Author: ChilltownTV

I'm primarily a writer. Sold a few series to tv networks and production companies but never had anything get on the air. So I taught myself how to animate and completed 3 digital series, launching two. The first, Chilltown has been named one of "Five Web Series That Should Be on Your Radar" by ABCNews/Univision and a "Show to Watch" by Tubefilter. The second, Lele's Ratchet Advice Show, garnered a fanatic cult following. As a result, I now do Lele's 60 Second Wrap Up, a weekly comedic entertainment report (which I write & perform) that airs on urban radio stations Rhythm 105.9fm and the Just Wake Up Morning Show on WWRNfm.

Leesa Dean: Adventures of a Web Series Newbie

crazyChapter 47 – The Bough Breaks
by Leesa Dean

Argh! So the celeb bailed on us. This past week has been beyond frustrating.

The celeb is a friend of my producing partner who double checked the day before that we were still on for last Sunday’s shoot and even went to the celeb’s house to pick him up an hour before start time (to give a wide window) and…the celeb wasn’t there.

My producing partner called me immediately and I knew something crazy was happening cause he called vs. texting! I had to jump on the phone with the studio and try to juggle things. Long story short, the celeb had decided last minute to “go out to lunch with his wife.” Apparently, “out to lunch” being the operative words. It was really pretty insane. He said he could make it “later.” read article

Leesa Dean: Adventures of a Web Series Newbie

tightrope-300x200

Chapter 46 – Tightrope Dancing
by Leesa Dean

This past week has been intense. Aside from a lot of people who were all HUGE inspirations passing away (RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman, Maggie Estep, Sid Caesar), after finishing shooting and starting editing the footage with the celeb on the TOP SECRET PROJECT, my producing partner got a call from an even bigger celeb whom we had been trying to reach for a while. We had originally made plans about a month or so ago with this guy and they fell through cause a lot came up for him. My producing partner knows him, he happened to call, ask about the project and guess what? He’s in.

Which means, we’re now dealing with his incredibly crammed schedule and squeezing in a shoot in two days. Which also means I had to drop what I was doing (once again, Season Two of the Lele Show gets slightly backburnered *sigh*) and write some custom sides for him (sides for non-tv/film people are script pages). My producing partner loved them. So did the celeb. Only caveat? He doesn’t have time to rehearse. And his plans have been known to change on a dime. On the bright side, he’s doing it for free cause he believes in it (and probably cause he realizes I’m broke!)

So, this is the plan. I’m bringing the sides, both in script form and blown up like cue cards, so he can read/memorize section by section at the shoot. Yes, at the shoot. Welp. Also, my producing partner suggested I bring about ten questions and let the celeb ad lib. He’s REALLY funny and my producing partner feels the celeb and I (in character) can ad lib/improv a scene. And we can splice it together/create something in post. read article

Leesa Dean: Adventures of a Web Series Newbie

poortaxChapter 45 – The YouTube Conundrum
by Leesa Dean

Last week, there was an article in the New York Times about Olga Kay, who’s a really successful YouTuber and it contained a lot of food for thought.

Essentially, it breaks down exactly how much work Ms. Kay, who has about a million subscribers, puts into her multiple channels (a TON). She posts at least 20 videos a week to her main channels—something I can’t even fathom. Yes, the shows are typically make-up reviews or fashion tips, series that don’t involve much writing, but believe me, you can’t just turn on a camera and expect people to watch these days.

She works at home (mostly), filming/editing/producing and starring in her vids. And she’s been doing this since 2006. She averages around $100,000 to $130,000 a year which is a really good salary to make from videos, but considering all the work she does and the years she’s put into it? Not very much. Especially since she sinks most of it back into production. read article

Leesa Dean: Adventures of a Web Series Newbie

stagelightsChapter 44 – The Shoot, Part 2
by Leesa Dean

I’ll cut to the chase: It went well! Really well. I, of course, am talking about the shoot with the celeb for the TOP SECRET PROJECT.

This time around, I was the first the arrive. I made a point of getting there around 15, 20 minutes early in case the celeb arrived before I did, so the guy who owns the studio was still setting up when I got there. It actually gave us a chance to chat, which was kinda cool. The studio is small and the guy who runs it is a shooter/editor on the side. So it was interesting talking shop with him.

My producing partner, his friend who was helping us out as a grip and the A.D. arrived exactly at the same time. And the celeb and his girlfriend showed up about 5 minutes later. read article

Leesa Dean: Adventures of a Web Series Newbie

clap_boardChapter 43 – The Shoot, Part 1
by Leesa Dean

So did the first shoot on the TOP SECRET PROJECT and it turned out really well. This was not the one featuring the celeb (that one’s this Sunday!!) and I specifically wanted to use this one kinda like a test run, to get the feel of the place, the mix of the crew, etc. It all worked.

I arrived the same time as the talent and second shooter, about ten minutes before our allotted time. I’m one of those people that’s always on time, early even (yes, not so chic), so having them arrive promptly just instantly de-stressed me. Aside from lateness kinda driving me nuts, I’m footing the bill for studio time so it was a relief to not have to worry about that. And believe me, until you’re in it, you really don’t know how people will act.

For the talent, I ended up casting a guy I met at a YouTube event who’s a rapper/producer and just happened to have the look I wanted. At the YouTube event, we worked together on a sketch and really hit it off. He really looks good on film, I thought he was naturally funny and decided to give him a shot. It paid off. He killed it. read article