joelhaver

Patreon Ramble #13 - I got my van!!!

Hey everyone!

New month, new ramble!

It’s official!! I got my van!! Super excited for where this will take me and the channel. Big things to come.

New movie on the channel! Improvised by myself, Trent and random audience members during the duration of The Oscars! I’m shocked how well it turned out given the audacity of the whole experiment.

Here is it is! A Simple Smash and Bash Job Gone Wrong - https://youtu.be/4GR0tdkYqso

And here’s the making of livestream - https://youtu.be/f4VweIWPP9w

Patrons who donated $50+ were credited as producers on the film! Don’t worry though, this was a quick and silly feature and you’ll still get the credit on the next one as well if you donated at the producer tier.

Thank you so much for all the continued support❤️

Hope you’re having a nice weekend, wish you the best!

Love, Joel

I FINALLY HAVE MERCH! (Plus promo code for Patrons)

Hey everyone!

New video just went live where I launched my merch!

Check that out here! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D40yXg6PtQ

Three shirts are available now at https://joelstuff.store/ 

I feel bad that people who support me on here still have to pay separately for a shirt. I want to figure out an easy way that I can do t-shirt giveaways for my Patreon supporters.

Until then! Use Patreon exclusive promo code ILOVEYOU for $7.50 off your order! This code will work till the end of April!

Also! The merch supports the artists who design it, so that's fun!

I have lots of ideas for future shirts, as well as posters and other fun things. I'll keep you posted on future merch drops!

As always, thank you for the continued support. I wish you all the best!

Love, Joel

Patreon Ramble #12 - Complainin'

Hey everyone!

In this month's ramble I take some time to complain about my petty squabbles and they're pretty dang petty!

Also! 1 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS!!!!!

What an insane number, thank you so much for watching, commenting, sharing and supporting.

Also also! I've been doing a lot of collabs with smaller channels that should be releasing throughout the coming weeks. I love using my newfound internet fame to lift up smaller creators and plan to do that when possible moving forward. 

Here's a playlist of my collabs on other people's channels that I'll update regularly- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKtIcOP0WvJA3Gq78RrYviiplS8LN4FXs

The playlist is pinned on my channel page! I'll try to make community posts on YouTube when a new collab comes out so keep your eyes out for those as well.

Hope you're having a nice day!

Love, Joel

PS: In the ramble I mention Heimlich: The Untold True Story,one of my favorite shorts I've done that I think is criminally underrated! Check that out here - https://youtu.be/oUl28reg4rk

Patreon Ramble #11 - The Pursuit of Imperfection

Hey guys!

It's a new month and that means another ramble!

I'm really happy with this one, I think I put into words some thoughts I've had stewing about quite nicely.

In the ramble I mention John Cassavetes, he's one of my favorite filmmakers. My favorite films of his are Faces, A Woman Under the Influence, Opening Night and Love Streams (perhaps my favorite movie of all time currently). I also think that's a good order to watch them in! Cassavetes stars in Elaine May's Mikey and Nicky which I also mention and is also fantastic.

New film coming to the channel tomorrow!

Hope you're all having a nice week. Thanks so much for the continued support.

Love, Joel

Patreon Ramble #10 - Waiting for What's Next

Hey Patrons!

I spent today responding to all the messages on here and figured it was as good of a day as any for this month's ramble.

This time I truly rambled, talking about a little of this and a little of that. I didn't have a single clue what I was going to say going into it but hey I think it turned out pretty nice!

Thanks for the continued support. I hope you're all having a nice day.

Love, Joel

PS: Random shoutout from the end of the video, subscribe to Haunted Wifi, this video is my favorite of theirs - https://youtu.be/9Vl8ykaNZz0

Patreon Ramble #9 - Half a Million Subscribers and We Hit the Patreon Goal!

Hey everyone!

Another month, another Patreon ramble!

It's been a wild two months! This week I passed half a million subscribers and my Patreon goal in the same day! Thank you for helping to make that happen.

Here's everything mentioned in the ramble:

Spy Kids Trilogy - Robert Rodriguez

Sharkboy and Lavagirl - Robert Rodriguez

Like Somebody in Love - Abbas Kiarostami

The Traveler - Abbas Kiarostami

Tokyo Twilight - Yasujiro Ozu

Jack Gordon playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKtIcOP0WvJDuFZCmFE6kKBxeP1Vb6cbB

Jack's channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9qJHqVcD-vX1UTPIMSAmuA

If you wanna keep up with the movies I'm watching follow me on Letterboxd- https://letterboxd.com/joelhaver/

Thank you so much for the support. Thank you for watching. I wish you the best.

Love, Joel <3

Patreon Upate: Reworking Tiers and 2021!

Hey everyone!

This has been a truly wild month. As of today I passed 300,000 subscribers. A month ago I had 1/100th of that.

Welcome to all the new patrons! I really can't overstate how amazing it is to see so many people who enjoy my content go out of their way to support it. I love that all the things I make (shorts and feature films alike) are free to watch and I always want it to be that way. The overwhelming support on here will make that possible. Thank you so much.

With the growth of the channel comes the time I need to rework the Patreon page. Unfortunately, for the time being, I am going to get rid of the Character Name and Dialogue tiers. I've already amassed a massive backlog of names and quotes that need to be used and I'm so slow to use them as is. At this rate, I'll have character names and dialogue to use until at least 2023! Everyone that donated this month can still submit their names and dialogue for December.

One of my favorite parts of those tiers is that they involved the audience in the creative part of the process. It's an idea I want to explore further in the future, in a more suitable way at this new scale. For now, the benefits of the $1, $5 and $10 tiers will be the same until I figure out new rewards (this means no more dialogue or character names). Everyone who supports will always get their names at the end of every short, it makes the list at the end absolutely massive but I think anyone who goes out of their way to support the art they enjoy deserves their due credit. Also, having too many Patreon supporters to fit on one screen is a good problem to have!

The $50 Producer Credit tier will stay! Anyone who donates at that level will get their names at the end of my next feature as a Patreon Producer. 

Also, I apologize for not getting back to messages quicker. Right now I have 32 on Patreon, 70 on Instagram and I don't even want to think about email. It's just a matter of getting used to operating at this new size. Patreon messages will be prioritized moving forward and unless I want to lose all my time I will have to get good at ignoring most direct messages and emails. Comes with the territory I'm finding out real fast.

With all of this said, I couldn't be more excited for 2021. Many, many great things to come. One of my favorite parts of this has been seeing people going back to watch Pretend That You Love Me. That film is very near and dear to my heart and to see it connect with more people than ever is incredibly fulfilling. I can't wait for the day that I release a new feature film, for free, to a massive audience.

When I say thank you, I truly mean it. In August I had less than $200 to my name and was barely scraping by, now I'm going to be able to support myself doing what I love fulltime. Thank you for that.

Love, Joel Haver

PS: Just a reminder that Patreon charges on the first of every month! I wish it charged people a month from the day they subscribed, but c'est la vie! Just know if you pledged in late December, on January 1st you'll be charged again. Wish you the best <3

Patreon Ramble #8 - Holy Baloney!

Hey Patrons!

Here is this month's ramble! In it I talk about the crazy growth of the channel and what's next!

Fun note: I recorded this earlier today and in it I talk about nearing 70,000 subscribers, at time of posting I just passed 76,000. It's almost overwhelming how quick it's growing! 100,000 here we come!

Welcome and thank you to all the new supporters! Wish you all the best <3

Love, Joel Haver

Patreon Exclusive: Forget About Everything For Awhile - Commentary w/ Mason Carter

Hey everyone!

Welcome to all the new patrons! Thank you so much for the support.

It's crazy how much the channel is exploding in popularity, I'm super excited to have all the new eyes on the films. After years of having a small and loyal audience, it seems I finally reached the YouTube algorithm, many big and exciting things to come!

On the Patreon page I do a monthly ramble exclusive for Patreon supporters and I also release commentary tracks for my feature length films.

This week, Mason and I recorded commentary for our quarantine film Forget About Everything For Awhile. Hope you enjoy it!

If you haven't seen the film, it's free on the channel (just like all of my other features)! Check it out here - https://youtu.be/be-VIX52VF8

I've got a new animation in the works as we speak! Should be up within the next week :)

Thanks for watching, wish you the best!

Love, Joel Haver

Patreon Ramble #7 - Adam Sandler and Sincerity

Hey guys!

Here's this month's ramble, I hope you enjoy! In it I talk about Adam Sandler movies and other things too!

Follow me on Letterboxd to keep up with the movies I'm watching and I'll follow you back! - https://letterboxd.com/joelhaver

Also, I mention it in the ramble too, but we hit 3,000 subscribers this month! Wahoo!!! 4,000 you're next!

Hope all is well! Thanks for watching my films and supporting me, that's really cool :)

Love, Joel

Patreon Ramble #6 - My Life Right Now

Hey Patrons,

Here's a new monthly ramble, it's my favorite yet. I talk about nature, some sad news I got this weekend and my life plans.

In the ramble I also mention the YouTuber Nokeric. His stuff is fantastic and y'all should check it out.

Here is Nokeric's channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeOjmTxTMTajbZGr53el_Lg 

Thanks for the support, wish you all the best.

Love, Joel Haver

Patreon Ramble #5 - The Criterion Collection

Hey Patrons!

I didn't do a ramble in August so here's another for September!

This time I talk about The Criterion Collection and how it expanded my love of movies tenfold!

14 Movie Recommendations on The Criterion Channel! A movie-a-day for the 14 free trial!

Tampopo - Juzo Itami 

Supermarket Woman -Juzo Itami 

Close-Up - Abbas Kiarostami 

Fallen Angels - Wong-Kar Wai 

The White Balloon - Jafar Panahi 

Faces - John Cassavetes 

Playtime - Jacques Tati 

The Umbrella of Cherbourg - Jacques Demy 

My Brother's Wedding - Charles Burnett 

The Wayward Cloud - Tsai Ming-liang 

F for Fake - Orson Welles 

Warrendale - Allan King 

Brief Encounter - David Lean 

Yi Yi - Edward Yang 

Hope you enjoy the video! Wish y'all the best!

Love, Joel Haver

Patreon Ramble #4 - Juzo Itami

Hello Patrons!

Another month another ramble! (I missed last month cause it was crazy busy and I will make it up to y'all!)

In this one, I talk about one of my new favorite directors, Juzo Itami. I strongly recommend his entire filmography, they're all amazing (and all available on The Criterion Channel!)

My Ranking of Juzo Itami's Films From Best to Worst (still great):

 Supermarket Woman 

Tampopo

Woman in Witness Protection

The Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion

The Last Dance

A Taxing Woman

The Funeral

A Taxing Woman's Return

Tales of a Golden Geisha

Rubber Band Pistol

A Quiet Life

Hope you enjoy! Would love to hear what you think if you check any of them out!

Wish you the best, thanks for the support. If you ever have any recommendations for me I'd love to hear them!

Love, Joel Haver

Patreon Exclusive: Island - Full Movie Commentary

Hey Patrons!

Super excited to share this! It's a full length commentary track for my movie Island. It can be enjoyed with the complimentary visuals or you could listen to it like a podcast (though that may be confusing when I am referencing specific things onscreen).

Moving forward, I plan to do commentary tracks for all of my existing feature films. They will be exclusive for Patreon supporters. That way, you will get monthly rambles about movies, as well as consistent commentary releases throughout the rest of this year and likely into next year.

Some big changes are happening in my life this month. I'm officially getting kicked out of the apartment I've been living in. Long story short, the apartment was only mine to live in as long as my dad was alive, and with his passing it's been a ticking clock for how much longer I'd have. For the time being, I will have to move back in with my mom in Massachusetts until I figure out my next move. I plan on making a pretty big video about that soon, so look forward to that.

Thank you for your support, now more than ever it goes a long way.

Love, Joel Haver

Patreon Ramble #3 - Iranian Meta-Cinema

Hey Patrons!

Here's another exclusive ramble! I've been managing to make one of these a month and moving forward I plan to hold myself to that. Expect monthly rambles moving forward as a thank you for your support.

In this one I talk about Iranian Meta-Cinema, a film style that have been super influential on my own work.

The films I mention are:

Kiarostami:

Close-Up

Where is My Friend's House

Life and Nothing More...

Through the Olive Trees

Taste of Cherry

Certified Copy

Panahi:

The White Balloon

The Mirror

This is Not a Film

Taxi

3 Faces

I hope you've been enjoying the latest films on the channel. It's been nice collaborating with friends! There was a good three month stretch of quarantine where almost everything was just me and it feels good to get Patrick, Mason and Otis involved again. The latest one, It's just table talk, stars my good filmmaking friend Mimi! I'd been wanting to make one with her for awhile so that was fun! Many more to come!

Hope all is well, thanks again for all the support.

Love, Joel

Patreon Exclusive - Ramble #2

Hey Patrons!

Here's another Patreon exclusive ramble. I hope these videos can be a nice extra thank you for your support.

In this one I talk about releasing my new feature, getting better about giving myself breaks and some movie recommendations. Thanks to everyone who checked out Pretend That You Love Me, it warms my heart to see it connecting with so many people. If you haven't checked it out, it'll always be available for free on the channel.

Let me know if you enjoy these videos and would like to see more. Also, let me know any topics you would want to see covered in future rambles!

Thanks again, wish you the best.

Love, Joel Haver

Pretend That You Love Me - my new feature film out now

Hello Patrons!

For almost a year now, I've been working on Pretend That You Love Me and this past week I completed the film. It is a deeply personal project and I hope it can offer people some sort of catharsis like it has for me.

The world is in a state of flux, and I understand if you choose to come back and watch the film another time.  Like all of my films, Pretend That You Love Me will be available, for free, indefinitely. 

I debated on waiting to release the film after the world settles down a bit, but I firmly believe in the healing powers of art. With that in mind, I felt the sooner that I released it the better. People are still watching movies and at the very least I feel offering them an option that's a little more honest, a little more human than what they're used to couldn't hurt.

I hope you enjoy the film, I'm looking forward to seeing how people connect with it. As always, if you make a movie I'll watch it too.

I wish you the best and thanks again for the continued support.

Love, Joel

Continuing to create through crisis

Hello Patrons!

I just uploaded a new film on the channel, I hope you enjoy! I've been making myself laugh a lot with the last couple, sometimes you gotta just let yourself get really stupid. This leads me to something I want to talk about.

With the current situation in the world, and especially the United States, there's been a lot of opinions popping up on my social media. I see a lot of rhetoric about how people should stop posting and creators should stop sharing their creations, to give room for the protests. I don't agree with this at all.

When my dad passed away, creating and sharing what I created was the thing that kept me sane. If I wasn't creating and laughing, I was depressed and sulking. That continues to be the case. And for the last couple days I let these peoples' opinions get me down. If I stop creating, it doesn't mean I'm suddenly gonna change the world, it just means I'm gonna fall into a depressive hole, which I'm sure is the case for many people struggling with loss or mental illness who use creation to heal.

One of my least favorite things in the world is discouragement, and discouragement for a cause is still discouragement.

As it stands, I'm a small channel. I'm not making enough money to support myself, let alone to donate or support others. But, the channel is growing everyday. And if I keep pushing and keep creating, I know I can grow to a point where I can make a difference. In my eyes, it would be foolish for me to slow down, because it just delays my reaching that crucial point.

Filming this latest upload last night really helped me get out of a hole, as well as editing it today. I think levity is key to anything serious. I hope my content can provide you moments to breath and feel something different, like creating it does for me.

With all of this said, thank you so much for your continued support.

Love, Joel Haver

PS: I'm super excited to announce that my next feature, Pretend That You Love Me, is nearly complete. If all goes well, it could be up on the channel as soon as next week.

Patreon Exclusive - Rambling About Watching Movies

Hey Patrons!

I've been wanting to make a special lil video as a thank you to my supporters. I decided to ramble a bit about watching movies.

My microphone died in the last minute, apology for the lousy camera audio.

If you want to keep up with the movies I'm watching, follow me on Letterboxd -  https://letterboxd.com/joelhaver/ 

Please let me know if this is something you'd be interested in seeing more of! I'd definitely be down to make it a Patreon Exclusive series that I do whenever I have time.

Thank you so much for the support.

Sincerely, Joel Haver

PS: Here's a bonus video, alanis -  https://vimeo.com/240203802/34bf264217 

I made this three years ago and it was on my secret YouTube channel, but unfortunately got taken down due to music copyright. It still cracks me up and I thought you might enjoy!

Interview with UNMOVIED PRODUCTIONS

Hey Patrons!

Last week a fan reached out for an interview and I love having an excuse to talk about movies! We cover all sorts of great topics, it's worth a listen. I feel bad for not wearing headphones, causing his voice to be doubled in the audio! Live and learn!

I pride myself on being an accessible filmmaker, I talk a little about this in the interview, but I think an essential part of art is being able to engage with the artist if you so desire. In larger scale filmmaking, this is simply not possible. It can be alienating and discouraging to have these filmmakers we idolize be inaccessible and "above us". I hope to change this in my own way.

Obviously, when my channel is bigger, it'll be hard to say yes to every request, but for the time being I love being open to those interested.

Also! This week I completed a trilogy of shorts about dating! I'm super happy with how they turned out, I think they juggle my shorts' typical goofy comedy with a stronger emotional core. I didn't plan it to be a trilogy, but each one wound up inspiring a sequel. It was a fun way to spend a week.

Here's the whole trilogy in a convenient playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKtIcOP0WvJDs4Hu4PFqgJxGVRHkJlc20 

Love, Joel Haver

A behind the scenes look at my process and some thoughts on process

Hey Patrons!

Over the years, I've developed a very personal and specific style of filmmaking that I thought would be fun to share. Last week, I uploaded a 15 minute look at how I got about making a short film from concept to completion. Many times, these films are made completely alone. In this time of isolation and quarantine, I figured it would be valuable to show people how much you can accomplish on your own if you get creative.

In filmmaking, it's very important to me that I am honest to myself and my audience. I've been making films for over 15 years, in that time I've learned the things I like and the things I don't like. It is the moments where I betray that understanding that my filmmaking falters. I don't like writing scripts, I don't like elaborate lighting, things like these make filmmaking phony to me and the process an utter bore. 

In general, I find scriptwriting comes from a place of control. We write scripts because we want to enact a level of control that we don't have in our day-to-day lives. We want things to go precisely as we planned them, because too often the things that challenge us in life are the things that don't. Scripts allow us to communicate exactly what we want to communicate, but the problem is we often don't know the things we actually need to communicate. Improv is the answer to this problem. In doing improv, I have let go of that want and from it has emerged more honest work. In the work I create alone, this has allowed me to understand who I am and how I'm doing clearer than ever before. And in the work I create with friends, it allows for a level of collaboration unheard of in scripted work. I credit every film as "a film by everyone involved", because that's the truth. Unlike scriptwriting, where more often than not any role could be filled by someone else and the film would be unchanged, improv insists upon the individual. Change one person in an improv film and the film will be completely different, unrecognizable. True improv films are a beautiful amalgamation of everyone involved's personality, sense of humor and self.

All of this is fairly complex when thinking of my goofy short films, it's much more immediately apparent in my features, but I think the principles remain consistent. If you are honest with yourself and your audience, it'll come across in the film. Being yourself is the most compelling thing you can do because only you can do it. If the audience gets a feel of who you are through your film, you are offering them something no one else can.

With all of this said, thank you for the continued support. 

Love, Joel Haver

I Made Over 150+ Films in One Year

Hey Patrons!

A year ago today I began making weekly short films on my YouTube channel.

In the past 52 weeks, I've made nearly 160 shorts films, 1 feature film, with another feature so close to complete. It's been a crazy busy year.

This year has had many high highs and low lows, as I'm sure is the case for everyone. These films go a long way to keep me grounded, keep me busy and keep me laughing. I hope they can bring you similar comforts.

In the video I touch upon some feelings towards the industry. People making their own movies and proving the uselessness of the systems within the film industry is something I'm very passionate about. I try to be cool, calm and collected when discussing it on camera, but maybe someday you'll see a much angrier rant from me, hahah! It's very much my life goal to help lead a movement of people fed up with bending over for festivals, distributors and corporations, and just making and releasing movies themselves. It's ridiculously possible nowadays and nothing excites me more except maybe a nice kiss or cool dog.

Thank you so much for all your support throughout this. It really means the world.

I ain't stopping! So here's to another year of movies!

Love, Joel Haver

Forget About Everything for Awhile - a quarantine feature film

Hey everyone!

I am super excited to share this project with you all.

Mason and I spent a week quarantined at his family's place in South Carolina and shot a feature length movie in six days. Completed from conception to final cut in just two weeks. Here is Forget About Everything for Awhile free for all to watch!

I hope this film can inspire people to create in these uncertain times. Hollywood and the industry at large is on shutdown, no one is filming and release dates are being pushed back, but this kind of filmmaking is invincible. Barebones, no bullshit, grab a camera and make a movie filmmaking is invincible. From production to release we can still make movies, this is how we win! We've essentially been given 3+ months to prove ourselves and convince the world they don't need corporations to sell them art and entertainment.

I wish you all the best, thank you so much for the continued support.

Love, Joel Haver

Two new videos on my secret channel and BIG news!

Hey Everyone!

For being a patron you get access to my secret YouTube channel, Ethan Price Reiley.

Ethan Price Reiley was my vacation while I was editing Island. It provided me with a place to post really stupid, inane and maybe sometimes sincere shit without worrying about an audience. 

Now that my main channel has taken priority, Ethan has taken a back seat, but I still plan to post things every now and then that I feel are too abstract, short, weird, etc. for the main channel. 

Last week I did two new Ethan videos! Check them out below!

EPR'S BIG RETURN (please only watch if you're interested in investing in my new invention) - https://youtu.be/rqLgolCqd58 

Interrogation! - https://youtu.be/iwuJwypx78U 

Also, I have some very big news!!

Pretend That You Love Me, the feature film I've been working on since August has been put indefinitely on hold due to Corona, but it is very close to done.

However! Last week, Mason Carter and I fled NYC to his family's place in South Carolina. We've been spending the past week shooting a feature length film in seven days, something that we've always wanted to do and now finally have the perfect chance. As always, we're making it up as we go, improvising everything and it's going to be amazing. Once we finish filming, I plan to edit like a madman and get this thing done and released in April. I'm super excited for you to see it.

Wish you all the best. Hope everyone is pulling through this global scale fuckery.

Love, Joel

PS: Don't worry! I'll continue making weekly short films as well!

Don't worry! I ain't stopping!

Hello Patrons!

I'm not sure if ya noticed, but shit is hitting the fan just a bit!

Despite this, expect no slowing down from me. After making Island I've mastered making top quality films on my own, so even if it's just me cooped up alone for the next 2-8 weeks, you will be seeing consistent content from me.

Above is the latest film I did with Mason! I hope my films can continue to provide everyone with some laughs during these difficult times. 

I am beyond excited to announce that Pretend That You Love Me, my next feature film is nearing completion. It will be released as soon as it's done, for free on my YouTube in April! I'm super excited for people to see it, I think it's something very special.

I wish you the best! Feel free to reach out if you need someone to talk to during the quarantine.

Love, Joel Haver

Patron Exclusive - Full Interview with Dan Lotz

Hello Patrons!

In 2019, when I first released my movie Island, a filmmaker named Dan Lotz watched it and reached out to me to tell me he loved it. Since then we've become close friends.

Island inspired Dan to make his own improvised feature film. He spent last summer filming the movie Chlorine and this past week he released it on his channel!

Chlorine got shared by a big YouTuber and wound up garnering 18k views and his channel grew immensely. As a thank you, Dan reached out to me for a video interview about Island.

He released an edited short version of the interview on his channel, but also compiled the full thing for me to share with you guys! Give it a listen if you want some insight into the creation of Island, my philosophies on filmmaking and plenty of rants about the state of the industry.

Here's the short version of the interview which is more focused on Island itself- https://youtu.be/RFHoJ1IU-IM

Here's his movie Chlorine- https://youtu.be/ON6cfOD8ab4

Thank you so much for the continued support.

Love, Joel Haver

New short films, next feature film title reveal and my life

Hello Patrons!

In the last two weeks I've made nine new films! All of them are on the channel, check 'em out there!

I have two more already shot with Nick Shultz that will be released in the coming weeks! Those ones always take a little more time to get out because it depends on him finding the time to work his audio magic after I edit.

My last post touched upon it, but my dad really taught me that there is no time too serious to have fun. Through three battles with cancer he knew how to make people laugh without fail. He always viewed the channel as something we were in together and the last thing he would've wanted is for me to put it on hold after his passing. It feels really good to be back in the groove.

Which leads to the next thing, the channel is finally monetized! I'm still not getting nearly enough views to make any money off YouTube, but it's an exciting milestone that helps me feel secure about my future creating, which right now goes a long way (I hope you don't mind the occasional ad). 

Long story short, my dad was left an apartment by his best friend who passed away in 2011. I've lived in that apartment for the past three years, which has allowed me an unprecedented amount of freedom to focus on my art after college. Unfortunately, the apartment was only left to my dad, and his friend's estate will sell it sometime this year. In a way, I've always known the apartment was kind of a ticking clock given my dad's health, which likely fueled me to work as hard as I do to secure a future doing what I love.

With an unknown amount of time left living in the apartment, I will soon be hoisted into the hunt for a new place to live. I've decided I might want to travel for awhile and visit with friends and family around the country before settling down (no worries, I'll still make tons of films while doing so!)

The point being, your support goes further than you can even imagine. Moving into the future, Patreon will be invaluable to allowing me to create as frequently and freely as I do. Patrons who donated at $5 or $10, please email me at joelrhaver@gmail.com your character names/dialogue!!!

All the while, my next feature continues to be worked on. Yesterday alone I spent nearly seven hours editing it. It's reaching a point where the finish line is in sight and I'm very excited about it. I think it'll be very special. I have one or two more things to film, which I hope to do ASAP, then it won't be long until it's released online.

The title is Pretend That You Love Me, and that's all I'll say for now!

Thanks again for the support, wish you the best.

Love, Joel Haver

My dad's passing and moving forward

Hello Patrons,

I'm sure you've heard over the past two weeks, whether it be through my channel or other social media, that my dad passed away at the end of 2019. It was his third battle with cancer that got him.

The funeral was yesterday. So many wonderful people turned up, he was deeply loved.

My dad was someone that, even through the hardest of hardships, always had a blast in life. If my dad could smile and laugh through three serious cancer treatments, it probably means I should gear up to start being fun again soon, like he would've wanted.

That means I'm hoping to start getting films out again this coming week, thanks for the patience in these difficult times. There are a few films that I shot before this all happened that I can hopefully get up in the next week, and then it's a matter of creating some more.

Thanks for the continued support.

Love, Joel Haver

100 films in eight months! Big update moving into 2020!

Hey Patrons!

I hope all is well and you're having a nice holiday season!

After working my ass off for eight months, I've hit a big milestone! As of last week I've made 100 short films since beginning to make them weekly on the channel in April. It's only been 32 weeks since I've begun, so I've actually made an average of three films every week!

Since the last post I've made 9 new short films! Check them out below!

Epstein The Musical - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXNazfBGnSM 

Two Friends Discuss Iconic Shoe Scenes in Cinema - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpgg9UZcFJ0 

Guys Who Drink Milk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht8xJqb_9-k 

When someone shows you a video on their phone - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9EWf-wXQ3o 

If I was my own therapist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jAIQFaRWpY 

Nipples - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qofW4LIEI2o 

Is my hand a microphone - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTep2YQt7B8 

Sleeping Over a Friend's House - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m81nfoBZ6OA 

Interviewing for a Job - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAr1dYAI-co 

There are also several old short films of mine that never were put on the channel that I will be putting up. This week I released Every Other Saturday, a film I made three years ago. The lead actor William Lawrence is one of the sweetest people I've ever met and I hope to work with him again some day. 

Every Other Saturday - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk0PKUhUdOs 

Furthermore, I finished releasing my existing feature films on my channel. I wanted to get them all up to start next year with a clean slate. My feature films are all very near and dear to me, they are projects that took a lot of time and I poured a lot into. Island is my favorite thing I've made and if you haven't watched it I'd really appreciate if you did. It's a deeply personal and challenging film.

Taking a Little Time to Feel Sorry for Myself - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpSu42cMPAc 

Island - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOaYTPaN7xQ 

Releasing my features (FOR FREE!) on YouTube is a huge step. The film industry is designed to discourage, belittle and pacify in a way I find utterly detestable and the fact that a mega corporation like Google has (perhaps accidentally) given us the tools to distribute and release our work on our own accord is huge. In an age where the barrier for entry for filmmaking is virtually nonexistent, we should all be making our own movies and I hope to lead that charge in some meaningful way. My favorite film work I've seen this year has all been online, theaters are old world and tired and when you lose the love of the spectacle like I have you can find significantly richer, more human catharsis through the content of the internet.

Moving into next year, I have a new feature that continues to slowly but surely be coming together. I also have a new spontaneous project that I'm super excited about in January! You will see both of those released sometime in the first half of next year, as well as the continued short films!

Much love, thank you so much for the support.

Sincerely, Joel Haver

7 films and more!

Hey Patrons!

Since the last post I've made seven films! Here they all are!

We Ate BEANS to Make Us FART?!? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncWPLsgDhkQ 

HUMOOMBA The Next Revolution in Vacuum Technology - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuVgNjkBIwA 

When the antagonist plays themself - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPTUkyQUDyk 

Galactic Emperor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfQbm8Wk2vU 

German Scientists Were Always Up to Something - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puAJHhYlxkw 

How to Avoid a Copyright Strike on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuNaEuXOJS4 

The Handsome Friend - https://youtu.be/9WeICrLJMiw 

Between coming down with the flu and going home for Thanksgiving, this past week wasn't as productive as I might have hoped, but life goes on! I already have some fun new shorts in the works!

Also, as part of my mission to bring all of my feature films to my YouTube channel I released 31 Days in Marshall, North Carolina this weekend! This film will always hold a special place in my heart and I'm happy to finally have it up on YouTube!

Here is the link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRG6ufvEReE 

Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely, Joel Haver