Upgrades Needed

At the end of 7th grade, Henry, Kristin, Khodadod (an old film friend), and I made a video entitled Suburban Ninja. It was about a boy who thought he was a ninja, and sought to show off his ninja skills to random people. He failed of course.

I remember this video because it was another turning point in my film history. It was really fun to make, but it lacked quality. My acting sucked, there was always laughter behind the camera, and it didn't seem to flow well. I have trouble watching it because of my acting...



That high pitch voice and the cackling at the end of this clip is Henry by the way.

I was not quite as pleased with the turnout of this video as my friends. I wanted to make a good video with good acting, story, and camera, but at this point, I knew it wasn't going to happen for a while.

Not long after this video, I realized I needed a camera that was actually meant for video, not a digital photo camera. Also, I needed an editor that was better than Windows Movie Maker. I realized early on that it was very limited. Then, my problems were solved. I bought a Sony Handycam for $300, a cheap consumer-grade camcorder. It did the job. Then, my dad got me a copy of Adobe Premiere Pro CS2 from his office. At once, the new editor astounded me. There were so many options, so many possibilities with these two new tools. I was eager to try them out.

Over the summer I filmed two videos with my cousins and brother, and I was extremely happy with the end results. I experimented a lot with Premiere Pro while I was visiting my cousins. I couldn't wait to film again with my friends and try out my new stuff.

From the Beginning

Back in 4th or 5th grade, I became interested in drawing. My mom gave me a sketchbook to document my drawings. I started drawing, and eventually I came up with a character of my own: Star Gazer. He was basically a star with a happy face.

I started drawing comics of him. I created a whole family of stars, from siamiese twins to demons. I really wanted to bring this guy to life, but I couldn't ever draw him as well as I wanted. I loved telling stories through pictures, but the process was sometimes boring, and drawing was difficult. Toward the end of 7th grade, I stopped drawing as a hobby.

In 7th grade, I met a friend named Kristin. We became really good friends. Once I got her email, she sent me a video she made and posted on Youtube. It was an AMV, an anime music video. I was astounded at how she was able to make her own custom videos like that. Turns out she was using Windows Movie Maker. I became intrigued at this.

Youtube also helped inspire this video production interest. I started watching more Youtube videos, and came across a comedy duo named Barats and Bereta. Their video, Mother's Day, was the turning point for me: It was at that point when I realized that I want to make videos.

Toward the end of 7th grade, Henry and I started planning a home video we were going to make. Entitled POINT BLANK, it was the first video I really made with friends. It was about a boy who tries to get revenge for the murder of his brother, and a chase through the neighborhood ensues. The quality was mediocre, the camera sucked, and the story was kinda dumb. But in retrospect, it was decent for our first time.

We were very young back then, and our balls hadn't dropped yet.

Anywho, this is where Henry became my filming partner. We made a company name, HnB Productions, for Henry and Brandon. Henry even made a logo. But the "company" didn't last long.

The History of Theorem 42

In the next few days, I'm gonna start documenting how Theorem 42 became what it is today. I have had a relatively long history of video production. You'll understand why we do things the way we do, and why things worked out the way they did.

I have been through a lot when it comes to video making, from choosing actors to repairing video equipment to buying more stuff. I figure I should write this all down before I forget it or something.

So for the next few days, I'll be narrating the creation of Theorem 42 from beginning to the end bit by bit. If you're interested, check it out.

HOLY MOLY

HOLY CRAP, I NEVER EVEN NOTICED THIS.

I HAVE HAD THIS BLOG FOR OVER A YEAR NOW.

YAYYYYYYY!!!!!!

What an accomplishment! I can't believe I updated this much! I can't believe I didn't slack off on it! (sometimes I did but stfu). I'm quite proud of how long this blog has stayed alive.

Well I just wanted to say that. Thanks to my readers!

Update coming soon!

Favorite Movies

Here is a list of my all-time favorite movies. They're in no particular order because I like each movie for different reasons.

• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• 500 Days of Summer
• Slumdog Millionaire
• Saving Private Ryan
• Inglourious Basterds
• Full Metal Jacket
• Austin Powers Goldmember
• Kung Fu Hustle

I won't go into detail with each movie because that'll take too long. I just wanted to let y'all know ;)

UNDERFIRE Trivia

In case any of you out there want to know more about the UNDERFIRE series so far, here ya go.

I've been meaning to do this for a while, but I've been lazy. Realize that all the trivia only applies to the UNDERFIRE series, not any other videos from Theorem 42.

UNDERFIRE SERIES

• Ryan, Brandon, and Henry have been in every UNDERFIRE video to date.
• The sound effect for the Maverick/Revolver has been the same in every video, the Counter-Strike: Source Desert Eagle sound.
• Each video ends in the same spot.
• During filming, we have always been questioned by neighbors about our shenanigans.
• The inspiration of the series was Call of Duty 4 and Team Fortress 2.

UNDERFIRE

• This is the only video so far that only stars 3 people.
• This is the only video with subtitles.
• This is the only video that ends with everyone alive.
• This is the only video that has a "happy ending"
• When Ryan and Brandon are facing off, Ryan hides behind some stairs. After Brandon is ambushed by Henry, the stairs that Ryan is hiding behind changes. This is because when we were filming, the person who lived there came out, and we didn't want to be confronted.
• The Wilhelm Scream can be heard.
• This is the only video that a Portal song appears, 5000 Degrees Kelvin.
• This is the first video that Adobe After Effects was used in a Theorem 42 video, for the title.
• The primary color for this video is red for the sunniness and the high energy.

UNDERFIRE Deathmatch

• This is the video in which William makes his Theorem 42 debut.
• The video was actually filmed in the rain, thought the rain was intermittent, so sometimes it shows up, sometimes it doesn't.
• Henry dies in a similar fashion in the beginning as the first video; Ryan headshots him when he peeks over a bush.
• When Henry kills Ryan with the shotgun and runs away, you can see William sitting on the stairs in the background.
• This is the only video that a Team Fortress 2 song appears, Faster than a Speeding Bullet.
• The title retains the quick word glimmer as in the first video, but more advanced.
• This is the first video to have limited lives. Though it is not directly stated, once Ryan kills Brandon for the last time, he does not respawn.
• Though not directly contributing to the video, in the first 5 minutes of filming, we were yelled at by a woman for being too loud outside.
• The primary color for this video is blue for the gloominess of the rain.

UNDERFIRE War

• This is the video in which Matt makes his Theorem 42 debut.
• This is the first video that songs from the Half-Life 2 episodes appear.
• This is the first Theorem 42 video to have a trailer.
• This is the first video to include blood effects.
• This is the first video to feature team deathmatch.
• This is the first video to feature full length dialogue.
• Ryan and Henry wear black shirts, while Matt and Julien wear white shirts.
• Brandon only makes a small cameo here, for the sake of being in the video, and also to reference to the previous videos.
• It appears that Ryan, Henry, and Brandon made a truce of some sort and formed a team.
• In this video, there is a better implication of limited lives, as an example of Brandon.
• The real reason why it was raining at the end was because we filmed the ending on a separate day, and it was raining that day.
• The symbol on Ryan's shirt is of Portal.
• The title also retains the word glimmer from the first video.
• The primary color for this video is yellow, for the high energy and the high speed action.
• Team Tigers was the result of a discussion on current issues. The name of that team came from the discussion of Tiger Woods.
• The only person whose name is not mentioned is Henry.
• During the machine gun scene, a neighbor came out and confronted us.
• When Ryan's respawn is shown, an old Half-Life song plays. This is the same song we used for Ryan's respawn in UNDERFIRE.
• The silencer on Julien's rifle toward the end of the video is on crooked. The silencer was made from the core of a toilet paper roll and black electrical tape.