What’s Fantasy Fi? Right now it means Walking in Circles, a new web series staring Eric Radic, Katie Wilson, and Jonah Priour.

The webisodes feature Krag, a barbarian hero, who has teamed up with a wizard, a cleric, and a bard and are now off on their first adventure together. They’re still figuring their way around the world, and each other, in order to make it through the day, much less through all the trouble that seems to come to them.

In fact, let’s not talk so much about it, let’s just watch Walking in Circles, the new comedy fantasy fi:

Adam Rady and James Rodehaver began working on Walking in Circles at their home in Ohio, and moved across the country to California in order to find their stars and film the series.

Speaking of these guys, I had the opportunity to ask them some questions about their work.

What was it like to move from Ohio to California in order to pursue Walking in Circles? Did you suffer from culture shock?

Coming to California from Ohio was a giant lesson in patience. One of the hardest things to get used to in this city has been blocking out 4 hours of our day to go down the street to the grocery store. There are just so many people, everywhere, all the time that it seems impossible to get anywhere. In Ohio everything is more spread out and open. The biggest culture shock has been getting used to the idea that English is a second language out here. There are so many times when we try to communicate with someone only to realize they have no idea what we’re saying and vice versa. There’s very little language barrier between anybody in Ohio, whereas out here everyone is from somewhere else.

Did you know any of the actors beforehand or did you meet them along the road? Some of them look pretty sketchy. Are you sure they’re actors?

We didn’t know any of our principal actors before moving out to LA, but our parents played guest starring and background roles. That sort of leads into the answer for question two in that some of the people we worked with were absolutely not actors. However, even those of us with no background in acting did a fantastic job and everyone in front of and behind the camera was perfect for their role.

Did you two ever play Dungeons and Dragons as a kids? By the way, how do you two know each other?

James has been playing Dungeons and Dragons since he was but a wee lad, and he convinced Adam that rolling dice wasn’t nearly as geeky as people make it out to be. Correction, it’s exactly as geeky as people make it out to be, but it’s a lot of fun anyway. James’s dad is responsible for getting him into fantasy and science fiction at a young age.

James and Adam met about 14 years ago when James moved in down the street. At first, James did not get along with Adam at all. Somehow that led to them being best friends and that dynamic is surprisingly unchanged.

What kind of equipment was used? Did you have to work with any new technology?

The camera used was a Canon Rebel T-2i. It had a really excellent quality to price ratio that we couldn’t pass up. We got a really nice boom mic set up that we barely used and instead recorded most of our sound off of a couple a lavalier mics. All of the technology we used was new to us because this is our first project and we have zero experience in the field with any of this stuff. Adam has put together all of our footage in Adobe premier, using after effects for our CGI work.

Were there any surprises along the way? Any thought-provoking moments you’d like to share with would-be directors wanting to do this sort of thing?

Well, one of our locations was flooded the day we showed up to film, so that would definitely count as a surprise. Then one of our other locations turned out to be 12 feet under water at the time of year we filmed. Basically, water hated us. One of the most surprising things though was that no matter what happened we were able to roll with the punches and keep going and produce some amazing footage. There were days where the crap just kept piling up, but no one gave up and at the end of the day we had something we were all proud of that was definitely worth it.

Batman or Superman?

Batman. Superman is more powerful, but all he had to do to gain that power was be born on a different planet. Batman may have had all the resources he needed from his parents, but the training, dedication, and smarts were all him. Not to mention there’s no element of danger with Superman. Oh no, Superman got shot in the face with a bazooka. No big deal because he’s indestructible. Having only one weakness means all the danger to Superman has to be contrived. Batman always needs to be on his A game or he’s toast.

What’s coming in future episodes? Is there more singing? Who writes the songs?

Now now, we can’t tell you all of what’s coming. It will be hilarious though. It will be awesome. And yes, Garand will continue to sing. All of Garand’s songs were improvisation on the spot by Jonah Priour, who is so incredibly talented. We’re fairly certain that that guy is the literal manifestation of Garand in real life.

Like what you see? Check out the video, plus later there’s an exclusive interview with the cast of Walking in Circles. That’s coming up soon. Sqweee!

HELP SUPPORT WALKING IN CIRCLES.

I love LastPass, so when Digitwirl did a video on my favorite password saver, I just have to share it.

By the way, Digitwirl is also a nice website that does video reviews of products and services as well. Pretty geek.

She has some pretty bright videos. I’m hoping to do my own versions soon. We’ve worked on some and we’re hoping to bring those to you soon. (Us meaning the Cajun and I.)

Day will be staring in a new web series, Dragon Age, based on the video game. Dragon Age: Redemption will show Day as an elf assassin, Tallis.

Day wrote for the series and stars. BioWare, the makers of the Dragon Age games, says they are excited to see this production. Day promises to try to keep it as true to Dragon Age as possible.

How exciting is it to have a new web series? Too exciting! It must be tough trying to portray fantasy in a web series, but I have a feeling Felicia will be doing it justice. As she claims she’s an organic gamer.

Remember to follow Felicia on Twitter to keep up with the details of the new web series.

She also mentioned recently that the Guild will be up for another season. She’s been so busy but it’s great news to hear.

One more hot photo? OK. : )

What was confirmed yesterday was that Nathan asked Kevin Pollak if he could be on his show, and Kevin responded.

Felicia Day and Neil Patrick Harris has already been on the show, so completing the trio cast of Dr. Horrible, Nathan Fillion will be on the show this Sunday.

Maybe Nathan can fill curious readers in about his love life, how Castle is going, and his future plans.

Maybe some day he’ll say yes (really, truly) to one of his many Twitter fans who ask to marry him.

This calls for a ruggedly handsome photo if I ever thought so.

It’s amazing how Twitter can not only do everything it does, it’s also confirming interview dates. Have to love that. Maybe one day I can convince Nathan or Kevin to do an interview with me for this blog. Would love that sort of opportunity.

Once I stopped screaming like a little fan girl.

It’s not always a good deal, though. Some games only let you play for free for a limited time. Some have item shops that are so totally unfair, it skews the game play. Finding the right balance of free, fair and fun can be a hassle. Especially when a lot of games are over a few gigs to download.

Here’s a few winners to take advantage of:

Runes of Magic – Talked about this one, but it is becoming my favorite. The game play is smooth and similar to WoW. There’s a sharper learning curve if you are completely new to online MMO games, but stick with it. While there is an item shop, there’s nothing you can’t get on your own. Spend enough time on it and you’ll be with the elites in no time.

What I love best about this one is that you can make your own weapons, so your weapon may have unique stats and no one else may have exactly the same stats as yours.

Flyff – This one is being updated! But it is a lot of fun. Level up enough, and your character can fly. The graphics are cute. It gets a little tedious running errands back and forth, and drops can be difficult to get, but it balances out. It should be interesting to see the update.

Dungeons and Dragons Online – DDO is a little “heavier”. A darker game, but a different game play with puzzles and very interesting set ups. This one also has an item shop, but again, you can get most anything you need in the game.

Perfect World – This one is also getting a makeover, but hopefully it will be even better than the first version. There’s elements of Flyff and WoW, but different world, great graphics and personalization of the characters.

In fact, gPotato creates a number of free MMOs.

Are free MMOs the way to go?

A few things to mention, Legend of Neil, the last episode is here. Go check it out. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s a spoof off of Legend of Zelda, with adult themes, so don’t let the kids watch it. Unless you don’t care for your kiddos. Or your kiddos are well educated for their ages… Kids these days. Sheesh.

Merlin Season 3 is out. You can watch it online if you don’t live in the UK. BBC is still airing this show, thank goodness. Awesome show. This one is safe for kids, although it does have some scary elements. Season one and two are available online. Season one is on Netflix streaming. (When will all awesome shows be online and streaming?)

Plus, if you aren’t looking yet, there’s the Five Minute Comedy Hour by Jeff Lewis. Jeff Lewis has that understated humor that makes you giggle at inappropriate moments.

This is not safe for work… probably not safe for anyone under the age of 32.

I need to catch up on Merlin. I didn’t notice it was being put online yet, and I didn’t want to miss out. Although waiting an entire week for the next episode always bites.

What’s your favorite episode so far? When is that Prince Valiant coming back? That was an interesting addition.

If you’re already a fan of Merlin, don’t forget to check out Legend of the Seeker. That’s a great one to watch, too.

“If you are a student you should always get a good nights sleep unless you have come to the good part of your book, and then you should stay up all night and let your schoolwork fall by the wayside, a phrase which means ‘flunk’.”
— Lemony Snicket

Yeah, I’m at that part of the book I’m reading now.

The book geeks know what I’m talkin’ about.

So, another great day. No weight loss from the last time I mentioned… I mentioned a 3 lbs. loss last week right?

So 27 lbs. to go right now. Had some great food from Nutrisystem this week. Still digging the bars for after lunch. Today I forgot mine. *horror!* So I had to wait to get home before I could have one. It was OK though. I had brought enough fruit with me to snack on until I got home.

And I’ve quit working in the physics department. :*( I had to. With a 17 credit hour line up from school, I was falling behind with my other part time work.

Besides that, I thought I might switch majors.

Will I still be a geek girl without a science? I’m thinking of getting into economics. I love reading about business and about the stuff that matters. I like science, don’t get me wrong, but I have to go with what I read. (Writer’s code, right? Write what you read. Go with what you read.)

Anyway.

It was hard to tell my boss that I had to quit. Ever had to do that? Tell a boss to quit? Worse, one you liked and felt bad for leaving them? It was hard to do. I wrote a simple email letting him know that I just don’t have the time and I felt like I was pulling everyone down with me with my crazy schedule. It might be better that he bring in someone else who can keep up.

Might be the last time he ever gets a freshman to work for him. *grimaces*

He said he figured I was going to do that, with the lack of time I had. He said he understood but I thought he sounded a little disappointed.

He’s a great prof. I hope he knows that. He’s done great with the kids he has taught. Several that I met got their masters and a couple went on to get doctorates. Great teacher. Loves barbecue and sci fi books. Gotta love that.

When I got home, I folded into my desk chair and blew a sigh of relief. I couldn’t believe I had done it but I also felt so much better about quitting. I feel like I have ample time. And when I manage to find a smidgen of free time, I might be able to breathe a little.

I swore to the Cajun that I wouldn’t have a crazy schedule like this after this semester. I overloaded myself. I’m sure I’m driving him crazy. What with the not being here and when I am here, I’m buried underneath paperwork, homework, part time work, and housework. “Where’s the Cajun love?”

So next semester I’m planning to have only four courses on my plate, and I hope to have them all on two days a week. This way I won’t have to spend every single day on campus. It will allow me to do work three days a week and I can catch up on everything like that.

Hope. Hope. Hope.

Great song though, isn’t it?

I wish to thank Nutrisystem for sending all the many yummy foods listed here and in previous posts. Learn more about Nutrisystem at their website, on Facebook or through Twitter. I highly recommend signing up for Nutrisystem. The website is free to join so you can learn all about it before making a commitment.

You know you need back ups. We all do. But we also need space on the computer. So here’s the quick tip from me for today.

Drag your WoW game, your ripped copies of movies and music you have CDs for, etc., and put them all on your external hard drive. I got the Verbatim hard drive from a PR rep, and all I can say is… it’s so small. Small. But with over 300 gigs of space. They have a bigger one for 500 gigs. With WoW or other games running off of the external hard drive, you get at least 20 gigs of space free on your main drive. I think I just purged 40 gigs of games off of my hard drive onto the Verbatim, and the games still run smooth.

Copy files you only have digital copies of into three ways. Frequent, Back Up and Never Used. You know those old files you never look at any more, but hang on to? Save that to your external storage space, and to a couple of burned CDs (or release into the cloud).

If you use it frequently (at least once a month) store it locally and put it on your current backup drive.

Update your Never Used spaces if you use something and then stop. Drop it into an “Empty” folder and then once a week empty it onto your back up and never used files. You can schedule your computer to do this automatically. (Yes, people talk about it, and never do it, but it takes thirty minutes.

File, file, file. This isn’t your filing cabinet, with marker-ed up reused files and limited space. This is the magical world of tech and Internet. Write your files with really long labels. Rename it when you’re done. Move them where you want.

Remember, if you only have one copy on your back up hard drive, then it isn’t a back up. Duplicate it.

Is there a better method? What’s yours?