Year in Review: May 2010

May was the month I was all over the place:  tech host, alternative fuel vehicle expert, entertainment reporter, and voice over artist.  There was no way I was going to get bored with the variety of jobs I worked this month.  

1.  I kicked off the month with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the National Hydrogen Association Expo in Long Beach.  It was wild watching the swarm of photographers and political entourage types hover around the Governor.  Here is a detailed post about my encounter.

2.  I spent a week talking tech and Bluetooth Technology for Broadcom on their series MoreWireLess.  You can see all of the videos here.  

3.  I got a chance to hang with my brother as he was honored for his work in sales for Verizon.  I got to attend all of the swanky events at the Montage Hotel and Spa in Laguna Beach.  The view is to die for and the spa is worth every penny.  Add it to your list for a big splurge day.  Oh yes, my Viereck dress makes another appearance in the photo too.  

4.  I have said this over and over, this was my favorite episode of The Web Files in 2010.  Zack Finfrock, the host of Backyard FX, is charming and the shoot day was unbelievably unpredictable.  Check out the episode and see what happened that day.

5.  Finally, I always think the behind the scenes photos are the most interesting shots on set.  Here is my awesome makeup artist pal, Melissa Anchondo, and The Web Files producer, Sandra Payne, working hard to make our Web Files Buzz episode happen.  As they say, "It takes a village".............

Tomorrow will highlight June 2010 with Olga Kay, The Saturn Awards, "Spock Blocking", and a fun choreography panel with Dance Channel TV.  

Photo 1: Courtesy of Stephen Carr, The Long Beach Press-Telegram

Photo 2:  Courtesy of The Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Behind the Scenes of Backyard FX

         

When this episode came out last week, we posted that it was "fun", "hilarious", and "one of our favorite episodes" of 2010.  The more I think about it and after watching it a second time, it may be my favorite Web Files episode of all time.  That's a pretty hard thing to accomplish given that we have shot 39 episodes of The Web Files and 5 episodes of The Web Files Buzz.  It was a pretty simple set-up with me and Zack Finfrock, the new host of Backyard FX, sitting in a couple of chairs on the side porch of his house.  Okay, not so simple.  While Zack lives out in the country, there are lots of natural and unnatural sound effects to be had in his idyllic environment:  horses, planes, motorcycles, an organ!!, birds, and a lawn mower or two.  All unplanned, but all perfect environmental sounds for an interview featuring Backyard FX.  Another interesting note about the location: the house is actually a geodesic home that was once owned by The Smurfs creator who loved to decorate the house in, yes, you guessed it, blue.

Zack is really laid back, which made for a very natural interview.  His creative talents are numerous and many of you may have seen his work already and not even realized it. Zack was nominated for a Streamy Award, along with Brett Register and Jeff Bell, for Best Visual Effects in a Web Series, for The Crew.  While he didn't win, I am so pleased that he is able to channel that talent as the new face of Backyard FX.  It really is a great blend of his skills as a graphic artist, actor, and now, host in one show.  He's a natural fit and his legion of fans have already followed him to this episode of The Web Files.  Now he doesn't do it all alone, he has a team behind the scenes of Backyard FX that makes up a huge part of the test films you see in the show.  So, their production company, Wayside Creations, truly is a fun band of talented creators.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Puppet Zack who had a nice cameo in the episode.  Zack created the puppet off of one of the episodes that Erik Beck, the original host of Backyard FX, shot.  It is like stepping into a whole Avenue Q performance.  That's how good the puppet looks in person, so I am glad we were able to feature Puppet Zack.  And oh yes, he's a good kisser.  (Stay tuned to the very end of the credits to see what I am talking about.)

Finally, I am really impressed with the slate of shows that Next New Networks and Indy Mogul are putting out on the web.  High quality shows with intelligent content that really hit a core audience.  I hope to one day do a show for them because they seem to be keeping their fingers on the pulse of web television.  So, head on over there and check out their slate of shows.  If you need a place to start, visit VendrTV or Freezer Burns for some foodie fun.

If you missed the episode, watch it here:

Tomorrow brings a new episode and all of the action from the red carpet premiere of Dailymotion's Squatters.

Photos 2 and 6 Courtesy of Jenn Bobiwash.

Episode 39: Backyard FX

This episode is one of my favorites from The Web Files in 2010. It features Zack Finfrock, the new host of Next New Network and Indy Mogul's, Backyard FX.  We had a whole series of unplanned special effects going on during this interview that made it frustrating for the crew, but fun at the same time.  Be sure to stick around past the credits for a fun moment with Puppet Zack.  I'll have more behind the scenes of this episode later in the week.  Thanks for watching!

Behind the Scenes of The Web Files Buzz, Episode 5

Another episode of The Web Files Buzz is here and I think I have the biggest hair ever in this episode.  I'm not kidding.  I think it was the perfect element to battle ghosts and zombies on our set visits to Bumps in the Night and Night of the Zombie King from the Gold crew.  There was enough hairspray to ward off any paranormal activity.

                             Melissa Anchondo making my hair as BIG as possible for the shoot that day.

Our first visit that day was to the Bumps in the Night set with Emmett Furey, John Reha, and Greg Benevent We have talked about a shoot with them since the A Good Knight's Quest premiere back in February.  It took a long time to schedule, but we managed to get them in and get the guys in character for a fantastic Ghostfacers versus Bumps in the Night throw down.  Who do you think would win the face-off?  Also, I love that the blue couch that we were sitting on is from Craigslist and plays a hilarious role in the series:  is it haunted or just a reminder that Craigslist can be creepy?  One thing I wish I had mentioned during the interview was that they are using a variety of guest directors this season.  I think it adds an interesting element to the series by showcasing different director' takes on the show.  The week we were there, it was Rudy Jahchan's turn.  You may recognize the name from the Streamy-nominated and Web Files featured show, A Comicbook Orange. (In fact, their episode remains our highest viewed show for 2010.)  Rumor has it that Rudy may direct another episode in the near future, so be on the lookout for his shows and check out another episode of Bumps in the Night directed by After Judgment's Taryn O'Neill and guest starring The Crew's, Ariel Lazarus.  Bumps is definitely a smaller web series deserving more eyeballs, so go show your support and check out their show.

From ghosts to zombies, we headed just down the street on this prolific web series weekend to the set of Night of the Zombie King from Gold creator, David Nett.  These mini-episodes featuring the character Jaz from season 1 of Gold, are going to help tide the fans over until Season 2 is shot and released.  Joining James Lane (Jaz) are a few familiar faces including Stephanie Thorpe of After Judgment as Jaz's high school sweetheart and Maxwell Glick of lonelygirl15.  Adding to the excitement of the series, is the release of the Season 1 DVD of Gold. Sales of the DVD will go toward producing a Season 2, so get out there and support the show.  I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of the DVD which features extras like commentary on each episode from the cast and crew, an interview with Cricket Lee of GirlGamer.com, and a mini-episode not seen before.  I think it's just enough to excite fans for the upcoming second season.  

And one final note, I will give a prize to the first person who correctly answers this question:  My shirt seen in the photo above was also worn by another actress in a 2009 interview on The Web Files.  What show were we interviewing?  First correct answer in the comment will win some fantastic prize from my collection of goodies.  Ready, set, go.........

If you missed our Web Files Buzz episode, watch it below.  We will see you tomorrow with an interview with the new Backyard FX host, Zack Finfrock.  

  

PS  I received amazing PR materials from Jenni Powell of Bumps in the Night and David Nett of Gold before my set visit.  It really is an important component to any show, make sure to read my tips on Publicity and Web Series or ask your fellow content creators for some help.  This type of professionalism creates a stronger foundation within the web community and beyond.  Thank you both!  It made my job easier that day.  (And if you want to see a spot-on interview, watch David.  He mastered the art of the interview, promoted his show, and his section needed very little editing in post.  Woo hoo!)

Photo 1:  Courtesy of Jenni Powell

Photos 2-4: Courtesy of Jenn Bobiwash

Weekend Web Watch: Streamys Edition

Here we are again with another Weekend Web Watch, Streamys Edition and we have a little over a week to go until the big event and about 5 days until the Craft Awards.  I decided to go way back into the archives to Episode 2 of The Web Files with the cast of The Crew.  Some of my favorite people star in this Babelgum web series and I have mentioned over and over how grateful I am to Brett Register because he said "yes" to an interview way before The Web Files even existed.  It was also Blip.tv's support of The Crew that got The Web Files featured on the home page of Blip.  A truly fortuitous partnership that we have treasured ever since. For those following the Craig Frank episodes, this was his first appearance ever on The Web Files.  Little did we know, there were many, many more appearances in his future.

                                  
So, take a look at one of our earliest episodes which we shot at the Hollywood Wax Museum and be sure to visit our behind the scenes on the making of this episode.  Congratulations to Streamy Nominees  Jeff Bell, Zack Finfrock, and Brett Register for The Crew for Best Visual Effects in a Web Series. Good luck on Wednesday!

Episode: The Crew
Blog:  Behind the Scenes