most interestingly, this preoccupation helps to
  22. Thresholds St James W alk West Hill Primary 28, Lady

    Margaret Road St Stephen’s Gardens Saturday, 19 November 2011 I noticed a lot of the key moments for Marcus occur around doors, those liminal spaces. It’s all about being on the verge of things. But most interestingly, this preoccupation helps to
  23. Thresholds St James W alk West Hill Primary 28, Lady

    Margaret Road St Stephen’s Gardens Oseney Crescent Saturday, 19 November 2011 I noticed a lot of the key moments for Marcus occur around doors, those liminal spaces. It’s all about being on the verge of things. But most interestingly, this preoccupation helps to
  24. Saturday, 19 November 2011 One of the first locations I

    found was Will’s front door, specially built for maximum threshold impact
  25. Saturday, 19 November 2011 There they are having one of

    those “threshold conversations” for which AAB should be known
  26. tomatogoodness Says: November 1, 2009 at 12:50 pm The scenes

    where he’s in Mothercare and stamping crisps into the baby seat were filmed in Kew Retail Park. Reply Abby Says: November 3, 2009 at 12:09 pm Hang on! There’s no Camden HMV! I’m annoyed you already knew the Lady Margaret Rd one, as I used to live nearby; I remember when they filmed it and wanted to smugly inform you of this Reply enemyofchaos Says: November 3, 2009 at 10:58 pm “Hang on! There’s no Camden HMV!” Ah but there *used* to be! I take you on a journey through time as well as space, like the Ghost of Christmas Past. And hey, you were there for the filming. That’s amazing and no one can ever take that away from you. Reply Phillip Leonard Says: December 20, 2009 at 9:20 pm I am fairly sure that the school is my old school, Earlsfield Primary School in Wandsworth. Reply enemyofchaos Says: December 21, 2009 at 12:51 am Bingo. Superb work, thank you. Competition closed: we have a winner. http://www.earlsfield.wandsworth.sch.uk/ Reply Barry Beatmaster Says: January 17, 2010 at 4:43 pm it’s actually West Hill Primary school- the building is almost identical to earlsfield primary school, but has a fence in front, whereas Earlsfield primary has a wall in front. also the extension on tghe left is slightly different. Reply jp Says: March 21, 2010 at 9:10 pm Just finished watching “About A Boy”, airing on BRAVO. Have seen the film a few times and it holds up very well every viewing. Thanks to everyone who’s written in with their knowledge of locations. I love London. I live in Canada but work in London on a regular base, it’s always a pleasure to see those wonderful locations in what I regard as one of the most exciting cities in the world Reply 4. Hamster Cages · Says: November 4, 2010 at 8:04 am Rachel Weisz should have been always the leading lady of the Mummy movies because she really fits that role . Reply Andrea Lithgow Says: February 21, 2011 at 9:15 pm Does anyone know the location of the duck pond where Marcus kills a duck with a loaf of bread? It looks very much like the pond in the park which is near my friend’s house in Highbury. Reply enemyofchaos Says: February 22, 2011 at 3:54 pm (From memory) I thought that looked like Regent’s Park. Saturday, 19 November 2011 ...to paraphrase Lucille Ball. Bored people are surprisingly motivated. What do you do when you can’t find a location?
  27. tomatogoodness Says: November 1, 2009 at 12:50 pm The scenes

    where he’s in Mothercare and stamping crisps into the baby seat were filmed in Kew Retail Park. Reply Abby Says: November 3, 2009 at 12:09 pm Hang on! There’s no Camden HMV! I’m annoyed you already knew the Lady Margaret Rd one, as I used to live nearby; I remember when they filmed it and wanted to smugly inform you of this Reply enemyofchaos Says: November 3, 2009 at 10:58 pm “Hang on! There’s no Camden HMV!” Ah but there *used* to be! I take you on a journey through time as well as space, like the Ghost of Christmas Past. And hey, you were there for the filming. That’s amazing and no one can ever take that away from you. Reply Phillip Leonard Says: December 20, 2009 at 9:20 pm I am fairly sure that the school is my old school, Earlsfield Primary School in Wandsworth. Reply enemyofchaos Says: December 21, 2009 at 12:51 am Bingo. Superb work, thank you. Competition closed: we have a winner. http://www.earlsfield.wandsworth.sch.uk/ Reply Barry Beatmaster Says: January 17, 2010 at 4:43 pm it’s actually West Hill Primary school- the building is almost identical to earlsfield primary school, but has a fence in front, whereas Earlsfield primary has a wall in front. also the extension on tghe left is slightly different. Reply jp Says: March 21, 2010 at 9:10 pm Just finished watching “About A Boy”, airing on BRAVO. Have seen the film a few times and it holds up very well every viewing. Thanks to everyone who’s written in with their knowledge of locations. I love London. I live in Canada but work in London on a regular base, it’s always a pleasure to see those wonderful locations in what I regard as one of the most exciting cities in the world Reply 4. Hamster Cages · Says: November 4, 2010 at 8:04 am Rachel Weisz should have been always the leading lady of the Mummy movies because she really fits that role . Reply Andrea Lithgow Says: February 21, 2011 at 9:15 pm Does anyone know the location of the duck pond where Marcus kills a duck with a loaf of bread? It looks very much like the pond in the park which is near my friend’s house in Highbury. Reply enemyofchaos Says: February 22, 2011 at 3:54 pm (From memory) I thought that looked like Regent’s Park. If you want something doing, ask a bored person Saturday, 19 November 2011 ...to paraphrase Lucille Ball. Bored people are surprisingly motivated. What do you do when you can’t find a location?
  28. Saturday, 19 November 2011 People care about the facts. Just

    a couple of comments on my blog analysis of locations, 2009. Can’t believe we didn’t spot that, jeez.
  29. “I am fairly sure that is my old school, Earlsfield

    Primary in Wandsworth” Saturday, 19 November 2011 People care about the facts. Just a couple of comments on my blog analysis of locations, 2009. Can’t believe we didn’t spot that, jeez.
  30. “I am fairly sure that is my old school, Earlsfield

    Primary in Wandsworth” “It’s actually West Hill Primary school, identical to Earlsfield but has a fence rather than a wall. Also the extension to the left is slightly different” Saturday, 19 November 2011 People care about the facts. Just a couple of comments on my blog analysis of locations, 2009. Can’t believe we didn’t spot that, jeez.
  31. “I am fairly sure that is my old school, Earlsfield

    Primary in Wandsworth” “It’s actually West Hill Primary school, identical to Earlsfield but has a fence rather than a wall. Also the extension to the left is slightly different” Saturday, 19 November 2011 People care about the facts. Just a couple of comments on my blog analysis of locations, 2009. Can’t believe we didn’t spot that, jeez.
  32. The Golden Rules of location spotting Saturday, 19 November 2011

    Finally, some rules to help your location spotting.
  33. 1. “Anything becomes interesting if you look at it long

    enough” – Flaubert Saturday, 19 November 2011 To be honest it helps to be slightly autistic.
  34. 2. It’s not quality, it’s quantity Saturday, 19 November 2011

    The whole point of location spotting is to find as many as you can. Here’s the soup kitchen church, in real life, a former home of LRUG.
  35. 3. Use the boredom of crowds Saturday, 19 November 2011

    Bored people are incredibly motivated. They will help you find those seemingly impossble locations