Sunday, October 14, 2012

Essay by Independent Filmmaker Jason Stogsdill about "The Everyday Adventures of Lane & Russell"


Jason Stogsdill is an independent filmmaker working on a comedy called "The Everyday Adventures of Lane & Russell."

The film is expected to be released by the end of 2013.

I've watched the trailer and it actually looks quite funny.


The following is an essay by the filmmaker.


It was really fun how we came up with the characters Lane and Russell.  It was way back in 2000 when one night, my friend and co-creator, Chris Stephens thought of doing an improv.  So, we had another friend grab a camera and shoot us.  After doing a little skit, we checked out what we came up with and we were stunned.  It was hilarious!

Later on, we decided to participate in the University’s film festival.  We weren’t really sure how the short film would come out. We were amateurs and it was our first time to do something like that.  The film was rough and we weren’t sure people would like it, but to our amazement, they did!  We even won the Best Narrative and people gave us a standing ovation.  Ever since then, we dreamt of producing a theatrical quality short film about Lane and Russell.

It was only in 2008 that we finally got down to business, pulled up our sleeves and started writing a script for the film.  We began to call up people, gathering a group of amazing artists, actors and technicians.  We started working with various talented artists on concept art, costume design and concept photography.  We also spent a lot of time looking for the perfect filming locations.  At the end of 2010, we were able to finish about 30 percent of the film.  We had a long way to go to finish the film, but we didn’t have enough budget.  Unfortunately, budget has always been the problem for us indie filmmakers.  This is probably something that other indie filmmakers can relate to.

Recently, we began thinking of various ways to raise the money for the film, so we decided to start a Kickstarter campaign, hoping that if it is successful, we’d be able to raise enough money to finally finish our short film, The Everyday Adventures of Lane and Russell.  We are hoping that with the support of friends, relatives and people who believe in what we do, we will be able to finish the short film.

I have to admit that I am a little biased about these characters but I think people will love them.  Well, people will probably hate Lane.  He’s an egotistical borderline sociopath who constantly abuses Russell, but I think people will love Russell.  Curiously enough, despite Russell’s lack of social skills, he seems to get along well with everyone.  It’s his heart – he has a huge kind heart.  I believe in this film.  I believe in friendship, loyalty and humor, lots of it, and this is what the film is all about. 

To see more about "The Everyday Adventures of Lane & Russell," check out laneandrussell.com

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