Bob Ray Goes Apesh!t, Commits to Creating Four Films By End of Summer

Maybe it's the Hell's oven heat done gone to his head. Mayhap his "bud" Chad Holt dropped by with some serious doobage, resulting in mad visions of Super-8 overload. It's even possible that Austin indie icon Bob Ray was entirely in his right mind (still, remarkably) when he announced his plans to shoot four new films in the next few weeks.

Whatever the impetus for this unprecedented flurry of filmmaking mania, Ray, who recently completed his opening sequence for the upcoming Alamo Drafthouse/Austin Film Society updating of Richard Linklater's Slacker, has begun beta-soliciting funding, via email (an accompanying video pitch is in the works), for a quartet of new short films:

"Road Kill" (live action; approx 2 min). The Grim Reaper just might drive a sedan.

"Sack" (a mix of live action & puppets; approx 6 min). Flaming bags of poo will never look the same again. Neither will the mob.

"Kicked in the Teeth" (documentary; approx 5 min). Crowd-sourcing is sore business.

"Puppies vs. Kittens" (animated; approx 2 min). Finally, someone has monetized the oldest rivalry in history.

(And you thought Joe Swanberg was the most productive indie darling.)

Since the fundraising pitch/video has yet to be posted on Ray's site (so far as we can tell), here's Ray's pretty witty beta-spiel thus far:

"We promise not to buy weed with your money. We promise to make movies with it.

"We’re gonna create four badass short films in the coming weeks. It’s totally do-able!

"Each film will be shot in a single day in the latter half of this hot-ass summer in Austin, Texas. Heat be damned. All funds raised will be used to pay cast and crew, rent equipment and provide meals. One of our biggest goals is to be able to pay folks a fair wage for their work on the films, and we’re not above asking you to help us do that. Our hearts are in the right place, but our wallets are thin and raggedy. People helping people is the way!

"We make movies happen. Writer/director Bob Ray does gets it done, by golly. Ray has completed three critically-acclaimed low-to-no budget features – the docs Total Badass and Hell On Wheels and the narrative, Rock Opera – and has made countless short films, cartoons and music videos. Countless, because we refuse to count them, but there are lots!

"REWARDS >>> We’re offering REAL rewards for your pledges, people. For reals. If you throw down 13 bucks, you get a DVD that we’re selling for 20 bones! Why? Because we suck at math. And behold the other rewards as they offer similar offers. Score!!!!!!

"TAX DEDUCTABLE >>> Have too much taxable income? Problem solved: Every pledge that becomes a donation is tax deductible.

"ALL OR NOTHING >>> If we are not 100% funded by the deadline, no money changes hands, no rewards are rewarded and everybody gets sad. That’s just how it works around here. All, or nothing.

"By helping fund these films, you are supporting and nurturing the Austin film scene, and getting more films made in 'the weirdest place on earth' that is ATX! Both weird and cool. Be a job creator!"