JoNean: Beautiful

What I did on my 2017 roadtrip.

JoNean - Dreams (Live)

JoNean Video in the Works

If you follow me on FaceBook, you've seen the Making of "Don't Cry," the music video that consumed most of my summer roadtrip back to Hooftytown and will challenge my post-production skills in the near future.

Looking forward to getting the studio tracks to finalize our original power ballad.

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.  

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.

Colors

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.   

And Now For Something Completely Different

This summer I treated my friend Jo to a couple of range days.  She took a liking to my 9-mm AR, so I told her this winter, she could try my rifle-caliber ARs too.  She renewed her friendship with the 9AR; I asked her to shoot it until it failed, as I knew it bound to do so from my experience with the AZ Sub-Gun Match.  After it finally failed to eject, I dropped in the new bolt carrier group after splashing some lube on it. It froze up on the second shot!  Perhaps I should have been more generous with the Break Free.  Got to fix it before I go back to AZ so she can shoot it again; I forgot a few boxes of ammo and a firearm in the family cabinet, so another range day is definitely in the cards.

Jo adapted to the Bushmaster .223 barely batting an eyelash.   She really dug the reflex sight and the gentle recoil... not much different from the 9AR.

Jo noticed the considerably greater heft of the DPMS LR-308, but was pleased with the relatively gentle recoil.  That is, compared to a bolt action rifle in the same caliber.  One thing you can't get used to is the concussive effect of that SJC Titan compensator; fortunately, she was standing in the best place to avoid having her teeth rattled by the shock wave.  The petite lady promised to start lifting weights so she can spend more trigger time on the rifles.  I hope I brought enough ammo!

The Ruger 22/45 with the bull barrel is incredibly stable and fun to shoot well.  Good thing I brought lots of .22 LR!  

The Walther P-38 took a lot of getting used to.  Heck, I'm still not used to shooting it and Jo consistently struck low, just as I usually do.  Even so, it's fun to shoot a piece of German engineering that was made in the year we were both born.

I saved the S&W 29 Classic for last for obvious reasons.  Fortunately I brought a good supply of .44 Special instead of subjecting Jo to the punishing .44 Magnum round.  She ended up declining to shoot the beefier magnum rounds I brought, but handled the gentler loads without any trouble.

Hey, we've got another range day to look forward to!   

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....

In the Shooting Gallery: Shooting Video not Guns

Photo by David Wing

This weekend, I'm leading Team Cowboy Blob in the 10th Annual Almost Famous Film Festival 48-Hour Film Festival.  I'm no greenhorn in this rodeo, but this is my first ride as sole Producer.  I've got two returning crew and recruited two more I met during the shooting of "Dead Meat."  I look forward to working with my cast, so far consisting of two talented lady friends/actresses with whom I've worked previously.

The weekend after that, I'll be crew and minor cast for "McBride," the prequel to Gerry Gilbert's award-winning Western short "Blackwood."  We're shooting out at Gammon's Gulch again, so I'm sure it'll look great.

After that, gotta try to finish the Binker Movie "Ready When You Are, CB."

Beyond that, I've got three shorts in the queue to produce before I even think of writing another one... unless they don't get done by summer.  I ALWAYS use the summer road trip drive to brainstorm a script for the Pima College Advance Cinematography class.  That and the summer Binker Movie.

Last year's 72-Hour "One Script Challenge" Movie here.

The Binker Strikes Back

I haven't shared any pix of my niece, "The Binker," in quite a while. She is growing into a smart, outgoing young lady. Last year, between chipmunk videos, I recruited her to star in my summer vacation movie "The Reaper Strikes Back."

Last night, it premiered at the Tucson Terrorfest Horror Film Festival with a favorable audience reaction. I recorded it on my smartphone so the Binker can enjoy the experience too.

This summer's production, "Ready When You Are, C.B." is in post-production.


Update:  Dammit, I lost the video transferring it from my iPhone! 

No Win, No Gong

"Chippy's Independence Day" premiered at the Loft Cinema's First Friday Shorts and neither won nor lost.  Failure was an option since it went 2:40 past Gong eligibility and had nary a line of dialogue, just a rodent gathering nuts for storage.  It was the first time I'd seen the audience use applause to fight the shouts for the Gong (which were many).  Yes, Cuteness enabled survival.  Emcee Max Cannon (cartoonist of Red Meat fame) expressed his surprise that it didn't place better at the end, but I knew the drunk chef in "Cooking Parrotfish with Eze" was going to steal the audience's short attention span.  On to the next movie... and photo shoots.

Passing the Thumper

What do you do when your best buddy has a case of 7.62x51 and nothing to shoot it and you buy a New Thumper that captures your gunny heart, rendering your Old Thumper a gun safe queen?

You work something out....

Happy New Year!

Stay Warm, Northerners!

The Business End

Finally got off my ass and wrestled with the new camera. The User's Guide made my eyes glaze over every time I attempted it... ideally, sitting down with some 7D DPs I know would help me assimilate some work-flow know-how, but I don't have the time for that. And why risk pissing them off by appearing to become their competition? Really, guys, on any movie I Direct, I do NOT want to double as Director of Photography.

Found a few good reviews and walk-throughs on YouTube; those, on top of those times I was actually paying attention to my DP friends, should get me started on the road to proficiency. Another way will be to take a working vacation, bringing enough of the gear to make my own short and get some on-the-job self-training.

As I've been asked to DP for 1219 Studios' Tucson Terrorfest entry this summer, why not go home beforehand to PA and shoot "Hooftytown Horror?" My Bro-in-Law, the BinkerDad, is a big horror flick aficionado, so I'll certainly consult him -- and probably put him in front of the camera since I don't know any actors in Hooftytown.

Also have some ideas to get the Binker herself involved... this should be fun.

A REAL M-1 Carbine!

My buddy Chief surprised me with a wonderful gifty this weekend, an M-1 Carbine! He knew I had one or two Universal carbines from our days in West Texas a decade or three ago and picked up a little war-era Saginaw M-1 Carbine in a private sale. Since he already had an IBM carbine of comparable quality, he decided to spread the hoplo-happiness to me, rather than start an M-1 menagerie (he is shopping for another gun safe though, so who knows?).






What did Santa bring you?

Blogiversary!

September 11 is a maudlin day to celebrate a Blogiversary, so I moved it to today, a date which shares another anniversary for me. I enlisted in the Air Force on September 12, 1979.

It's been seven years and 4,573 posts, with close to 640k visitors and almost a million page views.

I'd like to thank my readers who make this thing worth my time and my fellow bloggers, without whom the Saloon and Shootin Gallery would just be a pimple on the Internet's backside. Actually, compared to some of the mighty blogs that link here, this blog is a pimple on the Internet's backside.






















Of course, the greatest thing about blogging is getting to meet great folks like Tam, Breda, Brigid, Alan, Kevin, USCitizen, Kevin, DC, and others. Now, if I could only manage to get to a Gunbloggers Rendezvous.