NEW MUSIC VIDEO

Darren and I agreed to doing a music video. I wrote an ambitious script that highlighted Darren's personality, his beautiful motorcycle, and his skills as a choreographer and dancer. This is one of those videos that literally fell into my lap creatively. It needed to be done! 

And we are pretty stoked on the product. 

Sign up on Patreon now and get a free signed CD from Darren himself!

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In order to watch the Official Music Video , you have to become an Exclusive Patron. There is a new tier that offers a one of a kind signed CD from Darren himself of the single "Dance Like Nobody's Watching."

Planning for the shoot was critical. So I scouted a famous location used by many Bloomington, Indiana filmmaking brethren in the past. The Woolery Mill. 

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I scouted the location and filmed a video describing each camera move. Link Here. While it was a good plan for me and the crew, Darren still had to come on the day of production blind and come up with the moves on his own. It is a testament to his talent in choreography and dance that he was able to put together the complex movements that met the camera.

It was extremely important that we were precise in matching the tempo of the song to  dynamic camera movement. 

 The AD Logan Hunter and I have to review the shot list over and over again to ensure we got everything. We had to comb the song to ensure the video was not only covered. But KICK ASS. 

And I got thank my cast and crew for persevering a fast and efficient creative process. I must thank Darren for meeting me as a performer and bringing everything I asked of him to life. Currently I am attempting to make Darren his own cologne. Once approved I will offer it to cologne subscription patrons. But right now we are offering a BRAND NEW tier where you can get a signed CD of the single by Darren. There are only 20 offered ever, so get yours today!

Much love,

Byron

Authority

Leah (Wynter Zabrina) looks away while Kristina (Angelia Marie) confronts their Ballet Instructor.

Preview Clip of “Authority” at bottom of the page.

Authority is not a comfortable film to watch, but it was never meant to be. The reason I wanted to make this film is very simple. This kind of thing happens everyday, and usually it is ignored. Until very recently many institutions including filmmaking have been exposed for having condoned this type of behavior for years. A general example would be the success and fall of Harvey Winestein, but this film isn’t about the filmmaking industry.

This film is about an Instructor in the world of Ballet.

Stirling Matheson shows Peter Law the proper way to teach Ballet.

Accepting that I knew nothing of Ballet, I asked my friend Stirling Matheson from The Ballet Theatre of Indiana to be my Co-director. I wanted to ensure the class was as authentic as possible. Stirling himself is a tour de force in cinema. We will be working together on a feature later this spring featuring the many talented dancers of the Ballet Theatre of Indiana.

A couple of weeks before we shot Authority the Ballet world was rocked by the #metoo movement, when allegations were made about some New York City Ballet authorities. We knew we had a hot subject on our hands, yet it only motivated me to make this film even more. It had to be done.

Link to Article

Producer Jordan Leigh Wheatley and Assistant Director Emelie Flower were essential in assisting me with the emotional reaction of our talent. Our casting came together better than I could have hoped. Wynter Zabrina as Leah took on a sensitive role with so much grace and nailed take after take. Then there was Pete Law, our instructor. His part was not an easy one to play, but his dedication, professionalism, and overall greatness as a performer persevered to create an organic representation of an experience that usually stays behind closed doors. The whole cast and crew cared deeply about the subject matter. We debated creative differences and took our time with the performances.

Josiah Duncan Prepares to shoot steady with the Atlas Orion 65mm.

Knowing I wanted the maximum quality for this project. We rented the Atlas Orion B Set, a collection or 2x anamorphic lenses. Director of Photography Josiah Duncan had already signed up with me to shoot “Authority” but the opportunity to use such powerful lenses only added to his excitement.

Preparing the Storyboards might have been the most important part of this process. I wanted the lens to be too close for the audience to ever truly get comfortable. I wanted the aggressive yet subtle moments of the class to be visibly shocking to the viewer while taking root in the reality being conveyed.

Leah (Wynter Zabrina) reacts as Instructor (Pete Law) readjusts her technique.

In the end you will have to be the judge yourself as an audience member. As a filmmaker I feel a need to express myself through storytelling with ideas rooted in some form of reality so it is relatable. Be that reality ugly or beautiful, uncomfortable or incredible, as storytellers we must make it honest above all else.

Situations LIKE IN “Authority” OCCUR all too OFTEN in our world.

Was it just a matter of time for movements like #metoo to hit the Ballet world? Have we seen the inevitable exposure of a societal norm that has been underlying throughout our entire history? These are all questions we must ask ourselves, but most importantly we must ask ourselves:

How to we move forward and get better?

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Here is the first minute from Authority.

Producers

Jordan Leigh Wheatley

Brentton Reynolds

Starring

Wynter Zabrina

Angelia Marie

Pete Law

Audrey Robson

Photographed by

Josiah Duncan

1st AC

Andrew Torbenson

2nd Ac

Adam K. Allen

Gaffer

Nathan Savidge

Grip

Kyle Smith

Makeup By

Hallie Baumann

Co Director

Stirling Matheson

Assistant Director

Emelie Flower

Follow In My Wake

Sometimes you get inspired by something or a time so special in your life that you have to express it someway. I experienced the contents of this film a long time ago and wrote it about a friend who was at one time very important to me. Maybe the most important to me. 

As life goes on our priorities change, we begin to hone and design our desires into seemingly tighter sets of preferences. I admit, I am a lot more particular than I used to be but I haven't ever lost my penchant for the edge. 

Follow In My Wake is the miraculous tale of two people who think of each other fondly and often enough that the universe literally makes it happen. 

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I also got to work with one of my friends and favorite actors Zachary Spicer. I was pretty nervous to have such a pro in the room but prepared thoroughly by photographing our own storyboards with Director Of Photography Andrew Siner.  

We also brought the sensation-able Madie Allender to play opposite of him who brought a dynamic and psychological performance. If you haven’t worked with Madie I highly suggest it.

Example below Lol.

I have since lost the gold beanie.

The need for more time. . .

As ever present is in all my films seemingly. I need more time. But that is not the point of the 30/30 films, the point is to make these films as efficient as possible. Nevertheless we had to shoot two days on Follow. I always underestimate dramatic performance. I think comedy is a bit easier for me. But I love enabling my audience to feel through a real performance in a drama. Maybe our strengths and desires do not always mix well. But I am happy to say we have a damn good short to show you.

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Rom and Mel meeting for the first time in a long time.

Why this short?

This short means a lot to me. Having used to have long distance relations that never seemed to work out. But that hope, for these long gone loves to eventually actuate is the substance of this piece. Capturing a moment that is or was impossible for the characters before hand. Hats off to Zachary Spicer and Madie Allender for two great performances.

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Star Wars: The death of the force, and the end of a potential auteur.

I love the new Director, But. . .

Like everyone else on this Christmas I went and saw Star Wars with big expectations and wild dreams of seeing Luke Skywalker after all this time. Undoubtedly whether a fan or not you we're probably drug into the theatre to check out this newest installment. 

Rian Johnson is one of my favorite directors. Ever since Brick won Sundance and propelled him to working director status I have loved to watch basically everything he's done. Brick was and is one of the most unique films that has ever been created. A neo-noir set in High School in which Joseph Gordon Levitt sets off to discover who killed his ex girlfriend and deliver them to justice. 

Subscribe to TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/sxaw6h Subscribe to COMING SOON: http://bit.ly/H2vZUn Subscribe to CLASSIC TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u43jDe Like us on FACEBOOK: http://goo.gl/dHs73 Follow us on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/1ghOWmt Brick Trailer - A teenage loner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.

Brick propelled both JGL and Rian to the ranks of stardom,  and allowed Rian to do his first studio film Looper. Which also stars JGL and Bruce (Effing) Willis. It was a pretty damn good movie riddled with time bending story structure. 

So now that I have explained why I was so excited for this new installment of Star Wars lets get down to the grit. 

It was bad. 

The movie was bad. 

Please stay calm, all will be explained.

The Number 1 reason: Mark Hamill's performance

Ok Rian, what is up? How in the world did you not notice that Mark Hamill had no range whatsoever. His decisions were bulky and hard to read. 

He wore one expression the whole damn time. This one. 

And the same. 

You get the idea. But that isn't even the worst part. The worst part is that I didn't like this Luke Skywalker. He was an utter asshole who was not even connected to the old hero of the day. 

Did you like the new Luke Skywalker? 

Breath, relax, answer logically with truth-fullness as your partner in crime. It is almost a crime to say you don't like the new Star Wars movie. But lets look a why you can. Essentially in this point in this blog you can officially say; no, you suck Byron, goodbye. But I have some things to say here. They may be close to what you may be feeling. Why couldn't I like my old hero?

Why the hell did we not get any epic showdown? 

And do NOT tell me that weak sauce lightsaber fight with Kylo Ren (in which Luke was not even present) counts. Come on, epic force stuff fight, LIGHTSABERS CLASHING, boulders tumbling. We need it! We crave it! Give it Disney. Give it Rian Johnson. And where is the force?

THE FORCE (THE STATE OF THE FORCE)

What did we loved about Star Wars to begin with. This mythical connection to all things. The ability to hone and develop ONES own power to manipulate the state of objects and beings in the metaphysical universe. 

OBIWAN KENOBE

The cannon is a bit different than the Star Trek reboot. Disney sought to spread it out a bit more than @JJABRAMS first directed a Classic Sci Fi fit for the new age. However, one character, that is still beloved shows the difference in spades. Obiwan went through more than Luke. No matter how much you hate episodes 1-3 by George Lucas, Obiwan endured the worst out of any character in Star Wars has to date. He watched the death of his trainer Qui Jon Il via Darth Mall. Reluctantly took the task of Aniken Skywalker's training to his own failure. By attempting to stop Aniken's inevitable journey to the dark he watched the entirety of the Jedi order pass away to the Empire. However, after years of exile he handled Luke in a way that defeated the Empire. He was able to fix his initial mistakes. This is that big story arch deal that makes it or breaks it for me. How in any way was Luke Skywalker a match for the beloved Obiwan? He wasn't. He was an angry old man. A one trick pony. With no powers and no ability to train. Also, why in the hell couldn't we have seen a little more of the damn Jedi temple, that would have been awesome. One sleeping scene of Ben Solo? 

LUKE'S EXILE

Ya, I would be a bit reluctant to start over too.  I would probably shout and scream to not train another Jedi if I was Luke Skywalker. But the deal is that there was little to no development of  his character. Or Rey's training. LUKE stayed reluctant until the departure of his protege. Then stepped back into the fight. Why is he so angry? He barely gave Rey an ounce of training before she went and took on the Sith herself. Ya right? 

WITHOUT TRAINING 

There was no TRYING, there was no ATTEMPT, to learn the force. Watch The Last Hope and tell me if learning the force is easy. Even Aniken, whom becomes Darth Vadar has tons of trouble learning the force with years of training.

IT IS ALL WAY TOO FAST AND MADE FOR AN AUDIENCE OF ENABLERS.

YES THAT IS YOU. DISNEY IS PONING YOU. NEWB.

 If you remember right in The Empire Strikes Back Luke had to go to the Daegoba System in order to find Yoda and get some more training. BUT Even after his training he was still no match for Vader and lost a hand in the battle. Yet Rey and Finn survived a battle with a well trained Sith Kylo Ren in the end of the The Force Awakens. NO, do not feed me some half brained story about how Chewy's cross bow had something to do with it. He a is a trained Sith fighting two people who have NEVER touched a light saber. COME ON! Breath, Trust your feelings. Disney is poning you. 

How the hell is Rey getting all the abilities of the force all at one time? Then Finn can do some special tricks too? Why can everyone just use the force at their will? This creates a universe in which "everyone is special" and has very bad story arch implications. NOW, There will always be a solution, simply put, one character gets more powerful. Its complete crap and will lessen conflict in the force.

AND THE FORCE IS ALL ABOUT CONFLICT BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARK. 

FUNDAMENTAL ISSUE IN STORY DISNEY!!!!

 In The Last Jedi Rey is a full on Jedi who can move huge boulders and defeat some super duper Emporer's guards with little struggle. IS IT ALL SPECTACLE?

The force is dead, and everyone can access it with the wifi password. The huge existential conflicts of Star Wars have been dumbed down to hog wash we have to drink with Disney who has a horrible track record with the hiring and firing of great directors. 

Disney is making films that everyone can watch and never be insulted by. The special soup that Star Wars has always had is leuk warm. The struggle between light and dark isn't a struggle anymore. Because the light has all powerful idiot savant Rey to save the day.  

I give kudos to the cast for being exceptional actors. But this fans opinion is that they were directed wrong. And Rian Johnson did not possess the huevos to stand up to Disney to risk his own success. Can't blame him really. But will this movie be remembered:

NO.

SOLUTION TIME

Yes like every blog post, I suggest a wholehearted solution to remedying these ailments  of Star Wars owned by Disney. It isn't an easy task by any measure but I believe all we need to save Star Wars is a spin off series that is RATED R. Imagine a blend of Blade Runner meets Star Wars. When I was young I would go to rated R movies all the time. Look I am well adjusted. (Right?) We need to balance the force here. Ya, fine keep your watered down, everyone knows the force, Disney version. But we need the realistic, gritty, noir, that is the balance to the whole franchise. 

 We got close with Rogue One and I throughly enjoyed every moment of the war movie. But it Disney still reshot half the movie because it was too "violent." Making it only half way to a realistic portrayal of what the circumstances surrounding the retrieval of the Death Star plans. I want to see a directors cut. 

And now for something completely different. 

IN A DIFFERENT GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY

• The force is little known to the inhabitants of year 2056 earth.

• The Earth was invaded by the empire.

• A few know how to use Light Sabre's called "Timekeepers"

• The timekeepers protect earth from an alien race called "The Agori" Or "The Empire."

• The Force begins to be discovered in a young girl/boy.

• A character" Jim Shout" decides to protect her/him against the legion he belongs to and it's leader "The Author."

• It is rated R.

• Leaves open the possibilities

2018 copyright Grumpy Golden Entertainment

This isn't exactly a promotion, but it is an idea. Yes this is my film, and it has it's faults. But I did build a whole universe around the idea of an earth based extension of the Star Wars Cannon. 

Either way we need to balance the force. The only way to do that is rebel against the empire.

Which is Disney.