A VERY ZOMBIE HOLIDAY (Instructional video)

A Very Zombie Holiday....

You might recognise some of these fearless Fifties hostesses - directed by one Mr Sean Becker.

And in other news - the holiday teaser for Mind My Brains, Darling! will be out tomorrow!

Zombie Christmas FTW!

Seasons Picks! All I want for Christmas...

Isabelle illustrates the opposite of my last few weeks

'Tis the Season to make lists!
I actually enjoy making lists. To illustrate that fact, here's a list of the lists I've made recently:

• Things To Do. 
• Christmas Things To Do.
• Really Important Things To Do.
• OMG IF YOU DON'T GET THESE THINGS DONE TODAY THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT WILL END!!!!! TO DO.

One of the items on all the lists was 'do some frakking blog posts you lazy frakker'. This is really unfair because:

• I've been really busy and not at all lazy
• calling yourself names when making lists is probably a sign of mental distress
• the distress being caused by have too much to do, which underlines the fact that I'm not lazy. 
• Meh
• I have a cold *cough* *cough* 

EDIT: I started this yesterday and our interview with PopCultureMonster has since come out so here's another category: Something to Read: Interview with Higlet Films.

Back to the lists...
I have some wonderful seasonal diversions and gift suggestions that might have passed you by and I'm going to try something new - the 'Something to watch/Something to buy/Something to listen to/Something to support' list. If it works out I may do more - so let me know. YOU'RE WELCOME!


Something to Watch
Sean Becker. Jeff Lewis. Assorted Guildies and associates. Mix, lace with profanity and serve shaken, not stirred, over a humorous bed of NSFW. That is the The Jeff Lewis 5-Minute Comedy Hour.

Here's the latest (shot on location) - Episode VI: Hawaii


Something to Buy:

"Songs The Brother's Warner Taught Me" - this album from the indomitable Megan Lynch (@may_gun) is a Christmas Gift winner on many levels (warning, new list ahead):

• So many memories from a youth spent glued to the TV watching Loonie Tunes
• A wide range of styles and moods all brought together in one delicious album
• A unique collection of songs, many of which have no other recent recordings
• Supporting a truly independent and hugely talented artist
• Bonus tracks if you download/buy NOW!

I reviewed the album here and you can find out about her Holiday Giveaway on her site.

Something to listen to:
I'm going to cheat on the list straight away and recommend 2 shows. I don't always get time to listen to longer podcasts so they are stacking up at a rate of knots. This week I listened to:


New Mediacracy Episode 18
Zadi Diaz, Steve Woolf  and Chris McCaleb are joined by Barrett Garese, Brett Register, Craig Frank and Jamie Blair and chat about what web video entertainment is/should be/could be/isn't. Fascinating debate from this all-too-infrequent podcast.

Indie Intertube Episode 48
This weekly podcast is broadcast live (usually on a Wednesday) and has an active online forum. Destini and Shadhavar are great hosts with an encyclopedic knowledge of the webseries community: the people, the shows and the gossip :) Last week covered lots of webseries including Pretty, Diary of a Single Mom and Hard Drive 13. Plus they usually devote the second half to call-ins and this episode includes Joe Wilson (Vampire Mob). You can tune in this week for more updates and guests.

Something to Support:
Ok, cheating again as there are two causes you should know about, and you can vote daily for both:


Knights of The Guild - Podcast Awards: Entertainment category
Kenny. Jenni. Guildies. News. Views. Interviews...this show has everything if you are even remotely interested in The Guild, so vote for them because they are awesome.


Browncoats: Redemption - Mashable Awards: Most Creative Social Good Campaign
There was a write up of the award today, and if you don't know about Browncoats: Redemption, the fan-made film set in the Firefly/Serenity 'Verse that is raising money for charity, then get over to their site and order your copy today! Mine has pride of place :)

Update: The Guild S4 DVD for Christmas?

Update on The Guild Season 4 DVD availability
Last week The Guild was available on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca with a February 2011 release date and I ordered mine then. For people in the US and anyone else who can order from there you now have another option - there is now a DVD-R option you can order here that is available to pre-order and it will be released on the 21st of December.

Dreaming of a Guildie Christmas?
The DVD-R release is exactly the same as the DVD release in terms of content, except that it will be produced on demand (see Amazon's information about DVD-Rs). That means we can gets our hands on Codex and co that bit quicker - who wouldn't want Codex in their stockings on Christmas Day [insert more puerile attempts at humour here]?


More Guildness...
In an update yesterday on WatchTheGuild.com, there was also more information about the trade paperback edition of the original three-part comic from The Guild. This new edition has all three comics bound together along with extras such as sketches and words of wisdom from The Guild's esteemed director, Sean Becker.

If you ever dreamed about having a part in a webseries - read on!
We are running a competition over at MindMyBrains.com where you could win a part in this new webseries - and you can take part no matter where in the world (or beyond) you live. The only thing you need to have is access to some basic sound recording equipment. We've released both the teasers on YouTube now, so if you haven't seen them yet, enjoy!

The Guild Season 4 DVD now on Amazon for Pre-Order!

The spanky new DVD cover for The Guild Season 4!

UPDATE!
I have word that there the DVD might be available for Christmas - look out for more news soon!! (You might want to wait for the announcement before ordering).

The good news is you can pre-order now!
The not-so-good news is that it's not available until February 2011 (according to Amazon.ca). The best news is that there is 30% off the price on Amazon.ca now - only $10.49 (regular price is $15.08).

Here's the description:

"Hot off the cliffhanger to Season 3, Codex (Felicia Day) scrambles to justify her impetuous encounter with Rival Guild Leader Fawkes (Wil Wheaton) to herself and her Guild. In-game, it's Guildie vs. Guildie when Vork announces a fundraising competition for design rights to the new in-game Guild Hall. Meanwhile, Zaboo and Vork deal with a real-world house guest, Tink and Clara pair up to make some quick cash and Codex's computer problems force her to work at a real job (OMG) with Bladezz (OMFG!).

This unrated DVD includes all 12 episodes from Season 4, the hit music video "Game On!" and exclusive bonus material not available on the Internet.

Exclusive Bonus Material Includes: Cast Interviews, "Game On" Music Video, The Making of "Game On," Cheesybeard's Commercial, Audio Commentary with the Cast, Audio Commentary with the Creator, Director and Producer, Gag Reel, Table Read, Seasons 1-3 Recaps, Script PDF File, Play All Feature, English Subtitles."

Sounds like another packed DVD! Even though I've seen all the episodes many times (and reviewed them all on PinkRaygun.com) I'm still buying the DVD for the extras. In fact - I've pre-ordered already!

It's not yet available on Amazon.co.uk - is it out where you are?

Hmm, I'm an Amazon Associate, so if you click on links like the one below and purchase I get a teeny % back. When I started writing this article the price was $14.99 but looks like the US site has now applied a 26% discount BUT see UPDATE (above) it might be better to hold off ordering until the upcoming announcement.

The IAWTV and Streamy Awards part company

UPDATE: Interview with Amber J. Lawson, Chair of the Awards Committee of the IAWTV on rocketstail.com (via Jeff's link on indieintertube.tv/Backchannel)

In an announcement today, the International Academy of Web Television revealed some of its plans for the future which include detaching from The Streamy Awards and creating their own awards due in Fall 2011. This has been met with surprise in some quarters, but most of the reactions I've seen have been positive. And the IAWTV and members have stressed that the parting is amicable and based on how best the IAWTV can serve the community.

Zadi Diaz, (Epic Fu, New Mediacracy Podcast and much more), the well-respected new media creator and commentator, posted her take on the announcement on her blog:

"...This change will allow the IAWTV to focus on investing all of its efforts into providing valuable resources to its membership.

Three months (six for veteran board members) and dozens of meetings (between the board and all the committees) later and I am confident that we are on a path to creating an organization that will provide great value to our community as a whole. .."

Zadi also published the announcement letter sent to IAWTV members which outlined the main reasons for the split:

"... Non-Profit vs. For-Profit: Due to the IAWTV’s legal structure as a non-profit entity with the mandate to serve the community for which it was established, all profits from an award show in which the IAWTV is involved should go back to the Web television community through programs and resources established by the IAWTV. The Streamy Awards is currently structured as a for-profit entity. We have found it impossible to harmonize these competing objectives and desired ends.

· By the Community, For the Community. IAWTV membership is growing now that open enrollment is in place. We have an awesome Executive Director, a fantastic, professional Board of Directors, and terrific members taking leadership roles at a grass-roots level. Due to these realities, we agreed producing our own awards event is possible and makes sense. Therefore, we believe it is important that the IAWTV create a non-profit award show for the community, by the community that benefits the community.

· Financial Responsibility. The primary obligation of the Board is to do what is financially responsible for the organization. We have very limited funds presently at the IAWTV. If we were to work with a for-profit entity to produce an ambitious event for the sake of maximizing profits, we would likely put the IAWTV under severe financial stress. We decided it is best to live within our means and not spend money we do not have..."

Felicia Day, (The Guild, Dr Horrible and much more) also set out her views on the announcement in a blog post:

"...My biggest hope with this change is that we can move on and focus on how the IAWTV can serve the community at large, to help and educate people who want to make their own content, but need more tools.  Opening enrollment to EVERY qualified member recently was a big step. There’s a lot of mobilization with the current members to form writing groups, producers groups, creation of a new website to connect members from around the world etc.  THERE is where the future of the non-profit IAWTV lies: in servicing the members.  And if we can have a low-key awards show to honor the members of our community for their talent, then that will be the icing on the web video cake...."

Liz Shannon Miller broke the news on NewTeeVee with the headline "IAWTV Dumps Streamys For Its Own Award Show". Reading through the article and those above, though, it seems that rather than simply 'dumping' The Streamys, the IAWTV have taken some tough decisions and come up with some solutions that should best serve the community.

It has been a long six months since The Streamys and during that time, like many people, I've been doing a lot of thinking, trying to work out what has been going on and what role I want to take (if any) in this community. I love creating, commenting and being part of the new media/webseries world, and I've made some amazing friends in the process. I wouldn't be making a new webseries if I wasn't committed.

I held off applying for IAWTV membership because I simply had no real clue what I was signing up for. The path still isn't crystal clear but I am very happy with this announcement and the direction things seem to be going in. I'll be applying to the IAWTV next week. If I get in I will take an active part in the forums and discussions because this community excites me, fires me up and inspires me. You can discuss this over at the IndieIntertube 'Backchannel' message board, where several people have already commented.

What do you think of the announcement?

All roads lead to Joss and Jane...Billy Joel coming to Rock Band 3

Billy Joel image from Zmarter.com (modified from his Glass Houses album artwork)

I'M OLD!
The first time I realised this for sure was when watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I already had the feeling sometimes that perhaps I wasn't necessarily in the youngest target audience, but 'Band Candy' brought it home in spectacular fashion. It's one of my favourite episodes (6) from Season 3 of Buffy and it is written by Joss Whedon and Jane Espenson. It's funny, dark and sets up a great line in 'Earshot':  "...on the hood of a police car?!?"

In the ep, all the adults who eat the school's Band Candy start reverting and acting like irresponsible teens. The Scooby gang go to The Bronze to check out what's going on where they discover teachers, Snyder (the non-eaten-yet Principle) and various adults jumping around in a most uncomely manner. They can't understand what going on, so Willow delivers the killer line:


"Maybe there's a reunion in town or, or a Billy Joel tour or something." 

Hubby and me looked at each other with horror when we heard those words the first time. We had both enjoyed listening to Billy Joel in our teenage years and had several of his albums. Yep. WE WERE OLD!

Fast forward a few years...
Yesterday I read this article on zmarter.com called "Billy Joel coming to Rock Band 3 out of spite". It recounts the story of how Billy Joel came to license his music for the game, with this quote from a USA Today article:

"I've never allowed my music to be used in a game before," but an Entertainment Weekly review of NBC's The Office changed his mind. Alluding to an episode in which characters mention a Rock Band featuring Billy Joel, "the critic wrote something like, 'God forbid that ever should happen.' So I called my people and said, 'Get me (on) that Rock Band game.' Then I wrote the critic, saying that every time I get a check, I'll give him a little nod."

 :) you have to love that story! Good ole Billy. And, of course, it made me think of Buffy. And Joss. And Jane. Because, in the end, all roads lead back to them.

P.S.
Teen son was listening to some Country and Western music while lying on his bed the other day. I told him I understood, because everyone knew that it was the music of pain. He knew what I meant. It was a precious moment.

Updates and observations: OH HAI INTERNET

Caution: Hubby at work!
So then, what's been going on with you? Seems like a long time since I wrote anything here but even I was shocked to see it was nearly 2 weeks! I'll be out of the Blogger's Loose Association with No Set Agenda at this rate. So - what have I been doing, I hear you ask? The answer is Pretty Cool Stuff. And because it is traditional for me to mark periods of not blogging with a megalistpost, here's a quick rundown:

• Building Sets & Polishing Scripts for 'Mind My Brains, Darling!': new posts up on HigletFilms.com about our progress. And don't forget that you still have 23 days left to help us raise the last $239 we need to reach our goal on Indiegogo.com. A huge thank you to all the generous people who have donated so far - you rock!
• Follow ups from VCON: We made some great new contacts at VCON and we're hoping to be able to share some more of this in the coming weeks. And I'll be publishing an interview with Alyssa Ciccarelli from Riese the Series on PinkRaygun soon. Riese is a Steampunk webseries that was launched in 2009. It has been picked up by Syfy.com and will be airing every Tuesday and Thursday on http://www.syfy.com/riese/
• Fighting GDS with Legend of Neil and Jeff Lewis 5 Min Comedy Hour: Guild Deficiency Syndrome can be temporarily relieved by ingesting quantities of these two shows, although 'ingesting' might not be the word to use given the last 'Jeff Lewis...' ep. And next week is the LAST EVER episode of Legend of Neil, which is a whole other type of syndrome waiting to happen. Will our suffering never end? Yes, because 'Knights of The Guild' podcast is still running with new shows and competitions! Guaranteed to cheer up the most down-in-the-mouth Guildie :)
•  IAWTV opens its doors to....everyone!: After months of debates, it seems the IAWTV has decided to allow anyone with an interest in webseries to register as a member. You might have missed this because it is not on the public IAWTV website or Twitter stream because there are issues in updating these sites. But Jack Ferry has done an admirable job of spreading the word, and it was this article by him that really got the ball rolling. Liz Shannon Miller wrote about the change on NewTeeVee.com and Tubefilter also reported on the changes. I think the challenges for the IAWTV are large but not insurmountable, and it will be interesting to see what happens. I think this a massive step in the right direction.
• Castle - must-watch TV!: Ah, there are only 2 things I'm watching on TV atm and Castle is one of them. Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic and all deliver a dependable dollop of pure enjoyment.
• Caprica - also must-watch TV!: From the ridiculous to the sublime? Possibly. All I know is that I love this show immensely and hope it is renewed for another season or five.

The Guild, Sean Becker and Mind My Brains, Darling! updates...

The Guild Season 4 over already?! Say it ain't so!
Episode 12, "Guild Hall" is out and..well, watch it and see for yourself:



It was a great ending to a fantastic season, and congratulations to the whole team! Because of my VCON duties with "Mind My Brains, Darling!" I didn't get chance to post the Episode 11 review before the finale came out, so there is a bumper review on PinkRaygun.com this week covering Episodes 11 and 12.

Jeff Lewis and Sean Becker - back next week!
Although The Guild has finished you can still see new Jeff Lewis next week as his new show "The Jeff Lewis 5-Minute Comedy Hour" starts then. Here's the new promo:





hjk

The Guild, Sean Becker and Mind My Brains, Darling! updates...

The Guild Season 4 over already?! Say it ain't so!
Episode 12, "Guild Hall" is out and..well, watch it and see for yourself:



It was a great ending to a fantastic season, and congratulations to the whole team! Because of my VCON duties with "Mind My Brains, Darling!" I didn't get chance to post the Episode 11 review before the finale came out, so there is a bumper review on PinkRaygun.com this week covering Episodes 11 and 12.

Jeff Lewis and Sean Becker - back next week!
Although The Guild has finished you can still see new Jeff Lewis next week as his new show "The Jeff Lewis 5-Minute Comedy Hour" starts then. Here's the new promo (NSFW):



Sean Becker is the Director/Editor and we'll be seeing a whole new side to Jeff, so make sure to tune in Next Tuesday (Oct 12th) for the first episode.

HigletFilms at VCON 35!
We attended VCON 35 in Vancouver last weekend to promote our new webseries, "Mind My Brains, Darling!" and had a wonderful time. I've written about it on HigletFilms.com. Our fundraising on Indiegogo is going well. and a huge thank you to everyone who has donated and spread the word. We haven't quite reached our total yet but there is still time. We released the second teaser last week, and here it is:



Let us know what you think!

The Guild Season 4 Finale - out in less than 12 hours!

Don't look at this if you've not seen Episode 11 yet...

As I said last week, it's been BUSY, CENTRAL here preparing for VCON 35 and then attending all last weekend. We had an absolute blast, met lots of really friendly, cool people and spread the word about "Mind My Brains, Darling!"

Unfortunately it left little time for anything else so my review of The Guild Season 4, Episode 11: Hostile Takeovers on PinkRaygun.com has been delayed. And since the SEASON FINALE is out at midnight tonight, I'm going to roll the reviews of 11 and 12 into one mega-post of Guildie Goodness! Don't forget you can listen to some great interviews, snippets and fun from the sets of all the episodes of Season 4 on Knights of The Guild podcasts. Their 'Companioncasts' are must-listens for all Guildies.

In case you've forgotten the STUNNING cliff-hanger from Episode 11, watch it again here:


I can't wait to see what's going to happen! I have lots of ideas but they're bound to be wrong since I've never been able to predict what's going to pop out of Felicia Day's brain so far. So many threads to tie up - it's mind blowing!

Be among the first to watch and join in the fun!
Traditionally the episodes have been released at around midnight, PST, with a party in The Guild Chat on WatchTheGuild.com beforehand as people wait. It all goes quiet while people watch and then all heck breaks loose! Brian Kameoka posts the links in chat and on Twitter so if you want to be the first to watch then join us at midnight. Who knows who else might pop in to chat...???

The Guild Season 4 Ep 10 - quiz time and help needed!

 Who does Vork want to strangle now?

Festival of The Sea, Anyone?
Tomorrow sees the penultimate episode of Season 4, but how about Episode 10 first?



I've reviewed on The Festival of The Sea on PinkRaygun.com. And, because I've been very preoccupied with preparations for VCON 35 in Vancouver this week, I decided to do a quiz. I wonder what score you will get? Only one way to find out!

Help needed - apply within!
I'm away in the big city for a few days for VCON 35 so my review of Episode 11, "Hostile Takeovers" will be delayed a little. Of course, if I had a bit of help reviewing Episode 11, it might be up before the Season Finale, and wouldn't that be awesome? So if you have any suggestions for crowd sourcing and want to offer your services let me know!

Hang on...so we can meet up this week in Vancouver??
Oh yes! If you are any where near Vancouver why not pop over to VCON 35 and find us, HigletFilms, on Artists Alley (we're under 'Registered Art Merchants' on the program). We will be promoting our new webseries, Mind My Brains, Darling! and will be there all three days. There might even be home-baked goodness for you...

And speaking of Mind My Brians...
The funding drive on Indiegogo is going brilliantly thanks some very generous people. We've been overwhelmed by the support, emails, tweets and message - THANK YOU ALL!!!!! As soon as we've recovered from VCON we'll be getting the sets made cracking on with the rest of the pre-production.

EXCELSIOR!

Project X Exposed: Mind My Brains, Darling!

Papers, please!

What's all this about, then?
After what seems like a LONG time, we're finally revealing ourselves on the Internet! Keen observers will note that I've been posting less on this blog, but it's not because I've been being lazy. Quite the reverse. It's been a whirlwind few weeks but we've finally launched our brand new Indiegogo campaign for Project X.

Look for us in the webseries aisle...

Good News, Everyone!
"Mind My Brains, Darling!" is our brand new webseries. I've eluded to it under the codename Project X. The first Teaser is up now and I hope you enjoy it. It's set in Britain in 1979 and it's a Brave New World. You can explore the whole world over at mindmybrains.com, and there are some interesting production insights into the teaser at higletfilms.com.

It's 1979. Do you know where your Affected is?

Penny for your thoughts?
We're fundraising so we can get production under way quickly. This has necessitated the ultimate sacrifice - appearing in a video as ourselves! Quelle horreur!! There is nothing like watching yourself in HD to convince you that using a stuffie as your avatar was a wise move. But we forebear because we want to make this webseries! It's going to be awesome, and we'd love you to help. That doesn't just mean money, though. If you can share the link, Tweet, Facebook or blog it then you are helping us. A lot.

So - THANK YOU! 

Without all your help, support and love over the last two and a half years this couldn't have been possible. We are going to make a brave new webseries - you and us together (grammar ftw). It's going to be an incredible journey!!!

Reviewing and Promoting The Guild Season 4

Reviewing The Guild
I've been reviewing all the episodes of Season 4 of The Guild over at PinkRaygun.com. If you haven't caught up with Episode 8 yet, here it is:

<a href="http://www.bing.com/videos/browse/originals/the-guild?&from=&videoId=f92ff3f2-d335-44a2-8505-db9de5e529e4&from=en-us&fg=dest" target="_new" title="Season 4 - Episode 8 - Busted">Video: Season 4 - Episode 8 - Busted</a>

Season 4 is really stacking up to being the best season yet. The storylines, acting and sheer joy is hard to describe. But I've been trying! Here's all my reviews, for your reading pleasure:


http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/07/15/the-guild-season-4-episode-1-epic-guilt/
http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/07/21/the-guild-season-4-episode-2-strange-allies/
http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/08/04/the-guild-season-4-episode-3--oversupportive'd/
http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/08/12/the-guild-season-4-episode-4--moving-on/
http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/08/19/the-guild-season-4-episode-5-loot-envy/
http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/08/30/the-guild-season-4-episode-6--moving-on/
http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/09/06/the-guild-season-4-episode-7-awkward-birthday/
http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/09/10/the-guild-season-4-episode-8-busted/


Promoting The Guild

Felicia tweeted the above last week. It's not because Season isn't doing well, but because it's easy to forget that some people aren't hanging around in Guild Chat on Monday at midnight waiting for the new epsiode to load:

It's up to us, as fans, to get the word out about The Guild. They don't have a fancy PR company, but they do have legions of fans. Every time you rate, comment, share and tweet about The Guild it helps make sure we'll be enjoying the team's work for a long time to come. Do your bit! Epsiode 9 is out on Tuesday, and you can find ALL Season 4 easily on The Guild's MSN Parallel Universe Channel. Let people know how much you enjoy it :)

Browncoats:Redemption released at Dragon*Con: watch and buy your copy now!

Where were you on Saturday?
Both Dragon*Con and PAX have been on this weekend and it's been hard to choose between which one I wished I was at more! The Guild were at Dragon*Con, with Sean Becker leading the charge (while Felicia Day was attending to other duties) and their panels and signings have been as well-attended and received as ever. Another reason for wanting to be in Atlanta, though, was the fact that after two years of planning, plotting, and a metric butt-tonne of hard work - Browncoats: Redemption had its world premiere!

Only available online for a LIMITED TIME!
The panel for the premiere had queues out the door, such was the interest in the film. I wasn't in Atlanta but I still watched the premiere because they put it online at the same time as it was aired at the panel. it is available to watch online for a very limited time on Facebook and the website. I've embedded below but it'll only work until 7:00 PM EDT TODAY.


Browncoats: Redemption Online Premiere from browncoatsmovie on Vimeo.

Reactions have been very positive both at the panel itself and online - with Twitter all abuzz.  Great news because this fan-made film has a great dual purpose. Not only does it give fans a new taste of the Serenity/Firefly 'Verse, it is set to raise a lot of money for some very deserving charities. All the proceeds will be split between these charities - which is where YOU can get involved.

DVD copies of the film are available to order now at the BrowncoatsMovie.com shop (where you can also pick up a cool teeshirt or two). I've already ordered my copy. I've been following Browncoats: Redemption for a long time and I'm very proud of the whole team for what they have done. Making a feature film in two years is a massive acheivement! The story takes you along and they have stayed true to the 'Verse that Joss Whedon created. It is a very enjoyable romp and I recommend it. Now go buy the DVD!

 Laura Matthews and the crew of 'Redemption'

If you want to read all the interviews I've done with Michael Dougherty, the co-producer (and writer) of Browncoats: Redemption about the process of making the film, they are here:

November 2008
April 2009
January 2010

July 2010

"Weird Respawn" The Guild S4 Ep 6: Your favourite bits?

Reunited! Zaboo can't believe his luck....

Another Epic Guild Episode!

Check out 'Weird Respawn", which is out now:

And when you've seen it, check out the Knights of The Guild Companioncast for "Weird Respawn".


I'm on a course!
...all week, so my review of S4 Ep6 on PinkRaygun.com will be slightly delayed. So let's mix it up a bit. Between now and Friday why don't you tell me your favourite bits of "Weird Respawn" and I'll include them in my review? Either leave a comment here or via Twitter. Got to go - bye for now!

"Loot Envy": The Guild S4 Ep5 launches Cheesybeards online!

 Vork rolls out the welcome wagon

The Guild Season 4 knocks it up a notch
If you haven't seen this week's episode, watch it now!


My full review of "Loot Envy" is on PinkRaygun.com, and you can find my reviews for the rest of Season 4 (plus all of Season 3) there, too. One of the things I talked about was the way The Guild is taking Season 4 in a new direction - and interacting with the fans in a whole new way.

There be spoilers ahead, mateys!
Cyd Sherman has a new job! Yes, our sometime Guild Leader has taken a step into the world of work and is now the social media hub of Cheesybeards. And not content with just playing out this new storyline as part of the weekly series, there is a new website, Facebook page and Twitter account for Cheesybeards. There is even a Yelp entry for Cheesybeards!

 A C health rating is a good thing??

More interestingly still - Cyd's struggle to get bums on seats in Cheesybeards is being played out through these different websites right now. The Yelp entry above is from a not-very-satisfied customer how mentions the C health rating. 'Ollie C' (who must be Cyd since Ollie has never even turned his computer on) replies: "We worked really hard to get that C rating :("

And dealing with difficult customers has driven Cyd to complain about them on Twitter already:

I wonder who would ring from Brazil.....?

 Having fun with Cyd

 A quick look at Facebook, twitter and Yelp shows that fans are already enjoying dipping into the world of Cheesybeards and are being rewarded with replies. If you fancy doing your own Yelp review about the spicy wenches or asking about the cute redhead in the back office (which seems to be popular) then why not give it a go? Who knows how long Cyd will have this job...?

Season 4 Outlook: Epic with a side of gAArlic fries (or garrrrrrrrrrlic fries?)
This expansion of The Guild 'verse is a welcome new sideline but only part of what is going on this Season. Many fans are already saying this is their new favourite and it's hard not to agree (although I hate to pick a favourite). There are many other storylines going on - Zaboo vs his mum, Tink and Clara vs enterprise, Codex vs ho-baggertry - and plenty more. Who knows what will happen? And will we ever find out what 'incident' took the 'Sea's Bounty' off the menu?

The most tantalising part of the Cheesybeard's menu

Two years ago today: Act 1 of Evil League of Evil Applications Processing Office

How time flies...!
August 16th 2008 was the day I first uploaded a video to YouTube on my EvilWorldofHiglet account. Act 1 of 'Evil League of Evil Application Processing Office' marked the beginning of a new an exciting venture into the world of webseries.



There are 6 Acts in total plus 2 bonus videos. They are all on EvilWorldofHiglet's YouTube channel.

Outtakes you never saw...
It took many, many attempts to get this recorded. For one thing, I couldn't say "Evil League of Evil" properly (and still have trouble with it). "The Evil League of Eagles" was what I said the most, followed by a stream of swearing. And you see the bag of 'stuff' I'm holding up in the picture, above? That was soil from the garden. Hubby went and foraged for it. He obviously got more than soil, too, as a bug of sort was wandering all over the desk in one of the takes, but we only noticed it afterwards. We never did find it....


Onwards and upwards!
As we prepare to unleash our newest creation upon you ('Project X'), it's interesting to take a look back at where it all began. I wrote about the way we record things - the Bodyline technique - over on HigletFilms yesterday. This is where is all started. Thank you for your continued support and we hope you'll enjoy our new webseries. We'll be launching very soon and you can find out all about how things are going over at HigletFilms.com.

Excelsior!

PS I'm assuming you've all watched Dr Horrible's Sing-ALong Blog! If not you can download via iTunes here or buy it:

Guess who I spoke to today? Hands up those who said Lindsay Wagner....

Lindsay Wagner - picture from her Twitter page

So, that happened....
Thanks to Lisa at PinkRaygun.com I had the chance to listen to - and talk to - one of my childhood heroes this morning. Lindsay Wagner played The Bionic Woman and will forever hold a special place in this geek's heart. I even got to ask her some questions. As Monday mornings go, that's pretty hard to beat.

Full story tomorrow on PinkRaygun.com! EDIT: Here's the link to the article.

"Game On" catapaults The Guild to #1 again!

"Keyboard chemistry - my arse!" says Codex*

EXCITING UPDATE: Game On is now #1 music video in UK, US and Canada! Read more on Tubefilter.

Buy Game On - NOW!
As I blogged yesterday, after the online, FREE release of "Game On" on MSN/Zune network last week, today saw the official release of "Game On"via iTunes, Amazon and other outlets via Tunecore.com. It wasn't long before it was rising in the charts. Since iTunes is regional, I could only check on how it fared in Canada, but @TheGuild, @FeliciaDay and a cadre of Guildies was monitoring it around the world.

 The UK was the first to take it to #1, and @GrrArgh broke the joyful news:

Game On had knocked off Shakira and Lady Gaga in the UK:

Back in Canada...
...I was watching as Game On hit number 4, then number 3 and finally rested at number 2:

The Guild had beaten Shakira, Eminem and Master Bieber - only Katy Perry withstood the assault. It was the same in the US.

What an amazing result!
Going head to head with massive, established stars and winning is a huge triumph for an independent webseries. Think about it for a moment. All the advertising and constant rotation these songs and stars get were no match for the power of The Guild. Awesome! To make things easy to find in your country,  Dani has put a list of International links on  on watchtheguild forums.

Behind the Scenes
If you want to know more about the shooting of Game On, I reviewed it on PinkRaygun last week - and here's a video from our good friend Greg Benson from the set!



MORE Guild Goodness!
Something else happened today, too - Season 4, Episode 3 was released! My review on PinkRaygun will be up tomorrow, and you can see the epsiode here:

<br/><a href="http://www.bing.com/videos/browse/originals/the-guild?videoId=8b02bc4f-0dc6-4a75-9317-80fe7809e59c&fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Season 4 - Episode 3 - Oversupportive'd">Video: Season 4 - Episode 3 - Oversupportive'd</a>















*Obviously she doesn't actually say that. But she might be thinking it really hard :)

The Guild Game On and Legend of Neil Continues!

The Guild new Music Video: Game on

How do you top 'Date My Avatar'?
...by going to Bollywood! The epic new music video from The Guild, 'Game On', mixes a toe-tapping Bhangra beat with 'Gamer Pride' lyrics and features amazing costumes, dance moves and AN ELEPHANT! You will be able to buy it from iTunes and Amazon tomorrow, but you can see for yourself how awesome it is now:




Lyrics and credits are on WatchTheGuild.com and Felicia Day has also blogged about it, explaining why she really didn't want to do this video and how happy she is with the result. I reviewed it on PinkRaygun last week and Knights of The Guild have a suitably epic microcast from Behind the Scenes. 'Microcast Episode #19: Quest for Bollywood' features interviews with Felicia Day, Sandeep Parikh, Kim Evey, Sean Becker - and so many more! Highly recommended.

Legend of Neil - Season 3 premieres!

'Quitters Never Continue'  picks up from the end of Season 2 and quickly fills us in on all that has happened to Neil since we last saw his woe-begone face. Things are on the up-and-up for Neil and he is safe in the bosom of his family. The joy never stops. But corn dogs and family bosoms aren't good enough for Neil, and he is still banging on about how he got trapped in that game and...some people just never know when to quit, do they? Lucky for us he is soon back where he was meant to be. Naked and sparring with a cranky old man.

There is the usual NSFW-ness, cracking dialogue and some new, vaguely familiar faces...Enjoy!

Season 3, Episode 2 will be out on August 10th (they are following a bi-weekly release schedule).

Here's an interview with Tony Janning just for good measure.

Check out this great MSN Video: Season 4 - Music Video - "Game On"

The Guild: Season 4 - Music Video - "Game On"

The Guild, Celebrate The Web and SDCC

The Guild is rocking San Diego Comic Con
...which is no surprise to anyone who followed them last year. Their signings have been packed and everyone is wondering what is going to be revealed at the panel tomorrow. The full schedule for The Guild at SDCC is up at WatchTheGuild.com.

And to get into the mood for tomorrow's panel, why not relive the excitement and wonder of last year? PinkRaygun have been publishing a chapter from one of the non-fiction books I've written. "From Cheetos to Stripper Bus: The Ultimate Fan Guide to how Felicia Day built The Guild Empire Level by Level." follows Felicia from her post-Buffy doldrums to the triumph of SDCC, the release of "Do you Wanna Date My Avatar" and beyond. Since agents feel it's "too niche" (ironic, no?) I'm looking at other ways to publish it. In the meantime you can get a flavour here:

Part 1  - follows the preparations The Guild and fans made for Comic Con and the amazing happenings of the first days.

Part 2 - follows the build up to The Guild Panel including the extraordinary transport provided by Microsoft.

Part 3  - Main event - The Guild Panel, the stunning revelations and the aftermath of SDCC

I'm really interested to hear you thoughts and comments so let me know what you think of it!

Celebrate The Web

Ah, the sadness of not being at SDCC is tempered slightly by the fact that one of the must-see events in San Diego this weekend is being streamed live! Celebrate The Web 2 (CTW2) is being held tomorrow afternoon at The Bristol Hotel in the Ballroom.

Since Jenni Powell and Kim Evey set up Celebrate The Web to honour the Streamy winners, it has blossomed with the support of the community. For CTW2 Jenni, along with Taryn O'Neill and Stephanie Thorpe have organised a great line up which includes a mixer, some web series previews, a sci-fi/horror panel and a fantasy/ gaming panel. See the program here.

It all starts at 3:30 tomorrow and promises to be an amazing event. For all the latest details you can follow @CelebrateTheWeb on twitter.

And you can join Jenni, Taryn and Stephanie on Yowie this afternoon at 1:30 PST for a live streamed interview  and discussion all about Celebrate The Web.

The Guild, Comic Con, Browncoats: Redemption...Mega-post!

Codex remains unconvinced by Bladezz suggestions, and suggestiveness

The Guild at San Diego Comic Con
Excitement is building about what is going to be revealed at Comic Con this year by The Guild. With Season 4, Episode 2 out this week, the Knights of The Guild CompanionCast out now and my review out soon on PinkRaygun, it's already a Guild-filled week.

But wait - there's more! Today PinkRaygun.com have published the first part of "Homecoming: The Guild at San Deigo Comic Con 2009". This is a chapter from my sadly as-yet unpublished book, "From Cheetos to Stripper Bus: The Ultimate Fanguide to how Felicia Day built The Guild Empire Level by Level", and is a great primer to what might happen at SDCC this week. Parts 2 and 3 will be out tomorrow and Friday.

The full schedule of The Guild activities is on WatchTheGuild.com. If you are lucky enough to be at SDCC then make sure you get to signings and the panel early because it is going to be BUSY!!

What do you do when you have too much to do?
Usually I panic for a bit, make a cup of tea, think about doing a list and then get on with the easiest bit. The whole 'eating a frog' thing is good in theory but I don't often practice it. And sometimes I do completely the opposite and invent more things to do because they are more fun. And this is what happens then: (Greg Benson from @mediocrefilms is to blame for this -and here's the proof).




There's so much to get through here that I'm keeping it as brief as possible!


Celebrate The Web at San Diego during Comic Con
Since Jenni Powell and Kim Evey organised the first Celebrate The Web event after The Streamys this year, the idea has really caught on and even after releasing extra tickets, the events are sold out. But never fear - there is a wait list. The Second CTW has been orgainsed by Jenni Powell, Taryn O'Neill and Stephanie Thorpe and is being held in San Diego on Saturday. It is jam-packed with web video goodness. Be sure to keep checking CelebrateTheWeb.com for updates!

Jeff Lewis 50-minute Comedy Hour during Comic Con
I received my invite to this event yesterday on Facebook and sadly I had to decline, but - wait! The Celebrate The Web even is being STREAMED LIVE so no one has to miss anything!

Article on Whedonage about Comic Con
Whedonage.com has been offline for a couple of days in preparation for....something :) They will be covering lots of Whedon-related happenings at SDCC and you can follow them on Twitter @whedonage. When the site is back up they'll be something from me on there, too.


Browncoats: Redemption interview with Michael Dougherty - who is at Comic Con
I had the very great pleasure of interviewing Michael Dougherty last week all about the upcoming film, Browncoats: Redemption. All the information and links to the videos are on PinkRaygun. I'm so excited for this film - thanks for a great interview, Michael!

Goodnight Princess and the Vimeo Awards
We submitted Goodnight Princess to the Vimeo Awards this week and we're hoping it will do well. I posted about it over at HigletFilms.com. If you've not seen out micro-shortform internet play yet then please do - we are very proud of what we acheived.


New Webseries - now in pre-production!
As I said, we're busy! It's all coming together really well and we'll be able to tell you more about it really soon.

Monetising my ELE videos
YouTube have told me I can make money from the Evil League of Evil webseries I did - I wonder if Joss will mind? So far no one seems to have a clear view either way - what do you think?

Whatever you are doing have a great week. I'll be back as soon as I get another minute!