Someone's in the house. He's watching. He's creeping round, only you can't see him. He's watching you from the walls. He's right behind you now. Looking over your shoulder. He wants the remote control. He's a bad boy. He wants to watch bad movies. Bad bad Ronald...
Showing posts with label teen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teen. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl: Book One

             Sunshine Girl's New Adventures - 

          Haunting Bookshelves Near You! 

  It was in the Summer of 2011, and I was tooling around YouTube. I was checking out trailers for upcoming scary movies, and searching through good creepy short films.  The sidebar recommendations were providing great undiscovered related titles, so I was flipping through its
suggestions, when I saw this very intriguing title: The Haunting of Sunshine Girl.  The title was just too cool not to click on.


Before I knew it, I'm deep into the playlist of stacks of 1-4 minute videos, detailing the adventures of a very engaging and charming teenage girl, named Sunshine, who is doing quirky little vlog entries about school and pop culture... AND who just so happens to be haunted by some weird ghostly beings. The curious part of it all was that these videos weren't full of wide eyes and bated breath and pounding pulse atmosphere. Oh, it would go there, with some real chilling moments.  But, instead of drowning in the horror movie tropes of contemporary genre movies, HAUNTING nestles itself in the real world, giving Sunshine an average teenage life, with average teenage problems -- and then there's the strange girl in the corner! Or the odd lady standing out in her yard! Or the bloody words on the wall!  The Haunting of Sunshine Girl was
I don't wanna look!
simply the freshest thing I had seen, in any medium, related to the horror genre, at that time.  And it still delivers after over four years on the interwebs.


In case you're not familiar, The Haunting of Sunshine Girl is a YouTube program created by Nick Hagen and Mercedes Rose, and stars Rose's daughter, Paige McKenzie. They debuted the show back in December, 2010, and it quickly amassed over a million viewers (and still rolling them in by the thousands a day!).  They followed up HAUNTING with spin-off shows, and added new shows to the line up (featuring zombies, Bigfoot, another haunted girl, and screen printers!), and made their own grassroots horror movie, Sunshine Girl and the Hunt for Black Eyed Kids. Paige has been busy, herself, with connections to Seventeen magazine, making appearances in other films, and shooting videos on the sets of director Guillermo Del Toro.  And now she's authored her first Haunted Sunshine novel -- The Haunting of Sunshine Girl: Book One.

Paige and her Mom have always been very cool, granting me interviews. I first spoke with them before their show had reached the one-year benchmark, and had several chats since. With the coming of Paige's first book, I'm thinking they might get too big for my little blog, though.  You see, the book is being released by Weinstein Books, a joint publishing venture between The Weinstein Brothers and The Perseus Book Group. In case that went over your head, that would be the Weinstein Brothers -- Bob and Harvey!  The Oscar winning movie moguls!!!  So yeah, I'm expecting a secretary the next time I try and
contact Paige and her Mom, who will politely reply "Sorry, they're in a meeting."


The book is out now.  Check out the book trailer they made, below! I suggest you get a copy and become acquainted with Sunshine and her world. I've got my Kindle version, and will check back with a review!  In the meantime, here is my chat with Paige "Sunshine" McKenzie...  (her responses are in bold)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So… Wow, right?  A book! What has been the coolest thing about the whole book thing?

Well, I LOVE books and reading so just being part of the whole literary world has been a dream come true. I get to talk about story and hang out with authors and go to bookstores and just surround myself with all things BOOKS!  


When you and Nick and your Mom first ventured off into the Haunted Sunshine thing, did you expect it to blossom like this?  I know you all probably had great hopes and dreams of big things – but, Weinsteins!  Did that ever factor into your dreams?

I think we thought there would be more "steps". You know, make a film that went to a small film festival and then a little bit bigger film with a "name" in it and maybe after that have a film go to Sundance and get a sponsor for the Youtube. We have always had big dreams and chose to go a more non-traditional route to get Hollywood to pay attention. So it makes total sense that the most creative, think-outside-of-the-box film studio in Hollywood is the one to see the potential of Sunshine! 



Alright, you have  a dodgeball match – who do you pick for your team, Bob or Harvey?  

Oooohhh, tough one! Dodgeball is scary stuff! So I guess I have to say Bob! He IS the one that loves the scary stuff after all! 

You’ve had a lot of cool experiences in the past couple years, with the book, the magazine, the Del Toro House of Horrors set shoot, acting roles outside of Sunshine...  What has been the big highlight of all your adventures, so far?

You are right this has been an amazing adventure so far...if I had to choose one, I have to pick the book and the collaboration with Weinstein. I mean, it's Weinstein! And all the book people are so nice and chill and so very genuine. I feel like I have made life-long friends and that is an amazing bonus. 


Can you tell us a bit about the novel?  Is it stories from your YouTube show, or new adventures?

Book one is basically the 1st playlist or so of the channel. Think of it as Sunshine's "origin story"! Fans of the YouTube will recognize some of their favorite moments from the videos and find "Easter eggs" that they will love. Some changes had to be made, and additions were necessary but the basic idea is the same. But if you have never heard of The Haunting of Sunshine Girl YouTube, no worries. The books are a complete adventure all on their own! 

 
Will there be more Sunshine books? 

At least 2, maybe more! ;) 


How cool is it to have book buds like RL Stine and Wes Craven?  Those were great endorsements.

Any good review makes me happy but when it is an iconic expert of creepy, the feeling is amazing!


Welcome to Sunshine's world
With the Weinstein connection, is there any talk of turning these Sunshine books into a movie series? 

Most people don't even realize that Weinstein has a book division, movies is the logical next step. But who knows, TV might be an option too! 


What’s new on the YouTube scene?  You, along with Mom and Nick, have been madly producing a variety of shows to run along with Haunting of Sunshine Girl on your network. Are there any new things on the YouTube horizon that we can look forward to?

I have been madly creating content to go up while on my book tour! There will be plenty of scary and creeptastic stuff plus some fun other videos from other Tubers. Plus, I'll be posting all kinds of behind the scenes book tour stuff which will be fun! 

We have talked before about how important it was to have Sunshine be a positive role model for girls. Now that your reach has expanded out from just the YouTube show, what are your hopes for further spreading the message of girl power and a positive media image for females?

I think for many girls there are plenty of "cool girl" role models...the Jenners and Taylor Swift and even JLaw seem so perfect and stunning. I mean, Jennifer Lawrence can make tripping look effortless. Sunshine, however, is very accessible and real. Her flaws (real or imagined) are on full display for all to see. She has zits and out of control hair and is scared and brave and confused and positive. And she is your friend.  

The landscape of home entertainment is evolving and growing. How do you see the future of the Internet and streaming television changing?  And where will Sunshine fit in!  (Whoa! -- this is the 60 Minutes interview all of a sudden now!!!)

The changing landscape is one of my favorite things about this time in the entertainment world. Technology has made storytelling faster, easier and far more accessible than ever before. And I only see that growing. For creative thinkers, the sky really is the limit. We are right now brainstorming how to incorporate platforms like Meerkat and Snapchat into how we tell a story. And I love that! 


One last question -- Sunshine has been a part of your life for going on five years. How has Sunshine effected your life, your world?  How has Sunshine changed? (Now I'm Barbara Walters!)

My life is so much different than I think it would have been had I not started the youtube. College would have been the next logical step. Instead I have discovered all these different hats I like to wear: actor, producer, author, creator, Tuber... who knows what is next? 

Throughout the series, and also the book, Sunshine's kind of grown into herself. In the book especially, she find more people to help and guide her in her journey of discovery. She realizes her potential and her destiny. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The book is out now, folks, on all your bookstore shelves and on your mobile devices.  If you're a fan, drop a line and let me know what you think about the book!


Friday, November 9, 2012

BadRonald Teaser: Sunshine Girl Movie Trailer!!!

One of the great YouTube success stories is set to burst off your laptop screen and onto theater screens and TV screens across the country.  Sunshine Girl is someone I've spoken about many times, with her self-recorded quirkiness and Scooby Gang ghost hunting antics (which can been viewed on her YouTube channel The Haunting of Sunshine Girl).  Her mini adventures run the gamut of fresh and silly teen girl vlogging, to some real jump-from-your-computer-chair frights.  There's ghosts and demons and paranormal mayhem.  But mostly, there's Sunshine herself.

I got word from Sunshine that she's gotten herself into a bit of a paranormal pickle.  She's been out investigating the phenomenon known as Black Eyed Kids (otherwise known as BEKs), and trying to hunt some down.  Only problem is... she found some.  Yikes!!!

The up side is, she's sharing her BEK adventures with the world in a new feature film Sunshine Girl and the Hunt for Black Eyed Kids.  Sunshine dropped this trailer off to me with a message, warning that people need to see this now!

"Bad Ronald rocks for sharing the trailer to my new movie, Sunshine Girl and the Hunt for BEKs. I can't wait to share it with everyone and be on the look out for some exclusive pics from my movie coming to Bad Ronald blog very soon!"


The BEK movie will be released 12-21-12 on DVD and VOD. Check the Sunshine Movie website for updates and make sure to jump on the newsletter.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Malice: The Webseries Returns!

Rolling out from my grave to bring you a special Halloween alert.  Forget Sandy, or the Elections (I know, they're both awful frightening!), Malice: The Web Series is the big happening on Halloween.  Season Two premieres with a fantastic episode that expands the series in both technical and narrative ways.  If you haven't been watching, go give it a great big try.

To whet your appetite, here's an interview with Malice creator Philip Cook...



Can you give me a little background on you, and also a bit about the film community where you live and work?

Well … I’ve been knocking round a while.  In the 80s I worked on the first MTV Ids. 
And animated rock videos for the Alan Parsons Project “Don’t Answer Me” as an animation cinematographer.

I had always wanted to make features so when the animation company I worked for moved to New York I stayed behind in Washington D.C. to direct my first feature the sci-fi film OUTERWORLDwhich debuted on the SyFy Channel the year they launched.

After that I directed another sci-fi thriller called INVADER which was broadcast on HBO, Showtime and Cinemax.  And then after that I made a direct to video feature DESPISER.  These were all micro-budget independent productions.  But they all got finished, made their money back and got distributed worldwide.

How did the concept of Malice begin?

Well I still wanted to produce stories yet it is so difficult to raise money for production.  In the 80s it was possible to make a no-star-name independent genre film and get it in a movie theater.  That day has passed.

In the 90s it was possible to make a no-star-name genre picture and get it on TV and cable.  That day has passed.

In 2000 it was possible to make a no-star-name genre picture and sell videos to 35,000 Blockbuster and 27,000 Hollywood video stores.  Well those stores are all gone now.

What was left?  The web.  Produce a web series and distribute it your self via YouTube or other means?  How does it work?  How do you monetize your efforts?  Interesting possibilities.  So I started researching web series and found most of them awful.  But then I found THE GUILD, which I loved.  You could see some rough production value in the early episodes but the writing and characters were brilliant.  I thought I could do this and bring some of my production and visual effects experience to bear.

I needed a containable story.  A hook.  A compelling character.  It had to be tightly paced and character driven.  It had to have visual effects.  So I thought … hmm … well I live in this interesting house.  What if it was haunted?  It wasn’t hard for me to hear the voices of Alice and Abbey come from anecdotes of my daily life with my two daughters.  I like swords.  Dad has swords.  We also have a bunny named Plot.  You get the idea.  But we have no Ghost Boy in our house.  I made him up.  But the eyeball in the garbage disposal?  That’s real.  Hmm.  Not really.

Your cast is terrific, but Brittany Martz seems like a one in a million find.  I understand you discovered her in a not so typical way.

It was truly serendipity.  I spent months writing the scripts and getting them as tight as I could.  But I dragged my feet on producing the show.  I knew it was going to completely consume my life for a year.  And there was no point in going through all this effort if I couldn’t find brilliant actors.  It would live or die by its cast.  MALICE is a self-finance show so casting directors and the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) was out.  Being typical me I said I’ll find my own cast.  So I put out an ad on Craigslist, looking for young teen girls to be in a horror show.  Sounds creepy right?  But I crafted the ad very carefully -- listed my credits, links to my website and past productions.  The most remarkably talented young people started showing up for the casting call.  But when Brittany read the voice-over for me in her audition I was sold.  She had a lovely old-world-wise melancholy coming from such a young woman.  It’s funny because she wasn’t at all how I envisioned how Alice would look.  But she was simply amazing.  Now I can’t even see my original Alice -- it’s Brittany now.

How has it been working with Brittany, and the rest of the cast?

Brittany is wonderful.  Motivated, enthusiastic, committed, always thinking how the shot or scene is plugging into the story arc.  She really gets the process – wise like a veteran in that regard.  Frankly our whole cast was the most amenable group of people I have ever worked with.  I can honestly say we all had blast shooting MALICE.  We collectively all lived at my house for a month and made a horror show.  What could possibly be more fun then that?

The effects look pretty sweet, and the stories are great.  How tough is it to work all this magic into such a tight budget (and small crew)?

Well.  It’s hard.  MALICE’s crew was basically me as the Director/Director of Photography/Lighting Person and Art Director.  I had a wonderful committed young makeup artist Courtney Westphal who basically was my right hand on the set and I ended up crediting her as an Associate Producer.  And I had Max Heaton who just graduated from school was my Sound Recordist.  And of course my daughter Alexandra was Production Manager keeping us all straight on logistics.  That was it.  The whole gang.  Quite a few days it was just Brittany and I running around grabbing pickup shots or insert scenes – an army of one and the star!

What I find great about some of these webseries I've come across is the potential for them to go bigger.  You've now moved  beyond YouTube, right?
 
We’re on a couple of hosting sites right now.  YouTube, Blip.TV and most recently Koldcast.TV -- which has been remarkable.  They’re very selective of what they host on their site and they actively drive crazy amounts views.  So that’s very exciting expanding our audience.

MALICE has tons of potential.  I simply love the dynamic of Alice, this diminutive young woman being thrown into these way-over-her-head situations that she has to resolve.  And it’s not because she a superhero or has superpower.  She just cares and does the best she can.  Some of it comes down to a mere survival struggle but the other part is finding a profound inner strength when you need it.  But in the end, Alice is just a kid trying to grow up.

Right now, you have a Kickstarter campaign, to raise funds to continue.  How tough is it to find support, being outside of the usual big production areas of NYC or LA.

It’s very hard.  We have started with nothing but a hundred pages of script and lots of committed young talented people that I never even know barely a year ago.  Yet we are managing to build a community around this show. MALICE is taking on a life of its own.  Fans all around the world are discovering the show and that is very exciting.  But I feel we are merely a hundred feet up the slope of Everest right now.  And it’s a five-mile hike to the summit.  But we’ll get there.  And it will be epic!


And how challenging has it been to build a fan base?

We’d love to go to Comic Con.  But it takes money and our production runs on two sticks and a Band-Aid.  Did I mention micro-budget?  Perhaps some day.  I know if I could get Abbey (Rebekkah Johnson) and Alice (Brittany Martz) in the lobby of Comic Con wearing Battle-BunnyT-shirts and black bunny hats passing out flyers that geeks would flock to them.  Guerilla marketing with a bunny twist!

Besides all the cool weaponry and kick ass qualities of Alice, you and Brittany have developed her to be quite a positive role model for young girls.  Not only does she handle the firepower like a boss, she uses her wit and brains to get through the messes.  Was this your original concept of your heroine?  Did Brittany help mold her with you?

All of what Alice is was carefully crafted in the script.  We really didn’t deviate barely a single word from what was written.  But what Brittany did was make you believe that Alice was real, sincere, threatened, vulnerable and brave.  She sold it.  It’s quite remarkable watching her say my lines and making me hear them as if for the first time.  That is a gift and she gave to MALICE for all of you to see.

As far as Alice as a role model?  I think that’s cool.  In my view isn’t that why we want to hear and watch these stories?  To get some closure?  Take a journey?  Resolve something epic that we rarely witness in our regular lives?  Alice is a noble and tragic heroine making tough choices.  Her life is not going to be easy.

What do you have in store for Malice: The Webseries in its upcoming new season?  And secrets you can share?

In the interim we produced a special “MALICE in Space” episode that is completely out of context of the main story but features the same characters – Dad and Alice.  It was a pretty wild and intense promotion for a Space: 1999 convention coming up in L.A. in September.

Consider it another of Alice’s “wild flights of fantasy.”

After that we continue our story with Episode-Seven, which really ups the ante concerning MALICE.  We see Alice and Abbey’s house party.  And as you can imagine it’s going to be a total disaster.  What ever is going on in that house starts to show up in a big way.  And then from there … it’s a roller coaster straight down the rabbit hole!



                                                                  ************

So, what are you waiting for?  Go check out Philip Cook's amazing webseries, and watch Brittany Martz kick some monster ass in Malice: The Webseries.



 

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

BadRonald Chats with Brittany Martz of Malice: The Webseries

I don't know if you guys have been noticing, but the webernets are chock full of great original programming.  It used to be that so much of the web "television" shows either came off like a cable community access show, or worse, like a half-rate cable community access show.
Shattering the Looking Glass

YouTube has done its share of star making from the song and dance end of the world, but now there looks to be a concerted effort to find some real bonafide screen talent.  Type in webseries and you'll find yourself a list full of shows, from comedy bits to real, down and dirty action and thrillers.  One of my favorites has been The Haunting of Sunshine Girl.  After discovering that last year, I checked out the sidebar suggestions and found the teaser for a new upcoming program Malice: The WebSeries.  Instantly, upon seeing the open shot of Alice (played by Brittany Martz), a sweet looking teenage girl, dressed in some goth-punk grrl outfit and an awesome black rabbit ears cap, perched on a rooftop with an assault rifle in hand, and weird creatures approaching her from the distance -- I was ready for more.  When the series finally arrived, earlier this year, the pay off was satisfying -- a mix of sci fi/fantasy and horror, with some After School Special teenage angst, to boot.




Brittany takes on the lead role with ease and charm.  She's angsty in a John Hughes misunderstood teen kinda way -- cute and awkward, with a tomboy edge.  And then, after the spooky stuff flies, she turns all kickass, with her freaky bunny gear.  She's definitely a treat to watch.  With Rebekka Johnson as her older sister, and Mark Hyde and Leanna Chamish as their parents, the cast rounds out pretty solidly. It's a terrific show that sometimes shows it's budget.  But, that's to be expected when the show is pretty much run and operated by the one-man-band Philip Cook.  I certainly don't rag on that notion, either, since Cook and his gang pull off an amazing show. small budget or not.  This really is worth the while.

And speaking of budgets, the creator and star of the series, Bittany Martz, have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the money to continue producing the Internet series. I had the opportunity to chat with Brittany about her role in the series, and got some great behind the scenes knowledge.

BadRonald: For those who haven't had the good fortune of seeing Malice, yet, can you describe it for them?

Brittany Martz: Malice is the story of the Turner family who inherits late grandma's house in rural Virginia. The move reveals some cracks in the already shaky family dynamic. As soon as they move in a bad energy seems to hit the air. Dad starts acting tense, Mom's drinking problems come to the surface, and Abby and Alice cannot get along. A creepy feeling pervades and soon strange things start happening, the most disturbing of which is family members disappearing. Suddenly it's up to Alice, the youngest, to solve the mystery of the house and rescue the rest of the Turners.

BadRonald: How to did you get yourself in Malice?

Brittany Martz:  I actually found out about Malice through Craigslist. Crazy right? Phil put a post up in the talent section and I found it, contacted him, made sure he was legitimate (Craigslist can be creepy), and ended up auditioning for him all within the course of a week.
Dig that bunny cap
BadRonald: Malice starts out seemingly as a sort of haunted house type of story, with Alice discovering some weirdness going on in the house.  And of course, no one believes her... And then, things kinda get... Medieval.  And, with some wild FX, too!  How crazy can fans expect this story to get, as it continues?

Brittany Martz:  As the story continues it only gets crazier! I think a lot of people who are already watching might be formulating some ideas about what exactly is going on, but as the story continues, it goes in (what I feel) is a very unexpected direction. I remember when I first read the script I was completely shocked when the source of all the Turner's troubles was finally revealed.

BadRonald: Besides having some great horror/fantasy action, the story also involves the coming-of-age of the main character, a somewhat average, somewhat invisible and misunderstood teen girl. What's your insight into your character?  Do you relate to her? 

Brittany Martz:  I'm actually very different from Alice. I am incredibly girly and sociable. I am an only child and I get along very well with my family.
However, there are some parts of Alice that I can definitely relate to: for one, Alice lives very much in a fantasy land in her head. She has a wild imagination.  She's also a bit of an outsider - and as a theater kid, I can't deny that in a lot of circles I'm considered a little weird.
I tried to channel a bit more of my younger, angst-y side into Alice. I remember being younger, trying to figure out exactly who I was, and getting frustrated with myself and the world at large. At the end of the day, she's just a girl trying to figure out her place in the big bad world. I think that's something we can all relate to.

BadRonald:  Alice has a neat edge to her, besides handling the firearms and cutlery like a pro, she dreams of passionate fantasies, of romantic trysts in the woods with an unknown young man.  Also, the Battle Bunny gear you have on for the promotional pics and videos -- there's a real coquettish mood to it all, but highly playful and innocent overall.  It's like Alice wants to grow up, but also doesn't want to lose her childhood, either.  What are your thoughts on Alice's coming of age?  And of how you portray her maturity vs. innocence?

Brittany Martz:  Actually, those fantasies you speak of, are actually visions of the past. Alice has an almost clairvoyant quality to her. That is something the second season expands on a bit.

Alice has a particularly rough coming-of-age. Does she want to grow up? Yes and no. Yes, she wants people to take her seriously. She wants recognition that she is a capable, respectable person. And she is painfully tired of dealing with the trite social interactions that being in a high school setting entails.

But growing up means coming to terms with some very uncomfortable realities for Alice. Her father, whom she takes after, and idolizes, is not the invincible man she has always dreamed of. She has always seen him as a king, but "oh how the mighty fall." She sees that he cannot stop her mother's "problems" and despite being an ex-Navy Seal, he cannot protect his family from these strange new things attacking them. Additionally, she must face the fact that you really cannot rely on anyone but yourself to get through the toughest things in life. People leave, change their minds, go insane - you have to be tough to make it through this thing called life.
On top of all of this - Alice is pretty much FORCED to grow up in a very short amount of time. She becomes the sole protector of her family without and forewarning.

I did not try to put any emphasis on Alice's maturity. Despite her intellect and toughness, I did not want to create a super hero. She's a real girl. She's flawed.

BadRonald:  This feeling of halted childhood - or halted maturity, as well -- is a big theme in Alice and Wonderland.  You guys carry it over in your story well, not with the stuff we discussed already, but also in her family relations.  Alice looks to become independent, but also doesn't want to let go of her hard-drinking mom, her sometimes not-so-understanding dad, and her big sister, who... well, acts like a big sister.  How do you view this family?

Brittany Martz:  This family is full of problems, but frankly, I don't think they're too entirely far from average. Every family has problems. The Turners, despite their issues, have a strong sense of loyalty that sort of lives underneath the surface of their interactions.

BadRonald:  You guys have a Kickstarter funding campaign going on.  Can you let everyone know know how important this is to you and the project?

Brittany Martz:  Malice has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my acting career. I'd hate to see it end prematurely.This Kickstarter fundraiser means the world to me and the Malice family! We have dedicated so much time and hard work to making this web series as awesome as we possibly can. We would love to bring more Malice episodes to fruition, but we can't do it without help! 

BadRonald:  I've spoken to other webshows that start out as YouTube productions, but have now moved on to developing into something larger (The Haunting of Sunshine Girl, for instance).  Are you guys looking to grow, as well??

Brittany Martz:  I, personally, would love to see Malice grow into something bigger. I don't think people realize just how LITTLE funding we were working with to create the first six episodes. We already created something pretty badass (if I do say so). If we had the fan base and the funding to grow even large, we could create some truly amazing material.

BadRonald:  Have you got any hints as to what we can expect from the next "season" of Malice?

Brittany Martz: Well, I don't to give too much away? But viewers can expect a real good look at the world of the creepy things haunting the Turners, and the force behind it all! We're kicking up the action!


BadRonald:  Even though Alice totes some mean firepower, she uses her wits and brains and courage. Can you talk about the importance of creating and portraying a positive young female image?

Brittany Martz:  To be honest, when I began creating Alice I wasn't at all focused on creating a positive female image. I was just trying to create a believable person who lives through and must deal with some pretty unbelievable circumstances. She does so with great bravery and strength, but who wouldn't muster up such courage when faced with the task of saving one's family?

That being said, I do think it's important that young women (and men) have positive role models. I think that maybe Alice can teach people that even when you feel like you're at the end of your rope, there is a small spark inside of you - if you can tap into it, there's really no limit to what you can do.



Thank you Brittany!  We here at BadRonald wish the production well, and hope it finds the funding it needs to continue.  Go contribute! Come on -- how can ylou resist this plea for help!!!




Really... go save this show!!!

Save me!

Friday, October 21, 2011

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl -- Why Are You Not Watching This!!

A Girl.  Her Bedroom.  Her Camera. A Ghost.


"CAN'T EAT THAT CHEX MIX!"

There are some things in our pop culture lives that we come across, quite by accident, which just make you wonder -- how could I not have known about this before?  Sorta like the original The Office.  Never watched it on BBC America.  Then I heard about it and had to hunt down the DVDs.  Loved it.  And now Ricky Gervais is the best thing that's happened to comedy since Tim Conway!!

So... when I discovered The Haunting of Sunshine Girl -- again, quite by accident (don't ask), I figured I'd better latch on to this one, 'cause it's gonna blow up!  Really... it's good stuff.

There's a crud load of pretty young things all over the Internets, vlogging their miseries and joys, and occasional guitar strummings -- thanks lonelygirl15!  And some of them have become quite famous -- no thanks Biebs!  As usual, much of the stuff is pure nose goblins.  So many people looking for stardom, and none of them with near enough talent to get on the local carpeting store's cable TV commercial.  But then, sometimes you run across something that sticks out.

Sunshine Girl (no real name given) is a 16 year old girl (now 17), who has decided to start a YouTube video blog, to try and convince her Mom, and everyone else who will listen, that she has ghosts in her house.  What follows is a list of video entries, totaling near 300 in a 10 month time frame, where Sunshine encounters a strange neighbor, Creepy Lady, who shows up unexpectedly with foreboding, eerie warnings; strange messages and photos of people with pillow cases over their heads; a Creepy Man who attacks her, while she investigates her estranged father's house; haunted house busting; and a cult-like sacrifice on a rainy, stormy night.
Who dat!

But, let's not jump the gun here!  This is no Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity.  This ain't no creepy, scare the skinnies off you type of ghost story.  It's really all quite unique.  And that can be attributed to two factors.  First, is show creator Nick Hagen (along with Sunshine's Mom) who has crafted an idea about a Gilmore Girls like mother and daughter, who are just so having some paranormal activity around their home unit. The show is primarily spun from the POV of Sunshine and her Flip-style phone.  And what is genius about it isn't all the ghostly activity, but rather the relaxed pacing.  It takes several episodes (all about 2.5 minutes in length, with some a bit longer) before we ever encounter anything remotely strange. And when Sunshine finally does share some of the activity with the viewers, it's all pretty much -- whatevs!  It's like, hey there, I'm Sunshine, blah blah blah... This is my life, and stuff, and oh yeah -- I have ghosts.

This is the second -- and key factor -- that Sunshine isn't your average TV show material.  Yes, she's wonderfully adorable and very cute -- but she's not the latte chugging fashion slave (or a booze guzzling teen mom in the making), who is boy bait for the all the floppy-haired high school Casanovas (or rather, Troy Boltons) who we find on every other teenage show.  No, Sunshine is holding to no one, but herself... and her Mom, who she adores.  She's an individual.  Strong, but flawed.  And with a mind of her own.  When she speaks to the camera (usually held at her own arm's length), she has a geeky, bubbly confidence, and a quick wit, that is endearing not just to the boys, but as well to the girls.  She's like the protagonist in a Judy Blume novel, or that friend of the kid in those 70s After School Specials, who the boy has a secret crush on, but will never tell her, because she has no real interest in anything but having a good time with her friends.  It's terribly refreshing to find a girl on a show that is just fine with who she is, with no need or desire to be defined by anyone else but herself (now, that's "girl power" for you Spice Girls!).

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl is a gem of a show... and yeah -- it's a show.  Part of the experience of watching and enjoying Sunshine Girl is the wild response it gets from some viewers.  Like Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, and the many caught-on-tape shockers, it doesn't announce itself as a fictional piece of work.  It also doesn't announce that it's real, either.  And this, of course, is by design.  Part of the fun of these mockumentaries is the acceptance that they are not real, along with the giddy hidden desire that maybe, just maybe, they are!!  Hell, no one went and saw Avatar and came out all steaming mad, because it looked so damn real, but was all animated.  But, really, for a few good yucks, you should check out some of the, umm... non-fans of Sunshine Girl who work so diligently -- with blogs and other YouTube channels -- to "debunk" the fictional world of Sunshine.

I had the brilliant opportunity to sit and chat with Sunshine and her Mom, to have a behind-the-scenes look at their little show (that I predict will blow up soon enough!!)  We talk about ghosts, h8rs, Cheetos, and how to be a good role model...
Let the Sunshine in


BadRonald – I know there are still a few people out there who have not seen your show.  So, can you give them a tantalizing summery?

Mom – The way we usually explain it is Paranormal Activity meets Gilmore Girls, with a little Easy A thrown in.  It’s a girl who sets out to prove her house is haunted. And decides to record the videos and throw them up on YouTube, and low and behold, people are interested.

BR – You know, I admire how you guys paced the show.  You didn’t jump in, with the early episodes, with ghosts jumping out all over.  It’s like a regular teen girl blog, and “Oh, yeah… I have ghosts…”

Mom – Yeah, we rally wanted it to seem authentic, and very much like people would be watching a friend.  We didn’t want to complicate it.  We just wanted to keep it really simple, and that’s what are formula was.  Nothing about it has been accidental.  It’s all been very specific and on purpose.  We like to call it “unscripted fictional reality.”  It’s not scripted.  It’s all ad-libed.  There’s a story and plot lines, but Sunshine does not have (written) lines.

Sunshine – Nope… I make everything up.

BR – No dialogue is scripted?  It’s all you?

Sunshine – Yes.

Mom – Yup. (to Sunshine) You’re a genius!

She gives her a high-five. Then air-fives me.

Mom -- A Skype high-five!

BR—Ah!  Skype five.  Our timing is off so, I’m swatting at thin air.

Mom – It’s all good.

BR – So, the idea behind this all comes from the show’s creator, Nick Hagen.

Mom—Yes, Nick Hagen. The genius behind the curtain.

Sunshine – He’s Oz.

Mom – He is Oz.  And we were talking about this earlier, that he is totally cool with staying behind the scenes on this.  You know, doesn’t feel like he needs credit for everything.  Although, anyone who knows anything about the show, knows that… you now – it’s a show.  So, he likes to let it be that.

BR—Speaking of that it’s just a show (and not reality), some people have really gotten testy when they figure it out.

Mom—Little bit.

BR—Does that bother you – people who get mad when they discover that it’s fiction – but still need to debunk it?  Or do you see it as part of the whole thing?

Suddenly, Mom moves to the computer on another desk, and lets Sunshine take center stage. She taps away quickly on the keyboard, with Sunshine trying to peek over her shoulder.

Mom—I’m gonna let Sunshine handle that.  I actually have to delete something off the wall that somebody just said that’s… been posted (coincidentally) as we’re talking about this.
The Ghoulmore Girls

Sunshine— Yeah, it’s just part of it.  For me, it’s kinda like, I don’t get too invested in what people say about me, because they don’t know me as well – They think they do, but they don’t.

BR—It’s very easy to be brave and write nasty things – like call you fake – while safely under the anonymity of the Interwebs.

Sunshine— Exactly.

Mom—We actually filter the comments, so Sunshine doesn’t see the really nasty stuff.  She knows it’s out there, but you know – she’s seventeen.  Let’s let her be seventeen a little longer. And honesty, we were shocked that anybody really believed it was real. We understand that very early, like maybe in the first five or so videos… But, since unicorn levitated…?  Really?  Really?

They both have a chuckle at this.

Mom—We never set out for people to think that it was anything other than Paranormal Activity.  It’s the Blair Witch Project.  So, when people started getting really angry about it… You know, we didn’t put it out there that we were actors or any of that.  Nobody would have heard about Blair Witch if they had come out and said “This is just a story…”  So, when it came down to people saying “This is fake,” and “You suck,” “You’re all liars,” -- we say -- hey we’re actorsWe’re playing a part.

BR—So, as actors, what then is next for Sunshine Girl?

Mom—We have a ton of plans.  Halloween is going to be busy for us.  We have more channels. We just launched more channels.  We’ve got Uncle Tommy’s YouTube Confessions.

BR—I saw that.  Good stuff.

[Uncle Tommy is a recurring character from Haunting of Sunshine Girl, and friend of Mom and Sunshine]

Mom—Yeah, it turned out that people really loved Tommy.

Sunshine – I love Tommy!

Mom—We were like – yes! We were thrilled!  So we’ve got lots of big plans.  Maybe, taking Sunshine to new mediums.  Maybe see Sunshine in other forms… that’s all we’ll say about that.

BR—Oh, no secrets revealed to me?

Mom—Just a tease, there.
I hear something...

BR—How about you, Sunshine.  Would you, or are you, thinking of moving outside of Sunshine and maybe taking a try at other projects or possibilities?

Sunshine—College is next year, so that’s exciting.  But, with Sunshine, as far as that goes, we’re gonna keep going with that until people get tired of it.

Mom—“Til their sick of Sunshine.

Sunshine—Yeah, until they’re tired of me – which doesn’t seem to be anytime too soon, thankfully.

BR—And you’ve been at this for nearly a year?

Sunshine—This December it’ll be a year.

BR—So, you’ve got another whole year to do this, and then it’s off to College?

Sunshine—Yes.

BR—A haunted college?  Are there any?

Sunshine—Yeah!  I’ll have to look into that.

Mom—The plan is to keep right on going.  If the audience is liking it, then we’re having a great time.  We love it.  We’re having so much fun.  We love working together.  We’re best friends.  We’re having a blast!

BR --What’s the schedule like on your show – shooting wise.  Do you come up with an idea, and shoot?  Or do you block off a bunch?

Mom – We usually go a couple times a month, and shoot somewhere between 15 to 30 episodes at a time.  It depends on how complicated the scenes are.  Like the sacrifice scene was all in one night.  Kind of a big production – we actually brought in rain towers.  We hired a special FX artist to come in – who was also the stunt guy -- that Sunshine hits with the car [In another episode].  We had a special FX makeup artist who came is, as well, to turn me into the demon.  That was not a mask, but makeup.

BR – Nice!  Real production value!

Sunshine – Yes.

Mom—And that’s where all the money goes to.  The money we get goes right back in, to pay for these people who are willing to come in and use their skills to make it all work.  You know, it’s not easy to get a guy to let your 17 year old daughter hit him with a car.

Sunshine – Yeah… Hadn’t even had my permit for a year.

Mom – Hey Jerry!  How’d you like to have my daughter, who hasn’t been driving yet for a year, hit you with a car?  You cool with that?  He’s like “yeah!”  And we’ll pay you for it!  “Yeah, wohoo!!”

BR – How many times did he get run over?

Mom -- Yeah. Exactly!  We’re really proud that we’ve been able to pay all of our actors and our crew.  That’s a big deal.  That’s where all of our money goes.  You know, people say it’s really cheesy, and over the top.  But, whatever it is – we’re trying to make a good webseries that breaks out and entertains people, and gets people to watch.  We’re not out to say, you know… ghosts are going to hurt you.  Or, that cults are “good.”  We’re not trying to lead any children astray. 

Sunshine – Well… maybe.

Mom – Yeah!  Sunshine was!

BR – That’s one of the qualities I like about Sunshine – that it’s generally good clean fun.

Mom – Yeah BadRonald!  High five!!  Yeah, we really try.  We try at making this as family-friendly as it can be, while still keeping it creepy.  You know… Sunshine here – she won’t even wear a tank top.  I’ve tried.

Sunshine – She does try…

Mom – You know, if I could get her in a bikini – I would!

Sunshine – She does… try…

BR – There was even a time, on one of the trip episodes, where an OMG slipped out.  And you called her on it.

Mom – Mhmm!  There’s a lot of people who watch the show, together, as a family.  And we love that!  We love that moms and daughters are sitting down to watch it together. 

BR – Do you, Sunshine, see yourself as a role model, at all?  I don’t mean that you set out to, or that you have established yourself as one.  But, do you accept the idea that you could be a role model?

Sunshine – Me!  I didn’t expect to be a role model.  But, then, this happens and I’m like “Yeah!  I’m okay with being a role model.”  I’ll be like Lady Ga-Ga.  I’ll be cool like that.  Yeah.

BR – Good.  It’s good to see that, in this market that’s saturated with all the Disney stuff, or Nickelodeon stuff, that you’re doing some good straight forward… you know… girl power stuff.

They both get a nice chuckle at that.

Mom – It’s been a happy accident.  And she’s become a good role model.  She’s brave, and she’s out-going, and she’s… different.  You know, what you see is this girl – Sunshine.  And it’s not fake.  The ghost?  Okay… okay, there’s no ghost in her house – you don’t have to print that if you don’t want to!  Actually – who knows!  There may be a ghost in our house.  There have been a couple EVPs that we did not put in.

Sunshine – It’s been weird, yeah…

Mom – Not gonna lie to ya.  Yeah!  So, it is actually very possible that house is haunted… But, the real people seem so drawn to (The Haunting of Sunshine Girl) is because Sunshine is so genuine.  The relationship that you see on the show is really the relationship that we have.  [Looking to Sunshine and joking]  You know, we’d look at each other and wonder why a camera crew isn’t always following us around!

Sunshine – All the time.

Mom – We’re hilarious!  We should have out own reality show.

Sunshine – We’re so funny, it’s ridiculous.

Mom – And modest.

Sunshine – Yes.  So humble.

Mom – Yeah, humble.  And you can see, we’re both so much alike.

BR – I’m seeing the Gilmore Girls.  You guys are fans?

They both nod their heads delightedly, and pump fists.

Mom – We love Gilmore Girls.  And Veronica Mars.

Sunshine – [sing songy] Veronica Maaaars!  For three. Short. Seasons!

Mom – Our two favorite comments we get a lot is that no mother and daughter has that relationship.  And we’re like, yeah, none.

Sunshine – Yeah… none.

Smile... Oh, uh nevermind
Mom – And the other is that – couldn’t you find actors that look more a like?

To this, they put their heads together to demonstrate the point.

Sunshine – Really.  My mother. 

Mom – I am.

Sunshine – She gave birth to me.

Mom – Yeah… painful, too!

Sunshine – Oh my god.  I wasn’t even that big.  I was 6 pounds.

Mom – But I didn’t have drugs, though.

Sunshine – Well, that’s not my fault you didn’t get there fast enough.  Jeez.

Mom – We tried.

BR – Yeah, see… you guys are so faking it.

Laugh.

BR – What shows do you like now?

Mom – [To Sunshine] Go!

Sunshine – Oh!  NCIS. Nikita. Project Runway.

Mom – That’s just her, because I don’t watch NCIS or  Nikita.

Sunshine – Nikita’s so good!

Mom – We like the new Pan Am.

Sunshine – Pan Am!!

BR – I agree!

Mom – We’re loving Pan Am. We’re still trying to catch up on Friday Night Lights.

Sunshine – We’re so behind.

Mom – We’re busy.  She’s busy.

BR – Chasing ghosts.

Sunshine – Yup.
Howdy Neighbor

BR – So… Cheetos or Cheez-its?

Sunshine – I’m gluten free.  So – Cheetos.  They’re made of corn.  So, Cheez-its, I can’t.  Made with gluten, so… and Cheese Nips – the off brand.  Same thing.  Can’t eat them.

BR – Forget Cheese Nips.  Cheez-its are the way to go.  How about Cheese Doodles?

Sunshine – I’ve never heard of those.  What are those?

Mom – That must be a NY thing.

Sunshine – Oh, NY… I want me some Cheese Doodles!

BR – So, you guys are not Horror fans, I understand?

Mom – No!!  Not the scary stuff!

Sunshine – I’ve watched one horror movie, and it scared the heck out of me.

BR – Just one!

Sunshine – Haunting in Connecticut. “There’s bodies in the wall!  There’s bodies in the wall!”

Mom – No, we don’t watch that stuff -- that scary stuff.

Sunshine – She didn’t even see it.

Mom – I didn’t even see it.  I saw Sixth Sense.  That was scary.

Sunshine – No it wasn’t.

Mom – Yes, it was!

Sunshine – Like, three seconds of it was scary.

Mom – No, it was scary.

Sunshine – I didn’t even finish it.

BR – Because you were scared.

Sunshine – Because I got bored.

Mom – You should’ve finished it. Yeah – really, we wouldn’t have watched our own show!

Sunshine – No!  No no.

BR – Okay -- one thing we don’t know abut you?

Sunshine – One thing you don’t know about me…?  Hmmm… [time killing sing song] I got nuthin’

BR – How about school – what’s you favorite class?

Sunshine – In school, now?  Or favorite class I’ve ever taken?

BR – Ever taken.

Sunshine – Human Biology.

Mom --  Isn’t she weird?

Sunshine – It was so good!  It was amazing. I loved that class.

BR – Did you have to do frogs or anything like that?

Sunshine – We did a sheep’s heart… A cow’s eye…

BR – Wha!

Sunshine – Yeah, it was really gross.  We had to take apart all these animal parts.  We did a cat…

BR – Cat brain?

Sunshine – Yes, I think that might’ve been what it was.  I don’t remember, but  loved that class.
Such a nice lad...

BR – How about Literature.  You like reading?

Sunshine – Love reading.  Reading is super fun.

BR – What books?

Sunshine – Hmm… you see this is where – I like scary books!  I like mysteries, and stories that twist and turn.  Not necessarily like death and gore, but… yeah, I have a huge bookcase full of all my books.

BR – You’re a Jane Austin fan, right?  Is she your favorite?

Sunshine – The movie Pride and Prejudice is my favorite.  But, I love Neil Gaiman.  He’s my favorite author.  He’s amazing.  Probably, Neverwhere is my favorite book.

BR – So, how many viewers does the Haunting of Sunshine Girl have now?

Mom – Over 11,000 subscribers.  And, we also have a lot of viewers who don’t subscribe, but watch.  It’s funny with that, because we think there may be sort of a secret shame for watching the show.  We kinda think there’s a bunch a people who watch, but don’t tell, you know, their friends.  Especially boys.

Sunshine – Yeah…

Mom – Oh, and speaking of boys… we’ve had a lot of trouble with boys hating Nolan [One of the newer teen characters, who helps Sunshine and Mom with some of the mystery and intrigue]. Boys of all age.

Sunshine – Adult men!

Mom – Yeah, so many will say “He sucks…”  When the word they’re really looking for is jealous!  The girls love him, though.

BR – Safe to say, there’ll be more of Nolan.

Mom – Yes, more Nolan.  Also, more Uncle Tommy.  We also have some great stuff coming up for Halloween.  On the 29th (of October), we’ll have a special live event.

Sunshine – I’m wearing a costume!!

BR – You gonna tell me what it is?

Sunshine – No!  You don’t get to see until you tune in.  Gotta tune in.

Mom --  October 29.  Noon PST to see Sunshine’s Halloween costume.  And…

Sunshine – And live Fan Appreciation Daaaay!

Mom – Sunshine will answer your questions – live.  And!  At the end, when she’s all tired and we log off, there will be a special... very creepy… scary video.

Sunshine – [Ghostly voice] Yup!

Mom – People will be able to write in their questions, whether it be via FaceBook, YouTube or Twitter.  And Sunshine will take the questions and record her answers… Like, Barny asks…

Sunshine – Barny asks, from Jimmiestown, NY – what’s your favorite cereal?  And I say --  whatever it is!

BR – What is it?

Sunshine – Oh!  Corn Chex.  I’m so lame…

BR – Chex Party Mix at Christmas?

Sunshine – Except you can’t eat Chex Mix, ‘cause half of it’s not even gluten free.  Pretzels.  Full of gluten.

BR – How about substituting with something, like bagel bits.  But no –

Sunshine – Yeah, bagel bits.  Gluten, too.  So hard being me.

Mom – I think you have the title of your blog post –

Sunshine – “Can’t Eat That Chex Mix.”

BR – Will there be any cross-over action with your other shows?

Sunshine – Well, two of the three are me, so the other is Uncle Tommy’s.

Mom – I’ve been on Uncle Tommy,  But, we have some stuff planned that we can’t talk about yet, with some other channels.  We’re starting to expand to outside of Sunshine’s universe, too.

BR – Now, Coat Tale Productions – was that previously established, or did that spring from Sunshine Girl?

Mom – When we decided that we were going to do more that Haunting of Sunshine Girl, Nick and I formed Coat Tale Productions.  The idea behind it was that we wanted to do this and bring along all our friends along with us.  Oregon film is a very tight knit group, and we have people who we love to work with.  The reason we have Creepy Lady in our videos is because we love the actress Adrianne, who plays her.

Sunshine – I love Adrianne!

Mom – Originally Nick wrote Creepy Lady as an old woman.  And I was like, “No  You know who’s creepy?  Adrianne.  Adrianne’s creepy.  Let’s put her in!”  Uncle Tommy is a great friend in our lives, so we waited until we could bring him in, in a way that would work and we could keep him around.  So, we saw Coat Tail Productions as more of a family thing.  We formed an LLC and we’re looking to produce in new media.

Sunshine – And… what about your seventeen year old?

Mom – My seventeen year old?

Sunshine – Your seventeen year old producer.  You forgot.

Mom – My seventeen year old is a producer, yes.  She’s the third part of out little production group.  She’s a producer – which is gonna come in handy when she’s applying for colleges.  It’s gonna be like, “Yeah… producer.  What’ve you done?”

BR – “World’s youngest producer – what’up?  What’ve you done?”

Mom – “Four million views on YouTube – ba-da-doosh!

Sunshine – [soto] “Ba-da-doosh?”

Mom – Yeah, this has been good for her.  She’s learning a ton.  She’s taken to it like a duck on water.  She’s incredibly, incredibly professional. When we were at the creepy house location, with the Creepy Man –

Sunshine – Not be confused with Creepy Lady.

Mom –  (At that location) it was the first time we had a crew, instead of just her and I and Nick. At one point, we were all sorta like goofing off, and we Sunshine here was like “C’mon, let’s get this shot!”  She’s totally in this, making creative decisions.  She helps with the casting.  She’s definitely the one who had final call on casting Maxwell as Nolan – which wasn’t easy, to try and cast a boy who was cute and could keep up with Sunshine –

Sunshine – It’s very hard keeping up with me.  I’m very riveting.

Mom – And could do the ad lib.  Which, is not that easy.  Oh!  And to hold the camera!!

Sunshine – Not easy… Sometimes you get half the face, and other times you can’t even hear them.  They forget that they had the camera, and suddenly [gesturing holding the camera at arm’s length] the hold it out and nobody's there.  No one’s in the shot.

Mom – It’s interesting bringing in other actors, because we’ve been doing this on our own for 8 months.

BR – Pros.

Sunshine – Yeah!

Mom – …At this style.

Sunshine – But, nothing else.  We can’t do anything else.

Mom – I’ve been acting since I was a year old.

Sunshine – I’ve been since I was six.

Mom – So… we’ve been doing this for a while.  She’s done a lot of modeling.

Sunshine – Foot model.

Mom – I’ve done a ton of voice over.  Stuff for Nintendo – I’m the voice of Princess Rosalina, for Mario Cart and Super Mario Galaxy 1&2.  Lot of film – What the Bleep Do We Know. Lots of local stuff – Oregon.

BR – Famous last words?

Mom – Thank you!  You’ve touched on stuff that a lot of other people don’t get to.  So… Please, everyone stick around for October 29th!! We’ve got some really cool surprises.

Sunshine – Thanks!  Tune in!!




So... go tune into the show at the YouTubes

And... as, Sunshine would sign off with -- blah!