If you’re following Art School Dropouts as members of their Discord community or as Patreon donors, chances are you’re privy to the exciting and revealing behind-the-scenes adventures and exploits of the New Jersey-based indie Asian digital media firm shepherded by filmmakers Joey Min and Stephanie Pham.
It also means you’re entitled to some really cool film content, largely of the action comedy variety, and if you’re just tuning in, you needn’t look further than their latest shortfilm, Nerf Assassin: The Duel. Clocked in at fifteen minutes, the full short marks the third and latest chapter of the group’s Nerf Assassin websaga which began in 2017.
Steph, an online content creator, is always finding ways to find funding to create webseries…and since winning $5,000 prize from a previous Nerf war tournament, she decides to enter her and her partner, Joey, again this year. Unfortunately, Joey wants to take a long deserved vacation this year. So what better way to resolve the matter by having an old fashioned Nerf duel.
Live by the dart, die by the dart.
I was granted a link to watch this on my own time recently, and this was some time after Min and I caught up back in July and he showed me an early in-progress look at the first several minutes. Pandemic hurdles and woes aside, the team hasn’t lost its touch, and with none other than Angela Jordan (@ajkick101) regrouping with the guys to add a little extra punch.
I’m never really sure if most folks who see my posts understand why it is I stan Min and Pham as much as I do, no matter how much I espouse about the intricacy and acuteness of their action direction, or the veracity of their creative evolution between light and dark tones of content. Fact is, the proof is in the pudding, and these guys have only recently put out their indie feature debut, Yes, Auntie!, joining the ranks of films like Unlucky Stars and Eric Jacobus’s Contour to name a few.
For all else, Nerf Assassin: The Duel is now available on ASDO’s Early Access portal for just $5.00, and in my view, it’s worth every penny. Beyond that, the short will launch for free as a three part webseries on YouTube from November 4.
So…feel free to toss some coin in or, well… wait it out. Either way, definitely sub to their YouTube channel while you’re at it.
