The Friday 'Stache

In honor of today's 'stache:



Ahh... Freddie W.

On an unrelated note, I'm working on a post-apocalyptic feature screenplay right now called "Wine of the Wrath" (it's a working title). I won't say much about it, other than that the story kicks off with a nuclear holocaust. And I've discovered since I began that it's easy to get obsessed with vintage Cold War phobias, and dig up pictures and videos of test explosions. It's fascinating to think that, just a generation ago, pretty much everyone was justifiably convinced that some kind of atomic war might descend upon our unhappy world any day.

Forty years was more than enough time to instill in our collective unconscious the fear of a "the big one," to the point that the image of a mushroom cloud still haunts us. There is something otherworldly, surreal, intuitively impossible about the magnitude of that kind of weapon. Fearful and awe-inspiring. We dread our creation, and rightfully. The unveiling of that technology almost single-handedly inspired the post-apocalyptic genre.

Here's why:



Alright, I won't bore you with my solemn contemplations any longer. I was motivated to spend a little time on it today because I had to pitch my feature idea to my fellow screenwriting students (and professor!) today.



It wasn't anything like that. But I was unprepared. I suppose if the stakes had been higher, I would have been more motivated to come up with a compelling delivery. As it is, my poor introduction didn't keep the class from contributing positively to my ideas, so no harm done. None of them had any money anyway.

*****

Fun facts about the Tsar Bomb: its fireball had a diameter of two and half miles. Read more about that bomb here.

For more information about what the aftermath of a nuclear war might look like, check this out. And this.

Hurray for Wikipedia!

The Friday 'Stache

What have you done with my mustache?

A friend of mine (not pictured) recently recommended this channel, and mentioned not-so-subtly that I could perhaps blog about it. Well, I watched a few of their videos, and the concepts were clever, and the production value was reasonably high. But in terms of writing and acting...well, they were YouTube videos. But I felt a little sad that these great ideas, and impressive resources of technical tallent were being somewhat cheapened by these fundamental weaknesses.

I'm probably being too harsh.

In any case, this one went viral, and for good reason. It's not all that impressive in terms of story, and the idea is so simple it seems almost obvious. But it works. It's funny. It's cool. You'll like it.



Probably we can all agree that it works because of Dave Ackerman, who you might recognize as Morgan the Tongue from Orabrush, or perhaps from his own channel, which hits a unique and uncommon key in comedy.

Speaking of Morgan the Tongue:



Mmm...

OK, here's something really wonderful:



Julian Smith is kind of the man. This becomes clearer to me as time goes on. And time does go on.

Lastly, here's a thing you may have no interest in seeing, unless you know Josh Gibson. Let me tell you--I know Josh Gibson, and if you don't, you have my pity. If you'd like, you can pretend to know him while you watch this kind of personal video blog about an important event in his life. Be warned, it is a video blog. There is not what they call "production value." But Josh has one of the pleasantest personalities of which I am aware, so I don't think you'll be unhappy if you make it all the way through.



This is a great use of a medium, I think. This is 11 minutes that he and his family will probably cherish forever. Way to be, Josh Gibson. And, of course, congratulations.

Santa 'Stache (part 3)

Plenty of people play at it, some more successfully than others, but at the end of the every year, Christmas reminds us, quietly but firmly, that when it comes to the almighty 'stache...

No one beats Santa.

A warning: don't end with this first video (thanks Colleen).



A couple of years ago, before she left on her mission to Rome, Lauren Laws and I threw a party called... "Lauren Laws Presents a Jordan Petersen Christmas Extravaganza." It was legendary (5 points for the reference!) At one point, when the party had settled into festive dancing, we made a stupid little video. It's really, really dumb, but I really, really want to post it. If you see yourself in it, or know someone who is, comment! Let us be nostalgic together. After all, it was a golden era at BYU, now gone forever, but we'll have our lovely memories. And this remarkably stupid video:



Generally, I haven't been very enthusiastic about this channel (another Utah comedy thing), but this one got a little audible chuckle out of me, so...here you go! (skip this one if you're short on time)



Solid gift-giving advice:



I watched this year's Orabrush Christmas Special, and then decided I liked last year's better. It starts off a bit corny, but give it a minute and it turns into a pretty clever little satire:



Perhaps the best holiday arrangement of the year, Miranda's seasonal offering is at least six kinds of wonderful (can you count all six?):



OK, lest you come to the reasonable conclusion that I do not take Christmas seriously at all, I shall here introduce a tone of sobriety. First off, here is a link to the LDS Church's new "Bible Videos." I've been hearing about these productions for years now, so it's exciting to see them finally out and floating. All of the six that have so far been released (all under five minutes) are about the birth of Christ. Having seen them all, I can safely recommend that you check them out.

This one is my favorite so far, I think.

And, lastly, a really beautiful music video that I just discovered a few days ago. It's a song from one of the albums I mentioned in Monday's post, and the video came out in 2008.



Merry Christmas, everyone. May this weekend be whatever you most need it to be.

*****

UPDATE: If this had been posted when I was writing this post, I would most certainly have included it. Here's to hoping The Angel Murkurker gets back up and running next year.

mini'stache

Today's post isn't grand enough for a real, or even a cleverly stylized 'stache. So instead, I will share this incredibly dumb drawing I just made on my iPhone.

So, I didn't know you could make a living doing this:




And here's a pretty wonderful rendition of "O Holy Night," a collaboration between some Provo musicians. I think you'll like it. In fact, I downloaded it immediately after I heard it, which is something I...don't ever do.

The Friday 'Stache

I'm not going to spend a lot of time typing at you today because you've got a lot of watching to do.

First, a pretty exciting promo for Dr. Fubalous, coming out this February. This little gem is pretty hard to find without knowing where to look--by design, actually. The creators wanted to give their growing audience a scavenger hunt. So if you want to hunt before you see the promo, click here. If you're lazy, like me, and just want two minutes of hypalicious video, just click here.

The cast they've got lined up for this series is surprisingly impressive: Donnivin Jordan (you might recognize him from Julian Smith sketches, like Malk), Flavor Flav (...I know), Danny Trejo, Colleen Ballinger (Miranda Sings), and...wait for it...Antoine Dodson. 

*****

Just in case you missed it when it officially released yesterday on YouTube, The Letter from Pearl Harbor:

As I predicted, it's beautiful. And the music is lovely. I'd love to hear what you think of it. You can just leave a comment below. Don't worry, this is a safe place. Gush or growl, it's doubtful more than six people in the world will read your comments if you leave them here. But I'm one of those six people, and I would really love to know what you think.

*****

I was asked to narrate the latest from Quiet Dignity: another installment of "Quiet Thoughts." Unfortunately, they needed it sooner than I could manage. Fortunately, they had Trent, who seems to be channeling me in his narrating. I'm flattered and impressed. 

*****

Mr. Graham, I am digging this:

*****

If you've been reading carefully, and following the links, you'll know why I'm sharing this last one:

*****

I do hope you follow those links when you can. Otherwise...well, I guess I've wasted my time in worse ways. Also, comment if you want me to love you more. It always works. Always.

The Friday 'Stache

'Stache action, go!

Stephen (V.) Nelson told me that Quiet Dignity is super committed to releasing a new video every week. So far, they're 6 for 6. Guys, I'm so, so impressed. Keep it up.




Speaking of Quiet Dignity...no, literally, I was speaking of Quiet dignity to a fellow BU film student, and she responded by showing me this lovely little piece:




Here's what you can do with your Thanksgiving leftovers:




And now that Thanksgiving is officially over, we're all allowed to start listening to Christmas music! This is the newest from Jake Justice. (Seriously, though, that name. Gosh.)

The 'Stache is Back

I know! You've so been missing the Friday 'Stache.

Ahem...

 

To start, a lovely new "Worst Roommate Ever" episode from Quiet Dignity (a really funny concept, executed surprisingly well):




My good friend Jake Justice just started his own YouTube channel, and I like it a whole lot. It's all about making dynamic a musical space. Plus, he's really, really good. Enjoy:




Here's a nice little doc about a must-see spot in Utah:




Lastly, Catvertizing (no further explanation needed):

The Friday 'Stache

In an effort to apologize for the missing weekly Friday 'Stache, I present Yanni's luscious locks and seductive 'stache.













First, I am immensely proud of the latest from Quiet Dignity. We got permission from Spencer Russell to use a song from his former band, Mudbison, called "Promise Cutie." It fits perfectly. Enjoy:




Next, here's a thing I saw the other day that I think is pretty swell. I've always really loved kinetic text ("always," of course, just means "since I became aware of it," which was relatively recent), and to see it used to promote some basic tenets of my own religion was, well, neat.




And now for something disastrously wonderful:

My friend Josh Gibson made this a while ago, but he only recently showed it to me. I can't decide which is funnier: the clever (and obvious) humor that motivated it, or the avalanche of negative responses it elicited (really, go to the YouTube page and read the comments):

I was going to dive into a recent incident involving a friend of mine and a soulless, lying, trash-peddling corporation, complete with two short videos as evidence, but instead, I'll leave that for Monday, because I think the entire situation inspires an interesting and important question. So look forward to that, and be prepared to share your thoughts. 

For all you Utahns, enjoy the long weekend. I certainly will. 

The Friday 'Stache

Best. Emoticon. Ever.

Perhaps it was the rock I was under, but I'd never seen it before a friend of mine.










I won't tell you how long this week's Quiet Dignity took me to edit. Suffice it to say there was a LOT of unusable footage, and color correction, and...anyway. I hope it's at least kind of funny.



This whole YouTube comedy channel thing is...not easy.


So, if you're going to make a travelogue slideshow, do it like this:



A friend of mine, Jesse Moore, shared that on Google+ recently. Do you have Google+ yet? Get on it. It's awesome. It might kill Facebook. (Let's cross all of our most hopeful fingers.)


Here's a trailer I love:



And here's a thing I said about it last week:

M:I 2 was wretched. It was directed by John Woo and written by, apparently, a confused but overconfident 15-year-old. Then the third film came out, and lots of people didn't see it, because they didn't want to be punished by anything similar to the previous installment. But it was actually the best of the three, directed by J.J. Abrams, who is an astonishingly good filmmaker. 

Enter number 4, which was written by Abrams, and directed by Brad Bird, who has never done a live-action film, but who HAS directed films like The Incredibles, Iron Giant, and Ratatouille, and took iron-fisted control over all of them, being something of an auteur.

I'll also note that the cast has changed pretty dramatically from film to film. This film will introduce Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), and give Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Star Trek) a bigger role, not to mention the other strong, lesser-known names.

Conclusion: never assume anything about a film until you know who's behind it. The greatest determinant of whether a film will be any good is its writers and director.

Rant concluded.

And this post as well.

The Friday 'Stache

Today's classic 'stache is from my friend Arthur's tumblr, which, I'll add, brings delight into my heart every day of the week.

First, a thing from London:

This is a classic YouTube video. Someone pulled out their camera phone to record something they thought was cool, and 7 minutes later, they had a short film on their hands. It's one shot, of course, and basically an unchanging frame. There is one actor, and a bunch of "extras" in the audience. I think this accidental short film works extremely well for a whole lot of reasons, but instead of babbling about it, I'll just encourage you to pay close attention to all the stuff that's going on here--artistically, culturally, socially, etc. 

Next, a thing from Quiet Dignity (no explanation necessary):

Lastly, here's a really spectacular (literally) tribute to the looming holiday, courtesy of Mr. Graham:

It's a long weekend, so go party hard, everyone.

The Friday 'Stache

Today's 'stache was suggested by DonaMagicShow, via one of his Tumblr posts. Thanks, Brandon (I'll even forgive you for misspelling my name...and my blog.)











I'm not an editor by any stretch of anyone's imagination, but I have done some editing. And I've always used Final Cut (most recently, FCP 7). So I've been following the release of Final Cut Pro X, the latest iteration of the software and a complete redesign. A few months ago, there was a lot of hope that this version would bring with it some much-needed improvements, thereby cementing this product's place in the world of the professional editors. After all, that's what and who the software is for.

Well, it's been released, and it is, as my friend Josh says, "like a bad fart joke." I, the non-editor, am so infuriated by this horrible, horrible new version that I am unable to adequately express myself concerning the matter. Real editors are even more upset, as evidenced by a recent, editor-motivated sketch on Conan O'Brian:



I understand that there will simply be a mass exodus to CS 5.5's Premiere. I'll probably join it, because I will never, NEVER use the new version of Final Cut.

OK, enough of that. Here's something wonderful from Julian Smith:




I discovered, just yesterday, a YouTuber named Vi Hart, who describes herself as a "Mathemusician." Regardless of whether you're a closet math dork (like me) or not, her videos are very charming. And beautifully simple. This one was my first exposure:




This lovely thing recently won the Webby Award in Animation:




For those of us working toward graduation (or having recently achieved it), here's a speech:




Lastly, on behalf of Quiet Dignity, I'd like to ask if you think this is funny, and why:

The Friday 'Stache

This week's 'stache comes from the first person to specifically grow facial hair for 2190. I can't quite express how much this means to me. Thank you, Anthony Ambriz.

And to those of you who are capable of growing hair on your upper lip, I say go, and do thou likewise (meaning: grow a sweet 'stache, take a picture, and send it to me.)






For our first video, a simple gag from Quiet Dignity:



My friend A. Todd (one of the most talented filmmakers I know) is working on a feature-length documentary this summer, and he put together this short film to promote it because, as it turns out, even documentary costs money.



Thank you Mr. Travis for the RhettandLink suggestion in last week's comments. I very much enjoyed it (so suffocatingly Utah I can barely believe it), and will now share the hair with the rest of you:



I also recommend taking a look at the behind-the-scenes video, which itself is startlingly similar in tone to the actual commercial.

Lastly, I want to direct you to this Facebook event, which describes how you can participate in an online screening of a recent BYU capstone film called Gerald. I've seen the film. It's good. Quirky, funny, and oddly resonant--I recommend you take a look if you can.

###

That's it for this week's 'Stache. To earn a fat stack of cool points, leave some suggestions for future Friday 'Staches in the comments below. (Like Travis. What a guy.)

The Friday 'Stache

One day I might have to worry about putting random pictures of people I don't know on my blog, but today is not that day. So feast upon this fiery image while the season lasts.

















Dave Ackerman has a surprise for us this week (seriously, watch this one all the way through):



Quiet Dignity released a new video yesterday, which is primarily noteworthy only in terms of how many takes it took to get one in which the guys in it weren't laughing uncontrollably:



Lastly, Devin Graham released a new video recently that is simply sublime. I challenge anyone to disagree that the images here are infectiously pleasing:



I know. You'll miss 2190 for the next couple of days, but in your darkest moments, remember that on Monday there will be a fresh new post, ready and waiting just for you (plurally).

And because I love you (plurally), here's another little treat. You're (plurally) welcome.

The Friday 'Stache

Let's kick this Friday off with an announcement, in the form of a website: Dr. Fubalous.

This is a project that a few of my friends have been working on for, I believe, over a year now. They'll be shooting it all in July. Knowing the personalities and talents of the people behind this webseries, I predict unmitigated magnificence. You can (and certainly should) check out their Facebook page immediately as well.

Next up, a behind-the-scenes of the John Hendricks music video I posted last week:



That video is courtesy of a project called Urban Media, which is devoted to short documentaries about local urban culture (focused primarily on local musicians). The episodes are pretty high-quality, and the creator, Anthony Ambriz, has been very proactive and dedicated about the series. Regardless of whether you're interested in the subject matter, you should take a look at the content he's produced for an example of higher-caliber YouTube material.

A few days ago, I took a solid couple of hours to watch about a year's worth of Julian Smith's videos on his channel. It's likely you've heard of him, and it's even more likely you've seen his most famous episode, called "Malk." This is his most recent (pay close attention):



Notice that the concept behind this is very simple, and very straightforwardly executed. It's one shot, which means it took some thorough blocking and planning, and probably a number of takes. It's also as cheap as YouTube videos get. Given a decent camera and an as-is setting, they probably spent nothing on this video. And I think it's hilarious. Granted, this is exactly my kind of humor, and not everyone will dig it, but this is very much the kind of thing Quiet Dignity is trying to do, so it's encouraging to see this kind of idea executed so simply, expertly, and successfully.

That's it for this Friday's 'Stache. Once again, please share any thoughts you have in the comments below. What impressed you about what you saw? What didn't? And, most importantly, what have YOU found on YouTube (or anywhere else on the Webotron) that you really like and hope other people discover?

The Friday 'Stache

First off, because I'm so happy with it, the newest sketch from Quiet Dignity:

I love Good Neighbor Stuff, and lately they've been branching out to do other things. This is one of my favorites--it's part of a series called "Fresh Perspectives." 

The mighty James Alexander directed a music video for John Hendricks recently, and I think the fruits are sweet.

Lastly, this has very little to do with filmmaking, per se, but last week, a friend pointed me toward something called RSA Animate. You may have heard of this already, but it's new to me, and I think it's...well, quite neat. If you're familiar with TED talks (everyone should be familiar with TED talks), it's like that, but with cool whiteboard-style animation. This one's my favorite so far:

***

Last week, I got some great feedback on the videos I posted, which made me happy, but no suggestions for other YouTubers (channels or videos) that I should check out, which made me sad. So, if you've recently discovered a video or channel on YouTube that you love, please, share it in the comments. 

(Also, if you haven't yet--and chances are good that you haven't--be sure to "Like" 2190's Facebook page.)

The Friday 'Stache

Friday is quickly becoming my favorite day to post.

Why?

Because sharing cool stuff is the coolest. Period. (Spot the redundancy.)

Welcome to the second weekly Friday 'Stache.




From Dave Ackerman, some dating advice that you shouldn't follow:

A strangely kinetic violinist, photographed grandiosely by Devin Graham: 

And, finally, an apologetic video from Quiet Dignity that, I think, turns out to be funnier than the sketch for which it is apologizing:

Feel like promoting a relatively unknown YouTuber you love? This is the place. Put a link in to their channel in the comments, and I'll take a look and post noteworthy stuff in the future. 

Also, if you haven't taken three seconds to "Like" 2190 on Facebook yet, you should do that right...

...wait for it...

...

NOW!

(thanks)

The Friday 'Stache

Devin Graham is quite a guy. He's the kind of person who will launch headlong into his work and never quit. He'll sleep two or three hours a day, on average, and maintain a manic energy that will surely kill him within the next few years. I've never known anyone who works harder, better, and more consistently than Devin. He's an exhausting inspiration.

Earlier this week, he spearheaded a workshop on BYU's campus about working with YouTube. It was one of the more useful two hours I've spent in the past few weeks. Maybe more. He brought together a host of local YouTubers, from the wildly successful Orabrush team, to The Angel Murkurker, a relatively new sketch comedy group doing some strange and impressive things.

In an effort to do my part and help promote our YouTube community (a robustly talented lot, I may add), and give a shout out to some of their best and most recent work.

For starters, here's something from Devin Graham:



He's not technically local, anymore, but he's a good friend and we went to school together. It would be absurd to leave his work out of a post like this.

Here's something from another of that workshop's attendees and contributors:



You may or may not recognize Dave Ackerman without his enormous pink costume.

And finally, for now, this is still my favorite from The Angel Murkurker:



Every Friday, from now on, I'll bring you stuff from other places. And we'll call it "The Friday 'Stache."

***

Please do the following:

1. Share this post! (or any of its content)
2. Follow this blog! (Like it on Facebook, or subscribe to the RSS, or...)
3. Say something! (Commenting is easy AND pleasure-inducing!)
4. Have a fantastic weekend!