It's Curtains For Us

Welcome back, bloggers and Acting Fans, yep, it's Wednesday update time so let's get down to this! We have actually had another busy week here at H&H HQ. Yep, we met up Tuesday (20th August) where we went over some new, well, new-ish ideas and we are still slowly planning out how exactly to get the last episode of series 1 filmed.

In the course of the meeting we also tried to figure out where to film the last two cutaways we needed for the Summer Special and, after a bit of rolling it around in thought and conversation (with the need to get a Summer Special out actually IN the Summer concerning us) we had a great idea. We could get it done right there in H&H HQ! We did some test shots for some of the Summer Special cutaways and we found out that, yes, the curtains in my game room looked rather good, well, great even with them drawn (and the big light on with an improvised spotlight from a de-lava-ed lava lamp shone up at an angle).

Curtains!

With that in mind we decided to go ahead and film the last two shots to go the very next day - TODAY! (Wednesday 21st). And, well, we did and I am pleased to be able to say the Summer Special is now in the can - finito, fin, done, finished...well, I'm sure you get the point. Now all that's left is the looong edit to get this into a funny special that you lot can feast your eyes upon! Well, hopefully not too long away we have pencilled in a date next week to lock ourselves in the editing suit with a fair few cups of tea and we won't come out until it is completed or one of us breakdown which ever comes first (or probably both).

Well that's all for now, Internet Chums, wish us Good Luck!

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

Staying Out For The Summer

Welcome back, Acting Fans, Vernon Harcourt here with Wednesday's late-breaking blog post. I am pleased to say the reason for delay is that we have been back filming AGAIN!

Yep, that's right, folks! Once again we have gotten behind, and in front of, the camera and been out filming the Summer Special. In fact we have been doing it today! We managed to get together with our Special Guest co-star in the form of Logan Darkholme, esq. (yes, yes, it's his real name - we've been over this already).

Esteemed (cheap) Special Guest Co-star, Logan Darkholme

We went down to very white-ish room to film the main bulk of the Summer Special, secured with the help of our friend, sometime cameraman, location manager, Keymaster, comic book shop proprietor, erotonaut and upstanding pillar of the community (who by now should probably be getting a producer credit), Mr. Simon Shaw. And, well, it did go very well. After a few small, minor hiccups that is. Such as us finding some furniture and a few chairs (well something, anything, for me and Chris to sit on) we even had to ask our good buddy if we could borrow a few things from his shop, well, off his counter top, to fill out the Mystery Supporting Person's desk.

It's the MSP!

 And we may have forgotten a couple of Props but 'Ssh!' - no one need ever know which ones they were! Of course, I'm not going to tell either, tee hee!

Now, with the main bulk of the whole thing in the can, we are just two cutaways away from finishing shooting. I now have the task of going over the rushes to see which are the best takes to use. Now, if you'll excuse me there are a few to go over, 57 shots in fact are the total we took today (Hey! Now that's quite a lot for a Low-to-No Budget production). Apart from a few which we can't use either because they are outtakes or the line delivery is better on another take, most of them are looking pretty good. So I guess I'd best get on with it!

So that's it for now, see you all on Friday!

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

Taking Steps

Welcome to the Weekend, Acting Fans, and to the second of your semiweekly shots of H&H goodness! It's been 'Go!' at H&H productions this week, even after our weekend experimental shoot and the readthrough. the momentum seems to be continuing when it comes to the production of our Summer Special. Yes, this Wednesday Vern and I met up at his flat, along with our sometime collaborators in Crimes Against Acting - Jake & Hardy, to get on with filming the final shots of our upcoming escapade. Once gathered, our merry band headed not-too-far from H&H Productions HQ (yes, still Vern's shared abode) just over the road and along a bit to the Halifax Elim Pentecostal Church:

Bleh! (Architecturally speaking, sure the people inside are lovely)

As I'm sure you'll agree, as terrible a monstrosity of 60s/70s architecture as you are likely to find and therefore ideal for the needs of Myself and my Colossally Talented Acting Chum when it comes to the Summer Special setting for this particular sequence. Once set up it wasn't long (once we'd swotted up on a line or two) until we got through some nice takes of the sequence and with them in the can were once again on our way back to H&H HQ. Job well done. It just remains for us to get the main body of the special filmed, get the whole shebang edited and Bob's your Uncle* - job done! Fings crossed, Internet Chums, we're on our way!

That's pretty much it this week but, if I may, I'd like to end with a polite request for assistance. Unfortunately one of our Co-Stars is Missing!

MISSING: Muta

This young fellow, Verns flatmates' house cat (and our occasional hindrance/co-star), is missing. He answers to the name 'Muta' is 1 year old, microchipped, neutered and is an indoor cat. He went missing in Halifax town centre this Thursday morning (08/08/2013). If any Halifax-based Acting Fans could keep their eyes peeled and, if you spot him, get in touch we would all greatly appreciate it.

On that rather solemn note I'm afraid I must take my leave but stay tuned next week for more doings and please keep your fingers crossed for the cat in question, thank you and...

TTFN

Christopher Haigh

The Call To ACTION!

It's the weekend, folks of the Internet, and time once again for your second weekly update on the goings-on at H&H Productions. Well, I can confirm that my approach to the management of the establishment we need for tonight's shoot (done just before my night at the theatre, dahlings) was a complete success. We got permission to do our filming almost before I'd got the full question out, I'm not complaining that means it's a Go - ACTION STATIONS!

Thanks to some assistance from our friend (and proprietor of local comic book shop, Legacy Comics!) Has lent himself to us for the evening so Vern & I can concentrate on getting our H&H on. Yes, we'll be braving the summer heat in our rather toasty costumes but it's a minor bit of suffering for our Art. All Fings crossed by the end of this evening we'll have the footage we need for the intro to the Summer Special, then all we have to do is film, well, the entirety of the rest of it. At this rate it might even be done THIS Summer ;-) !

That's where I'll be leaving you this week, Acting Fans, we've got to get everybody and the stuff together before we blow this scene. You'll have to find out how it went next week. Until then have a grand weekend yourselves and...

TTFN

Christopher Haigh

The Night Tripper

It's the midweek once again, Acting Fans, Time marches on yomping right into, well, March already! Time for a bit of an update on what's what at H&H HQ. As I type it's another misty morning in the Calder Valley, though fortunately no signs so far of the revenant, malevolent spirits of the long dead returning for revenge. Though much like the tension building scenes of a Horror film we (Vern & I) are experiencing an eerie silence, yes we're still yet to receive even an acknowledging 'Thanks but no thanks' from any of the dramatic organisations we've dropped a line to. Ah, well - It's looking more likely that our TOP SECRET EMERGENCY PLAN may have to be dusted off.
In the meantime we have got a little more establishing footage established. After our night shoot last week I had my thinking cap on with regards to figuring out where we might be able to get a more elevated shot of a train or two on the tracks. Over the weekend it came to me - BRADFORD (Oddly enough it was a trip to Leeds that triggered it)! I remembered that the layout of the Bradford Interchange is such that a viaduct road crosses above the tracks and that might be a possible point to set up the shot. After a quick Google Map check I ran the idea by Vern and we decided it was on.
Question was: how to get there? Answer: Pass! More specifically my Metro Pass. Neither Vern or I drive but since I worked in Bradford I've maintained my Rail Zone 2-to-5 Bus & train pass, so I can pop down the line pretty much any time it takes my fancy. I thought I'd let Vern off the hook and be a one-man second unit team this time but rather than lug our Lumix FZ150 I thought I'd experiment with borrowing the Family camera, a Lumix TZ18 (it's a fair do Mum & Dad borrowed my digital camera for ages before they got it). We'd actually already had the camera along on a shoot for a test with the idea of using it as a second camera angle but the only setting we could find that shot roughly 16:9 was the HD setting which, on the 8GB memory card we had, only gave us about 8 minutes. Not great for shooting scenes but no problem when it came down to the shots we wanted now.

Mmm, compact.

Monday after work I picked up the tripod from Vern and was good to go, which I did that very evening. I had however made a schoolboy error:

 Yep, I forgot to check the battery AND to bring a spare! But:

It was a fraught moment as, set up on the overpass, I pushed the record button and crossed all my fingers as the train slowly pulled in below and the power indicator insistently flashed at me. I got it. Then I saw another trains approaching and set to recording again and...it died. It was a fraught trip home as I worried whether the first shot had recorded properly or not but, when I plugged the camera in, there it was:

Phew, indeed. Pretty much exactly what we wanted. That's it so far this week, Acting Fans, but the week isn't over yet. We have some shenanigans planned for tomorrow but, shhh, that's a bit secret! More on Friday, stay tuned!

TTFN

Christopher Haigh

Can The Can

Welcome back, Acting Fans and fellow bloggers, once again to the Friday blog post! While I catch my breath after this weeks whistle-stop schedule let me tell you what’s happened down here at the H&H HQ productions. Well, nothing much, really, only that we have...WRAPPED ON FILMING FOR 2012!
While it feels kind of sad to talk about it, yes, we have finished filming everything for the fifth episode of Series 1, and just in time too as the weather is starting to turn.

Ready to be cut to the bone - TO THE BONE!

We spent the past two days, this Wednesday & Thursday, filming all the remaining scenes back-to-back and, believe me, there were LOADS of shots - we filmed, well, I think it was about 8 scenes in total which, trust me, is a lot to film in two days (AND a couple of Exterior shot pickups that we forgot too). All of them were not without quite a few problems, never mind the costume changes too! Yes, folks, it was indeed a busy two-day shoot but, in true H&H-style, we got it all in the can, even making a few changes last minute on set to some of the scenes due to restrictions on the people availability front (good, and more importantly FREE, Extras are hard to find it turns out). We got it to work though because we are that good at working around the little problems that pop up with filming for a Low-to-No budget series.

So, I bet your wondering when you can see this looong overdue Episode Five of 'H&H:AaL'. Well, me and Chris are going to lock ourselves in the editing room next week and we are not going to be coming out until we have the episode done, or one or both of us have died in the attempt (Well, maybe for a cuppa and some food - nobody's dying on an empty stomach, not on my watch!). Two men enter, one fully edited episode leaves!

The episode will be done and up from a week today (Fings Crossed). Well, that’s it for now I’ve told you everything that needed to be told so, until the next time, keep the home fires burning and...

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

In Media Res

That's right, Acting Fans, it's midway through the week and H&H Productions are right in the middle of things because of that it's a short, short version update post today. We've managed to get on with filming today finishing off our exterior sots and we're hoping to polish off the shooting of Episode 5 tomorrow, Fings Crossed!
Wish us luck, interweb chums! ONWARDS TO VICTORY!

TTFN

Christopher Haigh

 

Movin'

Welcome back, fellow bloggers and Acting Fans alike. This. Is.  FRIDAY!
And, yup, it’s BLOG time - let’s do this!

So what's been happening this week? Well, Erm, actually, as said in Wednesdays blog I was helping my lovely ladyfriend (in the interest of personal safety & privacy I won't even tell them your name, Jo - Oops!) to move to a new location in [CLASSIFIED] and what a busy day it was!
Everything went well with only a few bumps 'n' scrapes and everything got moved, well just about everything, Erm,  everything that is except the few boxes of towels and blankets in that one cupboard I forgot to check *Ahem*. Anyway as always it helps when have such an EPIC TASK to get a professional or two in (I do prefer to pay someone to help you move, especially as they can then do most of the hard work and lift all of the heavy stuff, I see myself as more in supervisory role, after all I AM a Director). All we had to do was move the boxes down for them to take and load up.
On a side note it was the opposite of The Cookies Bar shoot, where we didn't have even a single box, there were loads of boxes, so many in fact not all were used to put stuff in, heck we could have made a box fort out of what was left (but sadly we didn't have the time - I'll miss you, Fort Neverwas *Sniff*. It's just Jo really wanted to get to her new place).

Ok, Time to get back on track to H&H what is happing next with the episode and I bet you're all wondering where it is and is it done yet? Well, erm, the answer is not here and no, it’s not finished yet. We did warn you that episode 5 would be delayed. though even we didn't realise by exactly how much, but we are going to be filming the remainder of the scenes over the course of next week and it should be done, in the can and ready to go into the editing suit for the long editing day ahead of us. We will lock ourselves in the room and get it all down (Well, we hope) and up for all of you to watch as soon as possible. Wish us Luck!

Well that’s all for now so keep the home fire’s burning and...

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

Man At Work

It's midweek and here we are again, Acting Fans, it's time for the Wednesday update and, well, unfortunately there's very little to update. As we've mentioned before Life finds a way to get in the way at this time of year, especially when it comes to getting filming done. We've had one cautious eye on the weather this week but my shift pattern has meant that, even if the going had been good Monday/Tuesday, I was unavailable. Now today the clear blue sky taunts us as it's Vern himself whose unavailable but why?

Well, Acting fans, let me tell you, as it turns out chivalry isn't totally dead, just sort of badly beaten and lying in the gutters bleeding, gathering it's breath - it'll be okay, just give it some time to rest and collect itself. Vern is unavailable over the next couple of days as he's helping his good lady Jo to move in to her new living quarters like a proper boyfriend/partner/whatever-your-preferred-term (&, let's face it, the exercise will do him good).
This isn't entirely terrible news for the production as at the moment I seem to have a bit of excess goop on the go, which I'll hopefully manage to shift by the time we get to filming again, which looks like it may end up being next week. So that's it for this week - nothin' doin', I'm afraid. Stay tuned for Fridays post when we'll be able to let you know some actual stuff!

TTFN

Christopher Haigh

Cookies? Monster!

Welcome, Acting Fans and fellow bloggers, to your regular Friday dose of blog. What shenanigans have we been up to since Wednesday? Well, we've been filming once again (I did say it was a BIG episode)and, like I said in Wednesdays blog post, we have been filming some where we have NEVER EVER (EVER!) filmed before. Yes, we filmed in a local pub (& a preferred hang out of Chris's) called Cookies Bar. It's situated in Halifax town centre, yep,  in fact it’s about a ten minute walk from the Flat/Principal Set/H&H Production HQ and downhill too - handy! They very kindly to gave us permission to film just after opening time at 3PM.

This place used to be stables, no horsing around!

We tried our best to keep the sequence tight on shooting time, it was a short one but we still had quite a variety of shots to get done. Chris and I met up to go through all of the planning and sorting out of the shots at about 2PM, so that when we got in there we weren’t tying up too much of their time - they gotta sell those drinks to make a living.
We also had a couple of extra things to sort out, I realised I'd forgotten to source a couple of props for the shoot and, while we could do without one, we couldn't do it without the other. A quick side trip to the Borough Market sorted out the missing required prop (well, bit of costume actually) and while I went to Cookies to meet with and prep our crew/cast (Hardy and Jake lending their hands, and rest of bodies, again), Chris headed down to the Piece Hall to pester our old chum Simon to lend us an essential piece of background. Which he kindly did.

Meow.

Yes, essential. Anyway, I must say this was the quickest shoot we have ever done. Everything was filmed and in the can by 4:30pm. Which was just in time too as some customers were heading in to wet their whistles. Well, that’s all we’ve done this week since Wednesday - see you in the World of Tomorrow! (Well, er, next week.)

Keep the home fire’s burning and...

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

Back To The Flat!

A warm Wednesday welcome, Acting Fans and fellow bloggers, to this midweek blog post. Here's the happenings at H&H Productions since the narrowly prevented script leak last week. Well, luckily enough, I don’t think anything good has been spoiled or leaked too much from the script. Which is good!

At the start of this week, on Monday in fact, we started on filming the first of the flat interior scenes for the next episode, thanks to Chris's and my flatmates free time not clashing for once - at last! It turned out I, for quite some time of the shoot, was faced down in a pizza (Don’t worry - all will be become clear soon). We had quite a lot of shots scheduled for Monday and we didn’t quite get them all done but we did get the two sequences of the first scene completed (which is good for us, especially as one of them took a while to set up, too). That one (the long set-up) was where Chris spent quite some time of the shoot but I can’t tell you any more about it as it will be [SPOILERS] (Aren’t I just bad? Tee hee). This meant a bit of re-scheduling with the last two shots now being set to get done at a later date. (This a BIG episode guys - for a Low-to-No Budget webseries).

Now today we are off out to do even more shooting this time in a location that we have never used to before - that's right, folks, somewhere brand spanking new to H&H! More on that on Friday I think, I mean I’ve got to keep on making you come on back now, haven't I?
So that's all for now, folks, as always keep them home fires burning and...

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

We'll Take The Fifth

Welcome back, Acting Fans and fellow bloggers, to this this Wednesday post, so what has been happening since my Birthday last week, well -  I survived the night of the celebration of my birthday! It was an hard night but someone had to do it. Only I was up to the task, which I met head on and, only occasionally, face first.

There we go.

Me and my fellow colleague haven been hard at work this week, on Tuesday we had a runthrough of the script to makes sure that all of the lines read right. I had also managed to get in touch with the Elsie Whitely Centre to find out if we would able to use them as a location and we could but, well, we could but at a PRICE (£20 quid per hour, the standard rate they hire out conference rooms for) and for the amount of time we need it for (Which is about a half hour, if that, as it is just one or two shots) we were, well, rather shocked - so that won’t be happening. Perhaps the bloke for Elsie Whitley's didn't quite grasp it when I told him we were Low-to-No Budget and I mean REALLY Low-to-No budget ('No' being the apt word), we are either going to have to find another location, or drop the scene. Which we don’t want to do if we can help it, I'm sure between me and Chris we can figure something out though. We also did a final check on some of the locations and popped by to confirm the dates and times we would be showing up at, and today? Well, today we were out filming a load of the exterior shots of episode 5.

And here we come

We have been filming once again in our favourite place to film (and, so far, it’s free to do so), the Piece Hall. 'For what?' I hear you ask, well, it's the [SPOILERS], teehee, you didn’t think I was going to tell exactly what we were filming, did you? Oh, you did, did you? Well I'm not going to tell you! We even managed to get some extra people roped in, in fact, we got most of 'em from people who were just mulling in and around the nearest shops (I can be quite persuasive when I want to be).

What's he doing there?

We have had a lot to do on this episode with still more to go and this is why this next episode will be a little late in coming out but don’t panics! We do have a long shoot planned for next week too, where we should get all of it done. Well. with any luck we should - I mean yes, yes, WE can - in fact we SHALL get it done!

Roll up, roll up

Well that’s it for now, Acting Fans, so as I sign off today wish us 'Good Luck' and remember to keep them home fires burning.

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

All The Fun Of The Fair

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.

See you Friday for more H&H goss,

TTFN

Christopher Haigh

A Bit Of A Rush (Or Two)

It’s live once again, LIIIVE!

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...

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

Chip, Chip, Chopping Away

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.

And remember, keep the home fires burning...

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

Another One Bites The Dust

One more down

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.

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together

Two more down.

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!

It's the New Rock Steady Crew making a break and a move...

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!

Keep the home fires burning!

TTFN

Vernon Harcourt

 

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

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