The Substance of The Studio

For some time, I off-handedly referred to The Lord as the Executive Producer and true owner of Image of the Mind Studios. I do believe that to be true, while I perform the principle role of Artistic Director. In a way, I serve as Executive Producer as His agent in this world. 

All that being said, the work I am doing is to setup and structure the Studio so that other delegates who have the same perspective can join the team, working for the Lord in the creative environment that is Image of the Mind Studios.

As I have said before, the larger objective is to construct a compound; The Theatrical Development Centre and Spiritual Retreat. That concept has come into greater clarity and is moving toward becoming a reality, although it is very far off.

But the idea of delegating the personnel structure is one that needs to be addressed, particularly in the arena of establishing a Board of Directors. I take the position that for my role I must continue to work on refining the Studio's working space and leave the Board of Directors up to Providence. Having said that, it should be know that the circumstances are ripe for implementing the larger management structure, which is defined in my Business Plan for The Gnomes of New Hope, with only minor adjustments needed to accommodate the epithany regarding the Executive perspective I just outlined here.

In Providence, I leave the impedus up to the individuals who wish to participate and contribute to creating the environment I describe. I for one, realize that my lifespan is limited and I want to see Image of the Mind Studios grow into the entity I envision, understanding full well that it is not in my power to do so, on my own, without others becoming involved in the vision or without all persons involved giving deference to the Lord alone. 

I remain open to discussion in this regard. 🎭🎶🎬📚🙏

Thanks to; "Off-the-Left Eye" for the photo/text panel above.

Partnering

Now that I am finishing g up the e-Storybook, discussions have picked up about presenting the music. This is a good thing, since once the delivery of the e-Storybook is established, I will be focusing in finishing the score to the music.

 But that brings us to gathering resources. With a number of people anxious to work on the stage musical, I need to secure the funds to advance. I prefer to do that in ways that do not require me to pay any of that money back or manage the investment parameters. Licensing the rights is one way, but that too requires management. I am engaged in crafting the materials, so I will be looking to job out or license the management functions. I can build those functions in-house, but that will take time and distract me from other creative work, which must be done. 

So, I'm just posting this to state that I am open to discussing management and funding. My primary goal is to fund the overhead of my studio facility first and foremost, for the long term, meaning the rest of my life (30 years at most). I want that burden gone.

Once that is achieved, then other activities can proceed. I continue to advance with internal operations, but introducing external forces, such as management, on a contract basis, requires satisfaction of long term facilities overhead as a prerequisite​. I will discuss those numbers in person, but a clue is that it costs $100k per year minimum, not including other studio management and facilities maintenance expenses.

Let me know if you want to be I involved. I need to focus more on the funding end of things. We're working off of Front Money, leading into a Joint Venture, and possibly a Limited Partnership. I have a Business Plan available.

I am willing to contract for representation, so long as it's understood that I control the creative content and my economics are met. 

This project has very high potential, but I only need very little in comparison. So this is a peach ripe for the pick'in.  AG🎭🎬🎶🇺🇸

IMS Producing Partners

I have been posting on IMS Producing Partners. It is a site for Classified information intended for our investors, but it is also (supposedly) a restricted site. If the link above takes you into that site, I'd appreciate your letting me know. Here is my email; image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com

 If you find that you need to register, you  can send me your email to the same address and request access if you want to read what is there. I will be focusing more on this site and giving limited access to Industry Professionals who request to see the information posted there, as I will be posting contracts and management documents in due time. I will also be posting the Business Plan, which outlines The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture and the Front Money Agreement. I expect that there will be multiple layers of security on that site.

I am still working on the basis of Front Money and the returns under that agreement are substantial. As it stands now, I will be working to raise around $100K to support the Illustration work that needs to be done. I am also pursuing Licensing, as I need to support the Studio Facilities and get the show on the road.

IMS Producing Partners will be THE place for business documents, so anyone considering involvement will need to request access. Now that other matters are coming to a close, I will be focusing more on those business aspects of producing this show. AG

IMS, Shop Space

Here's a cool shot of a stage, just because it's cool.

Well, even though almost all of my time is taken up with finishing the layout for The Gnomes of New Hope, I am still gradually getting the shop set up. I currently have two 5k sq ft buildings and maintaining that space is costly in a number of ways. Hence completion of The Gnomes and getting it out there producing income is the priority, but I still need to tend to other matters. The property has 4 buildings, my goal is to wholely own and maintain the building and the business in the front two buildings. Buildings 1&2 contain a CNC machine shop, which is closed down right now. My goal is to oped that shop again as a division of IMS, so that's going to require a couple of million to do. But in terms of the two back buildings, in bldg 3 in setting of a scene shop, with wood & metal working areas, a paint booth, a work area that matches the stage turntable in The Bucks County Playhouse, a conference room, refinishing area for furniture, an assembly line for bookbinding, and dhipping/receiving, and of course storage areas for supplies. Also, I have the paint booth area serving as a service bay for vehicles and I have an area set aside for rebuilding a 1931 Model A Roadster. I work in the offices of Bldg 3 and my workstation has three Macs set up for GFX, publishing, FCP, DP/Mach Five, Poser and around at least a dozen other programs. What I can and am striving to achieve has been posted elsewhere, but all of my facilities and resources are dedicated to The Gnomes of New Hope and other projects I already have going. I do not take in outside work, only upon occasion, because my studio rate has to be $250/hr plus expenses that rate covers only the overhead no production expenses or personnel. I've not come across too many people willing to pay that rate, so I don't bother. I'll discuss that in the page IMS Management, which I will embellish after I finished the layout work on The Gnomes of New Hope.

That's all for now. AG 🎭 🇺🇸

Recent Activities​

  It's sometimes difficult to keep all the various blog site active and up-to-date. So, I'm just going to touch base here.

   Work on the e-Storybook is continuing. It feels like a never-ending project, but it is advancing and it is moving along nicely. It is a far far bigger project then I imagined. An example here is that the most recent edition is a result of discovering 153 pages that were eliminated from the previous version. Apparently, in an effort to expedite the matter, I removed the pages that were drawn from "The Gnomic Tales".

    Of course, doing that changed the page numbers as well as expanding Volume Three. But the end result has been redoing the page numbers and making sure the right and left gutters are correct. I'm finishing up the page numbering and will need to build a new PowerPoint presentation.

I mentioned elsewhere that I discovered iMovie will import a .PPTX file, thus making it possible to export that .MOV file into Final Cut Studio. So, I have also been busy setting up the multiple xServe arrays I have and rebuilding my Mac workstations. I recently bought a G4 Mirror Door to replace the Quicksilver that we used to compose the music and will use that as a server for the older files. The Quicksilver seems to be working now, so I will reestablish that workstation. It's still good for many things, incLuding arranging music. Of course, I have the most recent programs on my Mac Pro, but I need another  I workstation for  a someone else  a to use. I still have the G4 Audio Mac that I used for some time and I am using the dual boot function to connect to both the Quicksilver and the older 6400. I use the 6400 and older machines for OS9 and a number of the programs I used in those operating systems. I have an affection for programs like Graphic works and Hypercard.  Used them very effectively, but of course they don't run on the newer systems, so I have kept all my older machines and am putting them to use for things like inventory, scheduling, and some project management.

    Little by little I am setting up the Sales & Accounting Office. That is connected to the showroom and gallery exhibition area. I haven't worked much on the gallery exhibition, mostly because I'm tied to finishing g up the e-Storybook and getting that to produce income. Once that happens a lot of other projects can be attended to.

Little by little I am refining the floor space and setting up multiple work stations. I'm designing and setting up woodworking and metalworking areas, as well as a staging area for set construction and a soundstage with a green screen. I expect to be acquiring a set of borders and legs... and so much more.

AG

Facebook Pages

Here are some links.

Arthur Greisiger
Artistic Director/Proprietor
Image of the Mind Studios

There are also pages for;
Image of the Mind Studios
and
The Gnomes of New Hope

I'm trying to learn how to effectively manage these pages to the best advantage and link everything together.

AG

Photo Stock Library

   I spent many years and a ton of money as a photographer. My photo stock library has thousands of images in it. When it all became digital, I mostly quit doing it, partly because my investments in film cameras were becoming nullified and I wasn't happy about that. I didn't want to invest in new digital equipment.

    I stopped working on photography, or sorting my library, figuring that would be best left for my older years. But also, I was busy with building other aspects of IMS, writing, designing, and addressing production management issues.

   I began to set up a Gallery page, which I may work on again, since I will offer photography and other art for sale as framed works.

   You will find that I will post offerings from time to time, but I'm not investing a lot  of time in it and I'm not selling it unless I make a fair profit. Whatever I post will be in my showroom at the studio, so if you see something you like, you can always visit me. I expect that the showroom will become the repository for items I produce, but don't push very hard to sell. I  also put prototypes in the showroom. Some items will need to be special order, even after I post them.

   I will be working more on the product lines as a whole, since the HDTV e-Storybook is almost finished and the hard copy books are also nearing completion.

   Here's  link to one image that is available. "The Word"

Business dialogue

You will find postings here which discuss some of the Business Modus Operandi.

What is said here is not cut in stone. Even though it is mostly referring to absolutes, the final language is only fixed in the signed contracts and through direct dialogue. Whatever is posted here is for the purpose of providing the context for productive talks on, not only financing, but production management as a whole.

I set up IMS Producing Partners as a subscription page for our investors because there needs to be Classified Information there, but since some of that information is necessary for potential partners to become involved, I have set up IMS Management as a place for that information. If you've read some thoughts that require more information on management issues, that would be the place to look for further discussions on that subject. It may not be there at first, but it will eventually get there.

With all of this, I am working on a plan to migrate all of the blog information to a IMS domain and to implement an internal server. I'm not sure how long all that will take, but it's on the schedule. At some point, I will need to locate an IT person to oversee that arena.

AG

HDTV e-Storybook

An earlier version of the page layout

UPDATE;

3/24/20

Refer to The Gnomes of New Hope for more detailed information. Posts made here are mostly for reference.

Note that the pages have been consolidated and renumbered so that the numbers do not include the Preface and Appendixes of each volume. This has change the pages to represent only the actual story and reduced the page numbers down to 534. This means that volume One has 78 Pages (plus Preface and Appendix bringing it up to 109) and Volume Two, which is Act One of the Stage Play, falls in at 233, with the balance being in Volume Three (Act Two).I am currently building prototypes of Volumes Two & Three, while Volume One has been published (as shown elsewhere)

AG



ARCHIVE;

 3/21/20

Well, the HDTV layout is finished. The next stage is to convert it to both a PPX and MOV files. It is a relief that the primary files have been rebuilt, recovered, and duplicated after great difficulty with failed hard discs and lost files.

The next stage is raising enough funding to move forward (rapidly) to complete the remaining artwork. As I've mentioned, doing this will also move us into animation and 3D rendering. But other funding is necessary for facilities and looking toward personnel. Keep watch on the Gnomes of New Hope blog.

ARCHIVE:

OK, I'qve been carefully preparing the e-Storybook (for the Industry Review)... and this has been going on for a long time. Yesterday a discussion ensued and I explained that when the e-book goes up on someone's HDTV and little discrepancy between the pages, in terms of color balance, alignment, or inconsistencies in the artwork and other things of that nature, will be readily apparent to the discriminating eye. So I have to make sure it is right, because once I release it, the first response of the audience is what will determine it's success.

Well, one aspect of working on this has been consistently dealing with corrupted files. There seems to be a number of reasons for this. I think one significant aspect is the amount of artwork involved. So I have been trying various ways to secure the files. I use numerous programs and formats to implement the layout and part of the problems I have faced are file sizes. So in order to maintain the resolution I have been avoiding compressing the files until the last stage, thus I have files, particularly those that were created with Word, that are too large. In those instances I have attempted to divide the files into smaller segments, but there is inconsistency there. An example is that I have a complete layout, with watermark and a full complement of artwork saved as, say, Revision 95 which opens fine, while the same slightly edited scene, saved without the watermark as Revision 112 won't open after it's been closed. This forces me to go back to 95 to recover the file if an error is discovered in any component using that file. I can tell you that has been very frustrating trying to figure it out and devise a way to secure the files against this problem.

Well, now I'm into another level of file structure. I'm saving the  HDTV layout as a layered PSD file, which is working very well, but now I am also flattening the the pages, without the artwork. If you've seen some of the sample pages I have posted here in this blog (or above in the title page) you can see the way the text is laid out around the artwork. Well the net effect out creating these files without the artwork is that I will be able to insert animated artwork into the layout. Up until now, I have had to insert the artwork in the layout, in order to craft the text. Now that the text is finalized, as to it's position, font, size, and content, removing the artwork and flattening the text with the background page elements creates a foundation for numerous variation of the product line. The most exciting aspect of this is being able to use the page as part of the animation layout.

All this for the Three Volume, 700 page set. So, you can see why this is taking so long.

Well, that's enough for now. 

AG

IMS Management

UPDATE

 Here is a post regarding Studio Overhead.

  

ARCHIVE

Here is a link to the IMS Management Page, where I discuss (and make available) more details about operations and present some of The Business Plan.

I have set up that page for presenting some of the information that is necessary to advance the production in terms of investment and the business structure that may come into play if we fund the Business Plan and thus create a group of organizations based on the Image of the Mind Studios business model.

IMS Producing Partners is designed as a page for communicating classified material with our investors and other participants, whereas IMS Management is a page that presents materials that are not classified.

Up until this point, management discussions have been presented on the IMS Virtual Studio (this blog) and also on The Gnome of New Hope blog, but from now on I will avoid doing that and place those discussions about management on IMS Management.

AG

Watching and Waiting...

The Moody Blues, one of my favorite songs...

I'll post an update on The Gnomes of New Hope blog.

As far as the studio goes, my concentration right now is on getting my work trucks back up and running. I was moving forward with a new engine for the Corvair Rampside, but that stalled. I have been looking for another donor FC 95 for the parade float, but now I'm also wanting to build a dump trailer to go with the Rampside. I have a Dodge Ram pick-up, which I am going to strip for parts. I've decided to use the bed on an army trailer frame I have. It dumps. So I plan on moving the bed to that. If I ever get around to it, I'd like to keep the inner bed and switch the outer panels over to Corvair truck, to match the Rampside... a matched set, truck and trailer. It will be worth more when I eventually sell it.

But more directly, I am prepping my International Loadstar CO1600 to receive a replacement transmission. That truck was last on the road twelve years ago! It must have been that long since the transmission broke. I looked all over the country for parts to repair the T98, to no avail. Finally, I bought a transmission from a yard in Idaho. Apparently, when the price of steel went up, everything got crushed, making the parts for the truck harder to get. So that trans is almost ready to go in. After that truck is running again, I need to mount the plow I got for it, then it's on to getting the crane arm working and finishing the gates for the stake sides. And after all that, I need to replace the bed again. I used white oak and it rotted, so this time I expect to use locust, if I can find it. Maybe I'll use pressure treated, but pine is too soft. If I do that, I may put diamond plate on top, but that takes my tare weight way high. Well, we'll see. I'd like to convert it it 4WD, put in an auxiliary trans and a two-speed rear axle. Finding those parts is most likely a fantasy.

I acquired the CO1600 for hauling sets and I expect to need that for The Gnomes of New Hope, at least in here in Pennsylvania. I have two semi-trailers, one of which I plan on using to package the show, but it's only 35', so I'd have to limit the size of the show. But I did get that size figuring it would be more manageable bringing the show into the city. It's a curb loader with doors on both sides. I'd hate to have to pay two trucks to move the show, but that might be necessary. I am looking for CO1600-1800 or Dodge L700 tractor to move those trailers around. Not over state lines though, too complicated with the regs and CDL at this point. I'll hire out for that.

That all for now. AG

Studio objectives

I have had nine Studios over the years. I was intending to make 1325 Industrial Boulevard the main, and possibly, final location for the studio. I'm beginning to rethink this. It is a conflicted environment, having family ties that are imbalanced (to be kind).

For many years, decades really, I have had the design for a studio compound in my mind. I had thought that by establishing a base of operations at 1325, I could then move to create the Theatrical Development Centre Retreat in a more rural environment.

I thought that the property on Industrial Boulevard would allow us to engage in production activities, while establishing another, more remote, studio compound and so I moved forward to do so, while assisting my father with running the machine shop.

That worked for a while. But now that it breaks down to my siblings, the conflict is too great, too distracting and I feel like I'm banging my head against the wall. My work is not as productive as I want and need it to be.

So I will be developing a plan to begin establishing the Retreat environment and exit the current location. I'm already 65, so I'm not looking forward to setting up shop again. The only way to avoid doing that is to gain sufficient funds to buy everyone out of both the machine shop and the buildings and thus stay put. This is preferable, because I have years worth of energy spent setting the space up. But since there is so much still to be done, maybe starting fresh might be a good thing. Especially if I am able to do so unempaired by foolishiness and unwelcomed & unnecessary confict. It is a dilemna.

Clearly the equity in The Gnomes of New Hope is sufficient to do that. So if I can make that happen, that would be good. If not, then many things that are underway will get disturbed, by having to stop in midstream, pack up and relocate again. If this happens  the work may never get reestablished. It has happened many times before and frankly, I dread seeing that happen again.

I say all this by way of addressing potential business partners who may be able to provide the required funding, substantial funding. Not from the "bank loan" scenario. I mean a sizable amount of money that does not get paid back. Selling rights to the project or capitalizing either the production or the new organizations I have outlined in the Business Plan.

I can use Licensing, Options, Production/Distribution Agreements, or The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture.

Also forming IMS Management, Inc. and/or The Gnomes of New Hope Productions can also provide funding.

The composite of these organizations provides an excellent opportunity for growing an collaborative group of production capabilities. They are designed to be symbiotic in nature and over 40 years of exposure to the entertainment industry backs up the organizational structure. The design of those organizations is under ongoing development, but it is available for review on request.

Implementing this structure has been part of the plan, but it has taken a back seat to the refinement of the Core Creative Materials.

But now, being faced with this conflicted work environment, I need to encourage capital investment in the Image of the Mind Studios group of organizations.

Those organizations are intended to come to life under the guidance of a vested group of capable managers, more than one Board of Directors, separate from myself or Image of the Mind Studios as it now exists. I have devised the organizational structure, which in part, is a means to pass all the creativity housed in Image of the Mind Studios onto future generation of artists, producers, and other creative individuals, to continue the work and to create an environment where those activities can florish under a methology that can apply to any and all theatrical and cinema endeavors.

It is somewhat drawn from the studio system in it's concept, but not as all encompassing under one umbrella. The organizations stand on their own as to form, but are interdependent as to their functions. The relationship between the organizations is well thought-out, but the implementation is wholely contingent upon installing the correct personnel. For the modus operandi is intended to be founded on the establishing principles, which set the groundwork for growth of the organizations as service oriented businesses, utilizing existing projects to establish operations that will service an array of new projects designed to avail themselves of the system inherent in the organizational structure, which takes into account the composite as being symbiotic.

I hate to say this, but I may not be long for this world. The stress is killing me. So I want Image of the Mind Studios to become the butterfly that has been growing for decades. I may not see it happen, but I want to be certain that it does.
I no longer need to cling to this. It is larger than I am and I am becoming smaller than I was.

Those of you who see this potential and want to participate in this metamorphosis are welcome to inquire and enter into discussion with me.

AG

Other Investment Opportunities

There may be a circumstance where stock shares in an existing manufacturing operation might come to be available. If this is an interesting subject to you as an investor, keep watch. If it does happen, I'll create another blog to address that situation.

I will say that I am also crafting a proposal for sale of shares in an organization that already exists and has been funded to the tune of 6M, which resulted in numerous patents for ground breaking technology. I can't say more than that it involves the medical industry and it is huge. That may be a closed situation, but if not, I will post on that subject here at another date.

AG

Recent Activities

HiJust to keep things moving forward...

I've been working with PowerPoint for the Narrated version of the e-Storybook of The Gnomes of New Hope. It's phenomenal! So I'm also developing promotional materials on the platform as well. My hope is to link it to Final Cut Studio and use those combination of tools to produce the animated films of each song  and scene in the show. I post on numerous blogs, so sometimes each blog appears outdated, but I do post regularly.

For the past month or so, I've been rebuilding the tail section of a 40' dragon puppet, which I'm in charge of. I've become the Dragon Master, since I built the chassis for the puppet originally about 8 years ago. This year's maintenance involved redesigning the spine and implementing a new mechanical design. So I've been busy with that. I may post photos at some point.

I'm also working on designs for the parade float/mobile stage, as well as the sets and puppetry for that presentation of The Gnomes of New Hope. But then, there is also the recording that needs to take place of a few songs, particularly "The Stone of Wisdom" .

All that means is - things are busy and I need to raise sizeable chunks of change to keep everything going. If you are an investor or a potential licensee, let me know, I'm doling out rights for a fee.

We're also looking to secure large scale distribution of Book One, 100k+ would be nice. Let me know if that's your specialty.

AG

Thoughts on Staging

On the subject of a Portable Stage, posted on The Shakespearean Journal

Link to "Nunc Licet" script

Nunc Licet 
a stage play
based in part on
 the Writings of
Emanuel Swedenborg

The Alpha & Omega Society

Producing

Check out The Gnomes of New Hope blog. A number of venue options have presented themselves in a more profound way. So, some serious producing activity will inevitably be taking place. That's going to require some substantial funding if we are going to do it right.

I guess that means I'll be doing layouts for each of these performance scenarios, including GnomeFest, which now seems eminently more important.

I've still got to finish the book publishing and getting the shop properly set up, but I think that a few other venues are starting to take off. I got that sense after visiting the Summer Solstice Faerie Festival in Maryland yesterday.

AG

An Introduction to The Business Plan

I have transferred 

An Introduction to our Producing Partners 

to the IMS Management page. 

It is a lengthy review of the Modus Operandi that is under way for the overall production of 

The Gnomes of New Hope: Zach & Zebby's Grand Adventure

. More details of the points discussed here will be posted elsewhere for the purpose of moving into production under the plan presented or any other plan which may arise.

 I welcome your input via email at; image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com

IMS Management

I have been reviewing the blogs I have set up and found one for

IMS Management

So I will be working to build that blog in accordance with 

The Business Plan

and build pages for each arm of the organizational structure

to address specifics in each of those operations.

Here's the first page of the Industry Review Package

which contains hard copy of the contract materials

and The Business Plan.
I may post  The Industry Review on a
Restricted Page connected to
IMS Producing Partners
(request access)

Image of the Mind Studios Logo

I Finally settled in on a look for the IMS Logo. This Logo was designed in 1977 when I formed Image of the Mind Studios. It started out as simply Image of the Mind. Then when I moved to Boston it became Image of the Mind Productions. Then when I moved to Hollywood and tried to set up a second office there, it became Image of the Mind Studios.

For years I struggled with how to include the word Studios into the Logo, because that threw the balance out of wack. So I included the word Studios with the text design and when I carved that into the stake sides on my 1961 Corvair Rampside truck, I eliminated the star. That solved the balance problem, because the star would not fit on the panel I was carving.

But I still could not come up with the graphic details I wanted for the Logo. I tried an assortment of variations but none of them worked very well. For one of my film productions I tried creating a few different Logo trailers. None of them are what I want as the image that the world would see. When I was experimenting with the logo for film, I decided to have a star made out of crystal (although I haven't done that yet). My plan is to take that crystal star and spin it, letting it wind down to a standstill. once it starts to slow down, I want to have the remaining logo design components dissolve/fade up into it. Well, something to that effect, maybe a variation thereof. I'll work on that after I get my editing bench up and working again.

Back In '77 I took out an ad in Variety announcing the introduction of Image of the Mind Studios, but it was not the kind of add that was intended to attract attention, it was more spiritual in nature. Maybe sometime I'll post it here.

So about a year ago I started playing with the Logo, based on what I was doing with text for The Gnomes of New Hope. I came up with numerous variations, but this one satisfies me the most. It has color I like, the inferred distribution of light and color and the sub title "From Concept, To Form, And Beyond" which just about says it all in terms of the creative process that Image of the Mind Studio is engaged in. I'm not entirely satisfied with the clarity of the Star in the center of the Logo, and there are a few other adjustments to be made, but that can be rectified in future editions.

About the Star; it started out with a cross, the symbol of Christianity.  But then I changed it into a sword, partly as a result of being offered membership in the Templar degree, but that's another story.  The Star beams forth from that symbol as the source of all life and the creative force. It divides the title Image of the Mind in half, basically an image in the mind. An image being in the spiritual degree and the mind being the form in which that image manifests. It is the combination of the spiritual force merging with the tangible form of the mind, which ultimately controls the natural degree of the body, where concepts take form and can then become useful by going beyond into application. So that is the correspondential  understanding of what the Logo and sub-title stand for. Adding Studios was simply a way to identify the many components that have individuality and must be in place for the whole to exist, much the way we have a body consisting of many components both internal and external. So studios does not refer to multiple external businesses, it refers to multiple internal components of one studio.

IMS Producing Partners

I just discovered a variation in the web address to

  IMS Producing Partners. 

So here is the corrected link.
(it is correct in the header)

IMS Producing Partners is for Business Associates, 

Interested and involved Industry Professionals 

Participants, Friend of the Production and Investors

I'm changing IMS Producing Partners to a restricted blog that is no longer a subscription site.
If you want to have access to the blog, which deals with the Business Documents
and other details on Producing, you will need to email me
image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com

 An early shot of the puppet shop.

A modified "Gnomeskull"
with a most excellent joint design,
although the neck is too long,
testing the neck joint.

A wider view of a work area,
showing work on the Dragon Puppet Heads
For the Annual New Church Day celebration
on June 19th
in Bryn Athyn PA
check it out,
a 40 foot seven headed dragon,
the Pageant starts at 7pm

 Starting to configure the Zach Puppet

The unfinished head in place,
altered joints & spine,
 arms & legs length adjusted.

The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture, Front Money

UPDATE 5/21

Since I realize that I must (more actively) pursue the Joint Venture, then I'm posting here to bring the older post into a newer time frame. I'm hoping to work on consolidating these blogs in the near future, but for now, I will be addressing these issues on IMS Producing Partners. As it stands now, IMS Producing Partners is a membership site for Vested Partners. I may change that structure in the future though. We'll see. AG

 Normally I post these subjects on IMS Producing Partners, but since that site was set up as a membership site, few people will see the posts. IMS Producing Partners is not functioning entirely as I had intended yet, simply because I am running out of time to manage that end of things the way I would like to.  As you may see from reviewing The Gnomes of New Hope blog I've decided to pull back from certain management activities and focus on completing the book series. All seven of the Illustrated Storybooks need to be finished and in the marketplace before we can really start to fly, so-to-speak.To do that we need to raise the funds needed to complete the artwork and conform the book layouts to the new printing specs. It's a lot of work, especially in the context of all the other work that is under way. That's going to require at least 150K, possibly more, in whole or in part, drawn from Front Money. Front Money has a 300% return and no time frame.

This post addresses two of the critical subjects necessary for producing The Gnomes. Front Money and the Joint Venture. Conversations recently with investors has caused me to review the contracts and the Business Plan.

 In terms of the Front Money Agreement; I've reviewed the original contract and updated it by clarifying the language and expanding upon some of the terms which seemed to be presumed in the previous agreement. This expansion and clarification does not change the terms of any previous agreement, however I added an additional benefit, when it comes to reinvestment of the principle and return. In particular, a reinvestment, at the discretion of the producers, brings with it additional return from the Producers share of the Limited Partnership, if those funds remain in the LP (and if an LP is implemented). This in addition to a commensurate number of shares in the Limited Partners portion. That does not mean that the LP investor gains shares in the GP portion, that means that the General Partners take on an obligation of return additional money to those Front Money Investors from their portion. There are other clarifying points on subjects that might have been misconstrued if they were not  embellished upon further. Of course that makes the document longer, but, oh well.

I can say that I do believe that the Front Money Agreement will not require updating again, because it has been expanded to cover details that I thought unnecessary or unwise in earlier editions. Truth be told, I'm dealing with more sophisticated investors now because the numbers are higher for the budget amounts we need to secure. So review was appropriate.

I'm still finishing some of the Developmental activities that require less investment, but that will need to change drastically in the very near future. Lack of funds is stunting the growth of the project severely. It's not just the project itself. I have substantial outlay required for equipment, facilities, and management logistics and that takes away from moving further into pre-production and ultimately production. I am trying to align the foundations for distribution, which as you know must be in place before even considering going into production. So the focus, goal, and reality is that the publishing needs to be completed and there are numerous details in that regard.

Book One is sufficient to outline the essence of the entire series for advancement into serious discussions about funding other arenas, in particular Cinema and other presentations,  such as the parade float/presentation or concert opportunities.

In house activities are blending preparations of the sound-stage/scene shop/GFX/animation/puppetry and this needs to be funded as well.

It should be noted that the e-Storybook is shaping into a premier exhibition medium and it's development may take precedence over  entering into presentation in some other venues. That in itself is justification for much of the in-house activities that are being developed.

So with all that in mind, not to mention the other intended higher level of professional industry activities, both domestic and international, I have been reviewing the Business Plan. There are aspects of it that have been outdated because of changing circumstances and a new clarity that resulted from Book One being published. So too, have the circumstances with my facilities changed. None of these changes are sufficient to change the Modus Operandi as a whole, but certain aspects of the operation have come into focus and the larger speculation on possibilities, has given way to the utter realities which must be addressed, if this is ever to advance into reasonable, if not the fullest manifestation.

The original Business Plan, which went through numerous revisions to bring it to the state of definition in which it now exists, clearly will need go through numerous other revisions, before it can be considered as a viable production tool. In the present plan, The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture is addressed along with other subjects in a detail which I would like to isolate from the narrative presented.

From my point of view now, the assorted subjects that have been addressed need to be separated into more distinct sub-categories and the entire document needs to be structured, so that it refers to those sub-categories as adjacent documents instead of having the details of those sub-categories integrated into the language of The Plan. Doing this will give The Business Plan much greater flexibility to include new categories, such as First and Second Class operations, or The Ancillary Markets and effectively produce distinct operational guidelines for each category. The whole point of The Business Plan is to lead into the management structure that is identified within it, not just to raise the capital to do so, but also to set the groundwork for the Board of Directors of The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture, IMS Management Incorporated, and The Gnomes of New Hope Productions to operate in accordance with the plan, or to at least be set on the path to the ultimate operating structure which will originate in the plan. But that plan also applies to other projects as well.

These organizations must be set in place, if another larger studio does not step in to take over operations of The Gnomes of New Hope. That option is always on the table, but really, I'm not holding my breath.

So I am reviewing the Business Plan in order to make it a more useful tool. That plan is divided into sections already and I can provide sections for review to investors if they want to see it, but for now The Front Money Agreement is the primary document and the actual Business Plan is only available to vested IMS Producing Partners. Book One and all the adjacent production documents are sufficient to present the scope and methodology to Front Money Investors.

The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture requires a buy-in. I'm splitting the shares in The Gnomes of New Hope (essentially) in half and selling those shares to The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture. That means that the twelve member Vested Board of Directors will gain 100% of all the rights to exploit the project in both the domestic and the international markets. They will not have the right to change, expand upon, or develop the Core Creative Materials. That right remains with and under the purview of Image of the Mind Studios. I will sit as the Chairman of the Board and in that capacity retain the one twelfth share of The Elder Gnomes shares. The remaining eleven Board Positions are available for sale to the appropriately credible investor.  That means that the Board positions require active vested individuals, with the credentials to fill a specific role in the management of the organizations and the project as a whole. There are the normal positions; CEO, CFO, etc, but there are also positions that are specific to the industries involved in this project. Theatre, Film, Television, Merchandising, etc. Each of the Board positions in The Elder Gnomes has a supervisory capacity over the other organizations (until they are fully capitalized) and the Business Plan has a tiered structure running across all the organizations previously identified.

The Elder Gnomes will alway retain ultimate authority over The Gnomes of New Hope, but the organizational structure accommodates other productions under the same defined structure. A parallel example would be this; The Nunc Licet Joint Venture, IMS Mgmt, and Nunc Licet Productions. This organization would be for the project "Nunc Licet" a stage play about Emanuel Swedenborg. Any other project would have the same organizational structure; The Alpha & Omega Joint Venture, IMS Mgmt, Alpha & Omega Productions. "I Am Alpha & Omega is my Mangum Opus. In all instances of project originating from Image of the Mind Studios, IMS retains Creative Control. The same would be the case for a project originating elsewhere.

This information is all outlined in greater detail in The Business Plan, but in a Gnutshell; The Board Positions in the Elder Gnomes require a buy-in. Each seat on the Board maintains 1M shares at one dollar per share. Shares in the Elder Gnomes belong to the Joint Venture as a whole and not to the person sitting on the Board. There is accommodation to recoup the buy-in after there is a stock split. If a Front Money investor's credentials match the need of any of the Board positions in any of the organizations; Elder Gnomes, IMS Mgmt, or the Production company, then there are accommodations for the transfer of the Front Money investment to that organization and Board position upon approval.

To put it plainly, this project needs to move out of my hands and into an organization of numerous people fulfilling an array of management, creative, production, and performance roles. This is the point of the plan briefly outlined above. I remain open to all other options, given that one realizes that the depth of implementation of the Business Plan will dictate the actions that must take place.

That's all for now. AG

IMS Product Gallery

The link above will take you to that page. I am returning to building that page somewhat, now that I am concentrating on the IMS Sales Office and Showroom at 1325 Industrial Boulevard in Southampton. I am no longer focusing on placing our products in the stores, although I will do so, but rather concentrating on setting up our wholesale operations within the studio and setting up a shopping cart. I you are reading this and work in sales, I am open discussion of sales representation for various products and such. My energy needs to stay focused on the studio environment. If you are a retailer and see something that interests you, send me an email to discuss it.

AG

Architectural Lighting Equipment

 Here is a link to some lighting equipment I have available for sale or trade. I will trade the equipment for Theatrical Lighting equipment. I need DMX dimmers and a board, 3.5/6" lekos, Source Fours, or a video projector.  Being that I am building "The Gnomes of New Hope; Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure" there are numerous other supplies I could use. There's an email link on that site.

https://ims-stuff-for-sale.blogspot.com/

Purchasing Book One

Here is a link to follow if you'd like to purchase copies of

Book One, an Introduction to The Gnomes of New Hope

Architectural Lighting

I recently acquired the lighting equipment that was used to light the Bryn Athyn Cathedral for the June 19th celebration.

The Cathedral decided to install a permanent lighting system, because numerous occasions for lighting the Cathedral had begun to arrise and they wanted to eliminate the effort necessary to set up the equipment that had been in use and have control from a main switch.

So I bought the old equipment after the new system had been installed.

I am currently sorting and categorizing the equipment. I've separated it into Lots. Some of the equipment can be used in the studio for the sound stage, which I am in the process of designing and building.

Before I reconfigure the cables for use on my stage, I am going to offer the Lots for sale to other facilities which may like to illuminate their buildings for special occasions. I considered making the equipment available as a rental and doing the installations as a service, but that would take away from the work required for The Gnomes, so I'd rather sell the equipment, or trade it for the theatrical equipment I need for the sound stage.

I will post the photos when I can. If you think you might have a use for this equipment, contact me directly and I can send you some documentation as a PDF via email. AG

image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com

Thoughts on "The Gnomes of New Hope; Zach & Zebby's Grand Adventure"

As I have proclaimed numerous times, Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure is one of The Gnomic Tales that is part of The Gnomes of New Hope collection of Storybooks. The Gnomes of New Hope began life as a simple puppet show, a result of my working for The New Hope Arts Commission, serving as the Technical Director for The New Hope Performing Arts Festival. I performed this role for nine years, and during that time, I became frustrated designing, building and operating shows for a wide variety of people, some of which did not appreciate my efforts and others who did not understand what could, or not, be done, and still others who were demanding premadonnas. The whole gamut of circumstances were present, but what it added up to, was a desire to spend my energy setting up a show the way I thought it should be. A show that was simple and straight forward. A show that was innocent and good. A show that was for everyone. A show that was fantastical. A show that wasn't hard to understand, or too challenging, or religious, or political, or perverted, or hostile, or ugly in any way. A show that had potential to expand. A show that could become a film. A puppet show? A live action show? A stop-action film? An animated film? A show that had become a Project!

What started out simple has become complicated. Rats! What started out as a simple puppet show became a full blown musical theatre show and in order to build an audience for that show, it  became a series of Illustrated Storybooks. Which is where we stand. Almost ready to release the first of seven Storybooks to the public.

But that's not all, or even enough. In order to produce this show, a work space needed to be acquired, equipped, and set up to accommodate the personnel required. That is in the process of being refined. Image of the Mind Studios is in a 10k sq ft warehouse space with 40 years worth of effort to set up a functional studio. But again, that's not all, or enough!

The business management to effectuate this endeavor must be in place, along with sufficient funding to carry it through. This too is underway. I will not discuss that here or now. Those discussions are now reserved for the IMS Producing Partners blog.

So whatever needs to be done, will be done. How long will it take is another question. But as Gerald Schoenfeld said to me once, "you have to have your ducks in a row". And that's what we're doing.

Mostly the work that needed to be done to set this up, needed to be done by me. But that time is coming to an end. It's time to take it out of my hands and put it into a system of production that employs a wide array of other talents. To do that depends on production management and finance. That's where we stand in terms of the theatrical endeavor, but also in terms of distributing the published goods.

I will leave those discussions for another time and place.

That's all for now. AG

Recent post on IMS Producing Partners

Here is a discussion on Finance and Licensing as it pertains to the Ancillary Markets.

The Alpha & Omega Society

Here is a link to explore.

A Retreat Community

Vehicles

   Now that the Creative Content of The Gnomes of New Hope is locked into the publishing layout, other business can be attended to. Some of that business is getting the trucks back up and running.

1961 Corvair Rampside

   For over twenty years I operated my Corvair Forward Control, 95 Rampside as my primary work truck. I worked that truck like a dog and it served me very well indeed. I put nine engines and five trans-axles in it to keep it running over the years. Part of that was a result of experience, knowing that; after a certain time of operation, the best approach is to pull the power train and swap it out for another prepared one, leaving the old power train ready for bench inspection and repair. With an old truck like that (1961) it's best not to let the parts break in operation. That only results in more damage and expense, not to mention getting stranded.

   So, I am now preparing another engine for the Corvair truck. I built an engine years ago, thinking that one would be a long term engine, only to be faced with having been supplied with faulty rings by Clark's. I spent five grand building that engine and it only lasted a few months before the compression ring in piston number one broke and blew out the piston and wrecked the head. I'm rather uncertain about the demise of that engine, because one thing I did do was to modify the combustion chamber of the heads. I used a 102hp set of heads and altered the volume of the chamber by eliminating a block of aluminum that was positioned directly across from the spark plugs. I made the presumption that that block, being where it was, added to the head temperature, so I removed it. I did calculate the volume, using fluid and calibrated beakers, as best I could. But I'm still trepiditious about the results in terms of performance, because the rings failed before I could make a determination.

So now I'm using that block with a new set of stock pistons and stock 110 heads.

   It's funny, but after that engine crapped, an engine I spent five grand building, I put a junkyard engine from a car in and ran it for years with no trouble, until the rings finally gave out. Go figure.

   I'm looking forward to having that truck up and running again.

1962 International
            Loadstar CO 1600

   So years ago, I bought a Medium duty truck. I found the CO1600 and was smitten. I had been looking for another truck, one that was slightly heavier duty than the Corvair. I was looking at buying a Jeep Cab Over, a truck I always liked, since I was a kid. I think that is because I had a toy version of that truck. The Jeep I was looking to buy was rough. The guy was going to sell me two trucks, so I could make one. I was on the fence when I found the International Loadstar. It was a cab over and it looked like a grown-up version of the Corvair truck. It was a lot bigger than the Jeep. I guess the deciding factor was the propensity of the Jeep to flip forward because of the weight in the nose end. But also the Jeep shop was on the verge  of closing, which had some effect on the decision. So went with the Loadstar. It was a hulk that I had to rebuild, basically from the ground up. I rebuilt the cab doors and floor, put in a new engine, new tires, a rebuilt dumping stake bed, rebuilt braking system and numerous other things, including installing  a 14' 4k lb crane arm. The odometer in the truck includes a 100k digit and the odometer on this truck was under 50k original miles. So for a 70 year old truck it's practically new.

  Well, ironically, the Loadstar lasted about six months on the road before I blew the transmission. That was my own fault. I did not have a good understanding of how to operate the power take off or the creeper gear. First gear is a creeper and is not synchronized. The shifter in the Loadstar is a four speed on the column. The adjustments on the shifter and the hydraulic clutch are critical. I found that out the hard way. I wrecked first/reverse because the adjustments we're not right. I thought a little gear grinding wouldn't matter. I was wrong. Any gear grinding is not acceptable. It will result in damage. It took me six years to find another transmission. I think the reason for that is that; when the price of steel went up all the old trucks got scrapped, so these Cab Over Loadstars are increasingly rare, at least in the scrap yards.

  So now I have another transmission for the truck and I'm preparing it for installation.

  I have to say, I'm looking for another one, set up as a tractor to pull my semi trailers. I figure that a 35' trailer will be just about right for loading "The Gnomes of New Hope; Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure" into as a rental. So that's the direction I'm headed in.

Parade Float
   The other vehicle that is being worked on is a parade float. I have come to the conclusion that I am going to build the chassis of the parade float using a Corvair truck as the donor vehicle. The suspension and power-train are perfect for what I need to do. The real advantage here is that the power-train and rear suspension are a self-contained unit. That means the length of the chassis can be whatever distance is needed, since all the engine controls are via cables, particularly when using the automatic transmission.

  I'll discuss this project further elsewhere as it proceeds.

That's all for now. AG

Business Plan

Although there have not been too many posts on this blog lately, that doesn't mean things have not been busy. In fact, that indicates just how busy things have been.

Publishing:
The larger part of work has been on finalizing the publishing of the Storybooks of The Gnomes of New Hope. The initial focus was to plan to meet demand for a wide distribution of the books, so the publishing was being set up for that scenario. There have been a few delays in that plan, but the basic requirements for that level of distribution are in place. But now I have decided to pull back from that and focus on setting up in-house on demand publishing. The main issue there is inventory and the outlay required, across the board, for deep saturation. The outlay is just too high, the return is too delayed, and the balance of the books still need illustrations in order for the entire collection of books to be "immediately" available. Without the full collection available for distribution, as a collection, then I think deep saturation, or any attempt to achieve that, would be a foolish move. To do so may impair the market by inserting an incomplete product and risking alienating the audience. So on demand publishing, directed at a targeted audience, industry professionals and select individuals such as investors, is the best possible scenario, until such time as the entire collection is closer to being released (as a boxed set). As it stands now; three of the seven books are assembled and fully Illustrated, with only book one completely ready for press.

That being the case, Book One is being published and released on demand, as it is being used to prime the publishing systems; manufacturing, distribution, investment and pre-production for theatre and cinema.

The Business Plan
The blog for discussions on this subject is IMS Producing Partners, but essentially the Business Plan that is moving forward is as such - there are four organizations involved; The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture (the funding operation), IMS Management Incorporated (logistical management), The Gnomes of New Hope Productions (the producing organization) and Image of the Mind Studios (design and development). The implementation of these organizations is contingent upon no other organization stepping in to buy The Gnomes of New Hope franchise. So for further discussion on these subjects keep an eye out on the other blogs and pages on Facebook, most particularly IMS Producing Partners. If you are an industry professional or investor, the entire package of materials, including investment documents, will be available in an electronic package, presented in "Gnomes in a Gnutshell". Make a request via email for discussion on the subject.

AG

Recent posts on Facebook

Here's a link to the Facebook page.

IMS Publishing

Here is a link to the IMS Publishing page.

This page is within the Gnomes of New Hope blog.

The IMS Publishing page is the only page (in these blogs) that is set up so that discussions can occur, mostly for the purpose of answering directly relative questions on the subjects posted.

I rather prefer private email to; image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com

AG

A Christmas Song

I thought I'd write a Christmas Song. Here are the lyrics:

"A Christmas Song"

Christmas is a time,
   When people come together.

Christmas is a time,
   Of changes, like the weather.

Christmas is a time,
   We work on our behavior.

Cause Christmas is a time,
    We sing praises to our Savior.

It's a special time indeed,
   For all people who are in need.

People we know,
   And people we don't.

People we see,
   And people we won't.

The ones who laugh,
   And the ones who cry.

The ones who live,
   And the ones who die.

At Christmas we bring,
   New life to our world.

We see joy,
   In every boy & every girl.

Special days and special ways,
   We look past our struggles
      to find.

We walk the path together,
  And so, we are no longer blind.

We reach out to each other,
   With happiness & joy we greet.

Wishing well with peace,
   To all we meet.

Yes we reach out at Christmas,
   We reach out to each other.

Trying to Love, each of us,
   As a sister and a brother.

For Christmas is a time,
   When people come together.

Yes Christmas is a time,
   To renew our life,
     A life of Love for our Savior.

AG

If anyone wants to write a melody line, let me know. I may do it in the future, but maybe not.

Parade Float and other production thoughts

Here's a link to thoughts posted on Facebook...

... and further thoughts on the subject.

I was originally thinking, primarily, in terms of the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade, but now I realize that the Macy's Parade is also a major factor. So since the objective is to take "The Gnomes of New Hope; Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure" to Broadway, then the New York Parade needs to be one step down from a Broadway Premeire, meaning the Philadelphia parade would be one step up from the local parades, but one step down from New York.

I'm thinking that the basic presentation format will remain essentially the same for all levels, only the technology will improve as we move up the ladder.

I'm looking at basically three levels, almost parallel to a community model; local, county, state.

There are local parades in the surrounding communities, surrounding Regional Theatres. Possibly LORT D, but that would probably be a Second Class troupe, if it was a Road Show, as opposed to a Licensed show. In terms of a Licensed Show, my plan is to assemble the show into one semi-trailer and then rent that out, leaving casting etc to the producer. But those rentals will only take place in second or third-run (ie; Regional & Community). By that time the show will have it's audience by virtue of the published & merchandizing goods and the first & second class runs and the parade float may or may not be effective. By then I think parade activity will be fun (and advantageous) but not critical to building the audience.

I think the first stage of parade operations, addressing the local level will need to expand rapidly if it is followed (almost simultaneously) by the Premeire at The Bucks County Playhouse. No arrangements to use the playhouse have been made, using that space for the World Premeire is purely speculative. But the stage design is being altered fro 3D to 2D to accommodate the size of that stage. That's not to say there are not any 3D stage props, but the primary settings are being converted to flats and drops. Transporting large stage props is prohibitive at this stage of operations and I don't want 3D props to be part of the rental package, we can leave that up to the production company renting the materials. I'm not sure yet about costumes. They could be part of the package, maybe an option, although I want the show that goes out to be consistent, so costumes will probably be included.

But I diverge from the subject of parade activities.

Look for discussions on the Rental Packages. For now I'm setting up the trucking scenario, so Rental Packages are quite a ways off. I can only say that the set construction for the parade activity will cross over to preparations for the World Premiere and those materials, being non-union will be used in-house for cinema and ultimately converted over for use in the rental package, since those sets need to be reconstructed by union personal for Broadway.

That's all for now. I'm still engaged in publishing. The first book in the series is about to be released. AG

MOTU Mach Five

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/motu-machfive-3?amp

Here is a lengthy (older) review of the program I am getting ready to install for our work on the recording of the Gnomes of New Hope music. Until this time we had been using Reason, but I'm looking to switch to Mach Five. It's all very complicated, but I hope to be able to set up a dedicated work station.

I recently attempted to access Digital Performer on the Publisher thing workstation and realized rather quickly that the publishing requirements, for which the workstation has been set up to fullfill, are quite different than those for the music production. Changing the settings around leads to confusion and added difficulties, so separate work stations for audio, film,  publishing, and management is clearly the best approach.

I thought I'd post this review of Mach Five for the benefit of the audio technicians who are watching the blog for clarity about how things are proceeding and the tools we are using at the studio. I know we have had discussions about Pro Tools, but I made the decision to go with MOTU products, even though we do have Avid, Logic, and some others programs, like Reason, which are available to us. The learning curve is steep on all these programs, but the music for The Gnomes has been done using Digital Performer, and now I'm looking to switch the sampler to Mach Five. Part of the reason for sticking with DP is the potential application to animatronics. I've got enough of a grip on DP to use it for that purpose in addition to the music composition.

That's all for now. AG

Parade Float

I'm very interested in moving forward to configure the chassis for the parade float. I have a 1985 Dodge Ram 4WD pick-up truck, which I intend to strip down to the chassis. My thinking is to set the chassis up to operate via RC. For years I have been thinking about the design of a portable stage, for numerous purposes, but now I see those designs being applicable to the parade float. Although the primary intent is for The Gnomes of New Hope, the mobile stage can also serve other parade float customers on a rental basis. So that is the direction I'm planning on in that regard.

I have difficulty posting photos, when using my smartphone to make posts, but if I can, I'll post some photos as the work progresses.

Some music from "The Gnomes of New Hope; Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure"

I found this post that I made on Facebook last year. It's worth checking out. We're getting closer to recording more vocal music. I expect to be doing "The Stone of Wisdom" soon. It's first on the list, after Book One is in distribution.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10210723867273526&id=1254627788

IMS Studio, work in general

Recent events have led me to work on refining the work environment at (what I call) Studio 1325.

With the impending approach of winter there is much preparation to the building and grounds.

I'm in the process of becoming the owner of the property, meaning my expenses will increase substantially.

That means that "The Gnomes of New Hope" needs to produce commensurate capital influx to support both the work environment and the expenditures required for general operations and the specifics of producing the assortment of end products we intend to create, a number of which are already "in-process".

One pending event is the relocation of my 1944 Star Trailerized Home. I acquired that years ago, thinking I might use it for location film work. I lived in it for nearly four years, before circumstances turned me into a condo dweller. During that time, I also began building my 1962 International CO1600 as a mobile workshop and to pull the trailer, while bringing the workshop to the location as well.

In fact, I had (and may still have) the opportunity to purchase up to four small RVs which were used as classrooms. I imagined renovating and equipping them into work vehicles (ie: camera truck, costume, props, production ofc) as rental units for location film work. But practically speaking, trailers are more efficient in terms of registrations and insurance.

In regard to the Star, I have intentions of doing a "ground up restoration". So I am preparing a space in the back lot for it, since I can no longer keep it where it is, and I need it in close proximity in order to work on it.

These preparations have led me to work on the CO1600. The truck needs a transmission (a Borg Warner T98-1P) which I have been trying to locate for years to no avail. So my approach it repairing the CO1600 will be to upgrade the engine to a 392 and use the T-34 that I do have. There will be a lot of work and adapting required, but the improvements will be well worth it. However, if I can find another T-98 1-P transmission that will make life easier for the time being.

So, working on the truck has led me to getting the snow plow painted and rigged up for it.

Last year I bought a 1985 Dodge Ram pick-up with a plow. The truck had been butched for parts and plow was too big for it, but it is exactly the right size for the CO1600. It'll be great, once I get it all working. I'll be looking to partner with someone who may want to use the plow truck during the winter months to develop a plowing business.

The '85 Dodge Ram is going to be stripped. If anyone needs body parts let me know, before I sell it for scrap. The chassis and power train are not for sale. I'm turning the chassis into the parade float/mobile stage. I'm going to see if I can rig the steering, braking and accelerator for RC (remote control). That only makes sense, if we use RC to control the animatronic puppets on the parade float. The parade float/mobile stage will be a rental unit.

So that's the direction things are taking, but for now the major efforts remain in publishing the Illustrated Storybooks.

The absolutely final revision of book one is "inches away" from being ready for press and subsequently distribution into the (international) marketplace. Here's hoping for the best.

That's all for now.

AG

RCK

A new approach to the ownership of the shop is being crafted, keeping it in the family. It is not clear yet how that will pan out, but thanks to the new economic environment, business is up. More later.

As it stands from my point of view, and my vote in that regard, I would like to see a greater focus on robotics. I am intending to move into animatronics with the puppet studio, so that may play a role. In any event, RCK is a manufacturing/CNC/fabricating shop on-site. Heavy fabrication (welding, large objects) is jobbed out, while the lighter work is done in-house. RCK has historically been a Swiss house working in 10ths. I think the very close tolerance work (2-10ths) burnishing and such, is less desirable but still possible.

So, anyone interested in robotics, with money to spend, get in touch with me.

AG

RC Kletzing Inc. (circa 1959)

Selling the Machine Shop

Above is a photo taken around 1959.

After over 60 years in operation, we no longer have any family members who are capable of running this business. So we are offering the family business for sale. (circumstances have changed somewhat, so urgent action is no longer needed, but we are open to possibilities)

Established in 1952 and still intact and operating, the decision to sell the business has been made, since there is no one in the family who wants to continue to manage the business, now that my father has moved to the Spiritual World.

Please pass this around. It must be sold as an ongoing business by the end of the year or it will go to auction.

Look for more photos to be posted, or I can send them via email.

Contact me by email;
Arthur Greisiger
image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com

Or call the shop directly at (215)357-1788 and ask for John Greisiger

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6447548403890032640

IMS Management

Here is a link. I'm going to start addressing the Management Structure that I am working to implement. There is a business plan that addresses these subject in more detail and establishes some of the contract parameters for finance and management. I expect that as I find the time, I will transfer that information to IMS Producing Partners. Once again, I point out that blog is a member's only site, as it is designed to address issues that are if concern to our vested partners. All of this is developing and much of it takes place outside of the internet environment. Clearly, those vested partners who are serious have made the effort to communicate directly with me and have visited the studio. Some have contributed resources solely on my word, and for that I am thankful. To those of you who have been watching the progress and who have contributed, I want to assure you that we will not give up until we have made a decent profit and have paid you back for your contribution. Once again, you are welcome to visit the studio and see first hand how things are proceeding. I do hope to manage IMS Producing Partners, so that I can post a tour of the shop, but that needs to remain private , for obvious reasons.

So expect more discussions about management to be posted on the IMS Management blog.

The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture

The Gnomes of New Hope; Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure

   Although there are numerous subjects surrounding the Studio activities, which I could post here, I tend to be focused mostly on production activities for The Gnomes and thus, posting more frequently on that blog.

    One thing, however, if interest is the sculpting work that needs to be done. Elsa Acton sculpted our Constable Warren, but she has gone on to live in The Spiritual World. So now I need to set up and begin sculpting Ferny. I'm very fixed on having a Garden Gnome sculpture of Ferny reading and using that as a Point-of-Purchase Display item. I'll discuss all this more later, but for now, I'll try to post those images.

    I've found that the size and format of images needs to be specifically prepared for posting via a smartphone, so I may not have them right now, but I will begin to post more images after I set-up a file specifically designed to work with the phone.

AG

Posting on this blog

As you might see, I have been posting less than I used to, at least here. I've been quite busy building the studio and preparing The Gnomes of New Hope. There are a few subjects which are more relevant to thus blog, which I am beginning to focus on more. So you might see more posts here than you have lately, but as you can see from the previous post, there are events which affect the frequency of posting here. As it stands now, I use my smartphone to post and placing images via that method has not been terribly successful. I have been building a server for the production office and given the appropriate security, I may begin addressing the web from my studio. I have avoided that, because I did not want the distraction if having the internet in my workspace. I guess I'll explain that in another post.

AG

The Theatrical Development Centre

I just crafted a detailed post on this subject, only to have it disappear on me. I'm angry and frustrated by that, so maybe I'll come back to it, but I doubt it.

I feel like I've just just been intellectually raped, because I won't be able to generate those thoughts again easily. It's too bad because it was an excellent essay on producing theatre, really excellent... and valuble!

Let me just add this; if you are writing something in the digital environment, don't let yourself get carried away with your thoughts and forget to save frequently. Otherwise you too may end up angry and frustrated! I think I will change my method of composing for that very reason.

I really wish I could recover what I wrote. Oh well, I'll address this subject again after I do so independently of this blog.

AG

Posting activities

I have not been posting here on a regular basis. This is because I maintain a number of sites, including an Image of the Mind page on Facebook. All these sites require attention to keep them reasonably current. Another factor is that for some time now, all my postings have taken place from my smartphone rather than a workstation. I'm developing an in-house network and the complexities of doing that are, shall I say - more than I expected, but necessary.

In terms of IMS, the primary focus is refining the studio space. I have a massive amount of work in front of me, because in addition to making the space workable for the production goals, I am also engaged in restoring the building, which is a 20k sq ft industrial building. The building was a rental property, which was abused by one tenant after another, to the point where primary systems need to be replaced and structural maintenance needs to be implemented. Half of the building is used for RCKletzing, Inc., a CNC machine shop (215-357-1788), and the other half is IMS.

So in addition to production and publishing activities, I am engaged in setting up shop and restoring, refining and maintaining the property. It's a huge amount of workload. Fortunately, this project; The Gnomes of New Hope is written. The only work remaining for the package of Core Creative Materials to be complete is publishing layout & completion of the artwork for Volumes Two & Three, and scoring the music. The rest is all production work.

As you may have seen elsewhere, there is an extensive array of Ancillary Markets, but the foundational work of developing the prototypes for those markets is a separate issue. Although the overall success of the primary markets is tied to the ancillaries, they are not part of the Core Creative Materials in the context of completion of that package, rather those markets avail themselves of those materials.

That's all for this update. Check The Gnomes of New Hope blogs both here on eBlogger and on Facebook as well as Image of the Mind Studios on Facebook.

   The IMS Producing Partners page has not been updated for awhile, mainly because it is a subscription page set up for production management issues and because, for the time being, that information is best conveyed face to face, with the few partners involved in what we are doing.

AG

Biographical Essay

Here is a link to;

Career History of Arthur Greisiger

This is an earlier draft. It is part of The Business Plan for the Gnomes of New Hope.

I willl be replacing this with a newer version in the near future and will place it on the side bar.

AG

Posting on this site

* It was that; I would use this site, which I refer to as "The IMS Virtual Studio", for a good amount of thoughts on what has been going on, or going through my head.

* For some time now, my energy has been on The Gnomes of New Hope and assorted other blogs and forums that addressed that project.

* That does not mean I have abandoned this site, but it does mean that there has been a limited amount of time available for posting on the blogs.

* Work in the studio and setting up a production line for numerous products, as well as, a sales office and other related work has been quite consuming in terms of time.

* So if you search this blog you will find projects mentioned here that are, in all likelihood, in stasis awaiting other facilities, equipment, personnel or capital influx. It is only a delay in progress or a shift of priorities based on viability.

* If anything is of sufficient interest to you, I invite you to inquire via e-mail.

* I do expect to restructure this and other sites to refresh everything, once certain other goals are met. I am also building an internal server which   will allow more efficient information management.

* You can be certain that The Gnomes of New Hope is the priority and that anything discussed on that blog or on IMS Producing Partners is the most current thinking and/or actions being taken.

* I also post on Facebook and sometimes on Linkedin. Check the links above.