I’m still here

Peace, love and soul.

I’m still here. I’m still working. I’m still checking the door, the window, the cracks, the crevices and the nooks and crannies for a way. Last week I managed something I’m very happy about. I leveraged the power of social media (Twitter, Facebook and Myspace) to take Deterrence Theory, my submission on JuntoBox Films from Level 1 to Level 4 (the greenlight assessment phase) in just six days. We would have made it sooner but some  people followed the submission without rating it. The ratings are what was needed to catapult the project through the levels. Nevertheless, it’s there. Now we wait and see. What else is new?

Heard back from NBCUniversal about a series and MOW project I submitted. I got a “PASS” from Cloo and Chiller on a procedural series and a horror MOW. I’m still waiting to hear from USA and Syfy about some highly commercial projects. Plus there’s this little-big web series project with the director one of the highest grossing movies of 2011 that has a lot of potential. If things go super well, I may see my projects go into production 2, maybe 3 times before the year is out.

Next week I go back to NBCUniversal for a refresher on what those networks are looking for. There’s no such thing as being overworked in my book. Not right now.

Lastly, just like clockwork, my twitter/Google+ buddy Rashad hit me up about a new opportunity with a different kind of studio. Rashad is a true buddy. He hits me up at least once a month with info he’s come across that might help me in my endeavors. WE (Black folks) need to work together more instead of being so damn polarized. Hateration gets you nowhere.

Our discussion led me to reevaluate a something. It was timely. Thanks to some testosterone and a few challenges I’ve written more feature length scripts in the past 18 months than I have in the previous five years. Time to reach out and see if these puppies have legs to stand on. So I have. Best thing, I’ll know for sure by the end of June how much interests these scripts garner. I’ve said it before, Legend of Black Lotus is my social issue, character driven “indie” project. Everything I’ve written since then has been tailored to the commercial market.

It’s going to be an awesome summer.

What is Deterrence Theory?

What is Deterrence Theory?

Deterrence Theory…is a sexy psychological action thriller. With this project my goal is to make the kind of film I want to see in the movies. I can produce more meaning and dramatic movies later. I already have my romantic fantasy adventure project Legend of Black Lotus that explores the relationships, prejudices, self-worth and the bonds of parental love. But right now, I want to make something sexy, smart, and fun. I want to make a contemporary thriller that showcases people of color in roles that traditionally don’t go to them. The leading roles in the project call for African Americans, Hindu’s, Arab, Nigerians, and Asians.

If you are a fan of thriller films help me make Deterrence Theory!  Just register to FOLLOW the project on JuntoboxFilms.com and make sure you RATE the individual sections. Click here to register/rate/follow .

LOGLINE: A suspended US Marshal is reinstated to track down an escaped female prisoner before she’s extradited but begins to suspect that his growing obsessions for the beautiful convict and his shortcomings as a cop are why he was chosen for the job he is expected to fail.

The phrase “deterrence theory” has military applications… In the simplest sense, deterrence means using the threat of military action to compel an adversary to do something, or to prevent them from doing something. Deterrence theory gained prominence as a military strategy during the Cold War with regard to the use of nuclear weapons.

The DT Project pays homage to two of my favorite filmmakers, Tony Scott and Michael Mann. It also honors smart films that I loved growing up, films like A Clear and Present Danger and Patriot Games.  Deterrence Theory will sexy, gritty, mean, sensual, endearing and ruthless — all crammed into one film. DT encompasses some of my favorite emotions and grit from Scott and Mann films like Band of the Hand, Miami Vice, Domino, Unstoppable, The Kingdom, and Collateral. Everything  that happens is born out of one man’s search for the truth.

Deterrence Theory is Man on Fire meets Basic Instinct and The Fugitive

Remember the Nine Inch Nails electric guitar in Man on Fire that was Creasy’s avenging angel theme?  Imagine that type of danger lurking throughout the film. THAT’S WHAT I’M TRYING TO MAKE.

But a thriller cannot stand without a good mystery so I’ve written in an underlying secret as an undertone to many of the action sequences that will fit well in hot and humid setting like New Orleans or North Carolina, or someplace hot and dry like Arizona.

If you are a fan of thriller films help me make Deterrence Theory!  Just register to FOLLOW the project on JuntoboxFilms.com and make sure you RATE the individual sections. Click here to register/rate/follow .

Juntobox Films is greenlighting (financing) FIVE films this year. Help Deterrence Theory become one of those films.

Pleasantly surprised by Youtube: Web Series 101

Today I decided to set up a brand new YouTube Channel (page) for my upcoming web series, Resurrection of Serious Rogers. I’d been delaying it because my current channel, Hollywoodcity, is monetized. I didn’t want to move my precious videos to a channel that wasn’t monetized.

Well today I got a pleasant surprise. Shortly after I setup my new Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/SeriousRogersSeries, lo and behold, I received a notification to monetize my channel!! Huzzah!

In the next few weeks I’ll be uploading video for RSR, old and new.  Visit the channel now and subscribe - http://www.youtube.com/SeriousRogersSeries

Interest, Web Series, a Neo Noir Killer and Sci-Fi

I’ve just finished watching the Giants whup the 49er’s asses and I’m excited, so I’m posting a little update on what’s going on Bellsville.

September 2011 I held a focus group for my film/web series Resurrection of Serious Rogers. Last week RSR screened in front of an audience gathered for the Show Us Your Shorts series hosted by KoldcastTV, First Glance Film and the Showbiz Cafe. The end result was, it’s time to release RSR as an action thriller, neo noir web series. Release date is to yet be determined but I hope to have a chat with YouTube, Koldcast, JTSTV and a few other web series portals before I jump into bed with one of them.

Interesting, but...

Interest is not an agreement. And without an agreement there is no money. But interest is better then indifference. I am happy to announce that a startup prodco with ties to major players in Hollywood is very interested in turning a sci-fi action idea I have into a full funded web series. There’ll be more meets and greetz over the next couple of weeks and I hope to have more info and definitive answers soon.

Speaking of definitive answers. In an earlier blog I talked about how I was submitting TV ideas to NBCUniversal through a relationship I have with IFTA (Independent Film and Television Alliance). Although they’ve passed on 80% of what I’ve sent, it looks like the newest submissions are still under consideration (sci-fi, spy and fantasy). Fingers crossed! As you know NBCUniversal represents NBC, G4, USA, Mun2, Oxygen, Bravo, Chiller and Cloo, Syfy.

This year we kick Legend of Black Lotus into high gear. And my old favorite romantic dramedy, Broken Hearts Club is moving on to mobile channels in the UK on Rok.tv soon. In the mean time, check isting on FetchTV and PunchTV, or just watch the whole thing online for free!

Oh, and we go back to Untitled Entertainment in a few weeks to lay it down!

The Meter is Running.

Today the productivity meter stayed in the black despite my sitting down to watch a second hip hop documentary in two days.  I thoroughly enjoyed the doc on rapper Missy Elliot, Supa-Dupa-Fly.  Yesterday I watched the life and times of Death Row Records.

However, due to a late night last night, I had sufficient time to complete and tweak preliminary concepts for three TV series for Untitled Entertainment, as per my previous blog post here.  Rather than play the mysterious card and omit 99% of the information I’ll drop some code names for the projects.  One TV series concept is called “Miranda,” the other is called “Angel” and the last is called “Ariana.”  The code names tie in with my preference for writing roles for women.

The big deal today for me was upgrading to Final Cut Pro 7 on my MacBook despite not having the requisite 128MB of VRAM.  I ran a few Google searches and found a hack that allowed me to install the program and open a personal FCP project for “Resurrection of Serious Rogers,” my neo-noir thriller.

Install Final Cut Studio on Macs with less than 128MB VRAM. While it may not run too well, it is possible to get Final Cut Studio 3 to install with less than the ‘required’ 128MB VRAM.

Control-click on the installer package alias and choose Show Original from the pop-up menu. Control-click the original installer and choose Show Package Contents from the pop-up menu. Navigate into the Contents » Resources folder. Control-click on the Requirements Checker and choose Show Package Contents from the pop-up menu. Navigate into the Contents » Resources folder, and then open minsys.plist with Property List Editor, the default (requires Xcode).

Change the value of AELMinimumVRAM from 128 to 64 (or less if you have even less VRAM). The installer will now run normally.  After installing, Control-click on the Final Cut Pro.app in /Applications and choose Show Package Contents from the pop-up menu. Navigate into Contents » Resources folder. Open the mimsys.plist file found there, and make the same change as above. Repeat for all the Final Cut Studio apps you have installed.

I have to admit, being the control freak I am about my projects, it’s been tough not having ready access to the footage.

The rest of the day I spent mentally preparing for a morning meeting with NBCUniversal, as I mentioned earlier.  I’m really excited about this meeting because it’s one thing to develop a good TV series pilot on spec.  It’s another thing entirely to know what type of series a network needs and develop a good TV series pilot based on an existing need.