videos – protozoic: Recent Episodes
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The following video resulted from a workshop and deep listening exercise held on 3.10.23 on South Puget Sound Community College’s campus as part of the Digital Humanities Lab. The workshop was led by Jessie Lenderman, an instructor at the college who is a filmmaker and documentarian who uses inter-disciplinarian practices to inform her work.
In the first part of the exercise, participants were given an object and asked to write a short piece only describing it. Next, participants developed a second short written piece detailing personal associations with their chosen item. In the last part of the exercise, participants filmed the object, using the two former pieces of writing to help guide the audio-visualization of it.
Videos were shot on our phones. To edit the video, we used an open-source software program called OpenShot. Open-source software is distributed with its source code, making it available for use, modification, and distribution by anyone who uses it. Unlike software developed by many corporate entities for profit, open-source software is guided by an ethical component that fosters community, exchange, and learning.
In my video, I incorporated a recording of frogs I’d made on campus the evening before, around 8 PM. I was leaving the building when I heard them in a chorus.
Frog from Mike Gray on Vimeo.
I shot this on a Jazz DV151, which I got 10+ years ago at a Walmart for $20 dollars. The song was a weird accident, but I liked it whatever was happening.
The short film I’m working on over the summer, Loss of Mt. Rainier, follows a number of social media stars. Below are videos for two of the film’s rival characters. And yes, we will endeavor to put the puzzle back together.
H.P. Thomcraft sojourns to a cloudy living room in an undisclosed location of the nether-regions/places to weave three hazy tales of mystery and murk while playing a most deadly game of death. “H.P. Thomcraft’s Game of Pawns” is the sequel to the water-logged “H.P. Thomcraft’s Box of Tales.” I will be pulling the post down … Continue reading H.P. Thomcraft’s Game of Pawns – 1 week only! →
In episode 4 of LJ’s Trip LJ is been summoned by Mr. Archer, Producer in the Chicken and Breasts film division at Trippers Inc. It seems that some of LJ’S shenanigans and tomfoolery has not gone unnoticed! And Mr. Tom Foolery is not happy! It seems that a mysterious ressurectee has invaded the time trip-line … Continue reading LJ’s Trip, Episode 4 – The Hands of Time →
In this episode of LJ’s Trip, LJ goes back to prehistoric times to discover the origin of tools. In addition he picks up some fashion tips and learns some sweet caveman dance moves. For more information visit LJ’s Trip. Lj’s Trip ep 2 – The Origin of Toolz from Matt Brunson on Vimeo.
Here is the first show in a 6 part web series I was involved in creating, directing and writing along with filmmaker Matt Brunson. We are currently releasing the shows ourselves, and though I can’t make any promises, a new show should go live every two weeks. As the various episodes go live, I’ll post … Continue reading LJ’s Trip – The Salem Sisters →
“The Flying Saucer Film”, directed by filmmaker Riley Gibson, is a visual interpretation of “The Flying Saucer Song” found on Harry Nilsson and John Lennon’s collaboration Pussy Cats. In the film, I had the pleasure of playing a leftist who spreads propaganda at a bar. It is hoped that Yoko’s Imagine Peace Tower in Reykjavík, … Continue reading The Flying Saucer Film →
I was dumping stuff from my 4track the other day and found this. I guess I’ve been into centaurs for a while. The song dates from 2009 I think. I made some new visuals for it and Tim did the Mix.
This is a movie I was involved with a couple years ago. It played in a couple festivals including Anchorage Film Festival and won best horror at Wanderings Film Festival. The film features music by Akron Family and Ear PWR
My second song on the Korg Kaossilator. I added Tim’s all time favorite mic to the mix on this number. JamFantasy on Sunday night.
This is my attempt at a skate/bike video. Really, it is also about my search for fan videos of The Sound on Youtube, my inability to find ones for certain songs and thus making my own. Problematically, I didn’t have enough footage to actually run to the end of the song… so I’m waiting for … Continue reading Skate Park, Athens, Ohio →
Gummi Bears was the result of the same film stock test that produced Fish Tank and The Porch. This test, unlike the two previous ones, introduces Fuji Reala 500D. The other two stocks in the short are Fuji Eterna Vivid 500T and Kodak Vision2 Expression 500T. Again, there is no color correction. To produce all … Continue reading Gummi Bears →
Fish Tank was the result of a film stock test. There are three different stocks used in the short, Kodak Vision2 Expression 500T, Kodak Vision3 250D and Fuji Eterna 400T. Admittedly, the tests really weren’t tests because shooting conditions were never consistent. Nonetheless, for interested parties, I do think some of the qualities of each … Continue reading Fish Tank →
A friend of mine played a major role in a horror film based in Salisbury, The Salisbury Strangler. Make sure to catch the song during the ending credits. Enjoy. The Salisbury Strangler from annie huntington on Vimeo.
BoardGameGeek’s write up on Spinjas has a thread on Games with wind-up toys that lists Spinjas as the highest ranked wind-up game out of 12 games. Even if it weren’t the #1 wind-up game of all time, playing Spinjas is an intense experience. Just thinking about the game makes my stomach ulcer act up and … Continue reading Spinja Warzone →
Dangers of Honesty is a movie that I was involved with a year or so back. It tells about a young man struggling with drug addiction and coping with the loss of a loved one. The movie was produced and written Jonny Gillis, who also appears in the lead role as well as a couple … Continue reading Dangers of Honesty →
Jimmy writes: I had to make a little money because the “aquarium” had a crack in it. Contact me ASAP about the TV. This is not a pyramid scheme!
Jimmy writes: This is my Subaru Baja ride. I had to take a trip to pick up an “aquarium” I bought off Craigslist. I had to leave Boonsboro and move to Ohio, but had to drive to back to MD to pick up the “aquarium.”
Megan and I made Friends over the past week. It was supposed to be longer and I think Megan is planning to do at least another installment. Be sure to checkout Melodic Insomniac to find out what happens! Friends from melodic insomniac on Vimeo.
Disabled vs. Wild II was shot in Sutton, WV in April of 2009 when the bear was on the prowl!
Thom there is a iPhone version of the video. The aspect ratio is screwed up though. Don’t know why. TIM RESPOND.
Thom let me borrow his night vision scope. I did a little test with it this evening in conjunction with the Jazz DV151. This is the result.
Here’s another short film shot on the Jazz DV151. It is about sending Fred a postcard. My shaky camera work aside, the film gives a better sense of the camera’s capabilities, especially in low light where the gain gets cranked up. I noticed at times that the camera has a mild sound sync loss. I … Continue reading A Postcard for Fred and a Stamp →
I bought the Jazz DV151 camera from Walmart for $20.00 yesterday. The camera has a flip out viewscreen and records AVI files onto SD cards (it can handle up to 2GB cards) at a 320 x 240 resolution. The image is pretty much what you would expect from a $20.00 camera, but I haven’t been … Continue reading Jazz DV151 →
Turkey Breasts was shot over the winter holiday. In addition to featuring Thom, Tim, Brian, Megan, a turkey and other stuff, the film features the dirt road out by my parent’s place in Salisbury, MD. Over the years, the dirt road has appeared in a number of movies I’ve been involved with in one way … Continue reading Turkey Breasts →
The final version of the short film I produced for MiND, Media Independence in Philadelphia is live online. I think it is has been live for a while, I was just unaware that it was. You can view it by clicking here. Part of I Can’t Wait to Hear Your Excuse appears in Can. However, … Continue reading Can →
Mike brought a 16 mm Bolex camera home from school over Christmas break, and we shot a short entitled Turkey Breasts. Like many other shorts, we’ve shot over Christmas break1, it was shot on The Dirt Road2. Unlike other ones we’ve shot, this is the first Christmas break film actually shot on film. I think … Continue reading Christmas Shoot →
While my favorite film of the so-called Cave of Trouble period remains Spontaneous Combustion1, The Cave of Trouble in: Search for the Chupacabra2 was always my friends’ favorite. Shot a couple years before the launch of Protozoic, the film was never officially put on the site3. In hopes that people will surf in and watch … Continue reading The Cave of Trouble in: Search for the Chupacabra →
The forest is a big spooky place. Details The video clip in Snoopy-Doo comes from the Disabled vs Wild footage. My initial idea was to make a poor man’s Wavelength (1967), directed by Michael Snow. Using the FCP time remap function in the motion tab, I originally slowed the clip down to match the length … Continue reading Snoopy-Doo →
Dodo is an informative short film about the dodo bird. If you are doing a term paper, thesis, dissertation, science project or poster session, watch this film. You will learn BIG facts. Note — Originally titled Dodo Bird Facts.
Operation: Red Chicken Disco Jesus was shot sometime when I was in high school. Chris edited a full version of it at some point. However, I’m not certain if this version exists any longer. Over the weekend, I came across a tape with most (if not all) of the original source footage on it. So … Continue reading Operation: Red Chicken Disco Jesus (Redux) →
Roomba was filmed and scored by Megan Register. In the film, the Roomba cleans, must overcome ominous obstacles in the forms of walls and chair legs, and sweeps about in a robotic vacuum ballet. Be sure to visit Megan’s blog Melodic Insomniac.
The Rent is Due is another short melodica number. Like last week’s video, it features fish again.
Tagline: Flush Toilets, Not Fish is about toilets, fish and domestic responsibility. Mike’s Comments: When we were kids, my cousins had two goldfish named Frank Ferdue (sic) and Doo-Doo Head. Tim and I were obsessed with the point as children. Through the years, we’ve continued to talk and laugh about it. It was funny on … Continue reading Flush Toilets, Not Fish →
Tagline: The Boy in the Box is about a boy in a box. Mike’s Comments: I can’t remember how exactly The Boy in the Box evolved. There wasn’t a script. I think Peter just put the box on and it sort of went from there. A lot of the reactions we got from people were … Continue reading The Boy in the Box →
Last night Megan and I watched the Director’s Cut of THX 1138. For the THX 1138 Director’s Cut, Lucas rather cleverly added CG monkeys. Inspired by Lucas’s simian revisionism, I unearthed some footage from the ol’ treasure trove. I couldn’t do CG chimps, but I did do some melodica, gave the piece a title, and … Continue reading The Bridge →
Jugular is the story of two friends on a hike. The discovery of a bird carcass leads to the unexpected…
It is now pushing 2 a.m., and I have to help Tim move tomorrow. For the past hour I’ve been dealing with an issue with Compressor. The problem is finally fixed, and Kettle Kittens II has been exported. With the exception of the lead instrument, me on melodica, the song was made from stock sounds … Continue reading Kettle Kittens II →
Starfallen is about the kidnapping of the Cave of Trouble’s band manager. Really. It dates from 2003 (maybe). On an aside, I’ve been learning about color correction and I touched up the video (although I should note, I don’t have a broadcast monitor, so who knows what it would look like on a TV). I’ve … Continue reading Starfallen →
Like its title proclaims, get ready for a world of hurt. Backyard Wrestling was filmed sometime in 2001.
In this continuation of Street Corner, two men talk on the aforementioned in Trenton, NJ.
Thom was pretty upset we did not partake in the annual holiday movie this year. In lieu of the normal video bacchanal, I made this. Much like Werner Herzog had divine inspiration to make cinema while walking in the Bavarian Mountains at age 14, I think I heard God(s) prior to filming Holiday Movie. In … Continue reading Holiday Movie →
When the world of disability meets the great outdoors only one thing can result…Disabled vs Wild. Now watch the movie.
Thrown is a short film about salvaging a lost day. Click here to download the publicity packet
State of Lacey is an experimental video with a narrative, of sorts. Unfortunately, for such a short video, the file-size is pretty big. This was due to the fact that there was a lot of visual information and I had to jack up the bitrate.
Taterade is a cooking show about making the Taterade sports drink. Is that ectoplasm mist on my watch or a lens flare? You decide. Click the picture for a closer shot of haunted time.
The Wicker Man II: Fowlpurgisnacht, completed during this year’s Proto-con 2.0, is the sequel to the 1973 classic The Wicker Man, directed by Robin Hardy. The Wicker Man II: Fowlpurgisnacht follows Pete, who while in search of duck, discovers more than he bargained for, namely the Wicker Man 2. If you have trouble viewing the … Continue reading The Wicker Man II: Fowlpurgisnacht →
Spoon Test Factory (2006) is a short film about Marie, played by Beth Gillin, and Geoff, played by Brian Egendorf (MainFragger), who work in a factory where spoons are tested. Beth Gillin as Marie and Brian Egendorf as Geoff The idea behind the film was to shoot something that was visual and not dialogue-driven. I … Continue reading Spoon Test Factory →
It’s night and I’m in a forest with Tim waiting for him to get his gear ready so we can record a wilderness soundscape for a movie we’ve been working on called Young Goodman Brown. Adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story of the same name, the movie has been an unexpected one-off. Shot on a … Continue reading Young Goodman Brown →