With the holiday season upon us, my latest short, We Two Kings, marks the first time in several years that I've really gone out of my way to make a Christmas special. It's also the first time since Buick to the Future: Episode 4 (over a year and a half ago) that my friend Tyler and I have worked together on a project. Milestones aside though, what makes this short so memorable and exciting in my mind is how quickly the idea, shoot, and finished movie came together.
Tyler had talked about coming to Medicine Hat from Regina at the end of November for a visit and I suppose that's what sparked the idea for a Christmas short. I started writing out a rough script and thinking about locations which eventually had me focused on a simple comedic spin on the 'We Three Kings' Christmas carol.
As if on cue, the day that Tyler arrived we got snow. That Saturday morning you couldn't have asked for a better Christmas setting. The temperature was cool, but not cold, the snow was untouched and sticking to the trees, and the wind was almost non-existent. Armed with our winter gear and our hastily constructed gold crowns, we headed down to Police Point, a giant natural park on the outskirts of the city to film.
The long and short of the story is that things continued without a hitch. Just as we were losing sunlight, we shot our final scenes. Our crowns held up as did our feet after an entire afternoon of walking around in brush and snow. With a few curious people looking on from their walks from time to time, the short came together relatively quickly, and surprisingly exactly how I'd written it.
As part of promoting this new project I cut together a teaser trailer. Thanks to my account on YobiFilm that trailer (at the time of this post) has already been viewed over 37,000 times on that site. To say that I've been excited about sharing this project is an understatement. I think it's turned out really well and I hope it helps to get you in the Christmas spirit. Also, I'd like to thank my friend Tyler for helping me out once again in not only bringing my rough idea to life, but for getting just as energized about the project and injecting his own energy into the mix. I think the fun we had making this shows, and when you have no budget, enthusiasm is the best currency. So, without further delay, enjoy a short that we're sure to talk about for many Christmas' to come. We Two Kings (2009) We Two Kings - YouTube Version
A single a day keeps your creativity in play. Join me as I share some of my fav tunes in an effort to pay the inspiration forward. Ladies and Gents, this is the Holiday Edition of: Inspired Singles: Issue 04 by Luke Fandrich
Winter Skin by Jars of Clay This haunting and mellow tune from Jars of Clay inspires images of people bundled up, walking in a winter haze. The whimsical chimes and simple piano chords add that Christmas sound which suggests that through the cold, there really is something incredible, magical even, about this time of year.
With telling lyrics and a low key arrangement that grows with the song, this single reflects that building excitement (or perhaps acceptance) of the holidays. A nice transition towards the end of the song suggests that everything isn't really that bad, it's Christmas after all.
Made popular by Lindsay Buckingham for the Vacation series of movies, this cover by Matt Pond has a lot of charm. Ideal for those winter road trips and getaways to see family and friends, it'll be tough not to sing the chorus - and make the comparison that singing 'road' in the song is just as long as the road ahead.
For every filmmaker I assume there's a certain level of pride and identity wrapped up in what one chooses to call their production company. This company is either quite literally a business or simply a badge or brand that a filmmaker puts on his or her work to represent themselves and their body of work (usually both). From Kevin Smith's View Askew to Tarantino's A Band Apart there's something immediately defining in seeing these credits on the screen. So after considering this I thought it was about time that I addressed this question myself. What's the story behind fandrix productions? Why fandrix? Of course, the easy answer is that my name is Luke Fandrich and it doesn't take a scientist to recognize the connection between Fandrich and Fandrix. True, this is the inspiration for the name. The meat of the story is that I was 12 when I picked this name however. I was thinking about a production company name simply as a mark of ownership on the videos I was sharing with family and friends. This is Fandrich's video - or as it became, Fandrix.
As years passed and I reached my late teens I began to think more seriously about the name and what it meant to me. The more time rolled on, and as I found myself in film school, it became clear that I was locked in. There was no good reason to change my name, if simply for the reason that from the very first short amateur video I ever made up until then, you could see Fandrix Productions or fandrix on it. Nostalgia and branding have made it so much more interesting, especially since over a decade has past since I started using fandrix. A stylized and hand drawn image of a TV with rabbit ears was my first logo - and it's still kicking around. I occasionally use it on my posters these days. I now have an actual old TV with rabbit ears that I use as part of my logo, or I simply use an image of the rooftop that I've incorporated into Editing Luke branding over the years. The fact that this production nickname has acquired a history of its own is reason enough to continue nurturing it. While part of the name, logo, and branding is about playing around and creating an experience, there is also a lot to be said about making your work easily recognizable. My goal has never been about personal fame - but if people can recognize the name on the work and have that as a clue to who I am, that's ideal. I'd much rather have the John Hughes type of fame - you recognize the name and the work, but the average viewer probably couldn't pick him out of a line-up. So, why fandrix? At this point it's because the name links me directly to my changing work from childhood to adulthood, it's a unique variation on my name that I've been able to popularize as representing only me, and I've been able to see myself grow and evolve with a name and logo that is capable of growing and evolving too. It's a time capsule of sorts, that's just too valuable to let go of. And then again, why not?
