Found Footage

Hello, Acting Fans, fellow bloggers and people of the Internet, It's Friday once again and only THREE WEEKS until Christmas. (Yes, I know it's the mad rush time.) So what's has been happening in the ol' H&H front down at H&H HQ, and are we anywhere near to getting the Christmas Vlog filmed, will it be done in time?!

Well, well, that's a lot of questions you have there, so I shall get to answering them for you. First me, myself and Chris did get a meet-up in this week and a good ol' chin wag did we have. (Yep, we sure did) we talked about all sorts of things. From the new Star Wars trailer (I dig it, Chris is coming around to it despite Abrams-scepticism, which I don't blame him for since 'Into Darkness') to Jurassic World (set in a universe with entirely different Health & Safety legislature than ours) then on to other films and stars and such. We even got on to how we can fix the Fantastic Four film franchise and how it should be written and done. I if I do say so myself, it's a much better idea than the rubbish 'grounded' take that 20th Century Fox has in mind, I'm not the biggest fan of the FF myself but even I would want to watch our version. Just a shame we are not paid screenwriters as it would be a much better film. In fact the idea is so good we are considering writing it out for ourselves just as an creative exercise, but that's for NEXT year (We've still got to finish this one off for now). Fox, call us.

Yep, totally fixed. Call us, Fox.

And so on to the next point the Christmas Vlog and where it is at, well, we was going to try and film some of it on Wednesday. At least the exterior shots, but as is bloody typical for H&H outdoor shoots the weather was against us, nope, not wind, nope, not rain neither, we had a piggin' clear blue sky, and what we NEEDED was a cloudy white sky! Bloody weather! *Shakes fist at sky* So that's why you got no blog from Chris on Wednesday, we had nothing to report (and he needed to chill out after our epic rambling conversation). He's not done nothing entirely though. On Thursday he took to sourcing some the film footage that we are intersplicing into our Christmas Vlog. A certain film, and, nope, I am not going to tell which film it is yet. You will have to watch the Actor's Log vlog when it comes out to know. Once again Chris got most of what we need, despite having to upload most of the film for the few bits we need. With that film footage down and ready to go it's now time to get on with filming. Which shall be happening soon, well, as soon as the weather is in the exterior shoots favour, it's fairly short and hopefully not too difficult, but we may have to record our voices on my phone and sync it up due to high wind sounds and our Nemesis TRAFFIC. Bloody traffic! Luckily I got an app to record voices, so it shouldn't be too difficult to do. Well, here's hoping that isn't!

That's all for now, so see you in the Future!!!

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

Keeping It Funny

Hello Acting Fans, fellow bloggers and people of the Internet once again Friday is upon us so here is your round up of what has been happening at the H&H HQ. Firstly once again apology for no midweek blog posting on Wednesday, once again Chris' busy work schedule as got in the way and kept him very busy but with his dogged determination and dedication to H&H we did get a meet up on Wednesday after he finished his shift that day.

Flippin' Time slippin'!

What has been going this time, well, quite a bit actually despite the business, now, just sit right there and let me tell about it. First thing is Chris has been going over the Halloween script with fine tooth comb AND a toothpick, if you like - metaphorical ones obviously, using real ones would be daft, to add anything I missed and pull out some of the joke threads I might have started but not made them fully fleshed out. Some of the scenes with H&H needed a bit more punching up to the dialogue in them and, of course, getting around (finally!) to putting on the new ending, which you shall see. Now we just got to find some locations. Hmm, easier said I think, but we can do it!

At the meet we did discuss the filming, how and when we were going to do it and, hopefully, we shall be starting next week. We really need to get on as the month is ticking away and soon it shall be November and, well, we would have missed it (Halloween, of course, how can you forget Goth Christmas?!). We also did sort the thing I hinted at last week plus how and where we are going to use the Mystery Item. The only thing I can say it might pop up quite soon, well, maybe, with good luck. We came up with, well, I say we it was Chris with a quick couple of lines for H&H to well, erm, something but, erm, as to where those lines will turn up we don't know, yet. But it shall get used as we did this with the last lines in Grog, and look what happened there. We wrote them down and we did eventually find a place for them and it shall happen once again. So Say I, Vernon Harcourt!

Well, that's all for now folks see you in the FUTURE!

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

Taxing Times

Hello Acting Fans, fellow bloggers and people of the words Internet! THIS! IS! FRIDAY!!! Once again it's time for my Brando-style ramblings, the horror, the horror! First there is one thing to say, and that word is sorry! Sorry for no blog on Wednesday, folks, but Chris has been very busy at work, in fact he has done and 8 days straight through the weekend (blooming day jobs! Boo! Hisss!). So that we have not even had time to get in our weekly meet and chat aways. He did manage to get his Tax done during this time though, thanks to this world of tomorrow's online returns filing, which means the old Haigh brainspace can be put back to work on more H&H stuff now, Groovy!

That leaves me to tell you what have we been up to, well, as apart of trying to get a few more views, I did a bit of a big Facebook cross-post of last month's vlog. I thought it was worth a go as it was in limbo at only about 11 views, I am pleased to say it worked and it has now bumped it up, at least a wee bit. I have also been working on some idea for the TOP SECRET project we very briefly talked about a few weeks back. In that I have been doing some research on to a list of idea that we can use for them. and how to make them into what we want them to be. Yes, I know that sounds very, very cryptic too but I really can't say anymore on this as it still in a very early stage of development. Trust me, they shall becoming your way soon.

On a different note (a C# in fact), we did kind of come up with another Actor's Log vlog idea via me and Chris talking by text which is sort of a nod to an very controversial film (and play), well, for it's time. This could be a very controversial vlog, well, maybe. But first we have to find a willing actor to do this vlog for us, and it could be a darker vlog! Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!!!
Erm, where was I?
Erm, oh yeah, the vlog, yeah, so that's one more idea. To be beaten around and into shape, while we drink our warm milk, trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with it, and just how to go about it...mmmm warm milk plus....OH! Erm, I think I'd best leave that there for now.

See you in the Future!

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

Endings Game

Welcome fellow bloggers, Acting Fans and people of the world's Internet, yep, it's Friday and it's my turn to say whats been happening at H&H HQ. So first of all, we weren't able to film this week as planned, though did manage our usually meet up to discuss and sort out a few things and a few things we did indeed sort out int the end. We sorted out two things, two more endings in fact.

We got on talking about our up and coming Actor's Log Vlog and how it needed something else as, well to be honest, the ending didn't end well enough. It was rather an weak in the fact it just, well, erm...ended. So as me and Chris were talking and consuming coffee we did indeed come with an more H&H ending. Which is better and keeps more in line with us in actually being funny (if I say so myself). Now we are still keeping the first ending, just adding a bit more to it (confused? don't be, at least you won't be once you see it as I can't go and tell you the ending now can I. That'd be the end of it.) Trust us it will all make sense once done.

Now on to the second discussed ending this time on the Halloween special as I was telling Chris what I had written down (well, trying to remember it) I as got the end of it I realised and that it just, well, cut off. That and some of the hooks in the special were never really wrapped up or showed what happened. (I'm trying me best not give too much away here.) Fortunately Chris had an idea from our Halloween brainstorming that he just couldn't let go of and after bouncing it around between us (like a rubber ball, baby) we have come with a way to work it in that, well, ends it very well, if I say so myself. That in it's self fits the Halloween special that we have been doing and it might just might lead to another special (I said 'might'). Once again I can't say too much or else risk giving anything away as [SPOILERS]. Mwhahahahah All I can say is we did laugh over both of the new ending and once again in true H&H style made more work for ourselves, oh, and more prop buying (this low-to-no budget stuff gets expensive sometimes). Well, whoever said this was easy.....was obviously lying, and needs to be told that, and made to stand in the corner. (Or could they be more talented than us, nah, stick to your first instincts, Vernon)

Now as to filming it looks less and less likely that we will be able to get it done this month, so you lot will be with out your H&H fix (boo, hiss) and the vlog we were going will have to be re-scheduled. But never fear acting fans we shall be back on top soon! And you do have a special Special coming next month too. So not all is bad.

Well that's all for now folks see you in the future

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

Best Laid Plans

Well, it's Humpday again and this week, oh dear, it appears that the H&H Production machine has come off at this particular hump.

Ouch.

I got the message this morning from my colleague that we couldn't go ahead with today's planned shoot due to unfortunate circumstances. Unfortunately this means due to my upcoming shift pattern it may not be possible to get an Actor's Log vlog up for September, but if the worst comes to the worst we will make it up to you in October! Stay tuned for further details.

TTFN

Christopher Haigh

Wigging Out

Hello there, Acting Fans, it's time once again for our regular Humpday Dance so on with the Blog it is! It's a mix of Good news & Bad News. Good News first, Vern & I got our meet-up on and put our head's together for another H&H planning session going over the new tweaked version of the next Actor's Log (that I finally got around to tweaking, Bad Chris!). The Bad News is, in the course of running through it we realised (as is becoming rather regular post-tweaking) that we needed more preparation before getting down to filming which we planned to do this week. Bah! Sorting stuff out it is, then.
We also talked about some of the future ideas that came up during our coffee & cake brainstorm session, which in turn led to some research - checking out some Two Ronnies sketches online. This also led to us doing some wig shopping, well, wig window-shopping (or is it screen-shopping if you do it on the internet?).

Yep, for some time I've been resisting Vern's push for us to get a bigger stock of costume, including wigs, as we are after all a Low-to-No budget feature. Now though, I have to agree with m'learned colleague, especially as they have now become essential for one of Vern's future Actor's Log ideas as well as being handy for the still-on-hiatus Episode 6 (if we can just get it done before Star Wars Episode 7 comes out, we'll be happy!) so there goes that Low-to-No budget!
That's it so far for this week, we've earmarked our wigs for purchase later, on with prepping the next Actor's Log and I'm taking a look at the first draft of another future Actor's Log H&H Productions continues to trundle along, so goodbye for now or, as the French say, au revoir...

TTFN

Christopher Haigh

McConaissance Reconnaissance

Greetings, Acting Fans, it's bad news again this Wednesday as once again my day job has taken me out of the H&H equation - don't ask me what m'learned colleague has been up to, once again we haven't even got together yet this week! I even have to admit I've been bad and haven't even made my usual first pass at the next vlog script yet, Naughty Chris! Enough of what I haven't been doing, what have I been doing?
Well, after work I have in fact found myself getting caught up in a fresh, exciting new cultural movement that started in 2011 in the United States - yes, I'm talking about the McConaissance. That's right, the stunning second act of Matthew McConaughey's acting career. I am a total convert. After not initially rating the Texan and dismissing him as a pretty-boy actor for years I decided to check out 'True Detective' due to the absence from my telly of the programmes I usually watch (yes, I was right in the middle of a 'Doctor Who' & 'Person Of Interest' drought). I'd heard positive rumblings about the show but dismissed it as yet another cop show with a bit of stunt Hollywood casting. Oh, boy, was I wrong!
Both McConaughey and his co-star (and real-life buddy) Woody Harrelson absolutely knock it out of the park!

It's a frankly stunning bit of Telly that's as much about deconstructing the form as it is in showing the mystery with a hint of Cosmic Horror to boot, whose creator Nic Pizzolatto has been open about the work of comic book writers Grant Morrison and Alan Moore. So, yes, the story is pretty much Chris Catnip but that would mean nothing with out the great central performances. Now, time to stop ogling other peoples' creativity and get on down to my own!

TTFN

Christopher Haigh

I, Spy (Family Extra)

Hello, Acting Fans, fellow bloggers and people of the Internet! Well, yep, it is Friday and it's time for the blog post, so what have we been doing. Well, alas and alack (mostly a lack of Chris) we still have not been able to have a meeting as Chris is busy with work, so nothing much has been done, But well sort off as I on and off have been looking on YouTube to find a clip of a show I was once in. Yep, like Chris I too have been on the tellybox, as an extra that is.

The show was a kids show called 'My Spy Family' and all I can say (much like the BBC 3 S***com (I'm not being harsh - it really was that bad) 'The Gemma Factor' that Chris appeared) in it, well, it's not the best kids show ever. Let's leave it at that. Sadly since I didn't have Satellite TV at the time it was first broadcast I never got to it. With our more recent H&H escapades I got to wondering about that footage of me beaming through outer space and, after search on and off on YouTube, what do you know? I found the it and, after looking through some of the episodes, checking when I did the filming and a bit of guessing, I found the two episodes I was in! And now you too can play 'Spot the Harcourt'!



                                                                           

I bet you're wondering, why, why is this important? Or is it not important at all and are you just blog filling until somethings gets done? Well, yes. And no as my appearance in the show is also going to be interwoven in to Harcourt & Haigh somehow, so there.

And how are we going to put them in to the show? You'll just have to stay tuned to find out!

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

Life Finds A Way...To Get In The Way

Happy Humpday, Acting Fans, welcome to your mid-weekly update of what's what at H&H HQ. I have to admit that's not a lot so far this week, we haven't even managed to have our regular meet-up yet. Yep, It's the time of year where I'm called up in work near-enough full time, as I'm covering other colleagues annual leave which hasn't left any time for Acting at Large.
All I can do is apologise and assure you that I'm poring over Vern's script with an eye to the odd tweak or two and a bit of word wrangling. Hopefully we'll have more to report Friday but that's all for now.
What you could do though (if you've already gotten through our episodes and blogs and need some new humour injecting into your life) is check out the iPlayer as Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle has sputttered back onto our telly screens and can be viewed right there. A brief warning, though, some of the language is definitely NSFW! 

Enjoy! And until next Time...

TTFN

Christopher Haigh

 

The Last Hellraiser

"He'll tear your stage apart!"

Ol' Blue Eyes is back...he may have been drinking...

Good day, Acting Fans, fellow bloggers and people of the internets, yep, it's the last Wednesday before Christmas and this our blog post and what have we been doing? Well first things is the 2nd Yule Vlog is live and a waiting for you to view. Observe.

However this blog is going to take a turn to a more serious (and sadder) note for a bit, as some of you no doubt by now would have read and heard early in the week, the actor Peter O'Toole passed away. The last of the great Hellraising actors of his time, and one of the characters from Acting History that have been a big influence on the characterisation of our own two felonious thespians. He was indeed a great actor with the rarest charisma and will be missed from the world of acting, the stage and screen shall seem a little dimmer now he has gone but he shall not be forgotton, as he leave us a legacy of great movies behind (apart from 'Supergirl' but he's even good in that AND we here at H&H Productions have a soft spot for Helen Slater, so just leave off, alright?) and some of the most amazing stories of his antics, and they are truly legendary and, well, just what you would expect of an actor dubbed 'hellraiser'.

The both of us here at H&H HQ send out our well-wishes to the family and friends of Peter O'Toole and he will be missed, thank you for all the great movies. To Peter O'Toole.

Well, that's all for now acting fans, will see you on Friday

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

Technically Hitched

Hello, Acting Fans, and welcome to this Not-On-A-Friday Friday Blog post coming to you late only partially because Vern is rubbish at remembering to remind me now that we are splitting the blog duties when I forget but mainly because we have had a SNAFU on the technology front.

It started out so promisingly too, a lot of the props we need for our upcoming next bit of filming were mostly a matter of gathering things together we already had. We did however need certain images creating and printing out. Now I collated these images earlier in the week and on Friday I thought I'd take the time on my morning off to get the printed out. Unfortunately the Printer's Devil struck and nether of the printers in the house could manage it. Bugger. We needed them sooner rather than late. And Vern doesn't have a printer that's good enough for photos, or work at all as it turns out.

So it was that an initially simple task became more difficult and led to me trawling round various Halifax Printshops to see if they'd print off photo quality images for me, after a lot of traipsing about and a lot more of just being fed up with this I ended up getting the assistance Totally Locally from Halifax's resident Photoshop, Janet Green's. All this palaver plus some ancillary stuff I needed to sort for myself meant the blog completely left my mind, sorry, Acting Fans, so here it is belatedly - better late than never. And so are our prints, thankfully.

Yes our Prints has come. Now we are faced with another conundrum, we have so far been unable to source a certain set of props and might have to think of some sort of low-budget replacement which is going to entails me staring at a Thesaurus (well, the contents of one) to try find a solution. That's all for Last week, Internet Chums, see you on the other side of the weekend!

TTFN

Christopher Haigh

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Who IS That Masked Man?

Welcome back yep it's Friday, yep Friday, Friday got to get down on Friday, Friday. Get the blog written down that is. So then, fellow people of the internet, what have we been up to since that time me a Chris meet to do the Mysterious Guest Star filming...

Well as me and Chris have't had a chance for another meet up with Chris doing his day job and me putting down some of the wrong times in the diary for Chris working this week (Whoops)! So it has been a matter of checking things over and sorting out the little things as we end the week.

We now have two more bits of costume for the next part of the film these are Balaclavas (which my co-star is modeling above) and masks, yep. Chris has hunted high & low on the internet and the odd shop to purchase them for us to use, and to become part of the ever growing prop box for the show. But why do we need them? What are H&H going to be stealing? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. Meanwhile I have been going over the script looking at all of the (hopefully) final changes to script but then again, knowing us, maybe not.

Creeepy...

I have also been asking/looking around for some possible locations to be used in this Special and might have one hopefully. Fingers crossed.

Well that's all for now see on Wednesday when there should/will be more to report.

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

Mystery Machine

Hello there, Acting Fans, and welcome to the weekend again for another dose of H&H Blogging. Is it me or are they rolling around at some speed at the moment or what? 

I'm afraid I have to report, between both of us working and me interviewing (trying to improve my financial circumstances, don't ya know), we haven't been able to sort a get-together this week. As such there's little to report on our efforts to get this Summer Special off the ground but we are still beavering away in the background organising everything.

Whilst Vern has been staring fixedly at our calendar to figure out the best shooting date, I've taken a dive into my toy car jar and come up with this:

Now you might be wondering what, if anything, my battered and bruised Corgi Juniors Mercedes-Benz Bus has to do with the production of H&H? Well, I'm afraid telling you would constitute [SPOILERS]. Now we just need a suitable location to go with it. 

That's all for this week, Internet Chums, stay tuned for updates and...


TTFN

Christopher Haigh

1.0 Weeks Later

Welcome back fellow bloggers to this Friday blog post and what's happened? Well, I was bundled onto a hot train last Friday and shipped off to a quarantined part of Leeds where we (Me & my colleagues in DANGER) were given a map and some quadrants then told to set off out into the infected parts of Leeds. Just my luck. We had to get a place called Asylum and we had to get there fast, as the police were cracking down on illegal entrants in the town.

So it was with nothing but a map and our wits about us we set off in a group of seven to the first check point. Only to find when we got there a very, very harsh woman, who would not let us stay as we didn't have any papers with us. We had to move on to another part of the map but this time is was not going to be so easy, as well reached the checkpoint we were told something disturbing - the homeless people had, well, started to act a little strange and we should not hang around.

As we approached to blue sheet hanging up over the entrance, we ran like men possessed as we got half way down we were greeted by...two raging zombies with blooded faces and screaming at us!
We ran as fast our legs would allows to go. We had to get away from them. They were not going to touch us at all. We got out of there with our limbs bite free and, oh boy, we were knackered though. We had no choice but to push on to the next place on the map with no time to waste as the police could be anywhere and, well, now so could zombies. Yes, folks we were in trouble and in it deep.

Reaching the next point on the map one of our worst fears had been realised, there was a police officer. He was checking and talking to other people that had been put though all the same shenanigans as us. We knew we had to somehow talk our way out of this. We had to find someone to get a hold of false papers so we could get some shelter and food if we needed it but the officer spotted us! We had to get away from him, fast. We started out by being as aloof as we could to questions. We did just about manage to convince him to leave us alone then, as we stepped around the corner, lo and behold - there was the chap we had been looking for. He talked to us about some of the papers that we would need and how to get them but I got the strangest feeling that some thing wasn't quite right here. He was acting rather odd, well, odd even for when there are zombies around and about. Luckily my caution paid off, as I started to move to the other side of the table two more zombies jumped out at us (probably some other poor survivors who this guy had taken in). Once again we were forced to flee for a lives. Oh man, was this night ever going to end?

we finally got to the next check point after we had past a protester demonstrating about the unfair way that people were brought in the city and treated. When we got the next check point we told that we had to remain of the street, as we could get caught at any moment. The only way out of this check point was under the it. We made our way down the steps of the new arcade in Leeds only to once again face a greeting by yet more zombies. This was getting ridiculous now - I'd had enough, so this time I decided I would tackle them head on, and went for it - I ran straight at them. Yep, I ran at them and dodged out of their way so none of them would catch hold of me. The rest of the night was mainly the same but the zombie became more and more and they were getting quicker too.

After a long night of fright and flight, at last we neared the end of our quest and to a van that was supposed to get us out of there. Hope flooded into us but when we got there we found the driver had been badly and, well, mortally wounded. She faintly asked for some pills from the back of the van. It was my turn I was up to be the hero this time. As I cautiously made my way around to the back of the Van I opened it to discover there were two zombies tied up in the van. I had to move quickly to grab the pills and get them to our dying ally. And, like a true hero, I did. Once again an avenue of escape had been cut off, we had to find yet another way out. As we set off down the zombie-infested road the worst happened, I fell, went right over with a thundering clash and smashed down to ground, injuring my hand. Well, that was it I was done for, unfortunately it was Game Over for me.

"Hmm, this might put a crimp in filming the rest of the series. We'll have to changes all Vern's lines to 'Braaains!"

Yep folks, in case you haven't got it by now, I was playing in the live action zombie role play game called 2.8 Hours Later. We did it for a friend's 30th birthday do and I must say it was the upmost fun and at times really quite scary too! In a good way.  None of it was real (you'd probably guessed that as: 1) I'm writing this blog (and haven't mentioned "Braaaaaaiiiins" at all, well, except now) and 2) there are no such things as real Zombies...or ARE there?) It was a great night and I got to exercise the old acting skills a bit too! It also means my zombification won't be a hurdle for the rest of the series of H&H.

Regarding H&H, I'm afraid the week has got on top of us again and we haven't managed a meet-up but I have read through the additional lines Chris thought of on some stairs and I reckon it's definitely worth editing them into the Summer Special script which we hope to get on with shortly. Keep your eyes peeled, Acting Fans, for more stuff from us at H&H productions - and any stray zombies! You don't want your flesh chomped now, do you?

Well, that's all for this week now, folks. Sleep tight - if you can! MWAHhahahaha!!!

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

Employment

Happy Humpday, Acting Fans, it's Chris here with your midweek H&H fix. Once again the job, or in truth jobs, have gotten in the way again. My evening shift this Tuesday put the kibosh on our regular meet-up session. The reason I even had an evening shift in the first place was also to do with a job because, you see, I am seeking employment...

Now don't panic, my regular day job hasn't gone south - I'm still gainfully employed, part time. It's the Part Time bit that is getting to me a little, it's come to my attention of late just how limiting my take home from just 16 hours work is and, with annualised hours, the more time I'm losing during busy periods at work without really gaining anything long term. So I've tried to kickstart my looking for longer shift/better paid jobs (that, to be honest, had fallen by the wayside as I've gotten a little too comfortable at work.)
I recently found a couple of jobs that seemed ideal in the 20+ hours sweet spot and in areas of my expertise (or at least experience). I applied for both and made it to interview stage for one of them. Yes, an honest-to-God interview! An interview that was on Tuesday morning. Tuesday morning. One of the only two days I had a shift this week with the theatres shorter opening hours. Typical. Of course it was Tuesday morning. Luckily, I had a colleague willing to swap shifts with me but it still took out our weekly (& handy pre-blog day) meeting.
The kicker is it's looking most likely that I didn't actually get the job either. Bah. Nevermind, if at first one doesn't succeed, etc. Back to the artsjobs listings, oh, and the preparation for H&H!

Stay tuned for more on what we've been up to in Fridays blog and, until then...

TTFN

Christopher Haigh

Working Girl...I mean BOY, er, MAN! Working Man!

Welcome back, fellow bloggers, and, well, you should by now know who are whomever is reading this (if not, TO THE ARCHIVES, they're RIGHT THERE! ☛)
Once again we are going to taking a brief pause from the H&H stuff (Don't worry, not for long though).

As you should also know, I have started working full-time, this very week in fact, down at an [Entirely Legitimate Insurance company mentioning no names to avoid being suddenly unemployed again for bringing them into disrepute, etc.] and, well, I have been busy with my on the job training. Trying to get to grips with all of the insurance jargon and the various policies and believe me there are quite a few of them. Quite. A. Few.

Heck, we haven't even got on to the main bulk of what I'll be doing just yet, we've been doing mainly talk about what type of Insurance there is out there, how they affect us all, why they are needed and about other less obvious insurance stuff, like how to possibly spot people who might be lying to us. Yep, I may have to occasionally wear my Detective Hat (it's a metaphorical hat, they don't like actual hats in the office - I'm kidding).

Yep, like I said their is a lot of stuff to get used to and learn.

Well now, back to H&H. Despite not getting a physical meet-up we did get a sort of get together (Well, by text so that still counts right. Right? In the 21st century it counts, surely?). Anyway me and Chris did have a text conversation about some possible idea for some things that we can do while the nights are too bright to film in/people aren't available. With the new One Channel layout on the tube of You there's an option to make a channel trailer for new viewers so we are turning our tiny minds to thinking how to get one done while we try to get production geed up. Chris has also taken the time to spruce up the ol' Youtube homepage with some new channel art and as a Brucey (or rather Chrisey) Bonus he's made a forum friendly version that falls roughly within the 500 x 300 pixel rules which, if any of you Acting Fans are so inclined, you can download and use as a forum signature for any message boards you are on to give us a bit of the ol' publicity. So please do it for us, Internet Chums!

That's it for now acting fans, see you on the flip side...

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

Role Reversal

Happy Humpday, Acting Fans, it's time for your regular mid-week hit of H&H business. This week it's a matter of trading places, what with Vern starting his new day job and becoming an upstanding contributing member of society (or as close to one as us dodgy thesps can get) and me hitting the typical off-season lull in hours due to it being the Summer at the theatre, it's been me with some time to spare and my partner-in-(Acting)crime who's been unavailable for a meet up. Bah! The Cosmic Ballet goes on.

In his absence I'm still steadily chipping away at a bit of the minor prop work we need for Episode 6 but that's about it so far this week. We've received no reply as yet from the local college Performing Arts tutor but we're not willing to write it off just yet, we might just be victims of an unfamiliar email address smacking into the wall that is the council email systems Spam Filter, even though we aren't Spam (and I myself, for one, prefer Pek...mmm, Pek!). This means we're considering a more direct approach, no, we aren't going to go kicking doors in - we just need to find a polite way to introduce ourselves.

No doubt my colleague is keeping an eye out for usable humorous situations as he experiences his training but as it is we're still stuck here on the back burner, darn it!

Stay tuned for Friday's Blog Post to see what we manage to pull together later this week. Keep your fingers crossed, Internet Chums, and...

TTFN

Christopher Haigh

Black To Black

Welcome back, Acting Fans and fellow bloggers, yep, it's Friday and it's blog time again and this week we have actually done something practical relating to H&H. Yep, I know, a shocker compared to our recent posts! ;-) We met up for a second time this week to go out and do a test of one of the moving shots I have conceived of for Episode 6. It's a shot sequence that will start at black move across the gangs then back to black. For our start and end in black we used a fairly heavy grade black card that Chris already had (Low-to-No budget, remember) which he would hold while I filmed with our camera. It took a bit of practice, and will probably need a bit more too, but it worked. We tried a number of different ways and what seemed to work best was if the card was held in a curve so that it also 'hooded' the camera, stopping light reflecting from the surface of the card itself and creating a darker black in front of the camera. We will hopefully be using this technique to show intercut shots all of the acting 'gangs' in what will appear to be a continuous shot.

If we can get this shot right, it will lend a very movie look like. We also talked further about the shooting schedule and the difficulties of it, especially due to the summer nights getting darker so late it might just take a bit longer than we thought. Taking this weekend in particular we were hoping to get a short 'gang' sequence done but the lateness of the hour has put off the majority of the folks we were hoping to get together for it and, unfortunately, we can't do it without them. This has led us back to thinking about widening our reach for additional cast so we may be looking wider than our immediate circle of friends and family to get the extra bodies we need - time to get begging to those drama course students! We still do have some other things to sort out for the episode to keep busy on, but don't panic, Actings Fans, progress is looking like it might slow again but we will get there with this episode!

Well that's all for now,

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

Stuff Of (A) Legend

Welcome back, Acting Fans and fellow bloggers, yep, it's wednesday and blog time once again, but for today we will be turning our view from our ongoing production to wish a fellow actor and stage and screen legend to get better soon. We are talking about Tim Curry who it's recently come to our attention is currently recovering after substantial stroke.

Yes, the star of Legend, It and, of course, every misfit, outcast or sexually repressed, impressed or just underdressed drama students' favourite movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
We would like wish him all the best and that his recovery soon and he can once again starts to lend his booming baritone voice and unique presence to more projects. I know this may be a bit of old news to some but, well, we are Retro, yep, even our news updates can be some times. He's apparently still in good voice and approaching recovery withe good cheer but, even if it's a bit late, - All the best, Tim!

Well, that's all for now folks, we do have some H&H news and so please stay tuned for the next blog post coming up soon.

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt