Left to Right: Michael Tohl, Bernie Su, Nathan Atkinson, and Annemarie Pazmino show of the hardware.

We are proud to announce that Compulsions has received five Awards in the 2011 StayTunedTV Awards, including

Best Drama
Best Actor in a Drama – Craig Frank
Best Writing – Bernie Su
Audience Choice Award – Best Directing – Nathan Atkinson
Audience Choice Award – Best Actress in a Drama – Annemarie Pazmino

Director Nathan Atkinson holds up the Best Drama trophy. - Nathan also won the Audience Choice Award for Directing in a Drama.

Producer Michael Tohl holds up the Best Drama trophy

The team poses behind the three trophies for Drama, Writer, and Actor.

Script Magazine interviewed Streamy Award winning writer Bernie Su.

Bernie talks about writing dark, foot trucks, and writing for online media.

Bernie Su wins The Streamy for Best Writing in a Drama - photo by The Bui Brothers

Last night, at the 2nd annual Streamy Awards. Compulsions won a Streamy Award for Best Writing a Drama for Writer/Creator Bernie Su.

Compulsions was nominated for four Streamy Awards overall, aside from Writing, it also had nominations in Directing Nathan Atkinson, Actor Craig Frank, and Best Overall Drama.

A complete list of winners can be found here.

http://news.tubefilter.tv/2010/04/11/the-2nd-annual-streamy-awards-the-winners/

Other photos by the Bui Brothers from the Red Carpet – More will be added as we find them. – after the jump

Craig Frank - Hops onto the Red Carpet

Producer Michael Tohl arrives to the Streamy Awards

Director Nathan Atkinson and wife Chandra

Writer Bernie Su arrives to the Streamy Awards

and root for us.

Our Nominations again are as follows.

Actor in a Drama – Craig Frank

Writer in a Drama – Bernie Su

Director in a Drama – Nathan Atkinson

Drama Web Series

Thank You all for supporting us!

Streamy Nominee Craig Frank shows off his pliers - Click to watch the Episodes

We are proud to announce that Compulsions received four Streamy Award Nominations in the 2010 Streamy Awards.

Best Drama Web Series

Best Directing for a Drama Web Series – Nathan Atkinson

Best Writing for a Drama Web Series – Bernie Su

Best Male Actor in a Drama Web Series – Craig Frank

In the Drama Category, Compulsions is going up against Sony/Crackle’s Angel of Death, and The Bannen Way, as well as MTV/Viacom’s Valemont, and the ITVFest winner OzGirl.

A full list of nominations can be found here.

- The Streamy Awards is the first and most prestigious awards ceremony devoted to honoring excellence in original web television programming and those who create it. The annual ceremony, and its live online broadcast, brings together top talent, decision-makers and influencers shaping the online entertainment industry. – from Streamys.org

For Your Consideration: Guest Star - Taryn O'Neill

This Post is in a series of posts that is directed at the members of the IAWTV/Streamy Awards. The content will highlight different members of the Compulsions team. These are meant for both awareness and as a guide to showcase what each individual brought to the project.

Taryn is an experienced Actor and received a Streamy Nomination in 2009 for her work in After Judgment. Last month she won an Indie Soap Award for Best Supporting Actress in her work in Compulsions.

From Director Nathan Atkinson: The single most exposed, and thereby critical role in the series. Why? And, why Taryn? We saw actor after actor for this role – and everyone brought something different, something valuable… but what Taryn was able to capture is what sold me. I’m getting ahead of myself. So, during the casting process, what I was looking for was to find someone who could genuinely come across as someone who was lying to the one they loved the most – out of love. …And then gets caught. The whole concept fascinated me. And, bound to a chair what lengths would she go to, to save the one she loved. It’s complex and twisted, but somehow, out of everyone, Taryn made me believe. She made everyone believe, that’s what really added the depth that the Series needed – adding that credible, fourth perspective on the interconnectedness of everything.

(Watch Taryn in Episode 6 as she goes through the journey as Nathan describes)

From Creator Bernie Su: This is one of those meaty/rich  performances that you just need to watch an appreciate. I remember the day Episode 4 aired and Taryn’s Facebook/Twitter exploded with people in awe of her performance.

One of the base themes of this series is deception. But like all deception there are clues (or bodily “tells”) that a deception is happening, the difference is how big the tell is. In this scene below, Mark(Craig) is interrogating Sara(Taryn), Mark asks “Where is it?”, and Sara gives an answer. It’s specific, it’s detailed, and she does it without breaking eye contact, so then how does Mark know she’s lying?… In the clip below from Episode 4, watch the 2:21 mark (you may need to watch it a couple of times to catch it) but Taryn does a slight subtle flinch (“The Tell”), which follows into the rest of the scene. There is a tell, and Mark catches it and he then punishes her for it.

This role required someone who could big and go dark, and just commit. Taryn committed to it, and what came out was an amazing performance.

So please consider Taryn O’Neill  in Compulsions for Best Guest Star.

For Your Consideration - Editor Michael Darrow

This Post is in a series of posts that is directed at the members of the IAWTV/Streamy Awards. The content will highlight different members of the Compulsions team. These are meant for both awareness and as a guide to showcase what each individual brought to the project.

Michael is an award winning editor and has done six feature films. Last month he won an Indie Soap Award for Best Editing in his work in Compulsions.

From Director Nathan Atkinson: After Principal Photography, I was so frustrated, I couldn’t get past the fact that I didn’t get all the shots I wanted (we shot all of Season One in 5 days) and {our budget} was spoken for, which meant that we weren’t going to have any reshoots – period. No pick-ups, no matter how big or small, nothing. Mike just simply told me, with all the confidence that only comes with experience, “Just come on in and let me show you what I got.” I simply could not have done it without him. Even when it seemed that we may have painted ourselves into a corner, he always found a way out. He simply understands tone, character development, drama, tension… Michael’s not just a gifted Editor – he’s a gifted Storyteller.

From Producer Michael Tohl: Aside from his strong sense of story and timing, Michael also had his own “off screen” challenge to deal with. How can an editor edit a digital piece without a computer? Half way through post-production, a water main burst in the wall of his apartment… he saved his computer, but it was packed up in a box while he bounced around living situations in the interim. While his computer was able to be unpacked and set up somewhere, he also had to take on more editing gigs to pay the bills, because let’s face it… we couldn’t pay that much. So how does an editor balance paid gigs with a low paid passion project, without a stable or constant work environment, and get it done by the final deadline? Dedication.

From Creator Bernie Su: I really can’t tell you how much I respect Michael’s sense of story. When you come into a script/story with non-linear timelines like our show, it can be confusing. There’s no right/wrong way to approach editing a story like that. Adding to that was our philosophy of having “perceived violence”. You actually don’t see much if any of the violent moments on screen, it’s all implied, and that in itself is a skill to edit together.

Below are a couple clips for a few episodes to highlight Michael’s editing.

Episode 1: 2:46 – This sequence in episode 1 is a combination of both story and “violence” together. Watch as the scene builds from Mark interrogating Adam, to Mark punishing Adam for his defiance. Note: We never see the hammer connect on anything… it’s all implied.

Episode 2: 0:45 – This is the exact same scene I highlighted for Sound Designer Tom Boykin, but now you can watch it for the precision in the editing this time around. Again you’re looking at rapid cuts back and forth between the office and interrogation scenes. Both scenes are completely opposite as far as moods and tones, and most importantly they both serve each other for character and story.

One final note to say. This series has three leads and each specific episode focuses on one of them, even though the characters intertwine. Michael was able to execute in his craft that the episodes maintain that mantra. You’ll notice it come Episodes 3, 5, 7, and 8 when the Mark character is in each episode but is regulated to secondary status. Always service your leads, and Michael did that in his editing.

For Your Consideration: Cinematographer Jason Raswant

This Post is in a series of posts that is directed at the members of the IAWTV/Streamy Awards. The content will highlight different members of the Compulsions team. These are meant for both awareness and as a guide to showcase what each individual brought to the project.

From Producer Michael Tohl: Jason had limited equipment, limited crew, and tough conditions to work in.  We shot all eight episodes in July, and two of our days were particularly tough on him and his crew… when we shot our warehouse scenes.  Lighting an empty space the size of three football fields with a lighting package smaller than one  typical on a student film is hard enough.  They were using practically every single thing they hand to light each shot one at a time.  Having a “skeleton crew” means less hands on deck to move that heavy equipment around for each shot, and running it around such a large space is tiring.  That makes it hard to keep up with the shooting schedule.  We had a “diffuser” (similar to a fog machine) to create “depth” and “texture” in the background, and that created swamp like humidity.  And to push the crew to the edge, we had to keep the air conditioning off to keep the sound from getting ruined, and from blowing the diffusion around.  The crew was quickly fatigued, and it took all their heart to keep going.  So aside from his creative talents that can be seen on screen, what you didn’t see was how he remained strong (but not mean), calm (but not lazy) and constantly thought on his toes to keep his crew from losing heart.  It takes some serious leadership skills to keep a crew moving on schedule, and doing quality work under such harsh conditions!

Taryn O'Neill looks on to a bleeding Seth Caskey in Episode 6

From Director Nathan Atkinson: Here’s the thing about Jason, I think he was given a budget of something like $600… and then we cut it back. Because he has such a great eye, he was able to take his pocket change budget, call in dozens of one time favors, and make it look like a studio had picked us up and we shot it for seven figures. Simply amazing. The camera we used (Sony EX3) is a camera that many feature films use as “crash cameras” – cameras that are cheap enough to destroy… just as long as you get the shot from them first. But, with Jason, you’d never know it. Again, you can have the flashiest gun in the world – but if you don’t know how to shoot it, you’re just going to hurt yourself. Jason’s skill, his attitude, and his almost magical skill of taking next-to-nothing and making it look like a million bucks, not only makes him the best candidate for this award – it makes me want to work with him again, and often.

A silhouetted Craig Frank in Episode 6

From Creator Bernie Su: From day one Jason was the first pick of both Nathan and Michael for this project and I certainly feel fortunate to work with someone so driven and talented in his craft. I was always impressed from his use of shadows in a scene, below is the first scene from Episode 6, one of our most complex scenes as far as coverage. Take special note of Jason’s incredible use of shadows in contrast with the lighting in each shot. The depth and layers added so much to the “grittiness” that serves the sequence so well, and like Jason stands by, “serves the story.”

Please consider Jason Raswant from Compulsions for Best Cinematography in the 2010 Streamys.

For Your Consideration: Annemarie Pazmino as Cassandra Morrissey

This Post is in a series of posts that is directed at the members of the IAWTV/Streamy Awards. The content will highlight different members of the Compulsions team. These are meant for both awareness and as a guide to showcase what each individual brought to the project.

Annemarie Pazmino is a familiar face in the web space co-staring in TheWB.com’s Sorority Forever. She has several film credits and recently received an Indie Soap Award Nomination for her work in Compulsions. “Acting for me is always about trying to find the truth in my characters. The journey of finding it is the fun, and actually getting there is the bonus.” – Annemarie Pazmino

From Director Nathan Atkinson: This poor girl – I put her through the wringer during auditions. She was just too good to let go, and auditioned fantastically. The question was purely that of chemistry. It’s hard to explain, but as a Director, you don’t cast an actor – you cast a “cast.” Annemarie is not new to the screen, but I feel that this was the first time that she was really allowed to flex her acting chops. And thank God she has the chops to flex. She totally saved us. Every time we got to her scenes – we were completely out of time for the day or the entire shoot. Many others might have totally folded – but I think she actually was able to use all the pressure somehow. The mysteries of the great actors. Not to mention, out of nowhere, I asked her to do some improvisation for a series of shots – no problem, just as natural as breathing.

From Creator Bernie Su: Going into the series, the Cassandra role had this aura to her. This was truly a unique character and would be an incredible challenge to play for two big reasons.

Production Designer Rachel Payne works on set.

This Post is in a series of posts that is directed at the members of the IAWTV/Streamy Awards. The content will highlight different members of the Compulsions team. These are meant for both awareness and as a guide to showcase what each individual brought to the project.

When you approach Rachel and ask what a Production Designer does her response is, “A Production Designer is the person that is in charge of everything in the frame…that doesn’t move…and is usually out of focus”.

From Producer Michael Tohl: Given the gritty tone of our show, it was a natural dilemma… how do we balance our budget while pulling off sets that “sold” on screen? My favorite creative solution to a production design challenge we faced, can be seen in the climax of Episode Eight. At the end of the episode, Justine goes to pick up “the package” in a vacant parking structure. When she goes to the drop off spot (a hole in a pillar behind a parking sign) the package is not there, and all we see is the chunky inside of a concrete pillar. That pillar was a fake pillar, that she handmade hours before we shot that scene! It only cost us a few bucks, and it looks great on screen. That is one example of her excellence, but there is also so much fine detail work that she did, and as long as you don’t notice it… that means she did her job well.

Janna Bossier stands in front of the false pillar in episode 8

From Director Nathan Atkinson: Rachel Payne is my “go-to” Production Designer, period. I’ve done a few projects without her (due to availability) and when others simply couldn’t, I always found myself saying, “Rachel would’ve been able to make it work.” She has simply never failed. No matter how outrageous the request, she always comes up with a (ridiculously practical) solution… even if it’s constructed of nothing but “gaff-tape.” For example, we needed a pillar in a public parking garage with a hole burrowed into it. She made one out of paper mache for next to nothing… and, every time I watch, I truly forget that it’s fake. She’s really that good. Other times it’s a priceless antique. “Rachel, that’s amazing, where in the world did you find that?” Rachel, with her ever-disarmingly thick Alabama accent, “Well, none of the Prop Houses had one, so I said to myself, I’ll just make one … and then I found this at a Thrift Store.” To be perfectly frank, Rachel took our shoe-string budget and made everything you see in front of the camera look just as real as if this were a documentary – or better, in some cases. She’s simply the best.

From Creator Bernie Su: In reality most Art Direction is hard to notice, and in reality most production design you really shouldn’t notice. But in highlighting the skills of Rachel Payne I’m going to point out what’s fake to appreciate what she brought to the table.

Craig Frank stands above his tool bench.

Interrogation Room – This is THE set piece of the series. Here you can see the details of what Rachel brought. Early on Rachel envisioned a bevy of tools to place at Craig Frank’s arsenal, but not only tools. She wanted a bench, an artificial quick to strike table that added to the simplicity and the fear of the scene. Thus Rachel went about constructing this table from scratch. Morning of she yanked out her power tools, goggles and away she went building  her bench.

Annemarie Pazmino in the Cassandra set.

Cassandra’s room -We always envisioned this as the 2nd setpiece of the series. It really is just a room, but we went as big as we could. 4 Monitors, all active with two floating on arms. We got an obsessed voyeur here, so Rachel went all out. A great little detail of this scene is the DVD rack behind her, a mass archive of all the footage the character has acquired from her victims.

One final note on Rachel. The Office set seen throughout the show was originally a completely vacant office. Everything you see from the stationary, the supplies, the white board, to the copier were all artificially brought in by Rachel. There is nothing like walking in on that set you get completely lost in, “Wait, this isn’t a working office?”.

So please consider Rachel Payne from Compulsions for Best Art Direction in the 2010 Streamys.