The Support Group

I know what you're thinking… who's that crazy-tongue sticking goofball holding up 2 peace-out signs over the heads of others (Picture, Top Center), why that’s me (Ethan Stranger) & these were my friends that I met all the way back in June of 2014 during a one-week summer film camp over at the UT. So in honor of our 7th anniversary, I, Ethan Stranger myself, will take you back in time & share with y’all about the wonderful friendship experience I had during my one week summer film camp over at UT (plus a special guest-appearance from Actress: Cobie Smulders). 

So as I mentioned, back in the summer of 2014, my parents enrolled me in a film camp that took place at the UT, back then, I had just wrapped up my Junior year of High School, it was filled with ups & downs (from the stress I was going through in Band (read more on my Just Band Director & his Student Post), feeling uncomfortable during my time in construction class (Read more on my Bullies Club: II Post) & that my High HighSchool Crush at the time (Read more on my High School Crushes: Preparing for Love Post) was departing for the Marines, I needed to get out of that stressful hole and meet new people (which is a great way of spicing things up in our lives, albeit, sometimes difficult to do). Plus I was attempting to pursue a career in filming, so what better place to do that than at a Film camp. I’ll never forget on the 1st day, I was quite surprised to see that one of the students happened to be a known acquaintance from my High School Band (doesn't his hair have that (almost) Wolverine Look), that was a nickname that our Director (our friend within our group) gave him (plus she even mentioned that my Eyebrows resemble Actor Bill Hader, do they really)?

The Film we created together was entitled “The Support Group” (which is the name of this post), it was about (as I remember it) our director playing the role of a telepath who gets sent by her father to a LARP (Live-Action Role-Playing Game) (cause he doesn't believe that her daughter has actual powers), towards the end of the film, she encounters a boy, as he mentions that he can relate to her for he too actually (might’ve) had powers. Despite the Film Club lasting  for only a week, I felt like that I really had a good time (I really enjoyed editing the bloopers, which originally had those funny “Ed, Edd, n Eddy-Styled sound effects”, but my group decided to vote that out, but here are some video examples on what my bloopers would’ve sounded  like if they had those sound effects): 

 

(BOTH THE KING KONG/DEADPOOL aren’t mine, but they sound funny with Ed, Edd, n Eddy sound effects) 

The Next Month, I joined a 2-week film club,  but it wasn’t as fun as the 1st Film Camp for I felt like the people from the 2nd film group just didn’t have that “Spunk” that my 1st Film Group had for we were more energetic & willing to learn about each other (though I already knew the Wolverine-Based Boy), this Film Club made us become friends & (to this day) we all still keep in touch & I do hope that (one day) we reunite for an Anniversary-styled reunion, for as the Spider-Men would say: I Love you Guys. 

A Fun Fact is that during our Film Camp shooting, Actress Cobie Smulders (Picture, bottom Center) had a brief run-in with me & my Film Group as we were shooting a scene for our movie near an elevator, just as she was exiting (alongside somebody else) a member of our group went out to stop her before rushing back to us that “She’s the Actress from How I Met Your Mother” (A Series I barely watched), for I only knew her as Maria Hill from the MCU & the voice of Wonder Woman from the Lego Movie (to be honest, had I directed a Wonder Woman movie of my own, I would’ve cast her as the Amazon Princess). Yet, she surprises me…for some reason I thought she was gonna be taller (Johnny Carson Joke) & that I accidentally said her name wrong (Cobie Summers instead of Smulders), eventually I learn that the movie Cobie was shooting at the UT was called Results (Picture, left), I haven’t it yet (in fact I’m pretty sure that she is unaware of my Dr. Strange Cameo, Fedora Hat, Striped Shirt, backup &  sunglasses), I told my group about it & they themselves were quite impressed). So now how about a little song…about beavers (and this is the part where Cobie Smulders/Robin Sparkles would say “You do not get to hear the Beavers Song, for it's a sweet song about friendship & Beavers are adorable”):                                                                  

Come On Gang, let’s Sing: (Hey Cobie, Come on, when you feel alone, just pick up that phone & I’ll be there share my…ICE CREAM CONE…) Y’all known the rest…

(Fun Fact Cobie: You’re from Canada (so is Robin Sparkles) & I’m from Juneau 

(The Chances of Cobie & Me karaoke this song are a million  to one)

(what would Barney Stinton say about that)?

So aside from me talking about Cobie Smulders a lot, there’s another reason why I wanted to talk about this moment of life, for events like the film camp I went to encourages us to do something that is quite hard for me, that sometimes feels even impossible: meet new people without being afraid to share who I am or what I want in life. Looking both at the present and past, I think that there are three main reasons why I find it hard to meet new people in real life: getting to know them, knowing what to say and maintaining that relationship over time (which takes a lot of work). As you might imagine, for someone like me, the pandemic hasn't really helped expand my own social circle. Even though I try to do it online, I feel it’s time to reach out to new people face to face. Back during my time at the film camp, I also learned more about filming & the challenge that comes with it (Especially when it comes to working as a team) learning to cooperate as a team & share a common objection (plus always have fun).

So until Cobie Smulders spots my Dr. Strange Cameo from the 2016 Film (Picture, Top) or until my Film Camp Group calls in for a Reunion, I just have one last thing to say: 

Ethan Stranger (and Chewie) Sign Off!