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When I first joined Something Awful, over 10 years ago, I knew I wanted to do something creative, but I wasn't sure what that was going to be. As it turns out, two IT jobs and 6 years of "chasing dreams" later (yeah I just wrote that chasing dreams part. Sorry...), that creativity lead me to television. This year was spent filming my first international (worldwide) TV show, and it made me think about the journey and how insane it's been, thus leading me back to SA. After all these years I thought that perhaps now I could impart some of my knowledge, experiences and stories over to you. And maybe if you ever wanted to ask someone "in TV" anything, I'd be happy to answer your questions. Anything from: how the hell do you get into that? To: does it actually make you any money? To: how long does it take to film one season...? Anything you fancy, and I'll try my best to help  I'm going to refrain from naming the show, as self-promo is a) cringeworthy at the best of times and b) probably belongs in "Leper's Colony" somewhere, but yes: I know if I had had the chance to ask someone in TV something back then, it would have really helped me out! (It's been a bit of a headless chicken race to the top at times - sorry vegans.) So without further ado, ask away - should this be of any interest to you! - EssArePeaEm (ps - shoutout to goonsquad and Suas and anyone who played EVE Online back in the day - your songs we sang when we went into war with BoB still get me through the tougher nights between filming. I kid you not.)
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Nov 5, 2019 00:21
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 11:39 |
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Are clearances required to use vehicle brands? Like if the protagonist drives a Honda, does the studio need permission? Which ongoing productions are most admired? Any that people avoid?
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Nov 5, 2019 04:37
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Hyrax Attack! posted:Are clearances required to use vehicle brands? Like if the protagonist drives a Honda, does the studio need permission? Yes! There’s clearances for absolutely everything, even down to water bottles and the clothes we wear! Also every location we shoot at has to change their background music (pubs, clubs) to either royalty free tracks, or to tracks we’ve bought. So nothing can be impromptu if there’s talking involved Hyrax Attack! posted:Which ongoing productions are most admired? Any that people avoid? Currently Stranger Things is actually the benchmark when it comes to the “one to beat,” mostly because of how many people are talking about it online. What’s “trending” actually has more value over how many viewers, which is nuts... so even if people haven’t watched a show, just merely talking about it’s existence can secure a second or third season... I think that was one of the things that surprised me the most! SRPM fucked around with this message at 21:06 on Nov 5, 2019 |
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Nov 5, 2019 21:04
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I've often wondered about the logistics that go into creating certain shots. Like if there's a scene of the protagonist at some famous landmark, do you need permission to shoot there? Do you politely ask people to stay out of the shot, or is there actually some kind of barrier preventing them from doing so? If so, is it enforced by rent-a-cops, or actual cops? Or is it none of those, and you just kind of shoot the scene hoping that no stragglers come in? Similarly... are there scenes that need like thousands of extras? For example, at a baseball game. In that case, do you have to rent a stadium and pay thousands of people, or do you just rent a whole section at an actual game for a handful of extras, and hope the rest of the fans cooperate?
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Nov 12, 2019 07:47
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zmcnulty posted:I've often wondered about the logistics that go into creating certain shots. Like if there's a scene of the protagonist at some famous landmark, do you need permission to shoot there? Do you politely ask people to stay out of the shot, or is there actually some kind of barrier preventing them from doing so? If so, is it enforced by rent-a-cops, or actual cops? Or is it none of those, and you just kind of shoot the scene hoping that no stragglers come in?
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Nov 12, 2019 16:05
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zmcnulty posted:Like if there's a scene of the protagonist at some famous landmark, do you need permission to shoot there? Do you politely ask people to stay out of the shot, or is there actually some kind of barrier preventing them from doing so? If so, is it enforced by rent-a-cops, or actual cops? Or is it none of those, and you just kind of shoot the scene hoping that no stragglers come in? In terms of landmarks, each location needs to be signed off with the local authorities, but in terms of people it's a little more tricky! We basically put up posters around the area saying that there's "filming going on" and that you understand that by walking past the shooting area, you agree to be in the show. There's no barriers in my show, so we do have the odd person wander in and try and take photos on their phone. When that happens, a producer usually jumps out from behind a bush and shouts "on ice!!" (which basically means no one in the cast can move or speak) and one of our guys politely asks them to move, then we resume the shoot. Touch wood, so far no one from the public has done anything too crazy... one dad did send his toddler to go up and speak to me to try and get his kid a cameo, but we cut that out of the edit! Poor kid. zmcnulty posted:Similarly... are there scenes that need like thousands of extras? For example, at a baseball game. In that case, do you have to rent a stadium and pay thousands of people, or do you just rent a whole section at an actual game for a handful of extras, and hope the rest of the fans cooperate? No extras in my show! We use all real locations and real crowds/public. Everything is natural and authentic, plus it keeps the costs down. Win-win.
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Nov 17, 2019 13:11
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What city do you film in for exterior/outdoor shots, and can you describe how the process differs between different cities?
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Nov 18, 2019 16:14
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You had mentioned that all brands are monitored and approved on, and also that you use real crowds. So how do you avoid having branded clothing popping up all over? Do you have to go through and edit out all the logos?
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Nov 24, 2019 06:34
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 11:39 |
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Liar posted:You had mentioned that all brands are monitored and approved on, and also that you use real crowds. So how do you avoid having branded clothing popping up all over? Do you have to go through and edit out all the logos? Background incidental use is OK. OP, what exactly do you do? Your job description is pretty vague.
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Dec 2, 2019 11:33
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