THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

  • 08 Nov 2024, 14:50
  • Welcome, Guest
Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: [1] 2 3 4   Go Down

Author Topic: QC: Behind the Scenes  (Read 62044 times)

jwhouk

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,022
  • The Valley of the Sun
QC: Behind the Scenes
« on: 31 May 2012, 05:49 »

Spawned a bit from the QC Caption 64 thread: We joked a bit that the actual "cast members" are something else entirely in real life - like how a married couple IRL would play brother-and-sister on a TV show.

So - without getting into bear-hat territory - what would you see our fabled cast members as being when they're "not in character"?

The prime example would be that Dora and Sven are actually married, not brother and sister.

« Last Edit: 31 May 2012, 05:57 by jwhouk »
Logged
"Character is what you are in the Dark." - D.L. Moody
There is no joke that can be made online without someone being offended by it.
Life's too short to be ashamed of how you were born.
Just another Joe like 46

Soulsynger

  • The Tickler
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 919
  • Got alla the cri'cal sysms runnin'
    • Fessel at DeviantART
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #1 on: 31 May 2012, 06:22 »

(Ooooh, free imagination. I love it.)

I always pictured Hanners (Camille Serrada) and Penelope (Vera Serrada) as being "real life" sisters.
Both still studying (Cam: educational theory, Vera: biology) next to their still very young acting "careers", living together in a larger than average shared appartment. Their major quirk is a strongly esoteric-oriented lifestyle (a lot of time spent in the green). They're vegan, of course and sometimes Vera helps out at Cam's study-related work placement because she likes children.

Cam has a bit of a time problem at the moment juggling both her work placement and the acting job. She is thinking of buying a car and getting a driver's license.

Vera was the one who suggested to Julia Martinson (a young girl under Cam's care) to audition for the role of Sam - which she got.

(lunch break is over, to be continued °O)
Logged
My music as Hirnfunk on Soundcloud
My art (old and new) as Indrome on DeviantArt

Bachi-Atari

  • Larger than most fish
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 122
  • What goes here again?
    • Tumblr of course
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #2 on: 31 May 2012, 07:57 »

It would be amusing if Mari-Gold and Tai were lovers, only Mari-Gold is actually the butch.
Logged

jmucchiello

  • Curry sauce
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 274
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #3 on: 31 May 2012, 09:00 »

I saw the title and was expecting something a bit more VH1-Behind the Music.

Faye: It's all just an act you know. Martin is a domineering bastard. The laid back dude thing is all just an act. He heard Sven and I were doing IRL and made sure the producers broke us up in comic.

Martin: Faye called me a domineering bastard? And she wonders why she wasn't invited on the space episodes.

Interviewer: Wasn't that just a way to cleverly hide her real-life pregnancy?

Martin: That was just how the PR folks spun it. She was close to getting fired for ad-lib calling me an asshole when Padma and I broke up.

Interviewer: Next on Questionable Content: Behind the Comic....

Dora: Let me tell you how big he is...
Logged

Border Reiver

  • Born in a Nalgene bottle
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3,189
  • Yes, I painted this.
    • The Pet Patch
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #4 on: 31 May 2012, 12:35 »

Jeph:  "Buncha whiny primadonnas most of 'em.  Except for Angus, he's a real professional, never misses his cue and always has his lines down pat.  Still, the fans like them.  It's challenging keeping this up, especially with the Foglios and Howard Taylor trying to poach some of the cast, I'm getting close to the edge of the salary envelope and need to keep showcasing some people more often to keep them happy and on set."
Logged
"It's a futile gesture that my sense of right and wrong tells me I should make." Is It Cold Here, 19 Mar 2013, 02:12

Is it cold in here?

  • Administrator
  • Awakened
  • ******
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 25,163
  • He/him/his pronouns
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #5 on: 31 May 2012, 16:54 »

Pintsize is really an actuary who acts as an escape from his humdrum life. He does not have full time available to practice his art, which is why his performance is so one-dimensional.
Logged
Thank you, Dr. Karikó.

Carl-E

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 10,346
  • The distilled essence of Mr. James Beam himself.
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #6 on: 31 May 2012, 19:57 »

Raven started pursuing a career in politics, and didn't return to the cast until she lost her seat in the state house.  She's considering a run for the US senate, but also has other acting offers, most notably in a new reality series which could, if swung right, help her gain name recognition among the electorate. 

Sarah died in a tragic accident at a natural history museum.  Since it was early in the series, the writers never got around to dealing with it directly, and no one really noticed she was missing anyway.  Like minor characters in the early days of a lot of series*, their absence is only noted by the cognoscenti. 

* Richie's older brother in Happy Days.  Spearchucker Jones in MASH.  Dwight in Roseanne. 
Logged
When people try to speak a gut reaction, they end up talking out their ass.

jwhouk

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,022
  • The Valley of the Sun
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #7 on: 31 May 2012, 20:59 »

Amir is actually Bobby Jindahl. (Which is why he hasn't been in the strip for a while...)

SVEN: "Yeah, the idea about the crappy country music songs was actually Dora's mom's idea. What's funny is, she's actually a Southern Baptist and doesn't smoke."

DORA: "She always wanted me to get involved in country music, get me on the stage at the Opry. That was part of why I got into acting and moved away to Julliard."

SVEN: "I met her at the New York City Metropolitan Ballet. Right after we got married, I was replaced by that Seth Appleby guy in Chickweed Lane."

DORA: "Yeah, I met that van Hoesen kid once. He looked like a first-class loser, personally. I could play Mozart's Requiem ten times better than him."
« Last Edit: 31 May 2012, 21:10 by jwhouk »
Logged
"Character is what you are in the Dark." - D.L. Moody
There is no joke that can be made online without someone being offended by it.
Life's too short to be ashamed of how you were born.
Just another Joe like 46

jwhouk

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,022
  • The Valley of the Sun
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #8 on: 31 May 2012, 21:11 »

Oh, and Pintsize is actually portrayed by Verne Troyer.
Logged
"Character is what you are in the Dark." - D.L. Moody
There is no joke that can be made online without someone being offended by it.
Life's too short to be ashamed of how you were born.
Just another Joe like 46

DrBear

  • Pneumatic ratchet pants
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 334
  • Icon being from guest comic by the Hjinks Ensue.
    • Blog about my book
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #9 on: 01 Jun 2012, 03:14 »

Yelling Bird is actually everyone's supplier. His reward is the occasional filler strip.
Logged
I'm working on slashfic involving Lily from AT&T, Jan from Toyota and Jake from State Farm.

jwhouk

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,022
  • The Valley of the Sun
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #10 on: 01 Jun 2012, 07:27 »

The girl that they got to play the younger Hanners in the flashbacks at the station is actually Miley Cyrus.

Oh, and the doctor on the station was a cameo by Oprah Winfrey. ;)
Logged
"Character is what you are in the Dark." - D.L. Moody
There is no joke that can be made online without someone being offended by it.
Life's too short to be ashamed of how you were born.
Just another Joe like 46

Border Reiver

  • Born in a Nalgene bottle
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3,189
  • Yes, I painted this.
    • The Pet Patch
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #11 on: 01 Jun 2012, 13:15 »

Jeph:  "Man, I fully empathize with Conan Doyle, I mean I haven't received hate mail from royalty, but the fan fics and the 'suggestions' for plot lines are just getting out of hand.  I'm gonna have to disappear if I ever do anything to the Hannelore character.  And that plot line I pitched for 2013?  The sponsors aren't gonna let that one go either."
Logged
"It's a futile gesture that my sense of right and wrong tells me I should make." Is It Cold Here, 19 Mar 2013, 02:12

jwhouk

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,022
  • The Valley of the Sun
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #12 on: 02 Jun 2012, 19:54 »

SVEN: "Actually, I don't quite remember who it was that came up with the 'Faye/Sven' storyline. I do know it wasn't Jeph."
DORA: "Jeph had asked me how I'd take a possible Faye/Sven pairing - something they'd teased back in '06 and '07 - but I didn't come up with the idea."
FAYE: (Holding her hands up in the air) "Wasn't my idea. I thought it was too outrageous, even for my character.
MARTEN: "She might think it was me trying to be an @$$hole, but I thought we'd get too much hate mail over it."

OFF-SCREEN NARRATOR: So whose idea WAS it to pair up Faye and Sven?

HANNELORE: "That was me. I told Jeph that if he wanted me to stay on for 2008 and beyond, he had to set up a wacky pairing between Faye and Sven - one that I would unintentionally set in motion." (Looks at the camera) "And it WORKED, bitches! Won a damn Copper Comics Circle award for it!" 

Logged
"Character is what you are in the Dark." - D.L. Moody
There is no joke that can be made online without someone being offended by it.
Life's too short to be ashamed of how you were born.
Just another Joe like 46

RyanW1019

  • Larger than most fish
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 115
  • PARALYSIS BY ANALYSIS
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #13 on: 02 Jun 2012, 20:18 »

Pintsize would be portrayed by whoever it was inside R2-D2.
Logged

DSL

  • Older than Moses
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,097
    • Don Lee Cartoons
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #14 on: 02 Jun 2012, 21:42 »

I imagine the Hannelore-actress' interview taking place inside her apartment/home/other form of domicile ...





... Which is a frakkin' MESS.




... Or maybe Hannelore is portrayed by a male actor. There's precedent.
Logged
"We are who we pretend to be. So we had better be careful who we pretend to be."  -- Kurt Vonnegut.

Carl-E

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 10,346
  • The distilled essence of Mr. James Beam himself.
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #15 on: 03 Jun 2012, 00:27 »

Not so much a mess, but cramped and crowded with funky object d'art, wall hangings, fringed lampshades, weird little statuettes - almost victorian looking.  And she chain smokes with a cigarette holder clamped in her teeth. 
Logged
When people try to speak a gut reaction, they end up talking out their ass.

Border Reiver

  • Born in a Nalgene bottle
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3,189
  • Yes, I painted this.
    • The Pet Patch
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #16 on: 04 Jun 2012, 05:14 »

Marten:  "Do you have any idea of how hard it is to get other gigs now that we've done these roles?  I mean the key players, not some of the secondaries - Sarah gets walk ons damn near when ever she needs em, but the rest of us?  I mean we're not at OS ST levels of "only identified with the QC character" yet and being consigned to years of doing conventions, but man if I end up fifty still wearing the "teh" shirt and signing pics at conventions while trying to hide a bald spot and a "middle age spread" ....."
Logged
"It's a futile gesture that my sense of right and wrong tells me I should make." Is It Cold Here, 19 Mar 2013, 02:12

DSL

  • Older than Moses
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,097
    • Don Lee Cartoons
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #17 on: 04 Jun 2012, 07:52 »

JIMBO: "Well, I haven't gotten a lot of play lately, which has actually been good, because it's given me opportunity to get back into Shakespeare. I'm classically trained, you know. Studied under Olivier and it was a toss-up between me and Blessed when Branagh did 'Henry V.' Last month I was Ophelia --you know, Shakespearean theatre the way it was originally done -- and maybe I shouldn't talk about it because he's concerned about his image, but you should have seen Pintsize as Rosencrantz. Or maybe it was Guildenstern. I forget."
« Last Edit: 04 Jun 2012, 08:04 by DSL »
Logged
"We are who we pretend to be. So we had better be careful who we pretend to be."  -- Kurt Vonnegut.

Border Reiver

  • Born in a Nalgene bottle
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3,189
  • Yes, I painted this.
    • The Pet Patch
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #18 on: 04 Jun 2012, 08:50 »

Pintsize:  "Well Jim, I did Rosencratz with you, but let's face it, I know your alcohol allergy really impacts on how long you stay at the cast parties so it's not like we got a lot of time to just hang and catch up.  Still, I was hoping that the performance was memorable for my fellow thespians.  I was a little disappointed with being slotted into the Rosencratz role, I had read for Polonius hoping to get a more serious role on the ole' resume.  I'm kind of disappointed that I've typecast myself at present and would really like to branch out."
Logged
"It's a futile gesture that my sense of right and wrong tells me I should make." Is It Cold Here, 19 Mar 2013, 02:12

jwhouk

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,022
  • The Valley of the Sun
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #19 on: 17 Jun 2012, 14:16 »

"Pintsize, I'm home."

VOICEOVER: "And with those immortal words, the webcomic known as Questionable Content began. Over the years, the comic developed a following that turned it - and its band of twentysomething indie/hipster/goth characters - into an internet institution.

(Pictures of smiling Jeph Jacques, red-carpet-dressed Faye and Dora, and Marten doing the pratfall in the Vespavenger story arc)

VOICEOVER: "But it wasn't all a bed of espresso beans for the comic troupe."

HANNELORE (talking to the camera): "The drinking, the drugs, the madness... it just never seemed to end."

MARTEN: "She just never wanted to stop. And that's how she ended up preggers."

PENELOPE: "I was completely mortified, to the point where I refused to even be on the set with him after strip 1500."

VOICEOVER: "And behind the scenes, the cast drove their director to an unusual level of madness..."

JEPH: "Yep, haven't touched a drop of alcohol since the Sven/Faye arc ended."

VOICEOVER: "This is the story of a real-life internet sensation; Webcomic of Glory - The True Internet Story of Questionable Content. Next, on E! Entertainment Network."
Logged
"Character is what you are in the Dark." - D.L. Moody
There is no joke that can be made online without someone being offended by it.
Life's too short to be ashamed of how you were born.
Just another Joe like 46

Blood-Tree

  • Obscure cultural reference
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 140
  • Must have tree blood!!!
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #20 on: 18 Jun 2012, 12:06 »

If they were actors, then presumably their 'real' names could also be different?

Edward Thorncombe (Marten Reed)

Growing up in England, of course, we didn't have establishments like CoD, so I often find that replicating the tonality of daily American life to be one of the truest challenges of the role. Beside the accent, naturally. Hugh Laurie is an inspiration in that regard, we met through the Cambridge footlights, and he has been a great source of advice during my time over here.

Marie Lee Jones (Faye Whitaker)

My biggest challenge? Not laughing at Captain Picard over there when his accent changes out of character! [Points and Laughs at Edward] Naw, but really, the whole thing's just great. It's just such a fun show to be involved in. There's a real community now and that makes it all easier. During rehab, before I found my faith, I realized how much pressure there was on me to be this great actor because of my dad [Tommy Lee Jones] but having everyone around has really helped me to work past that. It's just great.

George Dawes (Momo)

For me, it has to be the costume. I have to spend ten hours in make-up before every scene. It was easier in a lot of ways when I was just voicing the animatronic but I have to admit, with the switch to the suit, I think we've all noticed how the interactions with that character and the rest, it all just seems much more natural now.
Logged

Barmymoo

  • Mentat
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9,926
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #21 on: 18 Jun 2012, 14:56 »

We totally have awesome coffee shops in England, but otherwise I like it :)
Logged
There's this really handy "other thing" I'm going to write as a footnote to my abstract that I can probably explore these issues in. I think I'll call it my "dissertation."

WAYF

  • Beyoncé
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 704
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #22 on: 18 Jun 2012, 17:04 »

I thought this thread had serious potential to get creepy or fanfiction-y.
Thank you for proving me wrong. This thread is full of awesome. ;D
Lemme see what I can do...
EDIT: Holy mackeral, this is a goldmine. I want to do this all the time.


RAVEN (ditzy): Umm, like, I've been with Questionable Content, from like, almost the beginning. But eventually I like, had to leave, you know? Cause there I was all day telling the same joke over and over again, right? The one where I'm all ditzy and don't understand what people are saying. And eventually I developed this, like, inflection, where everything I say sounds dumb! And, and people thought it was cute! I could help anyone on the crew with , you know, measurements and calculations, right? And I'm, like, really good with world history. Like I'm really good with dates, but like, I can interpret the events too, like tell you the greater consequences of 1066 and the Industrial Revolution and stuff. But eventually I'm getting invited to parties just so I can say smart stuff while sounding like... well, like this. And that time I left? Rehab, lots of rehab, for my voice and stuff. But after so long I just couldn't, like, get back to my previous voice! So now I just sort of have to, you know, live with it. I totally should have taken out insurance on my voice or something.

HANNELORE: Oh, the fans are just the worst. Maybe Faye's fans are a bit creepier, but mine are by far the most obsessive. That's not right. I'm the obsessive one around here. Or I pretend to be. I'm not actually obsessive-compulsive, but there are people who just run up to me and try to hug me, just so they say they can. And some of these people CLEARLY haven't washed their hands for hours beforehand. So now I've got their grimy fingerprints on the back of my dress, and if I'm lucky, that's the ONLY place they are. I've had to issue a couple of restraining orders against my fans, and I really don't want to do that, cause clearly they love the show, and that's great, but there has to be a place where you say enough is enough. I remember, one of the comic's lesbian fans stalked me for a WEEK, then approached me at one of the conventions and declared that she had legally changed her name to Hannah Lawes the day before. I had to break out the restraining orders after she admitted to stalking me, then insisted that she would BECOME me, as if, as if I don't really exist? And that was just one incident, but really it happens a lot more often than it should. So yeah, if I seem a bit distant from my fans at the conventions, that might be why. Maybe I've only just come away from a bad experience. Best way to prove that you're not one of the creeps is to actually get a coherent sentence out.

FAYE: Yes, I am actually that tough in real life. I didn't used to be though. Back when we first started I was generally relying on my bulk to give me the edge over Marten and Dora, who are SKINNY AS HELL. (laughs) Don't tell them I said that! But, ah, then Penelope came along, and while she was still fairly skinny, she actually had some serious muscles on her, and we realized that we would be unable to do the bits in the beginning where I was consistently, well, bullying her. So I had to find some way to get in shape. Then I discovered Muay Thai, and it was great! Soon I was actually able to take Penelope in a fight! We actually had sparring matches in between scenes to determine which of us was better at bullying than the other. It was a lot of fun actually (laughs). I don't get to fight as often any more, but I may have accidentally adopted a Muay Thai stance in a couple of places... we'll see if that shows up in the finished product.

SVEN: Some people can pull off the Casanova routine, you know, sleeping with every girl you lay eyes on, being able to effortlessly woo them, that sort of thing. Neil Patrick Harris can pull that off. But he's actually gay, you know, so people know, in real life, that he's not actually sleeping with lots and lots of women. For me, it's different, because I'm straight. And I guess people do assume that my lifestyle is actually having as much meaningless sex as possible. Well no, it's not like that at all. In fact I really kind of hate my character right now, not cause he's necessarily a bad person, but because of what he's done to my life. I've been typecast, so people look at me and either they don't know who I am or they say "Hey look, it's Sven from Questionable Content! Look out, he has a gaze like a cockatrice!" and they avoid me. Kinda hurts, really. That's part of why I persuaded Jeph to try and make my character turn over a new leaf. Not sure how it'll work out yet, but hopefully it'll paint me in a more sympathetic light with the fans.

TAI: For me, by far the best part of this gig was becoming a lesbian icon among not just the fans, but everyone in the LGBT community. I'm honestly a lot more about the sex than, say, Ellen DeGeneres, but I don't mind that (laughs). Seriously, eventually we're going to get gay marriage, and Ellen's been a great part of this campaign. And after we get the gay marriage, maybe we can think of moving on to the polyamory. I think that issue's going to be a lot more contentious, and there will be people saying that gay people are trying to take over sex, or something, but you know, that's crazy people for you. In the end, polyamory has to be fought for largely in the LGBT community, cause when you have three or more people, at least two of them are gonna be of the same sex, right? (laughs) Ideally, if we could get polyamory to be universally accepted without too much fuss, that'd be great. What I don't want is for it to become a serious issue, and that's kind of the character I think I play when I'm playing Tai the lesbian. The message I want to get out to my audience is to not think too much into it. As long as you stay sensible about it, just conduct your sex life however you want. Have fun with it!

PENELOPE: The rest of the cast say I'm the most under-appreciated character of the lot. I think that title might go more to Will than to me, but I guess I do serve one important purpose. That is, I'm always the one who persuades Jeph not to bury the forums. (smiles at the camera) Yeah. That's right. What, you thought Cristi did that job? Not a chance in hell; she agrees with him for the most part. And apparently it's paying off, or that's what Raven tells me anyway. I don't know, she used some kind of complex formula based on swearing and number of angry moderator posts, but apparently the forums are about 40% more sensible than they were before, say, the big break-up. So that's good! I guess I'm more working in the fan networking and public relations side of things than being an actual cast member these days, cause even outside of my character I'm the sensible one who gets things done, but that's alright. I don't think Jeph quite knows what to do with my character anyway.
Oh, and were you wondering how we did the whole 'me meeting Pizza Girl' thing? Trade. Secret. Not allowed to say anything about it. Got any theories about it? I can respond to all of them right now: (coyly) Mmaaayyybe.

ANGUS: I guess I can understand why the fans don't like me as much, cause, you know, suddenly I'm dating Faye after only being an annoying bit character for the first couple of years. But that was a lot more to do with contract negotiations. See, at the time of my introduction I was auditioning for a part in Randy Milholland's Something*Positive, and it was looking good, but it was taking a while to introduce my character, so I took on the role of Angus to pay the bills while everything was getting sorted out. But then a whole bunch of stuff happened, and my character was never even introduced. I don't blame Randy for that, he was juggling a whole bunch of stuff anyway, and he needed to make a whole bunch of cutbacks. But I realized that I still had a part with QC, and I persuaded Jeph to renew it. He liked my idea of Professional Strawman so much that he actually upgraded me to a much bigger part, and from there it kind of followed on that I became Faye's... er, boyfling, I guess we're calling it. (laughs) So Questionable Content turned into my big break! It's been great, really, the cast is all very nice and great to work with. And occasionally I do get fans who approach me at the conventions.

SHEBLY: You know, I actually can talk outside of the comic. I have no idea why none of the fans make a bigger deal of this.
Logged

Border Reiver

  • Born in a Nalgene bottle
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3,189
  • Yes, I painted this.
    • The Pet Patch
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #23 on: 19 Jun 2012, 04:32 »

STEVE:  "No, I don't do all my own stunts.  I mean seriously, some of the stuff Jeph's wanted doing over the years could have seriously injured anyone not a professional stunt guy.

I'm liking how my part developed, and we may see more in later, but right now I just like having the time to spend with the kids and watch them grow."

LEWIS BLACK (voice of Winslow):  "I love this gig!  The kids are really professional about this and the author has been really good about working around my schedule.  I haven't been able to go off on one of my rants 'in character' yet, but I think that doing that would spoil the dicotomy for what I'm best known for and the character."
Logged
"It's a futile gesture that my sense of right and wrong tells me I should make." Is It Cold Here, 19 Mar 2013, 02:12

Jabberwocky

  • Larger than most fish
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 101
  • Pony!
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #24 on: 19 Jun 2012, 05:13 »

SHEBLY: You know, I actually can talk outside of the comic. I have no idea why none of the fans make a bigger deal of this.

Ha!  Brilliant!   :laugh:
Angus had me chuckling as well.
Logged

jwhouk

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,022
  • The Valley of the Sun
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #25 on: 19 Jun 2012, 06:30 »

DORA: "The funny thing is, I hate coffee with a passion."
Logged
"Character is what you are in the Dark." - D.L. Moody
There is no joke that can be made online without someone being offended by it.
Life's too short to be ashamed of how you were born.
Just another Joe like 46

WAYF

  • Beyoncé
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 704
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #26 on: 19 Jun 2012, 07:26 »

MARIGOLD: Yeah, the fans are usually quite surprised seeing me at conventions, cause by then I'm out of character and I'm not... you know, doing the Marigold thing of shying away and not talking to strangers. I've seen more than a few fans actually stop and stare when I take my glasses off - cause, you know, that's a big part of my character. They also magnify my eyes to make them look huge, by the way. That was Jeph's idea. And without them it's just - hey! She's NORMAL! I get that a lot. Some people act as if they're almost expecting me to be thinner as well. Sorry fans, the glasses do nothing for my weight. That's all my own fault. I promise it's not all pocky though! (laughs)
I do get the occasional creepy fan, but more often than not I'm helping Hannelore fend them off. When I do get creepy fans, they usually want to hug me, usually for inappropriately long periods of time. Didn't take me long to figure out why. (laughs sarcastically) Very subtle, fans.

STEVE: Of course Questionable Content will always have been the place where I got my start. And hey! I might never leave! The great thing about having so many characters is that the set is all very open - you can just come and go as you like, or as Jeph needs you. This means that it doesn't get too crowded on set, but there's always somebody you recognize. Tai, Cosette and I live quite nearby, so we can just drop in infrequently. Some people like actually live quite a long way away, and this makes things a bit difficult - Raven left to go to speech rehab, but the reason it took so long for her to come back is that she was also moving interstate at the time. She and Jeph eventually had to work out a system where he planned for her appearances in advance, and he'd give her a call a week beforehand to let her know when she needed to come down, usually when fan demand was in a spike. And there was a lot of that going on. Doesn't happen to me an awful lot, but I guess that's the price I pay for never flashing myself to an entire bar full of people. (laughs)

MARTEN: I think one of the strengths of the Questionable Content cast and crew is that Jeph screened them all very carefully. You might not believe it, but behind all the characters, there are actually no real mental problems on set, and very importantly, there are no short tempers. Everybody is really just sort of chill with each other. We've actually been incredibly fortunate to have a cast with the chemistry that we do, and no attitude problems. The only problems we do have are minor work ethic problems, like recently Tai showed up completely stoned. But that was alright, Jeph just wrote her being stoned into the script. (laughs) It's just minor problems like that really; Marigold occasionally shows up late, Cosette screws up her lines a lot of the time... actually, to be honest, I used to screw up my lines a lot too.
Of course, since I've been around the longest, I have heaps of dirt to dish on all the characters. But then, they have lots of dirt to dish on me. It's like we're locked in a stalemate of mutually assured blackmail material. The only person I don't really have anything on is Penelope, but she's far too nice to actually do anything about it. Although I'm surprised she's never asked for a raise - we'd be only too happy to give it to her if it meant she wouldn't publish a tell-all memoir. Though - ah, are you going to air that bit? Damn, if she sees this ... I may have just screwed everyone over. Aw geez.

PENELOPE: He said that? Well, he's being an idiot. He knows full well I would never do such a thing. One of the best perks of my position on the crew is retaining the moral high ground!
MARTEN (in the background): What if money was really, really tight?
PENELOPE: No! Not even then! (chuckles)

DORA: You think the break-up was heart-wrenching for you? Imagine how tough it was for me! I mean, well done to Jeph for the storytelling and stuff, but I knew the instant I read my lines that everything framing the break-up was going to look like my fault! And you know, Marten and I get along just fine, but the fans unleashed a torrent of bile in the aftermath, like I personally had ruined everything forever. We had to triple my security detail for the next convention we went to, because up until that point, I'd been receiving death threats. Just wow. It was all really tense on set for a while, cause we had to wait quite a long time for Marten and I to make up, kind of redeem myself in the eyes of the fans. And the week that it eventually happened, it was all really touch and go because Jeph was struggling with some personal issues at the time, and there was an awful lot of radio silence going on. But then again, I think Jeph works best when he's under pressure - the UMass Bros, for example, were introduced at around the same time, and they gave me a really genuine belly laugh when I saw their shtick. Jeph has the power to keep us all going through the dark times.

CLINTON: Yeah, I got a lot of hate from the fans. Presumably because I used to be a fan myself, then I met Hannelore at a convention, and, er... well, long story short, Jeph needed a fanboy character for Hannelore, and I jumped at the opportunity. I mean, literally I jumped around for five minutes saying "I'LL DO IT I'LL DO IT I'LL DO IT!!" Maybe not my most dignified hour, but certainly my happiest. Jeph actually allowed me a lot of creative input on my own lines; "Oh my God can I touch you" was all my idea, completely ad lib, just to get the genuine fan to celebrity reaction. I think it worked really well. So yeah, I think I get a lot of hate because lots of people wish they were in my position. But I do think I legitimately creep Hannelore out sometimes, and that's a shame. I'm sorry, Hannelore.

CRISTI: Working as Jeph's manager means organizing things so that Jeph has enough time to go to conventions and still draw comics every weekday. Being his wife means organizing things so that Jeph has enough time to eat and sleep and still draw comics every weekday. So basically, any aspect of his life that doesn't involve drawing the comic, I am in charge of.
(sprouts devil's horns, black cape) MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA.
Er-hem. Yes. It's, er, wonderful, working with all these people. Great experience. Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Something like that.

YELLING BIRD: I have to do some serious vocal exercises each day to make sure that I don't strain my voice during my characteristic monologues. As a general rule, I also tend to avoid swearing when I'm off duty. Have to be a good role model for the kids, you know. Honestly though, it's kind of cathartic, being able to cut loose every once in a while with the most horrible language I can imagine. Even using the Twitter account - it's a surprisingly great technique for anger management. The truly great thing about it of course, which makes it so effective, is that Yelling Bird has no limits in terms of political correctness. I can just say whatever I want, and everyone who sees it instantly recognizes it as me just doing what I do. So every time I'm feeling frustrated, that's when I post a whole bunch of stuff to Twitter. Oh, and apparently being rude about the characters is a great way to make Jeph laugh, but only if I do it!


Ok, I think I'm finally done now.  :psyduck:
Logged

Soulsynger

  • The Tickler
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 919
  • Got alla the cri'cal sysms runnin'
    • Fessel at DeviantART
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #27 on: 19 Jun 2012, 08:25 »

JIMBO: I still don't get why Jeph picked me for the role instead of Hugh Laurie who also auditioned for the role of Jim simultaneously. Maybe it has something to do with the accent? Or he wanted someone who DIDN'T actually have a drinking problem in real life like Jimbo does... oh well.
Anyway ... one day this publisher from this really big publishing company walks up to me during a set break and says he likes what I do and he's looking to get my work started off.
And I ask, what work?, all confused. He mentions some of the fictional novel titles from the show, you know, the ones my character writes. And I swear to you he did it with a straight face.
So the coffee in my mouth ends up halfway down his white shirt and over the course of the next ten minutes while someone - I think it was that girl playing Hannelore - runs off to get him a new shirt, we get to talking. He actually thought I DID write all those books. Can you believe it?
So long story short. Jeph and I had to reduce my role to semi-occasional bar-arc appearance because I now actually DO write those books. Almost full time. The first one is set to come out early fall 2012.


(Wow... this IS fun.)
Logged
My music as Hirnfunk on Soundcloud
My art (old and new) as Indrome on DeviantArt

Border Reiver

  • Born in a Nalgene bottle
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3,189
  • Yes, I painted this.
    • The Pet Patch
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #28 on: 19 Jun 2012, 08:29 »

Marten:  "The breakup?  Yeah, that was a real tough arc.  first Jeph did it as a real "Death of Col Blake" deal - to keep the emotional impact genuine and real for the us  and the resulting impact on the fans the script for the final frame was kept secret until right before it was needed.  Damn fine writing."

(yes, this is fun.)
Logged
"It's a futile gesture that my sense of right and wrong tells me I should make." Is It Cold Here, 19 Mar 2013, 02:12

WAYF

  • Beyoncé
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 704
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #29 on: 20 Jun 2012, 03:24 »

HANNELORE: I don't mind the critics, I just wish they'd make up their mind as to whether I'm portraying OCD realistically or not! You have one strip where I'm acting a certain way, and the fans hold it up as a prime example of how OCD actually works, but at the same time, the detractors hold it up as a prime example of how glaringly inaccurate my portrayal of OCD is. I just think, which one is correct? Although it wouldn't bug me so much if the detractors didn't then expand on that argument to conclude that the mental disorders are just a way for the characters to be cutesy and annoying but then hide behind their mental disorders as an excuse. No, that's not how it works at all! I don't think Hannelore even inspires audience sympathy because she's cute, I think she rather gets their sympathy because she's troubled, and people's first instinct is to protect her.
But hey, what do I know? I'm just the actress who plays the character. Please, tell me more about how obsessive compulsive disorder in the comic is nothing more than a tool for cheap laughs.
By the way, I really can end messes. Just in case you had any doubt.

PENELOPE: I'm always being asked what my character's relationship is with Will. I'd say it was a functional one; ever since he got that job there hasn't been an awful lot of insight into how they're getting along, which I suppose means it's going fine! I think the interesting dynamic there is going to be how they interact with people individually; Penelope interacts with people at Coffee of Doom, and Will interacts with people at the Horrible Revelation. I think that's quite neat, actually, because Penelope never drinks, so she'll never have reason to visit the Horrible Revelation. I guess when she does, you'll know something wrong. Or she just wants to wear Victorian-era clothing. Can you imagine Penelope wearing Victorian-era clothing? I can tell you for a fact that Will's poetry has! (laughs)

PUPPETEER: Yeah, I control the movements for Pintsize and Winslow, and all the other Anthro-PCs. It was kind of difficult in the beginning, because the Anthro-PCs aren't supposed to, you know, move like puppets. Jeph made a lot of unreasonable demands of me in the beginning, actually. Firing a laser from the stomach of a puppet was tricky as HELL, and took like 50 takes to get right. I swear, if Marten had messed up his line that day, I'd have killed him. It was stressful. But, you know, it got easier, and Jeph eventually decided to scrap the whole laser thing. We've had other arguments, over the years, but we're on fairly good terms now, I think. Although I have noticed that I'm getting less work recently, and also, Momo now has a human-sized body, so she's now out of my hands altogether... Am I being fired? (looks off camera) Hey, uh, Cristi, can I talk to you for a second?

COSETTE: Yeah, I've been a little lax on showing up lately. Sorry about that! I've been busy with, you know, lots of bit parts here and there... with mixed results if you must know. I auditioned for the part of the unnamed yet very squishable lady in Dinosaur Comics, only to find that QWANTZ operated out of a single office, and was just some guy writing different dialogue for the same scene over and over again. Not my proudest moment, I must admit. I think it was worse that I failed the audition for an extra in Girls With Slingshots. I was completely down with making out with other girls, more so than some of the other applicants, I'll have you know. But when we were doing the takes, my hair kept getting in my eyes and I couldn't see anything that was going on! So after ten - fifteen tries, they just got rid of me. Yeah, that sucked. I guess what I'm trying to say is, yes, I am exactly as disaster prone in the comic as I am in real life. And vice-versa.

MOMO: It was thrilling, getting to be one of the first actors to actually play an Anthro-PC. Jeph's said he wants me to bring a fresh look to the character, you know, a fresh personality. Less of the cartoonish animé which is more Marigold's territory now. I've settled on the wide-eyed, innocent but kind of idealist look, and I think it's working out really well. I'd like to think I've also made Momo a lot more fun-loving than she used to be, which came about as a result of hanging out with Samantha a lot. The trade-off for this new personality, of course, is that I can no longer shoot live eels out of... well, anywhere. I guess I'm not that kind of model. (laughs)

MARTEN: Some time in 2010, money got a little tight, so some of us decided to move in together. Faye and Dora share an apartment a few blocks down from here, Steve and Cosette actually do live together, also fairly close by. Tai actually shares a room with Erin from Girls With Slingshots, so that's kind of an odd mix. Steve and Hannelore actually have this huge place several miles away, which they've shared at times with Raven, Clinton, Hazel from Girls With Slingshots... uh, I'm pretty sure Randall Munroe of XKCD crashed there at some point... or possibly just the guy with the beret. Anyway, Claire's their third housemate at this point, so they're doing alright. Sometimes it's a problem, cause I mean, they can afford it well enough with three people paying the rent, but it's a fair trek from there to work. So sometimes, Hannelore is tired in a comic because she really is that tired in real life, on account of getting up crazy early to be there on time. Me, I'm sharing a flat with Sven. And let me tell you, the fans find out who you're staying with, and they go NUTS with the crazy ships. It didn't help that soon after we moved in together, Jeph gave me the "daaanng, Sven has a GREAT butt" line. Yeah, the fans practically wet themselves over that one. As in, present tense. You remind them of it at any given point, they still go "SQUEE!" I'm not going to demonstrate too much... you really do learn to hate that sound.

PUPPETEER: ... Oh. Oh dear. Um... can we cut this a little short? I, er... I have to go and start planning for the future. Like, immediately.
Logged

TinPenguin

  • Bling blang blong blung
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,136
  • Cogito ergo potato.
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #30 on: 20 Jun 2012, 03:58 »

So the premise of this thread is that QC is being made in the world of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and the cast are all "toons"? :-D

SHAME PRIDE ORB: The name change was really my idea. Yeah, Jeph took a lot of persuading, but as a well-known LGBT icon, I just didn't feel comfortable being associated with shame in such a high-profile series. Sends out totally the wrong message to young people. Plus, I really just wanted to get some colour into my role, you know? That old design was so drab. I definitely enjoyed getting to shock Yelling Bird - and let me tell you, that was all real. During that take he was blushing pinker than me!
Logged

jwhouk

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,022
  • The Valley of the Sun
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #31 on: 20 Jun 2012, 07:54 »

Imagine VH-1 "Behind The Music", combined with E!'s "True Hollywood Stories" - and a touch of Monty Python.

THAT is what this thread is like.
Logged
"Character is what you are in the Dark." - D.L. Moody
There is no joke that can be made online without someone being offended by it.
Life's too short to be ashamed of how you were born.
Just another Joe like 46

Throg

  • Pneumatic ratchet pants
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 311
  • will accordion for food
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #32 on: 20 Jun 2012, 08:30 »

PROGRAMMER: Don't get me wrong. I've got enormous respect for puppeteers; all the robotics and electrical engineering. But special effects evolve all the time: like the stop-motion special effects artists, Ray Harryhausen or something, collaborating with the CGI artists in Jurassic Park. And of course, CGI is everywhere now: movies, commercials, TV series. So introducing characters like Spaceship and Station was, in a sense, inevitable, even for a webcomic. I don't think it'll be a regular gig, though: the outer space arc was an exception, not the rule. Maybe the occasional holopony gag, but that's about it. What? Me? No, Jeph put that in there, I'm not a "brony".

Logged
SQUEEZE BOX

Carl-E

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 10,346
  • The distilled essence of Mr. James Beam himself.
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #33 on: 21 Jun 2012, 13:50 »

Too much of this is starting to sound like canon...

Hannerdad:  I'd done sci-fi for years, mostly in suits, though.  It's the one advantage of being small-framed in Hollywood.  I was one of the bigger Ferengi in the TNG series, and I'd done a few movies, mainly playing monsters.  I was in Aliens, and I've played more greys than I can shake a stick at;  X-files, Unexplained Mysteries, half a dozen movies.  But with CGI and all, I've been in semi-retirement for nearly ten years.  I own a costume rental place, now, and do the occasional con. 

But Jeph talked me into coming back into the business.  It's been a real thrill, being able to have my face showing, using my own voice, not having to deal with latex.  And basically, Jeph was able to cast an incredibly experienced unknown in a pivotal role.  He likes using unknowns, but the ability to spout scientific gobbledygook and sound like I knew what I was talking about was a plus.  It's been a blast, working with all these kids, too.  And who would have thought Cosette would have been one of my biggest fans?  She knew all my old work. 

Actually, it was a little creepy, and I'm glad I wasn't on-set with her. 
Logged
When people try to speak a gut reaction, they end up talking out their ass.

DrBear

  • Pneumatic ratchet pants
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 334
  • Icon being from guest comic by the Hjinks Ensue.
    • Blog about my book
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #34 on: 22 Jun 2012, 08:16 »

MIEVILLE: There's a reason I haven't been around much - Dora really hates cats, can't stand us. But somebody decided she was an ex-goth, had to have a black cat. Either that or the guy just hated Dora because she shot him down, and decided to get even by sticking her with me. I had a few great moments - that shot of me chasing a moth to block Tai's breasts is my favorite - and Pintsize and Winslow were fun to work with. They're great at physical comedy. Hannelore was my favorite of the humans - she really does love her some "kitties." But right now, I make more money from doing those psychedelic Friskies ads. I wouldn't mind coming back owned by one of the other characters.

yes, I was stretching to find somebody who hadn't spoken yet
Logged
I'm working on slashfic involving Lily from AT&T, Jan from Toyota and Jake from State Farm.

DSL

  • Older than Moses
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,097
    • Don Lee Cartoons
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #35 on: 22 Jun 2012, 10:23 »

JEPH:
"It amazes me sometimes, the way they all think they're really living their lives out in some sort of 20-minutes-into-the-future version of Western Mass. But, you know, whatever keeps them docile and in the nutrient tanks."
Logged
"We are who we pretend to be. So we had better be careful who we pretend to be."  -- Kurt Vonnegut.

Kugai

  • CIA Handler of Miss Melody Powers
  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,493
  • Crazy Kiwi Shoujo-Ai Fan
    • My Homepage
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #36 on: 22 Jun 2012, 13:40 »

Welcome to the real world
Logged
James The Kugai 

You can never have too much Coffee.

akronnick

  • Only pretending to work
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2,188
  • I'm freakin' out, man!!!!
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #37 on: 23 Jun 2012, 01:11 »

Nope, just can't see Marten as "The One"...
Logged
Akronnick, I can think of no more appropriate steed for a Knight Of The Dickbroom than a foul-mouthed, perpetually shouting, lust-crazed bird with a scrotum hanging from its chin and a distinctive cry of "Gobble gobble gobble".   --Tergon

DSL

  • Older than Moses
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,097
    • Don Lee Cartoons
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #38 on: 23 Jun 2012, 07:00 »

Nope, just can't see Marten as "The One"...

True, true. It's PT-410x.
Logged
"We are who we pretend to be. So we had better be careful who we pretend to be."  -- Kurt Vonnegut.

WAYF

  • Beyoncé
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 704
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #39 on: 23 Jun 2012, 17:03 »

HANNELORE: Watch out, because what I'm about to say may blow your mind.

INTERVIEWER: It's alright, I can handle it. Believe me, I've heard some pretty shocking things in interviews before.

HANNELORE: I've had four boyfriends. And I'm not a virgin.

INTERVIEWER: ... STOP THE PRESSES!!! :-o :-o :-o
Logged

jwhouk

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,022
  • The Valley of the Sun
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #40 on: 24 Jun 2012, 05:54 »

Raven – Representative Raven Pritchard (D-Temple) lost her re-election bid in the 31st congressional district of Texas in 2010 to Republican John Carter. Pritchard took over the seat held by her grandfather, Samuel Pritchard, after he passed away in mid-2008 – right after he had run unopposed for the seat. Governor Rick Perry appointed her to the seat after pressure from her parents – both whom had not only contributed to his re-election campaign, but also had been significant contributors for Texans For McCain that year. Raven had never even lived in Temple, Texas prior to then; she had left for Massachusetts and MIT in 2003, the year the strip made its debut. After trying out for a walk-on role as a goth girl, she managed to make it as a full cast member by the time of "The Talk" storyline. Unfortunately, her parents still thought she was a dyed-in-the-wool Republican. Then she started to befriend Madame Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the 111th Congress, and ran for re-election as a Democrat. Carter trounced her, dredging up her work in the strip (One of the attack ads had the tagline: "Questionable Content? Questionable Pritchard.") Her parents are no longer on speaking terms with her – which forced her to return to the strip.

Elliot (Secret Bakery) – Fans of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL got a huge surprise when they saw their star Defensive Tackle Elliot MacKenzie show up in the comic during the first scene at The Secret Bakery. MacKenzie, who stated after the appearance that he had been planning already for life after football, wasn't able to spend long periods of time on the set, due to his commitments to the team. MacKenzie is in the final year of his contract with the Ti-Cats in 2012, but plans on making at least one more appearance in the strip, possibly after the Grey Cup playoffs are over.

Amanda Whitaker – Don't let this get out, because it didn't appear like it at the time, but the role of Amanda was actually played by two separate actresses. The "first" Amanda was a random walk-on whose style Jeph liked when she appeared – and the fact that she was a fan of Diesel Sweeties helped. Unfortunately, that Amanda never returned as she instead chose to move to Alaska, where she took up a walk-on role in the semi-Furry paintball comic The Whiteboard – as Pirta the Snow Leopard. After "The Talk" storyline, Jeph decided to go with Faye's real-life sister – who is actually named Fiona. Fiona, who is a worship leader for the SunRidge Church in Savannah, took to the role as the "on-screen" lesbian sister. She hasn't had much desire to reprise the role on the strip, since releasing a contemporary Christian music album in 2011, under her given name Fiona Towson.

Oh, I forgot:

Faye – Southern Baptist who actually likes Country Music. Tee-totaler who's married to a man named David Whitaker (how's that for irony?) and has a son, Jeffrey (who was born during the Space arc this year). Insider joke: the name "DOWSON" on the gravestones next to his was actually Faye's real parents –James and Julia Dowson, which is her real last name. Her parents, by the way, aren't dead.

« Last Edit: 24 Jun 2012, 06:15 by jwhouk »
Logged
"Character is what you are in the Dark." - D.L. Moody
There is no joke that can be made online without someone being offended by it.
Life's too short to be ashamed of how you were born.
Just another Joe like 46

jwhouk

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,022
  • The Valley of the Sun
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #41 on: 24 Jun 2012, 06:18 »

I actually did a TON of these last night:

Cosette – The real reason why Cosette went so long between appearances in the strip (and where the clumsiness came in) was because Ms. Beauvais is a member of the US National Motocross Association. She has had several incidents in competitions which prevented her from appearing in the strip – though her whole neck brace, crutches, cast and red-eye issue was for-real. (She really didn't pop her neck during the ensuing scene after the fire drill, however.)

Lydia (Sven's intern) and Meena (Steve's ex) – If Lydia and Meena seemed to look alike at times, it was because they were actually sisters – though fraternal. Lydia and Meena Corron were both college students at the real-life Smith College in Northampton who – completely indepent of each other – tried out for walk-on roles on the strip. Both have since graduated from Smith, with each getting their degrees in music theory and forensic science, respectively.

Spacestation (And Avatar) and Spaceship (And Avatar) – Both Station and Spaceship's avatars are CGI "holograms". The technology was paid for by Lenovo, who provided Topatoco Studios with the hardware to develop them. The two avatars are actually voiced by twin English vocal professionals Peter and Paul Hodgkins.

Emily – A young Australian won the walk-on role on the strip when, while Jeph was touring the Land Down Under as part of a convention tour, he met the tall Chinese-native girl at a coffee shop in Sydney. She was a big fan of the strip, and he was immediately impressed by her. It took Jeph and Topatoco Productions a year to get her visa cleared, but her recent appearance has made everyone in the forums thrilled. 

Dr Bernadette Case (space) – Even the large amount of makeup and the glasses couldn't hide Oprah Winfrey's walk-on role during the Space storyline. Winfrey, who admitted to being a secret fan of the strip, played down her role as the "ship's doctor", only relishing in the fact that she helped contribute to some of the background of Hannelore's beloved character.

Dora – Is actually married to Sven; Jeph wanted the "Dora chases Marten", ex-goth stuff, but after he decided to have her brother appear – well, off-screen the two just clicked and got married at about the same time as "The Talk" storyline. Hates cats. Has some insecurity issues that she says "actually creep into her character." Oh, and she really doesn't have a flame tattoo on her back; it was "drawn on" for the times it needed to appear on-screen.

Hannelore – She's not as OCD in real life as she portrays, but she has her on-screen mother's demeanor. Has it written into her contract that she MUST appear in at least 30% of all strips or her salary triples. She has a interesting collection of African tribal masks and spears in her home outside Cambridge.

Marigold – She had to stretch it a bit to make the tech-nerd role of Marigold, but this gal – who played the Ally Sheedy character in a stage production of The Breakfast Club – took to playing WOW after a few false starts. She's also not a big fan of anime, but did have a bit recurring part in the Foglio studios "epic" Girl Genius as one of the Geisterdaimen. She had to bow out after the Sturmhalten storyline due to her increased role on QC.

Steve – Mister suave and debonair was actually your typical actor working in a restaurant when casting calls came out for the strip. He did actually have to go to re-hab a few times during the early part of the strip, which explained his long absences after the Ellen breakup storyline. Has been sober since the DOKYA return – and the woman who played Tortura is his now-real-life wife (named Tatyana).

Sven – Answered a casting call for the webcomic; first day on the job met Dora – and immediately fell in love. Got to be a bit difficult to work with her over time, but anger that Dora felt towards Faye during the "YOU SLEPT WITH HIM?" arc and the Gina Riversmith arc? Completely and totally unrehearsed. He was actually a practicing Jehovah's Witness until he met Dora; they now both are essentially agnostic (and were married right before the "She Kisses The Boy" storyline – which made things tough for him). Oh, and all the sex scenes with Faye and Sven, and Marten and Dora? They were all completely clothed underneath.

Logged
"Character is what you are in the Dark." - D.L. Moody
There is no joke that can be made online without someone being offended by it.
Life's too short to be ashamed of how you were born.
Just another Joe like 46

Carl-E

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 10,346
  • The distilled essence of Mr. James Beam himself.
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #42 on: 24 Jun 2012, 09:33 »

Oh, and all the sex scenes with Faye and Sven, and Marten and Dora? They were all completely clothed underneath.

Awww, you had to go and ruin it for the rest of us...
Logged
When people try to speak a gut reaction, they end up talking out their ass.

WAYF

  • Beyoncé
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 704
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #43 on: 26 Jun 2012, 01:08 »

Group discussion, on the subject of fanfiction and shipping:

SVEN: I think I should be a little disturbed at how pleased the fandom was when they discovered that Dora and I aren't actually related...

DORA: No, none of us are actually related. Having said that, we all think of Veronica Vance as our mum anyway, cause otherwise it just gets weird. Even Tai doesn't like thinking about all the, uh... bondage gear.

TAI: Seriously, I could only do my punchline when I was meeting Veronica Vance out of sheer force of will, and from the small comfort that Marten was about to receive a humiliating verbal smackdown. It was that awkward. I literally had to throw myself into it.

DORA: Other than that, though, we're all pretty comfortable thinking about each other in a romantic capacity. We have to be, because who knows who Jeph is going to pair us up with next...

FAYE: Not to mention the huge amount of shipping in the fandom. You have to be prepared not to vomit at the thought of, say, Hannelore and Marigold getting it on. Cause there's plenty of that going around. Same goes with Marten and Steve. After a while you kind of get acclimatized to it and when you see Hannelore/Winslow you just sort of shrug your shoulders and say "crazy, crazy internet..." Mind you, we do have our limits. Like shipping which isn't even based on our characters in the comic, just straight up real-person fanfiction.

HANNELORE: Oh, god no... don't get me started.

DORA: Why not? Go right ahead. I think we'd all like to complain about it to some extent.

HANNELORE: Okay, do you remember that one time I went to the San Diego Comic Con to promote the webcomic, and there was this one man who snuck past all the security and tried to take some up-skirt photos of me? Do you remember how I found him and his actions so attractive and appealing that I later cornered him in the bathroom and started having sex with him? OF COURSE NOT, because that never happened and I would never do such a thing!

TAI: Yeah, and remember the time where I turned bi for a man just in time to have a threesome with him and another girl? Do you remember how it turned out that all a guy needed to do to turn me bi was be average-looking, self-deprecating and complimentary, instead of a Greek God with superlative social graces as was previously assumed?

SVEN: Not to mention all those times I spent teaching lonely virgin girls how to have sex.

DORA: And all those times I've spent dressed up in a dominatrix outfit just because I feel like it?

FAYE: Really? And you're sure these stories were actually based on you, the people, instead of the characters?

SVEN and DORA: Positive.

FAYE: Wow, I got off light then.

TAI: So of course, I don't actually write fanfiction. Jeph does on my behalf, and I'm pretty sure he makes it bad on purpose.

FAYE: Guess who actually does write fanfiction though. In the cast, I mean.

TAI: Really? Who?

FAYE and HANNELORE: Penelope.

TAI: No way!

HANNELORE: Yeah, only it's actually serious stuff. Some of it's actually really good!

DORA: Yeah! I heard that Jeph lifted a lot of the elements of the Space Arc from her work!

TAI: Woah, really? You mean like the scene where Marigold makes out with the science man in Zero-G?

HANNELORE, DORA, FAYE: No!

HANNELORE: ... well, maybe.
Logged

jwhouk

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,022
  • The Valley of the Sun
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #44 on: 26 Jun 2012, 05:48 »

/END_THREAD
Logged
"Character is what you are in the Dark." - D.L. Moody
There is no joke that can be made online without someone being offended by it.
Life's too short to be ashamed of how you were born.
Just another Joe like 46

WAYF

  • Beyoncé
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 704
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #45 on: 05 Jul 2012, 06:31 »

... I didn't think you meant that literally. :P
Logged

jwhouk

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,022
  • The Valley of the Sun
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #46 on: 05 Jul 2012, 08:01 »

Tai: "I kept bugging Jeph about doing a GLBT arc - ESPECIALLY with Dora - but he always made excuses that he 'couldn't get it past the production staff.' So when he finally decides he's going to do it, he puts it right before SDCC." <sighs> "I get the most amount of character development over the last few weeks with the librarian stuff, and now he's gonna..." <off-screen mumbling> "What? Oh. I didn't know that scene hadn't appeared yet. Crap. Well." <looks into the camera> "At least people do know I have a serious side, now."

Dora: "I think there are times that Tai forgets that not everyone in the cast is GLBT. Like me, for example. Happily married to Sven." <looks at the camera> "How ya like THEM apples, Anderson Cooper?"

Hannelore: "What she doesn't know is that I helped Jeph with a bit of her monologue when she was talking to Marten on that walk to the restaurant." <looks evilly into the camera> "YOU guess which part."

Faye: "Some of the bitchiness we play as the CoD Baristas is 100% real. Heck, I did the whole smashed banana thing because I knew it would set Hanners off. She hasn't said a WORD to me since she took her summer Convention hiatus."

Dora: "Oh, she's 100% right. We get so catty with our comments and lines on the set, sometimes Jeph looks at us like we're crazy."

Logged
"Character is what you are in the Dark." - D.L. Moody
There is no joke that can be made online without someone being offended by it.
Life's too short to be ashamed of how you were born.
Just another Joe like 46

WAYF

  • Beyoncé
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 704
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #47 on: 08 Jul 2012, 01:10 »

JEPH:
You know, I give the forums a lot of flak for shipping, overthinking my story arcs, telling me how I should write them, finding people to blame during arguments, saying that this and this action is indicative of Nice Guy behaviour, maintaining this belief that all of Marten's actions somehow link back to a desire to hook up with Faye even when he explicitly monologued his approval for her and Angus's relationship, hating certain characters for the wrong reasons, denouncing the punchline of any given "dramatic" installment as unnecessary and cheap when delivering punchlines is my job, drawing my characters naked, writing fanfiction...

You know, there was supposed to be a "but" in there, but now that I think about it, that's a very compelling argument. Screw you, forums.

Anyway, I guess the point I was trying to make was that there are worse people out there, bizarre as that may seem. Did you know that The Vigilant Citizen has accused me of having ties to both the Illuminati and Satanists (who are apparently forming some kind of New World Order together?) no fewer than THREE times? I think my favourite one, if you can call if a favourite, was the first one, very early on, when all the characters still had what The Vigilant Citizen called "triangular" faces. And if you've ever seen a conspiracy theorist at work, you know that if there's one thing they can't stand to see, it's triangles. Apparently if you turn Marten upside-down in one of the comics, his chin makes the perfect base for that, you know, pyramid thing with the All-Seeing Eye at the top. Which is ridiculous of course. The guy who plays Marten is exactly as weedy as his character. Can't do a hand-stand to save his life.
Logged

jwhouk

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,022
  • The Valley of the Sun
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #48 on: 19 Jul 2012, 20:12 »

TAI: Okay, I'll fess up: all of the tattoos? They're fake. I can't stand them. Tried getting ink done once - just the letter "T" on my shoulder. Discovered that I was allergic to the ink they use. Passed out from the constant needle pressure, too.

It's funny, because I really do have the piercings you see in the strip. (pause) Yes, including that one from way back when. And I never had a problem with any of those. Different procedures, I guess.

Truth is, Jeph sometimes doesn't remind me to stick the tats on when I'm on set, and nobody notices until after the fact. I've joked about getting a designated "tattoo sticker-onner" for the production crew, but Jeph's already short-staffed as it is.

DORA: He never forgets about my flame tattoo, though. Of course, that's because mine's real.

JEPH: Yeah, as real as it can be for a CARTOON CHARACTER.

(EDIT)

DORA and TAI: Speak for yourself, MEATBAG!
« Last Edit: 19 Jul 2012, 21:24 by jwhouk »
Logged
"Character is what you are in the Dark." - D.L. Moody
There is no joke that can be made online without someone being offended by it.
Life's too short to be ashamed of how you were born.
Just another Joe like 46

cesium133

  • Preventing third impact
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6,148
  • Has a fucked-up browser history
    • Cesium Comics
Re: QC: Behind the Scenes
« Reply #49 on: 19 Jul 2012, 21:37 »

FAYE: That scene with Marten and Pintsize? Completely unplanned. I came into the room and happened to see that, so I took a picture and sent it to Dora. Dora apparently sent it to Dave Willis, and he really ran with it.

PINTSIZE: All I was trying to do was play a nice game of chess, and that jerk took me to Anthrogeddon, modded me into a butt, and then fucked me! Unbelievable!

HANNELORE: You deserved everything you got for shitting on us!

PINTSIZE: I'm sorry, I've never been a butt before, so I didn't know how to control it!

FAYE: You never did pay us back for the damages to the couch from that spaghetti sauce...
Logged
The nerdy comic I update sometimes: Cesium Comics

Unofficial character tag thingy for QC
Pages: [1] 2 3 4   Go Up