Day Four
Already!? Dang. It was a cold wind swept day which is hilarious because there we were doing the ‘I’m acting not cold’ acting. Can get kinda challenging when your teeth want to chatter, but everyone pulled on the oversized sweaters and frolicked through the day in good humour. It was a full cast day as we took the cast photo which will be fun to see! I got to meet even more actors – like Galen and Peter and they were lovely though I might have made Galen uncomfortable when I kept mentioning that seeing I walked in on him getting changed that he could have the same pleasure with me tomorrow. lolz. He was very lovely. Gosh, how can anyone stand how lovely everyone is??? And there is so much gorgeousness going on – no matter you orientation that it really does hurt! I had the awesome pleasure of seeing a beautiful few scenes between Gina and Ani that will have the Giani fans squeeing, I’m sure and I swear the last scene of the day with Harrison had everyone doubled over with laughter, poor Crystal started to cry she was laughing so hard and each take was just as funny! I swear I’m falling in love with Nadia, she keeps dropping the most inappropriate comments my way out of the blue and I love it! There was, of course, the groping but no footage exits of it, it will simply have to live in my memory as pure win.
Jess was in and I’m trying not to freak her out by staring at her or following her – to debatable success, but how can I help it when she is so lovely and gorgeous and standing in my line of sight? I think I’m developing a level of cool around them now… oh, who am I kidding? I’m like a kid a Christmas who doesn’t know what to do with herself. So I went for a walk with Tina Sloan and Elizabeth Kiefer to collect myself, who are just delightful. I’m seriously running out of descriptive words to say how much I LOVE everyone!
I did have a little scene to shoot today which was so much fun. I love being in front of the camera and being part of this project reminds me of why I don’t want to have a 9 to 5. Where else can you sling your arm casually around the top boss (Crystal or Kimmy) and rub their shoulder? Exactly.
Again I could talk forever about being on set, but sleep beckons and I do want to be alive for my final scene tomorrow. I will say this though. There is an energy around this project that is bigger than the sum of it’s parts. I call this magic. It can be seen in the way things have grown through the dedicated hard work from the wonder team that is Crystal and Kimmy, it can be felt in positive goodwill that pours from all corners, it can be heard through the excitement of the fans. And this fan is super excited about Venice, season two!
xxAnita
PS Check out Kimmy’s blog at www.venicetheseries.com! It’s got the pictures and more goss!
Showing posts with label team venice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label team venice. Show all posts
Friday, 9 July 2010
Sunday, 7 March 2010
A Season of Venice
Season one of Venice the Series is now over, the set up has been carefully hung in place to slide into the next season and and I have to say I have enjoyed this experience a great deal from the tweets to the show itself. It’s been fascinating seeing the peeks and troughs as Team Venice have navigated the minefield that is the Venice fandom and before the subscription ends on the 1st of May I will certainly be indulging in a bit of back to back episode watching!
I didn’t really know what to expect going into this, never having followed a webseries, let alone a webseries with such a ‘dedicated’ fandom before the first episode even aired, but I have to say it’s been rather compelling. My highlights include the long awaited kiss, of course, but the great thing has been some of the moments I didn’t expect to enjoy – such as seeing Ani kiss Lara (most enjoyable just for the record :P) and the final scene between Gina and Tracy on the beach. This last and the lovely rapport built up with Owen and Guya allowed us to find a note of sympathy for a clearly damaged woman who has had it tough loosing a mother so young and having a homophobic father. I need not mention the Giani scenes – most notably the hugging on the beach and inverted bench slide– that had me wanting more (oh I do hope we see more development of Giani in S2!) which captured some beautiful moments.
Though Venice the Series has not been perfect, with some episodes and scenes working better than others and with some elements of structure disrupting the flow, it found lovely elements of truth and while doing so entertained me. In fact more than that, it has offered fans a (mostly) loving and warm community where I have never before seen such outpourings of love and gratitude. That is certainly something special. They have been brave in being so immediately available to us because in doing so they expose themselves to what has at times been harsh criticism but instead of retreating from it, they have taken it on board and addressed it. In this way they have shown more grace than some fans and I admire that.
Thank you Crystal, Kimmy and Team Venice for bringing us Venice, for your tireless commitment to engaging with the fans and for listening to us even when listening can’t have been easy.
With season one behind us I am looking forward to the promised titbits they will be throwing our way as they gear up for the filming of season two and to following them as they continue on their journey. I hope they know that they have my support.
So meanwhile... a hand-cuff-cliff-hanger, eh?… Intriguing…
I didn’t really know what to expect going into this, never having followed a webseries, let alone a webseries with such a ‘dedicated’ fandom before the first episode even aired, but I have to say it’s been rather compelling. My highlights include the long awaited kiss, of course, but the great thing has been some of the moments I didn’t expect to enjoy – such as seeing Ani kiss Lara (most enjoyable just for the record :P) and the final scene between Gina and Tracy on the beach. This last and the lovely rapport built up with Owen and Guya allowed us to find a note of sympathy for a clearly damaged woman who has had it tough loosing a mother so young and having a homophobic father. I need not mention the Giani scenes – most notably the hugging on the beach and inverted bench slide– that had me wanting more (oh I do hope we see more development of Giani in S2!) which captured some beautiful moments.
Though Venice the Series has not been perfect, with some episodes and scenes working better than others and with some elements of structure disrupting the flow, it found lovely elements of truth and while doing so entertained me. In fact more than that, it has offered fans a (mostly) loving and warm community where I have never before seen such outpourings of love and gratitude. That is certainly something special. They have been brave in being so immediately available to us because in doing so they expose themselves to what has at times been harsh criticism but instead of retreating from it, they have taken it on board and addressed it. In this way they have shown more grace than some fans and I admire that.
Thank you Crystal, Kimmy and Team Venice for bringing us Venice, for your tireless commitment to engaging with the fans and for listening to us even when listening can’t have been easy.
With season one behind us I am looking forward to the promised titbits they will be throwing our way as they gear up for the filming of season two and to following them as they continue on their journey. I hope they know that they have my support.
So meanwhile... a hand-cuff-cliff-hanger, eh?… Intriguing…
Monday, 25 January 2010
How to kill Anita DED in two tweets: A letter to Crystal and Kimmy.
Dear Crystal and Kimmy,
Hello you gorgeous ladies. It seems you are women of many skills because on Saturday you killed me DED in just two tweets which is pretty impressive.
crystalchappell : @kimmyt22 we need a part for @bidforvenice. whatcha think?
2:57 AM Jan 24th from TweetDeck
KimmyT22 : RT @crystalchappell: @kimmyt22 we need a part for @bidforvenice. whatcha think? i think she is adorable...so..
2:59 AM Jan 24th from TweetDeck
All I can say is that I am so grateful Team UK was there to resuscitate me. Please excuse my perhaps less than eloquent reply (you know, the FUCK ME YES! OMG OMG OMG) I was somewhat overwhelmed. I have since regained some measure of composure and would like to discuss with you what you would require to make your twitmusings a resounding yes. Shall I run around Buckingham Palace in Venice panties and t-shirt or would something less dramatic suffice?
If you are unsure what sort of part to give me here are a few suggestions care of some fellow tweeters:
- Spurned lover for Lesli Kay’s character Tracy. A good stalking always spices things up.
- The younger lover for Tina Sloan’s character, Katherine, for that trip to Wimbledon.
- An ambitious interior designer who wants to become Gina’s disciple. Not in a stalkerish way, no, she just wants to be Gina and copy everything she does. It is after all the sincerest form of flattery. The fact that she may or may not spend hours staring at Gina’s photo is purely for professional purposes. Honest.
- Ani’s assistant. Tracy's Assistant. Michele's Assistant (for sure she'd need an assistant!). Assisting is good. :)
- Any other role at all. Just being on set would be WIN!
Please note: I am happy to have a crush or any of the Venice characters if required and I can also play straight so that includes Owen. Just sayin’.
I’m assuming you’ve seen my message to you on my website, as well as how to contact me, so please do!
Suffice to say that you made my birthday a memorable one, so a big THANK YOU. You certainly know how to make someone’s day! (see? Many skills…)
Love, love, love
Anita xoxo
Hello you gorgeous ladies. It seems you are women of many skills because on Saturday you killed me DED in just two tweets which is pretty impressive.
crystalchappell : @kimmyt22 we need a part for @bidforvenice. whatcha think?
2:57 AM Jan 24th from TweetDeck
KimmyT22 : RT @crystalchappell: @kimmyt22 we need a part for @bidforvenice. whatcha think? i think she is adorable...so..
2:59 AM Jan 24th from TweetDeck
All I can say is that I am so grateful Team UK was there to resuscitate me. Please excuse my perhaps less than eloquent reply (you know, the FUCK ME YES! OMG OMG OMG) I was somewhat overwhelmed. I have since regained some measure of composure and would like to discuss with you what you would require to make your twitmusings a resounding yes. Shall I run around Buckingham Palace in Venice panties and t-shirt or would something less dramatic suffice?
If you are unsure what sort of part to give me here are a few suggestions care of some fellow tweeters:
- Spurned lover for Lesli Kay’s character Tracy. A good stalking always spices things up.
- The younger lover for Tina Sloan’s character, Katherine, for that trip to Wimbledon.
- An ambitious interior designer who wants to become Gina’s disciple. Not in a stalkerish way, no, she just wants to be Gina and copy everything she does. It is after all the sincerest form of flattery. The fact that she may or may not spend hours staring at Gina’s photo is purely for professional purposes. Honest.
- Ani’s assistant. Tracy's Assistant. Michele's Assistant (for sure she'd need an assistant!). Assisting is good. :)
- Any other role at all. Just being on set would be WIN!
Please note: I am happy to have a crush or any of the Venice characters if required and I can also play straight so that includes Owen. Just sayin’.
I’m assuming you’ve seen my message to you on my website, as well as how to contact me, so please do!
Suffice to say that you made my birthday a memorable one, so a big THANK YOU. You certainly know how to make someone’s day! (see? Many skills…)
Love, love, love
Anita xoxo
Monday, 21 December 2009
Venice with Perspective...?
So for the last two weeks I’ve kept a bit quiet on the blog front – I mostly wanted to gain a some perspective and see what others were saying in the Venice world. And wow, some of it is really harsh. I’m surprised because it’s not so much that there is criticism about the show, just the way people are communicating it. I’d assumed that because a large percentage of the fandom, if not pretty much all of it came from Otalia, that there would be a bit more… respect going on. Yes, there has been a bunch of technical problems which can be frustrating but when someone tweeted Crystal to get her shit together, I felt bad for Team Venice. These people are putting so much effort and love into this project FOR FREE and I feel that they deserve a bit of patience and understanding while they find their feet. Making a web series is serious work. Of course the aim is that this webseries will turn into a viable business model which is why there is a subscription fee. Fair enough if you expect the site not to crash on you once you pay. But there are ways to communicate that. This show was first and foremost made because of the love and gratitude from Otalia fans and not because they are gaining oodles of money from it or that there is even a guarantee of future revenue.
So when I read a blog called Venice: The Trainwreck after just one episode, excuse me if I was a bit miffed. There was, however, one point that I took away from all of the reviews/comments/blogs/podcasts which was: Not to praise it just because you’re in the grips of Venice fever or diss it because it isn’t exactly what you wanted. With that in mind I will do my best to be objective.
Let’s start by saying what I dig about Venice. I love Team Venice, their generosity, their love, their effort. They really are putting everything they have into this. They are working hard to make it look good. I’ve enjoyed each performance so far and I can see the glittering of gems within those performances. Hillary B Smith and Tina Sloan had me laughing out loud this week. I thought the set up in episode one was great and I loved the Giani interaction.
But Venice is not perfect and there are areas where the show can improve. I mentioned in my last blog that I wondered if 6 minutes would be enough and I still feel that it is too short but perhaps more to the point is the structure of the episodes. I went out to look at what is working and what isn’t in the web world – from The Guild, 3Way, We Have To Stop… Now, Seeking Simone, Gotham and a number of other ones. I came away from that feeling the serial nature of Venice is problematic. I feel each episode needs to encapsulate its own story or at least be more episodic, otherwise you get reactions like the After Ellen Venice threat post episode two where people were feeling underwhelmed. Why? Probably because in the 10 minutes of Venice screen time we’ve seen there has been no action, it has all been about establishing characters, some of whom like Owen and Guya are not identified. That would be fine if it were a one hour long episode (which is how the first season was written) but when each six minute segment is released at one week (sometimes more) intervals, each offering needs have to hook the viewer and to make sense within itself. I imagine that once we have the entire season the Gina/Michele scene will slot in nicely but within the context of the episode it lacked an anchor or a clear direction and then jumped to the enjoyable though seemingly unrelated Tarot reading scene.
To their great credit Team Venice are clearly taking fan feedback on board as seen in this article, and I think it is fantastic how open they are to our views:
Crystal “… already has some changes planned for next season. "We've had some really good feedback and some really great criticism," she says. "I value all of it. Story-wise, the first season was written as a script, so it's been interesting and challenging to find those tag and edit moments. Next season, it will be written probably a little bit longer, like 8 minutes or 10, but we'll write it with definite arcs."
Awesome. How can I not want to support this? I am not looking for perfection though I equally don’t want to sell them short because I know they have the potential for an even more fantastic show. I’m on board because I have honestly enjoyed both epiosdes so far, because of the people, the love, the fact they listen and communicate with us and, well, the lesbians on the show kiiiiinda help too ;) (Just sayin’).
I’m looking forward to the coming few months - I trust the technical glitches will shortly be sorted and with next season green lighted I expect the show will get better and better! I’m excited about being along for the ride as we see Venice develop.
Now. I’m just waiting for my call letting me know I’ve got a part in Season Two! (HINT!)
So when I read a blog called Venice: The Trainwreck after just one episode, excuse me if I was a bit miffed. There was, however, one point that I took away from all of the reviews/comments/blogs/podcasts which was: Not to praise it just because you’re in the grips of Venice fever or diss it because it isn’t exactly what you wanted. With that in mind I will do my best to be objective.
Let’s start by saying what I dig about Venice. I love Team Venice, their generosity, their love, their effort. They really are putting everything they have into this. They are working hard to make it look good. I’ve enjoyed each performance so far and I can see the glittering of gems within those performances. Hillary B Smith and Tina Sloan had me laughing out loud this week. I thought the set up in episode one was great and I loved the Giani interaction.
But Venice is not perfect and there are areas where the show can improve. I mentioned in my last blog that I wondered if 6 minutes would be enough and I still feel that it is too short but perhaps more to the point is the structure of the episodes. I went out to look at what is working and what isn’t in the web world – from The Guild, 3Way, We Have To Stop… Now, Seeking Simone, Gotham and a number of other ones. I came away from that feeling the serial nature of Venice is problematic. I feel each episode needs to encapsulate its own story or at least be more episodic, otherwise you get reactions like the After Ellen Venice threat post episode two where people were feeling underwhelmed. Why? Probably because in the 10 minutes of Venice screen time we’ve seen there has been no action, it has all been about establishing characters, some of whom like Owen and Guya are not identified. That would be fine if it were a one hour long episode (which is how the first season was written) but when each six minute segment is released at one week (sometimes more) intervals, each offering needs have to hook the viewer and to make sense within itself. I imagine that once we have the entire season the Gina/Michele scene will slot in nicely but within the context of the episode it lacked an anchor or a clear direction and then jumped to the enjoyable though seemingly unrelated Tarot reading scene.
To their great credit Team Venice are clearly taking fan feedback on board as seen in this article, and I think it is fantastic how open they are to our views:
Crystal “… already has some changes planned for next season. "We've had some really good feedback and some really great criticism," she says. "I value all of it. Story-wise, the first season was written as a script, so it's been interesting and challenging to find those tag and edit moments. Next season, it will be written probably a little bit longer, like 8 minutes or 10, but we'll write it with definite arcs."
Awesome. How can I not want to support this? I am not looking for perfection though I equally don’t want to sell them short because I know they have the potential for an even more fantastic show. I’m on board because I have honestly enjoyed both epiosdes so far, because of the people, the love, the fact they listen and communicate with us and, well, the lesbians on the show kiiiiinda help too ;) (Just sayin’).
I’m looking forward to the coming few months - I trust the technical glitches will shortly be sorted and with next season green lighted I expect the show will get better and better! I’m excited about being along for the ride as we see Venice develop.
Now. I’m just waiting for my call letting me know I’ve got a part in Season Two! (HINT!)
Monday, 7 December 2009
Venice the Series - Up to the Hype?
As an audience member I’m not a fan of hype as all too often I am disappointed. And that has been my one reservation with Venice the Series. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve LOVED the community aspect, the building excitement shared by thousands of fans but there has been just SO much hype and talk of The Kiss that Otalia never got that I wondered if my expectation could be satisfied. Of course I will have to watch the rest of the series to form a definite opinion (which by the way I’m more than happy to pay the small fee of $US 9.99/ £6.75 for) but the first episode was off to a good start much to my relief. A really good start. As a fellow Team UKer mentioned – perhaps it was because we had been so well trained by our time with Guiding Light NOT to expect intimacy that my kiss-o-meter was set to low but we didn’t just get a single kiss. No! We got LOTS of yummy, delicious kisses and it was awesome! (Thank-you!!!!)
*Clear throat*. Right. Moving on. I felt the first episode, the first scene especially, was wonderfully layered and rich. It effortlessly established a number of important aspects about Gina, Ani and their relationship, about Gina, her brother Owen and how he views that relationship. The acting, not surprisingly, was spot on which is a testament to Crystal and Jessica because with just six minutes including credits, they didn’t have the luxury of time to not only establish their characters but to differentiate them from Otalia. I’m sure that the morning-after smexiness and terminology like ‘smart-ass’ and ‘bullshit’ coming out of Jessica’s mouth helped, of course! (yay for artistic freedom!)
But six minutes was very short and I’m curious to see how this time constraint will affect the series. Will there be enough time to satisfactorily establish the numerous characters we know will be appearing later on? Will it be enough not only to establish them but to play out the various storylines without robbing them of depth? My hopeful answer, of course, is yes and I do feel confident that the show we will end up with by the season’s end will fulfil my expectations, especially in view of the quality of this first episode.
However, seeing as I am a fan girl my judgement might just be a little biased. The future of this series is in the hands of the fans - because we are the ones paying the subscription that will fund next season - but the aim is, of course, to grow the number of subscribers to guarantee its long-term success. Was there enough story to intrigue someone who doesn’t have a previous investment in Otalia and Venice? Will this six minute episode be enough to entice new comers to part with their money? I honestly hope the answer is a resounding yes. And I actually feel it will be a resounding yes. Something which has got this much heart, this much wonderful energy with such generous people will surely succeed.
xAnita
Check out episode one for free at www.venicetheseries.com
*Clear throat*. Right. Moving on. I felt the first episode, the first scene especially, was wonderfully layered and rich. It effortlessly established a number of important aspects about Gina, Ani and their relationship, about Gina, her brother Owen and how he views that relationship. The acting, not surprisingly, was spot on which is a testament to Crystal and Jessica because with just six minutes including credits, they didn’t have the luxury of time to not only establish their characters but to differentiate them from Otalia. I’m sure that the morning-after smexiness and terminology like ‘smart-ass’ and ‘bullshit’ coming out of Jessica’s mouth helped, of course! (yay for artistic freedom!)
But six minutes was very short and I’m curious to see how this time constraint will affect the series. Will there be enough time to satisfactorily establish the numerous characters we know will be appearing later on? Will it be enough not only to establish them but to play out the various storylines without robbing them of depth? My hopeful answer, of course, is yes and I do feel confident that the show we will end up with by the season’s end will fulfil my expectations, especially in view of the quality of this first episode.
However, seeing as I am a fan girl my judgement might just be a little biased. The future of this series is in the hands of the fans - because we are the ones paying the subscription that will fund next season - but the aim is, of course, to grow the number of subscribers to guarantee its long-term success. Was there enough story to intrigue someone who doesn’t have a previous investment in Otalia and Venice? Will this six minute episode be enough to entice new comers to part with their money? I honestly hope the answer is a resounding yes. And I actually feel it will be a resounding yes. Something which has got this much heart, this much wonderful energy with such generous people will surely succeed.
xAnita
Check out episode one for free at www.venicetheseries.com
Sunday, 29 November 2009
I'm so totally Chappelled...
Well I have been for a while, but today I am referring to a tweet I got :)
I uploaded another Bid for Venice video in which I come out to Team Venice and had the wonderful fortune of being on-line today when Crystal was waiting for her plane. I tweeted her the link, believing that she probably wouldn't check it out and certainly no respond it even if she did... but oh how I was wrong! Perhaps I should not be so astonished? After all Crystal and Co. have been nothing short of amazing when it comes to interacting with us fans. They really seem to care. They listen, they play along with us, they watch our tribute videos and enjoy them!
This sort of involvement with the fans is something I've never experienced before. The mere fact that I can log on to twitter and know that I can contact them directly - ask a question, send a link or show my utter admiration has been a revelation to me. After all, as you will find out in my latest vid, I come from little 'ole New Zealand, those wee islands all the way down to the south, four hours from Australia, twelve from LA and a whole day away from the UK. The physical isolation has meant that the stars I grew up watching were always distant and far away. The easy way in which people could, for example, hop over to the Vegas event happening next weekend and meet their favourite stars has always been, until now, a surreal, non-relevant experience for me. It just doesn't happen in my world. (to steal a GL quote...)
But now it IS happening. Through the unbelievably generous nature of Team Venice we have been given the opportunity of going along for the Venice ride. They've asked our opinions, they've shared photos, they've encouraged music and logo submissions. They've titillated us (see how I slipped that one in, Crystal?) with V panty pics and through all this become the nucleus of a warm and loving fan community. I am bowled over.
Crystal's tweet epitomises that to me. She not only watched my video but she took the time to tweet me back with "love u, adorable". This woman who has been on my TV screen for two decades, one of those untouchable, somewhere out there actresses is now immediate and accessible. And to that I say THANK-YOU Crystal and THANK-YOU Team Venice. You are a gift.
Now I'm gonna slink over to my corner and squeeeee like the fan girl that I am... OMG she said 'love u'!!!!!!! I'm so totally CHAPELLED!!!!!
I uploaded another Bid for Venice video in which I come out to Team Venice and had the wonderful fortune of being on-line today when Crystal was waiting for her plane. I tweeted her the link, believing that she probably wouldn't check it out and certainly no respond it even if she did... but oh how I was wrong! Perhaps I should not be so astonished? After all Crystal and Co. have been nothing short of amazing when it comes to interacting with us fans. They really seem to care. They listen, they play along with us, they watch our tribute videos and enjoy them!
This sort of involvement with the fans is something I've never experienced before. The mere fact that I can log on to twitter and know that I can contact them directly - ask a question, send a link or show my utter admiration has been a revelation to me. After all, as you will find out in my latest vid, I come from little 'ole New Zealand, those wee islands all the way down to the south, four hours from Australia, twelve from LA and a whole day away from the UK. The physical isolation has meant that the stars I grew up watching were always distant and far away. The easy way in which people could, for example, hop over to the Vegas event happening next weekend and meet their favourite stars has always been, until now, a surreal, non-relevant experience for me. It just doesn't happen in my world. (to steal a GL quote...)
But now it IS happening. Through the unbelievably generous nature of Team Venice we have been given the opportunity of going along for the Venice ride. They've asked our opinions, they've shared photos, they've encouraged music and logo submissions. They've titillated us (see how I slipped that one in, Crystal?) with V panty pics and through all this become the nucleus of a warm and loving fan community. I am bowled over.
Crystal's tweet epitomises that to me. She not only watched my video but she took the time to tweet me back with "love u, adorable". This woman who has been on my TV screen for two decades, one of those untouchable, somewhere out there actresses is now immediate and accessible. And to that I say THANK-YOU Crystal and THANK-YOU Team Venice. You are a gift.
Now I'm gonna slink over to my corner and squeeeee like the fan girl that I am... OMG she said 'love u'!!!!!!! I'm so totally CHAPELLED!!!!!
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