This video is a collection of all of the Quarter Minutes filmed in 2016. This Season 1 recap contains Hairy Situation, Death Jacket, Float Like A Bee, Friendly Vines, Dead Inside, Un-Synced, Internal Gossip, Fall Ritual, Last Days, and Afternoon Snack.
Tag: Quarter Minutes Page 5 of 6
As I talked about in my 2016 recap, I have been in talks with various people, planning what I want to do in 2017. Now, I am writing to share that I am expanding with the following new shows.
“Yes, Science!”
This show started with a question: Who is the female version of Bill Nye? This science show will feature a rotating roster of women hosts in academic fields in Oklahoma. Episodes will discuss a topic of science, feature career profiles, and a fun experiment with a special guest (who can be anyone).
“Red State, Blue State”
Led by talented improvisers, this political satire show will have a blend of talk, improv, and sketch as they talk politics in Oklahoma and around the world. The big ambition for this show is to make it Oklahoma’s first multi-camera, studio audience show.
The Shift
I am asking for your contribution in pursuing and growing these projects. I have shifted Uncovering Oklahoma away from an advertiser to a patron system, with some larger movies funded with the help of a grant or sponsor. Basically, I’ve shifted to become more like NPR and PBS. Just compare how Uncovering Oklahoma looks with other sites with their walls of ads. I have never charged anyone for coverage, and I never want to get into any situation where I have to choose between an advertiser or a story.
New episodes and documentaries are in the works for Uncovering Oklahoma along with new videos from Quarter Minutes (a show like the Twilight Zone, but stories are 15-seconds long). However, I need your help to keep everything going.
Become a monthly patron here. Rewards include exclusive coming soon articles, my library of selected uncut Uncovering Oklahoma interviews, watch videos first, and more.
As a patron, you’ll be rewarded with your support, so join in, and let’s make Oklahoma better!
Time for my annual End of the Year Reflection. Warning: If you don’t want to read someone saying nice things about 2016, don’t read further. 😉
This year was, by far, my most productive year.
My personal growth was fantastic. It’s kind of a funny too. When writing this post, I looked back on my past yearly reflections and in My Review of 2014 I felt good about making five videos throughout that whole year and now, in 2016, I made that much in one month! Crazy.
Let’s crunch some numbers on what I’ve made!
Episode Videos for Uncovering Oklahoma: 30
Total Subjects featured for Episode Videos: Over 60
Artist Statement Minutes: 13
Feature Films: 2 (District Up! and Summer Fun Vol. 1)
Short Films: 3 (not counting Quarter Minutes)
Quarter Minutes: 10
Film Festivals: 4
The one thing I didn’t do was publish any new books this year, however, there were hours of videos.
As for personal adventures this year, my wife and I took our first cruise, starting in Tampa, Florida then visiting the Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Mexico. We also took a road trip from Oklahoma to Georgia to visit my family for Christmas. Visited a bunch of sights in Oklahoma, of course.
Top 5 Most Viewed Uncovering Oklahoma Videos
5. Half a Day with the Halfrican American
4. Heard on Hurd and iFly
3. The Happily Entitled – Friction [Music Video]
2. Uncovering Oklahoma visits The Escape OKC
1. Guthrie Haunts Scaregrounds
My Favorite Accomplishments
My favorite accomplishment this year, no questions, was my feature-length documentary, District Up. I spent over a year making it. I grew in ways that have elevated my skills and defined my style as a filmmaker.
The first video I did for Uncovering Oklahoma this year was about the Norman Music Festival. I wrote here my journey of having shot a totally different interview, but I scrapped it to go into a different direction, which, to this day, I’m so glad I did.
My videos on the Paseo Arts District, Half a Day with the Halfrican American, and Downtown in December were also some of my best travel videos.
I made a music video, Friction by The Happily Entitled, this year! And it was awesome. The band later did a remix music video, which you can watch here, and they did a callback to my music video with them, which I thought was really sweet. (The scene I’m referred to was how the lead singer was wrapped in the blanket.) I would love to do more music videos next year.
I participated in the 48 Hour Film Project for the first this year, making the short film, Guilt Trip. While it didn’t win any awards, we all had a blast and I made new friends.
I started a horror/comedy short film series, Quarter Minutes, working with people from our 48 Hour Project and those who wished they could’ve joined. Quarter Minutes pierces through the multiverse to capture 15-second glimpses of strange and seemly normal oddities of multiple realities. We managed to make 10 stories this year and plan to more next year.
There were some videos I felt “meh” about, but on those, I still learned things. You learn best from doing.
My Top 17 Most Played Songs in 2016
These were my most played songs in 2016 according to Spotify. Keep in mind I will often put a song on repeat when writing or being creative for inspiration.
As for 2017.
As usual, I’m not one for talking about future projects here until they’re close to being ready, especially when they’re in the early planning stages. I’ve been meeting with friends and professional colleagues to discuss plans for 2017. I have ideas for some new shows. For one of the shows, I think it would be neat to have a studio audience because there’s nothing like that in Oklahoma.
I will release a new book from the 16th Phoenix Universe of Stories! Maybe two. Maybe three.
I am writing scripts for a fictional mini-series.
I am researching subjects for possible feature-length documentaries.
New videos will continue with Uncovering Oklahoma. I am working on stepping up my game.
Anyway, that’s a sneak peek of what I have planned for 2017.
I have accomplished more this year than I have my whole life and I must give thanks to my wonderful and supportive wife, Leslie, who helped made everything possible! I’m excited for what will happen next year.
Just having an afternoon snack.
Made by Clayton J. Blair, Kristy K. Boone, Pallas, and Dennis Spielman. More short strange stories at Quarter Minutes.
On Sunday we had a brainstorming session to come up with some holiday stories for the series. We will be working on those next month.
The Last Closing Reception
Thursday, October 27th marked the last closing art reception for The Project Box. The Project Box has been one of my regularly featured galleries for my Artist Statement Minute series on Uncovering Oklahoma so I went there to say goodbye. I’ll miss working with them.
Getting ready for the Norman Fall Fest, sporting a brand new Uncovering Oklahoma shirt
Norman Fall Fest
Friday morning started with the release of my new 10-minute documentary on the Paseo Arts District. After that was published, I worked on getting ready for the Norman Fall Fest. The event closed down Main Street in Downtown Norman make for a safe environment for trick-or-treating, performances, and activities with an emphasis on inflatables. I was invited to have a booth this year. My wife suggested doing bubbles and having a “boobubble” station because it would be simple, easy, and kids would love. She was right about everything.
I had a table set up where one of us would hand out the treats while there were two big buckets that either my friend Michael Roberts, Leslie or I would make giant bubbles, along with two small bubble making machines. People loved the bubbles. Everyone was taking pictures of Michael making big bubbles. For the event, I also supported and brought awareness to the Teal Pumpkin Project by giving out bubbles, stickers, and stamps instead of candy. We had several parents tell us how much they appreciated us giving out treats because of their child’s food allergies and that we were the only booth doing the Teal Pumpkin Project.
We all had fun at the Fall Fest. The event was packed. I didn’t get a chance to walk around and see whatever else was doing at the time, and consequently, I didn’t get to eat either. This was my first doing such an event and so I have notes for improvements for next time.
OU Homecoming
I went to my first sportsball homecoming festival on Saturday for the Oklahoma Sooners football. It was fun walking around OU and Campus Corner to see all the businesses and the collage celebrating homecoming, people tailgating, and the vendors. I loved the movie themed parade floats this year. Overall, it was kind of strange being there as I felt a bit like an outside looking inside a whole different culture.
Day of the Dead
Sunday, Leslie and I visited the Plaza District for their Day of the Dead celebration. I took pictures and video for Uncovering Oklahoma and District Up. I loved how this year the festival became more of a community event. For example, Pie Junkie, which is normally closed on Sundays, opened up because of the festival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBIlJfP3OfQ
15 Second Horror Film Challenge
Four of the Quarter Minute stories were accepted into the 15 Second Horror Film Challenge! With 450 entries from hundreds of filmmakers worldwide who only had 15 seconds to be new voices of horror, the above video features all of Season 2’s entries. The 15 Second Horror Film Challenge is a not-for-profit international contest which celebrity judges rank Top 20, share their personal Top 5 picks, and award films in a variety of categories to be announced through November. The stories I submitted were Fall Ritual, Float Like A Bee, Un-Synced, and Last Days.
Kids play with science
A trapped ghost. This was not a prop, but an actor.
The Haunted House
The Ghostbusters car and haunted house
Science
Slime!
Dennis and Leslie
Halloween
For the Halloween tradition, friends and family would gather at Leah and John’s house to do a big shindig. We don’t simply just pass out candy but have interactive displays, games, and performances with every year revolving around a theme. This year’s theme was Ghostbusters and the story had the Ghostbusters parked in front of a haunted house they were investigating. Lessa and Jessi had a science show for kids. Leah would run around and capture ghosts and monsters. Jay was a trapped ghost. Everyone had a role. Leslie and I were dancing skeletons and I would also scare people. As with every year, it was a blast.