Heyo, Typists. Is that what we call you? Do we really even have a fanbase? These are questions I might have asked in 2015, but FORGET ALL THAT NOISE. IT IS OFFICIALLY 2016. 2016 I'd like to talk to you guys about what 2015 meant to us, as I know we've been publicly a little quiet with exception to one particular bacon-infused video that left a bad taste in my mouth. During the first half of the year, Clark and I had a lot of time to smash our massive brains together to create a better forward-thinking plan for Death By Typewriter. We conceptualized and wrote a few more films, and created a much more realistic goal for the films that we want to do next, and in what order. This year I have seen some of our best ideas yet start to take root, and I couldn't be more excited. I probably shouldn't spoil too much about which films are coming out when, or what they might be about, even though I really, REALLY want to. I'll bite my tongue and move forward. Oh, look at that. I seem to have bitten my tongue off completely. We were approaching the midpoint of the year before Clark sent me a nearly completed script out of the blue and said "How soon can you make it to Ohio for three weekends?" and I said "Pretty dang soon." A handful of weeks later, we sat at a Denny's near our hometown, pensively waiting to meet with another set of actors auditioning for our newest short film, What Happens Next. Imagine our surprise and utter glee when Danny and Dayni approached us from their car, after a gruesome several-hour-long drive. Despite this, their smiles brought a tinge of relief to me. Dayni complimented my Legend of Zelda shirt, which put us onto a great start. She then immediately informed me that she had never played Majora's Mask, which put us onto a slightly less great start. But the both of them completely blew us away in their interview, and Clark and I both knew pretty early on in the interview that these were the people we wanted. These were our actors. This was before their screentest, which only served to continue their exemplary capabilities. We shook their hands and tried to remain calm. Clark and I stood next to the car and watched as they climbed into their own car. They drove away, and in a calm, placid tone, in case they were to look back, Clark and I spoke. "Dude, they were so perfect, I can't imagine anybody else." "Should we call them now?" "No, let's at least wait until they get back home." We climbed into our car, and as they drove out of sight, we were able to REALLY express how we felt. After a brief and extremely loud dance party driving down I-70 back to his house, Clark and I found ourselves reeling in amazement at how well the interview had gone. We were on Cloud Nine for several hours afterwards. NowWe eventually came down off of our cloudracers to start the heavy lifting that is pre-production. We culled together Stephen Shunk as our director of photography, whose mastery of his own equipment continues to baffle me each and every time I work with him; Sydnee Stephenson, Queen of Duct Tape and Sketchy Night-time Car Rides; Scott Clayton, Prince of Bad Jokes and Boom-whiz; and Matt Dingey, Warlord of Music Appreciation. We also had several volunteers step in on several different days, and I'd like to extend my appreciation to each and every person who had their hands in this film. Clark and I banged out a screen-ready script and storyboard, scribbled a shoot schedule, and started shooting out invites to shoot days. Before we knew it, seven of us were packed into a tiny garage with Clark's car, which happens to be a twin of my own, and a fake streetlight. We taped some garbage bags over the windows and turned on the heater, then we got to work. Each shoot that we did lasted several tiring hours, with short breaks in between consisting of hearty laughs and great food. Each day was a new and wonderful experience, and each hour that past was nothing short of a taste of what it's like to truly live your dream. That is, if your dream is watching three people inter-tangle their limbs to rock a car back and forth, wiggle a streetlight overhead, and plug/unplug a power outlet, all in tandem. Ah, movie magic. It simply can't be beat. We shot two weekends in a row, three days each, we gave everyone one weekend off, and we came back to tie it all together in the end with the most high-intensity scene of the film (which wound up smelling like unending chocolate). I had to remind myself several times that we were in fact shooting a tragedy, and not a horror-sequel to Willy Wonka. We wrapped up the final weekend with a fun photo shoot with the cast and crew, and everyone went their ways. I got in contact with out overseas composer (An amazingly talented guy named Andy), who set to work on our score. Clark immediately lept into editing, and I started drafting the poem over and over again. Conversations these last few weeks have been sparse, with the heavy workload and holidays, but our vision is REALLY coming together, and we're happy to report that it blows Horsefly right the hell out of the water. Good thing, too. Horseflies probably can't swim. Now, Clark and I stare into January, which holds the completion of our sophomore film, the inception of our team-created graphic novel, and both of our birthdays. Next weekend, I will see Clark for the first time in several months, and I could not be more ecstatic to do so. It will be the first weekend where we aren't swamped with work (though we will have a lot of work to do), and sometimes it's nice to enjoy the small things. I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to read, to follow along with us on our journey, and to be as verbally supportive as a few of you are. Hearing these sorts of things never ceases to brighten my day, to lift my spirits, and to give me the confidence to write another word, another sentence, another page - another film.
Here's to the next one, and the one after that, and the one after that. Happy New Year, readers. jrmj
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