Animation, Sculpting & Publication

As I've said before, I intend for us to create animated skits, almost GIFs, to insert into the e-Storybook, almond side of, and in some instances instead of, the illustration panels. In this vein, I would like to associate with another producing organization who will implement the feature film presentations. In terms of the feature films, there will be two films; one animated and one live action. Now, these films will include the music from the show, because the show is a musical. So, that being the case, I am looking for a partner to license those rights. 

On my end, I am looking at buying a church and renovating it to serve the dual purpose of a church and a theatre. That conceptual project also involves another property to serve as the administrative offices and assorted studio spaces, like a recording studio. I will discuss this project elsewhere when the time is right.

So the licensing, including merchandising, needs to provide sufficient fund for me to implement that plan. As I've said before, I will post the business plan on IMS Producing Partners, which will outlines the business structure and some budget and funding stats. That blog site is closed to the public, so if you are interested in engaging at that level, you need to tell me so I can set you up to sign into that blog site.

I have had recent discussions regarding the CG 3D work that needs to be done on our characters. As it stands now, we will be pursuing both CG and classic drawing/sculpting methods to create the animations, figurines, and puppets (both manual and animatronic). The manual puppets will be both stick and marionettes. These represent two shows in themselves. The animatronic puppets will first be applied to the Parade Float, followed by a walkthrough cyclorama, and ultimately, a theme park application.

So this is a very wide ranges of activities, which in truth, extends even further when you consider that "Zach & Zebby's Grand Adventure" is one story of seven that comprise "The Gnomic Tales". But that's "another story".

Normally this subject is reserved for The Gnomes of New Hope blog, but it ended up here.

In regard to publishing. We have started the process of completing the remaining illustrations. All told we need 345 illustration panels. After all, the book collection is nearly 800 pages in seven books or three volumes. The first step will be to fill in the pages with sketches. The work I have done, has been to complete all the technical layout for the books so that they can be published without any snags. In the instance where I did not have artwork for any given page, I inserted description panels of what the illustration needed to represent. That allowed me to move forward with the printing layout. Well, we have now started developing the remaining illustrations.

So, the final prototype is nearly ready to print. I will be printing the entire collection of books, focusing on the Gnome-sized books as the first items to inventory. Where appropriate I can give the Gnome-sized books away as samples. I will not be giving any Big People books away, they are too costly. I have other details regard the books sales and distribution, which I will discuss elsewhere. Suffice it to say that the books will be available via The Gnomes of New Hope blog, which will provide a link to the shopping cart page. There, you will be able to buy both retail and wholesale. In that regard, the hand-stitched books will be exclusive sold by IMS Publishing, by special order. Retailers can also order hand-stitched books for resale, but quantities will be limited due to more complex assembly processes and slower production capabilities. Pricing for the hand-stitched books is higher than machine bound books. So those details will be provided elsewhere once the production lines are fully established. As it stands now, we are set up to produce prototype materials. The production line needs to be restructured to accommodate higher quantity orders. Also, the packaging/shipping/recieving area is also being organized and constructed, as that is critical to delivering product.

That's all for now.  AG

The Gnomes of New Hope

I recently did a Google search of The Gnomes of New Hope. One of the results was a post on this blog. A post created in 2013. Gadzooks! I forgot I had even written that post. I scanned it briefly and it does appear to touch all the bases, of course, the thinking in that post may be outdated... But then again, it may not. I had no idea that preparing the books for publication would take so many years to achieve. I am about ready to print the final prototype run. Part of that process has also included setting up the production line requirements for in-house publication. So that has added to the time frame. In any event, I can recommend that any of what I have, or will say on these pages is valid, if even somewhat dated. In regard to this older post, from what I saw, it was a good overview. Maybe I'll transfer it over to www.thegnomesofnewhope.blogspot.com and then update it. AG

Santa and his Elves

I've moved this post up, since it is the Christmas Season.

I may work on this project some more, because interestingly, 

I'm looking at doing The Garden Gnomes in much the same manner.

This is a Christmas Project that I never got around to pursuing. I had investors lined up to foot the fifty grand I needed to publish as 4' x 8' sheets and distribute these as Lawn Displays to lawn centers, either as a "Do-It-Yourself" kit or Turnkey finished product. I found a very high degree of interest from numerous Lawn Centers, but when it came down to push vs shove, the investors chickened out. 

So that, and other changing circumstances, put the kabash on my effort at the time.  

But I am still very interested in pursuing the entire line of designs.

   This was put on hold when I got wrapped up in The Gnomes of New Hope. Now I'm thinking of doing the Gnome characters as lawn displays. I did move forward to do Garden Gnomes, 18" cultures cast in cement, but I think that doing this flat lawn displays would work well, so I'll be constructing some prototypes. 

   Certainly I'd be interested to hear from anyone with a marketing/sales/partnership interest. Now that Image of the Mind Studios is more stabilized and set up in an excellent facility, this Lawn Display project could be readdressed, but to do so, I would need a Project Manager, funding and guaranteed sales. I am simply too busy with The Gnomes of New Hope producing activities.

  I'm posting this image here so anyone who wants to can print it out and use it for a Christmas Card. I will produce them (cards, table or lawn displays ) if you want to give me an order for quantities more than 100. Just let me know. I think I have an email link in the sidebar of this blog.  AG

Telephone Calls

For those of you calling me via the number ending in 87, that number is my personal cell phone. I simply answer it with "Hello". I do not answer " Image of the Mind Studios". I realize that a number of people expect otherwise, because I get a lot of hangups or no responses. That is either my fault, or it is because people are ignorant. If I get a robo call or an aggressive solicitation I do hang up.

 For unrecognizable numbers, I most often let it go to voice mail. If you want me to answer your call, you will need to give me a heads up via messenger. 

I generally avoid solicitations and cannot afford the time with salesman pitching me, so don't waste your time. I seek what I need, not what someone wants to sell me.

I prefer communicatimg via email, text, or Messenger. 

That's the way it is for now. I'm considering hiring a receptionist, but that isn't an immediate priority, simply because the work taking place is mostly internal and IMS is not a service agency. The focus of attention is on building IMS Publishing and setting up numerous other operations.

AG

Vested Partners

I thought I'd broach the subject of shifting IMS away from a Proprietorship and into a Corporate structure. I have designed multiple divisions of IMS Management, to accommodate varying degrees of operations, in order to allow for expansion into higher levels of activity. Those divisions are discussed in the Business Plan, which I will be posting on the IMS Producing Partners and IMS Management pages, but my current thought is to sell Image of the Mind Studios outright. The only reason I am considering this is that I need to plan an exit strategy. My approach to doing this will be to take on Vested Partners and build a Board of Directors and shift IMS away from me over time.

 Of course, there are numerous levels of Vested Partners who sit on various independent boards, before getting to Image of the Mind Studios, Incorporated.

They are;

1) The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture

     (funding)

2) IMS Management, Inc.     

     (logistics)

3) The Gnomes of New Hope Productions 

     (production)

4) RCK Technologies, Inc.   

     (manufacturing)

5) Image of the Mind Studios

     (design & development)

I'll discuss this more later. AG

Update 7/21; Regarding Communications and Other Business.

I just looked at my last post and was surprised to find the absurdity of how auto correct changed what I wrote. Egads! I fixed it.

This is my front office, which, some time ago, I started turning into the art department, with a video editing suite. I have been in this office for forty years, albeit, on the road alot doing theatre and film. This is in Building Two.  I have expanded into Buildings Three and Four and moved my production office into Building Three. So if you come looking for me, the front office is closed. I am in the back buildings and for now the front Buildings One and Two, which contain the machine shop, are shut down, including my front office.

I have been deeply occupied with the writing/publishing activities of The Gnomes of New Hope, so I have not been very attentive to the other matters pertaining to Studio structure. Yes, I have been reorganizing the shop, in order that I can, not only, be more efficient with the ongoing projects "under roof", but also in order to make it possible to hire people to work there. You see, the work stations must be under control, tools in their place, the building up to code, and other like matters, before I can effectively allow activities to step up to the required production level. I also need to get the account office under control before and of course, sufficient funds, before I can start hiring personnel. Nothing would be worse than starting the engine, heading out on the highway at 120 mph, only to find that the bridge over the river isn't finished, if you get my drift.

Further, for those of you who choose to use the telephone to communicate with me; the line I have posted as the contact for Image of the Mind Studios is my personal cell phone. I answer with hello. Don't let that throw you off. I can't seem it bring myself to respond to answering the phone any other way, I've tried and I always revert to hello. I say this because I get a lot of calls where there is no response on the other end of the line and if I get no immediate response, I hang up. I don't have time for robo calls or idiots.  Your best bet is a text, but you need to identify yourself. I don't respond to solicitations or unknown links. Generally, I'm pretty busy and often don't get to the phone before it goes to voicemail. So if you do leave a message, I will get back to you, if you are talking business and not just trying to sell me something. Eventually, I will set up a receptionist, in which event those communications will take a more standard form. For now, all those resources are directed toward building other aspects of studio operations. Keep in mind that my primary modus operandi is design, development and production (mostly prototype materials). Manufacturing, marketing and distribution are developing under specific parameters, which are not yet active. 

My history in manufacturing goes back to my grandfather and father running our family machine shop, so I do have a history of working in that arena and an understanding of the depth required for those activities. In fact, the machine shop is still intact, although shut down right now. If it goes this way, I will be looking to build a board of directors to take over operations of the shop. It started out with Swiss Automatic and all the necessary secondary operations, but it's set up now for CNC. Ask me if you are interested. The company was RC Kletzing Inc. If I restructure it, it will become RCK Technologies, specializing in design, development, production of robotics and animatronics... and, of course portions of the business activity that it has always been a part of; a job shop.

 We're also engaged in platform medical technology as well. That is a cutting edge new application of known technology, which has already had six million invested in it. It needs to be brought to market. Another project you might inquire about.

So that's all for now. AG

Operations

Here's a Photoshop version of my RV. The paint may end up different, but the "Woody" aspect will remain, when I get around to doing the vehicle over again. This RV made a great mobile office, and I used it for that purpose for a few years.

Well, overall work in the shop is proceeding slowly, primarily because the priority has to be on completing the publishing layout for The Gnomes of New Hope Illustrated Storybook Collection. I have been setting up a production line for producing the Hand-Stitched Edition of the books. That also involves inventory management and shipping/receiving. Sales will be wholesale only, with the Hand-Stitched books being primarily part of the investment strategy. If it turns out that retailers are willing to pay the extra cost and wait for delivery of the Hand-Stitched Edition of the books, then they will go out to retail as well, but for now hand-stitched bindings will apply to investment in the Theatrical production work.

I will need to actively start pursuing the establishment of The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture, not only for the production of The Gnomes of New Hope, but because I need to build another Board of Directors for The Alpha and Omega Society. Part of the larger plan is to build IMS Management as well, but I'm slowing down considerably, so all that will depend on who chooses to be involved. Any of those board positions will require investment in both time and money. It would be nice to establish those boards and see them advance without my impetous. I mean generally speaking. I'm at the age where people usually retire, and although I don't see that happening, it would be nice if I could do so without damaging the growth and operation of Image of the Mind Studios, et al. 

So, that being said, I will be looking to reorganize with a mind to realize that I need to implement an exit plan. If that is of interest to anyone, let me know.

I still have a lot of writing to do, so establishing another modus operandi for IMS is a good idea, in order to give me time to do that. It seems that everything I do these days takes a lot more time than it used to. Oh well.

AG

1/21 Update

Of course, I posted on The Gnomes of New Hope blog, so check that out. I also changed the title of my Tumblr blog to Image of the Mind Studios, so I guess I'll be restructuring that to reflect the studio more than my own interests (cars and other cool stuff). I do have another Tumblr blog titled "Arturo de Magnifico" (a joke from my acting days) which has a few posts about "The Gnomes of New Hope". With all this talk of censorship I get the feeling that the web presence is at risk, so I will be diversifying somewhat. I use Facebook and I have a number of pages, including one for The Gnomes, but those days may be numbered if they keep censoring free speech. I don't use Twitter, I tried but that didn't work out too well, they blocked my account after only one post, when I couldn't remember my password. I was never able to resolve that. I tried, but I got no response. So... I use Pinterest and I have a board for The Gnomes of New Hope, but it's not a primary business communications tool. I use Linkedin, but I find that service far too intrusive, so I limit my use of that. I started to look at Paler, but we all know what has happened there. So, now I'm looking into GAB and I expect to use Tumblr a bit more. Overall, I have to say, I like eBlogger the best, since I can set it up for strictly posting my updates, without any interaction from anyone else. I like to just post updates of my activity without any comments. I figure if someone wants to communicate, email is the best option. Although, that system is a bit overwhelmed and I never know if something went to spam. So, if you do want to communicate with me, don't hesitate to do so more than once and don't get insulted if your email disappears in the mire of electronic documents. I try to stay on top of it, but it's not easy with the flood of material that descends on me.

Also, I use Messenger and that works well, if you are in my system.

Well, back to the intention of this Update; as always, I am advancing my shop capabilities. I have been concentrating on getting the scene shop set up. So I have been juggling between that and publishing the books, with the books being the priority. I will be seeking a Distribution deal for the books, in order to increase cash flow and allow me to concentrate on the studio. So if you are a book distributor, keep that in mind. I will also be working to license other ancillary markets, which are numerous. If you are engaged in merchandizing or production, and you think the Gnomes fits in with your business, let me know and we can talk. I expect to be switching over to working on the music again, after the publishing layout is locked in as to the technicalities of the design. In that regard, all that is now needed is to insert new artwork for the incomplete illustration panels. I will be bringing in artists to finish that work, while I continue with scoring the music. With the scene shop set up, we may also be able to begin some construction in regard to production. My first objective is to construct the parade float, which also involves animatronic puppetry. That will also require getting my metal working and fabrication work stations properly set up.  Attending more seriously to that will be happening after the wood-working is satisfactorily set up. In terms of the metal working , I'm looking for another lathe and a decent milling machine. Since I don't currently have access to the family machine shop (don't ask) I need to acquire my own machines. I have most of what I need, but even if I do take over the machine shop, I will need a metal working shop in my studio that meets my prototype construction needs.

Well, that's all for now.

Check the other blogs. 

AG