Hello Interwebs! Another month; another TPM news update. Let’s skip the preamble this time and jump to it, shall we?
Pre-production Projects
Now’s a good time to admit: life got in the way of our crew this September. So progress is sparse across the board. But there’s never nothing to talk about. For one: Justin and I planned some shooting logistics for Below Zero. We picked a location, debated how to integrate special effects, and pondered fresh camerawork techniques (which we hope result in an intense visual experience). He and I also discussed budget and production timelines. As I noted in last month’s news, we’re aiming for a New Year commencement on the short!
Meanwhile, Matteo brainstormed some new film ideas. That man’s always got fresh concepts brewing in his head. Admittedly, none of the films are projects we’ll be producing any time soon. But I’d rather drown in ideas than wither from lack of them.
Production Projects
I must sound like a broken record by this point, but I’ve delayed filming those new sketches again… My new living arrangements have taken some getting used to. And it’s taking me longer than expected to build a suitable area for film-work. That said: I ought to have our first sketch recorded within the next month. And I’ll be more frustrated with myself than you (probably) are with me now if I don’t finish at least one short by the October Update…
Post-Production
Last month I announced a tentative “pieced-together” version of Retribution Isle. We’ve since decided to spare you the slog of our less-than-stellar work and showcase the film’s stand-out parts instead. Many of our sequences are subpar at best and embarrassing at worst so this is really the best call for you and for us.
Creators tend to be the harshest judges of our own work, I know, but that’s only part of the problem… Why bother releasing anything which won’t entertain you? Maybe someday you’ll see all our work on the film. Once our fanbase grows, Retribution Isle might be the stuff of Thought Plane urban legend: the lost footage you’ll be clamouring to see. Or maybe it’ll ever never see the light of day. I’m a writer not a fortune teller.
Graphic Novels
Life would be lovely if everyone had time to do everything they’d want to do. But that’s just not reality, now is it? Case in point: Matteo and I have a million and one ideas for graphic novels and limited opportunities to develop them. Even if we released one issue per month starting right now, we’d have work for over 30 years! I for one would like to get through our ideas sooner…
In that spirit, we’re working to bring in new talent to spread our work load. We’ll be contacting new writers and artists over the following months to gather a reliable crew. Hopefully we’ll be able to release something within the next year!
Guild of Gallantry mostly sat idle in September, but Matteo brainstormed tonnes of new ideas for his Tales of Sesom and Skog stories!
Other
This website will continue to focus on movie reviews going forward. We’re looking to monetize these articles soon and the reviews strike a great ratio between general relevance and ease of writing. Don’t fret about the other types of articles though! They’re not going anywhere– though they may be more sporadic for the next while. TPM is considering a shift to a minimum 2 articles per week in the near future: one review (at least) and one of something else (warm takes, essays, guest pieces, analyses, news updates, etc).
Justin and I have also been hard at work developing a new company website. This satisfies both practical and business concerns: our current site is outdated, and the newer one looks more professional. It should be up and running within the next month.
This has been TPM’s September 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
