Who are we Mark Estep
Writer- director -Mark Estep has had a written work performed on Broadway (one night), performed in Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, is an unaccomplished mountain climber and world traveler. ME met Kirk Reid at Radford University. They collaborated on a musical number about a drug theft and a suspense film which was directed by a fellow student. In 1995 Kirk and Mark decided to collaborate in film in a manner which allowed them the maximum amount of control.
Roomtone films is the creative outlet for a series of Reid-Estep creations in 1995. Roomtone films have been the pinnacle in the DIY aesthetic culminating with a half an hour animated film Dirtnap, described as the best film at the (Breckenridge) festival by Oscar winning animator Ed Kramer. Each film is a personal effort by Reid and Estep, reflecting their view of the world. While philosophically they could be called existential positivists the oeuvre of Estep and Reid is open to varied interpretation.
Kirk Reid
Writer-director-reluctant animator - Kirk Reid has been shooting and editing movies since he was twelve. Some were occasionally good and so spurred on by his family who feigned amusment at the flickering images on his bedroom wall, ventured out and to Radford University to study TV Production and immerse himself in the collaborative arts.
Soon gigging in a popular band (OUF) and participating in short films and plays on campus Kirk was close to failing his regualr courses in exchange for his a la carte education of the mind. Kirk and Mark met while working on a short film. In one scene Mark attempted to throw Kirk off a cliff in an act of improvisation gone bad. Though neither man died, both came close enough to realize that making movies is a huge undertaking and should best be left to professionals. In 1995 they decided to abaondon this philosophy and have been working together on films ever since.
Dirt Nap Dirt Nap (2007)
Dirt Nap is the pinnacle of the Roomtone works. This half an hour comedy was produced on a series of Apple computers with no additional help. Eight years in the making, Dirt Nap is by far the most ambitious undertaking of Roomtone Films.
Combining an outlandish vision of life after death with the prosaic format of the sitcom, Dirt Nap appeals to the widest audience yet for a Roomtone picture, showing at film festivals in Atlanta, Sacramento, Breckenridge and Long Island. and winning the coveted Rosebud Film Festival in Washington DC.
The following is a ten minute highlight reel. To see and own the full version please visit our store to purchase Dirt Nap, now with extras and a free copy of all the Roomtone Films.
Transmission Transmission (1997)
Unfortunately for the viewing audience nothing strikes writer Mark Estep as funny as a bag of hands. Transmission is a genre splicing black and white musical look at the possibility of life from another world and its possible interactions with the people of this world.
Eager to capitalize on the inertia created from the success of their first two endeavors Reid and Estep decided to conceive and create a film in 6 weeks. The dialogueless Transmission is the result. Leaning heavily on sound effects and music to convey the emotions behind the scenes, Transmission is a highly experimental film which still has a cogent narrative.
URF Number 3 Unfinished Road Film #3 (1995)
A dialogue driven road film with the emphasis on road. The two unnamed characters work their way through their late twenties, unmarried male angst. Filmed entirely on location in Marks car in Maryland, Virginia and the district of Columbia.
Unfinished Road Film #3 was the first film Reid and Estep wrote and directed together . The DIY attitude which pervades all Roomtone film productions is a product of having seen a number of film festival entrants that had a quality that was within the grasp of Reid and Estep. "We can do better."
The Road Film presented a number of technical problems from camera mounting in a moving vehicle to maintaining audio standards. The entire film was shot with just Reid and Estep filling in all cast and crew roles, with the exception of one uncredited 7-11 employee.
Unfinished Road film was a Rosebud award nominee.
Circus of Pain Circus of Pain 1995
The first released but the second film Reid and Estep collaborated on. Circus of Pain is a delightful romp based on Bill Keanes' Family Circus. This animated comedy is loaded with outrageous innuendoes and copyright issues. The film is a recut version of a Family Circus Easter special with new dialogue, most written and performed by Reid and Estep with some mash-up from Apocalypse Now thrown in for spice.
Circus of Pain addresses the psychological landscape of middle America, asking questions about fundamental assumptions behind the popularity of the Family Circus cartoon and what it says about us. The funhouse mirror reflection of the movie strikes the audience as extremely funny or extremely disturbing or both.
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