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. 

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!

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:

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. 

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.

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.