welcome
welcome
Mischief is a working collaboration between individuals in the creative and business media. To put it simply, we’re a creative facility. We're mad about great writing, film and TV. We’re inspired by it. To recreate, and thereby work to re-inspire.
So, we write, direct and produce our own creative projects. We’ve been doing it for years, really, building experience in all the different disciplines. We’re always learning. At any one time, we might be involved in writing screenplays, fiction or drama. Shooting our own independent movie, or testing our skills in other media, like songwriting, and webcreation.
We also apply the highest creative standards, plus our collective experience, in the field of business communications. For television and video. In fact, we write, direct and produce for all kinds of corporate presentations, events and publicity. For websites, brochures and publicity. For new business pitches. For conferences and seminars.
We're based in the East Midlands - that's in the UK. Some of our clients are small independents. Others are huge corporations. Whoever we're working with, wherever they are, our aspirations in terms of creative impact are global.
Let’s cut to the chase.
What this is about, is bringing the highest technical standards of corporate presentation together with independent creative flair. To stir the mind, the heart, and the soul.
so you do what, exactly?
writer noun person who writes, esp. author"
"director noun person who directs, esp. for stage etc. or as a member of company or board"
"producer noun 1 person who produces goods etc. 2 person who supervises production of a play, film or broadcast"
We're a creative resource. We write, direct and produce. We work on our own projects, and we freelance these services to other creative agencies and production companies.
...our writing, directing and producing services are mainly for corporate presentations of one kind or another - for print, publicity, video or for live presentations at conferences and events...
...our creative approach is based on four key principles...
...originality, credibility, impact and fun....
1 originality - we like to take a fresh approach, drawing on our collective experience and enthusiasm... acknowledging the very latest developments and tastes in film, TV, advertising and literature...
2 credibility - yours, in the eyes of your audience, because in our experience of business communications, this is the key to success... so we work for consistently high standards in presentation and creativity...
3 impact - we understand the competitive forces at work, and that you want your message to be unforgettable...
4 fun - because, in our experience, this is how we get the best results
the rest is really pretty simple
...we work quickly and progressively, to pre-agreed budgets, and aim to develop positive, longstanding relationships with our clients and contacts...
...we freelance to production companies and other corporate organisations, making videos, television programmes and organising conference presentations...
...we write and edit in a variety of formats, including corporate proposals, pitches, scripts, speeches, presentations, brochures, website copy and brand naming...
...we use our own network of experienced and professional camera, lighting, stage, sound and edit technicians in all the various the fields of production...
...we also pursue our own creative writing projects in the form of short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, short films and lyrics...
please see our programme credits (below) to find out more about our track record.
who we are
Creative Director - Nicola Hudson
...makes films and videos. Directs. Well, like most directors, she does a lot of other things too. She has strong skills in writing and creativity. She’s great at handling people, keeping them happy yet focused. She’s just got that kind of personality. Give her a moody flock of yak and she could herd it through Leicester Square without a problem. In fact, after they got home, they’d probably send a card next day to say ‘thank you’ and ‘actually, we had a very nice time.’People tend to respond to Nicola. They like the positive energy that she generates.
She has a strong academic background, and film school training. She has years of experience working in creative and corporate video. Perhaps her strongest asset is the ability to multi-task. She’ll often get involved in some of our larger, more complex projects and is never daunted by them. She’ll handle scripts, crews, cameras and edits. Crucially, she can think on her feet and create in the moment.
Her writing and editing skills are invaluable to us. Her years of experience in the industry mean that she can create and knock copy into shape quickly and without fuss.
Another reason for Nicola’s success is that she takes the long view. Clients sense this. They respond to her confidence, her intuitive flair, and then the creative sparks start to fly.
Nicola is a member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain and Women in Film and Television.
Assistant Director - Sarah Ellis
Sarah is an Assistant Director with strong skills in the areas of creative production. She has worked on video production, corporate presentations and live events in the UK, Europe, in the Middle East and the US.
She began her career in 1995, at an independent production company in the East Midlands. Up until then she'd been working for two major corporates, and this had given her a unique insight into company politics, teaching her patience and tact. This experience proved invaluable during her early years as a production assistant. She learned progressively more about the industry, working her way from Production Assistant to Producer/Assistant Director.
Sarah is bright in mind and attitude. She doesn’t pretend to know everything and asks questions when she needs to. She's organized, enthusiastic, tenacious and creative. She has a great sense of humour even though she's appalling at telling jokes. She is, however, a strong believer in the ‘laugh and the world laughs with you’ ethos.
Associate Writer - Tom Ray
A versatile writer with experience in the creative and corporate fields. Tom has a keen interest in popular contemporary culture. He has a BA in English & French from Exeter University and a postgraduate diploma in Acting from the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. He has several years experience as a professional actor and voiceover artist. He has also pursued a second career in corporate banking. His skills have proved particularly useful to clients seeking creative, copywriting and editing services. During 2002, Tom also developed our brand naming service, with commissions from companies in Florida and Sydney.
Tom has written three novels. In addition, he has a special interest in issues surrounding disability.
programme credits
on behalf of our production co. partners, we've provided creative solutions for...
Alcatel,
Arcadia Group, BT, Bandai UK Ltd, BTE, Bentley Motors, Boots Plc, Canon Europe, Chrysler, DfEE, East Midlands Development Agency, Kodak, Glaxo Smith Kline, Honda, Innovex, IWM, Jaguar, JML, NTL, Nycomed Amersham, PETV, Peugeot, Powergen, Proton, Redland Aggregate, Suzuki, TNT, Telewest and Unilever...in locations such as...
Birmingham Metropole, Birmingham NEC, Eurodisney, ICC, Jumeira Beach - Dubai, Strasbourg, St Louis, New York, Orlando, Portugal, Zeist and Amsterdam...
Why Nic Hudson chose to shoot on HD for her latest project...
"Digi-Beta uses 1280 x 720 pixels, HD features 1920 x 1080 pixels. So what you get is a really concentrated, highly defined image that you can manipulate in the edit with complete flexibility. The killer advantage over conventional video formats? Well, for the viewer, HD means more detail and pictures that are more impressive and compelling. For the director, it means achieving your 35 mm dreams but using the familiar technology and processes of video production. During the shoot, you need to take more time. A stray hair or an enlarged pore can look like a huge blemish, so anything out of place is distracting. Nothing can be ignored. You need to allow more time – 33% for a typical shoot. When it comes to the edit, the main thing to take into account is the cost of bringing in HD machines. But once you’ve transferred your material, you can off-line in the conventional way. And you’ll be amazed at the quality - even at SDI. Again, for the on-line, you need to take into account HD machine hire and additional time in DS. The overall cost implications for a typical project? The obvious extras are: additional shoot time, additional lighting and lighting/set personnel, machine hire during edit. The less obvious extras are: more time and thought in choosing props, costumes, actors, extra make-up and crew. A Digi-Beta budget might be 20% higher than you're used to. But the perceived quality difference will be immense. Bottom line? HD allows you to realise your creative ideas more successfully - with no visual compromise. Would I use HD again? Yes. The truth is, I dread the thought of having to use anything else."
cultural values
we asked Tom Ray for a few words about the kind of things that inspire us...
Marion & Geoff, BBC TV/2003
In series 2 of this drama by Hugo Blick and Rob Brydon, the central character has a new job as chauffeur to a high-flying businessman, so he has swapped the old saloon for an ill-fitting uniform and a smart limousine. His preoccupation with his employer's private adventures has to some extent tempered his obsession with his broken marriage. We hear less about Marion, although his children ("my smashers") are always on his mind. There is something extremely fascinating, extremely compelling about the way this programme depicts his pain. The key to this is the format. It hold its focus. The convention with TV drama has been to segment emotion and to present it in just so many thirty second 'feelbites'. This is more like radio, where one central idea is examined in detail, in depth. More like life, in that the underlying problem is impossible to resolve. It's easy to become absorbed in it, because the twin themes of solitude and belonging are given so much space. In a fundamental way, so much respect. Serious issues are presented in a concentrated, humorous way and the viewer is actually allowed time to think. It's almost revolutionary! And the whole thing is accomplished with perfect economy. Take, for example, the episode where the limousine is removed by the clampers. The chauffeur has left the car, to rescue his employer from some seedy club. As ever, the camera stays in the car, even as it is lifted on to the back of the tow-truck. By this stage of the drama, there is no need for an actor, no need for script. Just the dark night and the rain against the windows. Brilliant.
Original Pirate Material - The Streets/Pure Groove/2002
A raw, startling and energetic album. The style is totally distinctive, fresh and provocative. There's a real sense of urgency and direction, an authenticity, an uncompromising lyrical approach. It's fast, fierce and funny. If Squeeze or The Jam had teamed up with Stephen Berkoff, this is how it might have sounded. Quite an achievement, given that this album appears to be essentially the work of one artist, Mike Skinner. The opening track Turn The Page is simply a masterpiece - by the time you've heard it, you'll be transfixed. Using 'war and past injury for metaphor and simile', everyday urban experience assumes an heroic context. The only weakness is the music. The rap and rhythm of the lyrics are so powerful, it seems pretty basic by comparison, a bit thin. Three minutes into Don't Mug Yourself, for example, the track just falls to pieces ("...are we still recording?"). Although to be fair, there's a sophisticated, jazzy feel to some tracks, like Has It Come To This? In a pop industry dominated by Pop Idol and Fame Academy, this is bold and groundbreaking. There are no punches pulled, and if it's grit you're after, here's a tonne of it. There's perhaps a touch too much of the 'geezer' about it all - a bit too much swagger - but overall, it's superb. By comparison, Eminem's street liturgies, full of 'guns, ho's and bitches' are frankly tedious. Given the right breaks, you have to suspect that this guy Skinner will go on to make something really awesome. Watch this space.
'Saving Private Ryan' - Stephen Spielberg/Dreamworks/1998
A movie for our time? Aggressive and artful photography lends this moving film a bleached, washed out hue, giving it a strong, nightmarish quality. Visually, the story is presented as reportage, which sits a little uneasily with the developing plot. But the success of the film is in its simple storyline and in the realism of its presentation of the experience of war. The camera work, art and sound direction draw you right into the experience, so much so that your own reaction to the events on screen seems somehow to implicate you in the unfolding drama. It's an intimate, terrifying vision. Bullets fly by and lives are wasted in an instant. Given the scale of the overall production, and what must have been happening on set, the achievement of the actors is remarkable. Fear seems to stalk them. It's a theme that Tom Hanks' portrayal of the central character examines in a precise and concentrated way. And Spielberg's direction is aggressive. His choices are unpredictable and give the film a lot of edge. As a viewer, you are relentlessly returned to the personal experience of the characters involved. They seem dazed, blasted. The value of their lives seem transparent against the background of events. The visual imagery and tonality are strong, coherent, mesmerising. The whole piece is just stunning. Seen on Channel 5, 15 Sept 2002.