The Day Comedy Died
THE DAY COMEDY DIED tells the story of two young improv performers, David (David Akridge) and Jeffrey (Josh Goodridge). After an unsuccessful sketch they decide to get the audience involved and bring up audience member Nick (Nick Pletcher). After Nick makes a joke that gets a big laugh he goes on to continue to interject himself into the show to perform his joke. David and Jeffrey lose control of the crowd and chaos unfolds.
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Nick PletcherDirectorLamp, Pizza Girl, Johnnee Rocket, Planet Homosapien
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Dan ReinertDirectorPizza Girl, Furry Therapy, Lamp, Planet Homosapien
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David AkridgeDirectorPlanet Homosapien, Johnee Rocket, Pizza Girl, Balloon Animals
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Nick PletcherWriter
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Dan ReinertWriter
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David AkridgeWriter
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Nick PletcherProducer
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Dan ReinertProducer
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David AkridgeProducer
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Rhys LynnProducer
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James RaynerProducer
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Ashley MontgomeryProducer
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David AkridgeKey Cast"David"
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Joshua GoodridgeKey Cast"Jeffrey"
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Nick PletcherKey Cast"Nick "The Clown" "
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Dan ReinertKey Cast"The Announcer"
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Erik Van LentenDirector of Photography
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Eric BaumMusic Composer
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Nick PletcherEditor
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Jackson VanceGaffer
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Sean FroebHead Sound Mixer
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Andrew FrancisColorist
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Sarah HallScript Supervisor
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Kevin GarciaKey Grip
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Comedy, Western, Horror, Romance, Thriller
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Runtime:19 minutes 22 seconds
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Completion Date:July 30, 2021
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Production Budget:30,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:RED
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
David Akridge -- Writer, Director, Executive Producer, David
Perhaps the most creatively diverse, David Akridge has a knack for art in all its forms. As the neighborhood Boy Wonder, David acts, directs, sings, plays guitar, writes and does a mean improv routine. In fact, improv was his introduction to acting which segued into filmmaking. Now, he sees movies as the ultimate artform, an outlet to create entire universes and share his vision with the world. He’s worked on shows such as Black Lightning, LoveCraft Country, Sweet Magnolias, Legacies, Teenage Bounty Hunters, and MacGyver.
Nick Pletcher -- Writer, Director, Executive Producer, Nick
Nick attended the Film Program at the University for Central Florida. He’s been obsessed with movies since he could talk and he puts his obsession to work at AVSTRACT as a writer, producer, director, actor and editor. Nick brings over a decade of film experience to AVSTRACT along with a good dose of humor, insight and resourcefulness. He’s worked on projects like Red Notice, Die Hart, Secret Headquarters, Teenage Bounty Hunters, MacGyver, and Legacies as well as winning awards like Best Director, Best Actor and Best Picture winner for his film, Planet Homosapien.
Dan Reinert -- Writer, Director, Executive Producer
Dan attended the University of Central Florida where he was accepted into the Film Program. Proficient in Premiere, Illustrator, After Effects, and Photoshop, he brings AVSTRACT’s wildest dreams to life with the finesse of an 16th-century Italian sculptor. As an illustrator, Dan’s ability to create life on paper almost rivals God (almost). And his skills in writing, editing, directing and acting aren’t too shabby either. As a coveted team member, Dan’s humor and authenticity give AVSTRACT that unique feel audiences love.
The three of us (Nick, David, Dan) met about 5 years ago. We quickly discovered that we all had a passion for film and creating unique and memorable stories. While attending film school in college we created many short films together and got very close competing each year in Campus Movie Fest at the University of Central Florida. We competed for 3 years and won over 16 awards in that span including Best Picture, Best Comedy, Best Directors, Best Story, Best Actor and many more.
One of those films we made for that competition was The Day Comedy Died (2017). We shot and edited a simpler version of the idea in a week with nothing but a cheap DSLR and a boom mic tied to a broom pole. Despite the low production value, the film did very well at Campus Movie Fest and ended up winning Best Comedy at the national competition. We knew the idea was a winner, imagine if we put some more money and time into it.
In 2019 we decided we should go all in The Day Comedy Died and remake the old 2017 film we made. We worked on making the script more dynamic with bigger highs and lower lows. We gave the characters more distinct arcs, and we went all in on the production value of the film. We wanted to create a film about how cheap and easy comedy seems to be receiving the most attention in today’s world and the thought out, high concept comedies seem to be harder to find in the mainstream. We’re proud the film we’ve created and can’t wait for the world to see.