Well, dear readers, the time is nigh and nigh is the time because today is the day when Season One, Episode One of the new web series Outside The Box premieres on You Tube. If you like what you see, please spread the word by sharing it on Facebook or Twitter or even Twitter or Facebook. It’s been a really fun journey with it so far. As you know, I was very hush-hush about the subject matter until very recently because we all know there are little prying eyes out there, and, true to form, once I revealed what it was going to be one set of prying eyes did a little piece using the same concept (in print, not video), even going so far as to use one of the episodes (this fellow knows folks who knew all the details, and clearly one of them yapped or he overheard). But, the cat’s out of the bag and now the bag has no cat, so we’ll see how it all goes. Shooting the first six episodes was grand fun, even with all the difficulties finding the crew. I could not have asked for a better cast of players – each and every one, including our various and sundried ensembles, were stellar and hard-working and very professional. Most You Tube series that I’ve suffered through have been of the point and click variety – just aim a hand-held camera and walk around and get what you can get, frequently with blown-out video. Very little editing (simplicity is the order of the day, and while I understand that and agree with it, there’s simplicity and there’s simplicity – I opt for the latter). I had a vision for this and the vision was that it be tightly scripted, have fun musical numbers, be well cast, and directed in a non-hip style, and hopefully I’ve achieved a modicum of that.
It took a little while to figure out how to exactly do the numbers. I came up with a plan and had no idea if it would work, but, surprisingly, it has. And that plan was to have a piano track, which we use as playback. We shoot and record the vocals live. But directly after we finish a number, the actor or actors sing it again, this time to a very low playback and directly into a very good mic. That way we not only have the live vocals but also a very clean vocal, too. We end up using a combo platter of the two (it’s amazing how accurate the synch ends up being when using the clean vocals, because they’ve just sung it live and usually time it exactly the same way) with our clean piano track and it really works well. It feels live at every step of the way. So, the hope is we’ll catch on and be popular with the populace, and this will lead to other great performers wanting to do the season two episodes, which I’m already working on. My plan is to shoot the LA season two episodes in January, and the NY episodes in February.
I had a surprising day yesterday, surprising because I decided not to do any work at all until the early evening, and even then, just some organizing of music that has to be Xeroxed today. I think I got around seven hours of sleep, then I did the four-mile jog, did errands and whatnot, picked up one package and an important envelope, and answered e-mails and finalized our first week’s rehearsal schedule. Then Melody and folks came over. Melody has a reading on Monday and I helped her with the scene a little – just a couple of small direction things. Then we all went to Casa Vega for the usual yummilicious meal. We all shared some chili con queso dip that was superb. So, a heavy meal, but the only meal o’ the day, so hopefully not harmful. We laughed a lot and a good time was had by all. I then came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched two count them two motion pictures on Blu and Ray. The first motion picture on Blu and Ray was entitled The Firm, starring Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook, Holly Hunter, Ed Harris and a whole slew of other top-notch actors. I hadn’t seen it since it came out, and it’s quite an enjoyable thriller with absolutely no grandstanding or thumping music (in fact the score is for solo piano for the most part) – good writing, excellent and SIMPLE direction by Sidney Pollack, and just a story well told. The only little nit to pick, for me, is that the writers tip their hand just a little bit too early. Interestingly, it’s a two-and-a-half hour film that feels like it’s ninety minutes. The transfer was perfect and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I then watched the second motion picture on Blu and Ray, which was entitled Captain America. I know this film has its fans, but I’m afraid I’m not going to end up being one of them. In fact, I thought it was awful. I wanted to like it – I like the old serial, I like the 1940s period, but it’s just all CGI crap, a lame villain, too many similar and ridiculous action scenes, all trying to be Spielbergian (the film’s director, Joe Johnston, was the art director on Raiders, and it’s very clear where all his filmmaking lessons were learned) and failing. In fact, why you’d give the director of the completely lame The Rocketeer another superhero movie is anyone’s guess. He just has no sense of storytelling, and you can pump all the loud Alan Silvestri music you want along with endless CGI and wire stunts that look really bad, but if you can’t tell a simple story you should not be making films. The dialogue is strictly from hunger, and only Stanley Tucci comes out of it unscathed. The transfer is, at least for me, not as stellar as a new film should be, at least to these eyes.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get ready to post the first Outside The Box episode and have no idea how long that will actually take.
Today, I have to do everything I didn’t do yesterday (and that’s a lot), including getting music Xeroxed, going to Richard Sherman’s to have him sign booklets, prepping our release announcement, and doing a ton of work in advance of our first LACC rehearsal.
Before I forget, don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour or you will be very confused and not with it, time-wise. This coming week is filled with rehearsals, finalizing episodes four, five, and six, meetings, meals, jogging, and errands and whatnot.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the four-mile jog, get music Xeroxed, go to Richard Sherman’s, eat something light but amusing, and work on the LACC show. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I get to work posting episode one of Outside The Box. Tune in!