web = heart and soul

I’ve spent the better half of this week developing a new web series for GoodGame.  I had promised to shoot the pilot in April, but due to the sensitive nature of some of the props, it never materialized. Fates conspired over the summer and once again I’m looking at another go at the pilot - this time in late September. All my time up until then is organizing crew, scheduling auditions, and writing the damn thing.

Z and I had an interesting revelation today. Well, maybe it was ‘more of the same’ for her, revelation for me. Girls are always thinking ahead like that. What we came up with was something like “If you want something done AT ALL, you’d better tell someone to do it, or just do it yourself.” If it’s just your hobby or you’re clawing your way up the devil’s esophagus (aka getting recognized on the web), you might as well just invest your own time to make it great. Otherwise, who’ll get it done? There’s a ton of product out there, buried in a sea of regenerating crap. For the gems to rise up, they either have to be train-wreck or super special. The latter is my goal for the new web series.

I’ve been researching intros since Sunday - movies, videogames, even books. There’s a study somewhere that backs up my gut feeling, that if you can’t win someone over in the first 30 seconds, your audience is surfing somewhere else. Hell, on YouTube if you can’t show them potential in 2 seconds, they go elsewhere. So I got the idea to create a super-strong intro; something that is both beautiful, unique, and a trainwreck all in one. I latched onto the catchiest intros I could find, mashed them together, added a sprinkle of originality, and four days later, I have 1/2 of it done.  Will the pilot go over?  Does our creative team have what it takes to steal the attention of the Internet?  These answers and more, as the blog marches on…

running around with our heads cut off

 

I’m cutting together the ‘behind the scenes’ video that Tim shot while we ran through this shoot at break-neck speed.  The video was shot at a filmmaking workshop ran by PBC at Otakon; we tried to get the entire thing done within two hours, but…well, once you watch the video I’m cutting together, you’ll see.  It turned out to be a pretty good lesson about what happens when you rush - even though I’m happy with the final product.

 

Right now batch capture is .. about 1/2 way through the tape. I’m just killing time while it gets all the footage, waiting for 4pm to roll around. We’re shooting some interviews / filming a Yoga presentation in Bryant Park right around then.

 

</thursday>

This week was a surprisingly good week for us. Two surprise jobs materialized out of nowhere - both fun videography gigs involving Yoga and Jewish Kids Music. Freelancers know that when a good weeks hits, you’re supposed to squirrel that money away immediately - but everybody winds up going out for a beer on payday. Workaholics like myself especially need a night off every week so we don’t go crazy.  Yesterday night turned out just this way.  Friends from out of town were around, we did the ‘dinner and a beer garden’ thing.

I’m taking a break from cutting together this doc, hopefully just in time for dinner.  When the food is all eaten, it’s back to work.  The days are just packed, I tell ya.

comic artist kidnapped, Internet = good for TV

Our webcomic artist is sleeping over for a couple days.  We didn’t kidnap him, nor did we bribe him with comic books - he’s here on his own dime so we can have some meetings and crank out some comic scripts and outlines.  …  That being said, kidnapping, bribing, and literally just having him here is probably the only way that the work was going to get done!  The guy is a good friend of mine, but with what little we have to offer him per comic, it’s understandable that we would eventually get shuffled underneath bigger projects.  This is ultimately what happened in June.

 

The easiest way to get somebody back into work mode, when there’s no money, is to throw a party and treat your business partners like your best friends.  They should be anyway, but it doesn’t hurt to have a bit of fun to re-energize the team.  We spent the night drinking and playing Shadow of the Colossus and Soul Calibur IV.  Y’know, AFTER we had knocked out five really solid outlines, dialog, and descriptions for the comic.  These sort of meetings will happen more often, we decided.

 

This week is a little nuts.  Everyone’s personal lives are in a shuffle.  One of the crew has to move out of their apartment (he was sub-letting) by September 1st, and now the place he was lined up to get has passed on him.  The owners were old Polskies  who apparently didn’t like the fact that his main job was a web start-up that doesn’t make a lot of money.  Ugh.  So we, the company he puts so much time into, apparently had some hand in him not getting an apartment.  As I’m typing this another member of the crew is leaving for a funeral, while his girlfriend lies sick with more tummy trouble at home.  Yet another member is trying to figure out what they want to do with their life at the moment, and the company is trying to lend a hand in straightening it out.   To me, all this shuffling is just another part of playing it by ear.  It’s Risk VS Reward, baby, and we’re still on the fringe.

 

Tonight we’re going to shoot some music video-like thing that doesn’t make any sense to me, but it’s a paying job, so whatevs.  I haven’t heard much about it, except that what we shoot will be combined with animation to make some sort of mixture salad of concept-promo video thing.  No idea.  All I know is that we’re shooting in a studio WITHOUT LIGHTS.  Ugh.  I’m cringing already.

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I just heard this on TWIT: “The internet hardly cannibalizes, it actually fuels interest!” - from a NBC higher-up, talking about internet vs TV viewership for the Olympics.

Otakon and the Filmmaking Workshop of DOOM!

Creating a lasting, kick ass, first-time impression is hard, unless you know your audience inside and out. This past weekend we were up against 500 screaming fanboys/girls who wanted to see nothing less than the best of the best of their favorite series, characters, and in-jokes.

 

On top of those limitations, we strove to do something original. It’s a problem of mine; I don’t know the meaning of “sell out”, even if precisely doing that would have helped our process 100%. What would be selling out, to an audience like that? We could have played up every stereotype, every in-joke, characters that people recognized, jokes they had heard before, repackaged into something that would make their eyes water and their sides split. Bah! That’s all been done before. I don’t know if it was my interest to play up originality as a selling point to the 1/10th of the audience that would appreciate new content, or just that I won’t ever bend to the yoke of rehashed jokes. I just wanted to make something that I’d be proud of - and that they’d accept.

 

Before I go any further, you may be wondering why the hell we were creating original content at something as chaotic as an anime con. The simple answer: when you’re an independent web company, you take any opportunity you can to spread the word about yourselves - and crazy stunts like what were attempting is the best way to attract attention.

 

Otakon 2008 - the 15th anniversary of the convention. It is the 2nd largest anime convention in America - I overheard some people talk in whispers about 25,000 being the number of attendees this year. That’s a crazy load of fans - and we had to impress all of them. We arrived on Friday around noon in a car overpacked with camera equipment, costumes, a cardboard city, green screen material, lights, and oh, the list goes on. Our plastic street kept slipping out of its resting place wedged ontop of the cardboard robot and was hitting Z in the head. The last hour of the three-hour drive had me holding the stupid thing in place from the passenger side.

We met up with old friends of ours - guys we see at most conventions we travel to - and set up shop in the Artists’ Alley area. This was the Baltimore Convention Center - nothing to sneeze at - the independent artists’ area was a huge space the size of a high school football field. The ceiling was so high that three floors of artists could have been stacked in there with room to breathe. Setting up our 1/2 table and stacking it with all our merch (DVDs, t-shirts, stickers, etc), 2 out of our 4 sold stuff while the other two ran around to help plan for our filmmaking workshop, which was fast approaching.

THE PLAN was crazy. Our idea for a workshop came from a collaboration with another indy content producer, Mike Dent from R5 Central. He runs a sentai news podcast that doubles as a futuristic audio drama - it’s way cool. We’ve been fans of each others’ works for a long time, and he happened to like what we were doing with our killer cardboard robot, Meep Mop. Together, we forged a script and an outline of what would be filmed at the con. Two hours of shooting on Friday, two hours on Saturday.

The workshop itself was only supposed to be one hour of shooting, with one hour of post. The idea was to give our audience a chance to see a film crew in hyper mode, then see an accomplished editor do something impossible. I’ll be cutting a doc together about the experience, which was taped with a miniDV cam by a friend. The short version is that the filming went exceptionally well! Our two actors, clad in robot costumes, fought each other over twenty-five shots in front of the screen. The HVX ran directly into a laptop, capturing every second as we flew forward with our chance of making our deadline clearly hanging on by a thread. Everything was going smoothly, until something I hadn’t anticipated happened.

 

Yeah, this is where everything went awry, which was in itself a learning experience for the audience - stuff can go way wrong on set. I thought (in the heat of the moment) that I should shoot outside of our normal area - that is not in front of the screen - if I set up our cardboard set in another area. While that was setting up, I thought, I can continue to shoot with one of the actors! Turns out I was dead wrong. The actress that had to be laid down on the cardboard set was ready way quick - and the city was quickly set up. Since she was in a robot costume that had weight to it, we couldn’t easily pick her back up again - it took five men to do it carefully. Suddenly that shot was ready, and the green screen shot was ready - I had to make a choice. I wound up leaving my sweet setup behind, slapping a battery in the HVX and moved to get the cardboard city shot - which was when I realized that the green screen WAS needed in that shot. Parts of the convention floor were invading my frame. Ugh. I pushed tighter and called it good enough.

The other problem with this shot was that with the laptop broadcasting over a projector for the audience to see what we were seeing, it couldn’t move. I had to shoot on tape for this breakaway shot. It happened fine enough, but when we re-hooked the firewire cable from the camera to the laptop, all hell broke loose. I powered on the camera, which registered in Final Cut’s capture window. Then I switched to VTR mode, so he could capture what I had just shot. Well, FCP didn’t like that. It crashed faster than a Russian test rocket - taking to the grave all the beautiful render files that Brett had been working on inbetween takes. We were sunk. There was no way to re-render everything in time to have a finished showing at the end of two hours.

In a flash of showmanship, I snatched the mic from our announcer and told the audience what was happening. “We have our first major problem.” I said, trying not to sound too down. As Brett struggled to restart the program, I reassured him that the capture files were indeed still on the computer, and all he had to do was reconnect them. “I lost all the render files” he moaned. I told the audience, with a crazy grin on my face, that the show must go on, and that finished or not we would have SOMETHING for them to see at the end of the workshop.

We pressed on, eating into post-production time. Darrin stopped doing interviews with anybody and just put the mic up to my face. Everyone seemed to just be paying attention to what was happening in front of the camera anyway. With about 1/2 an hour to spare, we wrapped camera. I apologized to Brett, took a seat next to him, and post began. I looked around. The remaining audience (some of the 50+ had dropped out) were hardcore - they were in it to the end. Even after I had told them that it wouldn’t be finished, they still remained in their seats, loyal to the cause and ready to see…something! It was for these people that we had done this crazy stunt - to get more hardcore fans that liked what we were doing and were into it. If we got only 10 of these guys to be fans for life, the expense and the craziness of the con would be worth it.

The deadline loomed. Brett showed what he had to the audience, and they cheered. As we told everyone that the finished product would be online next Friday, a staff member approached me and offered to screen the piece at a much bigger venue Saturday night if we finished it. I jumped for joy! At this point, this was awesome news. We’d be in front of an audience of hundreds, with a chance to speak beforehand and tell them how crazy this was and how hardcore we were for even attempting it - and that’s just what we did. The Saturday night audience was around 500+, and they all cheered at the right moments. Addressing the crowd, I thanked Otakon, my editor, and any audience members who had participated the day before. The response was immense, and I can’t praise that staff member highly enough for hooking us up.

I’m going to gloss over our shoot on Saturday, but know that yes, you CAN shoot video of a giant robot pummeling people in the middle of an anime con and get zero complaints or interruptions.  Everyone around us was so respectful, it was great. We had to wait a few times to continue filming because people wanted pictures with Meep Mop, but that was our only problem. Even the sound and lighting turned out aight.  In retrospect, perhaps the FCP crash was a good thing.  Maybe the audience picked up on this, understanding that no matter how much you try and plan, something will eventually go wrong - and you have to compensate.  Everything was flying by so fast that I’m a little surprised that the crash was our only problem.

 

As soon as the final version is online, I’ll post it. Until then, check out the viral videos we did with Meep Mop to announce our arrival at the con.

 

 

Trailers, scripts, and anime cons

The last year of my life is best displayed through my reel. I was cutting together a new version yesterday (PBC needed an update, so I figured I would follow suit) and there was a moment where I looked on all we had accomplished in that last year and said: Wow! For truly independent web video people, we have seen and done alot since our inception. Most of it was for free starting off, but this reel reflects the change in our policies - and a change in the wind for profitability. For- most of the projects now featured were paying ones. Not very high paying, but paying nonetheless.

I have a saying that I picked up from someone wiser than myself: do what you want to do in life, and if you’re good enough, someone will eventually pay you for it. That’s been the mantra of PBC, and it’s finally beginning to pay off. From November 2006 to December 2007, we pooped out one 5-15 minute video a week, sometimes resulting in greatness, other times not so much. From that our reputation as ‘hardcore’ web video people sprang, and the events that we had previously covered for the fun of it began to want constant coverage! We had made a name for ourselves.

Now, I know producers that are scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of getting new projects and maintaining some sort of salary. Some of them even do PA and Locations work on the side. I’m here to tell you - we ARE the bottom of the barrel! We’re still a part of the fan community; we haven’t “made it” or leveled up enough where we have left the con floor or lost our sense of intimacy. Even if I have to eat beans and rice for another 5 years, this is a good place to be. I feel like every time that traditional media is mentioned (especially in the fan circuit), they’re completely put down - everyone hates on them. “G4 is a joke, SpikeTV isn’t that much better.” Anytime I hear these words, I can’t help but feeling like we’re filling a gap in the market.

Case in point: this weekend we travel to Otakon. Now, there’s an event - huge by fan standards - the biggest anime con on the East Coast, and it’ll have diddly squat for coverage on G4 and Spike. Sure, there might be a camera crew there for a couple of hours - but their goal is to create a small package that can be played within a larger show. It’ll either be: “Host makes fun of cosplayers” or “We’re here at Otakon and ____ is happening.” Always from an outsiders’ perspective. Now, let me tell you what we’re up to.

Instead of covering the event, we’re creating content inside the event. Big difference. We’ve been building up a character through some viral videos that’ll be making an appearance at the con, and have even started some beef with a mega-popular Sentai podcast that will also be making an appearance. With our powers combined, we’ll be filming the culmination of our beef - a Sentai-esque video complete with a slow-motion fight, super powers, over-the-top acting, and more. INSIDE the con, mind you. Would either of the two traditional channels do something like this? Well, if they hired ME they would.

 

I’ve got a lot to crank out by the time we leave early Friday morning. Still gotta make that script / storyboard, have to send out some trailer / slideshow DVDs for Make a Smile, and plenty of other things. My friend Darrin is taking his girlfriend out to Coney Island today; I’ll be spending my day indoors, working hard, earning credits for the future.

 

Friday morning update:

Everything is set.  We’re taping the entire production.  It’s going to be spectacular.

documentary trailer deadline

a DIY editor’s blog:

As I edit, I’m listening to j-pop on an obscure Sentai podcast at 1/2 volume. My legs have felt like lead for the last two days, and there’s something about how my breath is short that makes me hope “the haze” of NYC isn’t slowly killing me.  I feel like every week that passes without a big job is a total waste. However . . . I can’t lose hope! Gotta keep capturing! Here I go! Time to plug in, sit down, and veg out another 8 hours whilst my spine slowly disintegrates.

< / thursday night >

 

Today is the due date for a documentary that I shot in May.  Earlier this month I had a moment of clarity where I realized that it wasn’t going to be done on time (I’m cutting it all by my lonesome), so I whittled down what was due to a trailer - which will be great.  Actually, I’m thinking of posting it on here when it’s up.

The story is about 6 Correction officers from rural NY who take it upon themselves to make a difference in the world.  After their Superintendent and others in NAWS begin a campaign to build playgrounds in the devastated Upper Ninth Ward in New Orleans, their adventure begins.  We follow them for six days while they build the playgrounds, joined by law enforcement from several different states, civilians from all over the country, and hundreds of local volunteers.  The entire program should run about 1/2 an hour.

 

With yesterday spent capturing / cutting a Latin dance exhibition that we shot last week, and Tues-Wed spent shooting another doc in CT, plus working Monday for Law & Order: SVU,  I’ve had no time to work on this current doc.  I felt like I could do it in a day (organize what I DO have cut into a trailer), so I’ve left myself with this predicament.  Or…more like an opportunity.  A chance to work creatively within a deadline.  Something to get my blood really pumping.  But first, I’ve got to record some voice over for the PBC’s weekly video content.   Can’t slouch on the Internet, or it’ll bite ya.