% ♪ ♪
% >> What is the meaning of this?
% >> The meaning of what?
% >> I ordered this task
% to be completed an hour ago.
% >> Yeah, you did.
% >> You have failed me
% for the last time.
% >> That's what you said
% the last time.
% >> I have been too forgiving
% in the past.
% Do not fail me again!
% >> 'Cause that'll be
% the last time.
% >> Yes, no...
% I don't know.
% Continue stocking.
% >> You certainly do not
% see that every day.
% That was a clip from
% "Chad Vader, Day Shift Manager."
% I'm Charles Monroe-Kane.
% And this isDirector's Cut.
% "Day Shift Manager" is short
% films about Darth Vader's
% younger brother, Chad, who's
% a manager of a grocery store
% called The Empire.
% A great name.
% We have the brain children
% behind Chad Vader with us today,
% Aaron Yonda and Matt Sloan.
% Guys, first, what the hell?
% Where in the world
% did this idea come from?
% It's got to be the best idea
% I've ever heard in my life.
% >> Well, you know,
% I guess you could say
% it came from "Star Wars."
% >> We watched "Star Wars,"
% and we thought,
% how can we capitalize on this?
% >> No, were you sitting around,
% the two of you sitting around?
% I mean, it seems,
% were you sitting in a bar?
% Were you sitting
% in a coffee shop?
% And one of you is like, okay,
% I got this idea, let's make it
% about Darth Vader's
% younger brother Chad, and then
% it just went from there?
% I can't imagine.
% >> Well, it's not one of those
% ideas that just
% comes up instantly, you know.
% It developed a lot over time.
% >> We were definitely
% sitting around a lot.
% >> Yeah, the sitting
% around part.
% That's accurate.
% >> That's pivotal.
% That's good advice
% for young filmmakers out there.
% Sit around.
% >> Exactly.
% >> But it was a friend of ours
% who came up
% with part of the idea.
% And we sort of took that part
% and ran with it.
% It was the idea of Darth Vader
% working in a store of some,
% like fish out of water
% kind of thing.
% And we thought, okay,
% well, that's great.
% Let's twist it a little bit.
% Let's make it so it's not
% Darth Vader, cause Darth Vader
% would just go around in a store
% and kill everybody.
% And that'd be the end
% of the show.
% So we thought, let's twist it
% a little bit.
% Let's make it Chad Vader.
% It's his brother.
% He never left the hometown
% where they grew up together.
% And he's just kind of
% a failed person.
% He doesn't have the backbone,
% or the confidence
% that Darth does.
% >> It was one of those ideas
% that developed over time.
% It had a lot of different
% incarnations.
% >> Well, I respect you guys
% sticking with it.
% Because it's one of those kind
% of ideas that you think happen,
% and then you're like, no.
% But you stuck with this.
% Absolutely brilliant.
% Now, you are the voice, right?
% >> I'm the voice.
% >> And you're in the suit.
% So how did that come about?
% >> Well, when we first wrote
% the script, and we actually
% shot the episode, we didn't know
% who was going to be the voice.
% We didn't have a voice.
% >> All we had was a big, long
% PVC tube that we were like,
% well, whoever does the voice
% can speak through this tube
% and it'll sound
% like Darth Vader.
% >> And we had a sound engineer
% who was able to digitally
% process someone's voice.
% But we didn't have someone who
% knew how to do the impression.
% I just said, well,
% I'll give it a try.
% And then I remember,
% we watched all three movies,
% but we just watched
% the Darth Vader scenes.
% It's really quick that way.
% And I tried the voice
% and it ended up working out.
% >> Fantastic.
% Now, you said the voice
% is altered.
% After you do it, then it's
% altered by a sound engineer.
% >> Yeah.
% >> But my understanding
% is that Lucas Productions
% liked the voice so much
% that you got hired, right?
% >> I've done three video games,
% four video games so far, and an
% episode of "Deal or No Deal."
% >> Really?
% That's fantastic.
% I love it.
% Well, I want to see
% another clip.
% I'm going to make sure people
% see more clips from your film.
% One of you guys can set this up.
% This is Clarissa
% being asked out by Lord Vader.
% Can you set it up for us?
% >> This is Chad's sort of
% lame attempt to ask a girl
% out on a date.
% >> This is Chad Vader, Darth
% Vader's younger brother,
% asking Clarissa out on a date.
% Let's roll that clip.
% (clears throat)
% >> I noticed your shift
% ends at 6:00 tonight.
% >> Yeah, Lord Vader.
% >> Please, call me Chad.
% >> Yes, Chad.
% >> I would like you to meet with
% me at Gino's Pizzeria to...
% um, discuss some plans I have
% for a more powerful
% laser check-out system.
% And for dinner.
% >> What?
% >> Here, these are for you.
% >> Oh!
% Um, thank you, Lord,
% I mean Chad.
% >> I will return
% to this workstation at 6 PM
% to pick you up.
% I have a date.
% Chad has a date.
% ♪ ♪
% >> Hey, Chad.
% I just heard you and Clarissa
% are going out on a date.
% >> It is not a date!
% It is purely to discuss
% the laser check-out system!
% >> Yeah, I bet you want to check
% out her laser system, eh, Chad?
% (chokes)
% >> That is such a funny clip.
% >> Astute observers will note
% that at the beginning of that
% clip, he's actually humming the
% Cantina theme from "Star Wars."
% Not a lot of people
% catch that.
% >> Thank you for throwing
% that in there.
% I like it.
% Now, I have a question.
% You're film is made
% for the Internet.
% You thought about that.
% How is that different, just the
% process, than if you were going
% to do it for the big screen.
% Like, you know this is
% how it's going to be viewed,
% on this kind of screen,
% and on the Internet.
% How do you do that differently?
% How do you think about it
% differently?
% >> Well, I think the thing
% about our work, is that
% we don't do it differently.
% We really pay a lot of attention
% to production values
% and how good it looks,
% and really spending a lot
% of time on color correction
% and things like that.
% >> Especially with Chad Vader,
% like, we really made an extra
% effort to make it, you know,
% really as good quality
% as possible, and pulled it off.
% Because I don't think
% the joke would work
% if was a lesser quality.
% >> I think a lot of people
% make that mistake.
% They go, oh, it's only for
% the Internet, well screw it,
% I won't worry about that.
% >> Yeah, let's not get a boom
% mic, you know, or let's not
% spend any time on the lighting.
% But that stuff is really
% important to make your work
% kind of stand out.
% There's so much stuff
% on YouTube.
% I mean, you know, you have
% to pay attention to quality,
% as well as quantity.
% And also, since we put the stuff
% out on DVDs since then.
% That's even more important,
% because people are going to be
% watching it on their television.
% >> Speaking of YouTube, you guys
% are like the bomb on YouTube.
% How many times have people seen
% Chad Vader on YouTube?
% >> Just the first season
% of eight episodes,
% I think is over 30 million.
% >> Thirty million people
% around the world have seen it.
% You must not have been ready
% for that.
% Were you ready for that?
% You liked what you did,
% but you must not have expected
% 30 million people.
% >> We definitely
% didn't expect it.
% We hoped.
% But we had no idea, like that,
% you know, Chad Vader would be
% featured in all these newspapers
% and be in the New York Times,
% and around the world, too.
% We have fans everywhere
% who write to us,
% from Brazil and Poland.
% It's really great.
% We're really lucky.
% >> Well, you guys tapped
% into the "Star Wars" thing,
% you know, and that's a thing.
% You guys,
% we're all roughly the same age.
% So I remember I was ten
% when "Star Wars" came out.
% That was a big deal,
% because you couldn't rent it.
% You had to go.
% I think I saw it 27 times.
% You know, going to the mall.
% My parents would drop me off.
% What was your first
% "Star Wars" experience?
% >> From what I remember,
% I saw "Star Wars"
% at a drive-in in Milwaukee.
% >> Sweet.
% >> And it was great.
% You can't get a bigger screen
% than that to see it on.
% And you know, just having all
% the toys and the merchandise,
% I think, made a bigger impact
% on me than the movie itself.
% >> Sure.
% >> Because it was
% the first movie to have
% such a huge merchandising line.
% And so, it really sort of
% drove that story into your
% consciousness, because you were
% able to take these little images
% and make up your own stories
% and have your own
% "Star Wars" adventure.
% And I think that was a bigger
% thing for me and my brothers,
% you know, to extend that movie
% going experience to every day
% of our lives, basically.
% >> Till today.
% >> Till today, exactly.
% >> And what was your first
% "Star Wars" experience?
% >> I know I saw
% "Return of the Jedi"
% in the theater,
% but I don't particularly
% remember where I saw
% the other ones.
% I just remember seeing them
% a lot, like on VHS tapes.
% But I also remember the toys.
% I remember getting
% the Millennium Falcon.
% It was this big toy.
% And it had this little section
% that you could play in, right?
% But I remember in the movie, the
% ship was a lot bigger than the
% inside of what they had
% in the toy, and I was
% very frustrated with that.
% So one day I was like,
% well, there's got to be more.
% So I unscrewed the whole thing
% and just took it all apart.
% Completely wrecked it.
% And I was, "Oh, there's just a
% bunch of nothing inside."
% So I was very disappointed.
% >> Now, I was curious, you have
% Darth Vader's brother, Chad, and
% I was curious that you didn't
% go, you never went any further.
% You don't have, like, Yoda's
% sister or Princess Leia's aunt.
% You just stayed, and no other
% "Star Wars," I mean, there's
% probably a few inside jokes,
% but there's no other
% Star Wars stuff,
% you just stuck with that, why?
% >> I think that's kind of
% the obvious place to go and
% so we didn't want to go there.
% >> We also wanted to create our
% own world, you know, that's what
% George Lucas did
% with "Star Wars."
% And we sort of took part of one
% of his characters, but we wanted
% to create our own universe where
% Chad exists without
% other "Star Wars" characters,
% and we created a whole bunch
% of different characters
% to make it an ensemble series
% so that we could have
% sort of our own world
% and not, there's a lot of fan
% pressure to bring in Chewbacca
% and Boba Fett, and have them
% and have them be hilarious
% if they come in.
% >> Right, but you don't
% want to do it.
% Well, can you set up another
% clip for us, this one --, this
% one is the clip where now Chad
% gets in trouble during the day
% and now he's been sent
% to the night shift.
% Why don't you tell us
% what happens here?
% >> This is, I believe, Chad is
% sort of, when he's forced to go
% on the night shift,
% he encounters sort of the
% weirdness off the night shift.
% >> Weirdness, Chad Vader
% encounters the night shift.
% Let's roll that clip.
% >> Hello, Lionel,
% I'm Lord Vader,
% the new night shift manager.
% >> 25 cents a can.
% >> What?
% >> Tomato sauce.
% It's on sale.
% That lady bought,
% like, ten cans.
% She saved a lot.
% >> Uh, what lady?
% >> She was here
% about an hour ago.
% She saved a lot.
% >> Yes.
% Well, I must return to my--
% >> Muffins, Swiss cheese,
% roast beef.
% >> Okay.
% >> Hey, do you like light bulbs?
% >> Commander Wickstrom
% reporting for duty, sir!
% I have grave news.
% >> Where'd you get that hat?
% >> Thank you for transferring
% to the night shift, Jeremy.
% >> There's--
% >> Your assistance will be
% instrumental in my plan to
% regain the day manager position
% from Clint.
% This will be a night
% long-remembered.
% >> There's a guy sleeping
% on the meat.
% >> Let's hit it.
% ♪ ♪
% >> You guys!
% Who took my meat pillow?
% >> You cannot sleep
% in this establishment.
% >> Clint used to let me.
% >> Clint is no longer
% the night manager.
% I am.
% >> You're a bad night manager.
% >> He's right.
% >> Lord Vader!
% >> Now, Jeremy,
% remember the plan.
% >> There's somebody shoplifting
% in aisle seven!
% >> No!
% ♪ ♪
% >> Kill.
% >> I'm sorry, Lord Vader!
% (lightsaber hums)
% (screams)
% >> All too easy.
% >> How could you not
% like that clip?
% What's funny is, sitting here
% with you guys, and we have the
% camera people here, and people
% standing around, and you guys
% have seen this a million times,
% you're laughing
% through this whole clip.
% >> We actually haven't seen it
% for a long time, I don't think,
% so it's kind of, it's like we
% don't even remember what that
% is, like, "Who made that?"
% >> It's funny, it's so funny!
% Did you get permission from
% George Lucas to do this,
% I mean, this is "Star Wars."
% >> Well, not in any official
% sense did we get permission, but
% he, hiring Matt to do the voice
% of Darth Vader for video games
% and for TV, that was sort of
% like permission in a way.
% And he also gave us the 2007
% George Lucas Fan Film Award.
% >> Wow.
% But you don't have, like,
% written permission.
% >> No, we were a little worried
% about that in the beginning.
% >> I can see.
% >> Like, "Well, you know,
% what's gonna happen?"
% But we figured, like,
% we can make it or not make it.
% We can sit and worry about it
% and not do anything,
% or we can do something
% and at the worst we'll get
% a cease-and-desist letter.
% It's not...
% >> That'd be neat to have,
% a framed cease-and-desist letter
% from George Lucas.
% The thing is, I think, the fact
% that you did it with high
% caliber, and took all the
% effort, I'm sure when they saw
% it, that must have helped.
% >> Yeah, definitely.
% >> I think they definitely
% appreciated that, and we
% actually pitched the idea to
% a couple places
% before we made it,
% and it didn't go anywhere, and
% I think it was because they were
% afraid, and so with the Internet
% and with YouTube, we thought,
% let's just make it ourselves, we
% don't have to wait for these
% people, we can just make it,
% and so we did.
% >> Ask permission, wait,
% how does it go?
% Ask for forgiveness,
% not permission?
% >> Yes.
% >> Okay, so what happened.
% When you won the award, tell me
% about that, did you actually
% get, did George Lucas
% actually hand you the award?
% >> We weren't at the ceremony.
% So we just heard about it.
% >> You just heard about it,
% you didn't even go?
% >> We had, one of our
% cast members lives in LA
% and he accepted the award
% on our behalf.
% >> George Lucas wasn't
% actually at that ceremony.
% He did make an announcement.
% >> A press release.
% >> "Congratulations to Matt
% Sloan and AaronYodafor, oh,
% I'm sorry, Yonda."
% >> Hey, you got that.
% >> George Lucas said my name,
% that's all I care about.
% >> That's fantastic.
% >> He said my name correctly.
% So I'm excited about that.
% >> But in his mind he was
% spelling it S-L-O-N-E, so, yeah.
% >> He misspelled it in his mind,
% and mispronounced it there.
% Well, let's see another clip,
% and this one I quite like.
% This is,
% maybe you can set this up.
% This is Chad
% after he quit his manager job.
% Can you set it up for us?
% >> He's at a bar.
% And he's drowning his sorrows
% in chocolatinis.
% >> Drowning his sorrows
% in chocolatinis.
% Well, let's roll that clip.
% >> Hey, you ready
% for another chocolatini?
% >> Yes, make it a double.
% >> Little early
% to be drinking so much, eh?
% >> I love chocolatinis.
% They are my favorite
% little playmate.
% They don't betray you.
% (belches)
% >> Sorry, Chad, I have to go.
% >> Guess who's taking out your
% little sweetie pie
% tomorrow night?
% >> I quit.
% >> That job meant a lot
% to you, huh?
% >> Yes, she did.
% >> She?
% >> Clarissa.
% My supposed former girlfriend.
% She's out on a date
% with my arch-enemy, Clint.
% >> You know, they're sitting
% right over there.
% (sighs)
% >> Yes, I know.
% >> You know what's gonna happen
% next time?
% Yeah, like that!
% You like my fist, sweetie pie?
% All up in your face?
% >> He really isn't that bad.
% >> Not that bad?
% Have you seen my neck?
% It's all grabbed.
% That son of a B grabbed me.
% So what's up, you having
% a good time or what?
% >> Get out of my way, chair.
% Excuse me.
% (belches)
% What a coincidence.
% Two little lovebirds
% are having their little date.
% >> Better not mess with our
% date, drunkie, you got that?
% >> Maybe I should mess with
% your face a bit, you got that?
% >> Stop it, you two!
% >> You want some of this?
% Then come get it.
% >> Oh my God, I would so love
% to have made this film.
% I want to be in one of these.
% So, what was your budget
% for this?
% Somebody had to buy that suit,
% that's a nice suit, what did it
% cost you to make it?
% >> The suit was kind of
% a big expense.
% The suit was like $600.
% >> It's a great suit.
% >> And yeah, we pay a little bit
% of money for the grocery store,
% not a ton, and that's probably
% one of the big advantages of
% being here in Wisconsin,
% not LA or New York,
% we didn't have to pay $3,000
% to rent a grocery store.
% >> Yeah, we're able
% to get locations.
% >> So what do you do, you just
% knock on, that's the
% Willy Street Co-Op, right?
% >> Yeah.
% >> Just knock on the door and
% say, "Hey, I'm making this film,
% can we use your store?"
% >> It was hard to knock on the
% door because it's one of those
% automatic sliding doors.
% Every time we tried to knock, it
% would open, so that was like an
% hour lost right there.
% >> And they probably saw you,
% and that was embarrassing.
% >> So we just went in the store,
% and we had actually filmed
% things there before, so we had
% sort of a relationship with
% Willy Street, and they're really
% laid back, so we kind of told
% them what we wanted to do, and
% said we wanted to shoot after
% hours so we wouldn't interrupt
% business or anything.
% And they were
% really enthusiastic about it,
% and they have been to this day.
% We're currently shooting
% season two of the series.
% And yeah, we get to go in there,
% and they're really great.
% >> So, that doesn't cost you any
% money, and then you have
% to buy the suit.
% And then you have, do you make
% money off doing this?
% Can you make, are you making
% money, or can someone
% make money off doing this
% and having this be on YouTube?
% You said you're doing
% some DVD sales as well,
% can you make money off this?
% >> Well, we are.
% We are involved in YouTube's
% revenue-sharing program.
% >> Explain that, explain it
% just lightly to people,
% how does that work?
% >> If you're a partner with
% them, you post your material
% and they attach ads to it.
% >> Ad overlays, and they have
% ads scrolling across the screen,
% so they give you a very small
% percentage of that.
% >> Per view, you get...
% >> So it serves you that
% you have 30 million views,
% you got to have a lot of things.
% >> That's definitely a big part
% of it, but the other part of it
% is that we've just sort of used
% Chad Vader as a jumping off
% point to get other work.
% >> Absolutely.
% >> So we've got
% lots of different kind of
% income streams happening.
% >> It's a great calling card.
% >> And do you guys
% have day jobs?
% Or are you filmmakers
% for a living?
% >> We are now filmmakers
% for a living.
% We quit our day jobs
% a few years ago.
% >> Two and a half years ago.
% >> That's fantastic.
% Most people
% still have the day jobs.
% Where'd you get the actors,
% you have some good, really funny
% moments in there.
% Were they all just local
% theater people, just friends?
% >> Most of them
% are local actors and actresses.
% Some of them are our friends,
% some of them we've met, they've
% seen our work and they contacted
% us, like Clarissa, who plays
% Chad's potential love interest.
% She's from Appleton, she saw one
% of our movies at a film
% festival, gave us a call, and
% said, "I'd love to be involved
% with something."
% And we were just at that time
% looking for someone to play this
% part in Chad Vader, and we said,
% "Come on down, we'll give you
% a try at this."
% >> Can you imagine being the
% actress, being like, "You want
% to be Chad, Darth Vader's
% brother's love interest?"
% They call and say,
% "Yes, I do, absolutely!"
% What advice, I mean, there are
% a lot of young filmmakers
% right now, new filmmakers,
% I guess, watching this.
% >> More than ever.
% >> And they're saying
% to themselves, there they are,
% they're successful, 30 million
% hits, they're doing this
% for a living.
% What's your advice to them?
% >> I guess I would say,
% my advice would be to keep
% making videos all the time.
% Because when we had our day
% jobs, when we weren't working we
% were making videos pretty much,
% 90% of our free time,
% just trying to make something
% every month.
% >> And that's how
% you get better.
% You keep doing it and doing it
% and keep doing it.
% >> Honing our skills, throwing
% stuff against the wall, taking a
% million different ideas and just
% doing them all, and seeing which
% one's gonna work, and which
% one's gonna stick with people.
% >> And taking risks.
% I think a lot of people think
% that you have to make something
% that appeals to the masses, you
% have to make something that
% appeals to yourself, and that's
% what's really gonna catch
% people's attention, because it's
% gonna be unexpected, and it's
% gonna be personal, and it's
% gonna be interesting to watch,
% it's not gonna be the same crap
% that everybody has seen a
% million times.
% Nobody wants to see that a
% million and one times.
% So you have to be original and
% listen to your own instincts.
% >> I want to do another clip,
% and this one is definitely
% one of my favorite clips,
% I laughed so hard watching this,
% I re-wound it
% like three or four times.
% Can you set this one up for us?
% >> Yeah, this is the first
% big confrontation
% between Chad and Clint.
% >> Okay, here you go,
% let's roll that clip.
% >> I've been waiting
% for this for a long time.
% And the dark
% is not gonna stop me.
% >> You underestimate
% the power of the dark.
% >> Emergency power, idiot.
% Didn't know about that, huh?
% You are the worst
% day manager ever.
% >> It's useless
% to resist your mind.
% Oop.
% >> This is so easy.
% Hey, check that out over there!
% (laughs)
% >> You know, Chad,
% you are such a loser.
% You're a loser because you suck.
% You've got your head
% up your butt!
% And furthermore, I hate you.
% You're a total A-hole.
% A total (---).
% >> He's right, I am a failure!
% >> Chad, don't listen to him.
% >> Lord Vader, I believe in you.
% >> You!
% What did I tell you
% about that stupid helmet?
% >> No!
% (Clint laughs)
% >> No!
% >> My helmet!
% (laughter continues)
% Lord Vader, help me!
% >> Chad, everyone here
% believes in you.
% >> No, they don't.
% They all despise me.
% >> Hey, I believe in you.
% >> Chad, we believe in you.
% >> I believe in you, Chad.
% I also believe in elves.
% >> I believe in you.
% >> Chad.
% (speaking Spanish)
% >> Chad, I'm the mayor,
% and I believe in you.
% >> I believe in you.
% >> I found the goat's milk.
% >> I believe in you, Chad,
% I believe in you.
% >> Actually not the first
% confrontation between them,
% that's the final confrontation.
% >> Yeah, more of a final.
% So, you got Mayor Dave in there?
% The mayor of Madison.
% >> Yeah, twice.
% >> So, where is Chad
% headed next?
% You're doing an episode,
% you're doing season two.
% >> Yeah, we're six episodes
% into season two, those are
% currently on YouTube, available.
% >> I'll be there this afternoon.
% >> Great.
% And we've got a lot of other
% series and videos that we make,
% other than Chad Vader.
% We just did one called
% "Terrorized by a Bear."
% It's about two guys trapped
% in a house by a bear.
% >> It has weapons.
% >> The bear has weapons?
% >> Yes, of course.
% And so yeah, we're just,
% we've got a lot of new ideas
% that we're working on.
% >> Oh my God, well, they're
% fantastic, totally unique,
% I absolutely love it.
% We'll come back with more.
% Send me stuff, come back with
% more, we love having you,
% I think Chad Vader is
% one of the funniest things
% I have ever seen.
% I love watching it.
% Thank you for very much.
% >> Yeah, sure.
% >> And thank all you guys
% for watching today,
% it has been a total blast.
% For more information on
% "Chad Vader, Day Shift Manager"
% please go to our Web site
% at wpt.org/directorscut
% While you're there
% send us an email
% 'cause we love hearing from you.
% I'm your host,
% Charles Monroe-Kane,
% and for absolutely everyone
% here at "Director's Cut,"
% thank you very much
% for joining us.
% Check the gate.
% >> I am the day manager
% of this facility.
% What is the nature
% of your distress?
% >> I bought these chips here,
% and they're stale.
% >> Yes.
% I can feel your anger.
% It is strong inside you.
% >> Um, I want my money back.
% >> Release your anger.
% Only your hatred can destroy me.
% >> Yeah, can I talk
% to someone else?
% >> Strike me down
% with your hate,
% and claim your refund.
% >> Did I say these were stale?
% I think they're great!
% >> Weak-minded fool.
% Your power is nothing
% compared to mine.
% >> (Voice on PA): Chad Vader
% to aisle five for vomit cleanup.
% Chad to aisle five for vomit.