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Aloha and welcome back friends. Today’s oldieo video is another short from BU called I DID A BAD THING. This was the first sync-sound exercise I shot after RONNIE BUNUEL so I find it appropriate to post right after. The exercise is the first project for Sam Kaufmann’s (sp?) Production 2 course - the requirement was to shoot a scene with a master shot, and two close-ups to show that (you’re not completely inept and) you understand basic scene coverage. And when I say basic I mean baaasic with four a’s.

The scene takes place in my Student Village living room at BU. Chris Frontiero (AKA Big Daddy; Big Crabby Apple; Big Happy; Big Tragedy; Big Trinity; Fronty) plays Mike, and Mikey Walsh (a great guy and a true Masshole) plays Chris. It’s a pretty straight forward scene - a redundant build-up to a chuckly punchline. Mikey and Big Daddy were champs for playing, but the moment of the exercise belongs to Mikey and Rob O’Dwyer - a subtle mug nod from Robby O that pierces through Mikey’s heart breathes what little life is present in the short. A quick two minutes, a cheap punchline but still a fun little piece.

You’ll notice that as these oldieo posts continue, I assembled a company of funny Brent Christo players:

“BIG DADDY” CHRIS FRONTIERO

JASON THOMAS RAFFILE

DENNIS LEMOINE

ROB O’DWYER

CJ SHEPPARD

MIKEY WALSH

From pre-teen to late 30’s bachelor, all at some point play my alter-ego. All characters in my shorts operate in their own absurd universe, hold no regard for acceptable social conditioning, and thoroughly enjoy in lighthearted torment of everyone they compete with in life. Ultimately they all mean well, but that doesn’t mean they won’t reak a tub-load of havoc along the way…

So I began writing this site’s first webseries THE SURVIVAL with Big D and Kenny B. It should be pretty funny and I’d love to get out the first episode as soon as possible, but that might require the posting of “whatever” blogs and “lesser” videos before that’s possible. Hell, if you make it that far to get to the watered-down material, I’ll throw each of you your own pizza party! By the way, why do pizza parties seem so outdated? Do kids still have birthdays at Burger King and McDonwalds or did that go the way of the Dodo as well? What the hell happened to slap wristbands goddamn it! Damn, how old am I getting? I feel like I’m still 15 with acne. Shit well, such is the boomerang generation - maybe I’ll go back to school and get 5 more degrees over the next 10 years while I decide what to do with ma fragile little existence.

Enjoy I DID A BAD THING - I’m sure one or two of you can relate to this situation, boy!

Brento
President of THE REAL AMERICAN CHRISTO

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Hi all. So here’s my first video post of a past short. Some of you may have seen this one years ago, if so it’s worth another watch. RONNIE BUNUEL: ARTIST is an early BU student film of mine. My long lost friend Federman (one brilliant writer might I add) did me a huge favor by getting infront of the camera and creating the ostentatious porn director-in-denial Ronnie Bunuel. This short is a portrait of a haughty filmmaker on a quest determined to capture his own corner of that obsure object of desire: truth in pure art form. The glaringly obvious problem to everyone but Ronnie is that he completely lacks style, voice, and talent of any kind. His support staff of “underlings” is what makes his productions possible, but he’s too busy dreaming in white, fluffy ego clouds to realize that he’s virtually useless on set (hmm, sound like 8,000 directors in hollywood to you?). All said, his determination to orchestrate a masterpiece in every film frame of every second ultimately leads to his happiness. They say ignorance is bliss, and they’re friggin correct.

I suppose this is somewhat auto-biographical and self-depricating to a degree. I mean, replace porn with “webshorts” or “websites” and that explains a lot.

There was actually a mini-controversy during the class presentation of this film in Production 1. The instructor (refuse to call the man professor) Bob Arnold lambasted me in front of the class, claiming that I cheated on the project by syncing sound during production of RBA (specifically during DUCKTALES IN L.A. and at the end when Monner says “Could be the best porn made this year!”) I cried out in defense of my brainchild, arguing that I used the same 16mm non-sync bolex as everyone else and had my crew of boys watch dailies to ADR sound and song in post production (BTW - for you post and film nerds, this thing was SPLICED together on a FLATBED editor. You may have seen a picture of one in some archive or the smithsonian catalog).

I think that old bald hack Bob Arnold had something against me, because he never liked my ideas or my approach in filming them. In fact, every professor I had at BU was like that towards my projects, and yet somehow I always received positive audience feedback and success in a speedy and efficent production. Half of those guys were just sad, self-aggrandizing men in search of an outlet to rule and belittle because of their own cinematic failures. BOO HOO, go make another video art short where a dog starts talking Portuguese and falls in love with a country nun (…actually, go make that - sounds interesting).

Anyway, lot of repressed venting going on here, but I thought I’d explain some accounts of people telling me NO throughout my past film experiences - especially this early one at BU. If I listened to all the NOs this hunka-website would have never been created. And creativity in general is the act of permission, of allowing myself to look like a fool by putting my enormous quads on display through black slacks and roller skates* (see Welcome to RAC! video)

Well, hope you enjoy RONNIE BUNUEL: ARTIST - I look back on it and smile at the dumb, little rebellious soul I once was. I would like to think that I’m still part-dreamer and storyteller like the oblivious Mr. Bunuel. You can’t deny his passion for crap!

Come back soon for another Christopiece!

Thanks,
Brent Christo
President of THE REAL AMERICAN CHRISTO