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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Behind the Scenes of Dirty Bomb Diaries


This shoot was a challenge for all of us and knowing all of the work that went into this episode, I am thrilled to say that it is one of my personal favorites so far. First, I was traveling non-stop the week before this shoot and I had little time to help my EP, Sandra, prepare for the interview. With all the work I was doing in Atlanta and Vegas, I had to focus on watching the Dirty Bomb Diaries episodes and doing my research on creators, Sean Hinchey and Eric Tozzi. I watched all 16 episodes of DBD in the Atlanta airport and on the day of the interview, I landed at LAX from Vegas only to roll right into hair and makeup. Needless to say, I was tired. This should also answer the question I get a lot from our Web Files featured guests, "You watched our show?" Yes, I watch every season, every episode, every bonus video. I do research on the creators, actors, music, and I even read other articles written about the show. The only thing I don't do is watch other on-camera interviews. I find that it colors my interpretation of the show too much. I want to come in with a fresh perspective and outlook.
Now, Sandra had all of the hard work securing the location and fine-tuning all of the details for Dirty Bomb Diaries. I have to say that Sandra is one of the most creative location scouts I have ever met. When she told me we were shooting in the City of Industry at Emergency Disaster Systems, I thought it was a perfect companion location to the premise of DBD. When we arrived, I found out we were shooting in a utility closet. Say what? A utility closet! It was a mess and piled high with boxes, shelves, and it hadn't been swept in days. In a matter of minutes though, this bland closet transformed into a colorful set filled with hard hats, emergency vests, and caution tape. It was fantastic! It gives you a glimpse as to how Sandra's amazing, creative brain works. I couldn't see a thing in that closet, and she saw a shooting location!
Now let me tell you why this is one of my favorite episodes. It isn't a flashy episode by any means, but it is one of the most informative and content rich episodes for web series creators. I think Eric and Sean gave some of the most insightful and straightforward answers on how to draw the viewers to your web series. They have a very specific idea on how to accomplish this, and I know many of you won't agree, but it was very successful for them. If you had 2 million views for your first season, you would be preaching the same thing. So, it definitely brings up the question of exclusivity versus availability. I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Finally, new to The Web Files team is our DP, Jillian Arnold! She is pictured below working her DP magic. I love that we have so many talented people helping us create new episodes from week to week. They deserve all of the praise because I only know how to host, without them, The Web Files would not have the incredible production values each episode. My next mission is to get a picture of our PA extraordinaire, Jenn Bobiwash! She's always the one snapping the photos. It's her turn to shine in the limelight, so stay tuned!
If you missed Episode 12 with Dirty Bomb Diaries, why here it is: Dirty Bomb Diaries.

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