Hello folks! Yours truly again….

Boy oh boy did the Hotcakes New Media crew and cast members put in a lot of sweat equity last Sunday, August 16th when the temperatures hit 30+ and had us bathing in our own sweat for most of the evening. However, true to form, our crew was nonetheless back to work as the consummate professional bunch and we got done what we had to do on a quiet little avenue that evening…. yet another segment for the video “Are You Bullet Proof” for To The Rescue. Luckily, the rain was nowhere to be found in O-town that night and we were left alone to get down to business…..a real blessing considering the kind of summer that we have been having this year. And so with that, I will recap the evening to catch you all up to speed….

The evening began with Andy and Dave setting up the lighting for the outside scene….

As you can see here, our cast of characters were waiting in the wings before they were called on to the set… killing a little time with a little chit chat amongst themselves…

And admiring the bike that one of our actors brought on to the set to add authenticity…She is a beauty!

Andy and Dave had to meticulously check out every angle…..

…to ensure that there was enough lighting to capture the moving images…

And one by one, they added in their actors to the scene to see how their images appeared on camera…

Lucky for us, the cast members working on this film project are all real gems to work with – so easy to direct, so agreeable and willing to give us what we were looking for.

And since the scene inside had to be created to resemble a place where a drug deal was going down, the props used had to make the scene rather convincing….and it looked like Andy was quite pleased with the results….

However, the money was no fake – it was all real…..

And again, we did have to powder puff our actors to get rid of the sheen that a natural complexion gives off – and believe me, it was a challenge to get that glare off with the sweltering heat that would not let up that evening. Luckily for the cast, it was dark….

Here we have Jason, Dave and Reda going over their scene ….

And Dave is inside getting everyone engaged about what he was looking for…

The boys playing around…..time is a ticking away…..

And I can tell you that the poor front door met with many takes with Dave kicking it open, but no collateral damage was sustained as Andy and Dave expertly secured it with a pillow taped to the closet behind it…and Dave, our lead “cop” was also gentle enough not to jam his foot through it…

With this particular scene, Dave had to bring his camera around the table and shoot from many different angles….

There was one point where the heat just got to be too much and a much needed break was taken by all to rehydrate…

But our dear Andy and Dave kept on working, finalizing a few more details before the crew was refreshed and ready to resume work….

And so the camera rolled again and captured the much needed footage of the actual deal going down….

And of course, when some are working, there will be others looking to have a little amusement on the down times when there was a little time to kill…

Here we have our lovely ladies….uhh, I mean our lads…..doing their Charlie’s Angels rendition…or sort of…….okay…..nice try guys….didn’t the ladies face away from one another????

Dave, again, hamming it up for the camera….

And sure enough, before we knew it, Andy again called it a wrap at about midnight and everyone was free to go….

But not before my role call…

Here is Jason… the lead character in the video. We were glad to have you back Jason!

And the lovely Sam who played the little drugged up crack…… umm…. well, I don’t want to say it, but you get the picture, I’m sure…..

Marc also played another one addicted to the nose candy……

Eric was the dude who took the money and ran….

Danny played the biker in search of his next great buzz….but the fuzz in this video got a hold of him first!

And of course, we have Reda here…or is it his alter ego….I don’t know…..the heat was getting to all of us actually…..

And finally Dave….”Super Two-Gun Totting” Dave! Well, bee bee pistol totting anyways…. (is that how you spell bee bee for “bee bee guns”?)

Oh, and of course, I couldn’t let the night slip away without snapping at least one picture of the resident canine cutie in Da House!!! Lotus!

So again, we had another great evening where the spirits were high and the gang accomplished what they set out to do that night.

I think the picture here sums it all up rather nicely…. you could feel the sense of excitement, enthusiasm and comraderie on the set and other activities surrounding this project. And the nice thing about it is that everyone who has participated in the making of this video has done so because of their love of and respect for the craft of film making and because they believe in this project and the team making it come together.  And it is through this sense of adventure that one will open doors to new and wonderful opportunities and experiences… and lucky for us, we are meeting new and interesting people along the way.

And with that, I feel my eyes getting very heavy and tired so it is here that I conclude this chronicle of the events that took place on Aug 16th and bid you all a very good night….

Love Tina  oxoxox  :)

I have finally gotten around to importing the footage of the crime scene shoot (formerly known as the accident scene). I am completely blown away by the beautiful lighting, and the superb acting by everyone involved. Shannon and Alfredo’s scene is especially convincing, and both performed with conviction.
Keep reading the rest of this article…

Hello Folks,

Here is the third and final installment of my behind-the-scenes photo blogumentary for the music video “Are You Bullet Proof”  produced by Hotcakes New Media. As you know, a production like this just does not happen without some serious thought, dedication and immense effort going into it to make it all come to life. After Andy and Dave had their concept down for the video, the next step was finding the characters to make their vision a reality – and that is never an easy feat. So this meant that Andy and Dave had to put their feelers out there to find kind and friendly people who were willing to volunteer their time and energy to fulfill this project.  So it was a real relief (and the most pleasant outcome you could hope for) to have such down-to-earth people, some whom we met for the first time that night, respond to the call and actually show up to play their respective parts for that evening. As mentioned before, everyone was really easy to work with and they gave the crew exactly what they needed with minimal coaching. So without further ado, I now introduce you to the people who made the murder scene video shoot possible….

First, I present to you the lovely and sweet Shannon who played our only witness at the scene of the crime … She was in town just for a little while to spend some time reconnecting with some folks before making her way back home to B.C….

And then we have the most charming and ready to go Reda who gave us a great performance as one of the police officers who arrived to and swiftly departed from the crime scene. Another fellow in town briefly for the summer before his return to B.C. as well – what a coincidence! We love you artsy folks from B.C.!

Next, we have a fellow familiar to Rogers – the talented Dave – who has had previous experience with local television productions…and who played our veteran cop giving orders to our rookie cops on the scene…

And of course, this guy is the very handsome Italian Stallion Alfredo (at least in my mind)  :P , whom you all know as somewhat reserved, but who is also very willing to answer the call when a friend needs a serious looking gentleman to play a young police officer whose craving for raspberry jelly filled donuts is always set off by the sight of coagulated blood at a murder scene (yeck!)  :) …….

And also so crucial to the making of any video are those people behind the scenes who help with the lighting and other miscellaneous requirements like the very friendly Aaron, here, who helped re-create the police cruiser lights (as a light swinger  - heh, heh) and who also took some pictures to document that evening’s work…

Who has heard of a set without the make-up artist ????  Impossible! Tall or small – she powdered them all and made sure that their faces made love to the camera!  The very cute Miss Ginette (also a light swinger on her down time)  :) …. with our resident dead guy – God love him – Andy !!!  I swear, just being near him made me crave buffalo wings for the rest of that evening… Damn you guys for using that sauce when I could not find a place at midnight that serves wings!

And finally, I just had to have the three musketeers pose for me for their spot in the spotlight so that they could take a bow for their great work and winning spirit! We love you Dave, Andy and Jeff! Way to go guys! It was a pleasure working for you!  Oh… and love those nipple whatever you ma-call-its… LOL!!!

In conclusion, I have to say that being a part of this as a helper and as an observer was a real cool way to spend my Saturday evening / night with my friends and a most wonderful opportunity to witness a great plan come together. Sure, we had hit a bump in the road that night, but it only served to demonstrate how these guys will find a way, no matter what, to keep their cool and to persevere on their path in pursuit of that final cut. When I heard Andy say “That’s a wrap,” I have to tell you that I got a chill. Why? Because, I really felt that, at that moment in time, it was only the beginning of great things to come for these guys. They dared to dream and now they are actually out there doing it.  How can I not be excited by that drive?  God bless you for having the balls to go out there and get it boys! We’re all behind you 100% of the way and we’ll be cheering you on as you continue on this journey together.  Viva Hotcakes New Media! We see a bright future for you! So Go Get ‘Em Boys!!!!

Love Tina  :) oxoxox

(the following post was written by Tina – for part 1, click here)

Awwww – Thanks for the comments Andy, Dave.  It was an absolute pleasure working with you and our cast of characters. Yeah – everyone was really easy to work with, eh? And the new folks were really friendly too! I appreciated the opportunity to get to know our new cast members and to capture what was going on during the production. I enjoyed the whole process from start to finish….

In continuation from my last post…..

As the sun cast its last hour of light upon us, Andy was still in the midst of mulling over the details on how the scene would play out on the screen.

Keep reading the rest of this article…

A quick update….I just wanted to let you know that I am downloading all of the pictures that I took last night to document the music video shoot (murder scene). The pictures turned out well – (IMHO) – considering that the digital camera that I was using is 6 years old and one that I am not particularly familiar with.

One favour Andy – Could you kindly send me the names of all people who participated so that I can accurately label the shots as I post them to the blog? I will only publish the first names (if no one objects). Or if you wish, I can just indicate which character they were playing (Cop # 1, Cop # 2, witness,  etc…) or their role – light technician, make-up, etc….I remember pretty much everyone, but I don’t want to forget anyone.

As well, how many pictures can I post to your site without overload? If there is a specific limit, I can post some here and send you a copy of all of them to your e-mail address.

We had a great time last night and despite some unexpected circumstances, we really hope that you and Dave feel that you got some worthwhile footage. It was also nice to meet new people and to do something completely out of our normal routine. From what I could see on the monitor – here and there – it looks like you guys got some really decent shots. Everyone on the set last night really did a great job in their respective roles – actors and crew members. And thank God the weather cooperated….

BTW – Are you still smelling like a chip wagon, Andy?  ;P I’m just glad that I didn’t get any sauce in your ear!  The things we do for show biz, eh?  ;P

So I guess considering the turn of events last night, you will be filling us in on the next chapter of this project?

Love Tina  :)