A return to blogging… “OzGirl”
Posted by Nick | Filed under Blog
So I’ve decided to start blogging again. Blogging is a bit like going to the gym. You get all enthusiastic about it and start doing it for a week or two but then stop because you get tired. It requires discipline and strength to sit down and write articles and I’m almost positive I’m an undiagnosed case of ADD so I’ve never really gotten into it. I also finding blogging and writing about myself extremely tedious, boring and narcissistic and oh, who really gives a shit, right?
So with that in mind I have bought my-own-name.com (nicholascarlton.com – yes I shamelesly self-promote) and will begin regularly blogging about myself because I’m important, have something to say and you should listen (or read). No doubt you have already made my website your homepage, subscribed to my RSS and Twitterfeed. Or you’re at least reading my Facebook status and are appraised on my every move. So I’ll explain this move in slightly more than 120 characters – I’ve been toiling away for months working on my web series, OzGirl (http://ozgirl.tv). It’s been a hard, long and exciting ride thus far and after speaking to a lot of people and experimenting in this new industry of web video I’ve began to believe that perhaps I do have some thoughts and experiences that I should commit to paper (or server). If for nothing else than to give me a perspective on events. Maybe fellow filmmakers will get something out of it.
So in this blog I will talk about my experience developing OzGirl, filmmaking, new media and how it relates to filmmaking, the ever expanding business of web video, the commercial aspects of it and the role traditional media and filmmaking has and what it means to filmmakers like me.
I started work on OzGirl at the beginning of October, this is the fourth month that I have been working on it and I will begin this blog by summarising the events and developments of the show thus far:
- For various reasons I am unable to provide a budget for the show, however it was most definetly low budget.
- The show was written but not scripted, everything was improvised.
- 99% of the shoot was with a one person crew, I was the DOP, Sound Recordist and Director.
- 24 episodes were shot, each episode runs for approximately 4 minutes. So in essence we shot a 90 minute feature film.
- The show was shot in 19 days across October, November and December.
- Following the release of the trailer we received 17, 000 subscribers to our Bebo show page.
- We have begun to receive commercial offers and major production companies, distributors and advertisers have submitted their interest in our show.
Firstly I should mention that whilst I was the only permanent crew member on the show the show was most certainly a collaboration between myself, the excellent and amazing cast of Sophie, Shanrah and Richard, a certain Scottish giant, Lisa Bedwell, a Tasmanian, my Dad who has been handling a large portion of the business side, and of course a lot of my friends who have given their input.
But the show wasn’t made on a Hollywood budget. We didn’t have a make up artist or a 1st Ad, and 1st 1st Ad and a 2nd 1st Ad. We made the show with the resources we had available to us. Nothing more. We creatively wrote a story around what was immediately available. One of my all time heroes is Robert Rodriguez. Read “Rebel Without a Crew” and learn how he made his feature, “El Mariachi” on $7, 000. A lot of people think this is a joke, and yes the print that ended up in theatres receieved a million dollar grade and sound mix. But he still put together a $7, 000 film and received major Hollywood interest.
So what am I saying? I think my first blog on OzGirl should have one message: anything is possible. Be creative and keep fighting to achieve what you want to achieve. You don’t need a 50 person crew, or a 10 person crew, or a 5 person crew. You don’t need $50 million.
February 3rd, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Great post, Nick! So true…