The Old Rules Still Apply, They've Just Been Digitized

In a follow up to this post regarding the discussion over at Truly Free Film Angelo Bell commented:

"Indie filmmaking was about saying we didn't need Hollywood to make our movies. We've proven that. Now let's take it one step forward and say we don't need Hollywood to distribute our movies."

True.
But we (and when I say "we" I mean the indie film community) are still hung up on the idea of acceptance and validation by the mainstream - "Going to the show," "Hitting the big time," "You're going to Broadway, kid. Your name up in lights."

So what's needed is a business model that means just about anyone can do it. Just add hard work and stir.

It's being done by musicians all the time. Are we going to let them get one up on us?

It's My Blog and I'll Pulp If I Want to...

Yes, thank you all for your kind Birthday wishes to me. I thought I would throw out my will list and other randomness for this year:

- I will get my waistline down 12 inches from my age.
- I will get more people to understand this.
- One year ago today I was in the screening room watching the Leverage pilot. Time flies!
- I will get more people to read these.

2009 is going to be a good one:

- a radioplay is coming out from Decoder Ring Theater featuring something by yours truly.
- I've made some major in-roads to setting up NPM
- I have a movie going into production (once I get the script written)
- and there's a lot of stuff going on that I can't talk about yet, but that will change how we look at pulp and comic media. Just sayin...
- oh and I'm launching the newsletter. (see sidebar to subscribe)

Wassamatta U?

Ted Hope has a great post today by guest blogger/filmmaker Jamie Stuart. I am going to pick at the post's carcass a bit, but there's plenty here to chew on throughout the weekend so go read the entire thing:

Now, however, the paradigm has shifted to a situation where filmmakers are making small, dirt-cheap movies for niches and their friends; the debut film isn't as important so much as slowly building a track record. In this model, indie film has essentially become regional folk art. I think we need to return to the prior model, but there are some things holding that up. Like:

Yes, it has shifted away from the bottleneck of just a few festival darlings making their way past the gatekeepers and out into the Elysian fields of the distribution marketplace. In the regional folk art metaphor you propose, you neglect to mention that now more people can participate from wherever they are at, instead of having to be in Los Angeles or New York or other large urban center. The bottleneck has widened (for good and for bad).

I think we need to re-think how movies are made. Micro-features and DIY productions use crews in a much different manner than movies made for 7-8 figures, and I think producers need to study what people like myself are doing...

Not that I expect larger budgeted productions to use the exact method I did (they wouldn't have to if they had money), but there's got to be something that can be learned and adapted from what I and others have done.

Absolutely! And how does one most effectively share these ideas, paradigms and innovations? Why through the internet of course!

Now, if you combine all of the above, you get another problem. It used to be that aspiring filmmakers started with a small budget, either on a short or a small feature, and that was used as a calling card to get a larger budget. The issue here is that due to the drop in budgets based on prosumer cameras and editing, producers don't seem to take those projects as seriously. What they mistake, however, is that you're getting an equivalent production value as before, only it costs a fraction of the amount. But producers aren't saying: "Wow! Look at what so-and-so did for so little. Imagine what they could do with a larger budget? I want to work with him!" Instead, they seem to be looking at the budget, and on that basis alone, writing it off: "Let me know when you've moved on to bigger things, but for now, you're a small fry."

I would agree that this is ture in the United States, but there is a growing movement of production and distribution professionals in the UK that are embracing these micro-budget productions and filmmakers with financing and expertise. We cannot count that out.

The internet is great for sales and marketing, but it's a lousy delivery method. The quality is terrible. I've never looked at the internet as anything other than a means to get exposure and establish myself -- so I can get OFF the internet and make real features.

People understand the quality loss. They measure it against the convenience and are just fine with it. Excuse me but exactly what is "a real feature?"

I think a lot of the indie community still believes in the film festival model: If you're a serious filmmaker, you need to submit to festivals. They seem almost fundamentalist in this regard. And it's holding up progress.

Yes, it is. The indie filmmakers have become the establishment they rebelled against in the 80's and early 90's.

All of that said, I'm still of the belief that the biggest problem in indie film right now is simply the product. When indie film was booming in the '80s/'90s, young people like myself were drawn to it because it seemed to be the most creative arena in filmmaking. Not now. Young people look to big FX blockbusters as the most creative arena. People now equate indie film with poor production values, cheap-looking handheld photography, amateurish acting, etc. They look at it as a joke. I approached the prospect of DIY filmmaking from the view that ambitious films could now be made inexpensively -- I've always used tripods, dollies, cranes, special FX. But DIY filmmaking on the whole went in the opposite direction -- small, handheld slices of life. And while that aesthetic certainly has its place, it's never going to find a larger audience, in my opinion. Until we shift out of this phase and DIY filmmakers start creating ambitious pictures at dirt prices, the movement will remain derided. And until the bigger people start lifting up the small, there's going to remain a major class divide.

(emphasis mine)

Absolutely. I double that for web series that rely on the backbone of being parodies of existing material. If I see another 20-something wannabe comedy web series set in an office, apartment complex or similar locale - I am going to get violent. Ditto for the trope of directly addressing the camera or the simply allowing the "action" to unfold without camera movement or editorial. It's lame.

Dr. Horrible (which I loved) has been a hit on the web NOT because it was entirely original, but because everything else up to that point was lame. The web audience deserves better. They want better and yes, they will pay for it.

I am writing a movie now, that while not entirely original (what film is?) is geared to push the boundaries in terms of production value, energy and fun. A creative new look at some old tropes in genre film. That's what we - the pulp filmmaking community - needs.

As well as effective ways of getting that new pulp out there so people can embrace it...at their convenience.

New Entertainment Pyramid

In my previous post regarding a new "entertainment pyramid" The Gamut asks the question "What do you mean by the pyramid?"

What I mean is that in today's market - especially the theatrical motion picture market - the studios are making fewer and fewer movies for higher budgets. They would be the tippy top of the pyramid, because not only does it cost a lot to produce the motion picture, it costs a lot to distribute it. I would also add that it costs a lot ($14 at Arclight Cinema here in Hollywood) to go see the movie.

So, a film's release into the marketplace of ideas is very expensive - similar to what the author was discussing in the Wired article regarding computer technology - initially very expensive and limited.

As the "movie property" progresses further and further down the pyramid - through VOD, DVD, Cable, Free Television and so forth - it gets less and less expensive to see and access.

(and to be sure, the pyramid is slightly misshapen. In my discussing the phenomena/theory with Shawna the other day, she likened it to an hourglass that needed to be inverted every now and then to re-feed the process. I'm sticking to pyramid for simplicity's sake)

At the bottom of the pyramid are all the people on the web inspired by the movie. They are creating web pages and video mashups and other "original" material that was sparked at the top of the pyramid. They are also creating more inexpensive original material and interacting more at the bottom of the pyramid.

So my post was to bring to the fore the ideas that: a) as the economy tenses and twists, more and more people are going to be seeking more cost-effective, accessible levels of entertainment, b) the instruments are in place to entertain (and interact) with those folks in a cost-effective manner and c) this is going to change everything as it IS going to invert the pyramid. Cheap entertainment is going to work its way up - from interactive mashup or original video and prose - to "higher" levels on the pyramid. Again, changing everything.

At least I hope it's going to change everything. The inversion of the pyramid certainly didn't hurt this company.

--------

Downsizing, the New Economy and Pulp Entertainment...A New Pyramid ?

I had the pleasure and the shock to see a segment on the Oprah show today from veteran video journalist Lisa Ling regarding the tent cities that are springing up around the country. Ling's doc video focused on her home town of Sacramento (capitol of California, the entertainment capitol of the world) where homeless shelters are overflowing with families that one year ago were "Middle class."

Just outside the city corridor in the industrial side of Sacramento, middle class families are now living in tents to survive. Many of these people interviewed were in construction or related industries that collapsed when the house of cards, excuse me, homebuilding industry collapsed due to poor financial management.

Everyone has taken a hit in this new economy. Everyone. Your mad pulp bastard included.

Thank goodness that I have no major debt load and a single lifestyle (or maybe not so good depending on your perspective), but yeah - I took one to the money sack.

This isn't about me, and I'm not whining about all this... misery. What I am slowly getting around to is the fact (YES, FACT) that vast amounts of the movie-going audience are NOT going to be going to the theaters. They're going to switch to Netflix or Amazon's download system or cable or VOD....

Or they're just going to pick up a good book (either from the library or on their Kindle 2) and read... Or play a game....

It's called Downsizing, Prioritizing and plain, old fashioned "saving."

That has many people scared (me included) , but it shouldn't prevent us from going forward and making cool stuff. We're just going to have to suck it up and make it for cheaper. Sure we'll still make a profit - just that the margin is going to be tighter. As people are going to save, we're going to have to invest in a bit of D-I-Y.

It also means that we're going to have to use the web more - it's a great delivery system for all sorts of media - books, video, audio, games and comics. It's cheap and fast and...

It's pretty much everywhere- or soon will be.

Please read the article linked above, and this quote below and ask yourself:

"We started inventing technology for the bottom of the pyramid," Jepsen says, "but the top of the pyramid wants it too." This bit of trickle-up innovation, this netbook, might well reshape the computer industry—if it doesn't kill it first."

What would happen if, instead of creating entertainment from the TOP of the pyramid DOWN, we created entertainment from the BOTTOM of the pyramid UP?

I leave you with the thought that as our entertainment delivery systems become less and less expensive so our opportunity to entertain (the market) grows proportionally -- the wide base of the pyramid.

----------------------------
FYI - I will be discussing this further in my newsletter THE PULP LEGION ELECTROGRAM coming in March. Subscribe in the sidebar.

Sean Phillips Rocks

Just in case you didn't already know that. I've been cropping a couple of his images lately to use as headers for the blog and I wanted to give him the credit he deserves.

He can be find here. Go. Be amazed.

The WTF Department:

From today's Hollywood Reporter...

Michel Gondry is in negotiations to direct "The Green Hornet," Columbia's big-screen treatment of the classic crime-fighting hero being portrayed by Seth Rogen.

Excuse me, I'm going to go have my aneurysm now...

No Explanation Required: La Mujer Murcielago (The Batwoman)

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I have a poster from this movie in my office. It's a pretty iconic image - part 1960's Batgirl (Yvonne Craig) meets Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine by way of Mexico.

But Geek Orthodox gives you the lowdown on this classic bit of Mexi-cinema far better than I could.

Go. Now.

Fuckin' - A , Andy!!!

Concept and writing by Diggle.
Imagery by Jock.
With Jeffrey Dean Morgan
(soon to be seen as The Comedian in WATCHMEN)

THE LOSERS

I'm Writing...

Pitches: for a pulp anthology featuring [REDACTED].

A Proposal: for [REDACTED] to [REDACTED]...

A Business Plan: which is taking longer than expected, and is really frustrating at times, but is ultimately really cool and so worth it. More info contained in the Pulp Legion Electrogram.

A Screenplay: which means my next 30-45 evenings will be locked up. Again, more detailed info in The P.L.E.

The Pulp Legion Electrogram: trying to figure out what to include and what not to in this inaugural issue.

Now I'm off to write some emails as I have to follow up on some work...

See you in the Mental Ward.

The Friday Update: 2-20-09

Trying to clear off my desk to get some writing done.

I have received a communication from the Purchase Bros. and we are trying to negotiate a time for them to come on Geekerati. More as this develops. Put your questions in the comments.

The Season Finale to LEVERAGE is this coming Tuesday:



The Oscars are this weekend. I will be at a party with friends.

More later AFTER I finish my writing...

Random Thinkmeat Firings...

Well, the Half-Life discussion continues across the blogosphere and has connected me to many of you discussing this short film. I've sent an email to the Purchase Bros. hoping to get them on Geekerati for an hour long discussion on their pulp filmmaking. Rogers promises to write a longer post as to what it means as a viable production model.

(And yes, it is a viable production model, not necessarily for a single entity but for a collective, which I think will be his point. I will have more on this and my plans along these lines in my Pulp Legion Electrogram. If you haven't signed up do so now by going to the subscription area in my sidebar >>>>>>>>>)

I will have another story finished soon for Astonishing. (Metaphorically) Editor Katherine is perched on my shoulder with her cat o' nine tails in hand. I am late. I have totally blown my Norvell Page rep.

But damn it... I'm witing a movie, and setting up a...(oh crap! Almost gave it all away!)

Thanks to cousin Trevor I've discovered this. Big ideas that are downloadable.

Before I go to sleep (late) at night I've been reading the back issues of this character. Huge style and storytelling leaps when this guy took over the artwork. You can tell he thought about it, and along with the writer made it special.

As did this guy.

[Thinkmeat drained]

Attention Citizens: I'm Your Watch-Man..Uh Huh!

More infectious viral marketing from those folks at Warners.

They can be found here (because they disabled the embed function)


Edit to add: Just because we love this tune and have a vision of a zombie hitman unleashed upon Chicago's underworld every time we hear it -

I don't ever want to hear you whine about your movies not getting made...

Because really - there's no excuse.

Ladies and gentlemen - I present the pulp filmmaking community of Nigeria. Affectionately referred to as "Nollywood."



Take a lesson in hope and persistence from your fellow filmmakers who are telling the stories to entertain their fellow Nigerians. It is inspiring and humbling.

H/T to Prep/Shoot/Post

Mobile Media Gets Hexed!

Michael Nelson (whose posts you've been enjoying over at Kung Fu Monkey, and whose comics you've been enjoying from Boom Studios) just sent me a note:

My apologies for the mass email, but I just wanted to let everyone know that my new comic Hexed #1 is available for download on the iPhone. For FREE. So if you have an iPhone, head on over to the site, download the app, and show me some love. Hope you enjoy it!

http://appshopper.com/books/hexed-1

The Chin Strikes Back!

Bruce Campbell's MY NAME IS BRUCE hits DVD.

My buddy, Mike Kallio sent this note to my InBox:

I wanted to let everyone know that a film I'm in (twice-see if you can find me, lol :) ) AND did all the Behind the scenes/Extras DVD features for, is NOW OUT on DVD and Blu Ray. "My Name is Bruce" was a film I worked on in the summer of 2006 and spent 2 and a hlaf years (on again, off again) editing all the Behind-the-Scenes and DVD extras, including an hour long "Making of" called "Hearts of Dorkness" which is a documentary/mockumentary on the creating of the film in a spoof style (we spoofed the making of "Apocalypse Now"). The movie was shot all in and around Bruce's property up in Jacksonville and Medford, Oregon.

Get it today!

How Many Times Will You See Watchmen?

Because based on this blogpost alone (H/T to Valerie) , I am going to have to see it at the theater at least three times:

- for the story
- for the designs
- for the rest (how close it was/wasn't to the book)

I mean, that's what it takes for an event to be called a miracle right? Witnessed three times?

Then I'm going to be buying ART OF THE WATCHMEN, PORTRAITS, TALES OF THE BLACK FREIGHTER and of course, THE DVD.

Better start selling that blood and other vital fluids now so I can purchase it all. Think my kidney would go for much?

Game Changed (Again): Half Life: Escape From City 17

By now, most everyone in the blogosphere has seen this short film by the Purchase Bros:



Certainly Warren Ellis has seen it and has called "Game Just Changed."

Fair enough. And yes I agree - the game has changed. It's called the future.

How they did it is not the point. People are wailing and moaning and gnashing teeth about how MANY favors they called in to get the compositing done, that it isn't exactly like the game (what movie is, you wank?), and so forth.

The fact is - THEY got it done while you were sitting on your "potato chip and ice cream" fed ass asking for someone to do just what they've done - make a movie based on your favorite video game (or comic, or toy, or tv show, or sex doll that doesn't even love you back).

THEY. DID. IT.

(not only that - they did it well)

That's pulp filmmaking. It's this. This and yes, this.

It's getting it done and not bemoaning the fact you don't have any money to pay everyone. It's ingenuity, creativity and persistence.

See what these wanks who are complaining fail to realize is that ANYBODY can do it if they have the money and equipment. It takes genius to get it done for little-to-no-money. There were all those comments that the Bros. had this equipment and that equipment with which to composite and build the CGI.

No, they didn't have any of that.

They just had the guts to get it done.

Dr. Who Whispers "Templesmith? Really? Brilliant!"

From our friends at IDW:

In this special one-shot, Dr. Who, The Whispering Gallery, superstar artist Ben Templesmith tackles his first full Dr. Who project, alongside comic book writers Leah Moore & John Reppion.

In The Whispering Gallery, the TARDIS lands in a maze-like gallery filled with thousands of talking pictures, and the Doctor and Martha discover they've come across a planet where showing emotion has been outlawed. The inhabitants have good reason for their supression, but it wouldn't be like the Doctor to leave them in fear of truly living.

Married writing team Leah Moore and John Reppion have been fans of “Doctor Who” for nearly as long as they can remember, and pitched IDW Publishing on their story idea for the classic British sci-fi hero after Leah had a dream about a two-page spread one night.

Leah Moore said the couple had a hard time initially thinking up an original storyline. “Everything we could think up had already been done, or was not the right kind of story. We went off to bed one night after brainstorming fruitlessly for hours, and I went to sleep worrying that we'd not be able to think of anything and miss out on writing it altogether.”

After the dream, Leah says she woke up knowing clearing what they would do for Dr. Who, and got the story turned around very quickly after that.

Moore and Reppion became involved in the project after being approached by artist Ben Templesmith, an admirer of their work.

“Ben actually approached Leah via the modern miracle of Twitter and asked her if we'd be interested in pitching for a Dr Who one-shot with him as the artist,” explained Reppion. “Naturally, we were thrilled and said yes immediately. Ben is a fantastic artist and we both really admire his work, so it's great to be able to work with him on such a brilliant little project.

Doctor Who: The Whispering Gallery hits stands February 29 from IDW Publishing.

32 pages, $3.99

I'm Writing A Movie...

And while the checks and agreements haven't been signed, I feel pretty safe in saying that I'm going to be writing a movie. A pulp movie.**

But guess what?

I'm not going to be talking about it here on the blog. I'm only going to be talking about it via the Pulp Legion Electrogram. (See sidebar to the right).

So if you want to go behind the scenes of the making of a pulp movie - from screenplay to finished product and beyond - then you need to sign up.

The pictures are some of the influences I'm incorporating into the story. Not necessarily those exact influences - but their spirit (no pun intended).

** Pulp Movie (noun) - an adrenaline-packed, colorful 90 minute genre story told through multiple media, but mainly "film."

See This? It's Called The Future...

And you can order one right here.

And yes, it is the future. Already, estimates have put Kindle-related sales (devices and e-books) in the $750M range for 2010.

Combine that with the fact that large book chains like Borders are on the DNR list, and you can see the way the wind is blowing.


Features:

Slim & Lightweight: Just over 1/3 inch and 10.2 ounces

Books in under 60 seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required

Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for crisp images and text; even reads well in bright sunlight

Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging

More Storage: Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 books

Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns

Read-to-Me: Text-to-Speech feature means Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud.

No Wireless Bills: No monthly wireless bills, data plans, or commitments. Amazon pays for Kindle’s wireless connectivity so you won’t see a monthly wireless bill.

Large Selection: Over 230,000 books, plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines and blogs available

Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise

-------------------------------------------
Note: all sales of Kindles from the above link go to support pulpy projects on this blog.

I will be adding more Amazon-related material so you too can get MPB-recommended books, graphic novels, DVDs and other cool stuff. It's just our way of stirring the economic pot by letting you in on bargains you can't afford to pass up.

(And let's just say that Kindle 2 will play an important part of your Mad Pulp Bastard's game plan for 2009 and forward)

Hey! Somebody Raided My Clothes Closet!

Pulp (Screen) Writing...

Pulp screenwriting is dependent upon so many things that are beyond the writer's ability to control - the production's talent, organization, vision - that when it comes to delivering a screenplay to your producer you always have to remember to a) make it entertaining, and b) make it bulletproof.

Now the first one is easy if you have talent and storytelling chops -- the craft of it all.

But the latter is where many new screenwriters get hung up. They want to jam pack their story with so many - characters, ideas, FX, locations, you name it - that they paint their script with a target and hold it up for the producer to take shotgun blasts at it.

I've always been an advocate of keeping it simple. One idea taken to its logical extreme rather than 50 ideas all crying out for attention in the "script-nursery." One of the areas where I think writers tend to shortchange themselves is in thinking that way - that they have to generate a ton of ideas in order to make the world they've built within the script "real" enough.

What they are really doing is drawing attention away from what should be the focus of your script - that one idea that is so cool it carries the story on its shoulders through that marathon of 96+ pages. So forget the "mosaic" or "cornucopia of ideas" approach to writing and stick with what works, what makes your story better.

In pulp storytelling - comics, prose or film - the story you are telling doesn't have to be "real." It just has to be real within the context of the story you are telling. That gives you a lot of room to explore that one idea you have that sparked the story in the first place. It gives you a lot of room to stylize and enhance that one idea rather than having to stylize and enhance 50 ideas, some of which are probably working at cross-purposes from one another.

In pulp storytelling - you want clarity and entertainment value. Again, that one idea that is turned on its side and looked at from a new perspective. That one idea that will resonate like the single note held by an opera singer's voice, instead of the crashing din of a thousand singers each singing a different tune. Each trying desperately to be heard above the rest - but to no effect.

But really - don't just listen to me about this. Go read Steven Grant's latest column at Comic Book Resources. He discusses the comics of "Mad Ideas" but really it's all the same thing - pulp.

If you want to amp up the value of your screenwriting - that is, get it sold - then switch up your strategy and start focusing on one idea you can explore instead of twenty ideas you can jam into your script because they are cool.

Because a producer is going to be able to shoot a script that explores one idea really well, and he's going to reject anything else.

No Explanation Required: A Basterd's Work Is Never Done...

Those Are My Words, But That's Not My Voice...

The observant amongst you have no doubt noticed the wonderful little widget I have installed on my blog - Odiogo.

Odiogo takes the written word and translates it into speech that you can hear either on my blog itself, or via downloading this blog from Itunes. I got the idea after seeing it used over at Kung Fu Monkey, and it's one of those widgets that's fun to play with...

For those of you curious as to how my whiskey-soaked voice really sounds, I would suggest that you head over to Geekerati tonight at 7 pm...

OR -

You could join us this Friday night at Boardner's at 7pm for a pulp meet-and-greet. Friends of the mad pulp bastard who will be attending include James Felix McKenney of AUTOMATONS fame and BLOOD TIES producer Peter Mohan.

So here's your best opportunities in the near future to hear me rant and rave. I am working hard on a script treatment and a dozen or so other things that I feel need doing.

2008 Sez: "Eff You Theatrical Distribution!!!"

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Think Small

From Scott Kirsner's Cinematech:

A lot of times when I've written about some interesting little Internet experiment that has generated $50,000 or $100,000 for the creative person behind it, someone will e-mail me to ask, "Yeah, OK, but how does that support the media industry? A movie studio can't pay its security guards for a week on that kind of money."

Good point.

I'm very confident about digital media's ability to support individual creators, doing the kind of work they want to do, often on tightly-constrained budgets. (Constraints = inventiveness, right?)

I'm less confident that it will support the same gargantuan, diversified companies that raked in the big bucks in the days when there were only four TV networks, six movies released every weekend, a dozen important records issued on Tuesday.

Good.

For too long we've had the homogenized voice of "The Media" telling us what is what in terms of entertainment. That is, what they need for it to look and sound like so they can distribute it.

Ugh.

No more. There's a lot of stuff on the web that I absolutely loathe, but I'm not their audience... and that's okay because the way things are shaking out they don't need me. They can go along and do things they want to do, and I can do things I want to do...

and we can both profit from it.

Before, that couldn't happen. The media had to fit a wide market in order to be successful. You had so many costs associated with DVDs, books, video, audio and so forth that you had to make it palatable for a wide variety of folks. The digitization of the whole process has cut costs to the bone. Put the opportunity to say something unique, controversial or eclectic into the hands of the everyday person. Add to that the opportunity to get paid for it, and you have a whole new way of thinking about media - small.

And while that's going to lead to a lot of crap, it's also going to lead to a lot of unique, talented voices being able to say something that rings true to you.

And the studios are just going to have to deal.

Make that : Deal along a variety of media fronts.

Pulp Report from NYCC: 2009 - Tollin Leaves Nostalgia Ventures, Shadow Feature Development, Murray to Write New Doc, More...

Pulpster Kevin Byrne answered the call to action and submitted this report on the "Pulp Panel" at this year's New York Comic Con:

Anthony Tollin announced that he split from Nostalgia Ventures and has moved his properties to Spectrum (which I believe is his own imprint).

Attending were Joe Gentile of Moonstone Publishing, Ron Fortier of Airship 27, Steven Seagel (sic?) of Weird Tales, Anthony Tollin (formerly) of Nostalgia Ventures, author Will Murray, producer F.G. DeSanto, Charles Ardai of Hardcase Crime, and Mark Halegua of NY Pulp Club.

In talking about new projects, Joe Gentile announced new Doc Savage collection of original radio scripts (didn't know that it had been on radio), as well as a collection of new Avenger stories; Ron Fortier has new Captain Hazard, Secret Agent X and Jim Anthony stories coming soon; Steven Seagel talked about how Weird Tales in trying to bridge the comic/fiction divide in the wake of their 85th anniversary.

Anthony Tollin talked about how he just printed the 25th edition of the Shadow and the 24th edition of Doc Savage, and will be publishing a collection of Orson Welles' radio shows from when he was the Shadow, as well as new Avenger, The Whisperer and Captain Fury stories. He also spoke of how he had warned DC Comics about the tagline for The Whisperer, which is 'The Secret Life of James W.Gordon.'

Will Murray and Anthony Tollin talked about how most of the early comics were nothing more than full-blown adaptations of those adventure pulps, citing Batman and the Green Hornet as prime examples (turns out Batman's first story was a full adaptation of a Shadow story).

F.G. DeSanto spoke about the current Shadow feature he has in development with Michael Uslan and Sam Raimi, and that they're currently working on the second draft. It will be a period piece, and they're aiming to maintain a tonal consistency with the original material - it will not be an origin story and it will stay away from the previous movie.

Oh, and the Shadow may not be Lamont Cranston...

Charles Ardai spoke about how Hard Case Crime is going to expand its scope, from just pulp crime to include pulp adventure as well. He has a series planned around a character - Gabriel Hunt - and that the first book is written and the second book is being written.

The two big pieces of news were saved for last:

• Will Murray announced that he is currently writing a new Doc Savage story based on old Lester Dent notes (due to be released either next year or the year after that), and...

• Joe Gentile announced that Moonstone will be publishing new Green Hornet material later this year, and that it will be pure pulp crime fiction.

Now That's Class...

with a touch of geekiness thrown in...bravo!

We Cunninghams Don't Go Gentle Into the Good Night...

We go clinging to the breath of life even though that breath is wet and belabored. We are fighters to the end, and yes we will all have to be put down.

My sister-in-law (and heart) informs me that another beloved member of the Clan Cunningham has gone:

We discovered that she had bladder cancer a couple weeks ago and she went downhill rapidly. She was so miserable last weekend that I called the vet first thing Monday and took her in so she could have some relief from the pain. For a dog who showed up on our doorstep 14 years ago, she was a faithful and loved member of our family. As John so aptly put it when I told him of her death, “That sucks! We had her a long time!” I immediately told Ron not to let that kid write MY obituary!!!

So, Uncle Bill, there will be no more welcome greetings with warm urine on your shoes at our house!!!

Watchmen sez...

Go here.

Enjoy.

Whedon Speaks on Dr. Horrible...

Here.

There is a lot of goodness in this interview with actual numbers and returns and "How I did it" information... but here's the heart of it:

Knowledge@Wharton: What advice would you give to someone starting out that wants to make an independent film or web content? How can they get their work seen? How can they generate enough revenue to do another one?

Whedon: The fact of the matter is, if somebody has a story to tell there is no reason at all that they should not be telling it. The quality of the material that exists — I’m talking about the physical [equipment] like the cameras — [allows you to do] things that could not be done when I was a kid for almost nothing.

People aren’t going to the Internet to look for IMAX [large screen movies]. They’re going to look for things that shock and delight and surprise and upset and all that good stuff. They’re going for the most basic story.

A lot of people sit around and go, “How can I get this made?” The only answer is: By making it. By borrowing someone’s camera. By buying a camera. They come cheap and they work well. And if you know where to point them — and the person that you point them at is saying something interesting — that’s it! That’s how it works.

I can’t stress enough that I believe the best thing in the world is for everybody who feels like they have a story to tell, to tell it.

Which dovetails into something from our good friend John Rogers over at Kung Fu Monkey:

All in-house (see above.) Welcome to the future of television. Everything under one roof. When we began working on Leverage, the Electric Entertainment offices were on a studio lot. Across the way, a giant steel and glass building was under construction - a new post house. I idly asked Mark Franco, our VFX supervisor, what they did in that building. "Everything we do on six Macs," he answered.

"So that's not the future of visual effects?" I asked.

"John, the future of visual effects is four guys in a garage with a bong."

Read about the VFX from six Macs for LEVERAGE here.

The Keene Act and You (circa 1977)

An exceptional way to "inform" viewers of the world in which they are about to explore in the world of WATCHMEN. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons crafted a dense book about superheroes and the real-world implications of people walking around dispensing justice while wearing their pajamas...

But how do you communicate all that within the 100+ minute timeframe of a motion picture? Answer: you don't.

You walk hand-in-hand with your marketing dept. and create material for the DVD that you can release prior to the movie. You craft an entirely separate revenue stream by taking a portion of the book and producing an animated story from it.

The folks at Warners didn't just look at the movie and say, "How do we sell this MOVIE?" They looked at every part of the buffalo that is the Watchmen PROPERTY and said, "How do we pull people into this WORLD, and make sure that fans will be satisfied and people will be able to further explore the implications of this STORY?"

I always said that I didn't think you would ever be able to film WATCHMEN as a movie. I always saw it as a mini-series for HBO...

But I was thinking linearly. I wasn't embracing the internet (Al Gore hadn't invented it yet) and its myriad, non-linear ways of telling story. The folks at WB have crafted a multi-course meal of story here. You can opt out of the main course (the movie) and still receive satisfying chunks of content.

Bravo.

Di Dee DiDee - That's All Folks!

Double Your Action! Double Your Pleasure!

A "new "approach to selling genre material of Fox. Sold!

For Those Attending NYCC : Lady Action!

"Lady Action!" sounds like a Japanese game show or a category of anime... hmmm.

The Classic Science Fiction Channel

Classic movies, serials, and TV shows can all be found here.

I especially enjoyed finding this.



They don't design posters like this anymore.

(sniff!)

Gerard Way: My Favorite Comics

From our friends at G4:

Umbrella Academy writer and My Chemical Romance front man Gerard Way talks about his favorite comics in his collection.

Here.

About The Pulp Legion ElectroGram

Someone shot me an IM an hour ago asking what sort of stuff is going to be in the Pulp Legion ElectroGram (title pending) because they were sort of "on the fence" about signing up.

I'm hard at work fleshing out an article on a film production scenario that, while not paying you millions of dollars, ensures a profitable return on your investment... very similar to the "Report from Them that's Doin'" feature that used to run in the old Mother Earth News.

Some links to production documents you need to use if you want to deliver a professional film and get paid.

A few (insert film crew position here) Help Wanted Ads (well, one anyway) - and yes, you can send me ads to place relevant to comics, pulp, movie production, marketing.

Offers from [redacted] regarding [redacted]...

Some cool pulp style graphics and other goodness I can cobble together and design using my rudimentary, all-thumbs HTML skill.

Links pointing you toward cool free stuff that you can use to make your pulp movies, books, comics and whatever else with...

Announcements that will be of interest - and boy do I have a doozy!

So if you haven't signed up - do so. If you have signed up - tell a friend. The Electrogram is limited to 1000 pulpsters.

I'm Building My Own Pulp Store...

What should I stock in it?

Watchmen Poster: Rorschach

Full Moon Smokin' Hot Sale

Full Moon is having a Valentine's Day sale...

50% off everything!


Click here.

Screenplays by the Bucketload

Lee Thomson over at THE LIGHT, IT HURTS has a bucketload of scripts for series that debuted in 2008. This is why we love the web. In the old days (aka the 90's) it would have taken months and many dollars to acquire these learning tools.

Go take from him and give thanks.

Congratulations, Mister Rogers!

From the press release. Cheers!:

TNT Renews Popular Drama Series LEVERAGE for Second Season

Acclaimed Series, Starring Oscar^® Winner Timothy Hutton,

Ranks as Ad-Supported Cable’s #1 Entertainment Program in the Tuesday 10 p.m. (ET/PT) Timeslot

Series Averages 3.2 Million Viewers and Scores Big Growth Through Time-Shifted Viewing

TNT’s critically acclaimed hit series LEVERAGE will be back for a second season, according to an announcement today by Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). TNT has ordered 15 new episodes of the popular, high-octane series, which stars Oscar^® winner Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People, Nero Wolfe), Gina Bellman (Coupling), Christian Kane (TNT’s Into the West), Beth Riesgraf (Without a Trace) and Aldis Hodge (Friday Night Lights).

LEVERAGE currently airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), with the second season slated to begin later this year. The series is produced by Dean Devlin’s Electric Entertainment. Dean Devlin (Independence Day, TNT’s The Librarian movie series), John Rogers (Cosby) and Chris Downey (The King of Queens) serve as executive producers.

LEVERAGE ranks as ad-supported cable’s #1 entertainment program in the Tuesday 10 p.m. (ET/PT) timeslot among viewers, households and adults 25-54. The Dec. 7 premiere was watched by 5.6 million viewers and scored TNT’s best original series telecast ever in delivery of adults 18-49 during the regular broadcast season. Through its first nine episodes, LEVERAGE has averaged 3.2 million viewers and 1.4 million adults 18-49 in Live + Same Day viewing. The first six episodes scored strong growth when comparing Live to Live + 7 numbers, with total viewership rising 33% to 4.1 million and adults 18-49 rising 42% to 1.9 million.

“We’re thrilled that audiences and critics have responded so positively to LEVERAGE and made the show a solid hit,” Wright said. “We look forward to another great season of fun and exciting storylines brought to life by the outstanding cast, led by Timothy Hutton, and the incredible production team, headed up by executive producers Dean Devlin and John Rogers.”

LEVERAGE follows a team of thieves, hackers and grifters who seek revenge against those who use power and wealth to victimize people. Hutton stars as a former insurance investigator whose son died as a result of corporate greed. He now puts his energy, quick mind and keen intellect toward securing justice for society’s underdogs.

“We had an amazing experience shooting the first season of LEVERAGE with such a talented cast and crew and with the full support of TNT behind us,” Devlin said. “We can’t wait to get to work on season two and take viewers on another adventure with Nate and his team.”

LEVERAGE is part of an ongoing collaboration between TNT and Devlin. Previously, he executive-produced The Librarian action-adventure movies starring Noah Wyle (ER). The third installment in the franchise, The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice, premiered as the lead-in to the first episode of LEVERAGE.

The renewal of LEVERAGE is the latest move by TNT in its aggressive strategy to ramp up original series production. The network recently announced that it is greenlighting two new series: Time Heals, a character-driven medical drama starring Jada Pinkett Smith (The Women, The Matrix Trilogy), and the fast-paced, undercover police drama The Line, starring Golden Globe^® winner Dylan McDermott (The Practice, TNT’s The Grid).

TNT’s success with original series includes the critically acclaimed The Closer, ad-supported cable’s #1 series of all time; Saving Grace, which averages more than 5 million viewers; and Raising the Bar, which set a new ad-supported cable viewership record when it premiered on Labor Day 2008. The network’s latest original series, the light-hearted drama Trust Me, starring Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh, premiered Jan. 26, with 3.4 million viewers.

Electric Entertainment is a full-service film, television and new media production company, established in 2001 by veteran writer/producer Dean Devlin (Independence Day, Stargate, The Patriot) and led by Devlin, along with partners Kearie Peak, Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan. Electric is in pre-production on the feature film Ghosting, a supernatural thriller that Devlin will produce and direct. Electric’s previous films include the World War I action/adventure Flyboys; the politically charged documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?; Cellular, starring Kim Basinger, Chris Evans and Jessica Biel; and Eight Legged Freaks, with David Arquette and Scarlett Johansson. The company’s television credits include The Librarian: Quest for the Spear, starring Noah Wyle, which aired on TNT in December 2004 and was the highest-rated movie on cable that year; its sequel, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines; and Sci Fi’s The Triangle, which won a visual effects Emmy and was the highest-rated miniseries on the cable channel since Steven Spielberg Presents Taken. Electric Entertainment recently teamed with TNT for the crime thriller Blank Slate, starring Eric Stoltz, a microseries that debuted in fall 2008 on the network, as well as on www.tnt.tv. Blank Slate will be re-packaged and distributed on mobile devices, home video and broadcast television. Additionally, Electric Entertainment owns and operates the online independent film magazine IF (www.IFmagazine.com), which reports the entertainment industry’s daily news.

Turner Network Television (TNT), one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama and home to such original series as the acclaimed and highly popular detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick; Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter; Raising the Bar, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben and Jane Kaczmarek; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; and Trust Me, with Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh. TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, Cold Case, Law & Order, Without a Trace, ER and Charmed; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards^®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.