RTE STORYLAND 2 Promos

AnonoBoy

high heels wrote: »

The rest look crap like last years bunch.. Nothing will come out of it other than a job to the people who cant get a job in the industry for a few weeks..

Well considering a few people who have ones in this year are full time professionals working in Film and Television I'd have to say you're fairly wide of the mark there.

cartom

Storyland 2
Is now up and running
http://www.rte.ie/storyland/index.html

Devastation

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Horrible overacting from that 'American guy'. Also, wasn't it supposed to be a 30 sec pitch not a whole scene?

Have you read the script from that one? It's hard to tell from a pitch how the whole series will pan out. The first episode might have been very weak. Who knows?

Hey there.

We are the guys who made the Devastation pitch. That youtube clip is a sample scene. We submitted a 30 second pitch as per the requirements. We shot the sample scene for ourselves as an exercise and stuck it up on youtube.

Best of luck to those who got through. Looking forward to seeing the finished products.

AnonoBoy

Devastation wrote: »

We are the guys who made the Devastation pitch. That youtube clip is a sample scene. We submitted a 30 second pitch as per the requirements. We shot the sample scene for ourselves as an exercise and stuck it up on youtube.

Fair enough.

Diarmsquid

First episodes are up!

Anyone have any info on the Star Feck situation?

Seems like a complete waste of a place in the finals.

Miguel_Sanchez

Diarmsquid wrote: »

First episodes are up!

Anyone have any info on the Star Feck situation?

Seems like a complete waste of a place in the finals.

There's a big discussion going on over on filmmakersnetwork.ie about it. Seems like they were disqualified for breaking the rules and now members of the crew are complaining on Facebook. Seems a silly and pointless thing to do really and it only serves to make them look like amateurs. I haven't heard anyone from the production actually state why it was disqualified - all they seem to be saying is something vague about the weather and a script problem.

Somehow I doubt RTE would disqualify something they put money into without a good reason. But until the Starfeck people state exactly why they were disqualified they won't be getting much support from anyone.

AnonoBoy

So.... has anyone watched Storyland then?

Just got through the second episodes tonight.

Here's my brief thoughts:

Butchers is well done, funny with two good leads. I can see this walking away with it.
Zombie Bashers is saved by some decent gags, good effects and a good main actor. But it's still lacking a bit of narrative drive.
Daily Strife is poorly executed. Bad storytelling and no good jokes. It is supposed to be a comedy isn't it?
We Own The Streets is weak. Some ok sections here and there but the central character isn't well drawn and I have no clue why this film crew would even be bothered following him.
Mariana is a step up from last year's PubWorld (directed by the same guys) but the lead actress is miscast - I don't buy her at all. Not sure if this is down to her or the direction she's receiving but the dialogue doesn't help. Clunky Clunky Clunky.

atomised

Review of Storyland 2

OK, so it's now a comedy drama competition -- inevitable after everyone saw the voting last year. Well done to all on getting two episodes made in an really short timescale on a minuscule budget. It is very hard to make something decent within those constraints and I'm sure all the teams would make changes if they could. In the spirit of constructive criticism:

Butchers is nicely shot and the two leads are good actors though the directors are hardly stretching them. But the implausibilities of the plot are just too much and push it into the realm of cartoon (health inspector waits an hour to be served meat in an empty shop -- check the relevant episode of Fawlty Towers to see how they filled in that time). For it to be funny the situations have to be this side of believable.

Zombie Bashers is the best of the lot so far. Hate the gore but the lead character is fantastic and brilliantly acted. Production values not great but fit with the concept.

Daily Strife could have been great, interesting premise, good lead actor, reasonable production values but the writing lets this down. If the comedy is incidental then the action should draw you and and make you care about the lead -- but you don't. Well... I don't.

We Own The Streets -- I thought this was going to be my favourite from the trailer. Looked edgy, slightly political, bringing news from outsider culture back to the mainstream. But instead it's inane and pointless. Filmed on a handycam by the look of it. What went wrong between concept and execution?

Mariana -- special effects do not a drama make. This is all over the place -- lead character (well-acted) is a novelist, a seer, a vampire, a vigilante and a seducer. One would have sufficed. Plus she talks to the camera in an incredibly irritating way. Nicely shot but nothing in this to make me care what happens next.

greengrl

I think Daily Strife is pretty good. It's the best looking webisode by far and the performances are great. More than that, it just seems like an adult production. The writing doesn't go for the easy sit com style laugh but aims for a deeper darker more mature humour.

AnonoBoy

greengrl wrote: »

I think Daily Strife is pretty good. It's the best looking webisode by far and the performances are great. More than that, it just seems like an adult production. The writing doesn't go for the easy sit com style laugh but aims for a deeper darker more mature humour.

The writing may go for a deeper darker more mature humour but it certainly doesn't find it. It feels like a sketch that goes nowhere. Things happen in it for no reason (the guy with the gun in episode 2?) and it lacks any sort of decent direction.

greengrl

Regarding Daily Strife, I thought the guy with the gun was hilarious, like Elmer Fudd. Like I said before, the performances were great and the storyline was crystal clear and cohesive. At the end of episode 2, I wanted to know what happens next I mean there was a guy with a gun hopping around like a looney tune. I thought the direction was spot on.

AnonoBoy

greengrl wrote: »

Regarding Daily Strife, I thought the guy with the gun was hilarious, like Elmer Fudd. Like I said before, the performances were great and the storyline was crystal clear and cohesive. At the end of episode 2, I wanted to know what happens next I mean there was a guy with a gun hopping around like a looney tune. I thought the direction was spot on.

Yeah - the whole guy with a gun thing made no sense. It was just badly written - you cannot say that the storyline was crystal clear when you have the main character suddenly being stalked by a guy with a gun who has come out of nowhere.

It'll be one of the first to get knocked out, after We Own The Streets I'd imagine.

And just to preempt the inevitable question - what part did you play on the production of Daily Strife/Which one of your friends directs/writes it?

etc. etc.

jaydeluxe

Co-writer/director of BUTCHERS here. Hope you're enjoying Storyland.

As this is a film production forum, if anyone has any questions about the show, its creation and production fire away and I'll do my best to answer them.


http://www.rte.ie/storyland/

Average-Ro

The results are in and are as follows:

1. The Butchers
2. We Own the Streets
3. Mariana
4. Zombie Bashers
5. Daily Strife

Congratulations to THE BUTCHERS for making it through with the most votes, hard luck to Daily Strife, but I didn't see it going too far.

That said, I'm surprised that WOTS came in 2nd place; it really does nothing for me at all and I find it a chore to watch.

AnonoBoy

We Own The Streets must have really down well with the online marketing. Does it have a big following on Facebook and the like?

Thought it would be the first out and then Daily Strife.

Duggy747

Tbh, I found Zombie Bashers to be the best of the lot. It needs work but the main character is pretty good.

I don't understand the popularity with We Own The Streets, I don't find it funny at all.

Mariana is all style, no substance.

I dunno, I think the "mockumentary" style has overstayed it's welcome. But still, fair play to those that got through.

Exar Khun

I'm having all sorts of trouble with the player on the rte site. So I can't really comment on them.

AnonoBoy

Exar Khun wrote: »

I'm having all sorts of trouble with the player on the rte site. So I can't really comment on them.

You can watch them on the RTE player as well as on the Storyland site: http://www.rte.ie/player/#s=search&q=storyland

johnfunk

Isnt dissapointing to see the compition turn into a popularity contest

tba

johnfunk wrote: »

Isnt dissapointing to see the compition turn into a popularity contest

ah no, I don't think it should be a popularity contest, the quality should be first and foremost.

jaydeluxe

Storyland Episodes 3 are now live for watching and voting!

AnonoBoy

jaydeluxe wrote: »

Storyland Episodes 3 are now live for watching and voting!

Another solid episode from Butchers. Although my vote went to Zombie Bashers this time around, some quality gore and laughs in there - plus a surpise appearance from another Storylander at the end!

Loriharton

Hey Lorraine here,

I'm actually involved in one of the storyland shows "Zombie bashers". Everyone's working really hard on it and I personally think it's a really funny and original spin on the zombie genre. We were disappointed that it came second last in the previous round so if you do like it please vote for it as I really think it deserves to go through! Just go to www.rte.ie/storyland and vote for Zombie Bashers.

Sorry for the plug but I really think it deserves to get through as it's getting better with each episode! x

AnonoBoy

Loriharton wrote: »

Hey Lorraine here,

I'm actually involved in one of the storyland shows "Zombie bashers". Everyone's working really hard on it and I personally think it's a really funny and original spin on the zombie genre. We were disappointed that it came second last in the previous round so if you do like it please vote for it as I really think it deserves to go through! Just go to www.rte.ie/storyland and vote for Zombie Bashers.

Sorry for the plug but I really think it deserves to get through as it's getting better with each episode! x

A deserved win for Zombie Bashers this round!

Although I'm still puzzled as to why We Own The Streets is number two. It's a lot weaker than Butchers I felt.

tba

I think that WOTS is a lot more subtle than butchers.

BlitzKrieg

good f*cking riddance to mariana

AnonoBoy

tba wrote: »

I think that WOTS is a lot more subtle than butchers.

Perhaps but it's not funnier. In fact it barely raised a smile with me over the 3 episodes.

The whole conceit is a bit tired and overdone at this point and they don't go anywhere imaginative with it from what I can tell.

jaydeluxe

Storyland Episodes 4 are now live for watching and voting!

Vote BUTCHERS!

deathstarkiller

Vote for Zombie Bashers.

Star Lord

^ Deathstarkiller is one of the Zombies in Ep4 of Zombie Bashers

Micky Dolenz

deathstarkiller wrote: »

Vote for Zombie Bashers.

DamoElDiablo wrote: »

^ Deathstarkiller is one of the Zombies in Ep4 of Zombie Bashers

I'll be keeping my eye on you :P

So it's down to the final now. Been a great showing from all makers and they should be proud,. Fair play to the organisers for making the comp happen.

My vote is going for Zombie Bashers, really enjoyed it, think the two lads are gas :pac:

BlitzKrieg

should we talk about a boards.ie entry for the next series?

Loriharton

Thanks Mickey, much appreciated!! Great pic there with zombie and "Scissors"!

mrjoeyblogs

Hi everyone... this is my first time posting here but not my first time reading everyones comments. It is near the end of Storyland 2 and I thought I would just post a couple of my opinions.
Ok well I have been watching Storyland from the beginning (of series one) and I'm pretty disappointed in the standard in this years final. Hardy Bucks, and even Rental Boys were superior.
Film makers in Ireland need to stop this mock-umentary rubbish, its an excuse to either shoot poor quality footage or to have 'awkward-silence, pause, look to camera looking bewildered' moments. That's not wit... its just sh**.
Zombie Bashers was my favorite, I genuinely loved the first 3 episodes, I laughed out loud a lot and really thought it showed signs of being a GREAT television show but it has turned into drivel. The main character Cathal is hilarious, but this does not make up for the terrible quality of the writing, and the production on the last two episodes. I think they aimed far too high and have fallen quite badly because of it. The visual fx in the first couple of eps were pretty good, what happened? Didn't the director have a big write up in Film Ireland last month about special fx's, did some little youtuber kid write in, win a competition and get to do the effects for the last two episodes? Really what happened there? Maybe it was the edits or the sound but something didn't flow right. Mariana had the same budget right? It always looked pretty slick. Bashers also did not need to be mock-umentary (because it certainly wasn't shot like one) and the story has suffered greatly from it. Why is the camera crew there when they are essentially killing, (the wasted) Eddie Durkin from hardy bucks, surely that might incriminate the bad guys, no?
We Own The Streets has been appalling from the get-go following a parkour runner who isn't very good at it, i.e. a normal bloke, who isn't particularly funny. Maybe it just goes over my head but I've watched every episode and not laughed once. Great satires of sporting/professional characters all featured people who are/were good in their field eg Blades of Glory, or Zoolander. XL is not very good at free running, he is not in training for anything in particular nor is he in a fall from grace scenario and needs to build himself back up. I have no idea why the camera crew are following this man, and I don't know what the audience is meant to route for from episode to episode. It would be like if a camera crew followed me going jogging because I like jogging, that would be pretty boring (and I laugh at my own jokes all the time!). Oh but wait XL fancies a girl.... and he plays the sax... oh and there's that guy from Kila...
(shrugs, looks to camera looking bewildered). I blame social networking for the success of that bad boy.
As far as the other entrants go, Butchers started off quite good but turned weak in ep 3, and Daily Strife was unmentionable, and Marina despite looking nice, started very slow, had those annoy pieces to camera and only showed real signs of a bigger plot in its last episode which was too late.
I hate being negative I really do and that's why I don't post anywhere usually but I just feel that Storyland is a great opportunity for film makers that has been wasted this year. Us as modern audiences are used to seeing brilliantly written US and British television shows, this is what these guys are up against. I've seen youtube films made for no money that look as professional as anything coming from big budget Hollywood, with 8 grand per ep surely they can do better?

Neo Researcher

I think We Own The Streets did go over your head. I read in an interview that the director got the idea from seeing lads trying free running in Dublin. I find it funny as a satire of people you see trying free running and previously skateboarding all around Irish cities unsuccessfully. And I say this as a crap skateboarder myself! I also know loads of people who would have got decks in secondary school and progressed onto protools in college so I find the main character really funny. I was going to say maybe its just me and the people I grew up with that make it funny for me, but I have sent links of it to friends in India who love it and want to make an Indian version, so that does not make sense.
"great satires of sporting/professional characters all featured people who are/were good in their field eg Blades of Glory, or Zoolander." Start off with the three stooges and work you way from there, there are loads of examples to the contrary.
I agree with the Hardy Bucks character being wasted but when he was announced they went from an undeserved almost elimination to top of the poll so it was a brilliant move to boost their exposure and get the votes they deserved.

AnonoBoy

Neo Researcher wrote: »

I find it funny as a satire of people you see trying free running and previously skateboarding all around Irish cities unsuccessfully. And I say this as a crap skateboarder myself! I also know loads of people who would have got decks in secondary school and progressed onto protools in college so I find the main character really funny.

Not a bad starting point for a comedy piece but they went nowhere interesting with it. I didn't find anything decent to laugh at in We Own The Streets. The main character was weak and pretty poorly drawn I thought. Main character from Zombie Bashers had far more appeal and was played much better by the actor.

He's sh*t at free-running. He's sh*t at music. He's a chancer. I was bored before the end of the first episode.

As far as satire went that was it. He's sh*t at doing stuff but thinks he's great. Barely funny enough for a 5 minute short unless it's developed. And (unless the last episode was spectacular - I didn't watch it) they didn't do anything much in that department.

In one episode XL doesn't get his way so he storms off. Not particularly funny but apparently the writers thought it was funny enough to have him do the exact same thing later on in the same episode. Lazy.

The main character didn't have any appeal at all. In the world of the story why were they even making a doc on him.

I agree completely with mrjoeyblogs on the point that it's a strong presence on social networks that put this through because I cannot for the life of me see it being the quality of the show. I thought even Mariana was better (and I hated Mariana)

Galvasean

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

should we talk about a boards.ie entry for the next series?

I believe we should. I've got sound kit.

jaydeluxe

mrjoeyblogs wrote: »

As far as the other entrants go, Butchers started off quite good but turned weak in ep 3

I'm a co-writer/co-director on BUTCHERS and am genuinely interested in what you liked about the first two episodes that went missing in the third?