Monday, November 23, 2009
Not Safe for Work
Written by guest star Adam Higgins of Kick the Squirrel improv and countless other stand-up and comedy theater collaborations before he moved to Chicago to teach his wares, this is the video short that made audiences most squeamish. Though absurd, something about the animated humping wireframe "jumped the shark." Thanks, Adam!
Get the latest video podcast here: Sodomy
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Job Interview
Nick Wells, the Phantom Hillbilly, wrote this comedy short while acting as a human resources director for Marketing Decisions. His contempt for authority is palpable, yet his sympathies for those who are gatekeepers for desirous hirees are perceptible too. Directed and edited by Danny Norton, starring Lydia Carrigan, shot after hours in Portland State University's student newspaper offices. The making of this film, which was recast halfway through production, was a comi-tragedy in itself.
Labels:
human resources,
inept,
interview,
Job,
pornography,
silly
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Baby Sushi
A man returns from a business with a most unusual confession to his wife. Written by Adam Higgins, performed by Nathaniel "Hub" Hubbard and Laura Patterson live at Portland, OR's historic Jasmine Tree tiki lounge.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Bozar: Clown from the Future
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is visited with a warning message from the future. When he refuses to take heed, violence, profanity and a coerced sexual favor ensue. Some of Nicki Toma's most inspired weird sketch writing, and a genuinely bizarre turn by Scott "Hecktow" Klatt as Arnold and The Phantom Hillbilly, Nick Wells, as a media makeover mogul.
Get the first video podcast here:Bozar: Clown from the Future
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Baby Jack
Longtime friends and cofounder of Extra Medium Nicki Toma and Tatyana Zaytseva delivered sporadic delerium to the online video ether and are poised to do so again soon. This bizarre parody of Jack in the Box and other advertising features Fogotron and Danny Norton and a cast of hilarious kid's meal toys.
Get the latest video podcast here: Baby Jack
Labels:
Advertising,
Baby,
Cannibalism,
Hamburger,
Infant,
Lunch
Monday, June 1, 2009
Nightly News
The Phantom Hillbilly and Danny Norton were once frequent contributors to Independent Tuesdays, a Portland filmmaker showcase with monthly themes and challenges hosted by Jef Draubaugh. After changing venues from Nocturnal to ACME to The Standard then finally, Someday Lounge, so many new alliances had been made and broken and so much attrition, that it seemed the only salvation of the scene would be to hand it over entirely to another generation, another breed of filmmaker. Which we did. They're all HD, better cinematographers and often sharper writers than we were. Here's an example: when challenged to make a short along the theme of nightly news, I had the goofy idea of lifting audio from news and dubbing it over the actions of a couple having dinner. Brilliant?
Get the latest video podcast here: Nightly News
Labels:
audio,
dubbed,
independent Tuesdays,
News,
SFX,
sound effects
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Cokey Monster
Mr. Children's Television Workshop gives Cookie Monster some time off to hone his craft. Cookie recommends that his brother fill in during his absence, but brother Monster does not have a predilection for cookies.
Get the latest video podcast here: Cokey Monster
Labels:
Children's television,
cocaine,
Cookie Monster,
kiss,
Sesame Street
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Ground Charlie - Shampoo
Nicki Toma and Tatyana Zaytseva collaborated on what they often called an acoustic Tenacious D tribute duo. I always thought they beat Jack and Kyle in the clever lyrics department, but that's just my hip, disaffected "Tenacious D is too popular to be cool" side talking.
Get the latest video podcast here: Ground Charlie - Shampoo (live)
Labels:
humor,
jasmine tree,
Live,
music,
Parody,
performance
Monday, March 2, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Two Minutes to Midnight
What Phantom Hillbilly could accomplish with a couple of industrial lamps from Home Depot and iMovie always impressed me. Here he manages to spin a yarn about protagonist Sage Negadeth going to hell, precisely where he's always thought he'd go when he dies. Why? Because he's so metal!
Get the latest video podcast here: Sage: Two Minutes to Midnight
Labels:
Devil,
Hell,
Metal,
Parody,
Phantom Hillbilly,
Sage Negadeth
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Revenge of the Sage
Longtime collaborator Nick Wells, AKA The Phantom Hillbilly produced a series of shorts for independent Tuesdays, which soonafter reran at Extra Medium's multimedia comedy showcases to a new audience. Their odd pacing and heavy metal humor were so well received that he wrote the screenplay for a Sage Negadeth feature, shot a trailer and is still pursuing budgeting it's eventual fruition.
Get the latest video podcast here: Revenge of the Sage
Labels:
comedy,
funny,
Phantom Hillbilly,
Sage Negadeth,
short
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Attrition
As the cast of Extra Medium dwindled, were replaced, dwindled again, the final throes consisted of guest appearances at other sketch ensemble's showcases and dredging the deepest crevices for funny video. This embarrassing nugget is one of the first I made using analog 8mm tape-to-tape decks.
Get the latest video podcast here: Little Green Men
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Against Free Speech
The cast of Extra Medium were so anxious to support Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004 that we made our own signs. We were then whisked away to a "free speech zone" far away from where supporters with official John Kerry signs culd see Leonardo DiCaprio and John Bon Jovi up close and personal. "Grrr," we thought. "This free speech thing isn't so free after all. Let's protest free speech with new signs!" We confused people, as would be expected. Four years late for a big, Democratic sigh of relief.
Get the latest video podcast here: Kerry Rally
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Help! A Bear is Eating Me!
Friend of Extra Medium Mykle Hansen performed a glorious reading from I Heart Everything at their final live performance in December, 2006 @ Portland's Bagdad Theater. Since then, musical collaborator in The Golden Greats, Danny Norton, worked with him on a book trailer to promote his latest comic novel "Help! A Bear is Eating Me!" Mired in pathos, the timeline follows a Seattle ad executive pinned under his Rangerover for 13 chapters, being eaten slowly feetfirst. This installment sheds light on author Hansen's panache for tall tales and misinformation.
Get the latest video podcast here: Help! A Bear is Eating Me!
Labels:
Attack,
Bears,
Book,
Book Trailer,
Literature,
Safety
Monday, December 22, 2008
Punk'd Lite
It's like MTV's practical joke show, only with safer, risk-free pranks. Danny Norton's first foray into editing with Final Cut Pro @ Portland State University saw him working up an idea of Star Can't Dead's Jihad Qutub into a digital short for their multimedia comedy showcase at nearby Jasmine Tree tiki lounge.
Get the latest video podcast here: Punk'd Lite
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Sex Therapy
Laura Patterson and Scott "Hecktow" Klatt have a counseling session facilitated by Adam Higgins. Performed live at Portland's historic Jasmine Tree tiki lounge, now a level plain of grass upon which cranes erecting a new student recreation center can entertain you.
Get the latest video podcast here: Sex Therapy
Saturday, December 6, 2008
James Bond: Cookiepussy
The final cast of our multimedia sketch show included Adam Higgins, who traveled East to study with Second City in Chicago and teach improv. He was reticent to play a "mentally different" character until it became clear it could be pulled off a a simple goon. Masterfully written by Nathaniel "Hub" Hubbard, who also stars as James Bond a la Connery brogue.
Get the latest video podcast here: Cookiepussy
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Polls Part 1
We know it's SO November 2, 2004, but this series of videos was shown on election night 4 years ago to cheer people up. We anticipated that every vote "would count" and that the election would have a happy ending.
Get the latest video podcast here: The Polls Pt.1
The Polls Part 2
We know it's SO November 2, 2004, but this series of videos was shown on election night 4 years ago to cheer people up. We anticipated that every vote "would count" and that the election would have a happy ending.
Get the latest video podcast here: The Polls Pt.2
Sunday, November 2, 2008
The Polls Part 3
We know it's SO November 2, 2004, but this series of videos was shown on election night 4 years ago to cheer people up. We anticipated that every vote "would count" and that the election would have a happy ending.
Get the latest video podcast here: The Polls Pt.3
Monday, October 20, 2008
Custard
In one of our most elaborate live sketches (OK, Condos and Lawyers had real costumes), a boardroom of company cronies must answer the CEO's demands for new marketing strategies. Written by Nathaniel "Hub" Hubbard, with Steve Libbey, Scott "Hecktow" Klatt, Laura Patterson and Danny Norton.
Get the latest video podcast here: Custard
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Escape from USA
November 2, 2004 was a dark day for liberal-minded Americans anxious for John Kerry to turn the political future around. And he should have, too. Diebold delivered an empty victory as promised, so this short follows a disgruntled ex-pat who immigrates as a mail order husband.
Get the latest video podcast here: Escape from USA
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Plastic Culture
OK. This is probably the strangest film collaboration in my recollection. Portland, OR's Bear Deluxe Magazine and parent environment watch organization ORLO host a yearly film competition. What possessed us to spin the theme "plastic culture" into the story of rock monolith Ted Nugent losing his hunting bow is anyone's guess.
Get the latest video podcast here: Max Gross
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Vader Vacation
Another great Animation Schmanimation short courtesy of Cinema Queso's John C. Meyer, shown at Extra Medium's multimedia comedy showcase near the final installment (we hope) of George Lucas' prequel trilogy, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
Get the latest video podcast here: Vader Vacation
Monday, August 25, 2008
Blind leading the Blind
About all I can say to introduce this short is that my blind roommate pretty much suggested the direction of this storyline, offering to do as many falling and rolling stunts as possible. I couldn't see much in the Scruffers costume either, so it was up to cameraman/director/conspirator Crispin "Credible" Rosenkranz to guide us across busy streets via his voice. So it's about a half-man half-dog/guy in a fuzzy car seat cover who is a terrible assistant animal. Don't get too offended. We had a lot of fun making it.
Get the latest video podcast here: Seeing Eye Scruffers
Labels:
Animal,
Assistance,
Blind,
Dog,
humor,
Parody,
Seeing-Eye
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Scruffers' Day in the Park
Scruffers was a half-man half-dog creation of Extra Medium's Danny Norton for one live sketch and two short films. Actually, it was just Danny in a furry carseat cover. Featuring Nicki Toma, Phantom Hillbilly and appearances by Scott "Hecktow" Klatt, Dax Jordan and Tatyana Zaytseva. The costume was very uncomfortable. The idea for this short came when Portland was experiencing a rash of animal poisonings in public off-leash dog areas, then shards of metal to cut animals' paws.
Get the latest video podcast here: Scruffers' Day in the Park
Monday, July 28, 2008
Off-Off Broadway
Three-part sketch filmed live at Portland's historic now-defunct Jasmine Tree tiki lounge. Man wants to do "something special" for his girlfriend on Valentine's Day, but can't afford Broadway or even Off-Broadway theatre tickets. An unscrupulous dealer in eclectic knock-offs of Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soliel and Shakespeare tries to recommend a budget alternative. Written by Tom Wolcott and Danny Norton, with Steve Libbey, Scott "Hecktow" Klatt, Adam Higgins and Laura Patterson. Ends in typical sound cue snafu, to awkward effect.
Get the latest video podcast here: Off-Off Broadway