The Royce Files

I caught the You Tube bug shortly after Google bought them. For me it pretty much replaced television since no service could satisfy my eclectic tastes. Then again I did not watch much television to begin with- I just didn't have the time. Well, the advent of You Tubism increased the viral video- the short incredibly absorbing video which made you want others to see.   A few years before- and maybe even earlier- Channel101 became the incubator for the new the short form webisode. One might even suggest the 48 hour film fest also gave rise to the sub-10 minute video. However I am not going to dwell on Channel101 and its sibling Channel 102 (although may have been rebranded as Channel101 NY) in New York. Read the backstory on the wiki page. These twins put out a slew of short forms almost once a month- some good and some not so good. As of late I have perferred the New York flavor's offerings although LA did have Yacht Rock, House of Cosbys, and the beginning of the ever...

Once again Testudo entered the 48 Hour Film Festival this year. In nutshell its sort of a contest with teams and you draw a genre of film and you need to make a 6 minute film all within the confines of 48 hours. We did well last year so we decided to give a go again. Our Genre- Holiday. Our writers had a script out by 9:30PM on Friday and we were filming at 7 AM the next day at the Zoo. My contribution- actor. Yep, I'll be in front of camera with lines this year. And no Elvis costume. I won't say much about it since I have not clue what it looks like. However, it contains drama, comedy, and an ounce or two of sci-fi. Guess I'll take the chicken shirt on that. We finished principal shooting at 6:30 PM. News had also spread that this may be the last time it will be held in town. We need sponsorship to sustain it and a few more teams. I guess you can't blame the organizers- we are sort of an out of the way burg. Yet, the thought of trying to do Minneapolis in the future s...

The bargains this week consist of a micro piano, a North Dakota Tree Booklet, and 4 first day issue catchets. Total= $2.50 The piano cost a quarter! All these were acquired at garage sales while I waited for other scenes to be shot for the 48 hour film fest in town which I was participating.

It's been a hectic month and the RoyceFiles have been in the trunk locked up. Twitter has been updating sporadically. In the meantime, we (well, the production company I work with- Testudo) wrapped up production on the film Mary Weatherby. Its in post production. Once I get over the hump of work I might have time to edit project titled "Glory Rolls" 48 Hour come back to Go in June. I am thinking I might do Minneapolis too. over and out for now.

Indeed it was crowd in the Fargo Theater lobby for the 7 o'clock showing of entries for the 48 hour Film Festival . I thought that this theater was bigger. I think if it seats 1000 then that's pushing the limits. Nevertheless, I was entertained by a wide variety of films (DVs more accurately) that made up the 12 on-time entries to the festival. One entry which did not make it in on time was screened as well and it was a top notch production. Team Testudo arrived in full force with director Charles making a fashionably late appearance. Our film was screened second to last sandwiched between 2 fictional bio-pics. I remember most of the films but unfortunately their titles elude me. Well, not all titles. "No Shoulder," an entry in the drama genre was well executed with some excellent shots. However, it seemed to fall prey to the cliche that drama=yelling and fighting. Nevertheless, it was one of my choices for best film. The other bio-pic which followed our "Fantasy...

The tough part is over. I filmed from 7am to 5pm for a fantasy film. It bent the rules a bit but the obligatory stuff was in there, including a wizard and a battle with a dragon. I also got to play medieval Elvis, which spawned another movie idea- Time Travel Elvis, he didn't die he just leaped into another time. Well Tuesday night is the showing and I hope to get a seat. But how on earth does an event that hardly anyone knows about get sold out. It's not like any famous directors were competing in Fargo. I'll see what the competition (12 other teams) is really like. By my only understanding there are only 2 decent filmmakers in Fargo and I was working with one. So show us the films!

If Bike to Work Week isn't enough then I shouldn't mention the Fargo Marathon or the 48 Hour Film Festival . Once again I will be volunteering as a chip tester on Friday. Shortly afterward I will then join Team Testudo to work on the 48 Hour Film Festival entry. We've been planning since January in some way or other. Basically the deal is you draw a genre of film and then have to include a few required elements and then have 48 hour to make a film or in our case a DV. The team producer Beth has assembled looks pretty good. I'm part of wardrobe and make up and may make a cameo appearance if necessary. Should be a blast. I hope I can stay up. You can view the finished works at Fargo Theater on Wednesday. I'll try and get some good stuff to post. Slan.