While shooting our series The Best Friend we had a very small budget (yeah, yeah, cry me a river). Good things come from having a small pocketbook. One of them is that is forces you to be creative. The other is that is encourages you to look for (or beg for) the best deals in town.
Fortunately, we had a very experienced crew — and with that experience came a world of knowledge about rental houses in our area. Also, we are lucky to be surrounded by many friends who are also producers or cinematographers — and they had their own Rolodex as well.
1. Ask your friends and ask your crew. Who do you like renting from? Who requires insurance? Who requires a deposit? Who accepts credit cards?
2. Shoot on the weekend (instead of during the week). Most places offer a weekend discount (usually 2 days for the price of one or something equally alluring).
3. If you still can’t afford the weekend rate, see if you can rent a camera or lights from one of your friends. You’d be surprised how many people actually own equipment, or perhaps they have leftover gaff tape or bounce cards you can purchase for reduced rate:)
4. When renting from a rental house, try to order at least two weeks in advance…that can often lead to a reduced rate.
Places we worked with and that we highly recommend:
Expendables Recycler http://www.expendablesrecycler.com/
(We purchased gaff tape of many colors, shapes and sizes, bounce cards, gels, clothes pins)
FlickerSound http://flickersound.com/
(From them we rented apple boxes, sandbags, c-stands, kino flos, stingers)
(From them we purchased chroma green card and gaff tape)
Huge Rolls of Gaff Tape for $4.99. Need we say more?
Finally, if you need to black out windows in an apartment…Home Depot has the best deal we found on Visqueen. (Lowes was almost twice as much). In a pinch, you can always use black garbage bags…but in the end garbage bags are more expensive per square foot. And depending on the window size…can require more labor.
Hope you find this info helpful. Feel free to leave more suggestions in the comment section!
What excites you about being a part of new media / web video / web content?
My favorite part about new media is that everyone gets a voice and everyone has a shot at creating something that others will respond to. We are no longer relegated to what “Hollywood” thinks we want to see. There is a wider range of content and more opportunities to create viable content and in the end create more quality work for artists at large. I have loved the projects I have worked on because there is such a giddy passion on the set. It’s almost like we are getting away with something and we can’t stop giggling about it.
What was your first web series experience?
I was cast in an upcoming web show called PROJECT 12 written by Tom Riordan and directed by Gary Ambrosia. It was a riot and so much fun to work on with all the special effects and military personnel. It hasn’t aired yet and I can’t wait to see it! But I also got to work on THE BEST FRIEND while shooting PROJECT 12 and there was something really special about working on two totally different projects being shot differently, but for the same initial venue. It was amazing to me how professional both sets ran and how passionate all the members of both projects were about the work. I have been on big budget movies and Emmy winning TV sets and both PROJECT 12 and THE BEST FRIEND were no exception in terms of quality and professionalism, not to mention a helluva lot of fun! Which is obvious when you take a look at the attention and accolades THE BEST FRIEND is receiving now. These women did a remarkable job.
What advice would you give another actress if she asked you for a tip on how to get involved or cast in a web series?
Someone did ask me that and I told her to create one. I am. I have several I am creating right now. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I am wearing all different hats from writer to producer and that’s not something you get to do everyday. It’s maddening but it’s mostly a lot of fun. So I say create them. Write what you want to see and put it out there. Audition for them. Write the producers/directors letters. Let them know you like their project and you would love to help them on set or in any way you can. You would be surprised how many people will take you up on offers of help. And then do it. And be a pro.
What kind of content excites you on the web as a viewer?
A lot of the content on the web is exciting because it steps out of the bounds of typical television programming, yet there are certain parameters that bind you, like time, which can create a very clever twist on a universal theme. But, like anything, I want and desire a good story. Without that, all you have is a gimmick and that doesn’t interest me. THE BEST FRIEND was interesting because when have we ever seen a female friendship from the point of view of the “ugly” friend? Now Marilyn, of course, is far from “ugly”, but I think we have all had friends that seemed to do better than us in life, so most of us know what it’s like to be “A Millie” and we have all had “A Sooze”. That makes this story really work because it is a fresh look at a universal theme, which you may not have found on your typical television show.
THE BANNEN WAY is such a sharp piece, brilliantly delivered by Mark Gantt and Jesse Warren, and the production quality of that show really raised the bar in terms of what is possible on the web. I loved ARC and I am in interested in anything Sci-Fi and I think it’s a very good genre for the web so I certainly seek that particular programming out when searching web shows. But in the end, give me a good story and I’ll follow you anywhere.
What’s the one role you have always wanted to play but haven’t been cast as yet?
Wonder Woman. And other than Halloween, I doubt I ever will.
What’s it like being a redhead? You know how they say — BLONDES HAVE MORE FUN! ? What do redheads have?
The best of both worlds. We have the smarts of a brunette, the sexuality of a blonde and we usually come well equipped with a lot of sass and a mean set of curves.
Has being so funny hurt your chances of getting cast in more dramatic roles?
Actually I usually get cast in dramatic roles but I am terribly funny so it’s a reverse issue for me. I want to do more comedy but I just don’t get called in for it.
Has anyone ever compared you to another actress or comedienne? If so, who? And do you agree or does the comparison baffle you? Julianne Moore. I definitely see the resemblance but would love to see the pic of us standing next to each other. She is 5’4 and petite and I am 5’8 and voluptuous. I would imagine she’d look more like a mini-me.
{About Alycia}
Alycia Tracy hails from the Deep South where she learned to wield a broadsword and speak in verse through many Shakespearean productions with Atlanta Classical Theatre and Georgia Shakespeare Festival. After graduating from Florida State and a short stint in NYC, she gave up the cold winters for more the more suitable weather of Los Angeles and began her serious study with the Beverly Hills Playhouse. She has done several productions here in Los Angeles including a world premiere of Mark Troy’s PAGING DR. CHUTZPAH and has since been seen in short films like THE HARVEST, and on television as Dr. Meg in the always intriguing I DIDN’T KNOW I WAS PREGNANT on The Discovery Health Channel. Yet the most exciting things for Alycia are happening in the world of new media and the web. Alycia was so excited to work with the Marilyn-Anne Michaels and Allie Smith along with all the wonderful ladies that work so hard on THE BEST FRIEND and couldn’t be more proud to be a part of episode 10 The Perfect Woman playing Eddi. You will see Alycia very soon in the upcoming 12 part documentary series Project 12 in which she plays the medical doctor to the original 7-member team at Area 51.
What excites you about being a part of new media / web video / web content?
Well, it definitely offers new avenues to tell amazing stories that maybe wouldn’t otherwise be told, and that excites me! I’m following quite a few web series, and I will religiously follow good web content. I have to admit, “The Best Friend” is responsible for getting me interested in what is out there. Since they launched it, I started watching it and took interest in other web series.
What was your first web series experience? Were you the creator or were you brought in / cast in it?
“The Best Friend”, I am proud to say, is my first. I played Josie, which was the role I wanted. I was delighted that the director, Wednesday Stanley, had a very layered idea about how Josie should be played. Josie isn’t just some crazy nut. She has a story. She’s painfully shy, and the only way she has been able to express herself is through sock puppets. She doesn’t mean to scare Millie off. Her idea is to make Millie laugh, because Josie’s only knowledge of how friendships work are from what she sees on television. So she only wants to entertain Millie, and sadly, well… I don’t think Millie will be calling Josie to hang out any time soon. Josie can only hope. She’s probably still waiting for the call.
What other web content can you be seen in?
I was also in a short film called “The Smelly Janitor”. It’s playing on funnyordie.com. I’m the mother with the baby carriage, and… I can’t tell you what happens, or it’ll ruin it for you.
What advice would you give another actress if she asked you for a tip on how to get involved or cast in a web series?
I submitted for this project months before I actually got the phone call telling me I got the role. The advice I would have is, if you like the part, go for it, submit for it. And then just keep working on your craft, develop your own work, and submit and audition for other projects. Don’t wait for the phone to ring, but at the same time, don’t think you didn’t get the part just because they don’t call you right away. I can’t tell you how many times I get the call months after I’ve done an audition that they want me for a role. You’ll hear this over and over again from working actors- Work on your craft, and the work will come.
What kind of content excites you on the web as a viewer?
New, fresh, funny, truthful content excites me. My favorite, apart from “The Best Friend”, is “Jack In A Box”. I would steal a baby’s uneaten cupcake to give to Jack to be on that web series (Cupcakes are Jack’s favorite. He’s never seen without one). And what I love about “The Best Friend” is that it tells it from a completely different angle than usually told – through the eyes of the best friend instead of the ingenue, and I root for Millie every time (Sorry, Sooze).
What’s the one role you have always wanted to play but haven’t been cast as yet?
I would love to be an office girl or switchboard operator on “Mad Men”. Dark, haunting, unforgiving and heartbreaking roles like Meryl Streep’s character Susan Orlean in the film “Adaptation” appeal to me. I want to play someone who is never able to right a mistake or loss. There is no going back. There is no fixing it. Those stories… I think they bother me so much on a level that I always hope it’s going to change. Maybe if I turn the page and read it over, it’ll be different. Maybe if I watch it again, it’ll be different. Maybe if I play it again, it’ll be different. It’s the hope in the hopelessness that draws me. And I would love to play that in a story.
Do you have any new projects in the works?
Yes, I have some projects I’m creating with my production company. A routine of skits, a historical drama, and a musical. There’s also a play based in the 1960s I’m currently looking at producing, and I was just asked to sing the chorus for a new folk song. I’ve been practicing daily for that song, and I’m thrilled to be asked.
What’s it like being a redhead? You know how they say — BLONDES HAVE MORE FUN! ? What do redheads have?
Redheads have good hearts, and we have spunk!
Have you ever played the best friend character? If so, when?
Hmm.. Surprisingly… no. I’ve been the best friend before in real life, so I know what that’s like.
What’s it like producing and creating your own content, if you have?
I always start out with what I think is going to be a simple concept, and it always is much more complex and layered.
Has being so funny hurt your chances of getting cast in more dramatic roles?
I actually have never expected audiences to laugh. I don’t really consider myself as funny. I’m always surprised when people do laugh. I approach all of my characters from an “as if”, and even if what is happening to the character is funny… the character is serious about it. And really, I’m pretty serious. So.. dramatic roles and getting cast in them has not been a problem for me so far.
Has anyone ever compared you to another actress or comedienne? If so, who? And do you agree or does the comparison baffle you?
A younger version of Betty White. That makes me smile.
{About Sarah} Check out Sarah on IMDb!
Sarah Logan graduated from Western Oregon University with a B.A. in performing arts and chose to continue her studies in England. She graduated with an English B.A. with honors from The Birmingham School of Acting for Stage, Screen, and Broadcast. Sarah performed onstage in England with the company Barry Bling and The Orchestra of Chaos. She simultaneously worked with the theatre company HamFisted!, playing the role of Queen Victoria in the show “Quixotic Pulse”. Her most recent work was at The Sierra Madre Playhouse as Mrs. Cratchit in “A Christmas Carol”.
When my producing partner / roommate, Allie Smith, and I decided to create a mini TV series for the web we knew we wanted to reach out to what many feel is an under-served female audience (if men like it too…bonus!). We also wanted our stories to appeal to women of all ages (thus, an attempt at clean-ish comedy—see next weeks blog post for more about this).
We recently started releasing episodes on a weekly basis on Koldcast TV. We brainstormed about how awesome it would be if there was one place on the web women knew to visit in order to discover web content and entertainment that was specifically geared towards them. In our research, we stumbled upon a site that has the potential to be this very thing we hoped for.
DIGITAL CHICK TV Your Guide to the Best Online Shows for Women
Writer/Actress/Producer/Director Daryn Strauss is the mastermind behind Digital Chick TV. The site not only makes it quick and easy to find shows for women, it also provides more in depth information about the women who are a part of women-centered programming on screen and off.
We asked Daryn — so, what was your inspiration for putting what is obviously tons of work into this fabulous resource site?
Her answer:
“All of my female friends are very active on the internet, but none of them knew where to go to watch online content geared for women. They knew where to go to watch a funny viral video, and that was pretty much it. But there are so many online shows that women would love! I wanted to create a site where women [or men] could go to find all of this great female-centric content. I am very excited to feature The Best Friend, because not only is it a hilarious, smart comedy about female friendship, but these ladies also managed to produce it with a largely female crew, which is very rare and very cool!”
DigitalChickTV includes show listings, interviews, advice/tips for creating, and a column called “In Her Words” where Daryn invites women to be ‘guest bloggers’ and chat about different topics regarding their female dominated series. And lucky us—
She invited us to be a part of it this week! Check it out — we chat about what it was like to work with a mostly female crew on The Best Friend!
The next step is — we need to create a database of female directors, writers, producers, gaffers, cinematographers, composers, sound mixers etc etc that are not only champions of new media but also looking for new media projects to be a part of! We were frustrated at times – there has to be more women out there that are interested in new media! We contacted Women in Film and they were wonderful but our timeline for getting a listing out to their members didn’t match up with our production schedule. And of course – the women who are known already for supporting new media were already knee deep in their own fantastic projects.
And below, we break it down — how did we snag these amazing women for our project?
Disclaimer: Focusing on the women involved with The Best Friend is in no way meant to discount the invaluable contributions and talent of the male members of our team. Please, find out more about these men at http://thebestfriend.tv/crew.html.
DIGITAL CHICK TV