Their most notable works include a series ofPrank Gone Wrongfound footage videos and a collection ofChoose Your Own Adventure-style films known asChad, Matt & Rob's Interactive Adventures.[2]
Justin Martinez andTyler Gillett joined in 2010 and, in 2011, Polonsky left the group. The remaining four changed their collective name toRadio Silence.[7] As Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Justin Martinez and Chad Villella), they directed a segment for the feature filmV/H/S.[8] The film premiered at the 2012Sundance Film Festival and was acquired byMagnolia Pictures. It was released theatrically October 5, 2012.[9]
The group are known for their popularfound footage-style "Pranks Gone Wrong" series.
Chad Hates Aliens (also known asRoommate Alien Prank Goes Bad) was released February 25, 2008 and was the group's firstviral video. As of September 2021, it has over 34 million views, was featured onAttack of the Show[11] and was accepted into the 2008Comic-Con International Film Festival.
Let's Go Meet Some Animals! (Prank Fails Horribly) was released September 9, 2008. The group goes to theLos Angeles Zoo and discovers a monster.
Mountain Devil Prank Fails Horribly was released April 22, 2010. The short is based on theLone Pine Mountain Devil urban legend, a creature the group created for the film.
Chad, Matt & Rob coined the term "Interactive Adventure"[5] to describe their 2008 filmThe Time Machine: An Interactive Adventure; the project was the first interactive movie of its kind.[4] As of March 2012,Chad, Matt & Rob have produced five Interactive Adventures.
The Time Machine (November 11, 2008) is the first narrativeChoose Your Own Adventure-style film on the Internet.[12] When deciding on a title for the finished film, they coined the term "Interactive Adventure."[5] The series contains nine segments and follows the boys as they travel through the centuries in a time machine disguised as a trash can, all while running from government agents seeking to get the time machine back. At the end of each segment, the viewer is able to choose which video to go to next using YouTube's "annotation" feature. The series received over 1,000,000 views during its first week, was featured onEntertainment Weekly'sThe Must List[13] and won the Best Multimedia Fiction Award at the 2009Cinéma Tout Ecran International Film Festival inGeneva.[14]
The Murder (March 14, 2009) is the group's second Interactive Adventure. InThe Murder, Chad, Matt & Rob witness a murder while they are filming a short and must decide how to proceed. The narrative expands on the single-story thread used for "The Time Machine" and allows the viewer to follow three unique story-lines. In all, the project contains over 30 separate segments.[15]
The Birthday Party (January 15, 2010) is the group's third Interactive Adventure. InThe Birthday Party, the trio must run from a gang, battle zombies in a haunted hospital and save a kidnapped heiress from an urban militia, all while attempting to reach their boss's birthday party alive. The group shot the project around Los Angeles in four days, including theLinda Vista Community Hospital.[16]
The Teleporter (November 22, 2010) is the group's fourth Interactive Adventure. The project, in which Chad, Matt & Rob are on the run from an angry UFO that wants its teleporter back, represents the group's first foray intobranded content; it was made in conjunction withUnilever to promote a line ofAXE shampoo products.[17] According to aTubefilter interview, the group was wary of selling out their audience; "We've always been really wary on doing any sort of brand integration," said [Rob] Polonsky. "Viewers are always super sensitive when there's any sort of product placement involved. The last thing we wanted to do was to insult our audience. So we wrote something that we would want to make." As of March 2011, the film's 10 segments have a combined 1,000,000 views.[17]
The Treasure Hunt (January 26, 2011) is the group's fifth Interactive Adventure. The story follows the trio as they battle a menacing treasure hunter searching for a long lost treasure and co-starsAlfonso Arau (known forThe Wild Bunch,Three Amigos and as the director ofLike Water for Chocolate). A rough cut of the film screened at the 2010 Anaheim International Film Festival[18] and the finish product premiered at the Prescott Film Festival in February 2011, where audience applause was used to choose which path the narrative would take.[19]
