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EVERYTHING YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT MR BIFFO'S FOUND FOOTAGE: ADVANCED STRANGULATION

18/9/2017

29 Comments

 
Well now. Here's the second instalment of the full series of Mr Biffo's Found Footage. I think it's better than the first one - closer to what I had in my head for the show, more its own thing, more confident and complete.

The benefit of the weekly release schedule is that it's giving me time to sort of work on the show in real time, and react to what people are liking or not liking. Hopefully, this'll mean that it gets better as it goes along. Your feedback is very much welcome.

If you're enjoying... please share the video, tell your mates, like it on YouTube, and subscribe to the channel. It's even more important with this episode, which - not having had the benefit of being the series premiere - needs all the boosts it can get. All of that is going to help ensure we do more in a similar vein. Anything you can do to help will be warmly received.

But anyhow. Time for some behind-the-scenes trivia. 

SPOILER WARNING: Do not read on unless you have watched Advanced Strangulation!
CAUTION: BABY INSIDE
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This is the brilliant Noah Britton. When he's not playing comedy shows with Asperger's Are Us, Noah is a college psychology professor. Stuart "Ashens" Ashen, who pops up later in the episode, has a doctorate in psychology. I dropped out of my counselling degree course after two-and-a-half years because I thought I knew it all. Together, the three of us could READ YOUR MIND.
PRIVATE GARDEN 
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It's Simon Bates, returning to the show following his debut in The Awakening. You quite clearly see him trying not to laugh after "I got enough convictions", which is why I quickly cut to him wiping his dirty 'tache.
DUDSEY THE DOG
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The guy who did this animation for me refused to add a broom at the end coming in and sweeping Dudsey's bones away. Apparently that was "too sad". He did, however, inexplicably make the shape of Dudsey resemble a penis... You lose some, you win some.
ARMSTRONG WONG
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One of the first completed sequences for Found Footage, which has remained intact and unchanged more or less since I first did it waaaay back in February. For my money, Armstrong Wong - who called me "sick" in our communication - is challenging Goujon John in terms of totally getting the character and nailing the performance. I think he's brilliant.
IAIN LEE & PAUL GANNON!
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Two legends, who we filmed with in the studio only last Tuesday! I'd never met Iain before, but he says that he gets asked about me appearing on his radio show more than anyone else, as there seems to be a strange crossover between our audiences. Plus, I took over his Retro Gamer column. When he says he was up for doing some comedy acting, I jumped at the chance.

The Human Orchard replaced another sequence that had originally been in the ep. To be honest, the other sequence - it was called Cheese Holes - was one of the first things we shot and I think I was still searching for the tone of the show.

After showing it at the launch party, I decided it wasn't working as well in this episode as I'd hoped. It also featured Tom and Yiannis, who were in Dream Drawings as a different double act, and that felt odd and confusing two episodes in a row. 

So... I've moved Cheese Holes to a later episode, and will be using it in a slightly different way to my original plan.

Therefore, over to this double act instead. I wrote a script for The Human Orchard, but - knowing they probably wouldn't have learned their lines - I let Paul and Iain just riff around it. They're kind of perfect for Found Footage really, because both of them - and I hope they won't mind me saying this - do have a touch of the dark in their souls. Before our eyes the two brothers came to life.

​They'll be back. Very soon. 
FLANSY C-BONG!
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Having been in the very first Found Footage stuff I did for Digifest last year, I had to bring back Flansy C-Bong if only because he has my favourite character name ever. Wasp Bells is another spoof Digi ad that I did last year that I felt would work well within Found Footage. Sorry about the humping dogs, but my mum thinks they're funny.
IT'S DANNY WALLACE!
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The great and lovely Danny Wallis here. Right back near the start of Digitiser2000 Danny sent me a lovely message on Twitter saying how much he was enjoying it, so I figured he might say yes to being in Found Footage. Given that he's a very busy man, I hugely appreciate him taking the time to be part of this absurdity.
IT'S STUART ASHEN!
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Originally, Jengo Spores was a more complicated sequence. There's footage of loads of people sitting around playing it - but because they're all wearing wacky, weird, costumes, it felt a bit too self-consciously "I'm mad, me!" when I watched it back. When the material is weird in itself, it's sometimes better to play the performances straight. Says the man who played MC Stringy Hobo in Enhance My Tarp with a Jar-Jar Binks voice...

But Stuart's unhinged bellowing here is exactly right, I think. And it's inspired by a really weird vintage Jenga ad I found, where people keep shouting "Jenga!".

Jengo Spores - or Jenga Spores - dates back to a Christmas many years ago, when my mate Anthony was over, and we played Jenga with the kids after a few too many sherries. We came up with an "extreme" version of the game which shot fungal spores into your eyes whenever you removed a brick.

Oddly, we went on holiday to Scotland together with our families a couple of years ago, and there was a Jenga game on a shelf in one of the cabins. On that occasion we came up with another new version of Jenga inspired by the German family in the next cabin, called Das Schtack.
SIR CLIVE SINCLAIR!
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I think this is one of the finest pieces of music Chris Jerden-Cooke has written for the show. He somehow managed to cram a ton of complicated, not-at-all-scannable, lyrics into an electro-pop epic! Also, big thanks to David Walford for turning the footage into Spectrum graphics.

Basically... after Wozniak, I wanted to write a song about a computing genius that was a bit closer to home. Sir Clive is the obvious candidate. And then I tried to think of the most disrespectful thing I could possibly write about him - which is that he invented a machine for sucking other people's solid waste into his own bowels, and - following a malfunction - now has a prosthetic rectum.

Who's the sexy dancer in the video? He shall remain nameless.
MIME TALK
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I did this whole thing on holiday last month, while laying on the bed after wrecking my feet on the first day with too much walking. Turns out I had a verruca. Inspired by late night premium rate phone line ads that we used to see in the early hours on Channel 4, after getting in from the pub. 
IT'S ANDY "NAM ROOD" WEAR!
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Andy is potentially the loveliest man in the world. After his incredible performance in the finale (still to come) I had to ask him to do something else. It seemed right that he reprise his Bad Influence! character Nam Rood in our version of the Games Master Consoletation Zone. Also, we did it partly to surprise Violet Berlin.
GRAB-A-CRAB
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Another sequence that was only put together this week, following what I thought was and wasn't working in the eps shown at premiere. The animation is all stock footage - which cost a bit to license - but it looks great, I think. And the guy who did the voiceover was really into it.

Without prompting, he gave me two versions, one that was a bit more upbeat and traditionally advert-y voice... and this weird, worn-down, slightly embarrassed version.

And get this: the same guy did the Jengo Spores voice-over! He so versatile.
HAIL XENOXXX???????!???
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Oh! What's going on here then?
THE GAMES ANIMAL!
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Dave is a legend. I couldn't homage Games Master without paying him his dues, and here he is looking depressingly youthful, 20 years after he was last on that show. And he was well up for it. Thank you, Dave!
KENNY & YURI!
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Here they are again, because I love them. Iain's wearing a hideous hoodie that I got for Christmas a couple of years ago, featuring my favourite animal - the sloth.

​THE SLOTH.
SENSORIUM GIRLYBOX
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When I had a surprising last-minute holiday in the summer, visiting the in-laws in Croatia, I knew I should try and film something for Found Footage. If only to assuage my guilt that I'd actually taken some time off. Also, my brother-in-law is a silly man, and an excellent breakdancer, and so I leapt at the chance to feature two toned, athletic, Adonises (Adoni?) in one hot and sexy music video. 

We passed this church on the island of Korcula on the first day, and I knew it was perfect. In the slow motion bit where I'm "breakdancing", watch when my foot hits the ground. I was in agony. Also, the weird shuffling/snorting was inspired by a waxwork of Marco Polo's nanny that we saw earlier in the week at a museum in the town of Korcula (named after the island) . 

This is here, because part of the purpose of Dream Drawings and Advanced Strangulation was to reintroduce some of the ideas of the show to people who hadn't seen it before - so, Goujon John, Music Chute, Xenoxxx etc. 
VEGAN SLAUGHTERHOUSE
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It's New Michael Ingemi, from Asperger's Are Us! You'll be seeing him again.

It's still really surreal that we've become mates with Asperger's Are Us, having watched their Netflix documentary last year without realising they were fans of The Man's Daddy thanks to Chris Bell's Super Page 58 site - the oldest and greatest Digitiser tribute site on the Interwobs.

Right. That's it then. Again, please spread the word. Another episode next week, featuring the return of Sting and Funtron 8! Unless I change the episode between now and then...
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29 Comments
Paul
18/9/2017 10:15:29 am

There was always something unsettling about Sensorium Girlybox - the walking around all all fours niggled in the Christmas video, but I could not quite put my fingers on what it was. This episode of FF remided me - I think it must have been the setting, the setting, building. It was a documentary I watched about people who were walking on all fours.

So a search on YouTube brings up the programme I watched. It was a Turkish family which really did walk using arms and legs. They also had a limited vocabulary. I’ll need to rewatch this as I can’t recall all the details. IIRC they were helped to live and move more normally, but there were reasons for their unusual lives.

Here it is - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyFxUHKIIZA - a genuinely interesting piece of film.

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Mr Biffo
18/9/2017 10:27:00 am

Oh my! I remember that!

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Sam
18/9/2017 10:24:19 am

THE SLOTH

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David W
18/9/2017 10:28:08 am

Not sure about the weekly feedback thing, because Found Footage seems like the antithesis of focus-group driven comedy.

I very much like Mime Talk, for example, but would rather you continued to try new ideas than settle on what's most popular.

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Mr Biffo
18/9/2017 10:31:25 am

Oh, I am. Don't worry. It's not, for example, going "Oh! That character/catchphrase is working for the audience - let's have more of them!". Despite what I said, it's more what I personally think is working or isn't. That said, I did put Tea Prancer in this week's titles, because people like him...

But yeah... apart from Goujontation Zone and Goujon John, pretty much nothing repeats - at least not in exactly the same way as it originally reappeared. Funtron 8 is coming back - because I like it - but in a completely new way to last week, for instance.

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Appreciative Mime
18/9/2017 10:42:27 am

­­­

combat_honey
18/9/2017 10:36:14 am

I loved the first episode, but I totally agree that this was better.

Armstrong Wong was the highlight for me. That section reminded me of the first Goujon John ad, in that it was just a perfect combination of actor, script and production values / visual effects. The actor was clearly 100% committed and totally nailed it.

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CJJC
18/9/2017 10:44:24 am

I still have no idea what caused me to lug a guitar on public transport for over an hour each way to appear in a video for a song that features precisely zero guitar, nor why I bothered to create a guitar arrangement of the song to play during filming - something that could only be known by the others present at at the time, but I'm still glad I did.

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Col
18/9/2017 11:51:11 am

I'm really enjoying watching these, a week in between eps is just right to build the anticipation. I'm having a tough time convincing my wife and daughters to watch - maybe that's a good sign as they tend towards shows more akin to Celebrity Masterchef. If only you'd got Gregg Wallace rather than Danny.

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Treacle
18/9/2017 12:31:55 pm

The flow of this episode worked better for me than ep. 1. The claymation of Grab-a-Crab looked great being so different from the rest of the content. And Sensorium Girlybox making a fantastic return at the sort of back drop Slash would use to film guitar solo's at. More music too, which I loved. Setting the bar even higher for ep. 3. Can't wait.

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Spiney O'Sullivan
18/9/2017 01:25:33 pm

I also laughed a lot more at this episode. The ghost company one and Dudsey slayed me.

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Daz Catastrophe
18/9/2017 02:17:36 pm

Not going to lie: it won't be the same watching new episodes without the audience. Can we have a premier party every week???

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Smilin' Peter
18/9/2017 02:40:36 pm

Thank you, Biffo, for brightening up another Sunday night.

Was the Sensorium Girlybox video supposed to be a homage to 'November Rain'?

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Mr Biffo
18/9/2017 02:51:27 pm

It was! A touch of November Rain, with a bit of Everything I Do (I Do It For You) thrown in.

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Nikki
18/9/2017 11:28:54 pm

It was double v good!

King of Duckhenrys
18/9/2017 03:58:33 pm

This episode is a huge leap over the first. Not that the first was bad, but this just felt like it had found its feet. The production quality also seemed much higher (while being 100% true to the original feel). That music video looked so authentic, I don't know who shot it, but it was beautiful, which made it so much funnier.

Everything was absolutely pitch perfect, mime talk was spot on, and I love the special effects for the Goujontation Zone, that scrolling grid with the lightning is amazing.

Roll on 9pm Sunday. Mr Biffo, you are a genius sir.

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John Veness
18/9/2017 04:02:45 pm

Another great ep. Loved:
- Simon Bates, as always. I kept thinking he would say "listen up assholes" or similar, though!
- Dudsey, especially the rotting in hell bit. Man, you've got some issues. Actually, I think Pudsey The Dog The Movie is a fine kids' film
- Armstrong Wong, especially the pairs Basic Strangulation/Advanced Strangulation, and Poisoning/Sexy Poisoning. There was a similar joke in Funtron-8, but it's still funny
- Big fan of Flansy C-Bong, especially him calling them "local stripers"
- Ballad of Sir Clive is genius, especially the extremely catchy tune which I keep find myself humming. I can't make out what the "backing vocals" are that it looks like Mr B sings in the vid, between "Sir Clive, Sir Clive" and "Sin-claaaaaiiiir". Scans a bit like "electric boogaloo" but I expect it's not that. Brilliant graphics effects by David Walford, even if it means it's no longer easy to see that Biffo is using a Speccy as an instrument
- Another hit for Sensorium Girlybox, with brilliant dancing by Paul's brother-in-law(ish), I think?
- Great to see lovely Andy as Nam Rood again.

Not such a fan of The Human Orchard, although I like the idea. I think my problem is Iain's hesitant performance, which was distracting - all chefs I know are much more confident.

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David W link
18/9/2017 04:28:59 pm

The graphical effects were done using Image To ZX Spec, available from the link.

For best results, re-colour poo before processing. Spectrum don't do brown.

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Anthony Thompson
15/2/2019 05:57:52 pm

I love the idea of dying from shame.

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DEAN
18/9/2017 05:32:08 pm

Excellent!

Really enjoying everything just wish I didn't have to wait a week between episodes! Double bill......

Favourite thing from the last 2? I think Armstrong Wong - I totally agree with you; that feller got chops!

How did you learn erotic dance?

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Kelvin Green link
18/9/2017 09:44:38 pm

Armstrong Wong is my favourite. A PIE THAT I'VE MADE!

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Kelvin Green link
18/9/2017 09:50:21 pm

That said, the Sir Clive song is wonderful.

Dare I hope and dream that there's a Dino Dini song coming up in a future episode?

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Paulvw
18/9/2017 10:32:32 pm

Nice step up from last week. Really enjoyed it last night and was giggling away in bed.

Armstrong Wong and Flansy cBong were great, Jengo is still making me snort, the Sinclair song was excellent. Some great cameos.

Love the fact I'm chuckling with laughter and then the next minute with slight trepidation.

Looking forward to next week. Thank you.

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Nikolay Yeriomin link
19/9/2017 01:47:22 am

Yet another episode which had me inspired enough for a few quite decent hours of writing and even filming for two projects at once. "Mr. Biffo's Found Footages" is turning on my creativity each time I see it... And helps me to survive the week no matter how hard it is. And the fact that some of the segments were made in a week between the two episodes is truly astonishing and inspiring for me as a filmmaker.

This episode had so much greatness in it, that it's genuinely hard to pinpoint the highlights. The post-credits scene with New Michael Ingemi is great. Sensorium Girlybox striked yet again with another video and song which will haunt me for a little less/more then eternity. Goujon John! Stuart Ashen! Paul Gannon! Flancy C-Bong! Croatian scenery!

For an extra excuse to re-watch the episode (although do we need one? Rewatch value is ENDLESS) I should say that watching it with YouTube's auto-generated closed captions is a gold of it's own. It had a new word for an each and single use of "Jengo"!

P.S. The costume of the subject of Experiment 17 looks a little bit familiar, I'd say. I wonder how much people noticed.

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Mr Biffo
19/9/2017 07:39:02 am

Glad you're feeling inspired, Nikolay.

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Dirty Barry
19/9/2017 04:15:02 am

Dear Mr Biffo,

You know how Goujon John sometimes refers to goujons as joujons? Was that a mistake when he was first reading the lines, that you kept in because it's amusing? Or is that how it was written?

Btw loved the second episode from start to finish. Original and fresh comedy is hard to come by these days, please keep up the good work!

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Mr Biffo
19/9/2017 07:38:36 am

Well... it was a mistake the first time, but now I think he's doing it on purpose...

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Da5e
19/9/2017 11:37:47 am

See, this is one of my favourite things about Found Footage - you, Biffo, don't seem to be in total control of it. It's surprising and delighting you as much as it is us, and it's obvious that you're truly enjoying producing it. Long may it reign.

Matthew Long
19/9/2017 11:03:01 pm

I'm probably at least a day or two late commenting on this so I suspect I'm talking to myself now, but that was terrific, wasn't it? Lots of familiar faces cropped up, my two favourites being Nam Rood and Dave 'Games Animal' Perry. As well as the warm fuzzy nostalgic feeling they elicit, you have to admire them for being such good sports.

It was a treat to see Flansy C-Bong again, and I now think it's more than just the material that I love, it might be the performance too. That's assuming it is a performance and he isn't just a guy who'll spout any old shite with a straight face for a few quid. The earnestness with which he says these ridiculous things has a po-faced Leslie Nielsen "and don't call me Shirley" kind of quality to it. Totally different from the full-on, committed nuttiness of Goujon John.

Speaking of him, I have to agree that he has got competition in the form of Armstrong Wong. Isn't he wonderful? Another superb actor who clearly 'gets it' like GJ, and so, so funny. I think I laughed the most at his scene, along with The Ballad of Sir Clive Sinclair. I'm still singing that to myself days later... an assault on the charts this Christmas, maybe?

(Also, I could actually do with some wasp bells, having, as I do, an irrational fear of the nasty little buggers. A definite merchandising opportunity.)

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