Marketing for The One You Feed

Thinking about how I might market this to prospective viewers and inverters, and sitting here at my desk, I sketched out some ideas that I have for the  marketing campaign.

  

The color bar with the title The One You Feed is similar in reference to the previous marketing ideas that I had posted. I would drop the "two wolves" myth story and in place add the words - Love, Hate, Joy, Anger, Jutice, Revenge. Which One Will You Feed?

Then have two track-able QR code boxes, one listed, "Love," the other listed as, "Hate."  Each QR code would lead to a separate  30 second trailer would play on the users smart device - one themed with love and the other hate. 

So, yes, we would need to create two style of trailers, but it provokes the view by asking the question and then adds the pay off of a different video at each link. 

The two types of videos would also help support the doppelganger/duality theme that is present throughout the story.

Another thought I have on this would be flyer hand outs that look similar to this - 

This is a bare bones sketch and the final product would have more imagery on it, but the basic concept is present. The front would prompt the question, "Which One Will You Feed."  Then the back side would offer the same two QR codes that lead to the separately themed videos.

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

All are welcome, stay tuned for another homework assignment as well as a much needed update on where the script is.

Homework - The One You Feed

This weeks homework assignment is Cameron Crows Vanilla Sky, a remake of the Spanish film Open Your Eyes.

 

A film about revenge?

- No

 A film with guns?

- No

 An explosions?

- No.

So what gives? Well, Vanilla Sky doesn't have the same traits as other will be later Homework assignments will. It's not really a crime thriller, it doesn't have a killer gang, and a dead wife with a  vengeful husband. 

The film starring Tom Cruise,  is about a millionaire playboy who has everything he wants and also thinks he can have it all, including his best friends date to a party while still entertaining another girl on the side.

The films deals with consequence of choices, a theme that is currently very present the first draft of The One You Feed. The film also has two female leads, one blonde and one brunette - showing their contrast to each other, and our film will have the same. 

 One scene that has always has an impact on me is one in which Tom Cruise meets Penelope Cruz in the park. He has just been in a car accident with Cameron Diaz, at first is lost as to how he woke up in the park. In that moment, he finds that he is in a dream. That he doesn't actually have Penelope with him, and they are not together. 

I love the idea the scene because it shows that even after you have lost someone, you may continue to dream about them. In that dream everything seems real, and your significant other is with you again. However, soon you will wake up and what was a wonderful dream is now a nightmare, because in reality that person is gone forever. 

A scene similar to this will be in The One You Feed - but of course different and more in the context of our storyline.

Here is a trailer for the film, and be sure to complete your homework assignment before next weeks assigned film.

Janus - The One You Feed

Though I had previously owned Armageddon and The Rock on Criterion (I know big art house films right?) DVD, I had never been exposed to so much foreign and hard to find films than when working for my Bachelor in Film.

Many of the films that we watched came from the Criterion collection, and most of them all begin with the Janus image above. Seeing the Criterion's Janus film symbol before every movie left a lasting impression. There are several storytelling narratives that are simply my favorite, one being stories that are told in non-linier form, time traveling is another, and duality.

For those that are not aware of who Janus is, here is what Wikipedia has to say -

"In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus (Latin: IANVS) is the god of beginnings and transitions,^[1] thence also of gates, doors, passages, endings and time. He is usually depicted as having two faces, since he looks to the future and to the past. The Romans named the month of January (Ianuarius) in his honor. Janus presided over the beginning and ending of conflict, and hence peace and war."


The Janus symbol inspired me so much  that during my time at the Univeristy of Central Florida I made a a short film called Doppleganger, in which I named my main character Janus, a man with a split personality that talks to his dog about possibly killing his wife.

The myth of The One You Feed obviously deals with the internal struggle of duality,  good versus evil. In writing the script I have attempt to add several scenes that are, in a sense, duplicates of previous scenes. There are things that happen twice. Hitchcock did this in his film Shadow of Doubt and also in Vertigo.  Not that my story needed any more duality in it, but I thought that following in the same feet steps wouldn't hurt either.

In the script, John's wife Linda is killed in a brutal attack. The only distinct item that John can recollect from one of the thugs is a tattoo. I had long thought the tattoo to be a cross of some sort, knowing in my heart that I would change the design later to something more distinct. Something that we as the audience, and John, will recognize later when bumping into that thug again.

I scratched my brain for a long time about what that symbol could be, the tattoo that the thug has on his arm. I even researched gang tattoos in the hopes of finding something that would work. Then it finally dawned on me - Janus. A symbols of duality and a mise en scene that I was toying with anyways.

It was perfect, I thought. The character will have Janus tattoo. But what would that actually look like? Would that look plausible? After doing a little Google image search I found this image below - a person with a Janus tattoo on their wrist. 

 

 Ehh, not really what I was looking for. What do you think?

I am sure that the tattoo fulfills this person lifestyle and completes them, maybe.  But it's not aggressive enough for a thug character. Right? Doing a little more Google image search, "Janus Tattoo," I found the image below. 

 

More perfect than I could imagine. Dropping the facial feature and beard from the image and making it skulls gives it just the edge that it needs. And it seperates it from the Criterion image so it doesn't look like the Thug is a huge art house film fan. 

 Audience, I think I just found my tattoo for the thug character.  By the way, the thug character's name is Emil. The name is in reference to Robocop. You know, the guy that says, "I know you. You're dead. We killed you!" 

But more on that later - as it will be one of the homework assignments in the coming weeks. 

Please, let me know what you think, like, dislike and also please show your support by liking the Facebook page. 

Regards, 

Ryan McDonald

Homework - The One You Feed

In a new section called the "homework" that is required for my feature film The One You Feed.

Along the way of writing the screenplay I have add many nick-knacks inspired by other films. Some parts are just lines of dialogue; others are entire scenes that have been inspired by these movies, and some are films where the visual style, sound track, or themes that are inspiring The One You Feed movie. 

First assignment in The One you Feed homework is Michael Mann’s 1981 film Thief. 

Thief follows Frank Hohimer, played by James Cann, a professional criminal thief with multiple fake front business operations.  Frank also works independently from any gangster organization. But a onetime gig, with a local Mob tie may have the pay out that Frank needs in order to retire and go legitimate with his new girlfriend/wife. If successful, Frank could continue his life free of any criminal association. 

Fans of Michael Mann’s will see the similarities in the character mentality, the “Don’t be attached to anything that you are not willing to walk out on in 60 flat if you spot the heat around the corner.” We also see Mann’s attention to detail and the authentic nature of his characters and films compared to typical Hollywood – crap.

The last third of this film is my favorite part, and it has a very profound influence on the ending for The One You Feed.

Last I checked, this film was available via Netflix instant stream.

Coffee for the Day - River Boat Gamblers; The Wolf You Feed

Coffee of the Day? I think so.

Album teaser featuring the song "Gallows Bird" from the new Riverboat Gamblers album The Wolf You Feed out 5-22 on Volcom Entertainment.

 So far, I dig the sound. Perhaps they would be interested in allowing the movie to feature a song of theirs. I could work with that.
Check out their website as well. http://www.theriverboatgamblers.com/

Movie Review: UP

In writing a review for Disney/ Pixar’s film UP, one could easily express the film in as few of words as, “Wow.” Pixar has masterfully done it again, and fans for the animation production house will not be disappointed. As the trailers for the film suggest, UP is about a lonely and grumpy old man, named Carl, who embarks on a wild adventure by lifting his house from the ground with thousands of helium balloons. However, the plan goes a little awry when Carl finds Russell, a young boy scout, still latched onto his porch. This is only a basic description for the movie, and what you don’t see in the trailer is an emotional and richly dense film that at various points in the narrative won’t leave a dry eye in the theater. As an audience we’ve come to expect great things from Pixar, and it should come as no surprise that this review regards the films as great, even above great. Pixar consistently continues each year, not just have the best animated films, but often times one of the best films of the year. UP, is no exception. Director Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.) and the rest of the Pixar team have really set the bar high for what great animated films can be. In regards to the 3-D, it is phenomenal. But it isn’t like other 3-D films you have seen. It doesn’t resort to basic eye popping gimmicks that make you dodge away from the screen. At times these things can be disruptive. What is great about UP in 3-D is the depth that you see in the image itself, which is in not normally there in 2-D, and is greatly enhanced with a film about a man traveling with his house high above the surface of the Earth. In 3-D or not, the film still has a very heartfelt and adventurous story that can be seen with or without the glasses. If you are a fan of Finding Nemo and Wall-E, than you will certainly love UP.

A+

Terminator Salvation: Ryan's Commentary

It’s been a little over a week since Terminator Salvation (T4) was released into theaters. Since then the reviews for it have been a little wishy washy. It seems that either people loved it, or they hated it. I for one loved it, and I am not sure why other people didn’t. Not that I am unsure of why they hated it, I am well aware of their arguments. I just don’t understand their stand point. SPOILER ALERTS, as I share with you my comments on Terminator Salvation.

Instinctively, when an audience watches a sequel film the first thing they tend to do is compare it with the previous films of that franchise. T4 is obviously not as good as T2. But did we really expect it to be? T2 is not just the best film of the franchise, but very possibly the best action film ever made. I don’t think that is too much of a bold statement. T2 is masterfully done, and really can anything top it? The first Terminator is like the first Toy Story. It always gets good props for the being the first, even though it has been surpassed by many other films. So if we can’t judge T4 with T1, and T2 is just to amazing to compare with then T3 is all we have left. (Sorry about all the T’s, but it is wonderfully much easier to type this out that way.)

What I like about T3 is the action, but the action alone can’t save the film. What I don’t like about T3 is how closely it mimics the previous two films of the franchise. It is too formulaic with the previous films. If you don’t believe me, than allow me to convince you by placing T2 and T3 side by side. In both films two terminators travel back in time to save/kill John Conner. The Bad terminator hardly talks, and acquires clothing from the first human it comes across (police office and female shopper, respectively) Arnold finds clothing from the first bar he comes across, the different here is that in T2 is was cool. In T3, it is goofy and cheesy, “Talk to the hand.” In the mean time the narrative address the other two characters of the film who we have yet to meet, John and Sara in T2 and John and Kate in T3. The bad terminator catches up to John first only for the Arnold to come in and save the day. After then next scene is the, “Who are you and are you from the future,” talk. Which then leads to the, “We have to go a suicide mission to save our parents.” Arnold declines, then the kid/kids override that by, “Ordering,” him too do so. I’ll stop here to save you and I the bore of being too redundant. But I hope you get the message.

What I like about T4, is that it is new and refreshing. Not just a new movie, but a new approach to the franchise. The film doesn’t operate with the same formulaic tactics as the other films do. Instead of mimicking them, it only echoes from their past events. It operates on it’s own, again becoming fresh and fun but also being true to it original sources.

As far as McG compared to James Cameron in directing, of course it would be nice to have seen Cameron direct another Terminator film. But if he isn’t than, as a fan, I would rather McG take over so that there at least is another film.

If you have not seen the film, then I recommend you do so. It is in not as amazing as the second installment, but is certainly better than T3. If you liked Wolverine at all, this is movie for you. Because the action and special effects are incredibly better.

And on a final note: I loved the Bale rant and thought it was awesome. It made me want to see the movie more. I even the love the Remix of it. It's genius, and you can download the MP3 here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTihsJQHt48