Commissions Unit- Idea 1 (Stan Laurel Documentary)

The first idea I came up with for the Documentary film I am making with Ilianna is very different than the second. For a start this idea is more of a niche topic and it is based around the celebrity hero rather than the unknown one. The topic is comedy and the man, is Stan Laurel.

Yeah, this guy.

There are many different reasons I chose to go with this very specific idea. For one I want to find out the reason WHY in the 21st century fans of comedy are still devoted to the films he made as a double act with Oliver "Ollie" Hardy. (Affectionately nicknamed "Babe" to his fans) Why is he still a hero to so many people in 2014?

There are more reasons I chose this topic of discussion, such as the fact that they have fraternity organisations across the world (labelled the Sons Of The Desert after their 1933 film). The interesting thing is these are in the form of over 100 convention sites mostly in the US and UK where there films are shown and members, guests and even former co-stars can reminisce about those films and everything connected with Stan and Ollie.

They even have many across the UK including in London, Glasgow, Kent, Nothern Ireland, Birmingham etc. http://www.wayoutwest.org/tents/uk.html 

A Classic Stan Laurel Production, Sons Of The Desert.

I like the idea of finding out about these conventions, where and when they are held so I can start working on contacting the individuals such as the heads of these tents. This would help me gain a greater understanding about the reasoning behind their affection for Stan as one of their comedy "heroes". Even outside of conventions they are still gaining fans of all ages due to their humour which has aged well albiet with a slower pace than many younger audiences are used to. 

Randy Skretvedt's indispensable book!

Another reasoning I have for the idea is that the films Stan Laurel took a part in are very old at this point. This means that many of their films including the first and last films Laurel and Hardy made together, are in the public domain! This means no hassle with copyright issues. I have researched into this and seen what films and what prints are eligible to use or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flying_Deuces#Public_domain

That's a listing from their 1939 classic "The Flying Deuces, which now falls into the public domain. We are also free to use for this project many of Stan Laurel's interviews and home movies as well as newspaper clippings for which the copyright has not been renewed.

Another reason for making this film is for purely self-indulgent reasons, I was brought up on the films of Laurel and Hardy as a kid. They shaped a large part of my sense of humour. (For better or for worse) I've read much more about them then most people have including Randy Skretvedt's excellent book "Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind The Movies". 
On a minor note I have seen every surviving short, silent and feature film of Laurel and Hardy. Which I suppose using the modern terminology makes me a "hardcore" fan of the duo. or a “Laurel-ite” to use a phrase that was coined by Helen, our lecturer for this unit!