WHAT DID WE LEARN ON THE SHOW TONIGHT, CRAIG?
A LOT!!!! From making a fight sequence look real and not fake - even though you don't want to injure the actor, to directing natural dialogue, to being realistic and smart about scheduling and salary considerations.
But, the biggest trick I take from this one, is the art of REVERSE ACTING - especially being aware of where your arms, etc need to be when doing something in reverse. For example: throwing the cell phone up in the air, then reversing it to appear as though you are catching it without looking. One tends to leave their arm ganging in mid-air once we throw the phone, but this looks awkward and pre-planned when reversing the footage. So, against instincts, one must quickly lower their arm as soon as you throw and release the object. And, remember where you want the object at the end of the shot, thus, you need to keep it there when you START the reverse acting, or it will simply lower out of frame/start from of frame.
Refugee was basically one huge learning experience.
The final product is barely watchable, but the experience taught Shaggy72 valuable lessons for future projects.

2008 "After Hours" contest entry.

THE STORY...
Computer hacker Austin is paid to work his cyber-magic for some shady characters. Austin inserts the CD containing his instructions. He is shocked by what appears on the screen. He decides right then and there he will have no part in this. However, he chooses to keep the money. He buries the money to keep it safe (!?) until this all blows over.
Austin takes a jog at the local track. Meanwhile, sitting in the stands, Kevin is studying for a test. He is obviously not doing too well. In a moment of frustration, Kevin throws the book to the track, barely missing Austin as he passes by. Austin returns the book and decides to help Kevin with the studying.
Later, in the middle of nowhere, Kevin approaches a car, stranded on the side of the road, hood up. Brandon, Kevin's big brother, is sitting on the back of his car talking on his cell phone. His friends are unwilling to take the extra 20 minutes to pick him up; Brandon is on his own.
Kevin greets his brother. Kevin may not be book-smart, but he knows engines; Kevin has the car running in no time.
As Brandon drives along the road, Kevin tells him to pull over. Kevin gets out of the car and runs down the road, toward a house.
In a backyard, Austin has been double-teamed, getting the crap beat out of him by the people that hired him earlier. Kevin rushes in and tackles the Thugs. He takes them both by surprise and gains the upper hand. Brandon shows up to even the odds. The thugs leave with a sinister warning to Austin.
Austin thanks Kevin and Brandon and everyone goes their own way.
In the car, Brandon is surprised at the aggressiveness his quiet, little brother has displayed. Kevin reveals how inferior he feels in a classroom, but explains that once that school bell rings, it's a new game.
The next day, Kevin is playing video games with Austin. As Kevin leaves, he is sucker punched at the door by one of the thugs, who then kicks the crap out of Kevin as he lays on the floor unconscious. The thug jumps the couch and presses a gun against Austin's forehead.​To be continued... NOT!

THE MAKING OF...
Casting problems plagued the production every hour. Both male and female leads had to be replaced; Ultimately, the female lead was changed to the protagonist's big brother. Thus, the story had to be completely revised.

WTF?
"Refugee" was our second epic short.
The trailer was temporarily available to view, but that's all the public will ever see.
The contest was to make a pilot for a web series that would last seven parts.
The theme was "after hours"; how people can change after the clock hits a certain hour.

In the backyard scene, a wrecked, white truck can be seen in the driveway. It was that very truck that caused yet another delay in filming. The same day we were to start filming, the cast went to go fishing. When they returned home, the truck was wrecked, and our lead actor had a broken arm!
Due to the casting crisis, Shannon was unsure if he would even attempt to film this project. But, on the final day, due to it being a rather "simple" story with almost no effects, the film was on! Unfortunately, after all the delays, filming began 11 hours before the deadline.
The countdown was on!

In six hours, everything was filmed with one or two takes each, then we moved on.
The performances suffered due to a) the rush on time, and b) half the actors were not at all the least bit excited about doing this production.
Unfortunately, Shaggy72 couldn't edit, render, and upload the project before the deadline passed.