Gunblogger Points

This is how you get them.

RIP, Maya

Of course, the Narcissist-in-Chief had to get his own mug in the picture.

Remember, you can't spell "NINCOMPOOP" without the N-in-C.

h/t Twitchy

Steampunk Postal Match

Brigid is running Mr. Completely's postal match while he recuperates from illness.  Dig the Steampunk motif!

Video Star!

1 of 3 OFFICIAL WINNERS of the TMBG "Am I Awake?" music video contest! From TMBGs new compilation album Idlewild! Judge John Hodgman speaks:

"Alex Italics, for the video I call "Don't Say 'Grassy Knoll,' say 'Grassy YES.'" The amount of talent that has been poured into this--from all the actors to the all the costumes to the set design and the video design, not to mention the elderly newsman tear deployment--makes it as hypnotic as the Zapruder film."

I'm in there somewhere.

A Little Color

Lisa the Biker Chick, before she broke her arm and leg.  Now she's twice as Metal!

Candace, Lisa's Evil Minion.

Do You Like Movies About Gladiators?

My Buddy Frank.  Photo & Shop by Me.

TUCSON AZ CASTING CALL FOR NO-BUDGET HISTORICAL COMEDY SHORT “SPARTACUS SCHMARTACUS.”

Shooting soon! Copy/Credit/Catering only.

Characters: Generally Caucasian/Mediterranean except for Exotics.  Costumes provided for all but crowd extras.

VERITAS:  Age 20s, well-built gladiator protagonist debunking the Spartacus myth, shortness a plus, stage-fighting expertise with gladius welcome

LYDIA: Age 20s, wife of Veritas, one line, appears in arena audience.

LADY FELIS CONCOLOR CORNELIUS: Age 50s, Senator’s wife, seducer of gladiators. Likes to show a little skin.

MILO:  Age 20/30s:  Gladiator referee   

[UNNAMED EXOTIC] Age 20/30s, well-built gladiator opponent, height a plus, stage-fighting expertise with sword welcome

======================================================================
Featured Extras:

[THE ON-DECK CIRCLE] Well-built gladiators (4) in a cell — Age 20/30s  Long hair or Shaved heads welcome

CAESAR:  Age 50/60s Regal bearing. Present in arena Royal Box.

SENATOR CORNELIUS: Age 50/60s present in arena audience.

ROYAL BOX CANDY:  Age 20/30s females (2-3)

ROMAN SOLDIERS:  Age 20/30s males (2) guarding Royal Box

Crowd extras:  All ages.  Males in togas, females in Roman/Greek dresses.  No green or purple.

INQUIRE TO RFLYZIK -AT- HOTMAIL DOT COM.

Clothes Whores

"Clothes Whores" got an unofficial Honorable Mention at the Almost Famous Film Festival; Unofficial because they offered it to us -- another Tucson HM team bowed out of the showing because the Phoenix show time was 5pm. Well, DUH, we couldn't make that either on a Thursday night.

Instead, I premiered it at the local First Friday Shorts, where by applause ranking we came in Second behind a college homosex flick supported by the director's whole fraternity.  I didn't mind too much missing out on the Money prize... I enjoyed the audience's reaction and heard a good portion of the audience cheering for our film. 

The bedroom shown is actually my office/guest room (you can see my name on some of the plaques).  Rather than girlie it up or sanitize it, I thought it would be funnier if left as is, sword collection and all.

I was Bored Today

Technically, not a Red Shirt....

The McBride Shoot

 On my third movie shot at Gammons Gulch!  Garrett Moldrem (center) of Made of Love Films directed.  He also shot McBride's "sequel," the local-award-winning Blackwood.

As the Behind-the-Scenes videographer, I still stepped in and played boom operator, grip, and even acted in a scene.

Bill Couch is a local staple in the industry.  He plays the bartender in this prequel and a bar patron in Blackwood.  I told him he must have been fired for watering down the drinks.  "Hey, that's how the bar makes a profit...."

I'd been FaceBook friends with David Hight for a few years before I first met him at the McBride script reading.  He carries the exposition load in this movie as the town sheriff Rupert Jones.  

Nick Murray (center) is a Pima Film classmate of mine.  He was DP on the 2009 Pima films Arizona Chainsaw Massacre and Apprehension.  He was happy to be on the camera crew, but I railroaded him into the funeral scene, because I was too fat for the one spare pair of pants left in wardrobe and I knew his skinny butt could fit in them.  The director wanted me in the scene, but since it wasn't on the call sheet, I left my costume at home and dressed for comfort on the set.  My character would have been in the back row at the funeral anyways, thus first out of the church and not in the scene.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Shooting in Great Outdoors

While the Frozen East suffered through snow and ice this weekend, we merely got rain Saturday and it dried up enough Sunday to go out and make some photographs.

In the Shooting Gallery: Shooting Video not Guns

Photo by David Wing

This weekend, I'm leading Team Cowboy Blob in the 10th Annual Almost Famous Film Festival 48-Hour Film Festival.  I'm no greenhorn in this rodeo, but this is my first ride as sole Producer.  I've got two returning crew and recruited two more I met during the shooting of "Dead Meat."  I look forward to working with my cast, so far consisting of two talented lady friends/actresses with whom I've worked previously.

The weekend after that, I'll be crew and minor cast for "McBride," the prequel to Gerry Gilbert's award-winning Western short "Blackwood."  We're shooting out at Gammon's Gulch again, so I'm sure it'll look great.

After that, gotta try to finish the Binker Movie "Ready When You Are, CB."

Beyond that, I've got three shorts in the queue to produce before I even think of writing another one... unless they don't get done by summer.  I ALWAYS use the summer road trip drive to brainstorm a script for the Pima College Advance Cinematography class.  That and the summer Binker Movie.

Last year's 72-Hour "One Script Challenge" Movie here.

Pre-Super Bowl Skeet

My best buddies the Copelands (two brothers and Dad) invited me to do some pre-Super Bowl skeet shooting at Ben Avery, and I resolved not to show up with a 12 gauge pump, because I shoot those in 3-Gun all the time, except when I'm feeling handi-capable and bring my Winchester 1300 Lady Defender (I defend Ladies with it... got a problem with that?).  So I dug into the Other Gun Safe (the one with SKSs and other runners up) and brought out my Sile 20-banger for a joy ride.  Determining when we'd last shot skeet together, it seems I was 30 pounds lighter, sporting a GI-haircut, and sucked at the gun game.  Some things never change.  I struggled to manage one hit  at each station over two rounds, but I had fun shooting with old friends and new buddies who were very generous with coaching tips.

My choice of gat drew some attention... "Son, that doesn't quite look right," was a common reaction to the Sile (importers, not manufacturers), and it took me a stage to realize that with the single trigger o/u gun, the BOTTOM barrel shoots first. The Sile got passed around by folks amazed an o/u existed that didn't cost a Grand.  Jon was there with his 3-gun competition rig and brother Wayne with a similar piece; the Elder Copeland sported a .410 gat from a matched set... he cleaned our clocks.

The other two in our six-some were sporting 28-guages... as pro shooters are want to do.  Yeah, they were crazy-good.  I don't mind not keeping score too closely... we were shooting in early February, in Phoenix Arizona, in shirtsleeves in absolutely gorgeous weather.  They'd squeezed us locals into a few of the public positions.  While there, we paused for the National Anthems of the United States and Canada, as the Big Event kicked off.  No Denver Broncos were injured in the making of this event.

Got Your Xmas List Posted to Santa Yet?