By the Sea: Lanikai Lifestyle Photography

Military family had a lifestyle portrait session at Lanikai Beach a few days before they left Hawaii for their next post on the Mainland. We hope these photos will bring back fond memories of their time at Kaneohe Marine Corps Base Oahu. 

The UK Writer in US TV

I've been urged to share my experience of writing for the American TV system as I've experienced it these past few months. Here's how it went:

1. On the back of the Eleventh Hour remake I get an invite to meet the Bruckheimer gang, aka JBTV, to talk about developing something new, and at the end of the chat they ask if I'd be interested in freelancing an Eleventh Hour episode as a sidebar. So from my ever-ready stock of ideas I pitch them five or six springboards. Then fly home.

2. They call me within three days to say which of them they like, giving specific reasons why they haven't picked the others (a clash of subject matter with some other episode, a blanket network antipathy to certain subjects). They show all three to Warner Brothers, and Warners pick one. The chosen story is shown to CBS and CBS say yes. No more than a week has passed and we move to the next stage which is:

3. A twelve-page scene-by-scene outline. This takes about four days to write. As I'm sending it in, JBTV book a notes call. Within 48 hours I'm getting their notes in a 20-minute phone conversation. Less than an hour after the call I get an email - it's my outline with all their notes footnoted in. The revisions are line-specific and take no more than a few hours to execute. The revised outline goes to Warners, there's another notes call, another footnoted email, same level of input. The second revised outline goes to CBS. CBS add their notes and I'm "launched to script".

4. Because the outline's now so tight, the script only takes a week. So we're now like, three or four weeks into the process and we're already at first draft. Over the next couple of weeks the script goes through the same three-stage process as followed by the proposal and the outline - JBTV (the production company) draft and notes, Warner Brothers (the studio) draft and notes, and finally CBS (the broadcasting network) draft and notes.

5. The showrunners do a light-touch 'showrunner pass' to tweak my last draft into house style and the director starts prep within about three days of my handing it in. Any changes thereafter are purely for production needs. At this point CBS ask for me to do another episode, only this time they need to move a bit quicker. JBTV pick one of the other stories and we're off again.

So it's taken roughly seven weeks to get from first conversation to the start of shooting. This really is the way to do notes. They book the notes call before they've read the material, which is psychologically good because you don't get that clunk in spirits when you hand something in and wait and wait and then get summoned to have the error of your ways explained to you. Plus, they're committing up-front to turning it around at the same kind of speed they expect from you. No notes session takes more than half an hour, and you get instant documentation to back up everything that's said. And - get this - the notes are about the script, not the ideas behind it! (How many times have you sat through 2-hour meetings where everybody airs their views on the subject-matter, and you come away with not one useful script note?)

And then - the director comes in and shoots the material. All of his or her energy goes straight into staging and framing and pacing and telling the story.

Here's the nub of it. It looks fast and scary. But for the writer, the actual amount of work in turning out an hour-long script for American TV barely differs from that involved in creating script for a UK hour. The difference is that the US system edits out the soul-destroying longueurs between stages, while your script sits on someone's desk or some executive disappears on holiday. It's the same act of writing, but you get to do it in real time; and because of that, you don't run the risk of anyone - you included - falling out of love with what you're doing.

Green Lantern

YouTube carries more than one fan mashup trailer for a nonexistent live-action Green Lantern film using reprocessed clips from existing blockbusters. This one craftily blends in shots of Nathan Fillion in the Hal Jordan role.



Great casting idea. The Fillion Green Lantern is a movie that I'd happily pay money to see.

For the moment we'll have to make do with an animated GL, to be released in July; over on the Writers' Guild blog there's this preview and a link to an interview with screenwriter Alan Burnett.

Coming up next (growly voice):

Tom Cruise IS... "The Atom"...

Shop Update ~ Tatter Tees

Hi Gals,

Just letting you guys know about a trio of lovelies added to the store today. Larger sizes available in this batch as per requested, hope you guys enjoy. :)

In Style......

bonzie & ger

A Special Gift to You!

Gals,

As a show of our appreciation for all of our well wishers during our feature spot on etsy last week and to welcome all of our new blog readers we are hosting a wee blog giveaway to gift 3 randomly selected winners an original "Bonzie Haunted Bloom". All of you gals who left us a blog comment since our feature last week and to any of you who sent us love filled convos to our etsy store will be entered into a draw and 3 names will be drawn to receive a bloom.

Winners will be drawn and announced tomorrow, best of luck to everyone and again our warmest thanks for a really great show of support, we appreciate each and everyone of your comments.

In Style........

bonzie & ger

Punkd!

Heres a sneak peak at our next jacket to hit the shop, total tatter couture, with a smidge of steampunk for a very edgy look! Size Medium.

In Style........

Bonzie & Ger

Planet Hood

CBS online have dropped Eleventh Hour from the shows listed on their site and closed the fan forum, but the fanac has relocated to Planet Hood, a dedicated site with a new forum that pretty much picks up where the old threads left off.

From the way they've laid out the stall, it looks as if they're planning to work it up into a resource for info on the episodes. For now it's the place to go if you want to vent some feelings, share some opinions, or even join in with the resurrection campaign.

I see from a Google that there's also the Wiki-based 11thHourShow.org, with character quotes and episode summaries and pix I haven't seen elsewhere.

No, I didn't foster or encourage any of this, although obviously I'm sympathetic to the campaign's aims. From its inception this show has given me some of my worst and some of my best experiences working in TV, and it had finally reached a place where what I'd wanted and what I was getting were one and the same. Who wouldn't want to see that continue?

Haunted Blooms.

Sharing some lovely hauntedness with you gals in the form of some "Tattered Couture" style haunted blooms in muted antiquated shades.

Coming to the shop tomorrow. :)

In Style.........

Bonzie & Ger

Grandville

Here's a glimpse of Bryan Talbot's new project:

Reality Bites!

New Edition to the Shop, Napoleona Red Velvet Coat

Gals,

First and foremost a humongous THANK YOU! to all of our friends and supporters who chimed in with well wishes this week during our etsy "Featured Seller" gig. We were absolutely blown away by the response and felt so thankful to all of our pals on etsy who took time out of their day to share their positivity and warmness with us, we are eternally grateful. :)

In the midst of what can only be described as a tornado going through the studio with over 300emails and a big spike in orders we had a moment of reprieve in the guise of a wee little boy who always brings a smile into our day no matter what we are doing. Ger and I had lots of stock prepared for the feature in advance and we hadn't managed to fit in a photo shoot prior to it so we had to do a quickie photo session out Gers back garden in the middle of the week. Just as Ger was getting into it ( baring in mind Ger is a mom of 3 and has only been rail roaded into modelling by me out of pure necessity on the days that one of our in house models, Niamh, Jez or Judith are at work etc.) , a pose here and a pose there and I was admiring Gers improvisation when just out of the corner of our eyes Gers littlest , who was just home from school, potters over in his Thomas the Tank Engine slipper to where we were shooting and innocently says to Ger, " mam, is me egg ready yet! "

This was enough for the both of us, we were rolling round the garden in hysterics, I don't know if it was the stress of the week, or the fact that we were really getting into the shoot when he brought us right back down to earth. Gers says through the tears rolling down her face, " Ya wouldn't want to be thinking your Kate Moss or anything would ya! " .

Well, its a very glamorous life indeed! lol

In Style........

Bonzie and Ger (Kate Moss)

www.bonzie.etsy.com

Eleventh Hour - We're Cancelled

Well, I just got the news and the news ain't good.

CBS have made their decision and Eleventh Hour isn't getting a second season. We had the numbers, we had great fans, we had a cracking set of new stories ready to go, but the show isn't being picked up.

This is a message for everyone who's made a comment or written in or otherwise made their feelings known.

I want to give my thanks to everyone who was a part of the renewal campaign, and to everyone who showed their support in other ways, and to every one of over twelve million people who made time every week to watch the show. And thanks to Rufus and Marley and Omar and Cyrus and Ethan and everyone whose names you may not know but who came together and met the challenge of making big science thrillers work.

Because of the so-called CBS "cone of silence" during scheduling, there really was no way of knowing which way it would go. But I began to get a sense of it in the last few days, when other shows were getting calls over one detail or another and we were getting nothing. Even so, you don't give up hope; but as the suspense grew and grew I was beginning to get an inkling of how Richard Harris felt in A Man Called Horse.

(You should know what I mean. The scene where they test him by hanging him up by... well, you either know it or you don't)

Usually what happens at this point is that the creator starts talking about keeping it all together and making a movie. I'm not going to do that. And for one good reason; Eleventh Hour's setup and its character set make a purpose-built instrument for telling stories on TV, and TV is where they belong.

I will say this. Don't worry about me, I'm not out of the game and I have other irons in the fire. My relations with the JBTV and Warner Brothers people are still good. I'm going to communicate with our cast and tell them what I'm telling you now; that if, while I'm working on other stuff and keeping my family fed, I should sniff any opportunity to bring Eleventh Hour and some of those untold stories to your TV, I'll be on it like a dog.

Brilliant News!

Gals,

Some time ago we mentioned that we had a very cool surprise coming up and we couldn't quite talk bout it until it launched online so as not to ruin the surprise for everyone.............. well today that little secret was revealed and we are just so excited to share some really brilliant news with you all.

The lovely folk over at http://www.etsy.com/ (where our wee online boutique resides) have elected us to be the featured sellers on the front page of etsy for our very own time in the spotlight. We were so chuffed when we heard about the feature and its been so tough keeping it a surprise, especially when its such exciting news. We have had a crazy couple of weeks prepping for the feature and today was the first day of its presence online.

We would love to say a big thanks to all of our online pals who jumped in with messages of support and warm wishes, we felt very special receiving all of your good vibes. :)

With Love........

bonzie & ger

Heres a link to the article if you fancy a browse at the interview. http://www.etsy.com/featured_seller.php

Putty Green Adorned Autumn Jacket

New Arrivals in store now. :)

In Style.........

Bonzie & Ger

The Couresan's Spring Jacket

A new edition to our Spring/Summer jacket line, available in the shop now. :)

In Style........

bonzie & ger

Kaneohe Yacht Club Wedding

As promised, here are a few photos from Tim and Melissa's wedding reception at Kaneohe Yacht Club. Roy of Naupaka Caterers did a great job coordinating the event and putting together a delicious menu. If you're looking for a caterer for your event, give Roy a call! Cocktail hour music was provided by Harry Koizumi. Sorry - we did not get the names of the DJ trio. Kaneohe Yacht Club  is a private club in Windward Oahu. To hold an event there, you need to be sponsored by a member. KYC is a beautiful location.

Exciting Online Feature!

Gals,

Today we got an awesome email from a PR agency in New York ( which was enough excitement in itself ) but then we found out that the lady contacting us found our work online on through http://www.glam.com/! We couldn't believe it! Glam is a really awesome American brand which packs some great fashion punch and it was very exciting to hear that our pieces were today's feature on Glam.com cleverly titled "Baroque Chic".

If you fancy a read of it, check it out here. :)

Thank You for making our day Glam.xxx

In Style............

Bonzie & Ger

Old FX Men Never Die

I just read this on the website for Keswick's newly-opened attraction, The Bond Museum. It's a sister museum to The Cars of the Stars, Peter Nelson's collection of movie action vehicles.

"The jetpack in our museum was assembled for the major Paris Bond exhibition and using some of the original bits from the late Bert Luxford."

Photo Shoot Sneak Peak!

Gals,

The Shoot with Shane O'Neill on Monday was awesome, heres a quick post and run to give you guys a quick look at the first shots off the table. ( more to follow )

In the meantime if your style savvy bride and your looking for a really great photographer be sure to check out Shane O'Neill's new site for some stunning samples of his work!

In Style.........

Bonzie & Ger