The Untitled films have been called "the best movies ever made." But whose idea were these films? How were they created? The answer to that question lies far in the past, and in the minds of two young men by the name of Zach Evans and Johnny O'Neal. With nothing but a Sony Camcorder, Zach had spent the last two years directing movies such as "Muffin Man," "Martial Arts Action Theater Epsiode 1," and "A Kid Named George."
Zach showed these movies to Johnny, and decided that it was time to make another. They wanted the star to be Mortimer, a hobby horse that Johnny had found and befriended. This idea lay dormant for a while, until Zach and Johnny spoke to a friend of theirs who was a director. They began to think of various movie ideas, and struck gold after Johnny described an odd episode of "Kids In the Hall," the popular Canadian sketch comedy show. The segment which he saw was abstract in feel and had a slight "superhero" theme. Zach agreed that they, too, were to create a superhero movie, with Mortimer as Johnny's sidekick.
Originally, Johnny wanted to create a spoof of the comic book genre. Zach, however, wanted to remain true to the "art film" theme and fill the movie with random and disjointed scenes. He also propsed the sophisticated name, "Untitled," which Johnny originally rejected but has since grown to love. Zach's ideas quickly revealed themselves to be the better of the two, and the art film idea was kept.
The filming began almost immediately. As Zach collected props and started up the camera, Johnny created a semblance of a plot. It revolved around a Boy in a red shirt, his hobby horse Mortimer, and a mean-looking buffalo. The movie developed as a combination of random shots and storyline, building up to a stirring conclusion. As filming progressed, they recruited Austin Robertson as a "helper" to carry props. Also lending a hand (which is all of him that can be seen in the movie), was "Little" Zach (so called to distinguish him from Zach Evans). These, the people involved in the first filming, were the first of many Untitled fans. As Zach and Johnny showed the movie to all their friends, Untitled's popularity grew.
The original Untitled had its flaws, but they only added to its appeal. Thus far, it has been the only Untitled to succesfully blend "random shots" into the storyline without creating excessive confusion. It set a standard for each Untitled to be original, humorous, and very odd. So high was this standard, that even Untitled II fell short.
Part 2: "Gathering Strength"
Untitled I was an instant success. In addition to its creators, the movie drew a supportive base of loyal followers. Foremost maong these was Dave Baker, the young man destined to complete the trio of Untitled creators.
A longtime friend of Zach and Johnny, Dave began as an extra and replaced Austin as the voice of Mortimer. This ensured Dave a permanent position on the filmmaking crew as an actor, a role which he has expanded to include producing and writing. His onscreen debut in Untitled II marked a revolution in Untitled History.
However, Dave did not arrive in time to begin Untitled II. On a sunny day, Zach and Johnny once again teamed up to repeat their first success. The movies first distinction was its longer running time, exceeding the first film by nearly two minutes. Untitled II also saw the gradual demise of the "random shots." By the end of the movie, the story had become fully coherent.
Perhaps the greatest advance made by Untitled II were in its final scene. For the first time, Mortimer's voice was heard by the audience, in a slight English accent created by Dave. Also added was REM's New Orleans Instrumental No. 1, which was adopted as the "theme song" of the Untitleds.
Despite Untitled II's technical achievements, it was regarded by most as a flop. Perhaps its functionas a transition movie weakened it. Lacking the random fun of the original Untitled, it also failed to deliver a clear story as was told in Untitled III. The plot lacked humor, and more severely lacked action. The props and special effects, while they were by their very existence an improvement over the orginal, were not as spectuacular as the Untitled fans craved. To many, Untitled II hardly dererved its name.
However, Untitled II was necessary. Here, the plot of the saga was first truly formed. Its main role was to make up for the Albert Hall of plot holes which characterized Untitled I, and it succesfully developed the characters and storyline. In addition, Boy became the superhero Watermelon Man, who has no special powers, but some pretty cool equipment, and a slick costume.
By Untitled II, Zach, Dave, and Johnny knew they were on a roll. having learned from their mistakes, the production trio were ready to film the epic Untitled III. Within a week, the opening scenes had been shot and the story was ready for Mortimer's dramatic return.
It is at this point in Untitled History that the trio was broken up. While Zach and Dave stayed in Michigan and garnered Untitled suppor, Johnny went on sabbatical to sail the waters of Lake Michigan. It was on this voyage, in blessed seclusion, that Johnny formulated and wrote the Untitled III script.
Part 3: "Moviemaking At Its Best"
Upon Johnny's return, filming began immediately. The first scenes had been shot, and the story was now ready for Mortimer to take center stage. The movie's running time already promised to double that of the first two movies combined, and the number of onscreen actors grew quickly. New crew members were needed, just to carry around the increased amount of equipment and props. Among these actors and helpers were Ed Morris, Peter Wilson, "Other" Dave, Tom Baker, Nick Lauerman, and friendly bystanders who asked not to be included in the credits.
The greatest significant improvement introduced by III, other than length, was the addition of music. Having pioneered the method in II, Zach could produce high-quality background audio by placing a pair of headphones on the camera microphone and turning down the bass. This added more to the movie than could possibly be imagined, and the soundtrack evolved to include Smashing Pumpkins, Tom Petty, Soundgarden, and many others.
Filming took much more time than was needed to make I and II, but the trio coninued to film smoothly and followed the script with a surprising degree of accuracy. The story revolved around Mortimer and his sister, Jaxine, another Hobby Horse that had been "found" in a church's prop room. One day she had been crushed and disfigured, so that most of the paint fell off and revealed green plastic. When Zach worked her back into shape, he replaced her missing eye with a red stone, and she took on a decidedly "alien" appearance. This led to the creation of a plot centered around a small alien invasion.
Also influencing the science-fiction nature of III was the "space egg," a mysterious structure located in the woods where the Untitled movies were filmed. Egg-like in shape, it rested on three large metal legs. It became central in the fictional culture of the "Mercurians of the Galaxy Shamod." It also marked a leap forward in special effects and settings. Though the budget remained low and the effects were often amusingly amateur, Untitled III was far more impressive than any other Untitled creations.
Untitled III represented the greatest filming accomplishment for the
Untitled filmmakers, and is still their longest movie. IN addition to a
fully developed plot, III adopted a subplot and tooka closer look at character
development. It fleshed out the skeleton that had been the Untitled universe,
and added a significant level of depth. With an epic storyline and classic
conflict, it completed the Untitled trilogy and promised more great filming
from Zach, John, and Dave.
Part 4: "A Trilogy Complete"
Untitled III is not the end. The summer of 1996 began with a remake of Untitled II, updating the plot and improving the movie greatly. Completely refilmed, it is called Untitled II: The THX Digitally Remastered Director's Cut Remake Edition. (Or, U2:TTHXDRDCRE, for short.) Early in the summer while Dave was honing his rhetoric skills at debate camp, Zach and Johnny discovered the original Unititled II script. It had included several ideas and lines that had not been included, and which they felt would improve the movie greatly. Gradually, their discussion turned towards the complete revision of Untitled II, adding action and humor to the emotionally powerful but boring dialogue.
Upon Dave's return, filming began quickly, but took much longer than had been used for the original II. Taking multiple shots per scene, they added hours to their filming time. But also included were better special effects, lines from Mortimer, and a new montage of Mortimer crime scenes. Feeling that his evil had not been effectively communicated in the original, the filmmakers decided that we should see a rash of petty crimes. Appearing in the crime spree are Libby Brouwer, Charlie Brennar, a Coke deliveryman, and the Crystal View staff. Zach was especially responsible for this outreach to new Untitled actors.
Beyond this scene, many improvements and additions were made, making the new II a movie worthy of its Untitled status, and as entertaining as the trio has produced. While technically not a "new" movie, it is a completely different viewing experience, and better in every way than the original Untitled II.
The biggest new project of 1996 was the long-awaited Untitled 0, a prequel to the Untitled Trilogy. The script, written by Johnny O'Neal, tells the story of how Boy came to be Watermelon Man. In many ways it was a return to the filming days of the original Untitled, both in its story and its filming. With Zach directing and Johnny onscreen, it involved few other people. Dave Baker and Austin Robertson both helped film, but there was no time when all four were together.
This conflict of timing created new difficulties for the moviemakers to overcome. They were forced to film out of sequence and "shoot to edit," something that had never been done in Untitled History. (The remake of Untitled II required some postproduction, but the movie was primarily shot in sequence.) Many scenes were shot where lines had to later be dubbed in, as both Austin and Dave lent their voices to the characters of Buffalo Man and Mortimer.
Untitled 0 debuted in 1997 to the delight of Untitled fans and newcomers alike. It continued the mature "new tech" style begun by U2 and plays a critical role in explaining the origin of Watermelon Man. It blends storytelling with excitement in a way to please any Untitled fan.
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