Dice Interview on 'Who's Laughing Now?'

We've had a nice long interview with the Simon Harper from Midlands-centric comedy site Who's Laughing Now?

You can see it.................. HERE.

The interview was mainly prompted by our upcoming Popcorn Comedy show on the 7th October at the Birmingham Comedy Festival featuring Tim Key! More about that later.

Popcorn In The Independent

This week's Birmingham Popcorn Comedy is hosted at The Victoria on Thursday 22nd at 7.30pm and The Independent reckons it'll be one of the ten best comedy gigs in the UK!




We'll be playing host to Nick Mohammed & Terry Saunders as well as a batch of funny new videos from the internet. Here's some more info:

Nick Mohammed - “Delicious... Mohammed is sharp, with great comic presence” Julian Hall, The Independent, “An absolute treat... Brilliantly observed... Choke-on-your-beer funny” Roger Cox, The Scotsman

Terry Saunders - "One of a generation of young, articulate, post-Lee & Herring comics" - The Guardian


Get your tickets here: http://popcornbrum.eventbrite.com/

Dice Interview In The Birmingham Mail

In their infinite wisdom, the Birmingham Mail decided to have a good old chat with us about all things Dice Productions, Popcorn Comedy and Man in a Cat. Hooray!

You can read it in full by clicking here.

In summary, Ian said that we're planning to move to Belgium to become industrial cleaners, specialising in discontinued abattoir equipment. He said: "Frankly, running a comedy night like Popcorn, writing comedy, and making an animated short film about a man inside a cat has taken its toll." Biting his nails profusely, Ian added: "Just leave me alone. I need to cry and pack my industrial scouring pads and medicinal vodka."

It's a compelling read.

To see us, Adil Ray and Fergus Craig at Popcorn Comedy at The Victoria on Thursday 24th June, go to: http://popcornbrum.eventbrite.com/


Here's a photo of the beast itself.

Popcorn Comedy: Simon Munnery & Cardinal Burns, Thurs 27th May

As usual we'll be bringing some funny new videos from the internets, and are quite excited to be able to host sketch duo Cardinal Burns and Simon Munnery. Here's some more info on them:

Cardinal Burns Seb Cardinal and Dustin Demri-Burns have performed to sell out audiences across the country, from their critically acclaimed debut at the Edinburgh Fringe, (**** Irresistible, The Guardian) to a total sell-out run at London's Soho Theatre.

Simon Munnery Also known by his stagenames of Alan Parker: Urban Warrior and The League Against Tedium, Simon has made a career out of his own brand of slightly awkward, uneasy humour that edges on the surreal.


Date: Thursday 27th May
Venue: The Victoria, Birmingham

Doors: 7.30pm, Show: 8-10pm
Live acts: Cardinal Burns and Simon Munnery
Hosted by: Dice Productions

Popcorn Comedy, The Victoria, Thurs 22 April 2010

We're back at it again this month with Popcorn Comedy at The Victoria on Thursday 22nd April 2010.

Doors will be 7.30pm, for an 8-10pm show.

Tickets are £5 (£4 Concessions) and you can book them at popcornbrum.eventbrite.com, or on the door, but as there will be limited capacity pre-booked tickets will get dibs on seating.


As usual we'll be bringing some funny new videos from the internets, and are quite excited to be able to host The Penny Dreadfuls and Matthew Crosby. Here's some more info on them:

The Penny Dreadfuls are Edinburgh Festival regulars with a penchant for Victoriana, who have been broadcast on BBC7 & Radio 4. They're currently working on their new show 'The Never Man' which marks their first show set in the 21st century.

Matthew Crosby is best known as part of award winning Pappy's Fun Club, having their own shows on Channel 4 and Radio 4. Matthew is renowned for doing stand up in his own right and is a very clever fellow indeed.

Here's some videograms as an appetiser:

Things we learned by hosting Popcorn Comedy

We hosted our first live event last month in the shape of video and stand-up night Popcorn Comedy at the Victoria. We'd done one before at the Electric Cinema last October, but that time we'd had the helping hand of Popcorn's founder Jon Petrie.

This time it was just us. It was a really great night and we learned a lot about running a night. Here's some of the things we learned (or already knew) and will be putting into practise for the next Popcorn Comedy on April 22nd.

(By the way, we're not claiming to be experts. These are based purely on our experience)

1. The Venue

• The capacity a venue says it has is not necessarily accurate. Check for yourself.
• Get solid agreements on things like hardware, chairs and staff.
  
• Double-check your tech specs. Need a certain cable? Make sure you have your own.
• Set up the room as early as possible.
  
• Think about lighting, music, intermissions and anything else to improve the atmosphere before, during and after the show.
• Make a customised playlist for background music.
• Make sure bar staff know when the doors open.
• Most venues can offer free venue hire if you can assure them they'll make money on drinks/food through hosting your event.
  

2. The Tech

• Make sure you know what each act needs tech-wise, (ie cables, hardware, disc formats).
• Make sure cables are long enough to be accessible to a technician and/or the acts.
  
• Test everything early, and then check it again. You may need to run to Maplin.
• Remember to turn things like glitter balls and stage lights off before the show, especially if showing films. Easily forgotten.
• Test playing any DVDs all the way through beforehand (sound + picture). If pausing a DVD player for any length of time, check that it won't time out/play a screensaver/switch off.
• Always have a backup DVD.

3. The Crew

• You'll need at least three people. One to be a technician, one to greet/take money, one to look after the acts/fetch things/make sure the audience is ok.
• Define people's roles so everyone knows what they're doing.

4. The Acts

• Book them well in advance.
  
• Get an idea of what they'll be doing in advance. Tech specs, arrival times, payment, etc.
• Give them a detailed idea of where they need to be, when they need to be there, when they're going on, how long they have, and when and how they'll be paid.
• Offer a complimentary drink or two as a courtesy.
• Always pay comedians after they've performed, some are superstitious about being paid up front. Good knowledge.
• Get them to sign a form to say they've been paid.
  

5. The Audience

• Let them know the format, the timings and what they can and can't do.
• Ask for applause, especially for film showings. Otherwise there won't be any.
• If there's a bar, direct people to it before the show, at the intermission, or afterwards.

6. Marketing

• Get listed on as many online listings sites as you can with the same blurb/info.
  
• Simple flyers with date, time, venue, price and acts are good. Get them in lots of venues.
• Make sure you have a good poster/flyer presence in the event venue.
• Posters elsewhere aren't really worth it. They'll be taken down.
• Facebook event page/fan page is a must. Keep messages to an effective minimum.
• Twitter also a good way to let people know. But keep it light and conversational.
• Sell tickets online through something like eventbrite to get an idea of numbers and pre-sell.
• Invite someone to review/take photos. They'll be useful for promoting your next event.
• Pass around and collect mailing lists around in the interval.

7. Other bits

• Get a money box and make sure you have a sufficient float if taking cash.
• Eat well before the event, you won't have a chance later.
• Don't drink too much.
• Don't disobey the last two points in conjunction.
  

So there you go. If you've got anything to add, put it in the comments.

Hopefully we'll see you at the Victoria on the 22nd!

Popcorn Comedy is Ready for Launch

Behold the shiny poster! This week's the week that we host Popcorn Comedy at the Victoria and things are hotting up.

We're quite proud of this month's video funny-mix, with some fresh new corkers as well as a couple of favourites from the last Birmingham Popcorn. We're also really excited about what Brian Gittins and Rob Rouse have in store, and they'll be showing some of their own video content in the true Popcorn fashion. You can see more about them in our last post.... here.

As much as we loved The Electric last time, the upstairs of the Victoria is going to have a great buzz to it with a much more informal atmosphere where you can get a drink, walk/shuffle around or even have a meal before hand.

Doors are open at Thursday 25th March, 7-10pm. Tickets are £5 (£4 Concessions) and you can book them at popcornbrum.eventbrite.com, or on the door, but as there will be limited capacity pre-booked tickets will get dibs on seating.

See you there!

Brian Gittins and Rob Rouse for Popcorn

We've got our live acts for Popcorn Comedy at the Victoria and they are... Brian Gittins and Rob Rouse. Woop!

Rob Rouse is one of Britain's most respected Stand-ups gathering a long list of TV credits, and is about to embark on his new show 'My Family And The Dog That Scared Jesus'.

Roadside cafe owner, Brain Gittins has been described by Ricky Gervais as "One of the best comedy characters of the decade". With his style of anti-jokes you keep thinking he’s going to say or do something revolting but he constantly up-ends your expectations winningly. He can also be found out and about with fellow grease merchant, Angelos Epithemiou.

Popcorn's Victoria debut is Thursday 25th March from 7pm. You can get your tickets for £5 (£4 Concessions) from popcornbrum.eventbrite.com

So while we start putting some videos together for you, here's a gimpse of Rob's stand up and Brian chewing the fat with Angelos Epithemiou.

Popcorn Comedy is back in Birmingham

We'll be bringing Popcorn Comedy back to Birmingham in March to inflict inoperable injuries to your sides with the best stand-ups, character comedians and videos once again.

Since the last Popcorn Comedy at the Electric Cinema - where we had the awesome Holly Walsh and Doc Brown - we've been drinking in the atmosphere of the London Popcorn nights, and we've decided, Birmingham deserves a slice of the action.

So Popcorn is back, but this time we're gonna switch it up a bit. The next Brum night will be on Thursday 25th March at The Victoria Pub. It'll be different to the night at The Electric, but we'll still have some top acts and the very best comedy videos going.

We'll update you with more details about acts, times, tickets and more soon. But in the meantime, tell everyone you know, Popcorn is coming, 25th March at The Victoria, and take a look at the Popcorn comedy website for what you have in store.

See you there,

Dice

We Were on The Culture Show Ma!

We're all a little excited this week, because Dice Productions had a little cameo appearance on The Culture Show on BBC2 last night... even if that cameo was only about two seconds long. But hey, we were on the Culture Show (on the telly) so who cares, right?

As you can see from the pic above, Message in a Bottle was included in a little montage during Josie Long's segment on the rise and rise of online comedy, which focused squarely on Funny or Die UK and Popcorn Comedy, in which we've had a little more active role through October's Electric Cinema screening. Ian's giggling face was also spotted on the show enjoying Popcorn Comedy at the Roxy Bar and Screen in October.

Watch the video below and skip to 51 minutes in (if you haven't got an hour to spare) to see the clip in full.



If Josie is to be believed (and I think she should be), online comedy is where it's at. We totally agree that being able to produce and distribute your own content gives you so much more artistic freedom to experiment and not be so precious about ideas. Like Jon Petrie attested, you avoid the 'too many cooks' situation. As everyone knows, an overabundance of chefs does not good comedy make.

Now these creations are making their way into the clubs, bars, cinemas and underground Victorian toilets of Britain, through nights like Popcorn, there's never been a better excuse to pick up a camera or sit down at your computer and create something hilarious, challenging or downright baffling.

If we're honest, a glimpse of Ian's face (above) and Louis' hands are not the only things exciting us this week. Hopefully we can tell you more about those things some time in the near future.

To go to an upcoming Popcorn Comedy night, check out the future events section here.

Popcorn Comedy comes to Brum!

That's right, Popcorn Comedy, a comedy night dedicated to bringing you the funniest online videos and stand up, is coming to Birmingham Comedy Festival!

We'll be presenting the opening night of Popcorn Comedy Birmingham at Britain's oldest working cinema The Electric on Monday 5th October at 8.30pm, featuring the rap/stand up stylings of Doc Brown and the wonderful Holly Walsh live on stage, as well as a selection of the newest and funniest videos from the web in glorious high resolution.

We should also be premiering a brand new video on the night too, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Popcorn is sponsored by the good people at Hello Digital.

Tickets are only £6 each. Order here: http://www.theelectric.co.uk/booking/book.php?date=1453

Here's some quotes about Popcorn Comedy if you're not already convinced:

"Popcorn Comedy does the hard work for us, offering a monthly selection of the strongest, sharpest and funniest videos online. And instead of the usual 320 by 240

pixels, here they’ll be transposed to the altogether more satisfying platform of a full-size cinema screen, and mixed with live performances."
The Guardian

"Popcorn is such a good idea you almost can’t believe it’s the only club like it."
Spoonfed.co.uk

"I haven’t been to a better comedy night for yonks and yonks. It is that good."
Robert Popper

The Electric Cinema
47-49 Station Street
Birmingham
B5 4DY

0121 643 7879

It's near New Street Station and pretty much next door to the Old Rep Theatre if you don't know it.

Off to Edinburgh!

Ehy! Message in a Bottle will be making an appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe as part of Popcorn Comedy's Best Of Show. The shows will be on 6th and 26th August and only cost £5 which is an amazing price 6 top quality stand ups and bunch of videotic gems.

Go HERE to see more details. Don't ask why! Just do it!! It's really good... Oh well read on.

We won't be able to catch the shows, but we'll be catching the aftermath of it on the last weekend of the festival (28th-30th). The last time we were up I was a student there and the smug occupier of a beautiful flat... It's going to be a bit more guerilla style this time round. We'll keep a log and possibly even a fun bit of video to document our travels.

This is bringing back all sorts of memories. If you ever happen to be in the National Gallery of Scotland keep a look out for this painting of 'Jesus'. However, if you look closer it's not Jesus... it's Tom. That also appears to be Andy Murray flogging him. That guy on the left looked familiar too but we just couldn't work it out. After carefully ripping it off the wall and gently ramming it down Tom's trousers we took it away to have a closer look......

..... Turns out it was Dave Benson Phillips.

Popcorn Comedy

Final screening anecdotalism of the week.

Somewhere else that we've been screened the last couple of months is at Popcorn Comedy. Run by Jon Petrie (brother of the really quite good Ed Petrie), it seems to be one of the most exciting comedy nights out there. By the looks of it, it's much like Filmrats, in that it has the live/video mix, but instead of musical acts has some of the best break through comedians about and has the choice of some of London's coolest little hideaways. Although they're not afraid to tour around having moved up to Edinburgh this August for the festival.

We were really chuffed to have been approached by Jon to screen some stuff and can't wait to actually get down to one of the nights. Especially with such comedy heroes as Robert Popper hailing the boots off it.

Here's a round up of the night by SpoonFed and an ickle name check to ourselves.