Behind the Curtain: What We’re Really Building
- Oklahoma Ward
- May 13
- 8 min read
"What the creature didn’t tear apart, the edit will."
"No matter the setback, we push forward. Every shot, every edit, every hour — we don't retreat. We reload. TRYHARD COMPANY doesn’t stall. We advance."
Behind-the-scenes updates, production news, and indie filmmaking insights from TRYHARD COMPANY.
🕹️ TRYHARD PROTOCOL
⚠️ INITIATING: EPISODE NODE LINK-UP We’re days away from cracking the vault — the TRYHARD Command Center’s EPISODE NODE goes live this Thursday, May 15th.
Every detail. Every shot. Every edit pass. Unlocked.
You’ll be able to track the battle behind the series in real-time — one node at a time.
📑 TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Battle for Survival: TRYHARD COMPANY Update
Mission Briefing: Eyes Only - Sneak Peek
Code Red: Filmmaking - Director's Thoughts
Reconnaissance: Hidden Masterpieces - Cult Classics
Surveillance: Hidden Treasures - Underrated Series
Debriefing: The Mover and Shaker's Club - Meet the Game-Changers
Intelligence Gathering: The Vault - Past Highlights
Victory Report: Crawl or Die
🏆 CRAWL or DIE Spotlight
🔍 The Command Center is expanding — but it all started in the tunnels. Want the full origin story? You can rent the original film CRAWL or DIE now and witness where TANK’s nightmare began.
🎬 Rent or own the original — direct support to the creators.🔻 Watch below.
⚔️ Battle for Survival: TRYHARD COMPANY Update
We just locked in six all-new cinematic images for the first wave of episode drops — and they’re some of the grittiest yet. 🔥
Even bigger?
The Command Center episode pages are about to go live — and for the first time ever, fans will be able to track our post-production progress in real time.
Each episode gets its own dedicated mission node —
✔️ Want to see how many FX shots are left?
✔️ Where we are in the color pass?
✔️ How much of the sound mix is complete?
It’s all broken down — and updated live as we work.
You’ll even find:
• Post-production screenshots
• Director’s notes and voice memos
• Reshoot logs
• Title card progress
You’ll be able to check in daily and watch the climb, one brutal task at a time.
It all kicks off in just days.
🔥 "DROPPING THURSDAY the 15th! STAY TUNED!" 🔥
🔻 Tap below to enter the Command Center and witness the war as it unfolds.
Mission Briefing: Eyes Only
💣 CLASSIFIED VISUAL LEAK
The door is cracked. The wires are live. The fire’s already here.
🔒 The TRYHARD Command Center isn’t just a title — it’s a war table.
Every monitor tracks the breakdown.
Every screen… another piece of survival.
Full access opens May 15.
Until then — eyes sharp, head down.
🎥 And if you haven’t seen it yet…Hit play on the teaser trailer below.
It’s not a warning. It’s a threat.
🔻 Trailer below — your first mission briefing begins here.
Code Red: Filmmaking - Directors's Thoughts
Step into the mind of the director as we explore the creative process behind TRYHARD COMPANY, with personal reflections, insights, and inspirations.
🎬 Let’s cut to the truth...
These are the kind of days I live for.
Hectic.
Exhausting.
Scary.
Exhilarating.
I’m honestly excited as hell about the Command Center finally going live. This Thursday, the links drop — and with them, access to every episode node: Episode One through Six.
Click into any one of them and you’ll see exactly what’s done… and what’s left.
Episode One? 187 FX shots.
You’ll know how many are finished. Color pass? You’ll know how deep we are.
Score?
Titles?
Sound design?
Click, check, done.
While I’m grinding through the edit, I’ll be manually checking off what I finish — live — so you can see the real behind-the-scenes climb. No guesswork. No filters.
And honestly, this whole process — it’s been one of the most fun parts of the journey. Letting people in behind the scenes… letting you see the kinks getting worked out — even here on the site as we build it piece by piece — it’s meant a lot to Nicole and me.
Being able to share the evolution — from scraps to finished project — has been something we’ve never really done this way before. And it feels special.
Next week, I’m launching a second node for the PR campaign — posters, trailers, teasers — and you’ll be able to track that too:
✅ What’s done
⏳ What’s not
💥 What’s coming
Truth is — yeah, I’m tired. I’m up by 4:30 AM to hit the gym, then it’s non-stop: Web, deliverables, blogs, marketing — and then editing the series deep into the night. It’s long. It’s brutal.
But I wouldn’t be doing anything else.
It’s not always fun.
Sometimes it’s just hard, relentless work.
But I love it.
🎥 Reconnaissance: Hidden Masterpieces – Cult Films
🎬 Featured Film: ANGEL HEART (1987)
Directed by Alan Parker | Starring Mickey Rourke, Lisa Bonet, Robert De Niro
❤️ WHY I LOVE: ANGEL HEART
First off — when this came out, Mickey Rourke was on a tear. The guy was everywhere, and I was first in line for anything he did. (Side note — if you haven’t seen Diner, go watch it. That film is lightning in a bottle. Might write about it soon.)
But back to Angel Heart — Rourke’s performance here is raw and unraveling in the best way. And then you’ve got De Niro — come on. Top five actors of all time, period. He doesn’t just show up in this… he devours the screen.
And yeah, let’s be real — the reason I was really in line opening weekend? Lisa Bonet. Absolutely stunning, sure — but also seriously talented. She holds her own against Rourke and De Niro in a smaller role — and doesn’t flinch. That’s mic drop territory.
I just wish she had done more films. She had it.
But what really sets this film apart is mood. The shadows, the smoke, the way light slices through rooms — it’s like the cinematography is another character. Everything’s drenched in atmosphere. You can feel the heat, the sweat, the rot.
And while yeah, I clocked the twist early on — it didn’t matter. The tone. The directing. The acting. It’s all so dialed in that you still want to go on the ride.
Because when a film’s this rich in character and dread, the destination isn’t the point. The descent is.
📜 Summary: A hypnotic, slow-burn descent into identity, sin, and damnation — Angel Heart blends the hardboiled grit of detective noir with the creeping dread of supernatural horror. Private eye Harry Angel is hired to find a missing man, and the deeper he digs, the closer he gets to himself.
Set in the sweaty backstreets of New Orleans, this isn’t just about solving a mystery — it’s about surviving the truth. It’s smoke and jazz. Blood and voodoo. And a spiral that leads straight to hell.
🧩 Two Interesting Facts:
• Lisa Bonet’s controversial role nearly cost her her spot on The Cosby Show.
• The film was originally rated X due to its intense psychological and sexual content — and had to be re-edited for theatrical release.
🎭 Actor Spotlight:
Mickey Rourke delivers a career-defining performance — twitchy, lost, and slowly unraveling. You believe every moment of confusion and dread as the truth tightens around him like a noose.
🎬 Iconic Scene:
The elevator descent sequence — where truth, memory, and horror collapse in on each other — is a masterclass in surreal psychological horror. It’s the moment the movie drops its gloves.
🗞️ What the Critics Say:
“Seductive and terrifying.” — The New York Times“Rourke is magnificent in a role that demands the soul be flayed on screen.” — Chicago Tribune“ A film that burns itself into your subconscious.” — Empire
📺 Surveillance: Hidden Treasures - Underrated Series
🚗 SPEED RACER (Original Series, 1967)
Created by Tatsuo Yoshida | English Adaptation by Peter Fernandez
☕ Pick up your coffee cups...
❤️ WHY I LOVE: SPEED RACER
🏁 Yup, I said it — Speed Racer, the cartoon. Why’s it here?
Well, first off — maybe one of the top five intro theme songs of all time. I think more people know the song than the actual show. That alone?
Monolithic.
But as I got older and kept coming back to it, I realized something — the story arcs in Speed Racer hit hard. There’s actual drama here. Gut-punch emotion. And the darkness and sadness around Racer X? That stuff still stops me in my tracks. It’s rich. It’s real.
Sure, it’s for kids — the art, the speed, the wild energy — but there’s a maturity underneath it all. Family. Identity. Strength. The kind of emotional backbone most shows today don’t even attempt.
And yeah, I’ll say it: the story arcs in this series outclass a lot of what modern Hollywood puts out. Not all — because when Hollywood gets it right, I genuinely believe it’s making classics that’ll last a hundred years. But there’s a lot of noise too.
What I love about Speed Racer is that it didn’t settle for being just another Saturday morning cartoon. It meant something.
And if you go back and watch it from episode one and really take the ride?It holds up. It still races.
📜 Summary:
Everyone remembers the wild colors, the Mach 5, and that rapid-fire voiceover style — but what often gets overlooked is just how good the story arcs actually are in the original Speed Racer.
This isn’t just Saturday morning racing mayhem — it’s betrayal, identity, honor, and sacrifice all tucked inside a high-speed shell. And Racer X? One of the most underrated tragic characters in serialized animation history.
🧩 Two Interesting Facts:
• The original Japanese title was Mach GoGoGo, and “Go” has layered meaning — it’s the number 5, the driver’s name, and the car.
• The English version had to heavily adapt episodes to meet U.S. standards — including editing out a lot of the darker content.
🎭 Character Spotlight:
Speed isn’t just the lead — he’s a code of ethics in motion. But the emotional heart? That’s Racer X. A brother in disguise. A warrior with a burden. He’s the soul behind the speed.
🎬 Iconic Scene:
The moment Speed finally confronts Racer X about his true identity. It's raw, it’s emotional, and it lands harder than most live-action dramas even attempt.
🗞️ What the Critics Say:
“ More than a cartoon — it’s a hero’s journey under the hood.” — Retro Pulse “ Ahead of its time in complexity and character.” — Toon Archive “ Still racing circles around modern reboots.” — Cult TV Report
🎥 [Watch the Intro]
Take a trip down memory lane with us as we explore the archives of our past content, with forgotten gems and timeless insights.
Classified Files Pending...
TRYHARD Recruitment: Sign Up Now
🧠 JOIN THE TRYHARD COMPANY TEAM
We’re building this series from the ground up — no studio safety net, no big budget machine. Just passion, scars, and a relentless drive to make something real.
If you've made it this far — you're already part of it.
💥 Want to go deeper?
🔗 Visit TRYHARDseries.com
📣 Share this blog with someone who loves raw sci-fi
🧠 Follow us on socials and spread the word:#TRYHARDCompany | #TANKarmy | #IndieSciFiLives
🎥 The mission's underway. The team is growing. Let’s make this impossible thing happen — together.
Mission Accomplished... for now.
The briefing may be over, but the mission continues. Join the TRYHARD COMPANY team and stay tuned for more updates, insights, and behind-the-scenes information. Share your thoughts and join/follow us on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, twitter/x etc. - and we'll catch you every Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday...
Create fearlessly,
Oklahoma Ward
Comments