Final Project Proposal

I propose to do my final project on Clint and Buck Vrazel, a pair of twin brothers who make up the Oklahoma City improv comedy duo Twinprov. Formed in April, Twinprov has performed at numerous local comedy festivals, as well as festivals in Austin, Texas and New Orleans.

Video by Dusty Somers

Students and alums tackle 'Project'
By Dusty Somers

A small group of OU students and graduates worked together to produce "The Laramie Project," a non-fiction play that premiered in the Gilson Studio Theatre Thursday night.

Sponsored by local production company Under the Umbrella, the play was produced outside of the regular OU theater system and the School of Drama.

"The Laramie Project" tells the story of the town of Laramie, Wy., after the brutal hate crime murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard. The play is constructed from interviews of many of the town's residents and official documents.

Director Jillian Robertson graduated from OU earlier this year, and said she's been interested in putting on the show for a long time.

"I've always wanted to do this piece," Robertson said. "It's a learning piece. Anyone who sees it is going to learn something from it. I just feel a really good connection to it."

The intimate, vignette-driven show features a cast of eight members who each play multiple parts.

Amy Pastoor, graduate of the School of Drama, said "The Laramie Project" is different from the typical big-name productions.

"There [are] a lot of shows out there," Pastoor said. "There [are] some shows that you do, and it's fun and it's satisfying as an actor, and I think that this show is not only satisfying as an actor, but it's satisfying as a human being because this show causes people to think."

"The Laramie Project" ran Thursday through Sunday in the Gilson Studio Theatre in Old Science Hall.

Buddy the Pekingese

Crisis PR exercise video

Ryan Lawson, left, rehearses a scene where he releases his anger on an inflatable clown,
while Jack Patchell, right, composes the shot. Lawson and Patchell are co-directors and
co-stars of a student film about clown revenge. Photo by Dusty Somers.


Student filmmakers look to make magic with no budget

Ryan Lawson is angry, and it's all because of clowns.

Pacing back and forth, he suddenly begins mercilessly thrashing an inflatable clown pushed up against the wall.

His friend, Jack Patchell, dressed top to bottom in a matching blue pajama set, is standing near the doorway, looking concerned.

Patchell is trying to reason with his friend, calm him down. He’s giving an impassioned plea for him to just let it go when the two can’t take it anymore and burst into laughter.

Welcome to the production of a student film. Writers, directors, co-stars: the same two guys. Location: a cluttered garage with posters of films and scantily clad models on the wall. Budget: what budget?

“[Making a film] is tough, but it’s fun,” said Lawson, a graduate of the film and video studies program. “If you can make movies at this level, you can only imagine what you can do when you get to the next level.”

Lawson and Patchell, a film and video studies senior, are currently shooting the second in a trilogy of clown revenge films. The idea was spawned out of necessity — the first time around, they only had a single day to conceive, shoot and edit a short film as part of a Student Film Production Club 24-hour film blitz.

Now, they’ll have more time to tell the story of a pair of friends who accidentally wrong a clown and are tortured as a result. Parts two and three are being filmed simultaneously.

“You get ideas at 24-hour film festivals that can’t be fully developed,” Lawson said. “Art just can’t happen in 24 hours.”

Not that a revenge story involving clowns is the most artful subject, Lawson is quick to admit.

“On the surface, it’s really shallow, but I like to think about it as the injustices of society,” he said, noting how people in masks or costume are often regarded as less than human.

The inconsequential nature of the subject doesn’t bother Patchell, who sees making a film as a learning experience and a stepping-stone to eventual greater things, he said.

“What we use to kill the clowns could one day be used to kill soldiers in a very moving war epic,” Patchell said.

In many respects, the production is a two-man show, with Lawson and Patchell doing most of the work behind and in front of the camera. Still, up to 20 people will be involved at some point in production, and that means making a no-budget film is a learning experience in people skills as much as lighting or composition technique, Patchell said.

“When you’re making a movie with no money, everyone is there as a favor to you,” Patchell said. “[You’re at] the bottom of the power structure.”

Still, finding help isn’t too difficult thanks to the Student Film Production Club, which is open to students of all majors and has helped break down barriers between different disciplines, Patchell said.

Bethany Magley, a film and video studies sophomore and member of the club, was there on set to help in any way she could, whether unpacking sound equipment or setting up lights.

Still, the movie centers on Lawson and Patchell, or rather, outlandish parodies of them.

“This movie’s like an extreme version of us,” Patchell said.

Patchell tends toward the realistic and dramatic, while Lawson likes the surreal and whimsical, Lawson said. The film tries to incorporate both those sensibilities, he said.

The current scene requires each to play to his strengths — Lawson is uninhibited and Patchell is just trying to be reasonable. The two rehearse their conflict, each making notes on his script. Lawson is preparing a rant on how an all-clown society is imminent. Patchell is running through an anecdote about how some peoples consider clowns to be deities.

They coach one another and themselves.

“I’ve got to get in the right mind-frame to do this right,” Patchell said.

Lawson advises him to play it natural.

“You’re tired,” Lawson said. “Try not to act. Just treat me like me.”

The scene will culminate in Lawson taking an ax to the inflatable clown’s head, so everything has to be right.

Lawson and Patchell hope to have their film completed by mid-November. They’ll show it at a future 24-hour film blitz to demonstrate the further work that can be generated from a short-term idea. Each film helps make the subsequent one better, Lawson said.

As the two prepare to start rolling the camera, Lawson remembers something. He runs back inside the house, emerging a few moments later with a plastic spray bottle. He feverishly douses himself with water, creating the illusion of a sweaty fury.

“Makeup!” Patchell said, pointing to Lawson’s impromptu addition. “The future of Oklahoma’s film industry right here.”

Last time New Orleans-based MUTEMATH was in Oklahoma City, they played the Ford Center opening for Alanis Morissette and Matchbox 20. This time, they'll headline the Diamond Ballroom when they roll into town on Oct. 27. The four-piece recently released its sophomore album, "Armistice," and is known for its raucous and acrobatic live shows. Doors open at 7 p.m. on Oct. 27.

Midterm Proposal

I will do a story on a student filmmaker who is currently working on producing a short film or feature-length film, including photos of the current production.