I AM Crazy

I’m quite interested in seeing how other people deal with their past; namely, their bad memories. I want to see if they reminisce over these testing recollections with a measure of sentimental joy (as most say they do) or birth pangs (as I suspect most really do).
The source of this recent curiosity is a series of interviews we have been doing for the upcoming Matter of Chance DVD. In these interviews, Josh, Gabe and myself expound upon the elements that brought Matter of Chance together and kept it going for the past couple of years. The whole thing is very rockstar-esque, almost feeling like a post-mortem review of a band’s history together.
We have yet to film Josh’s interview, but Gabe and I take very different turns on production in Arizona and our work. These interviews will be intercut with footage collected during our three-year residency here in the Valley of the Sun. Interviews and B-Roll, along with other material, will comprise a massive documentary on the history of Matter of Chance.
Now, this clearly brings up an interesting concern: isn’t that self-serving? And to those concerned, I remark: yes, yes it is.
There are a plethora of justifications we have in undertaking such a venture, but to me the most convincing is that this DVD and documentary are a looking glass into low-budget filmmaking as a whole. We’ll represent a microcosm of short filmmaking and the Phoenix film scene. Sure, there is an elevation of Matter of Chance over numerous other local filmmakers (many whom deserve such treatment as much, if not more so, then ourselves) but in creating this DVD I find myself experiencing a comforting glance at the life of an independent filmmaker. I mean a REAL independent filmmaker. The trials and tribulations herein are indicative of anyone running around the suburbs of Phoenix with a camera and an idea. There’s a kind of brotherhood in that, if nothing else.

What will this documentary be called? We have yet to decide; we haven’t even begun cutting footage yet. I do like the ring of “I AM Crazy” for the DVD, with the documentary being “Guerillas on the Streets of Hoozdo”, but we’ll have to see if Josh and Gabe feel that.
Aside from the documentary, what else will be on this DVD?

Short films, of course.

Take a look at this page; all those films will be yours…on one DVD. Local favorites like Leonardo and Intense Math can now be viewed on home theaters that cost more then the films themselves. Plus, you can view lesser-known movies such as Flim Flam and Johnny B. Naked.
Aside from the shorts and the documentary, I believe Josh is planning a short segment on filmmaking tips and tricks. Anyone who is a fan of Rebel Without a Crew or the low-resource work of the French New Wave will want to check this out.
And finally, there will probably be a few surprises…we couldn’t call it a DVD if there weren’t.

So, that’s something to look forward to. Right?

I’ll tell ya something I’m looking forward to tonight: the season finale of Lost. The show really picked up in the last couple of weeks. Jack Bender, a regular on the program who directed last season’s finale, will direct tonight’s 2-hour episode. I’m a fan of Jack’s style. It’s not as expressive or wild as J.J. Abrams, but he’s directed some of the best episodes of the series. This, along with a return to a more active, progressive storyline should make the finale enjoyable at least. I’m sure I’ll have some opinions on it over the weekend.

-Brock