Doug Cwiak and Perry Payne, setting up the shoot....
Perry hard at work......
Setting up the interior shot on the scooters......
Gary in the middle of the interview answering a question or two.....
Hanging on the bike.........
The game that started a Twitter obsession......
Sandra Payne, EP, snapping a pic. Can't wear that wardrobe twice.
Safety gear on, it's going to be a bumpy opening to the show.......
This episode of The Web Files truly was an eye-opener for me. We had yet to interview someone who truly had some name recognition, success as a series regular on a long-running sitcom, and who dove right into the web world fully funded. Must be nice, right? I tried really hard to get underneath the surface of why Gary Valentine was delving into the web series world, but I think his mission is to get the show on network TV and this was a way of showcasing his talents. Yet, he still talked about shooting Season 2. So, I walked away a bit confused and unsure that I got those particular questions answered. For so many of us, web series is a passion project, self-funded, staffed for pizza and donuts, so I would really love to hear your feedback on this episode.
Gary was a lot of fun to shoot with as he is really funny and totally game to sit on a scooter to be interviewed. Come on, Dusty Peacock would love to do some crazy stunt on a scooter! It was a fun, colorful environment to shoot, so for all of your scooter needs, please check out Noho Scooters. They were extremely helpful with all of our production needs. This is also the episode that our cameraman, Doug Cwiak, learned of my PacMan obsession since the scooter shop has a series of old school video games. He has kindly set up a PacMan account on Twitter and has sent me every link possible about PacMan merchandise. So be sure to find more PacMan merchandise and send it Doug's way. I also want to thank Jenn Bobiwash for letting me borrow the fantastic necklace that she made. I wore it with the domino side up, but on the back are vintage pin-up girl magazine covers. Please visit her website and tell her The Web Files sent you: Angry Chix.
I wish Gary luck with his web series as I know he is ready to take "Dusty Peacock" to the next level. I also want to thank him for his courtesy call when he was running a few minutes late. Trust me, this is not done often and it was appreciated by everyone on the crew. Actors, take notes, as your career ascends, so should your manners. Oh, the red carpet stories I will tell when I retire. And ummmmm, yes "Bust A Moove" really is my Karaoke song. I have 80's taste, what can I say? If you missed the show this week, you can check it out here: The Web Files: Dusty Peacock
Feedback: well, I loved the scooters + great interview as always...but there was a different feel here than the others. Not bad different, just less pull you in with the mad energy of creation and more here's my nicely polished presentation. Me, I'm all for the pizza + donuts feel so this is a web series lower on my list to try...but the last two from Crackle seemed much more like calculated launches toward fame...or maybe I'm just a sci fi/special effects geek at heart ; )
ReplyDeleteYou will start to notice a different feel to the larger budget shows with bigger names. Based on my other work in entertainment reporting, this is going to happen for several reasons:
ReplyDelete1. Bigger names=more experience with the press. As actors become more press savvy as they climb the Hollywood ladder, they also become more guarded and less open. You can sometimes feel that.
2. If you are fully funded and have a higher level of distribution, you have less at stake, so some of that hunger and passion you see in up and coming web series doesn't exist as much.
I truly believe that Gary wants a network series or a feature film out of Dusty Peacock, so he doesn't necessarily "get" what is happening in the web world. He was paid, had a portal, and doesn't have to worry about how to fund a Season 2.
We have to feature both big and small web series, but I am curious to see if we will continue to discover a huge difference between the two levels.