Getting started (part 2)

1979. Directed by Richard Condie and produced by the National Film Board of Canada.

• Category

  Film & Animation

[WHITE5KIN]

This was my FAVOURITE NFB short film in my childhood. Been wanting to see/find this for nearly 15 years THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

[canciondepan]

I love it too. You're welcome!

[LanakilaIesu]

Had this not been made prior to the beginning of my own musical studies, I would be fairly sure Richard Condie had mounted a webcam in my practice area at some point.

[Meaghan C.]

I would say this is an accurate depiction of practice time.

[joe blow]

Ah, yes, I remember Canadian television in the 1970s - way back before cable and pay TV. There were just three channels, and you had your choice of a screaming guy with an arrow through his nose, opera, or a guy arguing with an emu. Of course that was only until hockey season, at which time the opera was preempted.

[Aquarius199]

I remember this! I like the screaming guy on TV with an arrow in his nose!

[steveasat2]

The man shouting at the duck has an accent (and hat) based on that of Chico Marx, a kind of mock Italian accent. Chico was famous for confusing the word "viaduct" with the question "why a duck?"

[emajekral]

At 4:16 the main character says: "Hey.. I..Is that party still on tonight? Are you guys still, uh... gonna show those slides and stuff like that? 'Cause I wouldn't mind, uh... I think I might just come over. I got lots of time anyway. ... ... I'm not getting much done here."

[emajekral]

The channel changing moment reminds me of my childhood - there were only three channels.

The public broadcaster's English channel, CBC. It tried hard to be cultural and serious

The English commercial broadcaster, CTV. It had more popular programming, but had mandatory Canadian content, which was sometimes stupid.

The public French broadcaster, Radio-Canada. I went to a French school, so I tried to watch this channel, but it never made sense to me - I think it was a cultural problem.

[emajekral]

0:04 The name of the company is "Palace of Cheese"

0:12 - 0:14 Main character says: "I'm... I'm kinda busy actually. You know, you caught me right in the middle o-"

0:39 - The man speaking to the bird sounds foreign to my English ears. Some of what he says sounds vaguely French, but I can't understand a word of it. This is common in Canadian films before cable TV - the experience of the one channel offered in the other official language that is just beyond your ability to comprehend.

[chipmunkprincess13]

we were watching this in class and i couldn't help but laugh...when he kept messing up on the piano, he would do things i do whenever i screw up...richard condie is an animating genius