A new fantasy webseries from Wolf's Head Productions

Border Guardians of Ackernon: The University

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What’s Next and How Can You Help?

Well, the end of Season 1 is here.  As one of our fans stated “It’s like finishing a good book and having to wait a year for the next installment.”  While you are waiting we will be releasing a few “behind the scenes” cuts for you to enjoy along with some spoofs and out takes.   All the social media guru’s claim we should give a “Call to Action” to our fans and let you know how you can get involved.  First, I thought you might enjoy a little status report.

Season 1 took the combined efforts of 6 companies and over 50 artists a year and half to complete.  Thus far, we have had just over 8,000 views on the 3 platforms where we distribute (Youtube, Koldcast, and Blip).  Koldcast accounts for over 5,000 of those views.  Our web site has had over 5,500 visits since launching in July.  To our delight many of you seem to be enjoying reading the blogs posts and viewing the various pages.   While it was a lot of work and we all enjoyed the process, we didn’t make this web series for us.   We made it for you, our viewers and fans.

Part of the cast and crew from 2010 filming season 1.

Season 2 is in the planning stages but we need your help to make it happen.   Here are some things you can do to help make Season 2 and beyond a reality.
1)  The most important thing is we need to hear from you.  Tell us what you liked.   Do you have questions about the story or characters?  Are there things you didn’t understand or maybe missed?  Are there topics you would like us to blog about?  Let us know how to make Season 2 better…talk to us.  We get lonely.  You are the reason we made Season 1.  If you want the story to continue, you have to let us know.
2) We have been told that advertisers are keenly interested in the number of LIKES a FB page has.   We have 292 LIKES on FB.   We would like to have a thousand.  If you don’t follow us on FB then please LKE our page.  Tell your friends and have them LIKE us on Facebook and on Twitter @Ackernon.
3) Are there Forums or Conventions where you participate and you would like to see us join you?  Let us know.
4) Enjoy the reruns and continue to tell your friends to watch the show.   Leave comments on Youtube, Koldcast, and our Web site.  Public comments show advertisers that our audience is engaged.   Comments and views will help find a sponsor to pick up the tab for next year.
5) We will be opening a store front accessible from our Web site hopefully by Black Friday.  There you will be able to order the full show in Feature Film format on DVD, a CD of the wonderful score, as well as coffee cups, T-shirts, mouse pads, and other products with pictures of your favorite character.  Most of these items will be from a “print when you order” service and as such we don’t make much money but it allows you to own a piece of the show and share it with coworkers, family and friends.  If there is a specific item or picture you would like to have, please let us know and we will try and make it available.
6) We are not planning on seeking funding from our fans.  This is called “Crowd Source Funding”.  Being a faithful viewer and spreading the word is all we ask.  However, if enough of you ask for a way to contribute cash, we will place a “Donate” button on our web site allowing you to contribute through your Paypal account.  Again, let us know.
7) Season 1 was self-funded.  The budget for Season 2 is about the same at $30,000.  If you have $30k sitting around and would like to be Executive Producer there is a job opening  :) .  More likely, if you work for a company that would like to increase their online presence with an adult, educated market we would be happy to talk with them.   The bottom line is without a sponsor it is unlikely there will be a Season 2.  The sponsor will have a message included with each episode that will reach tens of thousands of targeted consumers and be repeated for years to come.  Like “Mutual of Omaha Presents the Wild Kingdom” or the ongoing “Hallmark Hall of Fame” series, those of us who are old enough still remember those shows half a century later.  And as you know, nothing ever dies on the Web.

Cast picture from 2011 Season 1

 

Thank you all for your support and kind words.  You can post comments on FB, our Web site, Twitter, or email Info@WolfsHeadProductions.com.   We are very pleased so many of you have shared in our vision and we really look forward to making the rest of the story come to life with your help.

 

November 1, 2011 | Categories: behind the scenes, Production, webseries | Tags: | Leave A Comment »

Interviews and Awards – SciFiPulse and Indie Intertube

Sci Fi Pulse image

2012 has been a busy time for us already! We are still exploring ways to fund Season 2 and in the meantime we have been working on the footage for the web series documentary that will hopefully be released in the summer.

SciFiPulse Interview

Paul Best and Laura Olsen recently spoke to SciFi Pulse about how their work, Ackernon and beyond, and the indepth interview is now available on SciFiPulse.net.

Indie Intertube Header

Indie Intertube Audience Choice nomination

In other news, ‘Border Guardians of Ackernon’ were nominated for the Indie Intertube ‘Audience Choice Awards’. You can vote as many times as you wish and this round ends at midday Feb 8th. The top 10 shows will then go through to the final round. Every vote counts. As of this moment we are 2nd out of 56 webseries, but that could change so go over to IndieIntertube.tv and vote now!

February 6, 2012 | Categories: awards, news | Tags: , , | Leave A Comment »

Movies and Music. Today’s Classical Music.

There are probably as many reasons and combination of reasons to make a film as there are film makers. Some film makers are the little kid about to do something stupid yelling “Look at me!” They want their 15 minutes of fame. Some make films because they are hoping for riches. Some choose film instead of painting or knitting as the expression of their artistic side and some to make a social statement and change the world. And there are some who just want to tell a story, entertain, and invoke an emotional response in the viewer. I fit into the last category but, there is another element that I have discovered that drives my desire to produce the kind of visual imagery I want to create. Here is the kicker. Oddly it has as much to do with music as it does story telling. Or maybe the type of emotions I feel with the right music are the same feelings I would like to share with my audience.

I love all kinds of music. But I particularly love big, lush, orchestrated music and especially opera and film scores. I love the complexity of the low brass and strings creating a foundation for the high strings and wood winds to build upon. The heroic versus tragic mood set by the drum selection and rhythm. The pastoral calmness of the English Horn or triumphant adventure led by the French Horns. Music for me has the ability to reach and nourish the soul. When I listen to something like Elgar’s “Variation on a Theme”, a Mozart’s opera, the aria from Puccini’s Tarandot, or Dvorak’s “New World Symphony”, I feel the music and those emotions create powerful, uplifting images in my mind. The problem is, I’m the only one who can see them. I like to share.

One of the things that makes “Band of Brothers” so engaging for me is the opening credit music created by Michael Kamen. As a former Sergeant with the 1st Special Forces during Nam, for me it perfectly portrays the full range of emotions involved in war and the bonds those moments can create. I have actually just sat and watched the opening sequence ending with the iconic image of the squad lined up on the hill several times before watching an episode. The use of the Puccini aria set against the back drop of the B-52 bombing in “The Killing Fields” is nothing short of spectacular. Zimmer’s opening sequence in “The Back Draft” is wonderful in its heroic nature devolving into tragedy. The main title theme by James Horner from “The Rocketeer” gives flight and adventure to the visuals. And the music combined with the footage from “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” is just nothing short of fun and exhilarating.

Sadly for me, you can’t use the type of music I love unless it fits the visual or it just feels silly.  While the budget for “Border Guardians” was certainly more than your average web series, the genre could have happily sucked up far more.   However, the wonderful music composed and created by Laura Olson of Blue Steer Studios more than fulfills my need to feel the emotion of the characters and the moment.  Would I have loved to be able to ask for music that would happily support sweeping panoramas and the “Last Charge of the Light Brigade”?  Absolutely.  Unfortunately I need David Lean visuals to support that music but I have a student music video budget.   Maybe next time I should be born a composer.

January 20, 2012 | Categories: behind the scenes, Season 1 | Tags: , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Antiques made while you wait.

One of the things I have always loved about theatre and film is the never ending opportunity for creativity. I especially enjoy using products or items for something other than their intended purposes. One of the neat things about having a back lot for filming is the ability to construct permanent sets. A little more up-front costs but with multiple uses they pay for themselves. Of course sets, just like houses, require some maintenance to keep them from falling down.

One set we have used for over 20 years is commonly referred to as the “Rose and Stag”. It is a replica of a European half-timbered structure and the roof was badly in need of repair. We wanted the look and durability of slate without the cost or weight. We decided to use a ¼ inch thick cement based product called “Backer Board” commonly used for a base below tile in a bath for example. You screw it to the wall and then apply the tile. At $10 for a 3’ by 5’ piece it is fairly affordable as roofing material goes. Using a cement cutting blade we scored and broke the panels into 1 foot squares and then assembled them onto 1×3 rough milled lumber on the ground. Each pre-assembled section was then lifted into place and screwed down to the rafters. With the exception of the last two runs on one side, the entire roof was put in place with ladders from inside the building. Safer and fast than working on the roof. With a little concrete stain applied with a Hudson sprayer we have a fire proof, sun proof, water proof roof that looks great and should last for decades. And, not that we will but should we want to, the entire building can be taken down, moved and reassembled in two days by two people with nothing but a screw gun and wrench.

January 9, 2012 | Categories: behind the scenes, Film Making Tech Talk, Production, webseries | Tags: , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Changing the world one pixel at a time.

Anyone who has been to a film in the last decade has probably heard the term C.G.I. (computer generated imagery). “Avatar” was largely built exclusively out of CGI. Generally CGI starts with a 3D wire frame model built by a specialist on the computer and is then textured and placed in the scene.  It  can be anything from background images, sets or even actors. CGI requires a tool box of specialized and costly programs as well as a professional set of skills to create and manipulate the imagery. This is generally outside of the budget of most Indie web producers. We were lucky to have the talents of Hyperactive Studios in a couple of crucial scenes but, there is a less talked about technique, probably because it doesn’t sound as cool, called compositing.

In compositing you layer various 2D images or photos to augment or even create the scene. The ship at the docks In James Cameron’s movie “Titanic” was a composite of a model ship with people moving on the docks. The upper levels of the castle in “Army of Darkness” was all composited and layered onto the lower levels. If you have some basic skill with Photoshop, After Effects, and a NLE program, you too can incorporate composited layers into scenes to enhance your scene.

To create a composite scene start by deciding are you going to shoot green screen or mask during post-production. In green screen you tell the computer to make all green (or blue) of a certain value transparent. (If your actors are wearing green, they unfortunately become transparent as well.) Masking on the other hand involves physicallly “cutting” out the pieces of the footage you want to keep, or throw away, so background imagery can be seen. Green screen is far less labor intensive in post, but at very low budgets isn’t always practical, requires slightly better camera and editing equipment, and can be a disaster if you don’t have some knowledge of the potential problems. Here are some examples of compositing from Border Guardians.

For the Chancellor hall we wanted to create a cavernous, lonely, intimidating space for the young Roanue to enter. That would have been a cost prohibitive set to construct so instead we built the 12 foot wide part of the set the actors inhabited.

 
This first screen capture is uncorrected raw footage shot on set.

Next we needed to separate our foreground actors from our background to punch them out a little and so they could cross in front of the composite arches that would eventually be added. To do this two identical layers were produced with the background masked out of the top layer.

A 12 foot wide floor doesn’t look very cavernous so we produced a new floor in Photoshop and added that to the mix.

Finally came the arches that were again produced in Photoshop and the scene is complete.  You will need to watch the soon to be released DVD to fully appreciate the scene as low res .jpg’s don’t do it justice.


To seamlessly blend multiple layers you need to be very familiar with color correction, gradient mapping, key frame masking, and lots of other little nit picky things but you don’t need to be Industrial Light and Magic to create magic.

For further reading check out “The Art and Science of Digital Compositing” by Ron Brinkman

 

December 2, 2011 | Categories: behind the scenes, Film Making Tech Talk, Production, Tech Film Making Advice | Tags: , , , | Leave A Comment »

Behind the Scenes

“Making of” and “Behind the Scenes” footage has become a staple of DVD viewers for decades now. I can remember the night a camera crew from a well-known production house descended on our armory tent when working on “Army of Darkness”. While most small productions can’t afford to bring in a separate production company, BTS footage is a value to the indie film producer for a number of reasons.

The cast and crew almost always enjoy the trip down memory lane and it helps renew the spirit and energy that was present during filming. Hopefully this renewed enthusiasm inspires them to get the word out to one more potential fan.

It provides a glimpse at the real people behind the production. When social media is the single most important way to spread the word, the human touch can be very important.

You can never have too many stills or too much footage to use for marketing.

And most importantly, it’s a nice “thank you” to the faithful fans, sort of like doing an encore after a standing ovation.

While it can be very difficult for the small production to schedule time and resources to capture the moment, don’t neglect it. You may have a tough time coming up with a first, let alone a second unit, but look for alternatives. Contact your local college film class to see if someone is looking for a project. Other small production companies may be willing to shoot BTS for you. We are assisting an LA film maker by shooting some “making of” footage for them. A friend with a DSLR or even a $200 handicam is better than nothing. Good luck and happy film making.

November 21, 2011 | Categories: behind the scenes, cast, Film Making Tech Talk, Season 1, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment »

What is art worth to you?

Every culture from pre-historic to modern times has produced art that was valued as an instrument that represented and enhanced the culture. Most would agree, when looking at the great works of art from the Renaissance or listening to a Beethoven symphony, our live are enhanced centuries later. But are we living off the past? Similar to our crumbling infrastructure, are we failing to support the renewal of art as our cultures evolves? Every year there is less and less support for the artist who creates. Across the country theatres, symphonies, artists, and authors find their aging audiences smaller and less willing to financially support their efforts. Do we really support film for example, or is our society just addicted to being voyeurs of the rich and stupid?

The struggle of the artist to try to support and define the culture hasn’t changed much over the millennia.  It has always relied on the generosity of philanthropists, governments, and the church.   But that support is rapidly eroding.  As a society, is our view becoming so myopic about our problems and differences that we are forgetting about the value of art?  Have we forgotten our responsibility to nurture and support art, not only for our own generation, but for future generations to come?   Are we too quick to define our differences and remove support from artists, or even institutions like NPR, if they don’t happen to see the world as we do?  As John F. Kennedy said “If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.”

 

The story for the Indie artist crosses all art forms.  While in Vancouver I had the pleasure of long conversations with two authors.  Douglas Lloyd  http://BlackbyrnePublishing.com writes RPG gaming campaigns and Robert Luis Rabello http://www.newadventure.ca has authored a series of fantasy novels.  Both face the same challenges all independent artist face.  The issue always boils down to how to find the audience and then how to gain enough financial support from them to continue to produce the art.  Is reality TV or bathroom humor sitcoms the sum total of the legacy of art we wish to leave for future generations?  For the moment there are enough dreamers to continue to fill up the book shelves, art galleries, and web channels.  They are willing to cut corners and work extra hours to support both themselves and their families while still producing their art.  But is it sustainable?

Do you support your local arts community or favorite artist and if so how?  Spread the word.

“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” Ray Bradbury [or writing them?]

November 10, 2011 | Categories: Interview, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

“Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places”

 

In a recent article (Nov. 4, 2011) in “MediaPostPublictions” http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/161764/videos-time-has-come.html titled “Video’s Time Has Come”, Rob Manoff makes the following statement regarding a just concluded deal announcement with ABC News and Yahoo.

“Today, one of the biggest problems with online video is the challenge [for advertisers] to find and buy preferred inventory.”

In that statement Mr. Manoff is referring to “inventory” as programming.  In other words advertisers can’t find quality content to pair up with.  The hosts of Indie Intertube stated essentially the same thing in an interview we filmed in Seattle for our upcoming documentary on the web series industry.

The other side of this same coin could be the following statement:

Today, one of the biggest problems with sustainability is the challenge for producers to find a preferred advertiser.

The single biggest challenge facing most web content creators, next to finding an audience, is monetizing their content.  One source of funds some producers (including ourselves) are looking for is a sponsor who is seeking a vehicle for online advertising.  Most if not all content creators find it to be a daunting challenge to find such a sponsor on their own.  So apparently, we have potential brides and grooms wandering around in a dark room just hoping to bump into one another.  The problem is, it’s a really big room.

So all you entrepreneurs out there, here is the next big opportunity.  The web series industry is very young and there are very few companies offering basic services to this industry.  But it’s a chicken and egg problem.  There are no services because there is no money and there is no money because there are no services. There are no ad agencies we can ring up.  The big players like ABC obviously have access to some of these services but we don’t.  Perhaps a company like Koldcast or an individual with a strong marketing background should set up a simple dating service to connect producers with advertisers.  Looks like we are both too inept to find love on our own.

November 4, 2011 | Categories: Production, webseries | Tags: , , | Leave A Comment »

The Value of Film Festivals for Indie Productions

 

"Border Guardians" Award ceremony Las Vegas Film Festival - photo by Sammy Vassilev

There are literally thousands of various film festivals out there.  Sites like WithoutaBox.com serve as a central clearing house, sending you notification of upcoming festivals and streamlining the application and submission process.   But what is the value of a festival to the web series or Indie film producer?   For the most part film festivals can serve 4 functions.

  1. Awards
  2. Exposure
  3. Networking
  4. Validation

Awards.  This is a simple value to understand.  Festival cash awards can run from a $100 dollars to many thousands of dollars.  Some festivals also offer production packages with local production houses worth up to many thousands of dollars.   If you live and work in the right geographical location and are short on equipment this can be a strong incentive to enter a festival.  Many of the bigger juried festivals will pay some or all of the transportation costs so finalists can attend the festival.  If the award is a simple piece of paper you should probably keep reading.

Exposure is a little more subjective and complicated.   Many festivals cater to specific types of productions.  There are festivals for web series, shorts, feature films, family films, social issues, and animation.  There are festivals specifically catering to LGBT (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Trangender), religious subject matter, SciFi and Horror, documentary…you get the idea.  Obviously if you screen in front of the right audience your product may reach a market that you might not have reached before.  If you have lofty goals and aspire to reach the Academy Awards, festivals are the route you have to take.  Many of the better known festivals like Sundance or Tribeca attract distributors who may see your product and offer you a business deal.  But, here is an important point; short of the unlikely distribution contract, to gain viewers or put cash in the production bank, the festival must be significant to your market.  Winning the Anytown film festival might be fun but probably won’t add viewers or sales because, unlike the Oscars or Golden Globes, very few potential viewers place any real value in the award.  With the average cost of $40 to enter a festival, you obviously can’t enter them all so be selective.

Networking with other industry professionals or fans can be very important.  Many festivals offer various mixers and social events to facilitate this.  This alone may be worth your investment.  Before you enter, you might want to ask yourself the following question.  Are you hoping to meet fans or talk shop and are you likely to get the opportunity to do either?  Unfortunately some festivals claim to offer various mixers but are really only looking for press from big names attending and your actual opportunities to network may even get shut outside the event door.   So again, choose carefully.  You want to be a medium sized fish in your pond.  If you are too big, you won’t gain much benefit and if you are too small you will get ignored.

Validation is something that most artists not only crave but can benefit from.  Until someone besides your Aunt Martha has seen your work and offers you an informed critique, you have no honest 3rd party yard stick to measure your performance and improve your product.  Some artists need constant validation, some less often.  Festivals provide a “stage” to perform your work on and hopefully receive applause from impartial viewers.  Even if you don’t win, you should get a feel for what needs to be improved for next time.  If validation is high on your list, festivals can offer a cheaper alternative than hosting your own screening.  Remember that like sales, festivals are a numbers game to some extent.  If you enter enough festivals, even if your product isn’t very compelling, you will likely win something eventually.  You just need to ask yourself if the award is worth the investment.  Good luck and have fun.

October 25, 2011 | Categories: awards, competition | Tags: , , | Leave A Comment »

Indie Intertube works for everyone.

Mary Higgins of Higlet films with Indie Intertube Co-Hosts April and Amanda

The Documentary road trip finished at Geek Girl Con in Seattle and the highlight that day was the interview with the knowledgeable ladies of Indie Intertube, April and Amanda, and the “Women in Web Series” panel. A fair amount has been written about the web series panel but some people may not know about the work that Indie Intertube does and the service they provide to the web series community.

When I first became acquainted with web series and was encouraged to produce one, I nearly gave up on the whole concept because after hours of pouring through various productions I was very disappointed at the lack of cohesive distribution channels and the plethora of simply bad, amateurish productions one had to wade through to find something decent. As I have said before, no matter the subject matter, you should always expect to be able to see the imagery and hear the dialog delivered by semi competent actors. As a producer of web content, the most difficult task we have faced is to try and climb up high enough on the ever increasing pile to be visible to the consumer.

Entities like Indie Intertube provide an important link between the consumer and the content. Using money out of their own pocket, like most of us, they plow through scores of web episodes every week and provide at least a road map for the consumer to guide them to content with acceptable production values, entertaining stories, and adequate acting. This type of service is critical to the success of the entire industry. Many of my friends and associates do not watch web series simply because they don’t have the patience to search for professional quality, interesting material and don’t know where to find an honest, active review site.

To date I am not a huge proponent of crowd source funding for narrative web series. I think in most cases if you want to raise money, form an LLC with Limited Partnership agreements, get investors and then pay them back for their investment. If you have a viable product, find a sponsor. Increase the overall pool of web content viewers so aggregators can command and share a higher fee from advertisers. If a viewer wants to support a web series they can purchase T-shirts, DVD’s or other merchandise. This is art but it should also be a business. However, as a community we might want to support the efforts of people like Indie Intertube so they can continue to support us. We need to educate viewers to follow them and, much like Public Radio, we need to consider financially supporting them so they can grow, reach more consumers and continue to help filter the static for all of us.

October 16, 2011 | Categories: behind the scenes, conventions, Interview, webseries | Tags: , , | 2 Comments »

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