Hey guys! 
Ken here, writer and director of our most recent short film “Diggers!” Thanks to everybody who has watched the video (and if you haven’t yet, what are you waiting for?!) and for supporting us during our launch. I’m thinking of doing a commentary video soon to tell some stories and secrets about the filming of “Diggers!”, but here’s one memorable story.

For the negotiation scene, we got a little ambitious and decided to do a couple long takes of the entire thing. Worst case I can edit the segments together and make it work anyway, but it sounded like a fun thing to try. So we do the first take and it goes pretty well! A few line readings are off but overall I was pretty happy. So we do another take. This one goes better, and a few segments end up in the finished product. And I’m impressed that so far, only two or three lines have been flubbed. These guys really did learn their lines!

So we get 3 or 4 long takes from each angle and wrap that scene. So a few weeks later I start editing together that segment and in the first take I see Kevin has his script on the table! Like blatantly on the table in full view of the camera right in front of my face. And he’s glancing at it too, so it’s obvious what’s happening. “I can’t use that footage, so I better try the next take,” I think to myself. Second take, the script is still there. Third take, the script is still there! Every single take the script is right on the table!

Fortunately I had enough footage to cut around that mess, but it shows how even a room full of continuity sticklers can occasionally miss something extremely obvious. The lesson learned is to never settle for one take, especially at our experience level.

Thanks for your support, and Yola!

-Ken

Yola, fans!

This is the Ironic Cowboy, here to let you know about our exciting first wave of short films! My “pardners” over at Ironic Cowboy Productions are working hard to wrap up and deliver them as we speak! Or as you read that is. Or even more accurately, as I type.

 Our second short film, titled “Thriving Infatuation”, takes a classic HP Lovecraft tale and adds a modern spin in an attempt to make something timeless. Mark struggles with problems in his neighborhood, but becomes further alarmed when he notices his friend Jack acting very strangely shortly after Jack begins dating the mysterious Azenath! It’s like he’s not himself sometimes. Weird!

I’m also very proud of our third short film, “Diggers!” I’ve heard of the Pawn Stars and the American Pickers, but who are the Diggers you ask? Well, the Diggers are Jay and Tub, two guys with a real nose for business. These two travel around to the farthest reaches of sunny Orange County, digging through peoples’ trash cans in a search of valuable objects to sell. As Jay says, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. We are that another man!” And they’ve just stumbled onto their biggest find yet!

Closing out wave 1 is something completely different. “Paths” is a heartwarming look at how one man, with a little supernatural help, starts turning his lonely life around! And it’s nothing at all like “Paperman”! Really!

And of course, I’ve asked various “pardners” to write something for this website each week. Maybe Dan will post a tale of how they did a particularly complicated shot. Or Kevin will regale us with character back story for Jay and Tub! Or maybe Ken will tell us about the time he “broke wind” during a take. Classic Ken!

Be sure and check out our “Pictures” section for behind the scenes photos and even the occasional video. And follow us on twitter, facebook, google+, and youtube for updates, uploads, and exciting future announcements! I for one cannot wait to see what these guys come up with next!

Yola!

-  The Ironic Cowboy