Merry Christmas!

And a Happy New Year!

We Survived The Corn Maze Massacre

So we actually did it. We shot out a feature in a week. Kristi is syncing sound as we speak.

We want to say a special thank you to everyone that helped us out so much. Obviously Mom and Dad did a ton for us during this entire process. Thank you so much for everything. Thanks to Phil, Kelli, Dallin, and Mary for coming out and being extras. Definitely to the Dollys and Hansens for letting us use their maze and for the burgers and hot chocolate. There were so many people that made this a really good experience for all of us. So thank you all.

I thought I would throw up some stills so you could see what the footage is looking like so far. I did a quick contrast and color pass with Photoshop, so this is not what it's going to look like in the end, but it still looks pretty nice.

Sci-Fi Stole My Dragon

Take a close look at this poster and see if you find anything familiar about it.

Yes indeed. A $3M movie gave their international rights to the same company that carried Dragon Hunter. They didn't like the way the actual dragon in the movie looked so they decided to just use ours, and put a different head on it.

It's undeniably the exact same body. Their dragon looks like a giant flaming sting ray, so I can see why they would want to trade up, but they could have asked.



Even the way that the texture under the arm doesn't quite blend seamlessly.



Here's a side view of the texture and shape of the dragon's neck. We've been robbed.

I met with our distributor yesterday about this. We'll see what happens in the future.

I'll post about something cooler soon. Kristi and I have been insanely busy and very tired gearing up for the shoot in November. So until things calm down again, here's a screaming, angry, Halloween pepper.

I'm going crazy

Sometimes life feels kind of like this:

It's Stormy

There's some insane lightning going on down here this morning. It's pretty cool, but I figured I'd better post something now in case the power goes out or something.

I told dad about this the other day, so I figured I should post a photo as evidence of its existence.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the White Album Puzzle.


Yeah, that's what I though...


In other news, Kristi and I got to enjoy a little weekend away at the Little America in Salt Lake, courtesy of her indentured servitude at her current job.


They offered her a little gift as a Thank You for her 80 hour week a little while back.


And last but not least,

A little message about the upcoming flu season:




You heard it from Bela Lugosi himself. Get your flu shots.
PULL THE STRINKS! PULL THE STRINKS!

Inspiration

I was looking through old pictures today and I remember that I went to the MTC on Phil's BIRTHDAY! So while this is still one of my favorite family photos, it carries a little more meaning with that added context. He's a good kid and a good sport giving us all a windy happy birthday wave.




And now for an inspirational message.


There are times in life when you feel like the whole world is laughing at you.




When things just aren't going your way.




You may feel frustrated.




Or maybe a little inadequate.




Just remember, the 'professionals' get stuff wrong all the time.




So just pretend you know what you're doing, and everything will turn out in the end.




See, these girls are totally jealous.

Back Again

I must apologize for my extended absence from the blogging world. Granted, I never contributed anything truly edifying or life changing, but in the off chance that someone misses these pseudo meaningless posts, here's a little video for you.



And here's a little something for the close of summer. Before it's completely gone, take a moment to enjoy it. Enjoy a good book, or go camping, or bird watching, or supporting the space program, or whatever it is you do to unwind. Take a deep breath and waste a little time on yourself.



Someday I'll write about something terribly important. But until then, I've got a lot of pictures to post.

This One's For Dad

My Fathers Day gift:

A friendly snowball fight.
(you may need to click on it to see the details)



A harmless book store display.

MONDAY PICTURAMA

This week we've actually had a few submissions, so I decided I would add a few of my personal family favorites to the collection. Enjoy.


Deep In Thought



Gone With the Wind



Phil's Evil Approach to Cake



Laura's Evil Approach to My Cake



Kind Encouragement



Deep In Thought About Our Future



Dad's Trophy Kill of the Year

Tuesday's Monday Picture

Jeepers guys, I'm getting bad at posting these things on time. I shall double my efforts to make sure these pictures get up by Monday.

Monday Moving Pictures

Vegas was fun. It was definitely a LOT of driving and it would have been nice to have the money and time to go to a few shows. But we found a lot of fun things to do. One of the adventures we had was at the World of Coca-Cola where they offer "Tastes from Around the World", a tray of beverages made by Coke from different places around the world.



We started tasting the different flavors and things were going just fine.



But then someone warned us about a beverage called "Beverly" from Italy. But how bad could it be? People drink it, right? So we ignored her warning and we all gave Beverly a chance. Here's what happened:

Monday........late

I'm sorry I failed to post something on Monday.



It's been a long week already.

Disapointments and Deception

I'm dedicating this morning's blog to the cruelties and lies that shatter our dreams and harden our hearts.

That's right, how can we really discuss this topic without involving Disney. Watch if you dare, but I must warn you, you cannot unsee what you will see.

Win Dragon Hunter DVDs!

I know I keep posting DH stuff, but since it came out in the UK I keep finding stuff and it's really surreal for me. So today I found a site that is having a contest to win Dragon Hunter DVDs. I laughed out loud when I read it. Here's the URL: http://www.geektown.co.uk/2009/05/12/competition-win-dragon-hunter-dvds/

Who would've thought a movie I made would be a prize for a contest at geektown... Ok, maybe not the life achievement people dream about...or maybe even seek after, but there it is.

I FORGOT!

Dragon Hunter came out today in the UK. Retail price is a whopping $30. But you can find it online for around $16. I think that's still more than it's going to be sold for in the US. I guess we'll find out on July 28th. Anyway, check out this awesome poster from our lovely friends in the UK.



I hop no one is disappointed when they get it and watch it. It looks so much more exciting and firey on the poster...

Monday Monday...

There is a hilarious picture of Mary coming soon. We haven't taken it off Kristi's camera yet, so stay tuned. For now...Charlies Angels:

Mary Poppins in her later years....Freaky.



And always remember, no matter how bad it gets, at least you don't have this guy's job:

Monday...again

Yes. This is a bathroom. I guess whatever helps you go, right?

Monday Afternoon

In all the commotion of the weekend I wasn't able to get these pictures up sooner. Hope I'm in time to brighten somebody's Monday.

HAPPY MONDAY!

It's very happy for us. Kristi will be taking her last finals EVER today. But for those of you who are experiencing the normal, hum drum Monday, here are some pictures. (3 today, just because I'm feeling good)

This first one is just here for sheer awesomeness:



Next on the list:



And you thought all they ripped off were cell phones...

Last but definitely not least:


FINALLY! A baby you can shave!

Dragon Hunter in the UK

I promise I'll stop posting about Dragon Hunter someday, but it's a big part of my every day work life right now and as soon as I wrap it up, we'll be in the middle of Dragon Hunter 2, so it seems like it will be hanging around for a while. Anyway, thought I might mention that the UK will be releasing Dragon Hunter before the US will. Release date for the UK is May 11th. Their poster is a little more action packed than the US version, but not quite as awesome as Japan (but I guess I'm partial to seeing the title translated into another language.) In the UK it's apparently worth like $30 and they think that Brad Johnson is the star. I looked into it and IMDb also seems to think that Brad is the star. I couldn't figure it out until I realized that he is credited as "Hunter" and the movie is called "Dragon Hunter". It's like thinking Bruce Willis' name is "Die Hard" instead of John McClane. Whatever. Here's their action packed poster:

We FINALLY have a date for the US DVD release. It will be coming to DVD on July 28th. Yes, that's our anniversary. Irony only begins to describe it.

No Diving...Stupid Monkey.

I will eventually post something that doesn't involve an animal doing something strange, but this one really spoke to me, so here it is.

Weird Picture Monday

Here's something you don't see every day, but wish you could.
If only there were a photo of the epic battle between these guys and the flying cat.

Pirates and Mondays

So my Google alert has alerted me now to about 50 places online where you can watch Dragon Hunter. The whole movie. I never thought anyone would really consider it worth pirating, but I guess there are some really desperate people out there. It's a different aspect ratio, so if I thought about it hard enough, I'm sure I could narrow down what country it's coming from, but I don't think there's anything I can do about it. Hopefully sales won't be damaged by too much.

In other news, I'm glad the flying cat had a warm welcome. It was the first attempt at something I hope to continue doing for quite some time. Each Monday I will be posting a picture that I have found to be particularly humorous or awesome. My dream is to restore hope to Monday experiencers around the world. Next week will follow a similar theme to this week. Hope to see you then.

Here it is. Peaceful, serene. The silent flying cat.
Sorry it's a little late.

Dragon Hunter on DVD!

Well, the Japanese beat the MPAA. I have a google alert that tells me when something happens that has to do with Dragon Hunter. This came up today:

Their poster is pretty much cooler than ours too.
Thought I would share.

Tune in Monday for the first ever photograph of a flying cat!

Fit For The Kingdom

I thought I'd share something good that has come from Mormon Cinema. Personally, I find myself disappointed with the majority of the films that are being created under this recently created umbrella we call Mormon Cinema, but from time to time there is a little glimmer of hope in this "genre" or category, or whatever you'd like to call it.

A few years ago, 2005 I believe, a documentary film entitled New York Doll was released. It follows the life of a remarkably humble man with an insane past as a famous rock star in the band The New York Dolls. He happens to be Mormon now and has a very strong testimony. The film captivated me.

Now, New York Doll is a remarkable film and I would recommend it to anyone, but I'm actually writing this blog about something else. There is an on going initiative at BYU called Fit For The Kingdom. It's a series of short documentaries about normal people who happen to be Mormon. Some are hilarious, some are very sad, but they're all heart warming and edifying. Here's the link:

http://fitforthekingdom.byu.edu/

At that website you can watch all of the films that have been completed so far. A few of my favorites are

Greg
Whitney and Lynette
Angie
Scriptures
&
Leroy

Anyway, I thought I'd share that with you all. Lot's of love.

Enter to learn, go forth to shave.

You can learn so much by simply looking around you. I thought I'd share some priceless gems
I've been able to take in from the streets of Provo.



What the ladies in Provo do on Superbowl Sunday...


Bulldogs pee green...


Simple truths that we all hold dear...

Delta airlines also offers encouraging words from time to time.


But one of the most interesting things that I learned is that one of the restrooms in the Wilkinson Center on BYU campus now saves 40,000 gallons of water per urinal per day.

Or so said the plaque next to this water-less/hands free device.

This was my first time on campus since I left the place in December. It was also the first time I had ever seen one of these things. But things went smoothly and I proceeded to the sink to wash my hands when I saw this:

Motion detecting facets and soap dispensers!

I leave for a 2 months and everything changes. BYU's gone hands free. But at what price? I began to wonder when I turned to dry my hands and saw this...



The Dyson AIR BLADE. There were no paper towels. The instructions merely direct one to place one's hands inside and then pull them back out. It didn't make any sense. WHAT'S AN AIRBLADE?! Could this be BYU's punchline to a sick "hands free" joke? I felt like I was trapped with wet hands in the temple of doom. I approached the device desperately searching my mind for the key to understanding the one thing standing between me and dry hands. I mutter to myself, "The penitent man...only the penitent man..." But my thoughts are hampered with doubt. What about Indiana? He didn't just kneel. He kind of did a kneel/tuck/roll manuver. Who prays like that? Since when did a vacuum company make restroom stuff? Am I on candid camera? Candid camera in a restroom? What's the world coming to?

Before I knew it, I was standing above the vacuum company torture device. I hadn't thought of any way around it, so I thought I'd just put my left hand in and see what happened.

Sure enough, a thin blade of pressurized air shot from both sides of the top of the device. I pulled my hand out and it was dry. It was really quite amazing. No mortal wounds. But I did check other select restrooms in the Wilk and Library, but they haven't received the same upgrade. I'm still waiting to see what pathagen or tracking chip was implanted into my body after that experience, but nothing yet. I'll keep you posted.