Back when I was recording our Season 1 episode “Welcome, Freshmen” under the title “Very Special,” I had some ideas when the cast asked me about plans for future episodes. Since the Special family was inspired by the Keatons from “Family Ties,” I thought it would be interesting to do an homage to the award-winning episode(s) “A, My Name is Alex”. The story featured Michael J. Fox talking to an invisible therapist about the death of his friend, plus a few interludes with the rest of the family. It’s a theatrical episode, shot on a bare stage. Really daring for a straightforward 80s sitcom.

After cooking the idea in the back of my head for a few years, I decided to tackle my “R, My Name is Ricky” idea for the Everly Heights Tales podcast. It was a challenging, emotional episode to write. A lot of introspection involved, but I’ll let the script stand by itself and let you take away from it what you will.

That being said, I turned the episode into a paper bag puppet show shot in my living room.

Everly Heights Tales: The Art of Being Wrong

In the wake of a sudden loss, Ricky Special is trying to balance the books on his grief. After delivering a shocking eulogy at his late mother Jennifer’s funeral, the young conservative retreats to the only place where things still make sense: the analytical sanctuary of Mr. Matheson’s math classroom. From the the relentless ticking of a classroom clock to the ghostly memories of painted triangles, Ricky is forced to find his own solution to the unquantifiable relationship between life, loss, and his mother’s legacy.

In the aftershow, Bill Meeks takes us behind the scenes to show how he filmed his paper bag puppet short film in his own living room. He breaks down his DIY production process, detailing how he used a TV as his set and his actual living room curtains to frame the stage. He’ll also plug the new Retro TV Simulator software he made for this episode to emulate that imperfect tracking-error-laden public access broadcast vibe in a modern studio environment.

LINKS
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube (with behind-the-scenes video aftershow)
Web

I highly recommend checking out the YouTube version, since I produced the whole thing as a puppet show… Really.

The puppets:

Now that the episode is done, I’ve put the puppets for sale up on the site. Own a piece of Everly Heights history and support the show here.

To plus up this puppet show, I also wrote a piece of Windows software called Retro TV Simulator.

Retro TV Simulator – $5.25 at EverlyHeights.tv

From retro-themed digital signage to immersive creative installations, Everly Heights Retro TV Simulator transforms any image or video into a 90s television-style experience. Useful for live streams, creating a centerpiece for a gallery, or creating a background for a puppet show like I did in the Everly Heights Tales episode “The Art of Being Wrong.”

Basically, you feed it an image or video and it applies an accurate live VHS effect. I wrote it because I didn’t want to apply the effects to images, render them as videos, and loop them. The program made production more flexible, since I could tweak the source files in a minute and be back to shooting. Here’s an example of me using it with a TV hooked up to my computer:

The effect is more accurate and more subtle then other things I’ve tried. While it worked great for my puppet show short film, it would work well for live-streaming or in a store or restaurant to make your marketing materials feel more “vintage” on a modern TV. If you have a project you want to use it for, pick it up for $5.25 on the site.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the last two weeks of ambitious video episodes/short films for the podcast. I made sure both episodes worked in audio only, but I hope you find a chance to hit up my YouTube channel to watch them. I’d love to do more video episodes in the future, so show your support!

I’ll be back next week for a story set in the worst snowstorm I can remember, mostly because it was my first.

See you next week.

Bill Meeks
EverlyHeights.tv | BillMeeks.com