“Hello? World? You still there?”

Four straight days I have been tangled in an apartment full of stingers, c-stands, arris, apple boxes and one shiny 7D. Production on The Dead Inside began Friday (January 15th) at 10:00am and wrapped weekend number one on Monday (January 18th) at 10:00pm. To say I was excited going into this project is fair. To say I’m excited after the first weekend of shooting is completely false. Excited is to lame of a word to describe my enthusiasm for it.

I learned a valuable lesson while shooting my short-lived web series, Bartokular. I learned that the most important element on a movie set is the people who surround you. I’ve always preferred working on sets with as few crew members as possible, but instead use a handful of talented, hard working individuals who I love and trust. Sure, with fewer people we all must wear many hats, but the joy of working is intensified. For the scope of this movie I am amazed at what we are producing with so very few people. I’ve been in love with every shot so far, including inserts of coffee mugs and keyboard buttons.

The entire experience seems like a blur that happened years ago, and yet I just dropped off the rental equipment an hour ago. We still have around 15 more days to shoot, but judging from the first four, this is going to be a very unique and incredible film.  I hope anyone who reads this blog will continue to keep tabs on this project, as I think it will excite you as much as it does me. I will keep you posted!

Much love

Travis

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About two and a half years ago my girlfriend hopped on a jet skiing kangaroo and relocated herself from down under, sweetly planting herself into our lovely one-bedroom apartment. At the time I was in the final post-production stages of my latest film, Lo. She was hot off the Melbourne gallery scene where she showcased and sold her photography. It seemed we had both eaten a lot of dirt and were preparing to shit out pearls…but we didn’t. Instead we found that we really enjoyed living together and because it was the beginning of our new life, we took some unintentional time off our art forms. In a way, the excitement of living together for the fist time replaced that gnawing need to create. It was a very full experience and one that not only required a lot of time but was at its best when fully immersed. So art would have to wait. And it did.

Present day. A knock at the chest. “Hello? Who’s there?”

A couple years went by and the two lovers formally known as artists decided it was time to get back to doing what it is they did. Create. Easy-as-pie…Commando war-zone pie. We tried (oh, we tried) to get back on our game. Shannon longed to figure out a new series to photograph, while I sat down at my computer a number of times only to hack up some of the worst drek I’ve ever written.  What the fuck happened to us? It was as if our muses had long packed their bags and hopped aboard a moving train. She was gone. Dried up. Never to return? Sweet Jesus!

Lo was, at the time, doing the film festival circuit. Shannon and I traveled to a few cities and I showed off the movie I was inspired to make three years prior. While the acceptance we received was very positive, I still couldn’t figure out how to get re-inspired. Where the hell did that Muse go and who was she fucking?!? I’ll kill um both!

Boston Underground Film Festival. We eat, we drink, we screen Lo. When it’s all over we head up to New York City for a few days of adventure. There we were in Shannon’s favorite city when she is smacked in the face with a terrible cold. She spent most of our time in NYC in bed. On the last night of our trip, we were both sleeping soundly when I was awaken by one of the creepiest sounds I have ever heard. A moaning. NOT the “Oh yes, right there. That’s the spot you animal!” type of moaning. This was the, “Hello, travis. My name is the Devil” type of moaning. And it was coming right out of my sleeping girlfriends mouth. Inhale. Moan. Inhale. Moan….

At first I dismissed it as her having trouble breathing due to the cold. We arrived back home in California and I forgot all about it…until that night. I was awaken once more buy the moaning from the night before. Only this time a little louder. Only this time a little creepier. For almost a week I endured this. Some nights I would watch her sleep and moan and the thought (the serious thought) went through my mind that she might be possessed. There were nights it spooked me so bad I had to sleep on the couch.

Finally it stopped. Both of us were relieved. Then…a knock at the chest. Can you believe who it was? Both of them. Standing there! As if they had never left. Shannon took hold of her muse and I hugged mine. Together, in beautiful harmony they whispered, “ghost possession musical”. I sat down in front of the glowy screen that had been giving me such pains. I sat down and attacked the keyboard that had forgotten how to string a sentence. I sat down with my inspiration intact. I sat down and wrote, The Dead Inside.

Cheers to the final day of pre-production. Tomorrow Shannon and I step behind the camera and begin, what I am confident is, a very long and inspired lifetime of creating.

Much love

Travis

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I felt a bit guilty last night when I went to bed leaving Shannon (my cinematographer/lover) still working hard on the set of THE DEAD INSIDE. She had been busting her ass all day getting things ready for our Friday start date. I too had been working very hard but in a slightly different way. I couldn’t focus on a single task in front of me because I was mentally exhausted.  Two days until we go to camera and there is one fraking sequence I just can’t wrap my head around…and it’s the one we need to shoot first!

I’ve tried everything. I even took a walk at 11:30pm last night to clear my head but it did me no good. Now I am starting to think I may be over-thinking, which is just as deadly. The problem is I have the crust, I’m just lacking the filling. I see the scene in my head but the execution is off at the beach or something cause I can’t find it. To quote my own movie, “I type, I read, delete and think. Please tell me God’s of art…” It’s a funny little thing when you write an entire movie about the horrors of inspiration and then experience the fuck out of those horrors.

All that being said, I’m super excited to start shooting. It’s been almost three years since I’ve shot a feature and I could ask for no better experience than to work with woman I love most on a musical horror. We’re making something special because we are making this together, and it’s that fact that allows me to breathe a little easier about the haunted sequence. I know that even if I show up to set with no clue how to shoot it, we’ll figure it out right then and there and it will be awesome.

Now if you will excuse me, there’s still a few shafts of hair sticking out of my head that need pulling.

Much love

Travis

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Can ghosts shit their pants? I mean even if they were wearing pants they would be made of the same paranormal goo that the actual ghost was made of. So if one were to believe that a ghost could even (or need to) take a shit, that it would fall right out its ghost ass and through its ghost pants. But even then, the shit would be a ghost as well, so shouldn’t that fall straight through the ground, out the other end of the Earth and on into space?

Well, I’m not a ghost, but I am shitting my human pants a little, because this is the last week of pre-production on my ghost possession musical, The Dead Inside. It’s not that I’m scared. I’ve made three features before this. It’s just I always get this way right before a shoot. All the last minute details. All the money we don’t have but desperately need. The gnawing doubts about artistic choices. It’s enough to force the poop from my ass and into my jeans. I guess we should just call it an all encompassing energy.

The Dead Inside begins official production this Friday. From this point on you will be getting these blog updates on the status of the film, along with photos and video to wet your whistle. I hope you’ll enjoy the journey as much as we will. I can’t tell you how excited I am to start 2010 off with such a bang! The test shoots we performed on Saturday proved that we will, in fact, make a great film. I look forward to sharing it all with you, and then one magic day in the near future having you watch the dream in its entirety.

So here we go. Ghost turds be damned, this is gonna be a wild ride.

Much love

Travis

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Lord knows I hate clichés. One of the biggest being the January 1st, all refreshed, new-battery smiling, ready to make the new year my personal space cowboy journey to king of the universe end journey. It’s a lovely thing to speak romantically of a brand new year. All the shit you’ll accomplish. The villages you’ll plunder. The hearts that will swell in the wake of your monstrous productivity and success.Well I have a small confession to make family, friends and fans…I kinda wanna have sex with Cliché. I mean, look at her…she’s hot! Those long, sexy but familiar legs. Those curvatious good intentions. The hypnotic smokey desire to kiss her all year without tiring. I want to to stick my new years inspiration inside her and I want to last like a porn star. I want my creative shaft to be so long and thick that it will take an entire year (2010 to be on-the-head specific) for the end game juices to travel the distance and propel themselves from the single blast hole that is my dirty metaphor for artistic satisfaction. In short, I have a very busy year ahead of me, and I want to bottle this current inspiration and make 2010 the year of the ME.

Here is a look at my life in art for the next year. Upon writing this new blog entry I am excited and confident that I will be able to accomplish it all with my sword held high and the dragon below me slain. Of course the reality is that time is an evil bitch and that dragon is only pretending to be dead. The only thing I can truly do is lay out my list of goals, hopes and ideas and take them one day at a time. By the end of this (at the moment) wonderful year I hope to look back over this list and see that, for the most part, I did my best for each and every project and was a good son, friend and artist.

My artistic endeavours for 2010 – Movies, writings and web things

Lo

If you follow this blog or really anything I do, then you’re most likely familiar with my feature film, Lo. Last year we took it all over the country (and some parts of the world) screening at film festivals and generating buzz. This year all that  hard work of coming up with an idea, writing the idea, filming the idea and selling the filmed idea has payed off! My romantic demon comedy is having its nationwide DVD release, which means you can finally rent and own a copy all for yourself! The release date couldn’t be more perfect, as the film is about love and we have a February 9th, 2010 release…Valentines week! I’ll be posting alot about Lo over the next month with new trailers and information on how to support and get your own copy. With a little luck and a lot of love, Lo can be a sleeper hit on DVD!

The Dead Inside

With Lo finally finding a home on DVD, it’s time to make another movie! This time around I have decided to tackle a spooky ol’ ghost story and add my own twist to it by making it a musical. Yes, you read that correctly. I am making a ghost possession feature film musical…and it will be awesome. My music collaboration parter, Joel Van Vliet, and I are very excited with how the songs turned out and filming begins January 15th! As the process unfolds I will be doing plenty of blogging and updating about it, along with photos, video and whatever else. Stay tuned!

The Receptionist

Get out your glue sticks everyone and wave um high in the air! The Receptionist is back for season 3 (yes, I’m actually labeling my web series with seasons)! There will be a lot going on in 2010 with your favorite phone answering, construction paper lovin’ desk jockey. All new episodes along with DVD’s and T-shirts coming soon.

The Baby Eaters

Everyone’s (or no one’s) favorite low-brow, low-rent, high laughs comedy trio is back for more offensively bizarre humor. The Baby Eaters has been a cathartic artistic outlet for a couple years now and it’s still goingstrong. Just me and two of my best buddies getting together with some drinks, turning the camera on and making the comedy flow. With everything else I do being so structured, it’s great to be able to relax and just have fun in a creative way. TBE strong in the 2010!

Flick Fights

Fellow Baby Eater Devin Barry and I started our first pod cast late last year and discovered what a joy it was to do. Based off the highly addictive website FlickChart, each week we sit down with a new special guests and let the computer randomly generate two movies. From there we discuss why one is better then the other. Simple as that. We do an hour show every Wednesday and can be heard at FlickChart and downloaded off iTunes.

My…ACTING career???

2010 will bring a whole new exciting challenge into my life. Seems I have been cast in a leading role in a feature film in which I can speak nothing about. Apparently the director thinks I’m ready for my close up, so I will give him a I got. Being an actor for once is going to be heaven. I’m always a bit jealous of them on set as they tend to have it made. Wait around all day, then do your thing, then wait around some more. That’s not to say they don’t work their asses off on their character, but not having to detail with the technical issues of film for once will be a much needed vacation for me. When i am allowed to talk more about the project I will be posting here for sure. Just know this…it’s gonna be awesome.

www.TravisBetz.com

Finally we arrive at the main hub. The home base for all my art and information. My personal and professional writings as well as promotions, videos and all out tomfoolery. Last year I started strong out of the gate with this website and then fizzled out when I got crazy busy. This year I have made a few changes to the way I approach things and I am hoping to keep this website up as much as possible. With all that is going on there will be a lot to say, so I hope you will join me for the ride. Sometimes it may be a lot of information so I will always try to keep it entertaining. If you haven’t already, please sign up for this websites email updater or put me on your reader. This is the best way to stay informed with my life. It all makes its way to these electronic pages.

Thank you to everyone who supported me last year. Thank you to all who are sticking around this year. Thank you to the new comers and the old goers. With out all of you, my art would sit under my bed head of obscurity. I wish you all a most amazing year.

Much Love

Travis

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People of Earth! For the many of you who visit my site regularly you mot likely know me as THE RECEPTIONIST. If you don’t…well….catch up!

This year I am trying to take my little web series to the next level. That level is winning an award for my hard work and humor. The Streamy’s is basically the Academy Awards for web shows. It would be just dandy if you take a very short breath from your life, click the link and nominate me! The cool thing is, if you’re really dedicated you can do this once a day…but I’ll be more than happy with just the one nom.

Here’s all the info you will need:

Click HERE

Category : Best Comedy Series

Series Name: THE RECEPTIONIST

Series URL: www.youtube.com/thereceptionist

To all who help me I sincerely thank you. I could not ask for a cooler and more supportive audience.

Much love

Travis

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For as low-brow and gross-out as The Baby Eaters can get, it’s a nice to see some scenes of tender hope come out of our improvised darkness. This one tickles me warm for some reason. Hope you will enjoy its simplicity.

Much love

Travis

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Nothing like a family musical slaughter to get your day going! Here is my latest construction paper creation. Enjoy!

Much love
Travis

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These are just our thoughts on your face.

Much love
Travis

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I couldn’t resist. I had to make one more Halloween themed Receptionist episode. This one explores the fictional origins of how the Jack-O-Lantern may have come to be. Enjoy, and happy Halloween to everyone!

Much love

Travis

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