Does Anyone Read This Thing Any More?

Got married, moved to PA, and waiting to build a house, a shooting range, recording studio, photo studio, and maybe a miniature golf course :) Should I even bother blogging, or just post to FaceBook?

JoNean: Beautiful

What I did on my 2017 roadtrip.

JoNean: The Lord's Prayer

Casting Call Notice

Music Video:  “Don’t Cry” by JoNean

Genre:  Rock Power Ballad

Producer:  Bob Flyzik (Cowboy Blob Productions)

Seeking: Telegenic non-SAG/non-AFTRA talent for low-budget music video.  Screen time will be at the maximum a few seconds, so ability to emote the part is important.

Compensation:  No monetary compensation.  Refreshments/snacks provided.

“Don’t Cry” is a song about the misplaced energy found in grief.  Instead of spending tears when a loved one passes, why not share tears with them while they live?

Uncast Roles include but are not limited to:

Bride and Mother
Bride and Father
Father/Mother and anguished Daughter
Father/Mother and anguished Son
Military Bugler
Military Officer and Widow
Aged Widow
Suicide Risk
Suicide Preventer
Clergy Member
Mourners in Black
Husband and Wife

Location:  Principal photography will occur in and around LEHIGHTON PA in June/July 2016 in and around TUCSON AZ after that.

Wardrobe is to be supplied by the Talent.  After shooting, Actors in Military roles played by authentic veterans in authentic uniform may be plied with adult beverages of the veteran’s choice by the producer.

Potential Participants may submit one digital headshot to rflyzik -at- hotmail.com with name, Email, phone, and a short resume. 

JoNean - Ball

Shot this video this summer in beautiful Hooftytown PA.  Jo and PsydFX did the music... the lyrics were mine... Jo gave me the hook "I'm a ball, I roll," and I ran with it from there.   Featured are my niece Erin (The Binker), nephew Caden (Baby Zeus), and Jo's nephew Kaden.  Shot on a Canon 7D and mixed by audio engineer Damian Walck (Jo's brother, Kaden's Daddy). 

JoNean - December Song

Extended roadtrip for the Winter holidays!  Added Lyricist to my never-to-be-read resume by producing two music videos featuring my own song writing.  The first was shot this winter, but was also recorded by me, so it beats this summer's video to publication.  

Child's Play - A Horror Short

An Almost Famous Film Festival Horror Film Challenge I co-produced and DP'd.

Spartacus Schmartacus

Another Fun Short

They're Here

Cool New Optics!

I haven't been so excited about a new optic since my Vortex PST 1-4x rifle scope.

Yesterday, I scored an Alcon Labs SN60WF in 20.5D power.  After I got the wrapper off, I aimed it downrange.  I dealt with some early focus issues, but once I put my mind to it, I was picking off the characters at the bottom of the chart with confidence.  20/20, Baby!

I've been told the acuity may fluctuate over the next month, but I'm happy to now see the world in High Def instead of through a pane of foggy glass.

Wha Snoo?!

For the first time in a while, I went to a 3-Gun match this weekend, at the Phoenix Rod & Gun Club this time. No video (forgot my phone/camera) and very little to report, no scores yet, Jon shot well... just about every rifle was an AR platform with optics. A SCAR is an AR, right? Oh, yeah, I didn't even shoot....

Whu-whu-whuuuuuuut?

Even in my worst shape, I've always been willing to brave the heat and shoot a match, but this time, my body got the best of me. During my summer vacation, I noticed a cloudiness in the vision in my right eye, and upon my return, the eye doc confirmed I have a cataract in there. I'm totally worthless with a long gun, because I'm NOT shooting from the left side just to play. If there was a pistol-only match, that would be a different story, but Jon needed this match for practice, so that decided it.

An interesting consequence of showing up was meeting Arturo, a shooting buddy of Jon's and our friend Keith. Turns out he's from Tucson too, and after introductions, he said he recognized me as Cowboy Blob and he lamented my lack of blog output of late. Guilty, as charged! I better get my butt in gear.

On the creative front, JoNean's music videos "Wind Sail" and "Blue" just hit 100 and 1,000 views, respectively, on YouTube this weekend. Jo is so stoked that she promised to needle her brother into the studio to final the audio for "Ball," a lively rock tune Jo (and the band Psyde-FX) crafted with the lyrics I provided. The "Ball" music video is mostly complete, but it's sync'ed to a sketchy camera audio track.

The sword-and-sandal epic shot in my back yard "Spartacus, Schmartacus" is halfway done and should be ready for premiere in November.

I'm starting to see light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not the glare of the Sonoran Desert sun. I'm giving serious thought to moving back to PA, where I'll probably freeze my ass off.

Wind Sail

 Jo and Evalynn used to perform this back in high school, so while I was in town, I asked if they would like to make a music video of it.  Music videos are much quicker to produce than sword and sandal epics, so I wanted a couple under my belt before I wade into "Spartacus Schmartacus."

The ladies usually sound much better than this; I recorded the audio myself, since Jo's brother's home studio was already booked for her other song (my next video).  At least in a studio there's less of a chance of a bug flying into your mouth.

Star Trek: Away Team "Command Vee"

What's Cookin?

Ya mean, besides our video "Blue" approaching 800 views?

Well, sadly, I certainly haven't been shooting guns, but I've made up for it by shooting footage for my "Star Trek: Away Team" due at the June First Friday Shorts, "Spartacus Schmartacus" due this Fall, and a short for Syndicated Evangelist called "Unf***er."

To assuage my frustration with learning the guitar (like teaching a pig poetry), I've been writing some songs, lyrics only, for Jo and Friends to craft into real music, some we can make some original music videos and maybe get more than 800 YouTube views!  Our next one will have a whole band behind it and will be much more upbeat than "Blue." That should fill up some of my copious spare time during this summer's road trip, when I'm not making Erin the Binker's next movie, or filling up my memory cards with mediocre photography.   

Blue

How I spent my winter vacation...

Happy New Year!

 Got warm enough for another range day, so I introduced Jo to some different guns, as well as invited her to try her own for the first time.  The FireStar in 9-mm is a fun little gun, but the recoil spring was to stiff for Jo to manage.

Jo liked the tameness of the .38 Special... especially in a handsome cowboy six-gun.

She brought her own S&W .40 automatic and fired it for the first time! Took a bit to fight the flinch, but eventually started hitting regularly. She fought the recoil spring more than she fought the recoil.

Good thing she brought lots of .40 because the only stuff I brought was premium defense ammo for my carry guns. She enjoyed the SiG P239 quite a bit... it was intrinsically the most accurate firestick she fired today.

Jo really liked the Ruger SP101 she tried this summer, so I sacrificed some carry ammo to warn her what even a light .357 Magnum feels like.

Photo Hack

One of the first things I learned when I started taking photography seriously is that on-camera flash is for amateurs. That said, a lens-mounted LED ring light is darned handy for close-up photos and cinematography. Besides the ring light, I have a rectangular bank of LED lights that fits on the camera shoe... but that looks too much like flash. I'd rather my photos have character, or in other words, shadows. For this selfie, I held the light out well away from the axis of the camera.  My hands were full.

What do you do when your hands are already full before you consider the light?  The threading on the bottom of the light fits the shoe adapter, but no known tripod shoe or standard light stand.  With my trusty Swiss Army Knife and a plastic gallon jug, I fashioned a light-holder that slipped over a light stand.  I'm planning on getting another of these lights; having adjustable brightness, another would make a great fill light on the other side of the axis. I don't always want the shadows to be so severe.

10th Blogiversary!

How, a whole decade.  Hard to believe people still read this crap.

Hooftytown Highlights

Actually Sawmill Trail downstream from Beltzville State Park.  Found two sets of these bound roses placed along the trail.  Oh, to know the story...

Interesting tree.

Interesting trees. 

Ye Olde Slate Quarry Pond.

I guess the bacteria count is too high for swimming but not too high for fishing on Lake Beltzville.

Ye Olde Covered Bridge at Beltzville SP.

Downstream from Beltzville Dam.

Falls along the trail.


You didn't think I'd take pics of actual Hooftytown itself, did you?  Maybe next year....