5 Things I've Learned Shooting A Webseries

For several weeks now I've been slap bang in the middle of production of Season 2 of Fools For Hire the comedy webseries that I co-created with actors Nick Harrison and Mike Cavers. We shot 4 episodes last year as sort of a dry-run of the concept and were delighted to see people wanting more and were thrilled when the show was selected by LAWebfest and was nominated for 2 Leo Awards.

As I'm writing this we have close to 6 episodes completed with many more to come in the next month or so. Season 2 is a huge step forward for the show. Before even completing Season 1 we knew we wanted to raise the bar on the kinds of story we were telling, the style of comedy and the overall scale of the show. As Co-Creator, Co-writer, Director, Camera guy and Editor (I'm a glutton for punishment!) on Fools For Hire I've learned a lot in the last year. With more and more folks taking their own stab at making a webseries, here are 5 Things I've Learned Shooting A Webseries.

1. Aim High (and adjust accordingly when it all goes wrong...)

As a director, I thrive on pulling off what seems almost impossible, whether there is a budget in place or not. Committing time and energy, getting numerous people together in one place to shoot something takes a lot of work - so for me, there's nothing to be gained from "good enough". Why go to all that trouble for something that is just average? On a personal level, I'm not interested in doing what is easy or what I've done before, every episode, every scene, every moment needs to have something that challenges me on some level.

So for Season 2 my fellow creators and I, threw caution to the wind!

At every level, despite having no official budget to speak of, we've attempted what others would call crazy and what others with more common sense would strongly advise against. Take our opening sequence for Season 2 which we shot a couple of weeks ago - A large location, 12 characters all in utterly ridiculous costumes. The scene required a certain over-the-top gravitas which then descends into crazy chaos and action. Already on paper this was looking like a whole lot of trouble. Just getting the costumes together was a nightmare... Two weeks before shooting we were the victims of an eBay scam and lost 4 costumes, actor availability meant shifting schedules around which caused three others to no longer be available and on the day of shooting technical problems with a piece of gear meant me having to throw out my shot list and pretty much figure out a solution on the spot...

But you know what? It all worked out. We found alternate costumes which actually worked better, we found new people at the eleventh hour who were willing to brave the heat and wear these costumes and we were even refunded the money lost in the eBay scam. As for the technical issues, I may have had to cut my glorious crane shots but because I'd been visualizing the sequence in my head for months I knew what I needed to do to still get the right feel for the sequence.

The sequence is now mostly edited and I am very proud of what we all pulled off. We made it happen because we refused to do what was easy, what was in our comfort zone and what many would say would be foolish to even attempt.

So shoot for the skies. Don't let restrictions (or fear and uncertainty for that matter!) hold your creativity and imagination hostage. Don't be average be ambitious - just because it's a webseries doesn't mean "lowest common denominator" and/or two actors sitting across from one another chat-chatting with the camera observing passively on a tripod nearby.

This would be so much easier with a crane...

2. Ask And You Shall Receive (sometimes...)!

We live in a hectic world and we're all busy with something so it's understandable that we might not ask someone for help because they're likely too busy. Alternately, we may not ask because we feel guilty about not having money to pay them or because we're just a tiny, insignificant webseries and not "a real movie".

Screw that I say! Ask for help. Say what you want and need for your show and never, ever be an apologist. Webseries are a legitimate form of entertainment and they are growing bigger and gaining more attention day by day as is evidenced by new webseries festivals springing up on a weekly basis. Besides, if you feel like making a webseries is a lesser form of creative pursuit then why are you wasting your time making one? Webseries are awesome and they have an awesome and amazingly supportive community of passionate individuals worldwide - a better question would be why aren't you making a webseries?

In the last year of being a part of Fools For Hire I've been pleasantly surprised by what we've asked for and gotten. Firstly, some incredibly talented people have not only agreed to join us but have been delighted to be a part of our show and have in some cases demanded to be more involved. Secondly, never count something out until you've asked and gotten a definitive no. We had a scene that introduces a new character and when writing it we had a specific location in mind but we didn't write that because we thought "No, we'll never get that location". So we wrote the scene with a non-descript door in a wall... and guess what? In all of Vancouver we couldn't find a door in a wall! So on a whim I called our original dream location, told them about Fools For Hire and what we were needing and they said, "Sure, no problem. I'll even waive the usual fees."

Lesson learned. It never hurts to ask. People can always say "No" but more often than you might expect they'll say "Yes!".

3. Small is good but bigger is better

Unlike those bloated movie sets with hundreds of crew people etc. webseries are often tiny in terms of the people involved. On our first 4 episodes we were extremely self-contained. The result of this was sometimes feeling like we were creating our show in a void. The more people involved in the making of your show the more you have to wrestle with schedules and logistics etc. but the more people you involve the more you build a sense of community around your show. As with "Aim High", don't fear extra work in scheduling etc., open the doors wide and be inclusive. The more people involved in the making of your show, the more people you have available to you as resources for that next time you're struggling to find a "non-descript door".

Since beginning shooting of Season 2, we've involved a lot more people and we've noticed an exponential increase in Likes, Follows etc. across our social media. Strangely, getting bigger has made things easier in a lot of ways. As for wrestling with schedules and the like, well this is all part of production no matter what you are creating. Suck it up and stop being lazy or just go back to shooting 2 actors yabbering on at one another whilst the camera observes from a safe distance on it's locked down tripod.

Our team grows once more

4. Give back and do it with genuine love and support

We've discovered a wonderful and supportive community of fellow webseries creators in Vancouver and beyond. There are legions of people just like you who are going through the same creative struggles on their shows as you are on yours - invite their feedback, learn from them and recognize that they are a very valuable resource in every step of the process. It's important to not forget that it is a 2-way street and that you must try and return favors - when someone invites their Followers to Follow your show, do the same for theirs. When someone responds to a post you've made asking for help, thank them and try to help them when they are next in need.

Having worked in film and TV for close to 18yrs, I can't say I've ever seen such a supportive community as the webseries community. There is a sense that we're all in it together and I hope that this isn't just because we're all in it together with little to no money. Some shows may not look as good as yours, some shows may not have as many fans as yours but their show is just as important to them as yours is to you so show them the love and respect - you never know when you might need them.

Just a typical day on Fools For Hire!

5. Be patient and never stop having fun

What is your show about? Who is it aimed at? What's your brand?

These are vital questions. Since we leapt into the webseries game we've learned a lot and are still learning each and every day - if we weren't we probably wouldn't still be going to all this trouble and effort. When we launched Fools For Hire we thought we had a pretty good game plan and a pretty good understanding of our show. We've tried to carry that over all the various social media platforms etc. with varying degrees of success.

In my personal opinion, the Fools For Hire that currently exists online in the form of our first 4 episodes isn't quite the show we imagined even though it came from our collective imaginations. As much as we've been learning the do's and don'ts of social media etc. we've also been figuring out what we want Fools For Hire to be. Season 2, we hope, will be much closer to that vision - gone are the interviews and mockumentary feel, instead we're going 100% narrative storytelling. We're upping the ante and the stakes for our characters and bringing an edgier form of comedy - at least that's the plan.

We all hope to have a show that explodes and is massively popular but 99% of the time this doesn't happen. Be prepared to spend as much time promoting your show and interacting with people around the world on social media etc. as you do actually making the show. It's a marathon not a sprint, a slow but consistent build of your brand.

It's been very hit and miss for us despite thinking we had a solid plan but since we began shooting Season 2 it's encouraging to see that the posts that get the most Likes and Shares are the ones that are 100% about Fools For Hire and our upcoming Season. This tells me that people are buying into what we're doing and are developing a loyalty and appreciation for the show.

Making Fools For Hire has been a huge challenge for me. It's not been without it's stress. That said, it's also been immense fun! I've gotten to meet some simply amazing people and I've gotten to go places and experience things I never would have been able to had I not sat down with Nick Harrison and Mike Cavers and listened to their original pitch 12 months ago.

Make no mistake, creating anything in any medium takes time and a certain resilience. Be sure that you're going to enjoy the process and grow from the experience. There's no guarantee you'll ever make any money doing it but as long as you're being fulfilled on other levels then it's well worth the effort.

Season 2 of Fools For Hire will be premiering in the Fall on Youtube - I recommend Subscribing to the Fools For Hire Channel for all the latest episodes. Check out the official site, find it the show on Facebook or join the conversation on Twitter.

Until next time, thanks for visiting!

Getting Foolish With The FOOLS FOR HIRE!

Where on earth has this year gone? Talk about a whirlwind!

I've let things lapse around here the last few months but it was with good reason - I've been busy as hell creating new content and some of it just launched on the "internets" in the form of the comedy webseries FOOLS FOR HIRE.

Way back in July I briefly mentioned a new project I was about to go into pre-production on. The series in question is very different from my last web adventure, Libelle, although one probably would not have existed were it not for the other.

I first heard about the concept for Fools For Hire back in the summer of 2011 when Nick Harrison, who was my Assistant Director/Stunt Coordinator/Actor on Libelle, told me about some of his crazy experiences over the years working as a corporate entertainer. At first I didn't believe half the stories he told me but I was nonetheless intrigued enough by his idea to take some of those exploits and develop it into a comedy webseries.

Almost a year later, schedules finally lined up and Nick introduced me to Mike Cavers, fellow actor and victim of corporate entertainment and just like that we were off making the webseries!

Nick and Mike had a gig coming up at the annual Lonsdale Quay summer festival where they would be playing their pirate characters and we all agreed that it would make the perfect backdrop for the first 2 episodes. Given the theme of piracy, we also thought it would be a great way to introduce the show's villain who ended up being played by Eric Breker in another cool Libelle connection.

Eric Breker filling in on slating duties at Lonsdale Quay

The scripts for Episodes 1-4 came together incredibly quickly as did the cast and crew - it helped that our crew was well... Minimal.

Hey! Isn't that sound guy one of the Fools For Hire?

On most days it was pretty much just me and the camera and a different volunteer doing sound each day of shooting with other roles being filled as needed by whoever wasn't in front of the camera for a particular shot.

Shooting the first 4 episodes was a great learning experience, it was a lot of work and it was a ton of fun. Portions of each of the episodes were only loosely scripted and relied upon the cast to improvise but since many of them were experienced in theater sports this came easy. There were a lot of takes that ended with me having to cut simply because I couldn't stop shaking the camera from laughing.

The real work however, was still to come. With almost 1TB of video files on my hard drive there was a LOT of footage to sift through. In addition, we were going to have to learn how to self-distribute our work and though I've dabbled plenty in social media etc. even I was surprised at just how much work this would end up being. I'll write a separate post on the distribution and branding side of things at a later date.

Here for your viewing pleasure is Episode 1 of Fools For Hire.



And here's Episode 2 of Fools For Hire.



Over the next little while I'll be sharing lots more on my experiences with getting Fools For Hire out into the world as well as what our plans may be for the future of the show. A lot of people have put a lot of work into making Fools For Hire possible and it's all for nothing if nobody sees it so please, please check out our Youtube Channel here and don't forget to click the "Like" button, comment and let us know what you think and "Subscribe" for more episodes! Also, please come and visit our official Facebook page here or find us on Twitter here.

As 2012 comes to an end I'm already thinking that perhaps my first New Years resolution should be to pay more attention to this little corner of my world and blog with more frequency. If you're still with me and checking back here from time to time, thank you! With any luck I'll have lots more to share over the coming 12 months.

Merry Christmas to you all and a very Happy New Year!

Libelle The Series: Episode 3

Episode 3 of the webseries I directed last year launched today.



A big chunk of this episode was shot at Thunderbird Stadium at UBC. This was also our first day of shooting and since it had been awhile since I'd done any directing work I was feeling a little nervous. Thankfully, (at least on this particular day) directing turned out to be like riding a bike - once you've done it, you never forget how to do it.

It helped me a lot that I had a wonderful cast, some of whom I'd worked with before such as Michael Teigen who starred in my short film Say Yes. It was my first time working with John Marshall Jones and Adrian Holmes who played Commissioner Steele and Detective Zet. There's always a little bit of a "getting to know you" dance when working with an actor you haven't worked with before but thankfully both John and Adrian were quick to pick up on my take for the scene.

The first half of our day was spent shooting the stadium interiors with Michael followed by a chunk of the big scene out front. By the time we got to shooting the coverage on series leads Anita and Eric everyone was extremely comfortable with the scene... Which can be very dangerous as the intensity and the emotional stakes can lose some of their dramatic oomph.

Realizing that the scene needed to be re-energized I pulled what can be a risky directing move...

Eric and Anita were getting too comfortable in their reactions so I pulled aside John (Commissioner Steele) and told him to go "off-book" and improvise off the script. "Give it to them", I said. "Tear a strip off of them!"

And tear a strip off them he did. Throwing a stream of insults at poor Eric and Anita.

This could have gone horribly wrong. A surprise like this can give a director a reaction from the actors that is totally wrong for the scene or, worse, damage the trust between actor and director. Thankfully in this case, the actors trusted me and gave me what I needed.

I hope you enjoyed the episode. The next chapter of Libelle: The Series will be launching next week.

Until next time folks.

Libelle The Series: Episode 2

The next episode of the Eco-Thriller webseries Libelle launched today.

If you missed Episode 1, check it out here.



This was a fun episode to shoot with most of it being filmed around the University of British Columbia. We were extremely fortunate to get the boardroom location for the office scenes and it was one of those locations that we didn't lock until the last minute which made Pre-Production more than a little stressful. Finding an appropriate boardroom for a powerful character like McIntyre to reside in was tough and we looked at a LOT of different offices.

As a director, I can be a pain in the ass sometimes because I try to raise the bar high for everyone. Instead of shrugging my shoulders and saying "Meh, I guess this location can work" my M.O. is more "Nope, keep looking!" I'm aware that it makes it tough for my production team but 99% of the time sticking to my guns pays off on screen.

This was certainly the case in this instance. Those giant wooden  roof joists at the end of the episode when the character McIntyre is getting all fire and brimstone on poor Sonia really made the scene and fit the character perfectly.

Episode 3 will be launching next week so check back for that. Also, I'll be posting some awesome pics from a recent camping trip before the end of the week.

Until next time folks, enjoy the sunshine!

Coming Soon!

2012 is running on nitro it seems... Almost the end of February already!

After the 52 Week photo blog experiment I felt like I needed a little break from here and it's probably just as well since I have been extremely busy. It's time to re-organize, re-focus and re-jig things around here I think. This year I'll be taking a small step back from the photographer hobby and getting back to what I do professionally, namely writing, directing and story consulting.

I have lots to share in the next little while, much of it focused on the on-going projects I'm involved in such as:

- The webseries Libelle which I blogged about back in Week 18.

- The Death of Alec Gray which is the feature I will be directing.

- Writing for Capcom Games Vancouver (as soon as the game I am writing for is officially announced!)

- DSLR filmmaking.

DSLR filmmaking is of particular interest to me since it's a natural progression from exploring the stills side whilst bringing me back to my passion as a filmmaker. Initially I was hoping to shoot a short film every month for this year but work commitments have made this unattainable, at least for now.

However, I did manage to shoot some video on my trusty Canon DSLR and I'll be sharing the results of that soon. Here's a few screen grabs from the work-in-progress edit:

Like the short film from Week 2, there was no script and it started out as more of a "gear test" than a serious effort but I'm pretty happy with how things are shaping up with the piece. For the techno-geeks among you and for those of you wanting to know how you can turn you're DSLR into a filmmaking tool, I'll do a separate blog on some of the gear used, problems encountered and how I approached the Post Production.

Given my work commitments, my blog posting schedule will probably be less frequent than the weekly 2011 posts but I'll do my best to share content as often as I can. Stay tuned for the finished short film.

If you have any questions, requests or comments please do share them below!

Hey 2012, What's up?

Already 2 weeks into the year that is 2012!

The weekly photo blog is behind me now so what's next? Well, for the time being I'll be continuing with my writing work for Capcom Games (it's all very hush-hush but once it's official I promise I'll give a little more detail), I'm working on my feature project The Death of Alec Gray which I'll reveal more about soon, the webseries which is approaching its launch and of course there'll be more adventures afoot with my trusty Canon 60D camera.

As you know, even really basic little point-and-shoot cameras these days can capture video as well as pictures and in 2012 I'm hoping to do a LOT more on the video/movie-making side of things. The Canon 60D has already proven itself in my eyes with the quick and dirty short film I threw together early last year but I'm keen to do a lot more with it in this area.

I don't fully know what shape or form these experiments will take yet or how feasible they will be (i.e. paid work commitments) but I have a ton of ideas!

Of course, I'll still be snapping good old-fashioned pictures too. Speaking of which...

The above shots were taken just West of Lost Lagoon and in addition the wide angle fun, I also got a much better chance to play around with the new Tamron 90mm Macro lens.

Though it's designed for super-close work, it handles pretty well as a telephoto lens too. The below is not a leper's foot but is in fact an oddly shaped piece of drift wood.

And here's a macro of the splinters jutting out from the bottom of the "foot"...

The lens renders the out of focus detail (the bokeh) in a very pleasing manner don't you think?

And it handles flare pretty well too.

This final shot turned out to be my personal favourite though...

Until next time folks.