Damn Fine Video
“When people ask me if I went to film school I tell them, ‘No, I went to films’.”—Quentin Tarantino
Humans love stories. So much so that by 2022 it’s predicted that 82% of global Internet traffic will come from streaming video and downloads. We like movies. A lot. In 2019 Internet users watched an average of six hours and 48 minutes of video every week.†
Share your stories.
Creating films takes a team of professionals sharing a clear vision — in most cases you build a small town of creatives who come together for a short and intense period of time to create something awesome.
What can you create with a killer team? Entertainment, education, sales, marketing, and inspiring messages all rolled into one. When it is done well the results create a staggering advantage.
Share your story: Commercials. Corporate Explainer Videos. Cinematic Short Films. Fun into Fundraising. No-Budget Short Films.
† Oberlo
Commercials
Whether it is for television, YouTube, or just to use in social media a commercial is a great way to tell a complicated story in a simple way that elicits an emotional response from your audience.
Talnea Machining & Manufacturing
Talnea just went through a major rebrand to re-position their offering. They are one of the cleanest and most professional close-tolerance machining and manufacturing facilities around and offer their clients incredibly fast and economical turn-around on all the stuff they need made.
Directed by Michael Dean Dargie
Assistant Director Candace Schmidt
Written by Michael Dean Dargie and Jennifer MacLean
Director of Photography José Luis González
Edited by José Luis González
Sound Design by Chad Blain
Special thanks to Emre Cords, Gravity Espresso and Wine Bar, Dr. Ryan Yau, and Calgary Cycle City.
Discover Calgary (titles)
60-Second Commercial (Voice-Over edition) for Rocky Mountain Sidecar Adventures and The Calgary Tower with special thanks to Tourism Calgary and Travel Alberta.
Directed by Michael Dean Dargie
Assistant Director Candace Schmidt
Written by Michael Dean Dargie and Jennifer MacLean
Director of Photography José Luis González
Edited by José Luis González
Sound Design by Chad Blain
For full list of credits and ‘Behind the Scenes’ photography please visit DropbearAndPanda.tv.
Discover Calgary (voice-over)
60-Second Commercial (Voice-Over edition) for Rocky Mountain Sidecar Adventures and The Calgary Tower with special thanks to Tourism Calgary and Travel Alberta.
Directed by Michael Dean Dargie
Assistant Director Candace Schmidt
Written by Michael Dean Dargie and Jennifer MacLean
Director of Photography José Luis González
Edited by José Luis González
Sound Design by Chad Blain
Voice-Over by Doug de Nance
For full list of credits and ‘Behind the Scenes’ photography please visit DropbearAndPanda.tv.
Keewave® In-Ear Monitors
Commercial Pitch for Keeling Audio In-Ear Monitors in conjunction with The Beach Advanced Audio and L&C Style Productions.
Directed by Michael Dean Dargie
Director of Photography José Luis González
Edited by José Luis González
Titles by Michael Dean Dargie
Corporate Explainer Videos
Explainer videos are an excellent way to teach your audience about a product or service you offer in a way where it doesn’t feel like work to learn.
Meet the Morgans
Custom Explainer Video | Part One in a Three Part Series for UCASA.co
This is such a fun project that melted our brains in the best way possible — the client needed a way to quickly explain what the problems are that people face when looking to renovate their home. This video ‘Meet the Morgans‘ is part one of a three part series that is shown to investors to help bring this project to life.
Written and Directed by Michael Dean Dargie
Art Direction and Animation by Nicholas Acs
Sound | Voice | Foley by Michael Dean Dargie
Circadian Rhythms
Educational Video for The Rebel Sleep Institute
Directed by Michael Dean Dargie
Art and Animation Nick Acs
Edited by Michael Dean Dargie
The Plus Membership
Explainer Video for Easy Next Steps
Written & Directed by Michael Dean Dargie
Art and Animation Michael Dean Dargie
Cinematic Short Films
Creating epic short films takes a small army of people to bring to life on screen and win awards. It must start with a clear vision and a team of professionals all working together to pull it off.
Sundowners
Experimental short film.
A Make More Creative and L&C Style Production
Written and Directed by Brian King
Director of Photography José Luis González
SFX and Titles Michael Dean Dargie
Awards
2018 Meraki Film Festival; Semi-Finalist
2018 San Mauro Film Festival; Semi-Finalist
2017 Miami Epic Short Film Fest; Semi-Finalist
2017 Miami Widescreen Film Fest; Nominee Best Sound Design
2016 YYComedy Short Film Fest; Finalist, Audience Favourite, Grand Jury Award
2016 NYCIFF Fright Fest; Finalist, Winner Best Director (Brian King), Best Guilty Pleasure (Jennifer MacLean)
Racer X Trailer
Epic trailer for future feature film.
A Make More Creative and L&C Style Production
Written and Directed by Brian King
Director of Photography José Luis González
Special Effects Michael Dean Dargie
Sound Design by Chad Blain
Awards
2018 San Mauro Film Festival; Semi-Finalist
2017 Miami Epic Trailer Film Fest; Semi-Finalist
The Final Frontier
Official entry in the Calgary Comic Expo 48-Hour Film Festival. It was created in its entirety (Idea + Script + Filming + Costumes + Visual Effects + Original Music + Post Production) in 48-hours.
We were given a GENRE: Space Western; a PROP: Children’s Toy; and a LINE OF DIALOGUE: “I don’t like boats, I don’t like water, I’m a man, not a fish.” from the Highlander had to be used in the film.
A Dropbear and Panda, Make More Creative, and L&C Style Collaboration
Created by Jennifer MacLean & Michael Dean Dargie
Directed by Candace Schmidt
Director of Photography José Luis González
Original Score by Emre Cords
Sound Design by Chad Blain
Awards
Honourable Mention
Lonely Mind Music video
Music video for the Hi-Strung Downers produced with a grant from TELUS STORYHIVE.
A Dropbear and Panda, Make More Creative, and L&C Style Production
Directed by Michael Dean Dargie
Written by Jennifer MacLean & Michael Dean Dargie
Director of Photography José Luis González
Edited by José Luis González
Putting the Fun into Fundraisers
We worked together with the world famous Loose Moose Theatre Company to produce two short films and a series of gameshows as fundraisers for the theatre during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Watch for the staged release of ‘Petting Zoo Blues’ this Spring. Along with these films we also built a website with a Video PayWall called Loose Moose TV.
Produced by Make More Creative
Directed by Dennis Cahill
Written by Dennis Cahill
Assistant Director Sarah Ruskowsky
Producer, Art Direction and Design, Editing Michael Dean Dargie
Cinematography John Legare
Original Music and Sound Mix Emre Cords
Cast Includes: Dennis Cahill, Michael Dean Dargie, ‘Lois Peggington’, and ‘Les Fillmore’.
Petting Zoo Blues
Spring Fundraiser for Loose Moose Theatre Company | www.LooseMoose.tv
When Artistic Director, Dennis Cahill, found himself with a little too much time on his hands during the pandemic he decided to revisit and retell a classic tale of lies, deceit, resentment, revenge, murder, and mayhem. If the themes seem to be familiar, that’s because history keeps repeating itself.
“The Capp family are the proud owners of ‘Noah’s Park’, the city’s oldest petting zoo. Their bitter rivals, the Monty’s came later to the petting zoo game, and ‘Zora’s Extreme Petting Zoo’ became all the rage. Recently the youngest of each family have just met and secretly fallen in love, and now must find a way to escape a pandemic lockdown and their feuding families to be together.”
Petting Zoo Blues is a tragic-puppet-comedy told in 12 short episodes as a fundraiser for Loose Moose Theatre, visit the Loose Moose YouTube Playlist for more details and all the episodes.
Produced by Make More Creative
Directed by Deborah Iozzi
Written by Dennis Cahill
Assistant Director Sarah Ruskowsky
Art Direction, Editing, VFX Superviser Michael Dean Dargie
Cinematography John Legare
Original Score Chad Blain
VFX and Animation Kristen Loader
Puppeteer Jennifer Lynn Bain
Costumes by Ralamy Kneeshaw
Chrismoose Carol 1919
Winter Fundraiser for Loose Moose Theatre Company | www.LooseMoose.tv
While organizing our archives at Loose Moose Theatre during the COVID-19 Influenza Pandemic in 2020 we discovered an old film canister. Inside of which appeared to be the first-ever recording of ‘Chrismoose Carol’, more than 100 years ago at the end of the Spanish Influenza Pandemic in 1919.
We have painstakingly restored the film to as close to the original as possible given its very advanced state of decay and released it for viewing during December of 2020 when we would normally be showcasing a live stage version of the famous play, ‘Chrismoose Carol’.
Cast (Alphabetically)
Jennifer Lynn Bain
Dennis Cahill
Michael Dean Dargie
Djoeke Driedger
Barry Piercey
Produced by Make More Creative
Written and Directed by Dennis Cahill
Art Direction, Editing, VFX, SFX Michael Dean Dargie
Cinematography John Legare
Production Design Jennifer Lynn Bain
Moose Wrangling Sarah Ruskowski
Cast (Alphbetically)
Jennifer Lynn Bain
Nolan Brown
Michael Dean Dargie
Djoeke Driedger
Barry Piercey
Murder at the Moose: Leave it to Cleaver
Hallowe’en Fundraiser for Loose Moose Theatre Company | www.LooseMoose.tv
One night of rehearsal, one night of shooting, and six days of editing to bring this epic short film to life, which also included a video paywall, new website, posters, a trailer, and the final short film.
LOGLINE
Five improvisors spend Halloween night in a theatre purportedly haunted by a malefic ghost.
SYNOPSIS
On the night of October 31, 1970 John Bates murdered four people with a cleaver at the meat processing plant where he worked.
On Halloween 2020—the 50th anniversary of the murders—a small group of improvisors decide to sneak into the theatre and use an Ouija board to contact the spirit of John Bates. Little do they realize that where the theatre is now located was where the original murders took place, and by using the Ouija board they will create a conduit for John’s malevolent spirit to return and fulfill his promise to continue his murderous rampage.
Voice Over
Dennis Cahill (Film)
Michael Dean Dargie (Trailer)
The Department of Moose Information
Zoom game show for the Loose Moose Theatre Company.
A Make More Creative Production
Concept and Hosted by Dave Ware
Produced by Michael Dean Dargie
Art Direction by Michael Dean Dargie
Edited by Michael Dean Dargie
Ridiculous No-Budget Fun
Sometimes you just need to do things to have fun and experiment with a medium. Dropbear and Panda Productionz not only produces a regular comedy podcast but also zero-budget short films just to play around and keep our skills up.
Jag War
Comedic short film by Dropbear and Panda which was then used to sell this car for Mulsanne Motorcar Company.
A Dropbear and Panda | Make More Creative Production
Directed by Michael Dean Dargie
Written by Jennifer MacLean & Michael Dean Dargie
Edited by Michael Dean Dargie
Awards
2018 Global Film Festival Awards; Finalist, Winner and Honourable Mention
2018 Los Angeles CineFest; Semi-Finalist
2018 $2 Dollar Film Festival; Semi-Finalist
There Goes the Neighbourhood
Experimental short film by Dropbear and Panda.
A Dropbear and Panda | Make More Creative Production
Written by Jennifer MacLean
Directed by Michael Dean Dargie
Edited by Michael Dean Dargie
Halloween 2021
It’s Halloween 2021 and you know what that means – Dropbear & Panda are hiding out at home because it’s an absolute horror-show outside. It’s been one heck of a year, and it doesn’t need to be Halloween to be terrifying out there.
Special thanks to everyone who stepped up and added their voice to this project (in alphabetical order):
- Mary “Make it Morbid” Armstrong
- Jennifer “braaaaaaaaaains” Bain
- Stuart “Bloody Bones” Bentley
- Wakefield “WTF is that thing” Brewster
- Brendan “Vampire” Hunter
- Chengis “Chucky Doll” Javeri
- Keith “The Crypt Keeper” Kollee
- Bernie “Machete Massacre” MacLean
- Grisly Garry MacLean
- Doug De “Necronomicon” Nance
- Beastly Barry Piercey
- Tony “Tiny Terror” Whalen
Written and Directed by Jennifer MacLean
Edited by Michael Dargie
Hair and Makeup and More Hair by Newton MacLean.
Jingle Cat
Once the Christmas Tree is decorated, it’s up to the cat of the house to … well … finish it. Oh Tannenbaum? More like, Oh Tannen-BOMB, amirite?
Please enjoy the latest annual DB&P holiday special. Merry Ho!Ho! from us to you. Special thanks to Emre Cords and Paul McCart for the dope music and vocals.
Experimental short film by Dropbear and Panda.
A Dropbear and Panda | Make More Creative Production
Written by Jennifer MacLean
Directed by Michael Dean Dargie
Edited by Michael Dean Dargie
Too Close for Comfort
The annual Dropbear and Panda no-budget Hallowe’en short film
A Dropbear and Panda | Make More Creative Production
Panda is just trying to get to the studio but it’s Halloween 2020. Is she being followed? What’s going on? Will she make it? Safety is four stories away.
——
One take. One shot. It’s like 1917 but more complicated and nuanced.
Written by Jennifer MacLean
Filmed and Edited by Michael Dean Dargie
The COVID Diaries—DAY 15
Experimental short film by Dropbear and Panda.
A Dropbear and Panda | Make More Creative Production
Written by Jennifer MacLean
Filmed by Jennifer MacLean
Edited by Michael Dean Dargie
Travel this Canada Day
The annual Dropbear and Panda no-budget Canada Day short film
A Dropbear and Panda | Make More Creative Production
Re-Discover the extraordinary beauty that is Canada this Canada Day. Immerse yourself in lush greenery, blue skies, gentle rolling hills, wondrous wildlife, and stunning colours in just 43.66 square metres–new kind of Travel Canada Commercial for 2020.
Canada: Keep Exploring – your own backyard – and visit the relatives via Facetime on the back porch.
Be safe, Canada, and stay the fuck home.
Written by Jennifer MacLean
Directed and Edited by Michael Dean Dargie
Original Music by Emre Cords
54 Things Scarier than a Werewolf
Comedic short film for Hallowe’en by Dropbear and Panda.
A Dropbear and Panda | Make More Creative Production
Created by Jennifer MacLean & Michael Dean Dargie
Edited by Michael Dean Dargie