Directing and filming one’s parents sounds like it could be a challenge unto itself. This, however, turned out to be my pleasure and privilege. My folks had never done anything of the kind and acted just a little nervous, but when we finished they said they had fun, so I’m happy.

It's pretty short—the download shouldn’t be long for all of you. My apologies for the low audio levels; I bumped them up as much as I dared!

Thanks for watching. :)

I can articulate why I loved it but must be careful not to spill any spoilers. Your track dolly use was a grabber from the get go and set the tone for a very polished, professional looking movie which you maintained through to the end. Your choice of actors was inspired and much appreciated and, let me tell you, your female lead <<smile>> is not only a looker but her facial expressions had me in stitches. I'm smiling now thinking about it. It was a nicely shot, well-edited, eye pleasing movie. You came up with a great film in a short amount of time. I loved the ending.

AND, Lorinda is the first DVCer who submitted two movies for one challenge! Who's gonna try for three? :-)

Great job! I loved it!

I won't spoil it for others but I really liked the "fantasy" dream sequence. ;)

Nice dolly work as well.

Mike

I too like the dolly. That and the music reminded me of all those "home shows" as we call them here. Folks selling houses on TV do that around here sometimes.

Looked, sounded and acted pretty well. My parents aren't actors so I know it has to be tough to get a solid performance without overdoing it but Mom worked that dream sequence pretty well.

Older women with guns = cool stuff. And shooting a TV is fine with me (or two).

Overall: another good one from Lorinda and crew.

Sean

:) The "punchline" had me laughing out loud. Nice work, especially from the "actors". I think you should have had dad say "Well, they're still a lot better than they used to be" a third time at the very end, since that line cracked me up each time I heard it! :)

Thanks for the laughs, Lorinda,
Bill

Lorinda:

I have a theory I'm testing as I get older. The ability to master remotes is inversely proportional to the amount of decades you have under your belt. If you are in your second decade (teenager), you can handle any number of remotes. By age 90, you can only handle 1. Your piece was funny to me, because I see my father and father in law, and mother in law struggling with these remotes every day. They are in their 80'. I know they want to do what TechNomom did here. Nice job !!

Very enjoyable piece, well told story and nice dolly work!

I liked the fact that is showed how some people are more or less open minded but also how the technology got better in some ways but at the same time more complicated. :)

I have a theory I'm testing as I get older. The ability to master remotes is inversely proportional to the amount of decades you have under your belt. If you are in your second decade (teenager), you can handle any number of remotes. By age 90, you can only handle 1. Your piece was funny to me, because I see my father and father in law, and mother in law struggling with these remotes every day.

Unrelated diversion: Back in the 1990s, my mother was working hard to become more "computer savvy". I watched her working on the computer when I visted one time and I was struck by the fact that she wasn't using a mouse. She didn't even have it hooked up! I asked her why. She said that she tried one once but it was so incredibly counter-intuitive: you moved it up and the pointer moved down, you moved it left and the pointer moved right. And that wire kept rubbing your wrist!

Yep, you guessed it, she had the mouse upside-down and it never dawned on her to rotate it 180 degrees. The way she was using it looked the most like a "real" mouse so she figured that was the way it was supposed to be used.

She's come a long way and is now a regular mouse user...

Bill

The movie Hot Fuzz had a cop kicking an older woman. This is the revenge of that; older ladies with rifles! That was funny! :)

It seems like the current fashion to say it, but Nice Dolly work! I liked it, how are we supposed to pick only 3 favorites!?!?!

Charming - what a cute couple. Your Dad actually reminds me a little of me :)
Loved it - although I could have used a little more "bang" in the end - as in the TV-Zombies kind of pyrotechnics/SFX. Hope you win so you'll have a good wireless mic setup :) Good camera work.

Hey, thanks fellas, for the nice remarks! You are so kind. I told my parents I’d give them feedback; they will love the things you’ve said. My mom may even start looking for an agent. ;)

This conflict over the remotes has been going on since the early 90’s. Mom used to nearly explode when she was alone and couldn’t even turn on the TV. Because we’ve heard about it so much, my brother and sisters laughed out loud at the movie.

The dollying was tough because I had to step onto my parents’ fireplace mantle when Julie got closer to my dad, which also made me lose sight of my monitor. I really hate flying blind, but it worked out okay. I enjoy using Mike Teutsch’s dolly because I can even set the pipes on uneven desert terrain and it tracks beautifully.

Hugh: My mom blushed when I called and told her you said she was a looker, but she beamed, as well! We gals always love a compliment! :)

Mike and Sean, I will be sure to tell my mom what you said. That was the one part where she did have to act, so she was pretty self-conscious about it.

Bill, I’m with you on that thing with my dad repeating himself—cracked me up too. We also got a laugh out of him including VHS in the list of cool technology. :)

Now, Chris, if I tell my parents what you said it’ll give my mom too much ammunition—unless I say that at their ages (74 and 71) Dad’s current number of remotes is still justified. I’m terrible at math and so is she, so that just might work. ;)

Mugurel, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I worried about people thinking a couple of seniors sitting around talking would be too boring.

Josh: My mom centered that TV with her blast. She’s always been a terrific shot, but we all burst out laughing when she plugged it so well at her current age.

Ronn, those on this board who know me well would laugh at your statement about SFX. I don’t do SFX—kind of an “ON and OFF” person, I guess. :) The plan was to blow the TV to bits because I normally have at my disposal a demolition expert, but he got himself in a bit of hot water and is having to lay low, so I had to cut back!

Oh man Lorinda, this totally reminds me of my own parents. They have a bijillion remotes for this and that and my mother doesn't have a single clue on which one does what. She has even said on occassion that she wish there was just "on and off". On a side note to what William was saying. My mother kept referring to the mouse as the "rat". True story.

This one hit home and I loved it! Great film Lorinda!

Addendum:

I was in LA for a few days recently at an HD conference and my cell went off. It was my wife, almost in tears, begging me to talk her through the remote sequence so she could watch HGTV on the satellite, preferably with sound. It was sad. I've even written this down in a set-by-step guide complete with 3-color flow charts and detailed appendix but somehow this otherwise brilliant woman just does not get signal routing. Maybe there's a "remote gene."

Still, she makes a damned good Broiled Salmon.

This was too funny! You're lucky that one of your parents is a technophile though. My parents don't know how to "google"!

It's funny, maybe because of Hot Fuzz...I was sitting there thinking "man, how cool would it be if this lady started kicking some &$$"...then, bam!, shotguns away!


Awesome scene, I only wish that the shotgun scene (being the climax in both action and character emotion) was given more time, maybe a smirk, a smoking barrel, a loading of the shotgun shells...something to stage it more than it was given.


Awesome film, your parents did a nice job and I enjoyed your stories sentimental appeal.

This conflict over the remotes has been going on since the early 90’s. Mom used to nearly explode when she was alone and couldn’t even turn on the TV. Because we’ve heard about it so much, my brother and sisters laughed out loud at the movie.


We have 6 remotes with my setup. My wife has finally learned how to manage and use them until someone accidentally pushes a button for a rarely or never used function. Once it took me an hour and half to get satellite reception back, she still denies "pushing the wrong button".


Josh: My mom centered that TV with her blast. She’s always been a terrific shot, but we all burst out laughing when she plugged it so well at her current age.

Ronn, those on this board who know me well would laugh at your statement about SFX. I don’t do SFX—kind of an “ON and OFF” person, I guess. :) The plan was to blow the TV to bits because I normally have at my disposal a demolition expert, but he got himself in a bit of hot water and is having to lay low, so I had to cut back!

I've been in a room when someone shot a 27" TV with a .45ACP WWII sidearm. He had brought his old service pistol out to show me and I gave it back to him with the slide locked back and the loaded magazine separate. Then I turned my back on him to do something with his computer, he apparently put the mag back in and released the slide. I was paying no attention to the sound it made or I would have picked up on the slide chambering a round.

He pointed the gun at his TV and pulled the trigger expecting a click.

My ears rang for hours afterward. But there were no "pyrotechnic" effects, just a hole in the thick glass in front of the screen, just like the result your mom got.

I helped him load the "dead" TV in his pickup so he could go dump it somewhere before his wife came home, his one comment was something to the effect, "I think I've always wanted to do that".

As usual, I enjoyed watching your movie. Very well done.

Hey Bruce:

I just read your post and laughed my @** off!

My mother kept referring to the mouse as the "rat".

LOL, John! “The rat.”

Sometimes I get frustrated because my mom calls me about the current problem she’s having with her computer. It’s always, “Something’s wrong with this stupid computer…” and then she proceeds with how she’s locked it up somehow or can’t get something to work.

It makes me feel especially good that a young guy like you liked this movie. It’s kind of sleepy, and I was pretty worried in that regard.

Brent, unfortunately, my mom doesn’t have the strength in her hands like she used to, so Dad had to load the shotgun for her. I’ll say this, however—she fired off four shots and wasn’t the least bit sore later. :)

I have to admit (and reiterate) that I was so concerned about not wasting you folk’s time I rushed this one on purpose. For the DVD I’m making my parents maybe I’ll stretch it out some.

Bruce! So nice to see you here. We missed watching a movie from you this time around.

My mom will be pleased to know there's a man in this world who's wanted to shoot a television. Like Ronn said, I've sometimes wondered if there is a "remote gene." :)

What a charming movie! I loved your parents - they were both excellent.

Funny thing is that I actually identify with BOTH of them. Haha. Sometimes I like all the latest gadgets while other times, I just want to take them out for a little R and R with the 12 guage, like your mom. What an impressive shot she is. Wow! (If I ever come to Spudville, I'll be sure to be on my best behavior).

That is some box of remotes!

Now, a few more questions/comments.

Your sis did a great job too. Perhaps you can tell us what DVD she had in her hands?

"Fox Mulder the Dog" Perfect! How cool is that?
If it hadn't been for Crash Malone and NAB...beauty of 16:9" - hahahaha!

Hey Bruce:

I just read your post and laughed my @** off!

Ditto on Bruces post. My eyes are still tearing up from laughter......

Ditto on Bruces post. My eyes are still tearing up from laughter......
You all will have to excuse me; as Hugh and Brad know I was sedated this morning for medical reasons and still don't know what time it is. ;) I hate it when a good laugh passes me by! Oh well, Bruce, tomorrow I'll read your post again and it'll be brand new...

Bradley, aka Crash Malone! Yes, you converted this ol' 4:3 gal for good. :) I will be sure and tell my family what you said. They already feel like they know my pal from Wyoming so they'll be pleased. As for the DVD in Julie's hand? I have no idea. Guess there'll have to be a sequel. ;)

p.s. About the box of remotes, my dad would have commented, "I made that box, ya know." :)

Know why I don't watch TV any more? I don't know how to use my roommate's remote.

Pitiful, isn't it?

I really enjoyed this film. I thought both your parents did a great job acting. Your mom's shooting was impressive! Was the pile of remotes a prop, or do they really have that many? That would be enough to drive anyone to shoot up the tv! As others noted, a very professional look- great dolly work, excellent lighting- just fun to watch.

Thanks so much, Ruth—I’m glad you liked it! Yes, I’m afraid all those remotes are my dad’s, though he surely doesn’t really “need all of them to make it work.” :)

Like many others...my parents have the same EXACT issues. How funny things are in this world as people get older. I am assuming that the script was written based on real events...

The word that comes to me from this film is kindness, gentelness (until mom bolws up the TV)!! but after that we get back to the kindmess and gentle soft feeling of this fun little piece. I even liked the soft look of the video itself it really added to the feel of your film.

One question...are you using the same DIY doly that was in the outtakes from the previous post? Because your dolly techinque was flawless. If you did make it yourself would you share your plans?

Good stuff

Thanks

Jeff

Hey Bruce:

I just read your post and laughed my @** off!

Well, actually there's a little more to it. I'd never even known the guy, I ran a computer BBS (1996) and he had trouble logging on to my system so I offered to look over his terminal program and see if I could help.

He was some older than me and I'd only had my Texas Concealed Handgun License about 3 weeks.

He dropped the hammer on a live round behind the back of my head and I came "unglued". When I got turned around he was standing there slowly lowering the gun with a stunned but stupid look on his face and smoke curled up from the muzzle.

That's when I notice the TV was suddenly silent, 3 inch jagged "wound" in the center of the glass. First thought after panic attack was "where did that round go"? So we got a flashlight and checked the outside of the house for "exit wound".

None found.

Back inside pulled TV out of entertainment center and back of TV was intact, so the round stayed inside the TV (thick glass absorbed tremendous amount of impact energy).

Next thought was "Gotta get the helloutta here before the cops come." Surely someone must have heard the shot, and I could see this old geezer pointing at me saying "he dunnit". I didn't know if involvement in an incident like that would be enough to get my license suspended and didn't really care to take the chance.

But I helped him load it in his pickup before I left.

Lesson learned: NEVER take your eyes off someone with a gun!

Lorinda -

Your parents did a great job in this film! You could barely tell they were acting! They reminded me so much of my Grandparents...Grandpa loves all his gadgets and his T.V. and Grandma barely ever watches and when she does I'm not sure she knows how to turn it on. I think what made your film so lovely is that we can all relate to it...

The line about the old TVs just having On and Off was delivered so beautifully...loved the hand motions. The daydream was fun too!

G'job!

Jamey*

Dang it, Bruce--you coulda been killed! Good lesson, that is for sure. :)

Jeff, thanks so much for the comments. My parents will be pleased to hear them, too; they've been enjoying what I've shared and now believe me when I tell them there can be great people on this evil old Internet. ("You need to be careful about people you meet online...they could be dangerous!")

As for the dolly, I am proud to say it was built for me by DVC's own Mike Teutsch. He sent it to me as a surprise. Talk about thrilled! I use it whenever I think it fits a situation and I love it. There's a thread around here that shows a picture--maybe in the stabilizer forum. If you can't find it I'll ask Mike, although I think he just builds them--doesn't generally give out plans. Thanks for the compliment on the work; glad you didn't notice that bobble in one spot. :)

Edit: Thanks, Jamey! They weren't really acting--this has gone on for years. The only new word I slipped to my dad was "TiVo." Doubt he knows for certain what it is!