Getting into production mode

Hey everyone,

As I've said in my other posts, as well as being the Co-Founder of Goss.ie I also have my own production company... Sweet Rose Pictures.

This weekend I'm shooting my first TV pilot and it's been a crazy few weeks getting it all together.

I started writing the script about 10 months ago, so it feels so weird that it's all finally coming to fruition.

As well as being the writer I am directing the pilot and I'm in it as well. We're shooting over three days and it's going to be about 14 hours shooting a day.

But I could be on set for 24 hours without a break and still be happy. It's a side of my life I truly love and when I'm acting/directing I get totally lost in the world I've created.

Pilot: We're filming this weekend

This project has been like my baby for the last few months. The idea came about when I started to talking to a producer friend of mine (now the Executive Producer on the project) about being single in your twenties.

I ended up having a discussion with him and his friends for a few hours about Tinder, dating, loneliness, pressures etc and so many people had an opinion on it, so many people were interested in it, I felt like it was something that hasn't really been covered in Ireland before.

We've all seen Sex And The City and Girls, all these US shows that deal with what the modern girl has to face - what they're going through. But there's never been a show like that for Irish women.

So that's what my project is all about. Four girls, living in Dublin dealing with men, jobs, sex, weight obsession, careers and everything in between.

I filmed a short promo during the summer, where I went out and spoke to Irish women in their twenties and chatted to them about everything from Facebook stalking and juice diets to kinky sex and struggling to pay rent in Dublin.

Being the director on the project too sounds a bit crazy, but since I am the creator of the show and I know the characters inside out - it makes sense to be the woman behind the camera. 

I have huge admiration for Lena Dunham (the creator of Girls) who writes her show, directs it and also stars in it too. She has risen the bar for women in the business. 

I've spent the last week sleeping in a bed full of shot lists and storyboards and trust me when I say I can't draw for shit... so by the end of the first night my 'characters' looked like stick figures drawn by a two year old.

I have a fantastic crew working with me who seriously know their stuff so I know it's going to be an amazing three days.

From the DOP to the 1st AD, my producer, the stylist, the makeup artist, the runners...everyone has a significant role and I couldn't do it without them.

And don't even get me started on the cast. I'm over the moon with the talent involved. I got every actor I really wanted for the show, and that's pretty much unheard of, especially when it's just for a pilot.

When we finish shooting it will be straight into edit mode. The edit will take a minimum of two weeks to create the perfect teaser for broadcasters. 

The entire season is written with the curve for season 2 written as well so I'm ready to go. 

I feel like pinching myself when I think on Sunday I'll be on location shooting our first scene. I think I've been silently panicking the last week.

I am stressed, there's a lot to get through and I'm a complete perfectionist but I'm just floating on by staying calm (let's see how I am on  Sunday).

Staying calm and collected (kinda)

And since I'm a workaholic and just a tad crazy, tomorrow I'm giving a talk at the first ever Irish Blogger Conference.

Just a few hours before I start shooting I'll be at The Spencer Hotel in Dublin giving a talk on moving from a blogger to a business woman.

As I wrote in previous posts I stepped into the world of showbiz when I created my entertainment and fashion blog Miss Red. 

So I'll be chatting all about that and the difference between blogging and writing on a news website.

I might see some of you there.

Ali

x

Dreaming, Believing and seriously WERKING...