SNAPPER - A RETROSPECTIVE
Way back in 2001, on an innocent trip to a now defunct comic shop in a neighboring state, four friends conversed about snapping turtles. Tales of past fishing trips involving close encounters with these majestic beasts did abound.
Dupey told an engaging tale of my battling one such enormous creature with a stick in an attempt to save our fishing pole. Ah, glory days. From this story, the conversation turned to the fact that there had never been a movie concerning such things.
There had been films about killer sharks, alligators, octopi, bees, snakes, spiders, and a plethora of other fauna. Hell, there'd even been a movie about giant killer rabbits!
Anyone remember Night of the Lepus?
We decided such a movie should exist. A movie called SNAPPER. A movie where hapless redneck fishermen would pit their half-wits against such a beast.
Much was made of the idea during the trip, though we all knew it would probably never happen.
Still, a few weeks later one of the voyagers began building a half ass Snapper puppet. It was built cheaply and quickly, its main purpose being to give the other travelers a good laugh when next they met.
Upon seeing the ridiculous puppet, the rest of the group decided that the movie had to be made! It would be something just for them, a home movie project to enjoy for years to come.
And so it began...THE SNAPPER SAGA.
Three friends took said turtle puppet, a jar of home made theatrical blood, a crappy borrowed camcorder, a fishing pole, and their ridiculous idea to a local lake. There was no script or story, so the 'actors' just ad-libbed scenes and battled the atrocious puppet.
After a mere three hours of lunacy, they returned to a little apartment to view what they had wrought. They were the first to witness SNAPPER.
All were thrilled with the results. They had committed an act of complete stupidity and captured it for the ages. The footage was viewed by many other friends and acquaintances. Everyone who viewed it fell under the charm of its rampant stupidity.
Hell, it had been so much fun, it was soon decided that a sequel should be made.
Thus was born SNAPPER REVENGE barely two months later.
Shot with that same crap ass camcorder and complete lack of planning, REVENGE took rampant stupidity to new heights, or should I say lows.
It also garnered the same appreciation as its predecessor when shown at random gatherings.
A few primitive VCR to VCR attempts were made to edit the footage, but the project was soon abandoned. For nearly three years, the tapes languished on a shelf, occasionally shown when the friends felt nostalgic. It was finished. They had fulfilled their purpose. They had made a home movie just for themselves.
Then it happened.
In 2004, a friend offered to help edit the movies via Final Cut Pro and transfer them to DVD. The idea was to try and promote the project. Perhaps other folks out there would appreciate THE SNAPPER SAGA as well.
After many long nights at the console, it was accomplished. What had begun as a joke among friends so many years ago would now be accessible to the outside world. SNAPPER had gone digital. This blog was born in August of that same year.
SNAPPER made his first public foray as a free DVD given out at Dragon*Con 2004. A few promotional freebies via this blog followed.
We were even lucky enough to get the fine folks at Technobohemia.com to host streaming video of both 'films' on their unique website.
Since then we've had a smattering of SNAPPER DVD sales as well as SNAPPER APPAREL sales. We've recieved some fun email and comments concerning our atrocious yet majstic turd of a film series and even a couple of 'fan fiction' items.
A floundering, ever in progress SNAPPER comic book has reared its ugly head as well. Someday it may actually get finished.
The first public showing of THE SNAPPER SAGA took place on June 17th, 2005 at the Technobohemia Art Show. Everyone seemed to enjoy the never failing rampant stupidity that had been wrought.
What was the point of all this, you might ask?
Well, maybe there isn't one. This much I do know, an idea four dorks on their way to a comic book shop had in 2001 became real. It materialized and went out into the world to be judged. Most people seemed to enjoy it.
I think that's pretty neat.
Keep watching the lake! SNAPPER PROGENY is coming soon!
No, we really don't know when to quit.
Dupey told an engaging tale of my battling one such enormous creature with a stick in an attempt to save our fishing pole. Ah, glory days. From this story, the conversation turned to the fact that there had never been a movie concerning such things.
There had been films about killer sharks, alligators, octopi, bees, snakes, spiders, and a plethora of other fauna. Hell, there'd even been a movie about giant killer rabbits!
Anyone remember Night of the Lepus?
We decided such a movie should exist. A movie called SNAPPER. A movie where hapless redneck fishermen would pit their half-wits against such a beast.
Much was made of the idea during the trip, though we all knew it would probably never happen.
Still, a few weeks later one of the voyagers began building a half ass Snapper puppet. It was built cheaply and quickly, its main purpose being to give the other travelers a good laugh when next they met.
Upon seeing the ridiculous puppet, the rest of the group decided that the movie had to be made! It would be something just for them, a home movie project to enjoy for years to come.
And so it began...THE SNAPPER SAGA.
Three friends took said turtle puppet, a jar of home made theatrical blood, a crappy borrowed camcorder, a fishing pole, and their ridiculous idea to a local lake. There was no script or story, so the 'actors' just ad-libbed scenes and battled the atrocious puppet.
After a mere three hours of lunacy, they returned to a little apartment to view what they had wrought. They were the first to witness SNAPPER.
All were thrilled with the results. They had committed an act of complete stupidity and captured it for the ages. The footage was viewed by many other friends and acquaintances. Everyone who viewed it fell under the charm of its rampant stupidity.
Hell, it had been so much fun, it was soon decided that a sequel should be made.
Thus was born SNAPPER REVENGE barely two months later.
Shot with that same crap ass camcorder and complete lack of planning, REVENGE took rampant stupidity to new heights, or should I say lows.
It also garnered the same appreciation as its predecessor when shown at random gatherings.
A few primitive VCR to VCR attempts were made to edit the footage, but the project was soon abandoned. For nearly three years, the tapes languished on a shelf, occasionally shown when the friends felt nostalgic. It was finished. They had fulfilled their purpose. They had made a home movie just for themselves.
Then it happened.
In 2004, a friend offered to help edit the movies via Final Cut Pro and transfer them to DVD. The idea was to try and promote the project. Perhaps other folks out there would appreciate THE SNAPPER SAGA as well.
After many long nights at the console, it was accomplished. What had begun as a joke among friends so many years ago would now be accessible to the outside world. SNAPPER had gone digital. This blog was born in August of that same year.
SNAPPER made his first public foray as a free DVD given out at Dragon*Con 2004. A few promotional freebies via this blog followed.
We were even lucky enough to get the fine folks at Technobohemia.com to host streaming video of both 'films' on their unique website.
Since then we've had a smattering of SNAPPER DVD sales as well as SNAPPER APPAREL sales. We've recieved some fun email and comments concerning our atrocious yet majstic turd of a film series and even a couple of 'fan fiction' items.
A floundering, ever in progress SNAPPER comic book has reared its ugly head as well. Someday it may actually get finished.
The first public showing of THE SNAPPER SAGA took place on June 17th, 2005 at the Technobohemia Art Show. Everyone seemed to enjoy the never failing rampant stupidity that had been wrought.
What was the point of all this, you might ask?
Well, maybe there isn't one. This much I do know, an idea four dorks on their way to a comic book shop had in 2001 became real. It materialized and went out into the world to be judged. Most people seemed to enjoy it.
I think that's pretty neat.
Keep watching the lake! SNAPPER PROGENY is coming soon!
No, we really don't know when to quit.
