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About the Film

He had always considered making guitars a passion, not an occupation. In 2007, Randall Wyn Fullmer, an ordinary guy with a cat, decided to turn his life-long hobby into a full-out obsession.

To launch his adventure he did what anyone else would do — he quit his high paying dream job at Disney, leaving behind a successful 20 year career of creating major motion pictures such as "Chicken Little" and "The Emperor's New Groove". It seemed to make so much sense at the time! With Disney in the rear-view, he launched his self-proclaimed "Mad Plan", crafting small-batch bass guitars full time.

From a beginner's electrifying success to near break-down, this is a beautiful, honest and inspirational portrait of a passionate craftsperson who walked headlong into a foolhardy dream ... a true tale of a life unwound and restrung.


Restrung DVD Cover

Why Wyn?

On a whim in the spring of 2012, filmmaker Mike Enns flew to the Los Angeles Winter NAMM show (National Association of Music Merchants) and found himself in the middle of a crowded booth. Drawn in by Randall Wyn Fullmer’s incredible handcrafted bass guitars and the soulful notes of the internationally renowned bassist, Abraham Laboriel, Mike was overcome with awe and curiosity.

The stories that resonate best are the ones that we can see ourselves in. This is exactly the case with Mike and his connection with Randy. Not only is Mike an exceptionally talented bass guitarist, but the more he discovered about Randy’s story, the deeper the connection grew.

From their first conversation Mike realized that Randy’s process of creativity was exactly what he yearned to emulate in his own career. Essentially, Randy had cut out "the committee" and his role as a "manager of artists" at the Disney Studios to become a "real artist" again. Randy has a name for this process - “A Singular Artistic Vision”. Mike was sold and the Restrung film was the first project in putting his new theory into action. Mike jumped in - no parachute attached.

A few months later, Mike flew back to LA to get to started. For one whirlwind week, he and his crew worked on one project during the daytime and each evening drove 150 kms to film Randy at work in his studio late into the night. It didn’t take long to realize that the Restrung project wasn’t a side project anymore. Restrung had enough substance to become a full- blown film. Metaphorically, it had just the right amount of nonsense in it to reflect the essence of the project at hand.

Going against the grain, transcending common sense, overcoming fear of failure and embracing natural intuition are themes in both Randy and Mike's lives. Both are unstoppable forces of passion, hard work and deep sacrifice. Their stories have much in common. For Mike, the Restrung project is as personal as it gets and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Extras & Outtakes

How to Build a Bass Guitar - Step # 1 - The Full Scale Drawing

How to Build a Bass Guitar - Step #1 The Full Scale Drawing

This introduction video gives an overview of Randall's 360 discreet steps to building a bass while focusing on the full scale drawing.

How to Build a Bass Guitar - Step # 2 - The Neck

How to Build a Bass Guitar - Step #2 The Neck

Randall discusses his reasoning for the 'neck-through' as opposed to the 'bolt-on', and reveals the secret to his taper core design!

How to Build a Bass Guitar - Step # 3 - The Clamping Jig

How to Build a Bass Guitar - Step #3 The Clamping Jig

More dirty little secrets are revealed as Randall discusses the genius of his "homemade clamping jig" and "sandwich of boards"

Artist Bios

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Mike Enns

Filmmaker Mike Enns focusses his attention on ‘stories with soul‘. Embracing the discovery process, he enjoys the imperfections and surprises of each project that he chooses to document.

Born and raised in the wine country of Southern Ontario, filmmaker Mike Enns kickstarted his career by taking a giant leap of faith when he bought his first Mac, a Sony Handycam and a copy of Final Cut Pro in 2003. He was an early adopter at the cusp of an unprecedented movement in the world of digital film technology. At the outset, his hard work paid off in opportunities beyond paychecks as he “learned by doing” at Southridge - a large multi-site church in Niagara.

Also a talented musician, Mike is passionate about producing live film recordings of musical artists performing on stage or in studio. Maná, Abraham Laboriel, The Mark Lalama Trio, Alexisonfire, The Cardinals, LMT Connection and Newworldson have all benefitted from his earnest approach. Mike has a dream of one day creating the original musical score for one of his own films. 

In addition to his work with musicians, he has produced films for various corporations including YMCA Canada, Wellspring Niagara, the Niagara Health System, the Ontario Public School Board, Twenty Valley Tourism and TD Bank.

Mike embraces an intuitive style that allows the story to reveal it’s true essence. Inspired by the concept of a “Singular Artistic Vision” (be sure to see ‘Restrung’ to learn more about this!), he often flies solo at his own pace. Turning over rocks, taking his time and following his heart, he searches out work with connection and honesty that resonates with his soul. A storyteller to the core, he continues to build stories which he can empathize with and, most of all, find joy and purpose as he shares soul-warming narratives on behalf of his clients.

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Randall Fullmer

After a successful 18 year career at Walt Disney Feature Animation, Randall "Randy" Wyn Fullmer launched Wyn Guitars through which he handcrafts bass guitars of his own design, often in close collaboration with the intended owners.

Born in Richland, Washington. His father was a nuclear physicist, his mother a physical therapist. While Fullmer always had artistic and musical inclinations—drawing, painting, building and playing musical instruments—his parents were not convinced that such creative pursuits were ever going to amount to anything, hoping that one day he'd "get that out of his system.” Nevertheless, Fullmer continued to proceed along an artistic path and made a name for himself in several creative circles.

Fullmer studied architecture for two years at Washington State University (WSU), from 1968 to 1970. During his second year at WSU, he took a film class and became hopelessly hooked on animation, which motivated him to apply to The California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts). Fullmer was accepted into the animation program at Cal Arts and graduated in 1974 with a degree as a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

After graduation from Cal Arts, Fullmer spent roughly seven years running his own animation business producing works such as: medical, scientific and other educational films; segments for Sesame Street; television commercials; and Saturday morning television programs. In 1983 and 1984, Fullmer worked for Don Bluth Studios, creating special effects for Dragon's Lair and Space Ace, the first video games to be produced on laserdisc.

In 1987, Fullmer was hired by Walt Disney Feature Animation (now known as Walt Disney Animation Studios) for a three- month contract to animate on the “Toon Town” section of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a job that turned into an 18- year career at The Walt Disney Studios. Fullmer's animation film credits include: effects animator on Oliver & Company; effects animator on The Little Mermaid; effects supervisor on The Rescuers Down Under; visual effects supervisor on Beauty and the Beast; artistic coordinator onThe Lion King; artistic coordinator on The Hunchback of Notre Dame; producer on The Emperor's New Groove; and producer on Chicken Little.

On the music side, at the age of twelve, Fullmer asked his parents if he could buy a 12-string guitar to complement his 6-string electric guitar. When they said, “no, you already have a guitar, you don't need another one," Fullmer asked if he could purchase the wood to build his own 12-string instead. His parents were so thrown by this bizarre request that they acquiesced. Over the next six years, Fullmer proceeded to build approximately 30 guitars, craftsmanship that was both self-taught and mentored by an old country western fiddle maker named Tom. (Fullmer continued to build guitars throughout his life, but this task was relegated to hobby status while his animation career took precedent.)

Wyn Guitars was established in 2006. Fullmer is both the founder and sole luthier for the company and has crafted guitars for musical talents including Jimmy Haslip,Abraham Laboriel, James LoMenzo, Ben Jones, Stewart McKinsey, Robin Zeilhorst, Maurice Fitzgerald, Adam Johnson and Ethan Farmer, among others.

Wyn is Fullmerʼs middle name, given to him as a tribute to a Welch uncle who also happened to be musically inclined.

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