Adam Chamberlain's Blog, page 5

Keeping Austin Weird

I am writing this from the airport in Austin, Texas, with the prospect of a long overnight haul back over the Atlantic to London. This weekend has been worth every mile of that journey. The Austin Film Festival was as vibrant and fascinating as the town itself, with the highlight being the featured appearances by Chris Carter.

Carter was the recipient of the festival’s Outstanding Television Writer Award, which was presented to him during the Awards Luncheon by Robert Patrick, in town for a flying visit just to make the presentation. This was swiftly followed by A Conversation with Chris Carter, a 75-minute panel moderated by self-confessed fan, Lost’s Damon Lindelof, at the opulent Driskill Hotel.

The panel comprised a fascinating discussion, and Carter was relaxed, considered and candid in his responses to questions from both Lindelof and the audience of the packed ballroom, where your correspondent was lucky enough to have a front row seat for proceedings. Carter spoke of how he started out as a writer, also revealing how an early job as a production potter was, in a sense, good preparation for producing television on a tight schedule. During the course of this part of the discussion, he cited the perhaps unlikely early influence of Nancy Drew, alongside that of Sherlock Holmes, mentioning Murder by Decree as an early filmic influence ahead of his later screening of that movie. (For anyone interested in exploring the links between Conan Doyle and Carter’s work, look no further than Fourth Horseman Press publisher’s Brian A. Dixon’s excellent essay—“Second Sight: Profiling, Prophecy, and Deductive Reasoning in Chris Carter’s Millennium”— in Back to Frank Black.)

Asked to offer advice to aspiring writers—of which there were many taking notes in the audience—he spoke of nuclear physicist Hans Bethe. When working complex mathematical theory, Bethe would never let his pen leave the paper if he got stuck, instead sitting and contemplating the problem until he found a way forward. Chris said that writers should follow the same approach, never disengaging from their work until they were done. That’s great advice, and he complemented it by adding that Bethe also took a forty-five minute bath every morning, to allow the solutions to problems that his brain had been processing in his sleep to come to the fore. Summing up, he said, “Keep your butt in the chair and your fingers on the keyboard.”

Naturally, many of the questions focussed upon The X-Files. Carter spoke generously of the influence of his creative team, including that of Glen Morgan and James Wong on the use of 3×5 cards in plotting episodes, and in particular singling out Frank Spotnitz as his key collaborator in plotting the series’ complex mythology. He cited Season Two’s “Colony”/“End Game” two-parter as key in the creative team learning just what they could do with the mythology, and Season One finale “The Erlenmeyer Flask” as being a highlight to him in terms of those mythology-based episodes. Carter commented that he had the movie JFK—another key influence—playing in the background as he wrote that script. Speaking further about the episode he revealed how a fan letter influenced a key component of the storyline, whilst adding that he uses his gut choosing what advice to take onboard and what to throw away, drawing a distinction between the “shrill voice” and the “smart voice” of fandom! Ultimately he attributes the success of the series to two things: the writing, and the performances of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, noting that they brought such depth to the characters of Mulder and Scully. Asked about the prospect of a reboot he described any such attempts as “sacrilege” to him and, whilst he could offer no news on progress for a third X-Files movie, he said he has a “big idea” for the film and re-asserted that the storyline would represent a finale for the series’ mythology.

A number of questions were also posed on Millennium. He re-asserted how he got his first choice in casting Lance Henriksen as Frank Black—benefitting at the time from his increased influence with the Fox network given the success of The X-Files—and how the character was written specifically for his voice. Asked what scares him, he responded that it is the same as what scares everybody, including “the fear of a violent death”. And on conspiracy as a common theme in his productions, he spoke of how he is a child of Watergate and how this informs his work. In a response to a question on religion and the place of television in a more secular culture, he spoke of how television is now at the heart of modern American—and world—culture.

My own question to Chris was to ask, given recent news on some new series for which he has been seeking distribution alongside his interest in further big screen outings for both The X-Files and Millennium, what interests him the most creatively. This prompted a revelation that he is currently working on a new series with Showtime on a subject completely new to him, and that he was asked to write it. He stated his script is in its third draft and is receiving great feedback, but he was too superstitious to say any more at this stage of development! Asked about what the freedom of a cable channel like HBO or Showtime might have brought to The X-Files, he explained the restrictions of network television made him and the team into better writers and voiced a concern that broader language in particular would have taken something away from the purity of the series and its lead characters. Speaking about his return to writing now, he explained that after ten years of continuous output he had wanted to take some time away but is ready now to take a step back into the business. In terms of what interests him creatively, his direct response to the question was that it was whatever stretches him.

Carter also revealed what he is watching and enjoying right now: The Wire and Breaking Bad, being sure to give huge credit to Vince Gilligan in the process. He also gave a very specific shout-out to Frank Spotnitz’s new series Hunted, which had made its U.S. debut on Cinemax the previous evening, and said how thrilled he was that the series had made it to the screen.

After the panel came to a close, it was time to hot-foot it a few blocks to the Austin Convention Center for screenings of Millennium’s “Pilot” followed by The X-Files Emmy Award-winning classic “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose”. The two instalments made a great double-bill—given the intuitive investigative procedures on display in both—and looked great up on the big screen. It was interesting and a little surprising to hear that even the occasional dry wit of Millennium’s first episode drew laughs from the audience. The screenings were followed by another Q&A session, and here there was much more talk about Millennium. Carter spoke about “real world psychology” as the series’ heart and the complexities of its stories and characters, complications that at times worked against it in retrospect. In answer to a question on the episode’s strong content, he spoke of how he was aiming for a “super-creepy” tone in “Pilot”. Then, in response to a direct question about a potential return for Frank Black, he was quick to mention both the Back to Frank Black campaign and Fourth Horseman Press’s publication of the book—including a shout-out for your correspondent and co-editor in the audience!—and once again asserted that he would love to return to the character if Fox had the appetite to support the venture. That statement drew some clear voices of approval from the crowd.

It was after this second panel that I was able to grab a few minutes with Chris. He was thrilled to get his hands on a copy of the book, quick to complement Matthew Ingles’s cover art, and noted that he can’t wait to read it. His sharp eye did not miss a trick regarding the name Fourth Horseman Press, which was indeed at least in part inspired by Millennium itself when we launched the venture back in 2003. He was generous, warm and appreciative of the campaign’s ongoing efforts and eager to see how the book can further its cause.

A welcome surprise and bonus later in the day was that Lance Henriksen made it to the festival a couple of days sooner that we had expected him! I caught up with him at a party for his excellent movie It’s in the Blood and forwent any notion of sleep to be there to see him introduce a late night screening too. Even though Lance and Chris were, tantalizingly, on opposite sides of the street to one another at one point, their conflicting schedules precluded a chance for the two to meet up on Saturday evening. A reunion between these two great creative forces behind Millennium may, however, still be on the cards before the duo leave town. As Lance said in the introduction to the screening, “Every time I am in Texas something great happens.”

All in all it has been an excellent and rewarding weekend in Austin, and an important one for both in respect of the book’s journey and the wider Back to Frank Black campaign. Our work continues as we publicize Back to Frank Black‘s release further in the coming weeks and months, so be sure to stay tuned. These are exciting times.

“Back to Frank Black” NOW AVAILABLE

THE TIME IS NOW. 512 pages. Fifteen exclusive interviews. Twelve in-depth essays. One incomparable hero and an enduring legacy. Over a year in the making by its editors and contributors, the unique and long-awaited tribute to Chris Carter’s Millennium is now available from Fourth Horseman Press.

Back to Frank Black is currently available directly from our distributor, Lulu. The hardcover retails at $44.99 and the paperback at $28.99, with all profits from sales to be donated to Lance Henriksen’s nominated charity, Children of the Night.

If you would prefer to order via your in-country Amazon store or Barnes & Noble, these links will go live over the coming week or so as the volume is made available to booksellers across the globe. We will provide details just as soon as we have them, so stay tuned for this and much more in the coming days and weeks. For more news as we have it, keep it right here at fourthhorsemanpress.com, and sign up to our feeds on Facebook and Twitter.

“Back to Frank Black”: The Final Countdown

After a little over a year’s ceaseless effort, the time is near. Back to Frank Black is complete. To count down to its imminent release, visit our homepage where the first of three evocative teasers is available to view right now!

The volume is a weighty 512 pages in total, crammed full with interviews and essays about Frank Black and Millennium. You can read more about the content and view the trailer here. The hardcover will retail at $44.99, and the softcover at $28.99, with all profits from sales to be donated to Lance Henriksen’s nominated charity, Children of the Night. Order links will be provided just as soon as they go live, so keep a close eye on fourthhorsemanpress.com in the coming days.

Chris Carter Completes Line-Up For “Back to Frank Black”

We are proud and excited to be able to confirm the final name to join Back to Frank Black as a contributing writer: none other than series creator . Complementing forewords by both  and Frank Spotnitz, Carter has penned the volume’s introduction, and it goes without saying that we are massively pleased and hugely grateful to him for sharing his very latest thoughts on the publication itself, on Millennium, and on the potential for the return of Frank Black.

Now in its final weeks of preparation, we can also share yet more detail with you regarding the book’s content. The tome boasts interviews with a long list of Millennium‘s illustrious alumni, from writers and producers such as Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz, ,  and  to cast members Lance Henriksen, , , Sarah-Jane Redmond and , as well as key crew such as celebrated cinematographer Robert McLachlan, prolific director , and iconic composer . The collective thoughts of the series’ creative minds have never before been presented together in this way, and together they make for an unprecedented set of insights both into Millennium and regarding their crafts in general.

In addition, the publication features an array of fascinating essays exploring key characters, stories and themes of the series from a range of supremely well-informed writers. Award-winning author John Kenneth Muir explores each season in turn across three essays, whilst Not Bad for a Human co-author  considers Frank Black’s spiritual journey against the backdrop of modern America. Actress  (Jordan Black) reflects upon her time on the series and offers something of an insight into the world of a child actor. Music journalist Joe Tangari explores the use of popular music in Millennium in ways you will have never considered, whilst sci-fi fanatic Gordon Roberts probes the Millennium Group and the Black family in terms of secret societies and the tensions the two create for the series’ central protagonist. College professor Paul Clark writes about how Lance Henriksen encapsulates the role of Frank Black, and author Alexander Zelenyj examines the ever-popular Legion arc, and specifically the ubiquity of Lucy Butler as the embodiment of pure evil. A selection of the authors will be discussing the book for the Back to Frank Black podcast in the coming weeks.

Also contributing to the volume are the names behind the campaign itself. James McLean contributes striking original artwork that features throughout the volume, and also provides a peek behind the curtain in a chapter brimming with his trademark humour as he charts the history of the campaign. Troy Foreman takes a close look at the character and story arc of Emma Hollis and her memorable portrayal by Klea Scott. Fourth Horseman Press publisher and writer Brian A. Dixon offers a study of Millennium as it fits into the canon of crime fiction, with a particular focus upon the deductive process as uniquely suggested by Frank Black’s gift. And his co-editor, Adam Chamberlain, takes a view on the portrayals of evil across the series, from serial killers and murderers of other kinds to the twisted morality of the Millennium Group to demons—whether seductive, terrifying or just plain meddlesome—and considers how they represent the nebulous nature of evil.

Back to Frank Black, subtitled “A Return to Chris Carter’s Millennium“, will be published in hard and soft cover in September, with an electronic multi-platform edition to follow later in the year. It features original cover artwork by Matthew Ingles, which has now also been unveiled and can be seen at the publication’s dedicated page. The book is being sold for non-profit, with all proceeds to be donated to the charity Children of the Night. The latest press release is now also available to view online. For more news as we have it, follow the blog and sign up to our feeds on Facebook and Twitter. For more from the Back to Frank Black campaign, visit backtofrankblack.com or find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Wait. Worry. For the time is near, and you can’t stop it.

“Back to Frank Black”: The Time Is Near

In the words of ‘s Peter Watts, the late, great ‘s Old Man and the opening titles of Chris Carter’s Millennium, “The time is near.” After many months of preparation, we are almost ready to unveil our latest publication, Back to Frank Black. Here is the haunting trailer for the book, created by cinematographer .

At this point, most of the book’s content is locked, and we are in the process of formatting and indexing whilst finalising the remaining few inclusions. Other important components are all but ready to be shared and will be made available once the last few details have been put into place, including the cover artwork and a final pre-publication press release. The planned release date for the volume itself is the end of August, although a few factors may at this stage push this ever so slightly into September. We do not have the luxury of a pre-order link to share with you and, with that remaining content and formatting to be completed, neither are we yet quite in a position to be able to confirm cover pricing. We will, however, confirm the book’s availability and bring you order links and prices just as soon as we do have that all-important detail, so do subscribe to the blog (from the “Follow” button at the bottom of the page) and keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook feeds for news and other snippets.

By way of a reminder, what we have revealed to date are details of much of the book’s content and many of our contributors. Alongside essays from a range of writers with sharp and varied insights into the world of Millennium, interviews with a long list of key cast and crew from the series and striking artwork throughout from the Back to Frank Black campaign’s very own James McLean, we are particularly proud to boast exclusive contributions from writer/producer , actress and star . Allow us, then, to briefly yet mercilessly tease you with a few morsels from what they have written. Spotnitz’s introduction features the words ”profound,” “transfixed” and “mud-splattered,” Tiplady’s essay—reflecting upon her time on the series—includes the terms ”intricacy,” “controversy” and “love,” and Henriksen’s punchy foreword contains the words ”manifesto,” “chess” and, naturally, “tribe.”

Teasing aside, if it feels like scant information is quite yet available for a title that is in its final weeks before publication, then such is the nature of this particular beast. Be reassured, however, that we promise you as much fanfare as we can possibly muster both on and following the book’s release. There has been and continues to be a lot of work taking place to finalise this publication, but that is only the start of this particular journey. Back to Frank Black really is an unprecedented and utterly unique volume on the television series Millennium, and we are very proud of how it is coming together. In a matter of weeks’ time, we hope and fully expect that you will be too.

Editors Discuss “Back to Frank Black”

Fourth Horseman Press Publisher Brian A. Dixon and Associate Publisher Adam Chamberlain, co-editors on the forthcoming Back to Frank Black, recently took time out to record a podcast about the book with James McLean, founder and project co-manager for the titular campaign, for its popular Millennium Group Sessions series.

During an informal conversation, the two discuss in some detail what readers can expect from the title, and Dixon’s lengthy association with Millennium fandom as the creator of The Millennial Abyss. They also explain how integral the series was to the formation of their enduring friendship and creative partnership.

The Millennium Group Sessions podcasts have featured interviews with many of the cast and crew of Millennium, including series creator Chris Carter and star Lance Henriksen, and are available from iTunes, via the iPhone app or to stream at the Back to Frank Black website. You can also download an MP3 of the podcast featuring Chamberlain and Dixon.

Back to Frank Black will be published later this year. For the latest news on the book’s release, visit backtofrankblack.com or follow the Back to Frank Black campaign on Twitter and Facebook. Publisher’s updates will be made available at fourthhorsemanpress.com as well as on Fourth Horseman Press’s Twitter and Facebook feeds.

“Back to Frank Black”: Exploring “Millennium”

Working to bring the Back to Frank Black book to you all continues to be an exciting and rewarding project, with a few months’ effort ahead of us yet now before we can unveil it to you all.  Rest assured we will be working very hard over that period on the content and presentation of the book to make it the very finest tribute to Millennium and the campaign from Frank Black’s return that it can possibly be.

A significant component of the book will be a series of academic styled essays.  These are involved and considered examinations of various aspects of the series, each comprising a chapter of the book, intelligent yet accessible pieces by authors with in-depth knowledge of Millennium, amongst them co-author of Not Bad for a Human , author and critic John Kenneth Muir, and creator of the long cherished Millennial Abyss Brian A. Dixon, who also serves as co-editor on the volume alongside myself.

To tease you a little further, these essays will investigate subjects as diverse as the character journey of Frank Black in the context of America’s fin de siècle, Millennium‘s place in the canon of crime fiction, representations of evil in the series, and a unified theory of all three seasons.  This is just a flavour—there will be much more besides, including looking to potential futures for Frank Black, as well as his celebrated past—but our overarching mission in the approach to this project is to produce a high quality finished product befitting the stature and quality of the series we all cherish so much.

Our intention at this stage is to publish the book this Spring, with a publication date to be finalised nearer the time.  Stay tuned right here or over at the Back to Frank Black for further updates as we look forward to bringing this book into your hands and digital devices very soon…

“Back to Frank Black”: An Update

It has been almost two months since we announced plans to release Back to Frank Black, so we figured it was about time we checked in with you all to give you something of a status update by way of an early Christmas treat.

Rest assured that work continues apace on the volume.  One thread of this is a whole array of essays considering aspects of Millennium such as character studies of Frank Black, consideration of the representations of evil across the series, its use of music, its place in the canon of crime fiction… and much, much more.

As well as this range of critical essays, we are working with the Back to Frank Black team on having as much involvement from the cast and crew of the series as possible.  Interviews conducted by the campaign over the past three years will be presented in an entirely new way as comprehensive articles that reveal as much about the craft of actors, writers, producers and directors as they do about Millennium itself.  Additionally we will be including as much brand new and exclusive material as possible.

By way of an example, the latest such inclusion to the book is a very personal reflection on her time playing Jordan Black from Brittany Tiplady, who is now a journalist.  This is a unique and wonderful look back from Brittany, and we are very proud to be able to present it to you all in the finished volume.

Currently we anticipate a Spring 2012 release date for the book, although we will of course revise this and keep you posted as we go.  Check back here or over at the Back to Frank Black news page for further updates.  Just rest assured that we are utterly committed to making this book the very best tribute to and celebration of Millennium as it can possibly be, and we can’t wait to be able to share it with you all next year.

Fourth Horseman Press to Publish “Back to Frank Black”

Fourth Horseman Press is proud to announce Back to Frank Black, an upcoming book based on the Fox television series Millennium(1996-1999) and produced in association with the titular campaign to return its protagonist and television’s greatest criminal profiler, Frank Black, to the screen.

Back to Frank Black offers fans of Millennium a hitherto unprecedented volume of material exploring this landmark series. The book features original essays from a number of authors with in-depth knowledge of the series—including Joseph Maddrey, co-author of Lance Henriksen’s autobiography Not Bad for a Human (2011), and media critic John Kenneth Muir—as well as exclusive material from the cast and crew, much of which is drawn from the wealth of interviews that the Back to Frank Black campaign has conducted for its distinctive series of online podcasts.

Back to Frank Black will be edited by Adam Chamberlain and Brian A. Dixon, publishers for Fourth Horseman Press and consultants to the Back to Frank Black campaign. The book will be made available in both print and digital editions with an expected publication date of early 2012.  The collection will not be sold for profit and all proceeds will be donated to Lance Henriksen’s preferred registered charity, Children of the Night. For the latest news on the book’s release, visit backtofrankblack.com or follow the Back to Frank Black campaign on Twitter and Facebook. Publisher’s updates will be made available at fourthhorsemanpress.com as well as on Fourth Horseman Press’s Twitter and Facebook feeds.