Patrick C. Greene's Blog: BEST BLOG EVER!

THE DEATH OF PHYSICAL MEDIA?

In the seventies when videotape technology came along, the entertainment industry’s shysters got
together and came up with the idea of overpricing videotapes to such a level that the average consumer
could not just buy their favorite movie and watch it anytime they wanted. This created the video rental
store industry which itself fell, in due time, to the streaming business, piloted by Netflix, etc.

En route to the status quo, a collector culture rose, one which remains steadfast even today in the face of the fresh announcement from a few big retailers that they are doing away with DVDs before year’s end. I’ve settled pretty well into the habit of streaming. As big a film buff as I am, I’m not particularly driven to collecting personal copies of my favorite films. While there are films I do love, even those don’t get multiple views in a short period of time. Generally, it’s years between viewings of even my top ten.

This guy’s weekend is my year. Thanks for the free pic, alamy.

But I get it. Having that box set of the Texas Chainsaw movies sitting on your shelf can be a satisfying feeling. Or would be.

My reason is that there are so many films I have never seen and so many dropping so often, I feel
inclined to watch and experience something I haven’t yet seen, especially if it’s from an earlier era.

I realized when the Blu ray era came along that technological advancements are only accelerating. Just
as I got an impressive array of DVDs, they began to go obsolete. Before this, I had a half-hearted
assortment of VHS, mostly pre-viewed copies. I’ve always been… perhaps too frugal, let’s say, to drop
thousands of dollars on non-necessities. Blame it on practical-minded parents, or the income level of
said parents.

The only thing I’ve ever fervently collected is Godzilla figures, comics, books and every media of film.
The Big G was my first favorite film franchise and during my childhood Godzilla goods were scarce at best. All this to say collecting is a legitimate hobby that brings joy to a lot of people. How will they fare in a world of mere digital files and streaming swap-outs?

An exciting upgrade from paper dolls.

Walk into a Barnes and Noble and you will see, aside from that most archaic of physical media – The Book
– an impressive selection of vinyl LPs. In the early days of recorded music, the industry created the album format, which in turn came to be contained in a much smaller and more easily produced and marketed package – The Cassette Tape.

A magnificent collection worth tens upon tens of dollars.

Cassettes offered a significant advantage in that it was possible to record onto them. While many music
lovers were content to use this new technology to crib their favorite tunes from the radio, complete with DJ chatter, ramp-ups and overlaps, those with a good system could replicate an LP or official release tape almost flawlessly. The same was possible with VHS cassettes.

For the film industry, DVDs were an attempt at reclaiming exclusivity for owners of creative properties (i.e. studios and distributors) but also at presenting films and shows in a much purer and clearer format than VHS could.

This too could soon be easily replicated. It seems that the days of strict studio or label control of
entertainment media essentially died with the advent of affordable home recording equipment.
So the only way to counter this was to make official copies of the release more valuable in and of
themselves, as record albums had been, rather than simply being a package from which the material could be watched or heard.

Let’s see you duplicate THIS, pirate-asses!

Special packaging, extras, outside of the film/album “file,” such as photos, T-shirts, posters, masks, 3D
glasses and customized cases brought interest back to collecting the movie instead of just having the
movie.

As this era of various forms of processed plastc dies, pessimists might be inclined to predict that the simple having will once again be enough, until Bezos and his contemporaries figure out how to make a non-physical collection of data seem as meaningful as a two-disk steelbook with foldout posters and empassioned, celebratory literature. Expect access codes, campaigns to add artificial arbitrary value to first-source releases (did I coin that?) and finally, urgently, piracy crackdowns. On the films and music of course. Not for artists whose work is brazenly copied and repackaged in the guise of AI generated content.

Like LPs, laserdiscs and VHS tapes, CDs, DVDs and blu-rays will eventually become the focus of a fervent
collectors after market, with conventions, shops, newsletters and documentaries devoted there unto.
Will cloud files? Yeah, probably somehow. I don’t mean to disdain the end of an era in which the use of
resources which aren’t doing the environment any favors faces decline. But I can’t help but cynically
smile a little at how the corporate entertainment industry is shooting itself in the foot.

You can forget this year’s golden yacht trade-in boys! Better luck next year!

Grave New World: The Horrors of The Internet

It’s not a “New World” though. Most users of the internet don’t think of the internet as “new” but rather as a given part of their lives since birth. My (relative) decrepitude affords me a (relatively) unique perspective. I was horror before the internet. I’ll always be horror.

Touching first on social media – as an author I’m supposed to maintain a web presence, and I do. I don’t use Tik Tok, snapchat, or any of the other ethically questionable social sites for obvious reasons. I have an Instagram account which is connected to my facebook which is attached to my twitter so I can (theoretically) make one post across all three and be done for a while. Many horror fans and creators connect via these outlets. Back when Facebook evolved past being something more than a MySpace knock-off, a blue billion similar social sites popped up, many hoping distinguish themselves cornering the market on a single niche, fandom, sport, or subculture — horror included. 

These sites came and went. After all, Facebook made them redundant. Mainstream as it is even posts relating to the most obscure of horror content can reach more users. Zuckerberg’s baby will always have greater reach than any specialty site, several thousand times over.

The good folks over at slasher.tv seem to believe they can succeed where those would-be pioneers failed — but it’s not looking good. Before I start ungratefully scrutinizing that potentially wonderful gift horse’s dental characteristics, let’s talk about Youtube, which I use almost religiously.

There is a LOT of internet horror entertainment content, and even more online media devoted to discussing the genre. Most of the latter content is on Youtube and consists of movie reviews, overviews and lists. Recommendation vids are popular as well, but these can reasonably fall under the umbrella of reviews. 

This world of self-made videos critiquing and analyzing fright flicks consists mostly of, well… unpaid movie watchers. Not film students, not professional film critics, or psychologists, not cinema historians — though there are a few. Nothing wrong with that, anybody is rightfully free to share their opinions about their interests. But it leads me to wonder – and this occurred to me long before the internet and the Land of a Thousand Casual Critics – what is the actual purpose of film/music/book reviewers, professional or otherwise? Personally, I can’t recall the last time I was actually swayed to watch a movie by someone’s review. In fact, I stopped reading reviews before seeing a movie long ago.

“Worst… review… ever.”

I used to love to read the reviews in the local newspaper the Friday of a film release. That was when you had to know something about film to get paid as a critic. At the same time, Fangoria magazine had a regular two-page section devoted to horror book reviews, which I also devoured.

But the average film goer, reader and listener is not trained in these arts, or even how to “appreciate” them. And it makes sense, doesn’t it? It seems absurd — willingly allowing a snooty arbitrarily designated “expert” to dictate to you what to like and why. Entertainment should absolutely be a visceral experience, informed only by one’s mood, experience and interests. 

And that’s whence my questions arise. Those interests and such are not the same, even among any two individuals. If my opinion for hating a movie is because it reminds me of a bad time in my life, well, that doesn’t apply to you. You may like it for opposite reasons, or no considered reason at all. 

One this occurred to me, I started reading reviews AFTER consuming the film or book, just to see if the reviewer saw something I didn’t; or agreed with my opinions. Then, one day I asked myself “well, why should that matter either?” It didn’t. It doesn’t. Logically it’s more enjoyable to consume the art than to talk about it after the fact.

Overwhelmed by this dearth of reviewers, critics and opinionated amateur comedians, I think I’ll just stick with the actual horror entertainment itself, much of which is now consumable in the same smaller portions as the opinion stuff.

SEE THIS MONTH’S NEWSLETTER FOR PART 2: The Resurrection of Analog Horror

FREDDY KRUEGER – ANTI-HERO, ULTRA-VILLAIN

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Sorry Mr. Watterson, but you have to admit it’s better than that whole Calvin peeing on things fiasco.

In an interview for the documentary I Am Nancy, Heather Langenkamp relates a recent occurrence when she phoned Wes Craven, reaching his secretary instead, who asked who she was, how her name was spelled, etc. Though she worked closely with the beloved director, the receptionist had no clue she was speaking to the star of his biggest film and one of the horror genre’s three most famous final girls.

Meanwhile, as Heather and Nancy languish in relative obscurity, Freddy-mania continues unabated at conventions, in collectibles, and as a frequent pop culture reference, decades after the most recent Nightmare film.

Langenkamp laments that audiences practically worship a character designed to be detestable, a perverse child murderer, sadistic torturer of innocents, truly an embodiment of evil. She raises a good question: how did such a reprehensible villain become so beloved? And Freddy’s hardly the only one. Most well-known horror heels have a strong fanbase of admirers.

No one gets more up close and personal with his fans than Freddy.

What Langenkamp possibly doesn’t see is the one vital factor — the distinct yet invisible wall between cinema’s grand internal reality and the much less interesting actual reality. True life murderers such as Jeffrey Dahmer, Ed Gein and Ted Bundy all feature as characters in books and films about their horrific exploits, yet, except in cases of unfortunate and extreme viewers, they are not beloved or admired in the way that Freddy, Michael or even Leatherface are.

Those who suffer crippling insecurity or social anxiety see a man with supreme self-assurance, the will and the ability to do as he wishes with no fear of repercussions and with such ease of mind he can merrily joke, as he asserts his will. “It’s only a movie,” reads the tagline of Craven’s early film Last House on The Left, and viewers can accept this while simultaneously separating out the aspect of Krueger that we must begrudgingly, or even straight-forwardly, respect – his utter commitment, and unswaying belief that he will succeed.

While Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers, similarly beloved and adored horror heavies, are superficially more grounded in reality and yet in many respects, they seem less human than the Devil of Dreamland. They are like robots, more Terminator than Frankenstein, who exist only to fulfill their programming to kill everyone they encounter. They too are completely, intractably assured of their ability to meet their goals. But only by default.

In the dreamworld, Freddy has the limitless power of imagination -his and his victims’- with which to devise his torments. Yet these set pieces are only that, even in the context of their dreams. It’s through psychology — undermining the hapless target’s sense of self, playing with them like a cat with mice, rendering them completely devoid of hope before finishing them off.

You may have, at one time or another, had a friend sneak up behind you, or jump from behind a corner and frighten you, bringing a fleeting yet unforgettable moment of sheer existential terror. Once this initial, perfect frisson has passed and you catch your breath, you will either punish your friend or laugh and express your appreciation, admitting they “got you.”

The film itself is your friend. You’ve entered into an agreement with it to provide you with an experience that is meant to scare you, so you have a chip on your shoulder. “Scary – yeah right. Let’s see you scare me.” When, through a combination of character creation, sleight of hand and various visual elements, the film succeeds, we show our appreciation. “You got me,” we must admit to our friend the film.

Its villain is the face of the film, the persona to whom you show the appreciation meant for its makers or exhibitors. This phenomenon is amplified in a theatre audience, where the shared experience is bonding, unifying, akin to sports fans becoming lifelong friends simply by supporting the same team.

Heather Langenkamp’s point is well-made, that the heroes, or more specifically heroines of our most treasured horror flicks don’t get nearly the outward love they deserve, comparatively. Nevertheless, what they represent is just as crucial, yin to yang, our true north, to whom we will always return after we’ve dipped our toes into the uncertain waters of darkness.

I’m not to attend cons or write fan mail, so — let me just say it here: Ms. Langenkamp, we love Nancy. And we love you. Thank you for your heroism.

Monsterverse Madness: Godzilla’s New Frenemies and a Kaiju-filled Future

Way back in 2014, a little movie called Godzilla arrived in theaters across the country to decent reception. Now unless you’ve been in a coma for the past few decades, even as a casual filmgoer, you’re well aware of the iconic Japanese monster and his long screen history, alongside Mothra, King Ghidorah, Anguirus, etc

You’ll also recall that the road to Hollywood was a long and often disappointing one. There was an aborted 3D stop-motion project and eventually a CGI schlockbuster that didn’t really even feature Godzilla at all, just a generic mutant iguana with the same name. Then the property came to Universal and Legendary.

As a blessing-in-disguise, the 98 film and its vitriolic reception served as a template of what not to do with Godzilla. Legendary remained true to the idea and concept of the atomic monster, with what most consider some reasonable tweaking. Realized via state-of-the art CGI, the mighty king of monsters was presented as larger, more powerful and more realistic than ever before. Given a credible opposition in the form of the Mutos, Godzilla did what he does and disappeared into the sea, suggesting a return.

Flash forward to present day and we have a well-established universe comparable to Marvel or DC that even includes tthat other icon of monsterdom, the first US giant monster and Godzilla’s inspiration — (King) Kong. Toho, Godzilla’s parent company has always been notoriously difficult when it comes to allowing use of other monsters from the franchise, such as Mothra, Rodan. With the success of the 2014 film came an arrangement that provided for exactly that.

Even as the creative team conjures wonderful new additions to the kaiju pantheon they also make use of the towering veterans just as they should, giving them all the power and personality they bore in their Japanese source material. Yet, Legendary’s own new additions to the monsterverse are thus far, compelling in and of themselves with well-considered lore and personalities.

The Mutos from the first film, seemingly designed with Gamera foe Gyaos as inspiration, provide viable opposition and even pathos at times as mates just trying to prepare a place for their brood. Their EMP weapon is a fresh change from the beams and rays of practically every monster since Ghidorah.

With the introduction of Kong in Kong: Skull Island came an entire monstrous ecosystem, as befits the homeland of our mighty ape hero. In addition to the terrifying Skull Crawlers, a race of slithering fiends bent on killing Kong, as well as anything else that looks like a potential snack.

The Sker Buffalo is a more docile creature, not likely to join in the wars waged among the kaiju in future films, but a nice, down-to-earth inclusion in an otherwise wild pantheon.

Mother Longlegs is what you might guess: a giant spider, but with attributes unseen in its smaller kin. At roughly the size of a bus, the lady is, like the Sker Buffalo, not likely to take part in the high-stakes monster warfare. A giant spider seems a given though, considering the long history of outsized arachnids from films past, such as Tarantula!, Earth Versus The Spider, and Eight Legged Freaks. Toho’s universe already has one named Kumonga, who could just as easily enter the monsterverse.

Likewise, Toho monster flicks have a long history of monster octopi presaging the Mire Squid, a slimy nuisance that Kong quickly dispatches… by eating it.

Of these fearsome fauna, only the Skullcrawlers, Kong’s equivalent to the Mutos, have carried over into later media, one serving as a light warm-up for MechaGodzilla in Godzilla vs Kong.

Godzilla King of The Monsters confirms no less than eleven new titans, mostly only in passing. The official novelization gives a little more information, some of these newcomers even receiving their own dedicated scenes. Most are named after mythological characters but a few bear the names of legendary crytpids from around the world. Extensive liberties have been taking with their attributes, the main one being that none of these mysterious beasts have been reported as being hundreds of feet tall.

Most interesting of these are the handful who appear at the climax to pay tribute to the w inner of the Godzilla-Ghidorah face-off. Scylla, named after a mythological sea monster, this creepy-looking creature sports both multiple segmented arachnid-like legs and a face full of tentacles, making for a dangerous opponent to any other monster.

A new Muto, larger and more heavily armored than its predecessors, also drops by. We already know the versatility and combat capacity of the Mutos. Given the more battle-ready appearance of this evolved form.

Behemoth, presumably named after a monster from Jewish scripture, sports an interesting amalgam of elephantine and ape characteristics -massive tusks and long powerful arms- topped off by somewhat saurian, boney back chines. As striking as it looks, it’s hard to imagine this monster being an effective offensive fighter. While the tusks and spine armor offer a near-impenetrable defense, for its soft spots, those same tusks would hinder use of its powerful arms, limiting the towering chimera to ram-like charging attacks, as the points of the tusks curve backward, away from an opponent. This assumes that Behemoth has no beam or projectiles, so perhaps that would be its secret ace card. Possibly the horns could act as a sort of tuning fork, allowing for a powerful sonic offense.

Anguirus, Toho’s second ever movie monster creation, makes an appearance of sorts, in the form of a skeleton, during the scene in which Serizawa traverses the subterranean temple to rejuvenate Godzilla. Apparently, Angy’s remains did not fall under the purview of original kaiju disallowed by Toho. Though it’s a quick shot treated mostly as a kind of throwaway Easter egg, Anguirus’s popularity among western fans suggests a possible future role for the shelled one. It would be cool to see his fight along side his buddy Godzilla again — minus any speech balloons or dubbed cartoon voices, of course. In terms of combat, it seems an obvious upgrade would be to have him launch a few of his back spikes in battle, the way a porcupine flicks its quills.

Although the official novelization makes portrays the barely-glimpsed mountainous Methuselah as a new creation specifically for that film, with a clever bit of retrofitting, Methuselah and Anguirus could turn out to be one and the same.

Moving on to the next entry in the Monsterverse Godzilla vs Kong, we travel with Kong and friends in the earth’s core, where more giants lie in wait. The biggest threat is clearly the Warbats, Roughly matching descriptions of the ancient Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, these creatures are equipped with both wings and long sinewy tails used for constriction. While Kong is demonstrably too powerful for just one, the Warbats seem to travel in groups of three and are aggressive in their attacks, pushing the mega ape to his limits. Should an intelligent force take control of earthly monsters Kilaak-style, the Warbats, along with the Skull Crawlers, would make for a strong advance wave to occupy our guys Kong and Godzilla while more wily King Ghidorah type beasts lay waste to civilization.

Last among the giants of K v G is a creature variously known as HEL (Hollow Earth Lizard) or affectionately among fans simply as Doug. While it appears this beast is little more than a stout crocodile, its brief appearance doesn’t tell us much about it, other than it seems to enjoy snacking on monster crabs

Legendary’s own version of Mechagodzilla proved to be possibly the most powerful monster in the ‘verse, very nearly killing both Kong and Godzilla. Though it was ultimately defeated, as a robot it could easily be rebuilt, a precedent way back in 1975’s Terror of Mechagodzilla. The thought of an upgraded version tailored without the few weaknesses of the first bodes grim for the champions of earth.

As of two weeks ago, Legendary has teased the next entry in the series, and what appears t be its major protagonist as well. Surprisingly, the beast seems to be, like Kong, an ape. In its brief runtime, the teaser suggests the newcomer to be at somewhere the level of humans in terms of intellect, similar to the evolved simians of Planet of The Apes. Some have even conjectured a crossover film. The name and nature of this beast remain a mystery, but it’s a welcome addition to the wonderfully weird pantheon The Monsterverse.

And with that, we’re well on our way to a potential modern day Destroy All Monsters! Bring it on, Legendary.

THIS JUST IN!

Dangerville has just released this video detailing a brand new Monsterverse board game that will feature even more new titans! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsLnXLEhm5I

SELF PUBLISHING: BUT/COUNTERBUT – PART 2: GET OFF MUH LAWN!

PART 2

Writing is a multi-faceted discipline, like carpentry or construction. Even a master carpenter working from blueprints of her or his own design cannot expect to finish a reasonable dwelling without assistance. Assuming the carpenter has single-handedly poured the concrete, wired the electricity, shingled the roof, plumbed the pipes, inserted the windows, all with intentions to live alone, off the grid without utilities or luxuries — there will nonetheless come a time when outsiders must get involved; at the very least, inspectors. 

“I built it muhself! Ain’t it grand?”

Experts trained to scrutinize the many crucial aspects of home construction are the equivalents of the beta readers, office assistants, editors and head publishers whose job is to ensure the dwelling is suitable for a guests. To neglect their safety is to disdain them, just as taking shortcuts around the path proven to improve a written work represents disdain for readers.

Writing should be like carpentry, shouldn’t it? Mostly the work of the writer, with his or her final approval — but nonetheless subject to scrutiny by trained specialists motivated to make the dwelling suitable for habitation.

BUT…

Publishing houses, no matter how large and established, find their staffs stretched to the limit, working overtime and on their own time, to dig their way through daunting mountains of paper in hopes of chancing upon a gem — or at least a stone that is shiny or oddly-shaped enough to be interesting. Self-pubbers are taking fate into their own hands and bypassing the oppressive bureaucracy that likely will leave them buried and unseen for all of time. The stone raises itself up and cries “Behold! I stand as high as the precious minerals, therefore I AM as precious!” Yeah, there is something very punk rock about that. 

BUT…

Natural storytelling talent is a gift, so if you can type, you’re good to go, right? Wrongo! The arts of querying, submitting, bantering with publishers, marketing and relating to readers, showing them genuine appreciation for what they have given you — these are all must-have skill sets for a professional writer, without exception. If you don’t have in mind the ultimate goal of making readers happy you should shut your keyboard and do something else. 

“But Patrick, my handsome friend,” you may patiently and diplomatically assert, “As a self-pubber, I’m never going to query publishers or ageeeennts.”

To that I would ask: “Isn’t your goal to get your writing in front of as many eyes as possible?”

In my research, the most successful self-published authors have some connection to the established publishing world. To remain willfully ignorant of the business as a whole is to set oneself up for failure, and to undermine all authors.

Writing just for yourself is great –but then, why publish at all? Telling people you’re a published author feels wonderful. But now, thanks to self-publishing, practically everyone is a published author, or can be with any random assemblage of letters submitted to amazon, no qualifications needed. Tell me what’s fulfilling about that?

Proudly displayed additions to any self-respecting reader’s trash can

I believe there is room for self and trad pub to co-exist and even complement each other. It’s an aspect of the industry that is here to stay, not just a trend. But it’s new and immature.

As a whole, self-publishing is an uncodified, undisciplined and erratic phenomenon. To elevate it and bolster its legitimacy, self-pubbers must strive to bring that needed discipline and gravitas to their own work. This means bringing one’s best work Multiple re-writes, edits, beta-reads, and facing exposure to merciless criticism are undeniably a part of the whole deal.

So, as a heretofore trad-pubbed author, I am not against the DIY approach. On the contrary, I hope to try my hand at self-pub. Call me a snob — I’m inclined to wait till the luster of novelty dulls for quick cash exploiters and vanity writers.  Self-pub has the potential to become a viable alternative, both creatively and in a business sense, to the established route.

Self-publishing is a freshly cut trail through the brambly wilderness of publication, offering the promise of autonomy — yet still fraught with peril and treachery. Let us explore it with cautious hope – and dedication to perfection.

The article below from The Guardian, presumably by Ros Barber makes some sobering points.

“If you self-publish your book, you are not going to be writing for a living. You are going to be marketing for a living.”

https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/mar/21/for-me-traditional-publishing-means-poverty-but-self-publish-no-way

SELF PUBLISHING – BUT/COUNTERBUT

PART ONE: GET OFF MY LAWN!

Maybe I’m viewing the publishing business through a pessimistic lens lately. It seems to be in a much deeper state of uncertainty than when I started writing, certainly different than just before I was published.

The reason? You’ve probably guessed. Please note — I mean to address both sides of the issue. Stay with me.

I’m troubled by the self-publishing explosion.

Logic dictates that when an industry is suddenly oversaturated with product, overall quality – and reputations – will suffer, It’s not a biased or shocking statement to say that self-pubbed books IN GENERAL lack the quality and polish of their trad-pub counterparts. Some self-pub authors approach their work with nothing less than painstaking, loving care. I know and read a few of them. In my experience – they are the exceptions.

Without the input of editors and publishers motivated to make a book as accessible (yes, marketable) as possible, and a distribution system that filters out less… refined work, publishing becomes less viable as a vocation for those who have dedicated years of their time and energy to perfecting the many facets of this discipline known as writing. 

In short strokes — many self-published authors are simply polluting the market and thereby taking away the income of sincere and professional writers, for the mere sake of satisfying their own vanity. 

Never judge a book by its cover! …unless it’s this one.

BUT…

Like the film industry, the publishing biz has gotten too big. Publishers wield a daunting power over the very writers who make for them a comfortable living. It’s a power like that wielded by dictatorial governments of third world countries. The principals make sure to pad their own pockets before addressing the needs of its lowly citizens.

Self-publishing wrests back some of that power, allowing aspiring writers an avenue to widely release their work, which otherwise, by bad luck or unskilled politicking on the author’s part, would languish at the bottom of some slush pile stacked in an overworked intern’s bedroom corner. 

Besides, not every reader requires their stories to come in slick, demographically conscious packaging, jammed and shaved into a state of perfect obeisance to the antiquated, seemingly arbitrary established boundaries of an industry that is itself growingly obsolete in many ways.

Many – maybe most – of us writers are introverts for whom even email interaction with a publishing representative – let alone the prospect of rejection – is terrifying. As a screenwriter, I was reluctant to write follow up emails or worse, place actual phone calls to even student filmmakers who expressed interest in my work. I’m ashamed to admit that I could be quite sycophantic.

BUT…

NEXT TIME! WHY YOU SHOULD WRITE WITH A HAMMER!

UNDER WICKED SKY: The Road to Publication Part 3: Redemption

RECAP: In its initial form as a screenplay, Under Wicked Sky caught the interest of several indie filmmakers. Among them was a fellow we’re calling Chappie, whose output was questionable at best.

He had financing but sadly, no talent, and accordingly, a resume’ that was less than stellar. Eventually, he lost interest in the script, leaving me, blessedly, to examine other options.

A local producer/director friend, different from the zombie filmmaker, made some overtures toward taking it on. We had worked together in the past, and by “worked together” I mean I had written at least four scripts for him for “backend points” (translation: no pay) which either he lost interest in, or, like my boy Chappie – he was just fucking with me. That’s on me.

If I may step up on a soap box for a moment–

Whether in screenwriting or publication, don’t let this happen to you. Set yourself a set of rules for your involvement that benefit you enough for any unexpected hassles to be worth your time — and STICK BY THEM. No deal is worth more than your energy and well-being.

Back to Screwjob #2: More months and drafts were wasted, until I effectively severed that relationship as well. SOL eventually found its way to a reputable – if budgetarily-limited – producer in Louisiana. He put it on his slate and announced it online. Then — months and months of more nothing. Said Louisianian was operating under the same struggling economy as the rest of us, 99 percenters. The entry remains on iMDB as of this writing. 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8846346/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_7

By this point I had largely gravitated to prose fiction. My experience with converting the Progeny screenplay (there’s another harrowing tale of Hollywood skullduggery) and having it published was the opposite of all my cynical expectations, and all my dealings with the film world. In other words — an absolute joy. I felt like SOL/UWS also had a better shot as a novel than a straight-to-vid, drop in the bucket, B feature. I went back to my original draft, tossing away any and every minute influence Chappie had contributed.

I deleted all that normie-ass horseshit straight to oblivion. And it felt amazing.

Sure enough, Sky garnered interest from publishers almost instantly. It wound up on the publication slate of a decent-sized up and coming pub house. Then — Covid 19. 

We’ve all had to make sacrifices.

The pandemic claimed this publishing company, as it did so many others, leaving Sky once again in limbo. By now, all of the previous script deals that were once in some stage of development had also failed. Nearly a dozen projects. I had an endless paper trail of broken promises, lies and if I’m honest, incidents of me humiliating myself for the sake of moving something forward, just the littlest bit. On the other, better hand, I found publishers, magazines, and book blogs incredibly receptive. It was exactly what I needed. 

I reached out to some author friends for help finding a good fit for my baby. The amazing and infinitely kind Jude Matulich-Hall, author of fantasy epic The Everstream Chronicles (find it here) gave me a name. Within thirty-six hours, Sky had its new home, with no less than Reven Tale Press, a wonderfully author-friendly imprint characterized by consummate professionalism and quick turnaround. 

No bullshit.

So, there you have it. The story of a story, how and why it came to be.

Is there a lesson here? Certainly, for me. For other authors? Well, it could be construed as a warning against the deceitful and despair-inducing black hole of screenwriting, but truth is, I know quite a few screenwriters who immediately hit with pure success, got rich their first time out, and now write movies and enjoy the lavish lifestyle one might expect. I guess the real lesson was best stated, ironically, by acclaimed screenwriter William Goldman — “Nobody knows anything.”

But there’s another quote, a more pro-active one, that also keeps me going: “Be like water. Adapt and bend,” – Bruce Lee

Buy Under Wicked Sky right here.

UNDER WICKED SKY — THE ROAD TO PUBLICATION PART 2: The Lies and Horrors of “Hollywood Interest”

Last time, we covered Under Wicked Sky’s origin as a screenplay, interest by an indie filmmaker, and my mistaken decision to try and bring it to mainstream Hollywood...

Now, I had been through much of this with earlier screenplays, one of which was in play at the same time. I understood there is a good bit of uncertainty in the business. Dishonesty and deceitfulness too. Despite this caution and cynicism, I did not expect that literally every step of every single script deal would be fraught with some such chicanery.

I soon heard from a director/producer – let’s just call him Chappie – who was toiling in the reality TV industry — Bridezillas and such. That should have been warning enough, but I was anxious just to get something produced at that point. I signed an option (and received actual money!) then waited for notes. You see virtually every screenplay gets a re-write, with input from directors, producers, and in many cases, distantly-connected outliers who have no business calling creative shots on so much as a birthday card. Chappie and a handful of his chums all wanted creative input. A lot of it.

Bridezillas: TV for people who hate TV — and want to continue doing so.

Chappie’s rationale for these changes was to make the story more mainstream — more action-oriented, less horror — and thus more attractive to the money people. C list names were bandied about (the mention of A list action star Jason Statham, interestingly, was met with derision) and the characters were to become not just more diversified (I had already made sure to create characters of various ethnicities and backgrounds) but of course — younger.

You could have starred in my awesome movie. Jason. You can beat up your countryman “Chappie” for ruining it!

Guns were to be introduced. I had intentionally written the narrative to be gunless, not only for the sake of more intimate violence but also to separate it from the countless generic action thrillers already clogging the market. There were other pointless, arbitrary changes that added nothing I could see. But I was getting paid, and soon, it seemed, produced!

For whatever reason, Sky, then called S.O.L., was backburnered by my frustratingly – uncommunicative senior producing partner Chappie. I spent the better part of two years waiting to learn what would be next. More notes came, taking the script in directions that were not only wildly different but counterintuitive. I really started to ask myself — “Is this guy fucking with me?” 

“For I am legion, and you will all suffer unto me by the power of my minions.”

Adjustments made, I cashed my option check (a lower rate than the industry standard by quite a longshot – but worth it to me, if it meant having a film credit) and I waited some more. And some more. And some more. I called and emailed. 

Nothing.

Checking to see if my Hollywood friends had perhaps overdosed or been caught embezzling, I checked the appropriate iMdb entries and learned that friend Chappie had previously directed a horror movie, something he had never mentioned to me. I got my hands on said movie. Speaking charitably, it was absolute garbage.

Sometimes, “uncut” just means “even shittier than before.”

What to do? I could sell out and wait to see if he offered another option, or even a buyout, and hope one of my other projects in the pipeline would cancel out the stench of my connection to Chappie.

NEXT WEEK: More Film World Treachery! Then – Redemption.

UNDER WICKED SKY is Here! How it Came to Be.

My latest novel, Under Wicked Sky, has just hit the market like a battering ram made from a cannibalized car door! 

It feels strange to call it my “latest”, though, given the long and excruciating process of conception to completion to release, and the many works I’ve written since.

It’s not unusual for a novel to take many forms and directions en route to completion – much less release – but had I known Sky would have to endure these trails and trials… well, I would have written it anyway. Point is, creating is not always an A to B process. If you care for a peek inside the heartaches and headrushes of writing — stay with me. But I warn you, it is not always an inspiring story. 

Under Wicked Sky, like my debut novel Progeny, began its troubled existence as a screenplay.  In an effort to give myself an opening for my TRUE ambition, which was to become a film actor. 

But that’s for later. 

Couched in my youthful ambition was a compulsion to send a message of some kind. With the controversy of global warming just beginning to rear its catastrophic head in earnest, it occurred to me that when this thing really gets going, it’s going to change everything. And not just a little. Folks get cranky when they’re hot. Murder rates rise. Police forces are stretched to their limits. People die just from the heat itself as well. Even if you don’t believe global warming is real, it’s not hard to imagine a debilitating heat like the kind depicted in Under Wicked Sky.

The Carlisle Inn, Sky‘s main setting, is a well-appointed bed and breakfast with high tech air conditioning called Cold-Con, designed specifically to deal with the new crisis. Naturally, people are going to want access to this luxurious cool, and those who are inside are going to fight to protect their shelter. Supply lines cease to flow. Law breaks down. Civilization begins to crumble. Next thing you know — cannibals.

Similar peril would befall the tale itself in its damned and damnable voyage. I began submitting the script here and there, and immediately garnered some interest, though none of these early leads panned out. Then I was cast in an independent zombie film titled One Last Sunset. You can watch it on Amazon:

Zombie extras recreate the big dance scene from Thriller on the set of One Last Sunset. Not even joking.

Producer and director Kevin Richmond expressed interest in the script. He had a long way to go with his zombie feature and not a lot of money to work with, and I’m not a very patient guy. In time, no doubt, he would have gotten it done. However, I chose to continue submitting the script.

and I’m not a very patient guy. In time, no doubt, he would have gotten it done. However, I chose to continue submitting the script. 

And there was no lack of interest. But my lust for Hollywood credibility would bury it alive.

Here I am re-killing The Walking Dead’s Addy Miller, on the set of One Last Sunset.

Here I am re-killing The Walking Dead’s Addy Miller, on the set of One Last Sunset.

Check here next week for the next thrilling installment — THE ADVENT OF CHAPPIE: HOW TO GASLIGHT A SCREENPLAY!

Purchase Under Wicked Sky here.

A JOURNEY TO DYSTOPIA

My latest novel, Under Wicked Sky, has just hit the market like a battering ram made from a cannibalized car door! 

It feels strange to call it my “latest”, though, given the long and excruciating process of conception to completion to release, and the many works I’ve written since.

It’s not unusual for a novel to take many forms and directions, en route to completion – much less release – but had I known Sky would endure these trails and trials… well, I would have written it anyway. Point is, creating is not always an A to B process. If you care for a peek inside the heartaches and headrushes of writing — stay with me. But I warn you, it is not always an inspiring story. 

Under Wicked Sky, like my debut novel Progeny, began its troubled existence as a screenplay.  In an effort to give myself an opening for my TRUE ambition, which was to become a film actor. 

From Bell Witch: The Movie

But that’s for later. 

Couched in my youthful ambition was a compulsion to send a message of some kind. With the controversy of global warming just beginning to rear its catastrophic head in earnest, it occurred to me that when this thing really gets going, it’s going to change everything. And not just a little. Folks get cranky when they’re hot. Murder rates rise. Police forces are stretched to their limits. People die just from the heat itself as well. Even if you don’t believe global warming is real, it’s not hard to imagine a debilitating heat like the kind depicted in Sky.

Not every graphic needs a caption, dammit.

The Carlisle Inn, Sky‘s main setting, is a well-appointed bed and breakfast with high tech air conditioning called Cold-Con, designed specifically to deal with the new crisis. Naturally, people are going to want access to this luxurious cool, and those who are inside are going to fight to protect their shelter. Supply lines cease to flow. Law breaks down. Civilization begins to crumble. Next thing you know — cannibals.

Similar peril would befall the tale itself in its damned and damnable voyage. I began submitting the script here and there, and immediately garnered some interest, though none of these early leads panned out. Then I was cast in an independent zombie film titled One Last Sunset, whose producer and director expressed interest in the script. He had a long way to go with his zombie feature and not a lot of money to work with, and I’m not a very patient guy. In time, no doubt, he would have gotten it done. However, I chose to continue submitting the script. 

With The Walking Dead’s Addy Miller, on the set of One Last Sunset.

Now, I had been through much of this with earlier screenplays, one of which was in play at the same time. I understood there is a good bit of uncertainty in the business. Dishonesty and deceitfulness too. Despite this caution and cynicism, I did not expect that literally every step of every single script deal would be fraught with some such chicanery.

I soon heard from a director/producer – let’s just call him Chappie – who was toiling in the reality TV industry — Bridezillas and such. That should have been warning enough, but I was anxious just to get something produced at that point. I signed an option (and received actual money!) then waited for notes. You see virtually every screenplay gets a re-write, with input from directors, producers, and in many cases, distantly – connected outliers who have no business calling creative shots on so much as a birthday card. Chappie and a handful of his chums all wanted creative input. A lot of it.

TV for people who hate TV — and want to continue doing so.

Chappie’s rationale for these changes was to make the story more mainstream — more action-oriented, less horror — and thus more attractive to the money people. C list names were bandied about (the mention of A list action star Jason Statham, interestingly, was met with derision) and the characters were to become not just more diversified (I had already made sure to create characters of various ethnicities and backgrounds) but of course — younger.

Guns were to be introduced. I had intentionally written the narrative to be gunless, not only for the sake of more intimate violence but also to separate it from the countless generic action thrillers already clogging the market. There were other pointless, arbitrary changes that added nothing I could see. But I was getting paid, and soon, it seemed, produced!

For whatever reason, Sky, then called S.O.L., was apparntly backburnered by my frustratingly – uncommunicative senior producing partner Chappie. I spent the better part of two years waiting to learn what would be next. More notes came, taking the script in directions that were not only wildly different but counterintuitive. I really started to ask myself — “Is this guy fucking with me?” 

Adjustments made, I cashed my option check (a lower rate than the industry standard by quite a longshot – but worth it to me, if it meant having a film credit) and I waited some more. And some more. And some more. I called and emailed. 

Nothing.

Checking to see if my Hollywood friends had perhaps overdosed or been caught embezzling, I checked the appropriate iMdb entries and learned that friend Chappie had previously directed a horror movie, something he had never mentioned to me. I got my hands on said movie. Speaking charitably, it was absolute garbage.

What to do? I could sell out and wait to see if he offered another option, or even a buyout, and hope one of my other projects in the pipeline would cancel out the stench of my connection to Chappie.

A local producer/director friend, different from the zombie filmmaker, made some overtures toward taking it on. This was after I had written at least four scripts for him for “backend points” (translation: no pay) which he either lost interest in, or, like my boy Chappie – he was just fucking with me. 

Either way, more months and drafts were wasted, until SOL eventually found its way to a reputable – if budgetarily-limited – producer in Louisiana. He put it on his slate and announced it online. Then — months and months of nothing. That link remains on iMDB as of this writing. 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8846346/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_7

By this point I had largely gravitated to prose fiction. My experience with converting the Progeny screenplay (there’s another harrowing tale of Hollywood skullduggery) and having it published was the opposite of all my expectations, and all my dealings with the film world. In other words — an absolute joy. I felt like Sky also had a better shot as a novel than a straight-to-vid, drop in the movie bucket. I went back to my original draft, tossing away any and every minute influence Chappie had contributed.

I deleted all that normie-ass horseshit straight to oblivion. And it felt amazing.

Sure enough, Sky garnered interest from publishers almost instantly. It wound up on the publication slate of a decent-sized up and coming pub house. Then — Covid 19. 

We’ve all had to make sacrifices.

The pandemic claimed this publishing company, as it did so many others, leaving Sky once again in limbo. By now, all of the previous script deals that were once in some stage of development had also failed. Nearly a dozen projects. I had an endless paper trail of broken promises, lies and if I’m honest, incidents of me humiliating myself for the sake of moving something forward, just the littlest bit. On the other, better hand, I found publishers, magazines, and book blogs incredibly receptive. It was exactly what I needed. 

I reached out to some author friends for help finding a good fit for my baby. The amazing and infinitely kind Jude Matulich-Hall, author of fantasy epic The Everstream Chronicles (find it here:

https://www.amazon.com/Eversteam-Chronicles-Jude-Matulich-Hall/dp/B09KNGFZ84/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2LE6MDFT92BW6&keywords=jude+matulich-hall&qid=1644709583&sprefix=jude+matulich%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-1 )

gave me a name. Within thirty-six hours, Sky had its new home, with no less than Reven Tale Press, a wonderfully author-friendly imprint characterized by consummate professionalism and quick turnaround. 

No bullshit.

So, there you have it. The story of a story, how and why it came to be.

Is there a lesson here? Certainly, for me. For other authors? Well, it could be construed as a warning against the deceitful and despair-inducing black hole of screenwriting, but truth is, I know quite a few screenwriters who immediately hit with pure success, got rich their first time out, and now write movies and enjoy the lavish lifestyle one might expect. I guess the real lesson was best stated, ironically, by acclaimed screenwriter William Goldman — “Nobody knows anything.”

But there’s another quote, a more pro-active one, that also keeps me going: “Be like water. Adapt and bend,” Bruce Lee

And now — the official world premiere of the book trailer for Under Wicked Sky…