The Edit Room Is the Battlefield
- Oklahoma Ward
- May 3
- 10 min read
Behind-the-scenes updates, production news, and indie filmmaking insights from TRYHARD COMPANY.
🕹️ TRYHARD PROTOCOL
"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."
📑 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
We made CRAWL or DIE on grit, guts, and sheer willpower — and we’re still floored every time someone mentions Tank.
If you’ve never seen the film — or want to revisit it with insider perspective — you can rent it directly from us.When you rent through our site, we receive 100% of the support — no middlemen, no studios, just us and you.
Plus, you’ll also unlock a bonus version: 🎤 A behind-the-scenes cut with Nikki and I talking over the film — sharing how we pulled it off, what nearly broke us, and what it really takes to finish an indie sci-fi/horror film with no backup plan.
Thank you for believing then.Thank you for standing with us now.
⚔️ Battle for Survival: TRYHARD COMPANY Update
TRYHARD COMPANY Production Update
Let me say this upfront — I know my strengths. And I know where I need help.
My whole life has been about creating. Poetry. Drawing. Painting. I fought it for a while — tried channeling it into cars, engines, metal. But I couldn’t escape it.
Visual storytelling was in my blood.
My mom's a prolific painter. National awards. At times - Galleries - across the U.S.
I ended up studying art in Santa Fe, painting in New York and Chicago… but something was missing.
Every painting I made felt like a frame from something bigger.
I didn’t want stills.
I wanted stories.
That’s when - through my obsession of movies - I found film.
I got obsessed with every layer — the way boots sound on wood in a Sergio Leone movie, the feeling of a moment with no dialogue, or how acting alone can elevate a static frame.
And editing… that became the core.
I’ve worn every hat — director, writer, shooter, composer, actor wrangler — but editing is where it all comes together for me. I know how to build story in post. I know how to save a weak performance and make it land. I can take incomplete footage and find a way to make the scene sing.
And that’s exactly what’s been happening this week while working on TRYHARD COMPANY: The Chronicles of TANK - the limited series.
I had a scene that was supposed to feature 18 characters — but on the shoot day, three key players couldn’t show. Indie life. No hard feelings — they’ve got jobs, families. But those three had critical moments. And I’ve been sweating it.
This week, I cracked it. Through careful edits, cutting around absences, layering sound, and finding performance in nuance — the scene now works. Really works.
That’s the magic of editing.
You can make someone cry. You can make them laugh. You can make a new story out of broken pieces.
And I’ve been having some of the best days of editing I’ve ever had. Lining up arcs. Solving broken beats. Taking raw footage and shaping it into real scenes. It’s finally coming alive.
🔧 Thoughts x TRYHARD UPDATE
This week I wanted to go a little deeper — into how I fix scenes on the TRYHARD edit - that shouldn’t work.
Because if you’ve followed my updates, you know: I wear every hat. And editing is where it all finally comes together.
So here’s a challenge: Can I explain how I saved a broken scene using nothing but strategy, instinct, and storytelling?
Let’s try.
There was a scene in TRYHARD COMPANY with four characters. It was supposed to be shot all at once. But — indie reality — one of the actors didn’t show, and I knew I’d never get all four together again.
So I got creative.
I had someone stand in for the missing actor. They wore a matching shirt. Their hairstyle was different — so I was careful never to show it. I shot over their shoulder, keeping them slightly out of focus. Elbows, shirt cuffs, a blurred head shape — just enough to sell the illusion.
Later, when the missing actor did become available, only two of the original cast could return. So I flipped the trick again: reshot with the new actor in focus, and different people in soft-focus stand-in positions.
The entire scene was filmed over four days, with rotating absences, and I used lighting and close-ups to stitch the moments together.
And it worked.
How well did it work? Nikki, who was on set, forgot that the four actors were never in the same room at the same time. Because I planned for it. I edited for it. I used the tools I had — camera motion, voice overlays, blocking, and instinct.
Here’s one bonus technique:
I gave one of the characters a repeated action — a "tick." In this case, they kept fiddling with a broken shirt button. That one little visual thread became my safety net. If someone flubbed a line, but their delivery was golden - I’d overlay the audio across a close-up of that actor’s hand trying to fix the button — and it played as if that’s how it was always meant to be.
That’s how you do it. You don’t just shoot what’s in the script - or an agreed upon outlay of a scene. You shoot what you can, and then you build the moment in post — one frame, one beat, one illusion at a time.
Soon — in the next 10–14 days — we’ll be unlocking the Episode Nodes inside the Command Center. You’ll be able to see what’s left in each episode: VFX counts, score, titles, color, intros. Plus, we’ll lock in a deadline for when this is done — and when the PR storm officially launches.
But for now?
Long live the editors.
Create fearlessly.
➡️ Enter the battlefield by clicking the button below — decrypt what's waiting.
— for direct access to the secured intel archive.
Mission Briefing: Eyes Only
What’s Incoming
We’re getting close to dropping the Episode Node System inside the TRYHARD Command Center — and it’s not just some checklist.
🔧 Each episode will break down its:
✅ Special Effects count (done vs. left)
🎼 Score progress
🎞️ Title work
🎬 Intros, credits, and structure
💣 Plus teaser clues — for fans who want to dig deeper
Think of it like a mission dossier. If you’ve ever wondered how much work actually goes into finishing a single episode of indie sci-fi horror — you’re about to see it for yourself.
📅 Estimated release: 10–14 days.
You’ll know exactly what’s been conquered — and what’s still ahead.
🚀 Stay sharp - — it’s coming.
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...
Since I combined a bit of a directors/editors ramble above in the TRYHARD update - for this section - let's have -- an Inspiration Day – Six Quotes That Light the Fire
Every once in a while, you just need to hear it from someone who's been in the fire.
Some of these directors have shaped the industry. Some fought their way through it. All of them kept moving forward — even when everything said stop.
Here are six quotes — three from women, three from men — that hit home for me this week.
🎬 Female Directors
🗣️ “I don’t want to show things; I want to make people feel things.”— Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty)
🗣️ “Making movies is about finding your tribe. If you wait for permission, you’ll wait forever.”— Ava DuVernay (Selma, When They See Us)
🗣️ “If I fail, I want it to be my failure. If I win, I want it to be my voice.”— Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Barbie)
🎥 Male Directors
🗣️ “What’s great about being a director is you can say, ‘Okay, I want the snow to fall, and I want the sun to shine,’ and you do it.”
— Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Inside Man)
🗣️ “If you just love movies enough, you can make a good one.”— Quentin Tarantino
🗣️ “There's nothing creative about living within your means.”— Francis Ford Coppola
Every one of those lines reminds me — there’s no perfect way to do this.There’s just your way. Your tools. Your fire.
Now go make something dangerous.
💥 Whatever your weapon — camera, pen, blade — trust it.
And keep going.
🎥 Reconnaissance: Hidden Masterpieces – Cult Films
🎞 Cult Classic Radar: Bone Tomahawk (2015)
❤️ WHY I LOVE: BONE TOMAHAWK
Bone Tomahawk
Wow.
Just… wow.
There’s a word I use for films like this: slobbernocker.
This movie doesn’t build gently. It blindsides you — hard.
I didn’t see it coming.
I hadn’t even heard of it when it dropped. Just saw Kurt Russell on the cover and thought, “Alright, let’s give it a shot.”
Didn’t watch the trailer. Didn’t read the synopsis. Just hit play.
And man... what a cast. Kurt Russell. Matthew Fox. Patrick Wilson. Sid Haig. David Arquette. Lily Simmons. How did nobody tell me about this movie?
It starts off as a quiet, gritty western. Feels familiar. Too familiar.
And then — no spoilers here — there’s a moment.
A single, brutal, unflinching scene that still makes my body tense up just thinking about it.
From that point on, it becomes one of the most visceral, harshest, and straight-up terrifying horror films I’ve ever seen.
This is not just a western. This is horror at its rawest.
⚠️ And to any horror fan out there — do not let the western setting fool you. This is one of the most savage horror experiences you’ll find. Blood. Bone. Silence. Screams. It’s all there.
It’s got:
🔥 Top-tier performances
🪓 Unbelievable practical effects
🎯 And a turn of events that punches you right in the throat
Bone Tomahawk came out of nowhere — and left a scar.
📜 Summary: Directed by S. Craig Zahler, Bone Tomahawk is a western — until it’s not. What starts as a slow-burn frontier rescue mission transforms into one of the most brutal and unexpected horror films of the last decade. It’s dusty, quiet, and vicious as hell.
This isn’t jump scares and shaky cams. It’s tension that drags its boots. Dialogue that breathes. And then… savagery.
🧩 Two Interesting Facts about this Grand Fan Favorite:
The film was Zahler’s directorial debut — and he also wrote the screenplay and composed the score.
Despite its low budget, it attracted heavyweights like Kurt Russell, Richard Jenkins, and Patrick Wilson — and shocked audiences at Fantastic Fest with its violence.
🎭 Actor Spotlight: Richard Jenkins, known mostly for softer or quirky roles, delivers one of the most subtly heartbreaking sidekick performances in horror-western history. He’s the heart of the film — and the one that breaks first.
🎬 Iconic Scene: You’ll know it when it hits.The infamous “wishbone” moment. No spoilers — but if you’re not physically reacting, you’re not human.
🗞️ What the Critics Say:
“A horror-western hybrid you won’t forget — or escape.” — Indiewire“ It’s The Searchers by way of Cannibal Holocaust.” — SlashFilm “An unholy blend of genre that shouldn’t work — and absolutely does.” — Variety
🎥 [Watch the Trailer]
📺 Surveillance: Hidden Treasures - Underrated Series
📣 Underrated Series Spotlight: CANNON (1971–1976)
☕ Pick up your coffee cups...
❤️ WHY I LOVE: CANNON
Let me just say this up front — William Conrad could act circles around most of the “leading men” on television then… and now.
During a time when Hollywood was still fully addicted to the idea that looks were everything, this man — heavier, older, and not the traditional male lead — walked into frame and owned it. No six-pack. No suave charm. Just presence. Just chops.
He wasn’t a maybe. He wasn’t someone the camera had to "work around." He was the camera’s anchor. That takes skill — major skill — to push past all the surface-level expectations and grab the audience purely with timing, tone, and truth.
And that voice?
Come on. He could say one line — dead calm — and it would feel like a freight train rolling through a confession.
There’s a reason Cannon worked. The writing was sharp. The mysteries were tight. But it was all held together by Conrad — a guy who proved that command isn’t about a jawline.
It’s about knowing exactly who you are, and not flinching once.
Oh — and let’s talk about that opening sequence.
🎬 The slow zoom. The shadowed figure. That monologue. That score. It’s iconic.
And if you’re wondering if one of the episodes of TRYHARD COMPANY might just take a little inspiration from that cold-blooded, calculated intro style...👀 Stay tuned. You just might be right.
📜 Summary: Frank Cannon wasn’t your standard TV detective. He was older, heavier, calmer — but sharper than everyone in the room. Played with stone-faced authority by William Conrad, Cannon brought a quiet force to ‘70s crime television that made him unforgettable. No flashy car chases (well, maybe a few). No over-the-top quips. Just grit, brains, and a voice like gravel over whiskey.
🧩 Two Interesting Facts about this Fan-Favorite Series:
Cannon was the first television series to star an overweight actor in the lead role of a prime-time drama — and it didn’t matter. Conrad owned it.
The series was so successful, it launched multiple crossovers, a reunion TV movie (The Return of Frank Cannon), and even inspired the tone of later noir detectives like Columbo and Rockford.
🎭 Actor Spotlight: William Conrad didn’t look like your typical lead. That was the point. He brought weight — literally and figuratively — to every scene, proving that skill and presence beat looks and flash any day of the week.
🎬 Iconic Scene: Cannon stands in a darkened apartment, the killer thinking he's one step ahead — until Cannon starts talking. Calm. Cold.Explains exactly how the murder happened… while the cuffs are already on their way.
🗞️ What the Critics Say:
“Frank Cannon was the anti-Bond — and all the better for it.” — The New York Times“ A master class in slow-burn crime storytelling.” — TV Guide “Conrad made smart look dangerous.” — Variety
Intelligence Gathering: The Vault
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
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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
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