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| About VanSessions - Through a series of Interviews with the VS boys |
[february 24, 2007 - interview with Andy, Brandon, Jim and Rob
John Everyman says:
We're having such horrible weather.
Jim says:
I bet you are!
Rob says: Bastard
John Everyman says: Alright so we better get started, we have a few questions to get through. The fans are dying to know!
Andy says: Bring it.
John Everyman says: We'll start with an easy one. This is from Jen up in Prince George. She says, there seem to be trends in how the responsibilities of making your video's are divided (Rob- editing, Jim- original music, etc...). Are the members of VanSessions ‘assigned’ certain jobs, or are they based on the person’s strengths/preferences?
Rob says: I fear responsibility.
Brandon says: We're not really assigned any permenant job. Things have changed a lot over the years. Rob started editing alot more as of season 2 and since then has done, by my guess, 80% of the editing. In the end though ANY of the VS members could edit a sketch if they really wanted to do it. Perfect example is when Dan edited 'A Halloween Tale'.
Andy says: My video was awesome.
Rob says: Ya, you can see his video at the info centre in Prince Rupert. Class act.
Andy says: Its like condensed from 9 hours of footage with this awesome techno song
Jim says: Everyone in the group has their particular strengths and resources that do suit certain responsibilities. In the case of music, it has mostly just been a case of myself having the tools for the job. However, I have not composed most of the music for the sketches. In fact, Rob and Brandon have also done this job probably just as much as I have, and even then we have other friends that also contribute, such as Brandon's brother Jordan and our friend Chris Marcinkiewicz. The music could be coming from anywhere, so that's definitely not something that I have exclusive jurisdiction over.
Brandon says: Jim is modest. He's also just really good at creating music.
Rob says: My biggest job in the VS crew is to eat gross things on camera. I have a bunch of little jobs that stem around upkeep of the site and attempting to make our weekly goals. It may seem that I do a lot of the work to get the videos to the web, and thats true. But it's also my fault. I'm the one who set those goals for us.
Jim says: It helps keep us on track.
Andy says: No one has really been assigned jobs its true, but when it boils down to it there are some definate destinctions that should be made. Rob = Editor, website guru, director and camera guy. Jim = absentee vote and, original score composer. Brandon = occasional edits, camera guy, partial director and, chief reminiscer of old "VS" stuff that was done long before anyone can remember. Dan = picker up of the slack, team motivator and focuser. And myself = uhhh whatever, boom jr. and resident pretty boy.
As well there are jobs that everyone partakes in somewhat equally, and they are acting, boom holding (this is new), and idea brewing.
John Everyman says: Sounds solid. Now continuing on, if you guys could (either individually or collectively) pick out the video’s you found most enjoyable to make and least enjoyable to make, which would they be, and why?
Brandon says: For me the most enjoyable to make so far was the What Of Brandon series. We were doing all kinds of cheap effects, using all kinds of fun locations and involving more background performers than ever before. Not to mention it was all focused on me...and I'm pretty into that...
Rob says: That was a really fun video to film, if rushed.
Brandon says: As for the least enjoyable, most recently, is Premonitions. I think of the whole group I like this one the most, but the memory of making isn't pleasant. IT was the end of a long weekend of filming and partying. Our energy was tapped yet we forced ourselves to come up with another sketch.
Jim says: The rap video was fun, but getting covered in iced tea wasn't fun, but then looking at it on video it's really fun. Footrace looks fun, but it was ridiculously freezing out for most of that sketch. I agree completely with Brandon on the matter of Premonitions. A long weekend wrapping up, and we pinched out one final loaf of creativity and rushed it so much. Still fun to do and good for the mind once in awhile to force creativity, but only once in awhile! The Jim Bio was fun because it was all about me! But as for a video that was the most enjoyable to make? I'm hard pressed to think of what that would be for me. They're all fun and they all have positive memories to them, and negative ones too (ie. weather! Stuff happens!)
Andy says: Most enjoyable for me are the shorter vids like the cobbler, Brandon's night out and "What's your thing?". These are the most enjoyable, cause they all come about when we're sitting around thinking of something more difficult and involved to film. Then we come up with one solid and simple idea that makes us all laugh and in turn (hopefully) makes the audience laugh.
Brandon says: It was fun to beat you up a bit too.
Andy says: Ones that I have a hard time filming are ones with more obscure scripts that I can't really grasp. Sometimes I just have no idea what the overall goal of the film is supposed to be and that makes it difficult to understand. My chief example here is probably "awesome box".
Rob says: Based entirely on my feelings at this moment, I'm going to have say that "the cobbler" was the most fun sketch to film recently. Although during that sketch I was in a really uncomfortable position. If we're talking the entire expanse of time and space that is vansessions, I'd look back to season 1 stuff (that would be labelled "old videos"). Videos during that time were really simple and took very little time to film. Of course, they're not as entertaining to watch as some of our "well done" pieces, but they were purely fun. On that note, I'd say Parkade Ghost was the most enjoyable film I've ever been involved with. I may watch it and shudder at my "acting" but it was a great way to spend an evening. And I got a real sense of accomplishment to see it all done.
More to come in this interview
[september 08, 2006 - interview with Rob, 'Brandon and Jim' and Dan. Brandon and Jim were chatting from the same account.]
John Everyman says:
Ok guys, thanks for joining me today.
Rob says: Our pleasure!
John Everyman says:
So, how long has VanSessions been in operation?
'Brandon and Jim' says:
years
Rob says:
I think the first thing we filmed was in 2001 actually. Cops - Episode 001?
'Brandon and Jim' says:
Yeah probably the first time Jim dan and I hung out with Robbie
John Everyman says:
And how long has the website been active?
Rob says:
Since 2002 I think. The first digital short up was "Pogos". A silly commercial.
'Brandon and Jim' says:
man back when we did nothing but commercials and talk shows
Rob says:
Hey, those were good times!
John Everyman says:
So have you been doing weekly updates since 2002 then?
Rob says:
Hells no. That's just our goal. It's only been in the last couple of years that we've actually managed to update semi-regularily.
'Brandon and Jim' says:
I believe the weekly updates were Rob's call and I think he's beared the grunt of trying to meet that deadline.
John Everyman says:
And how many videos have you actually completed since that time?
'Brandon and Jim' says:
Oh lord
Rob says:
That's a hard question to answer... theres been a lot of unused stuff, or at least stuff that hasn't seen the light of the internet.
John Everyman says:
If you had to guess?
Rob says:
I'd estimate near 100, including all the misc stuff.
'Brandon and Jim' says:
I'm a terrible estimater
Rob says:
He is.
'Brandon and Jim' says:
Even guesstimating. Can't do it.
John Everyman says:
That's a damn shame. Now, I'm going to have to ask the difficult question here. - Why?
'Brandon and Jim' says:
I dunno....in elementary school they were teaching us to get answers right then all the sudden there was a chapter on Estimating. I was crazy talk.
Rob says:
You're a rambler too.
'Brandon and Jim' says:
"What? What? I can put what ever I THINK the answer is and it'll be right?" Their teaching Anarchy in elementary schools...that's all I have to say about that...pure chaos.
John Everyman says:
Ok, let me specify. Why do videos? Why put stuff up on the net, if you're not making anything off it? And you're not making anything off of it, are you?
'Brandon and Jim' says:
not a dime
Dan says:
It's fun man. I think it's cool to let people see what we enjoy doing.
'Brandon and Jim' says:
It's a way of accomplishment.
Dan says:
Ya
'Brandon and Jim' says:
We can share ourselves with others. Boost our Giant bohemeth egos.
Rob says:
That's true. And plus you have to create your own things to do when you're in Rupert. That's where we're from, Prince Rupert.
John Everyman says:
How so?
'Brandon and Jim' says:
back in the day we weren't into drinking our youth away
Rob says:
Now we're drinking our young adulthood away
'Brandon and Jim' says:
haha
Dan says:
while filming though
Rob says:
Yes of course, while filming. We'll keep that up.
'Brandon and Jim' says:
I don't know how much that's helped or hindered
Dan says:
we'll try anyway
Rob says:
Personally, it keeps me sharp, helps me stretch my creative muscles.
'Brandon and Jim' says:
yeah we're all creative people and if you don't let that out...it's just too much...
Dan says:
drunken conversations leads to interesting talk that leads to sketch ideas the day after
Rob says:
That's a fact.
'Brandon and Jim' says:
you'd start wearing turtlenecks if you couldn't let it out right
Dan says:
God. Gross.
Rob says:
Ya I have to agree with Brandon right there, if I don't have an outlet... not the turtle neck thing, but if you don't have an outlet, it can be really harsh. Down right depressing really. VS is an outlet.
'Brandon and Jim' says:
Kind of like the bank
John Everyman says:
Well thanks for answering my questions for the moment guys, I'll pick it up later, after we get some more questions from the general viewers.
Dan says:
k
Rob says:
Thanks John, keep it nominal
Dan says:
always
'Brandon and Jim' says:
Yeah dude Jim and Bran out
Do you have questions? They'll get asked in the next interview! Send your questions to John Everyman! (vansessions@hotmail.com)
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