MEGA64 VERSION 2 Episode 5, "Summer Semester" (Patreon)

Mega64 Version 2, Episode 05: "Summer Semester" 2006 (Episode produced in 2006, released on DVD in 2006 (Mega64: Version 2).

Written/Directed by Rocco Botte, Derrick Acosta, Shawn Chatfield

There's a new band in town, featuring hot jams from Horatio and Marcus! But a visitor from the future warns what is to come... and it involves possums and snakes? And what has Shawn discovered in the depths below?

PRODUCTION NOTES:

-This episode returns to the 4x3 aspect ratio, but shot with the Panasonic DVX100 like "What The Hell Happened To Mega64?" was. The crew was so impressed by the camera's 24FPS quality during that production that Rocco bought the camera. Though the aspect ratio is returned to 4x3, the rule of "24fps for real world, 30fps for video game world" is still maintained.

-The name of Horatio's band (and title of the episode) was inspired by a visit to a frozen custard stand in Kansas City, Missouri. While visiting their DVD distributor, the guys stopped to get a chilly treat when the employee at the counter asked if they were in a band. When they said no, she replied "Oh, because you look like you're in a band... like, your name would be something like... Summer Semester." Nobody understood the comment, and still don't to this day.

-That same trip to Kansas City, the "Katamari Damacy" video was filmed.

-Jennifer Jensen, the news reporter at the beginning of the episode, was a real San Diego news anchor. She was intended to return in Mega64 Version 3, but new television contracts prevented her from making an appearance.

-The artwork during Thark's story was all done by Derrick. The crew laughed so hard at the drawing of Dr. Poque that they released it on a t-shirt before the episode was even released.

-For the climactic battle of the bands, Thark's song was an existing original track that Josh Jones had in his archive. Jessse's song was a brand new original song recorded the week before filming by Garrett and his band at the time, Slowdraw The Hungry Eskimo.

-Second appearance of Ezra, an ape from an alternate future.

NEXT TIME: The Mega64 Version 2 SEASON FINALE. Get ready for the new member of the crew... JON! You know... Jon! He's... uh... well you know who he is, right? Wait, you don't? Well, we don't know either. But something tells us that the origin story of a certain sinister scientist may unlock the answers we've sought all along. A dreaded day finally arrives in the sixth and final episode of Version 2... "STRANGER."