2022 In Review

January

Our year started off with a grip of post work. I color-graded and edited the short film “Used” that I had shot in December 2021.  I’m happy to announce that it will be screening at the Chandler International Film Festival coming up January 21-29, 2023.

February

Early in the month Chaz Lee rang me up about a promo he wanted to make for the Arizona Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Foundation’s annual fund raising event. I first met Chaz a few years earlier while directing photography for the show Western Trading Post on The Cowboy Channel (RFD-TV). We had talked about working together then, and it was cool to get a chance to work with him at long last. First we scouted Martin Auto Museum’s brand new location where we would be transforming their loading dock into a 50’s era gas station. A couple weeks later we had a blast shooting the promo, which you can check out in our portfolio of COMMERCIALS. I also got to shoot with Taylor, my fiance’s daughter, and she was perfect as the quintessential 50’s girl in the part of Donna. We’ve used her in promos for the Jerome Indie Film & Music Festival in the past, and she’s always knocked it out of the park with her performances.

 

Later in the month The Prototype, a narrative feature film on which I directed photography for the western segment, had a theatrical run at Harkins Theatres.  This was a milestone since The Prototype is the first film I’ve shot that had a true theatrical run.  A few weeks later it received distribution throughout North America via multiple platforms.

Watch The Prototype on Tubi HERE

March

The first part of March was unseasonably slow, so I took advantage of the downtime to put together a much-needed new cinematography demo reel. You can check it out in the DEMO REEL section.

I snagged a gig shooting B-camera and providing camera and lighting gear for a basketball documentary for Showtime. A few years ago Director Jimmy Jenkins made a film which aired on Showtime in 2020 which was Executive Produced by Kevin Durant entitled Basketball County: In the Water. I checked it out and quite enjoyed it. This new one I worked on is entitled North Rising and is set to be even better. Here’s a  BTS snap I took during one of our interview setups.

 

In late March the music video I directed and shot last year for “Fishing for Love” was released.  You can check it out in our MUSIC VIDEOS portfolio.

April

I was hired to direct photography for a feature-length documentary following teen models gearing up for a big fashion show in Phoenix at the end of summer entitled Models on the Move: Journey to Teen Fashion Week. We began principal photography in early April, and we’ll be doing our final interview this week (mid-December). I was also hired to edit the film, and that’s taken much of my time since in July. Check out the trailer on our SHORT FILMS & TRAILERS page so you can see what it’s all about.

I had the honor of shooting stills of Chef Laura Gonzalez for her Beat Bobby Flay intro in December 2021. I’m posting it in this year’s wrap-up because I’m not allowed to release any photos until after the episode airs. Her episode is Season 30 Episode 1, it first aired in April, and you can check it out on FOOD Network, Discovery +, Amazon and other streaming services.

 

June/July

I was shooting and editing so much for Models on the Move during June and July that there’s not much to report.  Therefore I’d like to highlight a piece I directed, DP’d and edited back in 2007. It’s a very satisfying thing to be able to look back at a commercial I made for a contest many years ago and still get a kick out of it. I made this commercial for the Panasonic Share the Air action sports commercial contest while I was still in film school:

August

Jerome Heritage Shop began carrying prints of my Jerome photos. Next time you visit our stilted hamlet, swing by their boutique across from the post office and check ’em out!

September

Since 2012 I’ve attended the Old School BMX Reunion at Woodward West in Stallion Springs, CA every year (except when it was cancelled in 2020).  I volunteered to help with the 2022 event since I’ve gotten so much out of it over the years. I thought they’d have me cruising around keeping an eye on riders in the parks in case anyone had a gnarly crash.  Organizers John Povah and Xavier Mendez instead decided to enlist my help in streaming the awards presentation. I had the pleasure of operating camera, switching and streaming the awards ceremony on Instagram as the BMX Action Trick Team (RL Osborn, Mike Buff and The Duke), Gale Webb and a few deserving others were honored. I grew up loving RL Osborn’s style and tricks in FREESTYLIN’ Magazine, and it was surreal getting to shoot this member of the BMX Action Trick Team as he related stories and received his honor. Big thanks to Delfino Ramirez Jr. for loaning me his switcher and other gear so we could pull it off.  Also a giant thank you goes to Derall Garrett for jumping in and helping set up the tech, as well as running the sound board during the presentation.  And of course huge thanks to John Povah and Xavier Mendez for organizing another badass reunion.

On the last day of the event I got this photo of sheep grazing near Woodward West.

 

October

Back in 2008, after completing almost all the pre-production on a music video I was set to direct for Authority Zero through the Scottsdale Community College music video class, the school administration shut down our shoot 3 days prior to camera roll. The administration had been getting very restrictive when it came to off-campus shoots and their new rules were only getting worse. I helped organize a huge student protest and through our efforts we got the school administration to reconsider the stifling approach they had taken to student shoots. Administration and film school staff took a special trip to learn how USC and Loyola Marymount’s film schools handled their student shoots from the viewpoint of risk management, and we ultimately got things pretty much back to where they should have been. I got to direct two music vids for Sarah Darling the next year through the music video class, but never got the opportunity to shoot Authority Zero………..until this month, when I was hired to help shoot Authority Zero’s set at Oktoberfest at Tempe Town Lake. Needless to say I was stoked! I shot handheld in front of the stage and occasionally on stage. During the set, I received a nice little surprise when they played the song “Sirens”. I hadn’t heard it in a while, and a few bars in I realized that this was the song for which we were going to shoot the music video all those years ago.

Here’s Authority Zero’s killer performance of “Big Bad World” from Oktoberfest 2022:

A few days later I was brought on to help shoot a fun Start Engine fundraiser for kids’ edutainment creator MVP Kids.  You can view the final product by clicking HERE.

 

November

The GOLF Channel hired me to shoot the commentators for the Annual PXG College Tournament. As usual in November, it was a glorious day on the links in North Scottsdale.

 

December

Back in 2015 I was hired to help shoot for the documentary Believe:  The True Story of Real Bearded Santas.  The doc had already been shot and was in post at the time, but one of the main characters had passed away and they wanted me to shoot b-roll and interviews at his memorial service.  The service was unlike any I had ever attended, since half the audience looked like St. Nicholas himself and the other half were little people (little people are often hired to play Santa’s elves at appearances).

I just watched the film for the first time, and I highly recommend it.  Unfortunately my footage didn’t make it in the film, but I completely understand the decision.  An expired Santa would have changed the tone of the film far too much.  You can see Believe:  The True Story of Real Bearded Santas on Tubi by clicking HERE

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Well there you have it!  Once again I’d like to thank the directors, producers and clients that hired Psychicflyingmonkey Productions in 2022.  It was an honor helping you realize your visions.

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.

I don’t say “stay safe”, and I never have.  Freedom is much more important than safety.

Have a phenomenal 2023, and stay free.