Your Brother??!!

Oh kids these days, with your editing machines and your Star Wars Youtube mashup video jokes...I don't understand the why exactly, but it's still pretty funny.




H/T Matt Watts


And speaking of funny (but also actually kinda instructional), after blowing Phantom Menace out of the water Plinkett (aka filmmaker Mike Stoklasa) takes on Star Wars: Attack of the Clones in seven parts HERE.

Try out Part One below...it's tasty!

Johnny Mnemironic?

So was scanning today's Twitter headlines and wondering what it means, if anything, to learn from TV/film scribe @jamesmoran that:


...when he was at last night's Streamy Awards (for web series), which reading HERE at Web Series Today were apparently an unmitigated disaster and embarrassment...

In the coming days there will be plenty of finger pointing. However, the award show blunders in no way detract from the work that was supposed to have been honored at the event. The nominees should be proud of what they accomplished, even if the award show designed to honor them treated them like a joke.

...the same morning I read HERE in the Globe & Mail that online revenue for broadcasters and specialty and pay TV companies accounted for a paltry 2.3 per cent of overall advertising revenue in 2009...

"When you contrast the amount of TV revenue … to the online numbers, they are drops in the bucket,” said Brahm Eiley, principal at the research firm. “Even if [online revenues] go up steadily for the next few years, it's not going to do anything for the business.”

...and thus reports of TV's death were greatly exaggerated.


I KNOW we're in a period of transition, and getting ANYTHING not just made but FINANCED for television OR web is going to be a tough slog for next while (because we keep getting told that TV is dead and New Media or Digital Media is the future except that business model is not quite here yet so we don't want to pay for it and yet we don't really want to pay for TV either cuz it's, you know, DEAD), but still...geez...does it really need to be this HARD?

Chat Us A Song You're The Piano Man

Chatroulette is the latest social media-like time-wasting craze to sweep the nation...and everybody seems to be enjoying checking it out, until someone gets hurt of course. But even though it's quickly become just a site to show off your junk, that still doesn't keep creative people from having some fun with it.



Nice one Centurion...well played. I just hope no one asks him to put bread in his jar.

How Does Trending On Twitter Work...Really

What began yesterday as a simple and innocent enough tweet: "It's my secret dream to one day see my name trending on Twitter, as long as it's not for doing something really stupid...or followed by RIP." generated a flurry of twittering from lots of fun online friends using the hashtag #wcdixonRIP...and my resulting fake demise trending #1 in Canada by late afternoon.

That's right...number 1 in Canada.

It seemed too easy, or certainly spoke to it being a very VERY slow news day in our country. But I did find it a fascinating experiment in trying to determine the power potential of social media. Because once on the trending list, it opened the door for complete strangers to check out wcdixon and why is he RIPing. And then they tweeted their followers, who tweeted their followers, and so on and so forth.

Now most of the comments or messages I received were of the "Who the ef is wcdixon?" or "wcdixonRIP? WTF?" nature, but still, the word was spreading. And it did show me if it was promotion for a new film or TV project, one could potentially reach a lot of tweeps. But it has to happen organically - ask or tell people to do it and it probably would've died a quick death, no pun intended. Oh and I did feel bad for a few friends who arrived on Twitter mid afternoon and saw the hashtag and were initially surprised: wcdixonRIP...seriously? The irony is that when I do eventually kick the bucket I doubt very much any trending will occur. But still, t'was fun to see what it might be like...like Friday Fun (even though it was a Thursday).

Because it made me smile.

How Does The Internet Work...Really

This HERE old post of mine has been getting 100+ hits a day from all over the world for the past couple of months or so, but I can't tell how people are finding it. I mean, it's not like they're coming from google searches or links to the post on other blogs or websites...they're all just *showing up*.

Weird.

Getting Educated In Creativity

A teacher asked a little girl what she was drawing and the little girl said: "I'm drawing a picture of God." And the teacher said: "But no one knows what God looks like." And the little girl replied: "They will in a minute."


TED talks are great. Some mind-blowing. Others thought-provoking. But always inspiring.

This one from Sir Ken Robinson has been around for a while but I just watched it recently and really liked it. Please, enjoy.




One part I found interesting was when Robinson says, and I'm paraphrasing... "The extraordinary evidence and variety and range of creativity here has put us in the place where we have no idea what is going to happen, in terms of future, no idea."

And then today over at Alex Epstein's blog I watched this lecture by Jesse Schell about creativity and future possibilities in the gaming world and thought: Wow...could that be the future? And if so, where does conventional and traditional TV/movie storytelling fit into it all? What the hell should I be doing?

PC Games - E3 2010 - Guitar Hero 5

We may not quite know right now, but I betcha we will in a minute.

Continue Stocking!

I realize I'm years behind the curve here, but I've been doing some research into web-based drama/comedy series and recently discovered Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager. Most web series I've watched I really don't get. As in, I don't understand why they were considered appropriate for the internets since they just seem like conventional longer form drama/comedy done on the cheap and then sliced up into 5-10 minutes chunks (with hopes of getting noticed and receiving a deal to make as a conventional broadcast TV series I'm guessing? But if that's their ultimate goal, then what does that say about the web being the future?) I know The Guild has been held up as a success story, but take Acting School Academy or the adventure series Riese for example...they're decent though with kinda stretched out storylines yet good production values, but to what end? Why weren't they produced first as a conventional TV series pilot or low budget feature film? Who paid for them? Were they sponsored, and if so how come I'm not seeing the advertising prominently displayed with some of them? In this 'free' format, how are they making back their costs?

Seriously, don't get me started on the "how do we monetize?" question (the same unanswered question I've been hearing for ten years while also hearing TV is dead and new media is the future!). One article I read about how to create a successful web-based TV series actually had the quote: "We are not defining "successful" with "turning a profit."

But Chad Vader I got. Premise self explanatory. Episodes short and self-contained. Production values or lack thereof irrelevant. Therefore relatively inexpensive. The kids dig it which = lots of return traffic and DVD sales. It's fun. Friday fun!




Because it makes me smile.

Viral. Anti-Viral.

Nice compilation of ads or videos HERE that took the internets by storm this past year. Most accomplished what they set out to do, like Volkswagon's 'Fun Theory' piano stairs...




...but some were of the epic fail variety.




I'm glad this campaign wasn't 'my idea'. Lucky for Microsoft they're already popular.

Pilot Season...And Other Faux Doc Stories

There's a new-ish series on the interwebs entitled Pilot Season, which references, of course, the January - April time period where actors (and TV writers) make the pilgrimage to LA to try to get hired on new shows being produced with hope of pickup for the fall TV season. The web series appears to be the brainchild of Sam Seder, and utilizes his performing talent as well as Sarah Silverman, with David Cross, Andy Dick and Isla Fisher. H. Jon Benjamin and David Waterman.

The first six ten minute segments have been posted at My Damn Channel, watch them HERE.

It's yet another entry into the whole faux documentary comedy/drama genre. I mean, I loved Waiting For Guffman and Best In Show...and the original UK The Office (along with its US remake), Extras, and Arrested Development were all brilliant, while the shooting style still felt original. In Canada, The Newsroom and Fubar utilized that story-telling device to successful and entertaining results...but nowadays, I'm really getting tired of the formula (Party Down being the only current exception). Parks And Recreation sucks ass, in my opinion...and the fact that it feels completely unoriginal style-wise doesn't help.

A lot of web-based series go this way it seems because the loose handheld 'follow the puck' style seems to make them more internet-friendly...as opposed to just what most of them are...cheap.

I also can't tell you how many 'faux documentary' drama/comedy feature pitches I've seen cross my desk while wearing my development hat over the past year. Which is fine I guess, but what I've noticed that in lieu of being able to actually write a funny or dramatic script or direct actors and scenes in an effective and entertaining manner, the prevailing notion seems to be if the filmmakers just roll and 'capture what happens', it'll be funny. Or dramatic. Or good.

Not necessarily the case. Rarely, in fact.

Pilot Season. Is it worth picking up? Or should it (and the genre) get cancelled.

I'll Tell Stories..I'm Not Afraid

I still haven't made up my mind whether Kevin Pollack's Chat Show is something to get excited about or not...but will give it a shout out and let you go see and decide for yourself.



Here's the deal - Kevin Pollack, very funny and very talented actor/comedian, recently falls in love with all the possibilities of twittering and the interwebs and the youtubes and decides to host a talk show. On the internet. Live.

Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show is a live streaming video talkshow seen every Sunday, 5pm, PST, at Kevinpollakchatshow.com. An award-winning actor, Pollak (The Usual Suspects, Casino, A Few Good Men) was also named by Comedy Central as One of the Top 100 Comedians of All Time. Here, he interviews celebrated actors, writers, directors, comedians, and masters of the tech universe.

Here's how it worked. Last night at 5 PST you went HERE and for two hours could watch Pollock first interview Lavarr Burton (Star Trek: TNG) and then Samm Levine (Freaks & Geeks) in a 'let's just shoot the shit' kinda way as the pictures and sound streamed live to you. The set was very low tech...basically a table between two chairs against a non-descript background. There were two cameras, one on Pollack and one on the guest. There was a Director or someone switching between the two cameras. And when it came to playing clips (I thought this was actually pretty cool), it appeared onscreen in a Quicktime/YouTube-type player.

The picture and sound quality was average...not 'great' and not 'brutal'...but certainly acceptable I thought. And below the video player was a chat screen where you could log in and comment or ask questions. That element (which I'm sure was what was supposed to make it different from 'your daddys talk show') kind of got lost in the shuffle. Chat text gets flying fast and furious and though a lot of it was just knobs saying things like: freaks n geeks suucckked or Do Walken - HAHA ROTFL...some legitimate questions would appear but then disappear quickly up the screen as people continued to comment.

At any rate, there weren't too many queries fielded from the internet audience...but it didn't really matter. Pollack seemed to be enjoying himself and the guests seemed to be enjoying themselves...there was a lot of funny stories told and behind the scenes scoop and poop. Overall, I would have to agree with several of the commenters that posted: Better than Fallon's first show.

There was a counter under the player that listed 'Visitors' and 'Online Now'. Nearly 30,000 visitors dropped by over the course of the entire program, while around 1,500 - 2,000 were consistently online watching.

Is that a interwebby net hit? Or a complete bust? How much does it cost to produce and stream something like this? I have no idea. But what I could gather during the interviews and some of Pollacks recent Youtube video diary posts, this has been all thrown together in less than a month with next to no promotion. So all and all I would consider it a success.

And next week he has on Joe Montegna and Jim 'Hot Pockets' Gaffigan...kewl.

Anyway, here's what will bring me back. Pollack and Levine were dishing some of the dirt behind the scenes of Tarantino's new movie Inglorious Bastards (Levine has a role), and then they segued into some of the hoops actors have to jump through when auditioning for directors, and both referenced Rip Torn. The stories! Legendary! exclaims Levine. And then Pollack says:

"I'll tell stories. Not tonight because I want to talk with you (Levine), but I'll tell stories...I'm not afraid."

And that's when I thought...'Hmmm'...this could get interesting.

Check it out next Sunday and see what you think.


EDIT: Apparently last night's show is available via iTunes HERE in top right corner.

YouTube meets Amadeus (Cont.)

A quick followup to my previous post.

During my channel flipping and subsequent rediscovery of Amadeus, I witnessed something I found rather fascinating in regards to youth/kids and their media viewing habits per say.

My youngest tweenage daughter and I were chatting as I scrolled through the tee-vee channels...she was telling me about how impressed she was by another student's drumming talent....she wanted to know how someone got to be so good at such a young age. I said that some of it could be natural ability, but most of it was because of practice. Anyway, the word prodigy came up...she asked what that was...and I explained...and then she went on YouTube and looked up 'child musical prodigies' or something. And she found a clip of an amazing pianist who was like, 6...and a wicked guitarist who was 8 or something. Then she asked if Beethoven was a prodigy. And I said I believed so, and then mentioned Chopin or especially Mozart. So she 'youtubes' Mozart...which led us to a list of clips from the Amadeus movie.

And here's where it got interesting.

If I'd said: "Let's go down to the big TV and put on the Amadeus DVD," she'd have laughed and said no way. But instead, she clicked on Amadeus movie Part 1, and we watched the first nine minutes of the film. "Cool," she said, "And look, there's more." And she clicked Part 2...the next nine minutes of the movie.

She was totally engrossed...asking some questions, but still enjoying the story.

The clip ended. I held my breath. She said: "Onto Part 3..." and was about to click it when she remembered she had some homework to finish. And off she went to do her math, but her parting words were: "That was pretty good...I'll watch some more 'parts' tomorrow."

That's how the kids take in so much of their media and movies and music and TV today...in 'clips' and 'parts'. And I know that's no big revelation, but it was kinda cool to see the process unfold in front of me.

And my takeway was realizing that the big challenge ahead for us creatives is to figure out how to create stories best told in that manner, make them (that's the hard part...financing the 'making' part), and then somehow attract the kids to our story (on the computer/internet) that's presumably told in 'parts', thus tapping into and hopefully capitalizing on their new-found viewing habits.

Easy peasy...like composing a symphony. Hmmm. Sigh.

Even YouTube Had To Start Somewhere

Though I'm sure most of us couldn't imagine life without it, YouTube has only been around for about 3 years. Isn't that wild? Who'd have thunk a video sharing website where users can upload, view, and share video clips could take the world by storm...but boy, did it ever.

And I don't know if anyone will ever be able to duplicate YouTubes's success, but I'm here to direct you to a recently launched Canadian 'online film portal' called Super U.

From their website:

SuperU.ca is an online community fostering the development of Canadian short film content in both French and English. Super U encourages filmmakers at all levels. Unique Contests challenge your film making skills and inspire your creative vision. Winners receive big cash prizes and the chance to have films broadcast on Super Channel, Canada’s only National Pay Television service.
Thousands of people will see your short film on Super U – and you’ll get respectful, constructive feedback direct from your audience. Or you can choose that your films only screen to private, invited audiences – the perfect way to distribute a rough cut or reel. You can also upload screenplays, film music, even your resume or bio. Super U is not limited to above-the-line. Every film enthusiast, craftsperson and support person is welcome at Super U.

Yeah, there's the Super Channel connection, but don't regard this as just shameless self promotion --- the two entities are very loosely connected. I'd say Super U is of primary interest to the blossoming Canuck film/video maker or film student...a place to expose your short film to viewers beyond your basement apartment, receive some feedback and/or criticism, and with some talent and a little luck you might actually get noticed.

Super U recently awarded a round of prizes for comedy submissions, and the winning video from a Calgary filmmaker can be seen HERE.

Hmmmm....well, it seems to have borrowed a page from the Roxbury Guys, and doesn't pack the punch of Matt Dancing...but at the end of the day, it probably has as much of a chance to go viral as the next video. Because nobody really knows why some clips click and others don't, though I'm sure those that do succeed has something to do with what McGrath said in his Dancing Matt post..."(it) speaks to me with all that is important and key about video content on the internet: it must punch, and be immediate, and evocative, and most of all -- convey its message in a short, sharp burst."

Wise words that wannabe's should take to heart...and with a site like Super U, the opportunity at least exists for your Canadian short vids to get out there and go wide.

Check out Super U HERE.

Musical Mish Mash...

Still tending to the ill, but want to quickly comment on some recent music biz developments.

The past 24 hours saw the 'official' release of two recordings from superstar artists...Bruce Springsteen's Magic and Radiohead's In Rainbows.

Radiohead's effort arrived with the fanfare of being for download only, and with a unique purchasing scheme: they are charging what you feel it's worth or what you can pay.

Wow. That's different. And kinda cool...perhaps a harbinger of all media purchases to come. Read all the download details HERE.

I listened to parts of it this morning on the New Music Express Website. In Rainbows is good...no The Bends or OK Computer (though what is or ever will be?) and more Kid A than Hail To The Chief, but still good.

You can also order 'physical media' or a hard copy (read: compact disc) for us old-timers, and I mostly likely will. I was intrigued and teased just enough to 'want it for myself.'

Springsteen's effort, on the other hand, arrived via the regular channels, more or less....a Tuesday morning CD release and available at all your favourite music outlets. Thing is though, Magic's been available to hear online for the past month or so. And I've sampled it a few times. It's good (I don't know if it's 5 star good (see Rolling Stone review) but whatever...) and worth a listen, but after a few spins?, I'm not sure I want to buy the disc now.

What's up with that?

I'll tell you what's what. I think it falls into the same category as all those pilot scripts and screeners and episodes from new TV series that found their way onto the internets this summer. I know they were 'leaked' to generate buzz and whet our appetites, but I swear by the time some of the series actually premiered this fall, I was already a little tired of them. It's like I'd been there, done that, and moved on.

It's almost like taking movie trailers that give away the plot and expanding them into free previews of the entire film. I can't quite explain it better than that, but I'm seriously starting to question the value of mass previewing as a marketing strategy in the music/TV biz.

Just my opinion, for what it's worth.

Dixon Too Far?

Via Ken Levine, my initiation to the Prank Wars saga.

Prank Wars is two Collegehumor.com employees who've been trying to out-'punk'd' each other for the past eight months. But what began as small adolescent trickery has escalated into elaborate monster set-ups that truly push the envelope of what constitutes 'acceptable prankage'.

You can watch segments 1-6 HERE.

For example, in ep 5, Streeter Seidell makes Amir Blumenfeld (pictured above, who actually looks kinda like my NY Bro) cry after organizing a sketch comedy appearance for Amir in LA only to reveal it was all just a gag. Then in ep 6, Amir gets Streeter and his girlfriend Sharon to a Yankee game only to orchestrate a marriage proposal from Streeter to Sharon to appear on the jumbotron! Neither Streeter or his girlfriend were in on it. She says yes. Streeter stammers and says he didn't put it up on the screen. She slaps him and storms away visibly upset.

Some have questioned the reality of it all...I dunno, I buy it. And I found the 'good clean fun' attitude and authenticity of the reactions in the first three segments quite entertaining.

But segments 4, 5, & 6...wow...when is too far too far?


Originally there was Candid Camera...nowadays there's Just for Laughs --- both pretty harmless fun in my opin. But I've always had a problem with the Punk'd and Scare Tactics and Germany's Extreme Wind Up-type shows. Tricking or toying with or even freaking people out(celebs or otherwise) is one thing (a cheap and easy thing mind you, like putting kids or "gasp" babies in jeopardy in a dramatic show)...but then airing it on national television or the internets? That I don't agree with.

Yes, you can get some smiles, but a lot of these programs, and I'd say now Pranks Wars, can be really harsh. And mean. And hurtful.

They're all counting on us laughing at the expense of someone else...like it makes us feel superior or something, you know, witnessing the public humiliation of others. It perpetrates paranoia and wariness and suspicion. It also encourages malcontent and mean-spiritedness. Plus it's about someone being a victim --- all pretty unhealthy things to be promoting, if you ask me.

But welcome to the world of most 'reality' TV, ladies and gentlemen.

I used to pull pranky shit like this back in high school and college. Me and a friend used to pick up hitch-hikers or strangers at the bus stop needing a ride and then have another friend roar around the corner and chase us in another car, waving baseball bats out the window. We'd speed around town shrieking we were so dead cuz it's 'those guys you flipped off at that party' or something. All the while trying to keep from cracking up at the poor traveller in my back seat who was shitting bricks and begging us to 'just let him out.' Eventually we'd lose the tail, or pull over and fake a rumble with the friends behind us while the hitchhiker would usually scramble out of my car and run off.

Hehehe...

We also did similar stuff to people we knew, but on a pretty small scale....like telling a friend some chick at the bar liked him and wanted to dance with him. And he'd go over all excited and she'd turn him down and throw a drink in his face or something. Just college fun and games.

But my point is, we did it for us. We did so we could recount it later and laugh our guts out and maybe tell a few other people what happened. That was it.

It wasn't ever meant for or witnessed by millions and millions of people/viewers (which are the numbers some of these shows and viral videos are getting).

But these types of programs generally do really well. It should be no surprise that the most popular eps of Canadian/American Idol are the audition ones...you know, where we get to see what horrible singers there are out there(though that has lost its cache cuz now people just audition badly so as to get on those particular episodes). But there needs to be a line in the sand...places people won't go (like enlisting children to play a forty day game of 'Lord of the Flies'...sheesh)

So when is too far too far? I'd say that Prank Wars #6 comes pretty close. Why? Because the girlfriend was dragged into the fray and a phony public marriage proposal can seriously mess up a relationship. If she was in on the gag, however...whole different story.

And the thought of what Streeter might do as a revenge prank makes me cringe.

Be afraid Amir.

Be very afraid.

Before And Afterworld...

First there was Sanctuary, now there's Afterworld...a new animated (sort of) post-apocalypse science fiction show heralded as the first television series to be made available on mobile phones and the web simultaneously.

I'm not even sure what that means exactly....aren't most programs put out that way when they are released online?

It's the brainchild of Stan Rogow, well-known in tween TV circles as the producer behind such Disney Channel staples as Lizzie McGuire, Darcy's Wild Life, and Flight 29 Down. He says he got the notion from watching how much his teenage son was online watching 'clips' of TV shows, but NOT actually watching any television.

This article in the Sydney Morning Herald explains:

Rogow said the next generation of TV viewers were losing interest in half and one-hour dramas, which is why he repeatedly passed on the opportunity to develop Afterworld into a live-action TV show and a full-length motion picture.

"I saw my son watching a chunk of CSI today on YouTube ... but I must tell you if I said to him what day of the week is CSI on, he couldn't tell me," Rogow said. "I think that's a statement in and of itself because I think it's about people wanting to have control over when they watch and what they watch."

"I think this is where it [the TV industry] is heading, and I also think that at the end of the day it will not necessarily be the end of network television, but I think it's going to be a different form of network television that will offer the experience on multiple platforms," said Rogow.

The article goes on to say:

But unlike most of the short clips on YouTube, millions of dollars have been spent on creating Afterworld. Rogow said it was a major challenge crafting a cohesive narrative for each episode while keeping their length below three minutes. "These episodes are very very dense and there's a lot of information in them, and so it's not just three minutes of 'name your favourite television show'," he said.

Okay. Interesting. And also interesting that the SciFi/Fantasy crowd seems to be primary targets for these online series TV experiments. And also worth noting that both Sanctuary and now Afterworld have a gaming component in their master plan.

So each Afterworld episode is around two minutes long, and there are 130 episodes. One thing that was confusing was that it reads like a web/mobile phone series only, but it also premiered last night on SciFi on Foxtel in Australia, and will continue to air every weeknight at 7:30pm for the next 26 weeks. Okay, so THAT seems to be it's primary market.

But two minute segments? One every weeknight?

That's like tuning in for a long commercial. Will viewers (or at least, 'the kids' as I call them) go for this? I can buy the kids seeking it out (maybe) online if it's really good, but that's because the show is designed to appeal to the online/Youtube crowd.

But two minute episodes on network TV? I don't know. It sounds more like filler. Dropped in between 'regular' programming like the music videos and 'behind the scenes' segments Disney...er, I mean Family Channel here in Canada does all the time. My kids watch them because they are waiting for the next program, but they aren't tuning in for the in-between stuff.

So who knows if it will help/hurt get Afterworld noticed. Worth trying I suppose. You can watch the first couple segments HERE.

Cunningham, you digging this?

He Sells Sanctuary...(Part Two)

Damian survives first day his series goes live...barely.

Resuming my email chit chat with Sanctuary creator Damian Kindler, but first let it be known that the first webisode has gone live on the internets. You can go to the official website and download high rez versions for a small fee, or try a free taste over on the Youtube...




Well done...congrats!

Will: So what excites you and inspires you about this particular concept?

Damian: I love the look and tone of the show. The 3D backgrounds just totally rock. And I really really love the cast. Amanda is amazing. Smart, funny, incredible work ethic. Robin Dunne – great guy, talented actor, mediocre defenseman. Chris, Emilie are total pros -- all of them FEEL like a cast that’s been working together for years.

I also love how open-ended the concept is: Monsters. Full stop. It’s an endless font of ideas and stories, visuals, clichés to be broken, etc. I mean Joss Whedon dealt mainly with demons and vamps and Buffy could’ve run for 20 years without getting stale (I think).

Now that said, I am not fit to wax Joss Whedon’s car, and may indeed run Sanctuary into the ground by season two. But god, if I do, it’s because of laziness and a drug habit – not a limited concept.

Will: Whedon's da man. Okay, a quick musical interlude...tunes you listened to while you were writing?

Damian: When I wrote of the first hour of Sanctuary it was mainly Mark Snow's "X Files: Fight the Future" soundtrack.
I would program in about four specific tracks a loop them. It got so I wasn't even aware I was listening to anything. Just white noise. Subliminal stuff. I still zone out like a zombie when I hear certain cues from that CD.

For writing the second hour: Matrix soundtrack (classic), Groove Armada, Patriot Games soundtrack, Dirtchamber Sessions...


Will: Matrix...mmmmm. Did you have to sell the series to anyone and if so, what closed the deal as it were? Or since you are a partner in the entity that's producing it, is it more or less self-financed and so don't have to answer to anyone? (Note to self: cut down on length of questions)

Damian: I think my agent showed Sanctuary to a few companies in the early 2000s with no traction. So while I was working on the Stargates the script sat in my hard drive. In Jan 2006 I started talking with a friend of mine about where the hell the Internet was headed and why visual media wasn’t getting the same traction as Mp3 had -- yet. The answer seemed to be that no one was stupid enough to try it out as a form of mass distribution, despite its massive reach. Oh and no one works for free.

So every time a company like Yahoo or Google experimented with getting Hollywood level content on the web, they immediately balked at the insane money writers/directors/actors get paid to do what they do. (I won’t even go into the seizure-inducing headaches certain unions induced as we did this)

So we postulated the theory that if you took a concept that a) everyone liked, b) was something online sci fi fans would click with, being vital “early adopters”, and c) made key creative people founders of a dedicated media company and gave them healthy back end deals… why couldn’t you make something big and cool and sell it as a webcast?

Answer: You can. It just hadn’t be done yet.

Now this all got started BEFORE Google bought YouTube and all the TV ON THE INTERNET insanity really kicked in. So it was good timing to be in the high-end content game. We all kicked in some of our own money, then got some healthy private investment, pulled in some major Stargate-sized favors (studio space, etc) and bang: We set up a VFX/Web/Post team and shot for a month in January and have been posting like mad ever since.

And now we’re at the doorstep, about to find out if all our blood, sweat and tears were for naught…

Time to start drinking heavily.

Will: Have a drink on me. We worked together in one hour sci-fi/paranormal television and so know that animal...what is the Sanctuary animal? As in, are you writing one hours for future TV broadcast (and then chopping them up into 15 minute webisodes)...or are you writing fifteen minutes webisodes (your primary market) and then will staple them together into one hours for television/DVD down the road? Is it all good or making you mental??!!!

Damian: It’s a little nerve-wracking as there are now MANY ways to deliver content and they all have to work in sync. BUT… it can work in your favor too. Say I pull an all-nighter and the script we end up shooting has a plot hole the size of a Hummer (fictional example, results may vary).

Hey, no probs, I say, when everyone points out said plot hole… I’m just leaving room for “other content” – and then I fill the hole via content in the form of a flash game or online comic book, or… I’m spinning here. Help me.

Seriously, it’s cool to have so many options… I love it. It frees us from cramming the entire world of the show into one format, which is the coolest thing.

Will: So what's your process now? Is there a writers room? Who's on staff? How much story do you 'break' at a time and then write?

Damian: No writers room yet, but there will be once we’re green lit. Stargate method is good: Writers gather, talk about a story idea. If it survives the first discussion, then we put it up on the board, broken down by act. We work that until it makes sense to everyone (well mainly the showrunner and the person writing the ep) and then send the writer to outline. Work the outline till it’s smooth and then draft phase begins…

We plan on having as many scripts on the table as possible before shooting in the fall. We need to, as there is a massive amount of pre production that goes into green screen shooting. More pre-viz we do, the better the shoot and the smoother the posting goes.

Will: So, will you still put sandwiches in the margins of other people's scripts? I tell the story of us doing notes on a writers draft and she kept seeing drawings of a sandwich and asked about them and you replied: "oh....it's when I got bored of the story so went to kitchen to make a sandwich." Ouch. A little harsh, but right sentiment - it's about the audience and keeping them entertained and involved.

Damian: Agh. I am mortified to be reminded of myself as an obnoxious young writer. In my defense, I only did the sandwich thing once. Or at least on one season of PSI Factor. Yeesh, what a shitty way to relate a note. Not constructive or helpful at all. Now yes it is important to keep the pace up and not bog scenes or scripts down with info that’s boring or irrelevant.

Writers often get caught up in their own cleverness, research, or characters and forget they’re telling an entire story. Get on with it, say I! And sandwiches are nice. The key is to make the scene AFTER the sandwich scene contain hot sex or a massive explosion (ideally both) in order to make people run BACK from the kitchen to see what they missed.


Will: What's been some of the challenges of writing for primarily a 'green screen' world? Is it all good, or as you learn more about what the technology is capable of does that impact on the creative/writing? (Note to self: questions getting repetitive)

Damian: As I mentioned, lots of preproduction time is key to shooting lots of green screen, especially 3D environments – not just one wall backgrounds. It does allow for shots and angles that you cannot do when shooting conventionally: Up the actors’ noses, big three sixty moves, etc. But the director (and the crew) HAVE to know what the “set” looks like. And that’s why previz is key – so is realtime 3D computer model tracking, which we prototyped during the pilot shoot and will refine as we go back into production.

Will: Casting...how wide did you toss the net and what kind of actors/characters were you looking for? Obviously, Amanda Tapping has been instrumental in getting series noticed...how's it been working with her?

Damian: Amanda was honestly the only choice for Magnus. She’s a great friend and a smart lady, tons of fun to work with. Always super-prepared, very pro on set. And to be honest she totally relished not playing a geek in army boots for the first time in 10 years. Robin Dunne had worked with Martin Wood years ago and read for the part on video. As soon as he was cast I quickly realized what a “find” he was. He’s totally a star waiting to happen. Chris was an obvious choice for all of us, as his work on the Stargate series has always been stellar – same with the cameos from SG alumni David Hewlett, Kavan Smith, Paul McGillion and Peter Deluise.


But finding Emilie Ullerup… that was just clean livin’ karma, man. She had only been working in town for seven or eight months and as soon as we saw her… it was… Holy Shit. Danish Blonde who can act and does even slightly look dorky when she fights or holds a gun. It was her role from the moment she first auditioned. Call backs were basically a formality.

Will: The big launch this week....What's next for you, and for the show?

Damian: I will be in my hyperbaric chamber for all week, shaving years off my life and plotting how to get into the Russian space program. You know, what all global media moguls are up to.

I will be watching web stats closely. Prepping Wep 2 to go live. Interacting with fans. Preparing to go to London’s Sci Fi Expo at the end of May and then meeting with TV Broadcasters in Toronto in early June. I will be partially sedated during most of this.


Thanks for this Will. Good questions and great to reconnect with you. And remember: "Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo" IS the best one hit wonder of all time. Now, discuss…

Will: Truck on out and light my fuse, dude...

SONG&ARTIST? - "The fire in your eyes keeps me alive

Oh, the heads that turn

I'm sure in her you'll find

Make my back burn

The sanctuary..."

He Sells Sanctuary...(Part One)

Readers of Uninflected Images Juxtaposed, say hello to Damian Kindler - my old partner in crime from Psi Factor and Los Angeles days, here to talk about his new web-based sci fi series Sanctuary.


Set sometime in the future in a Sin City-like mash up of London, New York, and Gotham City, each webisode of Sanctuary follows the exploits of Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) as she seeks out all manner of terrifying and monstrous creatures in order to either offer them 'sanctuary' from harm or to keep them from harming humankind. She is aided in her quest by her reluctant protege Will Zimmerman and her intrepid, if somewhat reckless, daughter Ashley. Together they are drawn into a frightening and mysterious world populated by beings that defy explanation.

Fusing vfx, videogame technology and cutting edge Web design, Sanctuary takes the viewer into a thrilling world where science meets the supernatural. This fictional online universe fills the void left by traditional network television by providing multiple HD resolutions, immersive interaction and direct communication between the viewer and the shows creative team.

The first of Sanctuary's eight 15-minute webisodes shot in HD and using an XSI pipeline will premiere May 14, 2007 over HERE.


Will: Wow, how you been....long time no see. I still tell stories of you wandering around the Psi Factor offices reenacting scenes from PREDATOR a la "If it bleeds, we can kill it" or "What's the matter, Dillon? The CIA got you pushing too many pencils?" What's the latest 'quotable' movie in your repertoire?

Damian: A municipal by-law enacted not long after I moved to Vancouver prevents me from loudly acting out superfast versions of 80’s action movies. That, and my wife will do that whole “withholding sex” thing again if I start up old habits. I’m telling you, dude, censorship is killing this country!

Will: Okay, let me get the music stuff out of the way - your fav concert list...

Damian: Where to start...Red Hot Chili Peppers - Mothers Milk tour, 1992 -- Masonic Temple - Toronto. Primus opened. Chili's melted the walls. I was wearing Doc Maarten boots. Life was good. John McGloughlin/Paco deLucia/Al Dimeola -- Massey Hall. Mid 90s. I don't remember anything specific. Just that I wasn't worthy to he hearing sounds from God so up close. Tragically Hip @ HOB Sunset Strip -- LA -- 2000. Six feet away from Downie. Old TO music scene pals Chris Browne and Kate Fenner backing them up. perfect set list. Every Canuck in LA was there -- people I knew from high school. A lifeline to home at a crucial time. UZEB -- Alfie's Pub - Queen's University - 1989 -- Maybe it was a 'shrooms in my system, but that show changed how I thought about music. Alain Caron is a living God among bassists.
The Police Picnic -- summer 1983 -- CNE - Toronto -- Blue Peter, King Sunny Ade, The Fixx, James Brown, Peter Tosh, The Police.... I was 14 years old. And it was general admission. A rite of passage.

More recently, Maceo Parker at the Commodore. The Godfather of Soul is Dead. Long Live the new King: Maceo. Beck - QET Vancouver. My alternate life dream jobs are to belong to Stomp or play in Beck's band. Super funky and extra tight. Ben Harper - Commodore. Seen him half a dozen times. Always awesome. Especially in a small venue. Tragically Hip @ Commodore -- seeing the Hip at the closest thing Canadians have to religious revival ecstasy. Gord Downie forgot the words to "Chagrin Falls" and asked the audience for help. The band rocked. And you remembered how nice it is live in Canada. Van Halen -- Pacific Coliseum - 2004 -- Damn they wrote some classic rock tunes! And I've stopped hating Sammy.

Worst? Had to be Rolling Stones at GM Place 2006. Oh god people, stop pretending you can even discern what fucking song the emaciated geriatrics are fumbling their way through inside this $200/seat echo chamber.

Will: "Pa-Na-Ma!" Most excellent list...seems everyone (but me) went to that Police Picnic. So Sanctuary - the series...when did you come up with the concept and what inspired it way back when?

Damian: I wrote the first hour WAY back when we were both in LA. Wonderful, labour-strife-ridden times that they were… I needed a sample that gave people a good example of my “voice” as a writer. Instead I wrote the kind of show I really wished was on TV. Something with the darkness of X Files and the fun of Buffy… but with some seriously historical roots.

I was inspired not just by the X files and Buffy VHS copies certain friends of mine had by the bushelful… but I was also quite taken with Alan Moore’s amazing graphic novel “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” (The movie that came later… ehh, not so much). But the graphic novel was incredible. Also at the time (circa 2000) I was reading Caleb Carr’s wonderful novel “The Alienist”, which detailed the first profiler working in turn of the century New York. The tone of those two pieces really inspired me as I sat down to write the story of a neurotic shrink who is forced to work with his greatest childhood fear: Bigfoot. (You can see the immediate literary connective tissue, right?)

Will: The Alienist was indeed an awesome novel. So what did you write - bible and pilot? What elements made up your creative?

Damian: I banged out a draft of the first hour back in 2000 and showed it my agent. Even though it was basically the same draft we shot in 2007, at the time she wasn’t sure it worked and gave me a ton of notes. Being full of boundless misdirected energy, I did what all over-eager scribes do: I scrapped the first draft entirely and wrote a completely different version of the show. Very serious, action-oriented, huge stunts, VFX, very very Bruckheimer. And then I got mightily confused, because truthfully there were elements from the SECOND version I liked a lot (and still like), but the whole re-envisioning ended up being very unoriginal. Just another action/conspiracy theory type series. Nothing deep or mythological about it.

So at the end of the day I had two complete drafts of two completely different shows – both called Sanctuary. I think I had my agent show a few companies the first version then stuffed them in my hard drive and moved on.


Cut to 2006 and the Stargate cycle was coming to an end and people I’d been working with for five years started the usual chit chat about what we were all going to do next, how we need to keep the band together etc. And I showed Martin Wood (director/producer on both Stargate series) the original draft and he loved it. And that collided with this whole web revolution I got caught up in...think of me as Clive Owen in Children of Men, but shepherding an old spec script instead of a pregnant woman. (Okay that’s lame, but what an awesome movie…!)

Will: Most excellent analogy, my friend. Okay, without giving away the farm, what's it all about....and what happens on a week to week/episode to episode basis?

Damian: Each webisode of Sanctuary will feel like a large overblown “act” of a one hour series – but without the placeholder/stagewaiting filler, I hope. So each “hour” story is split into four webisodes. When we start broadcasting on TV, we’ll recut the hour down to 44 minutes, but the larger “director’s cut”, full on content will be on line in webisode form. And we’ll do other original content for the DVD release too. It’s a full on multi-format media push – which sounds cool to say, but honestly could mean anything…

Story-wise we’ll be doing a nice combo of “monster/ghoul/mutant of the week” combined with ongoing season long character and story arcs. And I’ll try to combine them so it’s not one then the other… but more of a mix during each hour – A and B stories, etc…

Will: "Monster of the week"...I love it. So has it evolved since you wrote it, as new partners/creatives have joined forces with you? Or you pretty much still 'da man'?

Damian: The original script is shockingly close to its form from seven years ago… I’m talking “Million Dollar Baby” close. In fact Martin Wood continually fought off MY efforts to cut or rewrite scenes. When I sat down to write the second hour (which we shot along with the first script in January), Martin was very involved in the shaping of the story. So much so that I gave him co-story on the entire two hours. He was very close to the material and very, very fun to work with. He loves the premise and is very proprietary and protective of it. (Holy crap, nice alliteration…Will, please revise for coherency)

So right now, yes I am, as far as “typing scripts” goes, “da man”. But once we are green lit for a full season (we’ll know by July), I will be hiring a staff.


Will: Director Martin Wood seems to be playing a fairly large role in the creative. Are you directing any of the series, or is that all Wood's turf? Does he tell you what to write? Or do you tell him what to shoot?

Damian: I have recurring nightmares in which I arrive at a shoot just before call and walk on set. Second team and the First A.D. gather around and ask where the camera goes for first shot. And then I wake up in a sweat.

Add the issue of set-less green screen situation and I wake up screaming.

So yeah one day I hope to grow balls big enough to direct. Right now I’m content to ask directors meekly what they intend to cover. And nod in agreement no matter what they say...

Will: Good answer, my son...good answer.


Okay - that's it for today. Thanks to Damian for playing along, and look for part two sometime tomorrow.