+Work on This With Me: Engineered to create a great film in the short term, and in the long term disrupt and evolve the system, ARTEMIS ETERNAL is a story about questioning society’s expectation and what we accept as normal. What happens next depends on you. Go! > + Follow Me on Twitter So You Think WINGMEN Aren't Awesome? August 23, 2008 Los Angeles, CA
O rly?
Boomshanka.
We will take your apology now in the form of your soul.
Permanent Link | RSSArtemis Eternal Summer Update Video! August 22, 2008 Los Angeles, CA
I love it, Katie; right down to the blocking, the look on The Mercutian's face and the aspect ratio.
*Original painting by Katie Durham inspired by the story 'Greyfeather (An Introduction)' as published in 'Aidmheil'
Comments (5)(Last Comment: 8/18/08 11:18 PM) | Permanent Link | RSSComic-Con T-Shirts August 16, 2008 Los Angeles, CA
WINGMEN!
As requested, here is the order option for ARTEMIS ETERNAL WINGMEN Comic-Con t-shirts. You have a week to place your order complete with your specific size. Then it will take about a week to turn the orders around and a few more days for me to pack and ship them priority mail straight to your doorstep. No returns. I will not be ordering extra t-shirts so you must order yours now.
Size options are adult unisex S, M, L, XL ← YOU MUST ADD THIS IN THE NOTES SECTION of your PayPal order form.
Sizing Recommendations: In the Comic-Con photos on www.ArtemisEternal.com I am wearing a small, but in reality I would wear an XS if they were available. Unisex essentially means men’s sizes. The Wingmen pictured above (Sus, Rach, SarahYass & C.Sto) are also sporting size small. Todd has on a size large.
The shirts are American Apparel organic cotton (soft!). Made in the USA (downtown LA, actually). My crest on the front & badass WINGMEN+no wimps on the back.
IMPORTANT: WINGMEN ONLY
If you are not a Wingman, you may not order or wear a shirt including ordering for someone else. Thus, you know if you see someone in this shirt they are definitely your brethren (and not some wimp so don’t even try to mug them or anything).
Any profit from this will of course go to ARTEMIS ETERNAL and help us break even on costs associated with Comic-Con.
Permanent Link | RSSLittle Epic Stars Everywhere July 27, 2008 Los Angeles, CA
And the skies are full of WINGMEN.
My Comic-Con badge is a badge of honor; amazing honor that represents the universe throwing curveballs at us left and right and our hitting homeruns every time. Or maybe the universe untied those knots. Anyway, it was all solvable!
The first two days of Comic-Con I was pretty much recovering from preparing for Comic-Con and, in addition, figuring out what to do and how to do it best. We had a mere week and a half to prepare a campaign, get to San Diego and execute The Awesome, plus we accomplished our presence independently and on a budget.
No wimps.
Everyone who helped us is a champ. Thank you thank you thank you thank you. Seriously. There was someone there for me at every turn.
I met so many people who deserve to have their part of the story told and I have quite a bit of media to sift through, not to mention business follow-ups to perform immediately. Obviously we are planning to add things to ArtemisEternal.com and I’m looking forward to going through it all. If you have Comic-Con photos, links et cetera of anything ARTEMIS, then please e-mail them to me so that I may include them.
The 5 sucked today and I haven’t had much sleep. My voice is at about 60% and I should probably eat something...
COME FIND US AT COMIC-CON 2008!
We’ll be staging out of a table in Artists’ Alley ALL DAYS. In addition, Friday through Sunday actor Todd Soley (ARTEMIS male lead) will be there as well. Location: KK-07
Night of Friday 7/25 we are scheduled to attend Sideshow Collectibles' party.
Our goal is to share our story and contribute positively to the community of the Con, and recruit the rest of the Wingmen we're seeking in order to push into production together. I'm looking forward to conversing about filmmaking, media politics and everything scifi/fantasy.
We'll be easy to spot in these amazing t-shirts: Ta-dow! (You know, just in case you aren't sure who is allowed to be a Wingman and who is not.)
And now, some thanks: First to Wingman Jay Bushman for loaning us his spare MacBook so that we have an additional for exhibition at the table. Also want to thank Wingmen, Dave, Melissa, Byron, PatMan, McDuck, Sawyer, and Adam for helping with e-mails.
I want to mention that Comic-Con has been awesome to us (Thanks, team Clydene!). They squeezed ARTEMIS in a mere two weeks out from the convention. I know they are swamped and I really appreciate the attention. And thank the universe for M.Sto, who did a week’s worth of design in 48 hours so that we’d be prepared with materials.
This is my first go at Comic-Con. I thought I wouldn’t be exhibiting there until next year, and I’m really, really excited to be taking such a rare project in for promotion. I wish I had known sooner out so that more of you could have planned to meet us. Next year we’ll be Sophomores, and will plan well ahead. For now, please support, be active and spread the word however possible so that we can make the most of our appearance there.
I am officially no longer the last person in LA to not have pre-screened THE DARK KNIGHT. It’s late-early here, so let’s do spoiler-free notes over sweeping narrative:
Not only is Mr. Ledger terrific (obvious) but the way they filmed and edited the Joker, and directed and styled the actor was the highlight of the film. I’ve never seen anything like that in a Comic film: The production actually used the tools of cinema and flexed artistry to create the character and explore context, for a change. The effect was extraordinary.
It’s too bad WB hasn’t figured out how to shoot a fully compelling Batman/Bruce to match, or that they haven’t written the character so that he fully lends himself to a riskier and even more cinematic creation (as well as more “show don’t tell” opportunities where the story’s lessons are concerned).
The situation reminds me very much of the first Pirates flick. On first viewing, I was pleasantly surprised and thought it was fun. On the second viewing, anytime Johnny Depp wasn’t onscreen it was so terribly boring that I left halfway through. The Joker has the same effect: Beyond scene stealing, he is what makes the film unique and watchable. Although, one major difference is that the new Batman is (thankfully) a much more interesting and adult take on a blockbuster, as opposed to Pirates. This installment improves upon the last, yet there is still work to be done and a troubled franchise past to fully shed.
One terrific, great thing about the Henry series (you know, by Shakespeare) was that the people loved, LOVED Falstaff, but the rest of the series and its various characters (and hero) were also up to the task. So I wish, in that vein, that all parts Batman were equal to the Joker. THE LORD OF THE RINGS comes to mind as an example of a cinematic, BIG genre movie that is even in all its above-average parts.
Ledger should get a nomination for this.
Whoever did the mix on Batman’s voice should not.
Otherwise, the opening was strong. Looked good on IMAX. Enjoyed some of the more subtle moments of the score. The pacing quickly becomes oddly formulaic with crosscutting between characters in a similar manner to the point where the over used-technique signals the start of the next sequence, which begins to feel contrived and mathematical.
No interesting female roles – not even bit parts – in this film whatsoever. (And yes, minorities, I feel your pain.) Can’t think of any reason a girl would go to see this unless, like me, you tend to skew more boys club in interests and often tend to identify with male characters. (Boys club has gotten old, incidentally, because nearly every film to speak of is just that; especially in genre.) ...But you know, there is something rad about tearing around the city at night after watching Batman, I’ll concede that much. So I won't pretend I don't understand the appeal. In fact, I’ll go as far as to admit two things to you that I always underplay: 1. I am a good driver (when I care to pay attention). 2. I actually enjoy driving (it’s just all the rules and city traffic that bother me, along with pollution). I've had a go on a Speedway. And I don’t have to drive like a dude to tear it up, so there. In fact you have no idea what I drive like, because I am completely underrepresented and have no inclination toward urban tank-mobiles that garner attention. And I still would prefer to have a horse. Parallel parking is bullshit. Anyway,
It was cool to see once. Ledger’s performance and the production around the Joker were iconic: there is real filmmaking you can sink your teeth into there. The rest of it tried, which was nice. I’m hot for the production quality. Why was the mayor wearing eyeliner? Universal City Walk sucks. Larry King was there in his suspenders. Have fun, kids. The end.
Permanent Link | RSSWe're All in the Dance July 6, 2008 Los Angeles, CA
I've received a good share of mail asking if there are short films that I can recommend to you. It appears you'd like to be more familiar with the story format, and I can't blame you. Music video (which are essentially commercials for the most part) and actual commercials are the only exposure we have to short subject with high-production quality, with the exception of SNL Digital Shorts and the rare, well-done funny short posted to the web every now and again.
Paris Je T'aime would be my strongest recommendation: 5-minute cinema stories about love and Paris make this collection unique for having an overarching theme. The DVD is available on Netflix.
Please don't watch the trailer: it gives way too much away.
While typically I prefer long form storytelling; a feature, a novel, a trilogy (especially compared to episodic television, which I usually do not like at all); while I feel that way, it must be said:
Short film is incredible, wonderful and underutilized.
Just like the power short story can have when well executed, so is short film. Many shorts tend to suck because they are the tool of the new filmmaker, the student and the amateur. Plus, it can be challenging to be concise and tell a compelling story in a shorter amount of time, and most filmmakers can't write in the first place. Add a lack of high production quality to the list and you get loads of shorts that are not very interesting bombarding festival submissions each cycle. I do not doubt, however, that there are numerous shorts out there that are astonishing. To have them retired to, and viewed on, a YouTube or the Internets or not at all over DVD or the large screen doesn't do them justice.
If you have suggestions for shorts and collections of shorts, then comment and over time I'll find them/view them in the best possible quality in attempts to come up with a list of the best and how you can access each one. I don't think I need to again suggest Hotel Chevalier; most of you have seen it already.
Update: Watching Kurosawa's DREAMS collection. The mastering is fuckity (especially for a WB release), but it's really only noticeable during the second short. This is unfortunate as it's one of the best. You can get this via Netflix. I ran upon the poster accidentally while doing some reference research for a screenplay. I put the film in my queue without knowing it was a series of shorts. Thank the universe for small surprises and delights!
Much going on / working hard: Wingmen have had private updates, ArtemisEternal.com is updated each Monday, and of course during this dynamical time you can follow me on Twitter.
Permanent Link | RSSAttack of the Show! May 12, 2008 Los Angeles, CA
