Thursday, March 06, 2008
Become a fan of Venn
If you're on Facebook there is now a new way for you to track Venn. Sign up as a fan of the series at this page. Updates and news will be posted there as well as at venn.tv and here.
Technorati tag: Venn, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 10:18 AM
(0) comments
If you're on Facebook there is now a new way for you to track Venn. Sign up as a fan of the series at this page. Updates and news will be posted there as well as at venn.tv and here.
Technorati tag: Venn, Spinneyhead
Labels: Facebook, Fan, Short Tales
posted by Ian Pattinson at 10:18 AM
(0) comments
Monday, January 28, 2008
Venn.tv
Venn now has a home- www.venn.tv.
Now that that is sorted out I can do some more work on finding funding and rewriting the first two episodes. The first draft of the new versions is a bit naughtier than the previous versions.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 9:23 AM
(0) comments
Venn now has a home- www.venn.tv.
Now that that is sorted out I can do some more work on finding funding and rewriting the first two episodes. The first draft of the new versions is a bit naughtier than the previous versions.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales - Production
posted by Ian Pattinson at 9:23 AM
(0) comments
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Venn - more designs
I'm about to put together a promo booklet for Venn, to send to possible investors, and today I've done a couple of rough designs for the cover.
It also seemes appropriate to redo the relationships diagram as a Venn diagram.
Technorati tag: Venn, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 6:25 PM
(0) comments
I'm about to put together a promo booklet for Venn, to send to possible investors, and today I've done a couple of rough designs for the cover.
It also seemes appropriate to redo the relationships diagram as a Venn diagram.
Technorati tag: Venn, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales - Production
posted by Ian Pattinson at 6:25 PM
(0) comments
Friday, January 11, 2008
Venn - Episode 0
This is the teaser episode for the upcoming series from Spinneyhead Presents. I'm working on a business plan to film at least one episode a month and back them up with workshop and "how to" pieces.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 4:47 PM
(0) comments
This is the teaser episode for the upcoming series from Spinneyhead Presents. I'm working on a business plan to film at least one episode a month and back them up with workshop and "how to" pieces.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Revver, Short Tales, Venn, video
posted by Ian Pattinson at 4:47 PM
(0) comments
Monday, January 07, 2008
Venn title logo ideas
A few ideas for the Venn title logo that I sketched over Christmas. Episode 0 is going to have a simpler logo.
posted by Ian Pattinson at 2:04 PM
(0) comments
A few ideas for the Venn title logo that I sketched over Christmas. Episode 0 is going to have a simpler logo.
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales - Production
posted by Ian Pattinson at 2:04 PM
(0) comments
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Filming Venn episode 0
I've just uploaded a few pictures taken when we were shooting Episode 0 on December 8th.
We're not quite going to get the video out before Christmas. Alan and I are putting the final touches to it at the moment. He's doing the sound and I'm going to clean up the titles and do some colour matching. It should be ready early in the New Year.
posted by Ian Pattinson at 12:17 PM
(0) comments
I've just uploaded a few pictures taken when we were shooting Episode 0 on December 8th.
We're not quite going to get the video out before Christmas. Alan and I are putting the final touches to it at the moment. He's doing the sound and I'm going to clean up the titles and do some colour matching. It should be ready early in the New Year.
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales - Production
posted by Ian Pattinson at 12:17 PM
(0) comments
Friday, December 14, 2007
Teas are good
We shot footage for Venn episode zero (a teaser/promo for the series proper) on Saturday and I started editing it together yesterday. It's very English, but right now I'm trying to get the "Tea and Sympathy" sequence down to a minute.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead, Venn
posted by Ian Pattinson at 10:29 AM
(0) comments
We shot footage for Venn episode zero (a teaser/promo for the series proper) on Saturday and I started editing it together yesterday. It's very English, but right now I'm trying to get the "Tea and Sympathy" sequence down to a minute.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead, Venn
Labels: editing, Short Tales, Short Tales - Production
posted by Ian Pattinson at 10:29 AM
(0) comments
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Venn test titles 1
The first of a few rough versions for the title sequence to Venn. It has to be fairly simple because it's going to change every episode so the Venn diagram shows who interacts with who during the episode that follows. Obviously the actor's name will be in the circle as well as the character's.
Arguing with Flash, because I hadn't used it in so long, meant that I only got the one title idea done today. I'll try to get at least one more, and some work on the title, done tomorrow.
Technorati tag: Titles, Venn
posted by Ian Pattinson at 5:33 PM
(0) comments
The first of a few rough versions for the title sequence to Venn. It has to be fairly simple because it's going to change every episode so the Venn diagram shows who interacts with who during the episode that follows. Obviously the actor's name will be in the circle as well as the character's.
Arguing with Flash, because I hadn't used it in so long, meant that I only got the one title idea done today. I'll try to get at least one more, and some work on the title, done tomorrow.
Technorati tag: Titles, Venn
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales - Production
posted by Ian Pattinson at 5:33 PM
(0) comments
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Titles
I'm looking for ideas, rules, etc. for title sequences. I've got a strong idea of what I want to do, but no clues on the soundtrack etc. yet. Anyway, some notes and inspirations.
Inventory: 22 TV Opening-Credit Sequences That Fit Their Shows Perfectly
The worst title sequence on TV. Ever.
Fifteen seconds to set a TV show's perfect tone.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 4:53 PM
(0) comments
I'm looking for ideas, rules, etc. for title sequences. I've got a strong idea of what I want to do, but no clues on the soundtrack etc. yet. Anyway, some notes and inspirations.
Inventory: 22 TV Opening-Credit Sequences That Fit Their Shows Perfectly
The worst title sequence on TV. Ever.
Fifteen seconds to set a TV show's perfect tone.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales - Production
posted by Ian Pattinson at 4:53 PM
(0) comments
Friday, November 23, 2007
Relationships
Yetsreday I drew up a spider diagram of the relationships of all the characters as they are at the beginning of the first episode. They rapidly change, of course. All future characters should somehow link in to this structure, which shouldn't be too hard. The web will grow outwards as the series goes on and actors come along with ideas for situations and people they'd like to play.
Names in blue are characters I don't have any current plans to use. Julie is most likely to be written into an episode eventually- dropping in, causing chaos and then leaving again. However, if an actor comes along with a compelling reason why they should play That Bastard or Whatsisface then I'll write something for them.
Click on the picture for a larger version.
posted by Ian Pattinson at 10:36 AM
(0) comments
Yetsreday I drew up a spider diagram of the relationships of all the characters as they are at the beginning of the first episode. They rapidly change, of course. All future characters should somehow link in to this structure, which shouldn't be too hard. The web will grow outwards as the series goes on and actors come along with ideas for situations and people they'd like to play.
Names in blue are characters I don't have any current plans to use. Julie is most likely to be written into an episode eventually- dropping in, causing chaos and then leaving again. However, if an actor comes along with a compelling reason why they should play That Bastard or Whatsisface then I'll write something for them.
Click on the picture for a larger version.
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales- Characters
posted by Ian Pattinson at 10:36 AM
(0) comments
Thursday, November 22, 2007
We have a title!
And the title is Venn!
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 10:51 PM
(0) comments
And the title is Venn!
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales - Production
posted by Ian Pattinson at 10:51 PM
(0) comments
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
The independent future?
Over at Kung-Fu Monkey John Rogers has some comments on the coming micro film making revolution. He's confident it'll arrive, just not as fast as others are claiming. The technology to make the films and series cheaply is here, and getting cheaper, but he's not so sure about distribution and the necessary culture shift to go over to getting your television from the Internet.
I'd like to think that countries with a greater penetration of broadband will get the jump on the US in this area. The UK passed the States in percentage of broadband users a few years ago and is likely still ahead. Perhaps there'll be a British invasion of web content in the next few years that will help push the American industry.
I want Short Tales About Love and Sex (whatever it ends up being called) to be part of that invasion.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 11:24 AM
(0) comments
Over at Kung-Fu Monkey John Rogers has some comments on the coming micro film making revolution. He's confident it'll arrive, just not as fast as others are claiming. The technology to make the films and series cheaply is here, and getting cheaper, but he's not so sure about distribution and the necessary culture shift to go over to getting your television from the Internet.
I'd like to think that countries with a greater penetration of broadband will get the jump on the US in this area. The UK passed the States in percentage of broadband users a few years ago and is likely still ahead. Perhaps there'll be a British invasion of web content in the next few years that will help push the American industry.
I want Short Tales About Love and Sex (whatever it ends up being called) to be part of that invasion.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Internet Television, Short Tales
posted by Ian Pattinson at 11:24 AM
(0) comments
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Short Tales - some thoughts on tone
I've written one and a bit episodes of Short Tales, and have a few scenarios for future stories. So I've worked out the tone I want to set with the series.
The working title is Short Tales About Love and Sex. The Sex part should give a lot away. There's going to be some adult subject matter, our Tales will be quite dirty.
When I think of an adult/dirty sitcom three titles come to mind. Two of them were brilliant, one was rubbish. This isn't going to be Gimme Gimme Gimme, for example, where screamed swear words passed for humour and the main characters were one dimensional at best. Nor is it going to be Men Behaving Badly, great as that series was. For the first few episodes at least, I think it's going to feel most like Coupling (in fact, the blurb on the Amazon page for Coupling sounds a lot like the way I'd describe Short Tales).
Some of the stories I've got planned drift into, and occasionally beyond, Coupling territory. Without going into complete plot breakdowns there'll be tales about earth shattering orgasm (or the lack of), shopping for sex toys and sexual fantasies. Mostly details are going to be conveyed in conversation, but people are going to end up in bed. I'd like to avoid the L shaped blanket (and as many as possible of the other cliches in the list), but still keep all nudity implied rather than seen. There'll be lots of head and (bare) shoulders shots and the occasional bare back but nothing more (well, male characters can have bare chests exposed I guess). I know it's a visual medium and you're supposed to go for show, not tell, but you can always show that a character has no clothes on without having any nipples on display.
The benefit that Short Tales will have is that it's about a rotating cast of characters, so we don't have to leave the same four or six people in limbo with occasional disturbances. We can go away and concentrate on someone else for a while once it's established that, yes, A and B do end up together and they are happy. There are many reasons for this, the most pragmatic of which is that this is a low/no budget production and I want my actors to go on to better things when they get the chance (and then come back when they're famous to give Short Tales a bit of extra cool). This turn over will allow a greater number of subjects without falling into soap opera-ness.
This isn't the final word on tone and themes by any means, but I hope it serves as an introduction. I shall expand upon it as episodes are written and shot.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 4:28 PM
(0) comments
I've written one and a bit episodes of Short Tales, and have a few scenarios for future stories. So I've worked out the tone I want to set with the series.
The working title is Short Tales About Love and Sex. The Sex part should give a lot away. There's going to be some adult subject matter, our Tales will be quite dirty.
When I think of an adult/dirty sitcom three titles come to mind. Two of them were brilliant, one was rubbish. This isn't going to be Gimme Gimme Gimme, for example, where screamed swear words passed for humour and the main characters were one dimensional at best. Nor is it going to be Men Behaving Badly, great as that series was. For the first few episodes at least, I think it's going to feel most like Coupling (in fact, the blurb on the Amazon page for Coupling sounds a lot like the way I'd describe Short Tales).
Some of the stories I've got planned drift into, and occasionally beyond, Coupling territory. Without going into complete plot breakdowns there'll be tales about earth shattering orgasm (or the lack of), shopping for sex toys and sexual fantasies. Mostly details are going to be conveyed in conversation, but people are going to end up in bed. I'd like to avoid the L shaped blanket (and as many as possible of the other cliches in the list), but still keep all nudity implied rather than seen. There'll be lots of head and (bare) shoulders shots and the occasional bare back but nothing more (well, male characters can have bare chests exposed I guess). I know it's a visual medium and you're supposed to go for show, not tell, but you can always show that a character has no clothes on without having any nipples on display.
The benefit that Short Tales will have is that it's about a rotating cast of characters, so we don't have to leave the same four or six people in limbo with occasional disturbances. We can go away and concentrate on someone else for a while once it's established that, yes, A and B do end up together and they are happy. There are many reasons for this, the most pragmatic of which is that this is a low/no budget production and I want my actors to go on to better things when they get the chance (and then come back when they're famous to give Short Tales a bit of extra cool). This turn over will allow a greater number of subjects without falling into soap opera-ness.
This isn't the final word on tone and themes by any means, but I hope it serves as an introduction. I shall expand upon it as episodes are written and shot.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales - Production
posted by Ian Pattinson at 4:28 PM
(0) comments
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Short Tales character sketch- Kate
This character has yet to be cast.
Kate is Mark's fiancee. She seems sweet and innocent, and a little dizzy, but has a keen mind and develops very dirty imagination. Sarah and Kate become friends after meeting at Kate and Mark's engagement party. The friendship is one of the catalysts for Kate's exploration of her naughtier side.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 9:16 PM
(0) comments
This character has yet to be cast.
Kate is Mark's fiancee. She seems sweet and innocent, and a little dizzy, but has a keen mind and develops very dirty imagination. Sarah and Kate become friends after meeting at Kate and Mark's engagement party. The friendship is one of the catalysts for Kate's exploration of her naughtier side.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales- Characters
posted by Ian Pattinson at 9:16 PM
(0) comments
Thursday, November 08, 2007
More thoughts on titles
I've been thinking about titles since reading Alan's suggestions, and I really like his first two suggestions- Connections and Intertwine.
These two words come close to summing up the style of story arcs I want to have in the series, with the focus drifting away from the initial four main characters onto those who start out in the background and then back again. Connections, or Connected, also calls to mind Six Degrees of Separation. And either one would be able to use one of two great early nineties indie hits for a theme if we were rich enough to do that sort of thing (Brownie points if you can name the ones I'm thinking of).
Intertwined is a little more insular than Connections, but would better describe the way storylines wrap around each other. I'm imagining a title sequence of vines wrapping around each other, or the pipes screensaver gone a bit mad.
For myself, I came up with the deliberately obscure Venn as a title suggestion. It's from a similar idea to Connections, calling up the way the characters' lives overlap with each other. It would be a good excuse for a gimmicky title sequence where the interactions of the episode are described graphically. So the title graphic for the first episode would look like this-
That may be a little too geeky, I don't know.
Does anyone have any comments or refined suggestions based upon these three ideas?
Technorati tag: Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 1:50 PM
(3) comments
I've been thinking about titles since reading Alan's suggestions, and I really like his first two suggestions- Connections and Intertwine.
These two words come close to summing up the style of story arcs I want to have in the series, with the focus drifting away from the initial four main characters onto those who start out in the background and then back again. Connections, or Connected, also calls to mind Six Degrees of Separation. And either one would be able to use one of two great early nineties indie hits for a theme if we were rich enough to do that sort of thing (Brownie points if you can name the ones I'm thinking of).
Intertwined is a little more insular than Connections, but would better describe the way storylines wrap around each other. I'm imagining a title sequence of vines wrapping around each other, or the pipes screensaver gone a bit mad.
For myself, I came up with the deliberately obscure Venn as a title suggestion. It's from a similar idea to Connections, calling up the way the characters' lives overlap with each other. It would be a good excuse for a gimmicky title sequence where the interactions of the episode are described graphically. So the title graphic for the first episode would look like this-
That may be a little too geeky, I don't know.
Does anyone have any comments or refined suggestions based upon these three ideas?
Technorati tag: Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales - Production
posted by Ian Pattinson at 1:50 PM
(3) comments
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
What's in a name?
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Let's get this started with some ideas for names for the Short Tales project:
Connections
Intertwine
Reflections
Falling Apart
Drifted
Finger
The Ian Seat (by the way Mojo now has an Ian Seat, well, actually it's called Ian's Chair)
Cheats
Infidelity
Just Three Words
Confused
Three Second Rule
posted by alan at 2:56 PM
(1) comments
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Let's get this started with some ideas for names for the Short Tales project:
Connections
Intertwine
Reflections
Falling Apart
Drifted
Finger
The Ian Seat (by the way Mojo now has an Ian Seat, well, actually it's called Ian's Chair)
Cheats
Infidelity
Just Three Words
Confused
Three Second Rule
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales - Production
posted by alan at 2:56 PM
(1) comments
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Short Tales - an update
I haven't had much to report on the project for a few weeks, but it's been moving forward. Whilst in America I got some footage of myself on Times Square and under Niagara for what might become a running joke involving Robert. I've extended the script for part one, but I'd like to add more to take it nearer to fifteen minutes (at the moment it's just over ten). I've also authored the dvd for Memory. When I've had it tested on a few different systems and I've designed packaging I'll look into selling it through Lulu, Spinneyworld and local shops such as Magma.
The next step is to match actors to characters. There are four speaking parts in part one- Sarah, Paul, Gareth and Mark. I'd also like to have Mark's fiancee and possibly Vicky appear in a scene, even if they don't say anything. If there are more than six actors interested in the project then we'll put them in the background in the pub and party scenes of part one and bring their characters in later.
Other stuff worth thinking about-
Funding
To do this properly I think we need a sponsor. However, the best way to get a sponsor is to present them with an example of what they'll be paying for. So we should produce the first episode and then start shopping it around, online and off, to see who'll give us money.
Locations
The first episode has scenes in Paul's house, a pub, somewhere where an engagement party is held and Gareth's bedroom. I think I have somewhere for Paul's house, but need to find locations for all the others. It would be nice, with domestic locations in particular, if we can find places we can use again.
Title
We still need a better title than "Short Tales About Love and Sex".
Meeting
I'll arrange a meeting in the next couple of weeks. If you'd like to be kept informed of the plans send me an email or leave a message in the comments.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 6:06 PM
(0) comments
I haven't had much to report on the project for a few weeks, but it's been moving forward. Whilst in America I got some footage of myself on Times Square and under Niagara for what might become a running joke involving Robert. I've extended the script for part one, but I'd like to add more to take it nearer to fifteen minutes (at the moment it's just over ten). I've also authored the dvd for Memory. When I've had it tested on a few different systems and I've designed packaging I'll look into selling it through Lulu, Spinneyworld and local shops such as Magma.
The next step is to match actors to characters. There are four speaking parts in part one- Sarah, Paul, Gareth and Mark. I'd also like to have Mark's fiancee and possibly Vicky appear in a scene, even if they don't say anything. If there are more than six actors interested in the project then we'll put them in the background in the pub and party scenes of part one and bring their characters in later.
Other stuff worth thinking about-
Funding
To do this properly I think we need a sponsor. However, the best way to get a sponsor is to present them with an example of what they'll be paying for. So we should produce the first episode and then start shopping it around, online and off, to see who'll give us money.
Locations
The first episode has scenes in Paul's house, a pub, somewhere where an engagement party is held and Gareth's bedroom. I think I have somewhere for Paul's house, but need to find locations for all the others. It would be nice, with domestic locations in particular, if we can find places we can use again.
Title
We still need a better title than "Short Tales About Love and Sex".
Meeting
I'll arrange a meeting in the next couple of weeks. If you'd like to be kept informed of the plans send me an email or leave a message in the comments.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales - Production
posted by Ian Pattinson at 6:06 PM
(0) comments
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Short tales character sketch- Vicky
This character has been cast. These notes are rough and will be tidied up as the character develops within the script and further as an actor fleshes them out.
Early to mid 30s. Vicky works with Paul and has recently moved to Manchester. He's one of the few people in town she knows and she's a potential romantic interest for him.
Vicky was married for a while, leaving her husband after he cheated on her. She's obviously a bit touchy about infidelity. There's a story in there about her going on a date with someone from work only to find out he is married.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 9:49 PM
(0) comments
This character has been cast. These notes are rough and will be tidied up as the character develops within the script and further as an actor fleshes them out.
Early to mid 30s. Vicky works with Paul and has recently moved to Manchester. He's one of the few people in town she knows and she's a potential romantic interest for him.
Vicky was married for a while, leaving her husband after he cheated on her. She's obviously a bit touchy about infidelity. There's a story in there about her going on a date with someone from work only to find out he is married.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales- Characters
posted by Ian Pattinson at 9:49 PM
(0) comments
Short Tales- first draft
I'm working on the second draft, but in the mean time, here's the first draft of episode one.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 6:25 PM
(0) comments
I'm working on the second draft, but in the mean time, here's the first draft of episode one.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales- Writing
posted by Ian Pattinson at 6:25 PM
(0) comments
Short tales character sketch- Robert
This character has been cast.
I'm going to be visiting America soon, so I thought it would be neat to get some footage to incorporate into the story. From that idea came the character of Robert.
Mid to late 30s. Robert is Gareth's step brother. He keeps getting phone calls from his little brother, but is rarely in the same city and sometimes not even the same country. I'll try to play him as non-geeky, even though that would be completely against type.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 4:36 PM
(0) comments
This character has been cast.
I'm going to be visiting America soon, so I thought it would be neat to get some footage to incorporate into the story. From that idea came the character of Robert.
Mid to late 30s. Robert is Gareth's step brother. He keeps getting phone calls from his little brother, but is rarely in the same city and sometimes not even the same country. I'll try to play him as non-geeky, even though that would be completely against type.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales- Characters
posted by Ian Pattinson at 4:36 PM
(0) comments
Friday, September 14, 2007
Short Tales character sketch- Julie
This character is yet to be cast. If you're interested please get in touch. These notes are rough and will be tidied up as the character develops within the script and further as an actor fleshes them out.
Early 30s. Julie is Sarah's sister and Paul's ex. She lives in another city, possibly even another country, and doesn't turn up that often. When she does I'm sure chaos would follow.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 12:04 AM
(0) comments
This character is yet to be cast. If you're interested please get in touch. These notes are rough and will be tidied up as the character develops within the script and further as an actor fleshes them out.
Early 30s. Julie is Sarah's sister and Paul's ex. She lives in another city, possibly even another country, and doesn't turn up that often. When she does I'm sure chaos would follow.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales- Characters
posted by Ian Pattinson at 12:04 AM
(0) comments
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Short Tales character sketch- Mark
This character is yet to be cast. If you're interested please get in touch. These notes are rough and will be tidied up as the character develops within the script and further as an actor fleshes them out.
Mid to late 20s. Mark is an ex-boyfriend of Sarah's. Her University relationship, he is the person she's been with longest to date. At the start of the first episode he has just told Sarah (and Paul and others) that he is engaged. He doesn't play a big role in the first episode, but his engagement party is an important part of the story.
This character is open to development and his own storylines. They don't have to be about his relationship with Sarah, in fact it would be better if they weren't.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 11:58 PM
(0) comments
This character is yet to be cast. If you're interested please get in touch. These notes are rough and will be tidied up as the character develops within the script and further as an actor fleshes them out.
Mid to late 20s. Mark is an ex-boyfriend of Sarah's. Her University relationship, he is the person she's been with longest to date. At the start of the first episode he has just told Sarah (and Paul and others) that he is engaged. He doesn't play a big role in the first episode, but his engagement party is an important part of the story.
This character is open to development and his own storylines. They don't have to be about his relationship with Sarah, in fact it would be better if they weren't.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales- Characters
posted by Ian Pattinson at 11:58 PM
(0) comments
Short Tales character sketch- Gareth
This character has been cast. These notes are rough and will be tidied up as the character develops within the script and further as an actor fleshes them out.
Mid 20s. Gareth is a bit like a younger version of Paul, they worked together for a while and became friends. Gareth is actually quite happy in his current job, though he does feel bad that he seems to be the only one of his group of friends who has job satisfaction.
Paul sometimes wonders if Gareth and Sarah would be suited for each other, and wavers between playing matchmaker and leaving well enough alone. Gareth, if he absolutely couldn't avoid the subject, would admit that he thinks he's far too geeky for a girl as hot as Sarah and she'd never think of him that way.
So obviously they're going to sleep together.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 11:49 PM
(0) comments
This character has been cast. These notes are rough and will be tidied up as the character develops within the script and further as an actor fleshes them out.
Mid 20s. Gareth is a bit like a younger version of Paul, they worked together for a while and became friends. Gareth is actually quite happy in his current job, though he does feel bad that he seems to be the only one of his group of friends who has job satisfaction.
Paul sometimes wonders if Gareth and Sarah would be suited for each other, and wavers between playing matchmaker and leaving well enough alone. Gareth, if he absolutely couldn't avoid the subject, would admit that he thinks he's far too geeky for a girl as hot as Sarah and she'd never think of him that way.
So obviously they're going to sleep together.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales- Characters
posted by Ian Pattinson at 11:49 PM
(0) comments
Short Tales character sketch- Sarah
This character is yet to be cast. If you're interested please get in touch. These notes are rough and will be tidied up as the character develops within the script and further as an actor fleshes them out.
Early to mid 20s. Sarah is the younger sister of one of Paul's exes, Julie. They got on well when he was seeing her sister and stayed in touch, on and off, until Sarah came to Manchester to study. Secretly (she won't even admit it to herself) Sarah would like Paul and Julie to get back together because she's afraid their friendship might slowly die otherwise.
Sarah has a history of picking the wrong men, often because she has an aversion to taking advice. She has just started her first job and is discovering how dull employment can be.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 11:43 PM
(4) comments
This character is yet to be cast. If you're interested please get in touch. These notes are rough and will be tidied up as the character develops within the script and further as an actor fleshes them out.
Early to mid 20s. Sarah is the younger sister of one of Paul's exes, Julie. They got on well when he was seeing her sister and stayed in touch, on and off, until Sarah came to Manchester to study. Secretly (she won't even admit it to herself) Sarah would like Paul and Julie to get back together because she's afraid their friendship might slowly die otherwise.
Sarah has a history of picking the wrong men, often because she has an aversion to taking advice. She has just started her first job and is discovering how dull employment can be.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales- Characters
posted by Ian Pattinson at 11:43 PM
(4) comments
Short Tales character sketch- Paul
This character is yet to be cast. If you're interested please get in touch. These notes are rough and will be tidied up as the character develops within the script and further as an actor fleshes them out.
Early to mid 30s. Paul works in IT and embodies some of the geek cliches. His house is a mess, but it does hold a large collection of consumer electronics. He's stagnating in his current job, but has yet to do anything about moving on.
Good natured but directionless, Paul always tries to do/say the right thing but feels he's not as wise as he wishes he were. Keeps insisting that his relationship with Sarah is just so she can introduce him to her hot friends, though it's obvious there's a lot of (platonic) love in it.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 11:33 PM
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This character is yet to be cast. If you're interested please get in touch. These notes are rough and will be tidied up as the character develops within the script and further as an actor fleshes them out.
Early to mid 30s. Paul works in IT and embodies some of the geek cliches. His house is a mess, but it does hold a large collection of consumer electronics. He's stagnating in his current job, but has yet to do anything about moving on.
Good natured but directionless, Paul always tries to do/say the right thing but feels he's not as wise as he wishes he were. Keeps insisting that his relationship with Sarah is just so she can introduce him to her hot friends, though it's obvious there's a lot of (platonic) love in it.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales- Characters
posted by Ian Pattinson at 11:33 PM
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Short Tales- format and names
I'm going to make production of Spinneyhead's next project as interactive as possible. Until I set up forums and stuff the interactivity will be handled through this blog. I'm going to set up an overall label for Short Tales and secondary labels for character sketches, writing, production issues and any other areas that crop up. Please leave suggestions and start conversations in the comments of the relevant post. There will still be a fair amount of work done by email and by getting together. Please don't leave your emails in the comment thread, but get in touch with me and I'll add you in to messages.
This first production post is to raise two important issues- format of episodes and the little matter of a name.
For internet episodes the big constraint is file size. Based upon the experience of compressing for Memory, I think I could produce ten minute episodes and still have them at a suitable quality whilst staying small enough to fit under Revver's maximum size limit (100mb). However, I also remember reading that the average length of a YouTube video is in the region of two and a half minutes, suggesting that aiming at shorter attention spans works better.
Another, offline, factor I've been considering is the lengths of tv shows. I'm not looking at producing half hour episodes, but fifteen minutes would slot easily into many stations schedules. I'm thinking of marketing the first episode as a pilot, showing a local station like Channel M what we can do with nothing and seeing if they'll fund us to give them something for the late evening.
So I'm writing a fifteen minute script. The first draft is a mere nine pages, which roughly equates to nine minutes, but I wrote it before I started thinking of fifteen minute episodes. However, fifteen minutes is a bit long to compress well for the internet. So I'm thinking of splitting one fifteen minute episode into three five minute acts which each serve as webisodes.
Naming is a big deal. This project is currently called "Short Tales About Love and Sex". It's a working title and really, really needs changing before broadcast. Single word titles are popular- Coupling, Friends, Frasier, Seinfeld (though the last two were named for their central character and we can't do that with this project as it's going to involve an ever changing group of characters). I don't think anything longer than three words is going to work, and if we do go for a phrase rather than a word, it has to sum up some key theme of the series- Men Behaving Badly is the best example I can think of for this.
Of course, it'll be hard to name the series until you know a bit more about it. At the moment I know the most about what I want to do with it and the themes I want to explore, and I can't think of a name. So I'm not expecting miracles from you. I'll post the first draft script and some character sketches and you might begin to get some ideas.
Here's to working together.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
posted by Ian Pattinson at 8:17 PM
(0) comments
I'm going to make production of Spinneyhead's next project as interactive as possible. Until I set up forums and stuff the interactivity will be handled through this blog. I'm going to set up an overall label for Short Tales and secondary labels for character sketches, writing, production issues and any other areas that crop up. Please leave suggestions and start conversations in the comments of the relevant post. There will still be a fair amount of work done by email and by getting together. Please don't leave your emails in the comment thread, but get in touch with me and I'll add you in to messages.
This first production post is to raise two important issues- format of episodes and the little matter of a name.
For internet episodes the big constraint is file size. Based upon the experience of compressing for Memory, I think I could produce ten minute episodes and still have them at a suitable quality whilst staying small enough to fit under Revver's maximum size limit (100mb). However, I also remember reading that the average length of a YouTube video is in the region of two and a half minutes, suggesting that aiming at shorter attention spans works better.
Another, offline, factor I've been considering is the lengths of tv shows. I'm not looking at producing half hour episodes, but fifteen minutes would slot easily into many stations schedules. I'm thinking of marketing the first episode as a pilot, showing a local station like Channel M what we can do with nothing and seeing if they'll fund us to give them something for the late evening.
So I'm writing a fifteen minute script. The first draft is a mere nine pages, which roughly equates to nine minutes, but I wrote it before I started thinking of fifteen minute episodes. However, fifteen minutes is a bit long to compress well for the internet. So I'm thinking of splitting one fifteen minute episode into three five minute acts which each serve as webisodes.
Naming is a big deal. This project is currently called "Short Tales About Love and Sex". It's a working title and really, really needs changing before broadcast. Single word titles are popular- Coupling, Friends, Frasier, Seinfeld (though the last two were named for their central character and we can't do that with this project as it's going to involve an ever changing group of characters). I don't think anything longer than three words is going to work, and if we do go for a phrase rather than a word, it has to sum up some key theme of the series- Men Behaving Badly is the best example I can think of for this.
Of course, it'll be hard to name the series until you know a bit more about it. At the moment I know the most about what I want to do with it and the themes I want to explore, and I can't think of a name. So I'm not expecting miracles from you. I'll post the first draft script and some character sketches and you might begin to get some ideas.
Here's to working together.
Technorati tag: Video, Spinneyhead
Labels: Short Tales, Short Tales - Production
posted by Ian Pattinson at 8:17 PM
(0) comments
