FRAME by FRAME: April 2006

Pointless "Art"

Monday, April 24, 2006 | 13 Comments

I have been debating wether or not to even write this piece but as much as I struggle with it, something compels me to, so here goes.

Yesterday I was surfing the mighty web and I stumbled upon a band and their music video, I can only assume they produced, and after the first viewing I was disgusted. This was a music video for a black metal or death metal band. And I will not give away the name or where to find the video not because of cowardice but because I won't promote something that I find that appalling.

Now before you, dear reader, goes into a tizzy about my refusal to "name names" let em tell you this. First and foremost I am the biggest anti-censorship person on the planet. So, as far as this particular video is concerned I support the bands right to produce it and put it out there. That's not why I am writing this. For as much as I would never ask a band and or video makers to refrain from making such a video, I have just as much right to say what a steaming pile I think it is.

Secondly, if anyone thinks it's because I am against "death" metal you couldn't be more wrong. As well as being a filmmaker, I am also a musician. I have played in countless bands and I listen to everything. I don't discriminate when it comes to music. If I can bang my head or dance, or just friggin' air guitar to it, I like it. A good song is subjective, but I can run the gamut of musical genres and find something good in all of them. I've heard many death and black metal bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Dimmu Borgir, Immortal, Satyricon and so on. Not just heard of them but listened to their actual music. I can't say I have liked any of it. Atreyu has a cool sound but I don't know if they would apply. The fact this music is around and people get money to play it is intriguing to me. But that pretty much goes for anything.

Lastly, if you think it's because I don't understand the "youth" or just don't like gore and horror. Wrong again. Just like music I love all types of movies. Horror included. My brother-in-law has a horror collection that would put most horror experts to shame. And I have seen my share. Bad Taste, Dead Alive, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Devils Rejects (a recent personal favorite), House of a Thousand Corpses, Zombie by Lucio Fulci, Re-Animator, Audition and many more. All full of gore, eviscerations, de-captiations, torture, and brutality. But what I saw on-line in this music video was nothing original, creative or scary. It was brutality and torture just for the sake of it. POINTLESS!

I can appreciate pretty much anything in the creative realm. Wether it be fine art, or horror. It all has it's place somewhere, even if I don't personally like it. But my dislike of this particular video had much less to do with the fact it was not to my own personal tastes, it was senseless. And maybe that was their point. If so, job well done. But I seriously doubt this was their intent. This is my own opinion and you know what they say about opinions. Just like assholes everyone has one. Well that may be but even my asshole hasn't created something as foul as this video. My shit is roses compared to this nonsense. I'll promote a lot of stuff, and things I don't particular enjoy myself, but in this humble writers opinion it has to have some merit. Any merit. Character development, meaning, originality, vision, a hot chick, something!

I will give you a bit of what this video entailed and I'm sure many have seen it and probably enjoy it, and I'm sure many more will stumble upon it such as I did. But basically, a guy, kidnaps a girl, tortures her and kills her. End of video. The video didn't even give me just a hint of why this guy is doing this. His childhood, his mental state, his hate for women and life in general. Given any of this to begin with I wouldn't have given this video a second thought. But this was pure voyeurism, and a celebration of torture, mutilation and death. Shit the only thing that really shocked me is that they didn't add rape into the mix. I didn't find this video necessary just as I didn't think the scene in the, Maria Bello, Vincent Cassel, movie "Irreversible" where the guy kills the other one with a fire extinguisher was necessary. Okay the scene itself was necessary but the graphic and explicit smashing of his head was not. And as I've written, maybe that's the point of this band and many others like them and I am not here to stop them. Just give my point of view.

Is it because I'm older? Maybe, but I doubt it. I still love metal, hardcore, rock, everything. That's not going to change. Is it because I'm a father? More likely, but not a real reason for me to hate this video. I can separate reality and fantasy. But I draw the line at some point. And maybe this video was it. But as an artist, of any kind, when you create, have a meaning and/or point to it all. It doesn't have to be a political, religious, morality or any "certain kind" of statement, just have one.

Hell, even Jason from Friday the 13th has a reason. Revenge. Freddy has a reason. Parents burned him alive and he seeks retribution through their children. (All this got lost in the string of sequels however.) Whatever, at least it's something. Zombies even have a reason. And dare I say it? Leatherface had a reason. None of them good, but reasons none the less.

I know this was pretty much just a rant, a rave and maybe just a little bit of soapboxing as well. But here's the thing.

I have a point.

posted by Twenty One Productions @ 8:22 PM

Internet Overload

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 | 0 Comments

Last night we did podcast #'s 7 and 8 and while it is fun we are still trying to get the hang of it. In another and in increasing ways we are trying to reach out to our fans and potential fans via new and old internet methods. The podcast being the latest and our forum being of the older variety, but still new to us.

The podcast is an interesting new tactic we are employing and truth be told we are having a good time recording the shows. Last night was the first attempt at a "full house" with Mat, myself and Dave diving in all at once. I thought the results were some of the best we have achieved in the ever evolving format of our show. We seem to have a good feel for not walking over each other during discussions and have the ability to compliment each other and keep the show moving. Although the shows are longer with all three of us, it doesn't bother me in the least. It's fun, we had fun and we feel the listener will as well. As Neil once said during our Star Wars Fan Film featurette, "enthusiasm and excitement for a project is infectious."

The odd thing about the podcast is that I find it difficult to track our listeners. I'm sure if we coughed up a few more dollars a month we could get a service to make the scope of our listenership crystal clear but I don't feel we are at that point in the show for that to be a necessity. We have recorded 8 shows, but we have only released 4. I feel that 20+ shows will be a better time to gauge who is listening. It seems to me by that stats I have been tracking, without any definite assurances that I am reading these things clearly, that to date we have lost more listeners than we have gained loyal ones. Maybe it's the subject, maybe it's us, maybe it's the language, who knows for sure. But as stated previously I think after 8 shows we are just starting to hit our stride and have a sense of the direction of the show's future.

That seems to be confirmed as reflected by the "numbers" I have been tracking for the last few days. When the show first aired the numbers spiked, then dropped dramatically. Now they are starting to level off. The numbers have only fluctuated by 1 or 2 listeners as of late. That's a good sign. I am very optimistic about the podcast and it's ability to grow the Twenty One brand to a much larger audience. I hope those who read the blog and visit the site will give the podcast a try.

Also, if you do like it PLEASE LET US KNOW! It's hard enough to track what people are responding to or not and we need you to tell us. I enjoy doing the show and I think I can speak for both Mat and Dave in that they enjoy doing it too. I hope you enjoy listening to it.

Now beyond that we have several new productions on the horizon. None are set in stone so I hesitate to go into details. But I can say that a couple of the productions are new territory for us and another is a re-visit to something that took us from one level to the next. It's going to be fun. And this is all happening before we get full-blown into "Bone China." Which reminds me of a quick note regarding the movie. Things are moving slow but not deliberately it's just the nature and size of the production. However, I can say that not only have the planets been realigning but lightning has struck more than once, it's weird, and I believe that something beyond my control is driving this movie in the right direction. Nuff said.

Back to the web. In the next few weeks possibly even days the Twenty One website will be getting a face lift. Not a complete re-design but with all the new internet resources and technologies we are utilizing as of late the site needed updating. I am hard at work on that and hope to reveal it soon. All in all the Twenty One camp is buzzing and we are staying busy. Stay on the lookout for new content on a regular basis. Check out all the ways at the right of this page to contact us and well as the numerous links to our ever expanding universe!

Finally, a new tag line (thanks to David and Neil): "Twenty One Productions, not your ordinary independent filmmakers."

Believe it!

posted by Twenty One Productions @ 12:34 PM

		FRAME by FRAME News and commentary from Russell Johnson and Twenty One Productions.
		Pointless "Art" Monday, April 24, 2006 \| 13 Comments I have been debating wether or not to even write this piece but as much as I struggle with it, something compels me to, so here goes. Yesterday I was surfing the mighty web and I stumbled upon a band and their music video, I can only assume they produced, and after the first viewing I was disgusted. This was a music video for a black metal or death metal band. And I will not give away the name or where to find the video not because of cowardice but because I won't promote something that I find that appalling. Now before you, dear reader, goes into a tizzy about my refusal to "name names" let em tell you this. First and foremost I am the biggest anti-censorship person on the planet. So, as far as this particular video is concerned I support the bands right to produce it and put it out there. That's not why I am writing this. For as much as I would never ask a band and or video makers to refrain from making such a video, I have just as much right to say what a steaming pile I think it is. Secondly, if anyone thinks it's because I am against "death" metal you couldn't be more wrong. As well as being a filmmaker, I am also a musician. I have played in countless bands and I listen to everything. I don't discriminate when it comes to music. If I can bang my head or dance, or just friggin' air guitar to it, I like it. A good song is subjective, but I can run the gamut of musical genres and find something good in all of them. I've heard many death and black metal bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Dimmu Borgir, Immortal, Satyricon and so on. Not just heard of them but listened to their actual music. I can't say I have liked any of it. Atreyu has a cool sound but I don't know if they would apply. The fact this music is around and people get money to play it is intriguing to me. But that pretty much goes for anything. Lastly, if you think it's because I don't understand the "youth" or just don't like gore and horror. Wrong again. Just like music I love all types of movies. Horror included. My brother-in-law has a horror collection that would put most horror experts to shame. And I have seen my share. Bad Taste, Dead Alive, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Devils Rejects (a recent personal favorite), House of a Thousand Corpses, Zombie by Lucio Fulci, Re-Animator, Audition and many more. All full of gore, eviscerations, de-captiations, torture, and brutality. But what I saw on-line in this music video was nothing original, creative or scary. It was brutality and torture just for the sake of it. POINTLESS! I can appreciate pretty much anything in the creative realm. Wether it be fine art, or horror. It all has it's place somewhere, even if I don't personally like it. But my dislike of this particular video had much less to do with the fact it was not to my own personal tastes, it was senseless. And maybe that was their point. If so, job well done. But I seriously doubt this was their intent. This is my own opinion and you know what they say about opinions. Just like assholes everyone has one. Well that may be but even my asshole hasn't created something as foul as this video. My shit is roses compared to this nonsense. I'll promote a lot of stuff, and things I don't particular enjoy myself, but in this humble writers opinion it has to have some merit. Any merit. Character development, meaning, originality, vision, a hot chick, something! I will give you a bit of what this video entailed and I'm sure many have seen it and probably enjoy it, and I'm sure many more will stumble upon it such as I did. But basically, a guy, kidnaps a girl, tortures her and kills her. End of video. The video didn't even give me just a hint of why this guy is doing this. His childhood, his mental state, his hate for women and life in general. Given any of this to begin with I wouldn't have given this video a second thought. But this was pure voyeurism, and a celebration of torture, mutilation and death. Shit the only thing that really shocked me is that they didn't add rape into the mix. I didn't find this video necessary just as I didn't think the scene in the, Maria Bello, Vincent Cassel, movie "Irreversible" where the guy kills the other one with a fire extinguisher was necessary. Okay the scene itself was necessary but the graphic and explicit smashing of his head was not. And as I've written, maybe that's the point of this band and many others like them and I am not here to stop them. Just give my point of view. Is it because I'm older? Maybe, but I doubt it. I still love metal, hardcore, rock, everything. That's not going to change. Is it because I'm a father? More likely, but not a real reason for me to hate this video. I can separate reality and fantasy. But I draw the line at some point. And maybe this video was it. But as an artist, of any kind, when you create, have a meaning and/or point to it all. It doesn't have to be a political, religious, morality or any "certain kind" of statement, just have one. Hell, even Jason from Friday the 13th has a reason. Revenge. Freddy has a reason. Parents burned him alive and he seeks retribution through their children. (All this got lost in the string of sequels however.) Whatever, at least it's something. Zombies even have a reason. And dare I say it? Leatherface had a reason. None of them good, but reasons none the less. I know this was pretty much just a rant, a rave and maybe just a little bit of soapboxing as well. But here's the thing. I have a point. posted by Twenty One Productions @ 8:22 PM Internet Overload Wednesday, April 12, 2006 \| 0 Comments Last night we did podcast #'s 7 and 8 and while it is fun we are still trying to get the hang of it. In another and in increasing ways we are trying to reach out to our fans and potential fans via new and old internet methods. The podcast being the latest and our forum being of the older variety, but still new to us. The podcast is an interesting new tactic we are employing and truth be told we are having a good time recording the shows. Last night was the first attempt at a "full house" with Mat, myself and Dave diving in all at once. I thought the results were some of the best we have achieved in the ever evolving format of our show. We seem to have a good feel for not walking over each other during discussions and have the ability to compliment each other and keep the show moving. Although the shows are longer with all three of us, it doesn't bother me in the least. It's fun, we had fun and we feel the listener will as well. As Neil once said during our Star Wars Fan Film featurette, "enthusiasm and excitement for a project is infectious." The odd thing about the podcast is that I find it difficult to track our listeners. I'm sure if we coughed up a few more dollars a month we could get a service to make the scope of our listenership crystal clear but I don't feel we are at that point in the show for that to be a necessity. We have recorded 8 shows, but we have only released 4. I feel that 20+ shows will be a better time to gauge who is listening. It seems to me by that stats I have been tracking, without any definite assurances that I am reading these things clearly, that to date we have lost more listeners than we have gained loyal ones. Maybe it's the subject, maybe it's us, maybe it's the language, who knows for sure. But as stated previously I think after 8 shows we are just starting to hit our stride and have a sense of the direction of the show's future. That seems to be confirmed as reflected by the "numbers" I have been tracking for the last few days. When the show first aired the numbers spiked, then dropped dramatically. Now they are starting to level off. The numbers have only fluctuated by 1 or 2 listeners as of late. That's a good sign. I am very optimistic about the podcast and it's ability to grow the Twenty One brand to a much larger audience. I hope those who read the blog and visit the site will give the podcast a try. Also, if you do like it PLEASE LET US KNOW! It's hard enough to track what people are responding to or not and we need you to tell us. I enjoy doing the show and I think I can speak for both Mat and Dave in that they enjoy doing it too. I hope you enjoy listening to it. Now beyond that we have several new productions on the horizon. None are set in stone so I hesitate to go into details. But I can say that a couple of the productions are new territory for us and another is a re-visit to something that took us from one level to the next. It's going to be fun. And this is all happening before we get full-blown into "Bone China." Which reminds me of a quick note regarding the movie. Things are moving slow but not deliberately it's just the nature and size of the production. However, I can say that not only have the planets been realigning but lightning has struck more than once, it's weird, and I believe that something beyond my control is driving this movie in the right direction. Nuff said. Back to the web. In the next few weeks possibly even days the Twenty One website will be getting a face lift. Not a complete re-design but with all the new internet resources and technologies we are utilizing as of late the site needed updating. I am hard at work on that and hope to reveal it soon. All in all the Twenty One camp is buzzing and we are staying busy. Stay on the lookout for new content on a regular basis. Check out all the ways at the right of this page to contact us and well as the numerous links to our ever expanding universe! Finally, a new tag line (thanks to David and Neil): "Twenty One Productions, not your ordinary independent filmmakers." Believe it! posted by Twenty One Productions @ 12:34 PM	About Me Name: Twenty One Productions Location: United States View my complete profile Links Twenty One Productions Twenty One Podcast Russell's MySpace Russell's YouTube Twenty One's MySpace Producer David Cottingham's Blog Writer/actor Mat Raney's Blog Justin R. Durban's site RSS Subscribe to Posts [Atom] Previous Posts New project in the works 1st SCENE IN THE CAN! TEST SHOOT IS LIKE RED BULL! Lucky or Just a F***ing Idiot! Losing a Loved ONE Scars & Souvenirs MOVING FORWARD HELP US WIN! VOTE FOR US! Happy Easter! Archives March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 January 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 Current Posts © 2007 TWENTY ONE PRODUCTIONS, All Rights Reserved STAR WARS and all associated characters, logos and other elements are the property of LucasFilm Ltd. This production is a "Fan Film", and as such no profit can be made from the presentation or distribution of this film. This film is not for sale. STAR WARS is a Registered Trademark of LucasFilm Ltd.

FRAME by FRAME

About Me