Introducing… Soundie Jack!

How would you describe Tales of Bacon?
I hope it sounds lovely Describe what your role is and what it entails.

I have been the Sound Recordist for a number of the episodes. In recording location sound I basically shove microphones in peoples faces, strap microphones to sensitive areas and shout at surrounding flora/fauna to shut up so I can get clean dialogue.

How did you get involved in the project?
I’ve worked with director Natalie on a number of projects prior, as well as recording sound for a number productions in and around York. It was only natural we’d gravitate toward each other for this project I think.

What has been your favourite part/moment of the project so far?

When Natalie asked Adam to be conscious of making “communion wafers” as we had a limited supply of bread and his response was “Yes I know darling, I’ve got 99 problems but only 5 buns”

That or the time Adam’s megabus caught fire.

Basically Adam. Gemma’s nice too I guess…

Introducing… Editor Matt!

I’m Matt Durrant and I do many things on Tales of Bacon!

How would you describe Tales of Bacon?

It’s a witty, warm, original and lovingly crafted story of two unlikely friends who have wildly different ways of dealing with their problems. And a LOT of questionable medieval cuisine. And swords.

Describe what your role is and what it entails.
Which role would that be? I’m primarily the editor, so I select the juiciest chunks of footage from our shoots and put them together to make a watchable story that lives up to Nat’s and Max’s creative vision. This entails many hours of squinting at my computer, and much agonising over tiny details. Fortunately Nat is often there to guide my hand and fuel me with cake.

As well as editor, I’ve also been a camera operator, sound recordist, photographer, squire to the White Knight, and leek-munching peasant.

How did you get involved in the project?

I was writing my own web series when I realised I knew next to nothing about real filmmaking; and then I came across Tales of Bacon on Twitter when they were just gearing up for production. So I asked Nat if I could help out in any way, thinking I could learn a thing or two. One thing led to another over the next few months, and… well, see above.

What has been your favourite part/moment of the project so far?

Tough question. On one hand there’s the excitement and hilarity of the big shoot days – some of my very favourite days, I don’t mind saying – and on the other hand there’s the alchemy of editing; feeling the story come together, solving problems, and the reward of showing it to Nat and Max and seeing their reactions. It’s a thrill to have such a big role in telling the story that they’ve created.

Introducing…Costumer Carly!

Hi, my name is Carly and I work on the costumes and props part of the show!

How would you describe Tales of Bacon?

Tales of Bacon is a funny, witty combination of history and adventure!

Describe what your role is and what it entails.

My role is to provide some of the costumes and a few of the props, as well as do whatever is required on set, anything from providing Thaddeus with wellies or putting out a flaming bishop!

How did you get involved in the project?

I got involved with bacon after working on a few other projects with Nat and Max and finding common interests in medieval shows. When Natalie was planning and writing with Max we started looking at costume designs and got very excited about flowing dresses and hair ribbons.

What has been your favourite part/moment of the project so far?

My favourite part of filming bacon so far has to be sitting in a forest eating biscuits and laughing at ridiculously inappropriate medieval puns!! With such a wonderful funny and creative team every part of filming Bacon has been brilliant.

Introducing… DOP Tony!

I’m Tony Hipwell and I’m the Director of Photography for the pilot and Episode 6.

How would you describe Tales of Bacon?

Tales of Bacon is kind of  a medieval road trip with a bit of a feminist Monty Python vibe.

Describe what your role is and what it entails

My role as DOP is to communicate the story and tone visually. It’s important with a pilot to set a solid benchmark for my successors so there’s consistency in the storytelling and it all feels like one flowing tale. I’ve worked on a number of different web shows like Zomblogalypse and a bunch of projects for Redshirt Films so I like to think I’m well versed in web series and working with minimal resources and time. There were some new challenges though, which was part of the appeal. Due to the era the story is set in, the series demanded a different approach to lighting than I’ve used in the past. There was no electricity back then (obvs) so everything had to look natural, which is tricky when you’re shooting interiors. This is especially the case for night scenes such as the opening sequence; a fun combination of natural candle light and artificial sources.

How did you get involved in the project?

Natalie has been a valued crew member on a number of earlier projects for me, and Max is a good friend whose scripts I’ve always wanted to shoot, so when they asked I couldn’t say no.

What has been your favourite part/moment of the project so far?

There have been a lot of great moments but working with and getting to know the cast was probably the most fun.  Adam and Gemma are excellent in the lead roles and I think audiences will really find themselves rooting for them.

Introducing… Writer Max!

I’m Max Gee and I’m a screenwriter (plus occasional beverage maker, hair stylist and sign maker) on Tales of Bacon.

How would you describe Tales of Bacon?

Tales of Bacon is a mad, medieval romp around the North East of England. It’s one part Canterbury Tales and another part Maid Marian and her Merry Men, with a dash of Monty Python and hearty helping of Black Adder style antics thrown in. It’s as historically accurate as anything can be on a small budget but then that’s also part of its charm. 

Describe what your role is and what it entails.
As a screenwriter, I’ve been around from the beginning. Over far too many coffees, Nat and I shaped the series, developing the characters and storylines into 6 screenplays for the 6 episodes. We wanted to have all the episodes written before we started filming, to help generate consistency and build strong arcs, both for the narrative and the characters, throughout the series.

So, Nat and I would plan the episode, developing a detailed outline which I’d use to then go away and write the screenplay from. Then we’d meet up and discuss where elements were, and weren’t, working and edit the screenplay together. Once we were happy with the screenplays I handed everything back over to Nat to take the project forwards.

Of course, things happen which require changes to the screenplay once production starts so I’m around to do little (or large) edits to accommodate those changes into new drafts.

How did you get involved in the project? 

I remember meeting Nat, one fateful day, in Spring Espresso where the conversation turned to Pardoners. I agreed with her that there really should be more stories with pardoners and somehow managed to convince her that a medieval webseries would be a totally normal and sensible thing to do on no budget – sorry Nat.

After that we spent a lot of time throwing ideas around, and taking road trips to inspirational places like Lindisfarne, until Tales of Bacon finally emerged.

What has been your favourite part/moment of the project so far?

There have been a lot of amazing moments, but one of the greatest thrills is seeing the various edits of the episodes. As a writer who can’t always be on set, it is pretty special to see all the hard work of the talented cast and crew come together to bring the idea alive and to form something we are all proud to share. The times I was on set it was great to see the excitement, energy and enthusiasm of everyone who is involved. And it was also a lot of fun to have a go at styling the hair of our wild, marauding character.

Watch our Series Trailer!

Watch our trailer here!

At the time of writing, we are on 992 views of our trailer!

This is very exciting for us as we are only a short time away from releasing our pilot episode and it’s wonderful to know we have such interest in the show!

The trailer was put together using clips from the pilot and some sneaky footage from the recently shot second episode too. It was released on 23rd December as a little Christmas treat for our cast and crew.

Please click on the link and give it a watch, leave us a comment too, we’d love to know your thoughts!

 

 

Introducing… Director Nat!

My name is Nat Roe and I’m the co-creator, director and producer of Tales of Bacon.

How would you describe Tales of Bacon?

Tales of Bacon is like The Canterbury Tales only set further north, with modern dialogue and anachronistic hedgerows. We’re aiming it to be somewhere between Maid Marion and her Merry Men and a YouTube version of medieval Wagon Plays with a bit of Terry Gilliam thrown in!

Describe what your role is and what it entails.

My role started by writing the story outlines and turning them into screenplays with Max Gee. Then I break down each script into scenes, locations, and actors and work out a basic schedule. I contact everyone to see what dates they’re available and then make lists of costumes, props and set dressing we need. Most of pre-production is spent emailing people or driving around Yorkshire picking up odd props. On the shooting days, I direct and buy the good biscuits (because our cast and crew do deserve them!) and then I bribe Matt the Editor with cake to ease the post-production process. Then there’s the social media and hoping our audience are excited to see it!

I haven’t directed anything since university so it’s all a great learning and re-learning experience for me. Plus I’ve learnt to really love colour-coded call sheets.

How did you get involved in the project?

I came up with the basic idea on a long car journey for what I thought would be a graphic novel. I really liked Pardoners and felt I would like there to be more stories featuring them. Max persuaded me in Spring Espresso, Fossgate in York to create a webseries instead.

One day my car was getting MOT-ed so I sat in a cafe eating Bacon sandwiches, writing lots of potential outlines, scenarios, lists of medieval English saints and characters. Max helped me hone it over New Year 2015 and a road trip to Lindisfarne really nailed all the characters and their story arcs.

What has been your favourite part/moment of the project so far?

Being on set is the best for me! I love seeing actors in their costumes for the first time and having the crew around me. We have a very knowledgeable and professional team but we laugh a lot too! Seeing it all come from out of my head into reality is magical.

Introducing….Mistress Pewter (and her Ox!)

This is Natalie Rose of Rosewood Farms, actress and animal wrangler!

How would you describe Tales of Bacon?

Genuinely, refreshingly amusing.  From great writing and a cast made up of talented and funny rather than tediously beautiful-and-not-much-else people!  It’s very Blackadder, and who doesn’t need a bit more Blackadder in their life?

What three words would you use to describe your character?

Cynical, secretive & naughty.

Mistress Pewter’s a tough nut to crack, randomly riding around the roads of Ye Olde England on no doubt important but unnamed business, on her ox.  She’s not buying what Thaddeus is selling.  Until he stumbles across her vulnerable spot, her dirty little secrets which she’d rather keep to herself!  Well played, Thaddeus, well played…

How did you get involved in the project?

I met Nat Roe on a film set – our names are exactly the same but for a missing S in hers and it caused a bit of confusion in pre-filming correspondence, no one was quite sure if I was a spelling mistake or not.  So I made a beeline for her on the day and hey, instant friend!  As one of a number of obscure hobbies, I train and ride oxen and that comes in handy for filmmakers sometimes.  Oxen were a key part of medieval England but not one that’s often depicted in media but Nat and I are keen on our history so she was keen to get an ox into her screenplay when she knew she had one available.  I was only too happy to provide it – I learnt an important lesson when we were filming with Ted on ToB though: don’t be the actor and animal wrangler at the same time!  When you’re acting, you can’t break character to be communicating properly with your ox!  We managed not to ruin everything completely though.

What has been your favourite part/moment of the project so far?

I’ve really enjoyed all aspects of being involved, there was a great atmosphere on set.  I think just the overall movie magic of being involved with picking and creating sets and thinking ‘hmm, really could’ve done with a bigger budget to get this any good’ and then you look at what’s been filmed on a screen and thinking ‘ah, no we didn’t!’.  Also, seeing a bishop in full bishop gear, complete with flaming torch ready to burn a witch in the middle of the English countryside was amusing.   Paul was born for that role.

Introducing… A Very Nasty Bishop!

My name is Paul Toy and I play the part of the Bishop. Part of the enjoyment was the research into which bishop I might be. I decided that I would be Henry le Despenser, the Fighting Bishop of Norwich, who helped put down the Peasant’s Revolt in Norfolk in 1381 –only a year after this webseries- and led a so-called ‘crusade’ against the French. He was also no friend to Lollardy.

How would you describe Tales of Bacon?

It is manuscript marginalia come to life! That is to say, all the comic and fantastical elements of medieval life are placed centre-stage.

What 3 words would you use to describe your character?  

Sophisticated, Proud, Bigoted.

How did you get involved in the project?

I was acting the part of a villainous blackmailer (Charles Augustus Milverton in a Sherlock Holmes adaptation by Max Gee) and they seemed to think that I would be believable as a man who was prepared to set a girl on fire.

What has been your favourite part/moment of the project so far?

It’s been an enjoyable experience to film because there’s an unusual lack of ego on set. It’s much more of a collaborative venture, which I find is more usual in the theatre but less so in film. Favourite moment was undoubtedly brandishing a burning brand, it’s probably the nearest I’ll get to lighting the Olympic Flame.

Introducing… Robin Hood!

I’m Jimmy Johnson and I play Robin Hood.

How would use describe Tales of Bacon?

Tales of Bacon is…er…well it’s a sort of romp through the hidden silliness of medieval England. As far as I know it’s all true as well. All of it.

What 3 words would you use to describe your character?

Roguish. Misunderstood. Hungry.

 

How did you get involved in the project?

As far as I remember, I was working at a writing job when Nat asked if I would be interested in getting involved with a project with her and Max. I’d worked with Nat before on other short films and knew it would be a great thing to do. From there I think it was a case of the script arriving, and the rest was history!

What has been your favourite part/moment of the project so far?

In terms of highlights, I think it’ll be difficult for them to beat having me biting the ends off half a dozen Cornish pasties in a forest on a sunny summer morning in Yorkshire. But I do hope they’ll try!