The Scoop: June 2017 - Break Time

Muggers' Day Out has gotten a lot of positive feedback from people,
far more than typical.  It's kinda cool.

If there's something I've learned over time, it's that I shouldn't put a definitive onto anything I say or believe.  I can't guarantee that anything is set in stone, or that any decisions I make now are final.  That being said, I'm hanging up the filming hat for the foreseeable future. 

The Scoop: November 2016 - Low Gear

Screenshot from the most extensive movie that
STS has ever had in production.  

Somehow we made it through the filming season, and we actually pulled it all off!  We're sitting on tons of footage to get us through the winter.  The Zombie FPS movie made it out in time for Halloween.  And now, we can slow down to a pace that's a little less grueling. 

The Scoop: October 2016 - Zombies and Chew

"I see you like to chew... Maybe you should
chew ON MY FIST!" - Kung Fu Panda

September happened.  Our September release, however, did not.  It wasn't for a lack of trying.  We just had too many projects on our plate all at once.  But, as this weekend rolls by, we're past the peak of our filming season.  Projects are wrapping up, and movies are being finished.

Here's the scoop:

The Scoop: September - Doing It Backwards

Screenshot of "Wraiths and Shadow" before any effects

Stranger Things Studios is now officially back in action!  Last Friday we made our long overdue return to YouTube with “Wraiths and Shadow.”  If you haven’t had the chance to check it out yet, stop reading this, hop over to our YouTube channel, watch it, and then come back. (www.YouTube.com/StrangerThingsFilms)

There’s plenty more coming down the pipeline, too!  The only problem is we’ve been going at it completely backwards.  Here’s what I mean:

The Scoop: August - Team Assembled

Yep, we're back.

We're just weeks away from releasing our first video in almost 2 years!  That's right - not months anymore, but weeks.

The team's been reassembled.  The S.T.S. Facebook page has been active since June.  Summer filming has been going strong for a month and a half now.  By the end of August Stranger Things Studios will have new material appearing on its YouTube channel.

So, let's get right down to it.

The Scoop: July 2016 - Time Capsule

Two years have passed since the Age of Banak the Brave.  Not a word has been heard, nor sign of activity seen of Stranger Things Studios since.  It was as though the company had folded, gone under, gave up, disbanded, vanished without a trace.

But now there are whispers, rumors that the lights down at the old abandoned studios have been on in the dead of the  night.  Someone has been stoking the furnace, and the black smoke of production has been seen lifting into the twilight.

Stranger Things Studios is coming back.

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.... 

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 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.  

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: 

The Scoop - November: Season Finale

We ended the fall with a bang.  Z.A.S.A. is easily Stranger Things' best performing video right out of the gate.  It will be a hard video to follow.  For that reason, it's a good thing that we're going into our off-season.

The Scoop: October - Ninjas

With September, I have achieved one of my biggest goals.  We remastered the opening to Ninja Gaiden in live action!  My work here is done. 

This Friday I will put up a supplemental video to go with Ninja Gaiden Remastered.  It's a Before/After comparative video between the original NES game intro, and what we shot.  I actually like it better than the video by itself.  It really shows how exact we were.

Watch Ninja Gaiden Remastered: Click Here.

Watch the Before/After Comparison: Click Here. (Once it comes out)

Another thing that I accomplished in September was to upload all the production photos from our previous movies.  Finally, I'm up to date on that.

The Scoop: September - The Late-Shoot Season

Fall is on the way.  What that means is one last burst of cinematic activity before the winter kicks in; overtime hours for the holidays; less sunlight; colder weather; family gatherings.  None of this bodes well for coordinating and enjoying a day of filming.

Stranger Things has two movies on the forecast right now.  Against my better judgement, I will announce the first one!

The Scoop: August - A New Way to Play

Screenshot of the upcoming movie on August 30th

Hey, an update is an update, right?  Who cares if its half a month late...

I've come to realize over the year that I have been feeling like I'm bogged down by everything in every aspect of my life, and overwhelmed by the notion that I'm in over my head with production.

Then, it occurred to me that I have held that viewpoint all year.  Maybe, it's all been in my head.

The Scoop: July - Out of Stock

It occurred to me right after the 48 hour film festival came and went that we didn't really have any other projects lined up. Thanks to a terrible June in my personal life, there still isn't anything in the works. But let's talk about it.

The Scoop: June - The Ol' Switch-er-roo

48 HOUR FILM PROJECT

As you know (given how much I've been hyping it up), the 48 Hour Film Project took place at the beginning of this month. I won't go into depth about it now; that's what the Director's Notes are for. However, there is plenty of news to cover regarding it.

The Scoop: May - 48 Hours & Such

10 sec Film Fesstival, Soap Factory, Downtown Minneapolis, 2012

Even though I've been fairly radio silent on Facebook as of late, don't worry. There's a lot in the works.

NEWS 

Waterpark!!! 

Waterpark!!! (last month's movie) has done a lot better than I expected. The city of Eagan's TV station (etv) aired the video for three weeks after its release.

The Scoop: April 2013 - Stretched Thin

As you may have noticed by now, I have not been keeping up on my usual movie updates.  The March movie, Minnesota: Winterscapes was released a week behind schedule.  The director's notes blog I typically write the following week has not been written yet at all.  This post itself is basically two weeks late. 

As is becoming more and more apparent, I've stretched myself too thin.  And I'm not just talking about the movie projects.  I'm talking about every facet of life.  I guess I'm just trying to do too much. 

The Scoop: March - Behind-the-Scenes

My Bathroom, mid-repair.

I think we're finally up and running, again.  My cars are fixed.  My computer has been replaced.  The replacement has been replaced.  The bathroom has been torn apart and rebuilt.  Assuming nothing else breaks we can move on!

As you may have seen, we put out our first real Behind-the-Scenes video for a movie.  I wanted to save it for something epic, but with how fun the footage for Renaldo was, I figured "what the hell; let's do it now."  Besides, it gives us a practice run before that "something epic" comes about.  Ideally, I'd like to shoot a BTS for every movie, recorded on set with cast and crew, but we haven't gotten that coordinated yet.  Making a movie is the priority.  Documenting it is secondary.

Speaking of Behind-the-Scenes, what is in the works at the studio?

The Scoop: February - Hiatus?

Let's just get right down to it.  

Status report:  I don't know if there's going to be a February movie.  I have tried my darnedest, but it almost seems destine not to happen.  To a point, a month "off" wouldn't be a bad thing.  I have plenty of back-log, studio stuff to get caught up on, and I could use a break.  At the same time though, the goal is a movie a month - a "goal," not a "requirement," but I really wish I can make it happen.