Ding Dong

    

      Apparently we at Muddy Yellow Sneakers are not content unless we are inflicting pain upon others for the sake of comedy.  Thank heavens we have friends who are willing to submit themselves to our torture; they are friends indeed. 

     Jeremy, Todd, and I were discussing ideas for fun videos that we could put up on YouTube a week or so ago, and a myriad of ideas were put out on the table, (in a manner of speaking).  One idea that seemed to stick though was an idea for a game called "Ding Dong".  It revolved around the simple idea that we invite our friends to a party and as they enter the house we throw balled up socks, (or sock balls), at their _______.   (Todd affectionately called this area the "no, no, special place").

     It's juvenile, yet somehow it makes us all laugh.  We've seen tons of commercials with this gag, (especially if you've watched any of the competitors for the Doritos, Crash the Super Bowl Contest), and we decided to embrace it.  So, all we needed to do was convince our friends to show up at Jeremy's place, and then, with some elaborate planning, we would throw sock balls at them as they came through the door.

     I was behind the camera, Todd was going to open the door, and Jeremy was prepared with plenty of sock balls to throw.  One by one our friends showed up, and one by one our epic plan failed. 

     We couldn't believe it.  No one got hit to the point that it made for great comedy.  So what to do?  Somehow it seems as though our company motto is slowly but surely becoming: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. 

     With a group of friends now gathered, we sought out another game we could play that would make for great filming.  The group, for some odd reason, embraced the idea of throwing things at the, "no, no, special place", and Chris Puppe came up with an idea for a new game that made the evening anything but boring.

     Chris had the idea to play a variation on the game, truth or dare, but more along the lines of: Ding Dong or Dare.  It sounds as bad as it seems.  As a group we wrote down about 20 horrible dares.  We put them in a bowl, then one by one each selected a dare randomly.  If you weren't up to the dare, you were going to stand blindfolded against a wall, holding a soccer ball with your knees, while everyone else in the room would shout, "Ding, Dong", and commence with throwing sock balls at your "no, no, special place".

     It was quite possibly the most insane game I have ever personally played.  While I don't want to give too much away, we had people running down the street with burning toilet paper in their pocket, another had to call the first number in his phone and ask the person out, while still others were licking the bottom of their shoes or acting out child birth.  (Mary Puppe, Chris's wife, even had an apple placed on her butt that was then shot by Chris with an an Airsoft gun.)  Those dares alone made the game fantastic.  Yet the game went a step further as we had people who didn't want to take the dare, and instead stood blindfolded and defenseless, in front of a wall.

     To quote our good friend Karl, the evening was epic.  We definitely plan on releasing the video for, "Ding Dong or Dare", although we have not set a date for it's release as of yet.  We'll need some time to develop the right style for the video, but when it looks like we're getting close we'll let you know when it's coming out.  In the mean time, enjoy some of the photos taken last night during this "epic" game.

-Cameron-

 

   

Coming Soon: Poppyseed Lane, Episode 3: The Sobriety Test

     Wow! We have been busy.  It's been so much fun though.  Next week is looking to be even busier for us.  As crazy and hectic as things can become, it's always exciting.

     One of the things I'm personally very excited about is the next episode of Poppyseed Lane.  Poppyseed Lane was the first video Muddy Yellow Sneakers ever produced, and it became our first series.  We created two episodes before shooting some public service announcements with Officer Lopez, which we did in an effort to change things up.  We wanted to see what else we might be able to do with the premise and the characters.

     One thing we always wanted to add was some additional puppet characters.  With that said, the next episode will introduce the world to Cindy, (a high school cheerleader), and Pepino, (an Italian chef).  Todd has already developed some great characters for both these puppets and we're excited to start giving them their own bits.

     Shortly after releasing the first video, Todd wrote some lyrics to the main theme for Poppyseed Lane.  I immediately fell in love with these lyrics, but we decided to hold off on having any characters sing them until we had more characters that we wanted to be our regulars on the show.  With Cindy and Pepino, we were able to record a new opening sequence that we think is a lot of fun and really sets the mood for the show.

     The third episode is going to pick up where the second episode left off.  Todd, (playing a character by the same name), decides to drive himself home after becoming drunk to a point nearing death and/or brain damage.  As one could guess, he gets pulled over by Officer Lopez.  As always, the episode will have a game to play, this game being a cross between a sobriety test and "Simon Says".

     While we are moving the series in a new direction, this episode will be very similar to the two that came before it.  We had already filmed this episode when we began discussing new possibilities for the series.  That, however, does not take away from how fantastic this episode will be.  We are all incredibly excited about this episode, and know that it will be the episode to lay the groundwork for what's to come.

    Let us know what you think about the episode once it comes out, and feel free to give ideas and suggestions for future episodes.  Here are some pictures from the shoot we did for the new opening sequence.  Enjoy!

-Cameron-

 

 

The next Slap the Dickens...

     When we started Slap the Dickens we felt it had great potential for being, (for lack of a better term), hilarious.  We hoped that we could get people involved, but we also knew we would be asking quite a bit.  After all, we were asking someone to allow themselves to be slapped as they attempted to tell what could be a lengthy story.  

     For the first episode Todd and I decided to put ourselves "in the chair", along with two good friends, Kyle and Caleb.  The first episode quickly became the most popular video on our channel and we got excited to make another.

Click Here to watch Slap the Dickens, Episode 1: A Christmas Carol 

     Once we decided on a story for the second episode we quickly went into casting.  We decided it would be fun to keep two guys from the first episode and introduce two new guys on top of it.  We also started to see Todd develop a personality/character behind the chair as, "the slapper", so we decided to leave him there since he was so blasted funny.  I don't think we could have been happier about the two new guys we got for the next episode.

     

     Jordan and Karl were absolutely hilarious in completely different ways.  Between them, as well as Kyle and Caleb graciously returning to the chair, we had the makings for a great episode.  Caleb was particularly hilarious as he noticed that Todd had amped up the power behind the slaps for this episode. 

Click Here to watch Slap the Dickens, Episode 2: Beauty and the Beast (aka Slap the Disney)

      Although we've only been playing around with the Slap the Dickens series for a couple of episodes now, it's already been a journey.  The first episode we had to pull in some very loyal friends who we knew would be willing to get slapped.  The next episode we began to see some people come out of the wood-works and actually volunteer themselves for the job, (although there was still a fair amount of hesitation).  After we released the 2nd episode we had near daily offers from a vast variety of people who wanted to be in the next episode.

     It's so funny to me that people have become so willing to put themselves in a chair and get slapped around.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that they are willing.  We've had so many offers now that it's become less of people offering to do it, and more of people asking to do it.  We LOVE that people are excited about it, and that people can see how much fun it really is.

     What we never really expected, was that girls would come to us and want to do this.  I can honestly say that girls being in Slap the Dickens never really crossed our minds.  However it didn't take long for a number of women to come to us and offer to be in an episode.  This was really surprising to us and we didn't know what to do.  We wanted them to have the opportunity but didn't want to actually slap girls.  Then it dawned upon us: Do a girls version of Slap the Dickens where girls get to slap girls.

     It was such a simple answer but we knew we would have to do it right.  It would take the right set of girls who were just really able to have a good time telling a story and smacking each other.  We weren't quite sure what to expect to be honest, but we were excited to try it.

     The first girl to go was Deyana.  For anyone who really follows our channel in depth, they'll recognize Deyana from the first of what we hope to be many episodes, of the Copper St. John Papers.  Click here to watch the Copper St. John Papers.

    Deyana got to her first word VERY early in the story, and naturally, she got a polite little slap from our good friend Jessica. Dey's reaction was priceless.  She burst into a shout of laughter mixed with shock.  She even said, "I guess I somehow forgot I was going to be slapped."  It was outrageously funny.  Todd, Jeremy, and I looked at each other and each of us had a grin.  It seemed as though each of us was thinking, "this is going to be comedy gold." 

     So with all of this in mind, here are some behind the scene shots of the Slap the Dickens, Episode 3, shoot.  What people don't realize is that if you think it's funny to watch it on YouTube, it's even funnier in person.  This first shot is Dey reacting to a slap with a reaction very similar to that of her first slap in the story.

     This next shot is one of the few where we get to see the Slapper behind the chair.  Just as in the first episode Todd got slapped by Caleb, Dey went first and allowed herself to be slapped by Jessica.

 

     

     The next girl to go was McCall.   Watching McCall tell this story, (which we are purposefully not announcing yet, although the clues are incredibly obvious), was one of the highlights of my day.  As McCall told the story it really hit me how different men and women are, (which, of course, I've known since childhood).  After having just finished our second guy episode of Slap the Dickens however, the contrast between it and this new episode were like night and day. These girls told stories and reacted in ways that the guys never would have even thought of. 

      One of the things I love about Slap the Dickens is how much fun everyone has doing it.  Sometimes fim-making requires a lot of patience.  It takes time to set up the shot and get exactly what you were originally hoping for.  Slap the Dickens is fun because it's easy to set up, it only takes as long as it takes for everyone to tell their story, and there are a ton of laughs in the process.  While we try to keep it quiet on set so we don't miss any classic one-liners, sometimes it's just too hard to restrain ourselves.

     The last two girls to go were Antonia and Jessica.  The two of them were such different personalities from the first two girls and it really provided for some huge laughs.  Whenever I talk to anyone who was at this shoot two days ago the one comment I hear from everyone is, "I can't wait to see it."  Honestly, neither can I.  

     So, be looking for the next Slap the Dickens in about two weeks.  Before then we also hope to release the long awaited, third episode of Poppyseed Lane.  (We'll post updates and possibly some pictures for it in the days to come.)  Stay tuned for now and we'll keep posting updates.  

-Cameron-

Muddy Yellow Sneakers (MYS): Who We Are

Muddy Yellow Sneakers began in late 2009 as some friends teamed up to make a short film for a class project. As the first film didn't quite work out as intended, they rapidly put together a different film that became known as the first episode of Poppyseed Lane. These friends quickly discovered that they each had a passion for film-making and that by collaborating with one another they could continue to produce quality films. Together they formed Muddy Yellow Sneakers.

Muddy Yellow Sneakers seems to be a ridiculous and lengthy name for a film company, but to this set of friends it represented so much more. Muddy Yellow Sneakers stands for the type of entertainment these film-makers hope to provide. It's playful and fun, yet has an innocence attached to it's image. It is Muddy Yellow Sneakers's, (or MYS's), goal to provide clean and quality entertainment in any number of different genres.

Below are listed the three partners in Muddy Yellow Sneakers, as well as their current roles in the company, and some short bios.

Todd Blaquiere, Partner and Director of Pre-Production

       Todd is best known as the Slapper on Slap the Dickens.  Todd wrote his first script when he was 11, "Junkie", a biographical look into a homeless man`s plight.  (Ok, it mostly consisted of Todd drinking water from a milk jug and neighbor kids chasing him in paper policeman hats.) The neighborhood show grossed six dollars in its one time showing.  He began acting in college where he majored in business consulting.  He went on to star in Joey and Maria`s Italian Comedy Wedding, an improv comedy show, for 3 years.  Todd has since become a SAG actor.  On the business end Todd handles everything pre-production which includes casting, scheduling, budgeting, scripting, art design etc.  He also writes, directs and acts for Muddy Yellow Sneakers. "My hope for this company is to create good quality movies of every genre and to develop our talent, giving opportunities to actors, directors, writers and crew to learn to things the MYS way... and to have fun doing it."

Cameron Lanier, Partner and Director of Post-Production

     Some twenty years ago Cameron began his performing career as he was given a single solo line to sing in his local church's production of "Oliver".  That solo changed his life...  Not really, but it got things started.  Cameron has been performing since childhood, primarily in theater productions beginning with church, up through college, and finally professionally throughout Southern California regional theaters.  After having finished a 3 year performance program Cameron decided to fulfill his lifelong dream and attend film school.  He is currently a full time film student at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA.  With a passion for acting, directing, writing, and the arts in general, Cameron is excited to bring what contributions he can to the Muddy Yellow Sneakers team.  Currently Cameron is Director of Post Production, which includes the editing and distribution of all the MYS videos.  Cameron is thrilled to be a part of this company and is excited for what the future holds with Muddy Yellow Sneakers.

Jeremy Marin, Partner and Producer

     In 1995 Jeremy captivated the hearts of a small classroom of drama students with the “Eat Deez” Boy.  Ever since that time he has always dreamed about making movies that would entertain and motivate movie audiences.  That dream has always been just a dream, too big to ever hope that one day it might come true.  Finally, after many years, that dream has become a possibility here with his  coworkers and friends who share his passion and enthusiasm for movies of all types.  Jeremy's hope is that he will be able to bring his experience as a musician and a writer to Muddy Yellow Sneakers to create some absolutely entertaining and life changing movies for people to see.  "We have big plans for the future =P".

MYS would like to also thank many others who have contributed to our work thus far, including our many actors, our families and friends, and some fantastic co-workers. A special thanks to Kyle Bowen for his many contributions, as well as Chris Puppe. We look forward to what's to come.

So follow the blog to see what's going on at MYS! See what's coming up next, find out when new videos have been released, and get some insights into our past and current projects. To better keep in touch, please follow the blog, subscribe to our youtube channel at: YouTube.com/MuddyYellowSneakers, and become a Facebook fan! Thanks for your support!