“Green On Green” World Premiere Puts Spotlight on Local Filmmakers and Existential Conundrums

Last February I wrote a feature focusing on my friend Ben Matukewicz’s company Aksarben Creative — a creative services business co-founded with fellow filmmaker Tom Knoblauch.

In that article, Ben teased the 2018 feature film project “Green On Green.” 

On Aug. 9, Bridget and I had the opportunity to attend the “world premiere” of the film at Omaha’s Aksarben Cinema. 

“Green On Green” is an ambitious film that tells the story of Camille Green (Rachel Dinan), a “creative non-fiction” grad student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Camille is trying to come up with a meaningful topic for her “capstone memoir project.” 

That process plunges our heroine into an existential crisis involving the environment (inspired by the recent emerald ash borer outbreak in Nebraska), politics (a love interest is obsessed with the Buckley/Vidal debates of 1968), and a quest (inspired by Melville’s “Moby Dick”). 

Green becomes determined to invite herself onto an ecology research trip — hoping a journey void of distractions will help her have an “epiphany.” 

“Green On Green” infuses more than a little irony into the narrative. 

Dinan is the glue that holds the story together as Camille Green. The spunky redhead is sort of a blue collar Emma Stone. 

Knoblauch wrote and directed “Green On Green.” This is the fourth feature-length film he and Matukewicz have produced (after “Almost A Weekend” in 2015, “Adoptation” in 2016 and “Naomi Jones” in 2017). 

In a Q&A seasion after the movie, Knoblauch told the audience that his inspiration was his obsession with nature and existential crises. “I try to make personal movies to some extent,” he said. 

“Green On Green” was written in the spring of 2017. Knoblauch said he wanted to do an “outdoor” film after 2017’s “Naomi Jones.” 

It sounds like the filmmaker is obsessed with detail, and finds the process stressful throughout: “Did we get what we needed... what if the hard drive falls into a puddle?”

I’m relatively new to Knoblauch and Matukewicz’s films. “Green On Green” reminded me of a droll fusion of Wes Anderson and Woody Allen — emphasizing meaningful dialogue, quirky characters, and ironic situations. 

The “temp score” Knoblauch used for “Green On Green” featured the musical stylings of Paul Simon. 

Local musicians — who invoked a similar feel — were featured in the final edit. One song that stood out to me was “The Radcliffes” by The Real Zebos (which mentions Omaha’s Brownell Talbot School in the lyrics):

There were also some classical tunes included. “Pachalbel’s Canon” provides particular resonance in the film (Camille Green opines that “Canon in D” is the “Hey Jude” of the 17th century). 

Knoblauch says he finds inspiration in filmmakers like Robert Altman and Wes Anderson (particularly Anderson’s older films). He prefers films that are “indie and talky.” 

When I asked about the budget for “Green On Green,” Knoblauch quipped, “It was like $200...very low.” He went on to say that having acquired equipment during previous projects has helped reduce production costs immensely. 

I must say, the results seen on screen are impressive. 

Knoblauch and Matukewicz are also fortunate to have talented people donate and invest time on their productions. One person they worked with (Megan Friend from “Adoptation”) went on to work on the HBO series “Girls” and the Netflix drama “Orange is the New Black.”

Aksarben Creative’s ability to bootstrap productions is something I admire. 

I’ve had friends and relatives over the years who’ve wanted to make movies, but continually “wait around” until it is the right time or until they have the proper resources available. 

I keep telling them they need to dive in and start creating. 

In addition to the screening of “Green On Green,” attendees were treated to the short film “Racist Cannibal” by playwright grad student A.C. Kaufman Lill. 

“Racist Cannibal” tells the story of a young couple who find out (from a DNA test) that they are genetically identical.

Lill told the attendees that the story is loosely based on her husband and herself. “Racist Cannibal” was filmed in her apartment, took roughly six weeks to write, and is her first short film. She says her writing style is influenced by writers like Neil Simon (“The Odd Couple”) and John Patrick Shanley (“Joe Versus The Volcano”).

Attending events like the “Green On Green” World Premiere serve as a reminder that we need to support creative efforts in our local community. 

Knoblauch mentioned how supportive the local performing arts community has been to him. 

While signature projects like “Green On Green” keep the company busy, Aksarben Creative also works to support and develop projects like “Racist Cannibal.” In fact, they are helping with an upcoming short film called “Stacked” (we were surprised to find out at the event that “Stacked” was written by our friend Wade Rodman). 

If you are interested in seeing “Green On Green” and/or “Racist Cannibal,” both films will be featured at the 2018 Prairie Lights Film Festival in Grand Island, NE, on Oct. 13. 

If you’d like to learn more about Aksarben Creative (and the services they offer), please visit their website at www.aksarbencreative.com. 

I look forward to seeing the next Aksarben Creative production, and appreciate efforts by local filmmakers to help grow the creative community here in Omaha. 

More than anything else, I appreciate creative minds that “try.” 

Ideas are easy... execution is hard. 

As Melville wrote, “I try all things, I achieve what I can.” 

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Local Filmmaker Ryan Olsen Gives Insight on His Film “Say Goodbye, Grace”

When I have the opportunity, I like to write blog posts about people in Nebraska doing creative things. 

One such individual is Ryan Olsen. Olsen is a local filmmaker (based in Lincoln, NE) who is putting the final touches on his short film “Say Goodbye, Grace.” The film, according to the description on IMDB, is about a “tough-as-nails detective investigating the murder of an old friend. But can she accept the chilling, life-changing truth at the end?"

The reason I’m familiar with the project is because Bridget’s brother Sean (who died in 2017) will appear in the film (you can watch the embedded version of the film — that is on Olsen’s YouTube channel — at the end of this post). 

NIFP (Nebraska Independent Film Projects) recently hosted Olsen at their June meeting at Turbine Flats In Lincoln (building pictured below). The filmmaker discussed the “Say Goodbye, Grace” project — from the film’s early inspiration to the complexities of production. 

As a kid, Olsen loved “spectacle” in film. “Star Wars” and “Godzilla” were early influences (he still collects Godzilla movies — especially on VHS cassette). 

(Side note: I remember seeing some of those old Godzilla movies on Saturday mornings in the early 1980s at the now-defunct Park 4 in La Vista, NE.)

Olsen is drawn to movies that have movement. He likes action and color. He recalled drawing a re-creation of the “Return of the Jedi’s” climactic space battle on large sheets of newsprint (his parents bought him the paper on large rolls that he could tear off, instead of more traditional copier paper). 

The first film Olsen watched that “put him in his place” was Tim Burton’s quirky goth comedy “Beetlejuice.” He was enamored with the opening title sequence — something he mentioned that he watches time and again. The vivid imagery and movement in “Beetlejuice” was fun and exciting. 

The idea of movies that take place "in a community, in a city, in a state, in a world" appeals to the filmmaker. Olsen said he mimicked that feeling a bit in “Say Goodbye, Grace” — the world is not just a handful of people... it’s so much more. 

Creativity has been a constant in Olsen’s life. The Kearney native used to do a comic strip in his hometown paper called “Humor.” He shared with us a Godzilla film he made as a child featuring Play-Doh creatures and Party Poppers for effect. 

When Olsen saw the movie “American Beauty” before college, he was drawn to the notion that film didn’t have to be “extravagant or crazy.” He decided to go into film studies in college because he wanted to learn how good film was constructed — as opposed to just focusing on the mechanics of using film cameras, lighting, sound, etc. 

One of his earliest “pro gigs” was as a production assistant on the low-budget movie “Pirates of the Great Salt Lake” in 2004 — he made $200 for three weeks' work. In the intervening years, he has crafted a whole slew of promotional videos for small businesses and organizations in the Lincoln area — including this 2016 ad for a bar called “The Hot Mess”:

He showed us a YouTube clip of director James Cameron from a 2010 SBIFF panel discussion. Something Cameron said was particularly enlightening for Olsen: “Don’t waste a lot of time studying the problem by looking at how other directors did it. You’ve got to get out there and get busy. It’s that simple... you’re trying to inject yourself into a process that is ongoing — with or without you. So, grab a camera... make some stuff, make a film. Make a film, cut it together. The tools are here, readily available... put your name on it — now you’re a director, everything after that, you’re just negotiating price.”

This sentiment has inspired Olsen’s attitude regarding filmmaking. 

Olsen funded “Say Goodbye Grace” with a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1897002821/say-goodbye-grace

He was fortunate enough to find a man in Lincoln who had conducted a successful Kickstarter campaign for $40,000 to fund a board game. The man shared his secrets with Olsen — and instilled the notion that you had to present information on your Kickstarter page "as if it’s already in progress."

One-sheet poster artwork was commissioned early on to give his project a sense of legitimacy. Olsen created all the supporting graphics for Kickstarter and social media, created crew profiles, and sketched out storyboards. 

On the campaign page, he broke down how the money raised would be spent — including detailed pie charts and graphs. Olsen ended up raising more than $9,000 total from 124 “backers.” (Full disclosure: Bridget pledged $34 for “The Missing Citizen” level and will have her photo on a “Missing Person's” photo that appears somewhere in the film.)

One pro-tip from Olsen about Kickstarter: Try to raise 1/5 to 1/4 of your overall goal in first 24 hours — it shows prospective backers there are other people interested.

The board game creator also advised setting up appropriate “reward tiers” on Kickstarter — with emphasis on digital rewards over physical rewards (digital rewards are more cost-effective to fulfill). 

Olsen did five months of promotion before the Kickstarter campaign was launched. 

He put up ads everywhere, posted on social media, and made “Kick Cards” with information about the Kickstarter campaign. 

At this point, he says he was doing 90 percent of everything — location scouting, cast, crew, Kickstarter, rewards, and writing. He says, “I was 100 percent committed and slowly losing my mind.”

On April 2-3, 2016, Olsen held cast auditions at the Hilton in Downtown Omaha. My brother-in-law Sean was one of those who auditioned. Sean worked in various media capacities during his adult life, so acting was a new interest for him. 

Sean showed up at the auditions posing as a homeless man (he rolled around in some trash — illustrating a nascent “method actor” strategy for landing acting gigs). Someone escorted Sean on set — where he talked with Olsen about ideas to promote the film. 

Olsen said my brother-in-law was always there to help. 

“Say Goodbye, Grace” was primarily shot in the Lincoln area and at a container field in Omaha. Olsen also hired out people to film drone shots in the Pacific Northwest (where the film is set). 

The film was shot over nine nights in 2016.

Olsen said he’s very excited for the film to be all said and done. 

“Whenever I make a film, I’m all about the subtlety,” he says. “The sounds in the background — I am all about environment and atmosphere. I learned that from [director] David Lynch.”

He has infused his early love of color into the film. “I’m a big color guy,” he says. “Color needs to speak volumes.”

He also tried to add in different symbolic elements to “Say Goodbye, Grace.” Olsen analyzed a number of patterns and styles he saw in different films. He says, “a city during the day and a city at night are different things. In [the movie] ‘Alien,’ daytime is always rainy and nighttime is always windy. In Black Bay [the fictional location of ‘Say Goodbye, Grace’], it’s always foggy during the day and clear at night.”

As is the case with productions such as Olsen’s, everything didn’t go according to plan. He wasn’t able to film as many of the 23-page script’s pages per day as he had initially planned (despite a talented cast and crew). He ran out of money because of how meticulous his vision was — so he saved up money for his two reshoots.

He had a “scene premiere” at the 2017 Prairie Lights Film Festival (and hopes to enter the completed film this fall). 

Olsen likes to do his own editing. “I have to edit my own stuff,” he says. “There is something about taking it and putting it all together.”

(He noted that he and his editor, Drake Tucker, have gotten to know each other really well over the past two years.)

Olsen and the crew have been working on the sound engineering in recent weeks. Music will be recorded at the end of July, and the film will go out for color corrrection that month as well. 

“Sound and color are two more weapons you can used to assault your audience,” he says. 

Olsen told NIFP he’d be willing to make a repeat visit to a monthly meeting — once the film is complete — for a screening and discussion of “Say Goodbye, Grace.” 

He told Bridget and I after the presentation that he was still working on setting up a screening in Omaha.  

Ryan Olsen’s company is called POW! Productions. You can learn more about his business — and the film “Say Goodbye, Grace” — at his website at http://www.powproductionsllc.com.

Watch “Say Goodbye, Grace” on Olsen's YouTube channel here: 

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My Friend Ben Makes Movies... Check Out Aksarben Creative's Latest Effort

“I’ve fallen in love with the concept of storytelling, and Aksarben Creative serves as an outlet for that.” — Ben Matukewicz, Aksarben Creative

I love the efforts of creative individuals. 

My wife and I have owned a marketing communications company for 22 years, and we appreciate entrepreneurial efforts within our community. 

My friend Ben Matukewicz is one of those creative individuals. Bridget and I first met Ben at a UNO Hockey-related event a couple years back. He came over to our table to tell us about a “jersey history” project he was working on, and he wanted to get our input on the site he was putting together. 

Ben is the President and Creative Director of Aksarben Creative. He co-founded the company with Tom Knoblauch. Tom and Ben’s creative efforts have been on display since 2013 (the company went by the name Fatherson Productions before they re-branded in 2017).

The Omaha-based business strives to tell “midwestern stories” with reasonable budgets. Aksarben Creative focuses on making independent feature films, short films, web series, music videos, podcasts, photography, and branding and graphic design (among other creative projects). 

Aksarben Creative’s latest effort is the short film titled “The Living Draft”:

I first became familiar with Ben’s company a few years back when they held screenings for the feature-length film “Adoptation” at Aksarben Cinema (a company Bridget and I do marketing work for): 

The team also held screenings at the theater in 2017 for their most recent feature-length effort, “Naomi Jones”:

“I’ve never been good at verbal communication, so I choose to tell stories through more visually-based mediums,” Ben says. “Tom Knoblauch and I share a common interest in filmmaking and founded the company on that, but we learned as we went that what we really loved was storytelling.”

Having spent my life as an entrepreneur, I understand how difficult it is to put yourself out there and learn as you go along. That’s why I admire people like Ben — willing to work hard and bootstrap passionate efforts. 

As I mentioned earlier, Aksarben Creative also focuses on creative pursuits in addition to filmmaking. 

“Tom enjoys hosting podcasts and talking with interesting people,” Ben says. “I enjoy graphic design and photography, so we decided to expand the company’s reach beyond filmmaking.”

(Knoblauch’s “Loomings” podcast — https://www.aksarbencreative.com/loomings)

The next feature film for the Aksarben Creative team is called “Green On Green,” and will be released in 2018 (the film is written and directed by Knoblauch). 

“It’s difficult to categorize this film under a specific genre because it doesn’t try to be any one thing," Ben says as he describes the movie. "At its core, ‘Green On Green’ is an adventure movie, mixed with comedy and drama. I can’t wait for people to see the performance of Rachel Dinan in the lead role.”

Matukewicz and Knoblauch are also gearing up for a new web series called “Craft.” It will be filmed over the next few months, and will follow Ben and Tom around Nebraska as they travel to different breweries sampling beer.

“These brewers put in a lot of effort to create beer they’re proud to serve,” Ben says. “We strive to create something we’re proud to show, and this project is about appreciating the craft. The parallels between the two industries are fascinating, and we’re incredibly excited to explore that through comedy in our upcoming project.” 

It sounds like Ben and Tom have a lot on their plate for 2018. I’m looking forward to seeing what the team brings viewers in the coming year.

You can learn more about Ben and the rest of the team at Aksarben Creative by visiting www.aksarbencreative.com. 

P.S. -- I just noticed the small, hairless cat nestled under a blanket in this shot from the short film “The Living Draft”:

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