15.1.2012

On the set of Sticks'n'Stones: Day 20

   No matter how much fun You have on the set and no matter how good the material is, fourteen hours without breaks is... a long time. But, we endured and thrived completing two new scenes for S'n'S.
   The day started with collecting props and gear from Helsinki and Espoo. Since our shooting location (which is totally a secret, FYI) was outside far from the nearest socket we decided to rent a 2,2 kilowatt generator for 30€. This was a super smart idea from Mikko, 'cause eventhough we kept it running the whole day it only used 8€ worth of gas. The only downside was that we couldn't get the car anywhere near the location and the generator was a [female canine] to carry around.
   Fourteen hours later I finally got back home, took a shower, quickly checked the material, slept for an hour and a half, and got back on the road. To not sound like a complete wuss I must add that I also stayed up the night before, drawing storyboards. Special thanks to Kari Voutilainen and Pasi Rautio for voluntarily assisting us on the set, good job boys. Extra special gran reserva thanks to Heikki Herlin for sticking with us from start to finish and lending his precious lenses and lighting equipment. Nice.
-Roy-
  

7.12.2011

Make some noise!

Newest addition to Junkyard Films' arsenal is a Zoom H4n audio recorder. We took it on a test drive straight away and recorded today's Sticks'n'Stones sessions on it using a shotgun mic. Sound is very clear and rich, and I'm amazed of the quality of the H4n's internal mics. It's 100%, 96kHz and 24Bit beautiful.
-Roy-
  

12.11.2011

Sex! Drugs! Violence!

   Caught your attention there, didn't I? Don't worry, the title wasn't just a marketing hoax, I actually want to elaborate the usage of sex, drugs and violence in movies and entertainment in general, and how I as a director have decided to utilise them in Sticks'n'Stones.
   First off, the big bad narcotics. Controversially, I am against all illegal drugs and yet I decided to present them in the film. I'll just skip the part where I tell you how and why I dislike drugs in real life, 'cause even I hate listening to myself preach. However, I find that the use of drugs is often pointless in movies. I don't mind, if it's an essential part of the plot or a character, or if it's even a part of anything. I mind watching people smoke weed when it doesn't entertain me on any level. I mind watching people do meth when it is not at all interesting. In my opinion the best motives for showing drugs is when you really wanna strike a chord (e.g. Narc) or go for the complete opposite and bring some humour into a scene (e.g. Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels), the latter being the reason why we got a couple of delightful junkies in S'n'S. Sometimes you need something extremely heavy to lighteng things up.
   Is it really all about sex? Hot, steamy sex? I'm afraid not. No, really it's for the best, 'cause I feel like the world we live in shoves it in our face all night all day. We've become somewhat numb to seeing sexually provoking pictures and videos, or to say the least our level of tolerance for such material has raised a notch since movies first hit the theaters roughly a hundred years ago. When it comes to sex in films there's spiffy, tacky and porn. The way I see it, porn serves a different purpose than common cinema, so I'll leave it out. The line between spiffy and tacky, though, is a very vague one. This is one reason why I decided not use sex in Sticks'n'Stones at all. Another one is that the leading female role is played by my spouse. The most clever way of presenting sex in a movie was in Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla where it shows the whole act in just five seconds. Sexy, funny, unforgettable. On the other hand I just played the story mode of a zombie game called Deadrising 2. I loved the game, but hated a particular character in it, a journalist named Rebecca. Every scene she was in started with her sexy pose, contained atleast a couple of one-liners with cheesy sexual references and ended with a picture of her ass, legs or double D's. It was ridiculous and annoying, and my absolute favorite part of the game was when she got shot in the face.
   Which brings us to my favorite vice, gore. Shame on you, Roy, graphic violence leads to aggressive behavior! Right. Movies don't create psychos, movies make psychos more creative. In my case it's really not about the quantity but the quality of the violence. Tongue in cheek is definitely the way to go whenever it doesn't kill the intensity. Sam Raimi, Quentin Tarantino, Wes Craven and dozens of others make a living out of it, sometimes thriving, sometimes misfiring. Then again some movies are all about depicting violence in a more cruel and disturbing way (e.g. Mystic RiverSaw, Death Sentence). This usually makes gore less entertaining and much more thought-provoking. I decided to add both of these aspects of violence to Sticks'n'Stones, since the storyline is based on the main characters dependence on it. The trick is of course to make sure the amusing and gruesome sides of violence don't end up watering each others down, but I think we were able to make them collaborate and add more depth to our protagonist. All in all violence is, to some extent, an important part of many great film genres. Beg to differ and I'll cut you open like a fish!
-Roy-
  

2.11.2011

On the set of Sticks'n'Stones: Day 16

   After a very long break we finally got back on track with S'n'S. We filmed for five long days, and produced, yet again, plenty of kick ass material.
   First of all, an extra special thanks goes to our executive producer Heikki Herlin for all the lenses and lighting equipment he provided us with. We were able to make the scenes aesthetically ambitious enough with the gear, especially since we got some solid assistance from the master of lights, Patrik Holopainen. Other new members of the crew were Kari Voutilainen and Kim Karlsson, both of whom gave us aids. As in aided us recording the sound. Grow up.
   And, a huge mega power thanks to all the actors for a job seriously well done. We'll be uploading some pics soon from the sets. Stay tuned!
-Roy-
 

21.9.2011

¿Cómo?

See it to believe it: a short film written, shot and edited in seven hours! Just a click away: The Italian.
  

4.9.2011

Too damn hot...

Since Sticks'n'Stones is still light years away from done we'll be uploading, every now and then, some new stuff.
Fun stuff. Stuff like this: Full Price. Enjoy responsibly!
  

25.8.2011

It's all in the papers

Ten years has passed since the sovereign Finnish film maker and entertainer Pertti "Spede" Pasanen passed away. In his honor, a Spede magazine was published today as a part of Iltasanomat. Buy it, read it, and especially check out page 59. That's an order. In addition, watch the final episode of Karavaanarit today on MTV3 at 19:30!
-Roy-
   

9.8.2011

On the set of Sticks'n'Stones: Day 10

   Instead of killing you with details about how swell things are going I'll present you with some Making of -pics. But, if you must know, things are going really swell...

I feel pretty and witty and bright!

There's something very disturbed about all this.

Artish

Remember to smack it hard enough.

Everyone went berserk over ice cream.

Blood on the dance floor.

Lucky for us, there happened to be a sound recorder wandering around the set.
We named it Ilkka.

Blowjob is a man's job.


 

28.7.2011

On the set of Sticks'n'Stones: Day 8

   We're back from Nord Center where we filmed Sticks'n'Stones for four days and nights. In that time we shot astounding five scenes for the movie. Setbacks were scarce. The first day was bit of a disaster since our first shot lasted exactly four seconds and it only shows me and Mikko running away from the pouring rain. After the cloudburst ceased we only had time for a couple of more shots before we ran outta sunlight.
   But, other than that, we pretty much kicked ass. The material acquired equals awesomeness, and the thing I'm especially happy about is the fact that all our actors, most of whom are amateurs, did so well in front of the camera. Everyone really got into character and the rhythm couldn't have been better. Again, documents can be found on Picture this!
   Of course we almost got beat up by a 250 pound gorilla with a nightstick, but that's just one of the things that makes movie biz so special.
-Roy-
  

22.7.2011

On the set of Sticks'n'Stones: Day 4

   Phew... Ok, here's the deal. The first day of shooting the flick was "not bad", the second was "pretty great", but, the footage from the last couple of days is more like "holymotherofgodthisisthebesteffin'thingI'veseeninmylifeIloveit!"
I don't even know how to really describe it, 'cause I don't know what the hell happened! Me and Mikko were shooting around Helsinki, with additional help from my man Esa, and the material seemed excellent at the time. However, once we edited and colour corrected it, it became more like art of some sort. Sorry, if I seem a bit cocky, I'm just so excited that we finally got that sumthin' sumthin'!
   In other news, me and Mikko have been succesful in upsetting officers of the law as well as dear old ladies while shooting the movie. Also, we had a group of fans visiting our set in Itä-Pasila. We told them about the film and gave them a tour around the set, be sure to check out the photos from Picture this! In addition, you'll find a couple of pics from scene #2, though we refrain from presenting the very best bits, so you'll have a lot to look forward to.
Special thanks from me to Mikko, Esa and of course all ya fans out there!
-Roy-
  

13.7.2011

On the set of Sticks'n'Stones: Day 1

   It's about damn time! Over a year ago Mikko and I started to compile a plot for a movie named Sticks'n'Stones, and, at last, the production kicked off. That's quite right, today was the first day of shooting the mutha effin' flick!
   Now, we realize what all you billions of Junkyard Films fans around the world are wondering: "How did it go?!" Well, it went OK. Not bad, not great, OK. This was really nobody's fault, simply unfortunate circumstances. My co-star was suffering from what appears to be sunstroke and thus was unable to read let alone rehearse his lines, and so, we only got about half the material we intended to shoot.
   Also, we had some technical failures; some of the first shots we took are lacking sound that should've been recorded on the camera. However, I'm sure our proficient sound crew can synchronize the sound without it. But seriously,
sorry Toivo, my bad.
   Enough with the whining and moaning, let's talk about the stuff we nailed today. The ligthing was great, awesome even, and so was the place we filmed in (Dansan Deli, here in Lauttasaari). We were able to capture the vivid ambience of the restaurant and they were even kind enough to sponsor a luxurious sushi dinner for the whole cast and crew.
Best damn sushi in New Phoenix!
   Anyways, another huge pro was the cameo appearance from the famous, or infamous, Finnish rapper
Markku Wettenranta aka Tasis, who pulled off the role of a shady bartender nicely.
   Have to say the day was a success for the most part, since we got some excellent footage. Massive thanks to everyone attending today on the set!!
-Roy-
  

6.7.2011

It's finally Final

Killer combo: MacBook Pro and a Final Cut.
You effin' right we bought 'em! YOU EFFIN' RIGHT!!
  

9.6.2011

Higher ground

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to present Junkyard Films's latest purchase: a crane.
Boom, jib, ladder to heaven, twelve feet of pure ecstasy. What ever you wanna call it, we got it.
And we're not afraid to use it...
  

6.6.2011

29.5.2011

It's music video baby!

Me, myself and Ossi Arhipoff just finished our long music video projekt for the rap-duet Tripple 2.
Go see the fruits of our labour at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DJpQ5kmOMU
-Mikko-

23.5.2011

Pardon my French

Due to the extravagant quantity of requests we here at Junkyard Films have decided to post
all our news and bulletins exclusively in English from here on out!
We've already translated "Who the hell are these guys?" and "Co." pages.
Word up! Or something.
  

10.5.2011

Let there be China ball!

Mitä saadaan, kun yhdistetään 1,5 metriä bambua, hehkulamppu, riisipaperia ja sähköjohto?
Okei, siitä voisi tulla pimeässä toimiva salakalastuslaite.
Kyse on nyt kuitenkin pehmeää valoa tuottavasta China ball:ista, jonka Junkyard Films on juuri hankkinut.
Junkyard Films ei kannata salakalastusta.
  

11.4.2011

Scared? Good, you should be...

Royn ennakkotehtäväkauhufantasialyhytelokuva "Menneisyyden varjot" on julkaistu Promo pro bono -sivulle!
PS. Leffa on kuvattu Canon550D:llä.
  

15.3.2011

Get the picture?

Junkyard Films on hankkinut arsenaaliinsa Canon 550D:n, jolla Sticks'n'Stones tullaan kuvaamaan!
  

30.1.2011

A word of advice...

"Kuinka kukaan voi keksiä tällaisen idean...tässä ei ole mitään hyvää...surkeinta mitä olen ikinä nähnyt...te voitte vaihtaa saman tien alaa, tänne ei tuollaista kaivata...kukaan ei voi tykätä tästä."

Erkko Lyytinen, DocPointin taiteellinen johtaja

Katsokaa ja päättäkää itse:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6h0V35uMCY
    

10.1.2011

It's soccer, sucker!

Yhteistyössä leikkaajaguru Heikki Herlinin kanssa toteutettu traileri Antti Niemen treenivideosta löytyy allaolevasta linkistä.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGMe9y7i7X0&feature=recentlik

Enjoy!