Hey fellow filmmakers,I'm in the midst of a three week shoot of an upcoming dark comedy pilot- so I figured I'd write about it here, having learnt a bunch from other people's mistakes and success in the past 
I'll post here every day I can, since we're in the middle of shooting, and keep you updated on the process.
We just released the entire pilot on VIMEO! Check it out: <font size="3"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">
LONG POST!
Here's a couple of early screens from the pilot (these will be replaced with a poster eventually):
A few things about me:
I'm a writer director, and made my debut feature last year as 17 years old. This made me the youngest director in my home country, Norway, and was also this country's first ever sci-fi film. It's called "EVERYWHEN" and will be released in 10 countries (Incl. USA, Scandinavia, Benelux and Germany) on bluray, DVD and VOD Januray 2014. Keep an eye out for it!
I have made a bunch of shorts, trailers and other thingies, which you can have a look at here: http://www.youtube.com/JARANDandJENS
Here's the trailer for EVERYWHEN:
I have never made a pilot, and I hate tv-series (that's right, haha).
The plot:
Gary Clowne, who is finally let out of prison, only to spend the next three years of his life as a clown in order to fulfill his community service. And worst part is: his employer, has misunderstood what a clown is all about. Along the way he falls in love, gets jealous and meets his long-forgotten father.
Clowne is a comedy with aspects from The Big Lebowski, In Bruges and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. It' does not take itself very seriously, although it centers on a strict storyline carefully written.
What got me into making a comedy pilot, after a sci-fi feature?
As mentioned, I don't like tv-series, which is what got me into making a pilot: If I can make something new, and fresh, instead of stumbling down into the normal unoriginal recipe, somebody might actually watch this! The show will be made with the pace, the production quality and the effort of a normal feature film. We're aiming for top-notch quality, rather than quick shoots. Having contacts and a little establishment in the distribution industry as well, I might get this on Netflix or iTunes; it's actually realistic (which is huge, since a pilot is what it is: a pilot).
About the pre-prod and casting:
The screenplay (33 pages long, in English) was finished in April 2013. Pre-Prod started asap. However, we did not go searching for a producer this time. Instead of pitching a screenplay, we want to pitch an actual pilot, and show our talent that way. A lot of time and effort went into creating the concept, the look and the feel to the show. We wanted a dark, and gritty Los Angeles mood.
Here's a couple of concept pictures:
When costumes were set, we went looking for actors and actresses. We wanted a miserable person to play Gary the clown, which I think is such an awesome contrast, yet we wanted the actor to be relatable and likable- not depressed. We needed a nymphomaniac woman, who had to be pretty and incredibly attractive, yet relatable and not a doll or "babe". A slick man with zero IQ, an old man to play a gorilla and a stoner who had to be funny, were all more than easy to find. After over a 100 actors applied, and 30 auditions, we settled with these four:
They all have immense improv talent (which I think is incredibly important in a comedy), and do lines better than I had pictured them. You can't really ask for more ^_^
We got a deal with Storyline Studios, Norway's leading grip studio, who lent us two RED ONE's and a RED EPIC as well as other grip equipment (Dolly, Jib, Rails, tripods, lights etc.) for the price of $0 (which is insane!), because they believe in the idea. In other words, we have equipment worth a total of $67 000, and our primary budget is simply $8000, haha.
As mentioned, I'll post here as frequently as I can. If you have any questions or want to say hi, leave a comment!
We post pictures and short updates on our facebook constantly: http://www.facebook.com/JARANDandJENS
See you later!
Jarand B. Herdal
I'll post here every day I can, since we're in the middle of shooting, and keep you updated on the process.
We just released the entire pilot on VIMEO! Check it out: <font size="3"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">
LONG POST!
Here's a couple of early screens from the pilot (these will be replaced with a poster eventually):
A few things about me:
I'm a writer director, and made my debut feature last year as 17 years old. This made me the youngest director in my home country, Norway, and was also this country's first ever sci-fi film. It's called "EVERYWHEN" and will be released in 10 countries (Incl. USA, Scandinavia, Benelux and Germany) on bluray, DVD and VOD Januray 2014. Keep an eye out for it!
I have made a bunch of shorts, trailers and other thingies, which you can have a look at here: http://www.youtube.com/JARANDandJENS
Here's the trailer for EVERYWHEN:
I have never made a pilot, and I hate tv-series (that's right, haha).
The plot:
Gary Clowne, who is finally let out of prison, only to spend the next three years of his life as a clown in order to fulfill his community service. And worst part is: his employer, has misunderstood what a clown is all about. Along the way he falls in love, gets jealous and meets his long-forgotten father.
Clowne is a comedy with aspects from The Big Lebowski, In Bruges and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. It' does not take itself very seriously, although it centers on a strict storyline carefully written.
What got me into making a comedy pilot, after a sci-fi feature?
As mentioned, I don't like tv-series, which is what got me into making a pilot: If I can make something new, and fresh, instead of stumbling down into the normal unoriginal recipe, somebody might actually watch this! The show will be made with the pace, the production quality and the effort of a normal feature film. We're aiming for top-notch quality, rather than quick shoots. Having contacts and a little establishment in the distribution industry as well, I might get this on Netflix or iTunes; it's actually realistic (which is huge, since a pilot is what it is: a pilot).
About the pre-prod and casting:
The screenplay (33 pages long, in English) was finished in April 2013. Pre-Prod started asap. However, we did not go searching for a producer this time. Instead of pitching a screenplay, we want to pitch an actual pilot, and show our talent that way. A lot of time and effort went into creating the concept, the look and the feel to the show. We wanted a dark, and gritty Los Angeles mood.
Here's a couple of concept pictures:
When costumes were set, we went looking for actors and actresses. We wanted a miserable person to play Gary the clown, which I think is such an awesome contrast, yet we wanted the actor to be relatable and likable- not depressed. We needed a nymphomaniac woman, who had to be pretty and incredibly attractive, yet relatable and not a doll or "babe". A slick man with zero IQ, an old man to play a gorilla and a stoner who had to be funny, were all more than easy to find. After over a 100 actors applied, and 30 auditions, we settled with these four:
They all have immense improv talent (which I think is incredibly important in a comedy), and do lines better than I had pictured them. You can't really ask for more ^_^
We got a deal with Storyline Studios, Norway's leading grip studio, who lent us two RED ONE's and a RED EPIC as well as other grip equipment (Dolly, Jib, Rails, tripods, lights etc.) for the price of $0 (which is insane!), because they believe in the idea. In other words, we have equipment worth a total of $67 000, and our primary budget is simply $8000, haha.
As mentioned, I'll post here as frequently as I can. If you have any questions or want to say hi, leave a comment!
We post pictures and short updates on our facebook constantly: http://www.facebook.com/JARANDandJENS
See you later!
Jarand B. Herdal
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