Before I get started with some of the breakdown of what will happen in the following few weeks, I suppose I should briefly go over again what MaC Rounds is.
MaC Rounds is an on-going web series based off of the further adventures of Spartan Fireteams Majestic and Crimson. Currently I’m in the development stage, casting roles, adding writers as well as editors. This series is a “serious” dramatic approach to Spartan interaction. Actors will be cast in roles of both Majestic and Crimson as well as extras as needed. The goal is to have a 20-30 minute episode once a month. As the production evolves we may produce more episodes based on a number of things.
• First and foremost are we having fun making MaC Rounds
• Acceptance into the Halo community. I don’t expect this to be an overnight success (though that would be awesome), so I’m going to give this a period of time to see if we garner enough fans to warrant continuing the series.
• Are we able to maintain the production schedule of one episode a month.
Okay, so now on with breakdown of what is being planned.
For all of you who have signed on to participate in this as well as others who may want to join in, I’ll be holding a discussion via XBOX on Saturday, April 6. Time to start will be 3pm EST (U.S.A.) time zone. I’ll repeat this discussion as needed throughout the day if there are more than 16 people joining in.
Topics to be discussed in further detail are:
• Casting for roles
• Filming times
• Duties of Actors, Writers, Editors
• Signing an NDA form (non disclosure form) if you are selected to be in the production
• Additional software you may need – This will be Skype for sure. I’ll detail this below.
• Anything else not yet announced that I may think of between now and then…
Casting for roles – During this discussion, I want to get a feel for who you are, what your voice sounds like and see where we can fit you in. I’ll set up individual times for casting roles per person and may need to have further casting calls with 2 or more people at a time to get a sense of camaraderie between potential cast mates. Since I want to move the production along, casting calls must be completed no later than April 14. If you can’t make it before then, you won’t be selected for the production. Also, during the casting call, you will need to show via Halo 4 that you have the Spartan armor needed for specific roles.
Filming times – We will film on Saturdays. Time to start will be 3pm EST. How long we shoot will depend on the amount and length of scenes. I will schedule scenes to be shot in order of the highest number of people needed first so that we can allow those who aren’t in smaller scenes to finish up early so you can go about the rest of your day.
Duties of Actors, Writers, Editors – This is a long topic to be discussed later. However the nuts and bolts are
• Understanding the NDA you signed
• Conduct while on set
• Availability – times and through what tech (Skype and XBOX360)
• Writers will need to have more time availble to devote to the production as you and I will be using Skype to discuss ideas and do mini read throughs. As well, you’ll need to have the ability to edit your text quickly and get it back to me. This via e-mail.
• Editors – This includes those who will capture video, edit video, edit sounds, etc. I’ll need to discuss with you folks what software you are using, compatibility with the software I’m using, resolution of final film, turn around times on capturing and editing and so on. Since this will be one of the more detailed discussions, I will likely need to have a separate discussion with you folks helping me with editing.
The NDA – I will need to get this from everyone involved in writing, not just electronically. In order to do that, I will send you a PDF of the NDA for you to print out. You must then sign and date it and send it back to me via physical mail. If you choose not to sign and date the NDA, you will not be selected to be in the production.
Additional Software needed – Regarding Skype: Anyone selected to act in the production must have Skype. It’s free to join/download. The reason for this is that when the time comes, we will have a live read through of the script. That will be a lot more difficult on XBOX and can get a bit crowded with voice chatter. Also, by having Skype, this is an opportunity for you to meet me virtually as well as your other cast-mates. If you choose not to have Skype for whatever reason, I understand, however that means you will not be able to participate in MaC Rounds.
Scripts will be e-mailed to the cast in the form of a PDF, so you will need Acrobat if you don’t already have it. Though you can also view PDF pages in various other programs. Feel free to print these out for yourselves when you get then, or just read from the screen. However, you are NOT to transmit the script to anyone else. This will be part of the NDA that you must sign first before participating.
If there is anything else that I think of that I haven’t covered, and/or if you have questions about anything discussed, after I go over everything else, then would be the time to ask.
Okay, so now that that’s all laid out, if you haven’t yet contacted me about your desire to participate in this production, please feel free to e-mail me at: [email protected].
Please include you Name, Gamertag, desired position (actor/writer/editor) and anything else you think is pertinent, regarding your potential participation in MaC Rounds.
Now all this being said…I have a potential job opportunity that I hope to see come to fruition soon. Should I get the position, MaC Rounds won’t happen. Yes, I know, I’m putting in a lot of effort up front here. The point is, if I don’t get the position, I want to have a good head start and be ready to move forward without wasting weeks of potential prep time.
What is that job? Well, I actually can’t say right now. When the time comes, selected or not, I’ll reveal it then. Well actually, if selected, the company will likely want to make the announcement. So we’ll play that by ear.
The good news is, this prep time won’t take up much of your time at all. So should MaC Rounds not move forward due to the job, you hopefully won’t feel like time was wasted. And who knows, I might still be able to produce this. If not selected for the position, then it’s full steam ahead on MaC Rounds!
-Sal
