A story behind the story

“Write what you know about.” Ricky Gervais.

And that’s basically it.

Ok, I’ll explain further. Bass Line did originate from my own life experiences but I’m also just a big fan of British comedy. A lot of British comedy (British everything really) which lead me to the amazing work of people like Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington.

I’ve been writing off and on since I was very small, most of which was genre fiction like adventures, fantasy (put that together with British comedy and I think you realise perfectly…yah, I’m a nerd.) Bass playing came into my world watching John Deacon from Queen and thinking it was the coolest thing ever.
“That looks easy! I could do that!”
Yeah, right. Mr. Deacon makes it look easy.
What bass playing did was open my world from computer games, Monty Python and writing to a whole world of experience as I met up with just dozens of different talented people from all over Victoria. Working in coffee shops and as a janitor I eventually decided to go back to school, entering the University of Victoria where I began studying my first love of writing. At the end of my first term I got a pretty good mark in stage writing which probably gave me a little extra shot of confidence since I’d always written fiction.
For a number of years before that I had been performing with a great group of musicians…Cookeilidh.
http://www.cookeilidh.com

So I had the good mark in script writing, I was working part time with my friends cleaning company, I was playing gigs and I was a Brit-com fan. It’s a bit like when you have the border of the jigsaw done and you’re just filling in the middle.
I was doing ‘tear down’ with the band after a show, winding up cables and putting things away when I simply thought “Why don’t I write about this?”
I don’t know how much of a big moment it was back then. I don’t think I shouted eureka or anything. But I did start writing a few drafts about some guy called Val. Val’s friend Chaz is based a little on my friend Andy. Cheers man.

So, over the Christmas when I set myself the goal of finishing the script and getting it out there before second term. A few months later the process of filming began. There has been some hard lessons along the way but also some incredible thrills like our first screening at the Victoria Event Center and my new collaboration with my new team of film-makers and my awesome new co-writer Cheri Jacobs.
Things keep going like this and next thing you know we’ll be releasing the first season dvd set.
Thanks for your support at helping us get there!

Tom

What is Bass Line anyways?

Bass Line is a TV comedy series about Val Dennis. He’s a regular, hardworking guy. He’s heartbroken, a bit shy, and still driving the same old beater. But Val’s holding on to a dream. He might just be a janitor today, but soon this underdog is going to play bass guitar for a truly awesome band.
But, before that happens, he’ll have to go through those other bands.

Val can always count on Chaz. That’s his buddy from back when they were kids, who now finds himself more and more becoming manager of the coffee shop where Chaz works since the boss has left town. The boss’s son was left with Chaz to oversee the place but that guy pretty much treats it like a place to surf the net and do what he wants.

Then there is Kayla, a university music student who Val meets through one of the ads. She is absolutely determined to prove that she is absolutely determined…19 going on 42 with a mortgage.

When Val comes home there is Wendy the landlady. Well meaning, motherly and just downright strange.

Finally we round it all off with Ian Starglow…you know him…rock legend from the eighties…who doesn’t really know where he is or much of what’s going on. But he does have still have connections and he could be just the ticket for Val.

This is Bass Line…The show about the guy who’s back and left of the singer.