Mfish Productions - Johnathan Carr - Portfolio - Film and Video

A STATEMENT ABOUT MY FILM WORK
by Johnathan Carr

Whether I'm directing, producing, shooting, lighting, acting, editing, running sound or just running around getting coffee for everyone, I always take great pride in my work. That's why you'll find listed here every film project I have ever done. Some are big, some are small, and a select few are so important to me they have an entire page devoted to them. Film is my life and this is an overview of the last decade of my life in pictures.

1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002
2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 ...

=> GO TO PROJECT CHART
for additional details and a more comprehensive view

1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 ... TOP

I started making films my freshman year of high school. A month or so prior to "De Lamina" I had helped some friends make a film for their class project (I didn't list it here because I felt it was kind of a warm-up). They asked me to film it because of my obsession with movies. To my knowledge I had never filmed anything before and was anxious to experiment. I feel like I've been experimenting ever since...

· DE LAMINA CRUDA VITAE (A Raw Slice of Life)
A priest tells the story of two friends and an evil innkeeper (spoken in Latin). Yes, my first film. I made it as a final project in my high school Latin class. Ah memories. I still really like it, despite the horrible video quality and fourth-generation soundtrack. Kevin was there as the evil innkeeper who kills my character. Good times. There is a scene where Kevin is setting fire to papers in a can in the middle of some field that certainly isn't on school property... So thank you Kevin, Mike, Joe and Dad for helping me bring my first vision to life, and Mrs. Gilchrist for always encouraging me.

· THE CHASE FILM
A stuffed animal gone bad chases a boy around school. I've heard that a chase sequence is the kind of scene best suited for the moving image (as opposed to theatre and literature). A chase can involve any number of locations and are most effective when played out in real time. I think that the chase sequence is the basest visual (and often visceral) resemblance of someone pursuing her objective to the limits of her wit and capability. In literature, you cannot experience the chase as it happens in real time. On stage you see real people trapped in an imaginary space restricted by its walls. The experience of a chase best translates to the temporal medium of film for freedom of space and the illusion of depth and continuity. Everybody should start with a chase film. They are terribly fun. Produced for Summer Film program at Concord Academy, Concord, MA.

SUMMERFILM was a 4-week film program at Concord Academy for high school students. And though they still have a film department and teach filmmaking during the school year, they have discontinued the Summer Film program : (

· THE DREAM FILM
A boy transforms into a girl as the world warps around him/her. I share the directing credit on this film with Grace Fitzpatrick who was in the program that summer. I really pushed my ideas on her, just cause I love dreamy surreal stuff and wanted to do so many weird things in the film. She acquiesced and we ended up making a really weird thing. The visuals were heavily influenced by the film Natural Born Killers. Produced for Summer Film program at Concord Academy, Concord, MA.

· THE HEROIC HOBO
A hobo must save a damsel in distress from the clutches of an evil villain in this homage to The Perils of Pauline. Justin Pappas, the real genius behind this film was a big Tim Burton fan and went way over the top in playing the evil villain who kidnaps the sexy damsel. I wrote the score on my keyboard back when I was playing more. Since we were referencing Tim Burton, I wrote some of the score somewhat Elfman-esque. And who is that sexy damsel...? This is the only project for which I've included screenshots that I did not personally film (for obvious reasons). Produced for Summer Film program at Concord Academy, Concord, MA.

· BLAST CORPS.
Based on the Nintendo 64 game of the same name, Blast Corps follows the story of a demolition worker who must employ fellow demolitionists to rescue kidnapped scientists and prevent a nuclear war(?) My brother CJ at age 9 wrote this story based in the world of the video game and begged me all summer to film it with him. And we did, using mostly Legos and building blocks. CJ even wrote about a dozen characters in the story and performed them all himself. Good times. Ha! CJ, I bet you never thought I'd add Blast Corps! But I'm making a point to include ABSOLUTELY EVERY PROJECT I'VE EVER DONE! So there. I may even include pix... you never know...

[Credits]

1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 ... TOP

I continued to use school assignments as an excuse to make movies and show film clips. That summer I attended a continuing education program at the School for the Museum of Fine Arts, in 16mm filmmaking. While I did help other students with their projects, an accident I had while rehearsing a chase sequence prevented me from producing a final project of my own. However, I did manage to film two scenes on 16mm which I incorporated into "A History" the following year.

· FOUL PLAY
Students investigate murders on school grounds in this blend of mystery fiction and real-life documentary footage of a turkey that invaded the high school.

· PETE'S POSSE
Sketch comedy including "Book Corner", "Cookin' with Pete", "Santa at the Mall" and "Holiday Greetings". Wild fun! Aired on High School cable access.

· DAVID LYNCH: A BIOGRAPHY
A video biography of famed director David Lynch, incorporating movie clips, segments from his documentary, "Pretty As A Picture" and an original commentary. Produced as final project for grade ten American Literature class.

· A PSA FROM THE MFISH
Go to the "A PSA from the Mfish" main page...

· UMBRA BIBLIOTHICAE (Shadows of a Library)
Experimental video combining original Latin poetry with a wide range of music and colorful images. Produced as final project for Latin class.

1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 ... TOP

In January of 1999 I got my first digital video camcorder, the Canon Optura. It was sweet, so small and easy to shoot. And I shot my first DV movie (and first feature-length production) "A History". I then was approached by the non-profit Project 10 East to make a promo dockie for them. That summer I went to study at the International Film and Television Workshops in Rockport, Maine. But the coolest thing I did that year was work on my first film shoot at Emerson College! Here I was a junior in high school, hadn't even applied to any school and I'm working with the Emerson kids! That also earned me my first IMDB credit. Surely it was a taste of things to come...

· A HISTORY
Go to the "A History" main page...

· WHEN SIMON SLEEPS
A boy finds a monster in his closet and tries to fight it away. Produced by Frames Per Second at Emerson College. Directed by Omar Naim.

IMDB listing for "When Simon Sleeps"

· FRANKLIN SCHOOL CELEBRATION PROMO
A promo for the Franklin School's 100th anniversary featuring kids from the school and a character actor portraying Ben Franklin talking about the festivities to come. The school would close a couple years later. I think it's a condo now or something.

· LATIN PROJECT '99
A collection of movie clips featuring Latin phrases and dialogue from movies that range from "Birth of a Nation" to "Event Horizon". The clips are introduced and explained in an original commentary. Produced as final project for Latin class.

· THE TRUE HIGH SCHOOL ORIENTATION VIDEO
Created as a warning to incoming freshmen, this video mostly includes stock footage of the high school's greatest hits including the day the turkey came to visit, the talent show gone sour, and the racial brawl which occurred 1992. The school would not allow me to air this video on public access. Unfortunately, I had already edited it into my Film and Video Showcase. And this is back in the days of linear editing (in-points, out-points and all that) so I needed to tape over it with something of the same length to save me from having to edit the whole second half of the program. So I whipped up a sweet intermission. I set a countdown timer on my digital wristwatch and filmed it with a macro lens, but had the image of the video reflected in the face of the watch. You couldn’t tell unless you knew what you were looking at but it made the intermission much more tolerable.

· PROJECT 10 EAST
A documentary about Project Ten East, a non-profit organization devoted to creating safe and affirming space for gay and lesbian youth in schools and communities. Premiered at the Project Ten East Annual Awards Banquet in Cambridge, MA.

Received 3rd place in the 2000 New England High School Video Competition sponsored by Mount Wachusett Community College, Media One, and WGBH.

· A SCENE FROM "DINER"
Recreation of a scene from the 1982 film "Diner" in which characters argue over a roast beef sandwich. Produced as a class exercise for International Film and Television Workshops in Rockport, ME.

· A SCENE FROM "THELMA & LOUISE"
Recreation of a scene from "Thelma and Louise" in which the two title characters argue about what to do after having just murdered a man who attempted to rape one of them. Produced as a class exercise for International Film and Television Workshops in Rockport, ME.

· TIME PRESENT
While in school, a boy passes out and wakes up in a world where time is frozen. Produced for International Film and Television Workshops in Rockport, ME.

· THE MUSIC VIDEO
A visual medley of concert footage I filmed from September '97 to December '99 featuring the bands Tomato Men, Fitzgerald 2000, Popsickle Complex and my brother CJ (who's an excellent guitarist). The video is cut to Radiohead's "Electioneering" and was produced for my Showcase (below).

1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 ... TOP

It was a quiet year for filmmaking. I was overwhelmed with applying to schools and trying to stay academically afloat. Though I did get a new camera, the Canon GL1, which I would later use for everything, I spent most of the year getting acclimated to college life at Emerson!

· FILM AND VIDEO SHOWCASE
A collection of my best work through '99, assembled as a film festival with new footage for segues between films, and a gripping 5-and-a-half minute intermission. Aired on Public Access Cable.

· HELL IN A HAND BASKET
A nightmarish short about a woman who has a vision of her absent husband's death. Produced by CityScape at the Filmshack as part of a Directing class, I believe.

1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 ... TOP

After adjusting to my new surroundings at Emerson, I started picking up a few projects. I made a number of music videos for my friend's band and got to grip a 35mm feature! In the summer I served on the Middlesex County Grand Jury and saved up enough money to buy myself a computer and get Adobe Premiere. Prior to "Paper Cups", I had been editing entirely on linear, deck-to-deck, in/out, VHS dubbing systems at my local cable access station. Now that I had a computer, I was grabbing at any editing project I could find.

· THE RANDOM EXPIRATION OF MR. TUFTS
A lazy man wakes up to find a date-mark on his arm that has expired. The film is a metaphor for the consequences of having bad hygiene. Produced by Katherine Laronde for "Film Production 2" class at Emerson College.

· HYPOTHETICAL THREESOME
A music video featuring the band "Ricochet Stud", in which members wreak havoc in an abandoned office building. Produced by Ricochet Stud (aka Mechanical Sharkhead).

· MACBETH
An adaptation of two scenes from William Shakespeare's Scottish play in which Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth to kill King Duncan and thereby take his place. Produced for "Theatre Into Film" at Emerson College.

· THE STRANGLER'S WIFE
Roger Corman executive produced (and then removed his name from) this modern retelling of the story of the Boston Strangler. Produced by Cityscape in Roxbury, MA.

IMDB listing for "The Strangler’s Wife"

· CAESAR NIGHTMAREO, I WIN
The tale of Caesar Nightmareo, a self-proclaimed super-villain whose worst deeds include jaywalking and taking two newspapers out of the newspaper machine at once... and Kaptain Komet, the good guy and his arch nemesis, who tries to stop Caesar at every turn. I swear I shot this movie! But the director (who will not be named) lost the raw footage. Poo.

· PAPER CUPS
A music video featuring the song "Paper Cups" by the band "Ricochet Stud" in which each band member wakes up, rushes to meet and boogie-down in Tufts University Park. Produced by Ricochet Stud (aka Mechanical Sharkhead).

· THE INTERVENTION
Steve's friends gather around to talk to him about his drinking problem. Little do they know, Steve is impervious to reason. Produced and Directed by Asterios Kokkinos.

· DOCTOR FAUSTUS
An adaptation of Christopher Marlowe's play, in which Dr. Faustus sells his soul to the devil in order to achieve incredible power and knowledge, but then fights for his soul when the time comes to give it up. Produced as final project for "Theatre Into Film" at Emerson College.

· BUMPINTA
A college girl is frustrated she can't get a guy, until her guy friend suggests the "bumpinta" trick... but bumps a little too hard. Written and directed by Asterios Kokkinos.

· DISOWNING LUCAS
A group of friends argues over whether to disown another friend based on an incident that might not have occurred. Produced as final project for "Intro To Media Production" class at Emerson College.

· BRITTANY'S UNTITLED CONTINUITY PROJECT
A student wakes in his dorm roon already late for class, rushes to get ready but forgets his room key... Produced for "Intro to Media Production" class at Emerson College. Directed by Brittany Pauw.

· AWAITING THE TIDES
After his father dies, Eric's mother and sister want to sell the father's boat for the money, but Eric doesn't want to let it go. Produced by Frames Per Second at Emerson College. Directed by John Matyshiak.

Received award for "Best Film Editing" at the 2002 EVVY Awards at Emerson College.

· WHODUNIT?
Mock "20/20"-style news program with interviewee Nancy Smithsonian, a victim of theft, who doesn't remember she ate the very banana bread she believes was taken from her. Produced as final project for "Intro to Media Production" class at Emerson College. Directed by Brittany Pauw.

· DRINKING RESPONSIBLY
A documentary about the pros and cons of tap and bottled water, featuring an interview with the head of planning and development at the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority. The Flash movies were a couple of animated segments that illustrate how rain collects dangerous chemicals in the atmosphere (ok, I exaggerate a little :) and how the water commision adds stuff to the resevoir to clean it out. Produced as final project for "Science and Society" class at Emerson College.

Watch flash segment "Raindrops" from "Drinking Responsibly"
Watch flash segment "Resevoir" from "Drinking Responsibly"

1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 ... TOP

That year I was determined to make something big and original, my first feature-length narrative "The Ends of the Earth". I wanted to finally take advantage of all the resources at Emerson, especially the actors. I also did a lot of 16mm work and crewed my first Hi-Definition production. That fall we created Warlords, an action film production club at Emerson College, starting with the group's first official project "The Vampire Game".

· YOU ARE NOT A PIMP
A music video featuring the song "You Are Not A Pimp" by "Minty Fresh" in which a rap star journeys though a high school, hanging out with the unpopular kids and spreading good vibes throughout the school. Produced by John Ruggiero at Emerson College in Boston, MA. Directed by John Matyshiak.

Received award for "Best Video Editing" at the 2002 EVVY Awards at Emerson College.
Watch "You Are Not A Pimp"

· THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
Go to the "The Ends of the Earth" main page...

· DAWN SHUDDERS
A music video featuring the song "Dawn Shudders" by the band "Mechanical Sharkhead". The video depicts a young man being robbed by an ex-girlfriend, inter-cut with the band playing by strobe light. Produced by Ricochet Stud (aka Mechanical Sharkhead).

· SPILLED MILK
A young guy wakes up and tries to makes himself breakfast... and that's when everything goes wrong. This co-authored project was born out of a single image of spilling milk in slo-motion. I love hi-speed (slo-motion) cinematography and just had to try some on our first class assignment. Also, I try to include a disaster moment in every film I make - shatter glass, burning clothes, axing a chair in half, etc. Breaking things is just really fun to watch. Produced for "Film Production One" class at Emerson College.

· REMOTE ROADS
While driving through the woods, two boys believe that they are being followed when their car breaks down. Produced by Katherine Laronde for "Film Production 3" class at Emerson College.

· LAST NIGHT I DREAMT...
A girl wakes from a dream and steps outside to clear her mind. But she can't get the mysterious images of the dream out of her head. Inspired by (and edited to) a haunting ballad by The Smiths entitled "Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me". Produced as a continuity project for "Film Production One" class at Emerson College.

· BREAKFAST AT URI'S
Infamous psychokinetic Uri Geller serves pancakes and cereal for legendary mime, Marcel Marceau. Produced as final project for "Film Production One" class at Emerson College. Directed by Asterios Kokkinos.

· THE CLEVERLY TITLED SHOW
In the tradition of the "Larry Sanders Show", the comedy series explores the fun world of producing a variety television show. However, the characters in the series are fully aware they are being filmed. Produced and Directed by Geoffrey Golden.

Watch a clip from "The Cleverly Titled Show"

· SHADOW'S GAME
James White breaks into a government office, searching through files for his missing wife, until a man emerges from the dark and stops him. Produced as final project for "Film Production One" class at Emerson College. I used the Dracula soundtrack without permission of course, because it is one of my favorite scores ever! Kronos Quartet and Philip Glass!

Listen to some of the DRACULA Soundtrack and buy the album from AMAZON!
Download and watch "Shadow's Game" (4.59 - 11.7mb)

· HENCE, THE STARS
An existential romantic comedy in the style of "When Harry Met Sally" in which a boy and girl unfold the details of their relationship to their best friends. Produced by Filpside Features. Directed by Jesse Latham.

Watch the trailer for "Hence the Stars"

· BRITTANY'S UNTITLED FILM ONE PROJECTS
Two short films which explore the dangers of gambling and smoking. Produced for "Film Production One" class at Emerson College. Directed by Brittany Pauw.

· LACEY'S RACE
Holding her abusive father accountable for her mother's suicide, Lacey seeks revenge. Directed by Kristina Scott as a Directed Study Project at Emerson College.

· IN THE MIDDLE OF THINGS
Bored with his stagnant home life and inanimate job at a funeral home, young Seth decides to fake his own death and run away. Produced by Elizabeth Waybright and Casey Engles as a BFA project at Emerson College. Directed by Mike Gibbiser.

· GOODBYE
As he lies in bed, dying of cancer, Daniel reminisces on (and flashes back to) the best times of his life. Produced by Coppermine Films. Directed by Sean Bradley.

· ON THE ROAD TO PERDITION
A movie trailer spin-off of the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby road movies, and the Tom Hanks gangster film "Road to Perdition", in which Bing and Bob are on the run from the mob. Produced with the Atomic Powered Millionaires (aka Esoterrific).

Watch "On the Road to Perdition" on YouTube (3:37)

· THE SANDWICH
A lonely woman one night decides to end her life, and for her last meal she wants to make the perfect sandwich. Produced for a "Film 2" class at Emerson College. Directed by Oliver Taylor.

· FALLEN IRIS
As Jake lies in bed dying of cancer, his friend invites him out to eat. While out, he sees the ghosts of his father and dog, and wonders if he is lost in a dream. Produced by Scott Shipley for "Film Production 2" class at Emerson College. Aired on the Emerson Channel at Emerson College.

Received 2004 EVVY AWARD for Best television production under ten minutes.
Download and watch "Fallen Iris" (8:05 - 22.7mb)

· DARK PROVIDENCE
For twelve years, Manix has tracked his father's killer. And tonight he will get his revenge. Produced for a "Film 2" class at Emerson College in Boston, MA. Directed by George Loucas (no relation) and David Lebensfeld.

· GINA AND KERRY'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE
Two college students must travel through time to interview members of the "Metaphysical Club" (Oliver Wendel Holmes, John Dewey and William James) to help write their report. My friend Keith asked me to help him with this class project he was doing with his classmates, Gina and Kerry. Produced for a class project at Suffolk University.

· THE VAMPIRE GAME EPISODE 1
A television series produced for The Emerson Channel in which clans of leather wearing, wisecracking vampires battle each other on a kung-fu fantasy planet while their real-world counterparts role-play The Vampire Game. This project was one of my favorites ever. You had the real world and the world of the game. We agreed that the two worlds had to look very different and as the DP I had to decide how to pull it off. Geoffrey Golden (the creator of the series) wanted an anime-style fantasy world, but with a limited budget we could only do so much. So I went absolutely nuts with the color. Basically I discovered the wonders of using vivid gels and lit everything with the most incongruous color combinations ever. As we did more episodes I got the hang of it, so by the fifth I had the style down. The Vampire Game was the first project ever produced by Warlords, the action film production group at Emerson College. Aired on the Emerson Channel at Emerson College and premiered at the first annual Warlords Screening on May 4th, 2003.

The Vampire Game was nominated for an EVVY AWARD in 2004 for Best Television Production (over ten minutes)
Watch a teaser for "The Vampire Game" on YouTube (0:59)

1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 ... TOP

I only did a couple projects this year, but they were my biggest prodcutions yet. We did two "Vampire Game" sequels back-to-back, and then most us went right into my second narrative feature "The Crusades". To this day, much of the cast still talks about filming "Crusades" and agree it was one of their favorite film shoots ever. That summer I script-supered the 7-week "Meridian" shoot. For my fall semester I went to intern at a startup movie development company in Los Angeles.

· THE VAMPIRE GAME EPISODES 2 AND 3
More fun with those crazy LARPing vampires! I consider these one episode, since there is a cliffhanger, and we shot them at the same time. As for the DP (moi) it wasn't until after finishing the first episode that I saw a delightfully terrifying film by Italian director Dario Argento called Suspiria. The colors used in this film are so vivid they're almost cartoonish. This film has a look very similar to the one I created for Vampire Game. After seeing the film I continued to reference Suspiria throughout the series. The Vampire Game Episode Two aired on the Emerson Channel at Emerson College and premiered at Emerson College at the second annual Warlords Screening on May 2nd, 2004.

Watch a teaser for "The Vampire Game" on YouTube (0:59)

· THE CRUSADES
Go to the "The Crusades" main page...

· RIGHT OF THE MERIDIAN
After her best friend is murdered, Layla, a high school girl, seeks the truth about her friend's life and death, and discovers that everyone in her small Vermont town has something to hide. Produced by Coppermine Films. Directed by Sean Bradley. During the filming of "Right of the Meridian" in the summer of 2003 I had the oppourtunity to take a hundreds of photos in my role as script supervisor and contiuity. Check out some of my favortie PHOTOS! Theatrical Premiere at the Loews Boston Common in Boston, MA on Janurary 25th, 2004.

Watch the trailer for "Right of the Meridian"

1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 ... TOP

Back from Cali Cali and ready for one last semester at Emerson. I had been writing an Argento psychotesque feature, but that would get way too ambitious for the little free time I had finishing school. So I put all my chips on the "Vampire Game" finale and it looked awesome. That fall the whole VG team reunited for "Work Warriors" which was tremendous fun. And Justin Caless started his feature "End of Angles" (which he has yet to finish). He had asked me to DP, but I couldn't jump on board in a key position because I had started pre-pro for my first documentary feature "Candyflip".

· THE VAMPIRE GAME EPISODE 4
I was in Los Angeles for a semester when they did episode four (though I did get to film the opening scene when I came back) so Carlo Lim filled in as DP adhering to the established style. These screengrabs are from the opeining scene.

Watch a teaser for "The Vampire Game" on YouTube (0:59)

· THE VAMPIRE GAME EPISODE 5
The big finale! Not the bloodiest, but definitely the longest of the five episodes! The Vampire Game Episode Five premiered at Emerson College at the third annual Warlords Screening on May 1st, 2005.

Watch a teaser for "The Vampire Game" on YouTube (0:59)

· WORK WARRIORS EPISODES 1 - 3
It's Street Fighter 2 meets BBC's The Office in this online mini-series. The World Warriors have a hard time avoiding their old rivals when working beside them at a dotcom company. From the makers of Vampire Game, it's Work Warriors! Yes friends, we all came together again to make this show and it was so much fun. Geoffrey told me that he wanted something like The Office only with characters similar to the Street Fighters. It was extremely fun and the show is very funny. Produced in association with Warlords, a production club at Emerson College. Episodes one, two, and three premiered at Emerson College at the third annual Warlords Screening on May 1st, 2005.

· END OF ANGELS
A young survivor must struggle to overcome her fate in a war for existence itself. Produced in association with Warlords, a production club at Emerson College. Directed by Justin Caless.

Received nomination for "Best Screenplay" at the 2004 EVVY Awards at Emerson College.
Watch a teaser for "End of Angels" on YouTube (2:25)

· WORK WARRIORS EPISODES 4 - 6 etc.
Those crazy Street Fighter-esque employees of Zapweb.net are at it again, burning the midnight oil (along with everything else in the building). We also managed to squeeze out a few short films (interludes if you will) in the process. We'll try to get all the episodes on here as soon as we can. Produced in association with Warlords, a production club at Emerson College. Episodes Four and Five and all the shorts premiered at Emerson College at the third annual Warlords Screening on May 1st, 2005. Episode Six premiered at Emerson College at the fourth annual Warlords Screening on April 30th, 2006.

Download and watch the "Work Warriors" shorts:
Aussie Talk (1:37 - 4.58mb)
Velocity Blast (2:17 - 6.45mb)
Secret Santa (1:28 - 4.14mb)
Karaoke Day (2:04 - 5.83mb)
Deadlines (1:30 - 4.83mb)

1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 ... TOP

I started filming "Candyflip" in February and within a year I had most of the interviews in the can. Now that I was out of school (and out of work for the most part) I had plenty of time to work on more projects. I had my turn in front of the camera in "Team DangerForce" and I upgraded to Adobe Premiere Pro just in time to cut "Isaac Clayton" (as well as Asterios' sister's wedding video). Here you'll find the Triology of Hilarity as I call it, the three final films Geoffrey Golden and I worked on: "Isaac Clayton" "Team DangerForce" and "Mysterious Punch in the Face". It wasn't all good, though. I worked on four films that year that were never finished ("End of Angels" "Redemption" "The Hunted" and "See Jane"). But that was all made up for by the surprise hits of the year, the "Dæmon" films.

· CANDYFLIP
Go to the "Candyflip" main page...

· MYSTERIOUS PUNCH IN THE FACE
"You are entering a world in which I can punch you in the face..." Fred gets a visit from Child Custody Services who may decide to take his cancer-stricken little brother out of his care. But little does Fred know his brother has just encountered a mysterious punch in the face... from the narrator (Ronald Sterling) in this colorful satire of "The Twilight Zone." Written and Directed by Geoffrey Golden. Produced with the Atomic Powered Millionaires. Theatrical Premiere at Emerson College at the annual Warlords Screening on May 1st, 2005.

Accepted as a contending pilot for Channel 102 New York - March 2005.
Watch "Mysterious Punch in the Face" on YouTube (4:45)
Download and watch the alternate ending! (0:26 - 1.24mb)

· DÆMON
Go to the "Dæmon" main page...

· REDEMPTION
A young man is given extraordinary abilities from a supernatural force and takes aim on the demons of the streets... but will his otherworldly power ultimately corrupt him? Produced in association with Warlords, a production club at Emerson College. Written and Directed by David Orosz.

Received award for "Best Screenplay" at the 2004 EVVY Awards at Emerson College.

· TEAM DANGERFORCE
A greaser (Geoffrey), a beatnik (yours truly), a femme fatale (Celeste) and a robot must join forces against the evil Doctress Labotomia who has thrown the country into a zombie holocaust. A fake movie teaser in the tradition of 50's B-movie sci-fi films. Produced with Warlords, a production club at Emerson College. Directed by Justin Caless. Theatrical Premiere at Emerson College at the third annual Warlords Screening on May 1st, 2005.

Watch "Team DangerForce" on YouTube (6:21)

· ISAAC CLAYTON: Futuristic Political Bounty Hunter For Hire
In the not too near future, a hypertext version of the Bill of Rights is hacked and Amendments begin erasing! And to top it off, the Max Headroom-esque Commisioner Blevins (played by Geoffrey Golden) is kidnapped! Isaac Clayton is the only man who can track down the culprits and stop the threat of a totalitarian uprising! Directed by Asterios Kokkinos.

Watch "Isaac Clayton" on YouTube (5:26)

· THE HUNTED (an homage)
Lucas Lee helmed this homage to the climactic knife-fight scene in William Friedkin's The Hunted. Lee choreographed the film's final sequence blow-for-blow with Omar Robinson, and DP Carlo Lim and I did our best to replicate the film's photography and makeup effects. I had never handled blood effects before, but wanted to give it a shot and I think we're happy with how most of it came out. Of course, I never did get to see any of that footage...

· DÆMON: PATH OF SHADOWS
Go to the "Dæmon" main page...

· SEE JANE
A master thief is targeted by the mob when she acquires a computer program that can hack seized criminal bank accounts. Although it was very awkward of me to be an alum filming for Emerson clubs EIV and Warlords in Emerson's studios and using Emerson equipment, this was actually a fun shoot. And I couldn't resist the chance to film 24pDV for the first time. Filming of "See Jane" took place in October of '05, but there was one scene we needed to reshoot which put a damper on the whole production. And now that our director moved to LA I don't know when or if the movie will ever be finished :( But can you spot me in this production still? I'll give you hint...

· 17 LASHES
A music video for the song "Seventeen Lashes" by Reverend Glasseye. The concept for the video by Adam, the band's frontman, involves a downtrodden boxer and a fateful day in the ring.

Watch "17 Lashes" on YouTube (5:47)

· EISEN
Four unique heroes confront a corrupt pharmaceutical company in this four-part serial. Justin filmed parts one and two in the fall of '05 and planned to do three and four in the spring of '06, but pre-pro for part three was proving most difficult so we ended up just filming four. Below are stills from the fourth installment. Written and Directed by Justin Caless.

Watch the first episode of "Eisen" on YouTube (9:16)

· OTHELLO
(see also the Theatrical Productions page)
An array of video segments incorpoated into a multimedia production of William Shakespeare's Othello. While some of the scenes stand alone, most involved some interaction from the live performers. This was the first play (first project, actually) on which Arika and I had collaborated and the show that got me the job assisting the eighth grade drama productions. What fun! The clip below is a brief collage of images (think "24" splitscreen stuff) that plays concurrently with the live performance of Emelia watching Desdemona drop her handkerchief--a pivotal moment in the story. Produced for Cambridge Friends School in Cambridge, MA. Live production directed by Arika Cohen. Theatrical performance on January 27th, 2006.

Download and watch the the handkerchief clip! (0:12 - 643kb)

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Late in the fall of '05 I started working at a middle school in Cambridge, assisting the eighth grade drama productions and their teacher (and my good friend) Arika Cohen. We've made some great images so far, those kids are quite creative and fun to film, a very different kind of film challenge. Speaking of challenges, it was the summer of 2006 where my hard drive crashed and set back post production on my drug dockie several months. Added to that, I was slated to video events at the Traverse City Film Festival, but my camera overheated and fried. So that sucked. I got a new drive right away, but have been working for over a year towards a new camera. In the meantime, I got to shoot the "Zelda" movies with Justin Caless's HD camcorder, which was pretty sweet. To tide me over, I got a tiny Canon ZR-1 for odd jobs and editing, but its size proved most advantageous when filming my brother's "Parkour" video. Check it out!

· THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: Lost
A live-action short based on the story and characters in the classic Nintendo video game, "The Legend of Zelda". In his search for Zelda, Link gets trapped in the Lost Woods (or perhaps Lost Recycling Center) and encounters a group of bad guys. Chaos and swordplay ensues. Produced with Warlords, a production club at Emerson College. Written by Justin Caless - Directed by Celeste Green. Theatrical Premiere at Emerson College at the annual Warlords Screening on April 30th, 2006.

Watch "The Legend Of Zelda: Lost" on YouTube (6:19)

· ANYWHERE BUT HERE
(see also the Theatrical Productions page)
A collection of video segments from a multimedia production of "Anywhere But Here", a play about two very different islands. On the island of Greenyl, people live in harmony with nature and live off the land. On Graynel, the populace has embraced technology and "improved" nature. Each island preaches hate against the other like two rival football teams, and this has been the status quo until one day a boy from Graynel shipwrecks on a mysterious shore and meets a girl from Greenyl... The two video segments are broadcasts from Graynel television networks. The videos reinforce the artifice and introversion of Graynel. Produced for the Eighth Grade at Cambridge Friends School in Cambridge, MA. Live production directed by Arika Cohen. Theatrical performances at Cambridge Friends School on April 28th and 29th, 2006.

· PARKOUR 806
A video of my brother CJ and his friends doing "parkour" around Boston and the Northeastern University campus in August of '06. This is the first video I shot on the Canon ZR (my back-backup camera) and it actually did a pretty good job keeping up with these crazy kids. I went for a kind of "baseless cinematography" where you never really know which end is up. And clearly some influence from M.C. Escher.

Watch "Parkour 806" on YouTube (5:08)

· THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: Zii
A live-action short based on the story and characters in the classic Nintendo video game, "The Legend of Zelda". In this sequel to "Legend of Zelda: Lost" (above) Link is beaten and must meet with the Great Fairy to give him a new life. As you can probably guess the title is a nod to the new Nintendo system >D Produced with Warlords, a production club at Emerson College. Directed by Justin Caless. Theatrical Premiere at Emerson College at the annual Warlords Screening on April 29th, 2007.

Watch "The Legend Of Zelda: Zii" on YouTube (11:03)

· MACBETH
(see also the Theatrical Productions page)
Scottish play take two. Having wowed the kids last year with my video skills, I thought to myself "How can I impress them even further?" Two words: green screen. I brought in my 9-foot chroma green backdrop and the kids and I did several different green screen FX including: putting a "real fire" in the witches' cauldron and making Banquo's ghost fly above the dinner table. The still on the right shows Macbeth's POV as he approaches the sleeping King Duncan and we used green screen to put the sword in front of the camera with Macbeth's reflection in the blade.

The coolest part of the whole multimedia element in "Macbeth" had to be the vision of Lady Macbeth's bloody hands. It was the first idea the kids had for any video in the play and it was the first we filmed. Arika wrote about the kids' experience creating that image with me in a paper for an arts education class at Harvard. Read Arika's paper!

Produced for Cambridge Friends School in Cambridge, MA. Live production directed by Arika Cohen. This production marks the third collaboration between myself and the Cambridge Friends School eighth grade, following last year's "Othello" and "Anywhere but Here". Theatrical performances held at Cambridge Friends School on January 20th, 2007.

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This year was mostly about finishing my documantary, "Candyflip" and getting it out to festivals, all the while planning my next projects. Though I said I wouldn't make another "Dæmon" film, I was insipired to make the third installment from watching a bunch of "CSI" episodes (and I thought it would be a good chance for Arika and I to work together on a film). Justin and I entered the "Battlestar Galactica" video contest and I got a my first producer's credit on a feature film that wasn't my own, "Douglas". This was also the year I became part of the "One Second Film" and of course, Zhura.

· BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE FURIES
A short video based in the world of the reimagined "Battlestar Galactica" series on the SciFi Channel. Two prisoners on New Caprica are about to be executed when suddenly there is an attack, giving them the diversion they need to escape and get to the rescue ships. But one of them may be working for the other side... Produced as an entry for the Battlestar Galactica Videomaker contest. Directed by Justin Caless.

Watch "Battlestar Galactica: The Furies" on the SciFi Channel website (4:00)

· DOUGLAS
"Words will never hurt me..." An obsessive writer with a debilitating unawareness of the world is forced to care for his two preteen stepsons after his overbearing wife mysteriously vanishes. Written and Directed by Mothra Milette and starring Adam Glasseye of Reverend Glasseye.

Go to "Douglas" on Myspace

· DÆMON: WAKING DARKNESS
Go to the "Dæmon" main page...

· THE 1 SECOND FILM
If you don't know about this, you will very soon. This is probably the greatest art project I've ever known, a tremendous thing for the film and artist community. I've given a little, but plan to give a lot more once I can afford it. I believe in this project whole-heartedly. I've known about it for nearly two years, but now that it is gaining serious momentum, I foresee great things for this and what it could mean. Stay tuned...

From the "1SecondFilm" website:
"Our goal is to create a series of innovative non-profit art-projects that unite the world via collaborative art-making, while also addressing various social issues. Starting with the shortest film ever made (The 1 Second Film), our 5 Phase Plan is designed to gradually scale up, culminating with the creation of the largest collaborative work of art ever attempted (The 11,111 Second Film). The overarching goal is to inspire millions of people to work together while providing a unique platform for addressing critical social issues."

· ZHURA PROMO: OUR MOVIE
A promo for Zhura.com a collaborative screenwriting website, produced for a contest during the website's beta-testing period. A writer starts narrating her movie, but soon other "writers" get swept up in a stream-of-consciousness brain tornado! Featuring Olivia Rizzo and Omar Robinson, with additional voices by John Tanzer and myself.

Won "Best Zhura Informerical Video" as part of the Beta Phase One contests on Zhura.com
Watch "Zhura Promo: Our Movie" on YouTube (3:10)

· ZHURA PROMO: WRITERS' DILEMMA
A television commercial for Zhura.com a collaborative screenwriting website. Two writers (played by Karl Steudel and Nicole M. Mayne) are having trouble writing their respective screenplays by themselves. Zhura comes to the rescue! Music composed by Tiven Weinstock. This promo aired during primetime hours on Comcast Cable in the Greater Boston region from December 9th through the 15th, 2007 on channels such as Comedy Central, MTV, Spike TV, FX and others.

Watch "Zhura Promo: Writers' Dilemma" on YouTube (1:00)

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This was a year of investment. I started working for Zhura.com and saved enough money to make some much needed purchases (camera, computer, software) not the least of which was my Netflix subscription, a necessity for any serious filmmaker. Through Zhura I got to work closely with members of the Improv Asylum, which was tremendous fun. This was also the year of the music video. Working on the Gabe Dixon and Nine Inch Nails projects inspired me to pursue a Craigslist call to produce film segments for an upcoming rock band performance. Aw yeah...

"You Wrote It Live!"
Zhura teamed up with Boston's own Improv Asylum to produce these live sketch comedy performances written entirely by the public on Zhura.com. As the "film guy" at Zhura, I was tasked to direct the live taping and post-production for both shows. The April show was such a hit that we put a call out for another round of original sketches from the Zhura community for the June show. Normally I wouldn't include a simple show taping as part of my film and video portfolio, but this was a lot of work and a lot fun! "You Wrote It Live" and "You Wrote It Live 2" as peformed live at Improv Asylum Boston, MA, on April 12th and June 27th, 2008 respectively.

Login to Zhura and Browse the "You Wrote It Live" sketches

· THE PENETRATOR
"Mark Hardin is The Penetrator, a one-man army dedicated to sniffing out long-lost Cold War threats and snuffing them out.." Chet Harding director of Boston's premiere comedy club Improv Asylum co-wrote and stars in this send-up of the 80's rogue-gov-agent-action-dramas we all loved. It was very cool to work on a project with the guys at Improv Asylum, they are freaking hilarious. And no, it's not a porno.

Watch "The Penetrator" on Chet Harding's website

· NINE INCH NAILS: Ghosts 22
A music video for track number 22 on Nine Inch Nails instrumental album "Ghosts" featuring Olivia Rizzo as a mysterious girl lost in a strange forest. When Trent Reznor announced this online film festival for NIN's "Ghosts" music, I went through the roof! I had always wanted to make a legitimate music film for Nine Inch Nails, they are my favorite band ever. Added to which, the album is licensed under a BY-SA-NC Creative Commons license, meaning anyone can use the music for their own website and online videos! I'm so there. Featured on the Nine Inch Nails Ghosts Film Festival on YouTube.

Watch "Ghosts 22" on YouTube (2:58)

· THE GABE DIXON BAND: Till You're Gone
A music video for The Gabe Dixon Band's song "Till You're Gone" from their self-titled album. Tony and Paul (of Tony vs. Paul fame) directed this video featuring a thirty-person stop-motion animated human piano! I was in charge of acquiring and organizing all 50+ total extras we had for the day. I also took it upon myself to map out every individual piano arrangement for the entire song and then editing the piano animation in post. I have to say I'm quite proud of the result, and the extras were fantastic; we couldn't have cast a better piano. Photos by Eric Michael Pearson

Watch "Till You're Gone" on Vimeo (2:58)

· ALOUD: I Just Want To Witness . . .
A multimedia showcase of short films and animation produced to accompany a live music performance from Aloud a Boston-based indie rock band. The band is planning a tour of this show to promote their latest album "Fan the Fury". The set list for the show is the entirety of the album and nearly every song has an accompanying film or animation segment. While I produced most of the segments myself, the show also features work from Mike Pecci, Kristin Osiecki, Timothy Scholl and Erin Bowser. The show first premiered Tuesday, November 18th 2008 at Berklee College's Cafe 939 in Boston, MA.

· STEAMHANDER
A mild-mannered dry cleaner is struck by lightning, giving him the power of steam to iron out a city wrinkled with crime! This short will be filmed in the style of old-timey superhero serials, like Superman from 1948. Omar Robinson to star!

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· UNTITLED VIDEO GAME DEMO
An animated demo for a puzzle video game, kind of in the problem-solving spirit of Lemmings, only speedy and addictive like Tetris. It's not really untitled, I just don't want to give the title away. This is an idea I've had in the back of my mind for nearly fourteen years and I'm finally making something of it. I don't know how to program video games, but I do know some cool video/animation/effects I can play with to get the point across. So this will be more of a preview for the game than an actual playable demo. Produced in cooperation with my friends at Foghorn Studio.

· MOUNTAIN OF DEW
My brother filmed this "project" he and his friends did, about the trials and tribulations involved in filling a bathtub with Mountain Dew. Ugh. But it's pretty funny. He asked me to edit the footage so I'll probably get around to it after the new year and when I'm in a silly mood : )

· GEARS FROM HEAVEN
A short documentary about robots designed for search and rescue operations, centering around those used in the aftermath of September 11th. I'm still not sure how I'd like to approach this subject, but I've been kicking around ideas with Mark Micire who has worked with these robots for over a decade and I'll be revisiting this project when I have some more time.