TEASER: Non-Essential Personnel

NON-ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL Teaser No. 1 from grammar school on Vimeo.

Entertaining You Via The Internets

So, you know how we just wrapped shooting our web-series, Non-Essential Personnel? Maybe we forgot to mention that...

So, yeah, we just wrapped on NEP a couple of weeks ago. Tentatively, we're planning to release the first episode in January.

I know what you're thinking here - how am I going to entertain myself at work until January? How will I find any joy in my cubicle as the days turn dark and grey?

Here is your answer: Wage Slaves.

We mentioned Season One last summer when it was released and we enjoyed the show so much, we signed on to help out. While not technically a Grammar School Pictures production (the show is written, directed, and co-produced by our good friend, Chris A. Bolton), Matt worked as the Director of Photography for Season Two, and several GSP alumni make cameo appearances. It's definitely worth your time...

To make it easy on you, we've embedded the first two episodes of Season Two below. The third episode will be released next Tuesday and there are four more after that (released on subsequent Tuesdays at www.wageslaveseries.com).

Enjoy!

Wage Slaves Season 2, Episode 1: "A Crappy Hell-Suck of a Day" from Chris A. Bolton on Vimeo.

WAGE SLAVES Season 2, Episode 2: "A Whole Lot of Calvins" from Chris A. Bolton on Vimeo.

Big Win!

We made our Kickstarter budget! Big thanks to everyone who contributed it...it's very generous of you and Joe and I will be working extra hard to make sure Non-Essential Personnel is a project worthy of your contributions.

In the meantime, hook up with Non-Essential Personnel on facebook to get updates on the production...

Thanks again!
matt

Almost There...

Hey Friends,

Just popping in to give you a brief update on Non-Essential Personnel...

We had a fantastic table read of the scripts over the weekend... We got (most of) the cast together Sunday evening and it was so reassuring to see them next to each other. Everyone really fits their role - it was almost like watching the characters just walk into the room. If you haven't had a chance to meet our actors yet, check out our Facebook page or our Kickstarter profile to get the run down.

Speaking of Kickstarter... We're featured on the front page today! They have some nice things to say about our project and pitch video, so check it out! We've only got 3 days left to raise the final $788. Now's the time to chip in if you can.

Okay... time to get back to work.

matt

New Project: NON-ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL

You may have noticed that we've casually mentioned our upcoming web series, Non-Essential Personnel several times over the past few months. We've got good new: it's actually a concrete thing now... we've got scripts, cast and crew are coming together, and locations are being scouted. We're scheduled to shoot in August with plans to start streaming episodes in late fall/early winter.

So, what's it about? Non-Essential Personnel follows a group of people working in an administrative support office for a private military contractor (a la Blackwater). Most of them feel conflicted about the moral ambiguity of their employer's mission, but when a 12% pay cut is issued to all non-essential personnel, Jonathan Clark (the office's Document Encryption Specialist) decides he's had enough. He sets a haphazard plan into motion that could impact the entire military industrial complex. And it's a comedy (a dark, political comedy, but a comedy nonetheless).

So there's just one other thing - the budget. While we've previously self-funded all our short films (and the bulk of almost everything.), this project is a little more than we can handle on our own. To do it right, we'll need to buy some props and rent a nice HD camera, and (at the very least) feed and transport our world class cast and crew.

So that's where you come in... If you're reading this blog, that means you probably have watched some of our videos. We're going to assume you like what we do. If that's case, we think you'll *really* like Non-Essential Personnel. In fact, we think you'll like it so much that you might want to receive digital downloads of every episode, or a DVD with lots of special features, or maybe even a walk-on role in one episode. Good news: we can totally make that happen and we've set-up a Kickstarter profile to facilitate those transactions. Please click over to Kickstarter to learn more about the project and what you can do to help...

Thanks!
matt

RECENTLY...

so here's what we've been up to...

we've got two exiciting new projects in pre-production.

A World of Pain marks the triumphant return of Mike Johnson (last seen in The End (which, apparently, wasn't really the end)) to the Grammar School world. Matt is writing and directing and we're very excited to have Melissa Kaiser (of Wage Slaves fame) playing against Mike. That's about all we want to say about that one right now (except also that this one might actually be the end of the sequence (though we hope not (but, sadly, probably, yeah))).

NON-ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL is a web series. it's funny and sad and intense and, um, political... and there's a VERY important audience participation aspect to it. we'll have more to say about this in a week or so...

in the mean time, we're finishing up the edit on a very cool show we shot last month with Curtains For You, Norman, and The Dimes. clips from that show should be trickling out over the next few weeks. we'll keep you posted...

Awesome Others No. 2: "Secret Notebook" by Reclinerland

We love Michael Johnson (as a talent as well as a man). We are fully confident that, if you don't already, you will love him too. As such, we are strongly recommending that you go to iTunes and download his new album (as Reclinerland) called "Secret Notebook". We've been lucky enough to hear several of the songs and they are fantastic.



(If you don't have or like iTunes, the album is also available on Amazon.com for download. So, really, you've got no excuse not to enjoy it.)

VIDEOS FOR MUSICIANS: RIDICULOUSLY CHEAP!

Here's the deal...

We need money to fund our upcoming slate of projects. You need video to promote your band on Facebook (or myspace, your website, iTunes, etc).

Luckily for both of us, Grammar School Pictures is great at making concert videos for bands. We'll shoot your show using multiple HD cameras and, depending on your needs, provide anything from a single internet-ready clip to a full-length concert documentary. As a bonus, you also get a professionally mixed audio recording of the full set (captured from a combination of room mics and feeds from the board).

And the best part: we're cheap (actually, we were previously cheap, but for the next two months we qualify as super-cheap)! For any show scheduled between now and March 1st, we'll work at half our regular rate. You could have a professional video on-line for as low as $100 or a ready-to-duplicate concert dvd for only $500.

Check out some of our video samples below and email headmaster@grammarschoolpictures.com for information on rates and availability.

The Builders and The Butchers - Spanish Death Song (Live) from grammar school on Vimeo.

The Dimes - Paul Kern Can't Sleep from grammar school on Vimeo.