Welcome, Bloggers and Acting Fans, to Wednesdays Spooooky and creeeeepy blog, Mwhahahahahahahaha, and, boy, do we have a treat in store for you!
No trick! As today is Halloween (Or, if you prefer, Samhain) we have an HEXtra special seasonal mini, well, erm, Special for you of our unique H&H Madness - Mwhahahahahaha! Click below -IF YOU DARE!
Have you watched it? Good! Yes, this was the 'Something Special' we've been keeping secret. Now please don’t forget to share it with your friends and then get them to share it with their friends, then they can share with their Fiends, er, I mean friends and so on and so on.
Well, that’s about if for today so don’t forget to tune back in on Friday when episode four goes live, folks. Yep, you get the regular episode this week as well! We are indeed spoiling you this week aren’t we?
So good night out there....whatever you are - Mwhahahahahahahahahahah!
Oh, and keep them Halloween Lanterns burning - I mean it’s a good way to keep them pesky ghouls and demons away! And don't have nightmares!
...Yorkshire borough of Calderdale, Halifax area, that is.
Welcome to this weeks Friday update, Acting Fans, it's me again, Vern's not-so-silent partner in crime. Now let me tell you what we've been up to since Wednesday. This Thursday saw Vern once again pay a visit to Casa Del Haigho where the editing suite is based, his morning shift meant we had to wait until the afternoon to get started, about half 1-ish, and between then and early evening (about 8PM) we managed to get the additional scene cut and added to episode 4 - finalising the cut leaving only some ADR to do and the episode will be completed, which I'll be on with this weekend. Now You may think that doesn't seem so quick. That is not all however, we also edited something else to final form. Something else which I've just completed the ADR on today. The thing is, well, I can't tell you what it is. I'm sworn to secrecy by the Big Tease himself - on pain of DEATH (I assume he meant a metaphorical death, otherwise he'd have to find another Haigh. Mind you, there are plenty of us around and about here Oop North - better not risk it). I can only tell you that it's the 'Something Special' we've mentioned before. No, no, I can't possibly tell you anything else. I just can't but I CAN leave you with these:
Yes, we here at H&H Productions have never been ones able to resist a fairground attraction (especially me and my magpie mind, what with all the shiny, colourful things on display) and so that's where you could have found us today, Acting Fans, at the Piece Hall's Half-Term Fair. Not just for fun and games though - we had a purpose. As you may recall from last week we were due to shoot two sequences at the weekend on Sunday. Unfortunately though, we had to drop the additional scene we were going to shoot for episode 4 due to lack of manpower. The scene required many more bodies than we were able to muster but the deadline for episode 4 remained. (Have no fear, Acting Fans, the scenes we required for the mystery 'Special Something' were done and dusted with alacrity).
Welcome to the House Of Fun
This left us with something of a dilemma. Should we try and reschedule the additional scene and, if we failed to get the bodies again, run the risk of doing it with fewer people and it not looking so good (or, worst case scenario, we failed to get the shoot done and the episode is down a scene just before it's due to go up) or do we actually create a new scene entirely that requires only the core of H&H Productions, i.e. us? And if a new scene, what? It was seeing the funfair rides being put up on the Friday during a brief stop off at the Piece Hall that the idea came to me that we could use it as a part of a new scene and when I put the idea to m'colleague Vern at the shoot he eagerly agreed. The new scene actually gets in an idea that goes way back to the very beginnings of the creation of Harcourt & Haigh that hasn't had the most prominent part in the series so far but anything else I say would be [SPOILERS]. With the able assistance of two of our newest drafted crew, Jake and Hardy, we got the line takes we needed. After that, Vern and I finished off the shoot with a bit of stock footage coverage and ADR soundtrack recording. Yes, Acting Fans, episode 4 is now in the can and we'll also be taking a pass at the editing this week. If we can get it done this will give us an extra week to plan out episode 5 and, boy, are we gonna need it - it's complicated! More on that later, 'cause that's it for now.
Welcome back, fellow bloggers and Acting Fans, here's Fridays blog - on we go! Once again I am very pleased to announce that the third episode of 'Harcourt & Haigh' is live, yep, that’s right, folks, you read that right! Episode 3 'Stake Out' is now live on YouTube and on this blog - just below this bit of text in fact, so go on - put your feet with a cuppa and give it a watch. Woo!
This weekend, actually this Sunday, will be a busy one. Due to a slight schedule misalignment with Chris's day job we'll be trying to shoot two sequences on the one day - the last scenes needed to complete episode 4 and a scene or two for that little something special I teased you about on Wednesday. We'll have to get our skates on to get done. Wish us luck! Also if you're new to H&H fandom don’t forget to have a poke about our channel to take a look at the others episode or any of the trailers that you might have missed. As always please tell all your friends about it and get them to tell their friends and them to tell their friends friends (and THEM to tell their friends friends friends...friends?). Feel free to post it around the web, any random fandom sites you can think of too, or on your own twitter. We're 20th Century Boys at heart and we don't think we've quite grasped this t'Intarwub thing so we'll take all the help we can get. We do hope you've enjoyed Number 3 and that you will stay tuned for more - come on, it's only a fortnight away!
Well, that’s it for this Friday blog so as always keep the home fires burning...
Wait! Chopping away?! No, That is right but you'll have to wait to find out why.
Hello, fellow bloggers and Acting Fans welcome once again to our Wednesday blog. Let us tell you all what we’ve been up to today.
Well, once again we have been out filming shots in and about Halifax for a little something very, very special. What is this special something? I am afraid I can’t you that just yet (I could but then I'd have to kill you and, if I killed you, who would watch the series apart from our mums, eh?). No, really, I am very afraid (and I am writing this blog of my own free will, honest). Let me just say it's for something a little bit Hextra. And, no, that isn't a typo.
It's a Mystery...
Also this week Chris has been getting on with the sound editing for the 4th episode of H&H, trying to get rid of all of those pesky cars zooming past on some of the outdoor shot for that episode. I am pleased to report that it was a success for Chris, he won the fight against the car noise with the use of a noise gate and a few other sound effects put in place (for ambiance as well as masking) and it is now a working scene. Ha! Sucks to be you Gods of Inconvenient Traffic - we WIN!
To recap: We have been filming today (Check), Chris finished sound editing (Check), I don’t think there is anything else on the list to tell you about, is there? Hmm…….. is there……. Erm………….. Oh, wait! Yes, there is - but guess what H&H fandoms? That’s going to have to wait until Fridays blog post. So keep your onions peeled - the same H channel, about the same H time.
Wotcha, Acting Fans, and welcome to Fridays belated blog update. We're coming to you a little later than usual - but it's for a good reason. You see we got a bit of a gap in our schedules this week, which meant we could bring forward the planned first cut of episode 4 (originally pencilled in for next week).
So bright and early this morning, oh, alright, at about quarter to eleven Vern got his bod down to the editing suite (Yes, yes, my bedroom) and we got into the cut. Once again, as with episode 3, being able to view the rushes on Vern's PC to make the shot selection has really speeded things up. This time I'd also done my homework with some additional preparation too (minor trimming of the calls to 'Action!', etc. and making the odd scene break) so we got to the final first cut in about 4 and a half hours. We also managed to fit in a minor tweak to episode 3 today, as Vern had taken a look at some of the missing footage and found a nice brief shot that we could use to replace one in the edit where we'd originally used a double of another shot. The new shot had a nice little touch of establishing something that the episode was missing before, well done, Mr. V! That means episode 3 is well and truly ready to hit the 'Tube at the end of next week, bang on schedule. Unless, that is, we have some notes from our test audience, the unwitting victims helpful volunteers rounded up by Vern to be subjected to a preview of the episode this weekend. Fings crossed, everyone!
We only have a minor (but body-heavy, yeah, we need some extra bodies) scene to shoot to finalise episode 4 and, if all goes well, we'll be cracking on with episode 5 soon, oh, and a little something else besides is on the cards but what exactly? Well, That would be telling. That's all for this week, Acting Fans, stay tuned and keep frosty.
Hello, Acting Fans and fellow bloggers, welcome back this Wednesday and, yes it’s our blog time. Boy, We have been very, very busy. As you know (if you've been keeping up with the blog - and if not GET TO IT!), last week we wrapped on a two-week long shoot filming episodes 3 and 4 back-to-back. Yesterday saw us back in the editing room (AKA Chris's bedroom) to edit episode 3.
In your car
This time episode went together a lot easier than in past edit’s. We only had the takes we were going to use, had a clear understanding of what the episode was going to look like and how it fit together. It was like putting a moving jigsaw together and, like true pros (well, of a sort) though, somehow along the way, in copying the footage from my PC to Chris's Mac some line takes were lost. Luckily we had enough coverage from other takes to use in the cut and it turned out we may have ended up dropping at least one of the lost lines for time constraint anyway. Yeah, we’re getting pretty good at this, if I don’t say so myself. We’re pleased to say that the 3rd episode of H&H is now complete with all visual F/X (Yes, VISUAL effects. Ooooh, what could they be?) and additional sound put in and it only took us about 10hrs-ish (Well, we had to break for lunch and tea).
I say, those effects are rather special
'What next then?' I hear you ask (I do indeed hear you - in my head). Well, Let me tell you we met up today to plan out episode 5 of the series and start the sorting out of our locations and the permission to use them. I know, I know - what about Rule #4 of the Guerrilla film making rules, 'Sneak in and film and sneak out'? Sometimes it is good ask nicely so you can stay longer and get done what you need to get done (but I would still use Rule #4 wherever I can).
That’s it for now, you are all once again up to date on the goings here at H&H HQ. So until next we meet for a chat/read...
Keep the home fires burning, well - it IS getting a bit cold now.
Hello, Acting Fans and fellow Bloggers, it’s Friday and blog time once again.
So - what has been happening down here at H&H Production HQ?
Well, as you know, we wrapped on the next two episodes earlier in the week. What else could we have been doing in the mean time before we get to the editing? Well, we've been concerned with 'Bidness'. Yes, We went up to The Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre for a Creative Calderdale-organised meeting and multi-media talk from Frank Boyd, Director of the Creative Industries Knowledge Transfer Network, and to hopefully do some networking.
And it turned out to be a good evening, we got some tips and a load of information on digital media, not all of it directly relevant to what we're up to but some of which could be a help to us, and we got to meet a number of like-minded people and do a little networking of our own. We got some good interest in the series and, maybe, some more people to help us out behind the scenes. Most importantly there was FREE BOOZE AND FOOD (you could say we were sort of 'in character'). Awww, and what a damn fine curry it was, mmmmm, it was very tasty indeed, mmmm! So good, in fact, I had 3 plates, yes, that's right 3 Plates (Well, they were only small plates and waste not want not - there was still plenty of curry left after) and, anyway, we are poor impoverished actors - we need all the free stuff we can get, teehee, but it was a very informative and eventful evening though - even without the curry (though the curry was really good, oh yes). I think that's it for today’s blog. I don’t think I’ve missed anything this time, or have I?
Hmm…I'm sure there might be something else to say but, damn it, what was is it?!
Oh yeah - NOW I remember! Yes, Acting Fans and Blogonauts, today is the day that the SECOND EPISODE OF HARCOURT & HAIGH IS LIVE!!! In fact it’s so live just click below - such are the wonders of internet linking!
Ok, that really is it for today, so enjoy the second episode and, please, pass it on and tell all your friends about it (and get them to tell all their friends and so on and so on - help us get those views up).
Until next time, keep the home fires burning people!
Welcome back, fellow bloggers and Acting Fans, we're back for the Wednesday blog and we have had a busy week (and weekend) since last we spoke that's why we're coming in a little late, so let’s get right to it!
We have done it, yes, it has been completed MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, erm, yeah. Hi, sorry. Teehee. I might be a bit giddy but, as I said at the top, we have two more episodes in the can (technically a third of Series 1). We made out our shooting schedule and, by Golly, we have stuck to it!
The doors were not blown off
After last Fridays shoot, we were once again busy shooting on the Saturday. First we went back down to Fridays location to pick up some lines, then we had the main scenes of Episode 3 to do. This was made possible by the kind help of an old friend of mine, Andy “Ironman” Thomas, and the loan of his Motor. He was kind enough to let us use his car to sit and film in making us able to get episode 3 in the can and done. Well, after a quick re-shoot yesterday of one line, yes that’s right, Acting Fans, ONE LINE! All because, once again, we were defeated by our arch nemesis - the wind. Damn you wind for being, well, erm...so windy.
That brings us up today where we have been down at the YMCA to film interior scenes for Episode 4, with some extra cast and crew who have been so helpful over these past two shoots and, yes, both of them appear in episode 4 too, so watch out for them! I am so pleased that we managed to stick to the shooting schedule mapped out for episode 3 and 4 and it has worked too!
Yes folks, as of now both the 3rd and 4th episodes are now complete and ready to edit which we will be on with next week. And with that I think that is all for today…I think. I don’t think I’ve left anything out, hmmm…I'm sure there is something else I should be telling you…but I can’t remember what though…
Oh, yes! Of course! NOW I remember - it’s about Friday and what's happening then! 'What is it?' I hear you all cry out at once, then suddenly fall silent…
Well, guess what you’ll just have to read all about it on Fridays post. BWAH HAHAHA!
