Tag Archives: Carmilla

The ‘Carmilla’ Movie Trailer Is Out

The web series Carmilla has attracted millions of fans around the world over the last few years. So it’s only right that the show should be made into a feature film.

Inspired by the infamous novella by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Carmilla is all about a girl called Laura (Elise Bauman), who has left her home town for the first time to attend Silas University, which boasts its own Gnostic Mathematics department, many clubs for the students to enjoy like the Alchemy Club, and an extensive library where the books will search for you.

It’s kind of like a queer-er Buffy, blended with Scooby-Doo, and little bit Veronica Mars style action.

The new movie will feature the stars of the web series, Elise Bauman and Natasha Negovanlis, who return for the supernatural spinoff film.

Watch the trailer below:

How to Start Your Own Lesbian Web Series

Why start a series?

The importance: Representation is important, and the best way to get LGBT women on the screen is to put them there ourselves – we are the only ones who can tell our stories.

The friends: Starting a web series requires a lot of collaboration, from writers to editors to actors, so you’ll meet a lot of amazing people. Even if you never achieve fame, you’ll start countless friendships.

The fun: Plus, if you’re an artist, making LGBT art with other people is just plain fun. You’ll get to dream up crazy storylines. You’ll get to map out crazy promotions. You can direct or act in order to create an imaginary world. And your stories may touch people in ways you never anticipated.

What story should you tell?

You have 1,001 stories to choose from. You could tell the story of a lesbian space detective. You could narrate a polyamorous love story. You could design a cartoon about polysexual space aliens. The options are endless.

But what show do you wish you could watch, right now? That’s the show that you need to make. Don’t write what you think will be popular, write what you want to watch, because if you want to watch it, others will too.

How should you tell your story?

Every story needs to be told differently. For example, we all know some books that should not have been turned into movies, and we know some TV shows that fell flat when they became films. (Maybe people should stop turning things into movies…) Grab a piece of paper and brainstorm the best way to tell your story.

Gone are the days when YouTube videos were your only option. Now you can make tiny vines, minute-long Instagram videos, thirty minute Vimeo epics, or avant-garde Snapchat videos. You can shoot on your iPhone or on an expensive professional camera.

Utilize your network. If a friend of a friend is an experienced director, then you have more options. If all of your friends take improv classes, then you’ll be able to tell dynamic stories. Don’t be afraid to tell your story in a creative, unorthodox way.

Who’s your writing team?

Sure, you could write by yourself. But that didn’t work for Season Two of True Detective, and it might not work for you. Besides, a writing partner can challenge you, come at the story from a fresh angle, and spin jokes and subplots.

You may be awake tweaking lines until 3 a.m. the night before a shoot. It will be more fun to have a writing buddy struggling with you.

How will you fund it?

Unless you’re shooting Vines with an iPhone, filming a web series will be expensive, so do whatever it takes to find the funds. Enter contests, start a GoFundMe, max out your credit card, secure a private investor, or get a sugar mama. Just remember that your show probably won’t get picked up by a major network and you almost definitely won’t make your money back. The chances of being Issa Rae (Awkward Black Girl) or Ilana Glazer (Broad City) are slim.

Who’s your crew?

Your crew could be you with a camera on selfie mode, or it could be ten people and craft service. If you want your series to be shot professionally, you’ll need actors, make-up artists, a lighting crew, a sound crew, a camera crew, a director, an editor… Start making phone calls.

Practice makes perfect!

Don’t be discouraged if your series doesn’t turn out the way you want it right away, or if the view count is low. Just keep writing, filming, acting and promoting, and your audience will come! There’s nothing more rewarding than telling your stories to people who need to hear them.

Lesbian Vampires And Tampons: The ‘Carmilla’ Phenomenon

Whether you are a fan or not, by now we have all heard about one of Youtube’s biggest hit series Carmilla.

This mini web-series follows Laura (Elise Bauman), a curiosity-filled Journalism student at Silas University. As she first arrives at her dorm, Laura meets her new roommate, Carmilla (Natasha Negovanlis) who, by the way, is a vampire and they both end up developing a romantic relationship (well, that’s a really summed up version of their whole relationship).

Silas University is, naturally, invaded with supernatural catastrophes each semester, leaving Laura, Carmilla and the rest of their friend-group to fight Evil each season.

Maybe some fans may not know but the character Carmilla is actually inspired on a1872 book, also entitled Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu!

And of course you can click here to watch season 1, season 2, and the highly awaited season 3.

The question remains, why is Carmilla such a hit-show?

Carmilla is backed by U by Kotex which, ironically enough, is a tampon company! Has that changed in any way how the show is written, produced or directed?

Jay Bennet, the show’s executive producer thinks it was a natural fit, adding

I think if you look at the type of marketing campaigns that U by Kotex was doing at the time, they were not pouring blue dye on to pads, they were having women throw underwear from the balconies of apartment buildings. I think the content naturally fit in with their brand attributes, their sense of humor — a bit more irreverent, a bit more edgy.”

But if U by Kotex is such a big part of Carmilla, how come we never see an ad or a not so cheeky occasional product placement?

Bennet explained,

One rule we don’t see others following is we do not put the brand anywhere near the scripted content. We’re dealing with female millennials, the most sophisticated consumer group of all time, and they know it’s an ad two seconds in and will move away, so we work very hard to protect the scripted content as the core driver. Once someone has fallen in love with the show and its characters, we then take them outside of the scripted series and create additional content that features the brand more clearly.”

How is U by Kotex making a difference?

In no way make the mistake to think U by Kotex isn’t leaving its mark on the tampon business, even releasing special edition tampons featuring unique Carmilla packaging!

I am not even lying, I really, really, really want vampire tampons! And they are not making a change purely on a product level!

As Natasha Negovanlis puts it, the shows portrayal of non-traditional gender roles is immensely important to its viewers:

There was a 15-year-old transgender boy who came to an autograph signing [of the Carmilla tampon box], and his parents looked me in the face and thanked for what we’re doing, and it was just a really touching emotional moment. It is such a blessing to be creating content that means something to this community and to be a voice for young people who often feel left out, misunderstood and like they don’t have a voice.”

By supporting a queer positive/female-centred show, U by Kotex has managed to earn more than just views, but rather new fans and buyers.

Well, although most Carmilla news are good news, I bring you the best news any fan would want to hear:

THEY ARE GETTING A MOVIE!!!!!

The news was just recently released so we should expect more details and dates. In the meantime, here is the trailer (Ow Lord, she brought her creampuffs). Are you a fan of Carmilla?

Let us know in the comments youropinions on the show and on the movie news!

‘Carmilla’ Season 3 Trailer Is Worth The Watch

Carmilla – the wildly popular Canadian vampire web series – is kind of like a queer-er Buffy, blended with Scooby-Doo, and little bit Veronica Mars style action.

It has attracted millions of fans around the world, and not just because of strong story, but it has a whole lot of queerness too.

And now it’s back for its third and final season this September 15^th.

Carmilla (inspired by the infamous novella by J. Sheridan Le Fanu) is all about a girl called Laura (Elise Bauman), who has left her home town for the first time to attend Silas University, which boasts its own Gnostic Mathematics department, many clubs for the students to enjoy like the Alchemy Club, and an extensive library where the books will search for you.

But then things get weird when Laura’s roommate disappears without a trace one night, which no-one seems to notice or care about.

Laura decides to investigate herself, and with help from her dorm managers Perry and LaFontaine, and Danny the friendly TA, uncovers a similar string of disappearances and a seedy underbelly of danger lurking underneath Silas.Meanwhile, her new roommate Carmilla keeps stealing her chocolate! Oh, and she might be a vampire targeting Laura as her next victim.

15 Fictional Lesbian Couples That Are Ruining Our Collective Lives

If there’s one thing lesbians love, it’s other lesbians. Hey, we are notorious for jumping into a fandom just because of lesbian subtext – and sometimes that subtext is quite a reach! But 2015 was full of lesbian relationships (both on-screen and implied) just begging to take our attention.

And, of course, the lesbians obliged.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a shipper. I think I always have been, but for a long time it was really hard to see my ‘ships come true. Thankfully, the past few years have been very generous, and my inner matchmaker is giddy.

But what happens when these relationships don’t work out like they’re supposed to? Either the writers break them up, or they kill one off, or – even worse – they publicly announce that those characters are definitely not interested in each other, nor will they ever be.

Our hearts are broken on their behalf – it feels almost like our best friend’s cat died. We just have to learn to move on, and hope that, maybe someday, they’ll end up together after all.

#15. Palex (Paige and Alex, Degrassi)

I was a huge Degrassi nerd as a teenager – I actually kept an active account on their little fan site (I can’t remember the name of it now) and made LiveJournal layouts with my favorite characters. OK, so it didn’t hurt that I happened to be around the same age as these kids, and they were going through things that were actually relevant in my life. When Paige and Alex kissed for the first time, it was one of the catalysts for me coming out. (True story.) The fact that their relationship is still breaking hearts almost ten years later means I’m not alone. (Although I did always want to see Alex get with Darcy!)

#14. Golly (Gail and Holly, Rookie Blue)

While I have yet to watch Rookie Blue myself, I’m inclined to start. This show is your typical cop drama (I can get on board with that) – but there are female kissing scenes in it! I know it’s a bit of a stereotype, but one way to ensure you have lesbians in your audience is to have lesbian characters – and apparently the romance has a solid share of lovers and haters.

#13. Reamy (Reagan and Amy, Faking It)

When I first started hearing about Faking It, I wasn’t really enthused. I sort of picked up that it was some high school girls pretending to be in a relationship with each other for some reason or another. But as time went on, I started seeing more and more members of the fandom popping up on my Tumblr – and I have to say, the pairing of Reagan and Amy is absolutely adorable. There are Reamy fans and there are Karmy fans, though – I wonder which ‘ship I’ll ship!

#12. Karmy (Karma and Amy, Faking It)

This is one of those canon-but-not-really ships we see sometimes. The characters are confused for lesbians, and you want them to really be into each other, but one of them was really just faking it the whole time. (Hence the name of the show!) As someone who has had many straight friends pretend to be my girlfriend, I think I’d sympathize with Amy in this Faking It ‘ship.

#11. Annalise and Eve (How to Get Away with Murder)

I love the idea of lesbian power couples (as I think most of us do), so Annalise and Even on HTGAWM are a match made in shipping heaven. Annalise is a high-profile defense attorney, and Eve is a lawyer who deals with death-row cases. The two are highly successful women with a passionate past – and of course we just know they’re going to get back together.

#10. Rizzles (Rizzoli and Isles, Rizzoli & Isles)

Rizzoli & Isles follows Jane Rizzoli, a police officer, and Dr. Maura Isles, the Chief Medical Examiner. Although officially Rizzles are just best friends and colleagues, their lesbian fan base knows better. We can sense lesbian subtext when we see it, and these two belong together!

#9. Hollstein (Laura and Carmilla, Carmilla)

Carmilla is a web show I haven’t gotten the chance to watch yet, but it seems to fill the need of all those vampire romance lovers out there who are disappointed at the availability of lesbian bloodsuckers. With as many lesbians love vampires, wouldn’t it make sense that there’d be more? Anyway, in true vampire romance fashion, Laura is a young student and Carmilla is a 300+-year-old vampire – naturally! But somehow, despite these significant cultural differences, they manage to find love. Unfortunately, even when you live forever, relationships can still end – but we can hope for a reunion!

#8. Cophine (Cosima and Delphine, Orphan Black)

I can’t remember which KitschMix reader suggested I start watching Orphan Black, but I am so glad that I did – the relationship between Cosima and Delphine is complicated but beautiful (and Tatiana Maslany is gorgeous in every character). My partner has commented that she’s interested in seeing Helena in a lesbian relationship in the future – anyone want to ship it with her?

#7. Bubbline (Bubblegum Princess and Marceline, Adventure Time)

One of my first sleepovers with my current partner involved her introducing me to Adventure Time – and naturally the subtext going on between Bubblegum Princess and Marceline. After a long conversation amongst the fans, in 2014 it was confirmed that BP and Marcy had, in fact, dated – putting all our little lesbian hearts aflutter. Sadly, things obviously didn’t work out between them – but it opens the door for different same-sex pairings in the future!

#6. Brittana (Brittany and Santana, Glee)

Sometimes I feel like I’m the only lesbian ever who didn’t really get into Glee – but I spend enough time on Tumblr to get the gist of this ‘ship. For the five lesbians left who don’t watch the show, either, it details the comings and goings at your typical American high school. Brittany and Santana start off as BFWB’s, leading to them making out on screen and eventually confessing their love for each other. I do like that these girls are both cheerleaders, as opposed to the “traditional” softball or tennis playing lesbians. This relationship has gone back and forth, causing fans to rip their hair out in despair, but thankfully these two worked it out in the end and are apparently still together in the glimpse into 2020!

#5. Korrasami (Korra and Asami, Legends of Korra)

It’s still pretty ground-breaking to show same-sex relationships in animated shows, so the confirmation of a relationship between Korra and Asami a little over a year ago was a pretty big deal to anime-loving shippers. Apparently, everyone should have seen Korrasami coming – but some people still claim it’s a “reach”. Rest assured: The writers confirmed that this ‘ship really did sail.

#4. Vauseman (Alex and Piper, Orange is the New Black)

In my household, OITNB is one of very few shows all three of us watch religiously (me, my partner, and our puppy, of course). Alex and Piper are one of those couples that you don’t know why you want them to work it out, you just do. (I mean, it’s so obvious that they are terrible for each other! Why, why, why!) These two have been breaking hearts since the first season, but what’s eating at my heart is my poor sweet Nicky – please tell me she’s coming back in the next season!

#3. Bechloe (Becca and Chloe, Pitch Perfect)

I honestly never had any intention of liking Pitch Perfect – I’m not a fan of musicals, after all, but I do have a giant crush on Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow, separately – so, of course, when people start speculating about their characters getting together – I am definitely on board. When you find out that the actresses are actually on board with this idea, too – our Fictional Gaydar Senses go insane! Will they or won’t they? No one really knows where the future will take them, but you can always get your fill of their fanfiction in the meantime.

#2. Swan Queen (Regina and Emma, Once Upon a Time)

If you want an example of “when shipping goes wrong”, look no further than the Swan Queen fandom. When Once Upon a Time crew members Et Kitsis and Adam Horowitz each confirmed that Swan Queen will never happen. These two characters are definitely both straight, but they’re not opposed to having gay characters in the future. However, unlike most sunken ‘ships, this one actually outraged fans – enough that some vowed to never watch the show again. Yikes – talk about an overreaction!

#1. Clexa (Clarke and Lexa, The 100)

Clexa is a love story to rival Romeo and Juliet. They once were allies, but when Lexa betrays Clarke, all bets are off. Are they friends? Are they lovers? They’ve kissed, they’ve been through some tough spots, their feelings are still up in the air – but fans of The 100 want to know where this ‘ship is going, and soon!

So, which is it? Swanqueen, Karmy or Rizzles? Which fictional lesbian couple is currently ripping your life apart?

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‘Almost Adults’ Drops First Trailer With ‘Carmilla’ Duo Elise Bauman and Natasha Negovanlis

So by now we have to assume you’ve heard of the hit web series Carmilla. (If not head to KitschMix.TV to binge watch it ASAP.)

However, what you may not know is the two actresses who star in the vampire series are bringing their chemistry to a feature film.

Elise Bauman and Natasha Negovanlis are at the forefront of Almost Adults, an upcoming queer film produced by the Gay Women Channel.

In Almost Adults, Negovanlis and Bauman play two best friends in their final year of college – transitioning into adulthood.

One is embracing her sexuality and trying to catch up on everything she has missed during her teenage years, the other is ending a long term relationship with her boyfriend and discovers her life isn’t going as planned.

Now, if you’ve been around the queer media block a few times then you’ll be very familiar with the ‘gay girl falls in love with her best straight friend’ trope.

Thankfully this is not that type of film. The stars of The Gay Women Channel – YouTubers, Sarah Rotella and Adrianna DiLonardo – are using their years of experience to put together this movie. So instead, the conflict between the two main characters is due because the two are headed in different directions in their lives.

The film was initially funded by a Kickstarter campaign, and production began in May.

At the recent Buffer Festival in Toronto, a trailer arrived. The trailer has been a hit, gathering more than 250,000 views in its first day online.

The popularity of Carmilla is no doubt raising the hype level for Almost Adults. Carmilla has gathered a devoted following and earned a second season.

LGBT Vampire Web Series ‘Carmilla’ starts its Second Season TODAY (Video)

One thing we were all grateful for last year was the YouTube hit Carmilla, the vampire web series that not only had a strong story, but a whole lot of queerness too.

Usually queer vampires don’t get happy endings. They get staked into goo or ashed or abandoned for someone more alive and straight, but this show is different.

Carmilla (inspired by the infamous novella by J. Sheridan Le Fanu) is all about a girl called Laura (Elise Bauman), whose college roommate disappears into thin air. Following a round of other weird disappearances of other girls on campus, she puts together a series of vlogs to document her journey as she attempts to get to the bottom of it.

Well with one roomie vanishing into nothing, leaving just a trail of unidentified goop in her wake, Laura gets a new one in the form of the titular Carmilla (Natasha Negovanlis).

Carmilla likes late nights, setting things on fire and flirting unashamedly with Laura. Oh, and she also happens to be a vampire too! The main ship on the show, Carmilla causes trouble for Laura but is also a surprising ally in the race to save the missing roommate and discover what happened to the other girls who’ve been taken.

But, Laura/Carmilla shippers have another roadblock to face (as if the whole, undead vampire thing wasn’t enough) in the form of Danny (Sharon Belle). Danny is a new friend of Laura’s who also appears to have a little crush on her too. It’s sweet! Both Laura-centric ships are adorable and it’s clear there’s something there even if the show doesn’t seem to be interested in sticking labels all up on them.

As if that wasn’t enough, add the adorable mother hens of the show LaFontaine (Kaitlyn Alexander), and ‘Type A’ dorm monitor Perry (Annie Briggs).

So in short, Carmilla has a fantastic premise, a mostly female cast of characters to fall in love with and some queer lovelines to follow too.

That’s probably everything we’ve been looking for in a show and episodes are about 4 minutes long on average. So what are you waiting for?

Seriously, trust us on this one. New episodes of Carmilla will air on Tuedays and Thursdays.

Vampire Webseries ‘Carmilla’ is the Better, Queerer Alternative to Twilight

If you’ve spent more than 5 minutes in the pop culture side of the Internet then when it comes to vampires you’ve probably heard it all. They glitter (or just burn) in the sun, they also can’t see their reflections in mirrors and they have an aversion to garlic. Jeez, trying to season their meals must be the worst.

More often than not, the vampire love stories on TVs and in cinemas are inane and heterosexual too, essentially being like every other male/female love story but with extra undeadedness.

We’ve seen this 10,000 times before and we’re all bored of it. Thank goodness for Carmilla then, the vampire webseries that not only has a strong story but a whole lot of queerness too.

Based on the 19th century novella by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Carmilla is all about a girl (Laura) whose college roommate disappears into thin air. Following a round of other weird disappearances of other girls on campus, she puts together a series of vlogs to document her journey as she attempts to get to the bottom of it.

[tweet_dis]That’s the basic premise then, so where does the queerness come in?[/tweet_dis] Well with one roomie vanishing into nothing, leaving just a trail of unidentified goop in her wake, Laura gets a new one in the form of the titular Carmilla.

But, Laura x Carmilla shippers have another roadblock to face (as if the whole, undead vampire thing wasn’t enough) in the form of Danny. Danny is a new friend of Laura’s who also appears to have a little crush on her too. It’s sweet! Both Laura-centric ships are adorable and it’s clear there’s something there even if the show doesn’t seem to be interested in sticking labels all up on them.

These three are backed up in their quest to protect the campus by best friends Perry and LaFontaine (basically the adorable mother hens of the show) and the latter character also seems to be queer.

So in short, Carmilla has a fantastic premise, a mostly female cast of characters to fall in love with and some queer lovelines to follow too. That’s probably everything we’ve been looking for in a show and episodes are about 4 minutes long on average. So what are you waiting for? A link to Carmilla is below.

Click here to watch the first episode of Carmilla.

Tag Archives: Carmilla

The ‘Carmilla’ Movie Trailer Is Out