Update and New Blog

Hey all,
it's a new year and a fresh start. I have decided to create a Word Press for all my future Blog postings. Please join me over there at:

www.micahknapp.wordpress.com/

To the future!

Micah

Top Ten Films of 2014

Top Ten Films of 2014

(In no particular order)

1. Boyhood

2. Whiplash
3. Gone Girl
4. Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
5. Selma
6. Interstellar
7. Nightcrawler
8. The Imitation Game
9. The Theory of Everything
10. Foxcatcher
(Runners Up): Big Eyes/American Sniper

Side Mention (Biggest Letdown): Inherent Vice

Empathy and the Movies

Empathy and the Movies

We go to the movies for escapism. To be transported. We go to forget the troubles in our lives for just a few hours. To have a good scare. A few laughs. A good cry. Whereas the big studio films that come out of the Hollywood system are simply out to make a profit, Independent films strive to do one thing above all else: tell a good story. As independent filmmakers, we are passionate about telling stories we find compelling and hope that audiences will also. Independent films are where we go to think and feel challenged. Films have always been about telling stories, but have we lost that in place of just "entertainment"?

So many people go to the movies for mindless entertainment. By the time they've left the theater though, their brains are mush instead of being engaged. While there is a place for "just entertainment", isn't the Film Medium meant for so much more? Are we wasting a powerful tool on brain-numbing visuals that could inspire instead of dull the mind?

Film is an art and thus a communication device. We communicate with each other through various forms, and at times have difficulty truly expressing how we feel as human beings. To me, filmmaking is a tool of reaching out to others and expressing ourselves in the best way we know possible. To get our message across. To understand one another. To me, film is about empathy.

As Film Critic Roger Ebert once said, ‘Movies are the most powerful empathy machine in all the arts. When I go to a great movie I can live somebody else’s life for a while."

To me what's great about film, is not that it's just enjoyable and meaningless entertainment. Great film truly has the power to inspire and create empathy for the viewer. To put you in the place of someone else and see through their eyes and feel what they feel. Whether you agree with their actions is beside the point. We are there to observe, take in, and understand why a character is the way they are.

Let's bring storytelling back to filmmaking. Let's tell a great story first and foremost, and the technicalities can come second...not first. Let's create a world in which we understand each other better, even when we disagree. Films have the power to do this.

Empathy: It's something the world needs more of and films shouldn't strive to do anything less.

What's Up! Magazine Fantastic Stan Goes to Hell review

On Screen: Fantastic Stan Goes to Hell

Written By: Megan Housekeeper

• 45
• 2

The only thing more charming than a pubescent teenage boy riding around on a vacuum cleaner as a door-to-door inventions salesman on the search to recover his parents is imagining local filmmaker Micah Knapp at around the same age creating this story alongside his older brother Jake Knapp. Thirteen years after conception and four years of production later, filmmaking team and brothers Micah and Jake Knapp are releasing their 45-minute film, Fantastic Stan Goes to Hell.

“Fantastic Stan came about from having a super active imagination as kids, highly inspired by the movies we grew up with and the possibility of what special effects we would be capable of creating on a computer by ourselves,” said Micah of their inspiration for the film. This sentiment comes as no surprise after watching the short film, which acts as a bottled up piece of childhood spark. It’s not hard to muster up trope-filled classics that served as initial stimulus calling on classics like Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Muppet Movie as well as some more enigmatic influences like The Rocketeer and Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland.

What served as the original catalyst, though, was “seeing Jurassic Park for the first time as kids, we were amazed at how real the dinosaurs seemed.” For the brothers, the mystery of special effects and the experimentation they were capable of in their own back yard was exhilarating.

Even more exciting and fantastical than the film itself is imagining the filmmaking process. Micah Knapp described working with first-time actor Brandon Willkie and the manner in which they got him comfortable with his role, making him actually go door to door as a salesman. Other highlights included a lot of green screen work while attempting to fit multiple actors on the vacuum cleaner (do not try this at home) and one trailer park fiasco that served as one of those gem-like life lessons artists receive early in their careers.

The technical aspects of creating the film are what take over the short, serving as a platform for the developing filmmakers to try their hand at the fantastical elements, which is important to understanding the individual work by Knapp Bros. Studios. Though the “young boy with wacky side-kick in search of parents, using magic, with enemies like witches and helpers like forest nymphs” may seem like old hat-but that really isn’t the point. Underneath the charming classical adventure story is stand-alone piece that after four years and a lot of heart, the Knapp Bros. Studios are proud to release to the public.

In the Knapp Bros. Studios catalog you can currently find music videos, commercials, and various shorter works to reach a larger audience that are just the tip of the iceberg for the burgeoning company.

As Micah explains, “We hope to model ourselves after someone like Robert Rodriguez, doing everything ourselves…Making films with deep, meaningful messages that really get people to think,” explaining the future direction towards documentaries as an ultimate payoff.

With the releases of films like this, backed by the small but growing film community Bellingham is being put on the map in a whole new way. With filmmakers, videographers, varied landscape perfect for sets, and limitless creativity “Bellingham has the potential to be a filmmaking mecca if the city continues to grow and expand, bringing jobs here to support the extremely supportive arts community we have,” as noted by Micah.

With the help of fostering the film community, through releases like “Fantastic Stan Goes to Hell” Micah and Jake Knapp, alongside their actors and supporters are showing Bellingham, and beyond the capacity for creating a film of quality caliber, entirely independent of the deep pockets of Hollywood. For more information, follow the film’s Facebook page.

Bellingham Brothers to unveil fantasy film, 'Fantastic Stan Goes to Hell'

Jake and Micah Knapp are shown outside the Pickford Cinema on Wednesday, June 12.

Matt McDonald/ The Bellingham Herald

A Film Fantasy Realized 
Local brothers make 'long short' movie on a shoestring budget 
Michelle Nolan FOR THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

Bellingham brothers Micah and Jacob Knapp invite the community to see the caliber of fantasy film that can be made "for almost no budget at all". They will screen their 45-minute wild ride, "Fantastic Stan Goes to Hell," at 9 p.m. Sunday, June 30, at Pickford Film Center.

"We want our 'long short' to be a conversation starter," said Micah, who is the younger half of Knapp Brothers Studios. "We would love more people to be aware of what we're doing". Micah, a 26-year-old Sehome High Graduate, talked about what he and Jacob, 30, hope to accomplish.

Question: Micah, how did you create such a professional looking trailer (available on Youtube)?

Answer: With a lot of hard work. We shot our film in 2009-2010 and we've spent the years since in post-production with a lot of CGI (computer-generated imagery) and a green screen. A green screen makes more effective backgrounds possible. The star of the movie, Brandon Willkie, now lives in Eastern Washington.

Q: That image of Fantastic Stan riding his vacuum cleaner in front of the full moon looks like... .

A: Right, "E.T.". There is a lot of homage in this film, and that's a big part of the fun.

Q: Since Fantastic Stan is about 12 years old, were you inspired by Harry Potter?

A: I actually wrote my first version of this screenplay when I was 13, in 2000. It was the year before I first read a Harry Potter book and before I saw the first movie with Harry.

Q: So you're something of a born filmmaker?

A: When I was 8 years old, I had saved $500 from working around the house and with some help from my parents (Marty and Cheryl Knapp) so I could buy an 8mm camera. I had become utterly fascinated with my first movie, "Jurassic Park". From the time I first saw that movie, I knew I wanted to make movies; I wanted to become a director.

Q: Did anyone in particular inspire you?

A: I was always inspired by the directors, especially Steven Spielberg. I've seen every movie he has ever made.

Q: What are you two guys making now?

A: We keep busy making local commercials and music videos. We recently made a four-minute film for the Commercial Street Theatre Project.

Q: Are you commited to fantasy films?

A: Not at all. I want to tell stories that get people to think from different perspectives. Actually, we're more interested in producing films and documentaries with serious themes that reveal a lot about the human condition. Spielberg did that with "Schindler's List". I was always in awe of how a filmmaker could do something like that along with the Indiana Jones films.

Q: You seem to know a lot more about older films than many people in your generation.

A: I own hundreds of movies and I've see thousands. I leanred about making movies mostly by studying movies. I love modern films such as "There Will Be Blood", "Lincoln", and what Spike Jonze does. But I also love film noir, and the likes of Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil" and "Citizen Kane", along with classics like "Casablanca" and Fellini's "8 1/2".

Q: How do you and your brother split the work?

A: I like to write and direct, while he's more into the technical and special effects side.

Q: Why should folks see "Fantastic Stan Goes to Hell?"

A: It's meant to be absolutely over-the-top, not to be taken seriously, but we think viewers will have a great time, just to see what's possible in filmmaking on no budget.

Closing Down the Blog

Hey all, it's been so long since I've made a blog post update. So long in fact, that I have decided to shut down my blogger. It isn't as relevant to me as it used to be. If you'd like to keep up to date on what I'm up to, please follow me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/micahknapp) or find me on Facebook. Secondly, you can also keep up to date on my latest projects over at www.knappbrosstudios.com Thanks to you for reading my posts. Now it's time to get out there and make something special!

Fantastic Stan Goes to Hell Pickford Premiere!

Hey everyone! Fantastic Stan Goes to Hell is now premiering at the Pickford Film Center in Bellingham, Washington on June 30th at 9PM. Tickets are 5$, and it is one night only so get them while they are hot!

You can purchase tickets at the Pickford site here.

We will try and have more screenings to follow this up, as well as online distribution news soon. Thanks everyone for the wait! 

"Fantastic Stan Goes to Hell" Completed!

Hey all,
I'm pleased to announce that after over four and a half years in the making, the Knapp Brothers' latest short film "Fantastic Stan Goes to Hell" has been completed. We are currently in talks with the Pickford Cinema here in Bellingham to set up some showtimes for our premiere probably in late Spring. We will be posting dates and times once they are available and spreading the word. Thank you to all the support in the community and for waiting so long and believing in us and our art. We hope it will be worth the wait. Stay posted!

In the meantime, Jake and I are celebrating. Enjoy!

Hey all!
Here is the latest Knapp Bros.Studios music video we did for Nueva Forma's Seattle Electronica artist IG88 for the song "Trail of Bread Crumbs". Enjoy and please share with friends.

While We Worked: A Documentary on the Lives of Restaurant Workers

UPDATE: (3/4/13) Sad news today. Due to a potential lawsuit from the Cliff House restaurant, my documentary has now been removed from the internet as to avoid any further escalation. This was a labor of love for years and I was excited to share it with the world. Things have changed however for now. I am thankful to those in the community that have my support and to those that watched and shared my movie. The feedback on the movie blew my mind, so I am glad that you all enjoyed it while you could and that I had a bit of an audience for a short while. With time, who knows what will happen and we shall see. I will keep you all updated on this as it develops...

Here it is at last...5 1/2 years later, my documentary on the Cliff House, a behind-the-scenes look at the restaurant industry and the people that run it. This is a full length (90 min long) documentary. Be advised: Not for everyone! Contains strong language and sexual content. Starring Strangley Doesburg, and many more. Soundtrack by the badass Christopher Newton. Additional edits by Jake Knapp.

I spent a lot if time on this project, so if you could pass it along, share it (especially with those in the business) and give any feedback that would make this real worth while for me! (Do keep in mind the fact that this was very low budget, and was shot back in 2007, mostly on the clock.) And lastly, if you'd like a physical copy of the movie, get a hold of me for more details.

Without further ado: While We Worked: A Documentary on the Lives of Restaurant Workers

Fit Body Wellness Yoga Video

Hey guys,
Summer Huntington of Fit Body Wellness wrote a blog about our Yoga Video shoot from last year. Here is here write-up on the shoot:

I just want to give everyone an update on what I have been doing in New York, besides having fun and taking tons of yoga… A typical day for me in the big city starts with training my private clients, sneaking in a yoga class at either Jivamukti yoga studio or right now ISHTA yoga, then finding the extra time to film yoga and CST videos.

You tube is the best way for people to share videos these days, so I figured I should make a clip to promote the yoga instructional dvd that I want to shoot. So far I have done this with two different producers from the Pacific Northwest, first the Knapp Brothers and then Mike Barbero of Darkheart Visions. Both had different outcomes with the clips, but I learned a whole lot in the process. And trust me it is a long process.

In the first shoot with the Knapp Brothers, I learned that I needed a bigger space to shoot so that my arms were not out of the shot when  I was doing sun salutations. I love the opening edits and ohm for this clip and it is very bright and easy to see everything In this shoot,  I also learned that I wanted to make my video a bit more edgy and have a ton of different angles. Check out this video on you tube and give me your feedback.

Summer & Beth having a healthy snack at yoga shoot (snap peas and green tea). 

In the second video shoot, months later with Mike Barbero of Darkheart Visions, I learned that you can manipulate the light in your space to create a more intense feeling tone. Also in this shoot, we were lucky to have Branden Clark aka “IG88″ share some of his music that he created specifically for the video. I am a huge fan of his music, so that was really awesome that he partook in the creation. The shoot with Darkheart Visions allowed me to see that there are a lot of tools at our disposal to get the type of video that I am envisioning i.e. rolling cameras, having a second model to demo poses, creating more of a mood to the shoot. I was inspired by yoga teacher Sarah Tomson Beyer’s video from 2007 and I sent some of her clips to the Producer so he could have an idea of what I wanted.

After working with two different producers and acting as a director, I am ready to open the floodgates for any and all feedback from my readers. What do you want to see in an intermediate yoga DVD? Please share any inspiring links to your favorite yoga videos and teachers. I have got a taste of filming and I will continue to keep shooting until I get it right. Everything in life starts with a thought, and with persistence and hard work, then it manifests into your reality.

Management Services Northwest

Here is another video that Caleb Young and I worked on together (via Hand Crank Films) earlier last year for Management Services Northwest. (The video was unable to embed, but the video can be viewed on the homepage of the link.)

"Fantastic Stan Goes to Hell": Production Stories

"Fantastic Stan Goes to Hell" 

Adventures Part II: Production Stories On the Road: 

 (This vacuum’s been around, Or: Making Vacuums Fly) 

Now that Jake and I had our main lead cast for the movie we'd wanted to make for almost ten years, it was time to find performers for the other roles. Casting Ace McVayne: Paranormal Investigator, (Stan's wacky sidekick) was an easy choice. For that we went to Bellingham's infamous Circus stage performer and long-time friend of mine, Sam "Strangley" Doesburg. Casting him as Ace was a no-brainer. His character was meant to be quirky and charismatic, while simultaneously being capable of doing the extensive stunt-work for the action sequences. And then there was the second most important part to cast: The Devil himself. That was another obvious choice. Who better than Bellingham's infamous "belebrity" musician and performer: David Ney. There was no second-guessing that decision. The last casting for the main leads landed such other local musical talents, David and Shelly Lyon as Stan's parents...another perfect fit. And from there, we were off!

The crew was to consist of simply: My brother Jake and myself. This was somewhat intentional, as we were intending to prove to others what you could make on such a small budget, with such a small crew. The ultimate DIY Independent short film. We weren't looking for the fanciest of equipment for the shoot either, just what would work. (We ended up using four different cameras over the course of the shoot...but w'ere not telling what.) It's also a saying in the movie business: Don't work with kids or dogs...and we were doing both...

It took a few green screen tests with Brandon (AKA: Fantastic Stan) on the flying vacuum to get it down just right. Thankfully, we had access to a large warehouse for our green screen shoots, where we could hang the material and set up lights with room for multiple camera setups. For the flying vacuum shots, we had a real make-shift setup: with Brandon on the (pre-designed) vacuum cleaner, which was attached via rope and lot's of tape to a forklift, allowing us to position Brandon and the vacuum where we wanted it. This was not the most comfortable for the actor, and awkward when it came time for lot's of movements and maneuvering. With time, we figured out ways of making it work better and more ideally. For the first while though, Brandon was not quite sure what to think. (Keep in mind: He was 12 years of age when we started shooting in 2009).

Some of the very first shoots were intended to get Brandon comfortable in the role, and from there on it was a plunge into the deep end of the pool. Brandon's admiration of Jake and myself probably wore off fairly quickly, when he begin to realize that this was not all going to be just fun and play. The first of these challenging moments came when Brandon found himself: wearing a full-on suit in the dead of summer, strapped to a vacuum (simultaneously attached to the fork-lift) with a sprinkler system raining down upon him, as he maneuvered the vacuum around in ways it was never intended for. By the end of the shoot, it was pretty clear that Brandon thought Jake and I were just out to torture him.

The first big shoot outside of the green screen footage saw Brandon really out of his comfort zone. As the movie was about a traveling door-to-door salesman, I wanted there to be a sense of realism in the reactions from Stan's unhappy "customers", so our crew found ourselves unpacking gear in a quiet, unknown suburban looking-neighborhood, as I went over the script with Brandon.

From there, we found ourselves knocking on doors and explaining what we were attempting to shoot. Most people were receptive to the idea, and we got some great natural reactions of people responding negatively to Brandon's "sales pitches". We met the most interesting of characters that day, most notably an old quirky man named Leone who was identical to the lead in Pixar's "UP". He made us laugh uncontrollably, entertaining us with his reactions and told us we'd made his day.

The next big challenging situation dealing with our interactions with strangers, took place in a small "up-scale" trailer-park in an especially "classy" part of town. Perhaps things didn't start off on the right footing, with Jared (Knapp) and Paul (Kirby) dressed mockingly as over-the-top trailer-trash rednecks in the middle of a real trailer-park, surrounded by real gun-toting rednecks. I'd gotten permission to shoot outside someone's home, but minutes into shooting and we began to feel eyes digging into the backs of our necks. Everyone in the park had gathered to watch the shoot, and weren't looking too happy about it either. I signaled the guys to hurry it up, and we rushed through another take, but not before it was interrupted by a loud truck that had pulled up behind us and ruined the audio.

A large, scruffy looking man peered out from behind the wheel of the truck, and motioned for me to approach him. He demanded to know what was going on, with repeated angry glances back at Jared and Paul. I informed him that we'd gotten permission to shoot there, but he suddenly claimed to be the landlord and using the biggest, most threatening Alpha Male voice he could muster, declared that we didn't belong there and that we must "remove ourselves from the premises". I could almost swear I heard the distant sounds of a shotgun being fired into the air, as he pulled away and we quickly packed our gear and fled.

This wasn't the first or last time we got strange, confused, curious, or annoyed stares from strangers and passerbys. It probably wasn't a very common sight for most to see: Two young guys running out from behind hedges and onto roads, covered in dirt and mud, slinging cameras, tripods and gear over their shoulders, a young kid in a full suit and tie in tow, dragging a dirtied vacuum cleaner behind him. Some were inquisitive and approached us, asking about the movie, and others I swear could be seen hiding behind bushes, dialing 911 on their phones.

Yes, there were stares all around...Unusual, was probably what most were thinking. Another notable attraction was the day we shot the "talking dog" sequence with none other than my mom's celebrity dog, Gabe the Bulldog. We were shooting in the alley-way behind the Wild Buffalo (our favorite alley to shoot) in a scene in which Brandon is supposed to converse with Gabe, and learns his parents have been taken to Hell. With computer technology we would add Gabe's voice and mouth movements in post. But on set, it probably seemed strange to see Brandon "speaking with and listening to" a Bulldog with Jake and I out of sight with camera.

And then there was another level of difficult, with Brandon having to interact with other supporting cast members as well as memorization of long lines. This tested everyone's patience, as all involved hadn't much prior acting experience. Shooting scenes with Strangley and Brandon in an Old Growth forest for the Netherworld sequence for instance, proved especially difficult...what with bad weather conditions and loud environmental noises. Because of this, the decision was made to ADR (over dubbing of the audio) most of the second half of the movie. Action scenes with green screen after all required noisy fans and other equipment. Not to mention, the actors were having to interact with characters and creatures that would later be added.

For instance, another central character to the movie: a ghost guide named Blinky (a puppet we had to create from scratch), would have to be added into all of the shots via green screen, as well as be puppeteered. Or a talking tree in the Netherworld that the actors had to converse with, which would later be created by Jake on the computer.

Trickiest yet, was filming the end Hell sequences, which required not only Brandon to ride the vacuum and do action stunts, but Strangley riding behind him as well. We had him leaping from the vacuum, and dangling from a rope Tarzan-style and so on. And I'm sure we'd probably make it into the Guinness Book of World Records for most people to ride on a vacuum cleaner, if it was even a category. (By the end of the shoot, we had a total of four on it: Stan, Ace, and the parents.

The shoot we were all most looking forward to though, was none other than the Devil sequence. This was something I'd envisioned for years, and was extremely satisfied with the way David Ney had interpreted and portrayed the role. The makeup for the role however took over seven hours to complete, and another seven hours just to shoot. One big, 14 hour day of Devil goodness. David Ney had us laughing the whole way through.

Once the main parts of the movie had been shot, Jake and I still had a lot of work to go. A lot of people were wondering why it was taking us so long to complete, and the detail work that followed is probably to blame. We had yet to create the miniatures, background plates for flying scenes, various post fx work on creatures, (the flying demons notably) environments, and most of: building a miniature set for Hell that would be used as the background for all the green screen footage we'd shot (totaling almost half the movie...)

This movie was definitely a learning experience for Jake and I, and most assuredly a growing experience for Brandon as a person...pushing him out of his comfort zone, socially engaging him, working in tough situations that challenged him and in which he proved himself every time. We couldn't have made the movie without him.

As we speak, Jake and I have a solid rough cut of the entire movie (after almost four years in the making) and are working on sound editing/mixing, the soundtrack, and finalization of the cuts. We will be happy to finally be releasing the movie this year, with a premiere at Bellingham's Independent theater, The Pickford Cinema in the next couple months. It will be rewarding to finally show it to the public, as well as try to promote ourselves and find some online distribution for it. (Possibly Netflix/Amazon/iTunes). Stay tuned, and thanks for the continual support of Indie filmmakers such as ourselves.

Watch out Hollywood! This year: Fantastic Stan is going to Hell.

(For "Fantastic Stan Goes to Hell": Adventures Part 1, click here.)

Just helped Handcrank Films shoot another PGC tutorial video. Here is a great article on the last shoot we did.

New Knapp Bros. Studios Website!

Hey all, Knapp Bros. Studios is back up and running with a newly formed website. Visit that here!

Gabe the Bulldog on Letterman

Here's a clip from last night of my mom and Gabe the Bulldog on David Letterman. Check it out:

Check out the new Knapp Bros. Studio's Demo Reel: Website coming soon...

New Knapp Bros Studios!

Hey everyone, we're gonna be kicking into high gear again with our video production company, Knapp Bros. Studios. Take a look at our Facebook page and check us out. Content to follow soon!

Handcrank Films commercial for Brenthaven/Kona

Check out this commercial I helped work on with Handcrank Films for Brenthaven/Kona in Seattle:

Lisa Dank "High Horse" Music Video

At last...here is the Lisa Dank music video for "High Horse" that I helped conceptualize, write, produce, and co-direct with Domenic Barbero at Darkheart Visions that's been in the works since last year. Thanks to Kevin Kauer, Jack Lipke IV, Carlton Eide, Express Cab, KISM, and the BHS Marching Band for being a part of this. Also a special thanks to Anny Havland for providing locations...as well as everyone else involved. This was an epic production.