Behind the Scenes

What started as Becker Von Felsburg lassoing random objects in his backyard became the foundation for a unique western comedy. Daryl Della pitched the concept to his dad, Hank, who delivered a script about two hapless characters chasing a jackalope. While Hank’s draft leaned on modern humor and references, Daryl reworked it into a period piece that blended the slapstick of Looney Tunes with the style of a classic western.

Becker already had the rope in his car and was immediately game. The project was exactly the kind of thing that appealed to him: dress up like a cowboy, disappear into the wilderness for a couple of days, and see what happened.

Before filming began, Mitch Martin, Jared Coons, and Daryl Della headed to Jared’s family ranch in Los Banos, CA, to prepare the set. In just one day, they built a wooden fence to add authenticity to the mountaintop location. The ranch’s rugged terrain provided breathtaking views of Central California but came with its own hazards, including roaming wild hogs that required precautionary gunfire to ensure safety.

Daryl, Mitch, and Jared doing their best American Gothic after building the fence on set

When the filming dates arrived, the crew caravaned together to ensure a smooth start. Except of course for Michael and Cairo, who were responsible for picking up Ray. True to form, Michael ran late, and by the time they reached the bar where Ray worked, he had already marinated himself in just about every liquor available. The car ride quickly spiraled, with Ray heckling Cairo from the backseat, drunkenly yelling, “HOUSECAT! You’re a HOUSECAAAAT!” and accusing him of being whipped by his girlfriend while bragging about his own carefree, street-roaming freedom.

Cairo attempted damage control by confiscating Ray’s flask, only to hear the unmistakable “KR-CHIK” of an airplane bottle moments later. Cairo snagged that one too, but each confiscation was met with another “KR-CHIK.” Ray kept cracking open new ones like a magician pulling drinks out of thin air, frustrating Cairo to no end. The cycle repeated until Ray’s arsenal was finally depleted, and the trio arrived in Los Banos. Thanks to their delay, it was too late to trek up the mountain, forcing them to crash at a motel. Ray chose to sleep in a chair by the open window, leaving Cairo freezing and regretting every second of the journey.

Filming took place over two days, with the cast and crew camping overnight. Daniel Cruz, a photographer making his debut as cinematographer, captured stunning visuals while carefully avoiding the local bees, to which he was severely allergic. Becker kept morale high with his offbeat humor, including narrating some of his more private moments via shadow puppets. Robert Ruiz took charge of craft services, ensuring the team was well-fed throughout the shoot.

Cast & Crew hard at work

It was also Becker’s first real experience roughing it in the wilderness. He fired a shotgun for the first time, tried out some of Jared’s pistols, ate a great deal of stew, and learned a few practical lessons about outdoor living. One of those discoveries arrived when nature called. Positioned on a hillside, Becker became fascinated by the sight of his own silhouette projected onto the ground and entertained himself by watching the shadow of his bowel movement emerge beneath him.

Michael Martin had his own relationship with the firearms on set. At one point he wore a shoulder holster carrying a pistol, exactly the sort of arrangement cowboys had trusted for generations. Michael, however, was nervous that the gun might somehow discharge while he ran. His solution was to pull it from the holster whenever he needed to move quickly and race around the location holding the pistol high above his head, presumably making the situation considerably more dangerous than simply leaving it where it was.

Part of the Coons Ranch tradition, visitors signed the inside wall of the cabin. For After the Jack, Daryl drew the Jackalope and the crew commemorated wiht their signatures

The jackalope itself came straight from Daryl’s family lore. His grandfather’s mounted jackalope bust, a long-time fascination, made its first film appearance in Dead Right II. This inspired the purchase of a full-body taxidermied jackalope from eBay, which was then used as a puppet for After the Jack’s star. Both jackalopes have since appeared as Easter eggs in countless productions.

Filming wrapped just as the rain rolled in, but not before the team captured one of their most ridiculous stunts. To show the jackalope’s legendary strength, Becker was dragged behind Mitch’s truck.

Becker’s original plan was apparently to do the stunt with essentially no protection at all. Instead, the crew cleared rocks from the path and worked out a somewhat safer way to pull him across the ground. It was still Becker being dragged through the dirt behind a moving truck, but by Dollars & Donuts standards, reasonable precautions had been taken.

Production Featurette

Storyboard Comparisons

Somewhere around this period, working on Dollars & Donuts productions also began changing the way Becker watched movies. He started paying attention to individual shots, composition, and the decisions behind the images rather than simply watching a film as an audience member. What had started years earlier as occasionally showing up to perform was becoming a deeper involvement in the actual process of filmmaking.

The project marked the Dollars & Donuts debut of composer Thomas Van Oosting, whose score perfectly balanced whimsy and western grit. In 2020, Daryl remastered the film with sharper editing and a vibrant new color grade, ensuring After the Jack stands tall as a testament to the team’s creativity, resourcefulness, and love of absurd storytelling.