Hello Interwebs! Welcome to TPM’s November News Update. It might be hard to believe, but we ACTUALLY released some entertainment this month you can consume. Read on for more information…
Pre-production Projects
Thought Plane Media recently renewed its focus on Sketch comedy. Our team cut its teeth in film by writing sketches in the early 2010’s, and we would have continued the practice had life not gotten in our way… We’re unfortunately busier now than we used to be, and what free time we have is dedicated to a myriad of projects (sketches being one type). But I loved sketches because they were relatively easy to produce, had a quick turnaround for release, and allowed us to pump out more content. They’re also a great way to keep our skills sharp.
We’re anticipating at least 1 video release on Youtube every month. That’s a reasonable benchmark our team is confident it can maintain. Though if we’re SUPER productive we might finish 2! Right now I’m in the midst of shotlisting our next sketch: Poker in the Pandemic. That one ought to premiere before the middle of December (so long as I stay on pace).
In short film news: Justin’s hit writers block for Below Zero (once more). It’s proving to be a difficult story. The main problem is, beyond an interesting concept, there’s little reason to care about the film’s events. Why is it relevant to you? That’s the question Justin seeks to answer.
So, while Justin ponders that, I’ll return to Cut It Out (Draft 2). I admittedly haven’t touched that one for a while. GoG, articles and sketches have kept me too busy for short film work. But I’ll make the time.
Production Projects
November saw me film and release TPM’s first sketch in 2 years: Phil Blye the Education Guy! Justin and I finished this script a couple years ago, and my costume was picked out then as well, but I had no clue how to play Phil’s character till the morning I set up my camera. I settled on an enthusiastic wide-eyed mania. The filming was largely made up on the spot, though not without intention.
Actually this project got me thinking: why shouldn’t sketches have the same amount of care and detail as a movie? Each shot, transition, and movement in frame ought to enhance the script through visual storytelling. I’ll explain the technical side of things more when I write my narrative/ film-making analysis (at some point).
Post-Production
Not much new to report on anything long-term. Although the team has considered a bold idea to get “Planet of the Beavers” 5 finished once and for all. I don’t know if we’ll bother attempting it, and I definitely don’t know if I should tell you what it is. But please believe we’re thinking of ways to get PoB 5 out for your entertainment…
Graphic Novels
Matteo continued to practice his drawing/ colouring technique on that tablet. He crafted this Sentinel v Dark Squirrel concept art! Beyond that, Matteo’s come up with tonnes of new story elements for Skog and Tales of Sesom. I can’t share those details with you (’cause spoilers) but they’re great! Matteo’s working hard to ensure his fantasy stories subvert/ outright parody the worst cliches of the genre.
Other
This November I completed the transfer of our Weebly website’s backlog! So Thoughtplane.ca now features all our old content and more! We also started a Patreon page in hopes of paying back our investment for this website/ having a little extra to invest in our content. Right now TPM costs more money to run than we make. We hope to change that soon (through Patreon, website advertisements, eventual YouTube partnership, income from our Graphic novels, and merchandise sales). But we’ve got a long way to go before most of those ideas come to fruition, let alone become profitable.
This has been TPM’s November news. If you have any questions about what I’ve written today, or have something you’d like to see addressed more in-depth in next month’s update, let me know in the comments. Also, if you have any ideas for future articles, or any general questions, let me know that as well. Be sure to like this article on Facebook and share if you enjoyed!
Till next time
Joe Morin
