Horror movies &stuff Interviews TV Face co-creator Aaron
We recently got a chance to chat with "TV FACE" co-creator Aaron Mento. "TV FACE" is a weekly episodic web-series in which an avid rare horror film collector/comic book creator named Mitch, has to juggle getting his comic book off the ground with the help of his mysterious publisher, all the while tracking down rare "video nasties" for the mysterious "Swan". Toss in his ex-best friend/rival Randy, who is after rare horror films of his own, and a woman named Jessica who predicts a dark future for Mitch...and you've got one of the best webisode series to hit the net so far in 2007!
MR. H:How and when did you and your partner come up
with the idea for "TV Face"?
Aaron:I came up with the idea to write "TV FACE," from my
experiences searching for rare VHS Tapes at mom and
pop video stores. While I was on the hunt for
out-of-print treasure, I would always think to myself,
"What if this place has a movie that nobody else has?"
This led to the idea of a super rare tape that would
be the holy grail to video collectors: a long lost
video nasty, and the only copy left in print. But then
I thought, "What if supernatural forces are also
searching for the tape?" By making the main character,
Mitch, absolutely obsessive about his collection, I
knew there would be fireworks if something evil came
to threaten his prize possession.
As I whipped the story into shape, Stuart Voytilla, a
Professor of mine from SDSU, would brainstorm with me
about various plot threads and characters, and then
Dean Bull, my best friend from high school, jumped on
to take "TV FACE" off the page, and into reality.
We would have many meetings together, and after we'd
talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the latest
draft, I would go to work, and focus all my creative
energy on making the best screenplay imaginable.
After we were completely satisfied with my best draft,
Dean and his friend, David Britz, embraced the
screenplay, and took on the difficult task of making
it a reality.
MR. H:What were you guys doing before you decided to
put together the "TV Face" project?
Aaron:Well I've been writing all my life, and Dean and I
have both worked together for years on different
projects. After various short films and other creative
pieces, we always wanted to do a feature together, and
that finally happened with "TV FACE" (which is feature
length). In fact, hidden all over "TV FACE," there
are various inside jokes and visual references to the
many short films Dean and I have made together.
But before that happened, Dean had gone off to raise
money for a feature film that he wrote and wanted to
direct, while I focused on my writing, and came up
with the idea for "TV FACE." My Professor friend from
SDSU, Stuart Voytilla, who had always supported me,
was intrigued by the idea, and helped nurture it along
with his insight.
After Dean heard the story concepts for "TV FACE," he
decided to focus all his energy on that instead, and
worked hard with David to get this sucker into
Production.
And that got us to where we are now.
MR. H:With Ghost House and Fearnet's "The Devils
Trade" having been online shortly before you guys
launched, were you at all worried about them being
competition in the same medium, online horror
webisodes?
Aaron:Not really. I mean the difference between the internet
and television, is that you can watch online shows
whenever you want. We wouldn't be competing for time
slots. Now as far as advertising and exposure goes,
Sam Raimi ensured that Fearnet would have an audience,
before it even launched, with an advertising campaign
we could never afford. So we're relying on word of
mouth. But we always knew that we would need to catch
people's attention, and the best way to do that, was
just to make a great show. We put a lot of blood,
sweat, and tears into "TV FACE," and hopefully when
people watch our show, they feel like they're watching
something special.
MR. H:What was the casting process like for "TV Face",
did you guys put out a casting call, pick a few
friends you knew were aspiring actors, or just
snatched a few folks up off the street with
Hollywood aspirations?
Aaron:Oh, it was completely legit, with a casting director,
multiple calls, and a really wide search for the right
cast. I think the time they took casting should really
pay off throughout the entire show.
MR. H:The basis of the story is that a rare horror
film collector named Mitch is trying to get his
comic off the ground with the help of his mysterious
publisher, then there's Swan, the guy sending Mitch
to find these rare horror films. Then there's
Jessica who is being held prisoner, and who has a
strong psychic connection of sorts to Mitch. How
were you able to take all of this intrigue and all
of these subplots, and squeeze them into 3 minute or
so weekly episodes, when this is stuff that most
major tv networks would worry about being able to
squeeze into a half hour tv show?
Aaron:Well, it was pretty challenging. I'd never written
anything like this before. Each episode had to have a
hook, reveal a new piece of the puzzle, and then end
on a cliffhanger. All in about three pages. But I had
this drive to really make everything work. As a horror
fan, I've been really disappointed with some of the
newer films, and I wanted to deliver a quality story
that pushed me to the limits of my creativity. I just
felt that horror fans deserved the best, and I tried
to meet that criteria.
MR. H:Is the reason we haven't seen Mitch's publisher
yet or Swan an attempt to keep the mystery of the
series, or because they haven't been physically
casted as of yet?
Aaron:It's all part of the mystery, my friend.
MR. H:Only three episodes in, have you been able to
gauge the popularity of this series yet? I know it's
early but early positive reaction is always a great
sign for the future of any media endeavor.
Aaron:We've been getting a really positive response so far,
which has been very rewarding. But the show is just
getting started, just setting up, and I think that
viewers are going to be very surprised by what's
coming up. For me, it wasn't about just writing a
bunch of gore into every episode...it was about
setting up a mystery that people would want to take
part in. With that being said, I'm a video age horror
fan at heart, so there's gonna be some nasty Gore
FX...I just wanted to hook people with a story first.
It's not everyday you get hardcore horror mixed with a
well told story, and hopefully, that's what we're
delivering.
But for us, it's all about word of mouth. So if you
like the show, all we ask, is that you tell other
people about it.
MR. H:Right now season 1 of "TV Face" is underway, are
you guys currently shooting season two as season 1
airs online, like alot of television shows do?
Aaron:I've already written season 2, and we're currently
discussing our options as far as shooting another
season goes. If the show continues to do well, and
especially if it does better, production on season 2
could be just around the corner.
MR. H:When you first came up with this idea, was there
a decision to be made whether to take it to
television, cable, or the internet? Or did you guys
have "online webseries" in mind for this project
from the get go?
Aaron:We always wanted to take this story to the internet.
The idea of making a tribute to the dying age of
video, while also telling the story with a new
internet format, was very interesting to us. Embracing
the new wave of entertainment, but also giving respect
to the good old days of home video.
We definitely didn't want to make a show over the
internet, and just have the internet be the focus of
the show. Like "oooh, you're on the internet right
now, and something CRAZY is happening on the internet
on the show!" That didn't appeal to us. We wanted the
entertainment to stand on its own, without falling
back on constantly referencing its own format.
MR. H:Can we expect any episode cameos in the future
from some B listers, like maybe a Debbie Rochon, Sid
Haig, etc.? Or are you guys sticking with unknowns
for the duration?
Aaron:A good portion of our cast has done a lot of work, and
while they may not be house-hold names now, after the
show, who knows...
MR. H:How long do you see "TV Face" running online?
Usually most series pack it in when the writing
becomes alot less sharp and what worked before
doesn't work anymore and the idea well begins to dry
up. Will you do the same? Or decide to go out on
top?
Aaron:It's up to the viewers right now. If nobody watches
season 1, then they're probably won't be a season 2.
But I have a very specific narrative thread in mind,
and the story can go on for at least two more seasons.
"TV FACE" is building to something epic, and I would
really love to tell the whole story in further
seasons.
MR. H:If "TV Face" becomes successful, what's in the
future for the webseries? A feature film? Superbowl
commercials perhaps?
Aaron:Well, there will probably be another season if we're
successful...maybe a feature...perhaps a reality TV
show about us making the show?
Just kidding on that last one. But seriously, there's
a lot more story to tell, so who knows...
MR. H:The best thing about having a series online is
that there aren't any studio or station execs
looming over you just waiting to lower the damacleas
and cancel the show. Does having that luxury create
a less stressful environment where you guys can be
creative, and take chances?
Aaron:Well when I wrote the show, I didn't worry about
ratings, and I didn't worry about fitting into a
genre. I just let it rip. It was more like I was
writing a graphic novel then a series, because
literally, if we could imagine it, anything could
happen.
But in the end, we just wanted to give people
something they couldn't see anywhere else...and
hopefully, something that connected with them.
MR. H:Political satire and other forms of
controversial humor have been online for awhile now.
Will "TV Face" ever delve into that realm in a few
episodes?
Aaron:There's some controversial humor, definitely, but
nothing Political. And I wasn't trying to say anything
about how horror movies are the cause of
violence...but I'm sure someone could twist it that
way.
MR. H:For those out there with aspirations to follow
in your footsteps, what important steps do they need
to take if they want to produce their own episodic
webseries, and what exactly is the most difficult
part of producing an episodic webseries?
Aaron:Obviously, you need money, but before that, I would
try to create something that people want to be
involved in. It's all about telling a good story, and
if you've got something that people want to see, then
it's gonna get made. Even if it's just you and your
buddies with a digital camera, no budget...if you
spend the hard time developing the story, people are
gonna respond to that. Always respect the audience,
and always leave your ego at the door.
At least, that's what I tried to do for "TV FACE," so
we'll see how it goes.
End.
| | | |
