First Draft Almost Done, Auditions Approaching

Things are definately progressing at a fast clip, which is the only speed available for this project. I just received an updated script through Episode 10 (that's three more than I had previous), and am very excited to see how Chris has developed his outline.

I also spoke at length last night with Tye Nelson, who is helping me prepare for auditions which will be here before the end of the month. We talked about character breakdowns and plot and a very important question that I am going to have to be able to answer to anyone who works on this--how many days of shooting will this take? I now have a 66 page screenplay, with two acts remaining. It's a lot of work in such a short amount of time.

I'm excited about auditions. Tye already has many actresses in mind for the five leads, but pay is an issue. I'm confident we'll find good people, but someday it would be nice to just say "why, of course there is!"

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Costume and Makeup Artist Tracy Baughman

Today I met with someone who often gets overlooked in low-low budget land, but is critical to presenting your story: the costumer. They help define your characters by the way they dress, which can be just as important as the way they are lit and the camera angle they are framed in. Bad costuming and makeup can sink your project just as quickly as any other weak link.

I met Tracy through Tye Nelson, both of whom worked on my previous short film Middle of Nowhere. I was impressed with Tracy's ability to extract a good-looking and character-enhancing costume from thrift store racks. She knows what looks good and is a big believer in enhancing the director's vision.

We spoke at length about the characters and story, and she had immediate ideas about color and texture. We talked about reflecting emotions in costume and what fabrics and makeup could enhance those emotions. I really like Tracy's confidence and determination to create the best product possible, no matter what the budget. It's a philosophy I completely agree with.

I'm glad Tracy is aboard. I look forward to casting, but I also look forward to allowing Tracy to work her magic to outfit the characters that inhabit Midnyte.

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Meeting with Utah On Demand Rep Jason Marty

Today I met with former co-worker and current friend, Jason Marty. Jason is in charge of local content for Comcast's Utah On Demand. It was him who initially contacted me about doing any kind of show, and he continues to be very supportive and interested in whatever Midnyte will become.

We talked aboout a variety of subjects, including how the show would be delivered and what format it would need to be in. This is going to be really easy. When I previously produed a TV show, I had to drop the show tapes off at the station. Not this time. They will be setting up an FTP site that I can directly upload each episode to. They don't have a license to do HD and need each show in MPEG-2 format, which is the standard definition DVD standard. Unfortunately, there will be no widescreen compatibility, so each chapter will be letterboxed due to shooting in 16:9 (no way I'm cropping the image!).

We are also going to be giving Comcast some spots to run. The most impressive is the cross-channel promotional opportunities. Our spot may not run excessively, but it will channels with the demographic we are targeting (high school and college age). This means our spot could run on ESPN or Spike or who knows where else, but it will be out there driving that many more people to tune in. These spots will begin to appear on Friday, February 13.

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Utah On Demand is more than Ready for 'Midnyte'

Last night I was at my mother-in-law's house, and she is one of the few that I know (that I can easily access) that has a Comcast box. This lets her check out all VOD (video on demand) content, both paid and free. There is a selection on the main menu called 'Utah On Demand' which contains all the locally produced stuff--almost all of it free.

The first thing I noticed was how little content there actually was. I thought this channel would be flooded with material, even if it was just cheaply produced garbage. I am happy to report that it did not take me long to surf through just about all the available material, watching only a few items. There are a few actual "shows" (a cooking show and a roundtable discussion show about popular geek culture), but most of it is informational (news, sports, travel, personals). There is zero narrative programming. Okay, there are a few free movies and I know Comcast features local film festival entries, but there is no weekly series that tells a story. None.

Even the "highly viewed" personal ads are scant. I noticed only about six entries for women and three for men. Why aren't there more? I don't know, but it would appear this is the perfect time to launch a weekly show, as On Demand surfers will definately find it (wouldn't take long), and once they realize it is recurring ("to be continued!"), most likely come back. I know I would. Midnyte will be free, locally produced, good quality programming that will run for 12 weeks. There is nothing like it on Comcast's VOD channel and I predict it will do well there.

Of course, it won't only be on Comcast's channel. Not everyone will have a box, which why it will run concurrently on this website, YouTube (in HD!) and iTunes. We plan on making it available to as many eyeballs as possible. On Demand is just nice because it's on actual television, which means you can watch it as it is meant to be watched: on a couch with a tub of popcorn between your legs.

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Official Midnyte Website Debuts

Late yesterday this website went live, and it's great to have a central place where everyone can go for information about the project. It's the second website I've been a part of in promoting a show, but the last one was feebly coded by my rookie hands, while this one has pros who know what they are doing and doing it well, not to mention fast.

There are a few things to do here right now, but I hope to implement more on a consistent basis that will make regular visits a posititve experience. I hope to be adding easter eggs hidden with the site as well as links in the 'diary' section of the blog that will create more intrigue and mystery. Who can get enough of that?

As a result of this blog being created (and the chance that Blogger could glitch and take the other blog with it), all new updates will be posted here. This is a much safer venue, and I hope will keep you coming back for more, more, more! Spread the word!

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