Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Queens, Teens and Mean Machines



The photo is a still from Episode Two - Covies.

The first three episodes are in great shape as we begin the task of finalising the edit on them. Then they'll be sent out to LA for Joe to work his magic. Music makes such a difference.

The website is coming along nicely - You may even be reading this from the website itself. I have to thank Rob for that, who is showing great creativity and versatility.

Unfortunately we're still chasing up money that was promised to us, but has yet to materialise. I suppose it's to be expected in these difficult times - But it does anger me because money is still owed on the production to our producer. He is much more patient than I would be. Hopefully that will be resolved soon. On the plus side ESB have come in as an additional sponsor for us. money collected now will help us to promote the show and grow awareness.

I'm encouraged by the news that Michael Eisner [Former Ceo at Walt Disney and Ex Paramount Exec] believes the future of the industry lies with the internet. His new company produced an online drama called Prom Queen that got over 20 million viewers for it's eighty webisodes of ninety seconds duration. It looks great too, but they had a budget of around $6000 per minute - ours is closer to $200 per minute. I also wonder if it only got twenty million viewers because most short sited internet pervs thought it was Porn Queen. After all you only need ninety seconds for that.

It seems as if every week there is a new internet project announced and even Eastenders is getting in on the act. They are due to launch an internet soap in January to compliment the programme. It's called E20 and episodes - 13 of them - are between 6 and 12 minutes long. This I guess will be our main competition. However it seems as though once again there is compromise as the spin off is aimed at teenagers. With the show following four teenagers who turn up in Walford. Regular cast members from the parent soap will only make cameo appearances.

Whereas we're squarely aiming at an adult audience. In fact from episode three on, Covies will be for 18+ only. After all the internet isn't just for kids is it?

Monday, October 19, 2009

Editing.



Above is the main thoroughfare of Westport - Bridge Street - during rush hour.

Today I hope to give you an insight into the editing process.

Editing is a long, some might say tedious, process. A thirty second sequence may have taken four hours to shoot. A simple dialogue sequence between two actors for example will require an establishing master shot or wide, MCU's or mid-close ups of each actor, a two shot favouring one actor, then usually the reverse favouring the other actor, maybe some pick ups or cut aways [for example a knife being picked up - and if it's an intense scene an ECU, extreme close up,or two. the scene may have been run several times, often with a good deal of physical time between set up A and set up B. Therefore continuity becomes an issue. An actor for example may have been tilting their head on a particular line in the WS [Wide shot] but on his or her MCU [Mid - Close up] they may tilt their head the wrong way or not at all. This can make the edit very difficult as the movements need to match and flow. So sometimes the best performance is not the best take, because as wonderful as Actor A may have been you cannot make the shot work if the movement jars. Then of course there are so many other considerations for the edit. Sound for example. A car may be passing in the background on the take you want to use... however there was no car passing in the background on the reverse close up that you have to use. What to do then? Layer the sound? Place a car sound over the reverse Close up? That can be messy and time consuming, but often there is no way around it. That thirty second scene that took four hours to shoot may take four days to edit if it's a real tricky sonofabitch.

This is why filmmakers often have to close down roads in order to have control over their environment and make their lives easier in the edit. We were lucky enough to be able to close Bridge Street above, for a days shooting. Thanks to Westport UDC. [Urban District Council]

You'll see the results on 11.01.10

Friday, October 9, 2009

COVIES




Covies is a new online multi-stranded drama.

It's unlike any soap you'll see on TV, it mixes humour drama and fantasy and is set in the beautiful location of Westport, County Mayo, Ireland. It was made for very little money by volunteers and with the help and support of the people of Westport.

Launches 11.01.10