The Frontlines of Filmmaking

There’s something you should know about making movies. It’s pretty easy. Kind of like making pasta, putting on socks, riding a bike. Oh, wait, that's right - it's SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT!

You see, even the smallest, shortest, and simplest of films take hours upon hours of work, planning, development, and creating. Everything from long sleepless nights of work, blood, sweat, and computers go into making a movie in today's day and age. On top of that, if you want to make your dream movie, you need to do some hardcore networking and take a few classes on bank robbing OR have deep pockets; because they cost a lotta dolla billz.

As some of you might be aware, Michigan's legislature recently just slaughtered the budget of the Michigan Film Office. What does that mean? Well that means the funds available to the Film Office to award to local crews and movies being made here in our great state has been axed and starting in just a few months all funds remaining with the office will revert back to the State. They plan on taking away resources that help make movies in Michigan. Why? To fix roads...not the worst reason, but it still is a sucker punch to the gut for us filmmakers!

Don't get us wrong, we are not protesting here; it is just a bit disappointing. But you know what - we are local filmmakers and we believe in the power of storytelling in our community - and West Michigan is that community. The news sent shock waves throughout the industry just two weeks back when the announcement was made, and many of the indie filmmakers here in the area have already noted they are packing up shop and moving elsewhere - but this is our home, our community, and we aren't ready to abandon it. 

While the next few years are unclear, and what happens to the narrative industry is still to tell, we aren't running; we are digging in, now more than ever, and we are determined to make the dream happen here. We believe in telling stories in Grand Rapids, in West Michigan, in Michigan period, and we are setting out to do just that this summer with our project, Garden Party!

We are stepping out onto the front lines and trying to tell a story in the most creative, funny, and professional way we know how. Despite it being hard, tough, and a lot of work, we are so excited to make a movie and we are doing it regardless of the obstacles. Heck, we are still making the movie even if we don't raise all of our funds through IndieGoGo - which is kind of scary, but hey, we believe in storytelling.

So, who is Garden Party for? You! Grand Rapids! Michigan! The world! We are so excited to be making a film that can bring so many competing ideas together in a funny and interesting way. It's truly the physical embodiment of what the Incentives were meant for all along. So please, consider joining our efforts to make something awesome by checking out our IndieGoGo campaign. We aren't just looking for cash donors--we are looking for people to get in on the experience. Our perks for supporting Garden Party actually make you a part of something bigger.

So yes, our state cut critical incentives to help local filmmakers like us tell stories to share with you, our friends. But we aren't going anywhere - we are sticking here, digging our feet in, and setting out to continue the dream of storytelling. Help us in doing so with this story, and the many others we are setting out to tell!

The Garden Launch Party!

We just want to take a minute to thank everyone who came out to the official launch for Garden Party last weekend! We loved having you all over to our office space so we could tell you all about this amazing story and give you a first hand look into what this project is shaping up to be.

It was an awesome night of laughter, great conversations, excellent company, and some exclusive sneak peeks into what we've got waiting for you all in just the coming months. 

Garden Party isn't just another film, and it isn't just another crowdfunding campaign you can contribute toward that'll leave you out in the cold; it's an engaging and captivating story that we are designing so you can experience it as if it were real. 

Stay tuned for more Garden fun coming soon!

(Shout out to our amazing friend and photographer genius, Noah Prefontaine, for these awesome launch party photos!)

Welcome to the Garden Party

Ask just about anyone and they'll tell you that there is something magical about theatrical storytelling. Sitting in a dark room for 2 hours with a group of strangers, experiencing the same story in front of you, and each walking away with a deep and meaningful take on the story that then makes you think differently is one of the most fascinating wonders of our age. As storytellers ourselves, we fell in love with this artform of such storytelling.

This summer we are excited to be setting out to tell just such a story that just such an audience can come together and experience as one. It's actually the first story that was ever told, but with a new twist; the Fall in the Garden of Eden, but set at a corporate business party in the boss' garden estate.

We've been workshopping, refining, and laughing all along the way over the last year as we have continued to develop and deepen the story of Garden Party. With every step of creating this script, these characters, this world, we have only fallen more and more in love with this story and we are so excited to begin to share it with the world. It's a dark comedy, with an interesting spin and perspective on the subject matter that we are positive will have a crowd of strangers sitting in a dark room somewhere laughing their heads off.

But in order to tell this story, we need you!

This is a massive undertaking, and we aren't kidding when we say this is the largest story, production, or project we have set out to tell. It's new, it's exciting, it's daring, but in the end it's our dream; to tell stories that make an audience think, laugh, love, and grow. This isn't just a hobby, this is what we want to do with our lives. And in order to do that, we need people like you! People who like experiencing something new, who believe in the art of storytelling through film, people who love watching stories unfold before them, and people who live for storytelling just like us.

We need you. We need your help in sharing this story and this campaign with everyone that you can think of. We need your excitement and your energy. We need your support and belief. We need you, our fellow storyteller.

Check out our IndieGoGo campaign for Garden Party to find out more on how to get involved, experience this story for all it's worth, and how to have a few laughs with us along the way. This is the story of Garden Party, where just one sip can change the world.

Dynasty: Four Years of Storytelling

We are so excited to be celebrating four years of storytelling this weekend not just as a team but also as a family of filmmakers. We've loved sharing our films and passion with you all and we are beyond stoked for this new year of storytelling that is ahead for us. Thanks for watching

Happy St. Patrick's Day All!

We sure have been enjoying the sunshine as of late! Here's to finding your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! Oh, and make sure to share - no one likes a smaug!

You Don't Get To 1,000 Likes Without...

So a few days ago we reached a pretty big milestone for ourselves - We made it 1,000 likes on Facebook! To commemorate the accomplishment we decided to pay tribute to one of the great, and our favorite, social media campaigns - with our own fun little spin! 

Thank you so much to all of our friends, fans, and families for your support and love for story! New or old, thank you for following along with us down this journey to tell the story.

The Hail Storm

Over the last two years the story of Water, Bitter Water has become significantly close to my heart. Not only am I and the rest of our team able to help tell the story of one of our dear friends that we have known for years, but we also have the chance to be part of something extremely special - the act of honesty. It's a powerful thing, honesty, and watching Marin Brooke share her life story, honestly and without reserve is really quite beautiful.

Nearly two and half years ago when this project was first pitched to me I was intrigued, but I had no idea just what would come of it, nor did I understand the full scope that would become Water, Bitter Water. Both of these have only become clearer over the past two years as we have dove deeper and further into Marin's story. I am also certain that I will continue to discover more about the art of story and the power that this one holds as we pursue onward, telling the story of the next two chapters to come. 

The act of telling this story, specifically the one within this chapter, is not one we take lightly. Perhaps that is why it has taken us so long to capture it's emotion and rage in the best way possible. Hail is truly a moment of complete and brutal honesty. The art of telling such a powerful thing is certainly difficult, but the value of doing so is undeniable. 

Through the storm and story that is Hail, Marin Brooke is one of the bravest people I know, and I am proud to call her friend. I can hardly begin to fathom just how many people lost in the dark and storms of life will be touched by her honesty. But with that said, this story is far from over, and her honesty just begun.

-Matthew