Clocking Film Hours

Have you ever wondered what kind of time commitment goes into making a movie?  Or where most of the man hours go?  How much time is actually spent filming?  What kind of behind-the-scene tasks do people never think about?

I use to record how much time I dumped into each movie I made.  The STS Debut Film, for example, took me 6-8 hours over the course of two days to make.  As productions got more involved I stopped keeping track of the time.  I found it was more self-indulgent than useful.

"Banak the Brave (The Half-Orc II)" - Director's Notes

A crew of gamers meet up in one guy’s nerdy man cave for a session of Dungeons & Dragons.  On this fateful day, a newcomer has joined their midst, and his outlandish character, named Banak the Brave, brings gaming to a screeching halt.  As they argue among themselves, their collective vision of the confrontation plays out with cinematic flare.

“Banak the Brave” is the second installment of the party’s adventure.  However, it works as a stand-alone tale.  If you like it, go back and watch the prequel.

CleanerB Commercial - Director's Notes

Earlier this year, cleanerB - a small, Twin Cities-based, home cleaning company - approached Stranger Things Studios about shooting a commercial for them.  Here’s our finished product.  Not bad for our first contracted video.

"Z.A.S.A." - Director's Notes

"What would you do if faced with the undead?  Where would you go?  How would you survive? What if it happened right at this very moment?  Does your plan take that into account?  

Are you ready for the apocalypse?

We here at Z.A.S.A., the Zombie Apocalypse Survival Academy, believe that with the proper training you can be!"

Watch the commercial and find out how you can survive!

The Scoop: September - The Age of Banak

It has been a big summer for Stranger Things Studios - one I can only dub as "The Age of Banak."

Filming wasn't something that was even on my radar this year per se.  But the unexpected boost in popularity of The Half Orc Encounter demanded a sequel.  Instead of our typical short videos, we churned out a 20 minute short film of comedy and fantasy combat.  Making it was an adventure of its own, but that is a tale for a different time.... 

Half-Orc II: Production Update

Screenshot from The Half-Orc II: Banak the Brave

For those of you curious as to what is going on with our latest film, let me give you a status report. 

Last month we filmed the sequel to the The Half-Orc Encounter: A D&D Parody.  The film has been in post-production ever since. 

What does that mean exactly?  It means that I am in the process of splicing all the footage together, cleaning up the audio, adding visual and sound effects, and all that jazz.  I’m into my third draft of the film currently.

"Ninja Gaiden Remastered" - Director's Notes

The opening video to the original Ninja Gaiden Nintendo game, remade shot for shot in live action with fully orchestrated music.

Stranger Things Studios would like to thank both Nintendo and Tecmo for having made such an awesome and nostalgic game to imprint on our youth.  We'd also like to thank them in advance for letting this YouTube video remain available online.  After all, imitation is the highest form of compliment, am I right? 

The Scoop: The August Box Office

A passerby walks past the theater, noticing
the upcoming STS films advertised in the windows.

So it’s not quite August, but we’ve got some news that can’t wait that long.  For example, Stranger Things Studios has two movies slated for release next month, and the first is this coming Friday!

"The Half-Orc Encounter" - Director's Notes

Aldran and the Half-Orc face off.

This isn't your typical 8-bit reenactment of a role playing session.  This is what it's truly like to experience the nerdom that is a Dungeons & Dragons role playing session.  With the aid of a battle map, several game manuals, and a set of dice, not only does this crew of friends control their characters in a medieval fantasy adventure, but their imaginations play out in an epic cinematic fashion.

*Note: On a technicality, we were not using AD&D, but another role playing system called GURPS. 

The Scoop: July - Training Time

Our first film date for the Half Orc II is coming up fast.  Locking down a date was a herculean task in and of itself.  Coordinating everyone’s schedules, and finding a date when everyone was available, is something we’ve never had to deal with before.  All our other movies have been stand-alones, where we could always just pull in another person to fill a gap.  Not with this film.  We need the original gang back together to do it.  

"Campground Creeper" - Director's Notes

For the 2013 "48 Hour Film Project: Minneapolis," we created a short movie called, "Campground Creeper."    We had 48 hours from the moment we received the film's criteria to write it, shoot it, edit it, and turn it in. 

Criteria:

 - Genre: Buddy Film

 - Character: Bobby (or Betty) Bulmer, the Farmer / Gardener

 - Prop: A lamp

 - Line of Dialogue: "She told me it's a secret."

According to the rules, the movie had to be between 4-7 minutes long, not including credits.  Unfortunately, the film was originally 47 seconds too long, and I had to cut out a good deal of the ending.

This is that Director's Cut.

"Waterpark!!!" - Director's Notes

Who hasn't been to a water park by the time they're 30-years-old???  That's right, ME.  Well, we fixed that!  My friend Charlie joined my wife and I at the Water Park of America here in the Twin Cities, MN.  Even better - he brought the GoPro!

Check out Water Park of America if you're in, or live in, the area.  Best place to be in the dead of winter.  (Notice the icicles hanging from the tubes.)

"Renaldo" - Director's Notes

Poor buddy-o Steve doesn't know what he's in for when he watches his friend's place for the night.  A pizza, a beer, cable TV with the hockey game playing - it's the perfect night for a dude...until he meets Renaldo.

The 2014 Scoop - Where the $%&# Have You Been?

If you're reading this, I'm almost amazed.  That means that, 1) you kept Stranger Things Studios on your Facebook news feed, 2) you saw this post on a holiday weekend, and 3) you actually took the time to click on the link.  So, wow!  And thank you.

I suppose an earnest update is in order: