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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AYYYY WASSUP. So, Clark's shift is running late, and he won't be posting his portion of the music reviews until later tonight. I've opted to go ahead and post mine to keep things moving along and also because if I don't post it now I will likely forget because I'm a terrible human being. So, that's that, and here's this. Cheers. Song: Barnacle Goose Artist: Born Ruffians Album: Red, Yellow, and Blue (2008) URL: http://tinyurl.com/RuffGoose I really hate to say this, and I think this is going to become probably a regularity in these reviews between Clark and I because of our differing music preferences, but I’m not sure I enjoyed this song. I feel like, while definitely belonging to the target demographic of “people who just don’t understand what the frick is going on in their lives but are just trying to get by day to day,” it is simply so stylistically different from things that I enjoy that it’s REALLY hard for me to give a good review. I didn’t much care for the vocal stylings - to me, it was reminiscent of Bob Dylan singing Punk/Folk/Rap with his only three friends who happen to be clones of himself. Musically, the song wasn’t lacking talent or drive in any way. It was a bit repetitive, but not in what I would call a negative way. Lyrically it was uninspiring while still covering things that are relatable and important to the audience. Final Score: QWE I just wasn’t the right guy to listen to this song, is all. Please don’t hate me, Clark. <3 Song: Horchata Artist: Vampire Weekend Album: Contra (2010) URL: http://tinyurl.com/riceandcinnamon Now THIS was a song I really got into. I’ve always been a passerby of Vampire Weekend, where people might play it in their cars and I could dig into it. I had never actively sought out a track by them, and this was, I think for me, a great introduction to transition from my current musical library. The first thing I did was look up what horchata was - a non-alcoholic drink made from rice and cinnamon - in the hopes that it would clear up the meaning initially (it didn’t). Then I paid more attention to the chorus bits rather than the lackluster horchata rhymes, which felt a bit forced to me, and I found myself revelling in a song that was about one of the most common elements in my life as a metahipster; nostalgia. Oh, sweet bitter nostalgia. The dichotomous nature of this sensation haunts me at least thrice a week, managing to mostly carry my life to ruins. This song, to me, did well to portray the idea of nostalgia, particularly relating to a person. The song itself was musically very pleasant. The singer did well in his runs during his horchata lines, and I enjoyed the soothing and calm instrumental which picked up with some good old fashioned “woah-ohs,” and I always appreciate some good woah-ohs. Final Score: QWERT The only drawback for me was the slightly unremarkable/forced horchata lines, as far as songwriting is concerned. The song itself was really, really enjoyable. Song: On Your Porch Artist: The Format Album: Inventions and Lullabies (2003) URL: http://tinyurl.com/intothesunalone I genuinely thought I was listening to a Ronnie Day tune the moment I stepped into the gentle acoustic melody that was accompanied by a familair gravely-but-soft voice. Generally speaking, I’ve never been a fan of that style of singing, but I gotta say, Ruess really pulls it off in this track. This song is one of those songs you think of after you’ve moved out, after you’ve made a life for yourself, and after you’ve nearly forgotten all of your own awkward and small family moments. It reminded me of days when, even into High School, sometimes I would just walk into my Mom’s room after school and before I went to sleep (post secondary/weird sleep schedule), and she’d be sitting in bed watching some weird daytime television on her 13-inch cathode television where the color was messed up no matter how much I fiddled with tint and contrast and brightness, and I’d just sit down on her bed. We wouldn’t really talk. She might ask how my day went, I might tell her about some girl trouble - but really, it was this greatly human moment of just the two of us taking a moment out of our day to not think; to just stare at Jerry Springer and zone out in the company of a member of our very scarce family. To just sit with someone you know loves you and not have to worry or wonder; that’s what those moments were. And that’s what this song reminds me of. The guitar melody was incredibly pleasing to the ear. It carried Ruess’ vocals really well from start to finish. Ruess is and always has been a talented songwriter - I’m looking forward to more from him for his 2015 summer solo record. Final Score: QWERTY Please excuse me while I go feel some feels. Yo late night readers. Clark here. Sorry I’m writing so late. Had to work late today. Anyway, Jaron had some pretty rad suggestions for me this week. So, Let’s get into it. Song: No Eyes Artist: Baths Album: Obsidian (2013) URL: http://tinyurl.com/sexbaths So, first up we’ve got “No Eyes” by Baths. I have known of Baths for some time now. But, much like Jaron’s experience with Vampire Weekend, I never actively listened to him. So, now having actively listened to “No Eyes,” I would like to say HOLY CRAP THIS SONG IS SAD. Although the songs meaning is hidden behind some pretty upbeat and relatively happy music, once you listen to the lyrics, we see a much darker side to the song. Wiesenfeld seems to be struggling with a serious addiction problem (most likely sexual). We see this in lyrics such as “And it is not a matter of if you love it” and “But it is only a matter of my fix.” As the song continues, towards the end of the sog, the happiness slowly fades as he begins to passionately scream the lyrics. This gives us a glimpse into how this addiction is truly affecting him. I really respect how honest this song is. Wiesenfeld’s honesty really struck me and made me want to listen to what he had to say even more. Musically I thought it was pretty cool. Although, I didn’t think it was necessarily phenomenal. I really think his vocals are what drives this song. If I had one criticism, I would say that it is a little repetitive. But, it honestly wasn’t that big of a deal. Overall I really dug this song’s sound and was pleasantly surprised with Wiesenfeld’s honesty about such a personal problem. Final Score: QWERTY It’s about time that I listen to more Baths. Song: Asleep Artist: Geographer Album: Innocent Ghosts (2008) URL: http://tinyurl.com/sleepygeographer Ok… So, overall I thought this song was fine. I didn’t think it was bad, but it didn’t really do anything all too “daring.” I’m not saying that I expect every song I like to be all out crazy town. But, I felt like everything about this song was just safe. The music is ok, the vocals ok and the lyrics are EXTREMELY repetitive. Which if you haven’t guessed yet, I am not a fan of. Now don’t take these criticisms as me saying that this is a bad song. It truly is a good song. It has solid music, solid vocals and lyrics that while repetitive, are interesting.. I just felt like I wanted a little more. Final Score: QWER All in all good song, but not my favorite. Song: The Cockroach Artist: Glowbug Album: Suit of Swords (2012) URL: http://tinyurl.com/themostamazingofamzingsongs *sigh* Let me start off by saying… HOLY CRAP I LOVE THIS SONG. Seriously. This songs sound is amazing. It’s recurring bass drops mixed with it’s synthetic sound and Anderson’s unique vocals make for an absolutely phenomenal listening experience. I have known about Glowbug for awhile, but much like Baths, had never devoted too much time into the band. Let me tell you… That is going to change. Like now. As I am writing this I am downloading his discography. Yes, the lyrics are repetitive, but it sounds so flipping cool that I don’t care. I just want to hear it over and over and over AND OVER AND OVER AND OOOOOVEER. Lyrically it’s pretty rad. After listening to the chorus it’s name of “The Cockroach” seems very fitting. As far as the general meaning behind the lyrics, my brain is too tired to look into it lol. But, on the surface level it could be about a stalker? My guess is that it’s probably deeper than that, but I am too tired to look into anymore. Sorry bro :\ In closing I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS SONG AND MUST OWN EVERYTHING BY THIS BAND.
Final Score: QWERTY SO SHOULD YOU. Thanks again for checking out this weeks session of Blind Music Reviews and we'll see you on Friday with a new set of Blind Film Reviews! Thanks again! What's up, guys! Jaron here. Popping in to drop off this week's film reviews of About Time and Over The Garden Wall. I hope you guys enjoy the reviews, and we'll catch you next week for another round on us! Laterout. About Time Wow. Just… Let me begin with that. Absolutely wow. About Time is an absolutely wonderful piece written and directed by Richard Curtis, who did 2003’s Love Actually as well as the famously impressionable Mr. Bean film, curiously enough. This film stars Domhnall Gleeson as loveable goof Tim, who learns from his father that the males in his family all have the ability to travel through time. Sweet mother of frogswallows, let me tell you about this movie. I yelled. I yelled at the television. I yelled frequently, over and over, as I watched Tim screw up his life countless times. To completely clarify, I was so engrossed in this film that I could not help myself from outbursts of frustration and joy at the events. I wish I could share more about those events, but I really could not bare to spoil too much of it. About Time is clearly a film about appreciating every second of every day that we’re given. It’s with great sadness that I learned of the most recent passing of one of my childhood idols, Leonard Nimoy. His last-sent message into the void that is the twittersphere was thus: “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.” (https://twitter.com/TheRealNimoy/status/569762773204217857) I watched as Tim lived and relived so many of life’s perfect moments, and it would be a lie to say that I did not envy his ability. It would be a lie to say I didn’t envy his relationship with his father, or with Mary. It would be an absolute lie to say that I did not spend the majority of silent moments in this film wishing harder than anything that I could walk into my own bathroom, clench my fists, and relive some of the more magical moments of my life if, for no other reason, than to remember them more clearly. About Time is so beyond worth watching, and I absolutely strongly recommend checking it out. Final Score: QWERTY I cried. I cried twice. Over The Garden Wall
Over The Garden Wall is a 10 chapter mini series that premiered on Cartoon Network earlier last year. It was created by Patrick McHale the creative mind behind Adventure Time and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. It stars the voices of Elijah Wood, Christopher LLoyd, Melanie Lynskey, as well as many others.Over The Garden Wall is about two brothers (Wirt & Greg) that are struggling to find their way home through a forest known as “The Unknown.” Along their way they meet a talking bird named Beatrice, a peculiar woodsman, creepy pumpkin people, a purely terrifying “Beast,” as well as loads of other odd places and people. When I first heard of OTGW back in December, I thought it seemed very intriguing. I didn’t know anything about the plot, but the art style caught my eye. However, I never got around to watching. So, when Jaron informed me my suggestion was OTGW, I was more than thrilled. Now, having watched OTGW 9 times, I must say that it is a breath of fresh air amongst the neon crazed random abyss that Cartoon Network has become. Don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate shows like Adventure Time or Flapjack, but it feels like recently CN is trying to shove that formula into all of their shows. *cough* clarence *cough* *cough* Ugh... sorry. Over The Garden Wall’s beautiful early 1900’s style, their simplistic character design against their beautifully detailed settings, and their old-timey folk songs makes it a striking and refreshing piece for modern animation. Alright, so let’s get a little deeper into OTGW by discussing the plot/writing. In my personal opinion the overall plot of this series is fantastic.Although OTGW is advertised as a “cartoon,” it deals with very serious themes of fear and growing up. However, there were times in the episodic adventures where I was not thrilled. My main issue was primarily and almost solely Greg’s dream sequence in chapter 8. It came off as very childish amongst some very dark and serious themes. But, that was kind of the point. Greg’s character represents a sort of childish innocence. So, it’s fitting that his dream would be very childish and fun. So, even my issues with this series aren’t even issues. Like I said one of the main themes is fear. Whether it be the fear of growing up, the fear of losing one's daughter or the fear of unleashing a hidden evil. All of the characters suffer from some sort of fear. Primarily the fear of the “unknown.” Which is the name of the forest that Wirt & Greg are trapped in. Fear is actually personified as a character in “The Beast.” “The Beast” is a tall black shadowy figure that we never fully see, except for a millisecond at the end. He is a perfect representation of those thoughts that lurk in the back of your head. The thoughts that creep around late at night that make you question everything in your life. That is what “The Beast” is. He preys on your most darkest fears and exploits them for his own benefit. We see the effect of this fear as Wirt and Greg embark on these little adventures during their travels. They go from place to place and and help people with their problems that are almost always the result of fear. But, as they go through these situations we see a conflict that resides between Wirt and Greg. Wirt and Greg’s relationship is a perfect representation of the optimism of childhood versus the cynicism of adolescence. Greg is a free spirited, easy going, and fun loving little boy. Where as Wirt is a depressed, questioning, and pessimistic teenager. This creates a very interesting conflict between the two characters. For most of us, when we are children, life seems to be the best thing ever. We can’t be afraid of the future because we haven’t experienced much of what life has to offer. But, as we grow and experience hurt, suddenly the future becomes terrifying. This is because if we don’t know what the future holds, that means we don’t know whether or not we’ll get hurt. This fear can become crippling and can prevent us from going or doing anything. This is Greg and Wirt. Greg can’t wait for the next moment of every day. He even states “This is amazing!” while the two of them are being attacked by a gigantic monster dog. Where as Wirt is utterly terrified of what “might” happen. It could be said that Wirt might even resent Greg for his never ending optimism. He is constantly annoyed with Greg’s bubbliness and criticizes him for it. Wirt doesn’t see it as positivity, but rather carelessness. He lets that eat away at him to the point that he nearly loses himself to it. That is until he realizes that his negativity can affect the people he loves. This forces Wirt to rise up and face his fears. He is forced to face “The Unknown.” We all must face our “unknown” at some point in our life. Stand up and face our most terrifying fear. It’s never easy, but we are better in the end because of it. In closing Over The Garden Wall is a beautiful tale about two brothers as they struggle to conquer their fears and find their way home. It’s unexpected stylistic choices are a refreshing change in a sea of sugar crazed mindless cartoon garbage. Over The Garden Wall is unique and remarkable. Final Score: QWERTY There needs to be more animations like this. Look at that! Our first review, and it's already a day late. Off to a great start. <3 Hey, guys! Jaron here. Clark and I have come to the collective decision that, to keep this blog updated as well as to just make public something we’ve been doing passively for a while, we’re going to be posting reviews on our blog. Each week, Clark and I have elected to choose three songs and one film for the other to review. The reviews will be compiled between the two of us, and then posted here for you all to read, comment on, and consider freely. We’ll be posting our Three-song music reviews on Wednesday, and our film reviews on Friday. We’ll be rating each piece on a 1-6 scale using “QWERTY” as our scale. A low score would simply be a “Q,” and a high score would then be a full “QWERTY” slide. This week, Clark gave me a solid piece from a youtuber we used to follow back in the day, Julian Smith. You might remember him from his “Jellyfish” days, or his “Malk” skit. Either way, hilarious dude. Great hair. B STORY’s “Back Then” is such a fantastic song, especially for nostalgia addicts like Clark and I. I had the blessing of watching the official video for the song on Julian Smith’s official youtube channel, and let me tell you, I was impressed from a visual standpoint as well as an audio standpoint. This is my maiden voyage into the sea of B STORY, and I’m nothing but happy that Clark sent this to me. The songs rhythmic strumming stacked on top of a chord progression reminiscent of The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind” carried me through a journey from present to past in mind and heart, and the occasional sonic explosion of a carrying chorus really wrapped me into Smith’s refrigerator spaceship. His voice is, to me, almost unrecognizable from his earlier video works (which, for me, it’s been a few years since I’ve heard his voice). Regardless, a fantastic song. On our QWERTY scale, I’d definitely give it a full QWERTY score. === Bear Hands’ “Agora” was a great experience for me. The semi-lazy vocals remind me a bit of the effortlessness of 90s grunge music, and the manbun the lead vocalist bares (pun) is nothing short of a great modernized interpretation of the grunge movement for today’s generation. Audibly, the song is fantastic. It elicits a cool sensation for me, a sense of sort of darkness with some very real driving percussive elements behind it. Visually, the video I watched was also very well done, though there were moments I felt the vocalist’s performance was only slightly lacking. I do wish the song was longer, but only so I could enjoy it for longer without looping it back over. Definitely a QWERT, lacking one point because of its abrupt ending that left me wishing I had something more to hang onto. === To wrap up my three hyperhipster song reviews, I listened to Yellow Ostrich’s “WHALE”. I thoroughly enjoyed the opening to this song, and the accompanying video (directed by Eric Gross). It sets the mood of slight suspense with a finely tuned vocal harmony which ends up leading into and carrying the rest of the song through and through. I really, really enjoyed the song structure of this, both instrumentally and vocally. The high pass filter on the lead vocals left me waiting for the song to bloom into a full crashing moment, and I was slightly dismayed (and I really do mean only slightly) when the crash came through, and the high pass filter stayed. That, I would say, is the only drawback for me in this song. I’d definitely give this one QWERT, once again, simply for the high pass filter. Needless to say, my music library was expanded this week. The video was stunning, as well; particularly the underwater portion of the video, which occurs about halfway through. As the song concludes with it’s instrumental carry-off, I felt really satisfied. I felt like I’d been told a folktale in the form of song, and it brought to mind how our current generation’s storytelling is very much a matter of mixed media rather than campfire stories. We communicate ideas through film, through music and self-expression. It becomes a method of communication in itself, where we use it as a categorization and pre-screening process when we meet new people. I like that idea - “are we artistically compatible?” - it serves to remind us that art is not dead, and will not die. Hola! Mi nombre es Clark. I would like to put a disclaimer that I in no way consider myself a musician, but rather a lover of music. The reason I state this is because in my reviews I will not be discussing musical theory or really what went into making the song. Mainly because a lot of it just goes right over my head haha. What I look for in a good song is a unique sound combined with thought provoking lyrics. So, that being said, let’s get started.
Artist: Default Genders Song: Sophie Source: http://tinyurl.com/dgsophiesong Ok… So, first off I would like to confess something. Jaron and I are calling these reviews “The Blind Reviews.” This is because we are supposed to enter each suggestion without any knowledge of it prior to listening/viewing each piece. Go in “Blind.” Well… I already broke that rule on our first attempt haha. I had heard this song a few months back while visiting Jaron. I’m pretty sure I had heard it in passing from Jaron’s laptop. Oh well… Even though I had already heard this song briefly, I did not realize how amazing this song truly is. After listening to it several times and analyzing the lyrics, I have come to the conclusion that this song is breathtaking. Its ambient dreamlike sound automatically draws you in within the first few seconds. Its dreamy sound is very fitting given the lyrical content. Part of the reason why I love this song so much is I feel I can relate to the lyrics in a ridiculous way. The singer seems to be struggling with feelings of regret, loneliness and change. Which are things we all struggle with (Myself definitely included.) He repeatedly speaks of how he dreams that he could go back in time and change past events. But, he also speaks of people in his life that want him to go back to the way he was. This creates a very interesting conflict that takes place throughout the song. His continuous want to change his past versus his peers desire for the “old him.” These lyrics combined with the amazing dreamlike synths create a song that is truly phenomenal. I’d say this song definitely gets a full QWERTY. Artist: The Faint Song: Fish In A Womb Source: http://tinyurl.com/fitwsong This was my first introduction into the musical world of The Faint. And I would say that it was a pretty solid first meeting. It definitely has a very unique and cool ambient sound. The lyrics, although out there, are very interesting. I definitely listen to some trippy music, so this was right up my alley. I don’t believe that I have a full grasp of the meaning behind the lyrics, but I’ve only listened to it twice so far. My only gripe with the song is that it is pretty repetitive. But, it is definitely possible that this is done on purpose given the lyric ”Every day is like the first, but with a harder head.” This repeats several times throughout the song. So, it could be said that the repetitive nature of the music is fitting to the lyrics. In conclusion it is a solid song. Although as of now I am not the biggest fan of the repetitive nature of the song. But, that may change upon further analysis of the meaning behind the song. Final Score: QWERT (Although, that may change in the future.) Artist: Names Song: November Source: http://tinyurl.com/nnovembersong So, the song is titled “November” and one of my wants/needs from an artist is that they convey a feeling/emotion through their music. I must say that this band brilliantly conveys the feeling of November. I feel like when I listen to this song I am instantly transported to a quiet, cold, and rainy day In November. That is the best way I can convey the state of mind this song puts me in. It’s so quiet and peaceful. When you play it you can’t help, but forget about everything and just live in that 2 minutes and 54 seconds. No, it is not the most musically or lyrically daring. But, that doesn’t make a good song. In my opinion, a good song is one that forces you to stop and listen to what it has to say. This song accomplishes that in spades. Final score: Full QWERTY. Truly a beautiful piece of music. DO YOU LIKE 1984? DO YOU LIKE PEPSI? DO YOU THINK SILLY SODA AND TRIVIA SHOULD TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER OUR DREAM CAREER? Well Clark did when he titled our newest update video and put "Pepsi" before "Death By Typewriter," but hey, who am I to judge. ANYWAY, I am writing here to update y'all on the goings-on of our junk, so let's boogie to the groove. Stab me. In recent weeks, Clark and I have successfully registered ourselves as an LLC, and we've sent information requests to almost one hundred independent film producers regarding a future project (mentioned in the video at the bottom of this page). We also drank a lot of gross soda, ripped Collin's pants nearly in half, and played a lot of phone tag. Regarding future projects, as I write this, allow me to elaborate a bit. The guys and I have collaborated and compiled a list of our films, which we'll be shooting over the next five years. The very next film we intend on shooting will be in January. I cannot divulge much about it yet, except that it will be in color and that I wrote it during orientation for my job while the instructor and everybody else in my class ranted about politics. Collin, Dickson, and I trekked up to Beaver County once more to catch up on some final reshoots for things that didn't fare too well in the initial shoot. This has lead to some wonderful photos (taken by and with permission to be posted from Austin Dickson) for behind-the-scenes, some of which you have access to below. The rest of the photos are being added to our "Donors Only" blog. SPEAKING OF DONORS, we want to take this time to again thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you've given us. Your time, your effort, your faith, your consideration, and your generous financial contributions are immensely appreciated. You guys are the lifeblood of this operation, and you make everything we do worthwhile. In closing, please enjoy this video of the four of us laughing, coughing, gagging, and talking about the GhostBusters Cinematic Universe (GCU or Guh-CUH) and our future films. Thanks again, hope to see you soon, and we cannot wait to share the full weight and reality of everything we've made progress on. -Jaron R. M. Johnson and all of Death By Typewriter Films, LLC First and foremost, we want to thank everyone involved thus far in our production. Stephen Shunk provided us with lights and audio equipment, lenses, and a camera. Max Harding provided us with clean dishes, kept track of our files, and stayed eager when we needed positivity. Fred Hofrichter helped us with some auxiliary work and with one of our stunts. I'd also love to thank Clark's beautiful wife Brianna, who provided unconditional support to a couple of kids with a dream. She also provided the vocal work for the trailer, which I happened to score myself. Shooting this film has been such a learning experience, and while we're about finished with primary photography, the road to completion is still a long one ahead. I'm proud of how far we've come, and I'm anticipating our future endeavors. I'm sitting here, back at camp, hundreds of miles from Clark, who is probably comfortably in bed after a long night shift, and all I can think about is how much I'm looking forward to all of this. Our IndieGoGo campaign is roughly 70% funded thanks to gracious friends and family members, and we're so thankful for your help in achieving our goals. We're SO close to fully funding this journey, and we have only a week or so before our donations close out! We still need your help reaching our goal of 1,000 dollars by the end of that, and we hope that this trailer will be enough to pull in the rest of our necessary funds. Without further ado, I'm proud to present this trailer to you all. [Horsefly]Please don't forget to help us out by donating or sharing our information on facebook and twitter!
Pictured here is Collin J. Thomas, the star of our film, reacting to remembering how orange Clark's house is. Clark's house is unnecessarily orange. I mean, I know there are plenty of other things I should be complaining about; the scary neighbors, the distinct lack of food intake for all of us, or some other third thing that I can't even think of right now because I'm so hungry. But come on, man. It's like living in a giant, one-hundred degree Creamsicle. Regardless of these things, we've been making steady, solid progress each and every day. Max has been learning a lot, and has taken on roles ranging from stunt double to pyrotechnic. This has been one of the most educational experiences I've ever been through, without a doubt. It's been an incredible run so far, and I'm so thankful for every chance we've been given, and for this opportunity as a whole to follow our dreams in such a direct way. Since posting the IndieGoGo for Horsefly, we've received over 300 dollars in donations, which is one-third of our goal. One third in a day. That's so amazing to me, that these people believe in us to that extent. We've been juggling the actual filming and the research that goes into post-production plans since day one, but last night was the night we realized we were going to be able to afford to keep doing stuff like this. We'll be able to afford to move on to shooting Darkhearts and Clark's "CRAZY?" and some of our bigger budget stuff for the Summer films. I will never be able to thank you enough for your kind heart and lovely actions like donating and reading this block and sharing our work on facegram and twitbler and instabook. These things make you amazing, and we appreciate you so much. We found ourselves working on prep stuff late into last night. What was meant to be a restful night before exhausting work turned into a 4 A.M. frantic pre-production spree which included shooting a brief Kickstarter video, dressing the set for some Dining Room shots, and creating this entire website. Let it be known that it is hot as balls in Clark's house. You really don't understand man, that junk was exhausting. Pictured here is Collin and I battling over the freezer in between shots. Every window in the house is open, fans are blowing when we're not running audio, and everyone is sweating. Like, a lot. Our first day of full shooting began around noon, and just concluded around 10:30. So, we got a good solid amount of work done today. Admittedly, we squeezed in a pizza break, but how could we not? There was bacon on it. Bacon. The best feature of our team so far is how well we've been able to work with one another. Pictured here are the lead director, Clark Richard Campbell, and our DT and general assistant Max Harding. Collin and I met Max over the last two months, and he's been the best eager unpaid intern I've ever seen in my entire life. I couldn't ask for a more dedicated member of the team. He's always going above and beyond his call of duty, helping to dress the scene and looking for something to learn. He also helps us by drinking all the nasty french grapefruit water that Clark's wife bought. It's hecka nasty, man. Seriously. |
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January 2016
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