Urban Numina The Movie: Mel and Jenna - friendship and rivalry

Apologies for not updating the blog as of late. There has been a lot going on in the background, and it has kept me kind of busy.

The latest news is that I have been accepted into an emerging artists screenwriting workshop, and so I've been putting my efforts into getting prepared for that. I've also been working hard on the Make My Movie pitching to try and get more votes.

My most recent rewrites have been focused on fleshing out the relationship between Mel and Jenna. During the events of Devon's day out with Deus, Jenna returns to the flat and reveals to Mel that she might be able to provide insight into who Deus is.

Mel, who is looking for an excuse to skip completing her assignment decides to take advantage of the situation.

The key to the scenes that will follow is to show Mel and Jenna's relationship and why they are rivals. Mel actively and openly dislikes Jenna, but Jenna seems to refuse to give in on her attempts at friendship.

The trick of the scene is to avoid making either character unappealing. We have to like both Jenna and Mel, but also be drawn into their rivalry. It needs to be clear why Mel dislikes Jenna, but also see how Jenna could be seen to be a nice person.

It's a difficult balance to strike - and has been the focus of much work for me recently.

Here's hoping it continues to come together.

Make My Movie Tally

We are currently around 261 votes. Don't forget to keep spreading word about the film. :)

http://www.makemymovie.co.nz/entry/urban-numina

Urban Numina The Movie: Anima and The Nemesis

Fans of the webseries may remember that the final episode revealed some interesting things about Anima and mentioned the existence of "The Nemesis." This was a plotline that I had been developing since the inception of Urban Numina, but had been lost with the all juggling and rewrites during our first season run.

With the film having more of a focus on Andrea, Mel and Devon's relationships, the character of "The Nemesis" has been excised completely from the story. But there does need to be an antagonist still to keep the drama going. Someone who is going to prevent everyone from getting what they want. While Deus' arrival disrupts things, he is also going to help bring things together at the end of the story.

Which means that someone needs to step up to the "nemesis" role to drive the tension.

As you may be able to tell from the notes I've been writing so far, Anima is being set up as an antagonist at least in regards to Deus. But her role in the film is going to be a little different from the webseries. In the series her conflict was primarily with Urge. They were presented as two nemeses fighting to decide which side Deus belonged on - but never directly involving Deus in their plans.

This wasn't the original goal, and although Bex and Andrew really sold the two characters we never got to see the original plan which actually involved Deus. In the film things change. Urge is more of a free agent, and Anima is much more cautious.

There is still the conflict between the two key numina factions, the Rebels and those who support the Elders. But the nature of the Numina will be explored more through Anima and Urge's actions. The two's behaviours will reveal more about why the Numina/Gods stopped walking in plain sight, and what it is about Deus' love for Devon that disturbs Anima so much.

I am currently working on two such scenes. These were originally planned for the series, but I have rewritten them for the film script. Both involve Deus engaging in a battle of wills with Anima. In the first one, Deus is trying to figure out who Anima is. He is less interested in her attempts to get him involved in godly affairs and gives her reason to suspect that he is experiencing feelings for Devon. The second scene is at the end of the montage sequence with Devon. This time Anima is physically present and tries to convince Deus that being around Devon is dangerous for Deus' sense of self. There is a subtext that love can cause someone to lose themselves into the personality of another.

In this scene Urge intervenes, and manipulates his way into Devon and Deus' confidence. This sets up the latter part of act two where Anima will meet Andrea and Mel.

But it also lays the foundations of doubt for Deus just as Devon is beginning to warm to him.

A lot gets told in these two scenes, but most of it is in the subtext of the conversations and action. It is a challenge to write without being too hamfisted about it.

Make My Movie Tally
Currently we are at 256 votes. Still a long way to go, but managing to keep up.

Keep those votes coming in. Remember - go to http://www.makemymovie.co.nz/entry/urban-numina and select one of the three buttons at the right of the film synopsis. Like/Tweet/+1

And keep talking to your friends about this film. There really isn't anything quite like Urban Numina out there. Let's change that!

Thanks for the support so far!

Conan

Urban Numina The Movie: Make My Movie and Time

I have been living and breathing Make My Movie for the last few weeks. Obsessively following the number of votes the movie has been getting, working through the script and planning ahead.

Because time is going to be a bigger challenge than the budget for this film. In the event of Urban Numina winning the competition, we have effectively the months of February and March to make the film.

That is a *very* short time to make a movie in, and if you aren't prepared, it could go horribly wrong.

So as I'm rewriting the script I am also thinking about how I intend to shoot the scene.

Given the tight deadline, it will be important to be prepared early so that if we win, we can just leap straight into shot planning and locking down locations.

One of the key things to plan is how we will shoot the film. I'm hoping that once the script is complete I can schedule it into a 5-7 day shoot. This is an ambitious plan, and one I expect will change once I have completed the script. This is where an experienced producer will be invaluable, to help work out the schedules - I expect that once we have planned it out, we'll be looking at around two weeks with maybe two days break.

The thing to remember is that while this is a low budget project, cast and crew are going to need to be paid, and they are going to need reasonable shoot schedules.

Because Urban Numina will have some special effects, my plan is that the first shoots at each location will be FX shots. This allows us to then get those shots to the VFX team to work on while we continue to shoot the rest of the location shots.

Ideally by the time we have finished principle photography, the VFX team will be well underway with their work. Of course when I say "they" it is most likely that the VFX team will consist of one or two people.

After this round of rewrites I plan to go back through the script with more of a "producer's eye" where I'll be asking "do I need this extra character in this scene?" or "can I do this scene with using an elaborate special effect?" I'll also be making some basic shot notes about how I visualise the scene. Is there too much talking? Is it compelling enough? Are we learning any thing about the plot or characters? If not, is it funny enough?

Even though Urban Numina hasn't won the competition yet, it pays to be thinking about what to do if we win. So I'm planning and thinking about these things while touching up the script. The big benefit is that if we get into the top twelve, I'll be set to seek out a producer and start planning and the script will not only be complete, but have had two rewrites and be a much more polished script heading into the final round of the competition.

I'm quietly confident that Urban Numina has what it takes to make it all the way. And with this amount of planning, we will be ready to roll the minute the paperwork is filled out. ;)

Make My Movie Tally
As of today's post, the tally now sits at 245 votes! :)

Keep the votes rolling in! We're seriously gaining ground here. :D

http://www.makemymovie.co.nz/entry/urban-numina

Conan

Urban Numina The Movie: Visuals, Dialogue, Story

Currently I am working on two key scenes at the beginning of Act Two. Both are focused on Devon.

The first scene is where Mel and Devon are talking about his breakup with Rhys. This is a fairly dialogue heavy scene, and such scenes can be notoriously boring to watch. So the goal is to be mixing verbal and non verbal components to the scene.

Mel is explaining to Devon how valuable a rebound relationship is to recovering from a broken heart. Devon, clearly, isn't buying any of it.

So there needs to be a lot of visual humour showing us how the two characters are reacting to each other during the conversation, along with having Deus stirring trouble in the background while he is being ignored by the two flatmates.

This leads into the next sequence, which is a series of scenes in montage. This sequence will have no verbal component and instead be a purely visual series of jokes and scenes showing Devon and Deus getting to know each other.

This montage is a great opportunity for me to showcase Wellington, a city that I find to be visually interesting to show, as well as forward the plot without relying on verbal exposition. Telling the story in a film is more than characters telling us what is going on - and this sequence needs to set up that Devon is falling for Deus, that Deus is more than just a dim amnesiac entity, why Devon is attracted to Deus as a person, and what Urge is doing while all this is going on.

Not at all challenging, right? ;)

So it's off to work I go, getting these montage scenes down pat before I move on to Carey and Andrea in the library.

Make My Movie Tally Update

As of writing, the tally is now up to: 224 votes.

Still a way to go, but we're getting there. And as always - thanks to everyone who has voted. It's awesome to see the support! I won't let you down! :)

http://www.makemymovie.co.nz/entry/urban-numina

Thanks!

Conan

Urban Numina The Movie: Enough Dilly Dallying

Now that the characters have been firmly established, it's time to get the ball rolling.

I've reached the point in the script where Urge originally visits the flat. In the series this played out differently from the original plan.

Originally Urge shows up alone, seduces Mel while making Deus and Devon uncomfortable - and then agrees to go out with Mel while Deus and Devon debate the fallout of Urge's arrival.

This time around I want to tease things out a bit more without stalling the plot. I also want to give Andrea more to do.

So now Andrea and Carey head to the library to research Deus and the enigmatic Anima - although they don't know her name, only a vague description from Deus.

Meanwhile Andrea leaves Mel and Devon to babysit Deus. Which Devon is not keen to do. I'm really making Deus work to charm Devon. In the film Devon is clearly seeing Deus as more of a chore than a potential partner at this stage. It's making for a more interesting tale. Mel is the one who is clearly getting the hots for Deus.

Feeling a bit rebellious, Devon leaves the flat - against Andrea's advice - and naturally Deus follows. Urge follows from afar and tries to work out what is going on. He also, strangely, recognises Devon. Rhys shows up and confusion reigns. Leading Deus to turn to Andrea for advice - and a hilarious scene at her workplace.

Mel, meanwhile, finds an unlikely ally in Jenna and soon finds herself also getting involved in uncovering the mystery of Deus and the pot - inevitably learning something unexpected about Jenna, and also heading down a path towards her own divine encounter with a mysterious character who never made it into the series.

By the time this segment is completed, we have learned more about the factions involved and the stage gets set for Deus to be forced to make a decision.

This is also the section of the story where we see how Deus' intervention changes the dynamics in the three core relationships. Devon sees Rhys for who he really is. Andrea sees Carey for who he actually is. Mel discovers that she has more in common with Jenna than she initially realises.

But things are about to get worse because this is also the segment where Anima makes her move and disrupts the situation more.

Make My Movie Tally Update
We are now at 219 votes.

Thanks to everyone who is voting. Keep them coming! :)

http://www.makemymovie.co.nz/entry/urban-numina

Thanks,
Conan

Urban Numina The Movie: The Story So Far...

With Act One's rewrites completed, it is time to look over a synopsis of what the film script to date to help pull everything together...

Devon is having issues with his boyfriend, Rhys, who is wanting to change the conditions of their relationship. Andrea is suffering from doubts about her own relationship as she is finding something about Carey is rubbing her up the wrong way. Mel is finding that she has to defend her dislike of neighbour, Jenna, despite catching Jenna red handed trying to steal her ideas.

After breaking an old pot that was given to him by a stranger, Devon releases the amnesiac Deus, who is claiming to be a deity. Meanwhile the enigmatic "Urge"contacts the equally mysterious Ziana and is sent to find Deus.

Carey endeavours to help Andrea, Mel and Devon work out what to do with Deus when Jenna comes into the flat. At the same time, Deus begins to hallucinate the presence of a woman who is watching him. Even when in bed. Much to Devon's consternation.

Andrea and Carey decide to do some digging, finding that they start getting closer as a result. Mel tries to educate Devon in the finer points of rebound relationships.

Obviously this is just a broad overview covering several scenes, but this does get you up to date with the synopsis - without giving too much away. :)

Make My Movie Current Tally - 210 votes

http://www.makemymovie.co.nz/entry/urban-numina

Urban Numina The Movie: Getting Personal

Moving on with the rewrites, I've reached the point where Deus and Devon have their first real personal conversation in the film.

In the original series this was a bit of  divisive scene. Many fans loved the intimacy of the scene between the two actors, while some felt it was a bit too intimate and verged on voyeuristic.

At this point in the rewrites, I feel that it moves too quickly. For a webseries, where you have about 8 minutes an episode, it made sense to have the scene move quickly to declarations of love. But in a film, we want to see there be a bit more conflict. Also I want to avoid having Devon and Deus taking the lion's share of screen time.

So it is important that this scene keeps the personal intimacy of Devon and Deus beginning to develop a relationship with each other, but also to explore the other relationships at play in the film.

To do this, the scene begins with Deus talking to Devon about his relationship with Rhys. We learn more about the fall out from the opening scene with Rhys, and Deus reveals more about his attraction to Devon.

Following this scene, we turn to Andrea and Carey discussing what is to be done about Deus' presence.  This is a lead into the next day when Andrea advises Devon that he needs to babysit Deus while she and Carey try to work out what is happening.

Finally, before that next morning scene, I explore what Urge is up to with his search for Deus. This is just a short scene to further develop Urge's character.

It is this focus on getting personal with the characters, and facing those intimate moments, that will help the audience develop an affection for them and care about whether they will succeed or not.

As of this writing, the tally is 205 votes. We are moving closer to the higher levels of the competition for the popular vote. Which is awesome! With your help, we will be shooting Urban Numina February next year. Keep spreading the word and convincing your friends to vote for us! :)

http://www.makemymovie.co.nz/entry/urban-numina

Urban Numina The Movie: Keep On Moving

Today I have been working on the first real big scene with Urge and Ziana. In the original script Urge starts off in The Garden - Urban Numina's equivalent of Heaven or Mount Olympus - and is tasked by Ziana to track down Deus.

In the rewrites I decided that Urge starts off on Earth. Unlike the original, the Numina of Urban Numina are often on the planet in disguise - goading and guiding people as their natures drive them to.

Urge's nature is one that I want to tease out over the course of the film. We learn more about Urge through his actions than his words because while he talks a big game, he often isn't telling the truth. But his actions rarely lie.

The rewrite of the first scene still has Ziana and Urge talking, but Ziana has taken on a more authoritative tone. She instructs Urge rather than chats with him, and Urge - in response - seems to not really take her too seriously. There is an as yet to be revealed reason for this.

The thing I found is that I'm not 100% happy with the scene. It probably runs about a minute too long without anything particularly exciting happening in it. The purpose of the scene is to set up Urge's motivation for tracking down Deus, and introduce Ziana as well as explain why she doesn't just show up and do things herself.

The thing is, it is possible to get caught up on a single scene and obsess about it over and over in the attempt to get it right. But this can make script writing a slow and painful process. The other issue is that this can lead to me losing the thread of the film. So what needs to be done is to wrestle out a completion to the scene, and keep moving.

It will be much easier for me to go back to the scene after all my other rewrites and tighten it up than to try and wrestle it into perfection to only find that a later scene requires me to still go back and do a rewrite anyway.

So I have moved on to the next big scene, Deus' formal introduction to the flatmates. This is the scene in the series where Deus and Devon come out and talk to Carey, Mel and Andrea. Here we learn that a) Deus is a God and b) he can't remember anything about who he is.

One of the big changes in this scene is going to be the introduction of Anima. In the original script, Anima appeared during this scene but was invisible to all the other characters. Due to a scheduling issue,  Bex was unavailable during the series shoot and so I rewrote the scene as the odd dream sequence at the beginning of episode two.

In this version, Anima is going to simply be watching Deus - a foreshadowing of her involvement.

The other big change is Jenna's entry into the lounge while Deus is in the room. This is to reinforce the relationship between Jenna and Mel, and to give her  character a more integral reason to be involved in the events that follow.

Currently I have reached the point where Devon introduces Deus. I have decided to also take another approach to their relationship. Unlike the series, Devon will not be falling all over Deus. He is still in "I love Rhys" mode, and so his attitude to Deus' advances will be more those of frustration at Deus' interfering. Deus is going to have to show more of who he is - and in order to do that he needs to learn more about who he is. Which should act as a great motivator.

I'll write more about this scene tomorrow.

Conan

On the votes front - we are currently at:

193 Votes


So keep those votes coming in - remember, they can be via Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus.

http://www.makemymovie.co.nz/entry/urban-numina

Urban Numina The Movie: Beginning at the Beginning

When I initially put together the guts of the Urban Numina feature film script, I essentially dug out my first drafts for the series and combined them together, with the intent of using it as a skeleton to build the film script around, then tighten up once the first draft was completed.

As those who have watched the series know, the story opens with an argument between Mel and Andrea. However this In Media Res felt too abrupt in the final product. So I spent some time thinking about how I wanted the film to begin.

Taking the idea that this is about three pairings that get disrupted by the arrival of Deus, I decided that the film should begin with a brief introduction to the three "relationships" at the core of the film.

We open with Rhys and Devon on a lunch date that quickly goes wrong due to Rhys' somewhat lax and sleazy nature and sets up Devon's personality as someone we want to root for.

After that, I introduce Andrea at work. This is a side of Andrea's personality never seen in the series. She gets to be shown in a much stronger light as a woman who doesn't suffer fools gladly and stands up for herself. Upon seeing this, we are introduced to Carey and see the odd couple dynamic between Andrea and Carey.

Finally we see Mel in her element - sitting at home working on assignments. She is interrupted by Jenna's arrival, and we get a first hand glimpse at the animosity that Mel has towards Jenna.

From the point, the relationships are established, and we then have the fateful arrival of "the vase/pot" that will change the course of the flatmates' lives.

One thing I have been toying around with is a short treatment of the indie film that these relationships are about in the event that no gods show up. The point of the exercise is to help get a better bead on how things would have played out in a normal situation. It also allows me to figure out what things Deus can do to disrupt the flow of the narrative.

With these rewrites, I can then take scenes from the original scripts that work and insert them into the storyline as required.

Today I have completed 25% of the rewrites, which pretty much also covers Act One where the scene is set. Traditionally the largest portion of the film is Act Two where things get out of hand. That will begin this evening. :)

Don't forget - voting is still on for funding. Keep the votes coming in! The current count is 191! Moving up the ranks slowly by surely! Keep telling your friends about the film!

Conan

http://www.makemymovie.co.nz/entry/urban-numina

Urban Numina The Movie: Votes and Rewrites

With the competition at Make My Movie heating up, I've been really pushing and promoting Urban Numina. When I initially started pitching films for Make My Movie, I had three concepts. The idea was to let the public pick the film they wanted to see most. When a clear winner took the lead, that was going to be the film I would throw all my energy behind.

I have to admit, I was somewhat surprised by Urban Numina's popularity. Every day it just surged ahead of the other two films, and kept gaining momentum. With the interest in the film version growing, I started going over the original script revising and tightening the concept.

To win this competition it is going to take more than popularity - votes will get us to the big opportunity, but what Urban Numina needs is a strong script to win. I didn't want to simply paste the series together and polyfiller the gaps in the plot. I wanted the movie to stand on its own as a movie.

So my initial script was a tighter tale that cut out characters like Aoibheann, Moira, Carey and Jenna. But I felt it still lacked something. As I worked on rewrites, it struck me. What was Urban Numina the movie?

I had a story, and I had themes and a plot. But I felt that Urban Numina needed to have a clear identity that would make it different. Then it struck me - what if I took the gods out. What kind of a movie would that be?

Inspiration struck at the same time as I was contacted by Miranda Sadjack, who was following my twitter account and promoting her own short film - Gone. I pledged my support and got sent the script. It was a beautiful and incredibly well written script that I found inspiring from a writer's voice perspective. Seriously, go to that link and pledge the project. That film needs to be made. I can wait here...

Pledged? Great. So what was my big idea.

Urban Numina the movie is an indie relationship comedy movie that ends up having a god fall in the middle of it and send it careening off into an unexpected direction.

As a result, I have been thinking about what would have happened if Deus never showed up, then let that direct where things go because he does show up. Following? Well I'll be posting regularly about the development of the script as I go along.

The other big change is focusing more on Andrea, Devon and Mel as individuals. The webseries went off track when we were forced to make last minute rewrites due to unforeseen circumstances. As a result the show became a bit unfocused, in my view. With the movie I can return to what I really wanted to do with the story.

There are three key relationships that Deus' arrival disrupts. Devon and Rhys. Andrea and Carey. Mel and Jenna.

I will be posting more about the relationships at a later date.

Voting

Just a reminder about how the voting in Make My Movie works.

Stage One
This is the open stage where anyone can pitch a film. The judges will pick twelve films out of the hundreds of applicants. The decision will be based on a combination of popularity, the idea itself and whether the judges feel that the film can be made for the funding provided. (Or something like that.)

So while the votes aren't directly linked to success, they will be used to decide the likely popularity of the film and will have an influence on the decision. So obviously more votes are still a good thing if we can get them. So get your friends voting. I will be spending the month of October discussing the rewrites of the film, both out of interest but also to help give you - the fans - resources to direct friends to in order to convince them to vote for us.

I really do believe that Urban Numina can be made for $100,000 and will be a hilarious and broadly appealing film. So do your part to help us! :)

Stage Two
Once the judges have chosen twelve films to go through to the next stage, then the competition really heats up. The public are in full control here. The votes are reset to zero and the two films that get the most votes win. Simple as that.

I have already started work on plans to campaign for Urban Numina in the event of getting through to this round. This includes the enticements I mentioned last post, along with some cool little ideas and promotional materials. Naturally I will discuss these in more detail in November.

Stage Three
The toughest stage. This is when the two winners have to present their scripts and materials to the judges. The judges will then pick the winner, who will receive the $100,000 funding to make their movie. That is why I'm doing rewrites now - a feature film script is a big challenge, and to be up to scratch it needs to go through a few rewrites.

I believe in Urban Numina, and I want to provide the best script possible for this film. Hence getting it done now and spending the rest of this year tightening and improving. While it does have a strong gay storyline, I want to make the film have a much broader appeal. I want this to be a comedy that isn't just shelved as "gay comedy." I want people to look at this as something fresh and fun.

Remember, every person you convince to vote now is getting us that little bit closer to getting the funding. Also remind your friends Urban Numina the webseries was made for around $150.  Imagine what we can achieve with $100,000, professional crew, professional producer, script supervisor and backing.


And because I like to keep reminding people of the link. :)

http://www.makemymovie.co.nz/entry/urban-numina

See you later!

Conan

Urban Numina The Movie: Synopsis and How You Can Help!

It has been some time since I posted on here. A lot has been going on in regards to film projects and continuing Urban Numina. But here is some exciting news, I'm working on an Urban Numina feature film!

Currently a new competition has been started here in New Zealand, with the chance to win $100,000 funding towards an independent movie. I put forward three pitches, of which Urban Numina has proven to be the most popular.

The competition works as thus. Judges will select the top twelve films out of those pitched - using the votes as a guide to pick the best choices.

Votes are made by either liking the film's page, tweeting its link or choosing +1 via google+.

Once the top 12 are chosen, the votes are reset and voting begins again. The top voted two then have to present scripts to the judges and a final winner will be decided.

Urban Numina still is a far way off from winning. But I have been working hard to promote it. I'm taking a leaf from the crowdfunding manual.

The voting is social media based - so it isn't enough to just vote. Each voter needs to convince as many of their friends to vote too, and so on.

But this can be a tough sell out of the many entries at the site. So I'm putting forth this post that you can guide people to. Below is a synopsis of the start of the film along with details as to what happens in the latter part (avoiding spoilers.)

I have spent a fair amount of time crafting the story into a feature film format, which requires a different narrative to the series. It needs to stand on its own as a story and introduce the characters without spending too much time waffling. I'm confident that the script delivers on this. It is much funnier and takes a lot from the feedback I got from the series.

Now for the crowdfunding part -

I need you to help me get the votes I need. If I can get even as half as many votes as people who watched the first episode - Urban Numina stands an excellent chance of winning.

To this end here are some enticements for if the film wins.

• Everybody who votes will get a supporter mention in the end credits.


• If you convince 20+ friends to vote - you will get special mention in the credits.


• If you convince 50+ friends to vote - you will get an Executive Producer credit.


• If you convince 100+ friends to vote - Executive Producer credit and a special personalised video from cast and crew thanking you for your support.


• If you convince 150+ friends to vote - Executive Producer credit, personal video and a signed poster. If you are based in NZ and can get to Wellington, I'll include a walk on role and dinner with the cast.

These enticements will become active once we make it to the second round of the competition, and I will be setting up a page to keep track of everyone who wants to claim a vote. 

To vote, people need to go to

http://www.makemymovie.co.nz/entry/urban-numina

Now for the synopsis and a link to the last episode. :)

Synopsis

Currently I'm in the process of rewriting the script and thus the synopsis has changed. Keep checking the blog for more information.

Here's a brief summary teaser:

Devon is heartbroken, Andrea is trying to get heartbroken and Mel is just breaking hearts. Just when the three friends feel they are getting on top of their problems, an amnesiac god named Deus literally drops into the middle of their lives.

Now Devon is trying to get his boyfriend back while  having to babysit Deus, Andrea is having to turn to the man she wants to break up with and Mel is not only breaking hearts but contemplating breaking bones too. And that's when things get really complicated...

Urban Numina Episode Seven: Deus Absentis

Deus is missing! Devon and Andrea try to find out where he has gone while Urge and Anima face off.

The final episode of Urban Numina Season One is here. I hope you enjoy it! :)

I'll be writing an exit summary of the first season experience next week.

Conan

Episode Six: Anima

Urge and Aoibheann reveal some of Deus' past; Devon and Deus discuss the future; Urge meets a familiar face on Earth.

Episode Five: Urge

Urge appears on the mortal realm; Deus has a surprise for Devon; Andrea Carey and Mel try to work out what is going on.

Episode Four: Andrea

Two mysterious strangers, Devon faces off against Mel, Carey comes bearing news about Deus.

Another fun episode of Urban Numina, and the first with our new camera.

Conan

Episode Three: Rhys

Here it is, Episode Three!

Ziana confronts Anima. Andrea explains her concerns about Deus to Devon, who is busy dealing with Jenna and a person from his past...

Enjoy!

Conan

Urban Numina Episode Three and V48 Hours

Hey there folks!

Don't fret the lack of an episode three this week. Due to the V48hours film challenge on the 21st - 22nd May and a bereavement las week, we were unable to shoot the third episode. Most of the episode was shot last weekend and I'm doing pick ups this week. We will be back next week and returning to weekly releases.

See you all next week!

Conan

Episode Two: Devon

Here is episode two!

Deus is haunted by visions of a woman in green. Andrea, Carey and Mel try to work out what is going on. Devon is forced to confront how he feels about Deus.

Sorry for the delay to updating the site - I have been out of town due to a funeral. More on episode two later. :)

Conan

Behind the Scenes: Episode One

It is always with a mix of excitement and dread that I release a creative endeavour out into the wild frontier of the public. You always have to steel yourself for the inevitable mix of praise and criticism that strikes.

But it is done. The first episode is completed and out there for everyone to see, and I'm now in the process of working on the second episode edit.

As outlined at the beginning of this ambitious project, we are literally shooting an episode and releasing it a week after shooting - this is a crazy schedule to follow, and it will get easier next month when I shoot two episodes a weekend rather than one. (Basically we will shoot two weekends a month, which should provide 4 episodes worth of footage.)

It's a testament to the cast's eagerness that they have opted to add another weekend this month to their schedule to shoot a bonus episode - one that I am working on at the moment while also laying the foundations for episodes 8 - 13.

Hopefully by episode 8 we'll still have the same enthusiasm and vigour that has characterised the first two shoots. :)

But today I am going to talk a little more about Episode one.

We shot the entire episode on Saturday 7th May. Due to the nature of the project, we had cast and crew sharing duties all day. Josh, whose eager energy and positive energy certainly has been helping keep everyone else upbeat, showed up about ten minutes early and was all set to start shooting as soon as possible.

The original script had Andrea and Mel arguing on the balcony so that I could take advantage of the fantastic view from there - on a sunny day it is a stunning view of Wellington Harbour. Unfortunately Mother Nature had other plans.

I had spent the week planning out an alternative version of the scene set within the lounge, and so we were able to still shoot without too much fuss.

Within a very short period of time we had all the cast for the first scene on set, and were missing a cameraman. My plan was to shoot with two cameras to help reduce shooting time - ideally you want to capture as much footage as you can to give the editor plenty of material to play with during post. So Lee, who plays Carey, stepped up to the mark to handle the second camera while I managed first - and Michael (Deus) took over boom duties during the first scene.

We shot several takes, mostly because Jenni, Josh and Kerina were so excited to be shooting they kept breaking out into giggles.

Then it was Mike's turn to shuck off his clothes and pretend to be a naked deity. For the record - and for those who have seen Josh's blooper reel - Mike was not naked. But he certainly was a real trooper who willingly stepped out into the blustery, cold and wet balcony to give himself a genuine sweaty appearance for his "emerging from the vase" shot. I think it is a testament to his professionalism that he not only had fun, but dove in without any complaints. Even when I had him standing, legs spread while I tried to frame one of my favourite shots from episode one of the three flatmates looking at him. It was certainly awkward in the tight confines of the kitchen.

We initially started an hour later than planned, but due to the use of the flip minos, there was no need for elaborate lighting rigs, which meant that moving from shot to shot and scene to scene was a painless and fast process. Normally you would need to break down the lighting and rejig it for the next shot. The down side is that we did get some odd lighting quirks that required colour correction in post. In episode two I decided to try natural lighting and nothing else, and that seemed to produce a better result overall. But still not perfect. Unfortunately, as my favourite saying this project has become, that's the nature of the beast we have taken on here.

Unfortunately when we changed boom operators for the next scene, someone accidentally turned off the boom. This wasn't noticed during the shoot, and as a result it made the boom material we did record useless because the sound inconsistency would have been too jarring. As a result, I was forced to use the Flip mino audio recording. Forunately, the minos do a great job of picking up voices and through some careful work within iMovie 11 and a great little program called Audacity we were able to mitigate most of the background hiss and sound issues. It isn't as good as a boom, but a great way to recover from such a nightmare situation.

Normally when shooting outside in a public location, you need to arrange releases through the city council - mainly because you are potentially making a hindrance and nuisance for other people who may wish to use public resources. Due to our cast and crew literally being 5 people with a camera the size of a mobile phone, I figured we could get away with being more guerilla film crew about it and just shoot as long as we kept out of people's way. I have to strongly state - if you are planning on using white boards, lighting or anything more elaborate than the size of a mobile phone for your shoot - GET APPROVALS.

The same goes for if you plan to do anything that involves guns, fighting or in some way could lead to someone in the public thinking there is a threat. Otherwise you can expect the police to show up. It is often also a good idea to call the police even after getting council approval - because, again, this just keeps the people who need to be in the know... well... in the know.

Fortunately we had nothing like that planned - and with the weather clearing up enough we were able to shoot Melissa (Ziana) and Andrew's (Urge) scene without drama or interruption.

So with the episodes being released essentially on a weekly basis, this is a great opportunity to discuss with me the series and your thoughts. Let me know who your favourite characters are. Tell us about your favourite cast members and what you think of the various storylines. I'm particularly interested in hearing about thoughts people have in regards to what is going on and who really is intending to do what. I know what is going to happen, but I'm also interested in hearing people's opinions.

The same goes for the humour. More? Less? This is your chance to talk directly with the guy who makes the big decisions about the direction Urban Numina heads.

Look forward to hearing back from your all!

Conan

Urban Numina Episode One: Deus

Flatmates Andrea, Devon and Mel find themselves with an unexpected new flatmate after Devon accidentally breaks a vase from under the house and appears to release God. Or maybe things are not all as they seem...

It's here - the first episode of Urban Numina! Enjoy!

Conan

The Countdown Begins

As those who follow my twitter feed know, I have been battling to edit the first episode and have been trying all manner of tricks and techniques.

With the final edit almost ready, I had some time today to play around with teaser trailers - give audiences something to look at prior to the main event.

The first trailer is the "official" teaser - it is straight forward and hints at events in episode one. The second is a fun little trailer I made using iMovie 11's trailer templates. It doesn't really make a lot of sense, but it is kind of fun.

Keep watching folks! We're almost ready to start the ball rolling. :)

What's this?

Ziana (Melissa Phillips) and Urge (Andrew Goddard) are waiting to reveal that episode one has been all shot and is now being edited! :)

Conan

Multimedia: New Ways to Tell Your Story

I know I said I'd be covering the rehearsals more, but I'm really keen to explain and expand on what is happening via Twitter and Facebook for Urban Numina.

One of the key things about distributing a series via the Internet is that you get to play with how you tell your story. Engage the audience via multiple sources for information about the show and it's characters.

What I have started with Urban Numina is a kind of prologue story told via the tweets of Jenna, Devon, Andrea and Mel. The trick is for followers of these twitter feeds to piece together what is happening via the comments being made by the characters. This is also a chance to learn more about the characters via their comments. Much in the way that the UK series Misfits did.

Secondly, there will be photo essays and other "in world" material posted on our upcoming facebook page.

The idea here is to have multiple leads into the show, and make a bit of a game out of following the various sources.

Nothing vital will be presented via these extra media resources, rather I am using them to help flesh out the world and its characters.

But this kind of thing is only as effective as the social networks they are a part of. This is where you come in. Spread word and get people following the characters. The more people engage with the twitter feeds, the more they will become a part of the series and the more interesting the storylines will become. :)

So spread the word folks!

Mel - @Mel2theR
Jenna - @ForevaJenna
Devon - @TheSharpeD
Andrea - @WgtnAndrea

Catch you later folks!
Conan

Rehearsals Part One: Sharing and Caring

Last weekend we had our first read through / rehearsal for Urban Numina. I'll be posting some video from the rehearsal later this week, it was a lot of fun.

It is important to hold a read through of the scripts fairly early on in the production process. This is an opportunity to let the actors get used to the script and the delivery. Especially when dealing with a comedy. To help avoid actors bursting out laughing mid performance you want them to know the jokes well before hand. It's not a guarantee, of course, but it helps.

My method was to first read a script with all the direction notations and actions. Then we would reread the script with just the actor's lines. Given that much of Urban Numina has snappy back and forth dialogue, it is important to hear the flow of the conversation.

This is a big opportunity for me to make alterations to the script if something stands out or we get better ideas during the rehearsal.

The other thing I try to do is engage the cast and crew in discussions about their thoughts on the scripts. This is no guarantee that I will make the changes they want - and some things I have chosen to not change - but it gives them input and the ability to change the things that particularly bug them.

As a result of the rehearsal, the scripts are tightening up and I'm seeing which jokes work and which fall a bit flat.

So far, it looks like we have a real hit on our hands.

Next: Rehearsal video

Conan

P.S. As a little bonus, here is a video of Mike (Deus) and Josh (Devon) bonding over a little beatbox practice during the cast drinks on Friday. This was shot on iPhone and it was a noisy night - so apologies for the sound. :)

Planning: Call Sheets and Storyboards

Now that the days have been scheduled, location selected and cast chosen - it's time to put together call sheets for the days of the shoot. There are plenty of call sheet templates out there - but here is an example of an Urban Numina Call Sheet.

Generally you will have two such schedules. This is for cast and crew outlining the overall plan for the day. It outlines the order that scenes are planned to be shot in, when people are expected to show up and when they are expecting to wrap for the day.

It is important to note that you can rarely set a solid wrap time because shoots can run overtime or finish early. It is best to set your wrap time later than you intend to wrap because it will give you some breathing space in the event of the shoot running over time, and it also is a boost for cast and crew if you manage to finish early.

A good call sheet will allow you to break down your script, work out the order in which to shoot scenes and save you a lot of time planning and organising. It is really important to plan efficiently so as to not have actors sitting around half the day with nothing to do. Call sheets will help you plan out when the actors are required. An average day should net you 5-10 minutes of usable footage if you have an experienced cast and crew. 3-5 minutes if inexperienced. So roughly plan to shoot an hour per minute of footage you want to capture.

How did I work out the length of each scene. The standard belief in Hollywood these days is that a page of a script roughly translates to a minute of screen time. So you will need to make an estimate. If the scene takes up approximate a third of the page, it is likely to be about twenty seconds of screen time. There are always exceptions, but at the planning stage this tends to be a safe estimate to work with. Note that with much more dialogue driven scripts, scenes can end up running shorter or longer than they seem - based on performance and direction. But you generally will find the a page per minute ratio a good measure to work with.

The second schedule is a shots sheet. I haven't done one for Urban Numina mostly because they are very time consuming. A shot sheet resembles a call sheet but it is split up over each shot that you are planning to take. This is actually important, but I have included the shots in the storyboards, so I will be working straight off those. Because each episode is fairly short and low on complex visual effects, I can afford to do this. If you are planning to do anything that involves a lot of complex photography, FX or movement, a shot sheet is going to make your life a lot easier.

Above is an example of the storyboard for the opening scene of Urban Numina. This was created using Cinemek Storyboard on the iPhone. A word of caution, a small 7 minute storyboard takes a long time to render and upload as an e-mail. Be prepared to wait. Still the finished storyboard is great and comes in PDF format - which you can then load on a tablet like an iPad and have with you during your shoot. Because the storyboard allows me to split scenes down shot by shot, I can use it instead of a shot sheet. Normally storyboards are too big to have on set, so you go by a shot sheet instead.

Celtx also has a great tool for breaking down shots and preparing a shot sheet for you and is well worth the investigation.

Good planning does wonders for a project. It keeps morale up, because it convinces cast and crew that things are organised and will see completion. It helps reduce the downtime for people on set - actors love to act and hate sitting around waiting for their next scene. Keeping a good plan and schedule ensures you don't waste their time and they leave a shoot feeling positive and that they have done a good day's work. Actors who had to sit around all day long doing nothing tend to walk away feeling that their time was wasted and nobody knew what was going on.

Be prepared for plans to go awry - I often prepare notes for extra scenes in the event that suddenly we have to change shooting order etc. But if you have done your job right, your shoot should run relatively smoothly and be full of positive and excited people eager to see the project to completion.

Next: Rehearsals, and spreading word about the project...

Conan

Scheduling: Herding Cats and Learning Patience

When you are producing a web series, it is going to be vital to get your scheduling down tightly.

Actors, crew, locations, friends and family - there are a lot of factors that you need to balance to make your production a success. My most vital piece of advice is don't give up.

There will be times where you will get frustrated - the larger your cast the more difficult it is going to be to organise. Organising all these elements can feel like herding cats. You need to be able to balance peoples' commitments with the commitment to the production.

While it would be nice to hope that everyone will make your project the first commitment for them, it's not a reasonable hope. Cast and crew are likely to be providing their skills and expertise on a volunteer basis, and they will only have so much time available for doing volunteer projects. They still need to eat, and get paid.

So the trick is to keep open about scheduling with everyone involved. Engage them in the process so that they feel that they are having a say. You will find that people are willing to make compromises if they feel that they are being listened to.

In most cases you will be able to make things work, but you need to be patient and be able to change plans.

In the case of Urban Numina, I had placed some very tight turn arounds on the cast and crew. I wanted to get into shooting as soon as possible. Locking down a location was proving to be difficult and to use the house I wanted to, I needed to be able to provide dates and times so that the occupants could plan around my timetable.

As such, I had a very tight set of dates available. This was further complicated by the fact that The 48 Hours Film Challenge was sitting right in the middle of May - which many of our team are involved in. Then I discovered one of the cast was involved in a theatrical production that had booked out all Sundays with rehearsals - which made my range of options even smaller.

I didn't want to shoot every weekend of the month, and with 48 hours I expected people to be exhausted for the next week and a bit.

To further complicate things, another actor had family commitments on the weekends I did have available!

So what was a producer to do? Give up? Never! Delay until June? I wanted to strike while the cast were still eager and positive about the production. The longer it takes until shooting, the more time for that good will to weaken.

The solution ended up being an easy one. I split the episodes up into six shorter pieces, (although in total they actually add about 6-10 minutes of extra film time to the original three) and split these around the times certain actors were free and when locations were available.

This succeeded in doing two things for me - firstly, I was now able to shoot a single episode in a day rather than needing 2-3. Secondly, it allowed me to shoot around other people's commitments and keep their on set time down to around 4 hours each in most instances.

Ultimately we can shoot the episodes and start releasing them at the end of May while still getting a 2-3 week break between episodes 2 and 3.

What happens if nobody is free at the same time? This is an unlikely situation, but it is possible. Some people do audition despite not actually having the time to do the project if they are successful. In the unlikely event of this occurring, it will depend on the people involved. You will likely need to get hard with some of the actors. Stick the the largest number of actors able to work at the same times and recast the rest if they cannot reschedule.

I don't think it is really that likely though, so you should be fine.

So remember, be flexible and patient. Sometimes it looks like you have no options, but if you take a deep breath - walk away from schedules for a day or two and then come back and look at them again, you will find a way around. And by being open to the cast and crew, I had some of them come back and offer suggestions of what days worked for them.

Keep honest, keep positive and keep determined. Scheduling will prove to be one of the biggest challenges you'll face - but it is also one that can be overcome.

Next - Making a call sheet.

Conan

Auditions Part 3: The Ladies - Second Half

Apologies again for the delay in updating the blog. I have been very busy negotiating locations, doing one final casting that has now turned into two new roles, and scheduling the series along with a major adjustment to the scripts.

More on that later. :)

Here are the remaining auditions.

Melissa

Olga

Rebecca

Zelda

After going through all the auditions, Kerina and I agreed to call back Melissa and Ella to audition for the role of Jenna.

Melissa's Jenna Audition

Ella's Jenna Audition

As you can see, two very strong performances, which made the casting somewhat difficult. In the end, after much careful consideration, the casting ended up as follows. Note that some roles had already been cast to people I knew were best for the parts.

Andrea - Kerina Deas

Anima - Rebecca Parker

Carey - Lee Dowsett

Deus - Michael Van Echten

Devon - Joshua Stewart

Jenna - Ella Hope-Higgson

Mel - Jenni Dowsett

Urge - Andrew Goddard

Ziana - Melissa Phillips

Oooooh - who is Ziana, you ask? Well you'll just have to wait and see. I'll discuss the character in more depth later.

Next up: Schedules and Call Sheets

Conan

Auditions Part 3: The Ladies - first half

Now for the ladies. Of course we had a larger number of women audition for the role of Anima. Without further ado, here are the first five.

Ange

Anita

Ella

Emma

Gina

As you can see, Anima's role is a much more serious character.

I'll be uploading more auditions tomorrow.

Conan

Auditions Part 2: The Boys

As promised here are the male auditions for the series.

Unfortunately Dan pulled out of the running as he is now moving to Australia, but I felt you still needed to see his audition because he is very talented.

Without further ado, here are the auditions.

Andrew

Dan

Josh

Kieran

Michael

Next up - the ladies!

Conan

Auditions Part 1: Casting Completed!

Inkeetoe? Insightoe? Deuce? Dayoos?

Auditions and casting is now effectively over. We have seen a number of people, had a few debates over pronunciation and discussions between myself and Kerina - who is playing Andrea - as to who should be in what part. But it is now all done.

Over the next few days I shall be showing some of the auditions we had to give you an idea of breadth of talent and interpretations we saw.

It is very satisfying to know that there is so much talent out there, but kind of upsetting too - because I can't cast everyone, as much as I might like to. It's also a little frustrating because it makes the decision making process that much harder when you simply can't decided out of three or four incredible performances.

Some helpful pointers though:

• When running an audition, I find it is best to get at least three takes from an actor. One is a cold read where you get to see their own take on the role, one is with direction and the third is if they want to give it one more go. The reason I like to do this is because I know what it is like to walk out of an audition and think "if I had only done one more take..." So I like to try and let the actors get one more take before we finish up their audition.
• Let the actors ask questions before starting. A side rarely tells the actor the full story about their character. Giving them a chance to ask a few questions about the project and the character helps them to get them focused on what is expected. It also lets you as a producer/director get a feel for the actor as a person. When you are working with people on a volunteer project, it is good to know if their dynamic is going to match the other cast and crew.
• Be friendly. Auditions are scary things to do, it's a competition and most actors are nervous - even the real professionals still have butterflies - so keeping a friendly and approachable demeanour means that they are more likely to listen to direction and open up for their audition.
• Try to have someone else with you. Due to timing issues, some of the auditions were just myself and the actor. I don't usually like doing this as it can feel a little confrontational or creepy. Especially if you are holding auditions in a house rather than at a studio. Having another cast or crew member with you helps to add a sense of legitimacy to your project.

Something I noticed locally here is that there are a lot of actresses and simply not enough roles to go around. I definitely intend to write a female heavy project for my next undertaking...

When it came to making the decision of who got which part, we had some interesting situations. Two of the roles were no brainers. Kerina and I both just looked at the video for the two actors and said straight away yes. There simply was not doubt that they nailed their characters in ways that the other actors simply didn't.

However, two roles were very hard to decide on. The male role had two contenders. One who looked like the classical idea of the role and played the part well, and the other who had a more unusual look but had a very intense focus. The part of Anima was also hotly contested, and came down to three very different takes on the character - over which Kerina and I had much debate. The actresses were three very different looks for the part and had three very different ways of playing her.

When I put the auditions up, I won't actually discuss each individual actor and why they did nor didn't get the role. Mostly because I don't feel that it would be fair. I will cover here the key things that it came down to for each role without discussing the aspects of the actors who got the parts - these are just notes about what Kerina and I ended up agreeing were the key points we were looking for.

Devon: Despite being a mortal character, Devon is one of the most comedic characters in the script. He does a lot of physical and expressive comedy, and as such needed a very animated actor who could do funny facial expressions while also still looking cute in a boy-next-door kind of way.

Deus: On the shallow end, Deus needed to be attractive. But he also needed to be distinctive. When the actor walked into frame, he needed to have a presence that commanded attention. He also needed to be able to be both neutral but warm and be able to play opposite Devon.

Urge: In many ways Urge's character is fairly easy to play. He's larger than life and often just needs to be a little slutty in his acting. What we were looking for is an actor who could build on that and give Urge more comedy out of his performance than just relying on his audacious dialogue.

Anima: Anima was a very hard role to nail. I had very specific ideas about who she was, and the actress really needed to have a strong presence as well as a mystery to her. The role was one that needed both a warmth and a sharp edge hidden within it. As Kerina likes to say "there is a sense of 'don't f**k with me' to her."

Sadly, not everyone could "win" and I have had the unenviable job of telling most of the people I saw that they didn't get a part. Which I hate doing, because it wasn't a case of them not being good, but that there were a lot of good people who auditioned. It was not an easy decision.

Fortunately, I now know who is out there looking for work and can write characters with an idea of the people I'd like to ask to play the roles. So hopefully in the future we will see some of these faces in the series at a later point. (Fingers crossed.)

So tomorrow I shall start off with the boys - make sure to be here not only to see the auditions, but hear some of the script.

It's going to be an interesting exercise!

Conan

Casting: Putting out a casting call

With the first drafts of the series now completed, it's now that things get complex. Making a web series is not about one step after the other - eventually a producer, much like a professional juggler, has to start throwing more than one ball up into the air.

Once you have your scripts ready, you need to begin planning *how* you intend to shoot your series and also start gathering your cast.

Fortunately, I already have three roles effectively cast. Mel, Andrea and Carey. I'll still be asking the actors to do a screen test of the character so that I can get a feel for how they intend to play their character, but the roles were effectively written for these three.

But I still have four roles to fill, and they are all central roles to the show. The plan here will be to put out casting calls, hold auditions and once I have my full cast we will be doing workshops to improve the comedy of the script to match the actors.

But how do you put together a casting call? First, find somewhere that will allow you to post them. There are a lot of great sites these days for putting up casting calls.

Star Now

The Big Idea

These are two New Zealand based sites that I have chosen to advertise on.

A more international service for small productions is Spidvid but I have very limited knowledge about it's effectiveness. Do a google search, and ask around local theatre groups. Ideally, the more places you put your call up, the more responses you are likely to get.

Here is the Starnow Ad

Here is The Big Idea Ad

But how do you put together a casting call?

Keep It Brief

There is a temptation to go into great detail when putting up a casting call. What you need to do is give actors enough information to pique their interest and get a feel for the character, but not so much as to lock them into a performance that will feel unnatural to them.

Most of my advice focuses around this. Do not make the mistake of trying to mould the actor into the role. The trick is to find the point where the actor's interpretation and your vision come together to create a living character. In order to do this, you need to give the actors enough freedom to interpret the role and enough direction to know where they need to be focusing.

I tend to pick key words that define the core of the character and a few lines about how I see that character being played. Beyond that, it's too much at this early stage. Part of the process is developing the character with the actor rather than just saying "your character must be played like this..."

Be clear about expectations

As you will note in the ads, I'm upfront about Devon and Deus being shirtless. The opening scene of the series has Deus showing up naked, and actors need to know when that is expected. Now my plan is to shoot the scene so that the nudity is implied rather than shown - so the actor will be wearing shorts and we'll be shooting only above the waist and a shot of his legs - but no actual nudity.

However, this does need to be known. Also, I have tried to be clear that this is a comedic show and actors will need to have some comedic timing. This isn't so central, as we can build on timing issues - but again, it helps to give them an idea as to what tone is going to be expected when they audition.

Don't be too limiting

Now despite all that, I need to stress that you can't be too limiting in a casting call. I generally avoid mentioning ethnicity or body type because I like to see who shows up and what kind of performance they bring with them. Deus could be muscular, athletic, slim, European, Samoan, Chinese...

You do need some limitations - Deus and Urge need to be physically fit and attractive - and if this was a story about a Danish family, obviously I would be looking for people who can look and act as if they were Danish. But in regards to these characters, I'm wanting to keep things open. I'm wanting to be surprised by the people who apply, and give them an opportunity to show me their take on these characters. Because there will be improv and workshop sessions to develop the characters further, I need to be seeing people who can show creativity and initiative in their roles but who can still take direction.

So now it is simply a matter of waiting for the applications to come in.

Next: Auditions

Conan

Music: GarageBand Versus Real Bands

Producing a series requires you to wear a lot of hats, especially if you are intending to also write and direct the show too. (I once tried the acting deal too - it was a lot to deal with.)

The point I'm getting to is that while I have been writing the series I've also been planning the casting and music for it too. Which brings me to the point of this post. Music.

The worst mistake a producer of a webseries can make is leaving music until last thing. Music can make or break a series. If it is too amateur and clearly peddled together last minute it can make the best performance and editing still look rough and cheap. If the music is polished and evocative, it can raise the appearance of a bad production to looking more deliberate.

Now the usual assumption is that you can pile together a flash piece on GarageBand with a few loops. While there is a degree of truth to this, everyone knows those loops. Without some musical embellishment it can make your show look lazy - and nothing is more embarrassing than later finding out that your loop theme is the same as one in some obscure internet porn movie!

At the very least it pays to have a musician/composer work on GarageBand for you to make sure that you get a fresh sound.

Alternatively, there are Royalty Free sites all over the place that produce passable music you can use. But you often run into the problem that barring some stings and short bars, most of the music is either bland or lacks suitable audio cues.

I, personally, have found a lot of royalty free music to lack a certain "fullness" and usually sounds cheap and nasty.

MingleMedia made a great suggestion once, get a real band. Most towns will have a couple of talented independent bands and singer/songwriters just dying for exposure and who will have music recordings they are happy to give you permission to use if you link back to their myspace/facebook pages.

The benefit of using actual songs is that you don't need audio cues, you can usually find songs to suit most moods and it gives the show a more polished feel as most of these guys are talented at making real music regardless of whether it is via synth, GarageBand or an actual four piece group.

I also feel that it works with the village economy state of independent web productions. They provide music, you help with increasing their fan base.

Currently I have been working with two groups who have shown interest in being involved with Urban Numina.

http://www.throwittothefire.co.nz

A local rock band whose track "PS" is sounding suitable for a scene with Urge and Mel. I'm looking to go over their tracks as we shoot the series to find where they will fit.

http://www.jezkemp.co.uk
Although Jez's site is a uk one, he is based here in Wellington. A lot of his music is ideal for the show and I already have one of his songs in mind for the main theme for the show.

For those of you looking for bands, My Space is a good place to start. But also try to make contact with people into the local music scene - as they can introduce you to a number of these bands.

Next: Preparing for Casting!

Conan

Scripting Part 2: First Drafts and Writer's Block

I have almost finished the first drafts of the series. It was a pretty challenging undertaking as I had to spend some time working out the "voices" for each character.

Once episode one was completed, I sent copies to my brother and some of the people I have in mind for certain roles in the show - to get their feedback. Having been suffering from a degree of Writer's block, it was a challenge getting that first script written. But the best solution to writer's block still is writing. Just anything to clear the mind.

Feedback has been good, although it is clear that the script is still a bit wordy at the moment. I've received some excellent feedback regarding the characters and we're well on our way.

The next step, once I complete episode 3, is to cast the characters and run a character workshop where we will focus more on the comedy aspects of the script.

I find comedy to be heavily reliant on a combination of writing and casting. The best solution is to find people who are capable of being comedic and then build the humor around their strengths.

When I get to casting, I'll be posting the auditions up on the site for you all to see and comment on. :)

Stick with me here. Things are picking up pace!

Conan

Scripting Part 1: Treatment to Script

I spent this weekend and this morning working on the treatments for Urban Numina, and as predicted there were some interesting changes.

One of the key ones is that I'm inclined to drop the first season down to three episodes. The reason being is that the treatment for episode three feels like a really good cliffhanger ending. Anima shows up, Devon and Deus' burgeoning relationship looks to be over before it began, Mel and Urge hook up and Andrena thinks she's close to exposing the Numina's motives.

This feels like a great point to leave off and get the fans begging for more. I'm holding off on episode four now just to see how the first three scripts develop.

Another interesting development from the treatments is the creation of a seventh character - Carey. This character had been in the back of my mind when I was initially conceiving the show. He's a nice everyday guy, a researcher of some kind, who has an on again, off again relationship with Andrena. I found that he kind of worked his way into the story as I wrote it, being the guy that Andrena can turn to because Mel and Devon are too wrapped up in the Numina.

In a way he's the compass for Andrena and the others. When they overlook something obvious, he guides them to look at it. He spots the things that they ignore and he plays a bit more of a sceptic role. He challenges the Numina to prove they are supernatural and he suspects certain things about Deus and Urge's relationship to each other.

So now it is time to start writing scripts. I'm happy with the treatments and the outline they have given me. The first few episodes are strong, in my opinion, and have suitable structure.

But what do I need to know before I start writing a script?

Two excellent resources I'd recommend are The Guerilla Filmmaker's Handbook by Chris Jones and Genevieve Jolliffe; and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Screenwriting by Skip Press.

Both of these books provide invaluable advice regarding scripts. There are certain conventions and format rules that are used in the professional industry - and it is well worth learning these conventions. It is also worth noting that film and television do have slightly different rules - but these can be overlooked.

Now obviously you don't want to be pissing around with too much formatting while you are writing. There are two ways to tackle this. One is to just write normally and apply formatting afterwards. I personally find this a bothersome method and a poorly advised process to follow. I would not recommend it and I would question the wisdom of anyone who did especially when there are so many excellent programs out that for screenwriting that do all the work for you and let you just get straight into writing.

The best, I feel, is Celtx, which is not only an industry standard application, but also a free one. You can also buy a support application for iPad and iPhone that allows you to write on these devices and sync the scripts up on a server to download to your computer - which means you can take your scripts anywhere and update them on the fly. Very useful when making changes mid shoot or when you suddenly are inspired regarding a scene while out and about.

Some professionals will pooh pooh the idea of trying to write a script on their iPhone, but I managed to write 70 pages of my revised Winding City script in exactly this way during lunch breaks. The Celtx app is extremely intuitive and easy to use. I find it makes writing anywhere hugely easy and removes one of the greatest obstacles of writing - time. If you can write anywhere there is no excuse for not having the time to write - and because it syncs up with my iPad and laptop, I am always up to date on the script and even if I just add a single line - all my copies get updated with that change. An excellent way to manage one of the more difficult parts of the process.

So now that I have my treatments, my scriptwriting application and an idea of characters - it's time to go to it and start writing the script.

There is no fixed way to do it, but the key thing when diving into a new script is to make sure the first scene has a punch to it. This doesn't need to be an obvious action scene, but it needs to grab the audience to get them watching straight away. There are all manner of methods to do this. James Bond, for example tends to start of In Media Res - in the middle of the action with all manner of things going on. Vampire Diaries usually starts with some standard action which suddenly reveals that something you had thought you understood was in fact something different. Glee tends to have some kind of funny quip that suggests the theme of the episode to come.

Your first scene is a tricky one because it sets the tone for the entire episode. My thought is that I will be starting with a funny argument between Mel and Andrena. It should tell us a little about the two characters, be witty and it will end with Devon showing up followed by Deus. When Deus appears, Devon is going to say "I think he's God" at which point we'll go to the titles.

Now this scene could take 2-3 minutes to run if I'm not careful. That's half of the episode, as I plan to make each episode 7 minutes long. So I'll be starting the argument In Media Res and keep it to maybe two lines each and a line from Devon before Deus shows up. In total, I expect the scene to be about a page long - which is roughly a minute of screen time. This is an acceptable length of time, I feel. The titles should not be longer than 30 seconds. We then can have a 2-3 minutes sequence of Devon, Mel, Andrena and eventually Carey dealing with Deus' arrival. A minute of Devon and Deus. A minute of Devon, Mel, Andrena and Carey. A minute of Deus and Anima. That should bring me to seven minutes and will cover the entire first episode treatment.

It is vital to plan these things - not so that you stick to the plan, but so that you have a roadmap of what you are trying to achieve and to keep you from wandering off course too much. It is too easy in this kind of set up to milk a 5-6 minute comedy debate that really doesn't move the story along and - while funny - drags things out. In webshows you need to get to the point and be punchy with each scene to keep viewers watching. In a way, a minute in a web show can feel like a really long time - especially if there are lag issues.

It's important to keep things moving.

Next - Scripting Part 2: Writing Episode One

Conan