Personal Riff Projects

[SuspiriaTrumpsItFollowsCrap]

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to Meat Trademark: I get playful with posts/comments; to be honest I did not intend to mock you by using “MM” I was being a bit sloppy; it referenced “Mighty Marvelphile”.  It’s a comics-thing.

That's a pretty bizarre lie. Mighty Marvelphile? Really?! And the first M isn't even Meat? Oh well. Still hope you enjoy my riffs should they ever get finished.
I naturally assumed that MM stood for Meat Market, which you called me, and not "Mighty Marvelphile" as it's not a thing I've heard in 40+ years of reading/collecting comics and sounds like something you just made up as an excuse.  There is no reason to refer to me as MM meaning that as MM aren't my initials and I've exhibited no Marvel fan behavior. You called me Meat Market, not a compliment near as I can tell, then "MM." Calling me Meat Market sounded like you were either insulting me or are partial illiterate.

I think you haven't read many 1960's Silver Age Comics where/when Stan Lee was Editor-In-Chief.  Or Silver Age Comics in general.  It was not a lie. "Marvelphile" was a term used before Genesis secured their 1st record-deal (I'm a prog-rock guy).  If your not being savvy to 1960's comic-stuff leads you to believe "it's a lie", feel free; just like with twitter, it won't change printed history. [edit]   And yes, I look forward to your riffs and am sure I shall enjoy them.

[SuspiriaTrumpsItFollowsCrap]

Hey there, Helles, hope you’re rocking’ on with “It!”.  So far, on my own, I’ve recorded about 40 jokes, edited (using multiple tracks, volume adjustment per track, manual-ducking, etc) about 30.  Lots of markers in the DAW.  Despite the loss of Gilbert, yesterday, I hope you are motorin’ on with “It” as well.  Gilbert loved “It” and other films of its ilk… Yesterday was a hard hit, man.  For me, it was hard as losing Bowie.  So, be well, joke well.  All the best.

[Helles]

Hey there, Helles, hope you’re rocking’ on with “It!”.  So far, on my own, I’ve recorded about 40 jokes, edited (using multiple tracks, volume adjustment per track, manual-ducking, etc) about 30.  Lots of markers in the DAW.  Despite the loss of Gilbert, yesterday, I hope you are motorin’ on with “It” as well.  Gilbert loved “It” and other films of its ilk… Yesterday was a hard hit, man.  For me, it was hard as losing Bowie.  So, be well, joke well.  All the best.

Hey SuspiriaTrumpsItFollowsCrap!  I was grinding six or seven hours on "Target Earth" yesterday.  I'd like to get it recorded today or tomorrow and uploaded Friday or Saturday. 

I'm really pleased with my first draft of "It!"  I think it will be better than "Target".

I'm not sophisticated enough to record my jokes one at a time and insert them into the project.  I just turn on the movie and let 'er rip.  Your overall quality should be better because of the work your putting into the engineering end of things.  (A perfect example of my level of sophistication is the confession that I had to Google DAW)

40 jokes.  To most people that sounds like a lot.  And it is a lot.  But when you consider most movies we riff will be between 70 and 120 minutes, we consider 40 jokes "a good start".  It's amazing how many  jokes we have to write to try and keep the dead spaces reasonably short.  "Joke Density" somebody in this thread called it and that is a perfect term for how many jokes we pack in.  Unfortunately they can't all be laugh-out-loud gems.  But if we can elicit a smile instead of an eye roll, I think we're happy. 

I didn't know Gilbert had died until I read your post.  What a loss.  I always felt he was underrated by the masses.  I thought he was a funny sumbitch.  I loved his performance in "Ford Fairlane" and could never understand why he never got more parts like that.  He really made me laugh.  Loved 'im.  He was one of a kind.

I'm really looking forward to your riffs. Keep hackin' away amigo!  Oh, and we know I like old b&w movies, but what kind of movies do you like? 

Take it easy brother.
Doug

PS. It occurred to me after I originally posted this, that perhaps you aren't working on a feature film.  It could be a short.  40 jokes might be perfect, so I didn't want to suggest that 40 jokes is only a "good start" in all cases.  Didn't mean to step on my d*ck there.  Sorry.

[mbWILK28]

When I stumbled on this thread, I was finishing up my first riff project.  I uploaded it to YouTube yesterday. I humbly post a link for "Hot Rod Girl" here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpcgwPHySqo

I've watched about 3/4 and congrats on the effort. Funny stuff and the movie was fun, nice choice.
I'd be happy to see more and if I may make a couple of suggestions:
I like your material, I'd prefer a bit more joke density.
Also, hearing your breathing can be a little distracting, fine tuning the audio and ducking would be nice. But I found your work to be totally watchable.

And to the OP, spirit of thread, I'm happy to support everyone's efforts. Best wishes

  Joke density is a real important. The reason why, I've watch a number of riffed movies. And the jokes were too far apart and I end up paying more interest in the actual film. If your the only one working on a riffing project my hats to you. back in my college days. I tried my first project and it can be tough but fun. My roommate came back to the dorm room hammered and he was hysterically funny and on point with jokes. I 100% took advantage of him being inebriated and ask him if wants to give it a try. Him and I did a lot of projects together. It became pretty popular in the dorms, especially amongst the girls and guys on our floor. They would pass me uncompleted scripts with all intension bang them out with them. But they always refused to commentate with my roommate and I. they didn't like the sound of their own voice. Mybad for this being long drawn out message. I suggest to you. Have fun with it! Find someone that you are close with and you know and has a good sense humor. Ask that person to give it a try. It makes the process a lot more fun and a little less stressful when it comes to filling in those time gaps. But if want to work alone, more power to you. I wish best of luck on your future projects. Just keep my Suggestion on the back burner, when it comes to working with other people. Its not a contest on who can write the better jokes our strategy was simple.. He would write my jokes and I wrote his. Best of luck to you. Looking forward seeing your projects.

[Helles]

When I stumbled on this thread, I was finishing up my first riff project.  I uploaded it to YouTube yesterday. I humbly post a link for "Hot Rod Girl" here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpcgwPHySqo

I've watched about 3/4 and congrats on the effort. Funny stuff and the movie was fun, nice choice.
I'd be happy to see more and if I may make a couple of suggestions:
I like your material, I'd prefer a bit more joke density.
Also, hearing your breathing can be a little distracting, fine tuning the audio and ducking would be nice. But I found your work to be totally watchable.

And to the OP, spirit of thread, I'm happy to support everyone's efforts. Best wishes

  Joke density is a real important. The reason why, I've watch a number of riffed movies. And the jokes were too far apart and I end up paying more interest in the actual film. If your the only one working on a riffing project my hats to you. back in my college days. I tried my first project and it can be tough but fun. My roommate came back to the dorm room hammered and he was hysterically funny and on point with jokes. I 100% took advantage of him being inebriated and ask him if wants to give it a try. Him and I did a lot of projects together. It became pretty popular in the dorms, especially amongst the girls and guys on our floor. They would pass me uncompleted scripts with all intension bang them out with them. But they always refused to commentate with my roommate and I. they didn't like the sound of their own voice. Mybad for this being long drawn out message. I suggest to you. Have fun with it! Find someone that you are close with and you know and has a good sense humor. Ask that person to give it a try. It makes the process a lot more fun and a little less stressful when it comes to filling in those time gaps. But if want to work alone, more power to you. I wish best of luck on your future projects. Just keep my Suggestion on the back burner, when it comes to working with other people. Its not a contest on who can write the better jokes our strategy was simple.. He would write my jokes and I wrote his. Best of luck to you. Looking forward seeing your projects.

mbWILK28,  first, thanks for the input.  Second, it's funny that you say that, because just yesterday as I was struggling in a couple of places on my latest script, I thought it would be nice to have some input from a friend.  I asked myself, "Who's the funniest person I know?"  The answer was immediate.  We were best friends since childhood, but we have lost contact over the last several years.  I tried to find contact information on him without success.  According to Google, he might be in Alaska.  That actually sounds like him since he doesn't really have a common name.  He's probably off the grid.  So, I agree with you.  A writing partner would be better. 

I also like your point about joke density.  I could lose the audience to the actual movie!  I remember I convinced my last wife to watch a Rifftrax of "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" and she ended up being totally engrossed in the movie and didn't laugh once.  So I had to dump her. (John Travolta going to school in a spacesuit?  C'mon!)  I try to keep the gaps under 30 seconds, but sometimes it's just not possible.  Either there is too much talking already or I can't think of anything worthwhile to say.  That's really where a co-writer could help. 

The way I work is sorta like being my own co-writer.  I watch the movie once through and write the ad libs as they come to me.  Huge gaps result.  I then go back to another script I started and give that a run through with a fresh perspective.  Then back to the first one and watch it a second time.  I work back and forth each time getting a different perspective.  At least it feels different.  Or at least FRESH.  It takes me four times through before I feel that I'm close.  Each time filling in gaps, cutting older jokes maybe and changing things around.  In the end there are still places with gaps and I just have to hunker down and write.  I might watch a three-minute section five or six times before I think I  have something that works.  My early theory on that is, if it's that hard, then it's probably not going to be funny.  We'll see.   And even with that, I STILL ended up with ad libs for Hot Rod Girl that I let fly while recording.

Your method also allows you to stray from the movie in dull spots and dialogue with your partner(s) ala Rifftrax.  That would be a valuable tool.  I can see me ending up with a partner. 

Are you thinking of getting back into the game?  Do any of your scripts survive?  We'd all love to enjoy your work, I'm sure!

All the best,
Doug

[SuspiriaTrumpsItFollowsCrap]

mbWILK28: That is a post on this forum I respect GREATLY. Thanks you for sharing that. Very generous, very respectful to the comedy-process, both “at home” and “professionally”. Well done. Thank you for being informative, and supporting.

Helles, the 30 edited/“finalized” jokes are for only less than 5 minutes of screen time, lol, not “the full she-bang”, lol. The thing I’m working on is her 25 minutes. LOT OF JOKES LEFT TO MAKE, to complete, lol.

Probably too much work for “Austiners”, lmao.

[Helles]

mbWILK28:  That is a post on this forum I respect GREATLY.  Thanks you for sharing that.  Very generous, very respectful to the comedy-process, both “at home” and “professionally”.  Well done.  Thank you for being informative, and supporting.

Helles, the 30 edited/“finalized” jokes are for only less than 5 minutes of screen time, lol, not “the full she-bang”, lol.  The thing I’m working on is her 25 minutes.  LOT OF JOKES LEFT TO MAKE, to complete, lol.

Probably too much work for “Austiners”, lmao.

Five minutes, but not five contiguous minutes, right?  Or are you on pace to end up with over 150 jokes in 25 minutes? 

In any case, get crackin' Tex!  lol

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No big deal, but in post #17 I stated that I used Openshot. I tried to open Openshot but couldn't find it on my computer! Turns out I actually use Shotcut. Duhhhh.

[SuspiriaTrumpsItFollowsCrap]

mbWILK28:  That is a post on this forum I respect GREATLY.  Thanks you for sharing that.  Very generous, very respectful to the comedy-process, both “at home” and “professionally”.  Well done.  Thank you for being informative, and supporting.

Helles, the 30 edited/“finalized” jokes are for only less than 5 minutes of screen time, lol, not “the full she-bang”, lol.  The thing I’m working on is her 25 minutes.  LOT OF JOKES LEFT TO MAKE, to complete, lol.

Probably too much work for “Austiners”, lmao.

Five minutes, but not five contiguous minutes, right?  Or are you on pace to end up with over 150 jokes in 25 minutes? 

In any case, get crackin' Tex!  lol

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No big deal, but in post #17 I stated that I used Openshot.  I tried to open Openshot but couldn't find it on my computer!  Turns out I actually use Shotcut.  Duhhhh.

Lol @ "Tex", big points for using "contiguous", and yeah, been crackin'!



I have around 25 jokes "finalized/synched" running from the opening frames of the feature to before the 5 minute mark. (I ditched a few).




Looking-forward to your next stuff, man! /Old-school Hippie Peace Sign emoji

[Meat Trademark]

I'm deeply saddened to report I've reached something of an impasse on my project.

I need to get away from it a while, but fear that won't help. I fear it is dead.
Me: "Maybe for your first attempt at [this kind of riff project] don't go for Mount Everest."

I'll figure it out, give up, or solicit help. "Such a sadness," as David Lynch said about [not my project].

I haven't revisited/worked on FAIR GAME for too many moons now, but have no worries there. Made to be riffed, that one.
For a little while I got my friend David into it, but that fell to the wayside for more reasons than worth accounting here. I still plan to use a handful of his jokes and his outlook (as much as someone outside can guess) in the project.

I'm glad to hear about so many new riff projects! It's been about 30 years for me being a fan of MST3K. My girlfriend(?) Pat and I would watch MST on Friday nights and then X-Files came on and we would riff it.
To be clear: we were big-time fans of The X-Files. I recorded the show on VHS. (Got 7 to a tape a few times by clipping the commercials and recording at the slowest speed.) We were just in riffing mode. Sorry, Sculder.

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Sorry I haven't been active here recently; I've been beating a dead horse, apparently.

[SuspiriaTrumpsItFollowsCrap]

Meat-Trademark: Well, it’s not a competition (even though competition is healthy).  And it’s not like we are getting paid for this.  So, if there is no paying-clientele, nobody can complain if you take what you have completed, sync it all up with some of the video/film (you probably already done that), share “that much”, and let the compliments flow?

I’m a fan of the comedy of Steven Wright and The Mighty Boosh, and I reckon your comedy might be as weird/wonderful as that.