HISTORY

In the Beginning,...
Shannon "Shaggy72" Shaw was a slacker all his life. Nothing interested him and he wasn't any good at any hobby he tried. For a few years after receiving a camcorder for Christmas, Shannon recorded family gatherings like Christmas, birthdays, and a few weddings. He even made one or two really silly, pointless, horrible short films, but since he lived out in the middle of no where with no cast available (and his parents refused to let him stay after school at friends houses, because they would have to drive to town to pick him up), he had no inspiration or motivation to pursue film making.

Inspiration hits...
Then, in 2006, the internet brought us YOUTUBE!!! Shannon was sitting at home, in CONSTANT AGONY, suffering from a hurt back. Unemployed, broke, and bored; waiting for doctor appointments to fix him or a lawyer to get him disability. He surfed around and searched under "Terminator" for his favorite movie franchise. Lo and behold, home-made terminator movies on You Tube popped up. The VERY FIRST video on You Tube he ever watched was the two parody "trailers" for Johnnyswitchblade's "Terminator 4: Fall of the Machines." These shorts were very creative for teenagers with a zero budget, and they were so witty, and funny they made Shannon laugh harder than he did in years! Next, he searched "Zombies". Lo & behold, ANOTHER JohnnySwitchblade short, "Zombie Train", popped up. This one reminded Shannon of his long lost dream of being a film maker, a dream that, due to no available cast, lasted a whole day or two. He kept imagining how much fun he would have while making a movie like this "Zombie Train". Another search, "Silent Hill" based on his favorite video game, revealed a thirty+ minute epic production by zero-budget Besthorrormovies Reece & Ryan O'Connell in Ireland. This film was beyond awesome; it inspired Shannon. One, final search, "Nightmare elm street", another cool franchise that Shannon liked, revealed, yet ANOTHER epic production by Besthorrormovies, "Nightmares". THAT production motivated Shannon to the point that, "If some teenagers can do something this fantastic on no budget, I should at least TRY to do it myself." Thus, "Shaggy72" on YouTube was born. "LoneStar Pictures" was created. Lone Star is the nickname of his home state of Texas, so, BANGO! There you have it.

LoneStar Pictures begins!
A contest emerged on YouTube. An idea formed in Shaggy72's head. With all his friends and families either uninterested or busy with their own lives, hobbies, and relationships, Shannon used the only resource available to him: his friend's teenage kids. A movie was filmed, "My Brother's Keeper".
The behind the scenes details of that and other "LoneStar Pictures" films can be found on this site.
With each project, Shaggy72 and the cast learn more and more to improve their craft. Where this leads is anyone's guess. However, Shannon "Shaggy72" Shaw is eternally grateful to each member of his cast for allowing him to fulfill a dream-hobby. It allows him to "live" again amidst all the physical pain he is going through at the time (Pain Pills are your friends during shooting)!
Making these movies was the first time that Shannon found something, ANYTHING, in his life that interested him. He enjoys EVERY aspect of the process, from editing to music, from cinematography to 'directing' the acting. He found a reason to get out of bed. And THAT, was the first step on his road back to a normal life, excruciating back pain or not.
Although "Refugee" and "Kidnapped" were purely learning experiences, the knowledge gained from "My Brother's Keeper" to "Insanely Sane" was invaluable. And somewhere along the way, Shannon realized what he was doing and what he wanted to accomplish. (See "Mission Statement")

RESILIENCE PRODUCTIONS!
In 2018 it was decided that in order to finance and sustain this very expensive and collaborative passion, we would have to become as professional as possible. Too much time and money will be spent on these projects and we don't want to waste anyone's time, either making a movie or viewing it.
One of two reasons for this decision: resources, or lack of money. One method of generating revenue is by placing our videos onto Amazon Prime and other platforms beyond the increasingly volatile (and free) Youtube. The best course of action under the circumstances is to become a legitimate independent production studio, regardless of how small the budgets.
The other reason to become "professional" is relying on unreliable friends and family to act and crew positions became extremely problematic. Four years in a row money and time was wasted on starting productions that people simply dropped out of. Four years and almost $5,000 of incurred debt but NOTHING to show for it. From 2019 forward, the lead roles and any major supporting roles will (hopefully) be manned by trained or aspiring actors who take the art seriously and will see the project through to the end.
At the onset, reimbursing actors and crew for their time and effort will be difficult if not impossible. There is barely enough personal funds of Shannon to pay for the production, much less catering or even a salary. But, hopefully, somehow - Amazon Prime?, crowd funding? - this will not be an issue for long. So, for now, these productions will be a labor of love, simply to show what we are capable of and putting out thought-provoking, entertaining movies.