| Empty Box Pictures, Inc. |
 |
| Welcome to the official site of Empty Box Pictures, formerly known as Fries-Films. It is my amateur film-making company. Founded in 1996 with a short and very unprofessional film, The Negative Family, it has grown a lot since then. In 1999, I got my own camcorder, and immediately began experimenting. In late 1999 I started making "legomation" movies, stop-motion animated shorts that used legos instead of clay. Since early 2001 I have been making almost exclusively live-action shorts, but new things are just around the corner. In September 2002, Fries-Films was renamed Empty Box Pictures, because it no longer just produces films made by myself. My friends Nancy and Joel both help with many of the productions. In the summer of 2003 I purchased a Canon GL2 for filming, and in the summer of 2004 I purchased a computer with a DVD burner and Pinnacle Studio 9 for editing. These are tributes to my efforts to make films of the highest quality possible. This site is divided into several sections, described below: What's New - Info on films in production, new innovations, or upcoming projects. [see below] Chronology - A description of all the Empty Box & Fries-Films movies made so far. Actors - Brief bios and filmographies of the actors that have appeared in these films. G.O.F.R.S. - My official film rating system. Fries Frame Productions - Documentaries and special event filming. |
 |
| What's New |
| Menu |
| In Production... |
| Currently several films are in production here at Empty Box Pictures. The Pocketknife II, the long awaited sequel to the 1999 hit The Pocketknife, was shot in summer 2003. It will be released sometime in 2006 or 2007. Good & Evil, The Enemy, Darn Rock, and The Basketball Movie were all filmed in 2003-04, but need to be edited. Inside the Dark Ink, currently in production, is a breakthrough film for Empty Box Pictures. It will be close to feature length, include a completely original soundtrack, and is my third production to use a script. We plan to submit it to film festivals with the hope that it may be released in theaters or on DVD and video. It is a romantic comedy/ suspense thriller with a clever twist. It will be released in late 2006 or 2007. |
| Contact... |
| Fries-Films Studios, Belleville, IL gmfmail@juno.com Gass Green Acres Studios, Freeburg, IL |
| Other News |
| 7/4/03 - Joel Gass has drawn up a mission statement and list of rules for the company, which I hope to post online shortly. |
 |
| Sony DCR-TR416 (Video 8) 1999-2003 JVC Digital CyberCam (Mini DV) 2001-2002 Sony DCR-TRV18 (Mini DV) 2002-present Canon GL2 (Mini DV) 2003-present |
|
| Cameras Used |
 |
| Richarlie's House, the lego location where many of the lego movies were filmed. Shown is the blob chasing Indiana Bones. |
| Abandoned Productions |
| The Stolen Disk, a continuation of the Pink Panther series. It began production in early 2001, and was finally abandoned late in 2003 due to the aging of the actors and discrepancies in the quality of cinematography and acting from the scenes shot in 2001 to the scenes shot later. Captain Stan, a superhero spoof where the main character looks like an ear of corn, began pre-production and preliminary filming in 2003, but was quickly abandoned. The Assassin, about a man who hires the title character to bump off his unfaithful wife, began production in 2002 but was abandoned by 2004. |