Did I Meet You at NRB?

Hey, thanks for checking out the Peculiar Show blog!

If I met you at NRB, you probably used the business card I gave you to end up here. Feel free to check out the other social media and internet handles listed there.

Make sure you watch the Preview Project. It’s not the whole pilot, just a few scenes. Sort of like a proof of concept. It gives a decent look at what the show will be like.

The Pilot is scheduled to be finished in may of this year. We plan to be releasing episodes of the first season this Fall.

So, read more about the show, subscribe, become a fan, and stay in touch.

The Pilot Interest Meeting Info

Last night we had a great meeting about the pilot. For some reason everyone sat on one side of the room, which was kind of odd, but a good group nonetheless. I know some folks couldn’t come, so I wanted to post the information here:

We started the evening with an explanation of why I’m developing the project. You can read all about that process in great detail here on the blog, so I won’t go into it again.

Budget:

We have no money.

This is a personal project that the church is partnering with us on. I do not want to impact the church budget.

Luckily we have access to most of the gear we need. But this will be a 100% volunteer effort.

Now, if you happen to run into someone who is looking to invest in ministry…

Cast & Crew:

The Pilot has a small cast. Only 4 speaking roles are available. We do need quite a few extras. we are primarily looking for people who can play college aged adults.

We need a lot of help with behind the scenes crew and preproduction.

Schedule:

We shot the Preview Project in 2 days. The Pilot has 9 Scenes and 7 locations. It will probably take 7-9 days to shoot.

We are working around the production schedule for First Orlando. We could do a little the 3rd week of March, the rest will be after Easter. I expect the Pilot to be done by the beginning of May. Much of the shooting schedule depends on the people involved.

There is a lot of preproduction work to be done.

I want to have the cast finalized by the end of February. There won’t be a general audition, but I will have people come in for a reading based on the interest they showed on the forms.

How you can help:

Pray.

Talk about the show. Tell your friends.

“Like” the Facebook page, subscribe to the Youtube channel and the blog. Encourage your friends to do that too.

Roles for the Peculiar Pilot

Here is a list of the roles in the Pilot for the show.

This isn’t a complete list of every character in the show, in fact there are a couple that won’t be introduced until later episodes. But this is what I need to shoot the Pilot. Some of the roles were cast during the Preview. We will be reshooting almost every shot of the preview. The pilot is a 30-minute show.

Roles for Peculiar Pilot:

Blake Goodman- (Played by Josh Kessler) About to start his first year of college. Known for his quick wit. Star athlete in high school. He knows college will be different because he lost all of his athletic scholarships after a car accident the night of graduation. Raised in a non-religious home, he only know what media has told him about Christianity. He recently asked Jesus into his heart. He is trying to figure out what all of this means.

Coach B (Bill Miller)- (Played by Steve Blieler) Old enough to be Blake’s dad. He led Blake to the Lord and is meeting with him regularly for discipleship. Is a deacon in a small church. He is an ex college football coach.

Sarah- (Played by Kalea Giancini) College freshman. Will become Blake’s love interest. She is not against religion, but not religious. Spunky, smart and funny.

Jason- Will become Blake’s best friend. College freshman. Long time Christian, involved in BSM on campus. Traditional Christian views. Grew up in a Christian home. Knows all about the faith, is a good guy. He is a bit jaded and sarcastic.

Blake’s Mom- Syrupy, sweet. A bit frumpy, and mostly oblivious to things outside her world. She has no religious background. Has been divorced for a long time. Is currently looking for a new husband.

Professor James – Atheist philosophy professor forced to teach a general college orientation class, doesn’t want to be there. He requires people engage in debates and discussion. It is his mission to teach them how they should view the world. He has a special place in his heart for torturing Christians.

Harry- Non traditional college student who knows Jason.

Aunt Millie- (Played by Joan Peterson) Sarah’s aunt. Know’s Blake from church.

Extras:
-Class extras- 2 sets of different classes, 10-20 people each time. Backpacks or other bags, laptops or tablets.
-Café extras- 8-16 people each scene.
-Coffee Shop extras- 4-8 people each scene.

Come to the Pilot interest meeting on Feb 8th, 7:30PM, at First Baptist Orlando room WC 132-134 to find out more about the show and the schedule.

Have I Told You About the Pilot Interest Meeting on Feb. 8th?

We are getting together to talk about the Pilot of peculiar in just a couple of weeks.

I am super-stoked about it. (Does anyone say “super-stoked”?). We are looking for people interested in being in the cast, or a part of the crew. There is tons of behind the scenes stuff to be done.

So, 7:30 PM Feb 8th at First Orlando, room WC 132-134.

I’ve gotten a few emails about it already. Some of the questions are about what kind of castI need. it is primarily people who can play 18-24 year olds. This is room for a few non traditional students, and the coffee shop/cafe’ scenes can have some families, but mainly the on camera people we need are that young adult age. There are a few adult characters like teachers and parents. I will post up a part list for the pilot in a couple of days.

As far as technical crew goes, we have several people who can run camera. We need some audio folks. We needs grips and gaffers.

Other crew will range from props and costumes to someone that can help coordinate food. Administrative help, Production Assistants, and more.

So if you are in the central Florida area and are interested, I’d love to see you at the meeting.

New Preview Project

Here is the new version of the Peculiar Preview Project;

Reworking and Revising

So, I mentioned on the Facebook page that I am recutting the Preview Project and revising the shooting schedule.

I spent the time over the holidays thinking about show, writing for the show, and getting people to watch the Preview Project. Currently, it is at almost 500 views. Not bad for 3 weeks. Not viral, by any means, but not horrible. I got quite a bit of feedback. Most of it was very positive, a lot of it was constructive.

I also arranged a meeting with a local producer/director. This guys is pretty successful. He’s done everything from commercials to movies, and done them well. He is one of the first people I presented the whole distribution idea to. He encouraged me to follow the vision God is giving me. I really respect him and what he does.

So, he is very busy, but he agreed to meet. he watched the Preview project. I had asked him for ways to make it better and advice for moving forward. He had about an hour, so we spent a little under 20 seconds in small talk, and then he dived right in.

I told my wife that I was preparing myself to hear him say, “This is horrible, and you should stop trying to make this show ever!” so that anything else would be great. Turns out he didn’t say that at all. The meeting, though, was very intense.

It was literally like a 45 minute crash course in directing. He pointed out three things I could do to make it better. All of them, as soon as he said them, I could see were true. He spent the rest of the time talking about how to make things better, how to get help with some aspects of the script. He also suggested I alter my proposed schedule.

I had intended to finish writing everything before we shoot the pilot. He wisely suggested that I shoot the pilot now. What if I shoot that first episode, and a character needs to be changed, or something just isn’t working? I’ve worked on, written, and possible cast something that now needs to be majorly reworked. The likelihood is high that there would be some time wasted.

So, I am going to shoot the whole pilot first. That means an accelerated production timetable in many respects. In the meantime, while I get some things worked out there, I’m recutting the Preview Project based on some of the constructive criticism I’ve taken to heart from I’m and others over the last few weeks. I can’t fix everything I want, since that would require reshooting, but there are some things I can try to rework and revise.

Outtakes from the Preview Project

We had some fun shooting the Peculiar Preview Project. Here are some outtakes.

The Peculiar Preview Project

The Preview Project is up:

Subscribe and share here.
Become a fan here.

What to Do With the Preview Project

In just a couple of weeks the Preview Project will be available for viewing online.

What should you do?

Watch it, and then get your friends to watch it, and then get your friends to get their friends to watch it. Tell everyone you know about what we are trying to do, and why, and get them to look at the youtube video.

The more people we get to watch it now, to become a fan on Facebook, to subscribe on youtube, the more people we will have as a starting base when the series itself launches next year.

Frequently Asked Questions about Peculiar

What is the Peculiar Preview Project?

It’s a short video that shows what the show will be like. These are three scenes from the pilot. The actual pilot will be a full length show. The Preview Project is a short preview.

Why did you make the Preview project?

I wanted people to be able to see what the show will be like, and that is better done through watching video of the pilot rather than trying to read a script. In the Preview you meet some of the main characters.

Who made the Preview Project?

Friends and acquaintances got together, and we borrowed gear to make the preview. Some of the gear was made available by First Baptist Orlando, where I work, and much of it was borrowed from people I know.

Why are you trying to create Peculiar?

There are lots of people who watch TV that have no idea what it really means to live with a biblical worldview. Many entertaining and compelling shows do not reflect the values I hold. I’m not going to sit back and complain. This is what our culture is. This is what we find entertaining and acceptable. Instead of complaining I’m creating my own show that mirrors my values, hopefully in an entertaining and funny way. I will show what a biblical worldview is, and how someone can try to live it out. Even if that seems “Peculiar” to many people. If other shows can shape our culture, this one can do the same.

Why does Peculiar make fun of some things Christians do?

Because we do some funny things. Peculiar will make fun of non Christian things as well.

What network will Peculiar be on?

It won’t be on any traditional network. Peculiar will be distributed through the internet. Television is in the middle of the largest shift in content delivery since the invention of cable. Peculiar is embracing that, and using the ability to make this sort of content available to millions of people who already watch video online.

Check out the complete FAQ page.