The following are some excerpts from various press coverage that provide an insight into the making of OzGirl. Read a summary of the show, creator and cast and crew.
Interview from Ozemag Online 2009
Creator Nicholas Carlton, Sophie Tilson (Sadie) and Shanrah Wakefield (Megan)
Describe the show and what makes it so different.
NICK: OzGirl is Australia’s first social web show in which the characters exist within the audience’s existing social networks and interact with them as they would if they were real people. This is a very exciting aspect of the show which separates it from traditional media. In terms of web series it is also one of the few, in my opinion, professional grade shows out there. The show was shot on HD. It looks good – it’s been put together professionally. I think this separates it from other series out there and is an important step along the path of pushing professionally made web content into the mainstream.
SOPHIE: The main aspect of the show that makes it different is the interaction we and the characters have with the audience.
SHANRAH: I think improvisation is one aspect that makes it a little different, which gives it a ‘real’ feel.
How and when did the birth of OzGirl happen? Was it a real ‘wow’ moment?
NICK: I’ve been using the internet to distribute my films since I was ten years old, way back in 2000. It didn’t even occur to me back then what I was doing – I was simply using the tools at my disposal to reach an audience (back then it was really only my school mates). So the internet has always been an obvious distribution mode. In late 2008, I decided it was time to really apply everything I had learnt over the past few years in terms of filmmaking and attending the VCA and produce a web show. I didn’t know what to make. I had several ideas including a show about a hitman and a show about a hairdresser. After I got in touch with Sophie (Producer/Character “Sadie”), we kind of nutted it out and spent a few days walking around the city, talking about what we wanted to see. Somewhere OzGirl came about.
The real wow moment was when we started to receive attention that we never thought we would get. We got an offer from a distribution company to purchase the series (which we eventually declined). And then we got picked up by KoldCast TV, which distributes it via TiVo, iTunes, and Zune. That was when I knew we were onto something. Since then we’ve had a crazy amount of meetings with people I never thought we’d be in the same room with. Most recently OzGirl has been officially accepted as part of the Independent Television Festival in LA which we will be travelling over to attend.
Lead character “Sadie”
How did the collaboration of the three of you come about?
NICK: The story was written by Sophie and I, we came up with the treatment for each episode (all the episodes are improvised). Sophie and I actually went to high school together (although we didn’t really know each other), and she auditioned for me for a short film I was making which Shanrah (Character “Megan”) eventually got the role for. I approached Sophie knowing that I needed a lead actress who would not only act but take an active interest in writing and producing as the show was really dependent on her and her ability to carry the story and engage the audience. So we immediately began collaborating on it. Shanrah was involved only in an acting capacity until about the last quarter of the shoot in late 2009 when we desparetly needed all hands on deck and when it was clear the show was going places. She became an Associate Producer. It’s been a great collaboration and all three of us are working on numerous projects at the moment with each other.
Explain your specific roles in the production of this.
NICK: When we first began shooting in October 2008, I was the only crew member. I did everything, I operated all the equipment – shot, and edited the episodes in addition to designing the website, marketing material, logos, graphics, etc. It was basically just Sophie and I. Sophie would co-write, co-produce which would entail assisting the casting, making location and story desicions, etc. When Shanrah came on board as an Associate Producer her job was mainly to help manage the cast, locations, shooting schedule and all the logistical requirements of the shoot. We took a break from shooting over Christmas, but when we began in 2009 the crew expanded significantly (to date over 30 people have worked on the show). We started to shoot multi-cam, with Shaun Crawford as our primary Director of Photography. We also started to boom the shoots instead of relying solely on radio mics. We were writing and editing the show as we went along, so you can imagine the logistical nightmare of having to stay on schedule so as to avoid neglecting our distribution partners and audience.
SOPHIE: Writing, acting, casting, liaising, co directing and assisting Nick edit episodes occasionally.
SHANRAH: Apart from acting – whatever is required at the time! Scheduling, liaising, casting, brainstorming…
You’ve achieved a wonderful fan base and media attention, why is that and how?
NICK: I liken the internet and social media to a party – if you want to get attention you need to go up and speak to people in the party. Basic social skills stipulate that you can’t focus the conversation on yourself, you need to engage the other person by talking about them and being genuinely interested in them. This was the philosophy behind growing a fanbase. I went about contacting THOUSANDS of people I thought were potentially interested in the series. I emailed them and messaged them on Bebo, Facebook, and MySpace. I looked at who were fans of existing web series and other similar TV shows and told them about OzGirl. It paid off – we grew a large audience online (of over 20, 000) and a very loyal fanbase.
SOPHIE: I think Ozgirl has achieved such a great fan base initially via the promotion of the show on developed social networks such as Bebo and we have maintained the fan base because the fans enjoy the content and through our interaction with the fans. We have achieved media attention by contacting the media and by the media somehow hearing about the show which we are all ecstatic about.
The team watching the finale broadcast of OzGirl.
Was it always your intention to come up with something radical to draw attention?
NICK: Yes. The purpose of creating the show was to draw attention to ourselves. It’s not about the money – although we have and are experimenting with different revenue models to monetize the franchise. The film and television industry is obviosuly huge and very hard to get into. The web series industry is in its infancy stage at the moment. The barrier is low – anyone can get into it. Very soon, however, it will be as hard to break into as Television is now, for example.
SOPHIE: We always wanted to incorporate a large amount of audience interactivity to draw attention to the show.
Where is OzGirl headed? What’s the ultimate aim for the success of the show?
NICK: OzGirl is putting us in the same room as many important industry people. It’s getting us the attention we wanted. We are going to leverage this attention to produce bigger and better things. We are currently working on two spin offs for the show which will continue the franchise – both of them have very different and innovative revenue models which we will be experimenting with. We are also working on another bigger budget web series which consist of 6 x 20 minute episodes (longer form). I’m hoping that by continuing to work away in the web series industry, when it is eventually legitimised and the money starts to come in – I will be able to make a living and have a successful career producing cross-platform content. As I mentioned earlier – next month we are on our way to LA to attend the ITVFest which is essentially a pitching opportunity.
What kind of budget is it? Do you see that increasing? Is the quality of the show likely to get better and better or is it already at
its peak?
NICK: OzGirl was produced for approximately $10, 000. For a 120-minute production, I’m quite proud of that. I am a subcriber to the Robert Rodriguez school of guerilla filmmaking and believe anything can be shot on the cheap. Like, really cheap. At the moment I also believe that web series do not warrant large budgets (that is, until the industry adopts an appropriate revenue model to facilitate high budgets).
The concept behind OzGirl (faux-documentary) was designed to allow us to get away with many things which we wouldn’t normally be allowed to get away with. For example it was all shot handheld, our radio mics were constantly in view, and we never had to do anything too elaborate. That said – we infused it with as much production value as we could. The camerawork, editing, grading and music is all top notch. Handheld is a very particular style, that, in the right hands can look extremely good. But at the end of the day the audience is interested in one thing – story. That was always our main focus.
Shooting handheld on location.
How is it shot? Give us a bit of a run down of the pre-production-post stages.
NICK: I mentioned before that the first half OzGirl was all shot and chopped by me. I would attach the radio mics to the actors, with the receiver simply mounted on the camera. We shot with all natural light (except for the occasional scene where we employed work lights from Bunnings). We basically ran around the city shooting it gung-ho, without any permits whatsoever (DISCLAIMER: Ozemag does not support this strategy). With the single camera set up we went through scenes a few times to get coverage. None of the episodes are scripted or storyboarded because I wanted a very fluid, spontaneous feel to it. The cameras move with the actors.
We later expanded to a two-camera set up – which was fun co-ordinating the actors and cameras. It was like a dance – with everyone moving where they wanted, when they wanted.
Post production was handled entirely by me again, everything was captured into Final Cut Pro (we shot over 40 hours of footage) – and cut there. I graded it all using Magic Bullet, and did a very basic stereo sound mix. The episodes were then compressed for the web and uploaded.
Have any solid career leads come out of this for any of you? Like feature film ‘Undead’ was a great launching pad for the Speirig brothers.
NICK: I’ve mentioned before that we have received meetings with people I never thought we’d be in the same room as. We’ve not only been talking to major production companies locally and internationally but also major social networks about producing more content and distributing the current series. OzGirl has given us our first major credit which we are now using to launch new projects. This has all culminated in being accepted into the ITVFest in LA later this year which will sell and market the show on our behalf.
SOPHIE: We have made many invaluable contacts through the show which will hopefully assist us to develop our careers.
SHANRAH: No leading roles in Hollywood features (yet?!), but we’ve started meeting some great people and things are continuing to look more and more possible as we go on…
Pros and cons? I’m sure you’ve experienced some challenges, enlighten us on those and how you overcame them. Have the three of you wanted to pursue different ideas with the project? How important is team work on this?
NICK: The best thing that came out of OzGirl was putting together a magnificent team. We really became a family. It’s been almost a year since we started rolling cameras (we had our LIVE season finale last week) – in which we’ve pretty much been working together and in contact every week. It’s a crazy and intense project and you really want to have friends next to you to get you through it.
We experienced a lot of challenges. Marketing was a challenge – without money, we were forced to be innovative in getting our show out there. This involved (literally) hours upon hours of sittting at the computer marketing it. It can get frustrating sometimes. In regards to the actual shoot – we had a few challenges. You really have to fight to put the show out the way you want to do it. I did have a few difficulties dealing with established industry players – such as agents. Convincing them we weren’t making porn or ripping off their talent. We also had some mishaps on set – being on set for 12 hours over 9 months of shooting can be VERY stressful and tiring. Sophie and I particularly felt burnt out later in the shoot. We were also constantly devoting our time to working on the show and I think we neglected to spend time with our families. It was challenging trying to strike a balance.
SOPHIE: Creating the show was very time consuming so it was a challenge fitting in work and uni as well. On occaision we have disagreed on storylines but we have always managed to compromise which has typically resulted in us coming up with a much better idea than we initally had.
Nick, you’re a VCA grad, do you think gaining this training has been a key element into the success of this project? If so, how?
NICK: I’m actually still in second year at the moment. But yes – the training I received in first year was great. The contacts I made there were used. Shaun, my primary DOP was a key person on the shoot, he’s also in second year with me at the moment. The VCA really drilled me in how to run a professional set. The expectations from the cast and crew, how to deal with professional actors. However, the real training has really come from the 10 years of playing around with cameras and editing. I’ve been making films since I was ten years old. It’s really a trial-and-error type job, you play – you learn.
What’s your advice for other independent creatives wanting to get noticed?
NICK: Figure out what YOU want to watch and make it. Put yourself in the consumer’s point of view and serve your audience. Think about how you would want to consume content. Also – jump in the deep end and start producing the content. You can do it really, really cheap. There’s nothing stopping you. That’s really all the advice I can give…
Finally, what’s your career goal for each of you?
NICK: To be successful and working in film, television and new media.
SOPHIE: To be a respected actor who gets regular work and to continue creating content that the target audience enjoys.
SHANRAH: A successful, steady, well-respected acting career – and continue to create. It would be amazing to be able to use any success as a platform to give back to the world.
