7/29/23: D&J Documentary Trailer [Happy Anniversary]

 

As the Feature-Length Documentary and Deluxe Blu-Ray for my Brother Jordan and his wife Danielle are still in progress, here is a new trailer, for now!

Danielle + Jordan: 7/29/23 Reel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wedding Reel for my brother Jordan's Wedding from last year is complete.  Check it out HERE!

INTO THE WOODS: Now Available on TUBI!

Our 2008 film, INTO THE WOODS has recently undergone a 4K remaster, and looks better than ever.

It is now available to stream on Tubi.  Check it out HERE!

ZIMMERMAN X-MAS MEGA-MIX: Reel 7 (2021)

 
With everything going on this Winter holiday season (starting a new job and having a baby 2 weeks late with him due in mid-November and born in December), we weren't able to remotely collaborate with everyone on a holiday music video this year.  So I went back to the original format from years past, and did a new Holiday Mega-Mix Reel using archival materials from Christmas' past.  It features a lot of material from our last trip to to Metamora, IL in the Winter of 2019 (how fucking depressing is it that we haven't been back home since!?!).  Plus a plethora of flashback footage from the 80's, 90's, 00's, 10's, and now!  Iver and I also shot a new intro/outro bookend for this reel.  So that is a bit of an upgrade from the others that came before (Reel 1-6).  The last video of this kind was made in 2015 (which can also be viewed by clicking - REEL 6).  These are mostly home movie hodgepodged highlight reels but I will probably throw the rest up online in time as well.  For now check out the new one - REEL 7!

BEFORE THE STORM: 16th Anniversary

Sixteen years ago I co-directed a movie with Levi Obery.  Pictured above, is a behind-the-scenes still from one of the many nights shooting the living room scenes in my childhood home.  Eventually the movie was titled Before the Storm but take notice of one of the alternate titles on the slate.  This was one of many titles that were used during production.  Today we celebrate the movie's 16th Anniversary!  It is still available on DVD with a handful of Bonus Material - including a featurette, deleted scenes, "We Fall Down" music video from Aces Love, and its original theatrical trailer.  Some of this content can currently be viewed on its official Facebook page.  We did a full remaster last year which you can still stream for free on youtube HERE!

"FOOTLOOSE" (Holiday Music Video 2020)

In our follow-up to last Holiday Season's The Greatest Show music video, we bring you FOOTLOOSE!  Similar to last year, this one features all of our (My Wife & I's) siblings and their significant others - the shoots spanned over the course of the last 2 months in California (Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys), Illinois (Metamora, Germantown Hills, Peoria Heights, and Chicago), and Oregon (Portland).  It seems like a good way to socially distance shoot a project but honestly we used the exact same process last year.

Overall we ended up with more footage this year (2 hours more!), clocking in at over 7 hours of raw material for a song that is slightly over 5 minutes.  So the editing process was a little bit more time consuming.  Post-Production was carried out in Los Angeles and took over most of my December.  We finally locked and completed it at the break of dusk on Christmas Eve.  It premiered around 4pm that day.  No traveling home for the holidays this year.  So this video will have to spread all of our holiday cheer this season, with a punch!  Check it out HERE!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2020: "The Mailbox"

This years Halloween clip comes in the form of a short that we shot in 1999, called The Mailbox.  Check it out HERE!

BEFORE THE STORM: 15th Anniversary

The movie that I co-directed with Levi Obery back in 2005, Before the Storm, is celebrating it's 15 Year Anniversary today!  If you are interested, it is still available for purchase on DVD, featuring a handful of Bonus Material.  Some of which, can currently been viewed on its official Facebook page.  You can also stream a new version of the movie, which was recently remastered HERE!

9/22/18: KAYLA & BRANDON WEDDING HIGHLIGHT REEL

Exactly one year ago today my brother got married.  This is the story of that day...watch HERE!

8/18/18: Lydia & Connor Wedding Highlight Reel

We didn't plan on making a highlight reel for this Wedding but since we ended up shooting so much, it didn't make sense not to.  An extended Documentary version is in the works and will be released as Volume 7 in the Zim Home Video Wedding Collection later this year.  Photo above by Mishi Reyes.  Happy Anniversary Lydia + Connor!  Check out the trailer and then watch the highlight Reel HERE!

John Ronane: In Memoriam

John Ronane,  85, of Eureka passed away at 7:49 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, 2019, at his home, with his family by his side.  To me, John was a mentor.  A mentor who not only pushed me to pursue my dreams but also helped me get on the right path to do so.

I first met John at the end of my Freshman year of high school during a Spring Extension program.  His wife Carole, was teaching a course on film making and brought him in to talk to us about his wide range of experiences in the  Film/TV business.  He actually wrote a short screenplay for the class titled Summer Lesson, which we were given the task of turning into a short film in only 2 days.  We chose to use the first day for production and then spent the whole second day editing at my house.  I still remember him showing up at the end of the first day while we were shooting the finale.  It was a bit nerve-racking having him on set but at the same time I felt honored.  The guy had lived and worked in the film business.  Something I wholeheartedly wanted to be a real part of someday.  As seen in the photo above - John, Phil, and I were discussing our shot list for the scene.  I remember him talking to us like we were fellow artists, collaborating, and not just telling us what we needed to do.  We felt like real professionals that day!  We shot in on Hi8 and VHS-C and cut linearly in my bedroom with a VCR and a VHS Camcorder - mastering to VHS.  You can check out the final film HERE!

After this project I began doing end of the year SCHOOL VIDEO YEARBOOK'S, which his wife Carole oversaw but gave me an incredible amount of artistic freedom.  These videos actually ended up being pretty extensive and even feature length.  They played at the Senior Awards Assemblies at the end of my Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years.  John actually showed up to these screenings.  Afterward we would discuss the videos and he would mention little details that he noticed.  After a years worth of work it was awesome for someone to actually point out some of these details, which to most may seem minor but actually took a lot of thought and energy to execute.  It charged me up and inspired me to keep pushing myself.

I have not seen him or Carole in several years but have kept in touch off and on through social media since graduating high school in 2003.  They set my sights on Columbia College Chicago way back in 2003 when I was about to graduate high school.  They even recommended a move to Los Angeles - way before I ever thought that it was a real possibility.  Without them I'm not sure where I would be right now.  I will always be grateful to him and Carole for believing in me and pushing me to pursue my dreams!

John's memorial website is available at www.deitersfuneralhome.com, where condolences may also be sent to the family.  Memorial contributions may also be made to the American Cancer Society.

HALLOWEEN 2017 Exclusive Film: NIGHTMARE

This holiday season we've decided to share our first completed feature length film - Nightmare! It was shot off and on as a side project (within many other projects) from 1997-2001.  Sometime in 2000 we finally buckled down and produced additional connective tissue to bring a handful of the scenes together.  We shot on VHS and Hi-8 and cut mostly linear with a rudimentary home editing setup consisting of a camcorder, a boom box, and a VCR.  Some minor visual effects, the opening title sequence, and some sound mixing were done near the end of post-production.  This movie is not for sale and all un-original materials are the property of their respective owners.  It was made for the joy and entertainment of those involved.  HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2017! Watch Nightmare HERE!