news and notes 9.4.12

Maybe we need a steam-powered workstation

News and Notes are a day behind due to the Labor Day festivities.  Forgive me?  Yes?  Are we friends again?  Good.  Things are in a bit of flux at Walk Softly Films, so I'll do my best to give updates.

The most pressing issue right now is the purchase of a new computer to edit on.  It has to be done, so now the questions are 1) exactly which computer should we buy (laptop or desktop) and 2) how do we pay for it?  Space Cops 4 is begging to be released to the masses, so we'll likely have to make a purchase without funds on hand (thank goodness for no-interest deals at Best Buy). I had a chance to discuss this briefly with Todd and Allen separately over the weekend and there are a number of fundraising options on the table.  Unfortunately we don't have the viewership it would take to crowdfund at this point and times are tough for donations.  A Scott, Allen, Todd bikini carwash is not out of the question at this point.  I am also considering offering our award-winning services to produce a blow-the-doors-off crazy commercial for someone in exchange for a premium donation (this one isn't a joke).  More on that later.

I want to take a moment to send prayers out for Michael Clarke Duncan's loved ones.  America's favorite giant passed away yesterday.  The official statement said he suffered a myocardial infarction on July 13 and never fully recovered.  The guy worked his way up from the South Side of Chicago. Before becoming an actor in his 30's, he held jobs as a body guard and even digging ditches.  His success is something to be admired, but his reputation and the respect he built in an often jaded Hollywood with his sweet spirit is even more impressive.  By all accounts, "Big Mike" was a Christian and there could be no better way to share his faith than the way he loved and served the people around him.  Enjoy the rewards, MCD.

The next VHessay is still on the way so keep an eye out for it this week and tomorrow is Indie Wednesday where we salute our favorite fellow indie filmmakers. Oh, and I'm starting to feel like a website/blog redesign is in order (when I can find the time to do it).

Questions or comments?  Just leave it in the comments.  We'd be happy to have feedback at any time.  And be sure to follow the new Walk Softly Films Twitter account if you aren't already.

indie wednesday

Welcome to the first Indie Wednesday (which may need to be moved to Friday to facilitate a better moniker).  Either way, we gather here to celebrate fellow indie filmmakers who are doing it on their own and doing it well.  Today we take a look at the work of Seth Worley.  Seth is a close friend of the incredibly talented Cinema Cycle (whose music we often beg to use in our own productions).

I believe that is the connection that originally led me to the video above.  This particular video is the original The Time Closet short film that spurred a popular 16 part web series by the same title, which then spurred a career-turn headed straight up for Mr. Worley.  Walk Softly Films salutes you, Seth Worley and hopes to someday join you on that ladder to bigger and better things.

news and notes 8.27.12

The late Jerry Nelson with Count Von Count.

Welcome to the first News and Notes column of the Regularly-Scheduled Era!  If you hadn't heard, from this point forward we will have a News and Notes column available bright and early every single Monday no matter how much or how little is going on in WSF land.  This will be the perfect spot to check in on what we're up to and learn what you can expect from us over the rest of the week, whether it be more posts or new videos or both.

This week's column is dedicated to Mr. Jerry Nelson, the latest puppeteering legend to leave us from the house that Jim Henson built.  We lost him last Thursday at the age of 78.  You'll recognize Jerry as the voice of the Count, Fraggle Rock's Gobo, and Kermit's nephew, Robin.  Some of you are well aware of my love for all things Muppet and what an effect they had on my childhood and I can definitely say that the Count took his turn as my favorite character on Sesame Street.  I particularly remember a bit where the Count was a contestant on a game show called "Squeal of Fortune."  It's a strange game bordering on pig cruelty, but the Count won and when it was time to pick a prize, he chose the pig.  You made us laugh, Jerry, and taught us a few things along the way.

Now, on to the business at hand.  What is happening in the WSF compound this last week of August?  First of all, we're busy.  My birthday is this week and I'll be turning... nevermind.  Right now, we've got some great footage waiting on deck for a certain retro, sci-fi web series.  I expect to start sifting through all the Space Cops video and logging it on the computer this week as well as possibly shooting a special pickup scene with Dino Rivera (aka Michael Startzman) aka Father José.  You heard me, right.  The wait is over (sort of); José makes his in-episode debut.  I'll be sure to tweet visual proof when it happens.  Just watch the Episode 1 intro if you have questions. The serious editing on Episode 4 is likely to start next week.  There are lots of goodies to be had as we lead up to Episode 4, but I'll tease you with those later.

Wednesday we start another weekly feature here on the blog.  On "Shout Out Wednesdays" (I have two days to come up with a better title), we'll introduce you to fellow indie / microbudget filmmakers we like by featuring one of their videos and giving credit where it is due.  So, now you have an excuse to visit us at least two days a week!

You can also expect our third VHessays installment later this week.  Here's your hint:  an 80's movie with a video game tie-in (and probably not the one you're thinking of).  If you aren't familiar, VHessays are film analysis essays (with WSF flavor) of movies that made a big impact on us when we were kids.  The Rocky IV essay is huge in Russia.  No, seriously.

A 3 Ladies behind-the-scenes featurette is still on the way.  (Featurette sounds awfully fancy, right?)  It could happen at any time, but I won't make any promises for this week.

UPDATE:  How could I forget?? We're supposed to find out this week if 3 Ladies made it into the Rivers Edge International Film Festival!  Everybody do us a favor and keep your fingers crossed.  If you remember our posts from last November, you know we love that trip to Paducah!

As a last order of business, if you'd like to contribute to the production of future short films or Space Cops episodes, our Donation Button is still open and every dollar counts.  A post is coming about a big idea and opportunity for you to boost your business and for me to raise the 3 grand needed for a new editing computer.  Stay tuned.

r.i.p. tony scott

Tony Scott with Tom Cruise

One of the things we like to talk about here on the WSF blog are films and filmmakers that inspired us; movies that made our eyes bug out and locked an ear to ear smile on our faces for a couple of hours.  Tony Scott (brother of Ridley Scott), certainly managed to do that more than once with his impressive filmography.  Tony was known for the kinetic action and high-speed edits he brought to the screen.  The man had range and knew how to entertain with films like Beverly Hills Cop II, Man on Fire, and the vastly underrated Spy Game.  If you haven't seen Spy Game, drop it in your NetFlix qeue this week.  Some great work by Redford in that one.  But, the two Tony Scott movies that stick out most to me are Days of Thunder and, of course, Top Gun.

There's just something about Days of Thunder and its style and Cole Trickle that you can't get out of your head.  It's one of those movies that just sticks with you.  Tom Cruise and Robert Duvall make a great pair and Michael Rooker's Rowdy Burns was a great foil with depth who ends up becoming inspiration for Trickle in the end.  There are some legitimate moments of character development buried under all the racing and filmmaking style, but if there's one thing that Days of Thunder taught me that I will never, ever forget, it is this:

Cole Trickle:   ...this [SOB] just slammed into me.
Harry Hogge:  No, no, he didn't slam you, he didn't bump you, he didn't nudge you... he rubbed you. And rubbin, son, is racin'.

Then we have Top Gun; an absolute pitch-perfect slice of euphoric 80's action.  If you walked out of that film and didn't want to be a Navy fighter pilot, there may be something wrong with you.  I know Kenny Loggins wasn't the only one who was jumpin' off the deck, shovin' it into overdrive.  Top Gun had incredible action sequences with real F-14 Tomcats the likes of which we'd never seen.  It had unashamedly goofy segments like shirtless, blue jean cutoff volleyball set to a Loggins song that sealed the scene's infamous place in cinematic history.  Although most guys could have probably done without the Maverick/Kelly McGillis sillhouetted love scene, there are other moments in this film I would go so far as to call iconic.  For example, who hasn't seen or even participated in a recreation of the acapella You've Lost That Loving Feeling from Top Gun's bar scene?

In short, Tony Scott gave us moments and images that will never leave us.  I can't think of anything more gratifying for a filmmaker.  Our prayers go out to his wife and sons.  Thank you for contributing to our dreams, Mr. Scott.  I'm not sure what drove him to the spot he found himself in last night, but it's another reminder of the things that are precious in life.  And a reminder that success is a truly subjective measurement that each of us defines for ourselves.

And remember, the next time some SOB in your life slams into you...  he rubbed you.  And rubbin', son, is racin'.

3 Ladies premiere

The time has come.  3 Ladies is here!  Watch it now.  Share it anywhere and everywhere and keep your eye out for behind the scenes info (and possibly pictures and video) in the coming days.

Have you liked our Facebook page yet?  We're trying to reach 250 today.  Goooooooo!

If at all possible we'll also have a VHessay up this week.  I don't want to give it away, but... Dabney Coleman is involved.  Teaser!!

lawn chair time

Tonight is the night:  The Danville Lawnchair Film Festival 2012.  Can you feel it?  We can.  Things are buzzing in WSF land as we prepare for a great night of local film and the weather should be spectacular.

If you caught us on the radio with Charlie Perry yesterday, you know a little bit about what we have in store for tonight.  I don't want to say it's going to be epic... but it is.  We're recounting a forgotten piece of Danville history and heroism and it might just change everything you believe about the town and possibly your thoughts on life in general.

3 Ladies is a short film designed as a tribute to three genuinely dynamic, incredible people who shaped this city.  And that is no joke.

We'll talk much more about the film and the process of making it after the public has had a chance to ingest it tonight.  We will put it online next week and give everyone a chance to yell at us.

For now let me just say that we were very happy and blessed to add some extremely talented folks to our humble troupe on this project.  The professionalism on set increased exponentially.  And Grace Sheene even composed and performed a piece of original music that we used several times.  So, thank you to everyone who made our contribution to this year's festival possible and, to all the newcomers, welcome to the fold...


Dale Kihlman
BJ Curd
Maria Montgomery
Matt Todd
Grace Sheene
Havannah Martin
Jadelyn Winfield
Sophia Stafford
Kirby Stafford
Kolton Winfield
Aram Martin
Connor Frey
Derek Emerson
Kristie Martin


With Special Thanks to:
Judy Spellacy
Rolan Coulter
West T. Hill Community Theater
Joey Martin
West Johnson

do what you do

Ray and Charles Eames.  They weren't indie, but I still heart them.

I just wanted to take a minute to send a figurative smack-on-the-rear (the sports kind) to all the creatives out there.  I’m thankful for all the talented people who are out there plugging away, making art.  I’m most thankful for, and encouraged by, the people who are giving us things to look at and watch and listen to who aren’t getting paid a dime for it.  Those people are exploring and pushing boundaries because they love what they do.  They love to create.  And I can identify with that.

I just wanted to say, “Keep it up.”  I think we’d all like to make money doing what we love to do.  But only a few are doing it to get rich.  Most of us just want the cash and the time to make the art more often.  The sad truth is that the majority may never find it.  But, does that mean it was all a waste?  Are you kidding me?  There is amazing work sitting all over the internet landscape right now and it gets discovered everyday.  Adults discovering musicians and authors, children discovering artists that inspire them to pick up a brush, and on and on and on.  These efforts are absolutely not wasted.  First of all, there is always hope.  People reach their professional dreams all the time.  But, even if that never happens, there are still people you're going to touch.  Somebody out there is going to appreciate what you made.  Somebody out there is going to LOVE what you made and they are going to be moved by it.  Ultimately it might cause them to make something of their own.  So let me say this…

Keep making.  Make as much as you can.  Create.

The more you produce, the more eyes that see it, the more chances that something sticks or goes viral and moves you closer to where you want to be or sets you on an even better course you never expected.  Never believe what you’re doing is for nothing.  Your friends will see it and they’ll make sure more people see it.  Strangers in Russia will see it and send it to their friends.  Trust me, I know.  Walk Softly is big in Russia right now.

But… what if?  What if the best thing that ever comes of your art is when your 8 year old climbs into your lap and belly-laughs while she watches your video? Or the person you devoted your life to stares at your painting or photo or listens to your song and smiles ear-to-ear with a sparkle in their eye?  If you ask me…  I say you’ve made it.

Now let me share some love.  Check out a couple of my favorite indie creators:  Michael Startzman and David Arnold.

secret shoot saturday

Probably the best look you're going to get until May 18th

Secret Shoot Saturday was another ironman production marathon, certainly not for the faint of heart.  Sixteen hours: from 9am Saturday to 1am on Sunday.  To put it simply, it was nuts.  It was also our first attempt to make one of our productions a real-time social media extravaganza; probably to mixed results.  For those of you who followed on Twitter, how did you feel about it?  I think Allen did a great job of juggling heavy acting and creative duties while sending out some status updates about where we were in the process as well as a mix of photos.  And then, on the other hand, there was me.  Most of you have never seen me on the day of a shoot, but those that have can attest that I am not what you would ever describe as a "multi-tasker."  To dress it up in the most positive light possible, you could say I'm "in the zone" on those days.  But, basically it boils down to no one being able to get much out of me other than what the next shot is.  So, my tweets were much more sparse.  Plus, this shoot was just massive: lots of actors, lots of set-ups, lots of props, lots of costumes.  It's low-level insanity to try to pull off what we did in one day.

All that would have been impossible without the amount of incredible people that were involved.  We had our best crew of actors yet; better than we deserve.  They were all incredible and knocked it out of the park.  We had family members that stuck around all day and kept everything from grinding to a hault.  My parents, the Sheenes, and the Martins; without every single one of them it could never happen.  Not to mention friends who ran audio and carried lights around and anything else that needed doing.

Another tweeting roadblock was the secrecy level.  We will never have to hide as much of a project as we've attempted to hide on this one.  There is one simple reason for that:  this project was always specifically designed for a Danville, Kentucky audience and the Danville Lawn Chair Film Festival.  We had a concept that we thought would umm.... exhilarate... and we don't want to ruin it for anyone until the moment it debuts on May 18th in the center of the town that birthed it.  If we did this right, things could get out of hand and that's exactly what we wanted.  We want to cause a scene, point blank.  This flick seriously couldn't be more Danville.  Literally impossible.

So, in the future, expect more behind-the-scenes.  But for now, be glad you have no idea what's coming.  (And if somehow you've heard too much, don't tell a soul!)

help us out - phase 1

SHARING IS CARING

 If you've ever sat down at your computer or with your fancy tablet doo-dad, watched a Walk Softly video and thought, "You know what... I am entertained at this moment and I appreciate those boys for that," I want you to just hold onto that sentiment and take it one step further.  You can directly ensure that more videos and films get made.

There are two easy ways to help.  In fact, the first method is super easy:  Share our stuff with your friends.  And for that matter, if you hate our videos, share them all with your enemies as a form of punishment.  Seriously though, if you click "like" or "share" or "+1" on the stuff we do, it helps.  Basically anything that looks like a thumbs-up or a heart is good.  If that heart is on top of, underneath, or in the general proximity of our videos...click that.  And/or copy the link of your favorite videos and blog posts and email them or facebook them or tweet them out there.  Go ahead, blast them worldwide.  But, by all means, maintain your credibility.  You know, if we make the indie film equivalent of Waterworld, just ignore that one and avoid losing all your critic cred with your hipster buddies.  Nobody likes a sellout, right?

There's no better time to start than now.  If you haven't followed our Twitter accounts (@wsf_allen and @wsf_scott) you're going to miss live updates and pics from our big shoot this Saturday.  You can read all about it in our last post.  Get to it!  Then what?  Share!  And stay tuned for Phase 2 right here.  You'll love it.

Squeak Gay's Big News Wednesday

Squeak Gay has absolutely nothing to do with this, but I saw his/her/it's truck on the road and I felt the need to share.  The weirdest part is that there are no Google results for Squeak Gay Construction.  Zero.  How is that possible?  Not even a phone number?  The one thing I do know is, if that was Squeak behind the wheel, he looked like he meant business.  The mystery deepens.  Anyway.  ...Onto the news!

As promised in our last post, production is afoot!  The Danville Lawnchair Film Festival is just around the corner and that means the WSF Gang must be doing some completely alarming and slapdash production work.  (Timeout.  Slapdash!  Use it.  Today.)  A shoot of major proportions is going down in Danville proper on Saturday (April 14th) and let me say, we've done some ridiculous things before but this is...a game-changer.  And I just hope people will be able to discern the immense love and admiration this project was born from, despite its assured high-level insanity.

Now, here's the cool part:  amidst shooting on Saturday, Allen and I will be tweeting our progress as we go.  We'll try to bring you some of the goofiness that we get to experience on these shoots and even send out some pictures from the set.  Some very carefully framed pictures.  Possibly a peek at the people starring in this thing and maybe the most clever of you will be able to guess what we're up to.  (Be assured, if any of you guess correctly, we will vehemently deny it.)

Now, you might be wondering, "Hey, how do I follow the fun on Saturday and receive these tweets you speak of?"  My friend, I'm glad you asked.  I am glad you asked!  It is easy enough; just head to the Twitter machine and when you see @wsf_allen and @wsf_scott, click Follow.  Hey look, I made our names into links.  How convenient is that?  (Also, pay no attention to the last month of tweets.  We were both understandably and appropriately obsessed with Kentucky basketball.  We will now return to the observational humor and witticisms you pay us for.)

Also, come back in the next day or two and I'll make that completely shameless plea for assistance I mentioned last week.