The quick and dirty video

There’s an entire mini-industry around short, crappy films… and when I say industry, I don’t mean that the filmmakers themselves are making any money off it, but groups like the 48hr film fest have been staying in the black for years… with many spin-offs and other short competitions. Why is this? Not as much because […]

Ramp It Up (and Down)

Link and Video-heavy. Scroll down if you want to skip the exposition/explanation of terms. Filmmaking blog site Story & Heart had a little piece on Speed-Ramping that reminded me of a post I’ve been meaning to write for a few months now. It’s a popular gimmick in screen action these days – a rebirth of the […]

Off Golden Pond

Wrapped my first full stage acting gig in ages just last night. I did a staged reading a couple months ago, and had a brief walk-on role in Richmond a few years back, plus a couple other events (like a stadium demo in DC with Robb Hunter), but really I haven’t done much by way […]

Front Fire Fracas

My handful of posts on this blog about front-fire blank guns have been consistently some of the most popular entries, according to my WordPress stats. Those of you who have read them know that the biggest importer, if not sole importer, of front-venting blank props is Maxsell.   It’s a small business based in Florida, […]

Many 48hrs ago

With the local 48hr film fest rapidly approaching again (and no, I’m not planning on working any projects this year) I found that last year’s entry is now online, after being held back from public view post-contest while they used it to promote other projects. It was a pretty miserable, long, day of shooting, but […]

Old things put out to stable

I dream of a time when not every job has to be a rush job, while I also suspect such a time may not come for decades… when old age will add its own sense of urgency. In the meantime, that remains the status quo, whether it be a crossbow prop that gets used in […]

Video Projects

First, just as a PSA; Fight Designer, LLC is in the process of packing up for the Summer. The props will be going into storage for a few months while the move is made to Wyoming – the eventual new home will have tons more space, which I’m very much looking forward to, but in […]

Preparing to leave 2012

A look back, a look forward, a look around – all of these are generally prompted by changes in the calendar date. That and the occasional curse when writing a check, followed by some ripping and another check coming out. Looking back it’s been an eventful year. Don’t worry, I don’t have the time for […]

Busy Season

This does seem to be a busy time of year for most in the theatrical profession… it’s been a while since I updated too so this post is a bit long and full of shares. On my list at the moment: Choreography: The high school show of Tough! I did fights for won several awards […]

Kickin’ Starters

I’d like to think I’ve become a good luck charm for Kickstarters, but I’ve probably just gotten better at picking my projects. So far I’m 3 for 3 this year: CLANG!, Broken Continent, and now Gamers 3 has broken Kickstarter’s record for fundraising for a film. Over $400K, and with an original $320K goal! Awesome […]