The Gnomes of New Hope: general activities

8/30/11 UPDATE;

• We have mustered a budget and are proceeding with the illustrations for the Storybook with the goal of publishing the final product.  We expect to assemble a package of the Audio Narrative with music as a companion CD to the Illustrated Storybook- Coloring Book Edition.  Hence we will be advancing with black & white illustrations.  The coffee table book edition will follow in due course and will have the companion DVD.  These illustrations will also serve as the storyboards for the animated film, which we expect to move forward with as a classic animation. We are also working to create articulating dolls for the stop action animation film version and ultimately for retail distribution.  

The Cover to the Illustrated Storybook

• These illustrations will also serve as the sketches for the set & costume design for all of the manifestations of this project on stage or film.  In addition to proceeding with puppet construction, we are beginning to plan set construction for presentation of the show at Tamanend Park's Meadow Amphitheater (see The Shakespearean Journal for images of the stage). We are currently making the bodies to the marionettes and costuming them.  The appendages will depend upon our advancement with sculpting and casting the figurines.  We have intention to move forward with that as we finalize certain illustrations, particularly the characters.  

• With that in mind, we will be creating an array of collectible characters of The Gnomes of New Hope.  We are starting with Constable Warren, who can be seen on this web page.  I will take pending orders for the figurines, should anyone desire to have the first production lot.  The Limited Edition Collection will be signed and numbered and likely made of porcelain.  Final pricing on the finished product is not yet determined, but I expect that it will be under fifty dollars for the signed editions, depending on the detail work involved.   

• There will also be an unlimited edition produced from resin.  The puppets/marionettes will also be produced as a limited edition, but that edition will not be released until after the show has been successfully filmed as planned.  The first 35 numbers in all editions are reserved for our front money investors. We have not yet located a publishing distributor.  All production management, manufacturing and inventory will reside with IMS. Purchase orders for production runs of any prototype item must be for acquisition of the entire production run required to bring the unit price into a marketable range.  

• Therefore, we seek relationships with wholesale distributors.  IMS reserves the right to distribute to retail in any region if necessary or desirable to support the exhibition of either the stage show or the film. Exclusive distribution of product is available to the organization who provides 25% of the production budget for the stage and the film, under the standard terms of the investment agreements and can show evidence of worldwide saturation.  All Distribution Contracts extend for a period of two years and are contingent upon performance. Other terms apply. Inquire directly.

  Post Archive

• 8/26/11 UPDATE - We submitted the first song from the show to The John Lennon Songwriting Competition.  We discovered that one of the flute voices in the piece was accidently left as a Pan Flute instead of the Soporano Flute which it is supposed to be, so I will be trying to rectify that. We are quite pleased that we started to release the music. Our plan is to produce the Audio book of the show and we are actively moving forward to publish the Illustrated Storybook as a coloring book with the companion CD of the music and story narrative.

• I have decided to build a puppetry bridge at The Meadow Amphitheatre in Tamanend Park and we are also moving to build the puppet show for presentation in the Park and at other outdoor venues. The interesting point about this approach is that the stage in the park will very nicely serve as a model for little theatre and the size of the sets will fit well into a few theatres I have in mind, in particular- Phillips Mill in Solebury.

• We are also beginning to film the events in the park and I anticipate posting those events on my YouTube Channel.  I expect that we may film The Gnomes in the Park as a preliminary to a more refined shoot at Phillips Mill.

8/5/11  UPDATE;

• Today I am thinking that the associations I need to foster, are the ones which are centered around the internet in terms of communication.  Other methods are less efficient and have proven to falter to a greater degree.  If you are interested in the subject of Gnomes and the mass-media elements I am discussing on these pages, then I would invite you to open a dialogue on the subject with me.  Clearly, I am pursuing all avenues opened to me for this project, but I would prefer to encourage use of the internet and the IMS Virtual Studio for the advancement of this project and all other management functions. I expect to spend more time on the IMS Producing Partners pages.

Further discussions;

• We are nearing completion of the music for the first half of the show.  

• The first half of the show contains approximately 18 songs that are both lyrical and instrumental.  

• We will be producing The Music Album in a two disc set- Act One & Act Two and I am moving forward to design the liner notes and the cover for that.

• Our game plan is to post one song as a sample and possibly make some of it available for purchase.

• We are striving to have the instrumental versions played by  a professional orchestra and we are talking to a few people about this.

• I am continuing to seek representation for this show and have not yet confirmed an agreement.

• We have the text for The Illustrated Storybook laid out and are proceeding with creating the artwork for that edition. 

• We will be moving forward to begin recording the lyrics to the music in the expectation that this will serve as the sound-track for the animated film version and the puppet show.

• We are proceeding with construction of the puppets and exploring some animatronics which may be applied to both the puppet/marionette shows and to the Gnomeville Theme Park aspect of this project.

• I expect that I may start a new blog that is dedicated to The Gnomes of New Hope.