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News Release
~ parody salutes Spielberg's Indiana Jones trilogy ~ VICTORIA, B.C. - Brothers Chris and Lee Gabel have released The Adventures of Denim Jones on the Internet. A parody of the Indiana Jones trilogy, the 43-minute movie was first made in 1991, but newer home computers and consumer-level software have allowed the pair to re-edit the project and show it to the world at www.DenimJones.com. “This was my way of giving a personal tip of the fedora to Steven Spielberg,” said Chris Gabel. “Anyone who knows Indiana Jones will enjoy The Adventures of Denim Jones. It has a lot of subtle layers that true fans will appreciate.” The Adventures of Denim Jones follows its title character's struggles to save Jessica from the clutches of the evil Doktor Hair, leader of the Neo-Nazi Hairheads. The movie contains more than 20 direct allusions to Spielberg's Indiana Jones series, borrowing most liberally from Raiders of the Lost Ark. “I read the novel, I listened to the soundtrack and I can't tell you how many times I watched the movies,” Chris said. “If you're going to make a good parody, you have to know the material because other people know it by heart.” Lee Gabel, Chris's brother, operated the camera for all of the original videotaping in 1991. Nine years later the pair teamed up again, using a new computer and video editing software to re-edit the movie from raw footage tapes Chris had kept for all that time. The newly-edited version is a clear enhancement over the original, as the software allowed Lee to add special effects, 3D animation and new title and credit rolls. “In 1991, we just did this for fun,” Lee said. “Now, technology allows a project like The Adventures of Denim Jones to be shared around the world easily and inexpensively. I think this is a great example of how people can share ideas, experiences and visions through extremely-low-budget filmmaking. “We've managed to shoot, edit and put Denim Jones out there for about $500, including pizza and videotapes,” Lee added. “It's pretty exciting that two guys working at a computer in a spare bedroom in Victoria can do that.” The Denim Jones website at www.DenimJones.com has more information about the movie's plot, characters, connections to the Indiana Jones trilogy and how the parody was created. High-resolution photographs of Chris and Lee Gabel, suitable for newspaper reproduction, are also available for free downloading from the site. - 30 - Contact: |
Backgrounder The Adventures of Denim Jones October 2, 2000 *** THE PRODUCERS - CHRIS GABEL & LEE GABEL *** Chris Gabel, 30, lives in Victoria and works as a programmer analyst for BC OnLine, which manages electronic access to B.C. government databases. Lee Gabel, 32, lives in Victoria and runs his own computer graphics and 3D animation company, Luna Seven Imagery ( The two brothers grew up in Victoria's Cadboro Bay neighbourhood and have always been fascinated by movies, movie characters and moviemaking. As kids, they teamed up to make short Super-8 movies, sending them off to a local hardware store to be processed. Today, with the revival of The Adventures of Denim Jones and their discovery of new technologies that make amateur filmmaking easier, they plan to undertake new projects together. *** THE IDEA *** In Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Nazis always referred to lead character Indiana Jones as “Herr Doctor”. Something twigged in Chris's imagination, turning “Herr Doctor” to “Doktor Hair” and an ideal, if comedic, villain was born. Other ideas followed, and Chris soon developed a cast of characters and a rough script, a parody on the Indiana Jones movies. A few months and rewrites later, Chris garnered the enthusiastic support of various friends and his brother, Lee. And in the summer of 1991, Chris's vision came to life. *** MAKING THE ADVENTURES OF DENIM JONES *** The Adventures of Denim Jones was the result of several people's efforts. Chris's friends, filling acting roles in front of the camera, volunteered their time and talents freely. Chris's brother, Lee, shot all the video for the movie, practising some impressive techniques using only a basic home video camera. Lee was also crucial to the editing process as he was able to access a frame-accurate video editing deck. After carefully planning how to bring footage, music and special effects together in a single package, Lee and Chris completed editing over two nights. *** MAKING IT BETTER - DENIM JONES RIDES AGAIN *** Lee bought a new computer this year and was itching to test some video editing software. He believed Denim Jones would make the perfect test project. It took very little convince Chris that Denim Jones should indeed ride again. Re-editing gave them a chance to improve on things done hastily the first time around. For the new version, Chris and Lee tightened up the editing, improved title and credit graphics, incorporated better special effects and sweetened the soundtrack. The result is a streamlined package, just 43 minutes long (bloopers included), that looks better, flows more smoothly and is eminently more watchable than the original version. TITLE: PRODUCED BY: WRITTEN BY: CURRENT VERSION RELEASED: RUNNING TIME: CURRENT AVAILABILITY: KEY CAST MEMBERS: |
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© 1991, 2000 Mucasfilm Ltd.
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