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Meet the Filmmaker: John Aden, “Against Sand”

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
JA: A school friend showed me his claymation of a dinosaur eating a man’s head and then pooping. I said to myself, “That’s what I want to do!” I went home and used my father’s home video camera (relatively new technology at the time that cost him $3,000) to make my own claymation – of a dinosaur eating a man’s head and then pooping.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
JA: On the soon-to-be-lost island of Atlantis, citizens are protesting an unpopular government mandate. Do sandbags mean safety or a loss of freedom? Find out in this COVID-themed toon by Shocking Beyond Belief Films.

Q: What else are you working on?
JA: We at Shocking Beyond Belief Films are in pre-production for the pilot of Anomaly, a TV show of Steampunk meets The Love Boat meets Star Trek.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
JA: We try to make sensational films with a political theme. Here Come the Brides!, for instance, was gay marriage meets Reefer Madness. It is important for us to be able to be relevant in the day’s political climate.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
JA: shockingbeyondbelief.com

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
JA: We love screening our projects at EFP and truly appreciate the support it gives to local filmmakers. We also have our premieres at the Bug.

Against Sand will screen during The Emerging Filmmakers Project on Thursday, September 16th, 2021 at The Bug Theatre.

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Meet the Filmmakers: John Aden and Ellen K. Graham, “Minerva Black and the Killer Robot Army” (preview)

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
J&E: We started Shocking Beyond Belief Films to comment on the current political climate through sensational genre films.

Q: What are we going to see at EFPalooza? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
J&E: This is the trailer for our upcoming web series Minerva Black and the Killer Robot Army. In the vein of the old Saturday matinee cliffhangers (i.e., Flash Gordon), the six-part serial tells the story of a small-town newspaper reporter who takes on a greedy corporation and its army of killer robots in a comically fierce takedown of government’s love of corporate money. We had the world premiere of all six episodes at the Bug in November. We are currently submitting the series to film festivals.

Q: What else are you working on?
J&E: Our next project will be Anomaly, a TV series. Think steampunk plus Star Trek divided by Love Boat.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
J&E: Interestingly, we were a filmmaker (John) and a playwright (Ellen) long before we met, but it wasn’t until after we were married that we decided to try to collaborate.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
J&E: ShockingBeyondBelief.com.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about EFPalooza or The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
J&E: We are always honored to show our films at EFP and the Bug. Here Come the Brides!, The Gulon, and Tearfully So (other SBB projects) all got their premieres at EFP and the Bug.

Minerva Black and the Killer Robot Army (preview) will screen Saturday, February 23rd at 3:00 p.m. at The Bug Theatre as part of the Colorado Sneak Peek block during the 2019 EFPalooza Film Festival.