Epic Frisbee - Director's Notes

Two dudes drag along their younger nephew for a rousing game of "Knock the Head off the Mannequin With a Frisbee."  When the kid asks if he can try, his beginner's luck is epic and absurd.

Muggers' Day Out - Director's Notes

Getting ready to tee off.  We snuck onto a golf course to film this short bit.

A man with a suitcase of cash is sits in a park, waiting to conduct a shady transaction.  While he waits, a motley crew of inept muggers assault him, stuff him in a trunk, and bring him out for a crazy day on the town.  Too bad he's unconscious for the whole thing. 

Zombie FPS: Director's Notes

The zombie apocalypse as seen from the first-person perspective of the undead.  Watch what a zombie sees as it rises from the dead and chases the living throughout the city.

Stranger Things Studios: Official Trailer 2016: Director's Notes

Watch the first ever trailer to Stranger Things Studios' YouTube channel. Stranger Things Studios is a Minnesota YouTube team that has been making short online movies since 2011.

The trailer features some of our earliest works, as well as glimpses of movies that have not yet been released. Check back over the next few months to see them as they come out!

Wraiths and Shadow: Director's Notes

Ghostly creatures haunt the forests at night.  But then something calls to them from afar...

After almost two years, Stranger Things Studios has returned to film making.  This video is our official announcement!  We have several new films in the works. 

"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!

"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 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. 

"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.

"Minnesota: Winterscapes" - Director's Notes

This Minnesota nature film was recorded over the course of four months, from all around the Twin Cities to the north shore around Duluth, MN. It is the best representation I could capture of the beauty of winter. Without having to go outside to watch it, you

can experience all of the wonder without suffering any of the cold temperatures, the slosh, or sinking into lakes that aren't quite frozen.

STS - Rom Com at the Cafe Latte

Rom Com at the Cafe Latte is a Charlie Chaplin style romantic comedy.  

For this - our 9th - film, we wanted to emulate the classic, silent, black and white films that were being made a hundred years ago!  

A HUNDRED years!  Holy crap that's a long time ago. 

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!  

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.

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!