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Tesladownunder to make TV series?

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Tesladownunder

Fri Jan 18 2008, 05:07PM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

I've been approached by a TV group to do a series of 12 half hour shows for Discovery channel USA.
Still in the early stages yet and would need to have a pilot approved and a lot of details sorted out. Filming would be here in Australia probably in the same manner as my 4 Discovery Channel Canada segments of 5 mins each (which they have seen). Editing and production would be in the USA.

This is a big step up in time, content and complexity. Currently it has averaged 6 hours of shooting to get 1-2h of footage edited down to 5 mins of air time. So 30 mins will be a big step up from that (and multiplied by 12).

It will require a huge amount of planning and testing and getting stuff to work but it is a once in a lifetime offer so will give it my best shot.
Shame about my full time job which will seriously get in the way.

I am mulling around about 4 new effects for the pilot in addition to my current ones. Still need to hone down what they would like but a good selection of stuff on my site was mentioned including less flashy stuff like lifters and so on.

I must admit that this has got me off my butt as I was wondering what to do next.

TDU

uzzors2k

Fri Jan 18 2008, 08:15PM

Registered Member #95 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 04:57PM
Location: Norway
Posts: 1308

That sounds great! I can't wait to watch some episodes. Will these be available online too?

Shaun

Fri Jan 18 2008, 08:35PM

Registered Member #690 Joined: Tue May 08 2007, 03:47AM
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 616

Ill bet your big coil and huge capacitor bank discharges would look great on HDTV....

HV Enthusiast

Fri Jan 18 2008, 09:03PM

Registered Member #15 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:11PM
Location:
Posts: 3068

Just don't sell yourself short. Make sure you get paid accordingly. Get a lawyer, or some sort of representation.

Chris Russell

Fri Jan 18 2008, 11:06PM

... not Russel!
Registered Member #1 Joined: Thu Jan 26 2006, 12:18AM
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Posts: 1052

Wow, that is great news. I'm a big fan of the Discovery channel, so I'll definitely be watching!

Also, I second what EVR said... make sure you're getting your fair share!

Firnagzen

Sat Jan 19 2008, 01:50AM

Registered Member #567 Joined: Tue Mar 06 2007, 10:55AM
Location: Singapore
Posts: 147

I'll be watching Discovery Channel, then. Any idea what the title of the show will be?

[narratorvoice]Next up on Discovery... One man's shocking hobby that could change the way we think about electricity.[/narratorvoice]

Tesladownunder

Sat Jan 19 2008, 03:47AM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

No more new info yet.
And I have no idea about When this might start, let alone be completed. Bearing in mind that 12 episodes is a lot of time to get good content for and I would be really pushing to do 1 episode per week.
I will need to start giving thought to themes, formats and content.
At the moment need to get all the gear and effects running that I think might go in the pilot.
My guess is that for the pilot, I might "build" the big TC. Then do a segment about microwave ovens then about some simple home built ignition coil stuff then in the final quarter run the big TC.
All this will involve lots of sparks, interesting new information about a common household item and a how to do it at home safely segment. Hopefully interesting to the general public and also to those with some technical knowledge.

So back to the shed.
I will update this as I go.

TDU

Hazmatt_(The Underdog)

Sat Jan 19 2008, 04:16AM

Registered Member #135 Joined: Sat Feb 11 2006, 12:06AM
Location: Anywhere is fine
Posts: 1735

If I were you I would bone-up on some other stuff first like The Secret Life of Machines and Mr. Wizard. Then take some notes, get the general feel for the flow of the show segment, and have fun with it. Try to spatter in some thoughtful information that is real science but keep it entertaining.

Oh and Congradulations.

Tesladownunder

Sat Jan 19 2008, 05:52AM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

I watch very little TV but I am familiar with the Discovery channel format, although I will have to review it from the perspective of doing the whole thing rather than just the segment.

I will seriously have to look at some of the successful shows in the past (Mr Wizard, Prof Julius Sumner Miller and more contemporary ones like ? Bill Nye, Dr Karl, Myth Busters etc.) There is certainly a place for cultivating an on screen personality and quirks.

My cameraman has done a lot of this stuff and has a much better feel for what flows on camera.

Shame I'm not more charismatic and photogenic. S'pose you have to make up for it by being flamboyant and eccentric.

There is a line beyond which dramatic and dangerous things become unneccessary risk taking but we have come to expect this in the name of compelling viewing and a dramatic show. The trick is to just make it look dangerous. People don't understand long sparks and they look dangerous but shows like the "Prestige" make it look like you can walk through sparks with impunity.

I need to consider an assistant and possibly others.

The real science facts are fun for me but can be dry. Nevertheless the Discovery demographic would lean to the more educated and you don't want to talk down to them. I've had long discussions previously with Discovery Canada and they really wanted me to be overinclusive to give themselves the widest editing posibilities.

TDU

Tesladownunder

Sat Feb 09 2008, 04:26AM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

Well, the producer who contacted me left the company, my demo DVD went astray and I was given an incorrect email follow up address

So it looked dead in the water but I have since spoken by phone to another producer who was taking over and knew about the stuff I did. In fact a promo of text and pics was presented to Discovery USA. It was rejected in that form with the comments below.

"It's great fun, but doesn't deliver enough "why are we bothering" to me - no big point to it. Good info along the way, but it's not driving to or coming from a bigger piece of knowledge - not really satisfying a larger curiosity other than "how will he build a force field?" Easy fix is to put this process and fantastic fun spectacle in service of bigger questions..."

So by representing it in the form of an "experiment to show something" perhaps more in the successful MythBusters format, it might be better received rather than just presenting eye candy stuff. They seem positive about pushing ahead.

So I will rewrite a proposal and see how they go.

In the meantime I have been planning a segment on Microwave ovens. This is a nice pic of a jacobs ladder run off the single MOT into a voltage multiplier with a 10K 100W ballast resistor with the MO set to cook for 10 seconds. The shot also catches a poor contact arcing internally and burning up the plastic wire coating inside the cooking space.

TDU

1202531120 10 FT37607 Mojacobsfireinside

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