Dear Backers,
This morning marks the beginning of our second week of production on the Veronica Mars movie. While it has been seven years since we were all on set together, I'm pleased to report that it didn't take long to fall back into our natural rhythm. As you can see, everything is back to normal:
I also know that a lot of you were hoping for more updates from behind the scenes last week. I've got good news on that front, but first, I'd like to share a couple notes about our first week back.
Though this may not inspire confidence, I thought you all would be amused to know that on the very first shot of the movie, I yelled "Action!" before the shot had even been slated. I'd like to say that's how eager I was. It might owe more to inexperience and nerves.
Kristen immediately began cackling on set. I believe this will probably make the gag reel.
The next day, I did the same thing on the first shot of the day when an actor I've admired for 30 years was doing a special, secret appearance in the movie.
Again, Kristen thought this was the funniest thing in the world.
On Friday, I trumped both of these. I returned to video village from the set in the next room and put on my headphones. Everything looked good on the monitors. I saw the slate. I heard the first A.D. yell "Set!" It was a party scene, so with bullhorn in hand, I called, "Action!" As it turned out, the DP had asked the video crew to play back the previous take, and I was actually yelling action at a recorded image. Sigh.
Weird moment of the week: My wife and kids have now joined me in Los Angeles, and I went out to pick up dinner from a nearby restaurant. I told the man at the counter that I had a to-go order for Rob Thomas. His reply was, "The singer or the director?" It took me a moment before I could stammer out, "Uh, the director." He said, "Good luck with the movie." This, of course, has never happened to me before.
I can't say I didn't enjoy it.
As for the movie, here's what I can tell you about what we've shot so far: it looks great.
Our Director of Photography (DP), Ben Kutchins -- whose name I misspelled in a previous tweet -- is doing fantastic work at a frantic pace. I can promise you that it will look like a movie. I was proud of the look of the TV show, but one is always framing things for a TV set when shooting a TV show. We're framing this to look like a movie. I think you'll appreciate the difference.
Here's Ben, looking very much like a DP:
Keeping You More Involved
Last week, you might have noticed that there were fewer updates. Now that production has started, I have – for somewhat obvious reasons – a lot less time to stop and write.
But Rob, you’re thinking, this is when things get interesting! This is the part I wanted to hear about! Who will take pictures? Who will shoot video? How am I going to get the exclusive access you promised me as a backer? Are you going to make me wait until next year when the documentary comes out, you swindler?
Hypothetical backer, I’m glad you asked.
When our Kickstarter ended in April, it became clear that this thing was going to be much, much bigger than we first thought. It also became clear that it would be impossible for me to give you the kind of access I was hoping for while also writing and directing a movie with a tight production schedule.
As some of you pointed out this week, whatever time I spend updating you is time that I’m not spending on production, but we want you to have it all: the best movie we can make and an unprecedented level of real-time access to the production process. You can see the dilemma we’ve been facing.
To solve that dilemma, I’d like to introduce our Associate Producer, Ivan Askwith.
Ivan worked on the production team during some of our third season. At the time, he was also finishing his graduate work at MIT, where part of his work focused on our fans, and their efforts to keep Veronica Mars from ending. In 2005, Ivan wrote an article suggesting a new way to save lower-rated shows like ours: he proposed that fans deserved the chance to finance their favorite shows in advance, in order to keep them from getting canceled. The studios weren’t quite there yet, of course, and we did get canceled.
Almost ten years later, with the rise of Kickstarter and crowdfunding, his suggestion suddenly seemed a lot more reasonable. When Ivan heard that KB and I were planning to launch a Kickstarter campaign, he called us and offered to help out behind-the-scenes. Over the next month, he became our strategist and go-to guy for all things internet-related, and worked with me on a daily basis to make sure the Kickstarter was a success.
By the time our Kickstarter ended, it was clear to Kristen and me that Ivan shared our specific vision for how to keep our backers involved during production, and that his unique experience with Veronica Mars, our fans and the internet made him the ideal person to carry out that vision.
With that in mind, I was relieved when Ivan agreed to sign on as our Associate Producer. In that role, Ivan is now focused on producing your experience as a Kickstarter backer and everything that goes along with it. It’s a huge job, but Ivan is a very tall fellow. I feel confident that it will work out just great.
Please welcome him in the comments, or say hello on Twitter, where he posts as @ivanovitch. And remember: if you've got suggestions or requests of what you'd like to see from the set, he's your man.
With a producer dedicated to keeping you involved, here’s what you can expect:
1. I’ll still be sending updates as often as I can. That will probably be closer to weekly than daily, but I’ll do my best. If it’s important, you’ll hear it from me.
2. We’ll also continue to share regular updates from the production team on Twitter and Instagram, while doing our best to avoid spoilers. Our partners at Warner Bros will continue to run the movie’s official Facebook page and Customer Service.
3. For those of you who want more exclusives, good news: later this week, we’re hoping to launch a password-protected website just for backers. Our goal is to update the site each day with exclusive photos and video from the set. We’re also exploring options for Q & A, live chats with the cast, and more. As soon as we've got it working, we'll send you a password to log in.
4. In both these Kickstarter updates and on the website, you’ll still be hearing from me. But you’ll also meet a lot of the other talented folks, cast and crew alike, who are working with me to bring Veronica Mars back to life.
A Few Last Notes
More Casting News: After production began, we received a lot of letters asking whether there would be any more casting news, and the answer is yes: I do still have a few casting announcements left to share, which include both familiar and new faces. I'm hoping to share at least one of those announcements in the next 24 hours.
More SDCC News: We also continue to receive a lot of questions about our plans for San Diego Comic Con. As I shared in April, we'll be holding our own fan event on the evening of July 19th, but now that we've finished coordinating with SDCC, I'm pleased to tell you that we'll also be putting in an official appearance at SDCC itself: in the next few days, we should be able to share details about an official Veronica Mars panel and cast signings at the Warner Bros booth.
More soon,
Rob
Spoilers!