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.

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

Craig Frank wields the belt against Taryn O'Neill

Looking back at our series, one of my favorite stories was the rumor that Craig Frank is a method actor. This started last July, back in Pre-production, when Craig came up to the production team with a request. He asked that during the days that we’d be shooting in the interrogation room, that he get some space to prepare and be by himself to be away from the hustle and bustle of the set. This one request would begin the chain of events that became “Craig Frank is a method actor”.

Let me give you some back story, we shot our 8 episode season over five consecutive days. Day 1 were the office scenes, Day 2 were the IT Room/Garage scenes, Day 3 and 4 were the Interrogation Scenes, and Day 5 were the House/Cassandra’s room scenes.

During the first two days of shooting, Craig was his usual self on set. A couple wise cracks here, some playful fun there, but still the consummate professional and a great guy to have on set. He came, he did his scenes, and he even hung out for a while afterward. At the end of Day 2, as he did his goodbyes to the cast and crew he said to all of us, “see you all in 3 days,” for the Craig that we knew would not be with us, but rather someone else.

Day Three started with a different feel. We knew it was going to be a “different day.” We were shooting some very intense scenes, and we had a very different lead actor. When Craig pulled into the warehouse, he stayed in the car while the crew prepared. I remember watching him sitting in his beat up old Integra staying very still. An announcement went over our walkies from Producer Michael Tohl with explicit instructions that no one was to disturb Craig’s concentration. Eventually Michael came over and personally walked Craig over into a room designated to him, a room labeled “Do Not Disturb“.

The next two days were filled with different little tidbits. We had Craig shuttled between the set and his room, to ensure that he was never bothered. He never interacted with his scene partners Seth Caskey, or Taryn O’Neill, with the exception being in front of the camera. Actually no one interacted with Craig, save for a handful of the principal crew. Through the shooting days Craig remained intense, he brooded, he was stoic, and he was very quiet. Was it method acting? Was it Craig making demands? No… it was Craig committing to the character, and thus we committed to Craig.

Craig has stated to me that he never was lost in the character of Mark Sandler the Sadist, but I believe he convinced the rest of us that he was. There was a perception around the crew that no one was to look Craig in the eye (I don’t recall if this was a stated rule or not, but it pretty much became one). I also remember ‘shuushing’ someone for making too much noise outside of his room (yes I committed). And my favorite story was on set where our D.P. Jason Raswant was so intimated by Craig that when he needed him to move a simple step or two over he’d flag down Director Nathan Atkinson to relay the instructions.

The rumors began to spread, the crew, the actors, the guests on set,  ”Craig Frank is a Method Actor”, but it all just a rumor. The truth was that Craig did immense preparation for this role. He did his research, he prepared himself and had committed to the Mark character to put his all in this performance. We as the crew thus committed to Craig. He gave us everything he could, we gave him everything we could back, and the result is the performance you see today.

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.

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.

Annemarie Pazmino in the IT Room set.

One of the big phases of Pre-Production is settling your locations, and one of the first knee jerk reactions is to go with the cheapest (read: FREE) available. Looking at our Season 1, you can see an array of locales but two that really stand out as challenging finds were the Warehouse and the Computer Repair Room. Early on in our pooling of resources we found two such locations that would have cost us nothing… “Great!” we thought, but we soon realized how they were both “Traps.”

The term “Traps”, was spoken often by Producer Robert Grand in Pre-production. In his vast experience in line producing (and it is VAST) he’s come across many such experiences and warned us about falling into them. He described them as Traps because on the surface they appeared great, economical, the easy path, but in reality crossing them would result in more problems and more money in the long run.

Trap #1: The Computer Repair Room – From Day 1, Producer Michael Tohl  spoke about a Computer Repair shop that he was friendly with. Quickly into planning we managed to secure a deal with them to shoot at their working storefront for free but with one big restriction; we could only shoot there at night when they were closed for business.

So what’s wrong with only shooting at night? Well for one you’re doing 7pm to 7am shoot days, and those of you who have been on shoots like these know they are NOT FUN. They are draining for everyone, people move slower, and they are tough to recover from. Also specific to us, we’d have to shoot night for day, which meant not only slowing us down but also we would have to o rent more lighting gear. Thus in reality shooting at the “free” location would have in reality ballooned our budget with extra gear and extra crew time. Thus… a trap.

The Compulsions Crew onset at the Warehouse Location

Trap #2: The Warehouse – Let’s take away from the fact that this was the make or break location of our series, we were willing to put some money into this. The story here starts similar to the IT room, we found a serviceable empty commercial space right away. By commercial space I mean like a store front.  You see a space in a mini-mall open it and it’s just bare, plenty of room to stick poor Seth Caskey in a chair and mess him up right? Sure, but again there was big caveat, it’s a mini-mall store front.

Many of us go to mini-malls every day, they’re great, but are they great to film at? This particular mini-mall is busy; you have a gym upstairs and dry cleaners adjacent. Add the fact that the mall faced a major Hollywood street and you have sound issues all day and pretty much all night.  Plus with big storefront windows it meant lighting problems as well.  Thus again, blocking out all the windows with light and sound would mean more needed gear and a slower pace for our crew so again it would mean more money and again… a Trap.

As a result in both cases we ended up with other locations that we sunk some money into. Both locations were better, easier to work with, required less gear, and thus cheaper in the long run. In indie Web Production nothing is ever truly “free”, so beware of traps.

As always be sure to sign up on our EMAIL LIST, fan us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter

The Compulsions Crew shoots the final scene of Season 1, Episode 8: Promise Kept

It pleases me to be basically forced to answer this question. Our Season 1 Finale Episode 8: Promise Kept was not 4 days ago, and everyone I’ve come across since that day (strangers, friends, fans) ask me the same common question “When is Season 2?” Or let me try this in another more accurate way… “WHEN IS SEASON 2?!?!”

Honestly, I don’t know… I wish I did but so goes the world of Independent Online Web Series. We can only do so much by ourselves, and we need some big help. Those of you who know film production can tell that this is not a cheap series to make. This was a multi-person passion project over months and honestly we can’t “passion project” it again without sending all of us into poverty (which several of us are already teetering on). So we have to wait for a deal, production company, studio, advertiser (most likely multiple), to come in and cover the costs of the production for future seasons. Do we want to do another season? – Hell Yes!… Early in  Pre-Production I gave Nathan Atkinson, and Michael Tohl a 5 season – 60/70 episode story. So we’d love to be able to tell it. Heck, our original season 1 was a 14 episode season, so yes there are episodes just waiting to be shot.  -  Have people been blowing our phones off the hook with interest? No… but honestly that doesn’t phase me. It’s the middle of December and the show JUST finished its run. Though I’ll say that I can’t remember when I’ve looked so forward to a new year like 2010 though.

A lot of you have asked how you can help. Well it’s pretty simple, you can help us get the word out on our show. Yes Dailymotion has done a ton, probably more than any other partner I’ve ever seen in the Web TV space, but there is more to be done. I’ve always been a part of the “tell one to tell many” belief. So tell your friends, especially those of you that have blogs, or know bloggers, or whatever, just tell them about Compulsions. Have them post about it, and have them give their honest opinion. A great way to introduce people to Compulsions is to check out our new Season 1 page here you can watch the entire season in one sitting!

As far as immediate help you can tell people or help by donating to our “Send Compulsions to the Webby’s Campaign” – We’ve already got some great prizes for donors and have received a few generous donations (and prizes) thus far. We have more prizes than donors at this point, so if you were to even donate $10, you’d be receiving a prize that retails for at least double that. Are you a bad fan for not donating? Of course not. Times are tough, it’s the Holidays, we get it. We appreciate you just watching the show and spreading the word. We feel guilty enough just asking for donations, which is why we’re so adamant about giving prizes back to the donors.

Finally again, thank you everyone for watching the series. The public response has been absolutely tremendous. One of the donors said this to me in an email “I think you’ve created something simply groundbreaking with Compulsions and I’m happy to do my bit in support of future seasons”.  – Words like that give me faith that high quality content like this can exist on the web, so onward we trek.

Since the show is done for now, I’ll be blogging a lot more so if you have any questions or wish to hear about or read from one of the other members of the team please let us know and I’ll do my best to make it happen.

Be sure to sign up on our EMAIL LIST, fan us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter

Mark Sandler (Craig Frank) use a “patience” approach to manipulate the information he’s seeking as Sara Flannery (Taryn O’Neill) speaks to her partner Adam Creedy (Seth Caskey). Meanwhile, Mark is pushed by his enthusiastic co-worker Randy (Sean Spence) into speaking with Lacey (Elizabeth Tsing)