Things to Come…

So in two weeks, Daniel and I will be flying out to Seattle to partake in PAX. For those of you don’t know, PAX is the Penny Arcade Expo and it is a glorious celebration in gaming and gamers. There will be a number of awesome things to do, including seeing Rooster Teeth, Jonathan Coulton, a bevy of unreleased games and hours of other fine entertainments. To check out the full line up of the nerdery, click here. Looks wild.

Anywho, we’re busy fist-pumping about that, and excited to get out there and say hey to some folks. Other things we’re excited about include Web Zeroes, which is now getting closer to completion. In addition, we’re nearing the launch of our new site(s) as well as the trailer for GRIEF, part of which was filmed tonight.

Much thanks to all you dudes who participated. Some screenies:

Idle Hands…

Det. Dawson, Case File No. 14113

Back to Square One. I might have to go off the books for the next few weeks. Something doesn’t add up here. Finally logged Exhibit B, but it seems rather inconsequential to me. Traced the call back to a warehouse in Italy but all that was left there was dust and echoes.

Exhibit B (Sizlewski’s answering machine)

Probably just some kids screwing around, or some bored workers.

The Hero Shots

Just thought I’d drop in with a few house-cleaning items. Work on Web Zeroes is progressing rather smoothly. Kind of weird seeing our faces on screen instead of silly dudes bobbing their heads and using radio commands.

We recorded some rather interesting things over the weekend that I think you all will enjoy, whenever it is that they come to fruition. And no, none of it is the commentary for Episode 3, unfortunately. We’re going to have to wait on that for awhile until Daniel is back in town, as he’s currently in the middle of a 6 week editing gig in Dallas. Yes, he’s left us again. But our traveling editing minstrel will be back someday soon.

In addition, production on G.R.I.E.F. is about to go into full effect. It’s a Halo 3 action/comedy series (emphasis on the action), and we’re pretty pumped about moving forward on it. Hopefully you guys will be seeing a trailer for that at some point in the near future. In the meantime, enjoy these photos:

And the Winner Is…

Det. Dawson, Case File No. 14113

This was pulled from the entertainment page of this morning’s edition of “The Daily Source”. Filed to archives.

After personally reviewing the surveillance tape submitted by Mr. Wolfe, it confirms that Westheimer was indeed at the TLW house as specified in the report. I thought it seemed too easy. Mugshot filed to archives as well:

Additional Notes: Sizlewski Case

Det. Dawson, Case File No. 14113

Status: Investigation is still in limbo. Have attempted contact with Noonien Corp. on multiple occasions and so far, nothing. Did a drive-by on an old facility but it looked deserted. The letter (Exhibit G) mentioned a relocation, but a whole company doesn’t just up and disappear. I’ve requested to look into this further, but the Captain says to drop it. Perhaps I will pursue this avenue on my own.

Motive: Hard to say. If it’s a kidnapping, what’s the ransom? Loved ones of Sizlewski have not been contacted with any demands. A hit of some kind? Possible, but searches of the surrounding area have so far yielded no clues.

Exhibit D:

Several bullet holes found in the bathroom wall from a Colt M4A1, which was also left on scene. Bullets pried from the wall have partial prints, and several full prints are left on the gun. Forensics said the weapon was fired at a distance of only a few feet away.

Currently running the prints. Should have a match soon.

The Live-Action World

Yeah.

We basically spent all weekend filming Web Zeroes. Our call began at 8:30 am on Saturday and didn’t stop until tonight. I think we got some really solid stuff, but I am just a silly noobito at these things. Much thanks to our friend Chuck who helped us power through all of it. Really couldn’t have gotten it done without him.

A few people have been asking what Web Zeroes is all about. Web Zeroes is a live-action mockumentary (in this case, a comedy show in a documentary style), and it’s coming soon. It’s the story of three ordinary dudes trying to get famous over the Internet. Should be a fun time.

Here are some production photos from the weekend:

Various photos from Saturday, including Chuck holding the HVX200 we used to shoot the episode, Daniel directing me in a scene and Chuck, Nick and I blocking a scene and tweaking the script just before shooting. I take no responsibility for the mammary-ish doodling in the background of the last shot. Well, perhaps some.

And now some raw screenshots, before color correction. The original footage was shot in 720p:

All in all, it was a great weekend. We look forward to updating you guys with more shenanigans in the near future.

Mendoza in ’08!

Ty, our resident thespian and the voice of Mendoza in The Leet World, has entered a contest for AMC’s hit show “Mad Men”. The winner scores a trip to Los Angeles and gets to appear in an episode of Season 3 of the show. Obviously, this is a pretty cool contest with a sweet prize.

Voting ends in September, but you can go ahead and head over to Ty’s submission and lend your support right now. He is looking rather dapper and gives one heck of a performance.

Click here to support Mendoza!

We are going to be shooting Web Zeroes, our live-action mockumentary, over the weekend. Kind of wild considering we’ve been planning this since around March. Hopefully we’ll have some pictures on Sunday.

Also, it was sweet to see everyone get pumped up about the mysterious Sizlewski case. More on that soon. You are like the most rabid of dogs for anything related to TLW. It is both wonderful and terrifying.

The Case of Adam Sizlewski

Case No. 14113

Location: Abandoned apartment of Adam Sizlewski. Profession: Actor, stagename is Sizzler.

Status: Presumed missing

Exhibits A, C, E, F:

Photos of the crime scene reveal signs of a struggle, possible injury. Blood is a match for Sizlewski. Bullets removed from the wall match a handgun registered to Sizlewski. Neighbors heard the gunfire and alerted the authorities.

Exhibit G is most curious:

Package and envelope mentioned are missing. Nothing else appears to have been taken from the apartment. Investigation is on-going.

TLW Shirts in the Wild

Almost as rare as the Duke Nukem Forever-a-saurus, but not quite, The Leet World t-shirts are beginning to roam around in the wilderness, spreading their good cheer.

Someone recently sent in these photos to prove it:

Thanks dude!

Also, if you’ve missed our commentaries over the last couple of days, check them out:

Episode One: Reality Bites
Episode Two: Dirty Deeds

Double Talk

Glad to see that the Episode One commentary went over so well. We recorded three episodes at the same time, so now, here’s the bright shiny new Episode Two commentary for your listening enjoyment.

Once again, we offer a countdown at the beginning to help you know when to start the episode. I can’t imagine it makes much sense unless you’re watching the episode simultaneously. Personally, I think we did a better job on this one than on the first. Hopefully you guys enjoy it, too.

Remember, right-click and select “save as” to download it.

http://www.smoothfewfilms.com/audio/tlw102_commentary.mp3

If you don’t have Episode Two downloaded, you can stream it from YouTube or here.

In other news, now that we’ve had some time to kind of chill and get our thoughts together, we’re moving into pre-production for some of the other properties that we’ve recently mentioned. Over the next couple of weeks you guys should be hearing a lot more about G.R.I.E.F. and Web Zeroes.

Also, if you haven’t seen The Dark Knight yet, go do it. I publicly declare that my man-crush on Christian Bale has only been strengthened in light of its release. And, in order to save my manhood after that statement, I shall add: Dude. Bra.