Archive for ‘Blog’
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Writing today’s blog last night while I was feeling wistful and reflecttive wasn’t necessarily a bad decision, but it precluded me from mentioning something important and that is for all of you to visit our latest sponsor Yirmumah!
I love Yirmumah! but I’m proabably the last person in the world to get on the bandwagon. I mean, I knew the comic was out there, but I never really explored it until after I joined ranks with my brothers at Boxcar Comics. Now I’m in up to my eyeballs with it and loving every second of it!
Although I’m sure DJ would appreciate the compliments, I’m afraid heaping too much praise onto his wholly original and hilarious comic will reveal me for the noob I am. But I’ve already kind of admited it as much, so what’s the shame in giving kudos where kudos are due?
Yirmumah! is the kind of comic that I would like to write if I weren’t locked into the timeliness and the thematic perameters of the genre I chose for Theater Hopper. DJ can really go all over the map with his stuff. Everything ranging from fights with his wife to Bill O’Reilly being spit on by a venomous cobra. Always great energy in his strips and I can’t think of a single one is his archive that didn’t make me laugh or at least smile. It’s very clever and you need to check it out.
In reference to the little pity party above, I have to say thank you to those who have already send letters of encouragement. I was actually kind of surprised that anyone would take the time to write, but I shouldn’t have been because you guys are always awesome.
Sometimes you get so close to your work that you have trouble envisioning what it must look like through someone else’s eyes. I think it’s important to note that I don’t write my comics in terms of what I think will go over well. I don’t go for that "creativity by committee" thing and I don’t assume anyone else with a creative outlet would stand for it, either. I try to write for myself first. If I can make myself laugh with a concept I’ve come up with, then it should go over fairly well on the site. On the days when I don’t come up with something that makes me laugh, I try to push it as far as I can and hope it goes over. I think the disparity of this situation is that there have only been a handful of comics that – for me – really worked well. But it never occured to me that the pressure I put on myself is not something that factors into your enjoyment of the strip. By that I mean, people have written in and complimented me on stuff that they thought was brilliant and I thought was par for the course. So it goes to show that not only am I my own worst critic, but I have crappy taste in my own material!
At any rate, thanks to everyone for their support. I’m still very much excited about Theater Hopper, I just want to be able to do more. I have a lot of stuff in works for the site, but how awesome would it be if I could do this full time. I think I would find the work very fullfilling.
Here’s to doing what we can with the time we’re given. Cheers.
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Here’s a question for you guys.
I’ve been doing this comic three years, right? Why in all that time has no one representing a movie studio or some kind of marketing group for film ever contacted me?
Look at these sites. See all those ads floating around? I’d be happy to run something like that on my site. Indie flick or big-budget blockbuster, I don’t care. It’s entirely relevant to what this audience is interested in and I think they would score some nice traffic from it. How do these other sites get the hook-up? Is it all in who you know? Do the studios approach them? Well, nuts to the waiting game, I’m bringing it straight to you.
I understand if you haven’t considered advertising with a web comic before. You stick to what you know. Advertise within your own industry. It’s smart. Hey, I totally understand. Most of us web comic guys only advertise with other web comics! But I’m telling you – if you want to diversify the audience that you reach, tap into the web comics genre. I know my audience. They are a motivated and dedicated bunch. If your movie looks good, they’re going to see it. Look at Penny Arcade or PvP. When was the last time you saw these guys advertising other web comics? They advertise for the gaming industry and things are coming up roses!
My prices can’t be beat, guys. These are the rates that I’ve been giving to everyone else. I’ll give the same deal to you.
If you represent a studio, some kind of movie-related web site or even just know a guy who knows a guy that can put me in touch with someone in movie-making circles – drop me a line so we can discuss some advertising possibilities. What I have going on to the right of the comic isn’t a permanent method of ad delivery. In other words, you don’t have to cram it into that tiny area. We could run an ad down the whole length of the comic. I can adjust things. You ad will stay above the fold and that space right next to the comic is prime real estate.
I don’t know if being so blunt with this request will actually yeild any results. But I figure after three years, it’s high-time I put the concept out into the universe. CONTACT ME!
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Okay, I’m an idiot.
Chris Cooper is not the creator of The Asylumantics. Chris CANTRELL is.
Chris Cooper is a ver talented actor who has appeared in movies like American Beauty and Adaptation.
Chris Cantrell is a very talent artist and writer who has created The Asylumantics and Please Rewind.
Apologies for any confusion. I’ve gone and mixed up movie-life and real-life again!
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Something else I wanted to take a moment to pimp is the $10 sale going on over at Threadless right now.
Some of you know that I am a big fan of Threadless. I actually have a shirt that I designed that was for sale there for a while. It’s out of stock right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t request a reprint! Actually, I have another design that I’m working on for them, but it’s not ready just yet. Keep your eyes peeled for it. I’ll be sure to let everyone know when it’s for sale.
Anyway, they’re having their big holiday sale where ever shirt is $10. Truthfully, you’re not going to find a better deal than that for clothes this cool and original.
I’m encouraging everyone I know to check out what they have to offer and to follow this link when they do so:
http://www.threadless.com/?streetteam=Tom Brazelton
Y’see, if you follow that-there link and make a purchase, then I get points placed in my account for referring the sale. Pretty slick, huh? Then I can buy some shirts and then we can both be cool together – if hundreds of miles apart.
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Something I forgot to mention in my post this morning… Last night the good man from UPS delivered a very large box to my doorstep. What was inside? Why, only a whole gaggle of t-shirts, baby doll tees and hoodies! So that means those of you who ordered items long ago and have been exceptionally patient waiting for their delivery won’t have to wait much longer.
Thanksgiving kind of throws a wrench into things this week in terms of shipping things out. But there’s no reason I can start stuffing envelopes so they’re ready to go on Friday! Hopefully everyone will see their orders completed sometime next week. Hey, at least you get them before Christmas!
Once again, sincere thanks to everyone who has shown patience and understanding. I’m just one guy with limited resources, so unfortunately, things sometimes fall behind. In the future when I return clothing items to the store – and I don’t know when that will be, but it will likely be with new designs! – I will make a more dilligent effort to put a timeline around things. To say "pre-orders are two weeks, recieving printed shirts is two weeks, distribution is one week – you’ll get your shirt in 5 to 6 weeks." I want to be the reliable guy. That’s my New Year’s resolution. I’m making it the day before Thanksgiving.
Super shout-out to Brunetto Shirts. They are the only t-shirt printing company I’ve worked with since starting this whole thing and their excellent service ensures that I’ll continue to use them for a long time to come!
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Well, if you voted for Theater Hopper at the Web Comics List, you kind of already know the big news. The incentive sketch I put up is now available to own courtesy of the fine people at eBay!
I created this piece in ink on an 11 x 14" of Bristol board. So it’s big and suitable for framing! I guess since I was so excited about reaching the big 500, I just wanted a way to extend that excitement to you guys and give you the option of being a part of it.
I set the auction up yesterday but didn’t get a chance to post about it until today. At any rate, the auction ends 5 days from now, so be sure to get your bids in! This is a great holiday gift for yourself or maybe the big Theater Hopper fan on your list! It’s totally one of a kind and can be yours… IF the price is right!
One other note today, congradulations to Sam Logan whose comic Sam & Fuzzy also crossed the 500 strip threshold this week. Sam’s being more low key about it than I am. I thought he gave a good reason, too:
"I don’t really have anything profound to say about my 500th consecutive Sam and Fuzzy strip," said Sam. "Perhaps if I was growing sick of it, or getting ready to pack it in altogether, it would feel more monumental — like I had completed some great challenge or overcome some tremendous obstacle. But I don’t feel that way at all. No, today is just another day, and today’s strip is just one more comic that I loved creating and am thrilled to be able to share with so many people."
Very well put. Incidentally, I feel the same way. I mean, 500 comics isn’t a challenge or an obstacle. It’s a lot of fun! I plan to keep doing Theater Hopper so long as you keep reading it. But where Sam and I differ is that when I stop to smell the roses, I also grab people by the sleeve, shove their face into the thorny bush and say "SMELL THESE ROSES! AREN’T THEY GREAT?!"
Man, who would have thought that Theater Hopper, Sam & Fuzzy and Questionable Content would all hit 500 comics in the same week. Hear that? That’s the sound of the planets aligning.
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I was monkeying around with the Theater Hopper map and noticed they had a handy little code application that you guys can click through to access it. I thought I would test it out in this here blog.
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I’ll say this for being sick; It sure gives you the time to catch up on a bunch of movies.
I had something flu-like on Monday. So after sweating it out Monday night, I stayed home from work on Tuesday. I ended up watching The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The Naked Gun 2 and 1/2: The Smell of Fear, The Lonely Guy and Goodfellas (because it just happened to be on).
I can say without doubt that the first Naked Gun is probably one of my favorite comedies, but that I hadn’t seen the second in a long time and I kind of remember why. Despite the addition of Robert Goulet, it’s vastly inferior. Not just in terms of the humor, which feels a little overdone. But there are huge plot holes in the thing! In my opinion, some of the best humor evolves from the characters being placed in a totally absurd situation and reacting to it with complete seriousness. That’s why the first Naked Gun movie is hilarious and also why the first Airplane! movie is hilarious. Leslie Nielson and that deep baratone of his adds the perfect amount of weight to ridiculous lines like "It’s true what they say. Cops and women don’t mix. It’s like eating a spoonful of Drano; Sure it’ll clean you out, but it’ll leave you hollow inside!" That’s why it’s such a shame he’s started wasting his talent in stuff like Mr. Magoo and Spy Hard in the late 90’s. Those movies were just flat-out stupid.
Moving on… The Lonely Guy. I’ve been on a Steve Martin kick ever since watching Shopgirl a few months ago. I have no plans, however, to endure Cheaper By The Dozen 2 when it comes out this month.
Instead, I’ve been combing through his back catalog. I already owned Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid and it’s one of my favorite movies. Actually, Jared turned me onto that one years ago. We think it’s brilliant. But I picked up The Lonely Guy only partially remembering it from the times it’s been on basic cable. It was pretty funny. Cute. It’s kind of dated though. It suffers pretty heavily from the 80’s flavored synth soundtrack. It makes me wonder if the movies we’re watching now we’re going to look back on in 20 years and go "Ugh! What was up with the music back then?"
I don’t know what it was about movies from the 80’s, but very few of them seem to have a timeless quality about them. I’m sure you can say the same thing about any era, really. The movies that ARE timeless are certainly in the minioirty compared the majority of crap that comes out of most major studios. I suppose that’s why their timeless, but still…
And finally, Goodfellas… I caught it on HBO. To me, Goodfella’s is one of those movies that I will stop whatever I’m doing to watch. It’s so arresting, you can’t really turn away from it. I think that’s a big accomplisment. Especially after nearly 15 years. An even bigger accomplishment if the movie is on television. You know how it goes. You’re at home, watching TV, some movie comes across your radar. You think, "Oh, that’s interesting." and you watch it for 15 minutes or so before going back to channel surfing. Not Goodfellas. It comes on and I forget I even have a remote. Man, what a great movie. I’m still seeing helicopters.
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Reflecting on King Kong’s box office "failure" on Wednesday got me thinking about this noise I’ve been hearing about a software program that can predict a movie’s success. Have you guys heard of this?
Apparently, some egghead at Oklahoma State University wrote a software program that can predict whether or not the next Hollywood turd-burger is going to be hit by applying seven criteria to each movie and averaging them out – rating by censors, competition from other films at the time of release, strength of the cast (or Star Pow-ah!), genre, special effects, whether it is a sequel and the number of theaters it opens in.
Using a "neural network" (shades of Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation, here) to process the results, films are placed in nine categories. A "flop" meaning less than $1 million at the box office. A "blockbuster" meaning more than $200.
The study proved that 37% of the time, the network accurately predicted which category a film fell into. 75% of the time it was within one category of the correct answer. Spider-Man and Shrek were correctly identified as blockbusters. Waking Up In Reno and Running Free were pegged as flops. I guess it must be right, because I’ve never heard of either of those last two movies.
Professor Ramesh Sharda has been working on the program for over seven years and has analyzed more than 800 films before publishing a paper appearing in the journal Expert Systems With Applications, set to be published in February 2006.
Naturally Sharda is already in discussions with a "major Hollywood studio" (he wouldn’t say which one) to further refine the system to improve its accuracy.
I think any movie fan with a heart and a mind knows that this specific leap in technology can only mean bad things for audiences. Clearly Sharda is someone who actually HATES movies and doesn’t want you to have a good time spending your entertainment dollar. Apparently he believes your discretionary income should go to more college scholarships. Or perhaps the athletic program. GO OSU, COWBOYS!
A program like this could turn movie marketing on its ear. Think about all the little brain trusts studios currently hire to handicap the success of a film. It’s understandable to a degree. Studios and producers make increasingly larger investments. They want to protect those investments. But by using the criteria outlined in Sharda’s program, Hollywood money-handlers could potentially deep six a movie before even one roll of film is shot. If our good friend H.A.L. doesn’t think your movie has enough star power, you’re done. Too much potential competition at the time of your film’s release? We’ll bury it in September.
Film’s are already being treated more like disposable product and less like art. I’m not taking the shallow view on this. I know that as long as there has been entertainment, there are pictures out there that will be treated as such – nothing more than a mild diversion.
But at the same time, would a movie like Apocalypse, Now or even Citzen Kane be made today with all the market research and bottom-line thinking that seems to have poisioned the industry? Films for adults are dumbed down to PG-13 so studios can reach further into the pockets of teens with disposable income. Potentially great films are rushed into theaters prematurely without much care because, "Hey, we can always make it up on the back-end with DVD sales!"
A program like this will continue to shift the balance away from thoughful expression and more toward commerce. The two can exist side-by-side if given room to flourish, but that doesn’t seem to be the industry focus anymore. Movies will end up looking more and more alike. Celebrity status rather than good stories will play a larger factor into what films get made. There will be less films for adults who are seeking serious and intelligent options and the overall artistry of cinema gets dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. Culture evaporates and America continues to earn its stripes as the home of dum-dum entertainment and overweight popcorn jockeys.
People wonder how films like Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo can continue to be made. It’s seeds like Sharda’s program that force us to reap the harvest of mediocrity.
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My occassional e-mail buddy Fenris over at Aikida got linked by my chum Mitch and he made some sort of comment about possibly breaking his one-day unique hit record. I thought I would toss him a link from the front page to see what happens. Plus, Aikida is a really great comic that I’ve been following for years. If a little more link-a-tude convinces Fenris to stay the course and keep pumping out excellent comics, then it’s time well spent!
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