- Chad, Matt & Rob
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Chad, Matt & Rob 
Birth name Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
Tyler Gillett
Justin Martinez
Rob Polonsky
Chad VillellaNationality American Years active 2007-present Genres Comedy Adventure Horror Website Chad, Matt & Rob Website Chad, Matt & Rob is a group of filmmakers based in Los Angeles. The group has created numerous shorts that often blend comedy with horror, adventure and fantasy. They coined the term "Interactive Adventure"[1] to describe their 2008 film The Time Machine: An Interactive Adventure; the project was the first interactive movie on YouTube.[2] The group is consistently among YouTube's Top 100 Most Viewed Comedians and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal [3] and on G4's "Attack of the Show." [4]
Contents
Members
The group formed in early 2007.[4] The members write everything together and use their friends to fill out the cast,[5] including Tyler Tuione, Chester Tam and Kal Penn.
- Chad Villella is originally from Punxsutawney, PA and a graduate of Mercyhurst College, where he was active in the Research and Intelligence Analysis Program and an original member of the Center for Information Research Analysis And Training (CIRAT).
- Tyler Gillett is originally from Flagstaff, AZ and is the cinematographer and co-director.[6]
- Matt Bettinelli-Olpin is originally from Oakland, CA and is a founding member of the punk band Link 80. A graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz, he appeared in many early The Lonely Island shorts and directed Alkaline Trio's first video.
- Justin Martinez is originally from Tucson, AZ and a graduate of the University of Arizona. He is the camera operator and visual effects artist.[6]
- Rob Polonsky is originally from Buffalo Grove, IL. He is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago and The Second City Conservatory.
Many of their early projects were filmed by Jonah Goldstein who currently runs the "Chattin' w/ Joni" blog on the Lonely Island website.[4]
Interactive Adventures
Chad, Matt & Rob coined the term "Interactive Adventure"[1] to describe their 2008 film The Time Machine: An Interactive Adventure; the project was the first interactive movie of it's kind.[2]
As of March 2011, Chad, Matt & Rob have produced five Interactive Adventures:
- The Time Machine (November 11, 2008) is the first narrative Choose Your Own Adventure-style film on the internet.[7] When deciding on a title for the finished film, they coined the term "Interactive Adventure".[1] The series contains nine segments and follows the boys as they travel through the centuries in a time machine disguised as a trash can, all while running from government agents seeking to get the time machine back. At the end of each segment, the viewer is able to choose which video to go to next using YouTube's "annotation" feature. The series received over 1,000,000 views during its first week, was featured on Entertainment Weekly's The Must List [8] and won the Best Multimedia Fiction Award at the 2009 Cinéma Tout Ecran International Film Festival in Geneva.[9]
- The Murder (March 14, 2009) is the group's second Interactive Adventure. In The Murder, Chad, Matt & Rob witness a murder while they are filming a short and must decide how to proceed. The narrative expands on the single-story thread used for "The Time Machine" and allows the viewer to follow three unique story-lines. In all, the project contains over 30 separate segments.[10]
- The Birthday Party (January 15, 2010) is the group's third Interactive Adventure. In The Birthday Party, the trio must run from a gang, battle zombies in a haunted hospital and save a kidnapped heiress from an urban militia, all while attempting to reach their boss's birthday party alive. The group shot the project around Los Angeles in four days, including the Linda Vista Community Hospital.[11]
- The Teleporter (November 22, 2010) is the group's fourth Interactive Adventure. The project, in which Chad, Matt & Rob are on the run from an angry UFO that wants it's teleporter back, represents the groups first foray into branded content; it was made in conjunction with Unilever to promote a line of AXE shampoo products.[12] According to a Tubefilter interview, the group was wary of selling out their audience; “We’ve always been really wary on doing any sort of brand integration,” said [Rob] Polonsky. “Viewers are always super sensitive when there’s any sort of product placement involved. The last thing we wanted to do was to insult our audience. So we wrote something that we would want to make." As of March 2011, the film's 10 segments have a combined 1,000,000 views.[12]
- The Treasure Hunt (January 26, 2011) is the group's fifth Interactive Adventure. The story follows the trio as they battle an menacing treasure hunter searching for a long lost treasure and co-stars Alfonso Arau (known for The Wild Bunch, Three Amigos and as the director of Like Water For Chocolate). A rough cut of the film screened at the 2010 Anaheim International Film Festival[13] and the finish product premiered at the Prescott Film Festival in February 2011, where audience applause was used to choose which path the narrative would take.[14]
Notable Productions
- Chad Hates Aliens (also known as Roommate Alien Prank Goes Bad) was the group's first viral video. It features Matt and Rob playing alien pranks, on Chad, but on the third night they try, a real alien crashes into Chad's bedroom. As of March 2011, it has been viewed over 20,000,000 times, was featured on Attack of the Show [15] and was accepted into the 2008 Comic-Con International Film Festival.
- The Alibuys is their first web series. The story follows three childhood friends who run a business that creates alibis for their clients. They have released the first three episodes.
Filmography
- The Treasure Hunt: An Interactive Adventure - released January 26, 2011. (9 segments & 2 Easter Eggs)
- The Teleporter: An Interactive Adventure - released November 22, 2010. (10 segments total)
- The Teleporter: An Interactive Adventure (Trailer) - released November 12, 2010.
- The Treasure Hunt: An Interactive Adventure (Trailer) - released August 5, 2010.
- Mountain Devil Prank Fails Horribly - released April 22, 2010.
- How To Make An Interactive Adventure - released February 17, 2010.
- The Birthday Party: An Interactive Adventure - released January 15, 2010. (10 segments & 3 Easter Eggs)
- The Birthday Party: Trailer #2 - released December 11, 2009.
- The Birthday Party: Trailer #1 - released December 9, 2009.
- Magic! - released August 20, 2009.
- The Murder: An Interactive Adventure - released March 14, 2009. (26 segments total)
- The Time Machine: An Interactive Adventure - released November 11, 2008. (9 segments total)
- Let's Go Meet Some Animals! - released September 9, 2008.
- The Alibuys: The Cheater - released August 9, 2008.
- The Alibuys: The Kidnapping - released August 1, 2008.
- The Alibuys: Drug Dealers Have Parents, Too - released August 1, 2008.
- "We're The Alibuys!" (public-access television cable TV Commercial) - released July 9, 2008.
- The Alibuys: Trailer #1 - released May 19, 2008.
- No Spoofs For Old Men - released May 9, 2008.
- Happy Birthday - released April 15, 2008.
- Chad Hates Aliens (also known as Roommate Alien Prank Goes Bad) - released February 25, 2008.
- The Danger Zone - released February 18, 2008.
- Prison Break - released January 10, 2008.
- Happy Halloween - released October 23, 2007.
- Cops & Robbers! - released September 22, 2007.
- Smoke Break - released September 3, 2007.
- Television Man - released September 3, 2007.
- I Believe I Can Fly - released July 21, 2007.
- Good Roommates - released July 16, 2007.
- A Terrible Place - released July 2007 (Subsequently removed).[5]
External links
References
- ^ a b c The Bitter Script Reader (February 1, 2011) http://thebitterscriptreader.blogspot.com/2011/02/chad-matt-rob-interview-part-ii.html/
- ^ a b Todd Wasserman Mashable "Chad, Matt & Rob Return with 'Treasure Hunt.'" (January 26, 2011) http://mashable.com/2011/01/26/chad-matt-rob-return/
- ^ Lawton, Christopher (2009-02-04), "Video Sites Entice Users To Stay and Play." Wall Street Journal
- ^ a b c G4 Attack of the Show http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/videos/35848/Chad-Matt-and-Rob.html
- ^ a b The Bitter Script Reader (January 31, 2011) http://thebitterscriptreader.blogspot.com/2011/01/chad-matt-rob-interview-part-i-breaking.html/
- ^ a b GeekWeek http://www.geekweek.com/2010/04/geekweek-meet-chad-matt-rob.html
- ^ TubeFilter News Crowley, Alex (2009-04-27), "Chad, Matt, and Rob's 'Time Machine'." http://news.tubefilter.tv/2008/12/04/chad-matt-and-robs-time-machine/
- ^ Entertainment Weekly (November 23, 2008) "The Must List".
- ^ http://www.cinema-tous-ecrans.ch/2009/index.php?lan=en&rubID=140
- ^ Crowley, Alex (2009-04-27), "Lead Heroes out of Harm's Way in Interactive 'Murder'." TubeFilter News http://news.tubefilter.tv/2009/04/27/lead-heroes-out-of-harms-way-in-interactive-murder/
- ^ The Bitter Script Reader (February 2, 2011) http://thebitterscriptreader.blogspot.com/2011/02/chad-matt-rob-interview-part-iii.html.html/
- ^ a b TubeFilter Hustvedt, Marc (2010-12-1), "‘Chad, Matt & Rob’ Score AXE For Latest YouTube Interactive." http://news.tubefilter.tv/2008/12/04/chad-matt-and-robs-time-machine/
- ^ TubeFilter Hustvedt, Marc (2010-12-1), "‘The Treasure Hunt’ – Why We Can’t Get Enough YouTube Interactives." http://news.tubefilter.tv/2011/01/31/the-treasure-hunt-why-we-cant-get-enough-youtube-interactives/
- ^ The Daily Courier (2-14-2011), "Making a big splash on the web: Filmmakers bring online shorts to middle school." http://www.prescottaz.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubsectionID=1&ArticleID=90674
- ^ G4 Attack of the Show ("Around the Net") http://revver.com/video/919676/cmr-on-g4-tvs-attack-of-the-show/
Categories:- American comedy troupes
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