1/5/11
The presentation at Barnes & Noble went well, with discussions about a book signing taking place. We presented a narrative storytelling of the first half of the story and the kids were enthralled. the adults were quite pleased and enthused as well, so it became clearer what direction we needed to move in with the show.
We had four of our Gnome characters enlarged to about 36" and they stood about in a semi-circle surrounding a stool with a copy of the book cover on an easel in the background. We played a loop of the music in the background as I read the story and we displayed our script & music score materials. Overall it looked and played well.
We had four of our Gnome characters enlarged to about 36" and they stood about in a semi-circle surrounding a stool with a copy of the book cover on an easel in the background. We played a loop of the music in the background as I read the story and we displayed our script & music score materials. Overall it looked and played well.
So now, I am working hard to complete the narrative layout for the storybook, but one of the issues with that is the finalization of the lyrics in the musical and trying to work all the scene variations into the second half of the show. With that in mind I have shifted over to producing a Book of Lyrics (which is separate from the stage script or the Libretto). This will help to clarify how many of the numerous little sub-plot items I can include in the stage musical. Even if items are excluded from the stage, they may appear in the film though.
While I am doing this, Shawn is converting the 8-track music files over to stereo and working on mastering the music. At the same time the orchestrations are being refined into the final stages, since some of the songs clearly need enhancement before going into mastering.
We are preparing the material for going into the studio to lay down the lyrics and for me to do the narrative. The initial plan was to have the narrative told by Ferny and that may still be included, but after having done the reading at Barnes & Noble, numerous people have expressed their opinion that I should do the narrative, so I guess I will. That work will also be done at Circle Studios as opposed to at IMS, since their equipment & sound recording facilities are far superior.
We are planning on making another presentation of the show at Tamanend Park in the summer of 2011 and we have opened up discussion in New Hope about presenting the show there, possibly in the Bucks County Playhouse? As you may have seen elsewhere- the game plan includes puppetry so we are now working to develop a larger prototype of the puppets for that presentation. That puppet show is an experiment that is intended to go along with the concert presentation and I am now investigating animatronics for certain of the puppet heads functions. This work is leading to a filmed version of the puppet show. I am debating as to whether or not to bring the subject up with Sesame Street.
Our main issue right now is to increase our investment funds so that we can move forward at a more rapid pace, particularly with illustrations and the construction of the puppets. Obviously there are other business matters which need attention and investment as well, so tending to those matters affects the overall pace of production.
We are also moving toward construction a large balloon(s) for our presence in parades and a construction of a float for publicity is also something we are looking at.
Our main issue right now is to increase our investment funds so that we can move forward at a more rapid pace, particularly with illustrations and the construction of the puppets. Obviously there are other business matters which need attention and investment as well, so tending to those matters affects the overall pace of production.
We are also moving toward construction a large balloon(s) for our presence in parades and a construction of a float for publicity is also something we are looking at.
10/16/10
The narrative script has developed thru three revisions of the first half of the show. It is now clear that this must be finished, as we have an opportunity to present the story & possibly some of the music at a Barnes & Noble book fair. I will be working to complete the narrative for the entire story over the next month.
We are also designing the concert presentation, which will include, puppetry, live vocalists and use of the illustrations in various ways. We have determined to present the show at Tamanend Park and Phillip's Mill and are moving forward to paint the drops needed and construct the puppets. This approach will allow for growth out of the resources we have available, rather than put us in the position that we need to raise larger amounts of Front Money...
8/17/10
Publication of the score is moving along nicely and I am now integrating the published score into the Working Script. The Libretto will be derived from this when that process is completed. The Working Script & Libretto is quite voluminous.
The Working Script: contains numerous description elements of each scene- Synopsis, Setting, Summary, Technical Notes, Sets, Lighting, Properties, Costumes, and Character notes. If necessary for a particularly complex scene, another category, such as "Scene Change Notes" may also be included. I expect that notes regarding musical performance may be included at some point.
This Working Script will constitute the primary materials for rental when the show is ready to Franchise as a traveling Marionette show. The plan is to develop the Marionette show before the live performance, principally because of the resources required for a live show, but also because marketing the show with ancillary products, is the current modus operandi for gaining those resources required for a live union based show. In addition, the Marionette show will assist in raising the funds at a Backer's Audition and bringing the audience into the live show by developing affection for the material before the live show goes up.
Further advancement for The Illustrated Storybook has taken place, although work on the illustrations has stalled due to the requirement for us to complete the score. If, as mentioned below, I am able to expand the studio operation, I will be establishing an Art Department capable of pursuing the illustrations and work on the Animated Version of the show.
Work is being done to assure that The Narrative Story, being used for the recorded CD Edition is consistent in their story-telling with the Illustrated published edition, and the stage show versions. A certain degree of divergence is acceptable, but for marketing purposes the story needs to remain as parallel as possible.
All of this runs parallel to my desire to restructure IMS toward a more corporate environment.
8/7/10:
We have been working very hard to achieve two basic goals. One- to publish the score and Two- to remix the music from eight tracks down to two. I have taken on the responsibility to do the score and Shawn has taken on the remix. Our plan is to go into another, better equipped Studio (Circle Recording Studios) to lay down the vocals. In order to do that we feel that it is best that we master the instrumentals to the stereo mix, which will ultimately be required anyway.
The publication of the score is something that is required for furtherance of the project for both publication goals and production goals. Opportunities that exist must be met head on with full preparation and it is my opinion that performance of this music in a live orchestral or ensemble setting will greatly advance our cause. So as a result of my insistence, the job of scoring has fallen to me, which I'm actually rather happy about, even though it is a huge amount of logistical work which does take away from composing.
Marionettes: I am still working on constructing the marionettes and I have now begun an new phase in that construction.
- I've constructed numerous chassis for the puppets and have experimented with various sculpting techniques and materials to try to ascertain the best approach. I want the construction to be something that can be implemented in a manufacturing environment for the ancillary markets. I am anticipating that we will need to be doing that in-house and so I will be seeking a distribution agreement for those products.
- I am now experimenting with two foot high models of human skeletons. I am not certain if it is required, but my thinking is that the movements of the marionettes with actual skeletons may work the best to emulate bodily positions. As it stands now I believe that the current approach will be able to serve the two purposed required for both marionettes and stop action cinematography.
- It is possible to move into the television production and the construction of the sets for both the franchised marionette show and the stop action film. We have sufficient material to advance in this regard.
- I have the opportunity to expand the studio into a larger portion of the building I am currently using. This seems like it makes sense, but only if I garner sufficient resources to do so comfortably. I have made mention of this elsewhere, to do this will require substantial financing and I believe that to acquire this financing the show will need to be represented by an agent who can involve major industry players.
We have been discussing the art-work with a number of artists, but progress in that area is moving rather slowly because of other demands on time and resources that do not directly pertain to The Gnomes of New Hope.
Look for further postings or write for more details.
