We are encountering technical problems with the system that we use to master DVDs. I have ordered a replacement part, but unless it arrives in the next 48 hours, it is unlikely that we will have the DVDs ready by Blitz, but they definitely will be ready by the time Mercury Players Theatre opens it's next show, The Full Monty.
In the meantime, "Mercury Rising" and "Revenge of the Mini-Musicals" discs will be available at the Bartell box office during Blitz this Friday and Saturday night. We apologise for any inconvenience.
Last year Sam and I wrote a script for Mercury Players Theatre's Blitz event. It was called Smoochy Woochy Poochy and it is full of spite and dirty thoughts. Rob wrote an "interrupting" play for the night that interrupted each play, this one included, you'll know it when you see it.
This Thursday night, Sam and I will once again write for Blitz. You can see the fruits of our future labor by going to the Bartell Theatre (on E. Mifflin, just off of the Capitol Loop) at 8pm on Friday and seeing Blitz. Also, if you have ever, in any way, wanted to try out your acting abilities on stage, contact Mercury Players about acting on Friday night, they will take you in, whatever your skill level (all you have to do is be available all day Friday). And hey, you could end up in our play, that would be cool.
So yeah, we have been pretty dormant lately. That's not to say we aren't busy doing things though. However, as far as short films go, we have went from torrent to trickle, and that is because, well, real life is a bitch to us both in different ways. Plus running Wis-Kino (thank God Emily keeps up the Wis-Kino Myspace page for me) can kinda drag as well (though in the coming month, we will be making some announcements about changes on the Wis-Kino front...)
That's not to say that we are completely down and out. For example, check out our most recent creation RASHnotes - 1984 which is part of a planned series of adaptations of briefly read Cliff's Notes (Sam and I recently stopped by the local Barnes and Noble's in house Starbucks to quickly read the synopsis to "Fahrenheit 241" and "All's Quiet on the Western Front"). Not to mention the slew of films we made a few weeks ago in Louisville with our friend Emily Mills and Rob Matsushita. Plus you can count on us always making something for each Wis-Kino Kabaret.
On the live front, I personally have been very busy catching us up on old projects. The Aporia footage is edited and awaiting further plans. The Selfish Gene project has been officially closed. I have edited about 70% of the Reverence '07 footage. Blitz/Blitz Smackdown 2007 are being edited right now. "Revenge of the Mini-Musicals" (which I got to be an actor in for the closing weekend) is finished and available on DVD as is "Mercury Rising." Footage of "Celeste and Starla Save Todd and Win Back the Day" was shot and already burned to DVD and distributed in a matter of days. The footage of Mercury Players "Reefer Madness" will see the cutting room sometime in August I think, as will a fewotherarchivalprojects we still have of Mercury shows that fell to the wayside. Early production on the Blitz 2008 DVDs (planned release in July of 2009) will begin soon as well.
Footage from ourtrip to France has finally arrived, and it will soon be edited into something shared on the website. Lastly, a RASHfilms Year 2 and Year 3 DVD are in the works. After that, our slate will be clean, and years of footage caught up with; hopefully all by then end of summer.
In the near future, we will be attending and filming for posterity, Hot Mess at The Majestic, a celebration of Burlesque Shows, Drag Kings, and these two broads we know, sponsored by DANE 101 and INDIE QUEER.
RASHfilms is coming out of it's Year+ long hibernation. First off is NAADS, a film that we shot several months back incorporating our new audio rig (though we still didn't know how to use it so well). This film was created for Wis-Kino's February 2008 screening (theme: love/sex). It's about ballsacks.
The other film was created in April for the Wis-Kino 2008 Spring Kabaret. The theme (drawn out of a hat two nights beforehand) was "Prop: Ice Cream Cones". It's called "RASHnotes: 1984" and it's a kickoff of a new series. Basically the premise goes like this: Sam and I pick a book we have never read, we go to the mall's Barnes and Nobel, grab the Cliff's Notes for the book, sit in the attached Starbucks and drink overpriced coffee while we read the two page summary, then make a movie with minimal costumes and props. We think it will start a trend on YouTube, unless someone else has thought of the idea first, but we are so confident that we are being original that we won't even check to see if that's the case. (NOTE that this is the rush-cut version, a reshoot is planned to fix some of the audio issues and tighten the script.)
As you may have noticed, things are pretty dead around here. Life interveans and stuff happens. Stuff like not really making films much unless it is a Kabaret. That is basically the gist of it. We are not making any new films at the moment, and don't know when we will resume. It will happen eventually, but for now, you best bet is to look forward to the next Wis-Kino Kabaret, which will kickoff on 04/20/08 at Escape Coffee Gallery at 7pm, I know for sure that we will make something for that.
As for our live projects, they are still on track, and in various phases production. Currently working on:
-Aporia - Live at the Mercury Lounge (soon) -Reverence '07 - A Documentary of Sorts of Gothic/Industrial Mayhem -Blitz Smackdown 2007 -Blitz 2007 -Revenge of the Mini-Musicals (Due out late spring 08) -Mercury's Production of Reefer Madness (scheduled for non-public release)
So yeah, every year, Mercury Players Theatre (who we are totally in bed with) has this Blitz thing, where people write short plays that are then put together on stage in front of a live (drunk) audience 24 hours from when they start writing. We wrote a play last year (you may have remembered it, as it involved the pope and some various carnal shenanagans), and we are writing again this year (for the first night's show). So check it our at 7pm on the 13th, and then see even more weird plays the next night. The tickets are not reserves, so get their earlier if you want a seat because this show will sell out.
Also, in news that will make some of you very happy, we have decided that since we were only able to retrieve some of the footage from last year's Blitz (and only from the second night); we will release the edited footage from Blitz 2006 for free on this site in iPod format on July 13th.
That said, yes we made it fine back from France and made three movies that we will post up here when we have our shit together (as well as the long overdue video we made in Louisville). Also, if you are interested I wrote a blog about our trip that can be read on our Myspace page at myspace.com/rashfilms. Also, there are photos up on my Flickr profile at flickr.com/GentlemanLoser
Well, we went to Louisville, and despite some car troubles, things were quite fun. We brought with us another installment of our Sam and Josh Go To Louisville films, and it is attached here for your viewing enjoyment.
The theme was announced as "Drunk" and boy were we. We made a film based off of a Tom Waits lyric. We will upload it as soon as Sam gets a chance to re-edit it on a proper system (we were using laptops and *shudder* Windows Media Maker).
This Sunday, we will be flying out to France to participate in their Kino Kabarets, so expect at least two new films from that trip when we get back at the end of the month.
And lastly, a message we found from Office Rocker Productions:
First off is one many people have been waiting for. The second episode of I'm A Cop. There is an elaborate action sequence in this one directed by Rob Matsushita, it's awsome. Most of this was filmed back in August of 2006, but editing and voicework stalled out until the April 2007 WisKino screening (Theme: Explosions). So here it is:
Then, just last week was the WisKino 2007 Spring Kabaret. The kickoff screening had the theme "Silent Movie" and the day of the screening, I had an idea for a political PSA. So I storyboarded it during my lunch break, grabbed a co-worker and filmed/edited it a few hours before the screening. Seemed like a good way to start off Kabaret. Here is that movie, simply titled: Silent Movie.
Last off was our actual Kabaret film. Conceptualized, written, shot and cut in 48 hours. The theme was "Complecated." Sam and I decided that we would do a RASH double feature. Sam came up with the first short and trailer, and I came up with the second. However, I wanted this to be special, and so I collaborated with Steve VanHaran on my short. The two shorts and two fake trailers were packaged together. All together, this film (named Cottage Mill) has it all, children, murderous pop icons, sexyness, and jihad. Check it out:
Just a heads up, but if you are reading this, you should join us on May 10th and 12th at The Orpheum Theatre for the Wis-Kino Spring Kabaret! Sam and I will be hosting the event and there will be lots of great films to watch and make. Also, as a special treat, there will a behind the scenes documentary on CHAD VADER, the run-a-way internet hit by Blame Society Productions. We will not likely have a film for the first night's screening, but you can bet your ass we will have made something for the Saturday screening.
First off, let me mention some unfortunate news. Since the last film of ours "Dick," our main camera (the lovely Panasonic DVX) was stolen. Thus for the foreseeable future we are forced to work with a little consumer-grade handheld. Video, and especially Audio, quality is going to be lower for awhile. We hope to purchase a seperate audio recording unit in the near future so that we can use our professional mics again, but this month's films do have audio issues. Please bear with them.
So first up is a film that Sam made about love just not quite making it's connection. It involves Dean Martin, dancing, and toothbrushing. It is called Ritorne Me and it is below:
Now you may be asking. What is this "RASH Take 3" business? Well, this is the third year of RASHfilms, and Sam and I have been wanting to move away from our dick and fart jokes to something a bit different and more challenging. Thing is, we stilllove our dick and fart jokes. So we decided that anything we make that is a little more thought or emotion provoking would fall under the imprint "RASH Take 3" (Take 3=Third Year), kinda like "Fox Searchlight Films" or something. Don't worry, the usuall stuff you expect from us will also get made, it it will go under the imprint of "RASHfilms" like it always has.
Now, on to the other film of this month. See, February's Wis-Kino theme was "love/sex" so you may notice that theme in these two videos. The next one is by me, and it is about not being able to relate to another human being, and thats when things go downhill for our main character. This film is called "Above Conceit" and check it out below:
That's all. See you next month. We will likely do a film or two following that month's Wis-Kino theme of "Music Video"
