Don't Believe Everything You Read On the Internet

Happy New Year from NMP!

Whew! I made it through 2008 intact, albeit frazzled.

It was an up and down year for me personally with lots of challenges. Of course, it was also the year that Women's Studies saw completion, so I'm not feeling bad at all. As tough as 2008 was at some points, it was also very rewarding. The times that test us are the times that make us who we are.

2009 looks to be promising. Women's Studies will finally be released! I'm working on a couple of events/screenings to coincide with that. Keep checking back here for the latest news.

Also, regular blog postings are out the window from here on out. I could post Tuesday or I could post on Saturday. I could post once a week, three times a week, or once a month. You'll just have to keep checking back to see what I do.

To all of the faithful Ningen Mangaloids (and everyone else too), have a great, fulfilling, and hopeful 2009. Cindy and I send our best to you.

Oh, and Maynard too. I hear he's coming back.

Fall 2009 DVD Release for Women's Studies

Just got the word today.

I'll announce further details in 2009, but look for various events to take place in the months ahead as we build-up to the release.

(I'm giddy as a Ross-Prentiss schoolgirl after her first kill.)

Transitional Period

For those individuals who badger me weekly about the blog and are always like, "Why is there no new blog? I hate my job and I need something to read to pass the time. PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!" know that you're loved.

I've been thinking recently about a way to transition this from a Women's Studies only blog to a general Ningen Manga Productions one. Most of what I've been working on recently have been projects other than Women's Studies. With what's in the NMP pipeline, that looks to be the case for the considerable future.

"And what IS in the pipeline?" you may well ask. Basically, NMP is laying the groundwork for 2009.

New Script
I've spent the past month working on a script with my old and dear friend, San Francisco based writer Jason Headley. It's my first true collaboration with another writer where we've built a story and script from the ground up. The experience has been both rewarding and a learning experience and I'm pretty excited to see how the final product ends up. (Before anybody asks, the script isn't intended to be produced by Cindy and I. Jason and I are hoping to sell it on spec.)

Helena, Hussy of Horror
Cindy has been doing some legal/business planning in order to take Helena to the next level. She and I produced a Helena introduction for Gary Ugarek's Deadlands 2: Trapped which recently played at the Queens International Film Festival in New York City where DL2 was nominated for "Best Horror Film." Helena's short will also play with DL2 at Cinequest in L.A. in March of '09. You can watch it below.



Women's Studies DVD Release
2009 will see the North American DVD release of Women's Studies. An announcement with details could come at any time. (I'm not being coy here. I simply don't know.)

NMP's Next Project?
Some preliminary steps have been taken towards getting Ningen Manga's next feature project off the ground. Some recent developments have put into question just exactly what the project may be, but truth be told these are good problems to have. Lots of issues are still up in the air, but early 2009 will hopefully bring an official announcement.

Blog
Look for the blog to start morphing into it's next iteration as we approach the New Year as well. Don't worry. It'll still be me doing it, just with fancier clothes.

VOTE!!!

"The voice of conscience is so delicate that it is easy to stifle it; but it is also so clear that it is impossible to mistake it."

--Anne Louise Germaine de Stael

Hussies, Zombies, & Lady Killers

It's been a busy month since my last blog posting. Aside from working on some scripts as well as distribution for Women's Studies, I've had a couple other projects taking up my time.

First off, co-producer and Women's Studies actor Cindy Marie Martin has entered the 2008 Miss Horrorfest Contest and has until THIS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17th at MIDNIGHT to accumulate “viewings” and “ratings" and hopefully qualify as a finalist.

Simply view the video below then go to YouTube and rate it. Seriously, check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.



Fun, eh? By the way, the video was written and directed by yours truly and shot and edited by Deadlands creator Gary Ugarek.

Speaking of Deadlands, I spent a recent weekend working as First Assistant Director on the final shoot of Gary's Deadlands 2: Trapped. (Sick as a dog I might add.) You may remember from previous blogs that the movie premieres on Saturday, October 25 in Hagerstown, Maryland. (Directions and ticket information can be found here.)

There's a couple of pictures below. More pictures can be found here.


Me setting up a shot on the set of Deadlands 2: Trapped.


"Zombies . . . creep me out."

And Women's Studies? It's inching closer to a release date. "Inching" being the operative word. One thing I've learned in the past year is that the movie business has two speeds: "snail" and "stop."

That aside, there's some exciting news coming soon. Keep checking back.

Something on the Horizon?

Wow. Has it really been almost a month since I've blogged? Time flies when you're never home.

Over the past ten weeks, I've basically spent every weekend travelling somewhere or another. This coming weekend is the first where I have nowhere to be, and you can bet your ass I'll go nowhere too. (Actually that's probably not true, but it's a nice dream.)

So what's up with Women's Studies? Well, before long there may be LOTS up with it. Unfortunately, I can't go into details quite yet. Soon though. I promise. However, let's just say that steps have been taken, interest has been shown, and Women's Studies inches ever closer toward the hands and hearts of an eagerly awaiting audience.

That's all I can say. And for those of you who have my contact information, hassling me about it won't get you any additional details. In fact, don't be surprised if you automatically get my voicemail, so let's hope there's no sort of life threatening emergency where you need me right at that moment.

In the meantime, I've been helping Gary Ugarek finish up his latest zombie epic, Deadlands 2: Trapped.

("Isn't that the one you wrote?" I hear you ask. No, it isn't. A deal is starting to move forward with that script as well, but again, things aren't quite to the point where details can be revealed. Plus, that'll be Gary's announcement to make, not mine.)

I don't really have an official title on DL2 though I'll be acting as Assistant Director on an upcoming shoot he has planned. (And if you have my contact info and want to help out, leave me one of those emergency voice/e-mails.) I've been acting as a consultant more than anything, being a second pair of eyes and ears for rough cuts, polishing a few script pages, and acting as a sounding board for different ideas. I've seen lots of clips and the movie is a vast improvement over Gary's first film, Deadlands: The Rising.

A première has been set for October 25th in Hagerstown, MD which since there's still stuff to be shot, makes me kind of nervous. But hey, it isn't my show, is it?

More on Deadlands 2: Trapped, including a trailer and screening information can be found at www.playingwithdeadthings.com .

Things Are Brewing

Got some Women's Studies related things in the works. Patience, young padawan.

The Waiting Game

Someone left a comment on a recent blog asking 1) Has Women's Studies been released. 2) Where is it going to show? 3) Any festivals that you can list yet?

The answers to those questions are 1) No, but it's finished. 2) Still unknown. 3) Not yet.

It seems strange to have put so much work and effort into Women's Studies for the past couple years, yet now have all this "down time" while waiting to hear from festivals. Should we be being more pro-active? Well, we are being pro-active in some arenas. However, our festival strategy requires we use a little bit of patience before more actively seeking distribution.

Do festivals work? Since this is my first feature, I have no idea. I do know that the number of festivals that actual distribution deals come out of is small. The point is more to get exposure, generate interest, and make the project more marketable to therefore (hopefully) make a better deal. Remember, we have a responsibility to investors to keep.

The wait sucks a bit, because otherwise I'd be on the phone hassling every industry contact I have about getting WS in front of a distributor. I've actually been contacted by a few sales agents, some recently, who are interested in helping Cindy and I sell the film. Right now, I'm keeping communication and my options open. Again though, we'll see what happens with festivals.

I am excited about getting Women's Studies in front of audiences. And as soon as I have information to pass on, I will.

Uncle Harlan is a God Among Men

In light of recent events and my first real exposure to creative decision making on large(r) budget films over the past few weeks, I'll let the great Harlan Ellison do my blog for me.

The "No Update" Update

Ah, remember the days when every week was filled with musings from a young director, high on the excitement of producing his first film? Me neither.

Okay, so I went on vacation outside Vancouver, British Columbia which I believe is where I'd like to live out my days on this earth. Perfect weather. Nice people. Lovely landscape. Fantastic public transportation. Biker friendly. Groovy vibe. Mountains, beach, and city all within reach of each other. Yeah, I'll see you on the west coast.

Since I've been back, my writing time has been taken up by another project and I haven't really wanted to pull energy away from it. I can't talk about it quite yet, but I will say that there are some "industry eyes" waiting to look at it, which is kind of new and exciting. Hopefully, I'll be able to spill some details about it here in the next month or so, but not quite yet.

Besides, as far as Women's Studies goes, there's nothing to blog about anyway. The waiting game continues and probably will for a few more weeks. I will say that the same industry eyes looking at the script I'm working on may also get to take a look at Women's Studies which can be nothing but good. We'll see.

I know this is a horrible update. Sorry about that, but it's better than no blog at all, right?

The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades

As you've likely noticed, the past few blogs have been done on a bi-weekly basis.

The reason for this is that we here at Women's Studies HQ are basically in a "sit and wait" period until we hear back from all the various festivals and press outlets we've sent copies of the film to. In all likelihood, it'll be August before most of these folks even think about getting back to us. My WS workload has decreased dramatically, and it's actually been quite nice not to have to deal with it on a daily basis.

I haven't done any kind of "retrospective" blog because I'd rather look forward than backwards, and I don't want to throw off my chi.

What I have done is look towards the future beyond Women's Studies and done work on some possible future projects. I know, I know. The running joke has been that asking me what I'm doing next could get you killed. The problem is that I'm something of a workaholic. With Women's Studies done and six weeks of lag time before I have to get out and heavily promote it, I'm itchy to work on something. Plus, if opportunity should knock I want to be ready to open the door.

First I brushed off a screenplay I wrote ten years ago called Strangling Desdemona. It's about a hit man who wants out of the business and his corporate boss who gets him in WAY deeper. If you're a long time Ningen Manga-loid, you'll know that I self-published the first pages of the script as a comic book at the end of the millennium. (Buy a copy! Only one dollar! It actually costs more for me to send it to you than it does for you to purchase it.)

The Strangling Desdemona script is for sale, by they way. Hey, and the first few pages are already storyboarded! Amazingly enough, it's in pretty good shape after ten years. I just had to do a touch up here and a clean-up there. Then it was ready to send out to whoever might want to see it. (Agents? Studios? Investors? Send me an email.)

For the past couple of months, I've stewed on both a brand new idea and revisiting another old script that I really like a lot, but could use a serious rewrite. As time went by, I decided the new idea was good enough that it would keep and that my heart was really into the old script. (Which by the way, was the full length horror script I wrote right before the original Women's Studies script. . . the one I told you about in the last blog.) It's about a possibly cursed corn farm, the family who owns it, and the town surrounding it. Earlier this week I started working on a rewrite. What I want to do with it is such an overhaul, that it's almost like working on a brand new script. Or maybe it just feels that good to be writing again. And while I'm not settling on anything for my "next project" right now, this feels pretty right.

But who knows? Creatively speaking I have a lot of open space in front of me at this point in time. I want to explore it up and down before I really settle into anything. Besides, I have a feeling that come August, Women's Studies, fickle needy mistress that she is will once again show up on my doorstep with some crazy demand. Frankly, I'll be really happy to see her.

# # #

No blog next week, as I'm going to stay on the bi-weekly schedule for just a wee bit longer. Look for the next one on Tuesday, July 22.

The Void

I didn't do a blog last week because I honestly had nothing to say. Lately, I've just been laying low, kind of enjoying not having to do much.

Women's Studies is in a bit of a holding pattern until Cindy and I hear back from festivals, press, and a few other key folks who are getting copies of the finished film for one reason or another. It's been kind of nice to experience this strange thing which has been eluding me for the past two years. I think it's called "free time."

Yet there's also "The Void" to deal with. "What's that?" you ask. Allow me to explain . . .

I've been writing "seriously" for about twelve years now. In that time, I've written eight full length screenplays and more short scripts than I can even count. After the first draft of each full length, I've always experienced what I call "The Void." It's the space in my conscious (and subconscious) mind that was once filled with the energy devoted to whatever project I've been working on. The idea is that I put so much thought, emotion, and work into a story (or in this case, a movie) that when I stop working on it, the lack of energy and forward motion is slient, a little cold, and empty. I call that empty space "The Void."

Eventually, The Void gets filled up with everyday life; work, friends, hobbies, etc.

A lot of the time, I'll take the space left by a big project and fill it with a different smaller project. It's like there's so much energy left that even when the brunt of it leaves, there's still a little bit of power bouncing around. A lot of short scripts have been written in the wake of the big ones. Women's Studies was actually conceived in one of those Voids. I had written a different full length horror script and had some energy left over. The right combination of influences came together and the original short script for Women's Studies came to be.

The Void has it's dark side too. It's kind of like a break up after a long term relationship. There's a certain level of depression that comes with it. You've put all this effort, work, and love, so much love into this one thing that it's hard to believe it's over. But you can't hang on. That's an exercise in denial and stepping backwards. Once it's over, it's over. You can't go back. You can fix that which can't be fixed. You can't unlearn.

Mostly though, The Void is a great teacher of self. My self-image is always clearer after a big project. It's as if I've spent so much time in an imaginary world, my appreciation for the real world is heightened dramatically. I find myself looking in the mirror a lot . . . trying to see if the deep places I've been are visible on the surface.

Since Women's Studies is hands down the biggest, most ambitious thing I've ever done in my life, The Void is pretty huge on it. What's been good is that there's a a lot of left over energy that I've focused on things like exercise, diet, and remembering that Cindy was my wife long before she was my co-producer.

I thought this Void might be really tough, but it's actually been pretty easy. Maybe some things are so big that the energy never leaves you. It just changes into something else, something new. All I know is I feel like I 'm ready for anything.

# # #

My dear Lady Killers: I can't wait to show you what we did together.

Looking Ahead

Women's Studies is still finished.

Oh, Fear not. There's still work to do. Most of it has to do with marketing and promotion of the film. My and Cindy's major focus is film festivals, though we're getting some other gears moving as well. There's still a lot of work to do, but it's a much less intense work flow. Frankly, I'm okay with that.

So what's up?

On the technical side, Aaron Shirley and I are working with another video engineer on getting an HD master made for the film. I'll let you know how that goes. Right now, all I know is that it's an expensive undertaking.

Women's Studies has been sent off for it's first batch of "pre-festival" reviews which could start rolling in as soon as this week. The point of doing so is to get some blurbs to pad our press kit with. You know, things like "This guy makes Ed Wood look like Stanley Kubrick."

Joking aside, I'm actually pretty excited about getting some reviews because it'll be the first time someone completely objective will be taking a look at the movie. Up to this point everyone who's watched it has either worked on it or been a friend. All I know is that after looking at it for over a year, my ability to be objective is severely compromised, so it'll be interesting to see how the movie REALLY plays.

Speaking of press kits, the one for Women's Studies looks frakin' awesome. Co-Producer and Marketing genius Cindy has really outdone herself this time. We have an electronic version you can look at, but it really doesn't come close to the hard copy she's sending out.

And what about film festivals? I'm actually working on the first submissions today. I'm only to going to announce acceptances so as to where we're submitting, you'll just have to wonder. I imagine it'll be mid-summer at best before there's any première news.

I'm still going to try and update the blog every week, though much of it will be links to reviews and the like. I'll see if I get it in to me to reflect and pontificate on the whole experience though honestly, I'd rather just focus that energy into writing something else, maybe even a new script.

Stay tuned. Lots to come!

Cocked, Locked, & Ready to Rock

So, I had posted this cool picture to celebrate the completion of Women's Studies, but I realized it's a spoiler, so I took it down.

It's done though. The DVD is mastering as we speak.

I don't know what to say except: Holy shit! I made a feature length film!

A big thanks to cast and crew and everybody else who made it happen. Special kudos go to Aaron Shirley and Sean Russell. Other than Cindy Marie Martin and I, they were the first crew to come on to the project and the last to work on it.

After two years(!) the Lady Killers are ready for you.

The question is: Are you ready for them?

Nearing the End

Five days until final output/mastering of Women's Studies.

Post Sound Super Sean Russell and Composer Ryan Sayward turned in their final audio mix early Monday morning. Colorist Aaron Shirley is the last stop and he has just a few more color tweaks and some VFX work to do. Friday, we'll meet to watch it on a big screen to catch any nagging color issues. Also, Sean and Ryan will get a disk tomorrow to check for any last minute audio notes.

It's crazy to think the movie is this close to being finished. It seems like I've been working on it forever. Cast and crew started shooting almost a year ago. (May 29, 2007) Preparations and pre-production had been going on for well over a year before that. For the past two-and-a-half years, my single minded goal has been to get this film completed.

And now it's almost over.

I hear somebody saying, "Don't jinx it!" Really though, even if there was some cataclysmic act of god like Aaron Shirley's hard drive getting obliterated, the film's completion would only be delayed by a few weeks. (Fear not. Aaron, along with everyone else working post, has extensive back-ups.)

My role of late has been largely administrative. There's been a lot of approving things or asking for changes. Sean, Ryan, Aaron, and Editor Jim McGivney have been the soldiers in the trenches getting it done for you and me. They've been exceptional.

If all goes well, and it looks like it will, next week's blog will be the first with Women's Studies completed*.

# # #

(*Keep your fingers crossed. Just in case.)

Rally Caps Are On

12 days until final output/mastering of Women's Studies.

Meetings, meetings, meetings.

I've had meetings with various post-production crew members almost every day since late last week. Music mostly, but color got Sunday night out of me. And sound gets some more love today before I head back to hopefully wrap up that fickle mistress music tonight.

It's been a stressful week for multiple reasons. A lot of difficulties, disputes, and delays popped up late in the week. For a couple days I thought that the crew and I were going to have to postpone the final mastering. However, this fantastic crew rose to the occasion and rallied around the project. In fact, they pretty much carried me through the weekend which is rather awesome. Despite my best efforts, these guys just won't let me fuck this movie up.

Where do things stand?

According to an email I received when I woke up this morning, Post Sound Supervisor Sean Russell pulled a seventeen hour shift yesterday "seeding" (putting in place) the first half of the music for Women's Studies in the timeline with his Foley, ADR, SFX, and production audio tracks. Over 120 tracks in all. (!) At the time of this writing, he's catching a few Zzzs before heading back in to continue mixing everything down.

Tonight is my final spot check of Composer Ryan Sayward's music. There were a couple sequences that we both wanted to play with some more. I'll see those tonight and sign off on them. Then, Ryan will head over to studio with Sean and seed the music for the last half of the movie.

I saw the first pass of Aaron Shirley's color correction on Sunday night and it's looking really good. Most of the coloring in Women's Studies consists of simply color matching and balancing, making sure the colors are consistent form shot to shot. There are a couple scenes where we'll use color for effect. Aaron actually worked those out first and it's quite nice. This week is digital Visual FX week. Don't worry. Han still shoots first. Almost all of the VFX in Women's Studies is color based and correctional.

I'm growing old before your very eyes! Less than two more weeks and I can relax . . . a little bit. Okay, no. That's not true. When the film is done, a whole new world opens up.

Soothing the Savage Beast

19 days until final output/mastering of Women's Studies.

Early this morning, I picked up the "master" DV file of the entire film from Colorist/VFX Artist Aaron Shirley and delivered it to Post Sound Supervisor Sean Russell. Up to this point, Sean has been working on the film in eight separate "reels," nine if you count the end credits. Though still in the middle of recording Foley, Sean can now pull his eight separate ProTools sessions into one master session in preparation for mixing which begins next week.

Look! Here's Natalie Apuzzo, our Foley Walker/Artist stabbing melons. Why on earth would she be doing that?



On Saturday, Cindy and I met with Composer Ryan Sayward and for the very first time watched Women's Studies in it's entirety with music. It was a pretty exciting and fulfilling, yet surreal experience. For the first time in a very long time, I felt like I was watching a movie I hadn't worked on. It was a pretty good feeling to get swept up in the mood of the scenes again. After seeing the film more times than I care to count, I've become a little numb to the emotional impact it can have. If you can't tell, I'm really happy with the music.

Ryan has also picked out some "needle drop" songs from local music artists to use as background music in parts of Women's Studies. "Not Alone" by Redshift will be featured at the beginning of the film. "Barcelona" by Soft Complex as well as a remix of their song "Beat the Chill" will also be included.

I feel good about where we're at. Sure, we've still got six weeks of work to do in less than three, but if this was easy everybody would be doing it, right?

The Speed of Sound

26 days until final output/mastering of Women's Studies.

Sound has been the name of the game recently. As mentioned before, Post Sound Supervisor Sean Russell and I have been recording ADR pretty much every night for the past two weeks. Yesterday was the last session, though we'll likely have to bring Cindy Marie Martin (Mary) back in for one more night of catch-up.

This week, Sean is editing all the ADR and production dialogue while also adding background ambiance to give verisimilitude to the scenes. Today, he's finishing his Foley spotting session, and will then begin recording Foley and adding sound effects which will take up the better part of the next ten days.

Over the weekend, I'll visit Composer Ryan Sayward and hear the Women's Studies soundtrack for the first time with the movie. I'll give notes and Ryan will spend another week making any creative adjustments needed. Then, Sean and Ryan will get together in the studio and add in the music. Once we all agree that the music, Foley, sound FX, and dialogue are all what we want, Sean will begin the final mixdown.

The energy is high because 26 days is a ridiculously short time to try and get all this done, especially with two people doing all the work. While everyone is a wee bit nervous, we're also very excited. It's starting to come together and isn't half bad either. The end is near, and that's the fuel keeping everyone moving.

One Month Away . . .

Tomorrow is May 1, meaning the post-production crew and I are basically one month away from our deadline for having Women's Studies completely done.

The past two weeks have been almost as busy as the shooting schedule. I've split my time between recording ADR in the studio with Post Sound Super Sean Russell, meeting with Colorist Aaron Shirley about color correction and VFX, and trading emails with Composer Ryan Sayward about music.

Next week Co-Producer Cindy Marie Martin and I start planning for the "post June 2" schedule of festival and review submissions. Cindy will focus on that more than me as I'll be once again splitting my time between Sean, Aaron and Ryan as we near the finish line.

It's exciting, but also a whirlwind. I hardly have time to sleep. Then again, so what? I can sleep in June . . . snuggling a finished movie.