You may have seen this talent who resembles a young Weird Al, in his hilarious performance “I’m Sorry Llama,” a parody of Eminem’s “I’m Sorry Mama,” at IUSB’s Spring Fest earlier this year. I’m sure not even Slim Shady could keep a straight face!
Now Tim Richardson, an alumni of IUSB and local filmmaker, continues to carry his comedy torch with his upcoming production, “Dork of the Rings,”(DOTR) a parody of the “Lord of the Rings” (LOTR) trilogy. The movie is co-sponsored by The IUSB Alumni Association.
Tim wrote DOTR with Mike Kouroubetes, who like many others in the cast and crew have worked with Richardson on previous productions; including movie: “Kill the Messenger,” and Internet sitcom, “Nobody’s Listening.”
When asked, “Why DOTR?” Tim replied that he came up with the idea after seeing “The Return of the King,” from the LOTR trilogy and he and Mike got to work.
I got the opportunity to visit with Tim and his cast and crew on the set of DOTR. Although at the time, I had yet to see LOTR, I was in stitches. The repore on the set was natural and funny, which revealed the cast and crew are no strangers to Richardsons’ direction.
With the exception of a few, the cast has been connected with Richardson on previous movies and other productions. Majority of the cast is from the Michiana area and several are IUSB students and alumni.
The film casts: Bryce Cone, Jim Hall, Circus Szalewski, James Flannery, Victoria Floro, Sean McCormick, Shane Golden, Jesse Limon, Kay Eller, Apollo Bacala, Mat Ferriter, David Kiefer, Gary Joy, and others.
In fact, Tim is still looking for local talent of about 200 more people as extras for fight scenes. If you don’t have acting experience, you are still welcomed to come join the crew. Tim even turned to my 19 year old brother, Matt, who with a stroke of Ian Strandbergs’ artistic magic, went from acting amateur to fierce fighting Spork.
If you are interested in being an extra for the movie, or just want more info about DOTR, check out the official website at rpstudios.net/dorkoftherings, where you can see the movie trailers, meet the cast, and even keep up with activities behind the scenes.
DOTR is being shot as you read and is expect to do so until spring 2005; hopefully in time for the 2nd Annual TolCon Convention in Seattle, Washington. There DOTR coming attractions were enjoyed last year, by many including Greg Tozer, who worked on effects for the LOTR trilogy.
However, if you’re a LOTR lover or just appreciate good parody; DOTR will definitely satisfy your taste buds!
