The NEW TIMES of MIami just announced we won BEST MOVIE SHOT ON LOCATION!! We are truly HONORED to have won this award. A special thank you to the NEW TIMES for the amazing article they wrote on us.....

http://bestof.miaminewtimes.com/bestof/award.php?award=1006354&year=


Best Movie Shot on Location (2008)

Pencil Fighting: The Life and Times of Team Balderdash
vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=21666289

What do a professor, a surgeon, an apocalypse, and Hollywood have in common? Not much. Oh, except for the fact that united, as one inpenetrable force, they made up Team Balderdash, the greatest (and most supercoolest) group of middle school pencil fighters, like, ever.

Pencil Fighting: The Life and Times of Team Balderdash is a clever mockumentary about four pencil-pounding pals, Jackson (nicknamed The Professor), Phillip (The Surgeon), Cornelius (Apocalypse), and Maxwell (Hollywood), who fall apart when Maxwell becomes "tainted by the one thing that'll blind a man enough to do the stupidest of things: love." Yup, puppy love. And in order to preserve the circle-yes-or-no-if-you-like-me prepubescent brand of feelings exchanged between himself and a young lady named Marilyn, Maxwell duels a Husky pencil with his standard No. 2 and loses with a single lick. The rest of the tale unfolds 15 years down the road, when the surviving members of Team Balderdash reunite for one last shot at glory.

Although bigger-budget films have dazzled audiences with glitzy images of South Beach, Pencil Fighting stays true to its 305 roots, shooting, for the most part, in a Miami Lakes playground, a warehouse near Tamiami Airport, and at the filmmakers' Coconut Grove digs, Gold Dickenson Productions. Winner of Best Short Film at both the Orlando Film Festival and the Miami Underground Film Festival, it's showing for free on MySpaceTV at vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=21666289.

But be warned: Drinking milk while viewing may result in it flying out your nose.

User Comments
Comment by Kathy - May 15, 2008 @ 4:33 PM
Team Balderdash rocks!!!! I love it.
Comment by Todd - May 15, 2008 @ 6:19 PM
Everything Fro does is pure Gold... Dickenson... this movie was definitely the best... if you havent seen it yet... you're missing out. The only thing better than Fro.. is the guy in the dancing bear costume... whoever that is.. he is truly the best.
Comment by Kar - May 15, 2008 @ 7:28 PM
hey! fro is wayyy better than that bear guy!! team balderdash is awesome, and fro is like jesus. so, combined, they make the best movie ever!!!
Comment by Veronica Alsina - May 15, 2008 @ 8:11 PM
Team Balderdash does rock! I love everything about this movie. Congrats to all involved, especially Fro, Ethan & Ricky Bigai. May you win many more awards and continue to make great movies!
Comment by Gina - May 15, 2008 @ 8:16 PM
My Brother-in-law is JESUS????? SWEET! Congrats! Your Favorite Sister - Gina
Comment by Debbie - May 15, 2008 @ 8:20 PM
Amazing people making amazing films! Noah the Super Jew can't wait for the next rockin' production!
Comment by Sandra - May 15, 2008 @ 9:01 PM
Fro excellent film..... You make us proud..........I am delighted and honored to be educated and exposed by you to such talent and also to your industry.............please keep me in your followings...............regards
Comment by Nikki B - May 15, 2008 @ 9:29 PM
Gold Dickenson Productions makes the classiest films!!! Thanks for showing the world that TRUE talent comes from South Florida ;) WE NEED MORE!!!!! stay classy... but then again, of course you will.
Comment by MZ - May 16, 2008 @ 7:30 AM
GOLD DICKENSON is en FUEGO!! LOVE the film. LOVE the work. LOVE GOLD DICKENSON PRODUCTIONS. When's the next movie??? and When can we get T-shirts???
Comment by mom - May 16, 2008 @ 8:18 AM
You are the son that every mom would be proud of, you work so hard that why you are: (A SUCCESS) Love Mom
Comment by kelly ann - May 16, 2008 @ 8:30 AM
Cool deal...!!!!!! you guys rock
Comment by Bob - May 16, 2008 @ 8:35 AM
Better jump on the Fro train now folks, it's pulling out of the station and going express!! Seriously, we can expect lots of great things from Fro and Gold Dickenson - watch 'em!
Comment by Jenny - May 16, 2008 @ 8:55 AM
Every time these classy guys put their imaginations to work they create magical films. Team Balderdash took us MIA'ers back to our pre-husky days and made us all laugh. I can't wait to be entertained again from their many upcoming hits. Thanks for being Gold!
Comment by jlo - May 16, 2008 @ 10:20 AM
Gold-D, you guys are on fire! Congrats. on the success of Pencil Fighting. It's one hellova way to rep. the 3-0-5. Keep fighting the good fight and we'll see you at the top. xox, The Spannk Crew
Comment by Chuck B. - May 16, 2008 @ 1:49 PM
Classy work guys. Love the article! Keep rocking the 305!
Comment by Mich - May 16, 2008 @ 3:43 PM
funniest short film i have ever seen! xoxo
Comment by Eileen - May 16, 2008 @ 5:23 PM
You Guys are SUPER! Local Talent ROCKS! FELICIDADES !! WELL DESERVED!!!
Comment by prisy - May 16, 2008 @ 8:49 PM
lol really funny. love it.
Comment by The Tunes and Tones - May 16, 2008 @ 9:21 PM
We got to see it twice. And both experiences were equally beautiful. We didn't have a clue that the film was going to win so many awards as it did. The best part was sitting on the couch with two film directors exposing the reel before it was released. When we heard our tracks playing in the film, it was amazing, something we truly enjoyed throughout the course of us being a band. The second time we seen the film was at Churchill's Pub in Miami. On May 15th, 2008 - Functional Interiors throws an explosion of Miami talent, from artist to comedians - the pub never looked more choice. In a full house we played live - only to see Pencil Fighting: The Life and Times of Team Balderdash being viewed in the center of the room. Everyone loved it. I don't think I have ever seen any movie play in the show area of Churchill's, only this one. It felt like we were in a theatre. The night ended very sweet. We thank you Fro and Andy. The Tunes and Tones

There are some things that we hold onto from when we were younger, for some it's comic books, for others its love of monster movies and for some it's looking back at successes that they had during their school years. In the new short movie, Pencil Fighting: The Life and Times of Team Balderdash, this absurd notion of living through past victories is looked at in a really hysterical way!

The story here is pretty good, we first meet Team Balderdash, a group of four kids who excel at the art of pencil fighting, a "sport" that involves one kid holding his pencil and the other using his to try to break it, the competition goes back and forth until the loser's pencil is in two pieces. Well, with the introduction of the 'husky' pencil (a pencil that's at least twice as thick as a standard number 2), the team falls apart, and no one can defeat the husky! Now, 15 years later, one team member is dead, and the other three must reunite to fight again in his name.

Fro Rojas has put together a movie that's as funny and great as Dodgeball from a few years back...and he actually keeps it as short as it that movie needed to be. The acting is top notch and the short is very funny. If you've ever been to middle school, then you'll recognize these kids, and when they get older they'll still make you laugh! If you're looking for a great laugh, check out Pencil Fighting: The Life and Times of Team Balderdash by heading over to Fro's MySpace TV Page, it's a great movie and you don't even have to head out to rent it! How cool is that!?!?! I'm giving Pencil Fighting: The Life and Times of Team Balderdash four out of four cigars, it's funny, it's fast paced and it's well worth your time! So, until next time, when I'll be putting my own middle school crew back together.

 

http://www.roguecinema.com/article-1274--0-0.html

Small but generous article on GOLD DICKENSON PRODUCTIONS in Miamiprovocateur.com. Much appreciated from them.

SUNDANCE Festival is happening right now and as one of the best film festivals in the world it often premieres the best films of the year to come. Shorts are a big part of the festival and last year's Sundance Shorts are available on I-Tunes.

Shorts are becoming ever more popular and in Miami we have a local film company Gold Dickenson Productions won the Orlando Film Festival's short film category. You can view the trailer here. Pencil Fighting: The Life and Times of Team Balderdash was filmed entirely in Miami. While it is evident that these local film makers are fans of Wes Anderson's work, it will be good to see how they evolve as they find their signature style.

http://miamiprovocateur.com/2008/01/21/films-in-the-sun-dance-film-festival-or-shine-state/

CHECK OUT THIS AWESOME IN DEPTH ARTICLE ON GOLD DICKENSON Productions........

http://www.spannk.com/article/90

Gold Dickenson Boys

Jan 1, 2008 by Raul Bermudez, photos by Emily Sixx

Since Spannk launched in June of last year we've received countless emails and MySpace messages from yo-yo's that want to collaborate with us. We're never really sure who's legit, competent, reliable, or talented for that matter so we tend to politely decline most of the time. Then sometime last Fall I looked at our comments page on MySpace and saw a very friendly message from a Gold Dickenson Productions. The message gave us effusive praise on our project and was signed off with a "Stay Classy".

Chuckling to myself I decided to click on their page and see who the hell had the balls to go under the name Gold Dickenson. As soon as everything downloaded in front of me it became very obvious that I had made the right move. The Gold Dickenson boys are very fond of that 70's retro look that we also love, and came across as the type of guys that were willing to poke fun at the strangest things. My type of dudes.

What kind of strange things? Well, for starters I saw a trailer for a short film titled "Pencil Fighting" (which can viewed on Spannk Videos) that motivated me to make my girlfriend get off the couch and come watch it with me. Please do yourself a favor and watch it and see what creative, young filmmakers are doing in our city. Pencil Fighting even took first prize at the Orlando Film Festival for Best Short Film in November.

Right before Christmas I was able to catch up with the two, busy partners of Gold Dickenson: Fro Rojas, and Andy Negrin at Fro's spot in the Grove. Both of the boys are local guys from Miami. Andy's a Cuban American, Columbus High graduate who was always fond of creative writing, and has found his calling as a screenwriter. The guy's a ball of energy and passionately relives moments with whoever's around.

Fro's a Nicaraguan/Colombian, Coral Park graduate. He was always artistically inclined and went to LA as a youngster to take his shot. Unfortunately, he arrived right after September 11th with the city at a standstill, and was faced with the death of his mother from cancer forcing him to return to Miami to care for his teenage sister.

Sometimes unfortunate circumstances come with silver linings because……

Fro and Andy met a year-and-a-half ago in a manner that's very consistent with the way media is headed today. They met online on MySpace. Friggin Tom must be loving all of the shout-outs he's getting. Andy had stumbled upon a short film that Fro had put together and was hooked. "Fro had made a film called First Robot which is about the guy who invented the Robot dance. I loved it and wrote Fro on My Space complimenting his work, "says Andy.

Fro in turn went on Andy's page, saw some of his films, and liked what he was doing. They connected in their love of cinema, namely director Wes Anderson's films. "Andy was working on his script Ashes to Ashes and sent it to me. I took a look, loved it, and made a suggestion that Andy ended up wanting to use, "says Fro.

Then came Pencil Fighting. Fro was working on a project and was having trouble deciding between two actors. Andy using all forms of common sense recommended that Fro make them pencil fight for it. "I then said let's stop everything that we're doing right now and make a movie about pencil fighting, "says Andy. "We decided to create a film about four kids who were the best pencil fighters in the world, but they fall apart. Later on in life they have to come together to help a fallen comrade."

One thing that stood out to me while watching the short was the attention to detail Fro and Andy put into the film. When the pencil fighting kids grow up and go their separate ways they all create lives for themselves. One of the guys strikes it rich after inventing the fanny pack, another guy's an interpretive dance instructor, one guy attempts to become an 80's R&B singer, and I'm sure you're catching my drift. Every single character and word in the dialogue/voice over is carefully crafted.

But what will assuredly grab your attention is that Pencil Fighting's quality of production resembles a Hollywood film. The audio and look of the film is top notch. This isn't some crappy, student film that you're forced to act like you enjoy with horrible edits and muffled sounds. This looks and feels like the real thing.

All the more remarkable is that the short was shot with a shoestring $500 budget that was spent mainly on providing nourishment for the cast and crew, and wardrobe. The cast was willing to work for free, locations were also gratis. But because they both work in the industry they were able to have access to equipment and editing free of charge.

Andy was the writer and Fro the director. It's very difficult in a creative environment to have partners stick to their roles, and not want to supercede on the others turf. The ability to work harmoniously has enabled these two to get started on future projects. "Nobody here acts like they're big time, we're just trying to make it, he loves writing and I love directing, "says Fro. I hate script writing, but love story writing. It just works man."

After investing a year of their lives Gold Dickenson experienced the payoff at their screening in Coconut Grove at the Avanico Theater. The theater was completely packed, standing room only, and the guys were nervous. "Once the film started I heard the first laughs and it continued throughout, I felt so much better, "says Fro.

One thing the partners are quick to do is give props to the others who helped out in the project namely, Paula Jimenez, who is credited with being the one who cracked the whip and kept everybody in line throughout the production. She's now trying her luck in the City of Angels, LA, as a producer. Anybody who has worked in production knows that the Director of Photography is the unsung hero of the project, and in Pencil Fighting's case it was JC Nunez who provided a trained eye to it all.

I was very curious to learn what these two, talented filmmakers thought about the limitations our city has in their industry. "We believe that you make your own roads, "says Andy. Adds Fro, "There are a lot of cool things popping up in our city, there's cool bands, great magazines, and people trying to create different thing's in Miami. I believe that it's getting better."

The fellas are now in pre-production for Ashes to Ashes, Andy's old script. They also have on tap a project called Inventing Kin which the guys say has a Garden State type feel that touches on some of Fro's experiences like his mother's death.

Spannk/Gold Dickenson is also coming together to bring you The Adventures of Bo Lancaster our tennis instructor/super hero. It will be starring our boy Ricky Cruz in the featured role. Keep your eyes open for this one, because when you get two crews like ours together God knows what's bound to come out.

Here at Spannk it feels good to know that we're helping to get the word out on talented artists like the Gold Dickenson boys. It's guys like this that are going to take Miami to the next level, and show the rest of the country that we're better than great night clubs, fabulous beaches, and fat asses. This is a city with loads of talented artists. We don't all have to relocate to LA.

Movie Review - PENCIL FIGHTING: the life and times of team balderdash

November 24th, 2007 by Dan Gutierrez

Written by BIG DAVE SNYDER

A pseudo sports movie deserves a review from a pseudo sports writer.

I sometimes bumble into moments of genius.

And usually they are not on my part.

A good example is last weeks interview with sports radio great Sid Rosenberg. A great example is this weeks review of a short film I have been lucky enough to screen entitled, Pencil Fighting: The Life and Times of Team Balderdash.

This film was created by a production company from Miami called Gold Dickenson Productions. Somehow I received a friends request form them on myspace, and then a month after viewing their trailer on their profile I had a copy of the film in hand.

If I wanted to keep the review short I could end it after one word, brilliant.

The production team of Fro Rojas, Andrew Negrin, JC Nunez, and Paula Jimenez were able to weave together great characters and terrific humor into a product that had me reminiscing of my own days in Miami during the 90's braving the pencil fighting battlegrounds, and facing the unconquerable "Husky."

Stylistically think Wes Anderson meets Ben Stiller. Each of the characters in this film is fully fleshed out by the end of the film including quarks and weaknesses, however there is still time for a training montage and an underground pencil fight battle royal at the films climax.

Pencil Fighting:The Life and Times of Team Balderdash is about a pencil fighting team that is forced to a downfall in there juvenile years due to the rise of the feared "husky." When one of the team members dies, the others decide to honor his last wishes by banning together to compete one last time for pencil fighting glory.

The Gold Dickenson team is poised to unleash the film on a number of film contests, but they have already received my approval. So really whats left to win?

www.bigdaveonsports.com