DVD bonus material

Tim here. So we have been working on The Steps web series for 19 months now. We finished Season One (10 episodes) last week. And LAST night I filmed some interviews of Dylan (Charlie Madison), Maria Sager (Doris) and I talking about how we made the show. These interviews will be on the The Steps – Season One DVD which should be available in September!

Last night I felt really comfortable talking about the experience and I think you will like hearing the stories about us figuring out how to film a web series.

Some of the questions included:

1. How did you get involved in this project and what was your role?

2. What kind of camera did you shoot the series on?

3. What was your favorite scene to shoot?

4. How did you write the theme song with Dylan?

5. Are you happy with the way the series turned out?

You will be able to order the DVD online (in September, 2010) off www.followthesteps.net !

-Tim

Our press release about THE STEPS partnership with CARTA is up at www.pitchengine.com. Check it out … and stay tuned for details about our “bus ad photo contest” coming soon!

Hey by the way, have you seen these cool ‘tags’ that Tim designed on our ‘media’ page? Just copy the text onto your web page, blog, emails, wherever, to let people know you’re friends of ours … and help us spread the word about the series before its release on February 19th!

Thanks to the great Martin Luther King Jr., not only is our country better, but I have a day off from teaching so I can update this blog. Tim Cofield continues to amaze me. He has been meeting with the staff of CreateHere to get all the ‘streaming’ issues for our release party on the 19th of February ironed out; and now he has, in close association with Helen Johnson, Elana Gulas, Bijan Dhanani, and the good folks at CARTA, come up with an advertising campaign for our show on the backs of local buses. How cool is that? They should be going up on there in a week or two, we’ll keep you posted, but maybe we won’t have to. Maybe you’ll just see an ad for your favorite web series gliding by while you’re cruising around downtown Chattanooga. The graphic design work on the ad is something Tim should be really proud of, he hit it out of the park, wait’ll you see. Until then, enjoy the day: relax, reflect, and spend time with someone you love. The Steps is coming 30 days from tomorrow!

Happy New Year, everyone. Hope you’ve all recovered from the eggnog your Uncle Joe spiked at the family reunion. You wanted a release party? We’ve got one for you. CreateHere has been going above and beyond to make our February 19th shindig bigger and better than we ever could have hoped for (www.facebook.com).  Tim has been working with their staff to figure out the best way to stream episodes 1-4 live into people hands on the big night, and been learning some really cool stuff about how online broadcasts actually work in the process. And our MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT about a city-wide publicity push for the series is coming soon. We won’t say too much now, only that it involves a major player in the city life of Chattanooga, and that it will be a great component of our campaign to publicize the series to a wider audience. Thank you to all of you who have recommended our facebook page and this website to friends and family … you are our best representatives. We know its tough to only have the trailer to tide you over for now, but hang in there … the real thing is on its way. Can’t wait for you to see this stuff, y’all. The remixed / color corrected versions of episodes 1-3 look so good, and episode 4 is shaping up to be the best installment yet.

Well, if you’ve been following our updates on facebook or Twitter at all, you’ll be well aware of the fact that we’ve had to push back our release date of episodes 1-4 to February 19, 2010. This is because Dylan got some acting work, and wouldn’t have been in town for the original December 11th date. We actually think it’s been a blessing in disguise, because the push gives us the time necessary to do the release properly. We are working with some incredible marketing talents at CreateHere to make the party a bigger, better, and more well-publicized event than the smaller, more intimate gathering we were planning before. We are so proud of the efforts that all of our crew and cast members put into this thing, we want to let as many people to know about the series as we can. The extra time will give us an opportunity to do that. In the meantime, we are cutting, mixing sound, shooting publicity photos, and getting excited about what 2010 will have to offer us and all the other entertainment options of the Digital Age. Thanks for bearing with us, and stay tuned.

Not sure we can say enough about the good folks at CreateHere and all the support and encouragement they’ve given us through this production process. Today we sat down with Helen Johnson, Elana Gulas, and Bijan Dhanani and brainstormed about the release party. I spent most of the meeting getting whiplash watching those three and Tim talk internet tech. Didn’t know what they were saying most of the time, but what I gathered was – the release party on the 11th is gonna be off the hook. A one-of-a-kind “device-centered” premiere. We are developing a plan that will allow us to stream episodes one through four right into devices held in partygoers’ hands, whether they be iPhones, Blackberrys, or laptops. It’s just what Tim and Aaron Collier and I have been talking about from the beginning, and I really think these brainiacs might actually be able to pull it off. Joe Kraemer is excited about the cut of episode 4 that he’s seen, and he’s composing music as we speak. I am off to L.A. for about 10 days, where I hope to organize at least a small Los Angeles “release party” – one of many across the globe that we hope to “link” to via a networking site at the CreateHere party. If you want to throw one in your town, please let us know. All you need is a laptop and some friends. Write you from the land of the sun.

Emily Bowman and I have been in a deep dark hole and we weren’t sure we were ever going to get out. Editing is like that. You go over and over 2 or 3 second stretches of footage trying to find the exact right moment to cut, and after a couple hours of it you can’t tell what it is that you’re trying to do or whether you’ve done it already. However, I think we came to a somewhat satisfied place last night, and looked at each other and agreed that picture was locked on episode 4. Then we laughed and I gave her a big hug. She has really stepped up to the plate with this project and devoted a lot of time and effort to helping Tim and I get this next installment of the series just how we want it. Tim made a final check of the cut and gave it a thumbs up, all his notes had been addressed, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. Now, it’s not DONE done. Joe Kraemer gets it now to do the score, and Dan Jaspar then gets it to mix the sound. But I feel great. Making these episodes has been so empowering for so many people, myself included. Can’t wait for you all to see the results on December 11th at the release party (although the episodes probably won’t be up online until the 12th) Oh, and Charlie started a blog … have you seen it yet? Go to the home page and click on “Read Charlie’s Thoughts” to see where he’s at, what he’s doing, and be sure to leave a comment if you’ve got one. We invite your input and participation, cuz really, “The Steps” is for YOU!

We went out and shot some stuff with Robert Bass this weekend. It was important to get some HD footage of the Fall colors. Since we shot most of our first season during the summer of 2009, we knew we’d have to get some exteriors once the trees started changing. There is a beautiful tree-lined street, Vine St. just off of Palmetto at the edge of the UTC campus, that worked perfectly, and we got some good shots of our Tremont Tavern bartender walking home under the Elms. Tim captured some gorgeous Fall footage last year, but that was on the old camera, and we needed to get some in our new HD format. Emily Bowman and I will be in the editing room this evening, still tightening up episode 4, still on target for our December 11th release. It’s been very cool to have such a highly-qualified post production staff to work with. Joe Kraemer is waiting for picture lock to get started on the score, Dan Jaspar to get started on the mix, and Bryan Fowler to get started on the color timing. An embarassment of riches. I’m thinking that Charlie Madison needs to start his own blog, leading up the release party. Whattaya think, would you follow something like that?

Lots of good stuff happening with the series recently.  We just completed a very productive day of shooting at the Tremont Tavern on October 26th.  We shot this cool scene where Tamara (Kim Jackson) and myself square off and try to figure out what each knows about the other.  Kim is an absolutely dynamite actor, and I felt like the scene really crackled with some good energy, especially in the later takes.  It’s challenging, directing and acting at the same time, but casting good actors to work with and surrounding yourself with a competent, professional crew makes it a whole lot easier.  Also, we have secured the location and date for our release party of episodes 1 through 4.  December 11th at CreateHere, 55 E Main St. on the Southside.  We haven’t settled on a time yet … but this is gonna be a gathering you won’t want to miss.  The stars of the show will be in attendance, and you’ll get a chance to interact with them and see the first four episodes of season one.  Sure hope you like the new look of the website … I think Tim Cofield has done an INCREDIBLE job on it.  More to come …

Dylan

Tim and I are working on the website!