Common People #0011
Films! Jobs! Saucepans!
Welcome to Common People 11.
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Common People Film Club
One new film we were telling everyone to watch over the holidays was Charlotte Regan’s heartwarming comedy / drama Scrapper, about a bolshy 12 year old in a West Ham shirt reconnecting with her absent father. It’s shot on Limes Farm council estate in Chigwell, which will be a shock to anyone who thought Chigwell was all Range Rovers and mock tudor mansions. It’s currently streaming on the BFI Player (fiver a month or free trial available).
This quote from Regan’s interview with Sundance sums it up:
“I think through the entire process, what was forever the anchor for this film, was the urge to tell a working class story that captured the joy and the humour of those worlds. The working class films I had seen didn’t feel like the truth of what I felt growing up. To me, those worlds are full of happiness. There’s for sure struggle and tough moments, but what never falters is the joy and the love. The dark humour that comes out of not having much. As a kid, in particular, I feel like you don’t know that your upbringing is any different to anyone else’s. You look around and see magic everywhere you look.”
We’re celebrating
Our friends at Creative Lives in Progress shared 17 platforms to find a job outside of London.
The top pick from this year’s Portrait of Britain winners is Seán Anthony’s scroll-stopping shot of Vernon, a beaming ex-boxer who was barred by UK immigration from returning home after a trip to Jamaica in 2005. His story is one of toughness and resilience in the face of the UK government’s infamous ‘hostile’ (read as: ‘racist’) environment, and his relentless campaigning played a vital role in bringing the Windrush scandal to public attention.
Speaking of which, our pal and fellow Commoner Tomekah George designed a beaut stamp for Royal Mail commemorating 75 years of the Windrush last year.
Whatever your thoughts on the current state of British politics, Angela Rayner had some inspiring things to say about class on The Rest is Politics.
The Recess Playbook asked 30 Creatives (anybody else get a tiny masochistic pang from writing Creatives as a noun with a capital C? No? OK) for their tips for finding inspiration. The result is an incredibly useful list of books, websites, tools, hacks and activities to dip into, as and when.
Classifieds
YourGamePlan are after volunteers for National Interview Week, helping state school students to build their confidence as they enter the world of work.
The latest graduates from D&AD Shift, a free night-school for self-taught CCCCreatives from outside traditional education, have just hit the market. Don’t sleep, employers.
Do you live for celebs, influencers and brands? Check out this dreamy job at Golin.
Best way to clean stainless steel saucepans (We accidentally pasted that from the notes on our phone but it made us laugh so we left it in. DOES ANYONE KNOW?)
In The News
The EU has moved a step closer to banning most unpaid internships. If you were wondering what a good internship looks like, the European Youth Forum came up with a checklist.
Leaders backed a bid to boost the North’s creative sector. What does this mean IRL? DOES IT MEAN ANYTHING? Tell us what you think.
The Guardian asks whether Middle Class Millennials will still care about the disadvantaged once that grandparent money starts rolling in.
Finally, an observation from Natasha Carthew, author and founder of the Working Class Writers Festival, made us think this week:
“People do want authentic voices. What makes it harder (for working class writers), is later on, when you haven’t got the mates who are going to publicise your book.”
This probably rings true to anybody who’s tried to climb the creative career ladder without a network of family and ex-school mates to do favours. Which is why together, we, us lot, can be the professional network for those who started their career without one. Back each other, make connects, share what you know, get in touch and join the movement.
TELL YER MATES.
And never forget, we’re Common People, and we’re proudly different class.
Take care.