Rhett and Burke

Podcast!

2010-09-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

Alright boys and girls, here's your chance to hear some never-before-heard facts about "billy". Such as script, festival experience and the most secret of all the actual budget. So listen for a good time!

http://apartofhim.com/2010/09/22/podcast-27-billy-was-a-deaf-kid.aspx

Thanks to apartofhim.com

2010-08-22T13:21:00.001-07:00

So here is another one of Rhetts famous texting arguments with random people. It's becoming a favorite past-time of his. This girl had it coming though:

I'm thinking of texting Rhett from a random number, just to get him going.

2010-08-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

We were driving through Wyoming a few weeks back to buy some fireworks and came across this sign. Not only did we enter, but we lit of some fireworks in the middle of said "poison gas."

We came out fine. Thanks BP for risking the lives of so many.

Making Fun of a Loser

2010-06-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

So the other day while driving, Burke and I happened upon a loser in a blue Mustang, with pimp racing stripes. He/she was tail-gating everyone in sight. They were also trying to sell said Mustang, and so their number was written huge in the back window. The following conversation ensued...

I love screwing with people like this. It warms my tender heart.

Random guy dancing in Jamba Juice

2010-05-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

We saw this guy randomly dancing in Jamba Juice. He really gets into it until his order is ready, then he snaps out of it and walks up to the counter.

Bless his heart.

Where filmmaking happens.

2010-04-02T17:37:00.000-07:00

We made this little flick highlighting some of the great thinkers of indie film. It might look like we ripped off those NBA commercials and well...we did. Don't tell anyone, ok?

Enjoy:

Kinda smart, but mostly dumb phone.

2010-03-08T14:33:00.000-08:00

So, I'm sitting here at work bored out of my mind. Sometimes the only thing I can do to stay awake is text as many people as I can think of. I use the same method to stay awake during church. I know, I know, I should pay attention during church...but hey, I can sleep and not pay attention or I can text and not pay attention. Either way I'm not paying attention but by texting I avoid hitting my head on the bench in front of me.

Anyway, I've kinda hit an annoying wall with my phone. I got a new phone a few months ago and it's been pretty good to me. It's just a regular old slider...minus all the bells and whistles. When I first started texting with this phone I found out that whenever I typed a word using predictive text that it didn't already know then it would "remember" the word. Turns out they're even making these POS phones kinda smart now days. This was great when I'd type a name like "Rhett" because normally I'd have to switch out of predictive text, type the name, and then switch back...kind of a pain if you ask me. But my phone quickly learned how to spell "Rhett" along with a handful of other names. Great? That's what I thought.

Soon into this new relationship with my new phone (some Samsung model) I had to type an address and the street name was "Meadow Pine Ct." I know your thinking "what's the big deal" right? If you know anything about texting, you'll know that the predictive keys for "Ct" and "at" are both "2" and "8" on a phone. So the problem I'm running into is, now whenever I type the word "at" my phone (with a small helping of man given sense) thinks I'm trying to type "Ct" and automatically inserts "Ct" instead of "at"...forcing me to scroll down to "at". That was just the beginning. I once mess up and in my haste I misspelled the word "with" and scrolled to "whuh" instead. They both use the same numeric keys. So now my genius phone inserts "whuh" every time I try typing "with". Whuh? For real? Come on Samsung, either give me a smart phone as a free upgrade or make my kinda-smart phone dumb again so I can use it. Instead of "any" I get "BMW", "fhe" instead of "did"...and the list goes on. I swear once this phone "remembers" then it never forgets.

The point is, now that I've been using this phone for a handful of months it has developed a whole library of misspelled words that the phone manages to choose instead of the correct versions of them. It's become a chore texting people. Now, in order to send a coherent text, I have to type it, proof read it, scroll up and fix any words that the phone assumed I wanted, and then send.

A word of caution to all you texters out there, don't misspell words or your phone might never let you forget. I'm starting to think that my only option is buy a new phone, one that hasn't learned how to misspell words.

Peace out.

Adios B-Side...

2010-02-22T14:47:00.000-08:00

B-Side the innovative independent film distributor and film festival partner is shutting it's doors on March 1. It's a sad day my friends. They were a great company, and we got to know Chris Holland, one the staff members, really well.

I'm sure they're already going on a new project though.

http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/blog/2010/02/b-side-entertainment-announces-shutdown.php

Rhett

Fests are the Best.

2010-01-07T13:41:00.000-08:00

We're so used to getting rejected from festivals, we're not quite sure what to do when we get accepted. I often read and re-read the acceptance email just to make sure I know what it says, and then I have Burke read it.
Anyway we are stoked to be a part of Indie Memphis and Rappahannock. They both seem like great fests. I wish we could go to both, but the funds are tight, so we'll only be attending Indie Memphis.

Indie Memphis is run by Erik Jambor, who I met at SXSW. We weren't in SXSW, but we went just to see what it was like. And boy oh boy is it an awesome fest. Janet Pierson is great too. Anyway, way back in January, Burke and I went to Sundance and Slamdance as we always do. We wanted to talk to the programmers of those festivals to see what they liked and didn't like about our film. Well when we walked into the Slamdance offices the staff started yelling "Billy! Billy!" We weren't sure what was going on. But come to find out they really loved our film, but another one beat us out (they probably always say that). BUT, Drea Clark gave us a list of fests to submit to, and Indie Memphis was on top of her list. So, when I met Erik Jambor (Thank you Chris Holland for introducing us) I mentioned that Drea thought he would like our movie, and $2.13 for postage and a few months later we're extremely excited to be part of Indie Memphis!

As for Rappahannock, which is one crazy name that I still don't think I pronounce right, we met the director of that festival, Ryan Poe, through email, through Paleo, the guy who did the music in the film. Ryan made a music video of David (Paleo) singing Woman Like Me. We found the video on The Face, and asked Ryan if we could work in parts of BILLY to use to promote the film. He agreed to, and then asked us to send us the movie. So we did, and now we're part of his fest as well, and we couldn't be happier!

So...that's that in the name of love.

Rhett

"Woman Like Me" music video

2010-01-07T13:40:00.001-08:00

We just got done making a music video to a live version of Paleo's "Women Like Me."

While we were at Cinequest with "Billy Was a Deaf Kid" we were able to make it to one of Paleo's shows in a little town north of San Francisco. We were running real late, tempers were getting short, there were 6 of us packed in a Durango, and worst of all we had no idea where we were going. When we finally made the the little convention center we were only able to hear Paleo play two songs. As we sat there trying to calm down from the stressful day I remember hearing the first few notes to "Woman Like Me", the theme song for the movie, and we all looked at each other and non-verbally agreed that it was worth the trek to see Paleo live. Here we were, in California, at the world premiere of "Billy Was a Deaf Kid" listening to the iconic song from the movie...live. It was rockin'.

I think that's partly to blame for the inspiration to make this music video. Check it out...and enjoy:

Click here to view the High Def version: http://vimeo.com/5006064
Or check it out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=83597667862

John Cassavetes says it all.

2010-01-07T13:39:00.001-08:00

We love this clip of John talking about audiences and film. He had such great mannerisms.

Poker Face...

2010-01-07T13:38:00.001-08:00

So, I'm listening to Lady Ga Ga as I write this. Poker/Zipper Face. It's pretty rockin.

Anyway, as Burke previously posted, Cinequest was awesome. They have some of the best festival staff of any festival we've been to. Mike Rabehl is an amazing guy. If you're a filmmaker you MUST submit to Cinequest. They treat you right, know how to have fun, and they really want to see your film succeed in this crazy industry.

We hauled the couch from the film out there and gave people rides before and after our screenings. It was pretty fun. We actually staged it so when the huge crowds came out of "All About Dad" (a great film from Mark Tran) we would basically push the couch right in-between groups of people. Annoying? Probably. Effective? You bet your booty.

We also met some amazing filmmakers. One of our main goals for film festivals was meeting as many people as we could. Fans and Filmmakers alike. Actually, we made good friends with some of the people who hated our movie, like Cynthia. We read her scathing review the day after one of our screenings, and told her to come find us, which she did. So, we snapped a picture of her and have become good friends. She still doesn't care for Billy or his escapades, but she'll come around. Some of the great filmmakers we met were Rob Margolies (Lifelines), John Michael Thomas (Corpse Run), Alejandro Adams (Canary), Chris Cannuciari (New Brooklyn), Don Hardy (Witch Hunt), Mark Tran (All About Dad). I'm sure I'm leaving someone out...I'll update it when I remember. So go check out their films. Please.

Cinequest in pictures...

2010-01-07T13:34:00.003-08:00

So Cinequest has come and gone. We had a ton of fun and met a lot of great people. "Billy Was a Deaf Kid" got a lot of great reviews and some not-so-great ones. There were honestly some people who said Billy changed their lives. Even I'll admit that the more times I watch it the more and more I get out of it...and the more I understand things about my own life.

After Cinequest I thought back to when we first screened Billy to test audiences and the mixed reviews we got. What's interesting is some of the people who have hated it, hated it because of how some of the characters acted...and that's interesting because we based a lot of the conversation and characters off of these people who hate it. It's funny that when people see themselves from a 3rd person perspective they don't even realize that they're looking at themselves. They think they're watching someone who is oppressive, mean, and has no likable quality to them....when really they are seeing certain aspects of their real life and they won't accept that, either consciously or subconsciously. It just goes to show that people aren't aware of who they really are. People look at movies like "the Bourne Identity" and think "I'm a lot like Jason Bourne" or they think they're Leo Decaprio in "Titanic" or Keira Nightly in "Pride and Prejudice." When really we're not these always-perfect, never-a-dull-moment, get-along-great, happily-ever-after people...in fact, we're all less than perfect and that is what keeps us human. How many of us snap, for no reason, snap at the people we care about most? Are the majority of our arguments based on things worth arguing about? Or are they usually based on superficial things that if you stopped for a second and breathed in you'd wonder why you started arguing in the first place? I'm willing to bet it's almost always the latter.

There's quote at the end of the flick that I think sums up peoples reaction better than it sums up the movie:

"I used to have a girlfriend that thought I was the funniest man alive.
Whenever I went out with her and thought I was being romantic and
dashing, she simply used to roar with laughter - at everything I said and did.

This taught me a very basic, necessary lesson: that we really aren't
ourselves, and the impression we make on people is often the direct
opposite of the one we intended."

John Cassavetes

So there you go.

Burke.

Here are some of my fave pics we took during the festival:

Microphone Thief.

2010-01-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

During shooting one night out on the street, we set Billy's microphone down for a minute as we adjusted some of our lights. A few minutes later we went back to retrieve said microphone and soon realized it was no where to be found. We thought at first we had just misplaced it, but after searching all of our cars, street blocks and houses we realized some poor soul had stolen it.

The economy must be worse than we thought. It's forcing people to steal toy microphones off the street.

Now, it wasn't just your run-of-the-mill microphone. It was a vintage 1984 Fisher Price Karaoke/Microphone. We searched and searched online for one, but had no luck. So, Rhett being the mad artist that he is, set to work on building a replica out of paper mache and foam.

It took him about 2 days, and a ton of patience, but we're confident no one will be able to tell which is which in the film.

Hopefully the dude that stole it in first places rots with guilt. Or at the very least, goes to see the film.

Candyce Foster. The Loogie Girl.

2010-01-07T13:18:00.000-08:00

Yes, we know, that's a disgusting title. But once you see the movie it will all make perfect sense.

We want to take the time to highlight members of the cast and crew, so everyone can see what great people we had to work with. Instead of giving a little bio, we thought we'd put together "lists" of dif. facts about each person. It's more fun, plus lists are easier to read.

This is what Candyce had to say:

5 Random Things:

1. I sleep with my eyes open. "Freaky."
2. I love to shop-judge me.
3. Once I find I good book I can do nothing else.
4. I am an honest to goodness Madonna fan. Her old retro stuff ROCKS.
5. I have Osgood Slaughter disease. Look it up.

Fav. Foods

1. Mexican.
2. Movie theatre popcorn. I dont care how much you pay for the box from a store, it just isn't the same.
3. uh... Mexican.
4. Mashed Potatoes.
5. Ice Cream, Raspberry Sorbet in particular.

Things You Want To Do
What like before I die? What?
1. Travel. A lot.
2. Sleep on a beach. Naked.
3. Open a flower shop.
4. Become a good cook.
5. Relax.

"Billy" is Candyce's first feature film, and we think she did a phenomenal job.

I dress like my dead grandpa.

2009-11-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

My middle name is Sheldon. It's from my Grandpa, who's been underground for a few years now. He was a good guy, and his style of dress was that of a cowboy poet. So why do I wear plaid shirts? I guess it's in my blood.

We recently got back from Indie Memphis. It was awesome. Erik Jambor is the man, and hooked us up with some Wilco tickets. We owe him big time. We did bring him some fry sauce from Utah, which is almost as good. Well, no actually, that's a complete lie.

We met some great people at the festival, and bought a fabulous book called "The Indie Film Rule Book" by Heidi Van Lier. We also became friends with this Heidi. Her panels were hilarious. She has such a straight forward way of talking to people, and she always lays the sarcasm on thick. Plus her book rocks. (Heidi I'm not just saying this to suck up to you because you program for Slamdance. Well maybe I am, a little.)

If you're even remotely serious about making movies, you must buy her book. I wish we would have read it before making Billy.

In other news...Candyce and I are having our first baby in three weeks. It's a little girl. I think we are going to name her Stella. But if it turns out that she's an ugly baby we're going to call her Blanch. We don't want to waste a good name.

Rhett

So, it's been a while...

2009-07-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

We've had a lot of people complain that we haven't posted in a long time. So here it goes...

Here's something funny that we were shown the other day:

Bless that little guys heart. Funny commercial by Comcast too bad they're service is horrible. I swear TNT and E! never ever work. Which is usually fine until it's 2 am and your bored out of your gourd with nothing better to do then watch Anaconda or any of the Matrix's hoping to get a laugh out of how horrible they are...only to find out that Comcast doesn't like to play those movies anymore then we like to watch them.

Here's another fave...the Technoviking! Watch out!

Don't mess with the Technoviking.

Let's see...what are some other Youtube gems that need to be shared...here we go...

Dramatic Chipmunk anyone?

Hope you enjoyed them.

Later.

Rib-Tickling.

2009-04-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

I don't know why Burke and I are into these weird things we find on the InterWeb. But, they are funny as crap. And we all know crap is funny.

This is the Immersion Scarf. For any of you that have hard time seeing your phone or ipod in the daylight, this little nugget should be yours. It's essentially a sock that goes on your head, and you put your said phone or ipod in the end of it. Now, you can enjoy your devices free of that annoying sunshine.

New T-Shirt protects you from a knife attack.

You may now never have to worry about getting stabbed in the back as you walk down the street. Supposedly these shirts are made from "slightly thick fibers that are more than three times the strength of cotton." Impressive. They say it's comparable to body armor that your local police task force uses.

You can even toss it in the wash to get off the blood, after you kicked the trash of your would be attacker.

2009-04-03T13:59:00.001-07:00

So, I've been laughing at these for a while now...now I'm sharing them with you:

peace out.

Things To Microwave.

2009-03-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

Ivory Soap. I don't want to give away what happens. But, it's bloody awesome. Well, not really bloody, more of a soapy, good sweet smelling awesome. Plus, it doesn't hurt your microwave.

CD. This puts on a light show that would rival the fireworks. It's pretty sweet, but might ruin your microwave. So try it at your mom's.

Light bulb in a cup of water. Pretty amazing. Plus, it doesn't do any damage to the microwaving action, I think.

Wolf Spider in a cup of water. Simply incredible. I hate spiders, so this is a very fulfilling little activity for me. Spiders, I believe move by pumping blood into there legs. And so, when their blood starts to boil, their legs start kicking like crazy. It fills me full of satisfaction each and every time. (Make sure the cup is clear so you can see all the action.)

And that's all from Breckenridge.

Rhett

2009-02-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I think these motivational posters are so funny...I've picked some of the cleaner ones for your viewing pleasure, click on them to see them bigger:

This next one is one of my faves:

ha ha ha

peace out,

boike.

Bullet Proof Bed and Cinequest 19.

2009-02-02T23:10:00.000-08:00

Do you need protection from bio-chemical terrorists attacks? How about natural disasters? Kidnappers and stalkers? Or would you just feel safer sleeping in a bulletproof bed?

If you answered yes to any of the aforementioned questions, you need the oh-so-versatile Quantum Sleeper. Not for the claustrophobic or light of check book, this $160,000 coffin-esque "saferoom" does not include the optional microwave, fridge or entertainment center. Although it does include a "toiletry system." I'm not sure how that one would work.

All of you seriously need to check out their website www.qsleeper.com. It is knee-slapping hilarious.

I'm hoping they give us some kind of endorsement.

In other news, we are really stoked for the Cinequest Film Festival coming up later this month. After talking back and forth with quite a few other festivals, we decided to have our world be premiere at Cinequest 19! Mike Rabehl, the director of the festival, and the rest of the staff have been wonderful to work with. They've gotten behind our film 100%. It's going to be a blast.

So, we're going to buy a couple of Quantum Sleepers so nothing bad happens to us before the fest. We can't take any chances here in Utah.

Rhett

The Snuggie.

2009-01-18T18:37:00.001-08:00

Sorry that it's been awhile since we've graced the world with our simple-minded observations.

But boy did we see a doozy of an infomercial the other night. "The Snuggie." I'm posting one of their commercials for your enjoyment, plus a link to their website at no extra cost to you, our most valued followers.

https://www.freesnuggie.com

I especially love the part when they're all sitting around as a cult of Snuggie wearers. It's adorable.

Rhett

Luna The Cat.

2008-12-22T18:13:00.000-08:00

Like the rest of the world, I don't like cats.

But, Candyce (My girl, A.K.A. Wife) managed to find a stray and make her our own. She named her Luna, which means moon in espanish. Cute isn't it.

See, we grew up with cats. We had one named Max. But one day we found it stiff-as-a-board on Burke's bed. So, I think my dad threw it away, and we went and got another one that looked just like it. We named it Max, and we quickly forgot about the other one. Heartless? No way, they're just cats.

I must admit though, I do kinda like having Luna around. We'll see what I say tomorrow.

Rhett

Sandwiched Between Two Therapists.

2008-12-08T12:47:00.001-08:00

So our studio right now is as the title of this blog post suggests. All day we are hearing about people's problems. It's pretty funny really. It's not like we have their offices wire-tapped or anything, it's that these walls are definitely not sound proof.

Two minutes ago I heard a lady complaining about the lack of romance in her relationships. So, out of courtesy I put on some "Can you feel the love tonight" by Elton John. I turned it on loud enough to make sure they could hear it. I'm hoping it works as a subliminal message. I'm just doing my part in trying to help these people out.

So there you go. Full-time filmmakers, part-time therapists.

Rhett

I Conduct Electricity.

2008-12-01T15:24:00.000-08:00

I seriously do. I have no idea why.

Whenever I get a drink, as the water touches my teeth I get this very unpleasant shock. Sometimes it brings tears to my eyes. I've now grown accustom to touching the water with my tongue first before it enters my mouth, to get the shock out of the way. Plus every time I get out of the car sparks fly. I have to be careful at gas stations so I don't blow myself up. I won't even start about what it's like in the middle of the night when I'm rearranging the sheets. It lights up like some kind of Pink Floyd laser show.

I'm always telling Burke that I truly am a conductor of electricity. He doesn't believe me.

Ret

Billy Was a Deaf Kid trailer...

2008-11-26T11:24:00.000-08:00

Here it is folks...

tell us what you think...

boike

billy was accepted into Cinequest!!

2008-11-24T10:37:00.000-08:00

So, we got this email today:

"Thank you very much for your submission of BILLY WAS A DEAF KID for the 2009 Cinequest Film Festival. We were absolutely absorbed by the film and know it would make a great addition to the exciting program for the upcoming Cinequest Film Festival.

We are honored to invite BILLY WAS A DEAF KID to participate in the 19th Annual Cinequest Film Festival as part of the New Visions Competition, where it will be eligible for the New Visions Awars and the Audience Award. Cinequest will occur February 25 - March 8, 2009 in the heart of Silicon Valley.

A festival of discovery, Cinequest seeks new voices in cinema and celebrates those voices through an adventurous and eclectic program for film artists, film lovers and film technologies. Our publicity and marketing teams will work with you to put in place an aggressive campaign for your film and in the coming weeks will be talking with you further about how we can provide
you with the ideal festival event.

We are attaching the publicity forms for requested materials, and we are here to answer any questions you may have. We cannot wait to work with you and your film to give you fantastic screenings!"

We emailed them just to say thanks and we got this, even better, email back:

"I just saw the film the other day and was completely mesmerized by the lead characters. We are all about celebrating the kind of films your team has made, and we are thrilled to have you a part of the festival.

I am cc'ing Darnisha Bishop, who is coordinating the p.r. materials with filmmakers. Definitely feel free to let us know if you need anything.

Best Wishes,
Michael Rabehl
Cinequest Programming Director"

Cinequest is one of the top ten US film fests, so this could potentially be a really really good thing!

We'll let everyone know about any new news.

boike.

The Toilet Snorkel

2008-11-20T14:31:00.000-08:00

What exactly is this man doing? Communicating with his neighbors using his new Toilet Phone? Blowing up his Inflatable Toilet? Or is he simply blowing bubbles? Well the correct answer is None of the Above. This guy is using the new breath easy, Toilet Snorkel, formulated to provide a fresh air source during fires in high rise buildings.

When is the last time you said: "Gee, that toilet probably has some pretty nice smelling air inside it." Or: "Gee, I wonder what it would taste like if I breathed the air from inside the toilet pipes."

In most fires, it's the smoke that will get you, and a source of fresh air can be a life saver. So this inventor designed a way to snake a snorkel through the zigs and zags of your toilet, so you can breath sewer air instead of smoke. Here's our question... couldn't he have, just as easily, invented the Faucet Snorkel instead?

This way you can relive that great smelling meatloaf from the day before.

Rhetty

the theory of nakedness and other classics.

2008-11-13T11:43:00.000-08:00

So I'm sitting here trying to figure out something to blog about...and again I'm reminded how lame blogging is.

I thought I'd pull out some oldies and post some classic flicks by the lewis bro's.

First up, "the theory of nakedness." I showed this to some people last night and brought some more people to support the cure to male oppression. Watch it, learn from it, love it.

Before I put the DVD in, one girl asked if it was okay to watch. You could read on her face that she thought I was putting in some kind of adult film...of course Rhett's naked legs on the cover didn't help give it the look of a wholesome video.

Next up is the ever famous car jump featuring our buddy Spack. It has almost 350,000 views on Youtube. Oh the good ole days when all we would do is jump cars and light things on fire. I think we should, once again, adopt this as our opening logo.

enjoy...

peace out...

Boike.

Snow is gay...

2008-11-05T13:30:00.001-08:00

Yup, winter as a whole is gay.

Boike

The Dangers Of The Oldies Behind The Wheel.

2008-10-31T10:35:00.000-07:00

Like I said in an earlier post, I've been rocking out to Thriving Ivory. In one of their songs they have some lyrics that go like this "So, call me California, call me what you will." Ummmm...I can't remember the last time I called someone California. Is that a new type of slang?

Thou shalt not take the name of a state in vain.

Anyway, so the other day my brothers and I were cruising through Salt Lake. We were stranded in the middle of the intersection as the light turned red because of all the traffic (you know how that happens on occasion, I guess I wasn't paying attention). Then this genius of an old man in a golden crown vic, pulls behind us, completely blocking all lanes of traffic. So, of course people start honking at the poor sucker. All I can see in my rear view were his bony knuckles, and beady little eyes that seemed to just be glazed over.

Anyway, I'm just minding my own business inching along, when we all feel this little bump from behind. I tell my Bro's that we've just been hit. They don't believe me. Then, "Whack!" We get hit again, this time they felt it! It's the senile old dude behind us, I tell them. And once again, we get bumped! I look in my mirrors and the old guy has barely even changed his expression. It looked like he was day dreaming, or watching T.V. So, I put on my blinker, so we can get out and talk to the guy, and then he bumps us, again and again, and again! I've got my head out the window yelling at the guy to knock it off, and that I can't go anywhere because of all the traffic, and to just take it easy! But again, he acts as though nothing is even happening.

So, after a few moments we pull over to the curb, hoping the guy will pull over next to us. Not a chance. He goes on by with out even looking over. So, Zak jumps out of the car and chases the dude's car down. (Now, again there was a lot of traffic, so he was probably clicking along at about 2 mph). Zak tells us later that when he finally stopped the guy and made him roll down the window, that the guy just started shaking. And as Zak grilled him about hitting us 6 times in a row, the guy denied all of it, and said that we were hitting him! But Zak wasn't buying it. So, then the old guy changed his story and said someone behind him was hitting him into us! So, Zak helped him remember that there wasn't anyone behind him! Anyway, needless to say, the old man had no idea what century he was in and simply drove away, leaving Zak quite upset and confused on the curb. Another eventful day in downtown Salt Lake.

Thankfully no damage was done.

What a dumb California.

Rhett

My Muscles Are Growing Mom.

2008-10-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

Today I was doing a little bit of editing, and I leaned back in my comfy chair to get in my mid-morning stretch/yawn. As I arched my back and contorted my body into the strange action of stretching, I heard a very distinct ripping sound coming from my arm. I looked down, and to my utter amazement I saw that I had torn open my shirt! I was totally floored! My muscles had actually torn completely through the fabric! This entire week I had decided to get myself back in shape, so I've been doing push-ups. And I guess all the pain I've been going through is paying off! You always see ripped dudes in cartoons ripping their shirts, but this was me, in real life ripping my shirt with my now huge pythons.

Or it could be that the shirt I was wearing is about 10 years old, but I don't think it had anything to do with it.

When was the last time you flexed your muscles and your shirt was ripped to shreds? It's a pretty gratifying feeling.

Rhett

Are We...Dancer? and Thriving Ivory

2008-10-21T09:46:00.001-07:00

The new killers song is good, but the lyrics are bit on the strange-make-no-sense side. "Are we human? Or are we dancer?" I never knew we had the choice.

Burke and I have also stumbled upon a cool little band, Thriving Ivory. They've got a different sound, and the vocals are crazy sounding, in a good way. So, check them out.

Rhett

Rachel Bilson Paparazzi

2008-10-20T15:29:00.001-07:00

This past weekend my brothers and I were simply cruising around town checking out some of the sights of Salt Lake City.

I wanted to show them some cool "hole in the wall" stores, so I took them to a little place Candyce loves called "Decades." It's basically a bunch of really old vintage clothes and a few rockin flower covered suitcases.

So, I'm just browsing the merchandise when good ol' Rachel Bilson walks by me. I had what's called "instant face recognition" occur. So, I went and grabbed my brothers and told them who she was. It took them a minute to even know who I was talking about. Had I not been married and been forced to watch the O.C. with my wife, I would probably not have know who she was either.

Anyway, so we devised a plan to get some photos of her talking to us, without letting her know we were getting photos of her talking to us.

Zak was coordinating from within the store via his cel phone. Burke and I were on a conference call with him at all times. I was in the back seat of the car parked in front of the store. I had 300 mm zoom lens at my disposal. Burke and Tay were just outside of the front door. The plan was, that Burke would be talking on his phone about not knowing where to eat in this po-dunk town. And when Rachel walks out, Tay would walk up to her and ask if she was from around here, and if she knew any good places to eat. Zak's code for her going outside was "let's eat at KFC."

The plan was flawless in it's preparation, and equally as impeccable in it's execution.

We waited for about 30 minutes at our posts (Girls really know how to take their time while shopping). Rachel was with a small group of people that we referred to as her "Posse, Entourage and sometimes Clan." We had nothing better to do, so don't think we're too desperate. Well, go ahead and think whatever you like.

So, finally over the conference call we hear the words "Let's go eat at KFC. I repeat let's go eat at KFC!" I quickly started snapping off photos like my plane was going down. As she came outside, Tay approached her with surprising confidence and delivered his line without hesitation. She simply said she wasn't from around here, and put on some big sunglasses.

We watched them get into a car, and quickly pursued them. I have no idea why we were following her. What were we actually going to do? More than likely nothing. But it was still fun. Some of the people with her hopped into a BMW with no license plates and led the way to another store, while Rachel and the rest of her posse followed.

Anyway, after a minute of watching them again we decided we were pathetic and went to a movie. (We saw Disaster Movie. It is undeniably the dumbest film ever made). I'm not sure why people freak out over movie stars. Maybe it's the mystic, the unknown, or maybe it's the...ummm I can't think of anything clever to write, so I'll just stop right there.

So yes, it was an intense hour in an otherwise fairly mundane October afternoon.

Rhetty

Salt Lake City...land of the free.

2008-10-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

So here I am on a sunday afternoon blogging, I never thought that would happen because sunday afternoons are for naps and eating.

The move to SLC went pretty smooth, but still pretty frustrating. Why is moving so lame? I think, for me, it's the idea of packing up everything you own only to unpack a day later. It's the same kind of lameness that goes with washing your work clothes only to get them dirty...or washing your car and the next day it rains...or getting lost and having to backtrack where you've already been. It's like that line from Seinfeld: "that was the longest possible way to get to where you already were!" That's what packing feels like...what's the point?

Leaving the valley was harder than we thought it was going to be. Even though we were packing for weeks, it still seemed to happen so fast. In a matter of a few hours we rented a 24 ft truck, packed up rhett's house, the studio, my apt...and we were on the road. Well, at least rhett, candyce and my mom were. I decided to stay one last time in my apt and sleep on the couch and drive through the canyon in the light of day to see the fall colors.

Have you ever slept on a couch that is 2 inches too short? It's gay to say the least. Because the whole night you think that if you turned your head just right then you could straighten your legs. You try that for a few hours before you realize it's a hopeless effort. And before you know it, it's 5:45 am and time to go unpack.

I set off through the canyon in the blackness of morning...not even being able to see the trees. I was drinking my last Stewarts Orange and Creme that I had been saving for a good time. My random playlist treated me to songs of John Denver, Kenny Rogers, and Barenaked Ladies...which seemed to fit the mood perfectly.

It's weird, you can't really leave somewhere without leaving a piece of yourself behind. And better yet, you can't really choose what parts of you stay and what parts you take with you. You also leave people behind but take with you everything those people taught you, shared with you, and gave you. It really is like a rebirth. Everything around you is new, you have no where to go, no one to go see, you can't find a grocery store, even though you know there are still people that will help you only a phone call away, you can't help but get that alone feeling, time passes more slowly, you pay more attention to the people and things around you because your survival depends on it...I actually found myself looking in a phone book to find the nearest DI just so I could go there, sit on the couches, stare at the weird people that the DI attracts, and feel a little piece of something that, for some reason, reminds me of the home that I just left.

Your reminded of the people you love, the people you've lost, people you never got to know, people you've left, people that you will never know, people that have changed who you are, people who you hope that you've changed...experiences you had, experiences you never had the chance to have, experiences you turned down, time you wasted, times you cherish.

Then after all that, tomorrow it's back to work. I've got a full day shoot that can't be postponed. I'd like to sit back for a second and breath...but you can't stop.

here's to you Cache Valley,

Good Ol' Chaps

2008-09-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

In the process of moving ourselves and our company to the grand world of Salt Lake, we've realized we are going to miss Lil' Logan a lot more than we thought we were.

I'm not quite sure how, but we've managed to make some really good friends up here. Our good buddy Spack has been with us through thick and thin. He's easily one of the most loyal friends we've ever had. I've never met anyone that doesn't just adore the kid. Sadly, he'll be staying behind starting his own company selling accessories for Rhinos.

Our brothers have always been a huge help to us as well. Especially Zakk and Tay. They've pulled some serious all-nighters over the years with us. In the credits of our movies we often use our brother's middle names instead of their last, just so every credit doesn't end in "Lewis."

Anyway, I've just been thinking about all the good people who have helped us along our way. Good advice, good lunches, and really great friends. Even though we're only moving 80 miles away, it feels a lot farther.

Maybe in one of my next posts I'll list the names of everyone who's influenced us somehow. That would be one long list. And I'm sure we'd forget someone, and then they'd hate our guts, but then we'd apologize, and we'd be friends again and put them on the list.

This is my scooter, Stella. I get called very explicit names whenever I ride her around town. But it never makes me feel like a complete loser and nerd. Usually.

This is an ad that Genuine Scooter uses to promote Stella. It's pretty clever.

My turn again...

2008-09-17T18:36:00.001-07:00

Rhett and I have started this new thing where we each write a post every other week. That way there's a new blog entry every single week for our huge base of cult followers to read and catch up on all of our happenings.

Not a whole lot to report on...we've gotten some good reviews on "billy." Thank you Brett and Emily Tingey.

We're planning on moving to SLC here on Oct 3rd...sweet. So if anyone wants to take us out to dinner or lunch before you'll never see us again...then send all requests to burke@rhettandburke.com. I'm pretty good at eating. I've got almost 26 years experience and I do it everyday.

Last night I was strolling through Wal-Mart with Spack and we found some self-heating hot chocolate. Sounds too good to be true...but believe me it's incredible. It's not the most tasty hot chocolate I've ever had...but the idea that you can buy a six pack of this stuff and go on a rhino ride in the winter and have hot chocolate without having to pre-heat it is pretty amazing. Life changing you could say.

Well, that's it for today...

peace,

boike

2 Year Sinus Infections

2008-09-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, 2 years ago like it says in the title, I got an unbearable sinus infection. I can still see the face of the snot-nosed 3 yr old that gave it to me. Oh, how I wish I could go back in time and stay away from the little cry baby of a kid that would constantly wet himself in the corner of the sunbeam classroom. I remember having to take the little guy to the men's room in the church. I put him in a stall, and he just stared at me as if waiting for me to undo his pants to help him pee. There was no chance of me going down there to no-man's land, so I just took him back to class.

Anyway, since that life-changing interaction, I have not been able to smell or taste, and my nose is always stuffy. I've been to over 5 Doctors, including ENT's and Allergists. I even got a CT scan, which doctors looked at and said "Wow, you're really congested." Such insight.

The only pill that would clear me up was a Nasal Steroid, Dexamethasone. I loved those little green pills. They'd clear me up within a few hours, and then I could smell the lovely world around me, and taste the good food Candyce makes. Sure the side-effects were: weight gain (I put on 35 pounds in 2 months, and have the stretch marks to prove it), osteoporosis, liver failure, asthma, bad headaches, and the list goes on. But, man it was worth it. I mean, imagine not smelling anything for a day. You can't tell if you have B.O. or bad breath, and when someone says "mmm, that smells so good" I have no idea what they're talking about. It's pretty sad really. So, the Doctors won't let me take that pill anymore because of the said side-effects, so I must suffer with the consequences.

But, I've decided to accept this new life of mine. Now when we eat something, Candyce will sit there and explain to me what it tastes like so I can feel like I can enjoy it somewhat. She does a good job.

So, if you're ever around me feel free to have bad breath, pass gas, burp, and don't wear any B.O. buster, because I won't be able to smell a thing.

Rhett

Blogging...

2008-08-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

For real, other than me I can't think of anyone who is going to read this.....well, maybe my mom...but other than that this post will go unread. But, here it goes anyway...

It's the end of August and that means that summer is almost over. This is one of the saddest times of the year, at least for me. No more cruising with the top down, eating ice cream, watching fireworks, making illegal fireworks out of legal ones, disc golf, BBQ's, roasting startbursts over a fire, midnight walks, hot days, cool nights, derbies, rodeo's, fairs, skipping rocks, skinny dipping...just kidding on that last one....but for real.

One more thing to bring in the end of summer is the completion of "billy was a deaf kid." It's gotten some very mixed reviews from some of the select people we've screened it to. Some love it, some like it and some hate it...which is to be expected. What's interesting is some of the people who have hated it, hated it because of how some of the characters acted...and that's interesting because we based a lot of the conversation and characters off of these people who hate it. It's funny that when people see themselves from a 3rd person perspective they don't even realize that they're looking at themselves. They think they're watching someone who is oppressive, mean, and has no likable quality to them....when really they are seeing certain aspects of their real life and they won't accept that, either consciously or subconsciously. It just goes to show that people aren't aware of who they really are. People look at movies like "the Bourne Identity" and think "I'm a lot like Jason Bourne" or they think they're Leo Decaprio in "Titanic" or Keira Nightly in "Pride and Prejudice." When really we're not these always-perfect, never-a-dull-moment, get-along-great, happily-ever-after people...in fact, we're all less than perfect and that is what keeps us human. How many of us snap, for no reason, at the people we care about most? Are the majority of our arguments based on things worth arguing about? Or are they usually based on superficial things that if you stopped for a second and breathed in you'd wonder why you started arguing in the first place? I'm willing to bet it's almost always the latter.

There's quote at the end of the flick that I think sums up peoples reaction better than it sums up the movie:

"I used to have a girlfriend that thought I was the funniest man alive.
Whenever I went out with her and thought I was being romantic and
dashing, she simply used to roar with laughter - at everything I said and did.

This taught me a very basic, necessary lesson: that we really aren't
ourselves, and the impression we make on people is often the direct
opposite of the one we intended."

John Cassavetes

So there you go...that's then end of my rant...

I'm off to lunch.

ps here's a dead beaver I found under my porch one day:

peace,

Boike.

if ya smoke em' got em'

2008-08-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you're wondering what that little phrase means. Well, I'll tell you the story...

Many moons ago, I was forced into shooting a lame wedding video all by myself ( I don't remember how Burke got out of it) anyway, there was this prominent Photographer there, whom I really wanted to impress for some reason. You know how you get around people that are really good at what they do. You want to make them think that you know your stuff as well as be very charismatic, knowledgeable and all around very funny. ( At this very moment I'm trying very hard to be funny and interesting with the way I'm writing this, and it's totally not working.) In any case, me and this guy are talking for minute, and we start talking about rich people and how they get everything handed to them. Especially if they work with cameras. They always seem to have the best of the best stuff. Now, prior to this exceptionally terrible wedding, Burke had been using this phrase "Smoke em' if ya got em" which I thought was a sweet little term that if used correctly, could really make you sound cool. So the whole time this guy is talking to me, I'm reciting this phrase in my head. I actually geared the conversation toward rich people just so I could use it. So, when a small lull entered are little chat, I spewed out the words "If ya smoke em' got em." The guy just stared at me. He said nothing. I'm sure he was trying to figure out what I just said, and why I said it. It was awkward, so I turned and walked away.

It's been years now, and I still feel stupid. That's pretty terrible.

We are at the final stages of editing "Billy was a deaf kid" and we think it's turned out to be a great film. It's a little long coming in at 100 minutes, so now we are going through and cutting stuff out, to make it a cool 90 minutes. Our buddy Spack keeps telling us that he'll turn any movie off if it goes past the 90 min mark. And well, we must keep the kid happy.

The big fest's deadlines are fast approaching so we might be pulling some all-nighters here to get her done by next week.

We'll post a mock trailer soon...

Rhett

That's a wrap!

2008-05-29T16:27:00.000-07:00

So Rhetty keeps telling me I need to post something on our blog....I think I hate writing in blogs almost as bad as I hate writing in journals....I don't know who read these things anyway.

Well, we are done shooting "Billy" except for a few shots and whatnot. Not only are we done shooting but the rough cut is almost done too.

By far the most problematic thing with the whole production has been an orange couch that we put wheels on...I know it sounds weird, you'll have to wait until you see the movie. I swear it breaks every single time we shoot with it. The number 2 hardest thing has been the dadgummed weather....so far, every time we've needed to shoot outside it's rained....and every time we've needed to shoot inside it's been awesome weather...frustrating to say the least.

But we have had some good success with the film. Some scenes that have turned out completely different than we were planning...but so much better. It should out to be a great little flick.

I think every post should have some kind of picture...that's more important than the words...so here some random picture from my picture folder:

Deuces,

Pre-Production

2008-04-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

Been awhile since we've posted something here...too many Jazz games to watch I suppose. Anyway, on May 5th -- yes yes, Cinco De Mayo --- we are starting principal photography on our new feature film, Billy Was A Deaf Kid. It's a weird little relationship movie. It's hard to describe. We honestly don't know how it's going to turn out. We have an idea about the characters and a few events here and there, but other than that it's all open. We think it will be a sweet little movie. But It could turn out to be a huge tardnuckle, and then you'll never hear us speak of it again.

The name of the film came from my dad. He told me about this book he wanted to write, oh, like 10 years ago, and the name has just always stuck with me. I have no idea what his original story was, I'm sure it's weird, because my dad is quite strange.

Getting Side-Tracked

2008-03-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

Burke and I have realized over the past few years that we've become very side-tracked. It's a sad sad realization, yet at the same time it's a good thing too. We've let the business side of things creep in and take over our ambition for filmmaking. That sounds pretty melodramatic. But, I think that this happens to most of us on multiple occasions through out our lives.

So, we're not going to take this crap anymore. From now on you're going to see a couple of focused brothers out there making their movies. Will anyone end up seeing our movies? Who the H knows. But we really don't care.

Oh, and I've really been liking Mike and Ike's lately.

Commercial Contest

2008-03-04T17:47:00.000-08:00

Back in December Rhett and I entered a commercial contest sponsored by the Utah Film Commission. The contest winner's commercials air during the Sundance Film Festival. The purpose of the commercials is to promote filmmaking in the state of Utah. It's a great contest and we've made some really good friends by participating each year.

Anyway, so this year we wanted to do something really different from what we normally do, which is a lot of dead pan comedy and basically Rhett just acting wierd. So, we went for a more serious tone. We worked for 40 hours straight. Seriously. I'm not even kidding around. Candyce brought us some Pita Pit at 3 am. They we're tasty.

In any case, the judges ended up liking what we put together and we won some of the awards! It was a fun day. The whole crew at the film commission are great to work with.

Here are the spots we did...

http://film.utah.gov/spoton.htm

John Cassavetes

2008-02-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

We love this video of John. He says it perfectly.

Sundance-ing.

2008-02-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

So Geoff Gilmore really needs to think about moving the Festival into the summer months. July would be a prime candidate. September would also be a contender with those pretty leaves.

I like blogs with a lot of pictures. No one likes to read anymore. We just want picture books.

Burke and Spack chilling in a bar. Notice the dart sign in back. We asked for the darts, but were denied. Those suckers.
I'm not sure why I always have red-nasty-face. Candyce is looking good atleast.
This is at the Utah Film Commission Brunch at Sundance. I like how we all look so proud, like we just won the gold at the olympics. Higher, Faster, Stronger baby.
This beanie/hat was given to us from our good buddy Aaron Syrett (the new director of the film commish in No. Carolina). He's a great guy by the way. And I can't pull off this type of beanie. I just end up looking stupid. Too fat of face I think...

Charlie Brown would be happy.

2008-02-13T11:35:00.000-08:00

So, yes we are back tracking here, but how could we not talk about are sweet little christmas tree we bought from the 5 dollar forest.

Our mom gave us those gifts. They were sweet. We got muscle men. Some of the greatest toys ever invented. Little pink plastic buff guys. It can't get any better.

Filmmakers. Brothers. Lovers.

2008-02-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

We're going to do our best to "blog" at least a couple of times a week. And if we can't do it, we'll pay someone else (who sounds kind of like us) to do it.

Right now we have a studio in the basement of the Emporium Building at 55 North Main in Logan, Utah. It's a cool little place, and we get a screaming deal on rent. It's a lot better than where we used to be, which was our mom's basement. Not that we don't like our mom, but some of our clients got a little weirded out when she'd offer them cookies or ask who our new friends were.

So, yes we are doing our best at breaking into the film scene in the world. We don't really know how to do that, other than just making movies. So if in like 5 years we still don't have a film out there, then we'll quit and become professional dart throwers.

Fast cars, hot chicks and Rock 'n Roll

2008-02-07T14:05:00.000-08:00

Yup, those are my three loves...well, add cereal, then you'd really have something. It's one of my dreams to add all those together into one uncontrollable urge. They are my passions, it's only natural to want to combine them. (for those of you aren't laughing at this point, then it's obvious that you're not Seinfeld fans....)

As Rhett said in his introduction, yes I was one of the ones that tricked him into touching an electrical fence. He's never been the same since...but if only you could have seen it. It was kinda like that scene from Jurassic Park where little Timmy was climbing over the fence and got shocked off and had to be brought back to life...just the same with Rhett, only without the CPR. Bless his little heart.

So, a little about myself...I mostly like Seinfeld, cereal, and candy...lots and lots of candy. I think we should eat candy instead of food. I pretty much live off of cereal, hot dogs, hamburgers, and pizza. I want to see the world. Night is the best time of the day, and it's never long enough...I love going to bed just as the sun comes up. DelTaco and Crown Burger makes some of the meanest burgers around. Sleep is for suckers...you sleep when you die. Non-conformist...

Later,

BURKE

I am Rhett. Hear me roar.

2008-02-07T13:17:00.000-08:00

I was born, and then grew up in Millville, Utah. My brothers once tricked me into grabbing an electric fence, as I hit the ground unable to move even my pinky, I blacked out for a few seconds. I'm sure my life has been shortened by ten years because of it.

I've always loved making movies and telling stories. I remember making radio shows with a little tape recorder. We made a whole Star Trek episode once. It was grand.

I like the idea of working with other people on small and big projects. Collaboration usually creates a fun atmosphere to work in.

Burke and I grew up loving action films, and quirky comedies. We then moved onto to liking more dramatic type films with snazzy editing and deep symbolism. But one day we stumbled onto some writings of Ray Carney. Our filmmaking changed completely from that day on. We soon fell in love with the works of John Cassavetes, Frank Capra, Mike Leigh, and the Duplass Brothers.

So, we started making movies about ourselves, about how we see life, and the funny and stupid things we do.

Anyway, let me tell you about some things I like. I'm a scooter enthusiast (I drive a sweet green Stella Scooter), a big Jazz fan, and I really like gummy candy, and that's just about it.

-Rhett

What's with all these old photos of us? And the little kid handwriting...come on!

2008-02-07T12:35:00.000-08:00

Ummm...no real reason other than those cardboard helmets we made were sweet! Plus, I love the fact that Burke has no neck in that picture. And, we started making movies when we were that age, so why not ride it out until the end.