Break a Leg

Hey, all.

I figured I'd make an Episode 3 thread that you can all discuss the episode, share your thoughts, and point out the little hidden funnies we make sure to hide everywhere we can. You can also ask us questions -- though, we don't guarantee an answer.

This is also a great place to talk about the plot, as, you'll find, Episode 3 is as windy as a very drunk mountain road.

Hope you liked the Episode - stay tuned for more!

little hidden funnies:

grapenuts on blackboard
space burt reynolds!!
the text on the surgery poster
call back to voice dial system
probably more...

i also want to know everything about the broommates segment. who did it, how did they do it, how long did it take, etc. if that's not too much to ask.

I love that Dashiell + Ian McKellen = that doctor guy.
I never would have guessed.

OH MY GOD.
I just noticed that Andy Corvell in the opening credits is a phone.
That made my day.

I TOLD YOU!

i also like how it doesn't show footage of chase: it's just the poster. that makes it more mysterious...

For some strange reason, when Jimmy Scotch is looking through those binoculars...it looked like the movie poster to Disturbia.

Copyright infringement anyone? ;D

I didn't particularly like 'Gary Coleman'. He didn't sound like the Gary Coleman I remember,though the "Growth Up Surgery" idea was funny. The way the dialog emphasized his being Gary Coleman weakened Episode 3 part 1 a little bit, because he's not a very convincing Gary Coleman. I like it anyway; you guys took a risk!

i think everyone is still sleeping after working so hard those last few weeks...

Hey Kevin and who ever else was interested,
Broommates was made by a friend of mine, Adam Cohen. Actually, by Adam and one of his friends as well. They made it on his kitchen table in Berkeley.
I only knew Adam briefly in 2001 when I was working at Public Access TV in Novato. He brought in a claymation he wanted shown on the station called North Pole Plantation.
Check it out
here

So when we needed talking brooms in ep3 I knew exactly who to ask.
I'll try to get Adam on the boards talking as well so he can tell you the specifics of what went into making it.
All I can tell you from my experience of picking up the set pieces at the doll house store is that there are some people SERIOUSLY obsessed with dolls. It was pretty freaky.

I put together the Broommates animation (Or as I cleverly call it, the Broommation!). I essentially built a miniature set to imitate the set of Friends by forcing Justin Morrison to purchase many of the items from creepy dollhouse stores and I just constructed the remaining parts with pieces of wood, paper, cardboard, etc.

The broom is made entirely of wood and the knife is an actual knife glued into a heavy stand so it wouldn't fall over during the scenes. The eyes are soft clay made from Sculpey III and the mouths are card-stock printed from the fabulous internets.

In summary...
1) Set is designed and built
2) Voices are recorded
3) Characters are designed and built
4) Scene is storyboarded
5) Animating prep work
6) Animation takes place with a camera and a laptop
7) Editing ahoy!

The actual animation took around 10 hours, but the additional prep time and designing cannot be calculated. It seemed like forever for such a small project, literally.

Any other questions are more than welcome! Maybe I'll post some pictures of the before/after set.

Do it, Adam. We all want it. Post those pictures.

*chanting* post them. post them. post them.

i hope they reimbursed you with more than bagel bites...

Do eternal love and undying gratitude count?

The Broommate segment was hilarious. Simple, but hilarious.

Part 2 is up, make sure to watch it and feel free to discuss. As I said in the blog, Part 2 is a little odd!

Where can I get an issue of the Bi-Weekly Planet? Where every day is a sign of the human's impending doom.

You see, this show has now inspired me to pretend to get an iPod. Then I can watch your show everywhere!

Except underwater. iPods aren't waterproof. Or shark-proof for that matter.

Also - where did you get those hats and the crossbow?!

But you can make iPod's waterproof though ...

http://www.swimlocker.com/audio-ipod-video-waterproof-case-p-825.html

So you really _can_ watch Break a Leg anywhere! I don't know about shark proof though ... so watch out for those sharks ... while watching us underwater!

The top hat was bought in a costume shop. I originally bought it for a production of "The Nutcracker" I do every year with a local ballet school. I play their Drosselmire. The straw hat, the umbrella, and the cross bow were all bought in China Town, where we did the shoot. You can buy just about anything there. It'll fall apart not long after purchasing, though, so don't go down there expwecting to pick up anything you can hand down to your children...or even the guy standing right next to you. Also, don't attempt to text your crossbow in a crowded street.

Nice. I now want a crossbow.

Do you need a license to buy one of those?

Being a responsible and upstanding member of society, I cannot condone the purchase of projectile weapons for recreational use.

And no you don't.

What? Puts a new spin on skeet shooting, in my opinion.

Hillbot: are you somebody related to the show, and if so who?

What? You didn't know? Hillbot is the secret ninja who walks around the set.

If you squint real hard in certain shots, you can see him. :)

Hillbot, is in fact, a she. Also, her proper designation is Hillbot 03917AQ20. She's our Production Coordinator ;0). You can find her bio on the cast/crew section.

Although it neglects to mention her cyborg origins, we'll have to get that sorted out...

Resistance is futile.

Oops, I got it wrong.

I shall be neutralized for my incompetence.

Or I'll eat a cheeseburger. Either one works.

Mmmm, cheeseburger.

Let me just forcefully steer this conversation back on course.

Since Part 2 is up -- what do you guys think? Anyone have any plot conjectures?

Hannah, good eye on noticing that Jennifer's wife is the same actress from the Pilot -- if you watch, she gives Jennifer a very specific, "I can't believe you're at this again" look. We had her planned to be his wife since then, actually (I believe she's in the credits as "John Bradley.")

Part 3 is fast approaching -- what will happen?!

My conjectures:

Chase gets mistaken for John Lennon, causing a(nother) cult to sprout up around him.

David decides to go free Amber.

Francesca follows.

Jennifer...Jennifer...goes to CAG.

And Waldo is never found.

I thought he looked more like a Musketeer.

Really? First thing that popped up into my head was Lennon.

Also: That guy from the van is the guy in the beginning of the pilot! Took me four viewings to figure that out.

Well done, Nick. Well done, sir!

And yes, I can see John Lennon. He also looks like The Dude from the Big Lebowski.

I noticed that the FIRST time.
So BETTER done, Hannah.
Bahahaha.

Oh.
Who is that Pogo guy?
He's DREAMY.

I noticed Pogo was dreamy the FIRST time.
I mean...uh...

Hmmm, I'm sensing some strange things coming off this board, here.

I think I'll step back a little bit. ;)

I think NICK is dreamy.

This is almost as disturbing as that dream I had last night.

No, wait, they're just about the same.

You're disturbed?
I'm jealous.
=]

Well, yes, but you are (presumably) of the female gender. I am not. Thus, I am disturbed.:)

It's one in the morning.
Where's part three?
D=

... part 3 where art thou part 3?

arg, 9:30 east coast, 6:30 west. must. have. break a leg.

Best episode part yet.

I want to know what happened to Claudio and Mint! We haven't seen them in awhile.

If you listen closely, you can hear the distant sounds of Humphrey's heart eternally breaking.

Aw. I was a bit sad, I saw you guys running around tapping a huge thing for Chase in SF, I was sad when I saw it got cut down so much : ( it looked so funny to be running through all that stuff. . .

Right, Humphrey needs to get over himself, mate. I'm 99.9% sure he has a tapeworm.

Tapeworms are bad. So, I guess I can feel sorry for him.

All the characters you know and love will be in this Episode, don't you worry.

Yay! That makes me happy.

As long as we don't have to see the tapeworm, at least. I hate tapeworms. They're disgusting. I'm psyched about seeing the rest of the people though!

Scott,
Who is to say we have seen the last of Chase's crazy/mysterious/torpid/bilingual past?