I See How They are Achieving This...

with the new Phantom Highspeed HD camera. However, my question (challenge) is:

Who can achieve a similar effect with an off-the-shelf consumer camera (DVX-100) and software?



I want to meet that guy (or gal). Seriously.

Video courtesy Chase Jarvis.

What He Said...

Only every time Robert Kirkman (INVINCIBLE) says "comics" you can insert TV, Movies or Media.

Seriously, It's a Comic Book Movie Summer...

What with:

IRON MAN, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, SPEED RACER (started as a manga guys!)

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT, WANTED
HANCOCK

and with teasers for the upcoming AVENGERS movie in the tails of IM and TIH.

(which by the way, is a brilliant marketing move and indicative of the whole Marvel culture. They have cross-promoted their books with guest appearances since their beginnings so why not pick up that motif for the movies? The movie folks don't get it all that well, but the comics fans do -- and they applaud)
And we have a lot more stuff coming like THE SPIRIT,
HELLBOY 2, WHITEOUT, PUNISHER: WAR ZONE, TRAILER PARK OF TERROR (which yours truly contributed to...) and oh yeah,

WATCHMEN.

It's really turning into a comic book year isn't it?

But, our man in the thick - Warren Ellis - has this to say about his mission statement with Marvel.

"And then Nick Lowe at Marvel phones up to see if you’ve got anything and you find yourself pitching a grim political post-BATTLESTAR GALACTICA take on Rocket Raccoon. And then he tells you that someone else is already doing Rocket Raccoon, because the situation is just that bloody awful.

This is what I was warning Brian of. I don’t want to see him end up like me. Because I’m sitting outside the pub with Wikipedia loaded on my phone, wondering if there’s a revisionist take in Monark Starstalker and his robot bird…"

So we have to ask - when is it time to realize the mine is played out and you've got nothing left but bedrock? How do you balance being new and fresh (original?) vs. giving the audience what they've come to expect and enjoy?

I think the best term is "surprise" when it comes to describing the balance you strike. You shift perspective to surprise the audience with something new they didn't know about the character, but also about how stories are told. CSI did this rather effectively in one episode where the bodies sat up in the morgue and gave us some clues to their demise. HOUSE threw out all of the regulars and brought in new blood for House to suck on.

You also shift circumstances (see HOUSE above) which gives the characters new "restrictions" on how they deal. Throw The Spider into a small town instead of the big city and he's still going to fight crime like a madman - but he's going to do it differently because he's in a new milieu.

I don't think any character, from the pulps or from the comics or even movies or TV is ever "played out." I think they become encrusted with the familiar and the "tried-and-true" which can render it all stale. The trick then is to recognize the good and hose off the bad.

I like that each of these movies (the ones I have seen anyway) takes what works about each of the characters and gives them a new perspective to keep it from just being a rehash of the comics. When it works - it works really well and inspires.

When it doesn't we get things like INDY 4 ... or the first HULK.

Dark Horse Universal Pact

Dark Horse and Universal Pictures have signed a three year deal.

Details here from Variety.

From the press release:

Universal Pictures and Dark Horse Entertainment have signed a three-year production and distribution agreement that establishes a studio home for all of Dark Horse’s creative properties going forward. The agreement was jointly announced by Marc Shmuger and David Linde, Chairman and Co-Chairman of Universal Pictures; and Mike Richardson, founder and President of Dark Horse.

Under the terms of the deal, Universal would have creative access to all Dark Horse characters and properties, as well as any material that Dark Horse might acquire on its own and want to develop as a motion picture. In addition, Dark Horse would have the opportunity to distribute movies through Universal.

Universal Pictures is opening Hellboy II: The Golden Army, directed by Guillermo del Toro and based on Mike Mignola’s Dark Horse Comics character, on July 11, 2008.

“Dark Horse is one of the most creative and innovative brands in the entertainment industry, as well as an incredibly supportive home for some of the most exciting storytellers working today,” said Shmuger and Linde in a joint statement. “Their unique connection to youth culture is proven, and we are thrilled to be part of their expanding film production work.”

Mike Richardson responded, “We’ve worked with many studios and have had several great experiences, but we are particularly happy to be joining forces with Universal Pictures in this deal. We feel a real connection with their vision and the energy and creativity they bring to developing our properties. We are also excited by the option that we’ll have to independently produce our own material and distribute it through
Universal; their flexibility in this collaboration is what we were looking for, and we’re glad we found it.”

Donna Langley, President of Production, Universal Pictures, added, “We are very much looking forward to working with Dark Horse’s talented writers and artists, and to realizing their wealth of creative content onscreen.”

Dark Horse Entertainment is represented by Endeavor and The Gotham Group.

Now what's interesting about this is that this sort of deal is perfect for Dark Horse to release a bunch of smaller movies that don't need to be big theatrical blockbusters to be profitable. We had a discussion of this philosophy over at The Beat regarding Marvel and their business plan, but in looking at this more carefully - the plan would serve DH much better.

Oh Yes, I am Watching The Watchmen

Big hat tip goes to Miss Heidi at The Beat (see sidebar) for staying up late and posting these Watchmen pics...

It looks like Zack Snyder (300) is preserving the vision of Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore, and moving it forward into the movie realm.

I just wish the characters were Smart Alec, Rip Rocket, Danni Daring, The Hood, Sidewinder, Dr. Droid, Judgment, Victory, Nightclaw, Chronicle and Steel Dixon...

But that will happen soon enough. Oh yes indeed...

My Characters are (c) 2008 by Bill Cunningham