First of all, for those of you who keep track of such a trivial thing as time, we apologize for the lengthy absence between postings. We had a very busy, eventful 2011 and it limited blog postings. Quick update: We picked up some new RED Epics this fall but lost an Aaron B Smith along the way. (Okay, a very quick update.) Many emotions, but, overall, the Grand Rapids production scene has been good to us.

Enjoy our latest collaboration: The 2011 Gorilla Demo Reel! You know how to watch it, don’t you? You pop it full screen, crank it up, and keep time with the beat. Cheers.

After 27 hours, 160 gallons of fuel, eight pounds of fast food, and a jumbo bucket of David’s sunflower seeds, Eric Machiela got the Gorilla van to the Tex/Mex border …

– and met up with Mexican superstar Joel Vallie who guided him over the Rio Grande. We drove a nice three + hours through the mountains, across untouched terrain, on down to Saltillo, Coahuila. (Click below for the lowest quality video of all time.)

Drive to Saltillo — In Video Form!

Why embark on such an adventure? Well, for the next 6 weeks, Gorilla — in partnership with Joel Vallie … and basically the whole town of Saltillo — is going to be heading up perhaps the most all intensive film production that we have ever undertaken. We love the work that we’ve been blessed with over the past few years (and we will continue to partner with clients in our life long goal of world domination), but as filmmakers, we’ve always wanted to produce and be a part of feature films, that is, long-form narrative storytelling.

As life goes, a few years back, we met a missionary/speaker/drug rehab leader/filmmaker, Joel Vallie, living in Mexico who had already directed a feature film, Corazon de Campeon. It was (how to be nice here…?) a quality effort but was limited by low production value in what it could do. In where it could go. Joel told Gorilla about another script he was developing and we jumped at the chance to partner with him, to make this film come alive.

Eric Machiela is first to arrive, laying the tracks for the other guys when they arrive. The other guys being Eric Johnson, Chad Terpstra, Derek Street, Gabe Berghuis, Ben Chamberlain, and Michael Amman. Everyone who is a part of this production is giving so much time and effort, working for tacos, and sacrificing a lot so let’s give them a digital round of applause!

More photos and info will be showing up here on this blog as the production goes along. And just cause she’s adorable, a picture of our makeup lady:

We have Updated the St Michael’s Abbey piece with a great new VO by Dave Pettitt. Details are copied below:

Round about two months ago, our friends at Mpower Pictures contacted us about flying out to California to capture the beautiful life of the Norbertine community at St. Michael’s Abbey. (Scroll down a few entries to read all the details and see some pics.) We are pleased to present the finished film just below! (If you have time to watch it, make sure you turn the HD on and pop it full screen.)

This experience/film production/idea was different from what Gorilla usually produces — and that’s what made the process of creating it so refreshing and rewarding. Again, kudos to cinematographer Tanner Wolfe for bringing his RED camera skills to the film production and to David Michael Phelps for his brilliant scribing of the script. Also, a big round of applause goes to Kyle Campbell for scoring the music. His tones always inspire a little party in my ears.

And lastly, all the thanks goes to the Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey who displayed nothing but trust, patience, and incredible humility in helping us produce this film for them.

Round about two months ago, our friends at Mpower Pictures contacted us about flying out to California to capture the beautiful life of the Norbertine community at St. Michael’s Abbey. (Scroll down a few entries to read all the details and see some pics.) We are pleased to present the finished film just below! (If you have time to watch it, make sure you turn the HD on and pop it full screen.)

This experience/film production/idea was different from what Gorilla usually produces — and that’s what made the process of creating it so refreshing and rewarding. Again, kudos to cinematographer Tanner Wolfe for bringing his RED camera skills to the film production and to David Michael Phelps for his brilliant scribing of the script and his voice-over work. Also, a big round of applause goes to Kyle Campbell for scoring the music. His tones always inspire a little party in my ears.

And lastly, all the thanks goes to the Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey who displayed nothing but trust, patience, and incredible humility in helping us produce this film for them.

It’s cliché, but where in the H does time go? We’re nearly in the smack dab middle of 2010 and I feel as though I just cracked the New Year’s cork a few weeks ago. C’est la vie. But the mid-year point got us to discussing, why shouldn’t we blog about five things that have very little to do with Gorilla film production? No reason not to!

1.) A small rant here but where have all the good movies gone this year? Disappointing films (e.g. Iron Man 2, Alice in Wonderland) and flat-out flops (e.g. MacGruber, Cop Out) have reigned supreme. Box-office receipts seem okay, considering, but that’s only because they’re gouging our wallets with sharpened spears, turning everything into 3-D and expecting us to pay for it. We’re forced to digest remakes (e.g. The Crazies, Clash of the Titans) and this weekend is giving us two 80’s remakes: The Karate Kid and The A-Team – do we really think these are going to be any good? The one shining moment in the first half of ’10 has to be How to Train Your Dragon. A delightful romp and guaranteed to be near the top of this guy’s best movies of the year list. Especially the way things are going. Come on, Hollywood. If you won’t make OUR movies, make something we want to watch, eh?

2.) The Waterfront Film Festival starts tonight in Saugatuck, Michigan. It celebrates some of the best filmmakers in this here state and beyond. Two such filmmakers being Alexander Caleb Slain and Jared Rummel, whose relentless efforts alongside us scrappers at Gorilla, brought to life “The Lost & Found Shop” – showing this weekend at the festival. Since this is about the 83rd time we’ve blogged about this movie, you’ll know we’re mighty proud of this little film that could and the collaboration that happened to make it so stinkin’ neat. (I realize that this has more than “very little” to do with Gorilla film production but I promise from here on out…nothing but nonsense.)

3.) Speaking of short films, the guys at Gorilla Pictures were recently exposed to this YOUTUBE TRAILER for a movie called (simply) “Movie Title”. It’s a trailer that celebrates all movie previews clichés … and I wish I had made it. Kudos to the minds behind this. Funny stuff.

4.) Coincidence? Fate? For all the dreamers out there, check this STORY out. Guy meets girl. They fall in love; they get engaged. Then, looking through photos for the wedding day, they realize that they had been in the same place, at the same time … 15 years before. Even the filmmakers at Gorilla have a soft spot for this balderdash.

5.) And last but not least, World Cup Soccer begins tomorrow!! Get your red, white and blue on (or whatever colors you bleed), grab a noisemaker, and turn it to ESPN because this once in a four-year event only happens every … well, four years. Eric Johnson and Eric Machiela have a soft spot for the World Cup and the immense popularity of it. Four years ago, just before the 2006 World Cup, they worked with Athletes in Action in seven (7) different countries, capturing the stories of several international soccer players. If you care – and you should, go back to the home page, click on the Project Map and navigate your mouse to Cote D’Ivoire (West Africa for the geographically illiterate), Germany, South Korea, Spain, or the U.K. and catch an excerpt. This is the world’s greatest sporting event, as evidenced by THIS PHOTO. No but seriously…it’s sweet.

That’s all for now. Enjoy the rest of 2010!

So if you’re familiar with all things Gorilla, you know that in January we partnered with writer/director Caleb Slain and producer Jared Rummel to help bring to life THE LOST & FOUND SHOP. A copy of the Press Release can be seen here: Press Release – Lost and Found Shop

The 8-minute film did very well in an online film festival and is just now beginning its rounds in “real-life” film festivals, starting this weekend at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan. It’s playing both Saturday and Sunday. If you’re in the area and want to come support the film, click this link for more information on the when and where: Film Festival Favorites Short Film Program

And if you can’t make it out for our showing, well then a.) Shame on you and b.) come on down at any rate and support film production and exhibition in the oft-great state of Michigan! Hope to see someone besides us there!

Aw, yeah. Gorilla just jumped into the App world. You can find it for free in the iTunes App store, or by clicking HERE.

The idea is simple. The day of the DVD is quickly becoming obsolete, and we think that Apps are the perfect new way to promote and deliver media content (and loads of extra info). Do us a solid, download it for yourself and give us some feedback. We anticipate making a lot more of these in the future.

Ladies and gentleman, we are pleased to announce that Caleb Alexander Slain’s “The Lost & Found Shop” has not only been recognized as a merited film on the acclaimed Doorpost Film Festival’s website but also is leading the pack with 2070+ views — nearly 1,400 views more than any other film on the site!

For those in the dark, Gorilla teamed up with writer/director Slain and producer Jared Rummel (among dozens of others!) to help bring to life the story of a girl searching for a lost memory – a piece of her identity. The production went swimmingly and the response has been overwhelming. If you haven’t had a chance, please go here (www.thedoorpost.com), click on the Identity tab on the left, do a little downward scrolling and find the Lost & Found tab. I trust you won’t regret it.

Thanks to ALL who helped make this film a reality. This is just the first step.

A direct link can be found here: http://www.thedoorpost.com/identity/film/thelostandfoundshop

Last week, Gorilla filmmakers had good reason to rejoice. Our most recent project, produced for Grand Rapids’ own Crowe Horwath, took place at the Miami-Dade Juvenile Assessment Center in Miami, Florida. Although far from a vacation, it turns out that just working in a climate opposite to freezing Michigan is reason to celebrate.

The film will document Crowe’s successful implementation of “Quest,” a powerful software program designed to bring data organization and advanced analytics capabilities to Miami-Dade’s internationally recognized Juvenile System. The tale we’ve captured is somewhat surprising, as it is not a story of data analytics but rather of an organization empowered to influence the lives of the children struggling in their community.

It’s an interesting story to tell, and it reflects our desire to the discover the humanity in all of the projects we undertake – Commercial, Corporate, and Entertainment alike.

An especially big thanks to Derek Street, Tyler Garret and Ryan P. Photography for joining Gorilla on the project and working far beyond expectations.

Gorilla is building an iPhone Application! The process is nearly finished, and there was a bit of a learning curve, but the App will be available for free on iTunes and will be used primarily for marketing. Of course, for all you Gorilla fans out there, make sure you grab a copy in passionate support of Grand Rapids Film Production companies!

The App is scheduled to be released at the end of February.