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Recently over facebook I was able to
sit down with Brittany Wiscombe. Brittany Wiscombe is a
writer/producer known for:
Singing with Angels
Austentatious
Nowhere Safe
16 Stones
Snow Beast
Scents and Sensibility
Christmas Angel
Rescued
Turn Around
Beauty and the Beast: A Latter-Day Tale
Everything You Want
Brittany has written some of the most
endearing movies I have ever seen. And I'm so happy that she is the
first of my “Austen Writer Interviews.” I had so many questions. Austentatious is a family-friendly
sitcom where some of our favorite Jane Austen characters are combined
in the modern day.
Who
came up with the idea for the show?
I can't
remember who came up with the idea specifically, but it was a
combination of my brother, my sister and me. My sister and I are Jane
Austen fans, and all of us are always collaborating.
How
long does the show take to write?
Each
episode took a week or two to write, with revisions and fine-tuning.
When did
your show start, because I noticed a difference from episode three or
four. Suddenly everyone's hair was longer and two of the actresses
had different colored hair. Was that due to budget constraints or did
it take awhile for the show to get picked up?
I can't remember when it started but we did take a break in between
episodes 3 and 4 to see which avenue for the show would be best. Once
we decided on how best to release it to the public, we went back into
production and finished up Season 1.
I used
to like to write plays and Jane Austen is my favorite and I'm
interested in how productions come to be. I have seen some of your
company's other works like Scents and Sensibility a modern comedy
version of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility that came out a few
years ago. Can you tell me about some of your other work?
Is there anything you'd like to tell me about the production, sets or
actors?
Some of my other work is "Christmas Angel," which I really
like the feel of that story. I wrote a drama called "Nowhere
Safe" that incorporated cyberbullying, and I think that turned
out really well. "Scents and Sensibility" of course was a
fun story--I'd love to do more around the Jane Austen arena, and
that's why I love "Austentatious"--it incorporates multiple
stories and characters! Nothing really extraordinary about
production--the actors we work with are wonderful. I love the
chemistry between Emma and Grant (Knightley). The actor who plays Colin was so delightfully awkward in his
performance. It was hard to keep a straight-face as we filmed.
What
influenced you to go entirety digital? Unlike some digital platforms
like digital theater based out of London, you do have a DVD out,
which is awesome. Can you tell me anything about the DVD and its
special features?
We do have a DVD out with season 1. It has been in Walmart and online stores and others (Amazon, etc). Digital though is such a timely way to release a series now. It coincides with how people watch series now.
Most
importantly with so many storylines left untapped, will there be a
season two?
We want to do a season 2. We have avenues already planned for the storylines, but whether we do it or not will depend on how many people are asking for it and if the digital "stations" want a second season too.
I rather love that this is a
family show, it's so adorable.
There's enough things that are dark or racy in entertainment. What's great about Jane Austen is that fans don't expect that. There's plenty of drama in life but it doesn't need to be magnified so that it's inappropriate for family viewing.
I totally agree. I have to
have a plug for your show which has a nearly 5 star rating on Amazon,
you can buy the DVD or buy and download the episodes from Amazon from
as law as .99 per episode. For 10 to twenty dollars you can own the
show without even leaving your home. 15.99 for HD if you buy the
entire season and 9.99 for SD. Which of course is how I watched all of season 1.
Thank you for your time and
your wonderful show.
