'Kelsey' Press & Interview Wrap-Up

Now that "Kelsey" has officially come to a close, we thought we'd wrap up all the awesome interviews & press we got during the show's run. 

In addition to having all our episodes featured on AfterEllen, One More Lesbian, and the PNT TV Network since our premiere, we started getting featured on SheWired about halfway through the season as well, with incredibly positive reviews & comments! We were the number 1 show on PNT TV for every single episode, and we were featured on a couple wonderful lists on AfterEllen with comparisons to SNL and other Primetime shows. 

Our first big buzz was actually on BuzzFeed itself with the 8 Lesbian Web Series you should have on your radar, as mentioned in the pilot episode post. We were also on National Television, though it did not end up being as cool as it originally seemed. That experience can be read about in Christina's words here. 

The biggest news to announce is that the series made the cut for Indiewire's Critic List: 2013's Best Comedy Web Series, and 18 More You Need to Watch Now! We then were featured on Indiewire again with their list 15 Women-Driven Web Series That Could Be the Next 'Broad City' (which was an exciting comparison because Broad City started as a no-budget web series until Amy Poehler took it to Comedy Central).

We got some amazingly positive reviews along the way:

• Eli David of the WebVee Guide reviewed us after binge watching the series.

• New York Cine Radio talked about the first episode in their 89th Podcast episode from 15:00 to 28:30 and gave the series 4.5 out of 5 'Sandwiches.'

And we did some fun interviews:

• Christina & Kelsey answer some questions by Fetch of Fetch & Femme.

• Christina & Kelsey video chat with PNT TV creator Tamara Spicer.

• Kelsey did a Q&A with Kings River Life Magazine.

We only featured the highlights in this post. For a full list of our press, check out the Kelsey Facebook Page. 

Although there will be no additional episodes of the series, we hope that audiences will continue to discover and enjoy the show. If we get any new press for the series, we'll be sure to keep you updated. (We may actually be doing a Panel tour at LGBT Film Festivals later this year to talk about the show & our upcoming work. So, we will definitely have news on that, and look forward to meeting some of our out-of-town fans!)

If you're unaware of the fact that we wont be continuing the series, feel free to read our last post for details; and be sure to check out our Seed&Spark campaign for our 2 new short films launching on June 10th. As said in the post, we'll be giving away our outlines for what would have been Seasons 2 & 3 of 'Kelsey,' including the Series Finale script to all fans who give at least $10!

Thank you again for supporting us and watching the show! 

-Christina, Kelsey & the Team. 

Christina & Kelsey Talk 'Kelsey' & What's Next

Christina & Kelsey made a video for the fans of 'Kelsey' to let them know what's next for the creative duo. Below it is Kelsey's recap statement that you could alternatively or additionally read, but feel free to watch the video if you'd like to hear more of what they have to say. And be sure to support and share their Seed&Spark campaign, planning to launch on June 10th. 

Thanks for watching & supporting!

I remember celebrating my birthday on the first read-through of all episodes. It was the first time the cast and crew were introduced to the entire season, and the energy in the room was phenomenal. I remember the excitement and giddiness I felt of what was to come.

And here, a year later, I can say that I'm so proud of what we made happen. It's all thanks to some very talented individuals, who despite constant curveballs and uncertainties remained collected and helped the first season of ‘Kelsey’ come to fruition. Christina and I set out to make a show that was, first of all, one that both of us would want to watch, and one that would give representation to individuals who tend to get neglected on mainstream television. It feels like we accomplished both in an entertaining way, and we're truly proud of that. 

Now that season one has come to an end, the question of ‘Kelsey’s future has become very prevalent. Christina and I had worked out what we would want to do creatively with two more seasons if/when the series acquired a following. Christina and I funded the entire first season out of pocket, putting us in not insignificant credit card debt, because we knew we were making something we believed in and something we wanted to share with others. But we always knew that we'd have to Crowdfund if we wanted to continue. Luckily, it seemed like that was a very viable option with our fanbase. You wanted more and we wanted to give you more. 

However, unfortunately, the plan to keep going with the series will not become a reality. At the end of the day, making a film/tv show/web series is a business, which entails a lot of negotiation and compromise. While in discussion about the upcoming season, some key members of the series had expectations we simply could not meet. We are a small production company that works with minimal budgets and has never seen a profit; so the payoff for most of the work we do is getting to produce content that we're passionate about and sharing the finished products that we put our pride and joy into with an accepting & grateful audience. To be frank, we aren’t willing to sacrifice our integrity or the passionate work environment that we strive to create for our team just to please a select few. That in no way discredits the hard work that has gone into the first season by all. We want to thank everyone from the crew & cast for their dedication and talented contributions. But the time to move on to bigger & brighter creative prospects has come. 

Christina and I left 'Kelsey' season one on a cliffhanger, figuring it would be a creative push for us to continue. Had things gone the way we planned, we'd be delivering on that decision. We apologize to anyone who feels let down by the fact that we can't. However, we do not want to let fans of the show down by any means. We will continue to put out work together and prove that we're a team worth your trust and support. Our next projects are two short films, both about siblings. We’re exploring a different genre with these two pieces. They address the topic of loss, one with two brothers and one with two sisters. Not unsurprisingly, they are based on personal experiences that I have gone through. We want to show the versatility of what we can portray; but you will get the same (or better) quality in storytelling and production value. We're excited to announce that we'll again be collaborating with our 'Kelsey' Cinematographer Peter Westervelt as well as much of the core production crew members. We're also excited to announce that Lauren A. Kennedy (Joanne on 'Kelsey' & Jesse in Christina's feature film Summit) will be playing one of the sisters.

We are planning to Crowdfund for these pieces, so keep an eye out on CongestedCat.com for our Seed&Spark.com campaign in June. Seed&Spark is one place to fund & follow, discover & watch indie films. We’re aiming to launch our campaign on June 10th and will have 30 days to raise $20,000. This money will go towards production costs as well as paying all of the crew and cast for their work. The creators and cast often get all the glory when it comes to film. The crew members and how hard they have to work to make it all come together is often overlooked. Christina has managed to find an incredibly talented and passionate crew and it is time that they also reap more of the benefits. I know Christina feels very strongly about this and I, too, am consistently amazed and inspired by the work that they bring to every shoot. So, $20,000 may seem like a lot of money but we want these shorts to be products that the crew & cast are not only proud to be part of, but also are able to make a small income from. Most of them exclusively work freelance, and most are doing majority unpaid gigs. 

So, thank you! Thank you for reading this. Thank you for watching and supporting our show. And thank you for the positive response we’ve gotten. We are incredibly proud of the work we’ve accomplished so far and extremely humbled by the amazing reactions from fans. We sincerely hope you will give us a chance to show you other sides of our talents.

You’ll find our Seed&Spark campaign posted on this blog in 6 weeks. And, please note, even if you don’t have any funds to contribute, sharing goes a long way!

In the meantime, tweet at us, leave a comment, re-watch 'Kelsey,' check out the other fun projects CongestedCat Productions has been working on.

Sincerely,

Kelsey (on behalf of myself, Christina & the rest of the CongestedCat team)

- - -

We're Casting for 2 of the roles! Read below if you're interested. 

• "We Had Plans"

Director: Christina Raia  Writer: Kelsey Rauber

PREMISE:

Diana & Liz are two adult sisters who love and respect each other more than anyone else in the world. But their future plans are tested upon receiving news.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION: 

DIANA, 30s, Caucasian, the older sister who has grown up taking care of her younger sister. But roles shifted a little upon the realization that Diana cannot have kids. She is a little quirky and slightly needy. Also, a lesbian. 

*Non-union only. Production will happen over 1 day in July (additional details upon callbacks).

• "Not Our Living Room"

Director: Christina Raia  Writer: Kelsey Rauber

PREMISE:

Two brothers get ready for their moms' anniversary party, but quickly realize something is very wrong with their environment when they try to leave the room.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION: 

CHRIS: 22-28 age range, he's fun loving and easy going. The younger, more carefree brother. He jogs, so is in pretty good shape. The actor playing the other brother (JAKE) is caucasian. Ideally, Chris would be mixed race because we want them to be half-siblings & reflect diversity. But caucasian actors should definitely apply as well.

*Non-union only. Production will happen over 1 day in July (additional details upon callbacks).

Directing 'Kelsey' - Episodes 9 & 10

Christina here, back with the final post for my 'Directing Kelsey' blog series. Sorry this is a week late, I was super busy last week preparing for our IndieWorks: Best of Fest. But without further ado, here I go...

Episode 9 (Drive Through) is another one of my favorite episodes. Since episode 8 officially established them as a group, we were allowed to have a lot of subtext-heavy fun with their dynamics together; and we got to throw Joanne into the mix to make it more interesting. 

One thing that makes this episode stand out is that they're not at any of their usual hangouts. They're also not drinking, which allowed for a change of pace in terms of our usual comedic go-to's. A lot of the comedy in this episode comes from tension between characters. 

This episode is also special because it's our first/only completely linear episode. It's all one timeline with no flashbacks. It's meant to allude to what Kelsey Rauber & I planned for the next season, with Kelsey not living in the past quite as much. (Similarly, episode 10 only flashes back to the post-sex OMG's, the rest is linear). Additionally it , again, played into our plans to take the series in a more ensemble direction with Kelsey still as the central character but maybe not such an overt focal point. 

Also the only episode where we have a true establishing shot. Something that never had a place in other episodes with the narrative always jumping around. Felt necessary in this case though.

Something else interesting about this episode is how we pulled it off. As you can imagine, we did not have permission from Dunkin Donuts to shoot there. So, like episode 4, we guerilla-styled it. When getting the Wide shot of them actually going through the drive-thru, Peter & I were in the car in front of them, and actually ordered drinks from the drive-thru so as to not draw too much attention to ourselves.

Alternatively, when we got the interiors of them deciding what to order & Tyrone speaking into the microphone, since we needed the car to be moving and had to shoot that scene on each character at least once, we drove in circles next to the drive-thru lane, not actually in it; and the 85mm lens worked in our favor by condensing the space between Daniel & the actual drive-thru menu. 

As far as the look of the episode, we were on an 85mm lens almost the entire time, with occasional 50mm usage. Since we had already established the intimacy of the group with the shots in episode 8, we had less pressure to have dirty shots and chose to concentrate more on tight singles, at least at first, and the various ways we could play with them in angles. 

However, as the interactions between the characters became more tension-fueled, we brought in Overs.

Working with the confines of the car, we were able to emphasize the close quarters when we did use Overs, which visually represented that they were all maybe a little too close for comfort in this episode.

We were also able to have fun with more stylistic shots like the mirror angles (also tension-fueled).

One of my favorite aspects of the episode, and I'd say Kelsey Rauber's writing in general, are the reveals and how they're established. It's never overtly stated that they initially thought they were going somewhere nice to celebrate Tyrone's new car when instead he takes them to a Dunkin Donuts drive-thru; it's merely alluded to, which left a lot of room for more directing choices. For instance, this is emphasized when Sam gets out of the car in her outfit.
 

A bigger reveal is that the Dunkin Donuts is just around the corner from Kelsey & Sam's apartment; again not something stated overtly, which made for fun when planning shots. This shot actually continues with them walking all the way to the door, but it didn't work for pacing. I think it still translates though, especially when we later imply Tyrone goes into their apartment to use the bathroom. 

Fun Fact, Kelsey Rauber really did live on that block right around the corner from that Dunkin Donuts. I can tell you this because she recently moved. Sorry stalkers. 

To wrap this up, I think it's a really fun & punchy episode that was easy in some ways but hard in a lot of other ways to pull off; and I'm really proud of my production team for making it work. Peter did a great job with limited angle options, as did Jordan (editor) with putting it all together & hitting the beats. 

If I'm going to mention one thing that didn't work quite as well as the episode as whole, it's the scene building up to the kiss between Kelsey & Joanne. We never quite got a perfect take. I really wanted the entire interaction between the two to happen in a continuous intimate two-shot, no cuts. But it started to rain before we could get one take that didn't have any line blunders. So we had to cut from one sort of two-shot to the main two-shot, which was a little jarring and detracted a bit from the natural chemistry and flow of the scene. However, I still think it works despite the rocky beginning. 

Something similarly unexpected that happened in post is that the scene between Sam & Rowan stayed as one continuous two-shot when I had originally planned to cut to Singles between them. Originally, the two-shot was just for coverage while the whole scene was meant to contrast the two-shot of Kelsey & Joanne by playing out with isolated Singles, implying their sexual relationship was ending while Kelsey & Joanne's was just beginning. However, Jordan brought it to my attention that it just didn't flow as well when he cut it with Singles. The scene worked so well as one shot because they played off each other incredibly well and had such great chemistry when they'd do full run-throughs, particularly in this take. I agreed with Jordan and we chose to leave it as one shot. I think the contrast still works because their two-shot is clearly less intimate & they’re at unequal planes. 

Lastly, again alluding to the ensemble progression, like episode 8, this episode doesn't quite end on Kelsey, but on one last punchline for Tyrone. 

As discussed in my first post, Episode 10 (Making Things Work) is pretty much the culmination of what the entire season had been building up to, not just narratively but aesthetically as well.  

The opening mirrors the opening of the pilot but on the much more flattering 85mm lens, which we were on for the majority of the episode, with, again, only occasional changes to the 50 for wider, establishing shots. 

Since we were now at the point where we weren't focused on and restricted to following patterns that were meant to develop over the season, we could simply get the coverage we wanted. So we had very tight frames within the group, establishing the tight-knit feel the audience would now have with them.

This being the season finale, we had to wrap up storylines but introduce new ones as well, like the introduction of Kate.

I have to give Peter lots of props here because at this point in production, we had no gaffer (Sayo got a paying gig on a feature film and we happily excused her from her commitment to the show) and Peter was doing lighting all on his own. He managed to compliment everyone’s diverse skin tones with the lighting in one 5-person shot while still maintaining the intimate, lower key feel, and all with very limited lighting equipment. Not an easy feat, as any Director of Photography, I'm sure, knows. 

The bedroom scenes with Kelsey & Joanne, I wanted to feel unlike any other times we had seen Kelsey in her bedroom.

Like their scenes in episode 7, we have very dirty, intimately framed Overs. I loved Peter's soft lighting, which was a big difference compared to the colder feel to her room in previous scenes (episode 1 & 6).

Kelsey’s happy. She's comfortable and confident in a way she hasn’t been in a long time, and the framing and lighting were mean to reflect & compliment that.

Initially, I felt like there was no point in hiding that it's Shane at the door. We're not very ambiguous about it, so were going to get a shot of her at the door. However, we couldn’t get Charlotte on the day we were shooting that scene, so I opted to just put her voice in, in Post.

But I think this ended up being for the best for that scene because I absolutely love Lauren’s dropped expression and wouldn’t want to cut away from it even if I had the Shane footage as an option. Her subtle transition from post-sex euphoria/ready-for-food excitement to surprise, which quickly becomes annoyance, and then worry for the future of her relationship is all so perfect, both in delivery and timing. I wouldn't want to shift the focus away from her to show Shane, so I'm really happy it worked out how it did in the end.

Lastly, unlike the past 2 episodes, the last shot is of Kelsey because, as the theme song says, it is still all about her; ensemble or no ensemble, she’s who the audience is meant to identify, or at least empathize, with most. We're following her journey.

Similar framing to Joanne's reaction to Shane was very much intentional.

We felt leaving the season with this shot/moment would be a great way to leave the audience feeling satisfied for the season as a whole but definitely wanting to come back for more and know what happens next. Based on the fan reaction, it seems we were right! :)
 

That's it for this 'Directing Kelsey' series! Thanks so much for reading it. I hope it was interesting & enjoyable. And, as always, thank you so much for watching & supporting the series. Fingers crossed we'll be discovered by new audiences and continue reaching people with Kelsey & her friends. Only time will tell, but we'll be sure to keep you updated. Kelsey & I shot a video a few weeks back where we talk about the future of the series & what else we're collaborating on. We'll be releasing it in 3 weeks. Be sure to check back at this blog and on Facebook & Twitter for updates on that as well as Screening/Press news. We can't wait to start telling you about our future plans.

Be sure to stay in touch with me via Twitter. Thanks again for your support,

Christina

P.S. Kelsey & I recently spoke as Panelists at the New Haven International Film Festival, read about it Here. 

IndieWorks: Best of Fest Recap

Thank you.

To all of the amazing people involved in this community who submit their work, attend our monthly series, follow our content, and spread the word of anything IndieWorks... we truly thank you. It's been a great year of fantastic films and talented filmmakers.

Last year, Christina decided she wanted to create a monthly film series for local independent filmmakers to showcase their work for an audience and connect with their (our) peers in a friendly and supportive environment. Sure enough, she made it happen pretty quickly. It's been another passion project from our team, and we hope it has stayed true to the ideals of helping independent filmmakers find an audience and build a network & community.

Last Thursday, we celebrated our Best of Fest by screening 10 winning films from our first year of IndieWorks. Naturally, it was hosted at PEOPLE's Lounge in the Lower East Side, whom we truly have to extend a great deal of gratitude. They have been so very helpful over this past year, giving us this venue each month to host the series and sponsoring prizes for Best of Fest.

The event brought an audience of nearly 90 guests to commemorate our first year; new faces and plenty of familiar. All audience members got 250 Sparks from SeedandSpark.com and we had 2 free raffle winners (both of them filmmakers who have previously screened their films at IndieWorks). The first of whom was October Audience Choice winner, Hannah Leshaw ("Fictional Me, Fictional You"), who came out to support the other filmmakers of the night, and April Silver Whiskers winner, Shahir Daud ("La Loteria"), who's film was screening that evening. They both received a copy of Bright Ideas (Seed&Spark's exclusive independent film magazine) and a Seed&Spark t-shirt.

The Awards Go To...

Audience Choice Award

Shahir Daud - "La Loteria"

Sponsor Prizes:

PEOPLE's: an evening of bottle service.

Seed&Spark: a copy of Bright Ideas & $200 toward a crowdfunding campaign if funded on Seed&Spark.

Indiewood_Hollywouldn't: film review & sharing of any future film or crowdfunding news via social media this year.

Golden Whiskers Award

Dani Tenenbaum - "Guides"

Sponsor Prizes:

PEOPLE's: 1.5 TB hard drive.

Seed&Spark: a copy of Bright Ideas; $200 toward a crowdfunding campaign if funded on Seed&Spark; "Guides" will be streamed in the Cinema on Seed&Spark's site.

Indiewood_Hollywoodn't: film review; interview on website; sharing of any future film or crowdfunding news via social media this year.

We had an amazing time with everyone who joined us Thursday evening, and every other evening in which we celebrated filmmaking during IndieWorks this year. As we take next month as an opportunity to go out and make things, we hope you will too. Our second year of IndieWorks is coming back better than ever in June -- so keep in touch & stay up to date through our social media accounts.

And be sure to submit your films on our IndieWork page. 

Discover Shorts. Find an Audience. Build the Community.

Christina & Kelsey Speak at New Haven International Film Fest

About a month ago, I was invited to be a Panelist for 2 Panels, "Directing" and "Redefining Indie," at the New Haven International Film Festival on March 29th. I was honored and excited to participate. A couple weeks later, the co-runner at the festival Georgina Capristso-Gajdosik mentioned wanting to add a Screenwriting Panel but needed Screenwriters. I suggested that Kelsey Rauber & I be part of the Panel. That's how Kelsey ended up being able to join me as a Panelist & how I ended up doing 3 Panels at the Festival. We had to take a 2 hour train ride at 8am to New Haven. It wasn't bad though because Kelsey & I got to talk and plan out new projects. It was a lot of fun. When we got there, I was supposed to be available to Mentor anyone who came in looking for advice about anything related to film. It was me and a handful of other Mentors but no one coming in to be a Mentee.

 However, about 10 minutes into the mentoring sessions, as we were all about to introduce ourselves to each other, my name was suddenly called and I felt like I was in high school being called to the Principal's office. Turns out that a nice older gentleman named Gene came to the Mentoring Session specifically to speak to me. He had looked me up and seen that I had had a successful crowdfunding campaign and seemed to be knowledgeable about the process and various platforms. He was hoping I could walk him through the general need-to-know points. I did just that and ended up chatting with him for over an hour. It was a wonderful feeling getting to help someone as well as talk about something that interests me and which I feel I have valid experience with and opinions on. Fifteen minutes later, the Panels began. First I did 'Screenwriting' with Kelsey, Georgina Capristso-Gajdosik and Marty Lang. Then 'Directing' with Matthew Bonifacio, Don Downie and Alex Calvo, along with Jenn Mello of Film Interchange as the Moderator. Lastly was 'Redefining Indie' with Georgina as Moderator and including Jenn Mello, Erica Anderson & Amanda Trokan of Seed&Spark, Don Downie & Stacy Capone (Actress), Molly McGaughey of the Not So Starving Artist NYC, Jennifer Peralta-Ajemia (Casting Director), and Michael Alden. 

The day ended at 6pm (with another 2 hours of commuting afterwards) and I ended up with only 15 minutes between every single panel. I was so exhausted by the end of the day but had such a great time. I wish there were recordings of the panels because the discussions truly were insightful and informative. I talked a lot about my approach to modern filmmaking and my belief in audience building and making what I want to make, not necessarily what's marketable or what the top Festivals and/or Hollywood are looking for. I also talked a lot about my belief in building a sustainable Middle Class of Indie Filmmakers where we form a community and help each other grow and find our individual pockets of audience members rather than trying to step on each other to be the one chosen one who makes it to the Million dollar club and mass, mindless audiences. I didn't quite say that or say it that way, but I suppose that summarizes where I'm coming from (which anyone who has attended IndieWorks can gather). I've often been called idealistic, and maybe some would say naive, but I care more about the work that I do and the people I reach than about the money or accolades; and because of that, I don't have to wait for anyone to give me permission to produce what I feel compelled to create. I find a way to do it on my own or through an audience that's looking for the content I want to deliver. Some panelists disagreed with my approach in favor of a more traditional and capitalistic ideology, and it was great to have that discussion and explore different points of view. However, many panelists agreed with me and even mentioned that they aspire to be able to pursue a career in the industry the way I do, which was incredibly humbling, as was the experience of getting to be on Panels with such talented and successful individuals, especially on the Directing Panel. What was so amazing was that a lot of audience members came over to me after the Panels wanting to shake my hand and tell me what an inspiration I am. Hearing that just made my day. I don't necessarily set out to be an inspiration to others. I just enjoy voicing my opinion and helping people where I can; and to know that I was able to do both at the same time was pretty damn cool. 

I can't speak for Kelsey but I definitely had a blast that day. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to talk, especially about all things related to filmmaking and movies. I would absolutely love the opportunity to continue speaking on panels, and I believe I'll be back next year to do the New Haven International Film Festival again. Maybe I'll even be screening a film there as well.

I also had fun simply because I spent the day with Kelsey and she's one of my favorite people to spend a day with. All in all, it was a great experience for us both. If you met us at the festival or have been following "Kelsey," you'll be happy to know that we'll be releasing a video in a few weeks talking about the future of the series and what else we're working on. So check back at this blog soon for that and other updates about our work. 

Thanks for reading,

Christina