Twisted Showcase Series 3: Part 1

September was busy. If you didn't notice Twisted Showcase Series 3 was rolled out, 5 new weird episodes. I use weird as a positive as well. If you do too you'll probably like the series.

Over the next few weeks I'll be showing some love to this slightly neglected blog, by writing a series of blogs on Series 3 of Twisted Showcase. The inspirations for the episodes, the build up to releasing them, the feedback,  and anything else I can remember about that insanely paced month that took us from a strange box to an empty sofa.

So, today see's us 'repeating' series 3 on our site. I say repeating but it just means we host the episodes in order of transmission on the home page again, you can watch the episodes whenever. They're constantly there for you. Anyway, today is the start of that happening, and Series 3 begins with Payback. If you've not seen it, here's the episode for you to watch before I go and blow all the twists for you by discussing it below.




To digress again slightly, the series didn't really start with episode one for us, a few weeks earlier we released the trailer for the series, which in itself created quite a bit of buzz and was a pain to put together. I truly hate editing and only editing along to the music of Secateurs made it bearable. To cut what could be a long and arduous story short, I like the finished trailer, it's odd with some great shots to sell the series.

And onto Payback, which again starts by going back in time, because it's the oldest idea of Series 3. It goes back to before Twisted Showcase even began. It was the first thing myself and Rhys Jones were going to work on.

It began as an angry rant against banks. We all know they're evil, well one bank in particular took money off me and shouldn't, at the time I was in a tight spot, but years later I've got that money back and changed banks. At the time I really wanted this story told so I sent Rhys the script, as it was then, and he was going to direct. It was a lot longer, a bit more noir like, and riddled with cliches and overwrought dialogue. We liked it at the time though, but Rhys was struggling with what he wanted  to do, wasn't sure if he wanted to direct it. It stagnated and after writing some other stuff together we hit upon the Twisted Showcase idea. And somehow Payback got forgot about.

I could be wrong, but I believed we felt it didn't fit our domestic setting remit, it felt like it took place in a movie world more than our down to earth domestic weirdness that Twisted Showcase provides. Plus it had effects shots, how the hell are we meant to do those.

How it didn't get picked up by us for Series 2 baffles me, especially when you see some of the things we did choose to make for Series 2. What were we thinking?

In planning series 3 we realised we needed to up our game after we rush released a lot of series 2. We needed great actors to lure people in, and we needed to re-establish Twisted Showcase, which we felt we had started to do come the end of Series 2, but to take that further we yet again went back to the start of our series. We needed to get Gareth David Lloyd back.

We knew we needed a script with a great lead role, something worthy of a Gareth's acting talents. some of our ideas are all about the idea rather than the central role, Eyeball for example. For this we needed the role the whole film would hinge on. I think this thought influenced other episodes this series too, but it stated here. And one day I called Rhys after having remembered Payback and questioned him about the idea and how we could make the script better and beef up the lead role.

Mainly this occurred in the opening scene of them playing computer games, which also led to needing someone who can match Gareth and appear to be friendly whilst on rewatch's being obviously sneaky. We'd worked with Ally Goodman on Clone Alone where he pulled off dual characters well. So we knew he could handle this.

The other scene which changed the most was 'the feet' scene. I really tried to push the darkness, but also the black comedy of that moment. You can either be horrified there or have a dark laugh at it. I love scenes which challenge you as to how to react.

The main influence from the start with this one was Stephen King. I'd just finished a collection of his short stories, I think it was Night Shift, when I started Payback and loved the economical ideas that tapped into day to day fears in extreme ways. I thought this would be a good little twist for us as we have usually mixed the domestic with either the bizarre of the offbeat, but to mix it with something completely extreme would be something different. Which was why we decided to launch the series with this one.

We had a great preview clip to the episode too, which was really tense, too tense for SFX who decided not too host it, but they did help out next week. Starburst were fantastic with the series from the off, they really embraced it this year and hosted this interview with Gareth David Lloyd.

I hope that's provided some insight into Payback. come back next week for Toilet Soup.

Twisted Best Of

Last week we had a limited release teaser trailer for Series 3 of Twisted Showcase. Hope you got to see it in the 24 hours it was online. It offered  a first glimpse of Gareth David Lloyd, Norman Lovett and Sarah Louise Madison from Series 3.

Over the next few weeks, there will be stuff flying at you for the build up to the long awaited Series 3. So, is there a better time to look back and revisit the best bits from the first two series.

Go on, go take a look at my favourites bits over in this CULTURED VULTURES ARTICLE

Twisted tips on crowdfunding

First and foremost a huge thanks to everyone that contributed to the Twisted Showcase Series 3 crowdfund. It wasn't a process I particularly enjoyed, but it allows us the opportunity to bring you the series 3 we've imagined. And I promise it's coming soon.

So, that's a positive from the experience, and hopefully you'll see it as an even bigger positive when you finally get to see the episodes. The production has gone really well, and we're all really excited about it. Just the last few things to sort out. The finish line is in sight, which is a glorious feeling.

Another positive I hope to get from the experience is to help other people out there with their projects, one of them currently ongoing and so close to reaching their target. Danny Stack and Tim Clague are making a film for kids, starring kids, and they're not really made anymore. The audience are crying out for films like The Goonies and Explorers, and there's no one better than these guys to deliver it with Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg? check out the site www.nelsonnutmeg.com and also go  here and pitch in whatever you can to help get this made.

For anyone thinking of funding a project this way, you can learn from our mistakes, or just read the story of how we found the experience. That's why I wrote this blog, so hope you enjoy it.

One of the first pieces of advice we got on out crowdfund was to PREPARE.

Unfortunately, we'd already launched our project by then.

A lot of people mentioned the quality of out pitch video, or lack of it. Basically we just set up a camera and waffled, when editing together, we included some out takes, which we thought were funny and added personality, but probably made us seem unprofessional.

What we knew we needed to get across were our selling points.

These were mainly our cast : Norman Lovett & Gareth David Lloyd, both have a sci-fi fan base from the shows Torchwood and Red Dwarf. Targeting sites that cover those shows was a strategy.
We've found during our two series of Twisted showcase that names like this attract viewers in, therefore we have made it a vital element to Series 3. We have also announced Sarah Louise Madison, who has appeared in Doctor Who, since.

Our other selling point was our background. We have already produced two series of Twisted Showcase and have achieved far more than we ever expected with it. It'd be stupid not to use this background to help sell the idea a little bit. In fact I've become quite sick of saying we were the only British independent web show to be named in the guardian top 25, this may be the last time I ever say/type it.

Now for the hard and horrible stuff. Crowdfunding is like having a full time job. It's non stop, working to a target. And it can feel uncomfortable. Well, it did to me and Rhys anyway, and if you're of a similar disposition it might do to you as well.

I've said since it can feel like begging, especially as we've made the series no budget for two series. why not do that again? It was an impossibility. I don't know how we did do it. Probably explains the debt. Also we wanted to make Showcase bigger and better. And that would be my second tip, make sure you believe in what you're doing. you make it the best it can be. If people are going to pay up front for your thing you have to pay back that trust. It's why we worked on Series 3 from January 2013 until now. A long process for a series that will be over after 5 short episodes. But hopefully worth it for us and for everyone that watches.

As the campaign went on we went quiet. BIG MISTAKE. Never let up, it might annoy some people on social media, but you can't let people forget, keep it in their mind. Thank everyone who contributes. We found when we got a funder, two or three more would follow quickly.

I'm not a genius on these things, but we did make our total, so if you have any questions let me know. And I wish you all the luck with your crowdfunding campaign. In the end I think we found it wasn't really for us, so if plans come off for our future we'll be trying something a little different.

But before that - Twisted Showcase Series 3.

Wales Comic Con panel

If you've not heard by now, I feel like I've tweeted about it a lot, but Twisted Showcase Series 3 has a great cast attached - Gareth David Lloyd, Norman Lovett and Sarah Louise Madison.
Myself and Rhys Jones were lucky enough to have Twisted Showcase panel and be joined by these cast members recently at Wales Comic Con.

Here's how much I enjoyed it.

But it wasn't just me, look this proves our great cast.

There has also been some great pictures from the audience who were at the panel. They have allowed us to post them on the website, which we will soon, so keep checking back. We also have an interview we did for Calon FM which we'll hopefully be able to upload soon. There will also be trailers. The place to make sure you catch all this, as always www.twistedshowcase.com

Q & A at Cultured Vultures

I was approached to do an interview with the great people at Cultured Vultures. There site is over flowing with great stuff. Check out my interview there 

INTERVIEW

The Blog Tour

Rosie Claverton, whose debut mystery novel “Binary Witness” will be published by Carina Press on 5th May 2014, got in touch with me to pick up the baton for the writing blog tour, after her great blog last week.

At first I was honoured and thrilled, then I looked at the questions and began to die inside.How am I meant to answer those? Writers love digging deep for answers and insight but then we can place that onto a character, it's not about ourselves, honest.

Here's the questions. I'll try my best.

1) What am I working on?

Deep breath.

I've just finished an outline for a 6 part 60 minute TV drama, that's gone to BBC writersroom today, right on the deadline. Was chuffed last week when Lucy Gannon read it and she mentioned that it made her day.

I've also got a walk to the post office to send off DVD discs of short film, Payback, which will be part of Twisted Showcase series 3 airing later this year. It's off to short film festivals first though, so wish it luck. Three of the five episodes have been filmed now, and I'm directing my second episode of the series this coming Saturday, the first time I'm directing something I've written.

Myself and Rhys Jones are also finishing off the pilot episode and pitch for a Twisted Showcase radio anthology. We've also started writing a feature script together, and are finishing work on a sitcom for the nextBBC writersroom window.

I'm about to embark on a childrens TV script rewrite after receiving great notes from Michelle Goode. I'm also working on a childrens picture book. Think my job is done on that, I'm just looking for an artist.

Aside from this, I'm also working on a new detective show, but that's just thoughts bubbling away at the minute, though the first ten minutes are all in my head. There's also a few web shows that are done and dusted and just need a home.

Who knows what'll happen next?

2) How does my work differ from others of it's genre?

This is the question I've been dreading. How can you answer this without appearing a bit dickish?

Some people say writing is like breathing to them, and I totally get that, it's a compulsion, it is all encompassing over your whole life, it makes you feel alive. But I'm asthmatic so does that mean I struggle more than others with writing. Wow, this analogy went off on one pretty quick.

I feel my work is all very personal and hopefully my personality comes through in it. Most writers write in a personal way though, but all our personalities are different. I'm very influenced by music when writing, does that help answer this question?

I'm struggling here.

Maybe if I focus on the genre bit it might help.But then I don't really write in any one genre. I've got a romantic comedy feature that is based on a huge local event I remember from my childhood. When I write horror stuff, usually for Twisted Showcase, I find my best stuff digs deep into internal fears and emotions. And my TV specs, focus on family and relationships, again from a personal perspective. I try and pour whatever I've got onto the page. I also try to entertain too, don't worry, it's not all venting, but I do want my work to be honest. It's important in stuff I watch and listen to, so it has to be important in what I create.

I co write with Rhys Jones sometimes so have just text him to see if he can help with this answer, as I felt I was waffling. Is this cheating? Let's see what he says...

...

Waiting for his reply.

...

Received his reply, and it's quite complimentary so I'm going to add it here:

"Oh thanks, I have to answer the tough question, ha ha ha, you write about the tough areas of family, sex, mental illness. You deal with difficult subjects head on. So, I guess, you're pretty uncompromising."

I'll take that.

Right, I'm through the toughest question now. Onwards!

3) Why do I write what I do?

Oh shit! That one crept up on me. I sort of answered this in the previous question didn't I? No?

Sigh.

Actually I've got a better answer for this. Maybe even more pretentious than the last. It goes like this:

Stories are the most important thing in life. It's how we make sense of everything. Maybe it's the reason we're here, to tell stories. Humans are here to tell the story of the world. We are the 'in' for the audience. Themultitude of races out there watching us, waiting to invade, they know the story of existence because of our stories.

Why do we read books, watch films etc? Because there's things in there people found interesting, worth knowing, worth exploring. Every life is a separate story that you can populate with thrills, knowledge or cheesecake, and I think it's important to fill my life with stories about things I find important, which are all in the answer above, so I don't have to repeat it here.I'm off to write about cheesecakes.

4) How does my writing process work?

You're presuming it does, person who is asking this question, whoever you are. It does, but I don't know how. I despise routine so don't have any. I'll write early morning, late night, whenever really. Whenever I have time to write I'll try to, if after a few hours I'm finding it frustrating I'll give up for an hour and read or watch something, or dance like a dickhead to music in my front room, or in the summer when the weathers better I'll go for a walk. Then I'm back to it, staring at that screen.

My process has been different for each script, regarding how much I know going in. Sometimes I've done huge treatments, bibles, outlines, sometimes I've gone in blind. The only process which has stuck is the amount of work I do after the first draft. I rewrite and rewrite and rewrite, honing constantly, seeking out readers to help me make it even better, and rewrite again and again and again. Shame I don't do that with myblogs posts hey?

Anyway next week some brilliant, talented people take over on The Blog Tour. Here's a bit of info on them. Make sure you check out the answers over on those 2 blogs next week.

I pass this onto:



Lisa Holdsworth
Lisa won her first commission in 2001 on FAT FRIENDS. She was shortlisted for a Best New Writer BAFTA for her episode. She then joined the EMMERDALE writing team for three years before heading off to write for NEW TRICKS, winning the RTS Yorkshire Best Writer award for one of her episodes. She’s also written for WATERLOO ROAD, ROBIN HOOD and MIDSOMER MURDERS. She also writes for theatre and has several projects in development.



John Hunter
John Hunter is a writer, script editor and scriptreader for film, TV, theatre and multimedia based in Sheffield, UK. He has written for the brilliant Slung Low Theatre Company and lovely games company Team Cooper as well as receiving short film and multimedia commissions from Screen Yorkshire. He suffers from emotionalobesity and spends most of his rewriting disguising the fact he lives in a fantasy land of idealistic escapism. He hopes one day those sorts of scripts will be fashionable. Until then...

Catch up #2 Euro Scriptchat

As I do some more catching up, I'm now up to January, where I was a guest on Euro Scriptchat. Main topic of discussion was web series. I hope some of my answers helped people, the transcript is on the EuroScriptchat website here