You Are A Moneytrasher

CVS was awesome enough to buy the spot I made. They are currently using it on their YouTube Channel and Facebook Page.  Features Chris Plouffe blowing his nose on a twenty (not really), and my nifty little voice over.





Check it out here as well to see it in action on their FACEBOOK PAGE, along with 4 of my other Poptent Brethren's creations.

Your Mission, Should You Choose To Accept It.

I've made a total of 4 ads this past month for Poptent. Why? Because I'm addicted.

Here are the 4 ads I've created for Poptent and the brands that have hired them to get folks like me to make ads for them.


Client: CVS
Asignment Name: MONEYTRASHERS
Their creative brief was very specific. Make two segments, one that shows how people waste money, and the second that shows how people waste money by throwing out their CVS receipts. Apparently many CVS receipts can be used like cash on your next visit. I had no idea. But now I know, and after watching my as you should know as well.




Client: VIZIO
Assignment Name: ENTERTAINMENT FREEDOM FOR ALL
The objective, to create a video that would give the viewers a sense of urgency, a sense of emotion, to help drive them to see Vizio as more than just a brand, to see Vizio as a revolution. This is actually not completely what I had in mind originally, but the final product came out better than I imagined. I actually really busted my ass on this one. The editing and sound editing were a killer.




Client: BUILD-A-BEAR
Assignment Name: SMALLFRYS
Buildabear needed ads to announce the arrival of their new product called Smallfrys. They sent me a sample to use in the ad. It was a Penguin and it actually comes in a FRY BOX. How cute is that? I went in search of a cute kid to help me sell this ad, and I lucked out when I found Reagan Spiegel. Adorable, energetic, and the right amount of cheese.




Client: POPTENT
Assignment Name: GO GREEN
Poptent has started up this great idea. Have the creators make videos and ads based on one subject, select the best ones, and put them all together in smoething called the VIDEO MART, where companies can shop for ready made ads they can use. Here the topic is Go Green. And immediately I came up with an idea. Paid off too, this video was selected to go in the Video Mart. Got paid for it too.



I log on to my Poptent Profile, I peruse the assignments, I pick out which ones I click with and or have time for, I download the assets, look over the creative brief to see what the brand wants, and then I go to work on a tailor made video for specific brands.


It almost feels like I work for the Impossible Missions Force. I get a brief with mission instructions, I choose to accept the mission, and I execute said mission. Speaking of Mission Impossible, I AM SO VERY EXCITED ABOUT MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 4.

Look I'm not a big Tom Cruise fan, but I do love JJ Abrams, and I REALLY love Brad Bird. JJ is producing, Brad is directing. I immediately assume it's going to be amazing. The trailer certainly seems like it is.



Ok, hopefully there will be a big enough break from making ads, long enough for me to get the rest of REDD casted, raise the money, and finish it in September. Also got Monster Cops episodes, and that new short film Firelight, which I'm honestly starting to re-think the title. We'll see.

The Paper Puppet's Dilemma

I've made videos for Poptent several times in the past. I'd say that only a few of those times I actually felt a click when I made it. I definitely felt it with this one. Hope I'm not jinxing anything, but I am so very proud of this one. It's silly, stupid, and goofy, but the point is to get your attention and stick in your brain so you'll remember the product and brand name. Boise X9 Paper.



As soon as I saw the assignment on Poptent I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I've always loved paper tricks and origami, and making videos with paper has always served me well in the past. My paper rose tutorial (which I've mentioned several times before, I'm sure) did very well for me. Will this one workout for me as well? Who knows. What I do know is I really enjoyed making this one.

Here's the tutorial on how to make your own paper puppet with one sheet of paper. Made this a while back.

It's too cerebral! We're trying to make a movie here, not a film!

To be introverted or not to be introverted. That is the question. I mean, we all are naturally, but I feel maybe I've not been taking enough responsibility in my own actions. Maybe that's why funding is failing. Maybe it's supposed to.

Don't mind me, I'm just being an Emo Moviemaker. A little down about fundraising, sure, but more down about not being able to create, well, ya know MOVIES! Something cinematic. Something really great.

I'll keep trying. The best way I can. And that's all you can do.

"Do or do not, there is no try."

Yes Master Yoda, but sometimes, trying is all you can do.

I hate this. I don't like that feeling of coulda, shoulda, woulda. It happens when you're trying to make something out of nothing. You look back on things and wonder what else you could be doing. What else you could have done or would have done.

It's time to look long and hard at the possiblity that no one is going to give you money. But we try anyhow. And you keep trying. And while you're trying to do that, you try to do everything else as well.

For example, my latest ad for Poptent. A commercial for the Nokia Nuron.

I went down the normal laundry list of ideas. Comical, cute, irreverent, or perhaps straightforward and general. All while trying to convey the information the brand wants to broadcast about their project.

Doing many skits, and viral vids, I had immediately come up with several ideas, some of them doable, some of them good, but none of them that click. And when I say click, I mean that click you here when art connects with storytelling, and when the visceral connects with intellectual to create something truly tangible (am I being too cerebral?).

In other words I wanted something that gave me an AHA moment. And I had come up with something that was almost there. But I was holding back. Mainly because in my mind I was separating my ad work from my true creations. It's like there are unseen lines categorizing what I make. The ads are what I make for other people, everything else is geared toward me true goal, to make something truly cinematic, something with gravitas and depth.

And then it finally dawned on me. I was being STUPID. Why am I categorizing? Why have I unconsciously drawn these lines to box in what I was trying to do? There is no difference between my stuff and their stuff. Instead of whining about how I wish I could make something cinematic, why don I just do it. Who cares if it's for another company.

I know it should have been obvious. But sometimes you get wound up in things, I had alot to juggle, and I started organizing my brain, when it didn't need organization. So instead of just making an "AD" let me try to tell a story, and attempt to do it in a cinematic fashion.

Below is the ad I came up with. Went through a couple of versions, but this is the one I'm satisfied with the most.




Maybe when you watch it you only see a cute video using a couple of stuffed animals. But I'm very proud of it. It was an honest attempt to convey a plot cinematically. Which is to say create a story with images and sound. Not just some simple set up a camera and shoot something funny, but a genuine mini-movie about one character looking for something and finding it.

I took great pains to achieve it. I wanted to convey a somewhat Sci-Fi tone, especially with the lighting. Very much in the vein of Amazing Stories or Close Encounters. And then go into that playful child like feel and end on a fairy tale happy ending.

The bears were old props I've had for 10 years. Used for another project, I dug em out of the old prop box. It all seemed to click. Especially with the music. I used an old track I wrote years ago for another project called "Halloweenland". That score I was very proud of when I had created it, and it matched this concept perfectly.

Doing this ad made me excited to do my feature Bobby's Closet. My little sci-fi adventure monster movie that's very much a nod to the 80's adventure flicks. That's going to require a much bigger budget, around $80,000 at the least. Hopefully when I get to it, I'll be able to have a higher budget and really take off with it.

Until then, I'll create my little cinematic moments in everything I do and whenever I can. Perhaps it'll eventually get me the funding I need.

Speaking of funding. Our time at Kickstarter has ended. We did not reach our target goal, which means we did not getting our funding, but it was fun, and we did get the word out to a few more people about Monster Cops. No regrets there. But as I said before, we have to keep trying.

So please take a look at our IndieGoGo page. It's just like Kickstarter but we actually get to keep the pledges even if we don't reach our goal. So this is me officially saying we're putting out a DVD this Fall. Click the widget below, make a pledge and you will get a reward for it whether it be producer credits, t-shirts, or a DVD.




Thank you so much to those that did back us on Kickstarter. It means alot to know we have your support. THANK YOU.

Off I go to make something cinematical. And no excuses, no time for being down anymore, you want to make something really great, with depth, with true AHA moments? Then just go and do it. Then show it to people. Show it to everyone.  And yes the coulda, shoulda, woulda, moments will come and go, but the best remedy for that is DO something, and when you can't do something, you can at least TRY.  Cuz if you don't try, then you'll end up with a whole lotta nothing.

If you want to make movies, then make movies. If you are a moviemaker then remember, don't just make movies, make movies everywhere and every chance you get. I don't care if you're just cutting together a car commercial or shooting your cousin's Bar Mitzvah, make it a movie.


Betsy? It's now or never. We are gonna make a movie.
- Bowfinger

Patrickprejusa.com

If you were looking for PATRICKPREJUSA.COM and you ended up here, congratulations, you are now at PATRICKPREJUSA.COM. I had my personal site over at devhub.com. But their servers kept going down, there were entirely too many issues, and since I learned you could add pages to blogger, and I really just wanted a place where I could blog AND show people my videos, then I didn't really need devhub anymore. So here we are.

Currently Monstercops.com is built over on devhub, but eventually I'll move it off there and on to a better server. Also I'm hoping we'll have enough money by the fall that I can get a fully professional site up and running. Something I won't have to babysit so much, and that'll have better more accessible video options.

We are only about 4 days going into 3 days left for our Kickstarter. We are now at $645 our of $4000. As you may know, if we don't reach $4000, it all goes away, and I must head back to my seasonal job as an ice road trucker, not really.

If we don't make it, then there is a plan B. This plan B is called INDIEGOGO. It's yet another crowdfunding site much like Kickstarter, except there you keep all the pledges regardless of reaching your goal. I've been testing it out for a year now, and I've finally set a deadline for funding on it. But more on that after the Kickstarter date runs out.

I'm also hoping some of our other plans for funding workout. A few possible investors maybe, and then of course sponsors that we can help advertise for. But as I said before, if none of it pans out, we'll be producing the next episode anyhow, it'll be just like normal, a pain in the ass that'll take about 8 months to do. Meaning you won't see a new episode til next year. Hey that's reality, we don't always get to do our dreams when we want to do them.

Working on a few ads for Poptent, that may or may not help out. Created two ads for the Moe's Queso assignment, both are listed on the ADS PAGE. Made a La Quinta Inn Ad as well, that one will be listed momentarily. What I love about Poptent is the videos you make aren't chosen by votes or popularity. The companies and brands that requested them pick what they want. Also Poptent is just filled with great creators, and I'm proud to be a part of that community. Also, they have made me money in the past, so I may be a bit biased. If you have any creativity at all and some skill with video creation, then you're bound to make money on Poptent.

I feel the same about fundraising for indie movies in general. If you have some kind of talent, the drive, skill, and a bit of smarts, then you're bound to get the money you need. I'm hoping that's true for me. And fast too, because we're missing out on some major fests for Monsters Vs. Cops, and I'm sure that's one of the things that will help really get Monster Cops noticed. Definitely need at least $400 before July. So fingers crossed. Really need to make it to the NYTV Fest, Vimeo Awards, Rock And Shock, and NYC Horror Fest. This thing needs to get out in front of audiences, now.

Going to work on another Vlog today, updating and trying to entice people to pledge. But mainly I need to finish this commercial for Nokia's new phone. The deadline for that one ends the same time as Kickstarter, so alot to do this week. The ad for that one I'm really aiming for a cinematic look. Don't know if I can reach exactly what I see in my head, but I'm going to try. If you've been watching my tweets then you have a clue that it does involve Teddy Bears.

And I'd like to say again, THANK YOU to Night Of The Living Podcast for helping us get the word out about Monster Cops. Please check them out NIGHT OF THE LIVING PODCAST. Also look them up on iTunes, subscribe, and give them a high rating. Great podcast.

Snickers Machine

The video I busted my ass on all last week. It's for the Snicker's Assignment over at Poptent. I've said it before, if you're video maker and you want to try to build up your portfolio while trying to earn some money for major brands, then you've got to go over and sign up at POPTENT.



I've been with these guys for a while now and it's been a blast making videos for them, and it's helped me out financially as well. It's one of the many ways an indie moviemaker / video maker can make some money.


I will say that I tend not to work on video contests unless I feel the video itself can benefit me in more ways than just trying to win money. Here I decided to make a Rube Goldberg Machine. To be honest it's something I do alot actually. Origami, magic tricks, make Rube Goldberg Machines, it helps me think.

Not only did I think it would make a great video for Snickers, but I also wanted to finally shoot one of my machines to actually show what I have in mind for some of the scenes in Bobby's Closet. In case you didn't know, Bobby's Closet is a feature length film I plan on shooting next year, and or as soon as I can raise the money. The movie is a sci-fi, action, adventure, fantasy flick filled with funny characters, old school monsters, and a lot of Rube Goldberg Machines.

Here's the Rube Goldberg Machine Video I made for Snickers.



It was initially much longer, and featured parts I made for the now scrapped Halloween Machine video, which was going to feature a Halloween themed Rube Goldberg Machine. My ideas for it were entirely too big for the space I have right now. Maybe next year. I decided to use what I had and combine it with new pieces and parts for this here Snicker's video.

It was a HUGE pain in the ass to shoot. I could've easily faked each part of it, but the hard part of it was that it was pretty much fully functioning. That's what was so difficult. I was shooting it in pieces and cut angles, so when I rolled on one set up, the machine would keep going, and I'd try to stop it, and then re-setup everything. On top of me having to reset parts to get more than one angle at it. Oh how many times the ball would roll away from me, underneath a desk, and don't even get me started on how many times I had to set up those dominoes.

I know a lot of people who are in to Rube Goldberg Machines prefer the single take method. One uncut shot that records each and every step. But I prefer to see how each and every part functions, and seeing different angles to get an understanding of each part that moves. I was originally going to set up more than one camera to capture the entire machine in one go, but I only have one decent digital camera, the rest were of varying formats and qualities, and I wanted to try to stick to one format and look.

I love Rube Goldberg Machines. I loved seeing them in movies like The Goonies and Pee Wee's Big Adventure. All this ties into what kind of movie Bobby's Closet is, and how Rube Goldberg Machines fit into the movie. I hope Snickers likes it, but even if they don't, I've at least finally got an example scene for Bobby's Closet.

Click here to find out about Rube Goldberg.

Click here to find out more about Bobby's Closet.

Click here to go to Poptent and watch my video.

Residue Evil Part 2: THE MONSTER

The third and final ad for the Old Spice Everclear assignment.



Monster created by Richard Gaither. Destroyed by Chris Plouffe. The Monster was played by Darin Chamberlin.

Old Spice Infomercial

My second ad for Old Spice Ever Clear. I hope to get 2 more done and submitted. Enjoy.

When It's Cooking, It's Cooking.

So happy there are so many production opportunities coming up. At least ones that I feel. Assignments, contests, and video production jobs always come up, but I can't really seem to work on them unless I'm feeling it. This new Old Spice assignment over at Poptent totally hit me, and I had a ton of ideas. First off, they already have a great campaign, with ads featuring Bruce Campbell and Neil Patrick Harris, as well as having a solid comedic tone overall, I knew which way to take this project.

The ad I wrote was actually about 60 seconds long. I assumed when I got into post, I could work the magic and cut it down to the required 30 seconds. No such magic. Sometimes the editing just can't help the script. But I was able to cut together a different kind of commercial using the footage, and use the rest of the script (along with other ideas) to make a couple more ads. I really feel this assignment and hope it ends up paying well, but as always with any assignment or contest, it's about the fun first. If I didn't get an idea that I knew I would enjoy making, then the ideas wouldn't be worth doing. Plus it all adds on to the old portfolio, which will do nothing but help any shot at raising money for the feature film.

Here's the final ad entitled Residue Evil: Part 1 "Happenings". I wanted Brandon to play it like something was haunting him, in this case a generic deodorant the causes white clumps of residue.



This is titled Part 1 because I hope to have a Part 2 and 3 to this Residue Evil saga, basically paying homage to different genre's of Horror films. In this case this is very much a haunting. Wish we would have added in a few more supernatural type moments (Deodorant Floating, Deodorant spelling out DIE on a mirror), but overall I think it's alright. Getting good feedback so far, and in the end I just want to make you laugh, if not chuckle, while learning about the product, which I must say is pretty nifty.

Also got another video opportunity that I'm very excited about, because this one immediately gave me an idea that I'm very excited about doing. Definitely one I hope I can pull off the way I see it in my head. Again, so happy I'm getting assignments that I'm feeling creative wise.

Of course all this dealys Monster Cops for a few weeks, but it's cool. I need to let this episode sit for a while, the script I wrote for it wasn't sitting right with me, and this'll give me sometime to sort it out, as well as possibly get some new gear and guns, and get that giant monster up and ready for it.

Tomorrow, more work on HHM, the new project, work on details for Residue Evil part 2 and 3, work on the feature film. Somewhere in there there is working out and cleaning the house.

Diablo

Here's my video for the Callaway Golf Promotion. They're trying to promote their new driver called the Big Bertha DIABLO.





They wanted to stick with the theme of "Release Your Inner Diablo." So I decided to take it literally. I immediately thought of an Exorcism scene, capped off with a cheesy punchline.

Irreverent? Yes. Corny? Most definitely. But I just had to see how it would turn out. Chris Plouffe as the Priest, Sarah Vroom as the possessed girl, and me, Patrick as the corny looking Monk at the end. Additional production help from Brandon White, Richard Gaither, and Darrin Chamberlin on lights, wind, and paper.

The actual words of the exorcism were mostly taken from a Supernatural episode with a few words thrown in from Chris.

I am quite proud of the opening shot of the skyline with clouds and lightning. Those were two public domain photos, one of Long Beach, the other of a cloudy sky. I animated them using Sony Vegas. The final shot of the golf club was a still of the Diablo club cut out using After Effects and placed on video of papers being dropped on the floor. Lightning and pan and crop done in Sony Vegas.

We'll see if it goes anywhere, but as always, it was fun to do, which makes it worth it either way.

Exciting yet Crappy

Exciting because it's going to be a historic day in what is already a historic campaign. It's going to be neat to watch how it all unravels.

Crappy because I'm sick. I've been sicker. But I'm sick enough to not be able to do anything truely productive, yet still not sick enough to not do the day job, of course. It's cool, I heal fast. I was just really looking forward to calling everyone, getting things organized, and get the rest of these shots done for the next two Monster Cops episodes.

Speaking of Monster Cops, apparently Brightcove, the video platform I use to stream video on MONSTERCOPS.COM, will stop there Brightcove.tv platform (which was free), in order to concentrate on their Brightcove Business platform (which is not free). I totally understand this move, and I should have seen it coming, thing is I don't think I can afford to pay for Brightcove just yet. Great timing since I just posted the first Monster Cops episode. Oh and thanks to everyone for their kind comments about the episode, glad you all liked it.

Anyways, it's disappointing because I really love the quality and how easy Brightcove is to use. Oh well. I know their are other video platforms that can be used, just gotta find one that has equal quality and affordability (meaning free.)

Ooh I wonder if PopTent would let me upload a 24 minute short.

All that aside, I urge everyone to go out and rock the frickin vote. Doesn't matter who you vote for, just go and VOTE!!!!

PopTent

The people over at XLNTADS.com have put together a brand new site. It's called POPTENT and it's pretty much like facebook for video creators. That description is totally not doing it justice. As if I wasn't already a huge fan of Xlntads, and not just because I've won two of their contests. Poptent rocks my socks.

Xlntads was basically a site that would connect video creatives to brands that needed advertising. A brand would need a specific type of video created, Xlntads would put up all the info as an assignment asking video creators to submit videos, the submissions that were chosen (the ones the brand liked) would earn a set amount of money.

Xlntads takes it a step further with the new site Poptent.net. Here it's the same process but video creators can now have their own profile, upload media, basically have their own online portfolio. This makes it easier to not only get assignments and earn some money, but also to connect with other creatives, or anyone needing your specific talents or skills. I'm just a really big fan of how easy the entire site is to use. Easy to edit your profile, easy to upload anything really, music, videos, images, etc.

And their video player kicks ass. Here's the Monter Cops 1.3 intro.




Check out my profile on poptent.