I don't want to say that I cheated, but in putting together the cast for the reading of LAN'ded, I sort of cheated. I have the luxury of having very talented people in my circle of friends that I could count on to deliver, and I'm happy to say that after our first rehearsal last week, I have no regrets. We have our next rehearsal tomorrow and we're slated for another one on Saturday. I couldn't be more excited.
It may seem like LAN'ded is a project that only exists amongst a small group, but its nearly the exact opposite. Like Kyle said in his last post, the four main members of our creative team all live in different cities and states right now. I'm stuck in Pittsburgh until May, Kyle is constantly moving around the nation on tour (I believe he's in Detroit now...), James is in Ohio, and Dave is in Chicago, IL.
Four people. Four states. One project. Neat huh?
I'm happy to say that the sentiments I share about my cast is the same for the creative team. I never even really knew Dave until last week and I already know he's going to have loads of good ideas and input. The most I had ever talked to James was when I was kidnapped earlier this month (long story), and I can tell he's definitely got some aces up his sleeve. It looks as if I'll be blessed by being surrounded by good talent in this project as well.
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Like I said, we had our first rehearsal last week. Just a great success all around really. We're focusing on the 4th and 5th episode for right now. After all, that's 1/3 of the show, and a ton of material to cover quite frankly. Also, getting everyone on the same page style-wise is a BIG step in the whole process. I have something planned for next week...something BIG, something that I think will get everyone in the same frame of mind. Dare I reveal it now? Heavens no!
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A project like this, where the setting for our characters is essentially the imagination, allows us to do virtually anything we want with it. Puppets? Of course. Animated sections? Why not? Zombies, Mimes, and Vampires? Not even a second thought. The trick is finding a reason for having these things inhabit the environment. There's never a simple reason for having such extraordinary things exist in a normal realistic place. In shaping the script in the recent weeks, I've tried to focus on giving concrete reasons for the "why" and "how" of what is happening.
One of the biggest enzymes for Christian's condition is the Red Bull. It's an energy drink. It gives him that much needed caffeine boost. The problem is, he relies on it. So what happens when we take away Red Bull? What happens when the brand changes, or what happens when he finally (for lack of a better word) overdoses? It may sound odd, but an addiction to Red Bull is still an addiction.
Some of the most fun I've had in rehearsal has been asking the cast what role they think they play in Christian's life. Have they been manifested as a positive or negative form of reinforcement? You've got to think, with a character like Christian...would a vampire be a good thing or a bad thing to him? Vampires are primarily indoor creatures and are hurt when exposed to sunlight. Doesn't that sound similiar to Christian? Just food for thought.
At tomorrow's rehearsal I'm going to be taking some video...let's hope I can edit something good together. It's not the rehearsal I'm worried about...it's my editing skills. Cross your fingers!
~ Aaron J.
P.S. I apologize for the title of this post, we've REALLY gotta stop talking about mimes so often...
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