Pitches, Scribbles & Rants

Moving This Blog to Obstikil Dillusion (a new Blogger Blog)

2007-02-05T19:05:00.000-08:00

Anyone interested in following my escapades, please move the link over to my new Google blogspot blog:

http://obstikildillusion.blogspot.com/

Believe me, there is a lot to catch up on, too!!

Tom Carroll

My CafePress Online Store is Open for Business

2006-12-04T14:57:00.000-08:00

Just a note about two of my works being available in T-shirt, mug, and mousepad form. The Gun Nose character and my Dread Naught poster are now available in numerous forms at the following place: CafePress/TomCarrollArt.

Please take a look at what's available, but more importantly, if you have feedback about these items, I would love to know what it is. Simply send me an email or pick up the phone.

I'd like to make this store as easy to use as can be.

"I Am Sorry" (New Song from Mark DeCerbo and Tom Carroll (me!)

2006-12-01T16:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to the latest song from Mark DeCerbo. I prepared a cartoon to go with the song. Here it is. The song is played from my Web comic at Drunk Duck called "Twonks and Plonkers."

Enjoy!

I've Begun A New, High Profile Web Comic

2006-11-22T13:44:00.000-08:00

No reason to get into why, but I've started a Web comics site called Twonks & Plonkers. All the content is family friendly, but kind of whack (like me!!). Go there, check it out, start your own Web comic thing if you're so moved.

So far, comics have had to do with Teapots shaped like viscera, ramen, retaking the House and Senate, OJ Simpson, Zorro's mask, and someone with a satellite orbiting his head ...

I've begun working on another, more serious Web comic called Dread Naught ... so far, just foundation work, but new pages posting in another week or so ...

A new post every weekday.

Have fun!

Lyrics for "The Neo Conservative Blues ..."

2006-11-08T22:31:00.000-08:00

THE NEO CONSERVATIVE BLUES

I’m redder than any red state
Most folks say it really shows
That makes it a lot easier
To have a gun for a nose!

I got those neo conservative blues.
I got the neo conservative blues ...
From the top of my head on down to the tips
The tips of my blue suede shoes.

I assembled my agenda,
But it doesn't really matter,
'Cause after November 7th,
I'm as mad as a hatter ...

I got those neo conservative blues.
I got the neo conservative blues ...
From the top of my head on down to the tips
The tips of my blue suede shoes.

We've lost the House and the Senate,
And then there's Nancy Pelosi,
She's not exactly the kind of gal,
With which I can get very cozy ...

I got those neo conservative blues.
I got the neo conservative blues ...
And the way things are going ... well ... my blue suede shoes ... will have to be an extra deep shade ... of ... blue ...

New Eggplant King: pretty much finished

2006-10-24T07:38:00.000-07:00

Here he is in all his finerey ... better face lighting and shape, great "Eggplant o'lantern," etc. Comments welcome!

Update on Environment I'm Designing

2006-10-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a compilation picture of an environment I'm putting together. The next step is to establish some distant objects in the empty background segment and to also focus on a single lighting source: the central bio-chamber. The other sources will then provide secondary light for smaller segments of the picture. Lots of fun to make this one. Look back for an update in a week or so.

Introducing: The Eggplant King!!

2006-10-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

He is a new Halloween character, the Eggplant King, and he is dedicated to elevating the humble eggplant to pumpkinesque status. And now he is holding the eggplant o'lantern that defines his personna.

Look for new updates on the Eggplant King's portrait in this space. They'll appear every day or so until he is finished.

You Heard It Here First: TIM ALLEN is IRON MAN

2006-09-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

Oh, sure ... Robert Downey Jr. has been cast in the role, but how about this for a good look?

Call John Favreau ... vote now, vote often.

New Pumpkin Art Post

2006-09-13T21:26:00.000-07:00

Here is more of the finished illustration ... Take a peek. Feedback welcome!!!

First Iteration: Color on Halloween Pic

2006-09-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

For your edification, SD Pets, as I work on this one ... This is basically a color block out so I can work on the way the piece reads. I dropped in the lens flare eyes and smouldering smoke at the last moment and I'm not sure it's working as well as I'd like it to.

More as it goes along ...

New S.D. Pets Magazine B&W Comps

2006-09-10T01:03:00.000-07:00

Here are two drawings for possible illustrations for my San Diego Pets magazine article about safeguarding your pets during Halloween ... Wendy & Co.: take a look at these (one is more horizontal, the other vertical; I will try to do another that has a different slant entirely) and email me with your collective thoughts. I should try to include either an armadillo and/or a python in the drawing, but maybe not ... heh heh.

Looking To Get Back Into ComputorEdge Covers

2006-08-28T00:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a cover sample that I believe the art director at ComputorEdge will see today (along with some other pieces) ... When the publication first started waaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the day, I did the very first cover and continued in that role for a couple of years. I figure it's time to see how my art skills stack up in today's market ... Post your opinions, all ye bloggers!!!

Didja Wonder What The Fish Tank Illo Was Used For?

2006-08-28T00:15:00.000-07:00

It became an illustration for an article I wrote for San Diego Pets magazine and it was published in the July issue. Here's a peek at the top of the finished, published piece (thanks to the magazine's editor, Wendy Perkins).

New Post! (It's been a while...)

2006-08-28T00:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a new crazy person sketch ... made up listening to Forth Radio One on the Internet.

More posts every day from here on out!

Alex Tra-Beak...

2006-08-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

Last Few Sketches from Scotland Trip

2006-08-06T16:22:00.000-07:00

Three more ... The last one ... "The Happy Hippy" I did on the flight home because my daughter said none of my characters ever looked happy ...

Sketches Over Scotland

2006-08-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

Greetings, everyone.

Here are some of the sketches that resulted from the Scotland trip ... I tried for about one a day, so what I did had to fit around mountain climing (Stac Pollaidh, est. 2000 feet tall), hill walking, a ferry boat trip, beach jaunts, etc. BTW: the weather was in the balmy mid-80s and only two days had any rain. Scotland! The vacation paradise!!

Check out the blog for the Tuesday Art Group (another blog I contribute to) for some other sketches ...

Feedback always welcome.

Off To Scotland!!

2006-07-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

Land of golf, single malts, Haggis, and BBC One (not necessarily in that order). I'll check back again on August 6th, or so.

;-)

Four Views Of A Gas Mask Figure

2006-07-17T23:29:00.000-07:00

More play. Play is fun. More play is more fun, exponentially ... ;-)

Colored Fish Tank

2006-07-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

Here is the same illustration, but colors courtesy of Painter and Photoshop.

Fishtank Picture Sample

2006-07-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

This is a rough, 10-minute sample illustration for a publication. It's something that could serve as the basis for a finished illustration, either color or black and white.

Face from the Crowd

2006-07-07T08:04:00.000-07:00

Here is another sample of random face generation, this time while Nathaniel played in the tubes at McDonalds in Escondido ... Fitting art into the strangest moments ... ;-)

Posting of Original Art: Mr. Mustard from "The Transdimensioners"

2006-06-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the influential characters from a new novel called "The Transdimensioners."

Enjoy.

Off to a Gnomon Workstop Weekend ...

2006-06-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while ... It's been busy, busy, busy!!

This weekend I'm off with others from Rockstar to a Gnomon Weekend full of art demonstrations, 3D modeling tips, and other good stuff. Look down below to see the flier that Gnomon put out (thanks, Chris Deboda, for the heads up), just so anyone who is interested in seeing what I'll be seeing can check it out ... (go waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below my links and stuff ... the e-flier is wide, so it gets run over by the text on the blog ...).

Reports to follow on Monday and scans of art I create in peaceful hours spent in the hotel after the workshop ...

My Commencement Speech to Art Institute Grads

2006-06-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon everyone.

The five minutes I have to address you is not very long … it’s probably easier to make a bad impression in five minutes than it is to make a good one. However, I’ll try to hit my marks, not run over my time limit, and impart something to all of you that is equally important regardless of your course of study.

And what is that, you might ask? Without sounding trite or overly simplistic, that would be three keys to success in your future endeavors.

The first is: start strong and don’t give up.

The second is: do not be afraid to make mistakes.

The third is: follow your dream.

The first two keys go extremely well together. People who start strong often make mistakes because often they are venturing into undiscovered territory which encourages mistake making. That’s where “don’t give up” comes in. By not giving up … by believing in yourself, you will continue on, long past the logical point where naysayers and you own self doubt would cause you to give up. The last key, “follow your dream,” is possibly the most important, because it provides you with a compass heading or direction of travel and also a valid means of determining whether your strong start and determination are getting you where you want to go.

Naturally, I have a favorite anecdote to illustrate these three keys to success. It involves two men, Joshua Cohen and Conrad Hubert. Not necessarily household names … let’s see a show of hands of anyone who knows these two men… I thought not.

The year is 1898. Cohen was an inventor, but not a very good one. He invented an electric fan, but the motor turned too slowly and the resulting fans weren’t much of a hit. He also invented something called an Electric Flower Pot which was quite literally just a ceramic flower pot that contained an electric light that poked up out of the dirt and illuminated the plants from inside. Clever, especially for 1898, but it didn’t sell well either. Because he thought it was going to be the next big thing, Cohen made a bunch of them and was stuck with a warehouse full of product that he couldn’t move.

Enter Hubert, a 35 year old Russian immigrant and Cohen’s assistant at the time. Hubert offered to take the overstock off of Cohen’s hands and Cohen was took him up on it in an instant. As bright as the light in the Electric Flower Pot, Hubert threw the pots away, sealed the open end of the light’s tube with a cap and remarketed the resulting device as the Electric Hand Torch. In a brilliant move, he offered a number of the hand torches to the New York City Police Department and before long everyone was asking where they could get one.

Time passes, more inventions follow and Hubert and his new partner David Misell build up an empire out of their battery company … you may have heard of it: the Ever Ready Battery Company. Upon his death, Hubert was able to realize one of his dreams by bequeathing millions of dollars to charity.

However, please don’t feel too bad about the lead character in this story… Joshua Cohen. When we last visited him, he had unloaded a warehouse of product for pennies on the dollar and was still stuck with hundreds of slow electric motors that weren’t much good for anything. But he too had a brilliant idea. He installed a motor in a scale model of a locomotive and began marketing these “electric trains” to children and parents across the country. Still don’t know Joshua Cohen? His middle name was Lionel and that was the name he gave to his most enduring enterprise: The Lionel Train Company.

While there are other characters that may embody my three keys to success just as well and other stories that are equally engaging, I think this story has an enduring charm that makes it worth telling over and over.

Start strong and don’t give up.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

And follow your dream.

Thank you for your time, and good luck living your own success stories.

New Tom Carroll Online Art Gallery Open

2006-06-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

Through my new connection with the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators I just became aware of something called www.warmtoastcafe. com. It is an online art gallery host. Right now I simply opened a gallery to hold new artwork I create. In the near future, I will begin to segregate these into galleries that are project specific (i.e.: Privateer, Hero Worship, etc.).

For now, visit Warm Toast Cafe, and specifically my growing gallery at:

http://www.warmtoastcafe.com/art/xxtomcarrollxx/

Submarine Design

2006-06-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

What it is. More complete soon.

Something Is Wrong With This Picture

2006-05-31T09:34:00.000-07:00

The world is going to hell in a handbasket when Delta's airline pilots are taking a 14 percent pay cut to save the airline $280 million cut while the chief executives of America's 500 biggest companies received an aggregate 6% pay raise last year, which pales in comparison to their 54% pay raise in 2004. In total, America’s top executives earned a healthy $5.4 billion last year.

Don't know about you, but I'd rather cut that CEO's salary in order to make sure the pilot of my plane is a happy camper...

Tuesday News: Cold Fusion In Mail To CAA

2006-05-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone.

Finally, after many rewrites and much organization, the package to Creative Artists Agency (CAA) is in the mail. They will review it and (hopefully) pass it along to their client, Alan Cumming. The kit contains a cover letter, two-page pitch document, three of Salsa Celtica's CD releases, and a signed release statement protecting CAA from any lawsuits I might file (which would never happen).

I am approaching Alan Cumming because of his long track record of success as an actor, writer, director and producer ... and because he is rabidly Scots -- very important to this project.

Keep your fingers crossed. I'll keep y'all posted on results when they come back.

Update on "Privateer" picture

2006-05-23T22:15:00.000-07:00

Here is an update on a picture I did last month. Basically, it needed more middleground and background ... and more rigorous use of single point perspective to establish such ...

While this isn't finished ... the Osprey is placeholder until I design my Pirate cargohauler, it is an update that's worth seeing ...

aaa

2006-05-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

Let The Submissions Begin

2006-05-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

The cofferdams have broken and it's time to start submitting finished things so other people can have them, evaluate them, and provide feedback.

So, here is the proof of monster activity: A Simple Little Christmas ... my first musical play is ready for submission. Above is a photo of the kit that was mailed out this morning to Eldridge Publishing. There is a black and white copy of the entire play, a cover letter and SASE, along with two data disks, one that is a self-playing .MP3 version of all the original songs, the other a data disk that has those songs in .wav and .MP3 format, plus the entire play in electronic form (inlcuding color appendices to help with the play's staging, etc.).

The evaluation process takes about two months, but I think the kit looks reasonably professional. Keep "the little play that could" in your prayers.

On to the Salsa Celtica submission (in its final stages) and then to the work with Roger Robinson (I know, Rog ... it's coming!!).

More info as it happens!!

Sunday Post: After The Tempest That Last Week Was ...

2006-05-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

... maybe this week will be calmer.

Hah!

E3 ... Just what can I say about E3? it should tell you a lot that the two best things I saw there were new controllers from a company called Split Fish and a device that plugs into your USB slot so you can keep your can of soda cold while you're killing yourself playing Worlds of Warcraft 24/7... The games? They're all pretty much new dresses on old pigs. E3 has become the industry's annual hullabaloo dedicated to shunning anything showing the slightest spark or even a hint of freshness.

On Saturday I attended my first meeting of the new group I joined: the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators. The topic was pitching to editors of children's books. Anyone who has been following my life these past three years knows that pitching is as essential to me as breathing air. The talk was informative, but children's book editors are very much like other editors (and producers and agents): they want to understand (and to know that you understand) the core concept of your story in a single sentence. If they can grasp it and feel that it is compelling, they'll listen to more. So simple to say, so hard to do.

I'll post pictures of the two kits leaving this week for CAA (Cold Fusion) and Eldridge Publishing (A Simple Little Christmas). They're both almost finished.

Read/Listen/Watch

2006-05-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

READ:

DICK JUDE - Fantasy Art Masters
HARRY HARRISON - Bill, The Galactic Hero
HARRY HARRISON - Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers

LISTEN:

THE TUBES - Remote Control
PREFAB SPROUT - Andromeda Heights
SPARKS - Angst In My Pants
TALKING HEADS - Speaking In Tongues
BASIA - London Warsaw New York
ALAN PARSONS PROJECT - Try Anything Once

WATCH:

The Techniques of James Clyne, Volume 2: Rendering a Cinematic Environment (Gnomon Workshop)
The Incredibles (Brad Bird) - 2004
War of the Worlds (Stephen Spielberg) - 2005

Wednesday Update on CAA Efforts

2006-05-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

Projects Progress. It's the natural order of things ...

Here are specifics:

COLD FUSION: The Submission Release Agreement arrived by fax from Creative Artists Agency. After many misfires with them, I called today with the goal of not hanging up until they agreed to email or fax the pages to me. What to my surprise, however, the assistant I have been dealing with actually admitted to not sending out the follow on packet that I requested after I never received the first. Wonder upon wonders; you could have knocked me over with a feather. So, I now have the agreement in my hot little hands and will be submitting Cold Fusion to them post haste.

A VERY SIMPLE CHRISTMAS: David Lewis needs to finish up some last minute edits on the score for the songs in A Very Simple Christmas. Everything else is finished and I just need to stop by Kinkos to print out the color pages prior to putting it all in an envelope and mailing it off.

HERO WORSHIP: The final chapters of Hero Worship are also being cobbled together and edited. That project may be cleared for takeoff within another two weeks. I need to make up some superhero artwork to accompany the submission, but will do that in conjunction with the Tuesday Art Group (and my own company's Creative Session on the 24th of this month...).

More on other stuff as it rolls in.

Sports Art Sample

2006-04-28T22:59:00.000-07:00

Posting this primarily for Jenny's edification. Post back, Jenooshki. Life is for learning!!

Read/Listen/Watch

2006-04-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

READ:

Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

LISTEN:

Tom Carroll - A Simple Little Christmas (Original Cast Recording)
(If anyone wants to sample the three original tracks based on the same melody, email me; I'll send 'em by email ...).

WATCH:

Scrubs - Season 3 (TV DVD)

First Peek at "Privateer."

2006-04-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a post I sent out yesterday to the Tuesday Art Group for their edification. It is a piece of artwork I painted digitally for today's Creative Session where I work ... It will become the foundation piece for visuals I create for a project I'm currently calling "Privateer" that puts the reader/viewer/player in the persona of a government official who is secretly also a poacher and smuggler of alien creatures, biological products, technologies, and such (anything that will turn a profit). His goal is to get as much as he can out of the planet he's working on while walking a delicate tightrope between Eco-Rangers, other poachers, and the planet's lone sentient species. Only later does he uncover a terrible secret that could undermine everything he is doing, both good and bad.

Feedback? It's welcome!!

If The Premise Is Smuggling ...

2006-04-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

Here are a few ideas I've had for a novel that has to do with the world of smuggling:

#1: Bajadores – There is the cop, there is the smuggler, and then there is you: one of the Bajadores – the “rip-off crews.” The smuggler and the Federale are easy pickings for you because you make your own rules. Assault, kidnapping and extortion, it’s all one and the same. In the open world of Bajadores, you are a thief among robbers and the baddest of the bad guys. Patrolling the corridor between Rojo Gordo, Mexico, and El Phenix, Arizona, you try to make a buck any way you can. Force smugglers off the road and take their cargo? Si, mi amigo! Take down the Border Patrol and make off with their car and weapons? Muy bueno! Be sure to shake off pursuit as you make your way back to your base or hook up with your fence. Naturalmente… For the Bajadores, it’s all in a day’s work. However, payback can be swift, mi hermano, so trust no one, and watch your back!

#2: BlackBury – From modest beginnings as a tobacco smuggler in the South Ossetia district of the Georgian Republic, Nodar “Natch” Nachkebia uses his English language skills, street smarts, and dependable car to move up quickly within the organization. By successfully trafficking weapons, drugs, radioactive material, and influential refugees, he makes his way to South Africa, Amsterdam, and finally to Washington, DC, where he helps deliver the final pieces necessary for a global crime cartel to finish deploying a cell phone sized nuclear weapon code named: “Blackbury.” Only during his final few deliveries does he piece together that the cartel is really a secret faction within the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, one with clandestine backing from the Oval Office. The final mission is to smuggle the Blackbury device itself… but where, and to whom?

#3: Río Sangre – In an open world similar to GTA: San Andreas, an ambitious criminal rises within the ranks of the most notorious Mexican gangs as they use every means at their disposal to open the pipeline for illegal immigration, and trafficking in drugs, currency, and weapons. Principle gameplay is driving/racing, but there are other gameplay mechanics, too. A final, massive confrontation takes place in the sleepy Calzona border town of Río Sangre.

#4: Border Wars – In a world that’s combines a little Midnight Club 3-style vehicle customization with the open environment of Red Dead Revolver 2, a top driver within the Mexican mafia uses diverse vehicles to deliver drugs, currency, weapons, and high-tech gear to various groups across the border between the US and Mexico while staying one step ahead of the Federales, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and even rival gangs. Communications and high tech gear play a major role in his ability to stay one step ahead.

Monday P.M.: The Updates

2006-04-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

Got a call last Saturday from Roger Robinson. He is doing well and I committed to get him some finished pitch docs by the end of today (I'd better get off the blog, hadn't I?). One is about a nonce shy of done; the other needs work.

Yesterday's recording session at Trinity Episcopal Church in Escondido netted three serviceable vocal/piano tracks to support the publishing of "A Simple Little Christmas." Many thanks to Jeff Witcher for separating them into different files and performing some cleanup duties. This week the package will be off to Eldridge Publishing.

On the way to pick up the kids this afternoon (my favorite time for business calls) I phoned Mark DeCerbo and made sure that he knew I would be sending through a finished pitch for "Love Unclassified". I'll also be sending him some loglines and synopsis paragraphs so he can see if anything else strikes sparks.

Still nothing in the mail from CAA (re: Alan Cummings and the Salsa Celtica project). Hope springs eternal; perhaps I'll be chalking it up to agency inefficiency. Smile!!

More as it happens.

This week's Read/Listen/View Has Been ...

2006-04-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

READ:

Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian Or The Evening Redness in the West
Wayne Barlow - EXPEDITION

LISTEN:

Trees (Dane Conover) - Sleep Convention (Wikipedia mention)
Steely Dan - Two Against Nature
Soundtrack - Cowboy Bebop

VIEW:

Good Morning Vietnam (1987) - Directed by Barry Levinson
Enterprise - Season 3 (TV DVD)

Yesterday's Meetings Went Well ...

2006-04-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Susan Miller phone call will result in pitches being sent and Mark DeCerbo and I hit it off really well last night at the Center City Cafe in Escondido. If everything goes well, and there's no reason it won't, he and I will end up collaborating on music for standalone songs, original theater, and as part of media pitches.

Oh, and this morning I got a follow up phone call from an assistant at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and he is finally sending out the nondisclosure paperwork for me to sign so they can review my Salsa Celtica pitch materials and forward them along for Alan Cumming to peruse.

Yum...

All in all, not bad a bad set of updates. Success is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration...

Today's Activities Are Go!!!

2006-04-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

This morning at 6am (whilst walking the dog and nabbing the newspaper at the bottom of the driveway) I gave a call to Susan Miller, the contact person in New York for two very cool entities: Bolder Media for Boys and Girls and Mixed Media Group. After explaining m'self to Susan (videogame artist, blah blah, writer / story teller, blah blah, etc.) we had a terrific chat about the state of publishing for the childrens market and translation of such stories into viable television and film properties. Extremely interested in new books, Miller will be receiving several pitches in the next few weeks, most noticably Sy, Sy, The Super Guy, and The Littlest Nanobot ...

Tonight at 7pm I will be sitting down with Mark DeCerbo, he of the band Four Eyes (and longstanding member of local classic rock band Rockola ... ). Mark saw that I had placed Four Eyes' new CD, Sweet on the Vine, on my blog and when he saw all the other stuff I was doing, he wanted to arrange a chat session. Chatting is always good, especially with someone as talented and successful as DeCerbo. More as it unfolds. Oh, BTW: my son is a huge fan of Sweet on the Vine (esp. the track called "Green Glass Girls...). He wants me to ask DeCerbo if he is a fan of his other favorite group: Abba. What an ice breaker that will be ... ;-)

I lost the auction, (but still have this cool art thumbnail)

2006-04-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

But my wife would have killed me if I'd won it ... the winner paid $152.50.

The experience got me to thinking about a story where a teenage pulp fiction fan finds an issue of a pulp magazine that isn't part of that hero's catalog -- a lost issue. He dismisses it until he discovers that half of it was written by his favorite author prior to his death, then finished by another author. Purchasing the issue teleports the youth into the actual adventure, now brought forward in time. Taking on the personna of the action hero, he must complete the story as it should have been completed in order to fulfill the author's last wish.

And I was the one who said I wouldn't have any more new project posts until I've finished something... boo hoo on me.

High Bidder on Doc Savage's Final Pulp Adventure

2006-04-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

Well ... anyone who really knows me knows I am a huuuuuge fan of pulp action hero Doc Savage. Last Saturday I signed up to display some of my Doc Savage memorabilia in the children's case at the Escondido Public Library. Because I wanted to see if there was anything I could quickly add that would give the display some extra oomph, I went trolling on Ebay yesterday and saw that a copy of the final original pulp Doc Savage magazine ever published was on sale, so I put a bid in.

I've known about the story, called "Up From Earth's Center," for many years (it is reprinted as a part of an omnibus edition published by Bantam in the '70s). Phillip Jose Farmer also described it in his homage to Doc's adventures. To make a long story short, Doc and his aides travel deep into the earth to attempt to snuff out the source of all evil, but what they find there is more than they ever bargained for. Dodging death many times and discovering that scientific gadgets are no match against these otherworldly opponents, Doc and his men fight their way back out and seal the cave entrance forever ...

... and, after 181 fantastic adventures, that's how it all ends.

The cover of the magazine is reprinted at the top of this post. Check out the auction at the following link. Wish me luck!!

No More New Posts -- Just Updates Until Something Is Finished!!

2006-04-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

I've posted enough stuff in progress. Now it's time to finish projects and find home for them. Look for the updates on the following projects in this space:

A Simple Little Christmas
Joseph's Christmas Journey
Cold Fusion: The Salsa Celtica Story
Sy, Sy, The Super Guy
Zelinsky's Calling
The Littlest Nanobot
The SHREDventurers
Tommy Crossroads ...

... and a few others that I refuse to post, not because they aren't cool, but because I don't want to be pigeonholed as someone who just blogs but never finishes anything ....

Read on, MacDuff!!!

The SHREDventurers (vidgame / stories)

2006-04-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

This posting is about The Shredventurers, a videogame design and set of stories that involves four teenage kids from different parts of the world, four mystery stories, magic, and action sports.

From l. to r. above, the kids are Nandor (Romania), Miri Miri (New Zealand), Bomani (Nigeria), and Alexa (Mexico). They have spats and make-ups, show off their powers at the drop of a hat, and love nothing more than to shred on their own or during various competitions. The look of the kids was developed by veteran comic book artist Roger Robinson.

I developed the idea for this story around an action sports game that is based on snowboarders who have magic powers. I have a complete 50-page videogame design document (for anyone in the vidgame industry that has a snowboarding engine but lacks cool content).

But because it's hard to sell anyone on the idea of making a videogame these days without a license behind it, I am writing four stories, each from the perspective of one of the Shredventuring kids that can then appear together in a single hard cover book or paperback.

Look for more information in this blogosphere!!

Linked In Update

2006-04-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

Dudes ... I used to avoid the periodic Linked In notices I'd get from friends and others like the plague because I didn't understand how cool a tool it is to find people and to stay connected ... Now I don't quite know what I would do without it.

Anyone wishing to extend their network should check out www.linkedin.com. My own link is: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/996/1a8

Thanks for reading ...

The Littlest Nanobot

2006-04-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ellis Goodson, this sketch will now form the visual glue for a new character and series, "The Littlest Nanobot..." Look for more information in this space soon ...

This week's Read/Listen/View Has Been ...

2006-04-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

READ:

JK Rowlings - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian Or The Evening Redness in the West
Periodical - Daily Variety

LISTEN:

Webber & Rice - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Mark DeCerbo & Four Eyes - Sweet on the Vine

VIEW:

Thin Red Line (1998) - Directed by Terrence Malick
WonderFalls (TV DVD)
Enterprise - Season 3 (TV DVD)
Little Einsteins (TV Flash Animation; New Release)

An Answer from Scottish Screen (about Salsa Celtica)

2006-04-12T13:58:00.000-07:00

Here is what the lovely and talented Belle Doyle, she of Scottish Screen, had to say in response to an introductory email from me (progress is measured daily):

Hi Tom

Thanks for letting us know about your project – it sounds really interesting. At the moment, Scottish Screen is changing its system of funding and dealing with applications, and this information won’t be available until the end of April. Normally, though, for overseas projects, the main way of tapping into Scottish funding is to involve a Scottish co-producer, and we can give you contact details of producers. Producers’ contact details and credits are also available on www.filmbang.com, the production guide to Scotland.

We have a system of local film offices here in Scotland, and will be able to help you find suitable locations. Glasgow Film Office (www.glasgowfilm.com) also have funds for people wishing to film in Glasgow. Edinburgh’s film office can be found at www.edinfilm.com. Both of them have lots of useful information about filming in the cities, and also hold databases of crew and facilities.

I have passed your e-mail to Claire Chapman, who is head of production here. Her direct e-mail is claire.chapman@scottishscreen.com. Please get back in touch with me if you have any queries about locations in Scotland.

Belle

Belle Doyle
Locations Dept Manager
Scottish Screen
249 West George St
Glasgow G2 4QE

Progress ... :-)

2006-04-11T09:40:00.001-07:00

There is no "bad progress," just progress or failure to make progress. Even negative progress is still progress of sorts. You can quote me.

Here's the latest:

1. Last night I got a return call from Tracy Brennan, the agent for Alan Cumming. He played Nightcrawler in the X2 movie, but he is also an accomplished stage actor, writer, director, and producer ... so much talent for a young guy ... The upshot is that I pitched the Salsa Celtica pitch to her as a project she might pitch over to him. He could simply be an "Angel" on the project, assisting at critical times, especially during the scripting of the story, but he might also sign on to act and/or direct once it is greenlit at a studio ... So, her assistant is sending me a packet of forms to sign that limits any liabilities. I'll keep you posted on this one.

2. I am rewriting Zelinsky's Calling (again).

3. In two weeks I will be recording the music that I wrote for my church's '05 Christmas musical play. Called "A Simple Little Christmas," it employs a simple, catchy melody for three song variations sung progressively through the play, as well as a Wayward Chorus and a Nice Choir ... The Wayward Chorus sings knock-offs of Christmas Carols, the kind you hear on various TV and radio ads:

“GOD REST YE, CHRISTMAS CUSTOMERS” (WAYWARD-STYLE)
(sung to the tune of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen")

God rest ye, Christmas customers,
Let nothing you dismay,
Take care of all your gift giving,
By shopping on Ebay;
Just check Fed Ex or UPS,
And it is on its way …
Thank goodness for shopping on Ebay.
Load up the sleigh!
You can start to order next year’s gifts today …

4. More progress tomorrow!

Making Contacts for Various Pitches ...

2006-04-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

There is no "bad progress," just progress of failure to make progress. You can quote me.

Here's the latest.

Last night I got a return call from Tracy Brennan, the agent for Alan Cumming. He played Nightcrawler in the X2 movie, but he is also an accomplished stage actor, writer, director, and producer ... so much talent for a young guy ... The upshot is that I pitched the Salsa Celtica pitch as something she might slip over to him. He could simply be an "Angel" on the project, assisting at critical times, especially during the scripting of the story, but he might also sign on to act and/or direct once it is greenlit at a studio ... So, her assistant is sending me forms to sign that limits any liabilities.

I am rewriting Zelinsky's Calling again.

In two weeks I will be recording the music that I wrote for my church's '05 Christmas musical play. Called "A Simple Little Christmas," it employs a simple, catchy melody for three song variations sung progressively through the play, as well as a Wayward Chorus and a Nice Choir ... The Wayward Chorus sings knock-offs of Christmas Carols, the kind you hear on various TV and radio ads:

“GOD REST YE, CHRISTMAS CUSTOMERS” (WAYWARD-WISE)
(sung to the tune of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen")

God rest ye, Christmas customers,
Let nothing you dismay,
Take care of all your gift giving,
By shopping on Ebay;
Just check Fed Ex or UPS,
And it is on its way …
Thank goodness for shopping on Ebay.
Load up the sleigh!
You can start to order next year’s gifts today …

More progress tomorrow!

Current Creative Activities

2006-04-10T10:56:00.000-07:00

Not necessarily in order of priority:

Trying to see if Alan Cumming will be an "angel" for the Cold Fusion: Salsa Celtica project (if anyone out there knows him, I'm looking for him).
Writing the pitch and script for "Tommy Crossroads," the five minute movie that I will direct this summer.
Finishing a piece of digital art for the Rockstar Creative Session later this month.
Recording a demo CD of the music from "A Simple Little Christmas" on Sunday, April 23rd (so the play can be submitted to Eldridge Publishing the next day.
Continuing work on completing this year's Christmas play: "Joseph's Christmas Journey," a musical retelling of Joseph's life up to the birth of Jesus.

More to come (as if that's not enough).

Cold Fusion: Salsa Celtica Story

2006-04-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

This is a pitch about the true origins of the preeminent Scottish Salsa band, Salsa Celtica (see photo above). I've already submitted it to Julia Chasman (a producer with RubberTreePlant Productions), to Sean Gorman (a producer with The Hatchery), and to Jerome Watson (Platinum Studios). Their comments follow the pitch ...

COLD FUSION: THE SALSA CELTICA STORY

This is the true story of a charismatic group of musicians with a passion for Latin music among the Celtic bands of Scotland, and the physical and spiritual journey they must take before they can truly believe in their own unique brand of musical expression.

In the pre-dawn hour, Toby and his musician friends wait on the tarmac in Havana; their plane is late. Slightly hung over, he counts the challenges they all face as they return to Scotland: no lead singer, gig cancellations, money problems … you name it.

Toby looks back on a younger version of himself playing at local wedding receptions. In those days he imagined that some day, trumpet in hand, he would be with a top Latin band. Scorned by his band mates and spurned by his family, Toby forms his own Latin band; a particularly hard drinking, chain smoking lot. Toby’s group endures taunts from the regular bands, but it is some of their people who begin asking him if they can sit in on a Latin set after they’ve finished their own gigs. Afterward, at late night drinking sessions, everyone figures out clever ways for their fiddles, whistles, banjos, and even bagpipes to work with Latin beats. The result is something totally unique: Salsa Celtica.

Salsa Celtica sets off on a musical odyssey throughout Scotland. Sometimes Toby has to apologize to the band for the places they play. And to get gigs, he frequently has to convince the band to mix traditional songs into their Latin repertoire. Nobody complains; they’re having fun. At first their Spanish singing is less than comprehensible, but with increasing regularity they are invited back to the houses of Hispanic devotees for late night Spanish lessons and even sometimes steamy tutoring from the group’s ardent female fans. But Toby senses the band is still missing something important: a real passion for the material that goes beyond just pronouncing the right words and playing the music correctly. Toby also anguishes over the band’s need for a bona fide lead singer. Many try out – dark-eyed, curvaceous Latinas and strikingly angular hombres – but not one has what it takes. The appearance of an legitimate Salsa singer from Argentina raises everyone’s hopes, but he lasts a practice and one gig before vanishing – as much a victim of the strange fusion of Latin and Celtic traditions as the hard living Scots who play it.

After a couple of devastating cancellations, Toby considers disbanding the group. Before he can act, however, he stumbles across an ad publicizing Cuban timbales. Inspired to journey to the birthplace of Salsa music, (and to take a break from touring), everyone digs up the cash to book flights to Havana. As obvious to the locals as a herd of Highland cattle, the group and its Celtic instruments find much favor when they are invited to play. For the first time, real Latin masters take the group’s members under their wings and the results are invigorating. Swapping single malts for local rum, they ditch their inhibitions and are taken to places the uninitiated never see: they are asked to join in religious bembe gatherings and to worship at Afro Cuban orichas. The results are viscerally invigorating.

As he counts off his challenges at the airport just prior to departure, Toby realizes that he has undergone a spiritual awakening, and that he no longer has to apologize to anyone for playing the music he loves. Havana? Scotland? Alaska? It doesn’t matter. He’s found his home. However, finding the perfect lead singer will help it to feel even more comfy.

Comments from Julia Chasman:

I did read your pitch, which I think is nicely presented and a good story.

The only real advice I can give you, if this is to be a dramatic, narrative feature -- roles played by actors working from a script, not a documentary -- is to write the screenplay, and then see if you can put a package together.

Are you the director? You will need as much "packaging" as possible to convince people to give you money for your project.

Unless you have other finished screenplays to show as samples, I don't think anyone will give you money to write it. Maybe you are thinking of involving another writer? If so, I would put that element, along with any others you can, together now.

The story is fine -- but it's a long journey from a pitch like this to a feature film, and those are the first steps I would take if I were you.

I hope this is helpful. Best of luck with the project.

Sincerely,

Julia Chasman RubberTreePlant

Comments from Jerome Watson:

Thanks for your patience. I’ve read your pitch for Cold Fusion: The Salsa Celtica Story. I think it would be a very good Film, however I’m not sure it would make a great comic.

Screenwriter Earl Stanly Gardner once said when advising perspective screenwriters: "When in doubt have two guys bust through the door with guns blazing." That quote kind of applies here. There may not be enough conflict to move a comic book story along. As an Indie film however, or a 30 minute short, it could be dynamite depending on the emotional transformation of character. Also, that way the juxtaposition of the “Kilt-Clad Scotts playing to locals in a Cuban bar can have the effect I believe you desire.

Not that you need violence as Gardner’s quote might suggest, but more conflict to induce the growth of the character.

In summation, though I do find this an interesting suggestion for a screenplay, I’m not sure if this is right for Platinum. Thanks again for you patience (I know you have a ton of it) and good luck on the film. As always feel free to call me if you have any questions.

Jerome Andre Watson Platinum Studios

Comments from The Hatchery's Sean Gorman were delivered by phone. In essence, he said the pitch was good, but that The Hatchery could no longer option a pitch and a bylined article. He recommended I write and submit a full script, which is in progress even as we speak.

Krazy Kat ... My Favorite Komic

2006-03-30T18:24:00.000-08:00

All comic artists are forever in debt to Krazy Kat and its creator George Herriman ... both originals. Herriman's inventiveness was formidable; his playfulness a force of nature. I'm posting a single Sunday page that pretty much sums up the man's genius. Comments? Welcome ...

Voodoo Gangster Series

2006-03-28T18:01:00.000-08:00

Here is the first sketch of a Voodoo Gangster. He's part of a whole gang that hides behind voodoo masks while robbing banks, knocking off rivals, and making the rounds of various modern day speakeasies. I'm also considering this look for one set of characters that I'm developing for a pitch called "Gated Community" (or should that be G8d COM/unity...?) that will go to Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. I sat in on a forum about pitching Adult Swim at last year's Comic Con and the process isn't hard at all. You'll find more Voodoo Gangster sketches in the near future, as well as takes on Pillow Ninjas, Salsa Surfers, and members of The Brotherhood of Underground Cossaks -- in other words, more residents of "Gated Community." I'll also post finished pieces based on the sketches when they're ready.

Sports Art

2006-03-28T03:08:00.000-08:00

Sports, especially the NFL and Major League Baseball, are a passion of mine, one that I enjoy pursuing through sports art. Over the years I've had several commissions and look to broaden that in the future, especially as I lay claim to a special space within the expanded version of our house that will serve as my studio. For the moment, however, here is an example of this work: James Wilder, former star with the "old look" Tampa Bay Bucaneers.

Death Race 2010, Anyone?

2006-03-27T14:35:00.000-08:00

Updating a pop culture classic like Death Race 2000 is a tall order. Creating a new media property that will entertain a new generation will be just as tough, but very fun. This modified Infinity sedan, created a few years ago but recently updated, will serve to usher in a whole new echelon of enhanced SUVs, culminating in a 3D version of the Escalade sporting a 20mm Vulcan Automatic Gatling Cannon. Stay tuned.

Comic Book Cover: Dread Naught

2006-03-24T10:15:00.000-08:00

The following is a cover comp I did recently for a comic book called Dread Naught. It's an external view of a hybrid battleship Zeppelin called Közelgő Vihar, which translates as “The Coming Storm.” Although the pitch was interesting, it suffered from comparisons to Indiana Jones and Hell Boy (anything with heroes vs. Nazis is suspect). Cooler heads prevailed; the project is in turnaround. Look to the future for more news and a better pitch.

Sy, Sy, The Super Guy

2006-03-23T09:31:00.000-08:00

The following four stanzas are the opening of a poem called "Sy, Sy, The Super Guy." I'm currently rewriting the remaining poem so it's not so literal, or maybe so it's more so ... You'll see if you check back to the blog from time to time. -- TC

Sy, Sy, The Super Guy

Somewhere away from the public eye,
Lives a chap named Sy; he’s a super guy.
It’s not that he demonstrates marvelous powers.
He’s not at the gym for hours and hours.
His job at the library shelving the books,
Provides him with exercise, muscles and looks.
Most of the people wandering by,
Think, “Sigh… Oh, Sy. What a super guy.”

Sy’s library boss is Hester N. Vective,
She’s partial to Sy from a different perspective,
Despite the amount that she gives him to do,
He’s usually done by a quarter to two.
But rather than dawdle or sit on his hands,
He hunts her right down and more work he demands.
So although she’s aware, she has nothing to say,
‘Bout “breaks” that he takes at odd hours of the day.

The place where Sy lives is called Digital City,
The look of the town says, “Designed by Committee.”
Every thing that folks use is controlled by computer,
And everyone travels by micropross-scooter.
Factories function with zero emissions.
Folks rule themselves, there are no politicians.
All power is derived from a manmade eclipse,
And it’s fab to eat snacks made from silicon chips.

The geniuses thinking up all this technology,
Speak in huge words that describe terminology.
While most are sedate, one is quite off his leash,
His name is Moe Smarter. He’s a genius! Capiche?
This guy is a whiz. He’s more brilliant than Einstein.
In fact, he is Einstein to the power of nine-stein.
And while everyone else’s inventions are dreary,
Moe’s make the pros all say, “Whoa!” That’s not theory.