Here it is, at least a WIP (work-in-progress) of the trailer for Mind Machine. As you know, I had the opportunity to 2nd Assist. Direct and Co-Edit this picture. I edited this trailer as well.



Synopsis: Directed by OA McCombie, The Ashford family lost their oldest daughter (Kate) in a car accident. Their younger daughter (Sarah) was in shock over the loss of her sister but her injuries have succumbed her to a coma ever since. The mom (Evelyn) who is a brilliant scientist built a machine that can link her husband (Charlie) to Sarah's mind. Charlie will discover that Sarah is stuck in a deceiving fantasy that she created from her sisterly bond with Kate. Sarah believes that Kate is still alive. Charlie has to convince Sarah to get out of this fantasy world before the Machine may malfunction, which would cost them their lives. With all the obstacles and risks that occur when using a prototype Mind Machine, Evelyn also needs to figure how to get both of them to the real world.

Director: OA McCombie
Writer: Katherine Botts
Executive Producer: Gary Tachell, OA McCombie
Producer: Jessica Phillips
Co-Producer: Dennis Yeap
Composer: Bruce Chianese
Cinematographer: Gary Tachell
Cast: Andreas Robichaux,Brad Graiff, Emma Prescott, Jenna McCombie, John Regis, Rochelle Vallese, and Shawnna Youngquist

For more, visit Mind Machine on
or visit director OA McCombie's Official Site

Mind Machine was also an official selection at the HollyShorts 2009 Film Festival in Hollywood, CA

As I begin my shift to Vimeo, check out my last demo reel that was my first upload to the site. It already needs updated majorly though. Nonetheless, enjoy!


Also, check out good friend OA McCombie's newest reel featuring our film Rewind (DP/Editor) and Mind Machine (2nd AD, Co-Editor). Always a blast working with him and can;t wait for more opportunities in the future!

This Sunday, 9/8c on the Syfy channel, don't miss the film Fire From Below starring Kevin Sorbo. The film was shot in Indiana and I was fortunate enough to know some of the cast and crew. Look for our pals Jim Doughtery, Steve Pyatte, and Dustin Helon in the cast!

Steve Pyatte and I's short film If a Tree Fell will be playing in Carmel this Saturday at the Wet Your Pants Comedy Film Festival. Admission helps support the National Kidney Foundation. More info can be found on their website at http://www.wetyourpantsfilmfest.org/

Hello, thought I would give some recent updates.

-I recently finished a video for the Hendricks County Survivor Speakout program that will be seen by over 300 convicted drunk drivers on a regular basis. We interviewed someone who recently killed someone while drunk driving and is about to start his sentence. It was a touching piece that shows the true consequences of your actions. A great experience all around. Due to contractual obligations, the video is currently unable to be streamed online.

-For the next few weekends I will be serving as a DP, sound mixer, and production assistant on Jason Staskus' graduate thesis web series The Box of Schmuu at Ball State University. Follow the production on its Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/BOX-OF-SCHMU/163888692783?ref=ts.

-I was recently hired as lead editor on Benjamin Lancaster's graduate thesis film Finding Xanadu. Follow the production on the official website: http://findingxanadu.welovetcom.com/

-I will be gaffing the student comedy film The Urinal by David Sheets and Taylor Hirstein. Visit their official website here: http://dtsheets.iweb.bsu.edu/davidtylersheets/Warthead_Productions.html

-I am producing the comedy film Sliced through Cardinal Filmworks under the direction of Anna Fortunato. Check their website for more info soon: http://www.cardinalfilmworks.com/

-I just entered a partnership with Studio 204 of Columbus, IN and will be contracted through them for wedding videography of selected clients. Visit their official website for more information: http://www.studio204photo.com/

-Tomorrow I am recording one of many radio spots for Ball State University and the greater Muncie area's radio station WCRD. They are nominated for MTVu's Woodie Award for Best College Radio Station. Listen for Risk Productions radio spots to begin airing soon. Their website will also contain banners. Check it out here: http://wcrd.iweb.bsu.edu/

-I continue to work on my feature script tentatively titled The Curse. Production is slated for Spring of 2010. Look for this to be the biggest endeavor of Risk Productions to date. More information will be revealed soon!

-I continue to work alongside the Institute for Digital Entertainment and Education. I am currently working on a Criminal Justice digital textbook that will utilize their brand new ViziSwap software that they have created. I also recently helped do some promotional work for the most recent film My Name is Jerry at the Heartland Film Festival. Check out its official website here: http://www.mynameisjerry.com/

-I am developing an experimental and unofficial music video to the song The Dragster Wave by Ghinzu, featured in the trailer and credits to the recent film Taken starring Liam Neeson. More details soon.

-I am in the process of adding many of my films to Vimeo.com, an upgrade from Youtube as I understand. My latest demo reel is currently online as my first addition. A new one is also in the planning stages. Check it out below!

Risk Productions Demo Reel from Daniel Risk on Vimeo.

-I am in the developing stages of a music video for an emerging artist and friend of mine. Her sound blends the styles of Jazz and R&B and is sure to catch your attention. Stay tuned for more information.

-I continue to help develop Christopher Allen's upcoming feature fan-film Fall of Gotham, based after the Christopher Nolan films Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, two of my favorite if you know me at all. Pre-production is well under way with some casting, art design, and location scouting completed. Check out the film's official site here: http://www.racsofilms.com/fog.htm

-I am in the developing stages of a music video for use in the Hendricks County School Corporation. The artist is a local student and the song delivers an important and timely message to teens about the dangers of certain technologies. More information coming soon.

-I am soon to collaborate on a project with actor and comedian Jon Colby. A friend of mine, he currently teaches and also works at Comedy Sportz in Indianapolis.

-An entire overhaul of my website is in the planning stages. Look for a more sleek and stylized website coming early next year.

-Finally, I continue to look into summer internships in the greater Los Angeles area. I am currently collecting contact information and figuring out my living situation if all the pieces were to come together. I hope to intern at a large studio, but hope to work in the production department. Wish me luck!

Hey everybody. Wanted to update the site with a few recent pictures. The first two are from a project I did with the Institute for Digital Entertainment and Education for the Criminal Justice department at Ball State University in which I was able to break out some Hi-Def and Steadicam action.


The next few are from a beautiful wedding I recently filmed.


And this last one is at a project I worked on with the Survivor Speakout program, a great message for a great cause.


Stay tuned, a lot of projects are in the works and I will clue you all in shortly!

Hey all, not too much going on now, but be sure to check out both the Events section and the Behind The Scenes section, I have added some of the older pages along with updating everything from this past summer.

Hey all you crazy kids, figured I'd drop by and post what I've been up to as of late. Beyond moving into a new apartment and getting ready to start another semester at the one and only Ball State tomorrow, I've been cranking away pretty hard at a documentary Steve Pyatte and I were called in to do for the Brownsburg Police Department and their annual Night Out Against Crime event. You might have seen me out filming that night if you were there, including me being at one point 100 feet in the air on a firetruck ladder. The perks of filmmaking! Anyways, just got a rough cut done and now it's out for approval, had a deadline to make. And let me tell you, turning almost 5 hours of footage into a 45 minute documentary isn't easy. See the editing proof below.







But thank you very much to the Police Dept. and all other facets of the town who helped us put this thing together for these guys, I really am pleased with how it's looking.



In other news, I also just heard word that I've been accepted this semester into the Ball State video production immersion program with the Institute for Digital Entertainment and Education! Beyond plenty of top notch documentaries and other projects, these guys also did a short film last year called My Name is Jerry, starring Doug Jones (Hellboy, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer), Catherine Hicks (7th Heaven), and Don Stark (That 70's Show). Check out the site for that film at www.mynameisjerry.com. Should be a fun semester!




Beyond that, many projects are on the horizon, not to mention I still need to create an official page here on the site for Grace along with updating the events and behind the scenes pages here on the site. Also, a trailer for Mind Machine might make it's way here. Stay tuned!

While I am working on getting a nicer and more official page set up for Grace, I wanted to invite all whose interested to go right ahead and view the film from my Youtube page. Stay tuned for it's own page here on the site, including info and pics of behind the scenes along with bios on all of our cast and crew. Enjoy!

I am back from San Diego! First up, I am now engaged! Yes, my lovely girlfriend of 3 and a half years said yes! Thank you all for the support, she means the world to me.



In Comic-Con news, this year was another great one! Got to see the likes of Johnny Depp, Denzel Washington, and countless others! More importantly, I was able to meet both Zack Snyder (director of 300 and Watchmen) along with Richard Kelly (director of Donnie Darko and Southland Tales). Speaking of Kelly, I was able to ask him a question in Hall H about his upcoming film The Box. The stars of the film, both Cameron Diaz and James Marsden were on hand as well. Luckily, another attendee recorded it! Check it out below:



Stay tuned to the Events page for all the pictures and details from this year's Comic-Con!

Greetings all, wanted to offer a few updates:

-Currently editing Steve Pyatte and I's latest short film titled "If a Tree Fell". Got a rough picture cut finished and now it's off to Steve to get a once over. Then we can finish the audio, have Virgil Franklin score it, and then we'll go from there!

-Slowed down production lately, but about to head back to Ball State where I'm sure I'll be able to get involved with some awesome projects and create a few of my own. Stay tuned!

-Off to Comic-Con in San Diego on Monday, will give you guys all the info (and hopefully some sweet pics) asap!

Til next time.

-DR

You can now view our short film "7 Minutes in Heaven" on Youtube, or on its page here at RiskProductions.net. CLICK HERE to check it out!

It has been a busy few weeks in the ole' batcave that is Risk Productions. Why you ask? Because we just cranked out two awesome short films! Both films required a fast-paced shooting and editing schedule, hence they haven't been here at the site yet. Well, hang tight and we'll get everything updated. Check out some details on the two videos below!

7 Minutes in Heaven



Titled "7 Minutes in Heaven", this film was written, shot, and produced in under a week for Jon Colby's "One Week Movie Project" that premiered at Fountain Square in Indianapolis. On a Saturday morning, all the teams who participated were given the details on what they must include in their films: A character named Lydia, a specific prop we were given (candle holder), the action of a character being locked IN or OUT of something, and the line of dialogue "you have no idea what you just started". On Monday morning, on the drive back from a short vacation to the Windy City, Amber and I came up with the concept in which I wrote that night. On Tuesday we secured our bar location and actors, on Wednesday and Thursday morning we filmed, and I edited all that night to have it turned in and premiered by Friday evening! Dustin Helton (also appearing in my film Grace) and the beautiful Shelly Slinker starred, creating a unique and upbeat short film that we were all proud of! This short will stream here at Risk Productions within the next day or so! Thanks to all who helped out!


Grace



This film was from a script in which I wrote about a year or so ago while attending Dodge College of FIlm and Media Arts at Chapman University. After discovering the Stella Artois Short Film Project and one of its themes of Sacrifice, I knew it would be a great story to tell. With the deadline for the contest in only a week, we sprung into action and created Grace. Starring Jamie Wehrheim-Johnson (as seen in In the Line of Duty and Crossroads), Dustin Helton (7 Minutes in Heaven), and newcomer and youngster Grace Wyatt, the film went off without a hitch! Steve Pyatte helped produce, Don Becker did all the lighting, and the talented Virgil Franklin created the score. The short will not be availble for viewing here at Risk Productions until after the Stella Artois contest period is over (July 31st), but if you like the film can be found on the 3rd page of entries under the "browse films" section on the Stella Artois site. You must first register and view/rate a film at random, but then you can find Grace and rate it as well. As the ratings help if you have the time! In the meantime, I will work to put up some promotional material for the film here at the site. Stay tuned!

Check out the new ad, done by me to help my girlfriend's sister in her marketing class. I might spend some money next year to advertise in the school year book for some extra cash and to make more connections through out the community.

Ok, Amber and I have put together a one minute humorous video for ForRent.com's "Ready2Move" contest. If we win, we get $10,000.00! Where you can help, go to http://www.contest.forrent.com/main/video?creative_id=142, watch our video "Mixed Signals", then vote a "thumbs up" to help us win! You need to register with the site to vote, but all you have to do is give them your email address and make a username. You can uncheck the box to send you email, so don't worry about being spammed! Also, by registering, you're automatically entered for a chance to win $1,500.00! You can vote once a day until June 24th, so please help us out! The top one right now only has about 350 votes, which is WEAK and I know we can top it! The ranking isn't the only factor in winning, but it certainly helps! Comment as well if you like! Thanks guys!

For those of you following the always fast-paced world of Risk Productions, heh, here's a few updates to keep you salivating:

-Sadly, production of On a Night Most Sinister has been postponed at least a year, though for honorable reasons. Script wasn't all there yet, and the powers-at-be didn't want to rush it. I say thumbs-up to that.

-On another note, production of If a Tree Fell moves forward for a July shoot date I believe. Not a lot of post will be involved so it should be put out there a short time after. This is a very small comedy being helmed by Steve Pyatte and I starring some relatively new-comers. Will keep you posted.

-Just finished cutting the trailer for OA McCombie's thesis film Mind Machine, which as you know I was 2nd A.D. for along with co-editor, among other smaller roles. The film is finished, the CGI is AMAZING, and it just looks sharp as hell. The trailer, after whatever notes I get from the director, will be posted ASAP for all of you to enjoy. Along with this, I've gotten the greenlight to put together the film's official website which will include the trailer and plenty of other goodies from the film. Keep your eyes open, I will give you the URL to watch soon. Remember, this film won't be freely streamed on the internet quite yet, but it will hopefully be making some festival rounds.

-If you are in the Indy area, I will more than likely be participating in a small film contest in mid-June being helmed by Jon Colby. In the "48 Hour Festival" fashion, we will have a week to put together a short under certain guidelines which could result in a cash prize. Not my ultimate goal of course, but anything to force my creative-gears is always a good thing, right? That being said, during that week, all of my friends are on high-alert for a phone call in which I will be probably asking for crazy favors to get the thing shot. I hope everyone's game :-)

-Finally (i think?), I am free a majority of this summer with all my equipment at hand, so I am currently flexing my writing muscles to pen a neat-o short to film. With all the Star Trek and Terminator fresh in my mind, I am so in a sci-fi mood so this could be interesting. Maybe I can get some west coast visual effects talent at my side and come out with a quality project. Let me know if anyone else is interested.

I'm always surprised when Indy gets screeners nowadays, especially one of this caliber nearly 5 days early. Nevertheless, I got to screen it on Monday and I was very pleased. It was non-stop action with killer CGI and cinematography, on top of a sweet sound design that made your bones rattle at all the right times. Christian Bale was good, but not that much of a different tone than his Batman. Sam Worthington came out as the star, playing the half-human half-bot Marcus Wright. The plot was good enough for the film, though it definitely had plenty of those moments where afterwards the audience was asking "Couldn't the robots have just killed them then?". Still, a great way to spend two hours on the edge of your seat. On another note, watching the first three would definitely be a plus to really appreciate the storyline. Lets just say they don't spend a lot of time catching the audience up. I hadn't seen them in quite awhile, so some of the beats were over my head. Though I do plan on watching them again and seeing this one again. Compared to Wolverine and Angels and Demons, this is a much better choice. Assuming of course you've already seen Star Trek. My verdict? 3 1/2 stars out of 4.

Had the opportunity to screen the new rom-com Ghosts of Girlfriends past last night, it comes out in theaters on Friday. I was very pleased with it in general, it felt short but it was entertaining and never dragged too much. Light-hearted and uplifting, I highly suggest it. And you can't miss Michael Douglass's performance as the elder womanizer, again highly entertaining. Not to mention Matthew Mcconaughey is a beast of a man. Based on early reviews for Wolverine, this film might be good competition.

As some of you may know, I'm a die-hard ghost hunters fan so to keep up with their recent contest, I put together a video of my brother and I in our ghost hunting escapades. All fun, if we were to win we might get a chance to be on the show and get some cool gear. Won't find out til the fall though, so I'll let you know. It was posted on Youtube and Facebook for a day or so, but then I was worried it would violate the contest terms so I took it down. If you REALLY want to see it though, I can always arrange a showing :)

As many of you know, the Frogbaby Film Festival was this last weekend. I had the chance to feature my short Blood Lust. It was a fun time, thanks to everyone who made it. With that said, I was dissapointed at the turnout. Only about 30 people or so made it down, and Pruis can seat a lot more than that. I'm especially dissapointed at the TCOM department on campus, especially the faculty. You think more of the faculty would've come to support the students. With no support from the department, I see it being hard to keep the students initiated. Hopefully we will have a bigger and better show next time, I hope to be involved with the Filmworks and to help make this happen. With Glenn, Andrea, and the others who will lead Filmworks next year, I'm confident we will be a strong group. There were some really good submissions though this year, I was happy enough to be included. Thanks to the Cardinal Filmworks and those who helped put the event on, the technical difficulties were tough but you still pulled through. Til next year!

Happened to catch the press screening of Observe and Report, the Seth Rogen comedy coming out this weekend. All in all, I would say that I was a little dissapointed. The film definitely had its funny moments, but like many comedies that aren't blockbusters, it just was a little too slow in most parts. The characters were set up great, but the funny moments were all the ones in the trailers, save for the ten minute scene of male nudity towards the end. Compared to Hannah Montana and Dragonball Z, there's not a lot of alternatives, but if you are looking to go the movies, this isn't the worst comedy of all time. C+

From event videography, to celebratory DVDs, to web design, check out the services page on the site to see a list of all available services!