And you thought you'd had enough

Well, more absurdity is here. Episode 4 of Danger! Relax, Please! has arrived. Dare I say, this is the best one yet.

Fortunately for you and the rest of the internet, this will be the last episode for some time to come...I'm leaving on February 1st to France for six months. There I will be writing, reading, and also drawing a weekly comic for a web publication of which I am a part - Public Organ.


Au revoir!

You're in Danger of not Relaxing again

It's a big, angry family! Episode 3 of Danger! Relax, Please!, my so-called "web series" (called so by me, reluctantly, at a loss for an appropriate term for web shorts celebrating narrative anarchy) is now online! This one features Cornelius the muppet, Angry J's twin brother. WARNING: not for anyone who hates or likes postal humor.

Episode 4 is forthcoming, much sooner than you might think...

In other news, I'm going to be moving to France for six months, starting in February. While this will put a halt to any actual productions I'm currently working on, it will allow me to set aside distractions (see above) and begin writing in earnest. This page will become more about the process of writing for the duration of the spring, until I'm back Stateside, at which time I will begin work on my first feature film.

Happy 2011!

"Contentment" Titling

Contentment was recently invited by the Dallas International Film Festival, and it got me thinking - I should probably finish it. It currently has no credits, and that's kind of important.

I had an idea to do the credits handwritten, since the shooting and editing style was so loose and fluid. It would match better than some computer font. After searching around among my friends and colleagues, testing their handwriting, I discovered my good friend Candace Lewis' handwriting, which is quite nice.

So Candace helped me write out the credits, and now I'm working on photoshopping it into workable titles.

It'll be done soon! 

[EDIT] It's done! Check it out.

Relax Again

Shooting Episode 3 of Danger! Relax, Please! now. Yes, that's Dan McLellan in a sharp tie and 'stache, and yes, that's a "tripod" behind him.

Unfortunately, Boa Simon and Jenny Hou, the DP and star of our show, are leaving for the holidays, and we only filmed half of Episode 3, so we're not going to have the new episode done before 2011. I guess that's what happens when you don't pay anyone.

Second Unit Psychedelia

A few weeks ago I was asked by a director friend of mine, Jay K Raja, to direct second unit on his short film The Drop. I'd never done second unit before, which on larger productions generally consists of shooting establishing shots of buildings or closeups of signs and such. When he explained what we were going to do, I couldn't wait to start.

Essentially, Jay handed myself and cinematographer Boa Simon a fish tank, some neon blinking lights, a number of inks, and both a 35mm and a RED camera - and said, "it's a trip-out scene."

So for four days, Boa and I played with ink, water, and light. You've probably seen footage of ink hitting water and making interesting shapes. Well, they wanted something a little more ... psychedelic. And after four days with a fish tank and inks, you start to get creative. I'm fairly certain you've never seen this kind of footage.

Below is a small sample of what we shot (password is "drop in"):

I'm really happy with what we got. Some of it just looks too weird - like computer graphics. Trust me when I say it's nothing but light, ink, and water. Pretty great for a second unit shoot!

Wyoming? Wy not? part deux

Just returned from a very snowy Wyoming, and a five-day trip that was fun, relaxing, and hopefully, informative and interesting. A few photos from my talk with the Jackson Hole Community School follow:

 

 

It was a great time!

Wyoming? Wy not?

In a few days I'll be flying out to speak with a community high school in Jackson, Wyoming. A local there saw my film La Nina del Desierto at the Reno Film Festival, where it won the Best Short Film award. She invited me to come speak to the students there.

And of course the Jackson blogosphere is already overloading with excitement and anticipation:

Well, I don't know about overloading, but I'll at least receive a cup of hot chocolate on my way in. And while I'd hate to saturate Jackson with too much Los Angeles irony, I hope they're aware that the photo and title "filmmaker extraordinaire" are tongue-in-cheek. I don't want them thinking some ego with legs and a cigar is going to walk in and yap about his important opinions and timeless oeuvre.

That costs extra.

If you haven't already seen it, you should head over to Danger! Relax, Please! and watch episode 2. And turn up your speakers, this isn't some artsy photogenic exploration of an old gravedigger's soul set to lonely acoustic guitar. This is entertainment, dammit.