Talking about 'Riese', and developing a project from idea to production and onward.

This week in my film class at SFU, we had Galen Fletcher, one of the producers of Riese, come talk to us about his experiences in the film industry and the evolution of Riese, as well as give us advice. His talk was compelling and very interesting, so I thought I’d share some of what we learned.

Riese & Fenrir

If you don’t know Riese, here’s a quick primer for you. Riese is a Vancouver-based, steampunk-influenced web series (created by Ryan Copple and Kaleena Kiff, produced by Galen Fletcher and Nicholas Humphries) about a wandering princess (Riese, played by Christine Chatelain) and her wolf, Fenrir, who are fighting to reclaim her throne from the Empress Amara (Sharon Taylor) and the evil Sect, who murdered her family. A number of well-known actors who often work in Vancouver have roles in the show as well, such as Sanctuary’s Ryan Robbins and Emilie Ullerup, Smallville’s Allison Mack, SGU’s Patrick Gilmore and of course Amanda Tapping, who lends her voice as the Narrator. There are currently ten episodes, each about ten minutes in length, and the entire series is divided into two “chapters”. Picked up by the SyFy channel in the U.S., the episodes debuted online in October; in Canada, the series has begun showing on the Space Channel website (www.spacecast.com) and will be broadcast as a TV movie on Space within a few weeks (when I have an exact date, I’ll update this). 

Riese has come a long way from its genesis, Galen told us. It began as an idea for a short film, but the concept was so huge that the creators soon decided it deserved something bigger. They then thought it would be a good idea for a TV series, but the Riese team knew that it was not an easy sell for the networks, so they had to try something else. That is how Riese became a web series - they broke up what was originally planned to be a TV pilot into several parts to be the first chapter of the series, and with that plan in place, they went to work.

There are a lot of elements that must be in place to get a production going, and it involves a lot of hard work. One of the first things that needs to be acquired is funding - it’s nearly impossible to make any kind of film project without some kind of funding, and especially a project on the scale of Riese required some significant investment.

Networking is vitally important to anyone working in the film industry. For just about any project, you need people. There’s the crew, which can be as small as three or as large as a hundred or more, depending on the project; and there’s the cast, which again can be small or numerous. How do you get all the people you need for your project? Well, the best way to do it is to contact people through your network. Most of the Riese team had contacts in the industry from years spent working on sets in various roles, such as in the camera department or as assistants to producers. They had all met each other while working on other projects, and when the creators decided to make Riese, they already knew who to call to join them in the production. The crew came together through their established networks, and the cast was gathered in a similar way through contacts, and talking to “people who know other people”. Galen’s advice for building networks was to go to film events like festivals, and just start talking to people. Volunteering to work on independent film sets is a good idea as well, since many crew members on those sets will likely have contacts on bigger professional sets, and opportunities will likely arise in that direction to expand the network even further. The importance of networks cannot be understated.

Before signing with SyFy...

Galen described the filming part of production as a great, exciting experience; the cast and crew all worked together well and everyone was energetic and supportive of the project. Watching the series and reading various comments and such online (quite a lot on Twitter) it is easy to see the enthusiasm the cast and crew have for Riese, and it is part of what makes the show so special. 

As well, they learned much about the various kinds of fees and paperwork involved with filming on location as well - as Galen said, it is best to avoid filming in federal parks (like historic Fort Langley), because the fees involved simply to apply for permission to film there are prohibitive for small productions. It is many details like these that are learned as the production proceeds; filmmaking is a very educational process, and even if you think you already know everything you need to know, it’s more than likely that you’ll learn something new every day. Galen said that he, as a producer, was always trying to expand his knowledge and was continually becoming aware of new important things - such as the need for a lawyer when dealing with contracts and corporations. Even if the lawyer is only there to review a contract and advise, it is still a good idea to have one. Corporations know when they are dealing with young, rather inexperienced people and will do their best to take advantage of them, so having a lawyer as back up is highly recommended.

Another important piece of advice for small productions is the importance of getting the word out about the project. Riese went to Comic Con in San Diego before they even began filming and started making people aware of it; that first time, they didn’t even have passes to enter the actual Comic Con event, but instead handed out Riese buttons and miscellaneous promotional material on the street outside. The second year (last year’s Comic Con, I believe), they were inside the event, and had quite an interesting experience mingling with the more well-known actors, directors and producers who show up to Comic Con.

Next, Galen told us about Riese and SyFy. It is perhaps common knowledge that when the creators of a show meet with the representatives of the corporation financing or broadcasting the show (or both), certain agreements and compromises must be made so that everyone involved is happy - or at least, as close to “happy” as can be. The same occurred with Riese. Galen showed us the original version of the first episode of Riese, then the new re-edit done for SyFy. There are major differences between the two versions, and Galen explained to us why they occurred.

The first change was the addition of the Narrator to guide the story; Amanda Tapping’s role did not exist in the original, but the SyFy executives thought it was necessary to tell the audience what was occurring. Also, they wanted as many of the major characters to be introduced as early as possible, instead of later; the scenes from the first episode that reveal actors Sharon Taylor, Ryan Robbins and Emilie Ullerup, for example, were not in the original version. Those scenes were taken from later episodes and edited in to the first, establishing their characters much earlier. Another change concerned the title - SyFy wanted a title that more clearly described what the show was about, and after much deliberation and compromising the title was adjusted to Riese: Kingdom Falling. 

...after signing with SyFy

Those were the most noticeable changes, and good examples of how creators of television shows or films have to compromise and make adjustments when dealing with executives of corporations and networks; what the creators like and what the networks demand will never be exactly the same. Being able to negotiate and compromise is often necessary, and accepting this to a degree will help projects move forward.

These were just some of the things we talked about with Galen in class, about Riese and the development of film projects from the idea to production and onward: Riese’s journey is far from over. If the ratings on SyFy are good enough, then they may get picked up as a full television series, which was the goal from the beginning. The Riese team are determined to prove to SyFy that they can do it if given the opportunity, and I believe they are right. So everyone - watch Riese online! If you live in the U.S., go to the SyFy website (www.syfy.com) and if you’re in Canada, it’s the Space Channel website (parts 1-3 are online now, with more on the way). If you live in a different country, well, I’m not sure what the details are for you to watch it or if it’s even available yet (it will be eventually), but I’m sure you can find it online somewhere!