WSF News and Notes 3.10.14


I'm making this short. I have less than an hour left of weekend editing time and I don't want to spend it blogging things you've already heard. Such as...

Space Cops 4

Do you see that picture up there? That's why we don't spit out episodes every other day. Everything in green is a different audio clip. ...Just the audio. Dialogue, music, and every little sound effect imaginable to man. And for every blue clip of video above, several hours of effects work went into most of those. BUT, as promised, Episode 4 is complete (for all intents and purposes). I have to add on some credits and whatnot, but I'm going to call this thing done. Actually, two episodes are done because 4 is being split into two parts. Double your pleasure. Double your fun.

You won't be seeing it right away. There is a lot of prep work being done to make sure all of our ducks are in a row before the release. Promotion, more episodes to keep momentum going, t-shirts, etc, etc. We want to make sure as many eyeballs as possible find their way to the new episodes. Like I said, if no one watches, we have to stop making them and that would make us sad.

Lunch with the Arts

Don't forget, if anyone wants to gab about movies and filmmaking with us, you can join in the fun at the Lunch with the Arts event in Danville on March 19th. That's just over a week away. Have they sold out yet? They have sandwiches, man. Sandwiches. Maybe we'll buy some circus peanuts to pass out. That will get you here, won't it? You circus peanut loving dog, you.
I'm not buying circus peanuts, so don't show up ready to cause a riot.

Keep your eyes on the stars and enjoy the week everybody.
We'll have a new Geek Scope here for you following the new episode of Agents of SHIELD.

Geek Scope: Agents of SHIELD 1.14

Paxton as John Garrett

Starting now, I'm going to split this column into two halves. The first half will be general observations about the episode and the second half will contain anything that might be a spoiler, even if it's only a theory about where the series is headed. (And I have a lot of theories this week.) I really think the show is starting to find its tone. They've been telling us for a few weeks now that the good stuff was coming in the back half of the season. I'm beginning to believe them. I don't know if AoS can ever give us great television, but it can be entertaining spy/sci-fi fare and the show keeps making positive strides. On with the notes...

  • I love Bill Paxton. I've been a mark for Paxton ever since Weird Science. With that being said...
  • I already love Bill Paxton on this show. A great addition and I hope we see plenty of him.
  • Paxton plays John Garrett who, yes, is another SHIELD agent from comics lore. In the comics, Jonathan Garrett is critically wounded and given a cyborg body. Interesting considering the Deathlok/TAHITI storyline we're in the middle of.
  • We got another mention of the Triskelion in this episode; a SHIELD HQ from the Ultimate Universe.
  • New guy Agent Triplett is in love with Simmons already? How did that happen? He was on screen for three minutes and had a fight with Ward. Did I miss something?
  • Our group shot and killed two agents to save one? With no idea who these guys were? What happened to the tranquilizer "Night Night" gun that they love to use so much? Seems like a writing oversight.
  • How freaky was that ripped up torso in a tube? Continue reading if you want to know my theory on that business.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

The Torso
  • Initially, I hoped it was the original Human Torch (an android) what with the WWII bunker and all, but no such luck. The body didn't seem to be synthetic and GH doesn't fit Jim Hammond or Phineas Horton.
  • Besides being ripped in half, the torso had long nails, signs of decomposition, a few apparent markings on its chest, no eyes, and a possible bullet hole in its head.
  • Either the liquid was blue, or the actual body was. Therefore...
  • I'd like to believe that the torso is that of an Atlantean because that would be a nice a change of pace and the existence of Atlantis would be a significant revelation for the show. However, it didn't have pointy ears so, unfortunately... 
  • My official prediction is that this was the body of a Kree; a blue-skinned race of aliens from the comics.
  • "Guest House" would indicate the being in the tube was a visitor, which points to it being an alien. And since aliens are the explanation for everything in the Marvel cinematic universe (ugh), it's almost certain.
The Clairvoyant
  • The Clairvoyant is a SHIELD agent. I was already fairly certain, but this week basically cinched it.
  • The only thing the Clairvoyant hasn't had an answer for is Coulson's resurrection.
  • In this episode, we discovered that Coulson's procedures were conducted outside of SHIELD.
  • Bingo
  • My best guess has been Victoria Hand. And now, possibly Triplett.

Oscars News and Notes 3.3.14


There are so many things to talk about, I almost dreaded writing the News and Notes this week. So, let's get to it by starting with the biggest news of the day...

Lunch With the Arts

You thought I was going to say Oscars, didn't you? Hold your horses. It seems that Todd and I will be talking indie filmmaking at Lunch With the Arts on March 19th. I think that means we're the artists? If that sounds like something you'd like to be a part of, you can register right now at the CommunityArtsCenter.net. I hear these things sell out, so don't let us be the only losers who couldn't put butts in the seats. We've been told the crowd likes time for Q&A, so you can expect plenty of that.

The Oscars

We've been threatening to live tweet the Oscars for several years and we actually did it last night. Look for a post later today that includes a few of the highlights. Ellen did a nice job; the monologue was laid back, but smart and funny. It was a bit hard to concentrate with Kevin Spacey and Jared Leto trying to jump in front of the camera and each other at every opportunity. The biggest shock of the night may have been Jennifer Lawrence's glory road finally coming to an end. I didn't think her Kentucky mojo could be stopped, but it was the year of 12 Years a Slave. And there's always next year.

Harold Ramis

We lost Harold Ramis last week. Mr. Ramis is a man that had an enormous impact on our filmmaking and senses of humor. Ghostbusters, Stripes, Caddyshack, and Groundhog's Day are just a handful of the films from his incredible body of work. In honor of Harold, I'll share a reenactment of the New York Public Library Ghostbusters scenes by my daughter and I (as best we could remember them).



Space Cops

Now for your obligatory Space Cops update. Progress continues at a great pace on what we believe will be six consecutive episodes. And I don't want to get everyone too excited but rumors persist that a lost cache of vintage Space Cops t-shirts are out there and we're getting closer to tracking them down on a daily basis. In fact, we found some of the original spec artwork this weekend. We're starting to think these shirts are real.


Have a great week. Agents of SHIELD is back this week and that means we'll see you back here for a recap and inside scoop on Geek Scope.

Indie Wednesday: Fresh Guacamole

As I edit and design Space Cops t-shirts in my pajamas, it seems like a good time to share a video with you. The Oscars are tomorrow night and

Fresh Guacamole

is the shortest film ever nominated. Now you can act like smarto tomorrow and tell everyone you've seen this.

Indie Wednesday: All's Fair



WARNING: SALTY LANGUAGE
The language in this short is much saltier than anything we've shared here before. So steer clear if you have sensitive ears. It's just such a nice bit of filmmaking that I decided to put it up and I'm relying on you to determine whether you should watch or not.

 Very solid work from Todd Strauss-Schulson. You're going to like this. (Is there something wrong with my browser, though? It almost looks like the camera is on an auto-iris setting and I can't believe that would be the case on a production that looks this great.)

Enjoy your Indie Wednesday!

Jackie Franklin's News and Notes 2.24.14

Jackie sings the blues.

Who remembers when Jackie Franklin sang a haunting rendition of Starman to close an episode of Space Cops? I know... Who could forget right? This might have been the apex of Jackie's career before his behavior became completely erratic and tension on the set began to tear the show apart. Gene Paul, Reginald, and Jackie may never make amends, but you can't deny the magic they made for those six magical seasons.

The restoration of that final scene is almost complete and with it, another classic episode. I wouldn't be surprised if we wrap it up this week as a matter of fact. I couldn't be happier with how this is coming along and we can't wait to show you several episodes in a row in the coming weeks.

I'm hoping we also have a Space Cops t-shirt or two for sale when the episodes are released.

Anybody watching House of Cards? It made me scream; all alone in my living room. A scream caused by a total creep-out yuck fest. If bourbon actually makes things like that happen, we need to stop making it.

We'll see you back here for Indie Wednesday.

Guardians Trailer Hits the Web



Some bold choices in this first trailer. But one thing that seems indisputable is how good the footage looks. Mark my words, Chris Pratt is going to shoot to the top of the A List after this.

 What do you think? Feel free to leave some thoughts in the comments.

Steely Dan's News and Notes 2.17.14

(fake) Steely Dan from Yacht Rock episode 10.  Look it up.

It's Presidents' Day and that means I'm off work and THAT means an all day edit jam. The mellow tunes of Steely Dan are going to get this edit party started.

I'm not going to spend another minute on this blog because we're incredibly close to finishing the Space Cops Episode 4 edit. One note on that:  I expect to split 4 into two parts, so it will actually be Episodes 4 and 5. You're a smart crowd, you can probably guess what will happen to the (former) Episode 5 after that.

I've spent the past few days trying to muddle through Garage Band and teach myself a few things. We needed a few classic flourishes for Space Cops; variations on the theme for segues and what not. If only we could pay Brandon Long and/or Mike Post to create all the classic 80s goodness in my head.

You may be getting shortchanged on the News and Notes, but keep an eye on Twitter. I'll try to give some updates on progress throughout the day.  @WalkSoftlyFilms