(K)nightmarish Lessons Learned:

So, I just turned in my draft of our Knightmare radio play that I'm doing with Decoder Ring Theatre. Along the way I've learned a few lessons that I feel I should chronicle if not pass along to you, my fellow pulpsters:

(Note: These are some of the lessons that inspired the Pulp Writer's Warm Up seen below)

1. Real life drama (which I won't go into other than to say it was both financial and legal and a pain in the ass) got in the way of my writing. This is a major no-no here at the Mad Pulp Headquarters. It prevented me from moving forward and honoring my commitments in a timely manner. It wasn't professional of me, and it really hurts that I was so paralyzed by it. If this weren't a personal, non-paying gig I would have fired myself.

2. During this time, I learned I have a lot of good friends who stepped up and for that I am grateful. You know who you are as you listened to me whine, and didn't offer me cheese with that.

3. I realized I like owning my characters. I like building things and laying the groundwork for people to build upon what I've started. Gregg is going to have his hands full with the script I've turned in, and I am sure he will hit it out of the park (or slap it into the goal. Whatever it is you Canucks do...) I am so happy I acquired the rights to do The Knightmare and make him my own. I know Cameron Tyler would be proud.

4. This internet thingie is really built on the short burst entertainment model. I am trying to embrace that in my work, realizing that most folks who read (or listen, or watch, or play, or interact with) material online do so in small increments. It makes sense to build on that and not try to shoe-horn longer forms onto the web - not only for attention-span reasons but for bandwidth issues too.

(Yes, I am talking yet again about the serial. Get over it)

5. It's hard writing a radio drama. You find yourself laying a ton of narrative pipe in the dialog (characters asking questions. Exclamations with tags of info on them, vague references) and it doesn't sound right - at all. Thank Dog I am working with Gregg who has a better ear for that than I do because he knows what works and what doesn't. I will have to do more of these things and develop my chops.

6. I also realized/cemented/committed to doing my next project online. Moving forward and building the infrastructure for NewPulp. More on that later.

That's The Spirit!

New Media Opportunities

Just a quick link post to Jill Golick's blog regarding opportunities for writers in new media.

She has a few good links within her post.

I will comment later after I finish The Knightmare.

Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Serial

Kids of all ages!

Run, don't walk to your local internet theater featuring the startling serial sensation...

INDIANA JONES!
in

The Cliffhanger Action-Adventure That You Demanded!

Brought to you with loving care by those wonderful, whacky folks at Lightning Bug Films! Be here each week to watch another nail-biting chapter in this sensational Spielberg saga.

The Pulp Writer's Warm-up...

I am a pulp writer...

My laptop is my chisel, my desk my workbench. I use them to chip away at the block of stone (or wood or clay) that we call Story.

I write even when I don't want to because I know that when I write I am at my best and most creative. The doing leads to the inspiration.

I write a lot and I write everything I can: short stories, comics, screenplays, plays, articles, etc...because it makes me a better writer.


(Beautiful art by Sean Phillips of Criminal fame)
I bring everything that I am to my work - my thoughts, fears, strengths, weaknesses and my experience. My writing is a reflection of who I am and how seriously I take my craft even when the deadline is Tuesday.

My first job is to entertain. Everything after that is frosting.

Now that my fingers are warmed up... time to hit it.

Mars, You Call To Me...

edit to add: background here courtesy of The Beat.

You Never Know What (or Who) You'll Bump Into in The Blogosphere.

Since I've posted myself up on Facebook, I've found many new friends - some I never knew I had - who are chock full o' crafty goodness and have many of the same battle scars.

Sean Hood is one of those.

We haven't had the time to compare too many notes yet, but we have many of the same "running buddies. " I am sure that in the near future I will be shamelessly exploit...er, ruthlessly using...er, partnering up with Sean and the other genre hacks for some sort of pulpiness.

Now go read.

Online SF...

Warren Ellis (with a nifty new site redesign) posts a list of new online SF magazines.

Some of them look really professional and of interest to readers, and others need work to make the design reflect the quality of the fiction inside.

(Hmmmm...I wonder what an online pulp magazine would look like? Have to think about that one)

That Sound You Hear is the Comic Industry Petrifying...

Rich Johnston has a new Lying in the Gutters column up today and it reveals how the old way of conducting business is losing ground to the new:

(Note: I have emphasized certain portions of this column to illustrate the point I will make at the bottom of this post)

---------------------------------

ITEM! The illegal scanning and distribution of comics has caused a number of tracking sites to be closed down in the last few months.

Individuals involved are painted as slapdash unthinking miscreants, acting without care, vandals of the comics industry.

Naturally, they don’t feel that way themselves. Indeed, I’ve recently come across the scanning guidelines for leading online comic bootleggers, The Digital Comics Preservation Crew, who upload hundreds of comics to Pirate Bay the week of publication, for hundreds of thousands of people to download.

Their given name says much, they see themselves as evangelical archivists who spend thousands of man hours scanning and Photoshopping comics work, with intricate care and detail, exhibiting a real pride in their work. Much like the live music show bootleggers who would spend days on the perfect edit, so these scourges of the sequential art have created an intricate, extensive and frankly long-winded bible for those individuals keen to join them...

I’ve said it before, we’re in the middle of a comics boom as big as the mid-nineties. It’s just instead of people buying millions of copies and storing them in kevlar bags, they’re being stolen instead. And actually read.

I understand that at both Marvel and DC there were internal suggestions that such people be contacted and brought in house, bringing their existing work and experience and adding it to respective archive and trade paperback sections. In both cases such suggestions were instantly snuffed out.

-------------------------------------------------

The answer to all of this is of course, to shift all comics to the web... and to make them free. Yes, you read that right. Free downloads of comics that have advertising in them (just like they do now). Right now, the comics industry would cut off their left testicle (or other organ - take your pick) to get a regular readership of 100K for their comics. As Rich points out - they have that - they're just not getting paid for it.

By shifting the focus to the web, they maintain their ad income, increase readership and cut costs. They could actually increase their ad income by charging the rate for a 100K audience instead of the typical midlist audience of 20-35K .

Then, they could print 3-in-1 magazines and distribute those larger, yet cheaper magazines to the comic shop market and newsstands. The new, larger audience would then know exactly where they could go to get the print editions driving sales further without alienating the retail sector.

This of course, could be followed by trade collections.

Some company with forward thinking leadership is going to adopt this methodology. They are going to release comics for free on the web, then print editions, then trade collections. They are going to be near profitable from panel one, and...

Comics readers will be better off for it.

edit to add: and somone's doing it right here and now. And yes, there are probably others to mention like Warren Ellis's Freakangels (see sidebar) but no one is doing it on the scale that it needs to be done... but they will.

Monday Morning...Time to Pulp!

Writing all weekend with a sore back so I'm on prescription pain killers and Icy Hot fumes.

Before I go back to the script, I wanted to shine the spotlight on two pulpsters of the new age, who are using their creativity and the tools of the web to entertain their audience.

1. First off is Chad with his exploitation fest EASTER BUNNY, KILL KILL :

So here's the scoop: Trent and I have been having a heck of a time
releasing EASTER BUNNY, KILL! KILL! (despite its winning the "MostDisturbing Film" award at Philly's Backseat Film Festival a few weeks ago!). I think that a lot of low-budget filmmakers are having problems
finding distribution and I think that a lot of indie DVD distributors are
going to go down in the next few years ...
.
... So Trent and I have decided to take matters into our own hands. EASTER
BUNNY, KILL! KILL! is available for download right now. That's right. You
can download a DVD-quality version of the film online now for only $3.99!
For less than the price of a fancy Starbucks coffee, you can now own your
very own copy of EBKK.
.
See, this is how it used to work: You make an independent film using your
own money, blood, sweat, and tears. Then you spend more money and time
sending it out to distributors. You get an "advance" on the film - a check
for some money based on potential sales - from the distributor. After
waiting 6 months to a year, the film "comes out" and you can't really find
it anywhere. And then the distributors start sending you financial reports
that say that they haven't made any money on your film and never will, so
you're never going to get your cut of the sales (basically, the advance
check is the only money you'll ever see). And you've got to do this with
every country in the world that buys the film. It's a headache and really
puts the power into the hands of the distributor, who owns the rights to
your film until the end of your contract. Not only that, but distributors
are feeling the crunch financially these days and are either offering no
advances or really, really tiny ones.
.
After the nightmares we had with the last distributor, Trent and I have
decided to take the reins into our own hands. We're participating in a
distribution experiment with a new company to see if we can't take the
power back from the distributors, make our film available worldwide, and
actually make a little money (or at least our budget back) while retaining
controlling rights to our film. Thus: online distribution.
.
We would have loved to have out the movie up for a dollar, but there is
cost in storing the movie and technical support and payment processing,
etc. But the idea here is that we get paid some money every time someone
downloads the film. We don't have to wait until 3000 units have been sold
to "break even" like in the old days and we also don't have to deal with
international sales companies ... let's say you're my good friend Tobias
Suhm from Germany (and maybe you are - Hey, Tobias!) and you want to see
the film. You can do it now ... and since the dollar is so weak, it's
costing you nothing!
.
The real long-term goal of throwing our movie up for as cheap as possible
is to prove that internet distribution is a viable way to get your movie
out there and not get absolutely screwed in the process. We're hoping to
become the opening salvo for a new distribution model.
.
Not only that, but I really feel that EASTER BUNNY, KILL! KILL! is a great
film that deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.

Go to www.cruxy.com/ebkk to download the film and you can easily use a
credit card or PayPal account to buy it for $3.99 - less than the price of
a video rental.
.
2. Next, is Michael Mouyal who says his movie, A VIKING SAGA has been accepted to the FIRST TAKE FILM FESTIVAL starting April 13th. Below is the trailer:

Now Here's A Pulpy Cover!

And here's a sneak preview of the story. More comics should use this painted format. As Michael says, "It's the awesome sauce."

Indeed.

What's also striking (and this relates to story as well as art design) is the fact that the image focuses on the important detail of the story, and eliminates the unnecessary bits.

This is the essence of "pulp".

29 Days Later...

You will see my pulpy prose in this:

Go to my sidebar and sign up to get your free issue when it comes out.

Now This is an Interesting Convergence...

Courtesy of Content Agenda and The NY Times:

LOS ANGELES — Microsoft, seeking to expand offerings on its Xbox 360 console, has reached an agreement with a company headed by Peter Safran, the veteran Hollywood producer and talent manager, to produce original shows for distribution on the system.

Through his Safran Company, Mr. Safran represents clients like the actor and producer Sean Combs (“Monster’s Ball”), the actor and writer Nia Vardalos (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) and the filmmakers Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (“Epic Movie”). Mr. Safran founded the company in 2006 after leaving Brillstein-Grey Management.

Speaking by telephone last week, Scott Nocas, global marketing manager for programming of the Xbox Live entertainment service, said he expected similar deals to follow. “We definitely look at this as the first of many,” said Mr. Nocas.

------------------------------------------

Making and distributing movies using technology derived from gaming... cool. Itunes had better watch out.

This Might Be Fun...

But I am looking at all this stuff on the web and wondering why all these films (including some I'm dealing with) feel they have to parody pulp and serials and so forth...

Hmmmm... I have to say I think that's a mistake. Comedy is hard (and not pretty).

Just saving this image....

Your Friday Time-Waster is...

Right here in alphabetical order.

Get a cup of coffee first.

(Oh, and Jessica Simpson isn't in the gallery. I just thought she looked pulpy in this pose - courtesy Maxim)

YouTube Gives Us Insight

From Scott Kirsner's Cinematech:

YouTube is announcing a new feature called "Insight," which gives video creators a way to see where there video is being watched (there's a cool map of the world with countries that light up) and when (is your video a Monday-morning-at-the-office-hit?)

Knowing when and where your audience is (or isn't) watching your media is a huuuuuuuuge leap forward toward cultivating the "1000 True Fans." It takes both guesswork and footwork out of the equation. Unlike TV ratings - this isn't an estimate.

Now if only this sort of software were available on other video sites...

This is Vision...

Newsarama has a great article on TwoMorrows Publishing's JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR reaching its 50th issue (after 14 years).

Persistence and vision pulpsters. Persistence and vision.

Spreading the Pulp...

Getting used to the Facebook stuff and finding out about all the applications. I'm using Facebook to stay in touch will sorts of folks in the pulp, comics, movie and TV worlds and filtering all that into the web.

I am now cross-posting blog posts to my Facebook profile and will be trying a few more things here and there. I will also be updating my Linked In profile for business connections...

All of this with the idea that you get more (mad) pulp (bastard) where and when you want it.

Meanwhile, I am finishing what I consider to be my first draft for The Knightmare Radio Adventure. Then I get to rewrite and structure what I am calling my "top secret pulp project X." More on that as I marshal my forces and go forth with the battle plan.

You May Have Heard...

And I think there was actually a collective groan at some point, but I am now on Facebook.

Dig that pic.

Why Pulp?

Have you ever asked or been asked that question?

If so, here's the answer.

Written by prolific TV scribe Charles Beaumont who gave us some of the best of THE TWILIGHT ZONE and HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL, this article originally appeared in a 1962 issue of Playboy.

The article appears courtesy of Adventure House.

Making Sex...Machine

Making SEX MACHINE from Asphalt Planet on Vimeo.

The Mad Pulp Philosophy...

of movies, especially writing movies is as follows:

- Write what you wish it to be.
- Use what you know.
- Serve the story.

Brian Clemens - the extremely prolific writer-producer of THE AVENGERS, THE NEW AVENGERS, THE PROFESSIONALS and THRILLER - once said he wrote the story as he wanted to see it, then went back after and fact-checked. Yes, he tweaked it a bit here and there if it served the story, but generally he didn't need to do so.

This is an extremely different take on the old writers adage, "Write what you know." It's different in that it addresses the whole energy of ideas. Sometimes I read an article or a blurb on the web and I say, "Bill, you bastard - there's a story there!" Then I furiously bookmark the site and start writing down notes, finding a structure, thinking of a character...

And I very rarely go back to the web page to "fact check." If I did that, it would rob me of the energy of the creative process... and that doesn't serve the story. We are in the business of telling the biggest, best lies we can. That's why we use facts and don't just report them.

Who cares the Nazis never invaded the US?
Who cares that they gave up a lot of their zeppelin work by 1939?
Who cares they never had a Der Mord Legion?

Dum vivimus servimus - While we live, we serve (the story)... and not just the facts.

Not-So-Special FX

Yesterday (Comic Book Day for the uninitiated) I picked up a copy of Wayne Osborne and John Byrne's FX from IDW Publishing. The story is a simple one we've seen before: Young Tom Talbot, for reasons as yet unknown, receives a blast of energy which gives him the power to become what he imagines. He becomes a human "special effect" (FX in Hollywood parlance) and uses his power to help capture a semi-intelligent Silverback ape (he speaks).

Again, not a sophisticated story by any means but one that isn't without its charms. Tom's naivete' and the urgings of his best friend Jack echo the relationships we've seen many times in comics (NOVA, SPIDERMAN, etc...) and that seems to be the point of this FX exercise - nostalgia. The cover art mimics 70's Marvel including the price box in the upper left corner.

The interior art is serviceable Byrne with minimal backgrounds and adequate staging. All of which is designed to recall those comics of the 60's and 70's which he built his reputation upon. The color scheme is simple mimicking the old 4-color process as well.

I really want to like this book - I REALLY WANT to - but I don't. Most of my reasons for not liking the book relate to the way the content is presented, and not necessarily the story itself. There's the rub -- I have to fault the publisher for this one.

If you are going to mimic a comic from another era, then it behooves you to adopt all of the conventions of that comic, and look to twist them somehow to benefit today's readers. In FX, there are no caption boxes, and in omitting them I believe a whole other level of story has been lost. FX could have been given a much richer and deeper context if they had chosen not to omit this comics motif. To me it actually jars the whole mis en scene out of kilter leaving you with the impression that something is "wrong," but you just can't quite put your finger on it. Excluding captions is a missed opportunity that I hope Osborne and Byrne correct asap.

Byrne's art is serviceable here, but in looking at its presentation, I get the feeling that it would look much better in B&W with ziptone for texture. The backgrounds are lacking in depth and detail which reflects on both the color and the original line work.

One major problem I have with this comic is its price - $3.99. I would have liked it a lot better at the $1.99 price with a 4-color cover and B&W interiors. This is too much to pay for a comic that isn't printed with full, photoshop enhanced color.

Image did it better with their nostalgic look at old comics.
(look at the preview for FANTASTIC COMICS#1)

Read FX at your own risk. Not an auspicious beginning...

No More Thinking...

I have a plan. Oh yes, I have a plan.

You will be part of it.

Hehehehehehehehehehehe...

[Cue ominous music]

I've Been Thinking ...

Very hard about what I am calling "Open Source Pulp" (1st Google reference!) and the whole "NewPulp" movement, especially as it relates to new media and production...

Apparently I am not alone in these thoughts. (referral courtesy of Warren Ellis's Whitechapel)

This is open for discussion.

We Don't Play Politics in These Parts...

As I personally think there are far better, more articulate, better informed people in the blogosphere who can deal with politics than I can. For example:

Daily Kos nails it.

My own (fiscally conservative, socially liberal) politics sometime come into conflict with others, but I think (hope, pray) we can all agree that the white elephant in the room of racism is everybody's problem, and it takes a person of vision to recognize and articulate that so clearly.

To: Senator Obama. Well done, sir.

That's the kind of person I want serving my country from the White House.

Niche Players Will Have Their Say in DVD Future

In an article this morning from Content Agenda:

Consumers will spend $1.1 billion by 2012 buying DVDs manufactured on demand (MOD) in stores and online in the U.S. and Europe, according to a new report to be released tomorrow from research firm Screen Digest.

Almost two-thirds of the spending on MOD, $665 million, will be new revenue, while the remainder will replace traditional DVD spending, according to the report, “On-demand Media: Re-inventing the Retail Business Model.” MOD is also referred to as on-demand media.

What this means for those of us in the independent realm is that there will be a place for our movies and tv shows and other media in the marketplace of the future.

One of the problems the indies have always had is the fact they were squeezed off the shelf by the big studios and their big box sets. Now, with manufacturing on demand, the playing field is leveled and our audience - the pulpsters, the gorehounds, the Krimi-lovers, the creature feature afficionados - will be able to find our wares right alongside the bloated big budget blockbusters...

Because it's all a matter of ones and zeroes.

Read the article and start thinking about the implications: You make a movie, you upload a movie, your promote a movie (with free podcasts, magazines, message boards), you arrange to have a theatrical screening or gathering for your movie, you sell your movie online and as a DVD.

All from your home computer system, and with no manufacturing costs to you, the creator.
You are the creator, the producer, the marketer, the distributor, and the final say in how your movie reaches its intended audience.

That to me says "efficiency" and "purity of vision." The "Made-to-Order" system (which revolutionized computer sales) taken to its logical conclusion.

Gawd, I have a lot of work to get done so I can capitalize on this.

Care to join me here in the future?

Scifi Greenlights "Caprica" and "True Believer"

Story here courtesy Variety.

Sci Fi Channel has given the go-ahead to "Caprica," a prequel of "Battlestar Galactica" in the form of a two-hour backdoor pilot, and has signed Rosario Dawson to develop "True Believer," the pilot for a proposed series based on a comicbook she co-created.

These were two of the highlights of Sci Fi Channel's upfront presentation Tuesday night at New York City's Morgan Library delivered by David Howe, president of the network.

*** Edit to add: I sooooo cannot believe I beat Shawna to this story***

Podcasting Goodness for Pulp Filmmakers

Scott Kirsner links to a host of podcasts from SXSW that are informative, insightful and all on the internet.

We are rapidly approaching or have already touched down on "open source" film making. Literally you'll be able to make a film anywhere, post it online with free software and storage and display it online to recoup your costs. If you open that up you can have teams of editors, sound designers and digital VFX artists working on your film --- from anywhere in the world.

As we discover that most of our work is going to be shown in 5 minute segments (or less) and laced together in a serial or pseudo-television format, then structure, character, and design will have to change accordingly. Let's add the whole social networking component to the storytelling and we have a beast that must be tamed or it will never be able to pull the internet entertainment cart where we want it to go.

Guys, we're going to need more podcasts and vidcasts like the above. Lack of information is our single greatest enemy so get online and share your experience.

Make it so.

Happy Easter, Pulpsters!

I get nothing out of this except the joy of seeing you find those cool classic serials we all love to watch.

From our friends at VCI Entertainment:

HAPPY EASTER!!!

From Monday March 17^th to Monday March 24th, VCI will offer everyone 33% off on website orders by using the following coupon code: EASTER

We are talking every single DVD at VCI is 33% off for 8 days! This is a great deal for anyone planning on purchasing any hard to find classic DVD’s. Still trying to figure out what to get Mom or that one family member you just can’t quite figure out what to buy them! Well look no further! Everyone loves movies and VCI has the largest amount of hard to find cult and classic hits that Hollywood has to offer!

VCI has set the coupon up to expire on Monday March24th at 11:59 pm (central time). As always nothing is 100% perfect and if something does happen, our customer service department is available for assistance M-F 8:30 am to 5:30 pm central time – 800.331.4077

*This is a website only special only available at www.vcientertainment.com *

All sales over $50.00 qualify for free shipping (only in the continental United States does this apply!)

Remember to get the 33% discount you must enter the coupon code EASTER on your CHECKOUT page.

Thank You and Tell Your Friends!

Christopher Rowe - PR Director for VCI

Log On Tonight!!!!

And help us relive the memories of how master creator Dave Stevens touched our lives.

Same Geek Time. Same Geek channel.

Reel News From Our Friends at VCI...

can be found here at this PDF document.

We like VCI as a company as they've put out a couple of very good serials when it would have been a lot cheaper to just throw the disc together - most notably the DRUMS OF FU MANCHU set and both the SECRET AGENT X-9 sets, both of which contained some extras I wasn't expecting.

Now will someone please put together a simple disc with some extras for this character short below?

Please?

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.

Okay,Maybe Pulp is the New Black...

Warren Ellis reports on this over at Velcro City...

Whether you call it Flash Fiction or Pulp or even Speed Fiction, the fact is that people are expressing themselves via the web and monetizing the results of this short burst literature.

I think this qualifies as a movement.

We start harnessing this for video and audio and we have something...well, cool.

Free is the New Black

We've talked about the internet and free before, gang and it seems that everyone has read the Wired article and leaped onto the new internet economy or pointed the way to the land of the free...

But really I didn't expect these.

And in fiddling around, I didn't expect to find these either.

Nor these.

Wow.

I am spent.

Budda...budda...Buck!

Dynamite Entertainment, the comics publisher responsible for the newly revived LONE RANGER and ZORRO comics has added a new pulp hero to its lineup:

BUCK ROGERS!

On the Nightstand...

Just a tease to let you know I'll be reviewing Stephanie Palmer's new book GOOD IN A ROOM: How to Sell Yourself (and your ideas) and Win Over Any Audience as well as something new for the Pulp 2.0 audience - the revival of the Choose Your Own Adventure series of books beginning with The Golden Path.

The reviews will be up by the end of the month.

Visual Style on a Budget

Scott Kirsner's Cinematech blog has an excellent overview of the Indie visual FX panel at SXSW. Especially important to pulp filmmakers are the links to free sketching and storyboarding programs online.

This is where all the cool stunts and visual FX start in a movie, and the more time you spend drawing and planning it out the less you have to spend in actual dollars.

Creativity trumps budget every time.

For those few of you...

Who aren't familiar with Dave Stevens' work, you may proceed here to have your eyeballs blown out by the wonderfulness (and yes, I know that isn't a word). Here's a great article about Dave and his work.

Our friend of the blog, Good Dog reminded me of something, and it's below:

Rocketeer Flies No More?

The news is early yet, and HAS NOT been confirmed by standard news sources, but it appears that Dave Stevens, the creator of The Rocketeer and the artist responsible for reinvigorating interest in Betty Page is dead.

More as this develops, but if it is confirmed it will be a sad, sad day here at the Pulp Headquarters.

Edit to add: Heidi MacDonald at The Beat confirms the story.

More on this later as I gather together all my memories of Dave's work, and the sorts of things that influenced the both of us.

Damn.

Update: Mark Evanier adds his remembrances of Dave.

Lee Goldberg - Mensch

If you go to the sidebar and activate the player you can listen to our wonderful conversation last night with author/screenwriter/man about Europe Lee Goldberg on Geekerati. It was like sitting down for coffee with a buddy and having a good time. Lee was honest, interesting and illuminating -- just like his blog.

Drop him a note to convince him to do a .357 VIGILANTE compendium edition. My paperback copies died a disintegrating death awhile back and we need new pulp for the library.

Tune In Tonight...

Or is that Log On Tonight?

Hmmm...either way, The Geekerati crew will be talking with Lee Goldberg, television writer (and book author) of the MONK series, DIAGNOSIS MURDER and of course, SHE-WOLF of LONDON.

Lee has been working on a TV Movie over in Germany and I hope to discuss with him first hand some of the insights he's gleaned from working on an international project and his pulpy alter-ego, Ian Ludlow, author of the .357 VIGILANTE paperback novels.

A Clear and Simple Message...

To all of the politicians in Canada who ever even entertained the notion of listening to the good Rev. Charles McVety and passing Bill C-10:

Take this message from an America that is twisting and turning because we didn't stand up and say, "No, thanks. That's against the constitution, and besides that -- it's just not right."

If you give in once, dismiss the McVety's of the world as harmless, then they're just going to keep coming back with more demands and threats. Their kind doesn't like the fact they can't control everything around them or that their way isn't the only way to live life. It makes them feel powerless, and frankly no one likes feeling that way.

So please, for the sake of your country, your pride and for the good of all your citizens - show them the door. Let them find their own way -- but leave the rest of you alone. Their truth isn't the truth.

And if that doesn't work then tell them that God is A Fat, Black Dyke.

Your pal,

Bill

Ps. To all of you who are writing letters, posting news, writing columns and making phone calls to oppose Bill C10, I just want to say that you fight the good fight. Hold your head high. You fight not just for yourselves, but for all of us, and we appreciate your effort on our behalf.

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

It's Been One Helluva Week...

I am the hardest working man in show business...

Hahahahahahahahahaha.....genius

Grrlz Kick Ass - Especially in the 70's

See?

(Courtesy Heidi at The Beat)

More Fun Comics...

This sort of thing is why they invented the internet in the first place... no, it's not porn - it's comics!

If this sort of fun comic makes its way onto the computer screens of kids then I will consider my job done. If you remember Jonny Quest, The Mummy, Kamen Rider and a host of other fantastic Saturday morning entertainments then you'll love this:

My Friday Read:

So I've been reading this article in this month's Wired regarding how everything going to the web is going to be free (a gross oversimplification of an economic formula that is far more complex than what I want to go into here). What's interesting about the article as it relates to us mediamakers is the following:

"Over the past decade, however, a different sort of free has emerged. The new model is based not on cross-subsidies — the shifting of costs from one product to another — but on the fact that the cost of products themselves is falling fast. It's as if the price of steel had dropped so close to zero that King Gillette could give away both razor and blade, and make his money on something else entirely. (Shaving cream?)

You know this freaky land of free as the Web. A decade and a half into the great online experiment, the last debates over free versus pay online are ending. In 2007 The New York Times went free; this year, so will much of The Wall Street Journal. (The remaining fee-based parts, new owner Rupert Murdoch announced, will be "really special ... and, sorry to tell you, probably more expensive." This calls to mind one version of Stewart Brand's original aphorism from 1984: "Information wants to be free. Information also wants to be expensive ... That tension will not go away.")"

Now let's relate this to the debacle which is QUARTERLIFE.

So the word is out that QUARTERLIFE, the show that began its life as a web series and was later picked up by NBC is over with after having posted some of the worst ratings in that timeslot in 17 years (10 PM Tues). NBC has canceled the show and moved it over to Bravo for the rest of its run.

So, in the interest of figuring out the intricacies of future web-to-TV programming moves, and building a solid foundation for a viable business model, let’s conduct a post-mortem on what exactly went wrong with QUARTERLIFE and use the yardstick of "free on the web". There’s going to be a lot of finger-pointing in this post as well as Monday-morning quarterbacking, but truly that’s the nature of the beast and I’m of the opinion that those involved really didn’t follow what has to be one of the most important factors for any web series:

No one listened nor talked to the audience.

Conceptually: QUARTERLIFE had a lot going for it --

- It premiered on the web, where its core audience (under 25ers) resides.
- It was created by the gentlemen who have given us MY SO-CALLED LIFE and THIRTYSOMETHING.
- It featured a good looking cast of unknowns.
- It had a social networking component on Facebook and MySpace.
- It had enough backing to create 4 episodes worth of material (4 x 44 mins)

With all this in their corner, what QUARTERLIFE creators Zwick and Herskowitz didn’t do was understand the web and what it provides. As Jill Golick pointed out in her posts, Z & H did not utilize the social networking component of their show to its best advantage - that is, they didn’t send out updates via Facebook or MySpace. They didn’t remind (read: market to) people that their show was on the web and new episodes were available… or at least they didn’t do it enough.

( I think this is because these guys are old school TV guys. Nothing wrong with that, but they should have brought in an expert at social networking and web marketing to develop QUARTERLIFE with them. The fact is they were selling the show when they should have been selling what was showcased on the show - the fashion, the music, the furnishings, etc...)

Kent Nichols also points out that Z & H got so far ahead of themselves that they didn’t listen to the feedback they were getting from their audience. They had a lot of very-expensive (for the web) episodes in the can by the time they were getting feedback. Interactivity is a huge component of the web and to ignore, or to not be able to respond to what their audience was telling them was a major handicap.

Another huge impediment to success on the web was the fact that QUARTERLIFE looked like a TV show when it was on the web and didn’t look like a TV show when it was on broadcast. Z & H have admitted as much. Storytelling is different on the web. Period. This is going to be a lesson many of us are going to have to learn and quickly adapt to if we are to succeed.

Another impediment to success was the fact the show was so expensive - QUARTERLIFE needed a sale to a broadcast network in order to be financially viable. I blame the fact that no one in mainstream TV or movies today knows how to create media for less. There has been a financial structure in place for so long that to move out of it is really uncomfortable for production mangers and producers.

QUARTERLIFE was made for around a million an episode. Cheap for Hollywood; dollar-burning extravagance in terms of web production. Hollywood has long fallen into the trap that production value is a function of budget. All they know how to do is throw money at a problem.

Production value is more a function of creativity and planning than it is budget. This is the formula by which Hollywood, if it wants to function in this new media, silicon-valley world, is going to have to operate. Doing more with less. At least that is the mantra that they are spouting now.

(Actually Hollywood is going to have indie guys like me do the production value-thinking and buy it all after the fact)

I also think that QUARTERLIFE didn’t know its audience. I would never have placed this show on NBC. I would have placed it on MTV. Think about who watches NBC: thirty and forty-somethings for the most part. MTV is where MY SO-CALLED LIFE found its audience, and MTV is the audience that uses the web the most everyday. MTV also markets to its audience really well. They stay in touch...and more importantly they respond.

So what does this all mean for other shows moving from the web to TV like SANCTUARY?

I think it means that in developing the rest of the series for SciFi, SANCTUARY is going to have to review all of the feedback they have received thus far and arrive at a consensus as to who their audience is and what they want out of the show. The tools are there to listen, learn and move forward.

I think their production model needs to be refined. The fact that they can shoot the entire thing green screen is a big help. The fact they can now create the rest of the series on a TV budget for Scifi is a big help, but they shouldn't relax the creative muscles they've had to develop through austerity.

If the world is moving toward a "free economic model" as the Wired article indicates, then it is up to the production and development folk to make it work from their end. Yes, I am saying it has to be made cheaper, faster and with just as much entertainment value as before. Maybe not as much spectacle, but surely just as much entertainment.

And that's where we come in...

My Gawd!

Will someone please get this man a computer?!
I miss his posts telling me, "Don't look."

It's too damn quiet...

For My Pulpy Reference:

It's about the vic, the trick and to whom does it stick...

Teaser and five.

Thanks All!

I had a great birthday yesterday that was completely quiet and "normal" and so stress free that it was... magic.

I got up in the morning and slung the laptop on my shoulder and headed to the coffee shop. There, I leisurely worked through my email and sat back on the nice leather couch and stared at all the worker bees as they zipped in for their "mocha, frappe, latte, soy, chai with a shot" drinks. Whatever happened to coffee?

I struck up a conversation with a young lady, who was cute, flirty and waaay too young for me. Ah yes, It does a body good. Especially on your birthday.

I watched Denis McGrath's recent episode of THE BORDER on my Veoh TV player. Denis, FYI - the opening computer/video credits look really good on a laptop, as if they were made for that presentation. Story was great too, but that credit sequence "fit" my laptop. I rarely see that on any "teevee" I see on the web.

I then went to my local comic book shop and spent money on several pulpy items. I had already received this in the mail so I was there for periodicals not books. Mission accomplished.

I went back to the house and went for the traditional "Three S" routine (Sh*t, Shower, Shave) and then checked my email - well-wishes hit my blog. Big smiles.

By this time - after I perused the latest issue of CRIMINAL, I got dressed and went over to a special screening of John Roger's new television show for TNT, LEVERAGE. Good show. Good time. Great conversation. But of course, even when I just bump into John over at the comic shop we end up sparking ideas everywhere. I had a great time and know that you will too when the show premieres later this year. I walked out of the screening awash in ideas and enthusiasm.

Then I trotted home, stopping by Taco Bell on the way, and chatting with Shawna as I did so. I got home, checked the email and had more well-wishes. Smiles all around.

Several comics later, I was fast asleep. No alcohol required.

Magic. The kind we often take for granted.

Happy birthday to me.