STS - Armory

A time elapse montage showcasing the construction of an armory of realistic sci-fi weaponry from NERF guns and Super Soakers. Conceptually, the task is not that daunting - just take the plastic gun apart, spray paint it, put it back together.  Piece of cake!  The actual undertaking, on the other hand, is far more epic.  The five minutes you see here has been boiled down from 27+ hours of footage over the course of two weeks.  The amount of hard drive space that takes up was ridiculous!  

Monthly Scoop: December 2012

Screen shot from January's movie

I’m a little late on getting the Monthly Scoop out this month. But I imagine that you understand how the holiday season kicking into full gear sucks both the free-time and soul out of you. I knew you would you get it. You guys are awesome that way!

One Hundo!

It finally happened: 100 blog posts, and it only took a year and a half to do it. I've been sitting on this entry for awhile now wondering what to even say.

STS - Ninja Range

Some dude finds a lost plasma rifle just laying around.  If only there was something to shoot at… 

Director’s Notes

There’s not much to say about “Ninja Range.”  It was filmed spur of the moment one day after Charlie and I finished location scouting out in Somerset, Wisconsin.  I already had the rifle in the back of my blazer to show off, as well as the camera.  We found the closest park to us.  It took us no longer than 30 minutes to film.

Monthly Scoop: November 2012

Stranger Things Studios' most recent film set.

After a grueling October I am now sitting on the raw footage for three brand new movies!  That means the rest of the year can be spent indoors, in the comfort of my home, sculpting away at the footage while it gets progressively colder and darker outside without me.

Stranger Things Have Happened

What a better way to launch Stranger Things Studios’ new YouTube channel than with the namesake video concept that started this all? 

It’s random, it’s nonsensical, it has ninjas, a pirate, and a 52” teddy bear.  The only thing that links it together is the title, “Stranger Things Have Happened.”

Oh, and a guy gets chased down by a monster with a sword.  There’s that, too.

Motorstorm: Duel Drive

It’s Motorstorm in a whole new way!  Two drivers, in a real vehicle, in one of the game’s Pacific Rift tracks.  Of course, Stranger Things Studios would like to thank Sony Entertainment, Motorstorm, and YouTube in advance for letting us use their gameplay footage in the video.

DIRECTOR’S NOTES

I wanted to play around with using a green screen.  Green screen, more than anything else, opens up so many possibilities in filming.  You can add things in that don’t exist, create backdrops to fantastical worlds, transport stories into space, create starship battles, you name it!

Monthly Scoop: October 2012

Sooo… how are things?  It’s been awhile.  Almost a month.  I suppose I should explain myself as to why the weekly posts have dwindled as of late.  But that’s why we have the Monthly Scoop - to keep in touch, right?... 

The No-Shame Six-Pack

After hosting a party, do you ever find yourself in possession of more beer than you’re going to drink anytime soon?  Or worse, beer you don’t even like?  Me, too!  That, good friends, is why I propose the “No-Shame Six-Pack.” 

According to proper party etiquette, if you bring beer to a social event, you are to leave the remainder behind for the host.  People are looked down upon as a stingy if they gather up the last few bottles and take off. 

Monthly Scoop: September 2012

With August over, it is finally time to call it a wrap on the Ashes of Man web-series.  It had a good run, bringing in over 450 views since the trailer aired back in June.  A few production photos will be posted on Stranger Things’ Facebook page shortly, but then that will be the end of that. 

It is definitely time to move onto something new.  What that is exactly is anyone’s guess.  As of right now, I have one of two avenues I am considering pursuing.  I am torn as to which I will choose.  If I can do justice to both simultaneously, I will.  I doubt it though.

The big question is “Movies, or Writing?” 

Ashes of Man: Outtakes

Ashes of Man would not be complete without some form of behind-the-scenes video. 

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of that kind of footage taken.  Nor was I inclined to create any new material to accompany what footage we had.  Not that it wouldn’t have been fun to have gotten commentary from the various cast and crew, but after eight months of working on Ashes I do not want to spend any more time rehashing the material all over again.  It’s time to move on to something new.

There were, however, plenty of mistakes: 35+ minutes of mistakes, to be precise.  I compressed it down to under ten minutes to make it more digestible.  Some of it was only funny to us; some required more context than the clips themselves provided; still others were redundant.  What remains is the best of the best.  I hope you enjoy the gag reel.

Ashes of Man: Part III

Stranger Things Studios presents the third and final installment of Ashes of Man.

Up until this point, Wastelander has roamed the remnants of the Twin Cities metropolitan area in his attempt to return to whatever is left of his home.  Meanwhile, “Burlap” has locked himself away inside a garage to escape a pack of cannibals.  Their incessant attempts to break in, along with his gradual starvation, sleep deprivation, and the pervasive hypothermia, has brought Burlap to the furthermost limits of his sanity.

Ashes of Man draws to a violent conclusion as Wastelander and the trapped character “Burlap” at last come into contact with one another in this depiction of nuclear fallout. 

Ashes of Man: Part II

Stranger Things Studios’ film, Ashes of Man, continues the tale of nuclear apocalypse in this second installment.  Part I left off with the unnamed “Wastelander,” in his desperate attempt to survive, murdering a rural couple in cold blood in order to wait out the Armageddon within their fallout shelter.

Part II follows Wastelander as he scavenges the wastelands for necessities.  Meanwhile, and elsewhere in the ruins of the Twin Cities, another man finds himself hounded by a far more tangible and terrifying threat.

Ashes of Man: Part I

At last, here is the long awaited first installment of Stranger Things Studios’ film, Ashes of Man.

Ashes of Man follows the plight of two separate characters as they attempt to survive in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of the American Heartland.  Part I revolves around the onset of a nuclear World War III, and how one of the characters attempts to survive.

Ashes of Man

Set in the post-apocalyptic heartland of the United States, Ashes of Man follows the plight of two separate characters as they try to survive in the nuclear fallout of World War III.  Without the convenience of modern technology, government, of even military protection, mankind has dissolved into a cut-throat race of savages, raiders, murderers, and worse…

Due to its length, Ashes of Man is divided into three parts.  

Here are the links to both the videos, and the blog posts dedicated to each:

Movie Trailer    Watch on YouTube

Part I       Watch on YouTube

Part II      Watch on YouTube

Part III     Watch on YouTube

Outtakes   Watch on YouTube

*Due to a major life event occurring sometime in August, I cannot promise to hold myself to these dates.  I will, however, do my upmost to try.

DIRECTOR’S NOTES

Monthly Scoop: August 2012

The main event of August for you, fellow fan and reader, is Stranger Things Studios’ film, Ashes of Man.  Even as I write the monthly scoop, the last of the footage is rendering itself on my other computer.

For me, however, this mark the end of the project.  The final product is the best I know how to make at my current skill level; everyone who has been privy to any of the final footage has been impressed; but I could live a happy life if I never have to watch any of it again.  It would take a cult fanatic months of unemployment to watch the flick as many times as I have.

Dor-Bear

It occurred to me that even though she’s been in our lives for almost a year now, I’ve never talked about Dora.  I think it’s high-time to introduce the lovely lady.

Meet Dora.  Dora is a two-and-a-half year old Rottweiler/Black Lab mix.  Originally from Georgia, she was moved to a shelter up here in Minnesota to get away from the bugs that kept giving her heart worm.

Watch for the Signs

STOP Dinosaurs...?

We’ve all seen the signs.  We all know what they mean.  STOP.  I’m sure no one really looks at them outside of noticing that they’re there.  That’s why the STOP signs at the 4-way stop by the fire department in my town have remained altered.  Hell, I don’t even know how long they’ve been that way.  I’d say vandalized, but that’s too harsh of a word.  “Decorated.”  

Teddy Bears & Voodoo Dolls

"But what do baby bears sleep with?"

What do teddy bears sleep with?  After all,  us humans made teddy bears for us to sleep with.  What did teddy bears cuddle up with when they were little to make themselves feel safe and warm?

I posed this question recently online.  The one response I received that stuck with me was simply put:  Humans.  We sleep with teddy bears, so obviously they are sleeping with us.  I guess that’s simple enough.

I rethought the core of my question.  We humans have fashioned stuff animals to resemble bears so that we can cuddle with them at night as children.  We call them teddy bears.  

So, really what I meant to ask was, “Does that mean that baby bears cuddle with little stuffed animals that resemble humans?”  Maybe they call them "teddy men." 

The Stranger Things Triad

For of the release of Ashes of Man, Stranger Things Studios has been given a whole new look!

I’ve spent the better part of two weeks messing with URLs, fighting with YouTube, designing backgrounds, and formatting pages to transform Stranger Things Studios and the JonnyD Weekly into a three-piece, online entity.

Here’s all the big changes:

Monthly Scoop: July 2012

AUGUST 4TH.  That’s the big day, the release date for Ashes of Man!  Mark it down on your calendars.  Clear out a chunk of your evening.  Make sure you’re near a computer.  You want to watch this.  By that date, Ashes of Man will have been eight months in the making.  At last, you’ll be able to see what all World War III, post apocalyptic to-do has been about. 

Ashes of Man: Summer Sets

After six months, filming of Ashes of Man is finally finished!  In whole, we filmed from the northern edges of the Twin Cities, to as far south as Farmington, and as far east as Hastings.  If things had played out differently, we would have pushed into Wisconsin, or even gone as far south as Red Wing!  We were up as early as 5:00am for some sets, and didn’t get home from others until 11:30pm.  We recorded in temperatures as high as 95 with heat indexes over 100; and as cold as 2 degrees, to say nothing of the wind chill.

Snooze Me

There are a few fundamental things that I need in life; like eating.  I love eating.  I love good food.  I also love… um, let’s skip that one.

More importantly (believe it or not) is sleep.  I love to sleep.  I love how amazing I feel after a recharging night’s rest.  Nothing compares to going to sleep with a migraine, and waking up free of that pain.  The peace and comfort you find yourself in, nestled in the softness of your mattress, with the tension in your body gone is absolutely heavenly.

Yet, as much as I love my sleep, the need to be an active and productive human being outweighs everything else in my life. 

Ha Ha! Caught You!

I don’t have a problem with speeding tickets.  I have problems with the way people often get them.

   

How often have you gone down a hill so that gravity pushes you over the speed limit, and a cop has nabbed you by the time you reach the bottom?  Or how about when you’re in a 45mph zone, and a pig is lying in wait right where it changes to 35mph?

Ashes of Man: Movie Trailer

At long last, after months of filming, editing, and waiting, I present to you the trailer to Ashes of Man.  

Set in the post-apocalyptic heartland of the United States, Ashes of Man follows the plight of two separate characters as they try to survive in the nuclear fallout of World War III.  Without the convenience of modern technology, government, or even military protection, mankind has dissolved into a cut-throat race of savages, raiders, murderers, and worse… 

Monthly Scoop: June 2012

Look at that charmer wearing a celebratory hat.  Sure, it might be a dunce hat for failing epically during a video game football tournament.  But it might as well be on my head to celebrate the one year anniversary of the JonnyD Weekly.

They Can't All Be Creepers

I always feel bad when I get a phone call and it’s the wrong number.  It always goes like this:

“Hello?”

“Hi, is so-and-so there?”

“Nope.  You got the wrong number.”

At that point, the other person always says in horror, “Oh… I’m so sorry.” 

I try to tell them, “It’s okay, no worries,” but I feel like if this exchange was in person the other person would be running away crying in embarrassment at this point.  

Jigsaw Karma

It all started New Years Eve 198X.  Everyone has their traditions for the holiday.  Most people gather in large parties and clubs to celebrate with champagne and music and friends.  

In my household growing up we built a puzzle - the entire thing - all in one night.  Then we went to bed.

HOW I BUILT A PUZZLE AS A KID:

2012 Annual Movie List

Last year I made a biannual list of upcoming movies that I wanted to see.  Yeah… the second half of that biannual thing didn’t happen.  This year, let’s just do an annual list and call it good.  Here are my top ten movies of 2012, for least to most anticipated.

Lick the Dream Storm

My last blog-post explained a fun way to make a poem by writing something and then letting an online translator chew it up.  As promised, I did the exercise myself, and got two awesome poems out of it.  Here ya go!

Everyone's a Poet Now!

I don’t like poetry.  I find people’s poems to be self-indulgent, emo, horribly vague and deliberately cryptic.  If you want to tell us how you feel, just say it.

Now, if you want to write an awesome poem that everyone will love, here’s a fun exercise.  Don’t think you know the first thing about writing at all?  Trust me, you can do this. 

Monthly Scoop: May 2012

I feel like a junky who’s about to be whacked for not paying back his debt.  “I swear I’m working on the movie.  I’ll get something on YouTube for sure this month!  Please, you gotta believe me!  No, no don’t shoot me.  Noooooooo!.....”

And then its swimmin’ with the fishes for me…

But let’s talk about the movie quick, along with another announcement I have.

Prometheus

I don’t remember exactly how this all came about.  Awhile back I was contacted by a man named Michael Fassbender and asked if I was interested in being a part of a paid film studio internship. 

I don’t know what put my name on the radar; maybe my technical theater and creative writing on my Macalester College transcript; or the manuscript I had submitted to various publishers over the last two years; or hell, even this blog and my YouTube channel.  Regardless, my name, portfolio, and passion for film and story creation caught their attention.

Demotivational Bull$#*!

Here’s something that pisses me off.

Take a car.  Lets say, for example, this one.  Little car.  Jacked up front end.  Hood completely crushed.  Yeah, that’ll do.

Your first reaction is, “Damn, what the hell happened to that dude?”  Am I right?  Perfectly valid response.

But then someone decides that they want to make a statement about something, like texting while driving.  They have an opinion about how horrible it is, and to demonstrate it they use a picture to manipulate their audience with false representation. 

Fallout 3: End Game

Welcome to the final installment of Fallout Week.

I didn’t originally plan to write this last post, but it occurred to me that telling how my unique Fallout 3 misadventure ended is probably an expected (and logical) conclusion to this blog series.

*WARNING: SPOILERS*

Fallout 3: Tenpenny Tower

Welcome back to Fallout Week, where I use Fallout 3 experiences to demonstrate my moral failings.

As if causing the nuclear destruction of the small civilization of Megaton wasn’t enough of a character flaw!  I attempted to turn over a new leaf, and begin a new, proper, pious life in the safe haven known as Tenpenny Tower.

*WARNING: SPOILERS*

Fallout 3: Megaton

Welcome back to Fallout Week, where I tell you stories of how I dealt with the events of the video game Fallout 3 as though I was there.

Today we visit Megaton!

*WARNING: SPOILERS*

Fallout Week

Fallout 3 is one of the most revered video games of this console generation.  It is a first-person shooter that takes place decades after World War III has turned the planet into a nuclear wasteland.  Many gamers love the vastness of world because if you’re not careful you can easily dump 70+ hours into the game aimlessly meandering the devastation.  Hell, that’s what I did.

This game showed me just how warped and scarred my moral core is.  Fallout 3 is one of those games that is not linear.  You have choices.  Your words and your actions all have ramifications.  Everything you do changes the outcome of the game.  Knowing this, I determined to play the game as though my character was actually me…

So, what would JonnyDStrong do? (WWJDSD?... Hmm, I like it.)

What I found out about myself was both amusing and disturbing…

Zombie Toons

I imagine that if the zombie apocalypse hit the Warner’s movie lot, it would sound something like this:

ONSET

“Gee Brain, what are we going to do tonight?”

“The same thing we do every night, Pinky: try to take over the world!”

The 5G Network

The JonnyD Weekly is now part of the 5G Network!  That’s right, 5000 hits!  That’s a little more than 450 visits a month.  That’s not me doing that.  That’s you guys - anyone who’s ever checked out the page, and everyone who keeps coming back. 

Like always, let’s do some fun stats!

Monthly Scoop: April 2012

I don’t really have much to say for the Monthly Scoop this time around.

So instead I’ll just leave you with this funny picture.

The Nerdist Podcast LIVE

Anyone who has followed the JonnyD Weekly for even two weeks knows how excited I was to find out that the Nerdist Podcast was performing a live show at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis.  People who actually know me have suffered the privilege of hearing about it since I bought my tickets back in November.  For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, Hi, welcome to the JonnyD Weekly.  You may what to skim these first:

JonnyD Weekly #60 - Star Stuck 1: James Earl Jones

JonnyD Weekly #55 - My Podcasts

The show was awesome!  You will not hear me say otherwise.  Each of the guys started out with a short comedy set: Matt Mira, Jonah Ray, and then Chris Hardwick.  Afterwards they all came out and did a live podcast on the stage, took a few questions and comments, and then set up for a meet and greet after the show.

Meeting someone you’re a fan of is kind of like trying to make an impression on that really cute girl at your school that is way out of your league.  You’re going to try anyways, even though you know you’re going to shame and soil yourself, but that’s hormones for you.  

Star-Struck 1: James Earl Jones

The first, and only celebrity that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting was James Earl Jones.  I had to be….16?...17 years old at the time?

For those of you who do not know who James Earl Jones is… shame on you.  Moving on…

He was the keynote speaker for a teachers’ convention going on at the Rivercentre in downtown Saint Paul.  Seeing how I come from a family of teachers, I easily found myself sitting in the first ten rows of the auditorium with my sister-in-law.

Uncharted

I can say, hands down, that Uncharted is my favorite video game series of all time! 

And here’s why…

Already going into it, I had faith in Naughty Dog to delivery - at the very least - an enjoyable game.  Naughty Dog is a studio that has a committed themselves to one series per console generation.  For the PlayStation 1, they only made Crash Bandicoot games.  For the PlayStation 2, it was Jak and Daxter.

Beware the Tooth Fairy

*NOT FOR KIDS*

For some reason, the last thing I still believed in as a kid was the Tooth Fairy.  I understood how Santa worked, but for the life of me I could not understand how my mom could possibly steal the tooth from under my pillow without waking me up.  There’s no way.  It had to be some mystical creature.

I was determined to catch this babe... or my mom, I guess... in action and put this whole matter to rest once and for all!

The next time I lost a tooth, I gave myself a pep talk, telling myself that I was only going to be a light sleeper that night.  Ha ha ha…that didn’t work.  I sleep through sirens, barking dogs, the alarm going off, the apocalypse, thunderstorms, seismic activity.  It’s amazing I make it to work on time every morning. 

THAT Guy...

*DISCLAIMER:  This post is not directed at any specific person, nor regarding any specific event.  However, if you find this offensive, you might want to ask yourself why you feel that way.

I try not to vent on this blog, because no one likes an irate complainer.  But today, I’m going to be that guy…

Because no one likes someone that needlessly corrects you either! 

Monthly Scoop: March 2012

If I had to sum up how I’m feeling right about now, “exhausted” is the word I’d go with.  Physically, mentally, emotionally exhausted.  I’m not really complaining, but the last half of February went by in a drifting haze, where it was hard to wake up with the alarm clock even after eight hours of sleep; at the end of the day I couldn’t account for getting anything done; and instead of midnight, I was ready for bed before my timer-lights clicked off at ten.

My Podcasts

To date, I have not had an official JonnyD Weekly fan-mail question or comment.  However, I regularly do get asked, “What podcasts do you listen to?”  So, I figured I’d answer it here.  I listen to three podcasts:

Bacon 'n' Brains

There’s nothing in Iowa.  Nothing at all.  Iowa is that space between states that someone decided needed a name so we all had something to call it.  Hell, “Iowa” means “sleeping” in the Native American language of the region.  If I could sleep my way through Iowa, I would.  In fact, on road trips, I plan it out so that I’m entering Iowa in the dead of night, and clearing out by the time the sun comes up.  No point in wasting daylight in there.

So don’t bother spending time in Iowa…. unless you go to one of two places.

Ashes of Man: Winter Sets

After an intense combat sequence that took a solid 8.5 hours of filming in single-digit temperatures, we have finished filming the winter unit of our movie, Ashes of Man.  It has been quite a ride.  I wish I could tell you guys everything, but there are so many stories.

The first set we filmed was a learning experience for me, let me tell you!  Yes, I’ve made some YouTube films before, but I’ve never really had to work with anyone outside of a few helpers.  This first set was the first time I had to learn to man up and tell people what to do, actually direct them.  I did a bad job; that was to be expected.  Yet, I think I’ve gotten a lot better at this whole thing.

But it all worked out, and we had a good time, and that’s all that matters.  And I've learned a lot, for example: