05/20/08
The larger, higher quality copy of Laurentis is finally available. Click the banner above to stream the proper version.
Filming for episode 2 will commence Saturday, May 24. We will keep you posted about the release date.
05/03/08
Some of you may have noticed that May 1 rolled around and there was no Laurentis. For that, you have my most profound apology. There was an error uploading the large video file to the server. Only the first minute or so would upload, and then nothing. So the video you see now is small, with low resolution and inferior sound, in either format. But I am currently working on getting a better quality video to upload successfully. One thing is certain, however: this won't happen again. If nothing else, I've learned that the FTP utility I usually use isn't up to handling huge video files.Once again, I apologize for the delay, and I hope you enjoy watching Laurentis as he begins his journey through the mortal realms.
04/27/08
Filming Laurentis
by Marie Brown
A little over a week ago, I interviewed Paul Bruning of Shock Brothers Studio about his new project, an internet tv show called Laurentis. He was scarcely more informative in person than the website I visited when banner ads for this project started popping up all over the internet. Rather than satisfying my curiosity about this supposedly revolutionary idea, the interview left me with more questions than ever, especially about the storyline. The director invited me to witness the filming of the first episode. Of course, he made me swear many times and in many ways that I wouldn't reveal much information about this project, but the official release date is May 1, so you won't have to wait much longer.
The set turned out to be a coffeehouse in downtown Denver, CO. I've never been on the set for an internet tv show, or any other show, for that matter. Backstage at concerts, theater productions, even dance recitals, sure, but never a video production. I wasn't sure what to expect.
What I got was a small crew, consisting of the director, a photographer, and an actress that didn't appear in the first episode, but has a role for later in the series. She performed the duties of script supervisor. There were two actors, Macleish Day and Mark Muehlberg, and they played the roles of Laurentis and the Morning Star, respectively. What kind of name is Morning Star, you ask? It's part of the surprise. What I can say is that both of these characters are powerful supernatural beings that have worked together for a very, very long time, and now are coming into conflict because Laurentis is tired of being evil.
Not knowing what to expect on a tv show set, I was rather surprised when a large group of people arrived and took over some nearby tables for a meeting. The crew was surprised, too. Somehow, when they reserved the back corner of the coffeehouse, nobody mentioned other groups had done the same thing. Oversight! And this meeting was loud. The sound sometimes got so bad that frustrated actors could do nothing but wait, with appropriately evil glares, until the noise level subsided. Ask them to be quiet? Sure, that worked, but only until the people got distracted from their business and started sharing personal anecdotes and having a good time. Then up went the noise level, and down went the patience levels.
And then there was the time that the meeting quieted down, the actors were delivering a run of tricky lines perfectly, and the fire truck went by with sirens wailing... but we won't mention that. Instead, I'll share the approved details of this story. For the rest, you just have to wait until Laurentis is released.
I mentioned before Laurentis and the Morning Star are immortal. They are just two characters of a cast of many immortals, both good and evil, that claim responsibility for influencing human history and culture since time began. The show centers on Laurentis, who is an utterly evil being that wants to seek redemption. How exactly he'll manage this I have no idea. Whatever he tries will bring him into conflict with other immortals, presumably not in Denver coffeeshops, and whatever he does will be determined by popular vote. Yes, you heard that right, just like in the interview: vote. As in, there is no next story in the series until the audience makes a key decision for Laurentis. So you know what, people? You need to watch this show, and you need to vote on it. Otherwise I'll never know what happens. See the pattern? No votes, no specifics on future storyline, hence uninformative website and director. What I saw during the filming of the first episode was enough to keep me interested. Be sure my vote will be counted on May 1.
Which way will I vote? I'd tell you, but it wouldn't make any sense without the rest of the story. You'll just have to watch the premiere episode at http://shockbrothersstudio.com/laurentis.Marie Brown is a freelance author of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, online and in print.
04/18/08
Laurentis: An Online Entertainment Revolution
by Marie Brown
The internet is full of entertainment these days, with videos, podcasts, and online networks everywhere. Run a Google search on internet tv, and you'll see roughly 116 million responses. That's a lot of tv online. Then I heard of something called Shock Brothers Studio, where they claim to have a new idea for internet tv. A new idea? As in, different from the 116 million others out there? Sure. Whatever. But then I spotted a banner ad from this studio and was interested enough to interview the director. So here it is, a transcription of a brief interview with Paul Bruning, the director of Shock Brothers Studio.
Recently I have seen some banner ads online advertising something called Laurentis. The website these ads led to is very vague and uninformative. So tell me, who, or what, is Laurentis?
Laurentis is the future. Laurentis is a momentous change in the direction of fiction television as we know it, not only the internet, but, I believe, broadcast television in time as well.
Okay. And why is this such a big change? What's different about this idea?
It's actually an older concept that I grew up with as a child, only in a literary sense. It will allow popular vote by the viewers to directly affect the direction the plot undertakes, a form of choose your own adventure, for those of us between thirty and forty years old who remember such things.
And what is the concept of this choose your own adventure story of yours?
Laurentis.
Who is...?
I don't want to disclose too much before the opening pilot episode, but let us just say that Laurentis represents the hopes and dreams of us all.
Have you had any difficulties with this concept of yours?
Yes. Some have found it to be morally objectionable, and I definitely back them up on their decision not to take part because of their beliefs, and I'm certain this will not be the last time I will run into such ideas.
Well, I understand that you don't want to reveal too much, but that morally objectionable thing makes me very curious. When can we expect to see this Laurentis of yours?
May first. The pilot episode will air directly on our webpage.
All right. And one final question. The name of your studio is Shock Brothers Studio, right? Can you tell me a little bit about it?
Yes. At Shock Brothers, our motto is "Danger of intelligence." We seek to bend the curve, come up with new ideas, take old ideas and give them a fresh face if necessary. We specialize in helping others to bring their ideas to life.
Okay. That'll do it for now, and I'm looking forward to May first, so I can see this revolutionary idea of yours.
Marie Brown is a freelance author of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, online and in print.