Milestone

Hello, Fellow Bloggers and Acting Fans and welcome to Fridays blog, which today is very special blog it is our 100th blog! Yeah, oh right, Groovy! And what are we going to do to celebrate this special time for you. Well, actually, erm, filming. Yep - that’s what we’ve been doing today shooting the main exterior scene of Episode 4. I mean, after all, we are actors and poor ones at that so we can’t afford to go out get drunk but, if you wish to donate to our going out funds, then of course please feel free. We have to get on, though.

So we have been out using our guerrilla filming making skills and dodging the rain drops too. In order to get these shots done, we even had to rope in an extra cast member (actually as well as literally but [SPOILERS]) as well for this shoot to be an unsuspecting guard. I can tell you fellow blogger it was an odd kind of shoot today.

"Huh?"

We did in fact get all of the guard footage done, after the rain had held off. The problem was trying to do our scene and main lines was well an experience of traffic, traffic and bloody traffic. It wouldn’t let up and on a road that is normal quite quiet! Honestly, it was nothing like this when we scouted the location. We had no idea what was going on. It was like somebody or something was against us. Damn them whoever/whatever they are (*Shaking fist at sky*)!

Now back to this being are 100th blog I mean, wow, have we really rabbited on for that many posts -  it sure doesn’t feel like we have. And I wonder whom out there has read all of these (and good on you if have) and to those of you who haven’t - why not, I ask? Got something better to do? No? Well get on with it then - the archive's right there on the sidebar. Don't just sit there, click to it!

That’s it for now. Chris has taken the footage back with him and is trying to do a rough cut of this
scene to see whether or not we might need to re-shoot or if some of our line takes are cuttable together. We still have a shoot planned for tomorrow to do the main scenes of episode 3 and, if we have enough time, maybe the pickups we may need for Episode 4. So we have been busy and just in the time for the 100th blog post - have mentioned already that we are up to 100th blog post? We've done 100 of these you know and there ain't no stoppin' us now!
Well, that’s it for now so keep the home fires burning, hombres and chiquitas.

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

Guest Star

Welcome back, Acting Fans, we hope you have all enjoyed 'Googolplex' while we are still beavering away here at H&H HQ. This week has seen us shooting at the Flat for Episode 4 of the first series (probably a good job considering the current weather) and we have had a little something else to contend with, or rather someone. You see Vern has acquired an additional flatmate of sorts - his co-habitees have found themselves in possession of a wee kitten, who (occasionally - when it suits him) answers to the name of Muta.

Ready for his close up

And he sure isn't camera shy. In fact it got to the point during takes that we had to resort to Cat Bribery because, whilst his sense of continuity is great, he just couldn't really get to grips with line delivery. Due to this I've decide to stick with Vern as my co-star but I will be keeping Muta's details on file, just in case (he's actually a lot cheaper, if it comes down to it).
We did, eventually, manage to get our shots for episode 4 and a minor scene for episode 3 done and the next shoot will hopefully be this Friday, if weather and circumstances permit.
Vern has also been in touch with the Actors Workshop and we are hoping to get a meeting in soon, fings crossed. That's about it for this week as you can see we're right in the midst of things - we'll see you Friday, chaps and chapesses...

TTFN

Christopher Haigh

The Impossible Dream

Welcome once again bloggers and acting fans, it’s Friday and it’s blog time, so what's new down at H&H HQ?

Networking, luvvie darling. That most important skill. We have been to see a play at the Actors Workshop, their production of Man of La Mancha, to do just that.

We were mainly on a scouting mission for other actors (and hopefully crew) and to ask if we could use the Actor Workshops as a location in a future episode. We did get some interest in the show and we are setting up a meeting so we can sort out whether or not the location can be used and who wants to get involved - so fingers crossed, fellow Acting Fans and bloggers, that we are able to use it.
We have also gone through the rushes of this weeks shoot and picked the best shots to use for the scene we filmed at The Cat I'Th' Well for the next episode.

So that's it for this week - apart from the Episode going live, that is (Have I not already said that? GOTCHA! Hee hee, I can never resist a tease.)
You didn't think I'd forgotten about it really, did you? Yes, as you are reading this the very first episode of the series is now live. Yep, you heard (well, read) that right, the series proper has now started!
After years of the planning and the talking (and the driving our friends up the wall with all the talking) it has finally happened it is LIVE. Its lives, IT LIIIIIVES…..

So please watch it, tell all your friends to watch it and get them to tell their friends about it and get them to tell their friends to tell their friends and so on and so forth. Heck - get them to tell strangers about it! Because we want as mucho many people out there to enjoy the misadventures of Harcourt & Haigh as possible!

Well, that’s it for now that’s definitely all we have been up to, yep, it’s all go again at H&H HQ, until the next blog keep the home fires burning. (You’re going to need to, it’s coming in cold now.)

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

Back At The Cat I' Th' Well

Hello, fellow bloggers and acting fans, welcome back to the blog. I'm back from my trip to our great city of London with my lovely Girlfriend, we had a great time down there, thanks very much.
Now, what have we been up to since I’ve been back? Well, we have jumped straight into it this week (feet and camera-first) and we have been filming up (and down) at The Cat I' Th' Well pub.

We've shot the end of the 3rd episode today, after we decided to take a risk with the weather and ran with it (& for it) and, well, it paid off. We did need some additional help this time and managed to rope in one Mr. Ross G from the Actor’s Workshop as cameraman/soundman/brolly holder/every other sort of crew member.

Vern & his Unwitting Victims, erm , I mean Willing Participants, obviously.

Ross was very kind in helping us out and we couldn't have gotten all our shots without him on board. We also had the spontaneous surprise cameo of one James England, the chef at The Cat I' Th' Well. He was more willing to help us out, but how? You’ll just have to watch the episode when it’s done to find out. We did get most of what we wanted for episode 3, we were also hoping to do some shooting for the end to the fourth episode though but too late as we have a tight schedule to keep to and had to let Ross get back to his other creative duties.

And speaking of episodes and schedules there is big in fact MASSIVE news for us to let you about from the H&H HQ. Yep, In case you haven’t guessed it, or not read last week blog post - the first episode of the series will in fact be going, going, going LIVE this very Friday! So please watch it, I'm sure you will like it.

Well, that’s the end of Wednesday's blog so, until Friday, keep all of them home fire’s a-burning...

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

Weekend Break

Hello, Acting Fans, and welcome to the H&H Productions regular Friday update. Chris here, whilst we've been in the midst of editing the first two episodes of the series and during preparation for the upcoming next phase of shooting Vern, Co-creator, Co-star & Big Tease, has been taking on the brunt of the bloggination duties as I slaved away at the editing desk (alright, me Compy) so he's earned himself a bit of a break, a break he's on right now in fact.

As I write Vernon is accompanying his lovely lady, Josie, on a weekend break to the Big Smoke. That's right - he's headed waaay Darn Sarf to our post-Olympic capital however, just like Inspector Gadget, our Collossal Acting Talent is 'always on duty' - he'll be keeping his eye on the prize and checking out the competition by taking in a performance of 'Rock Of Ages' to see exactly what those West End Thesps are made of. He'll be the judge of whether or not they can truly 'Rock'.

As for this week's endeavors well due to our work schedules this week, and a touch of bad weather Tuesday (boy, those Heavens sure did open), we haven't shot anything more than Vern's 'Dave' footage and, of course, kept up with our line-learning. Besides that the only other eventful happening in production this week is that I found a toy from my childhood which we'd been planning to buy an updated version of for use in one of the upcoming episode shoots, as usual it turned up when I was looking for something else entirely!
That's about it for this week, ah, well, there is one more thing that got done this week...

That's right, folks, as the Big Tease himself teased in this Wednesdays post, we're about to air the first episode of Series 1 and, you read it right, it'll be going live a week today! (Brief side note: I'd like to say a big thanks to Matt Austin of Austin Brothers Films for pointing me in the right direction for a decent sound effect for this teaser.)
As I'm sure Vern would write at about this point, Boy, We sure do spoil you lot!

So be sure to tune in next week for our regular Wednesday update and then be prepared to feast your eyes on our Brand New Episode. Do try not to get too excited in the meantime, go on, make yourself a nice calming cup of tea and then have a good sit down to steady yourself, there's good chaps and chapesses.

TTFN

Christopher Haigh

Stocktake

Hello out there in the interweb, fellow bloggers and readers. You know what time it is - yep, it's BLOG!

Time, that is, Blog Time! So well what have we been doing this week over here at the H&H HQ productions? Well, let me see hmmm, errmmm, hmmm. Oh, I know! Chris has been busy finishing off the final touch to the first episode to get it ready to go live (Soon, in fact, but more on that later) and me, what have I been doing?

I've been doing some filming on my own. Yep, you read that right on my own. Now, what could I possibly be doing on my own and why wasn’t Chris there?
Calm down, folks, and I will tell you - when not tweaking Chris has been at his day job and I've been filming some footage for the next episode, part of a sequence which neither me or Chris are in.

I’ve been filming 'Dave' (or rather the 'HAiL2001' intercom box through which Harcourt & Haigh's mysterious landlord communicates). We've only got the one prop y'see (the perils of the Lo-to-No budget production) so I've been placing it around the flat for use not only in the next episode to be filmed but possible future episodes too. You could say I've been shooting Stock Footage.
As well as various place around the flat I've been taking multi-angled shots of 'him' too, so if we do use this for stock footage we will have some different shots we can use. We just have two shots left to do for the opening which will involve the help of Chris, and a bit of dressing up for me (did I say I wasn't in this sequence? Well, that is sort of true).
I've also still been learning them lines and planning out a date to go and film up at our pre-scouted Wainstalls location. Our eyes are on the 5-day forecast, so please have a kind word to whichever weather gods you worship. We're not asking for sunshine in September but we could really do with some nice cloud without rain for the next exterior shoot.

'Dave'

is

all

around

Oh, One more thing - I did say something about the first episode of Series 1 going live, didn't I?
Well, my dear followers, I bet you’re wondering WHEN it’s going live?
Well, well, well, I can say this…………….SOOOOOON!
Tune in on Friday to find out more.
Teehee.

Well, that’s it for now, keep them home fires burning, Acting Fans, and...

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

Re-Cutting Crew

Welcome back, fellow bloggers, it’s Friday - so it’s time once again for the second blog post of the week! Here's what’s been happening down at H&H production HQ since Wednesday. Well, if you’ve not guessed from the title we, or rather Chris, have been glued to the editing desk (AKA his Mac) to do some re-cuts. But of what?! Calm down, dears, and I will tell you...

The H&H Vogue - The Hogue

Chris has been doing a re-cut of the title sequence for the series. Yep, We have decided to change it from the pilot, which you can view right now online (or here). Mainly to add a few different shots, take out and/or trim some down and just generally moving them around to be a bit more dynamic. When we put the Pilot episode's titles together we didn’t use much footage and, looking back at it now it seems, well, a bit too sedate - not a lot going on there. A shot or two from the Pilot titles have made it over but only a few, in a nod to TV show tradition we have tried to use mainly footage from the Pilot episode itself, with a little hint of stuff to come.

Run-run-run-runaway

And what I’ve been doing while Chris has been slaving away over his hot Mac? Well, I’ve been passing my judgemental eye over the cuts and saying 'yea' or 'nay', suggesting changes here & there (Man, I love Directing) and am still on with learning my lines as always - so many, many lines. That’s all I seem to be doing at the moment, the perils of being a Leading Man, I suppose. Hmm, Chris seems to be having all the fun.

Well, that’s it for now. Until next time Keep the home fire burning and...

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

The Last Shot

"Everyone wants a Blog,
You're gonna love it, Blog
Come on and get our Blog
Everyone needs a Blog
Blog Blog Blog!"

Welcome back, Acting Fans and fellow Blogonauts, let’s get down to it. Now what have H&H Productions been up to after last Friday? Well, well, let me tell you - yesterday (4th September 2012) me and Chris had a quick spur-of-the-moment meet up (we didn't have it in the diary as I'm not always available on Tuesdays) mainly for a readthrough of the next episodes but, as the sun was kind of out (flippin' changeable September weather), we decided we would quickly take this moment to try and film the last bit needed for episode one (even though Chris didn't have his costume, we thought of a workaround).
With an idea, our trusty camera at hand and our Guerrilla filmmaking rules in our heads we headed out to do this last shot. After nervously waiting for the breeze to die down, people and/or cars to pass and with Chris fretting about the light condition we still got it in the can and we got a doozy of an outtake as well. (Yep, these are really starting to build up. Warning: This one contains mild peril. To a hat.)

Curse you, gust of wind! The bane of hat-wearing actors everywhere!

Despite this we now have all of the footage for episode one and, as I am writing this blog, it is being integrated into the completed episode, which is now almost ready to go - barring some minor sound effect tweaks. After that we only have to do a re-cut version of the intro and both of the first two episodes will be ready to go!
That’s about it for now, we are still on with learning our lines, planning the next shoot and looking to assemble additional crew, which hopefully means it shouldn’t be too long away.

Well, as always, keep those home fires a-burning and until the next time...

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt