Indie vs Studio finally released!!!

This entry is short and sweet.

Indie vs Studio is live! Almost a year after they were first conceived (and nearly 6 months after they were filmed), IVS has finally been released.

You can see all 4 films on our YouTube site. Please let us know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/doblerspen

Indie vs Studio almost here!

Well, it hasn't been 9 months, but my babies are about to be born. Quadruplets in fact!

That's right, Dobler's Pen is about to release our new web series, Indie vs Studio.

Shot in just one day on August 11, 2007, the four short films lampoon the Hollywood studio filmmaking process.

Yeah, yeah, we know the parody of the Mac vs PC ads has been done to death, but we promise, these are really good. And if they're not, they'll be deleted faster than a CIA interrogation tape.

So all you cinephiles, keep checking back here or on our main website, www.doblerspen.com, for our Go Live date.

We can't wait...

I'm Having a Baby!

I’m birthing my first film project! Titled Indie vs. Studio, the series of minute-long shorts will parody those hilarious Apple ads, Mac vs. PC. In this production, we will be lambasting the Studio-made filmmaking process.

Written by yours truly, IVS (Don’t you love those film title abbreviations? Thank God I didn’t stick with the original title, Hollywood: Indie vs. Studio) is set to film in just one weekend in August.

Amazingly, Doblers is also allowing me to direct. Now, before you delete your Doblers Pen links, place Doblers on your Spam Filter list and start a funeral pyre of Doblers DVDs, I will be surrounded by lots of talent, so there should be no major disasters (except, perhaps, to our reputation.)

Look for IVS on YouTube and other outlets in the fall.

48 Hour Film Project - DC

Back in 2003, the thing that brought Dobler's Pen together in the first place was the Washington DC 48 Hour Film Project. This first weekend of May, in which they hold the contest in Washington...it's our anniversary, our 4th Anniversary. We are now in our fifth year of film making, with 8 films under our belts. Five of them have been 48 Hour Film Project films.

For the first time in our existence, we are skipping the DC 48 Hour Film Project. Last year, we made a group decision, that we were better suited to focus our resources and energies on our own original projects, instead of killing ourselves to craft something within the frame-work of the required elements of the contest.

Several of our Dobler's folks are working with teams who are involved in the project this weekend, however, as an entity Dobler's will be skipping it.

It's crazy to think that we're in our 5th year of film making. Our group has changed a lot. People have come, people have left...but we're still here, still doing the thing that we love...telling stories. Through our 4 years, we've had many disagreements and arguments...but we're still here.

So we're not going to be in this 48 HFP. But we are moving forward with our own stuff. Right now, we're in pre-production for a series of spoof pieces that will end up being released via the web. (I won't tell you what we're spoofing...but it's something that everyone is familiar with, and the scripts...by Chris Mueller...are VERY funny.) I the meantime, we're putting ideas together for our next film project, which we'll decide upon sometime in mid-summer...and start pre-production on that.

So things are quiet here now...but that doesn't mean we don't have something on the horizon.

Best of luck to everyone in the DC 48 Hour Film Project this weekend. We'll be thinking of you at 2:00am this morning, while you're still trying to write your script and figure out your shooting schedule...well, actually, we'll all be asleep. Break a leg...especially to the team headed by Al Faison, who has been involved in many of Dobler's Pen's projects.

Where's Duff Premiere

As Chris said, we had a great opening night for Duff. All four films were well-received, and the feedback that we've gotten has been very positive.

Photos from the premiere are now viewable online, here.

So, over the next couple weeks, we'll be charting the course for Duff (which festivals to submit to, things like that) and for Dobler's Pen (what do we do next? When do we do it? etc...)

Keep checking back...all DP news will hit here on the blog before it hits anywhere else!

Premiere update

Well, Dobler's Pen pulled off another successful premiere. Whenever one of these things come off, I'm reminded of this scene from Shakespeare in Love.

Philip Henslowe: Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster.
Hugh Fennyman: So what do we do?
Philip Henslowe: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.
Hugh Fennyman: How?
Philip Henslowe: I don't know. It's a mystery.

It is a mystery indeed.

The film edit completed 2 days before our event. The popcorn arrived just in time, making it to Baltimore from Georgia in just over 36 hours (yes, Georgian popcorn is that good - well, it was the only one I could find online, pre-popped and delivered in those classic red and white striped boxes.) The audio and video setup, despite early problems, was completed just minutes after the first moviegoers arrived. And thanks to the efforts of Todd and Melissa, the after party room was transformed from an Inquisition dungeon to an eclectic bistro - it was like one of those home make-over shows, without the mannish crying (well, Todd did tear up at one point, but I wouldn't describe it as mannish.)

I am very impressed with Doblers (hmmm, since I'm part of Doblers, does that make me impressed with me? - is that egotistical? and why I am typing my random thoughts? am I Zach Braff? that would be really cool, as I've always wanted to be able to do a hair flip when I had something important to say.)

Oh yeah...very impressed with Doblers. We manage to make each of our premiere events unique - at the first event, Matchbook, we cashed in a favor with my Chef friend Laura, who made an incredible array of delicacies, which was unexpected for a movie showing in a gymnasium. Our Annapolis premiere of Full Circle (this time at a real theater) featured more great food, wine and a live band. Our film showing at Gardels Supper Club (this place rocks - check it out at www.gardels.com) in downtown Baltimore so impressed the owner, that he promised us a better door rake if we did it again. And this year, we went with a movie theme, providing popcorn and twizzlers to all our guests. Kasandra and Chester also set up a Production table, with props, scripts and various stills used in the movie - it was a fantastic idea and a big hit.

What is great about Doblers is that every member contributes in surprising and meaningful ways during each one of our movie cycles (from pre-prod to premiere - hmmm, that's a catchy title). Though I am still trying to figure out how my being a smart-ass is meaningful.

So, congrats to all - let's do this again in 18 months - but without the mannish crying.

From the editing suite...

So, last night (Tuesday) at about 11:59 (so, almost Wednesday!) I watched Where's Duff? with Ken Arnold, who has been acting as my sherpa through the editing world...the Obi Wan to my Luke. Ken and I spent all day Sunday, and six more hours Tuesday in the suite...and Ken had been there all day Monday and Tuesday morning working on digital effects and color correction. Needless to say, in the last three days, we've both seen Duff a LOT...and last night, just prior to midnight, we watched the final product for the first time. The film is locked down. We will not be going back in and changing it again, before an audience sees it.

This is my first time as the editor on a film. I have sat in with Chilly (Cucillo) and Matt on most of our other films, in the editing process, and learned a lot there...and I have a good idea of what I like, personally, as far as pacing and editing, just from years and years of absorbing as much as possible from the movies that I love. But this was the first time that I was in the chair, with one hand on the mouse and the other on the keyboard, playing with the puzzle pieces. There was a lot of weight that went with this gig. The events in this film really happened. Duff was Gerry's father-in-law. So I felt a personal responsibility to Gerry and Kathi to get it right...to tell her Dad's story with respect and dignity, and not allowing it to become contrived or cliche. Watching it last night, and signing off on it, as far as a finished piece, I think we accomplished that.

What we're happiest with is that the film doesn't drag. We've seen 6 and 7 minutes films at the 48 Hour Film Project, and in film festivals that felt like 45 minutes. This film is just over 16 minutes, and feels like 8, maybe 10...and that's after Ken and I have seen it a couple hundred times! The film looks great...particularly the scenes on the water. Cucillo and Roy Heisler shot that last day, and the footage is amazing! The final shot of the film is my favorite. I still say "wow" when I see it.

Ken Arnold has been a huge part of this. He has put in so much time on this project...and it wasn't his responsibility. He and Asteros Filmworks were kind enough to allow me the use of their editing suite for this project. But he's put in so much more than just allowing me to use the equipment. He has taken on the Digital Effects Design, and done some amazing stuff with the Duff flashback transitions. I can't thank him enough for what I've learned from him on this project, and what he's brought to the film.

We had several sources of music in the film. Matt Mickelson came up with some very, very nice themes...haunting at times. Damon Foreman, who has a loyal following that stretches from DC to Canada, also contributed original music for the score...but there was one particular piece from him that fit the film so perfectly. Ken and I were very happy with how the different music from Matt and Damon complimented and built off of each other, and provided just enough of a different flavor to give the film more texture and depth. Matt has done original music for several of our other films (Matchbook, Shutter, Die+anetics, m.o.s., and The Date). This might be some of his best stuff. Damon joins Wes McDonough and the Eric Byrd Trio in the ever-growing collective of local musicians who have been generous enough to lend their voices and talent to our films. We thank him for that!

I think that we are coming back with a really nice film, with a lot of heart and spirit. I hope that the people who lived through this in real life are happy with it, and that I got it right. And that the people who were involved in the project are proud of it. I am. And I'm so relieved to be able to say that Where's Duff? is finished. Can't wait to show it.

Where's Duff premiere this Friday!

We started shooting Where's Duff? on February 11, 2006. Just a hair over a year later, we will be premiering the film.

On Friday, March 9 @ 7:00, we will have a screening at the Waldorf School of Baltimore (which also served as one of the locations in the film.) We will be screening 4 of our films on Friday. Shutter (2004), Full Circle (2005), The Date (2006) and finally Where's Duff? (or, 'Duff' as we've taken to calling it.)

The Waldorf School is located at:
4800 Tamarind Rd.
Baltimore, MD 21209

Admission is $5 and includes refreshments.

Where's Duff? was written and directed by Gerry Paradiso and is inspired by his Father-in-law's fight with Alzheimer's Disease, several years back. It's Gerry's directoral debut. He's also co-written several of Dobler's Pen's other projects.

Screening with Duff are three of our more well-received shorts:

Shutter was our entry into the 2004 48 Hour Film Project (Washington, DC).
-Directed by Matt Mickelson, co-written by the group, and edited by Cucillo Consad.
-Shutter won the Audience Favorite Award for the contest that year.
-In addition it was an Official Selection of the 2005 Frederick Festival of Film (in Frederick, MD).

Full Circle is one of our original films (by that, we mean that it wasn't made as part of a filmmaking competition.)
-Directed by Matt Mickelson, written by Dan Franko, and edited by Matt Mickelson.
-Featuring music from The Wes McDonough Band and the Eric Byrd Trio.
-Full Circle was an Official Selection of the 2005 Annapolis Film Festival, 2005 Frederick Festival of Film, and 2006 Maryland Film Festival.

The Date was our entry to the 2006 48 Hour Film Project (Baltimore).
-This was Dobler's Pen's final foray into the 48 Hour Film Project.
-Directed (and edited) by Cucillo Consad, and written by Kasandra Bibaz, Dan Franko and Chris Mueller.
-It won the Audience Favorite Award for the 48 Hour Film Project, as well as Best Cinematography and Best Production Design in the same festival.

We are proud to finally be able to bring Duff out of the editing suite and put it up on a screen for an audience.

Welcome to our new blog!

Since we launched our original website and blog, the blogosphere has expanded greatly. There are better programs out there now, so we're switching over to one of them. So welcome to the new Dobler's Pen Blog.

The great thing about this blog service is that it allows for more authors on the blog. So over the next few weeks and months, you'll be hearing (hopefully) from many more of the Dobler's Pen team.

We'll post about Dobler's events, our projects, our shoots, our screenings and non-Dobler's events...our take on films or filmmaking, the Oscars, our latest theories on Lost or who should be booted from American Idol.

Between this blog, our MySpace site , and our films on You Tube , we'll hopefully have much more Dobler-generated content for you!

Thanks for dropping in!