Dobler's News

February 9, 2008
Shutter to think...  Looks like there is another US remake of a foreign horror movie coming soon.  Advertised as from the producers of The Grudge and The Ring, this Shutter is based on the original Thai film released in 2004.  The official trailer for the US version can be found here.   It will be interesting to see if this Shutter achieves the same success as remakes for Grudge and Ring.

Now, why is this Dobler's news you ask?  Well, we created a short film titled Shutter for the 2004 DC 48 Hour Film Project and it had a similar theme of strange images captured in a camera.  Do we think anyone copied our film, even though ours came first?  Nope, not in the least.  While the movies share the same theme and title, they are not the same story. 

So why are we talking about it?  Well, we noticed an uptake in views of our Shutter on YouTube, which we now assume is directly related to the recent marketing for the new US Shutter.  As shameless promoters, we're helping to seed those search engines by writing about Shutter on our website and continue to drive traffic here.

So, here's hoping that the US Shutter will be a huge success for 20th Century Fox (and Dobler's Pen Productions.)

February 6, 2008
Snap, Crackle, Pop.  Indie vs Studio has been 'Featured' on the Crackle website.  Crackle.com is part of the Sony Pictures Entertainment Company network.  Unlike YouTube, Crackle solicits selected content for their website and in their words, "distributes the hottest emerging talent on the web and beyond." 

This is a big catch for Dobler's Pen and we're very proud that "Crew" has been featured on the Moving Targets page.  All four IVS flicks, with better resolution than YouTube, can be found here on Crackle.  We'll keep you up-to-date if any more develops from this news.

January 29, 2008
The word is spreading about Indie vs Studio!  We've been closely monitoring our YouTube site and the hits just keep on coming - over 10,000 views to date.  Best of all, the response has been overwhelmingly positive and we couldn't be more pleased.  Why, why are you pleased? asks Studio.

Well, we've popped up in several blogs and forums, including some foreign language sites.  Who'd a thunk that IVS would translate so well?  So thanks to everyone who's watched our videos, visited our little site here on the internet and spread the word about our series.

Check out these links to see where IVS has traveled.

NY Times Film Critic David Carr
Karina Longworth blog – reviews Indie vs Studio
Indyish.com
A Brazilian website
UpdateorDie.com – foreign language review
Writer's Strike blog
IndieTalk.com forum

January 18, 2008
Ted Leonsis gives a shout-out to Indie vs Studio!  Who is Ted?  Well, he was a big-wig at AOL for 14 years and held too many titles to list here.  Now an entrepreneur and philanthropist, he's the majority owner of the Washington Capitals and involved in numerous charities through his Leonsis Foundation.  Recently, he's become a Film Producer and is at Sundance right now.  He blogged about Indie vs Studio and called our pieces "pure genius."  Learn more about Ted and check out his blog at Ted's Take.

January 17, 2008
Indie vs Studio is live!  Almost a year after they were first conceived (and nearly 6 months after they were filmed), IVS has finally been released.  You can see all 4 films on our YouTube site.  Please let us know what you think.

January 9, 2008
Dobler's takes a bite out of the big Apple (Apple, Inc., that is!)



It's been 6 months, but the IVS edits are finally complete and we think they look great!  Of course, what else would we think.  If they were terrible, they would have vanished quicker than a CIA interrogation tape.

There are some final touches (titles, credits, etc.) to be done, but the films will be uploaded and available in a couple of weeks.  Check back here for updates.


August 20, 2007
Dobler's Pen just completed filmming our latest project titled Indie vs Studio.  IVS is a series of short vignettes parodying those great Mac vs PC ads from Apple.  In our series, we lampoon Hollywood and the studio filmmaking process.  Dan Franko from Dobler's Pen starred as Indie.  The series was penned and directed by member Chris Mueller. 

We filmed all four scripts on a Towson State University stage in just one day, Saturday, August 11, 2007. 

Cucillo "Chili" Consad is in the process of completing the edit.  We made extensive use of green-screening, which was necessary to reproduce that infinite white background used in the Apple ads.

Between the technical difficulties of the shoot and corralling 17 actors for one scene, it was quite the challenge.  But thanks to the skills of our friends, colleagues and of course, our great actors, we finished the day two hours early, which has never before happened on a Dobler's set.

Another project still in development is a documentary of the 2007 Howard County Boat Float.  Two of our members, Chester Stacy and Steve Morris, participate each year as the official entry for their company MBC Precision Imaging (both are graphic artists.) 

The competition, part race and part beauty pageant, forces contestants to make usable boats out of nothing but cardboard.  Yes, that's right, cardboard.  This year, Chester and Steve designed and successfully floated a 22 foot long viking boat.  Our documentary follows their design and build of this craft, through the day of competition.  The boat, named The Pillage People, not only floated, but won several awards, including its race heat.  Check out photos from this day here.

Chester will edit this film and hopefully, you will see it on local television throughout the Baltimore metro area.

Check back here or on our Blog for updates on these and future projects.