Remember the first time I posted about Contagion here?
Well, if you're one of the thousands of people who followed the mashup webseries, you may know that after the 3rd episode was up it went on a bit of hiatus.
But now it's back and fans are anxious to see what happens next!
Although the 4th episode is still to be uploaded, the promo teaser has already been put up for your fanly senses to be teased.
HERE IS THE PROMO TEASER BBS :
Video courtesy contagionwebseries
PS : can you spot the quote from spnmustpie? ;)
Besides this teaser I was also lucky enough to get an exclusive interview with the guy behind the internet hit-series, Ray Holycross!
This pro TV director and editor talks about Contagion, his love for SPN, how Twilight *GASP* killed his xbox, and more! :D
SPNMUSTPIE : It’s been a while since the last episode that you posted, what happened??
Holycross : I originally was planning on releasing a small chunk of
the show weekly but as you know I suddenly stopped the beginning of January. Quite simply, my real job and life just didn’t give me the free time to devote towards Contagion at the time. I didn’t want to rush anything and have a drop in quality.
Holycross : I originally was planning on releasing a small chunk of
the show weekly but as you know I suddenly stopped the beginning of January. Quite simply, my real job and life just didn’t give me the free time to devote towards Contagion at the time. I didn’t want to rush anything and have a drop in quality.The process to create each of these episodes can be a rather lengthy one. First I have to sift through the hundreds of hours of episodes and movies for each prospective series. Once I have found an angle or snippet of dialogue that will work for what I need, it must be captured or ripped onto the editing program.
Then the real fun begins…Altering the aspect ratios and camera angles so everything matches up. Color correcting each frame so the lighting syncs (This is a VERY time consuming process). In some cases there is some CGI or other post-process optical effects as well (episode 2 with Jack Bauer vs. Blade for example) as well as one of the hardest things to do…putting the characters in the same shots (Jack and Scully in the same vehicle). This involves finding the perspective clips, throwing them into Adobe After Effects, trimming them up and matching camera shake and lighting. Challenging, but tedious.
Finally one of the most important parts of any picture in my opinion: The audio. It’s the emotion of what you’re watching and sets the tone for what’s occurring or about to happen next (try watching a horror movie with no sound…it’s not scary at all). Since I wanted to capture the feel of each program I combined the themes of all of the above as well as what I could find or compose myself to give it the mood.
So…In a Cliff Notes kind of way: I just didn’t have enough time to finish. However I’m going to be releasing the rest of the series in 3 parts. Parts 4 and 5 will each be 10 minutes long and the finale, part 6 will be 7 minutes.
Then the real fun begins…Altering the aspect ratios and camera angles so everything matches up. Color correcting each frame so the lighting syncs (This is a VERY time consuming process). In some cases there is some CGI or other post-process optical effects as well (episode 2 with Jack Bauer vs. Blade for example) as well as one of the hardest things to do…putting the characters in the same shots (Jack and Scully in the same vehicle). This involves finding the perspective clips, throwing them into Adobe After Effects, trimming them up and matching camera shake and lighting. Challenging, but tedious.
Finally one of the most important parts of any picture in my opinion: The audio. It’s the emotion of what you’re watching and sets the tone for what’s occurring or about to happen next (try watching a horror movie with no sound…it’s not scary at all). Since I wanted to capture the feel of each program I combined the themes of all of the above as well as what I could find or compose myself to give it the mood.
So…In a Cliff Notes kind of way: I just didn’t have enough time to finish. However I’m going to be releasing the rest of the series in 3 parts. Parts 4 and 5 will each be 10 minutes long and the finale, part 6 will be 7 minutes.
SPNMUSTPIE : So how did you come up with the idea for Contagion? And how did you pick the shows and the films that you wanted to use in it?
Holycross : Simple answer: I HATE TWILIGHT. I can’t stand it. The writing is horrible, the acting non-existent. In fact I refused to ever watch the first movie ever again after having to suffer through the first one on DVD. (Fun fact, my Xbox died the day after playing the DVD on there…hmmm)
Holycross : Simple answer: I HATE TWILIGHT. I can’t stand it. The writing is horrible, the acting non-existent. In fact I refused to ever watch the first movie ever again after having to suffer through the first one on DVD. (Fun fact, my Xbox died the day after playing the DVD on there…hmmm)
Sitting on facebook one day, a friend sent me a picture that someone had put together on Photoshop. It was of Edward and Bella sitting and Blade in the background. It was hilarious, and at that point I thought: Blade would absolutely murder these idiots in under 10 seconds, then stop at Burger King on the way home for breakfast. At this point I decided to make a very short 20-second clip (that is still the intro for the film). During the editing of this clip, I had Supernatural and 24 playing in the background on my television…and the story just came together from there.
SPNMUSTPIE : I really love the opening sequence for Contagion! How did you come up with that?
Holycross : Once I decided to do this as an entire series originally there was going to be an entire background story introducing all the characters. However I decided that since this would be for fans of the shows anyway, everyone would already know who they were. Then it came down to finding the perfect intro to grab the viewer’s attention. Looking at the structure I had so far, the best option was to start with Blade going after Edward. Seriously though…it’s not like there wasn’t a better way to start though right? Did I mention how much I hate Twilight? ~ bahaha YES it's pretty clear :) ~
SPNMUSTPIE : Out of all the 3 episodes you’ve posted until this moment, which sequence/part of them was the hardest to work on?
Holycross : Definitely Part 2. Combining the fire, smoke and adjusting the lighting during the confrontation in the hospital room was extremely time consuming. Honestly I had grander plans for that scene, but I’m limited to existing footage. Part 3 with Scully and Jack had its moments of difficulty, ~ this scene definitely looked hard to do when I watched it ~ and again…I wish I had more time to tweak it. Perhaps when the entire series is done and I have more time to dedicated I’ll pull a George Lucas and release a special edition.
SPNMUSTPIE : One of the shows you chose to use was Supernatural, was it hard to mash it up with the others?
Holycross : Actually with vampires and zombies, Supernatural was the easiest to integrate into the series. The X-files was rather easy also. 24 on the other hand was rather difficult, because the show is much more reality based. The hardest however would have to be the Twilight series. Absolutely nothing happens in those movies. It made it very hard to have confrontations and interactions with the other characters ~ LOL totally, the bella hospital scene just had her making random babbling sounds ~
SPNMUSTPIE : Are you a fan of Supernatural or do you just watch it on occasion? What do you think of the show from a directing and editing point of view? Be honest!
Holycross : I am a HUGE fan of Supernatural! ~ YAYZ he's a fan bbs! ~ I think the show’s direction and editing is absolutely top notch and some of the best in television. I started following the show once I found out that Kim Manners was involved since his work on X-files was fantastic. I really enjoy the mythology that Kripke has slowly built over the last 5 years and can’t wait to see how it all turns out. I’ll be honest though. I am rather worried that next season will not be able to live up what has been building and I can’t help but wonder if the show should just have stayed with the 5-year arc. That being said, Supernatural has never ceased to surprise me so I’m eagerly anticipating what happens next!
SPNMUSTPIE : In the last episode you posted (ep. 3), the Winchester bros made their first appearance. Which characters will they be seen in the same scene with in the future?
Holycross : While I can’t really give anything away, I will say this. Dean and Sam will be joining forces with Jack Bauer, Mulder, Scully, and the military. Blade on the other hand works with no one and is on his own side.
SPNMUSTPIE : What can the Supernatural fans expect to see from Sam and Dean’s storyline in the series? Can you give us some hints?
Holycross : I would say that boy’s entry into the storyline takes place somewhere between seasons 4 and 5. However, just be known. Absolutely NONE of the characters are safe, and a few of them may not make it through the night. ~ sam and dean could possibly die? LOL DEATH HAS LOST MEANING ON SPN, REALLY ~
SPNMUSTPIE : I really love the opening sequence for Contagion! How did you come up with that?
Holycross : Once I decided to do this as an entire series originally there was going to be an entire background story introducing all the characters. However I decided that since this would be for fans of the shows anyway, everyone would already know who they were. Then it came down to finding the perfect intro to grab the viewer’s attention. Looking at the structure I had so far, the best option was to start with Blade going after Edward. Seriously though…it’s not like there wasn’t a better way to start though right? Did I mention how much I hate Twilight? ~ bahaha YES it's pretty clear :) ~
SPNMUSTPIE : Out of all the 3 episodes you’ve posted until this moment, which sequence/part of them was the hardest to work on?
Holycross : Definitely Part 2. Combining the fire, smoke and adjusting the lighting during the confrontation in the hospital room was extremely time consuming. Honestly I had grander plans for that scene, but I’m limited to existing footage. Part 3 with Scully and Jack had its moments of difficulty, ~ this scene definitely looked hard to do when I watched it ~ and again…I wish I had more time to tweak it. Perhaps when the entire series is done and I have more time to dedicated I’ll pull a George Lucas and release a special edition.
SPNMUSTPIE : One of the shows you chose to use was Supernatural, was it hard to mash it up with the others?
Holycross : Actually with vampires and zombies, Supernatural was the easiest to integrate into the series. The X-files was rather easy also. 24 on the other hand was rather difficult, because the show is much more reality based. The hardest however would have to be the Twilight series. Absolutely nothing happens in those movies. It made it very hard to have confrontations and interactions with the other characters ~ LOL totally, the bella hospital scene just had her making random babbling sounds ~
SPNMUSTPIE : Are you a fan of Supernatural or do you just watch it on occasion? What do you think of the show from a directing and editing point of view? Be honest!
Holycross : I am a HUGE fan of Supernatural! ~ YAYZ he's a fan bbs! ~ I think the show’s direction and editing is absolutely top notch and some of the best in television. I started following the show once I found out that Kim Manners was involved since his work on X-files was fantastic. I really enjoy the mythology that Kripke has slowly built over the last 5 years and can’t wait to see how it all turns out. I’ll be honest though. I am rather worried that next season will not be able to live up what has been building and I can’t help but wonder if the show should just have stayed with the 5-year arc. That being said, Supernatural has never ceased to surprise me so I’m eagerly anticipating what happens next!
SPNMUSTPIE : In the last episode you posted (ep. 3), the Winchester bros made their first appearance. Which characters will they be seen in the same scene with in the future?
Holycross : While I can’t really give anything away, I will say this. Dean and Sam will be joining forces with Jack Bauer, Mulder, Scully, and the military. Blade on the other hand works with no one and is on his own side.
SPNMUSTPIE : What can the Supernatural fans expect to see from Sam and Dean’s storyline in the series? Can you give us some hints?
Holycross : I would say that boy’s entry into the storyline takes place somewhere between seasons 4 and 5. However, just be known. Absolutely NONE of the characters are safe, and a few of them may not make it through the night. ~ sam and dean could possibly die? LOL DEATH HAS LOST MEANING ON SPN, REALLY ~
SPNMUSTPIE : The first time Contagion was posted up you got (and still have been getting) tons of reactions from fans of 24, SPN, Twilight and such. What are your thoughts on some of the feedback that you’ve gotten?
Holycross : The Feedback has been enormously positive, with the exception of a few Twilight fans that didn’t like how their beloved characters end up. In fact one started sending me some rather mean death threats on Twitter. That’s ok though, I’ve got my anti-glitter spray to keep them away. I’m just happy that it’s stirred a passionate reaction from so many people. Especially the Supernatural and 24 fans, which have left some really fantastic comments.
SPNMUSTPIE : Have you ever gotten feedback about it from someone that actually works on the shows/movies you featured? If yes, who was it and what was the feedback?
Holycross : I ran into someone from 24 who thought it was fantastic. He said it was a great way to convince producers that I should work on that show. We shall see. A few others have had some wonderful things to say but I will have to keep that private due to all the different studio’s work that I have integrated into this.
SPNMUSTPIE : When you finally finished making this series did it turn out exactly as you expected, better, or maybe even not as good as you envisioned?
Holycross : Now that the series has come to an end, I would say that it turned out better then I ever expected. It just came together as I progressed on it, and that it turned out A LOT longer then I ever thought it would. I just hope that everyone that watches it has as much fun as I did making it.
Holycross : The Feedback has been enormously positive, with the exception of a few Twilight fans that didn’t like how their beloved characters end up. In fact one started sending me some rather mean death threats on Twitter. That’s ok though, I’ve got my anti-glitter spray to keep them away. I’m just happy that it’s stirred a passionate reaction from so many people. Especially the Supernatural and 24 fans, which have left some really fantastic comments.
SPNMUSTPIE : Have you ever gotten feedback about it from someone that actually works on the shows/movies you featured? If yes, who was it and what was the feedback?
Holycross : I ran into someone from 24 who thought it was fantastic. He said it was a great way to convince producers that I should work on that show. We shall see. A few others have had some wonderful things to say but I will have to keep that private due to all the different studio’s work that I have integrated into this.
SPNMUSTPIE : When you finally finished making this series did it turn out exactly as you expected, better, or maybe even not as good as you envisioned?
Holycross : Now that the series has come to an end, I would say that it turned out better then I ever expected. It just came together as I progressed on it, and that it turned out A LOT longer then I ever thought it would. I just hope that everyone that watches it has as much fun as I did making it.
SPNMUSTPIE : You direct and edit for a living, can you name some of the projects you’ve been a part of?
Holycross : I used to be an animator before directing, as well as a composer (it’s been a long weird journey). I’ve worked on everything from wedding videos in college and your local car dealership all the way to national campaigns for the Air Force, Nike, and Gatorade. As for television and movies, quite a large amount of direct to video movies that I don’t even know where you can rent.
As for what I’m currently working on…I can’t really comment on that, simply because of contract reasons and that the show is still in post at this time. ~ i iz suspect he works on Beloved Show! ;D ~
SPNMUSTPIE : After Contagion, are there any plans to do another web series out of other shows and movies? Maybe something less dark and more comedic? If so, what shows do you think would be interesting to mash up?
Holycross : Not at this time, not because I don’t have the desire, simply because I really don’t have the time (hence the delay the show has had right now). However I will say this, fans of these shows…you will see me again pretty soon, just not on YouTube. I did actually have an idea about combining the Pixar and Dreamworks animated worlds together, perhaps in some sort of team up movie. No story ideas or such…yet.
SPNMUSTPIE : If Contagion had a soundtrack album what song do you think would HAVE to be in it?
Holycross : Led Zeppelin. ~ WOOOT! ~ I REALLY wanted to use some of their music especially in part 3. However the rights to songs like that would get the videos pulled so I played it safe. I’m actually a huge classic fan of rock and roll; I would say that Dean and I probably have the same play list. Except of course, he gets to drive that wicked Impala.
SPNMUSTPIE : Describe Contagion in less than 6 words!
Holycross : Vampire and zombie killing super team.
SPNMUSTPIE : Do you have anything you’d like to say to the Contagion viewers or fellow fans of the shows/movies you used?
Holycross : Thanks again for watching! If you liked it, or didn’t like it; feel free to leave a comment and a rating. And if you’re a Twilight fan, take this time to watch one of the other shows that is in this series.
Holycross : I used to be an animator before directing, as well as a composer (it’s been a long weird journey). I’ve worked on everything from wedding videos in college and your local car dealership all the way to national campaigns for the Air Force, Nike, and Gatorade. As for television and movies, quite a large amount of direct to video movies that I don’t even know where you can rent.
As for what I’m currently working on…I can’t really comment on that, simply because of contract reasons and that the show is still in post at this time. ~ i iz suspect he works on Beloved Show! ;D ~
SPNMUSTPIE : After Contagion, are there any plans to do another web series out of other shows and movies? Maybe something less dark and more comedic? If so, what shows do you think would be interesting to mash up?
Holycross : Not at this time, not because I don’t have the desire, simply because I really don’t have the time (hence the delay the show has had right now). However I will say this, fans of these shows…you will see me again pretty soon, just not on YouTube. I did actually have an idea about combining the Pixar and Dreamworks animated worlds together, perhaps in some sort of team up movie. No story ideas or such…yet.
SPNMUSTPIE : If Contagion had a soundtrack album what song do you think would HAVE to be in it?
Holycross : Led Zeppelin. ~ WOOOT! ~ I REALLY wanted to use some of their music especially in part 3. However the rights to songs like that would get the videos pulled so I played it safe. I’m actually a huge classic fan of rock and roll; I would say that Dean and I probably have the same play list. Except of course, he gets to drive that wicked Impala.
SPNMUSTPIE : Describe Contagion in less than 6 words!
Holycross : Vampire and zombie killing super team.
SPNMUSTPIE : Do you have anything you’d like to say to the Contagion viewers or fellow fans of the shows/movies you used?
Holycross : Thanks again for watching! If you liked it, or didn’t like it; feel free to leave a comment and a rating. And if you’re a Twilight fan, take this time to watch one of the other shows that is in this series.
So all ya's SPNFreaks, I strongly advise you to tune in to ContagionWebseries on YT for the first episode of Contagion back that will be up VERY SOON to see more of our boys on this fantastic sci-fi mash series!
You can also tell Ray your opinion about the webseries directly through his twatter!
O HAY THIS IS AN ORIGINAL SPNMUSTPIE INTERVIEW.
If you'd like to repost this anywhere feel free, but please name this blog as the original source.
Kay, Thx! :D
cannot wait to see what happens to Sammy and Dean,
Super and Natural **MissTee
