WTFsutter VIDEOBLOG

Sunday, July 24, 2011

ADDITIONAL CONTENT SCENES


As we gear up the release of these MC appetizers, I just wanted to give you some more information as to what they are and how it will all work.  The biggest gripe I get from fans is the fact that we only do 13 episodes and that you have to wait so long between seasons.  I will point out that we pack more story and chaos into 13 episodes than most shows do in 24.  That being said, I understand the frustration with the long down time.  I hate waiting for my favorite shows to come back on the air. Right now I'm already lamenting the fact that Louie is almost halfway through his season.  Man, I fucking love that show.

We played with the ideas of doing mini-episodes or webisodes to bridge the gap, but we could never come up with an efficient production model.  Pulling in cast and crew off season is incredibly difficult and expensive.  So I thought what if we did the opposite of "deleted scenes" - scenes that were shot and produced during the regular season, but didn't fit into a cut because of time.  Meaning, we'd shoot and produce scenes within the framework of the season, but release them before the season aired rather than after.  

With most of the club in prison for 14 months, there was an opportunity to share some story about what happened while they were in Stockton.  We looked at the arc of the season and asked ourselves what scenes would be cool to show the audience.  Which moments have the most emotional and narrative punch?  So we wrote four scenes and built them into the schedule of the first two episodes.  Three of these scenes will preview before the premier, one will be exclusive to the season 3 DVD.  We will be releasing the additional content first on the SOA iPhone and Android app, then after a set period of time (still not sure how long) it will be uploaded to the FX website and hopefully this blog and YouTube.  If you purchased the app already, you'll get a free update that will allow you to stream video.  If you haven't purchased the app, it'll be $.99.  Obviously this is the first time we're doing one for Android so that will need to be purchased.  We are charging a buck quite honestly to help us defer costs.  This is all sort of an experiment and FX and Fox Mobile have been supportive but we're still doing it on a shoestring.  DEFY and my post producer, Craig Yahata have been a godsend in making this all happen. 

Both the Android app and updated iPhone app will be available when the first additional content scene is released next week.  The first scene is called PAYPHONE.  Directed by our own, Ryan Hurst.  It's a simple minute and change scene, but it sets sets up a lot of Jax's emotional and plot points for the new season.  I think you'll dig it.