Dude! Did you hear?
A COMPENDIUM OF MISINFORMATION, EXAGGERATION, HERESY AND LIES


Movies! MOVIES!! MIZOOVIES!!!

A Motherfucker Like Me (2005) This music video was filmed in the Spring of 2005 and was submitted as my and Dylan's final project for an advanced digital media class. The song was recorded entirely by my then-housemate Josh and is the first song off his self-produced 5 track Bear Attack EP. It was shot in one evening at the Kimball Theater in Hunter Conservatory at Whitman College. Bassist Josh's garb is pretty tight. My favorite moment is the Wondershowzen-inspired "Josh wipe" at 01:30:00.

Space Race 3043 (2004) This animation is one of my favorite pieces from my Whitman days. The effect was created by hand drawing the character and spaceships, scanning them, coloring with Photoshop, animating with After Effects and editing with Final Cut. I would later learn that this is almost identical to the technique used for Aqua Teen Hunger Force. It's not plagiarism, it's homage. The entire video game motif was added to the clip while my frequent collaborater and cohort in crime, Kevin, was writhing in pain on the floor of Whitman's Multimedia Development Lab.

A Day in the Life (2003) Hehe, I really love this one. It might be my all time favorite. Everything makes me smile, from the way Ruth and Justin meet cute at Super 1 Foods, the sudden cue of Kill Bill's "Battle Without Honor or Humanity", the way Justin inexplicably gets buried under a pile of leaves and his goofy-ass smile just after Erin kisses him moments before the chorus of "Today" comes rocking in (not actually any acting involved on his part, just the magic of cinema). The panning camera edit between bathroom and kitchen at 06:42:00 I consider to be among my finest accomplishments. Incorrectly regarded as a goof: Morgan's head visible in reflection of kitchen cabinet. It's actually the ghost of a small child who committed suicide on the set days before filming began.

Topper vs. Ninja (2004) The "X vs. Ninja" meme has gotten a little cliche on the tubes since I made this 8 page comic book, but it will always have a place in my heart. The first of two Photoshop projects that starred my late adopted cat Topper (the other one currently adorns my living room wall), I think this piece speaks volumes about quiet desperation, fate vs. free will and the true nature of love.

Teaser Trailer: Space Race Ownzor (2004) Me at my most po-mo. The concept is silly, so bear with me. The fictional video game Space Race 3043 was such a smash hit that it inspired an equally fictional Transformers-esque summer blockbuster film directed by Michael Bay. This clip was the fictitious teaser trailer shown six months before release (which was apparently last year). I'm a little ashamed by its meta-ness, but it's the best thing I've ever done starting 12 hours before it was due.

It's Not Easy Being Muddy (2003) Another classic, featuring a rare onscreen performance by yours truly. My hideous reaction shot at 00:32:00 explains why I prefered to remain behind the camera most of the time. Still, I love both the score from Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon and the 15 seconds of Buffalo Springfield at the end. The assignment was to create a film no longer than 2 minutes that contained each of the following elements: milk, a toothbrush, mud, a glass door, the color green, a playground and the concept of mistrust. Is the mistrust my skepticism of questionable dairy product, Kevin's fleeing in terror from the mudman, or the world's cruelty towards a simple creature who just yearns to love? Discuss.

House of Cards (2004) One of the most "professional" short films I was involved with. We (me, Rich, Kevin and McLean) shot this film over several months in Spring 2004 at the College Cabin and in and around the tiny farming town of Dayton, WA. We actually held auditions for all of the actors, except for the convenience store clerk, who's voice was later dubbed over by my friend Dylan. I still love the ghostly transparent and self-closing door/ fade-to-black effects in HoC's final shot.

Ainmosni (2004) This admittedly pretentiously-titled clip was filmed in my bedroom at the Redlight in Walla Walla. It's topic is one that is still very close to me...wanting to go to sleep at all times except those which I probably should be asleep but am instead awake dicking around on the internet. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Mad props to fellow filmmaker Ryan who composed the score entirely from scratch.

Emiel's Story (2005) A remix of interview footage from one of the subjects of Melissa Wilcox's documentary on GLBTQ lifestyles and religion Leaves of Grass, which I also edited along with Rich Jones. I hope to make that available someday as many of you know I worked on it, but very few have seen it (mostly due to the fact that it wasn't completed until a year after graduation). I met Emiel, my personal favorite from the doc, and her family in Long Beach, CA in the fall of 2005. Her outspokenness and knack for free association seemed to be an oddly fitting counterpart to Massive Attack's "What Your Soul Sings".

Dammit, I'm Mad (2005) This piece probably loses the most in translation. Originally created as an installation to be shown on two DVDs, on two side by side televisions and the music synched from a third external source, this had more to do with technique than making a trippy video. The two halves, one shown normally and the other in reverse, combine to make a palindrome, as does the title. The song, Radiohead's backwards recorded "Like Spinning Plates", adds to the "Wuh...?" spirit.