Other Peoples' Projects

Not every film I've done has been my own, as you will see in this section, which is dedicated to those projects that I appeared in, but didn't necessarily create.

BEHIND BLUE EYES (MUSIC VIDEO)
Fall 1989 - Spring 1990

Unfortunately, for me to describe this video, I'll have to provide some initial background info, so here goes: I was sent to school at an earlier age than most other kids, resulting in my being less mature than other 4th-graders, and resulting in my placement in the "Option 2" class from 5th to 10th grade. At any rate, I got out of that class, and became a "normal" student by the end of my Sophomore year at East High. Additionally, I later graduated Corning Community College with a 3.5 average, so everything's okay now, got it?!?
Anyway, when I was an 8th-grader at Corning's Northside Blodgett Middle School, I spent most of my class days in Mr. Burdick's "O-2" classroom. A recurrent visitor to the homeroom was Dr. Reuben, some sort of class counselor or something. Reuben had access to a video editing studio, where he completed (during previous years) a mini-series called "Looking For Clues", a series about life as a junior high student (sort of a "Degrassi Junior High" kind of thing).
With the co-operation of the two classrooms' worth of "O-2" students, Dr. Reuben began production of a music video set to a cover of the Who's "Behind Blue Eyes". The plot of the video is about a girl who has a hard time adjusting to her new class. After a series of confrontations with other students, she runs outside of the school, only to be brought back in by her concerned teacher.
The video featured Mr. Burdick (as the teacher) and the "O-2" students (including me). The plot of the video was Reuben's, though I provided the idea for a scene in which the girl student throws her calculator at me (using a broken calculator that I had as a prop).
The video's song, meanwhile, was recorded by Bingo Durango, a local band fronted by Scott Bunt, who was an "O-2" assistant teacher at Northside at the time. The lead vocals for the performance were done by Bunt's wife. Since the video was about a girl, the lyrics for this version of the song were changed from "Nobody knows what it's like to be the bad man" to "Nobody knows what it's like to be the bad girl".
After taping sessions were completed, Dr. Reuben showed our class the raw footage. Later in the year, he showed us the finished video. Since then, I haven't seen the video, and have no idea where it (or Dr. Reuben) could be.

UNTITLED (BIGFOOT MOVIE)
Spring 1997

This TV-class film project was directed by--and starred--Chrissy Beyer and Jamie Davies. Both women were in my TV class, and were the only people in my class who accepted my offer to help out with others' final film projects. So, I not only did camera work for their project, but also helped with the editing, audio overdubs, and end credits. The film lasts about 7 minutes.
The project was filmed in the CCC TV studio (which I participated in), as well as a forest in Horseheads, and the CCC Science Amphitheater. Editing (which I also helped with) took place in back in the TV studio.
In the film, Jamie, a TV news reporter, and Chrissy, a camera person at the news station, decide to go camping despite recent disappearances within the woods, as well as rumors of a bigfoot-type creature roaming the same forest. Needless to say, the two run into some sort of creature during their trip, and are never seen or heard from again.
Rounding out the cast were: Clare Reidy as a flighty witness in a news-interview segment, me (an off-camera voice) as a TV-news director, and Darcy Jo Martin as a newswoman who tries to hold back tears as she reports the disappearance of her friends Jamie and Chrissy. Also captured on camera, but not listed in the credits, was S.C. Wise, who is seen editing together his own video project (for a different class).
In return for my help with her film, Chrissy did camera work during the hellish "Men are From Mars" session that was meant for use in my proposed film "The Three Lusts of DASJr". As time went on, the footage went unused, and I changed my project to "Gay Cops".
Despite my assistance in the project, I never did get a copy of this video, which (provided it still exists) is, presumably, in the possession of either Chrissy or Jamie.

AT LARGE
Fall 1999

A second-year transfer student from Fredonia, I joined the campus TV station. Unable (as part of their policy) to get my own show right away, I joined the cast and crew of this comedy sketch show, which had begun making episodes for at least one year before I joined the cast.
This particular semester, the producer (and cast member) of the show was Rich Durham, who I assisted in the taping and editing of what would become the only new "At Large" episode of that academic year.
The sketches in this episode (listed with my role for eack one) appeared in this order:

* Opening Segment - I played one of several escaped lunatics.
* Football Poet - I played an audience member.
* Dungeons & Dragons sports interview - I was cameraman for this.
* Super Colon Blow - I was cameraman for this brief "ad".
* Napkin Eating Contest - I was sportscaster (voice-over), and wrote most of my own lines.
* Car Poetry, Part 1 - I played an off-camera audience member.
* "It" commercial - I did camerawork for this one.
* Tom Hanks PSA (a real PSA, not by us)
* Car Poetry, Part 2 - I played an off-camera audience member.
* Magic Cheese Doodles video/ad - I played the band's drummer, and co-wrote the ad's dialogue.
* Zyban Poets, Part 1 - I played "Tree", a poet reading the disclaimer to a Zyban pill ad.
* Marines PSA (a real PSA, not by us)
* Crappo in a Can ad - This was taped before I even joined WNYF
* Zyban Poets, Part 2 - Same as Part 1, and appeared with fellow poet "Trunk" in both cases.
* The Real "Real World" (MTV parody) - I played a nose-picking soundman.
* Bathroom With a View - I was not present for this one.
* Recycling PSA (a real PSA, not by us)
* Squirrels (outtake from "It" ad) - I was cameraman for this.
* Outtro/Credits - I appeared in an ending dance sequence, and co-wrote the credits.

The episode was completed and broadcast during the second half of the Fall 1999 semester. Before and during this time, footage was taped for a second Fall episode. These taped sketches included:

* History of Fredonia, Part 1 - I played a British host discussing the fictional "Fredonia Witch Hunts".
* Popcorn Heads - I played one of two human heads that lived in a popcorn machine.
* Attack of the Chairs - I wrote and did camera for this impromptu skit.
* Unsolved Mysteries parody: The Mysterious Marker Taker of McGinnies Hall - I played host Robert Stack.
* Pirate skits - These brief five-second skits were written and directed by me.

Unfortunately, Rich became so busy toward the end of the semester, these segments were never edited together. The following semester, the raw footage tapes had disappeared from Rich's mail slot, and since Rich was too busy to produce the show that semester, a new episode could not be made.
However, Rich and I continued to entertain the masses by appearing together in a live comedy troupe, called the Improv Society, during that spring of 2000.

DARK ANGELS: A SECOND CALLING
Fall 1999

This dramatic action series was produced by Rob Buttermilch for SUNY Fredonia's campus TV station. The show centered around hired hit men taking on corrupt businessmen.
For the beginning scene of the second episode of the Fall 1999 semester, I appeared as a hired goon that gets killed by one of the Dark Angels. Though I was happy to be involved in this long-running series, the end results suffered because A) my acting was not that super, B) I was misspelled in the end credits as David "Allen" Scott, and C) when the episode was finally broadcast, someone on the TV station's staff accidentally cut off the first minute of the show, chopping off much of my scene in the process.
I was, however, able to get a complete copy of the episode for my personal archives.

HEART OF GOLD
Spring 2000

For this 10-minute period film (shot in the Fall of 1999), I played an extra in the funeral scene. Unlike previous projects I'd appeared in, this one was shot on film, not video. The short premiered in New York City during the Spring.
Other people appearing in the funeral scene with me included my former "Noises Off" co-stars Gary Yoggy and Irving Cook, as well as Clare Reidy, who directed me in a production of "Hamlet".

PRESSURE
Spring 2000

This 16-minute short (shot on digital video) was a semester-long group project by my SUNY Fredonia Spring 2000 Video Drama class. It's about a single woman who marries a not-so-bright man. It was written (in Fall 1999) and directed by classmate (and former "Rocky Horror Picture Show" co-star) Andy Brumbaugh. For this flick, I not only got to select and edit the songs, but I also assisted in sound (holding the boom mike), drama coaching, and did the voice of an off-camera TV weatherman (for whom I wrote my own dialogue). My name ended up appearing in the end credits four times, and the film premiered in the coffehouse area of the campus, at the end of the semester.