Craftmaster Independent

The Bicyclists website is at www.thebicyclists.com

The latest feature film from Craftmaster Independent, The Bicyclists, now has its own website. The Bicyclists movie, an offshoot of The Bicyclist internet series, has grown up and moved out of its old website at www.thebicyclist.tv .

The new website at www.thebicyclists.com is dedicated to the film. There's information on the production, the story, the latest trailers and screening dates. (You can even watch the series there.) We'll keep adding more to the site as we get closer to the release date.

Currently, The Bicyclists is "picture locked", which means all the live action visuals are in place. The graphics, sound and music are yet to come. If I stop cutting trailers we'll be done soon.

We're proud to announce that The Bicyclists will show as a benefit for the Histiocytosis Association of America.

Check out their blog:

http://wheelsnorth.blogspot.com/2008/12/bicyclist-movie-world-premiere.html

And our promo:

http://wheelsnorth.blogspot.com/2008/11/bicyclist-wheels-north-promo.html

We've had a great time this year creating the second season of The Bicyclist and shooting the feature The Bicyclists. The road we've taken hasn't always been easy or smooth - but the trip has certainly been worth taking. We've met and made new friends, had some great times and have made a show of which we are truly proud.

The best is yet to come. The Bicyclists is about halfway through its first edit and it looks great. I'm biased, but my baby really is the cutest baby in the world. I'm touched by the acting in every scene and every time I finish one scene I look forward to editing the next.

We're working on plans on how to best self-distribute The Bicyclists for us and our audience. We anticipate seeing a lot of you in 2009 as we plan to tour the country with the film. How that ultimately shakes out we'll find out soon enough, but we're looking for non-profit entities that might be interested in working together to show our film in their city.

If you know of any non-profit or charity that is somehow related to bicycling that wants to have a unique fundraising event please drop us a note.

Craftmaster Productions has partnered with Art House Media to help create a network of video displays. Art House Media is a unique service that "electronically displays various kinds of community and business information, like special events, public service announcements, and other informational or promotional content. Community Networks operates like a local community board, similar to those found in coffee shops and grocery stores in your neighborhood."

What that means is a huge network of huge flat screen monitors all over the place controlling your mind, telling you what to do, how to think and act...kind of like cable tv -only local. www.arthousemediaonline.com

Why should you care? - well because the latest Bicyclists movie trailer is currently playing at at Touch Stone Coffee at 445 NE 70th Ave in Portland. So go enjoy a good cup of coffee and check it out over and over. www.touchstonecoffeehouse.com

We're well into editing The Bicyclists - somewhere past Act One and into Act Two. I wrote it, directed it and shot most of The Bicyclists so I am well acquainted with the footage. After the initial logging and organizing of the footage it's been a pretty straight forward process, although I feel like celebrating after every scene is complete.

I'm concentrating on the visuals and making sure I have all those elements in place. I edit the sound as needed, but will concentrate on that and polishing the film after I get this first cut done. I keep looking at the script and comparing it to the timeline to see how close what I wrote compares to the length of the film. The rule of thumb is that one page of script equals one minute of scene time. They're close so far, so the pacing I envisioned when I wrote the script is matching the finished film. That may mean nothing if it drags or goes too fast for the audience even if it's in lock step with the script.

What's more interesting to me is watching a world unfold before me: the cadence of the story, the look I've chosen for the film and the characters that populate it. I've been pleasantly surprised by what I've edited so far and still find my self nervous before I edit each scene: Did I shoot enough? Did I choose the right angle? Did I direct the actors into the right performance?

I guess I'll find out soon enough.

The billboards look like this only bigger.

Craftmaster Productions has teamed up with Clear Channel Outdoor to sponsor the "Share The Road" safety campaign. The ten-billboard campaign will keep the simple, but important message about road safety in front of drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians alike for a month in the Portland area.

The campaign and its message is a good fit for The Bicyclist and allows Craftmaster Productions to thank the Portland bicycling community for its continuing support of the show. We couldn't have done it without you!

We were inspired to sponsor the campaign by a blog on bikeportland.org by Jonathon Maus bikeportland.org Thanks for giving us the idea.

Logging footage is one of the most tedious, time consuming tasks in the production process: You have to go over every take and label it - in this case digitally name and make notations on the file - according to scene, shot angle, and quality. You can get more detailed and write so many notes on the footage that you never get to the "real" editing.

Logging is crucial in keeping all the footage in order, because even if you've wrote, shot and are editing the footage there's a ton of it in a feature film. I have over forty folders of footage representing twenty or so days of shooting - somewhere around 458.1 gigs of data - that amounts to 19 hours of footage.

I shot 13 minutes of footage for every 1 minute I'll use in the final film. A lot of independent directors shoot from a low range of 2 to 1 to a more likely number of 5 to 1. When you're shooting on HD the footage chews up a lot of space, but is still no where as expensive as film - so that's where my higher ratio comes in and the fact I shoot the hell out of every scene - just ask any of the actors - and I have an improvisational style.

More pre-production and storyboards might lower that ratio in the future, but finding the scene hidden within the script takes time. And from what I can tell so far well worth the effort for all involved.

Elle Poindexter and Jayme S. Hall ride in circles

It feels like the last days of senior year in high school around The Bicyclist offices this week. (No, we're not stoned, drunk and stupid.) We're wrapping up some loose ends on filming and are ready to move onto editing and post production work.

It's time to celebrate our accomplishments of the last two years of filming The Bicyclist TV and for wrapping a completely new rendition of it for the big screen. There's lots of thanks to go around and BFF pacts to be made.

If we had a vote on "Most Likely To Succeed" we'd all win. Where we go from here is anybody's guess, but I have an inkling you'll see us around again.

What started out as an overly ambitious plan to shoot a butt-load of scenes last week went off with few hitches. This decision leaves us with only a few more days of shooting. We shot all over the Portland metro area with all of the main characters in tow and a few more background players.

The wrap party is within sight and we're excited. All the scenes played well during our "dailies" focus group testing. The focus and effort brought by all involved is noted and appreciated. We've got a good film and once it's edited I can only imagine the performances getting even better.

I hope that I made all the right choices, but I'm sure someone would speak up if I didn't. Melissa?

The Bicyclists whirlwind shooting schedule this week leaves me breathless and with a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to work with a group of committed and talented actors. Their onscreen performances and off camera help and patience with this DIY film production set The Bicyclists up to succeed.

We're going into the final turn in this production and we couldn't have gotten there without them or without the talents of Sharon Jameson and her wardrobe, art direction and scheduling. Actually without her and the actors I'd be just another guy sitting in his attic saying I could've, would've, should've made that film.

Then there's the make up artists...

Anyway, thanks.

Jayme S. Hall waits for the light, while Elle Poindexter looks for it.

The Bicyclists calls for a natural feeling in the story, the setting and the acting.

We shoot a lot during the golden hour - either just after sunrise or just before sunset - when the shadows are long because the sun is low in the sky and the color of the sky is more gold than blue. The light is flattering to both human and nature subjects. We only shoot scenes that call for that type of light: romantic and ultra violent action scenes.

September's sunlight is more to the golden side than earlier in the summer. This weekend is all about the golden hour as we're shooting the Conrad character as he bikes around town - and since this is the movies - all day long it's beautiful in Portland.

Don't forget to check out Spare Parts 2: "Meet The Belligerantes". Spare Parts, hosted by Cassie Skauge, visits The Belligerante's club house and catches The Bicyclist in some behind the scenes footage. Spare Parts can be found on the "Extra" page.

There's more Spare Parts to come and more of The Bicyclist episodes to come soon - right after The Bicyclists movie wraps principal photography in late September. We have two more episodes to go to wrap season two of The Bicyclist and the series - then we all hit the road with the film.

Jayme S. Hall as Conrad and Elle Poindexter as Steve from The Bicyclists.

Stop shooting for a holiday? No way! The Bicyclists will continue to shoot this weekend - as long as the weather holds out.

We just went over all the "dailies" from our previous shoots and we couldn't stop now. The footage not only looks good - Jayme claims it's his new shampoo - but everyone's performances are now locked in tight.

By next Tuesday we'll have around sixty two and one half percent of the film shot - which is great- and some of the most complicated scenes complete. We've got a lot to be proud of so far and I look forward to even more surprises and strong performances to come.

That means you Jayme and Elle.

Emmery Raw as Nadine and Kareem Hill as Rico from The Bicyclists.

The Bicyclists (the movie version of the web series) gives Steve Jones (played by Elle Poindexter) some roommates: Nadine and Rico. Nadine and Steve don't quite get along - imagine not getting along with a roommate - which keeps things hopping on the home front.

Emmery Raw has modeled for a slew of sports companies and has concentrated her acting in theater, that is until The Bicyclists. Her on-set energy and willingness to nail the character brought the character of Nadine to life.

Kareem Hill's experience includes theater, television and film. Kareem took the role of Rico and added his own style to a broadly drawn character. He's also done work for CBS, NBC, PBS, Paramount and Warner and now gets to add Craftmaster Independent to that auspicious list.

Thanks to you both.

Zack ( Paul Glazier) is about to break up a party with his bike friends
Conrad (Jayme S. Hall), Lissa (Melissa Goad) and Steve (Elle Poindexter).

The Bicyclists has been zooming along this last few weeks of production. We've hit the halfway point with the weather being the only snag in the schedule.

Who'd of thought the Oregon was a such a cornucopia of weather in August? We've experienced 102 degree afternoons, 53 degree mornings, thunder and lightening storms, rain and slow moving warm fronts of sheer humidity all within the same day.

Most independent films have the challenges of a small budget and a tight schedule - but here at Craftmaster Independent we've added more: the film is markedly different for the actors from the web version. The Bicyclists expands the emotional range and depth of The Bicyclist characters. The actors must all forget most of what they learned about their characters, drop two seasons worth of habits, and add new motivations for themselves.

But challenges like the weather, hectic schedules and complex characterizations don't phase them because The Bicyclists are on a mission.

Jayme S. Hall takes a break from shooting The Bicyclists.

The Bicyclists, the movie version of The Bicyclist, is making headway through reams of script. We shot scenes with The Belligerante's this past weekend and somehow we ended up on time and on budget. It could of been all that pre-production that Sharon did. We're one for four days on that score so far.

Next up: We shoot on location on Sauvie Island.

Jayme S. Hall and Elle Poindexter try to act nonchalant when the director, Carl Jameson, screams, "Perfect! Now one more time!"

We shot the first scenes for The Bicyclist movie this past weekend at The Recyclery. The days both went well, the cast hit their marks and the crew kept it all in focus. We got behind just like Hollywood and have a few pickup shots for the next time.

Next stop: The Belligerante's.

Desiree Brajevich has been cast, via our casting agent Craigs List, as Kate Bowman a not so tough as nails member of The Belligerante's

Desiree Brajevich

The next episode of the web series: The Bicyclist: "Tough Love" will go online 8/14. It's in the editing suite calling out my name right now.

Last, but not least a new "Spare Parts" will go online soon with behind the scenes footage from the movie.

and we're in the funny papers: CulturePulp, by Mike Russell

this past weekend. We all sat around and discussed the script, changes in the characters and motivations, goals, etc. - all that actor stuff that will kick the movie up several notches.

We also managed to write and shoot the next episode: The Bicyclist 30: "Tough Love"

It was hard work for all, but we plugged through the sunshine, the sand and the mojitos to make sure that although we're working on the movie The Bicyclist TV remains in our hearts.

If you were wondering: "Why isn't the blog updated more?" or "Why are the episodes only coming out monthly?" or "Where's the new Spare Parts?". Here's your answer:

We'd been hanging out in coffee shops for the last few months drinking espresso, smoking cigarettes and googling ourselves when hit it us: we should make a movie. The Bicyclist web series has been adapted into a full length feature script to be shot around Portland this August and September.

The feature will be shot in HD and we look forward to an early 2009 release date to film festivals and then distribution - most likely in keeping with the theme of DIY and the internet - self distribution via internet movie sites.

The Bicyclist web series will continue through October 2008 with three more episodes scheduled for production. Who know what happens after that - it starts to rain Portland for the next five months - so a vacation in Mexico is an option.

See it's in the Willamette Week so it must be true: http://wweek.com/columns/scoop/

Elle Poindexter as Steve enters Foundation Garments.

The Bicyclist 29: "DIY" is in the can and that's about two weeks earlier than usual. That's a good thing - we shot a lot of footage for a great montage with Steve "creating" her new bike-themed shirts, the Belligerante's, a tense fight scene between ... and the always impressive Tricia Ferguson makes an appearance as Ariel Flores.

Elle Poindexter as Steve faces herself in the mirror.

There's much to edit and hidden gems to discover - like the discovery Steve makes when she comes face to face with herself in the dressing room of Foundation Garments - like she can change her outfits in seconds, remain poised and only sound a little out of breathe. A big thank you to Foundation Garments for letting us take over their store on a busy Saturday morning.

Now stop hanging out on your computer all day and get out and ride your bike. I'll do the same - right after I get the episode done. I will. Look for The Bicyclist 29: "DIY" on your favorite electronic device July 15, 2008.

Jose Ortega (Jose Reyes on The Bicyclist) will be having a film premiere this Thursday, July 3rd at 9:00pm at The Screening Room in Portland (925 NW 15th Ave). It is for a short comedy he did last year called "Control Issues".

On the honesty scale, the public puts the car salesman just a notch above the lawyer. In private, car salesmen say that buyers are liars. After going along on this test drive, you decide. Who's really in control?

The showing, sponsored by OMPA, will be at the Screening Room in Portland at 925 NW 19th Avenue on July 3 at 9:oo pm. (Give yourself a few minutes to find parking, which is on the street.) Come! Watch the premiere, as well as meet the cast and crew.

Don Bellairs (plays the Demon SUV) likes kids?

Come see Don's latest work, the Train Master at the Hollywood Theatre beginning June 27th and runs through July 3rd with 18 show times. Bring your family - the kids will love it.

Five kids, a runaway train - can they stop it? Tickets can be ordered online or can be purchased at the door. There are two matinees on Saturday and Sunday with 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM show times all other days.

In The Bicyclist Steve Jones is a bike mechanic and fashion clothing designer with her own company called "A Girl Named Steve Designs". See The Bicyclist 5: "Late Night Picture Show" and The Bicyclist 6: "Drink and Bike". Viewers haven't seen that much of Steve's more arty side, but that will all change soon when Steve starts designing her bike clothing line.

Steve is a fictional character so The Bicyclist needed a real life designer. We found and commissioned that designer: Jesse Neilson of Phonique.

Jesse Neilson of Phonique at Burning Man 2007.

Jesse's design style is a collage of street fashion, high fashion and femininity that fits well into bike culture. She's starting with a few bike-themed t-shirt designs, a hoodie and some one-of-a kind designs. Look for them in upcoming episodes of The Bicyclist and arriving in our store soon.

Carl Jameson, Jayme S. Hall and Jose Ortega rehearse with The Commander.

The Bicyclist 28: "American Pastoral" is complete and is ready to go online June 5, 2008. There's plenty of familiar faces in this episode, and new to The Bicyclist, the dramatic stylings of The Belligerante's.

The performances were all top notch considering that Paul Glazier as Zack is drunk, Elle Poindexter as Steve, Lucy Paschall as Nicole and Melissa Goad as Lissa are stoned and Jayme S. Hall as Conrad is well past the tipping point on his share of beer.

The shoots were a blast and it shows on the screen even the teeny weenie one on my laptop. Get ready for a good time and watch The Bicyclist gang party like it's January 20, 2009.

Cassie Skauge interviews Elle Poindexter on the set of The Bicyclist.

"Spare Parts" is an eclectic web series hosted by Cassie Skauge that takes The Bicyclist viewers behind the scenes of the show, features actor interviews and will also profile the Portland bike community.

The series will feature new shows every couple of weeks opposite episodes of The Bicyclist. We're figuring it out as we go along - so look for the show to change and grow in unexpected ways. Spare Parts is shot and directed by Brian Mazzola and produced by Carl Jameson.

Spare Parts will play on the "Extras" page of the new Bicyclist website. The website is set to launch this Friday May 30, 2008. The Bicyclist website will be fun and give viewers a reason to return between episodes. It will be stuffed with content: actor profiles, photos, a press kit, articles on biking and even the show.

I leave you with this link to the "no drive, just ride" blog where The Bicyclist is quoted. Thanks to Jayme for the ad-lib. http://nodrivejustride.blogspot.com/2008/02/bicyclist.html

We must be doing something right.

Some people have questioned whether Bicyclist is just a made up show, of course it is, but as you can see from these secret plans outlining the rest of the season we make it up in advance. Look close enough and you can read spoilers.

The Bicyclist 28: "American Pastoral" is mostly in the can with just a few scenes to shoot with our special guests: The Belligerante's - a Schwinn only bike "gang" with territory in all five quadrants of Portland.

Check them out on myspace at:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=8323734

We're pleased to announce that Erin McGarry will appear as "The Cager" (Tina Louise), a harried real estate broker with too little time and too much to do: like pay attention to the road. (Paul Glazier as Zack helps her out with that.)

Is there more? Yes there is, but that would be telling...

It's been on our list of "to-do's" for a long time and at long last it's finally happened. The Bicyclist is now whateverable from iTunes:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=280760239

Thanks to Dan Kaufman of www.crankmychain.com for walking us through the process.

Jayme S. Hall as Conrad.and Elle Poindexter as Steve

We've made a lot of episodes and every time I say, "Wow, this is the best one yet." Ok, maybe I don't actually say "Wow" - I say, "Yowza", but you get the idea. This episode, in my not-so-humble opinion, sets new standards for quality in a web series and every member of The Bicyclist family is owed a debt of gratitude for their commitment to their art.

Don't forget to check out our characters MySpace pages! They are all friends and you can become one too. Steve has just put her drawing of Conrad in his new outfit on her blog: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=217681155

Melissa Goad as Lissa and Elle Poindexter as Steve.

What a great Spring weekend to shoot the next episodes of The Bicyclist. We shot The Bicyclist 27 "Can I Keep You?" under ideal conditions on both Saturday and Sunday. And since Spring is a time of renewal there was love in the air.

Of course, since it's Monday, the weather has changed and it's back to gray skies around Portland and more client meetings with political undertones. Best to find your happy place and stay there.

The Bicyclist cast and crew are ready to hit the road again this week to shoot The Bicyclist 27: "Can I Keep You?", but looks like we're going need some more bikes for everyone that's along for the ride.

Cassie Skauge will begin hosting duties in our new "Spare Parts" video series. The videos will include behind the scenes show footage like our rampant drug usage, on set cat fights, unrated interviews and other typical bike stuff.

They're coming soon to a newly re-designed Bicyclist website.

The Bicyclist 27: "Baby Can I Keep You?" will feature the music of Phillip Roebuck. Nicknamed "The BANJO NINJA" by fans, Phillip Roebuck is a bare-bones one-man band, conceived in the subways of New York City.

To accompany his $22, scrap-part banjo, Phillip made his first drum apparatus out of a suitcase and a luggage cart. Using this setup, both live in the Times Square Subway Station and in his apartment in Brooklyn, he made the album ONE-MAN BAND RECORDINGS, later released as INERTIA (Volume I), which comes across like a collection of modern-day field recordings. In 2002, Phillip revamped the setup into the current backpack-harness outfit, used on the albums INERTIA (Volume II), ONE-MAN BAND, and FEVER PITCH.

In 2003, the New York Press voted Phillip the city's Best Subway Musician, and he has since recorded three albums and has been touring steadily.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=38834653
http://philliproebuck.com/index.html

The Bicyclist hopes to showcase other independent bands and musicians in future episodes.
Band or musicians interested in being a part of The Bicyclist contact us at: info@thebicyclist.tv

Jayme Hall (Conrad), Elle Poindexter (Steve), Paul Glazier (Zack) and Melissa Goad (Lissa).

We just got the results of our first photo shoot for The Bicyclist and damn we're hip.

Photography by Jessica Hill
Wardrobe and Art Direction by Sharon Jameson
Make Up by Rose Barclay and Crystal Shade

See more at: http://jessicahillphotography.blogspot.com/

Things are going a little haphazardly around The Bicyclist orifices today - the main computer, "Bike", died - yesterday and no matter how many times Jon Z hit it with a screwdriver it wouldn't come back to life.

"Bike 2" is now online with bigger, badder and completely over the top power, but no brains yet. Sharon is giving it some brains and working around lost data etc. today. That's why the site and the email reminder, like Lissa, is a little late. No worries Zack. It'll all work out.

The Bicyclist 26: "Life Inside Boxes" features long takes. The actors really got into character and gave the episode a naturalistic, rather than forced feel. A "you are there" feel that comes through working the script, extended rehearsals, and focus on everyone's part.

Head down your own dark road...

They're hard to see but that's the cast of The Bicyclist posing for a still at The Recyclery.

The Bicyclist boasts a cast and crew with decades of combined experience in theater and film - and if all the stars align just right will be an overnight success soon. I feel it now and I felt it at our first big ass photo shoot this past weekend.

Sure, there was yelling and it was frigging cold - but damn there was a lot of good stuff going on. Stuff that can't be missed by bloggers, mags, and the entertainment bigwigs when we start our PR campaign later this month.

One of these days, one of these days, bam to the moon!

And that's no joke.

The Bicyclist 26: "We All Live Inside Boxes" (v7) is ready for its close up Saturday morning.

The title of this episode has changed several times and it took us seven tries to get this episode locked. That's about average for us at The Bicyclist. We keep, throw out and refine the script until the camera rolls. Everyone is really quiet until "cut" is called and then we work in new ideas and happy accidents.

We rehearsed scenes with Paul Glazier as Zack Dupree, Ralph Huntley as Ronald Jordan and John Patrick as DUII Rider. It could have been the french press coffee - or it could have been the new script direction and the input from the actors - but I have a very good and jittery feeling about the next episode.

The Bicyclist is growing up and I'm so proud I can't sit down for too long.

The Bicyclist blog was rated by the an editor at www.blogged.com and found to be pretty darned good - and they hadn't even watched the actual program.

The reviews are provided by professional editors who evaluate a blog based on the following: Frequency of Updates, Relevance of Content, Site Design, and Writing Style.

I haven't been this darned proud since second grade when I got all 2's in every subject on my report card, all year. I didn't get any 1's like the smart kids or any 3's like the not as smart kids. Just 2's across across the whole report card. Oh, and perfect attendance also. What a remarkable year that was...

Sharon Jameson got her first byline as a contributor to Carbusters magazine www.carbusters.org, a project of the world carfree network www.carfree.net

The online version doesn't have the article yet, but the hard copy does. The Bicyclist logo is displayed across the top of the page and there's a nice still of Jose Ortega as Jose, Paul Glazier as Zack and Jayme S. Hall as Conrad.

We're working hard to make sure more of The Bicyclist is splashed across the pages of the world's consciousness in the coming months.

Great work Sharon.

Elle Poindexter as Steve Jones takes a hill (for the fifth time) like a champ.

The Bicyclist 25: "Good Night and Good Luck" will be ready for upload in an hour - and ready to watch tomorrow morning.

The episode is longer than any from last season - it clocks in at eight minutes, but moves along at a brisk pace. We could have gone for more, but let's see how the episode plays. (There's more in the can for next time.)

This episode focuses on the Conrad and Steve dynamic. Are you surprised? We'll they haven't seen each other for weeks and you know - things are a little dicey between them.

Thanks for watching.

The Bicyclist 25: Good Night And Good Luck is in the can and ready to edit.

We finished shooting Sunday around five in the evening and not a moment too soon. Jayme S. Hall (as Conrad Miller) and Elle Poindexter (as Steve Jones) nearly froze their asses off on the cold cement sidewalk.

They kept smiling through multiple takes and angles to deliver a very nice scene and a great new episode. I felt a good energy when we wrapped. I'm sure they felt the same. They're actors after all and they live for their art.

It's great to have such a good working relationship with them and dare I say a treasured friendship. They make creating The Bicyclist fun and keep me wanting to make more. Thanks guys.

We're ready to shoot the The Bicyclist 26: "Good Night and Good Luck" this weekend and the most important star - the sun - looks to be in alignment.

Our terrestrial stars: Jayme S. Hall and Elle Poindexter light up our rehearsals with performances that revealed unexplored sides to both Conrad and Steve's characters.

And we're adding new crew members to keep The Bicyclist speeding along on its trajectory to longer and more complex episodes.

Thanks to

Jeff Guerrero at http://www.urbanvelo.org for adding us to his blog. http://urbanvelo.org/a-girl-named-steve/

And a shout out to Hugo Jorge and all our fans in Portugal.
http://hugo-jorge.blogs.sapo.pt/

Your notes, blogging and words of encouragement make the trip worthwhile.

and not start shooting The Bicyclist 25: Good Night And Good Luck.

Sunday was a rare day in Portland. The sun was warm and bicyclists were blooming all over town on every sort of bike and in all the colors of the rainbow. We knew what we had to do: we jumped on our bikes, grabbed Jayme S. Hall and shot a few of his scenes.

What a great way to start the new season, unlike last year, which I will not mention, except to say it rained all day. A lot. A lot.

There's more of The Bicyclist to come soon. So get ready: Elle Poindexter, Don Bellairs and Ralph Huntley you're up next.

If you're reading this blog, you must have some sort of interest in The Bicyclist - enough that you've watched all the episodes (hopefully a couple of times) and are ready for more. I know that I am.

I just watched the series and couldn’t be happier with the work of the cast and crew. We all worked together as a team and made a great show – a show that helps to showcase all of our talents.

The first season was a great shake down ride. There were miles of rolling hills, some rain storms and some blowouts. Thankfully, no one got hurt and we're stronger for it. This winter we tuned up the show and now have a map in our back pocket - so we all know were we're going.

This season we're giving The Bicyclist more: more depth, more realism and more bikes. To add more depth we're continuing on storylines that have 30% more drama and 30% less farce. (You do the math.) We'll be taping at some actual bike events and we'll be riding all types of bikes and meeting all kind of riders.

We're proud to announce that once again this year that we'll be shooting The Bicyclist at The Recyclery. http://www.therecyclery.com/

And we're stopping at plenty of other new locations along the way.

"Revver has yet to draw an audience big enough to make it one of the leading video-sharing sites. What it has done well is attract a small but talented group of video producers, the sources said."

These are the guys ( www.revver.com ) that serve up The Bicyclist in living color and send us some spare change every month.

Read the rest of the article: http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9865731-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Plus this one from The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelly-palmer/revvers-financial-woes-_b_85703.html

What that means to us is this: I'm not sure. We'll keep making more of The Bicyclist - no Zack we're not on a dead end.

Since the auditions we’ve all spent hours and hours making the show, better, bigger and, yes, brighter than your average internet-only series. We’ve held rehearsals, wardrobe fittings, camera tests, and hair and make-up tests, lighting and sound checks with the ever patient actors.

We shot over twenty hours of footage all over the Portland metro area. That’s about 12 to 1 ratio of footage shot to finished episode – that’s too much video shot vs. what gets used - no wonder we always go over schedule and budget. Whose fault is that “Mr. Perfect, Let’s Try Another Angle”?

We slogged through it with some great actors, crew and a lot of coffee. This year we plan on adding more actors, more crew and more pre-production time. Rehearsal time will go up, on set time down and every one goes home happy – or they go to the bar and get happy, whatever works.

To see even more video about The Bicyclist click:
http://www.pdxk.com/crankmychain/2007/02/behind-scenes-at-bicyclist.html

Thanks to Dan Kaufman at www.crankmychain.com

The Bicyclist cast and crew look forward to resuming production soon with six new blockbuster episodes. The story arc has been outlined, the scripts are written, the locations chosen - you know the cast - and all we need now is a little sunshine.

Looks like The Bicyclist is monthy this year, instead of weekly. Huh, wonder why that is?

The Bicyclist 22: "To The Rescue" marked the end of season one of The Bicyclist. Together, we've watched all the characters change and grow from when Conrad first arrived in Portland right up till the last frame of this episode.

I have a few favorite episodes and I'm sure you do too, but where do we go from here? I have a lot of ideas and fragments of ideas, but I’d like to put the question to the viewers/readers of this blog. Please send in your ideas for new stories, characters or situations you’d like to see in upcoming episodes of The Bicyclist.

You can either comment from this blog where it can be discussed publicly - or email us at info@thebicyclist.tv.

We'll have an expert panel of judges drink beer and talk about them. The ideas that we remember the next day win their name in the credits and we'll mail you a Bicyclist t-shirt.

Craftmaster Independent is also proud to announce that shooting is complete of our latest short film entitled, "Together Again". It's now in the edit suite and looking good.

Elle Poindexter (Steve Jones on The Bicyclist) played Louise.
For more info on her acting career check out: www.ellepoindexter.com
Andy Copeland played Jim. Andy's career spans the stage and screen in productions with the Firehouse Theater, American Heritage Theater, Theater Vertigo and training at Portland Actors Conservatory.

And we've cut a trailer for the feature film "Shaniko" we shot this past summer, starring Melissa Goad (Lissa Valentine on The Bicyclist). The film was written and directed by Phillip Roebuck and produced by Melissa's production company Inspireworks.
For more info go to their myspace page at: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=201430392

Watch the high-res version here:
Full Length:
www.craftmasterpro.com/video

Short Version
www.craftmasterpro.com/video/index2.htm

Now Back To Work Everyone!

The Bicyclist wrapped up season one way back in November with a kiss, but before you knew it we were back with a “special” episode in December – just because we could – and we last saw Conrad ride out into the dark night of surrealism.

How long can Conrad stay out all alone in the dark cold night – stoned and stupid? Who knows? I do. That’s right - the next episode of The Bicyclist is written and ready to shoot.

The Bicyclist 25: Good Night And Good Luck is just sitting on my hard drive waiting for the false spring we get every winter in Portland. It’s a couple of days to a week when suddenly the promise of spring is near, the air gets warm, the sun makes a brief appearance and crocus flowers pop up all around.

So hang in there we’re making more of The Bicyclist.

Season Two starts March 6, 2008.

New episodes will appear every three to four weeks, but they’ll be longer and chock full of surprises. I promise.

I love all of my episodes equally, at least that's what I say in public, and you should too, or you just won't get it. By "get it” I mean understand what's going on. And that will be a big problem for you with The Bicyclist 24: "Friend And/Or Foe".

If you haven't watched the previous seven episodes - well except for The Bicyclist 23: "Meet The Cast" - which is a great little episode by the way - very cute and cuddly. (Aren't they all are at that age?)

To tell you the truth I'm most worried that The Bicyclist 20: "Capture The Flag" being overlooked and underappreciated. The episode is feeling insecure and is at the age where these things matter more - very open to peer pressure. (You remember the eighth grade don’t you?) It doesn’t know how important it is to the whole storyline, yet. But now you do.