AUDITIONS!

All right. I know this has been kind of slow going this last month or so, but that's how these things come together. Honestly, this process has actually been rolling along much faster than I expected, especially considering that Todd and I have only had a finished script for about three months. In that time, we've been putting a lot of work into figuring out the best way to move forward and I think that we're starting to really get a handle on how to launch this thing. We've wanted to take our time to develop this project for a few reasons:

First, since we have always envisioned telling this story as a weekly drama, broadcast on TV and more importantly over the internet, we wanted to ensure that we weren't going to get the pilot done, and then have the project sink. TV is a tricky beast to work out because you have to produce an incomplete story, and it's hard to know until you get it out there whether people are going to respond or not. We didn't just want to produce a pilot and then be done with it. Leave a cliffhanger, and then spend a year or so trying to turn that pilot into a series. I'll tell you, this is a hard sell for an investor, too... It's hard to get somebody to put down the cash on an unproven concept that will eventually just turn into a marketing tool for what will hopefully evolve into a series.

Second, one of the chief concerns that your response to the survey raised was an issue of quality. Let's face it, there's only going to be one 'first LDS TV series', and if that series is junk, well... Then, it's likely that there will only be one LDS TV series. And it'll be short-lived at best. That said, it's something that needs to be approached carefully, because we're all really sensitive to the fact that we could burn this thing out before it even gets a chance to get going. We wanted to open up this blog, the Facebook group, to hopefully get a little community going so that we could make sure that the story was of the caliber that you the audience was demanding. We also wanted to take our time in selecting a production team that could deliver a quality production, because we know that you can tell the difference.

Finally, with the response that we initially got back from the script, we knew that greater opportunity would open up for the series. Good writing inevitably attracts attention, and we've been able to interest people in this project well beyond our first hopes... And that's kind of what we need to talk about today.

There's a chance that this series has a broader appeal than we'd originally counted on. And, there's a chance that we might be able to take it network... Not major network, mind you. But a little bit of backing would exponentially increase the quality of our offering to you our core audience. I wanted to talk that over with you, because Todd and I really feel like this could be an opportunity that we can't pass up... But only if we can do so, and maintain the commitment that we made to you earlier about our standards of integrity. And so I want to tell you, we're not going to compromise our vision or our rules to make this thing bigger. But, if there's a way to get our series onto more televisions and into more homes, on our story terms, we thank that could really be something.

Now that was really longwinded. And at this point you're probably crying foul, because the heading up there screams 'AUDITIONS!' and I've been rambling on and on about junk that you've probably skimmed through to get to the news about the auditions. So let me get to that.

Up until now, we've been talking to investors using a slick package and copy of the script. But, if we're going to take this thing any bigger, we really need to have something to show off. And that means, we need a trailer. We just spent all week pulling strings, and we've brought our production costs down to a number that we're all happy with - Free. The stars have aligned, we have a 4K RED Camera, free equipment and crew from here in Salt Lake, postproduction covered. We talked to a friend at Sundance a few weeks ago, and he's coming up from LA to direct.

With the stars thus aligned, it seems like it's be a shame to only shoot two minutes of material. And so I'm in the process of writing a 8-10 minute short that will introduce the series characters. We'll shoot a little extra so that later we can break the thing down into several shorter teaser trailers.

So here's the deal, and I know that it's not going to sound like much: We need actors. We can offer lunch. It's going to be two days, and we're pulling this thing together entirely on goodwill from the writing to the direction, the production and post.

And if you've followed along with our vision here, and you think you'd like to participate as an actor, we really want to meet with you next week in Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake Ballet Conservatory has been generous enough to donate a studio to us for two nights next Wednesday and Thursday (February 18th and 19th) from 7pm to 10pm. The address is 455 E. South Temple, it's the Zion's Bank Building on the corner of E Street.

Tomorrow, I'm going to put together character descriptions for what we'll need in the short film, and I'll post them on the site here along with the sides we'll be asking you to read in the audition. If you're interested, could you write us a short email at: info@thisistheplace.tv? Just let us know if you're coming, and please put something in the subject line so that we can easily find your email. Something like: 'I'M COMING TO AUDITION!'

I'm going to tell you, there's another component to this audition. Since I haven't worked here, I'm really unfamiliar with what sort of talent is available here. I've been writing characters that I know we won't have any trouble casting. But, I'd like to expand on that. You watch the Lost DVDs? Have you seen how organically the characters in the pilot came from the casting sessions. Sawyer was supposed to be a slick New Englander, Charlie was supposed to be like 50 years-old, and Hurley was written after they chose Jorge and was tailored to his strengths as an actor.

Now, I know that it kind of sucks that we're in Salt Lake and most of you aren't. Auditions are next week, and we'll probably be shooting two weeks later, by which I mean, as soon as we can schedule the camera, crew and location. If you can't get here for the audition, but could get here for the shoot. And if you want to send us a video, I'll send you the material to make that possible.

Cool. I'll be back tomorrow with more details. Cheers.