Agents Decoded: Season 2 (First Half)


Season 2 - Midseason Recap
(Look away if you don't want SPOILERS because this is nothing but.)

Let's catch up on all the tidbits that AoS threw at us in the first half of Season 2. This is going to be down and dirty.
  • So, Skye is indeed Daisy Johnson (aka Quake).  Several comic geeks dug deep to figure that one out ahead of time; largely due to the similarity of her father to the villain Mister Hyde.
  • The Inhumans are here. Skye and Raina have been transformed by the terrigen mists from crystals hidden in the Diviner. (...Why am I single again?) Man, I wonder who nailed that one a LONG time ago? For the record Skye/Daisy has vibration powers and Raina is unfortunately now some type of hedgehog demon.
  • The Inhuman with no eyes? Personally, I have no clue.
  • Is Agent 33 some MCU version of Madame Masque? Part of me wonders because of the whole horrible scar/mask situation, but right now I'll say no since her origin bares no resemblance to Masque.
  • The Punisher is now in the MCU. My favorite wink of the season was Agents bringing Frank Castle back into the fold. In The Writing On the Wall episode, Skye mentioned a murder crime scene buff named "Chip". David "Microchip" Lieberman was the Punisher's long-time tech/armory geek assistant. I don't expect to see a Punisher cameo any time soon, but it's nice to know that Frank is back where he belongs and out there somewhere doing his thing. If I had to guess... look for the lethal vigilante to make an appearance in one of the upcoming Marvel Netflix series.
  • Howard the Duck connections continue to grow. While working for Hydra, Simmons mentions a cow named Bessie that only produces curdled milk. This would be none other than Bessie the Hellcow! A cow turned undead by Dracula himself.
The worst part of the finale? We lost Tripp! And, by the end of this episode, I felt like Tripp had become the most enjoyable character of Season 2. So much for that. Not sure there can be a Coulson-style comeback for someone that turned into dust.

Cool Swag!

Cool swag!

Yello everyone!  Have you got a hankering for something new and limited?  If so, we might be able to meet your fix.  We have a limited run of "something good to eat" tee shirts and posters.  If you haven't seen our latest, we hope to have it screening again soon. But, until then, you can display proudly.  Twenty bucks will get you both items and you'll be supporting independent film in CKY and the soft walkers themselves.  Let me know if you're interested (todd@walksoftlyfilms.com)
and get ready for some Space Cops news in the not too distant future!

We Want to Show You Our Shorts!

Paranormous

This Saturday! November 1st @ 8pm
West T. Hill Community Theater - Danville, KY

Three spooky short films for the price of none! That's right, ADMISSION IS FREE but donations are encouraged and gladly accepted. Every red cent will pay our way to River's Edge Film Fest and fund future productions. The best news is any donation of $10 or more gets you a copy of our feature film Cannonball on DVD!

 The Lineup:
Bizarnival (you may have seen it, but it won a bunch of stuff, so...)
Paranormous (the pilot episode of a ghost hunt unlike any other)
And the main event...
Something Good to Eat (classic, never-before-seen Halloween goodness)

If you need further incentives...

  • Refreshments will be available.
  • Q&A between films!  Todd, Allen, and myself will answer any and all questions the audience may have.  And I mean ANY question.
  • If there are no questions, we will otherwise make fools of ourselves for your entertainment.
  • Your friends will be there! And if you don't go, they'll probably mock you unmerciful. Trust me, I don't approve of that and it's kind of a jerk move, but they're your friends. What can I do?
If you want to RSVP or invite your friends, hit THIS LINK.

 Seating is limited so take that into consideration when planning your arrival time.
On the safe side, we're unofficially calling these shorts PG-13 material. They contain some haha's and some creepiness. Come enjoy and get out of the house for once.

something good to eat - starring Sean Cook and Grace Sheene

October Dreams


What secrets there are in Forkland...

It's October 1st, hooray!  Darkness comes a little bit sooner each day and that must mean one thing.  Walk Softly news.  In case you missed our exhibition of Paranormous in August at the Fright Night Film Festival in Louisville, you've got another chance this Friday, October 3rd.  Paranormous will unspool at 11:30 pm in the Holly room at the Galt House.  You can check out the "2014 Fright Night Film Festival Kentucky film award winner" and find out what others already know.  I'm not sure what that is, because it's only been viewed by a select group of film goers.

Speaking of films and darkness, I'm going to let you all in on a secret.  There's a new film from your favorite stooges that has been accepted into the River's Edge film festival in Paducah for this November!  If any of you checked out our attempt at dramatic community theater a few years back at West T. Hill, you might recognize this new offering.

The great news is, you will get a chance to see "something good to eat."  We have plans to screen this new nugget on November 1st.  That's right...Day of the Dead.  Details will be forthcoming, but let us know how interested you would be in watching our new thang and helping us deliver it to an unsuspecting and totally deserving western Kentucky audience.

And by letting us know, I mean post a comment or two here at the blog.  It wouldn't hurt ya!  We need some feedback and a reason to go on.

We've got other things in the pot that are cookin' and the updates will again start flowing... like wine.

So in long, keep Saturday, November 1st freed up.  We will probably shoot for an 8pm start because that's what we do!  Keep on rockin' in the free world.  Dedman out!

Space Cops at Short n' Sweet Fest


You'd like to see Episode 4 of Space Cops, you say? You'd cut off your own arm, you say? No need, I say.

The next installment of Space Cops will be premiering where it all started, at a film festival in Danville, KY this FRIDAY! Be there. Constitution Square. Popcorn and whatnot start at 8p and the films start at 9. Find all the details right here.

Aliens, attempted pistol whips, the first non-intro appearance of Father Jose... this one has it all.

Paranormous @ Fright Night Film Fest!

Let's have some fun!

Who's up for an update? Who's up for an update that is really cool? Lots of shtuff going on in the Walk Softly universe these days and, along with everyday kind of life, that is the reason for our shortage of updates recently. Oh and it's summer. As you know we like to kind of spring things on people and this week is no different. Would you like to see Paranormous? Our ghost hunting mock reality short that premiered last fall at the Rivers Edge Film Fest will be playing this weekend at the Fright Night Film Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. 'Normous as we call it, will be playing twice, once on Friday night at 11:45pm in the Galt House 1st floor Suite Tower in G3. Sounds like a Battleship move, but ask if you can't find us. We will also be showing on Saturday evening at 6pm in the Kentucky International Convention Center 2nd floor and that number would be C 215. BAM! You can find tickets HERE. And let's face it, why go on vacation when you can come here and see us dressed up again for all the world to see. There is an award ceremony too at 8pm, so if we win big, this might be the last time you get to see the humble version of WSF. Bonus bonus! Other updates to come soon. More "oh... wow, really..." posts that will have you questioning the way life is lived and dreams are dreamed.


Casey Kasem's News and Notes 6.16.14


I can't ignore the chance to remember Casey Kasem. The man had an enormous influence on my childhood and I would imagine the same is true for countless people in my generation. His work as Shaggy has massive reach and it is hard for me to think of a cartoon that has had more lasting impact than Scooby Doo. Add to that his work as Robin on the Batman and Robin cartoon. And Casey Kasem's broadcasting style is unforgettable. He hosted the Top 40 Countdown for 24 years and, to this day, I could literally zone out and listen to that show for hours. The man was hypnotic. If you've never heard his off-air tirade on his producer, look it up.

Let's Make Television

Did you know NBC was having a contest to find new comedy shows? It appears to be quite the endeavor. The WSF boys are kicking around ideas but we only have til the end of June to put a submission together. Look it up on NBCplayground.com. If we can't get it done, we want you to. (Because we're supportive like that.)

Odds and Ends

Scripts are being written, short films are being devised and, as usual, we have tons of plans and aspirations with little time to work on them. I'll do my best to post a filmmaking tip tomorrow and an Indie Wednesday short as well, so make sure you check in later this week.

Indie Wednesday: Yacht Rock 10



LANGUAGE WARNING
Anyone familiar with the Indie Wednesday post knows I'm a huge mark for JD Ryznar.  Today just feels like an Eagles/Steely Dan day and Yacht Rock is ready to scratch that itch.

Filmmaking: Visual Comedy

We run into a lot of good filmmaking advice on the webs and the least we can do is share it, right? Hence a new Tuesday feature on ye olde blog.

Tony Zhou put together this great video essay on how to make visual comedy; specifically a comparison of Edgar Wright's style versus most contemporary American comedies. For the most part I think Tony is spot on. Scott Pilgrim was released four years ago and I still think it's a decade ahead of the rest of us. (Full disclosure: I love Edgar and the fact that he isn't making Ant Man makes my heart hurt.)

Now, let me interject that Wright didn't invent all of his tricks. You can see plenty of direct reference to guys like Sam Raimi in his work. And most of his films are heavy on action which lends itself to whip pans and sound effects. The same style would be off-putting in a subtle, character driven comedy. However, the point still stands. Look at Wes Anderson who also uses pans and close-ups to similar effect (as well as symmetry and lateral movements) while achieving a different comedic tone. Look at the long takes and masterful blocking of Blake Edwards. The important takeaway is that these directors mine every possible nook and cranny of their gags.

If you don't employ every tool you have visually and aurally, you're leaving laughs on the table. American comedies definitely tend to be lazy or at least stylistically impaired and let the dialogue do all the work.

So, basically, don't be lazy. Like Tony says, everyone's sense of humor is different but no one can argue for lazy filmmaking. If you have a good joke, there's a better way to shoot it. Find the extra laughs and use what could be the boring parts of your script to get creative. Just like the great example of how Edgar moves Simon Pegg from one city to another in Hot Fuzz.

Filmmaking: Deep Focus

These days, years into the DSLR revolution, shallow depth of field rules the indie filmmaking scene and for good reason; it's a beautiful aesthetic. But now, let's all take a step back and remember that all that bokeh should just be one weapon in your storytelling arsenal.

Let's remind ourselves that deep focus can be a powerful tool as well. This clip is from Citizen Kane. (I know, I KNOW, but the film really is a technical clinic.) So, let's take a look and then I'll make a couple of observations.

It's an amazing long take (or oner) by Gregg Toland. The first thing that jumped out at me is how carefully crafted the blocking and framing are. When everything is in focus, you need different methods to direct the eye, otherwise you've just got a big ugly mess of a hundred things going on.

It's why most of us hate deep focus. We associate it with a video look because rarely do we construct our scenes and shots as carefully as this one. The window frames the child, there are three staggered levels of depth in the actors' blocking, and even the contrast of wardrobe against the backgrounds sets our subjects off; dark against snow, light shirt against the wall, then dark again in the foreground.