What's that? I'm in a Web Series? Okay cool!

I've heard that the best way to tell a story is to start at the end briefly, then to go back to the beginning and work your way back to the end, giving a chance for different characters to show their perspectives. However, I don't have time for that. I have funerals to go to (Horrible skiing accident, don't ask) So I'll make this as brief as I can.

As actors, its easy to become naturally pessimistic. It happens and it's perfectly normal. It's just how we cope with working in a very competitive business. Being told that you're not right for a role because you look to young, or your nose is the wrong shape, or crotch-less jeans are inappropriate attire for an audition-- well, it helps give you a thick skin. As well as this, we've all been involved in projects that have fallen through. Film projects are notorious for this. That's why we try and avoid getting over excited when fun jobs come up. However, containing my excitement when Trit told me about Ultra Clean proved to be impossible.

A few months ago I was involved in a show with the other cast members called The Playwright's Dozen. Unbeknownst to us, Tristram came and saw it. He must have liked what he saw because a few days later, he added me on Facebook and told me that he really enjoyed the play I wrote "Ones and Zeros". I put the enjoyment factor of that play on the performances of Ollie Brylynsky and Jack Gow rather than my writing but what evs.

Anyway, about a month ago, we were told that a comedy Web Series called Ultra Clean had been written and we were being considered for roles. "Hell to the yes!" I yelled out loud as fellow bus passengers looked at me with what I can only describe as a combination of disgust and annoyance. After I got kicked off the bus, I read the synopsis. It was really something else. Exactly my kind of humour which is both amazing and kind of creepy. The characters are so well written and the dynamics between the four Ultra Clean members is really going to drive this show along. Ollie, Tina and Tara are all amazing actors and their involvement guaranteeing that this will be an amazing show to work on.

In just over a month, we've met three times, had table reads, rehearsals, production photos taken, found a production company and set up locations for shooting a pilot. This is going to be a rollercoaster ride, so keep your arms and legs in the cart at all times and if you vomit all over yourself, well...I know a good team of cleaners who can help fix that right up.

Thankyou for sitting through what is sure to be the worst written and least funny of all the posts on this blog. Let me reward you with a picture of a happy puppy!

What? That's what happiness looks like, right?

Right!?

Terrible Photos of Rehearsals

We had rehearsals for the pilot last night, which were fantastic.  The actors were really clicking in the roles and we had lots of big laughs.  It was a joy.  To remember this event, I took a selection of terrible photos.

This is the first terrible photo I took.  It's very blurry and I don't know what our director John is doing in this shot.  It looks like he's miming leaning on a steering wheel with his arm, although I'm not even sure that's his arm, because it's so blurry.  It could be a child's leg.

This photo isn't terrible for Tara, because she's captured quite clearly.  It's not even that terrible for Tina, who's quite blurry, but at least looks happy about it.  It is terrible for Ollie though.  Sorry, Ollie.  I don't know what to say.  Also, aficionados will notice that what the actors are doing is not rehearsing.  It's sitting/leaning on things and listening to someone talk.  This was a recurring theme of my rehearsals photos.

This is the least terrible of the terrible rehearsals photos.  But it's still terrible.  No one is rehearsing, and James looks a bit angry (which he wasn't, but terrible photos have a way of telling their own stories).  At least Ollie is in focus - or is he?

This last one is definitely the most terrible of my terrible rehearsals photos.  It hits two home runs straight away, in that it's out of focus and it doesn't capture anyone in the act of rehearsing.  Added to that is the bizarre framing, which is like something a Swedish film director would do if he was terrible.  I think what I really wanted to capture with this shot was a wall, but I was willing to allow two of the people who attended rehearsals in on either side of that wall (wall permitting).

So, yes, the photos are terrible.  But the rehearsals were amazing, and that's what really matters here.  After all, the success of a series does not come down to the scriptwriter's ability to capture photos on his smart phone.  I'm sure Aaron Sorkin's photos of rehearsals for The Newsroom were terrible.  And that show turned out to be... not terrible.  Case closed, good night.

Piloting

I'm excited!  We're making our pilot!

(You know what a pilot is, right?  It's the first episode of a TV or web series, which acts as a trial run to see if financiers want to go ahead with more episodes of the show.)

Since we all understand the term, please join me in my excitement over the fact that we're making our 'on spec' pilot!

(You know what 'on spec' means, right?  It means we're making the pilot without financial backing.  We're counting on the fact that sponsors will be so impressed by our product that they'll pay for it - and for the remaining 11 episodes of the series.)

Now you can definitely join with me in one voice to express excitement about our 'on spec' inter-erectile pilot!

(I made up the term "inter-erectile".  It's not a thing.)

John and I truly are over the moon that we're making the pilot for Ultra Clean.  The accomplished and adventurous Action Productions team was impressed with our concept and has decided to partner on the show with us.  It's great news for us, because it means our pilot will be slick, professional and ready for broadcast - whether that's via web or television.  We've set a shooting date in mid-November, so we've only got a few weeks to get our Toilet Ducks in a row.  That was a joke, because Ultra Clean is a show about cleaning and Toilet Duck is used to clean toilets.

We're meeting with the actors for a rehearsal this week, where we'll be nailing down the performances and the characters.  When you're making a pilot, you're actually establishing a huge part of what the show as a whole will be like.  Do we want a character to speak with a lisp?  Do we want all the characters to speak with lisps?  If we're going to make the world's first all-lisp sitcom, that's a call we have to make now.  This week.

The other reason rehearsal is important for us is that we'll be shooting our whole pilot in a day.  We won't have time to work things out while we shoot, so everyone will need to know what they're doing.  It's going to require almost military timing on the behalf of the whole cast and crew.

And, in summary, that's why I'm excited.  Because I love the military.  Go troops!!

Let's film a pilot

Well, just under a week after we started the discussions with various production houses to help us create this original look at the workplace comedy, we found a company keen to help us with a pilot (and hopefully our full series).

I would like to formally announce our partnership with 'Action Productions Australia' and an amazing like-minded Writer/Director/Producer Darren J Burns.

So what's next? Well we are looking at a date in November to film our pilot episode and from there we have an amazing opportunity to pitch our best possible version of the already strong first episode of 'Ultra Clean'.

Are we excited? You damn right we are!

We will continue updating this blog with the process and we look forward to continue with our plan to make this show hit your screens sometime in early 2013!

Cheers!

Less Is More (and all that)

John's and my meetings have been going well so far.  The production companies we've spoken to have responded to our pitch and can see the potential in our web series.  More to go and we'll keep you posted, dearest blog reader.

In the meantime, here's a great article about how sitcoms are getting shorter and shorter.  If you haven't seen it, Childrens Hospital is brilliant.

Meetings

We're having meetings this week.  I've been studying this instructional video from our computer overlords and as a result I'm now confident that I know what a meeting is.

Cast photos

As promised, here are some more pictures of our wonderful Ultra Clean cast. 

James Chapman as Hunterr

Tina Cornac as Marissa

Oliver Brylynsky as Dan

Tara Gallop-Brennan as Gabby

A team called "Ultra Clean"