Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 288

February 2, 2018: Am I there yet?

Al…most…there!  Bottom of 58 with approximately two more pages to go in the fifth and final act.  I’ll sleep on it tonight, then tackle the final scene, roll right into the tag and, by this time tomorrow, I’ll be done.  Mission 60% Accomplished! Three or four more days of rethinking, revising, rewriting, self-doubt, punch-ups and polishes, and I should have a draft I’ll be comfortable enough to send out for notes.

One of the things I’ll miss most about not being in production on a show will be my very active lunch schedule.  For instance, the other day…

[image error]

It was lunch with Ivon Bartok and Alex Mallari Jr.  Check it out.  FOUR has hair!

[image error]

Then, today, we had lunch with Ivon, Robbie David, and director Bruce McDonald.

I feel that the only way to maintain my active social life will be to hire all of my lunch companions when I get my next show off the ground.

Hey!  Happy Groundhog Day!

Finally, Akemi was over the moon the other after a complete stranger complimented her purple hair.  So, I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t feature it as part of today’s blog entry:

[image error] [image error]

Hey, I hear Prodigy Pictures is finally getting around to delivering those awesome Dark Matter-related items.  If you received something, let me know!

February 1, 2018: Taking a trip down Stargate memory lane!

Over the past couple of days, I’ve been going through some old blog posts, taking a trip down Stargate memory lane, and sharing some of the BTS pics on twitter.  Here are a few of the highlights…

[image error]

Me, ten years ago, plotting world domination…and Atlantis’s fourth season.

[image error]

This awesome Asgard fan art adorned the production office.

[image error]

Wraith trivia.  Todd’s distinct facial tattoo was a tribute to Kiss lead guitarist Ace Frehley who was purportedly a fan of the show.

[image error]

Hey!  Hey YOU!

[image error]

Carl Binder is awesome, but even awesome are the misdirect titles I put up on the board for the back half of the season.

[image error]

I honestly think he was creepier than the alien he was standing in for.

[image error]

Elyse Levesque and Brian J. Smith.

[image error]

Prepping Radek’s space walk with David Nykl.

Check out more pics, including concept art and designs, by following me on twitter: @BaronDestructo

Today, I continued work on that SF pilot script.  On the one hand, I’m at the top of page 53!  On the other hand, I’m just starting Act 5.  Going to need to give this draft a good edit before delivery.

Also today, I pitched by take on that Korean drama series as well as the anime series.  Apparently, it’s very early in the process, so I shouldn’t expect a response for a month or two.  I DID feel very good about the pitches though.  Of course, as I told my manager today, I also felt very good about the Saints’ chances against the Minnesota Vikings.

January 31, 2018: Best Comic Book Covers of the Week!

In what’s become a weekly Wednesday tradition, here are my favorites…

[image error]

Elephantmen #80 (cover art by Boo Crook)

Brings all the feels, no?

[image error]

The Flash Annual #1 (cover art by Hi-Fi, Howard Porter)

I became a fan of the Flash during Mark Waid’s magnificent run on the series, so this intriguing cover pushes all the right nostalgic buttons.

[image error]

Deathstroke Annual #1 (cover art by Ryan Sook)

Black and white with a touch of gold.  Nice.  Love the asymmetrical composition.

[image error]

Old Man Logan #34 (cover art by Mike Deodato Jr.)

Simply bad-ass this cover featuring Logan, Mariko (I believe), and a slew of ninjas.  Old school!

[image error]

JLA/Doom Patrol Special #1 (cover art by Frank Quitely)

Milk Man making his super human deliveries.  Probably my favorite cover of the week compliments of the ever whimsical Frank Quitely (that my auto-correct insists on changing to Quietly.  Frank, forgive me).

[image error]

Falcon #4 (cover art by Jay Anacieto)

Shades of Dante’s descent into Hell except, in this case, our hero aint going of his own volition.  Stellar horror.

[image error]

Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack #5 (cover art by Rahzzah)

Artist Rahzzah makes another of his weekly appearances, this time with a portrait of future Kurt Russell as Future Snake Plissken.  Zoom in on that weathered face, those wizened eyes, to really appreciate the artistry.

[image error]

Beauty #19 (cover art by Nick Filardi, Jeremy Haun, Baldemar Rivas)

The eerie elegance of the Beauty cover art is downright mesmerizing.

[image error]

The Beautiful Death #5 (cover art by Mathieu Bablet)

Another artist who has made multiple appearances on this weekly feature is Mathieu Bablet with his gorgeous post-apocalyptic cityscapes.

So, which one is your favorite?

January 30, 2018: Yeaaaaaaaarrrgggh!

THAT is the sound of me hitting the writer’s block or, more accurately, the writer’s mire that has seen me spinning my brain in an attempt to gain creative traction. To be honest, I’m surprised I progressed as far as I have, relatively frustration-free, through the script’s tease and first two acts, 30 pages in before running into my first obstacle, a fairly tricky scene to kick off Act The Third.  Of course, as a trained professional, I know just how to handle situations like these.  I start off by re-reading the outline, then go back to the beginning of the script and revise everything I’ve written to date in the hope that, in so doing, I’ll be pulling off the artistic equivalent of a running start.  THEN I dive right into the scene that has bedeviled me, hoping that sheer momentum will carry me through.  Of course, that never works so, instead, I check my various social media accounts, surf the web, do some research on recommended reads, take the dogs out, have lunch, run errands, pick up a double-chocolate mocha, and, finally, plunk myself back down in front of my laptop.  Unbeknownst to you all, however, I’ll have actually been pulling double duty, running dialogue in my head while doing the aforementioned so that, by the time I get back, I’ll have at least the first two or three dialogue exchanges ready.

The rest of the two page scene will take me most of the afternoon.

Thankfully, things go a little smoother after that and, by the time I run out of steam, I’ve hit the 36 page mark.  So, all in all, not bad.  And, when all is said and done, I’ll have actually shaved a half day off my pace, putting me a full four days ahead of schedule.  And that translates to more time for me to re-read and agonize over what I’ve written!

Meanwhile, my pitch call scheduled for today has been rescheduled to Thursday, sandwiched between a Wednesday ramen lunch with Alex Mallari Jr. (Dark Matter’s FOUR/Ryo Ishida) and a Friday french cuisine lunch with director Bruce McDonald and former Dark Matter Co-Executive Producer Robbie David.  Remind me to take pictures!

P.S.: Just so we’re clear…

[image error]

January 29, 2018: Hit me with your comic book recommendations!

I’ve been reading comic books, on and off, for most of my life.  I would go months, sometimes years without reading and then, one day, stop by my local comic shop, pick up every title on the stands and start reading – and keep reading the ones that kept my interest, dropping the ones that failed to hold my attention.  Of course, with the increasing strain of weighty backstories, the complexity of innumerable crossovers, and the reimagining, reinventions, and reboots of old favorites, jumping back in has proven daunting.

Still, digital subscription services like Comixology have helped make it a lot easier. Now, instead of jumping into the middle of a story arc, I can start from the beginning, easily acquiring the back issues online and moving forward from there – should the title grab me.

So, here’s where you come in. I’d like you comic book aficionados to recommend some titles. Since I have a fair amount on my plate and am halfway through a script, I’d like to start small – say, 12-15 different books.  And, to help you steer me right, here are a few of the comic books I enjoyed last year…

[image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error]

There are a bunch of my favorites writers I definitely plan to check out (Hickman, Simone, King, Liu, Rosenberg, Moreci to name but a few), but I’d love to hear what YOU’RE enjoying.

Recommend me some comic books!

January 28, 2018: Smoooooth sailing!

Alright.  I’m in full script mode.  It usually takes me a few days of procrastinating and general agonizing before I hit my stride, but I’ve hit the ground running on this one.  I figure two weeks to complete a first draft breaks down to roughly four pages a day.  As tonight, I am three and half days ahead of schedule.   Of course, at some point, I’ll hit that wall – that point in the script where I’ll realize I’ve contradicted myself, overlooked a crucial plot point, or written my way into a hole out of which I shall never climb – but until then, it’s smooooooth sailing! Exploration and wonder abound, Harper’s on to everyone, and we’re barreling towards our Holy Shit act out.  What more could you ask for?

I am on a creative high.  OR it could be that roasted Buffalo Cauliflower Akemi made for dinner.

[image error]

Though a more appropriate name for the dish would be Amazonian Cauliflower since, instead of using Frank’s Red Hot, Akemi instead basted the cauliflower with an entire bottle of Crazy Jerry’s Brain Damage Mind Blowin (habanero-based) Hot Sauce.  Ten pieces later and I was suffering symptoms of hypoxia.  Fortunately, we had the antidote on hand…

[image error]

Yes.  When in doubt, ice-cream it out.

Provided I make it through the night (And, at this point, it’s looking touch and go), I’ll power into the script’s third act tomorrow – and finalize my takes on both the Korean drama and anime series in advance of my call on Tuesday.

Well, off to bed…so that I can stay up and think about the next three scenes.

January 27, 2018: Projects on the go!

When someone asks me about the projects I’m presently working on, I’ll give them a brief rundown to which they’ll invariably respond: “But what if they all go?”  Yes, theoretically, it’s possible that, say, multiple projects could receive a simultaneous green light but, realistically, it’s more likely that none of them receive the go-ahead.  Which is why you really need to hedge your bets and be a bit of a creative multi-tasker.  In truth, the number of projects I have on deck may seem like a lot, but scheduling and prioritizing certainly mak things easier…

ORIGINALS

Ah, now these are the projects that are completely self-generated, from concept to completion.  It may be a verbal pitch or a one page overview or, in some instances, even a finished pilot script.  Over the last few months, I’ve verbally pitched four originals, one of which advanced to the “further exploration” stage before being turned down.  At present, I have two out for consideration.  The first is that SF military pilot I mentioned this past summer.  The other presently exists as a one page overview and is my favorite, a spiritual successor to Dark Matter that offers a similar ship-based, action-adventure approach with colorful characters and an underlying sense of humor.

TAKES

In this case, you were working off someone else’s idea, be it a simple pitch or an adaptation.  Usually, the material has gone out to multiple writers and it’s your job to come up with the best possible vision for a potential television series.  What differentiates it from the source material?  Where will you take it?  What’s the first season plan?  And how do you see the series progressing past that first season? I’ve got a little over a half-dozen of these takes in the works – a comic book, a contemporary SF novel, a contemporary horror novel, a classic SF novel, a Korean drama series, and an anime series – and, if any of them spark some interest, we move onto…

DEVELOPMENT WORK

A broadcaster or production company is investing in you and an idea.  It’s your job to prove to them that their faith in you and said idea has not been misplaced by delivering a phenomenal series overview, bible, and/or pilot script.  I am presently one series overview and 17 pages of a script into one of these.  I have a soft spot for this sci-fi project and the people involved, so I’m really hoping my efforts pay off with a straight to series order sometime this summer.

THE HIRED GUN

And then there are times when you need the assistance of a proven professional like, say, an experienced showrunner, to help reassure a potential broadcaster, lock up a sale, and/or hit the ground running when the green light is given.  Since Dark Matter’s cancellation, I’ve been lucky enough to have been approached about three such opportunities.  Ultimately, none were quite the right fit, but a new project – a brilliant hard SF series that came my way recently – is all sorts of intriguing and, I have no doubt, will be fantastic – with or without my involvement.

Well, as I said, I’m already an act deep into this pilot.  The trickiest scene is behind me, we’ve made planet fall, and we’re about to explore our new surroundings.  I suspect it’ll be smoooooth sailing from there.  Tonight, I switch gears to watch the final five episodes that anime series as I have a call on Tuesday to present my take for a t.v. adaptation (as well as my take for an adaptation of that awesome Korean drama).  And then, it’s an anxious wait to hear word back on my pitches.

I will, of course, keep you posted…

January 26, 2018: Suji!

Eating apples with her sister, Lulu…

Sitting down is a twelve step process…

Trying to figure out how many cookies she can stuff in her little mouth…

[image error]

January 25, 2018: Setting up a Steve Bacic Q&A!

[image error]

One of the great things about living in downtown Toronto is the likelihood of crossing paths with people I’ve worked with in the past.  Last year, for instance, I ran into actor Brian J. Smith (Stargate: Universe, Sense8, Broadway).  Last week, it was director Mairzee Almas (Dark Matter, The 100, iZombie).  The other day, it was Stargate’s very own goa’uld System Lord Camulus, Steve Bacic (Stargate: SG-1, Big Love, Chris Judge’s occasional poker nights).  We followed up, yesterday, with lunch that touched on film & television production, philosophy, neurochemistry, and a hot chocolate called a Siciliana comprised of dark chocolate, orange syrup and cayenne to which I added a shot of espresso.

[image error]

Anyway, it was the first time I really got a chance to sit down and talk to Steve and, I have to say, I’m now even more of a fan.  Smart, talented, and, above all, just a genuinely good, grounded individual.

[image error]

I told him about the the blog and pitched him a possible Steve Bacic fan Q&A, and he’s all in.  So – if you have a question for the former System Lord (who continues to be crazy busy shooting everything from t.v. guest spots to films), post it in this blog’s comments section.  I’ll gather up your queries and send them his way this weekend!

Fire away!

January 24, 2018: Best Comic Book Covers of the Week!

Holy smokes!  What a terrific week for comic book covers!

Here are my favorites…

[image error]

Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle (cover art by Yukito Kishiro)

The contrast of innocence and incendiary is pretty powerful here.  The two young girls react to the destruction: bewilderment, sorrow, acceptance.

[image error]

The Amazing Spiderman #794 (cover art by Alex Ross)

I’m a big fan of Alex Ross’s painted covers.

[image error]

Batgirl #19 (cover art by Dan Mora)

Best of friends make the worst of enemies, while the worst of enemies can make for the unlikeliest of allies.  I love the dynamic and this cover intrigues me.

[image error]

Dishonored: Peeress and the Price vol. 1 (cover art by Andrea Olimpieri)

I’m a big fan of writer Michael Moreci, and the cover to his latest comic book venture has more than captured my interest.  What lies beneath the mask?

[image error]

Ermek the Batyr #1 (cover art by Madibek Musabekov)

Melding fantasy and science fiction, Musabekov’s art hints at a unique narrative folklore-based narrative.

[image error]

Gasolina #5 (cover art by Mat Lopes)

Love among the ruins.  A tentative kiss backlit by a fireball of destruction.  Sweet.

[image error]

Provider #1 (cover art by Corey Davis)

Great concept and colors.

[image error]

Kid Lobotomy #4 (cover art by Tess Fowler)

Probably my favorite cover of the week.  Pure fun.  And the foodie in me really appreciates it.

[image error]

Luke Cage #169 (cover art by Rahzzah)

On the other hand, here’s this week’s most disturbing cover.  It’s mishaps like these that make me nervous to visit the dentist.

[image error]

Maestros #4 (cover art by Steve Skroce, Dave Stewart)

Awkward Family Photos have never looked so gorgeous.

[image error]

Marvel Two-In-One #2 (cover art by Jim Cheung)

A dazzling tribute to one of comicdom’s most iconic classic covers.

[image error]

Monstress #13 (cover art by Sana Takeda)

Hugo Award-winning Monstress boasts the brilliant writing of author Marjorie Liu and the equally brilliant art of Sana Takeda.  Gorgeous work.

[image error]

Nightmare World vol. 2: Leave the Light On (cover art by Kristen Perry)

The stuff of nightmares indeed.

[image error]

Nightwing: The New Order #6 (cover art by Trevor McCarthy)

A magnificent cover reminiscent of spirited stained glass design.

[image error]

Pheonix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey #4 (cover art by Lenil Francis Yu)

As a young reader who was deeply affected by the seminal X-Men #137, Phoenix Must Die, this cover really resonates.

[image error]

The Flash #39 (cover art by Carmine Di Giandomenico)

Everything old is new (and scarier) again.  Love the contemporary takes on those classic, occasionally corny, villains.

[image error]

Punisher vol. 3: King of the New York Streets (cover art by Declan Shalvey)

An atmospheric masterpiece.

[image error]

The Wildstorm #11 (cover art by Jon Davis-Hunt)

And, every so often, there’s will be those covers that just leave you saying: “Cool!”.