predictably unpredictable

What an interesting year 2020 was/is.

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Uhhmm.

Hm.

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It's an entirely different ballgame now, isn't it?

As we step into the unknown altogether, let's hope that '21 operates under much better circumstances for everyone.  There's a lot to do.

That being said, I wish everyone great holidays, a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a Beautiful Yule.

While all of this is happening, I'll be working on some new things, which I have been for months now, but I'll discuss that stuff after the new year.

thankful for the predecessors

If it weren't for independent musicians and indie bands, I wouldn't have been able to figure out how to go about things when it comes to what I do as an indie filmmaker.  They're the ones who paved the way.  Small budgets to get things done, no arena-size seating but $ and seating nonetheless.  

People have assumed that other indie directors pointed the way towards how I'd be doing things but, actually, it has to do with observing the operational tactics of indie bands more than anything else.

I owe everything to the musicians.  They chopped through the wilderness and made the path.

Addovolt Explorations: Theoretical

Here's looking at you, kid

It's almost as though posting this video up on Halloween in the midst of an incredibly nasty election cycle was intentional (it was) but, if that's the conspiracy theory, then it would be the least of our worries.

"Addovolt Explorations: Theoretical" is HERE on YouTube.

Old Scratch was getting blamed for everything back during the witch trials and he still gets blamed by some folks for causing trouble to this day

The nice thing about being independent is having the ability to do silly projects like this short documentary, which is ridiculous but kind of serious but tongue-in-cheek but sincere yet...obviously satirical while actually making a few solid points....

Maybe it's completely appropriate for Halloween because it's over-the-top absurd....and, also, a bit creepy.  But it's a fast video carnival ride so it's a trick and a treat for tonight or whenever else.  Yeah, sometimes, on certain projects, I structure some films to feel like goofy, rickety dark rides at an amusement park.  Not joking.  To me, it makes sense.

pre-Jazz Age architecture is full of symbology and Chicago's Union Station has its own interesting details...this Greek-influenced muse statue holds an owl which can represent wisdom (most likely the intended meaning in this case) as well as evil, ferocity, and death itself

Lots of archival footage used in this as well as some custom snippets.  "Theoretical" was a group effort and truly a good time.

exactly

Is October 2020 an overall good time though?  I can't say that it is.  Regardless, here we are.  We may as tell try to poke some fun at ourselves while we're chewing our nails off.

Addovolt Explorations: Illumination

Like you, plants can have a somewhat picky diet.

This addition to the Addovolt Explorations quick docs is about plant biology which people have been asking for non-stop! (okay, no) but you're getting it anyway.

Personally, I think that photosynthesis is fascinating and I'm sure that I'm not the only one.  This video is HERE on YouTube, it's fun, it's insightful, it's a different feel than the kind of thing that we typically do, and it's only like 2 minutes.  You can handle it.

And a very special Thank You to Lisette S. for narrating this one.

Addovolt Explorations: Buried Treasure

character study

At no point did the dinosaurs have any kind of funerary procedures for themselves so you never know if you'll randomly stumble across some Plateosaurus femur--for example--the next time you're planting in your vegetable garden.  (okay, the likelihood of that actually happening isn't great but you get the point....)

And, then, if you do find one, maybe you can cash it in?  How much is it worth?  Can you sell it to the Smithsonian?  Could you shell it out to somebody on Etsy instead?  Are you now rich?

Impress your relatives by putting items like these in your guest bedroom.

Probably not.  But you could end up making a pretty decent amount.

Unconventionally Beautiful:  the very famous skull of Sue the T-Rex at Chicago's Field Museum

"Buried Treasure", the latest addition to the Addovolt Explorations short documentary series is right HERE.  Thank you, Kristina Betz, for doing the narration!

Pale Horseman's music video for "Tundra"

This is an entirely different flavor of music video for Pale Horseman (we've done two other videos with them in the past: "Conquistador" and "Phantasmal Voice"), "Tundra" being a sort of mixed-media project utilizing original scenes combined with archival footage mainly from old science, nature, news, and government safety films which don't make you feel safe whatsoever.

The music video for "Tundra", off of their latest album "For Dust Thou Art", premiered today on The Sludgelord! and you can watch it right HERE.  The video has also been featured on Metal Underground, Next Mosh, Kronos Mortus News, Insane Blog, and Metal Robot.

Rather than creating a contrast with the tone and lyrics of the song, the video links arms with the music completely, diving headfirst into the sweeping, crunchy bleakness of it all.

When it comes to the visual aspects of this project, the influences of Kenneth Anger, Jack Parsons, and the high-tech occultism of early and mid-20th Century Southern California are obvious and intentional as are nods to 80's/90's MTV, "Metropolis", "Eyes Wide Shut", H.R. Giger, H.P. Lovecraft, David Lynch, Snow White, Flash Gordon, the nuclear adventures of Enrico Fermi, and, yes, "Hellraiser".  I think that they all go together very well.  Frighteningly so.

I figured that we may as well explore some of the conspiracy theories that people enjoy so much, especially at the moment (understandably.....), such as the idea of powerful, secretive organizations pulling the levers of science and magic, deciding with the push of a button whether us earthlings will experience a jolt of progress or a blast resulting in complete annihilation.  Or, to accelerate things forward, a re-manifestation of Saturn--via chemicals, currents, and atomic energy--returning to vanquish all that we hold dear.  Let's just hope that they're simply rumors and nothing more.

The main theme that I wanted to explore in this project was the concept of inspiration.

Where does it come from?

Which parts come from inside of you and which parts come from elsewhere?  What if there's no difference?

We're all so used to hearing about how pleasant and wonderful inspirations are but what about negative inspirations?  What about wicked ideas popping into powerful heads, the ones that end up impacting the lives of millions of people?  How about those?

Inspirations aren't always good.  Sometimes they're toxic, sometimes they don't always reshape the world in positive ways.

Be careful what influences you.  Watch out for what inspires you.  You can't be sure where it came from or how it got there which could mean that, maybe, your paranoia is thoroughly justified....

Pale Horseman are Andre Almaraz, Eric Ondo, Rich Cygan, and Jason Schryver.  Extremely impressive hair, makeup, and performance contributions in this video from Erin Rose Alamaraz and performance by one of my very favorite longtime collaborators, Remy Osborne, as Lord Saturn.

sometimes it takes more than stakes and silver bullets

One of the most uplifting things about growing up goth and being interested in dark-sided things is that you come across unconventional inspirations.  They can reshape how you view the world and what sort of approaches you take as you navigate through it.

We love villains.  Love them.

What I loved (and still love) about those warlocks, witches, undead counts, etc., etc. is that they know when to lay dormant and then....they know when to resurrect themselves, coming back stronger and more vicious than ever.  I always found that to be extremely admirable.  They reclaim their fortresses, sharpen their daggers, toss a few nauseatingly virtuous bores out of windows, etc., those sorts of things.

Maybe cozy hashtags and cutesy meme quotes work for you but they've never worked for me.  When I'm feeling down, I think about Darth Vader, Caligula, Snow White's Evil Stepmother, Fiona Goode, and all the roles played by Christopher Lee.

What would they do?  How would they handle situations?

The best villains are always dedicated to dragging themselves out of Hell, smoldering, bloodthirsty, ready, and willing to beat some ass.  As a matter of fact, that's their job.

If that isn't inspirational, then I don't know what is.

Addovolt Explorations: you're projecting

Let's go to the movies....yes?  no?

Another short documentary.  This one is about film.

As an art form, sure.  As a cultural touchstone, fine.  But, actually, this quick piece is about movie film as tangible object.

None of the movies that you've seen at the theater recently were sent through the postal service from Hollywood, California.  They were downloaded.

What are films, really?  What are they made of?  How did they become a thing?  That's what I wanted to touch on for this little editing project (most of it is archival footage with a few custom shots to flesh things out).

Some people still appreciate the classics.  A mural tribute to old movies stretches across a building in the Portage Park section of Chicago.

I did the narration on this one (which I usually don't like doing because I like to force my friends/collaborators to do it instead) to speed things along.

"Addovolt Explorations:  you're projecting" is right HERE on YouTube.

Other Addovolt Explorations can be found HERE.

No matter what the format, popular movies still hold a grip on the public imagination.  Here I am at the 2020 C2E2 convention with an extremely fabulous, wonderfully reinterpreted "Star Wars" stormtrooper.