December 23, 2021

2021 In Review

This was the busiest year we’ve ever had, in spite of all the fear and hatred being spread by the media and governments about Covid-19.  In fact, I had work throughout the entire summer for the first time since I entered the film industry.  To get back to normal, we have to act normally and do normal things, which is exactly what I did.

by Jason Ryan

March

I was directing photography on Horse Camp at the beginning of 2020, but since production of Horse Camp had to be abruptly halted halfway through the shoot due to lockdowns, we still had a ways to go.  Creator Patrick Ball got everything up and running again in March and we shot on and off until principal photography wrapped in May.  I’m happy to say that Horse Camp is completed and the entire first season consisting of 7 half-hour episodes is now available on Amazon.  Click HERE to purchase the entire season for only $14.99!

Check out a sweet trailer for Horse Camp in our SHORT FILMS & TRAILERS.

Here are a few screen grabs of some of my best work from the show:

April

Just as I had done in the past for the show Beat Bobby Flay on the FOOD Network, I was hired to shoot stills of a chef who was competing on another FOOD Network show called BBQ Brawl.  Both shows utilize the same unique, cool way of introducing the challenging chefs.  The editors use journalistic-style still photos taken of the chef preparing their signature dishes, shots of them outside their restaurant, hero shots, etc. and combined with music and voiceover create a spicy montage to introduce each competing chef.  As always, the chef was happy to let me eat my fill of  his cuisine.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:  It sure beats digging ditches!

May

Early in the month I landed a gig shooting for a product tied in with a new reality show.  The product is Go Power solar and the show is My Van Life.  I drove down to Tucson and met up with Lisa Jacobs, the star of My Van Life, and we shot Q&A’s and b-roll all day at the gorgeous Tucson Mountain Park.  Here’s one of the promo pieces that came out of the shoot.

I also produced, shot, directed and edited a promo for Elite Beauty Wellness, a spa in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Check it out below:
In late May I directed photography for a comedy segment for the TBS show “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee”.  This was the biggest TV show for which I’ve ever directed photography, and I thank Blare Media for giving me the opportunity.

June

In early June my fiancé Toni Ross and I took a trip to San Diego to visit a friend.  On the way there, I was struck by the beauty of the Imperial Sand Dunes in the late afternoon sun.  We didn’t have time to stop, but I made sure we paused on the way back.  Here’s a photo I got of my beautiful baby:

In late June I was hired to direct photography on a thesis film for an ASU film major.  I was stoked on the lighting and camera work we achieved throughout the shoot, but my favorite was the living room look, which was achieved by shooting 2 HMIs through the windows, adjusting the existing shutters and using a cookie.  My gaffer Andrew Tougas made the cookie so that we could get the look of shutters on the far wall, and it made for an intriguing and dramatic look.  Here are some still frames from “Twins”.

 

August

I was hired to shoot b-cam for a brand new show on MTV entitled Lifestyles of the Biggest Standoms.  I shot for the second segment of the show, which starts at 5:33.  Check it HERE.

 

September

I was hired by the director and producer of the feature film The Prototype to shoot some extra scenes for the ending of the movie.  The shoot took place at Gammon’s Gulch, which is a western movie set a little ways east of Tucson.  I had scouted Gammon’s Gulch back in 2006 for a feature film I was slated to shoot, but unfortunately that production never materialized.  I always remembered that set so I was stoked to get the chance to finally shoot there.  Although it was just a few scenes, this was a genuine western shoot with stunts, guns and horses.  Here are some of my favorite still frames from this shoot for The Prototype:

 

October

Towards the end of the month I was brought on again to shoot still photos of a chef in Scottsdale for the FOOD Network show Beat Bobby Flay.  This made the 6th chef I’ve shot for the show, and in December I shot my 7th chef for Beat Bobby Flay in Phoenix.
In September I had the honor of coming on as a guest onto Desertwood Daze, which is a new show “…committed to bringing to the world the great talent that resides here in our home state of Arizona and making DESERTWOOD the next film and television powerhouse.”   It aired in late October and you can watch it below:

November

I was hired to produce and direct a music video for the song “Fishing for Love”, written by Dale Winter.  Unlike most music videos, this was not a commercial for a band.  In fact, there is no band.  Dale had always wanted to create and record a song, so he wrote “Fishing for Love” and hired a skilled musician to write the music and record the song.  Dale had also always wanted to have a music video to go with the song, so he hired Psychicflyingmonkey Productions to create one.  We shot most of the video at the Monastery Bar and Grill in Mesa, and one scene at the house of Kevin Daly, lead singer of Grave Danger and Kevin Daly’s Chicken and Waffles.  During the shoot and the edit, the actors did an excellent job, and I want to congratulate them all on their excellent and nuanced performances.  There’s not a lot of time in music videos to develop characters, but they certainly did the best job I could ask for.   I also want to give a giant thanks to all the extras who made the dance scenes so realistic.  We’ll be holding a premiere for the music video at a Phoenix-area theater soon, so keep up with me on Facebook for the date.

Here are some of my favorite still frames from “Fishing for Love”:

December

Early in the month I directed photography on the short film “Used” which deals with the important and timely topic of child sex trafficking.  I went for a low-key look that I thought fit the film well.  The cast and crew did an excellent job and it was a great way to end the year before the holidays.

In closing, I’d like to thank the directors, producers and clients that hired Psychicflyingmonkey Productions in 2021.  It was my pleasure to help make your visions reality.

Thanks for checking out our 2021 Year End Wrap-Up!  If you need high quality commercial, music video, documentary, short or feature film production, please don’t hesitate to contact Jason Ryan at Psychicflyingmonkey Productions via the contact info HERE.

Have an outstanding 2022, and stay free.

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