Michael Scott (filmmaker)

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Michael "Dorkman" Scott (born March 26, 1983) is a Los Angeles, CA-based independent filmmaker, best known for his visual effects work in Star Wars-related films Ryan vs. Dorkman (RVD) and its sequel Ryan vs. Dorkman 2 (RVD2), which he co-created with Ryan Wieber. The films have received a great deal of recognition on the Internet, with the former reaching #2 in Google Video's "Top 100" ranking in May 2006.^[1]. As of March 26, 2007, RVD has been viewed almost 1.5 million times on Google Video, and over 1.2 million times on YouTube, and RVD2 has been viewed over 430,000 times on YouTube and has 18 Honors.

1 Ryan vs. Dorkman
2 The Monkey's Paw
3 Ryan vs Dorkman 2
4 Other fan film work
5 Notes
6 External Links

[edit] Ryan vs. Dorkman

Ryan vs. Dorkman has become the most celebrated lightsaber duel in fanfilm history.

Ryan vs. Dorkman (often abbreviated by fans as RvD) was first released to the internet on March 1, 2003. It was produced as an entry in a lightsaber choreography competition hosted by TheForce.net, a prominent Star Wars fan site noted for its fan film-making community. According to the official TFN entry for the film, the backstory involves Ryan and Michael, or Ryan_W and DorkmanScott, as they are known on TheForce.net's forums, meeting after their friendly online rivalry over who is the better saber artist escalates too far. The fight to the death will determine once and for all who is the most skilled with a saber.

Though fan-made lightsaber duels were already commonplace on the internet at the time of its release, RvD gained attention due to the quality of the lightsaber special effects, which some compared to the visual effects created by Industrial Light and Magic.^[2] It was also lauded for its careful and clear cinematography and its fight choreography, praised by some fans as being equal to or even surpassing the fighting showcased in actual franchise films.

In the spring of 2006, the short became a viral video after being posted on such websites as eBaumsworld, CollegeHumor, and (arguably the biggest boost in its popularity and visibility) the front page of YouTube as a "Featured Video." The YouTube video officially surpassed one million views on January 30, 2007, along with tens of thousands of hits at other sites.

A version of the film uploaded to Google Video also surpassed one million views.

[edit] The Monkey's Paw

Before Ryan vs. Dorkman 2 was released, Scott directed and starred in an adaptation of W. W. Jacobs' The Monkey's Paw. Teresa Berkin costarred as the mother. Although some liberties were taken from the original story--the name of the family, the way the family got the paw, the father dying instead of the son, etc--the film was well received on TheForce.Net's fanfilms forum. The film is available on YouTube.

[edit] Ryan vs Dorkman 2

After the sudden and tremendous resurgence in popularity of RvD, Wieber and Scott announced in May 2006 that they would be producing a sequel. Ryan vs. Dorkman 2 (RvD2) was shot in Atlanta, Georgia in August 2006 and has been released worldwide.

On December 15, 2006, the filmmakers released a sneak peek of the sequel on YouTube, which established the official release date as March 1, 2007. (View at YouTube)^[3]

The film's score was recorded on February 11, 2007 with a 57 piece orchestra at Capitol Studios in Hollywood. To accomplish this goal, film composers Gordy Haab and Kyle Newmaster donated their time and talents to the project. The film's creators used a PayPal link to solicit donations from fans, in order to pay the musicians. M.B Gordy (lead percussionist from Battlestar Galactica) provides the percussion.

Though the internet release was March 1, 2007, the filmmakers announced a premiere screening of the movie, open to the public, on February 24, 2007 at the Wilshire Fine Arts Theatre, Los Angeles. The film was also be screening, the same evening, across the country at the New York Comic Con, and the filmmakers have mentioned the possibility of a screening in London, England before the internet release.

Ryan vs. Dorkman 2 was released as scheduled on March 1, 2007. (View at YouTube)

[edit] Other fan film work

[edit] The 65th Sense

Michael contributed the visual effects to this USC student thesis film, a parody of The Sixth Sense. This was his first visual effects job.

[edit] The Formula

Michael was a visual effects supervisor for the Star Wars fanfilm 'The Formula', directed by Chris Hanel and Steve Phelan. It was during the post-production process of this film that he felt the workload was too heavy, and brought Ryan Wieber, who would also earn the credit of visual effects supervisor, on board. This was their first direct collaboration on a project, and ultimately led to a friendship between the two former rivals.

[edit] Contract of Evil

An exploration of Darth Maul's past, pre-Phantom Menace, the film features a battle between two other Sith Lords, Darth Wroth and Darth Anarcis. Michael was post-production/visual effects supervisor on the film.