No Budget Films
The 2017 Films
The Crocodile of Lornwood Lake (2017)
Release Date: January 6th, 2017
Director: Nathan Nguyen
Written by: Nathan Nguyen and Shotaro Watanabe
Photography by: Nathan Nguyen, Cooper Loundy, and Ian Kennedy
Edited by: Nathan Nguyen
Puppeteering by Nathan Nguyen
Cast:
Cooper Loundy as Cooper
Ian Kennedy as Ian
Nathan Nguyen as Mysterious Agent
What began as an ordinary fishing trip goes horribly wrong as the mythical Crocodile of Lornwood Lake goes on the attack.
Production notes:
There's this reservoir by my old house, where I'd sometimes take my dogs on walks. On one cloudy day as I looked out onto the lake on one of my strolls, I had the idea of making some sort of lake monster movie. I didn't know what the monster would be yet, but I had a rough idea of what I wanted the atmosphere of the film to be like: Gray, and dark. I knew I wouldn't want the monster to be a dinosaur like in many of my other films, so I started considering various modern-day animals instead. I thought about using a shark or a giant snake, but finally I settled on a giant crocodile (I always did think crocodiles were cool). Filming began in November 2016 and concluded in December of the same year. Two crocodile props were used in the film— one hand puppet which only included the head, and one full body plastic crocodile which I utilized for the tail scenes. During filming, the weather was often far less cloudy than I had hoped, but we made do with the footage we had. To save time, the script was still incomplete for much of the shooting, and the ending wasn't even written until right before it was filmed. I hadn't anticipated being in the movie, and as a result the opening credits don't actually list me as an actor. The editing was more demanding than expected, and at one point I required 20+ layers for all the special effects.
Dino Duels Ep. 2: Spinosaurus vs Carnotaurus (2017)
Release Date: January 25th, 2017
Director: Nathan Nguyen
Story by: Nathan Nguyen
Photography by: Nathan Nguyen
Edited by: Nathan Nguyen
Puppeteering by: Nathan Nguyen
In this second installment of Dino Duels, a tenacious Carnotaurus takes on the largest of all theropods: Spinosaurus.
Production notes:
The second entry in my puppet fighting series. As with the first episode, I filmed the footage in a single day in my backyard. But unlike the previous episode, this time I was quite certain of who would win. Carnotaurus is cool and all, but I just don't see it winning against the hulking behemoth that is Spinosaurus. Speaking of the Spinosaurus, this is actually its third appearance in No Budget Films—after Spinosaurus Attack (2015) and Top Predators (2016). Another difference between this episode and the previous one is that blood is used a little more conservatively (at least the physical fake blood; the digital blood is everywhere). That brutal, bloody end scene was inspired by another YouTube video titled Kong vs Spinosaurus, by the user Kingkongkessler.
T-REX VS SPINOSAURUS: Dino Duels Ep. 3 (2017)
Release Date: February 26th, 2017
Director: Nathan Nguyen
Story by: Nathan Nguyen
Photography by: Nathan Nguyen and Thomas Nguyen
Edited by: Nathan Nguyen
Puppeteering by: Nathan Nguyen and Thomas Nguyen
For years, it has been a hotly debated topic: Who would win in a fight, T-Rex or Spinosaurus? Here is my take on the classic matchup, as requested!
Production notes:
Oh boy, this is the big one! The matchup I always knew would happen eventually, the endlessly debated fight that's been discussed time and time again since Jurassic Park III hit theaters in 2001. Because there's so many people who feel very strongly about this matter, I knew that I would have to make this video something truly special, a cut above the rest. It was the first Dino Duels episode ever to have an actual script written for it, and is also the first to feature a location that isn't my backyard... (yeah I kinda needed a river for this fight). In addition, I also didn't film this alone like I usually do, but enlisted the help of my friend Thomas to assist with some of the more complex shots. And complex shots there were indeed! Numerous green screen shots, aquatic combat, and various fight sequences that required two people to control both puppets. One challenge during filming was the fact that the T-Rex puppet is seriously falling apart after so many years of use, but luckily we managed to hide that well enough. As for the final outcome of this fight, I decided to go with a tie to try and be fair to both sides of the debate. Ultimately, we do not really KNOW which of these beasts would actually win in a smackdown—and the ending of this video reflects that.
Fart Fraternity 2: Civil War (2017)
Release Date: March 30, 2017
Co-Directed by: Nathan Nguyen, Natalia Nguyen, Kaveh Nasseri, and Saam Nasseri
Story by: Nathan Nguyen, Natalia Nguyen, Kaveh Nasseri, and Saam Nasseri
Photography by: Nathan Nguyen
Edited by: Nathan Nguyen
Cast:
Kaveh Nasseri as Max
Saam Nasseri as Fake Matt/Adam Sandler
Natalia Nguyen as Terrified Passerby
(Anonymous) as Matt
The sequel to 2015's Fart Fraternity, set two years after the Great Fart Cataclysm. We find our hero, Max, in an emotional turmoil after the apparent demise of his fellow frat member, Matt. Haunted by a vengeful spirit form of Matt, Max embarks on an incredible emotional journey to overcome Matt's ghost and prove his farts superior once and for all.
Production notes:
One day, my sister and I were hanging out with the same friend group with whom we had made Fart Fraternity a couple years back. And naturally, we thought it would be hilarious to revisit that oddity of a film by making a sequel. This film's style is slightly different from the previous entry, presenting itself as a deep emotional journey—which makes it all the more hilarious, given the silly premise. Watching this film without first watching Fart Fraternity 1 might be pretty confusing though. Who's that guy in the bed? What's he dreaming about? And who's that weirdo in the mask? As with the first Fart Fraternity, we completely improvised the plot. The only reason we added a "Fake Matt" played by a different guy in the majority of the film was simply because the original actor wasn't available during most of the day (baseball practice). Maybe some people will think we just couldn't get a hold of him anymore, only to be surprised at his appearance at the end of the film.
Dino Duels Ep. 4: Carnotaurus vs Allosaurus (2017)
Release Date: April 5th, 2017
Director: Nathan Nguyen
Story by: Nathan Nguyen
Photography by: Nathan Nguyen
Edited by: Nathan Nguyen
Cast:
Puppeteering by Nathan Nguyen
It's the underdog warrior versus the most notorious predator of the Jurassic. Who will win?
Production notes:
By this stage of the Dino Duels series, the votes have become numerous enough so that it's easy to see what the public wants. And this time, the masses chose Carnotaurus vs Allosaurus as the next fight. In order to make the locations of the fights a bit more varied, I ventured into this bushy area next to my house that looks a lot like a forest if filmed right. In the miniature world of Dino Duels, pine needles became vines and sticks became tree trunks. The video was filmed over the course of two days, because after the first day I wasn't sure if I had filmed enough so I added a whole extended segment taking place after the dinosaurs exit the forest. Many close-up shots were used, out of necessity because neither of the puppets are full body puppets. But these close-ups work in the film's favor, I think, because when you're closer to the action it brings up the intensity. For the outcome of the battle, I decided this would be Carnotaurus' victory. Poor guy loses too much.