Ricky Gervais Tells A Story About How He Learned To Write | Fast Company

In this first installment of Creation Stories, Ricky Gervais shares a doozy about an early, indelible writing lesson.
For the full story: www.fastcocreate.com/3016916/c...

[@BRENDANGOSS1974]

If only this video also had some drone shots too

[@thefeelcompany]

Brendan Goss haaaahaaaaa

[@diegooliveirabenjamin]

My God man, what a spot on comment, thank you for that!

[@krissceuca4728]

Brendan Goss hahaaa yes

[@richardprensner2127]

haha lol so many angles

[@leonardodalmeida7735]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH THIS IS PERFECT

[@jamster36012]

I love how he is talking about the simplicity of writing what you know whilst you have a thousand different camera angles going on

[@leogg1402]

It's like a comedy bit on itself

[@MsKatkitty]

It’s all in how you describe the scene too, think of it as the opposite of an email, or a memo. Describing her home. Her house smelled of tea, lavender & mold. Right there, just those words give you an imaginary sensory perception of her I side world.

[@nofurtherwest3474]

@@fr0gger what does "bot" mean? you mean like a literal bot or is that just a derogatory term?

[@ts4gv]

@@nofurtherwest3474 it's an insult that means "your comment is so dumb/off-topic/poorly written that a bot could have written it."

[@nofurtherwest3474]

@@ts4gv i see. i don't really like it because it's kind of a cheap/lazy comment.

[@TimWhite]

You know what this video really needs? More slider shots...

[@Screech891]

:')

[@michaelcarey299]

You know what you need? More whisky shots...

[@Ohyesyourexcited]

Dying hahahaha

[@ChrisIsOutside]

That was pissing me off so much!! I was going to say whoever cut this together totally missed the point of what Ricky was talking about!! hahahaha! "Make the audience as excited and fascinated as you are, and real life does that" was the last thing he said in the clip. that slider shot is nothing like real life..... and it just distracted me from what he was saying

[@dcloud]

Thank you 🤣

[@peartreedu]

The camerawork happening here for this interview is insane. I'm surprised Gervais could keep a straight face with at least 3 cameras doing their thing at the same time.

[@karllehel]

:D

[@karllehel]

This is golden comment

[@teajay74]

So true. Unfortunately I'm a maverick detective that doesn't play by the rules, so that's all I know what to write about.

[@VegetoStevieD]

You're a loose cannon!

[@borismuller86]

You’re off the case!

[@manuelillanes1635]

Michael scarn

[@duncanthompson957]

teajay74 We're all going to be very excited when you retire teajay74. It's always "but what about the splatter patterns", or the dog, or the kid, or.... I don't know fucking what. Why can't it just be plain and simple? The perp did it, the victim got it bad. Wake up, Tea! But, no. There's always fucking questions with you, aren't there. Death is black or white! There's no fucking existential crisis if you do the fucking job.. Oh... Oh, shit... Okay, you're right this time. But you're a fucking broken clock, teajay. Jesus! Heaven help us. Fuck!

[@humann5682]

Lemme guess. Your name is Swallow. You're a regional detective based in the Norfolk area. Not afraid to break the law if need be. For example you might drive at 60 in a 50.... Lovely stuff.

[@jackflash8567]

the message of this video vs the extraneous editing of it is almost too much irony to bear.

[@ezzong]

I believe it's intentional

[@johnedwards1321]

@Callum Booth I lost interest in your post at "they think."

[@jonnynoakes9070]

I'd like to think that the amount of camera angles etc are a joke..

[@whatthe6532]

True that. Would have been nice to see a decent shot of The Stones poster.

[@ladymercy5275]

From the tone of the conversation intentionally edited in before they got 'srs,' it clearly is.

[@recoveringcatholic4130]

I had to rewatch the whole video cause I was daydreaming about those camera angles

[@tubeytube1961]

It seems to be hahaha

[@ElBoyoElectronico]

Haha, I am pretty sure this is meant to be a joke... I hope 😁

[@maubrowncow]

I'll be constructive. I've made this mistake before. The thought goes, "It's an interview, it's boring, so I need to make it interesting". So I would resort to wall to wall music, quick cuts and dynamic shots. I ignored the fact that the speaker WAS in fact interesting and I got in the way. Cut musically, with the beats of the dialog, at the pace of the speaker. Use the slide cam sparingly and move it with his thoughts. Not like a ping pong. You're a filmmaker, not a side show. Be invisible.

[@mickeymouse7861]

I was so consumed by the content I did not notice the music or the edits until I read the comments.

[@sathvik.sibyala]

@@mickeymouse7861 Samee 😂

[@rickewilde]

I thought this was a video about creative writing not filmmaking. Maybe i missed the point. 🤔

[@G11713]

I stopped watching, turning my eyes away, and listened only. The annoying music was not too much in the way.

[@nigefal]

That 13 year old Gervais essay sounded like an episode of afterlife.

[@stumbling]

He's reusing material like a fucking hack. :P The second series of Watching My Mum Clean Up After An Old Lady was the best though.

[@GaryMcCaffrey]

The characters in his age 13 story sounded like they had more depth tbh.

[@nigefal]

@@GaryMcCaffrey fair point! :D

[@DonCS]

More like "Derek". Give it a watch if you haven't already. It's amazing!

[@Wackyfox]

Mind you, ‘write what you know’ sounds like horrible advice to give a young writer. There’s a reason Harry Potter is a billion dollar industry, whereas “The Life and Times of a Cobbler” will sit there collecting dust in the bargain section.

[@13gifts]

"Being honest is what counts. Trying to make the ordinary extraordinary is so much batter than starting with the extraordinary... it's your job to make an audience as excited and fascinated about a subject as you are." There's the gold, right there.

[@UberOcelot]

That one good teacher is the reason we got both versions of the office. Thank you good teachers!

[@echognomecal6742]

"That one good teacher" So. Much. THIS. Yes, thank you for putting up with our shenanigans & for everything else lol Thank you for caring.

[@tomrees4812]

My sister was a teacher and when she told one of her pupils she was retiring they burst into tears.

[@TheDocumentaryDude]

Not enough panning IMO. Maybe throw in a few drone shots and some edgy time-lapses and I think you''ll have nailed it.

[@FreakinFred08]

The Documentary Dude why not make this video in grainy black and white as well? That way, ALL of the essence is robbed from this piece.

[@gonnahavemesomefun]

The way he told the story about writing a story was illustration enough. Wow. Goosebumps. And to that English teacher, hats off 👏

[@steveworrell]

That slider shot was cool....the first time

[@VIDEOGRAFIKO]

Real Talk. Make the ordinary extraordinary. Words to live by.

[@steviegbcool]

stop over editing these videos. one camera is all you need! its not a Michael bay movie!!

[@ThisDesignLife]

I was waiting for an explosion and a helicopter.

[@huubhuijbens8816]

This Design Life I thought too that something would happen in the background. That Ricky Gervais gets interrupted by an exploded building that you seen through the window

[@chrisp6165]

I would say 2 cameras are all you need, but the slider shots do seem unnecessary. You always need a 2nd camera when shooting interviews so you have something to cut away from, especially with someone who is constantly cracking jokes. I bet they have about 5 minutes of serious footage and about 55 minutes of Ricky making the whole crew laugh.

[@mirabella2154]

🤣

[@steviegbcool]

i feel bad now looking at all the comments lol

[@elliest55]

"Think an ordinary paper company like Dunder Mifflin was a great subject for a documentary. There's a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn't that kind of the point?" Ricky Gervais didn't write that final line of The Office US, but they sure did him justice with it.

[@CHR1S1102]

Whoever shot and edited this had no idea what they were doing. Awesome story btw.

[@tonyx8750]

Can see the moment Ricky gets emotional by just being honest and writing about the here and now or real life. Great insight into a comic with pathos.

[@MsKatkitty]

I know that’s what I really lie about Ricky Gervais, he may come over quite crass but you can see what does get to him or what makes him feel emotional.

[@___HH___]

@@MsKatkitty I don't understand why you lie about him.

[@ThisDesignLife]

This is such an incredible lesson in writing. "Make the ordinary extraordinary".

[@CHR1S1102]

The subject is literally just sitting on a chair the whole time and yet there's a cut every 3 seconds, the angles are terrible, the camera settings are not synchronized, the slider dolly is not only positioned wrong but it's also bumpy and way too fast, honestly, I could go on all day. I don't mean to offend anyone, but shooting a documentary on Ricky sounds like a great opportunity but it seems that this crew just completely blew it.

[@claudiabailey5302]

CHR1S1102 Gosh who cares it about Ricky writing process and inspirations not if the dolly is positioned wrongly

[@vep8434]

Crew? this was done by multiple people????

[@jeffmartin9212]

CHR1S1102 I hate to tell you but you have, in fact, already gone on all day.

[@PhosphorDigital]

“Make the ordinary extraordinary.” I came to that realization all on my own 25 years ago with my own writing. I have always had a nerdified mind about noticing small details, remembering them forever, and a decent facility for turning a phrase. My favorite authors (and songwriting lyricists, even) are the ones who do exactly that. “Make the ordinary extraordinary.” Now, if only I had gumption enough to try to get published.

[@spreadthelove77]

I hope you have.

[@wonderwoman5528]

Who are your favourite authors?

[@spirit-rockmusic6651]

I think Bob Dylan is a master of that art. He can lift seemingly ordinary topics to unexpected heights in an instant. (I'm currently reading "Philosophy of Modern Song". Probably disappointing to academics, as there seems to be no clear, laid-out, structured philosophy. But there's a lot of wisdom and a fine sense for finding the essence in the absurdity of life.)

[@wonderwoman5528]

I’ve just reserved this book from the library, thanks@@spirit-rockmusic6651

[@yakunats]

Well... Did you finally get published?

[@ItsMikeysMind]

How did ricky concentrate with that fake little desk level dolly cam shot going backwards & forwards the whole time? Jesus. Great chat from Gervais nonetheless.

[@stevecarter8810]

That's what I'm thinking triggered some of the fooling around in the outtakes. I'm looking forward to this crew showing up in his writing in a couple years

[@MrWhitehawk67]

Wow, Mr. Gervais... thank you. This, helped remind me what my writing was actually missing lately . My youth. Great work describing the process you had used, as a young immature adolescent, expecting to “stick it” to the “dumb” teacher, and in that process finding your writing passion. For me my teacher challenged me to write a short story, because I didn’t do much reading, so he said read a book and write a report about it or write a good short story so I tried and tried I felt defeated, because I wrote a 50 page story instead, and I couldn’t shorten it. I handed it in, told him I couldn’t shorten it any more than it was and he did the strangest thing, he just smiled and said oh well, maybe next time and gave me an A on my long short story and said it was excellent and that was it, I was hooked. ;)

[@loki1397]

Right well, Ricky, you hit the nail on the head and I actually ended up with a tear in my eye by the time you finished the story of how you learned to write about what you know. Good one. I do love watching you.

[@BooksForever]

High praise here... this one moved me. Thanks, Ricky.

[@Kellytalk]

After watching this video, for the first time, in a very long time, I was able to put pen to paper and compose something authentic and hopefully going to be the start of something good. Thank you, Ricky! My writer's block has been opened.

[@glizide79]

Beautiful lesson from Gervais. Worth the dizziness.

[@Robil63]

Great anecdote Ricky. Amazing revelation. ..and the rest is history!

[@annmariekelley5633]

Thanks for this. I appreciate Gervais's work so much and this little talk is sweet and interesting.

[@Whatisright]

I think this is the best video about writing anything. Especially if you're writing comedy or jokes. It works because he's not giving people a process to follow or a how things should be done, which is what you get a lot of the time. When it comes to comedy what you get is how that person does their thing. Their methods or process may not work for everyone. But writing what you know and being honest is easy. None of us will ever be able to write like those we admire, they have their way, their voice. You can only write like you in your way in your voice. For me you only find that out by writing what you know and being honest because that's your way, your voice.

[@JonnyDIY]

Loved hearing Ricky tell that story 💕👍

[@ubermenchy]

The edit is realllly distracting from the content...

[@MaloneysDigest]

They had one job!

[@boulshyte8932]

r u mad? its not distracting at all

[@MaloneysDigest]

Boul Shyte there’s at least 4 cameras used the interview tracking and panning unnecessarily. Those filming were Trying too hard to justify their position.

[@boulshyte8932]

but its not that distracting for me, i actually didnt think it was hard for people to ignore until i saw the comments.

[@MaloneysDigest]

Boul Shyte fair enough. I work in TV myself and perform comedy professionally (not blowing my own trumpet ;) Although no where near Gervais. But in Ireland I’d be very well known I have a comedy Show called hardy Bucks. We had Steve Brody from life’s too short in our last series. To me it looked like the crew were over doing it a little to put it on their show reel. Speaking from experience DOPs especially, can get carried away with style over substance. But Gervais, he’s a funny little fucker. “You are half and half aren’t you? - my favorite.”

[@Randyy1]

I cannot get enough of Ricky. Can't wait for the 5th stand-up DVD.

[@staceyharvey2750]

What a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing 🙏🏻

[@bestofjoy]

Lovely story ♥️ That guy was a great teacher

[@eddieconroy212]

Great story, and as always Ricky tells it really well.

[@trish_delish]

Who knew so many people would fixate on the editing? Instead, pay attention to what he is saying lol especially his advice about trying to make the ordinary the extraordinary. Great perspective, thank you!

[@kestrel09]

A case in point, Haruki Murakami's novels wonderfully balance ordinary people and their lives with extraordinary situations. He goes into the detail of what the characters wear and eat and builds a close relationship with the reader who is then is taken on an incredible journey.

[@echognomecal6742]

Teachers should always know what an important influence they are...& be respected for their caring, effort, knowledge, & skills. (Sense of humor is the perfect bonus.)

[@headwyvern11]

I've watched tv for close to 40 years now... I will never forget Derek or Afterlife. Finding what makes the mundane extraordinary is beautiful.

[@gaelpache6776]

This is what you do really well talking in a moving way about the every day people for what they are and what makes them so exceptionnel an funny

[@CTPerks]

What a great story. Truly inspirational.

[@davescott2653]

Love Ricky, man is a genius!

[@doartichaut9031]

His Mom sounds like a gem.

[@erik-sr9bj]

lol

[@Jason_Greer_Art]

Great explanation and I would agree the best stories in a book or movie are done this way.

[@moracomole8090]

He really gave more insight than most people would

[@StorybookingFun]

Wow. That was unexpected. The end actually brought me to tears.

[@thefonzkiss]

Seek therapy.

[@simonpaddon]

He is human after all then! Brilliantly told. Always love the fact that Ricky is normal; lots of other people have disappeared up their own arse long before this stage- but he is just.. well... Ricky. I find that inspiring.

[@DopravniPoradce]

That is so true. Who would think audience would go bonkers about a story about an old man gone fishin'. And yet it's a wonderfull story of world's literature.

[@joannsmith3589]

woow... i actually learned something about writing !! for real. Thank you Mr. Gervais, and thank you to your english teacher!

[@anthonyt219]

"My process?" (Busts out laughing). This is why ricky is a legend

[@criticalbil1]

"...I think my single, biggest influence was Stephen Merchant, without whom we wouldn't have had The Office, or at least it wouldn't have been half as good as it was. But I try not to credit him too much coz I like it when people think of me as a brilliant genius."

[@p.staycalm]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/baTce32oqNKlqtU

[@spreadthelove77]

Hi Steve.....

[@nonishanegi8408]

I like this man so much.

[@jackdolah2031]

He's one of the most talented dude! Seriously..

[@Marauder1981]

I learned to write in school. I´m happy for him that he does so well. Doesn´t matter when you learn something. Just try it.

[@CozyCabinGaming]

the editor sure had a ball fucking switchijng between the thousands of cameras they has set up

[@I_am_the_happy_prince]

I’m glad that teacher gave him that advice. His programmes are so different to anything else. With old peoples homes, dementia, death and such. But all with great humour. Ricky is a revelation. And he’s so human. Love the guy

[@hidebarnes8188]

Good advice Ricky . When I was at school I used to write about TV pros I watched .

[@jorrellds6520]

I loved that story about his childhood.

[@N8teyrve]

Fuck yes! Honesty, vulnerability, awareness but with no filter.

[@TahtahmesDiary]

Wow just listened and it really inspired me, ty Ricky! Off to create! 🤗💜

[@timothybasil]

That was the moment Ricky learned you'll get rewarded for sarcastically sticking it to the man.

[@jordanhart9359]

Basically write about something that resonates, and write about something that is relatable to most people in a nut shell...

[@Milestonemonger]

Best honest advice about writing

[@johnvanegmond1812]

I relate to this. I had a good time in my writing classes in high school. (Not a writer.) Got good grades. Almost felt like I cheated though. I would write what was supposed to be fiction, but was what I did the day before. I cut the back of my leg stepping through a barb wire fence one day when hunting squirrels. Included that the details of my gumboot aggravating the wound as I walked. Mrs. Weller asked me how I could come up with such detail. I just kind of shrugged. I did have a college English professor tell me one day that interesting and imperfect writing is much more fun for him than precise and boring.

[@BedrockLeadership]

Absolutely invaluable advice.

[@rosegold5720]

this is so helpful and reassuring ❤

[@Jerrywood111]

he had me at "the smell of tea and lavender and mold", thats fine storytelling already

[@stephenwalsh4481]

I rememeber writing a story about how we used to walk to school by the river and feed the ducks and a dog used to sometimes walk past and the teacher said like your memories! I'll always remember that!

[@vanessatalks1]

Afterlife is a great example of what he described in this video

[@caiusKeys]

What a great story -- thank you!

[@chrismhp]

Great story, and insightful lesson about honesty in storytelling. My hairy asshole could've edited this video more competently though.

[@lapelcelery42]

Rude way to talk about your editor, but good point.

[@hayk3000]

Well that's armenians for you

[@okboomer1340]

I've seen some of your hairy asshole's work. It's not pretty.

[@tomnaughadie]

Have your hairy asshole send in his application, we'll take a look at it.

[@ashdoginc]

Spot on. I think the difficulty with fiction is it can easily sound contrived. Many writers have preconceived ideas of what is horror, sci-fi, romance etc. should be. But if you write from what you know and your experiences, you tell a story and adjust it to fit whatever period of time you want.

[@SLVRwill7]

This video is like watching something 5 film students have mashed together.

[@GaryMcKinnonUFO]

That's a great lesson, well told.

[@Beetrecca]

I’m currently sat in a car park in Ricky’s home town watching this ! Well done mate you escaped!! 👏👏 effin genius.

[@AlejandraStamato]

This man's brilliant.

[@C.Hawkshaw]

I’m a writer and didn’t notice the camera angles, the editing or the music until I started reading the comments. Is that weird?

[@manugudipati4251]

"All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know." - Ernest Hemingway

[@melie3054]

The appeal of the Office makes so much more sense now

[@Howwedoit]

Fantastic content, love his input, very valuable, and exactly my philosophy for my channel -- just be real and honest and its easy to be genuine and relatable to people! Excellent!

[@tutubeas10]

Ricky!!

[@kellingtonlink956]

Brilliant. Thanks for the video.

[@HOPEat]

Good Stuff!!! I began writing in 1992. Robin Williams said it best in Dead Poet Society, “Write about what you want...just don’t let it be ordinary.” I always loved that.

[@paulvato]

"She just won't die, Ricky."

[@glennmorrow2755]

Wow - actually gets serious for a minute at the end of the clip and gets down to brass tacks. That’s makes a lot of sense.

[@AmaSharapova]

That was surprisingly inspiring!

[@thefellowshipreforged8901]

Cameraman: "How will we make this visually interesting?" Director: "Just pan it from random angles like an anime."

[@chuffpup]

Really good. I didn't notice the camera work at all, why do people harp on? I like Ricky Gervais, and this was magic.Great advice, I'll tell my daughter, when she needs to do some creative writing for school. Cheers.

[@ciancurran1165]

Excellent

[@rachelcarre9468]

My father who left school illiterate decided in later life to turn his life around and enroll in night school to learn to read, write and improve his maths. He had a similar experience with his teacher. He would recount how the teacher would constantly encourage the class to not be ashamed of their backgrounds and to embrace their life experiences and capture that on paper. My father really looked up to this older man who he described as ‘the first educator who was genuinely interested in educating him’. He absorbed the advice fully and started to write about what he knew and what he’d done which was why he ended up in prison for the seven bank robberies he’d committed.

[@rachelcarre9468]

Ricky Gervais saying the unsayable.

[@yakunats]

That's a good story

[@ThomasDwyer187]

being honest is what counts 💘

[@PortervilleMusicSociety]

beautiful advice

[@jonconnorstudiosllc]

Panning in an interview? I died. Ricky Gervais though, you're incredible.

[@4pedos]

I really, really liked that!

[@jdncoke2]

legend!

[@tomimpala]

I like the editing!

[@DylanHaskin]

Rule one when using a slider - foreground interest - hmm ok, How about this huge pile of paper? Perfect!

[@ingilizceyiogrenmeyiogreni220]

When I saw the title, I thought it was about how he literally learned how to read and write...