Howard pitches a short about Coffee Bean

Howard: I thought of a great short while I was in the bathroom at Coffee Bean.
Eric: What it's about?
Howard: It's about going to the bathroom at Coffee Bean.
Eric: Sounds...great?
Howard: The guy would really have to go to the bathroom, but then he goes in and finds out it's for customer's only.
Eric: Go on.
Howard: But there's a line, and he has to wait as two people in front of him order the most complicated coffee drinks ever. And then the girl in front of him orders a tea, but then that becomes complicated too.
Eric: And then you get up there and order a water. And the bathroom key.
Howard: I don't buy water.
Eric: Never?
Howard: Never. But if you wanted to do it for dramatic purposes, that's fine.
Eric: Thanks.
Howard: So, you like it?
Eric: Yeah, let me just call up a Coffee Bean and get the filming rights.
Howard: Cool.
Eric: I was joking.
Howard: Oh.
Eric: It's still a good idea, though.
Howard: Thanks.
Eric: It might be a while before we do it.
Howard: That's okay.
Eric: Meanwhile, I'm going to post about it on the website.
Howard: Are you recording this?
Eric: No. I'm going to have to wing it from memory.
Howard: Yeah, like I can't imagine you saying this about winging it from memory.
Eric: Yeah, that part will have to be made up.
Howard: Cool.

---
Coming Soon: Jack and The Coffee Bean Bathroom

The Handicapped Bathroom Stall - A Short Film About a Guy Who is Harassed by a Paraplegic for Taking a Handicapped Stall - Man, Titiles Can be Long..

Subject of the next short: Handicapped paraplegic fumes when the only stall taken is the handicapped stall - taken by a guy who is not handicapped.

Needs:
Script
Actors
Camera
DP
Sound Equipment
Location

We'll be checking these things off as we go along...

I hope.

The Short-a-Week Project will return

Meanwhile, the plan is to make some DVDs of our "best" shorts so far.

Don't you want to watch them on your big-ol TV? So do we.

Look for a Comedy DVD and a non-Comedy DVD in time to stuff the stockings.

And look for new shorts in Feb. 2009, when we start up again.

Speaking of which, do you act? Have you written a short? Let us know. Send headshots and scripts to shortaweek@gmail.com

Don't have a headshot or script? Take / write one! Both are easy!

The Short-a-Week Project is on Hiatus

After 27 weeks, 26 shorts + a promotional video and interview, the Short-a-Week Project is officially on break.

But never fear.

We're returning in 2009 with brand new short films!

If you haven't seen all of the films, scroll down and check them out on the right side of the page...

See ya next year!

(Got an idea/script for a short? Want to be in one / help out in any way? Let us know! Email - shortaweek@gmail.com)

:)

Lessons learned in this first half of the project

Below are some lessons learned, which also may provide good justification for why we must go on hiatus right now (but to return in 2009!)

Lessons Learned from doing 26+ shorts for The Short-a-Week Project:

-I'm pretty good at writing, editing, and soundtrack supervising

-I'm OK at directing

-I'm BAD at producing, lighting, sound, kraft servicing


Other lessons:

-If you do a short film every week, your real work may pass you by in this race called "life," and you'll have to start catching up in October.

-Cameras cost a lot of money and should not be purchased used on Ebay

-Producing is hard. Did I mention that? It's surprisingly difficult to arrange times when actors are available.

-Sound recorders and mics are necessary, and worth saving for. So start saving.


Things that will happen in 2009:

-New camera. The shorts will look good.

-New microphone. The shorts will sound good.

-Planned shoots - The shorts will have a scheduled day and time to shoot.

-Start looking for actors early. Like, two weeks before the planned day and time.

-Be at least three shorts ahead of schedule.


Possible things that will happen in 2009:

-Auditions
-Recruit a Director of Photography...or two.
-Group writing sessions
-More craigslist ads for short scripts and actors
-More fun?
-More fun!

etc.
etc.

see ya in 2009!

Week 27 - Mutant - A Short Film

This week The Short-a-Week Project brings you "Mutant."

Mutant - A short film about a guy who believes he is indestructible.

Starring Lawrence Long

Written and Directed by Lawrence Long and Eric Myers

Based on a concept by Lawrence Long

In other words, Lawrence gets all the credit / blame for this one.

Enjoy!


"Mutant"

One reason for the slowing enthusiam...

We used to have a Canon GL1

But it didn't work that well.

So it was returned.

But the owner did not yet return the money.

The battle with Ebay and Paypal and the seller continues.

It has been over two months.

Frustration ensues.

Producing and Editing are the Biggest Headaches in the world, like bigger than the worst hangover.. man, i didn't know titles could be this long?!?

Not sure if pawning of some producer duties to Lawrence is going to work. Didn't work last week, haven't heard from Lawrence today - guessing there is no shoot this evening. Don't blame him - it's surprisingly hard to get actors together in such short notice...for a short.

Which leaves us with one short in the can, three written and waiting to be shot, and a bunch of ideas for shorts.

Also:

Apologies for the delay in posting "Three Fries." Final Cut Express ain't to be trifled with.

Ahhhhh, and now I have to do "real" work.

Can you feel the tension? How many more weeks will the Short-a-Week Project last?

Stay tuned.

Week 27 - Three Fries

If you've been waiting for the new short instead of reading how Sarah Palin was found guilty abusing her powers, my apologies.

Okay, so without further ado, we bring you "Three Fries," a short about a stranger who just wants a couple fries.

Starring Lawrence Long, written and directed by Eric based on an idea by Kim Hsu (and you'll see there ain't much to the writing, so perhaps we can just say co-written by Kim Hsu...)

Now, really, without further ado (seriously)

"Three Fries"

new short! Coming...in like, a few hours

Yes, the new short should be up.

And it would be up.

If I hadn't fallen asleep last night.

Instead of editing it.

Darn sleep.

Darn circadian rhythms.

Whatever those are.

Short coming soon!

nudity sex girls naked adult content in our short films

While the title is an obvious attempt to drive more visitors to the site, there is still a point to this post.

That is, some of our shorts are for "mature audiences" only. Below is a list of those shorts, and the reason why you should really be at least 13 years of age to watch them.

Okay, 12.

Don't Follow Me - Brief violence and scariness.

Up the Creak - Sexual innuendo and partial nudity.

Flip a Towel - Partial nudity and dirty clothes.

Now you know which shorts to avoid / watch.

Speaking of shorts, Lawrence and I are off to film one today.

On a Wednesday?

Indeed.

One Star Videos, Rejections, and Writing

It appears someone went through and gave our last few videos one star each on YouTube, which makes little sense, since each of those videos is totally different, and many people (ie: our relatives) have said they're some of our best vids yet.

The fact is, I don't care if you give our videos one star, but with such a polarizing vote, please, please leave a comment so we know what sucked so bad about it. Was it the abysmal lighting done by yours truly? The shaky sound by yours truly? The acting by yours truly?

Come to think of it, a one-star rating with no follow up is probably personal... hmm, who would have something against The Short-a-Week Project?

Two words: rejected writers.

Well, if I'm right, I'll just say hey, I'm sorry your script was rejected...but keep writing. The fact that I even replied to you means you're on the right track and are welcome to send your next one. (shortaweek@gmail.com)

Or...

Start your own short film project! Seriously, it's one of the reasons I started The Short-a-Week Project: was tired of writing sketches for a friend's comedy group and then having them rejected or not performed.

And so...

I feel your pa(l)in. But please, don't give us one star without a reason.

Google Page Rank: 3

We have a Google PageRank of three.

Out of nowhere.

Well, not nowhere.

Out of Google.

Thanks Google!

Week 26 - Your Questions

Ah, here it is!

The Short-a-Week Project celebrates the half-way mark by answering some of your questions!

Thanks for sending them in, and thanks to all those who have supported us so far.


Your Questions

A short is coming...

Some issues with Final Cut Express...

Uploading not working...

Will try later...

dot dot dot

Question the Short-a-Week Project

Have you been DYING to ask us a question or two about our shorts? Or, can you make up a question and pretend as if you've been dying to ask it? Well, now is your chance!

To celebrate our 26th short (half-way to 52...a year of short films) we're answering questions in front of the camera. I know, exciting stuff!

Just leave a comment with a question about one of our shorts or the project as a whole: there's a good chance we'll read it, answer it in front of the camera, use your name, and make you famous. Like, better than 50/50.

We need all questions by Wednesday (tomorrow) at 10:59 PM. Random time? No! We're filming at 11!

Think think think.

Week 25 - Leave the Bathroom Door Open Day

This week's short "Leave the Bathroom Door Open Day" is - you guessed it - a follow-up to Dirty Day.

Which is part of a new series called Holiday Guy

To see them both, go to our YouTube site!

http://www.youtube.com/shortaweekproject

(I'll also post Leave the Bathroom Door Open Day here on the site...as soon as it loads up on YouTube. C'mon Internet, you can go faster than that!)

ed. note... here it is!

New Short - Coming, but tied up in Final Cut Express HD

This week's short should be up within the next few hours. Please have patience as I learn this new editing program.

Ah, the possibilities of Final Cut Express...

Ah, the frustrations of Final Cut Express...

Sit on this toilet for an hour while I play with the camera

That's pretty much how it went on Sunday when we filmed the next installment of Holiday Guy.

The first installment was Dirty Day. Yes, it will get better, but hey, I liked Dirty Day. Don't hate!

We also filmed a short that may not see the light of day, but is tentatively titled "Mutant." Ask Lawrence; he wrote it.

Week 24 - SILENCE: A Quiet Little Short

The Short-a-Week Project Presents: SILENCE

"A quiet little short about a guy who can't sleep peacefully."

Because the faucet keeps dripping.

And the blinds keep flapping.

And the fridge makes strange sounds.

Eh, just watch.

SILENCE

Starring Lawrence Long

Song "Mega-Bite" by My Transformer
http://www.myspace.com/mytransformer

Running time: 2 minutes and 30 seconds

Enjoy!

YouTube Quality

In case ya didn't know, uploading a video to YouTube dramatically reduces the quality of the sound and video of a short film.

So please, use a little imagination when you watch our shorts.

And start saving your moneys for the first "Short-a-Week" DVD - coming in October!

Almost Half-Way There

A few weeks ago it dawned on me that the Short-a-Week Project is approaching the half-way mark of the "let's do one short a week for an entire year" goal.

And we're going to celebrate.

Oh, but how to celebrate? Below are some options:

1. A party
2. A screening of some of the best shorts
3. A DVD of some of the best shorts, with outtakes and commentary
4. Your suggestions?
5. All of the above

Oooh, what will happen? How will the celebrations take place?

Stay tuned for the answer.

Week 23 - Dirty Day

In this week's short - Dirty Day - Lance invents a holiday so he doesn't have to clean up around the apartment.

Starring Lawrence Long and Mauricio Peña

Written and Directed by Eric Myers

Song "I Feel Fantastic" by Jonathan Coulton

Enjoy!



Comments are optional, but always welcome. Yes, even anonymous ones.

Alternate Names for the Short-a-Week Project

Proposed alternate names to the "Short-a-Week Project" (as proposed in conversation with Lawrence during filming, Sept. 10th, 2008)

"Get Lawrence to Roll Around in the Dirt Project" (Just wait until tomorrow's short)

"Bang your head against that refrigerator Project"

"Project: There's a big pile of laundry; I'm going to throw it on top of you and we'll make a short."

Or "Project: Are you really worried about how clean my car is? / Project: Do you mean you can't put your bare ass on a dirty car?"

I think the "Short-a-Week Project" might still be the best one.

-E

Our Most Popular Short - Up the Creak

In record time Up the Creak has surpassed The Casting Couch as the most popular short on our site.

This is good news. "Creak" is a much better short than "Couch," which probably garnered a lot of hits due to its sexually-suggestive name.

Coming this Friday: Dirty Day

Alternate Title: "Naughty, Dirty, Scantily-Clad Dancing-Girls Day"

Week 22 - DISHWASHER

Boy, we're slacking. DISHWASHER is a short I shot a while back, but then it got shelved. It wasn't really up to par then, and it certainly isn't up to par now.

What I'm trying to say is, that Labor Day weekend freaking messed everything up! New/Good shorts coming next week. We promise.

Oh, and enjoy DISHWASHER. At least it's short.

-E


DISHWASHER
(2008)

"A dishwasher expresses displeasure, forgiveness, and finally, love for its owner."

Don't Follow Me - Week 21

Warning: This horror/thriller short film starring Kenna Knost and Lawrence Long might scare you. In fact, I hope it does.

Seriously though, it's not for kids. Let's say, if you're under 13, don't watch it.

Thanks!

"Don't Follow Me"

Short on Scripts

No, I don't mean we're making a short about scripts, I mean we need more scripts.

This was realized after writing a script an hour before actors were to arrive last Sunday.

That's not really fair to the actors.

And so, we need to stockpile.

Got a script? Send it over!

Week 20 - All the Best Lines

Week 20 - "All the Best Lines"

"Coming next summer, a movie so ridiculously good, it doesn't even make sense."

Starring (in order of appearance):

Cecily Schaefer
Chad Kennedy
Stefanie Oudiz
Lawrence Long (Voice)
Howard Padwa
Eric Myers
Kenna Knost
Lawrence Long

Written by Brian Hurley
Directed and Edited by Eric Myers

Song: "Creepy Doll" by Jonathan Coulton

Enjoy!

All the Best Lines

All the Best Lines Is Going to Be Great

I can feel it...

Tune in tomorrow. It will be up.

All the Best Lines + Parking Garage

Wrapped up some good takes on "All the Best Lines" which may go through some changes...since Brian Hurley wrote it with a cast of 15, and we had, oh, 8 actors and/or passerbys chip in and help out, which will have to do. And so, the script may change.

We shall try to keep the "spirit" of the shoot alive, as always.

Shot Parking Garage which will not be the name of the short, but is more of a location.

Some "almosts" on Parking Garage

-Kenna's flip-flop almost got ran over by Lawrence's car
-Some people walking by almost questioned what we were doing
-Lawrence almost pretended to ride some guy's motorcycle
-Lawrence almost got killed by the owner of the motorcycle he almost pretended to ride
-The cameraman (me) almost tripped on a parking block and almost fell on his face almost breaking his camera

Week 19 - Up the Creak

Wait no longer

The Short-a-Week Project Presents..

UP THE CREAK

"A guy who can't stop joking about the upstairs neighbors gets on his girlfriend's last nerve."

Written by Brian McCloskey
Director of Photography - Linda Abbott
Directed and Edited by Eric Myers

Starring: Chad Kennedy and Cecily Schaefer

Still editing

Lunch ran long.

Then it got so hot

I had to take a nap.

"Up the Creak" coming in less than an hour!

"Up the Creak" will be up shortly

"Up the Creak" is almost done!

But right now I have to go out to lunch with my friend Carlos a.k.a. Mr. LA.

Why do they call him Mr. LA?

Think about that while I'm gone.

Meanwhile, have you watched all of our shorts? And our new promo video?

Really?

Prove it!

(or just comment)

:)

Michael Phelps's Home Movies

Just kidding.

That Phelps is so hot right now.

Thought about doing a short about Phelps's text messages, but couldn't find the right set of spandex pants for Lawrence to wear.

Coming Friday: Up The Creak

Which reminds me, I need to record some "creaks."

-Eric
Writer/Director/Foley Artist

Promo Video Number One

Promotional Video - Short-a-Week Project

All the Best Lines

Lawrence's reference to my dramatic acting debut is from a short we've been filming in pieces for a week or two: ALL THE BEST LINES

Written by Brian Hurley

Title by Eric Myers

Who may change it to "Coming Next Summer"

Who knows?

All I know is that we might start asking people on the street to do cameos.

Next time, Brian, less actors.

But thanks for the script!

:)

Shot with the GL1

Yes, Vacuum was shot on a used Canon GL1. Did you notice? Perhaps if you check it out on YouTube and click "Watch in High Quality."

Try it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-riNihA16YE

"Up the Creak," coming Friday, was also shot on the GL1 AND we had a cinematographer. It should look good. Real good.

And if it doesn't, we will blame the video transfer...something that sounds important, but has yet to be investigated by the Short-a-Week Project.

anticipation

So I'm thinking....

With all the amazing footage we got tonight.....

We must of got something good.....

I thing we got something good........

I fucking know it.

Check in soon to see E's debut as dramatic actor....

trust me....it's worth it

Week 18 - Vacuum

"The hardest thing to do in a relationship is to listen."

Starring
Lawrence Long
Kenna Knost

Songs by Frantic Taste
Check 'em out: www.myspace.com/frantictaste

Now enjoy Vacuum - A Short About Listening

short shorts mini shorts daisy dukes

The Short-a-Week Project

Making shorts.

And using sexual innuendo to get more hits.

There is only one turn in bed...

...and it's away from the other person.

That was some of the great direction dished out yesterday while filming "Up the Creak." Other things learned:

-A sheet will not billow when it needs to be billowed.
-200 watts is enough. 2500 watts is too much.
-Having a director of photography (DP) is really, really helpful.
-Holding a picture in the background is not really the DP's job.
-Bedroom scenes are better when the actors know each other.

What a fun shoot. That's what happens when you have a DP, pre-plan all the shots, and the actors do a great job.

Thanks so much to everyone who helped out. "Up the Creak" will be up August 15th!

My New Video Camera on the Cover of Entertainment Weekly

What's it mean when a cover features a blonde from The Hills and all I can think is, "Is that a Canon GL1, the camera I just bought?"

I'm not sure, but there's the GL1, in a starring role!

Okay, so it's probably the Canon GL2, not the GL1. But a boy can dream, right?

horror mayhem murder madness

Just some things I'm trying to keep in mind as I rewrite DARKROOM, a low budget horror-thriller.

Horror.

Thriller.

Go go go.

(That would be the cheerleader inside encouraging me to stop blogging and get back to rewriting...)

Okay, I'm gone.

Week 17 - A Scene from Darkroom

The Short-a-Week Project Presents: "A Scene from DARKROOM"

This is a scene taken from one of my yet-to-be-produced screenplays. Kenna and Paige did a great job, and Lawrence helped out with some of the directing and the boom.

A little background:

"When dead bodies show up in her photos, Ashley believes her camera takes pictures of old murders.

Walter is the shady man who runs the B&B. Is that him in the photos, with a knife? Ashley doesn't want to wait to find out."

Ashley - Paige Jarvie
Karen - Kenna Knost

Song "Haunt You" by Clare Means
www.myspace.com/claremeans

Enjoy! I mean, be afraid...

Let it be known!

If drinking late, watching Coen Bros. movies, I mean FILMS, and suddenly getting inspired to write two short films and editing a budding masterpiece in less then 2 hours is not the "norm"....then...well...HATE ME.

But, please, love my scripts.

Cool.

-L

What earthquake?

Things that happened yesterday (Tuesday):

-Earthquake
-Eric freaking out about the earthquake
-Lawrence not feeling the earthquake (he was driving)
-Filmed "Vacuum"
-Edited "Darkroom"

No footage of the earthquake
Only nightmares
Except for Lawrence
Who will sleep soundly

Missing in action

E just got his new baby, I mean camera.  It's pretty sweet and all, but I know this means that other than shooting I will probably not see my friend for the next three to six weeks, depending on how long it takes him to read the instruction manual.  And being that he bought it on eBay, I think he's lucky to have received the manual at all.

See you in a short sometime soon.

-L

7 steps to making a GOOD short

List of things to do in future shorts that have worked in the past... so we can freakin' remember to do them.

1. Write script at least a day in advance.
2. Re-write script at least twice
3. Rehearse at least 3 times
4. Record the sound separately
5. Take at least 30 min to think about the shots
6. Write out shot list
7. Get gf's wise input (my girl friend snuck this onto the list while using my computer...but it's probably a good idea)

Time to start again.

The Donut - Week 16

...it's still noon somewhere.. (Hawaii?)

The Donut - A Short Film

Written by Brian Hurley
(who may never write another thing for us after watching this)

Next week will be better. Apparently "better" takes time.

A Title Change

Brian Hurley's "Pie on the Floor" has now changed to "Donut on the Floor" due to budgetary constraints.

Other factors in the name-change decision include the relative messiness of dropping a piece of pie on my carpet vs. a maple bar, and the durability of pie in a fight.

Coming soon: Donut on the Floor

So it's come to this

Good to know that I can go online to get a schedule, tentative or otherwise, for the week ahead.  Frankly I'm just stoked to get a schedule.  Actually, I think this is a wonderful step forward, which is perfect since our aspirations seem to be growing bigger and more intricate by the minute.

Yeah.  I just said stoked.  What are you gonna do, huh?

I gotta go, gotta prepare.

Making a schedule and sticking to it

What, didn't I just post about a schedule?

That post should have been labeled "tentative schedule." Maybe I'll just change it. Maybe by the time you read this, I've already gone back and changed it. If so, forget what you just read, and read on about the schedule:

The Schedule for this week

Today
10am - Film Floor Pie with Lawrence

Tues
8pm (?) - Kenna and company film a scene from Darkroom

Wed-Thurs - Edit, write (new short, or edit old short; when you figure out which one, Eric, enter title here. Choose by Thurs. night.)

Friday at Noon - Post "Pie" or scene from "Darkroom." Whichever is "done."

Sunday, July 27th - 2pm - Film!

And...

That's all. For now.

Short Film Project Delayed, Actor Demands "Preparation"

LOS ANGELES, United States, July 20th - The Short-a-Week Project experienced delays today as principal talent Lawrence Long refused a request to film until "we have something in mind to shoot."

"I don't want to just wing it," he added, a reference to past works such as Post No Bills and Rock Star. Each of those shorts began with little or no script, and were essentially created on the fly.

Those "winged" shorts have had mixed results for The Short-a-Week Project. Post No Bills became a surprise hit, while Rock Star did not fare as well with general audiences, possibly leading to Long's reluctance to film without a plan.

The shoot was rescheduled for Monday at 10am, before which time a script and shot list will be sent to Long. All parties agree that such planning on future shorts can only improve the finished product.

I just bought a Canon GL1

Forget what I said about "no major purchases." Let's make some movies!

Week 15 - Doorknob

Inspired by the works of Shyamalan, Raimi, and early Peter Jackson comes a first effort at something beyond comedy or abstract French films.

Suspense, horror, and much, much more.

Okay, basically just suspense and horror.

Okay, mainly just suspense.

Crank up the volume and enjoy!


"Doorknob"

Foot in the Mouth - Director's Cut - With Outtakes!

New short coming...by noon? By noon!

Meanwhile, check out this re-cut of an oldie but goodie, Foot in the Mouth.

"Foot in the Mouth - Director's Cut - With Outtakes!"

Planning the next shorts

The future of the Short-a-Week Project lies in organization.

[Note: Darkroom is a recently completed screenplay.]

Friday 7-18 - 5pm
-My French Fry - 2 actors

Sun 7/20 - 11:30pm
-Horror in the Parking Garage (Better Than P2) - 2 actresses, 2 actors

Mon 7/21 - 9pm
-Scene from Darkroom - "The Camera Has Powers. Seriously." - 2 actresses

Friday 7/25 - 2pm
-Horror in the Parking Garage Redux - 1 actress, 1 actor

Sunday 7/27 - 2pm
-If Drugs Were Legal - A Commercial for The Budweiser of Cocaine
-3 actors

Friday 8/1 - 2pm
-Embarrassing Childhood Moments Acted out as an Adult - Short

Sunday 8/3 - 9am
-Scene from Darkroom on the beach

And...more.

A short will be up tomorrow! Stay tuned...

Posting on Craigslist

Posted an ad on craigslist for actors and writers. Got a lot of responses. Turns out there really ARE a lot of actors in LA.

If you emailed us your headshot, resume and/or script, THANK YOU. It's nice to see people getting out and trying to do some creative work. We shall get back to you as soon as Lawrence and I have a chance to look through them all. Plus, we might keep you on file for later shoots.

And Thank You Craigslist. Man, that site is great.

Holding off on major purchases until we learn our strokes

I've decided not to purchase the Panasonic DVX100B. Yet.

When I first learned to play tennis, I had a cheap, twenty-dollar racket. Yet, had I played with a two-hundred dollar racket, my play would not have been better. It wasn't until I learned the strokes (via private lessons - thanks mom and dad!) that a more expensive racket became useful and necessary.

I'm hoping the same philosophy will hold true in filmmaking. I will take to learning the basics in sound, lighting, and direction, and worry less about the image quality. After all, the image is so small on the screen, and we haven't had any complaints, and even a few compliments (thanks mom and dad!).

Also, I'm sticking iMovie for now. It lacks slow motion, but most other features seem adequate. Plus, Tarnation was cut on it. Woah.

But I could change my mind tomorrow. The DVX100B calls to me.

What's different in Week 14's Dude That's My Bike

When you watch Dude, That's My Bike, you may notice it's different from our other shorts. Besides my poor attempt at acting, here's some other things that are different.

1. Shot in widescreen. Which is why the screen is wide.
2. Recorded the sound separately. What you can't see is that we wrapped a digital recorder around a pipe in the garage, suspending the microphone like a boom above the actors. Oh yeah, complicated.
3. Sound effects. That's right. There's no dog, and I didn't drop any change.

Coming soon: more differences in future shorts!

Week 14 - Dude, That's My Bike

The Short-a-Week Project Presents: Dude, That's My Bike

Starring Lawrence Long

Written and Directed by Eric Myers

Shot on a Canon ZR50
Edited on iMovie

Enjoy!

"Dude, That's My Bike"

More things Learned after Making a bunch of Shorts

1. Sound quality is paramount.
-That's why Post No Bills plays so well: all sound done in post-production.

2. Black and White reduces concerns about lighting, and makes most things look good.
-I Used to Be Somebody would have not been pretty. Even with Chad in it.

3. iMovie does not have slow motion, and is hard to layer sound.
-Otherwise, I can't really complain.

4. Photos / screen shots add a lot, and are a good way to mix things up.
-Another lesson learned from I Used to Be Somebody.

5. Acting is hard.
-See my performance in Dude

...More to come!

Shorts by Quarters

The first thirteen shorts were mostly comedies. I think they were all comedies. Or they were supposed to be.

These next 13 will be different. We're thinking suspense, thriller, or horror.

And then the following 13, drama.

And the final 13? Who knows.

And who knows if we will follow these guidelines. Sounds good though, doesn't it? A little bit?

iMovie Demonstration at the Apple Store

Lawrence thought it might be a good idea for us to learn EVEN MORE about iMovie, the program we edit all our short films on. And so I met him on the Third Street Promenade today and we got the demonstration.

The guy giving the demonstration wasn't bad, but he had trouble finding some of the short-cut keys. At one point, after our leader had been searching for a minute, I leaned over to Lawrence and said, "The shortcut is Command-Shift."

"You should tell him."

"I think you're looking for Command-Shift!" I shouted to the presenter.

He looked a little rattled when I shouted, but the shortcut worked and the presentation could continue. I suppose it wasn't so nice to shout, but hey, we don't have all day - this is the Short-a-Week Project.

We now have learned how to edit each individual sound clip; as well as cutting pieces of audio in Garage Band and putting them in iMovie. Ah, the benefits of the in-store demonstration. Seriously.

Bike - A Short Film

Not sure if it will be called "Bike," but the short we filmed today certainly has a bike in it.

Vote on Our Best Short

Please vote for your favorite short on the right bar there. (if you found this post via Google, the poll is likely closed).

You don't have to register, login, or anything.

It's totally anonymous.

You don't even have to watch all the shorts.

Just click your favorite.

And please be honest.

For us.

:)

(:

That's us.

Thanks!

It's Tuesday and We've got Nothin'

We should probably start planning the short this week, since it will be posted on Friday.

How to prevent these last minute shoots in the future:

1. Don't go out of town over the weekend.
2. Write something in advance.
3. Or better yet, have a contest where people submit a bunch of shorts...
4. Schedule a time to meet and shoot at least a week in advance.
5. Eat right
6. Exercise
7. Use the force

Or something like that.

How to Make Short Films

If you landed here searching "how to make short films," you've come to the right place. Unfortunately, it's hard to answer that question in one posting (this whole blog can be seen as an explanation on how to (or how NOT to) make short films.) But, I'll give it a shot.

First, read Mike Figgis's Digital Filmmaking and/or Robert Rodriguez's Rebel Without a Crew. Both those books will make you say, "Hell, if I want to make a movie, I need to just do it!" That's the spirit. Keep that energy. You'll need it.

After you've got the motivation, write a short script. Use MS Word if you don't have screenwriting software. You might want to set your short in places you know you can film, don't have any stunts or blood or anything that might be complicated. Limitations spawn creativity. Seriously. (Proof: Write a short about life. Then write one about your favorite cup. Which was easier to write?)

Next, get the actors. Hopefully they'll be good, and hopefully you'll get along with them.

And finally, shoot the damn thing. I know what you're thinking, what about sound, lighting, camera angles, and everything else? Who do I get to cater?

This is your first short, right? Got a camera? Just start shooting. It ain't gonna be pretty the first few times, so just get them under your belt. You can be creative in the editing room.

Which reminds me: edit your short well. Do it yourself. Take your time. Put in music, sounds, etc. Use iMovie or Final Cut Pro (any version). It all happens in the editing room.

Hope that helps! We've made thirteen short films so far. Thirty-nine to go. This advice might all change by the time this project is over.

But until then...write, rehearse, shoot. And send us your youtube link. We like to watch them too.

Week 13 - Free Massages

It's the Fourth of July and we're 1/4th of the way there! (Goal: 1 year of shorts...that's 52. 52 divided by 4 is 13. Who knew?)

Here is number 13, "Free Massages."

Enjoy!

shortaweekproject.com vs. shortaweek.com

Please redirect all your links and browsers and bookmarks (or create some!):

Old Domain: www.shortaweekproject.com

New Domain: www.shortaweek.com

Shorter and sweeter.

iMovie Ain't so Bad

Now that I've discovered a few more features of iMovie, I have to say it's really not that bad. Highly recommend buying a new MacBook and using it for all your short-a-week projects.

Look at the claims!

Greetings from NorCal!  I drove through Lovely, good-smelling Merced today and I could swear I though I heard it say "Hello, Eric!  I miss you!  Come back to me..."  

You know, on the wind.

Nothing inspires motivation like having to live up to a publicly announced deadline.  Good one, E.  

If you talk to her, tell Kenna my sternum is still not talking to her.

Making Short Films Using a Canon ZR50 and iMovie

These first 13 shorts (including this week's short) were all shot with a Canon ZR50 and cut on iMovie. We often get asked, so I just wanted to make it official.

In the future, we hope to shoot on a Panasonic DVX100B and cut on Final Cut Pro 3, but that day has not yet come.

When will it come?

I'm saying it now - by the end of July we will have one of these things. Oh yes, dreams do come true.

Free Massages - The Making of

Filmed "Free Massages" today, the newest effort from Brian Hurley.

With Lawrence Long, Kenna Knost, and introducing RJ Victoria.

Some choice moments...

Me: Can you do a handstand?
RJ: No.
Me: Can you do a bridge, upside down, like in yoga?
RJ: No.
Me: Can you stand on one leg?
RJ: Yes.
Me: Cool. In this scene, you're standing on one leg.

Kenna: What if I dress up like a nurse and lick a lollipop?
Me: Do it.
Kenna: Even though it's not in the script?
Lawrence: We'll find a place for it.

Me: Now elbow him in the chest, lightly. RJ, act like you like it.

Lawrence: With my shirt stretched like this, I look like a dancer, not like I got beat up.

Me: Dude, do you know how to roll a grape?
RJ: I guess not.

Lawrence: Ow.
Me: Keep hitting him. Don't stop. Why are you guys stopping? He's just acting.

...

Coming Friday: Free Massages - A Short Film

Week 12 - Flip a Towel - A Short Film

The Short-a-Week Project Presents: Flip a Towel
Written and Directed by Eric Myers

Based on "Flip a Towel" by Klaus Varley of The Literary Brothel

Starring Stefanie Oudiz and Lawrence Long

Song "The Night is Young and So Are We" by The Silent Track Plays

Flip a Towel

I'm okay with nudity

Is what Lawrence's girlfriend said when I asked, "Do you want to be in a short?"

Laughter ensued.

My laughter.

Lawrence was not laughing.

Well, maybe a little.

Coming Friday: A reenactment of Flip a Towel by Klaus Varley of The Literary Brothel. Sorry, no nudity.

The Casting Couch has over 200 Views

Thank you to everyone who watched The Casting Couch over and over again.

Don't give up yet - 1000 is just around the corner.

Ratings, but no comments on YouTube

Dear Person or Persons who give some of our shorts low ratings on YouTube but don't leave a comment to tell us how to improve:


What's up with that? Help us out!


Sincerely,
Eric

Week 11 - Défense d'Afficher II (Post No Bills II)

The second part of the acclaimed short film "Post No Bills," finds our protagonist on an existential quest to discover the one who removes that which others have posted.

Starring Lawrence Long

Written by Lawrence Long and Eric Myers

Running time: 3 minutes 12 seconds

French with English Subtitles


Défense d'Afficher II (Post No Bills II) - A Short Film

Editing with voice over and subtitles...

Takes a long time. Not to mention cutting the footage, putting in music, credits, and even a still frame (oh my!).

But the director (Lawrence) has said it's where he wants it, and the co-editor (me) is happy with it, and so it will go up in the wee hours of the morning.

Look for Post No Bills II, coming soon to a monitor near you.

Could it be? Lawrence's Directing Debut?

Say it ain't so...Eric hands over the reins to the second installment of Post No Bills to Lawrence who has some ideas about how he wants (Eric) to shoot it.

In other words, I'll be DP-ing this one.

Which seems a bit strange, since I can't even spell cinematography.

Never mind, it appears that I can.

The Cost of Shorts (Short Films, that is)

This follow up to Lights, Camera...all Cost Money is just to help keep track of the cost of this "project." It looks like after ten weeks, that cost is $59.

From before:
$8 - chips, salsa, cups, soda (for Foot in the Mouth)
$15 - Big-ass Clamp-Light + 200w light bulb (so far, only used on Rock Star)

New Costs:

$26 - Six Blank Mini-DV cassettes.
$10 - One year domain registration for www.shortaweekproject.com

That's right, we've got a domain. Worth it.

Next on the list: Microphone, microphone, microphone...

And

A place to take donations. Seriously.

A Short About Shorts, Sher-lick Holmes, and more..

Time to plan ahead. Future Short Ideas:

-Post No Bills 2 (Lawrence's version if he sends me something soon; the original plan if not)
-A short about shorts
-Sher-lick Holmes: A short about a detective who uses his tongue to detect
-A short acting out the article Flip-a-Towel while it's read in voice-over...in Spanish! (j/k)
-Short Documentary on the 99 with voice-over commentary
-A Chinese instructional video about Americans (In Mandarin. Seriously.)

Larger Projects in development (in code, so you don't STEAL the ideas)
-Survival Vid (5 parts)
-Anti-Stereo (at least 5 parts)
-Chair in There (1 part)

Of course, we're open to ideas. We'll even give you credit.

I know Brian Hurley is thinking really hard about his "massage" short right now. Thanks Brian.

Week 10 - The Nigerian Banker

"The Nigerian Banker"

The Nigerian Banker - The Making of a Short Film

Last minute change of plans had me writing a short at 7:30 pm on a Thursday night, and filming it an hour later. Some highlights from the 45 min shoot.

(L = Lawrence, Me = Me)

L: Ooh, looks like a film set in here.
Me: Without the good lighting and expensive film equipment.

Me: Is this side table close enough?
L: How about I just put the coffee cup next to me on the couch, since there is nothing in it anyway.
Me: That will work.

Me: Cut.
L: I messed that up again, huh?
Me: This is not only the more important line, but it's the only line I really care about. You can mess up all the other lines in the script, but this one has to be right.
L: Thanks for not being dramatic.

---
Thanks to my girlfriend for the idea of using the Nigerian Internet scam in this obvious sequel to Not a Girl. Hey, when you're pressed for time, return to what you know.

Holy crap we have to post something by tomorrow morning

And we have nothing filmed...

Was out of town last weekend. Then last night Lawrence said he could meet around 11:30PM to shoot the sequel to "Post No Bills." So I got to my girlfriend's apartment.

Then at 9 he says that 10 or 10:30 is good. Then at 9:45 it turns out he meant more 10 than 10:30. I'm on my way to meet when he calls again:

Me: What's up, man? Can you shoot at 10:30?
L: I guess-
Me: You got something to do afterwards?
L: Yeah.
Me: Oh.

[Pause]

In the pause I'm thinking how I haven't printed out the props that he's going to need for this week's "Post No Bills," and more importantly, I haven't planned out the shots. There is no way it can be done in less than an hour.

Me: Wanna shoot tomorrow night?
L: Sure.

Now tomorrow night is tonight, and I'm thinking some advanced planning might save on editing time. We shall see.

A secret about The Short-a-Week Project

I, Alien was actually our first short.

It just took a long time to edit.

Thus, Not a Girl went up first.

Did you know that?

Of Mice and Men and Masterpieces

Yeah, a bit premature.  But, hey, if this blog is suddenly about quoting people I've never HEARD OF then, well, I guess there's nothing premature about me.  

Nothing.

While we (E) may seem stressed out, please know that there is no stress here (my place) 

I don't have to type "shortaweekproject.blogspot.com" to get here anymore, I just google "Canon zr50 MC"

Zing!

p.s. Yes I've seen Leaving Las Vegas, I just didn't know that the person who directed it had a name, that's all.

Quote from Mike Figgis

"...too much information and too much choice is in itself a huge limitation on creativity."

-Mike Figgis (Director Leaving Las Vegas) in his new-ish book, Digital Filmmaking.

Coming Soon: Post No Bills Part II (of III)

Post No Bills Part Deux has been outlined, and well, that means it is already planned out a far more than its predecessor was at this stage.

But yet, we're filming Wed. night, which only gives a day for editing. It's going to be close.

If we don't make it, there is still one more short "in the can" that we haven't posted online.

However, there is a reason we have not posted it online.

And at this point, it would be a large step back.

And we might loose some fans.

Oh, the dilemma.

Canon zr50 MC camcorder

I just realized that the MC on the side of my camera probably stands for "movie camera."

Is this important enough to blog about?

Probably not.

Could these be the best short films ever made on a Canon ZR50?

Possibly.

Do I keep mentioning the Canon ZR50 because our site comes up when people search for it?

Um...what?

I gotta go write a short.

Week 9 - I Used to be Somebody

Without further ado...

"I Used to be Somebody"

Fix it in Post

One of the running jokes on the set of I Used to Be Somebody (due out later today) was the mantra "Just fix it in Post."

Turns out, it would have been a lot easier if "fix it in pre-production" were our slogan.

Who knew?

iMovie and its Limitations

I've cut (edited) these first nine movies on iMovie, the editing software that comes standard with the new MacBook.

iMovie is great for uploading videos, making a few cuts, and throwing some music on there.

iMovie is not-so-great for cutting back and forth between different takes, and layering sound from one clip over another.

iMovie is FRUSTRATING AS HELL if you're cut your films into pieces and want the sound to be consistent and not automatically fade-in on every damn clip, which may SEEM like a good thing, but when you are putting in 1 second clips, the dialog sounds like a car going by. You know, like:

"...hey man, what HAVE YOU been up to..."

This didn't annoy me the first seven movies I cut. Recently, however, this has become unbearable.

Final Cut Pro never looked so attractive.

Stay tuned...more editing software related posts in the future! Oh boy!!1!

And Coming Friday: I Used To Be Somebody (Working Title)

The New Page Design - The Results of that Poll from Two Weeks Ago

Turns out that people prefer the new design to the old design. Mystery solved.

Also, only one person voted for "What new design?" which means we have some steady visitor, and one new visitor, or more likely, one steady visitor-jokester.

While you're waiting for this Friday's awesome short, and speaking of web design, check out Blackle - it's just Google, but it somehow saves more energy because the screen is black.

Yes, it's strange to me too.

Prius - A Short - The Making of..

Some things learned yesterday on the set of Prius (working title):

-It's OK to reverse the roles of the two main actors ten minutes before we start filming.

-When you direct something you didn't write you can respond to all complaints, "Hey, I didn't write it."

-Using real photographers as characters playing photographers is a good way to get production stills.

-Chad is hyper-colored. (No, that is not racial.)

-Everything looks better in black and white.

I'm just glad to say....

...that it was warm out today.

And that Eric had the foresight to move his car outside and let it heat up a bit.

On Friday you'll know the horrifying reason why.

Week 8 - How to Become a Rock Star

Week 8

Enjoy!

"How to Become a Rock Star"

Lights, Camera...all cost money

Though this is a low-budget production, things have started to add up.

Expenses:

$8.50 - chips, salsa, cups, soda (for Foot in the Mouth)
$15.00 - Big-ass Clamp-Light + 200w light bulb (so far, only used on tomorrow's "Rock Star")

Expenses forseen in the not-too-distant future:

-Another light + lightbulb ($15.00)
-Diffusion Sheets to make the lights not so damn bright ($15-$25)
-Microphone for Camera ($25-$400)
-Final Cut Pro (Free? - $1200)

Coming soon: An easy way for those driven to the site via clever innuendo to donate money to the cause.

Some body rockin' knockin' pop blockin' the what?

With all this hullabaloo about innuendos and the like, I've decided to become more focused on creating a quality product, and by "product" I mean "nude calendar."

Seriously, this may be the best idea we've ever had. It's like we just skipped ahead and got a degree in marketing in a day and a half.

We should pay ourselves more than we do, we deserve it.

On another note, our steady climb to the top of the $%*@^ -in-cheek molehill is that "somehow" the name of this website has leaked out to the kids at the school I work at. So:

Either there are a lot of kids googling the name 'Lawrence Long" (which is not as cool as you'd think - it's grade school)

Or

I do not have the maturity necessary to be in charge of children.

Let's see how the numbers rise and let the chips fall where they may

The Casting Couch is on Top

If you've been keeping track of YouTube views of our shorts (who hasn't?), you know that three of our shorts crossed the 100 views mark last week, with "The Casting Couch" out-pacing them all.

Yes, "Post No Bills" is gaining fast, but we'll see if it has legs, or it was just a sprint and now it's lying on the grass, gasping for breath.

No, there will not be updates on every milestone (but 500, 1000, 2000 are important numbers too, you know).

Since "The Casting Couch" is unanimously NOT our best short, there are only two possible explanations for its popularity:

1. A sexually suggestive titles simply gets more hits
2. I'm in the short, thus giving it the "Eric Bump."

Explanation two falls flat when we see that "Hide-n-Seek" is the LEAST popular short, and I'm in that as well. Damn.

And so from now on our titles will have some sort of innuendo subtly hidden within. Stay tuned, and see if you can spot our clever wordplay!

Coming Friday: How to Knock Boots like a Rock Star (and by "Knock Boots" we mean "Have Sex.")

That one is free. The next ones will be harder. Much hard...er...I mean more difficult!

How to be a Rock Star

(Or is Rockstar one word? Real Rock Stars wouldn't ask such questions, I know...)

This is yesterday:

I wrote a short.

Called Lawrence.

We filmed it.

---

Thank god we are neighbors, or weeks like this would be tough.

Coming Friday: How to be a Rock Star - A short film / tutorial (not really)

Short Films 101 - How To Make A Short Film... By Frederick Levy

Lawrence called me not once but twice tonight while I was in the theater watching Reprise (recommend). I called him as soon as I got out.

Me: What's up?
La: We got our first piece of fan mail.
Me: What?
La: Picked up a package addressed to "The Short-a-Week Project" that was at our mailboxes.
Me: Strange. Who's it from?
La: Cathy Morrison or something?
Me: That sounds sorta familiar.

I dropped by his apartment on my way home, and yes, it turned out it was from someone that I knew and not an anonymous fan that had somehow tracked down where we live. Inside the very professional package was Short Films 101: How to Make a Short Film and Launch Your Filmmaking Career by Frederick Levy.

Lawrence was a bit disappointed that it wasn't a crazed teen or famed producer, and I was a little confused - is "filmmaking" a word? - but technically it was still the first thing we've received addressed to The Short-a-Week Project.

So, thanks Carrie. For the book. On how to make short films. One question though:

What are you trying to say? We just made a short inspired by the French New Wave cinema, in case you hadn't noticed.

Oh you had noticed? Hmm. Ok, so we know what you are trying to say, and all we can say is...thanks. We'll read it. I've been looking for a book like this. Seriously.

And if anyone else wants to send fan mail (or "fan gifts" such as Final Cut Pro), you know the address. (Or do you?)

Week 7 - Defense d'Afficher (Post No Bills)

The Short-a-Week Project brings you the short film "Defense d'Afficher" (Post No Bills).

Inspired by the works of Eric Rohmer and the French New Wave cinema comes a unique vision of one man's quest to defy society through a rebellious act.

Running Time 2min, 14sec
Black and White
French with English Subtitles


Defense d'Afficher (Post No Bills)

French Titles are tricky

Turns out that "Post No Bills" is actually translated "Defense d'Afficher"

And that it was already the title of a short film shot in 1896. I kid you not.

Lawrence Speaks French

Lawrence came over to read the subtitles. Turns out when he said "hell yeah I can read French!" (my interpretation of a text message that said "yes" to my question of "can you read French?") he meant that he had only taken a year of French in school, and that was a long time ago.

E = me
L = Lawrence

E: So here's the script, just read the highlighted parts, kinda sexy, kinda serious.
L: Wait, let me read through it first
E: Dude, I thought you knew French.
L: I don't know it that well.
E: We'll do it line by line. So just practice that first line while I set up the voice over.
(a minute later)
E: Ready?
L: I guess.

And then we did it, with the only direction from me coming with "try to make it sound like you speak French."

How'd it turn out? Check out Week 7's "Post No Bills" and decide for yourself.

Security Trailers, Planks, Shots, Wardrobe Changes, and a Short Film Called "Post No Bills"

To clarify even more, here's and addendum to Lawrence's post about what went down that fateful Sunday night/Monday morning.

Eric was back at the apartment by 12:05. He has a text-message from Lawrence at 12:06am. Lawrence likely spent the next 30 minutes deciding what to wear (see post). He then came over. By that time, it was nearly a quarter to one.

There were shots. Oh yes, there were shots.

Eric did not think the trailer was spooky. He thought the possibility that a deranged serial killer was hunkered down inside the trailer - fresh from killing the security guard - waiting for punks to mess with the construction site nearby; he thought that was a little spooky.

Je ne sais what?

I'm looking forward to our little art piece. I think you are too. Yeah you are.

The honest truth is that even though we decided to film only after Eric got back from a concert at 12:45 am and he made (asked?) me to do a shot with him beforehand, the thing we didn't catch on film was how eerily spooky we thought the security trailer on street behind us to be. Already getting ideas, just not sure how legal they are.

Piece-de-resistance-out

Post No Bills (De Ne Pas Poster des Annonces)

So, "Post No Bills" (De Ne Pas Poster des Annonces) is turning out to be a black and white French film; thus the parenthetical French title. Confused? Perhaps a text message exchange from last night will clear things up.

Key:
A is for actor (Lawrence)
D is for director (me)

D: You up? Let's film.
A: Bills?
D: Yeah.
A: Yeah, let's do it. Be there in 10?
D: Okay.
A: What should I wear?
D: Clothes.
A: Like what line of clothes. What's the story with this guy, we decide on that?
D: He's a rebel.

Lawrence doesn't respond.

D: But a reluctant rebel.
A: Hmmm.
D: And he's gay. I mean, blind. (A reference to this video that apparently Lawrence had not seen)
A: Really?
D: No, not really. Just wear anything and come over

We then shot it, to uh, mixed results. We'll see what we can do with this croissant of a film.

Site Design Change - From Minima to TicTac

Some of you may have noticed that the videos (such as Foot in the Mouth) did not play that well on the site. Or they played but had a frozen bar of video running up the right side of the screen in a horizontal fashion. I know I noticed.

For a while (20 minutes) it was a mystery. Then I changed the template. Problem solved. For now.

Hope you like our new look. And if there are technical difficulties with it, keep it to yourself.

Kidding! Let us know!

Thanks.

Week 6 - Foot in the Mouth

The Short-a-Week Project proudly presents: Foot in the Mouth

Foot in the Mouth and Future Shorts

Coming tomorrow: Foot in the Mouth. It will be delicious.

After tomorrow? Good question. Possibilities:

1. "Dishwasher" is shot and edited with music by Streets on Fire. BUT it is really short and well, strange.

2. Post No Bills - Hopefully Lawrence and I will shoot this sometime this week. Tonight? Not tonight?

3. Harassing Matt Hill for sequels to "Foot in the Mouth." Yeah, it's that good.

4. A short about shorts. - This was a suggestion from a friend. Not bad, not bad. All we need now is a story, characters, actors...

Seriously though, we really do appreciate any ideas...

A Side Project - Deep Creek Hot Springs Video

Sometimes, I do non-fiction.

By that, I mean I take my video camera on trips. Yeah, I'm that guy. Sorry.

Here's an edited video (with music!) of a recent trip to Deep Creek Hot Springs by way of Bowen Ranch, up near Apple Valley (CA). Enjoy!

The Making of a Short Film - Foot in the Mouth

Yesterday, we shot Matt Hill's "Foot in the Mouth." Here are excerpts from some of the conversations:

Eric: Ready to shoot?
Lawrence: I'm glad you have confidence in my skills, but you just gave me the script ten minutes ago.
Eric: So...want to do a read through?
Lawrence: Yeah.

Chad: Are you going to block the shots?
Eric: Block?
Chad: You know, blocking.
Eric: Oh, you mean tell you where to stand and move so the shots line up on different takes?
Chad: Yeah.
Eric: No. Just remember where you were.
Chad: Okay...

Howard: I think I missed my cue.

Kenna: Was that good?
Eric: Perfect. Except next time stand on the other side of him.

Chad: Is this your lighting?
Eric: Only until I can get to Home Depot.

Howard: Did I miss my cue again?
Eric: Yeah.

Eric: Pause before you say, "and wasps." It'll make it funny.
Chad: Gotcha.
Eric: Okay, let's do it again. You're at a party, it's fun, but Chad's pissed off and Lawrence can't say the right thing. And...ACTION. (Lawrence's cell phone rings) And...CUT.

...

Coming Friday: Foot in the Mouth
Starring: Lawrence Long and Introducing (to the Short-a-Week Project) Chad Kennedy, Kenna Knost, and Howard Padwa
Written by: Matt Hill
Directed and Edited by: Eric Myers
Music by Putnam Hall
Chips by Mission
Red Cups by Dixie

The results of our poll

The people have spoken, and our best short is...

Not a Girl

AND

I, Alien

Yep, it's a tie. Thanks for voting! We'll have to find some way next time to prevent this.

Tomorrow we film Matt Hill's "Foot in the Mouth" starring Lawrence and...other actors! And one of them is a girl! Amazing.

Week 5 - Hide-n-Seek

If you bet we wouldn't make it five weeks, you lost.

Hide-n-Seek


Thanks again to our anonymous helper, and to Jerkules for the music.

Check out Jerkules on his MySpace http://www.myspace.com/jerkulesashimself

And check out "anonymous" everywhere you turn in this cold, impersonal world...

Tomorrow's Short and the Future

Tomorrow's short film is a marvel of modern editing. And by "marvel" I mean it's better than the last one.

Following tomorrow, we'll need to shoot another short, like, pronto. There's a backup short in the can, but it's really just there in case we can't film one this week.

We have a script (Thanks Matt!) but need actors. Lawrence is in, and Chad might be too. And Matt? We'll see if we can get Matt. He's good. Check him out as Alfred in Dr. Miracles

Seriously.

Which short is our best short so far?

We're four weeks into the project and four films in the...laptop? Please vote on the poll on the right and let us know which short you liked the best. (You don't have to login or anything, just click!)

This will help us figure out what we're doing right, and what we're doing oh so wrong...

Week 4 - The Casting Couch

The creators would like to thank the mysterious person who worked the camera, as well as Apple loops, for their pre-set running bass lines and funky beats. Oh, we couldn't have done it without the funky beats.

Without further ado, here is "The Casting Couch" starring Lawrence Long (big surprise).

(Further ado) Turn up the volume on your computer and enjoy!




Compliments? Complaints? Questions? Drop a comment.

Coming this Friday...

Coming this Friday: the acting debut of yours truly.

Now, if your name is Chad, you're saying, hold on a second - I know the acting debut of Eric, and it is NOT on these shorts.

Well, though Chad may be "technically" correct, we're still calling it "the acting debut" of Eric. Just for kicks. We don't really mean it.

"Beer First" Wins

The people have spoken, and by the people I mean the 10 of you who voted on the Laundry Monster short. Six votes for "Beer First," four for "Just Drink It" (Sigh of relief)

Explanation for sigh of relief: As it turns out, Peter Parker has already sold the rights to the song we used in "Just Drink It." Check him out anyway though, he's got good stuff:

Peter Parker on MySpace

Now, the short that remains - "Beer First" has been changed a bit. It is now called "Just Drink It" but still features the same great music from Jerkules and the same colorful pile of laundry you have grown to love. It just has the titles from the other short.

In other words, we kinda combined the two. Click "Week 3" on the sidebar or just go here to see it on some site called YouTube.

And if you liked the music, please check out Jerkules on his MySpace

Big thanks to everyone who watched both shorts and voted.

Week 3 - Laundry Monster

This week we need your help! Yes, I'm talking to you, anonymous computer user.

There are two versions of this week's short film "Laundry Monster." The first is called "Just Drink It." The second is "Beer First." Please watch them both (they're about a minute long) then vote on the poll on the right sidebar to tell us which one is better. This will help us know what you like, and what styles to use in the futures.

Thanks and enjoy!

(Editor's note: the polls are now closed, of course. Read Beer First Wins for the whole story...)

(Editor's note 2: The version of Laundry Monster entitled "Beer First" has changed titles! It's now called "Just Drink It." Yes, it's confusing.)

Just watch...

Just Drink It

The Short-a-Week Project vs. Short a Week

By accident (my girlfriend typing in what she thought was the URL of this blog) it was discovered:

http://www.shortaweek.blogspot.com/

This explains why the domain name wasn't available.

Now, before you go clicking the link above, let me tell you three things:

1. Their "short a week" goal only lasted two weeks, ending in November of last year.

2. The shorts don't work when you click on them... 

3. They call themselves: "..digital enthusiasts who are interested in showing off are short films."

"...are short films." 'Nuff said.

If you have time today, pour a little out (coffee, Old English, etc.) for those who came before, and for the living (short film websites); may we flourish a little longer.

Laundry Monster, Spiderman, music-4-our-short

Lawrence said he was going to write a song for our Laundry Monster short, but haven't heard about that yet.

And so - though I haven't cleared it with the artist yet - we'll probably use some jams from a guy who calls himself Peter Parker.

Yes, Spidey.

Apparently, Spiderman now lives in the Bay Area and writes instrumental hip-hop tracks.

Now you know.

Keywords: toothpaste sandwich, short a week project, alien

Finally, we've started showing up on Google searches.

Any link suggestions/help would be more than welcome.

Demystifying the title-creation process of "I, Alien"

Lawrence is correct: we referred to last week's short as "Toothpaste Sandwich" during filming. Yet early in the edits I cut a conversation between Mike (the cameraman) and Terrence where they discuss what type of sandwich he is making. It was down to:

Mike: "Is that a toothpaste sandwich?"
Terrence: "Mmm."

But that got cut too. Now, Terrence only taunts the alien in the end with his "toothpaste sandwich." (If you listen closely you can hear yours truly doing some excellent ADR work as the grunting, sniffing alien) It is less of a call-back than a random gag.

Long story short, the title "I, Alien" is a play on "I, Robot" which is nothing like the short, but a title I hope Lawrence and everyone else will grow to love.

All right......

So first of all I would like to congratulate E on spending every waking hour trying to get that cross fade just right.  Am I impressed?  Yes.  Do I miss the title "Toothpaste Sandwich?"

A little.

Yeah, I'm sentimental, and I think that titles we both came up with might need to be retained in lieu of titles I had nothing to do with.  

But, man, those were some awesome credits.

I'll let it go.  But with all the time we spend not working on films and fiddling around on Garage Band, we might as well put our own music on the shorts.  Mmmm?

Look for that this coming week.  Yeah, I'm making a promise  What are you gonna do about it?

Week 2 - I, Alien

A guy traps an alien in his closet and doesn't know what do to with it.

Turn up the volume and enjoy "I, Alien!"

If I had more time...

Man, the more I figure out new things on editing (wow, it's really easy to take sound from one scene and put it in another...wow, it's really hard to make sure that sound matches with the action in the scene) the more I would fix a few things, reshoot some stuff, make the joke(s) funnier....

But this is The Short-a-Week Project. And so, "I, Alien" has to come out, so to speak...

The story behind "I, Alien"

Orginally titled "Toothpaste Sandwich," the new short from The Short-a-Week Project - "I, Alien" - began with a simple idea: what if Lawrence had an alien trapped in his closet?

It quickly became more complicated.

For instance, his character is no longer named Lawrence.

Also, we (I) decided to shoot it sequentially, in case were not able to edit it. That meant costume changes for Lawrence. "Cut. Change. Cut. Change back. Cut. Change again. Were your sleeves rolled up in that last take? No, we can't rewind, just roll them up." He loved it.

The finished product, however, was a good five minutes. And by "good," I mean about half of it was good. But which half?

With some basic editing (see previous posts) it has been whittled down to a 2:47 running time, including credits and music.

Yes, I said credits. And music. And even a hidden frame. (Did you expect that?)

Coming tomorrow to a monitor near you, "I, Alien."

You have been warned.

I, Alien - Coming this Friday with even more edits

Tonight I figured out how to cross dissolve. Remember that when you watch "I, Alien." Those hard cuts are the intentional work of the director/editor/voice-over actor!

Get hyped...

There will be editing...

Sunday was productive.

-Edited "I, Alien"

-Rewrote "The Casting Couch" so the character I will play has fewer lines.

-Rehearsed "The Casting Couch" - Acting is not easy. Cut some more of my lines.

-Filmed "The Casting Couch" (with help from one who does not wish to be named (but that doesn't mean the short isn't good...does it?), but who was of enormous help. Thanks!)

-Did voice-over and sound effects with Lawrence on "I, Alien." Felt like a real Foley artist. There's nothing like giving directions such as "I'll growl, and you say 'toothpaste sandwich.'"

-Edited "I, Alien" some more. Man, editing is hard work. Over five minutes of the original cut has been whittled down to 2:34. Apparently the script wasn't as tight as we (I) thought.

Look (out!) for "I, Alien" coming this Friday to a monitor near you.

Week 1 - Not a Girl

Turn up the volume and enjoy!

"Not a Girl"





What did you think? That's what comments are for...

One day until the first short appears...

You might call this "First Short Eve" or "The Eve of the Premiere of The First Short in the 'Short-a-Week Project."

Or Thursday.

a so called plethora of creative genious

Here I sit, on my used ikea couch, enjoying these few brief moments when my wireless internet is doing its job, feeling guilty about broken promises.  The Short a week concept is all well and good in theory, but I have been lacking luster ever since: 1) Eric showed me how to add a drum track in Garage Band and 2) I remembered how funny Strong Bad is.  

I have not given up.  New posts will abound.  Look forward to such spectacles as the Irish Beer Drinking Laundry Monster and our own take on the 'Trapped in a Closet' genre.  Is that a genre? 

It is now.

Just kidding, hurray for Matt's firewire cord!

That's right, it works, it works, oh, it works...and is on my other computer... hmmm...

First short (MK True) coming soon to a monitor near you...

Matt's Firewire Cord - Failed!

It's off to Fry's to get the damn cord. That's what I get for having a video camera from 2002. Great camera...in 2002. Now, a teenager might snicker, "Is that a Betamax?" as they zoom into the future on their Ferrari Segway, chatting up classmates on their iPhone (while they still can...ie: before the restrictive, post-Obama era of 2020s, when cell phones and Segways are not allowed within 100 yards of each other.)

Do you have a firewire cord?

"Your computer needs a firewire card (ieee1394) and a firewire cord to connect your camera to your computer," says some message board.

Good to know. Now it's off to send out mass text-messages and/or go to Fry's.

A short may still be up tomorrow!

Oooh, the suspense.

April Fools Day

Feels like every other day.

Not knowing how to put video onto my computer.

And writing a short.

Based on what we have lying around in our apartments.

And of course

Waiting to hear from Lawrence.

Is he available?

Is he the only actor in my building?

These are good questions.

When he doesn't answer my text messages.

"Your blog will be better...

..when you put up the shorts," says my girlfriend.

She also does not appreciate being called an "outside observer."

Who knew?

-e

I, Dishwasher

I just filmed a short about a guy who talks to his dishwasher. We'll see how it comes out. (Clean, you say? har, har, har)

-E

"Hey, I'm in San Francisco" - Lawrence

Missed a call this morning from Lawrence. Called him back around noon. Went something like this:

Me: Hey man, you around?
Lawrence: I'm in San Francisco.
[Silence]
Lawrence: For Easter.
[More silence]
Me: That's interesting.

I'm not sure how this short is going to work by myself. Think I'll have to write another real fast. Maybe do it with objects. I've always wanted to do stop-motion...


-e

the casting couch

No, that's not an inappropriate activity we have planned for tomorrow, it's the name of our short we're filming tomorrow. On Easter. It's resurrection themed. (No, it's not.)

[Again, this is raw footage people..we're still pre-launch in this Short-a-Week project. Don't worry, you will get an email. Oh yes, there will be emails...]

I wrote six pages of me and Lawrence pretending to be casting agents before I realized, hey, I can't act, I gotta give myself less lines!

So, now I have a few less lines. But they are good ones. I can't wait to mess them up.

-E

ps. After showing the raw footage of our first three shorts to outside observers for the first time, it has occurred to me that what is funny to me and Lawrence at the time of filming (me piling a bunch of laundry on him) may not translate to "funny" on the screen.

laundry monster endorses beer

Limitations today:

Time
Lawrence's Time
Location
Props

Opportunities:
A Big Pile of Laundry on Lawrence's couch.

The Result: A short about a guy (Lawrence) under a pile of laundry who reaches out, grabs the beer, sucks it into the pile of laundry, the pile shakes, empty beer bottle comes out.

That pretty much worked. Lawrence complained the whole time. Said something about clothes being a lot heavier than they looked, and he couldn't "breathe."

Whatever. Actors. It's in the can! Editing starts Wed...

First short will go up April 4th!

Woo woo.

-E

or does it? The Canon ZR50 MC and its complications

Alright, the short-a-week project still has not yet begun... I am thinking April 6th will be the premiere.

First have to figure out how to transfer video from a Canon ZR50 MC camcorder that has a 155 page instruction booklet in English, French, y Espanol, pero no tiene, I mean, but doesn't have instructions on how to transfer directly to my new MacBook.

The Internet might be able to answer this question. If that doesn't work, you'll just have to come over and watch the shorts here. I'll hook it up to the VCR. I already have popcorn - bring soda and gummi bears.

To be continued...

-E

[Listening to: Built to Spill - Keep it Like a Secret. Highly recommend. Seriously. Why do you think I put these brackets here?]

Short coming in light of St. Patrick's Day holiday

So I have been texting Lawrence all morning about what time we're going to get together to start writing, and just got a text back, a mass text about some bishop declaring tomorrow St. Patrick's day, and Lawrence inviting people out for breakfast and beers.

Today does not look promising.

Short A Week Project - Close to Starting!!

That's right, we got the short done this week as well.. Still not sure if last week's counts as a short, but uh, it's also in the camera. Now we gotta figure out how to get it out of the camera and into the computer / online. When we do, get ready - we will launch the "Short a Week" project in full (special) effect(s).

And maybe we'll call it Project "Short a Week"

At this point, anything can happen... let's get off the ground... who's got editing skillz... Matt? Anybody? Hello?

-E

Solo Week

Haven't heard from Lawrence, so it looks like I'm gonna have to roll solo this week. Think the fake True ad is going to be the best bet, as I can film that as if it's a real True ad, using the camera on my computer.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

Well, I wrote the first few sentences which went something like: "Interior, a guy at his computer typing" at which point I got a little creeped out because that's me, that's what I was doing. I was that guy. What was I going to do next?

Answer: Stop blogging and get something to eat.

One thing that is not difficult - Posting Blogs

Uh, we've yet to officially start the project (because I haven't figured out how to edit), so I guess you can call this the Beta-plan post. Or just, a post.

This week's short ideas are running, well, thin-ish. So far, all I can up with is:

1. The casting of an adult film (Dickerous), and/or the struggles of a hetero casting director doing gay porn, etc...
2. Guy filming a short about nothing, by himself, using dolls.
3. Guy listens to Tape Player, then CD player, then Mp3...evolution of the walkman?
4. Fake "True" ad; a guy trying to look sexy, in his boxers, hung over, peering into his laptop

Yeah, Lawrence can't wait to do that last one. I can tell before he even reads this...

Oh, and before I forget, some choice dialog between Lawrence and his sig. other (SO) during the filming of "Toothpaste Sandwich."

SO: "Don't eat our last hot dog"
L: "We need it for the scene."
SO: "But it's our last one. Can't you use something else?"
L: "I'll buy you a whole pack of hot dogs, baby."
SO: "Why do you need a hot dog?"
L: "I want to eat a hot dog in the scene,"
SO: "But you can eat anything"
L: "I also just want to eat a hot dog."
SO: "You're going to buy some more?"
L: "Yeah. Tonight."
SO: "Fine."

When we make our first mil, this blog is going to seem funny...

Until then, I have to hide from SO.

-E

This is going to be difficult

Welcome.

We are semi-professionals with a not-so-modern camera making a short a week whether we like it or not.

Two reasons for The Short-a-Week Project:

1. To entertain you.

2. To keep my writing fresh and Lawrence's acting more fresh. Fresher? You get the point.

Oh, and also for fun.

We're not going to improv a few lines, film some stupid stuff with friends. We're going to write, direct, act, and edit...some stupid stuff with friends.

There is two of us. And more, if you want to help...

Is this like Jonathan Coulton's "Thing a Week" project?

Exactly. Well, not exactly. But inspired by. Big ups to JoCo.

Check back every Friday for a new short.

And we LOVE comments - anonymous or otherwise. It lets us know how we're doing...

Seriously.