Sockbaby
Encyclopedia
Sockbaby is a four-part no-budget short film originally for Channel 101
, directed by Douglas TenNapel, the man best known for works such as Earthworm Jim
and The Neverhood
; and John Soares
, who is best known for co-founding the independent film
group WestHavenBrook.
The film lampoons kung-fu movies, and directly parodies pop-culture icons like Dragon Ball Z. All of the martial arts
were done by the actor
s themselves, and were directed by Soares.
In addition to the numerous martial arts sequences, the film also features a cartoon sequence in part two and a partial CGI sequence in part three.
The film centers on a character named Ronnie Cordova, a funky martial artist and (possibly) 70's-style detective in a slick leisure suit, played by Soares. The plot mostly involves his quest to get a bite to eat that's thwarted consistently as he must protect a Sockbaby from an evil group of Greys ("demonic men in suits," to quote the official site).
At its Channel 101 screening on Sunday, January 25th 2004, it received an audience share of 45.5% and was 5th top voted show with 129 votes.
At its Channel 101 screening on Monday, March 1st 2004, it received an Audience share of 39.7% and was 7th top voted show with 105 votes, leading to its cancellation.
Sockb4by is an 11 minute short, featuring Jon Heder
, Dan Heder, and Doug Jones
as a new set of villains. A high-definition version was released on the Sockbaby website on July 25, 2008.
The film begins with Ronnie being attacked at his backyard pool by divers in scuba gear. He defeats a number, and is then attacked by the divers' leaders (Jon Heder
and Dan Heder) named "Manatu" (Probably based on the fact that one of them splits off from the other), who drag him into the pool. The divers say they killed Ronnie's master; Ronnie replies it was only his master's clone. Manatu's nearly drown Ronnie, at which point he is saved by Doug Jones
(played by himself).
Doug Jones explains that he is Ronnie's father, whereupon Burger appears and claims that this cannot be true, as he says Ronnie's father is black. Ronnie says that the situation is a lot to process, and asks Burger to let him deal with it.
Burger heads to a laboratory to perform a DNA comparison, while Ronnie and Doug stay at the pool to catch up. Doug poisons Ronnie as Burger discovers that the DNA does not match. Ronnie asks Doug why he would do this, and it is explained that Ronnie's father killed Doug's son Guillermo. Doug throws Ronnie into the pool and an animated sequence showing Ronnie's anthropomorphized lungs drowning is shown.
Burger arrives at the pool and defeats Doug, who asks his Guillermo for forgiveness as he dies. Burger performs CPR on Ronnie, who hallucinates that he is in heaven, and sees his mother before being resuscitated. Ronnie awakes and asks Burger whether they are gay for having engaged in CPR. He then laughs pulls a chewing gum out of his mouth and puts it in Burger's.
A The End screen is displayed, followed by a scene wherein Ronnie's father, Master Cordova (who turns out to be black), is approached by an agent who says they have found his son. The Master says "Hello, Ronnie," and the credits roll.
"If they make black jokes, like the music is "funk", the whole thing has a 70s blacksploitation vibe, then Ronnie has black in his DNA. We had a question about him being black by a nice girl and I didn't get a chance to expand about my philosophy of the Sockbaby universe. So I'll do it here.
"If they call each other gay, then two men will have to put mouths together in order to save Ronnie's life.
"Food is a high commodity, which is why they frame their day in terms of where to eat. To "food up" is a sign of close friendship. Notice when Ronnie goes to heaven he's surrounded by cakes. He just wants to eat with his mother, but is interrupted. I think if he took a bite and supped with his mom he couldn't go back to earth.
"Family, especially fathers and sons are in all of my work (and every hero's journey) but the Heders provided a great twist. Jon and Dan are duplicate Frogmen yet they are twin brothers in real life. But when talk to Ronnie underwater they talk about killing Ronnie's father, notice how these twin frogmen fall under the Sockbaby universe and project themselves into the plot. They didn't kill Ronnie's father, they killed his clone, or his "Manitou".
"Magic doorknobs" around how beings can port through different parts of the world. Frogmen come up in the pool, Optichord goes to earth and Burger goes to his underground labs. The door magically closes behind Ronnie and Burger behind them, as if the Magic is on their side.
"Finally, the whole idea of SOCKBABY is the title. I called it "Sockbaby" then engineered a story out of the word. It had the name "sock" because it's a kung fu movie. The Baby is not just the Christ story of this universe...it's a fun word that was part of our past slang vocabulary. The titles in all of my stuff tells a story. So you have a Sockbaby-Jesus lording over a universe about fighting and odd-slang sayings.
"I like to use the phrase "economy of elements" where I try to tie props and dialogue down to the plot by reinforcing it wherever I can. It looks like random humor but I don't like most random humor so I tie mine down a little more."
Elsewhere he says, "I mentioned this in a previous post, but the term "Sockbaby" is a term for the world as well as the Holy Grail in the first 3 episodes.
"I didn't really go into this in episode 1 but I've always seen Ronnie as a kind of "non-believer" and Burger being devout about Sockbaby. That's why when Burger dies in ep 3 Ronnie has to commit to the care of SB that was normally Burger's conviction.
"Burger is the only being who really believed in Sockbaby...the creature wouldn't have shown up for anyone else. So Burger is suddenly in the care of this "baby Jesus" and Ronnie wants to get some food. The baby says, "INCHERITO" because their food talk is already influencing this being.
"When all of the Greys come down on our heroes, Burger wants to protect Sockbaby, but Ronnie just wants a good fight. Burger hates with conviction for a positive cause but Ronnie is just a rebel against the negative cause. When Ronnie cares for SB after Burger's death, he is transformed into the kind of man who is for the positive cause. That's why Optichord, the Devil, starts tempting Ronnie by trying to cast doubt on his "salvation".
"At the end, the Angel which we call "Sharkie" takes SB back to heaven. This is kind of vague in my mind, but I think SB accidentally came to earth. I kind of thought that there is a sock-God and the sock-son-of-God was in the dryer with the other socks and went missing...like all socks in the dryer. He came to Ronnie's universe and he came for what was actually a great purpose, to turn Ronnie's heart and to kill Optichord."
Channel 101
Channel 101 is a non-profit short film festival in Los Angeles, which also has a sister festival in NYC, Channel 101: NY. Channel 101 is a creation of Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab in which participants submit a short film in the format of a pilot under five minutes in length...
, directed by Douglas TenNapel, the man best known for works such as Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim is a run and gun platform video game starring an earthworm named Jim in a robotic suit who battles evil. Created by Doug TenNapel and designed by David Perry, the game was developed by Shiny Entertainment and Playmates Interactive Entertainment, released by Sega for the Mega...
and The Neverhood
The Neverhood
The Neverhood is a 1996 PC CD-ROM adventure video game created by animator Doug TenNapel and released by DreamWorks Studios. It features claymation graphics and music by composer Terry Scott Taylor...
; and John Soares
John Soares
John Allen Soares is an award-winning independent filmmaker, martial arts choreographer, actor and viral video star from Hughson, CA known for his short videos and webisodes on YouTube. Soares's videos are known for mixing martial arts action with quirky comedy.Soares was born in Turlock, CA on...
, who is best known for co-founding the independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
group WestHavenBrook.
The film lampoons kung-fu movies, and directly parodies pop-culture icons like Dragon Ball Z. All of the martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
were done by the actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s themselves, and were directed by Soares.
In addition to the numerous martial arts sequences, the film also features a cartoon sequence in part two and a partial CGI sequence in part three.
The film centers on a character named Ronnie Cordova, a funky martial artist and (possibly) 70's-style detective in a slick leisure suit, played by Soares. The plot mostly involves his quest to get a bite to eat that's thwarted consistently as he must protect a Sockbaby from an evil group of Greys ("demonic men in suits," to quote the official site).
Episode 1
As Ronnie, Burger and the Sockbaby leave their house to go someplace to food up, they are confronted by Davis the Grey, who wants to take Sockbaby to Lord Opticord, leader of the Greys. Davis informs Ronnie that this Sockbaby is "the Sockbaby Jesus, Sock-savior to the Sock-people". While Burger escapes with the Sockbaby, Davis and Ronnie fight each other, with Davis running off as he is defeated, and notified that, in the opinion of Ronnie Cordova, he and his brethren are "gay".At its Channel 101 screening on Sunday, January 25th 2004, it received an audience share of 45.5% and was 5th top voted show with 129 votes.
Episode 2
While Ronnie and Burger try to get their car started - Ronnie left the radio running, thus draining the battery - Lord Opticord dispatches more Greys to kill Ronnie and retrieve Sockbaby, including the ultra-powerful and poorly wardrobed club-wielding, two ton Chum-Chum. Ronnie once again manages to fight off a majority of the Greys, this time using even more spectacular fighting moves than before (utilizing a plasma pill), but he is eventually knocked down by the Chum-Chum.At its Channel 101 screening on Monday, March 1st 2004, it received an Audience share of 39.7% and was 7th top voted show with 105 votes, leading to its cancellation.
Episode 3
Burger dispatches an odd-looking creature to kill Chum-Chum, and Ronnie rises again to defeat the remaining Greys, excluding Davis. Directly afterward he steps in a pile of dog feces, which he wipes from his shoe with a sock, tossing the sock on the ground. He then kills Davis for good, but discovers that Davis has killed Burger. Lord Opticord then confronts Ronnie directly. Opticord and Ronnie fight, each other, during which Ronnie's funky disco medallion ties itself around both Ronnie's and Opticord's necks, putting both of them in an electric choke hold. While they are being choked, Opticord reveals to Ronnie what Opticord thought was the Sockbaby in his possession, but is actually Ronnie's discarded sock. Both Ronnie and Opticord then fall to the ground, dead. A shark robot then arrives, resurrecting Ronnie and leaving with the Sockbaby. Ronnie then finds that Burger has been revived as well, and together they leave to find some food.Episode 4
Sockb4by is an 11 minute short, featuring Jon Heder
Jon Heder
Jonathan Joseph "Jon" Heder is an American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite...
, Dan Heder, and Doug Jones
Doug Jones (actor)
Doug Jones is an American film and television actor best known to science fiction, fantasy, and horror fans for his various roles playing non-human characters, often in heavy makeup, in films and television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth and Fantastic Four: Rise...
as a new set of villains. A high-definition version was released on the Sockbaby website on July 25, 2008.
The film begins with Ronnie being attacked at his backyard pool by divers in scuba gear. He defeats a number, and is then attacked by the divers' leaders (Jon Heder
Jon Heder
Jonathan Joseph "Jon" Heder is an American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite...
and Dan Heder) named "Manatu" (Probably based on the fact that one of them splits off from the other), who drag him into the pool. The divers say they killed Ronnie's master; Ronnie replies it was only his master's clone. Manatu's nearly drown Ronnie, at which point he is saved by Doug Jones
Doug Jones (actor)
Doug Jones is an American film and television actor best known to science fiction, fantasy, and horror fans for his various roles playing non-human characters, often in heavy makeup, in films and television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth and Fantastic Four: Rise...
(played by himself).
Doug Jones explains that he is Ronnie's father, whereupon Burger appears and claims that this cannot be true, as he says Ronnie's father is black. Ronnie says that the situation is a lot to process, and asks Burger to let him deal with it.
Burger heads to a laboratory to perform a DNA comparison, while Ronnie and Doug stay at the pool to catch up. Doug poisons Ronnie as Burger discovers that the DNA does not match. Ronnie asks Doug why he would do this, and it is explained that Ronnie's father killed Doug's son Guillermo. Doug throws Ronnie into the pool and an animated sequence showing Ronnie's anthropomorphized lungs drowning is shown.
Burger arrives at the pool and defeats Doug, who asks his Guillermo for forgiveness as he dies. Burger performs CPR on Ronnie, who hallucinates that he is in heaven, and sees his mother before being resuscitated. Ronnie awakes and asks Burger whether they are gay for having engaged in CPR. He then laughs pulls a chewing gum out of his mouth and puts it in Burger's.
A The End screen is displayed, followed by a scene wherein Ronnie's father, Master Cordova (who turns out to be black), is approached by an agent who says they have found his son. The Master says "Hello, Ronnie," and the credits roll.
Philosophy
Doug TenNapel says; "Vernacular is a big part of the Sockbaby series...the way they talk is part of the "why" of the show. Burger is a mechanical guy, they fight in their homes in normal suburbia instead off on top of skyscrapers."If they make black jokes, like the music is "funk", the whole thing has a 70s blacksploitation vibe, then Ronnie has black in his DNA. We had a question about him being black by a nice girl and I didn't get a chance to expand about my philosophy of the Sockbaby universe. So I'll do it here.
"If they call each other gay, then two men will have to put mouths together in order to save Ronnie's life.
"Food is a high commodity, which is why they frame their day in terms of where to eat. To "food up" is a sign of close friendship. Notice when Ronnie goes to heaven he's surrounded by cakes. He just wants to eat with his mother, but is interrupted. I think if he took a bite and supped with his mom he couldn't go back to earth.
"Family, especially fathers and sons are in all of my work (and every hero's journey) but the Heders provided a great twist. Jon and Dan are duplicate Frogmen yet they are twin brothers in real life. But when talk to Ronnie underwater they talk about killing Ronnie's father, notice how these twin frogmen fall under the Sockbaby universe and project themselves into the plot. They didn't kill Ronnie's father, they killed his clone, or his "Manitou".
"Magic doorknobs" around how beings can port through different parts of the world. Frogmen come up in the pool, Optichord goes to earth and Burger goes to his underground labs. The door magically closes behind Ronnie and Burger behind them, as if the Magic is on their side.
"Finally, the whole idea of SOCKBABY is the title. I called it "Sockbaby" then engineered a story out of the word. It had the name "sock" because it's a kung fu movie. The Baby is not just the Christ story of this universe...it's a fun word that was part of our past slang vocabulary. The titles in all of my stuff tells a story. So you have a Sockbaby-Jesus lording over a universe about fighting and odd-slang sayings.
"I like to use the phrase "economy of elements" where I try to tie props and dialogue down to the plot by reinforcing it wherever I can. It looks like random humor but I don't like most random humor so I tie mine down a little more."
Elsewhere he says, "I mentioned this in a previous post, but the term "Sockbaby" is a term for the world as well as the Holy Grail in the first 3 episodes.
"I didn't really go into this in episode 1 but I've always seen Ronnie as a kind of "non-believer" and Burger being devout about Sockbaby. That's why when Burger dies in ep 3 Ronnie has to commit to the care of SB that was normally Burger's conviction.
"Burger is the only being who really believed in Sockbaby...the creature wouldn't have shown up for anyone else. So Burger is suddenly in the care of this "baby Jesus" and Ronnie wants to get some food. The baby says, "INCHERITO" because their food talk is already influencing this being.
"When all of the Greys come down on our heroes, Burger wants to protect Sockbaby, but Ronnie just wants a good fight. Burger hates with conviction for a positive cause but Ronnie is just a rebel against the negative cause. When Ronnie cares for SB after Burger's death, he is transformed into the kind of man who is for the positive cause. That's why Optichord, the Devil, starts tempting Ronnie by trying to cast doubt on his "salvation".
"At the end, the Angel which we call "Sharkie" takes SB back to heaven. This is kind of vague in my mind, but I think SB accidentally came to earth. I kind of thought that there is a sock-God and the sock-son-of-God was in the dryer with the other socks and went missing...like all socks in the dryer. He came to Ronnie's universe and he came for what was actually a great purpose, to turn Ronnie's heart and to kill Optichord."
External links
- Sockbaby.com - Sockbaby website
- Channel101.com Show Page
- WestHavenBrook - Website of John Soares' and Justin Spurlock's film group.
- TenNapel.com - Douglas TenNapel's website
- BattleJitni.com - John Soares' action adventure internet series
- http://www.indymogul.com/post/8043/john-soares-interview-sockbaby-4 - John Soares interviewed by IndyMogul.com about Sockbaby 4.