them, me, and IMDB

It's been a busy decade.

Lots of short films and short documentaries and music videos for punk, metal, and goth bands.

And I wouldn't change a thing!

It's been such a whirlwind 10 years, as a matter of fact, that I just upload the content to YouTube, jot it down on this blog, promote some of those projects (while leaving other projects alone as they are and then moving on to the next thing), and that's that!

But it's time for me to be slightly more 2019, soon to be 2020, traditional.  Especially since I'll be having a feature-length horror/comedy film coming out next year.  I think that I need to keep the indie ethos--which is good--but also be a bit more "corporate".  Or, really, what my iteration/interpretation of "corporate" might be.  Which isn't heavy-handed by any stretch of the imagination.  Can you imagine a corporate-flavored Addovolt Productions?  Yeesh.....

For example, I need to get a Wikipedia page.  There are enough credits and enough articles at this point so, yeah, it's time to get a Wikipedia page.  I love Wikipedia--they just get right to the fucking point--so it'll be for the best.  Whenever I want to know about someone, some band, some place, or some company, I just jump over to their Wikipedia page if they have one and get down to business.  So having one would be nice.

Unlike a lot of filmmakers, I don't put all the stuff that I do on IMDB.  But maybe I should?

Those little Addovolt Explorations mini-documentaries that I do are just research/writing/shooting/editing drills usually.  Seriously.  That's pretty much all that they are so that I don't feel rusty when I'm doing more important projects.  Sure, "A Murky Path Down Archer Avenue" was a full production but that one was an exception.  It was, in truth, a gore and makeup test for this upcoming long horror film.

The last thing that I put on IMDB was the short film "Salome" from 10 years ago because I was just like, "Fuck it, who cares?  Who am I trying to impress?  I'm indie so why should I give a shit?".

Well.....I should probably start giving a shit about those types of things......

The upcoming horror/comedy that I'm working on will be a traditional media product--a business product!--available for purchase so there's that.  And then, coming after it, will be other products and some very fancy-schmancy short films (I love fancy-schmancy short films!) which should, really, be IMDB-able.

Not all the little Addovolt Explorations short docs should be on IMBD but should I have put "Danse Macabre" on there a decade ago?  Yeah, maybe.  The Pale Horseman music videos?  Yep, I should have.  The "Someplace" short film?  For sure, I should have done that.  That would've been the right thing to do for my company, the actors who worked on it, and the musicians who were part of that film.  Being indie is good but.....maybe there's such a thing as being a little too indie?  If you know what I mean?

I've managed to skip Twitter and Instagram all of these years which used to be an unthinkable thing to do if you were in the arts.  However.....  It seems like, over the last couple of years, it's become slightly more acceptable for some creative entities to mellow out when it comes to social media, especially the more "darksided" entities (the goths, the metal people, etc., etc.) because we're not expected to be as hypersocial, or communication-thirsty, as more pop-oriented entities.  We don't have to be cutesy on Instagram or Twitter as our more shiny happy creative sisters and brothers and that's okay.  Thank goodness!  Even though Addovolt Productions is a film company, we're definitely aligned with that more darksided temperament so not diving hard into social media feels honest.  Yes, I have a Facebook page but it's mainly a personal family and friends type of thing for me.  Anyone interested in what I do, film-wise, is totally encouraged to link up with me on Facebook.  That's fine.  Addovolt Productions is my thing, and it eats up a massive part of my life (oh, yes it does....) so having my projects just be part of my personal life profile feels correct.  It's a casual approach but I think that that's fine.  A lot of people don't do Facebook anymore so I'm not worried about it.  There are too many company-related Facebook pages and I've noticed, especially over the last 3 years or so, that the engagement between companies and individuals on Facebook has definitely cooled down so I feel okay with not creating a separate Facebook page dedicated to Addovolt Productions.  I think it's unnecessary.

There's definitely a "burning out" feeling, over the last 12 months especially, when it comes to social media.  Even some of the big players in social media (the magazine covers actresses, some of the rap stars, etc.), you can tell, are starting to post less on Instagram and the other outlets.  I think that everybody's getting a little bit tired and reprioritizing.  It's becoming noticeable.

I also think that, as the years go on, and more filmmakers completely accept and embrace their indie-ness--similar to how some bands are 100% indie, other bands are 100% big label-driven, and that's how it is--that it'll more and more okay to take a more natural, less thirsty, approach to digital presentation and engagement.  But that's just a theory!  I could be right, I could be wrong.  We'll see how that plays out as the years go on.

And, yes, I'll be around.

The systems that I use to get things done are better.  The production process, for me after all these years of experience, is slightly (not perfectly, but slightly) smoother.  It's somewhat easier for me to get press now.

The stories that I have to tell, the ones coming up, are....well....how do I put this....?.....

Let's just say that the best is yet to come.  I would love to give you hints but, sorry, I can't do that right now.  But there are plans.....  Darkly evil, delicious plans!  haha

And they're doable (i.e. $).  Which matters.

Basically, Addovolt Productions will continue to lean towards the odd and independent but, at the same time, I realize that I need to start driving down some of the same streets that others are driving down.  I need to start being able to do both and just make that a mandatory part of the process.  I think that that would be for the best.

Addovolt Explorations: plastic, fantastic

All that glitter$ is gold.

Riding--and always falling over--the line between garish and delightful are malls representing the very worst and very best in civilized striving.

Whether or not you could actually afford the stuff you were looking at wasn't the point.  It was the idea, as a shopper, that maybe--just maybe--you were going to buy it (whatever it was).  A trip to the mall is just as much of a piece of socioeconomic performance art as much as it's a consumer mission, typically.

Material World:  open to anyone and everyone, shopping centers can at least give the impression of flattened class structures.

If you weren't actually going to buy new headphones, for example, the chance of grabbing a mochafrappuccino while thinking about it was much more dependable (and by design).

Are malls just empty, glossy, disposable temples to rampant spending?

Yes, absolutely!  But, as you may expect, things are never that simple......

Off With Their Heads:  transforming markets and societies mean that what used to work yesterday doesn't necessarily work today.

This newest short documentary, narrated by Len Foote, demands that you smear on some frosted lip gloss, dig out an acid-washed denim jacket from somewhere in the house basement, and join us on a candy-colored meditation through one of your favorite places on earth (don't pretend that it isn't):

The Mall

Sometimes fun is healthy.  But not always.

Watch "Addovolt Explorations: plastic, fantastic" HERE on YouTube.  The other Addovolt Explorations are right HERE.

Addovolt Explorations: Resonance

As with the other Addovolt Explorations, we're taking a fast dive into different facets of culture and history.  For this video, we'll settle into 2 different time periods simultaneously:  Ancient Greece and today's America.

This newest video--a composite of archival movies and custom footage--is HERE on YouTube.  Going through free-use old films is always fascinating; there's plenty to learn and they give me ideas for how to approach upcoming projects.

Even though Athena's temples have been gone for quite a long time now, the tales and tactics of the Hellenic world still seep into the present, retaining a totally unique staying power.  That specific legacy has broken through borders, thoroughly embedding itself, bit by bit, in popular entertainment, kitsch, high art, politics, architecture, and language.

The past never completely vanished.

Perhaps Olympus has managed to stay up and running--on a more subdued, quiet basis--through all of these centuries?

Very Special Thanks to Eva Karakostas for narrating this project.

Addovolt Explorations: Cast Of Thousands

For this newest Addovolt Explorations quick doc, we jump over to C2E2 and take a look at the phenomenon of cosplay.

Watch the video right HERE on YouTube.

This is definitely one of the shortest Addovolt Explorations that I've done.  I should've shot a lot more footage than what I did so, if you're going to C2E2, Wizard World, or Comic-Con, etc., make sure that your cameras are fully charged beforehand (just a bit of advice).

Special Thanks to writer Edwin Nieves for doing the narration.  Mr. Nieves runs Geek/Food, a blog focusing on restaurants and geek culture here in Chicago which, inevitably, gives him a lot of material to work with!

Addovolt Explorations: Cereal Invaders

Because eating "the most important meal of the day" can take a little bit of convincing from a lot of strange voices.  

Why has that been the case for decades?  For some reason, oddness and breakfast go hand-in-hand better than they should.  Cultural Studies 101.

Get a glimpse at the super-weird world of food mascots in the new Addovolt Explorations video, "Cereal Invaders" right HERE on YouTube.

"Cereal Invaders" is one of the Addovolt Explorations quick documentaries which are listed HERE.

Special Thanks to my frequent and longtime collaboration buddy, Mary Beth Brennan, for doing the narration.

Addovolt Explorations "A Murky Path Down Archer Avenue" short documentary

The short documentary, "Murky Path Down Archer Avenue", has been uploaded.  This project--an addition to the Addovolt Explorations short documentary series--is a 13-minute long film exploring the very creepy folklore relating to Chicago's infamously haunted street.

And here is the video on YouTube:

Very Special Thanks to Michael Marius Massett for doing narration and music compositions.  And, also, Very Special Thanks to Andre Almaraz for the pitch-perfect original pipe organ main theme music used in variations throughout the film.  Some old music, some new music, some classical and rock and synthpop…..   Lots of good stuff.  After premiering online February 1st, 2019 through Paranormal Globe, "A Murky Path..." has been featured on  Paranormal Daily News, Creepy Americana, Haunt Jaunts, and Fun Size Horror among other publications.

This was a cold shoot and there was plenty of nature involved (expected and unexpected).  No one got pneumonia so that's always a plus.

More still images are below; all pics are via Addovolt Productions.

different poster image (charming)

Addovolt Explorations

Addovolt Explorations is a series of quick, casual, mini-documentaries that we'll be doing on a regular basis between extensive projects (i.e. music videos, films, and longer documentaries).  The Explorations will be focusing on creators, locations, science, and history.  They're kind of like our version of a podcast (sort of, in a way).

The entries so far are (from most recent to oldest):

*"Theoretical" (suspicious?)

*"Illuminated" (look on the bright side)

*"Buried Treasure" (Jurassic Lark)

*"you're projecting" (movies, quite literally, aren't what they used to be)

*"Friends In High Places" (stoned monsters at church)    

*"plastic, fantastic" (for power shoppers only)

*"Resonance" (Greece is the word and it's not about to let you forget it)

*"Cast of Thousands" (these conventions are certainly not boring....)

*"Cereal Invaders" (even when they aren't human, they still manage to be really good salesfolk)

*"A Murky Path Down Archer Avenue" (an entertaining and fast-paced ride through the folklore of the Windy City's spookiest street)

*"Lovely Labels" (unnerving locations and their appropriate names)

*"Wishes and Miles" (Route 66 and its reign as the Main Street of America)

* "Nuclear U" (not every school gets the honor of hosting atomic research beneath its campus)

* "micro manor" (1920's movie star Colleen Moore excelled at fine detail)

* "Galactic" (the first journeys away from Earth weren't quick, cheap, or easy)

* "Greenery" (a downtown spot that will make you feel highbrow in a different sort of way.....)

* "(re)Purposeful" (interesting places that started out for one use and eventually turned into something else entirely)

* "Union Departures" (a quiet graveyard that shouldn't be overlooked)

* "Mystery Masks" (a small neighborhood holds a ton of premium disguises)

* "Well, What?" (an allegedly miraculous water pump in a forest preserve)

* "White City, Emerald City" (Oz Park and the connection between L. Frank Baum and the city of Chicago)

slices of life in bite-sized pieces

An article HERE discusses the idea behind Addovolt Explorations as a series concept.

The Vault Projections Series

Allegories, myths, fairy tales, and histories.

Quests, disasters, triumphs, celebrations, memories, dreams, realities, the sacred, the profane, nihilism, humor, hope. absurdities, metaphors, secrets, and declared truths.  

The Natural and The Magical as collective experience.

Vault Projections is an ongoing project; a series of 21 short films to be created.

So far, the short films within this series are:

- "Salome" (2009)

- "Danse Macabre" (2010)

- "Second Star" (2010)

- "October Sketches" (2016)

- "Someplace" (2018)

I know, I know.....

sometimes I think about them.....

I'm a nerd and I like statistics.

I like to have an accurate assessment of which of my films get watched, how much, by who, where, and which films don't get watched at all (truth! because that's life sometimes).  It's good to know this kind of stuff.  

That way I can have a general idea of what people are responding to.  Accurate, precise, non-goofy numbers.

A few of my projects get relatively decent view numbers (I'm legit underground indie, no conglomerate ties, no moon-eyed features on Buzzfeed, etc.) but my stuff has never been the type of material that goes viral and that's fine.  My numbers--even on the projects that people like--aren't super-high.  That's just not a thing in my world.

Here's the deal:

I don't use bots.

That's a choice.  

As I mentioned, I traded the "wow!" view counts for on-point, private statistics.  Is that a smart choice?  Ehh….  Hmmm.  Well.....

Has it hurt me?  Probably.  But it's a choice.  No fluffed-up view counts.  I've actually had people tell me:  "Derek, don't forget to buy some views on the day that you launch a new video!  It's very important."

Do I sometimes get tempted?  Of course!  Plump, juicy view counts aren't difficult to purchase (Google it) but I'm okay with accepting the realities associated with going bot-free in exchange for my beloved, dorky, natural numbers.  Do I regret that sometimes?  Absolutely!

Addovolt Explorations: Lovely Labels

nope

Narrated by Melanie Deprest, this newest quick doc in the Addovolt Explorations series gives credit to places trying to scare you away.  Devil's Den in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is a prominent example.

notice the expression on the horse's face when it hears the destination

Reaching beyond quirky names, some locations provided signage featuring possible misfortune while, for others, you needed to talk to the locals.

if a pond is called Death's Dive--or something along those lines--that's an indication that you shouldn't be swimming there

"Lovely Labels", all 3 minutes and 30 seconds of it, is HERE on YouTube.

Special Thanks to Melanie Deprest for doing narration duties.  You're a gem, Melanie!