Web Series Wednesday

It's been awhile since I posted about Web TV, but here is my contribution in helping Web Series Wednesday make a comeback.  I am working hard in Dallas for the month, but I will be diving back into the web series world when I return.  I don't have an official announcement for you yet, but stay tuned......


In the meantime, I was working hard on set on a few productions before I left the LA area.  In fact, the night before I left, I was on set with the team behind the new web series, Squaresville, about two nerdy gals struggling to achieve their dreams in their small town, written and directed by Matt Enlow.  Matt kindly squeezed in the shoot to accommodate my crazy schedule, so I could play a reporter. Wait...me, a reporter?  Typecasting!  Be sure to support Squaresville on Facebook and Twitter to follow the progress on the series.  I can't wait to see the rest of the series, because I only know how my small part unfolds in the story.  Here are a few photos from my night on set:

Shooting my scene

Deep in thought........

I even look intense sitting off to the sides.  Director/Creator, Matt Enlow, even looks intensely at his iPad.  We were focused!

Earlier in the month, I also made a split-second cameo in the upcoming web series, The Unemployment of Danny London, from creator, Doug Cwiak.  I was thrilled to help Doug out on the shoot since he had been instrumental in helping my crew with several shoots of The Web Files like our interview with comedian, Gary Valentine , and my favorite episode, Backyard FX.  His show looks at trials and tribulations of being unemployed and I have a feeling that he will have many viewers who can relate in this current economy.  Check out their Facebook and Twitter page to learn more about the upcoming show.  

Hanging with the cast of The Unemployment of Danny London.  You might recognize a face or two if you are a web series fan.

Finally, our last episode of Season 1 of The Web Files featured an incredibly ambitious show called, Tyranny.  It continues to be in the Top 5 Most Watched Shows on KoldcastTV.  I hope you have an opportunity to check it out because it has the mystery of Lost with the intensity of the Jason Bourne movies, and a dash of James Bond. (They really do have a Bond girl in the series, Olga Kurylenko, of Quantum of Solace.)  They shot the exteriors a few years ago in Europe, but the interiors are done in a loft in Koreatown in Los Angeles.  It's amazing how every nook and cranny is used as a new set for the series.  Creator, John Beck Hofmann, has stretched a micro-budget to create a big budget feel.  Here are a few behind the scenes photos along with the Tyranny interview. 

Hanging on one of the many Tyranny sets with creator, John Beck Hofmann and Director of Photography, Garret Baquet, after the shoot.

                                   Oh boy, that's one crazy contraption!  Here I am, trying on a prop from the series.  

And the interview: 

Check Tyranny out on Twitter and Facebook to keep up-to-date on the latest news.  

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Web Series Wednesday.  Be sure to help the Web TV industry grow by supporting your favorite show on the web!

Photos 1-4 courtesy of Squaresville.

Photo 5 courtesy of Doug Cwiak

Photo 6-7 property of Kristyn Burtt

The Web Files: Tyranny

This is our penultimate episode of The Web Files with Sandra Payne producing and Perry Payne as our editor extraordinaire before they head off to other projects.  Even though their time is winding down, they still have assembled an amazing episode with the ambitious web series, Tyranny.  I call this "the show you should be watching." With incredible sets, a mystery as deep as Lost, and on location work in Europe, this is truly a series that deserves more attention.  And heck, they even have Bond Girl, Olga Kurylenko.  Be sure to check out Tyranny on KoldcastTV and then watch our Web Files feature with creator John Beck Hofmann and Director of Photography, Garret Baquet.



Also, today is the last day to get in on the City Slips giveaway.  It's simple to enter, just go to the Online Shopping post and hopefully, you will be the big winner tomorrow!

Miss Behave Premiere

It's been awhile since I have covered a teen premiere, so I felt like the old lady on the red carpet.  It was a fun night though at the premiere of Miss Behave, a new web series on Koldcast TV.  The series follows the duplicitous life of Tori, a 16-year-old, and her older brother, Billy, who is dealing with sexual identity issues.  The unique twist to this series is that it is produced by its 17-year-old star, Jillian Clare.  She helps bring a young and truthful voice to the issues facing teens today.  Check out all of the fun on the red carpet with Mingle Media TV.

The star on her big night, Jillian Clare:

Adorable Bianca Magick in her beautiful yellow BCBG frock:

And the funniest interview of the night, Kyle Kaplan, who is a fan of cougars because he started the interview right off by asking me to be his date.  If he looks familiar, then you must be a fan of 10 Things I Hate About You on ABC Family.....sshhhh, I won't tell anyone.


To see all of the interviews from the evening: Mingle Media TV.
To see all of the photos from the red carpet:  Flickr

IAWTV Screening for Blue Movies and Fall of Kaden

Tuesday night, I had the opportunity to cover the screening of Fall of Kaden and Blue Movies for
Koldcast TV and The Web Files at Cinespace in Hollywood. Web series creators, Matt Doubler and Adam Leiphart for the Fall of Kaden, and Scott Brown for Blue Movies, made a wise and strategic choice to hold a "For Your Consideration" screening for the International Academy of Web Television (IAWTV). It was a terrific opportunity to get some of the members to watch their series on the big screen and, hopefully, garner a nomination or two.

Me giving the thumbs up to my cameraman before interviewing Blue Movies creator, Scott Brown.
In a field that has grown tremendously in the past 12 months, this was an excellent way to stand out in the crowd. Why not take a page from the Miramax Academy Award handbook? It worked for Shakespeare in Love at the Oscars in 1999 and I think it could work in the web series world as well. Rumors of screeners and postcards being sent to the IAWTV members abounds lately. What have you done to make your web series stand out during this crucial nomination time?

Doing my opener for The Web Files segment on the red carpet......
Inside the screening room, IAWTV members and the rest of the audience were treated to a hilarious PSA/Streamy Consideration video hosted by the busiest host in the biz, Shira Lazar: For Your Consideration. Creativity is key and we saw that in abundance on Tuesday night. Two radically different web series coming together to produce an unforgettable night. Wisely, these shows do not fall in the same categories: Blue Movies is clearly a comedic look at the porn industry and Fall of Kaden has the grittiness and edginess to fall into the dramatic category.

Interviewing the cast and creator of Blue Movies........

This year is a game-changer in web series, with the high production values of new shows like The Bannen Way to a greater emphasis on the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards, the web space continues to makes its climb to the top. We have a long way to go, but I think there is light ahead.

Mark Gantt of The Bannen Way and I talking about the upcoming award season......

Thank you to Marti Resteghini and David Samuels of Koldcast TV for giving me the opportunity to host their red carpet coverage for Fall of Kaden and Blue Movies. I will post the video here soon. Stay tuned!

Thanks to Matt Doubler and Adam Leiphart for photos 3, 4, and 5. If anyone has additional photos from the evening, I would be happy to post them here.

Summing up the week!

Okay, it's been a crazy week, so I will give you the bullet points and you can Choose Your Own Adventure!

1. Episode 3 was released with our best episode to date featuring the Safety Geeks:SVI.

Watch here: Safety Geeks: SVI

2. We interviewed Demi Delia of Mommy XXX on Crackle, so be sure to catch up on her show before you watch The Web Files episode. Watch here: Mommy XXX

3. We are planning on covering animation in Web TV, so I have been talking to a few animators lately. Michelle of Blink Kitty Love kindly wrote a few words about The Web Files. Read here: Lonely Pond

4. Last Thursday was the Hollywood Web TV meetup sponsored by Tubefilter. Koldcast TV kindly interviewed us about the show. This is the highlight reel, our full interview will be up next week. Watch here: Koldcast TV

5. We will be covering the iTVFest Opening Night Gala on July 30th. If you are a web series in the Festival, be sure to stop by and talk to us on the red carpet.

6. And right below you find Episode 2 with The Crew if you are just too tired to click over to YouTube.

The Web Files: Episode 2

Hey Everyone,

Episode 2 is launched with the cast from The Crew, one of my favorite web series. If you haven't seen this show, be sure to check it out on KoldcastTV here: The Crew. I first met series creator, Brett Register, at GeekOut '09. I think I grabbed him by the shirt and told him he had to do my new show, The Web Files. I appreciate Brett taking a leap of faith in doing our show sight unseen. We were new, we hadn't launched, but he said "yes" and he kindly invited most of the cast to join us. So, I owe Brett a big "thank you" and a promise that I will be watching Season 2.

For the show, my Executive Producer, Purse Dog TV, and I were looking for a fun location to shoot and boy, we hit one out of the park. The Hollywood Wax Museum kindly donated the space right next to their Star Wars prequel wax figurines. If you haven't visited the wax museum before, be sure to stop on by the next time you are in the area. It is a true Hollywood classic.

We had a lot of challenges with sound because the museum was open to the public and we had the dreaded air conditioning vent blowing throughout the interview. The staff at the museum was awesome though as they directed traffic so the tourists could see Arnold in wax as the Terminator and we could get the scoop on Season 1 of The Crew. My favorite part of the interview is Ariel Lazarus describing how she is positioned at her green screen desk and how she is lit for each scene. Her character, Andrea Lee, is one to watch out for in the engine room!

Next episode is Safety Geeks: SVI starring Tom Konkle and Dave Beeler in their pre-Comic Con appearance. I look forward to hearing your feedback and comments, what series do you want The Web Files to cover?

Reporting Live from Los Angeles,

kb

PS A huge thanks to Marybeth Bagonghasa for the incredible hair and makeup. What would I do without you? To Perry Payne, who has worked tirelessly without complaint the last 4 weeks...thank you! And to my super cute bf, thanks for your help on this episode.