1/9/2004:
Well! Short Film #5 (Virtual Violence)
was screened in early December, but due to Internet issues, details
could not be posted. The film went over fairly well, but the final
two short films were more experimental and - dare we say - gimmicky
than the rest. As a result, some audience members clamored for
more character-based films. We'll see if they get what they want...
In other news, the Spring semester starts soon, and many "industry
people" are excited to see what will come out of the Minion
studios next. And if Minion "Head Honcho" Rob Donovan
will find himself an internship. We shall see, we shall see. Happy
New Year, everyone.
11/15/2003:
Short Film #4 (Five Minute Walk)
was screened last Wednesday in the Zemeckis Center. Response was
much better than expected. The Minion crew was a little hesitant
about this short, because it was more of an experimental film
than we're used to. When all was said and done, we here at Minion
Films were unsure of the response and even a little unsure of
how well (if at all) the message fo the film was communicated.
Fortunately, the audience generally liked the film, even those
people who didn't quite grasp the full meaning. Big number 5 coming
up! Wish me luck!
And the animation is
still sweet.
10/22/2003:
Short Film #3 (Caffeinated)
is finished and was screened yesterday in the Robert Zemeckis
Center at USC. Response was excellent, and the Minion crew is
excited that their hard work was recognized. In other news, the
Minion team has been branching out into other fields, most notably
the realm of acting. Truly, the entertainment world will never
be the same...
Not only that, but check out my new animation!
10/12/2003:
We're back! After a long (and unproductive)
summer and a month of no internet, Minion is finally back up and
ready to report on recent developments. Currently the crew has
completed two films for the University of Southern California,
and a third is currently in Production. The two films, Joe's
TV and The Right Direction, were both screened in a
USC class and will be graded. By the end of the semester, a total
of five films will have been made. Because of the time commitment
required, there are no other Minion films on the horizon. Stay
tuned for more.
5/11/2003:
Thrilling News! A new short film
entitled "Gut Shot" has been shot and edited this weekend!
Throwing caution (and studying for finals) to the wind, Minion
shot and edited this five and a half minute short this weekend.
Check out some sweet stills from it on the "Promo"
page. On a sadder note, this will be the final update for the
Minion Films page until late August (at the earliest). Our president
will be returning home to Boston, Massachusetts for the summer.
Fear not, Minions, for there will surely be much more to come
when Fall arrives! Happy Mother's Day.
-The Minion Team
5/07/2003:
Well, the documentary is finally finished.
Check out the "Finished
Films" section for info on how it all turned out. Unfortunately,
due to the exhaustive processof editing down the documentary, many
other projects by the Minion crew have been put on hold until next
semester.
4/30/2003:
New format for the page! And wow,
does it look neat. It's not quite perfect yet, but hopefully the
bugs will get worked out soon.
4/23/2003:
The Documentary is a harsh mistress.
The Minion Crew has been capturing footage and editing it together
for a long time now, and yet the end still seems far away. Since
it has to be finished by May 5th, it will be... but it's anyone's
guess how many all-nighters will have to be pulled in order to
meet that deadline. We'll keep you posted.
4/01/2003:
A whole month since the last update?
Tsk tsk tsk. The only explanation is: not much has been happening.
The Minion crew has taken a much-needed break after the production
of the Vagina Monologues to rest their weary brains. In addition,
USC's spring break occurred this month, which delayed editing
time considerably. But editing for The Vagina Documentary
(for lack of a better name) has begun and the deadline is May
5th. Hopefully it will be finished before then so that Minion
can start on its next project. The next project will probably
be a short (co-produced with Boxerwalk Productions) entitled Auteur.
Pre-production is ongoing as we speak... tune in next month. Same
bat-time, same bat-channel.
3/02/2003:
Wow. Two incredible things have happened.
One, Malevolence is completely finished and now up on TriggerStreet.com
where it is getting absolutely DISMAL reviews. Just goes to show
you can't trust the masses. And two, The Vagina Monologues are
over! Which means principal photography on the Documentary is
over! After five months of taping, the Minion editor can now sit
down to create the documentary itself. The grand total is: 21
hours of footage! This is going to be a big job... hang in there.
Response to the Pre-Show was fantastic, and many people approached
the Minion and Boxerwalk teams to express their appreciation.
Thanks to all who showed their support!
2/20/2003:
The past two nights have been crazy.
Since the PED short (now titled Malevolence) was shot on
Sunday night, from about 11:30 to 5:15 AM, it has been captured
to a computer and editing has begun. However, in addition to putting
together a documentary for The Vagina Monologues, Minion has also
been commissioned to do a short, 6-minute Pre-Show to be projected
before the performance itself. Thus, editing for the Vagina Monologues
Pre-Show is ALSO continuing... and as a result, other things are
falling by the wayside. Tuesday evening, the Minion and Boxerwalk
crews stayed up until 5:30 am, and Wednesday until 2:30. As we
have said, the past two nights have been crazy.
On a positive note, both projects
are very near completion and should be 100% finished by Sunday
evening -- perhaps earlier. Stay tuned!
2/2/2003:
Well, it's been a while since the last
update. Cracked is now also on TriggerStreet, so you can
check it out. We've been getting absolutely abysmal reviews for
it, which was expected. The Minion brand of humor isn't for everyone.
The PI is also getting mediocre to poor reviews, however.
Many reviews stated that the short was "too slow." The
Minion crew believes that today's audiences have been raised on
slam-bang, quick-cut music videos and films, and that films that
take a little time to develop (like The PI ) are being written
off as "slow" before they have a chance to prove themselves.
Alas.
In related news, the site now has a
page of "Greatest Hits" from TriggerStreet reviews. Check
it out on the ETC.
page.
Lately, the Vagina Monologues Documentary
has been a cruel mistress. It has eaten up an inordinate amount
of time, and other projects are barely moving -- although plans
are in the works to start a new film or two immediately after the
documentary is finished. That's all from LA!
1/15/2003:
Great news! The PI is now available
for viewing online! Check out www.TriggerStreet.com
and search for "The PI" to watch it. TriggerStreet.com
is a free online forum for uploading and reviewing movies... so
we here at Minion have gone ahead and uploaded The P.I. because
we feel it is a good example of our skills. Although the video quality
of the film is pretty poor at such a small size, we're still very
excited to hear feedback (both good and bad) from the internet community.
In short, we're thrilled! So go ahead and check it out if you'd
like! And if you want to leave a review, please go ahead and do
so! We'll be sure to read it.
1/12/2003:
Well, Minion is back. And in the span
of a few hours, a new short has been planned and a treatment has
been drafted. Now, a script needs to be written and the film can
hopefully be finished in one day at Big Bear. Right now, this under-10
minute short is called Heads I Win, but the title is not
yet set in stone. Stay tuned...
12/16/2002:
Wow! Cracked is finished and
it looks great! Clocking in at just under 3 minutes, the film is
a comedic masterpiece. Because Winter Break arrives tomorrow (!),
the film will probably be scored and perhaps even recut in late
January. As of now, Minion Films considers it finished, but pending
adjustments. Besides that, little has been happening on the home
front. Scripts are still incomplete for Last Rites and The
PED Short. Although this is unfortunate, there is speculation
that taking a break and returning next semester will rejuvenate
the tired spirits of the Minion Team. We can only hope. Have a great
holiday season!
11/15/2002:
Not a lot of new stuff going on...
right now, the good folks at Minion are desperately trying to write
scripts and shorts to be completed soon. Hopefully, Cracked
will be finished in the next few weeks, and production on The
PED short will begin shortly afterwards. Right now PED
is in pre-production, and is still far from ready to shoot.
10/31/2002:
Minion has finally premiered The
P.I. for a small audience in Los Angeles! The showing garnered
rave reviews, leaving all who witnessed the film with a sense of
its quality and overall professionalism. All involved are proud
of the work which went into this film, and are very happy with the
final product. If you've seen The P.I., please email rdonovan@usc.edu
and submit a review! We'd love to have some statements to put up
on this website.
Next up: The horror film Last Rites.
Will a teaser be up soon? Only Minion knows for sure...
10/23/2002:
Production is finished on The P.I.!
A rough cut of the film has been assembled,
and the final product will likely clock in around 8 minutes, 45
seconds. A soundtrack has been composed, and will probably be recorded
in the Minion Sound Booth by the end of the week. Although Minion
reps believe that this may be the most difficult and frustrating
part of the post-production process, it will certainly be worth
it for a polished final film.
In addition, the film will be officially
"legitimate," meaning that it may be submitted
to various outlets in an attempt to get the film seen. All in all,
Minion is proud of its latest accomplishment!
One final note: if you have seen Nothing
Personal in its entirety, please email rdonovan@usc.edu
and submit a review! We've got one up already (see here),
and we're looking for more! Thanks!
10/10/2002:
What a long strange week it's been!
Last Friday, a small portion of the movie was shot with a skeleton
crew, and the results were fairly good. On Sunday, however, the
actors arrived for the biggest shooting day yet on The P.I.
Early estimates place the amount shot on Sunday at around 50% of
the entire film. Yes, the film is OVER half done. Due to location
issues, a few shots had to be picked up on Tuesday, but the results
were excellent and preliminary cuts of the film look very good.
Unfortunately, shooting cannot finish until Sunday, October 19th
at the earliest, but we here at Minion Films are trying to make
sure that the time between now and then is not wasted on waiting.
The next hurdle: original music.
Oh, and check out our The P.I. Promo
Stills!
09/22/2002:
Good news and bad news on The P.I.
shoot.
Good news: Principal photography has
begun! On Friday, September 20th, Minion Films shot for an hour
and a half to capture what could be the most important scene in
the short film.
Bad news: Shooting could not continue
today as planned. Our star actress became ill and could not appear
today. Shooting has since been postponed to sometime next weekend,
date TBA. Preliminary clips look good, however. The Minion crew
is cautiously optimistic.
09/16/2002:
Hey! Announcement: Untitled Detective
Project has had a name change. This short black & white
film will now be called The P.I.
Storyboarding is underway, and final
preproduction preparation will be finished on Friday, September
20th. Principal photography will also begin the evening of the 20th,
with more shooting to follow on Sunday the 22nd. All involved are
excited at the prospect of another film being underway.
Wrap for The P.I. is estimated
at Sunday, September 29th. Editing will likely be completed by October
4th. A screening date has yet to be determined.
09/11/2002:
Updated the site. New layout, and all
that.
Never forget. 9/11/01
09/09/2002:
Alright, minions. A project has been
greenlighted, and locations are being scouted for what is currently
known as the Untitled Detective Project. It is a short, silent
movie about a detective. Beyond that, details are still being discussed.
Best estimates place the length at five minutes.
Minion Films feels that this short
will be a good reintroduction to a schedule of shooting. In addition,
it will give all involved some extra time to write scripts for future
longer-length projects.
08/29/2002:
Guess Who's Back!
Well, another school year has begun,
and we here at Minion Films are excited to get back to work on a
brand new film. Although discussion is still ongoing over what story
concept to greenlight for conversion to a screenplay (and then into
a movie!), another quality collaboration with Boxerwalk
Productions looks to be in the works.
Rest assured, all ye Minion faithful
(henceforth known as Minions), our next product will surely be one
for the ages!
05/05/2002:
Today Nothing Personal was compressed
to a mere 343 MB and placed on a CD-ROM. That was the good news.
The bad news? There will be no new updates to the Minion Films website
until September, 2002. The USC school year has ended, and this beautiful
editing/word processing/updating computer is being placed into storage.
However! You will still be able to contact Minion Films from the
"ETC."
page if you need anything.
Goodbye, until next year...
-Rob and the Minion Team.
04/28/2002:
Nothing Personal is finished!
Yes, today all shooting was finished
and all footage was edited. The screening looks like it will be
on schedule tomorrow night, and the final running time is just under
26 minutes. All that remains is to export the movie to MiniDV format
and then on to VHS to watch on anyone's VCR! Congratulations to
all involved!
04/27/2002:
It has been quite a while since the
last update. Editing is very close to completed on all footage that
has been shot. The final day of photography is scheduled for tomorrow
night, and the final cut of the film will be screened at 6:30pm
(PST) on Monday, April 29th! Hopefully, Editor Rob Donovan can have
the film completed by then. The film looks like it will run very
close to the earlier estimate of 25 minutes! Cross your fingers...
04/22/2002:
Malibu Creek...
a humble place, but the locale for hours of shooting on Nothing
Personal. Although the crew was on the road for 100 miles
each way, the end result was all worth it. The movie is now only
three short shots away from being complete -- but they're important
shots. Experts predict that this final cut of the film will run
at about 25 minutes. Editing the footage from Sunday will begin
soon, probably on Wednesday evening. Keep checking back for updates!
04/18/2002:
Editing for Nothing Personal
is currently as far along as possible! All footage that has been
shot is now in a rough order and ready to be completed. A final
schedule has also been hammered out -- further shooting this Sunday,
and then final wrap-up filming a week from Sunday (the 28th). By
this time frame, editing will be finished by May 6th... just in
time. Cross your fingers and hope everything goes to plan!
04/16/2002:
Editing is continuing for Nothing
Personal. The opening scene is complete (without credits) and
runs at about a minute and a half. Further editing is coming along
slowly, due to various work-related commitments, but the Minion
Films editor hopes to have all uploaded footage edited to a reasonable
level by this coming Sunday -- not a realistic goal, but an optimistic
one. Further shooting will commence on Sunday at the Big Bear Campsite
in San Bernardino.
04/15/2002:
Editing has begun on Nothing Personal!
All video has been uploaded onto a computer and now awaits the final
cut. It is estimated that between 1/3 and 1/2 of the movie is complete.
For evidence of this exciting development as well as the principal
photography, check out the new Promotional
Stills! The page will always be accessible through the
"Promo"
page as well.
04/14/2002:
The biggest day of 2002 for Minion
Films thus far. After not sleeping on the evening of the 13th, Minion
Films shot its first minutes of footage at dawn. After an hour of
shooting, the Minion Films representative had a celebratory breakfast.
Because further shooting was scheduled for 2:00 pm, sleeping seemed
useless. Shooting from approximately 3:00 pm to 7:30pm went very
well and all involved are excited at the current state of affairs.
As of this writing, Minion Films reps have not slept for 31 hours.
The sacrifices made in the name of art...
04/13/2002:
We have secured a camera. In addition,
we have secured miniDV tapes... a 5-pack for the paltry sum of $25
(cheap as tapes go). Sadly, we could not secure a tripod. So! Creative
geniuses from Minion and Boxerwalk teamed up to create the all-new,
astounding KABLAM-O
CAM! (patent pending) This ingenious device, made out
of a simple dinner tray, cardboard, and copious amounts of masking
tape, reduces shaking that typically accompanies handheld camera
work! Cheaper and lighter than a Steadicam, the KABLAM-O CAM also
has much greater range of motion due to its small size. Principal
shooting starts tomorrow at dawn, and by the time the day is over
we expect to have almost half of the movie shot! More to come tomorrow!
04/11/2002:
A dark cloud has passed over the Nothing
Personal production schedule. The camera that had so miraculously
appeared is now lost. The good people at Minion Films and Boxerwalk
Productions are desperately trying to find a replacement
camera... before Friday evening when principal shooting starts.
Only time will tell...
04/10/2002:
Success! A video camera has been secured
-- and for free, no less. Shooting is scheduled to start this Sunday,
April 14th. Steps to secure a campsite are underway, as are plans
to purchase MiniDV tapes. All involved are excited at the advent
of the Production process.
04/09/2002:
Some good news and some bad news. The
good news is, thanks to a trip to Ralph's, we now have all of the
props necessary for the film Nothing Personal. Yesterday
a trip by a Boxerwalk
representative and Property Master resulted in many outdoorsy-type
camping equipment. The bad news is, we have as yet been unable to
rent a camera from USC's rental facility. Tomorrow we should be
tracking down some leads in order to secure a video camera.
04/08/2002:
The website is created! Please, feel
free to email
Minion Films at the "ETC."
page if you have any helpful suggestions. Also be sure to check
out our partner in crime, Boxerwalk
Productions.
