School girls, Sinatra and Cthulhu... This is NOT a conspiracy post

I feel sorry for people who don't drink.

When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.

FRANK SINATRA

News: Well, I’m sitting on some movie news but I don’t want to say too much until all the necessary commitments are in place. I can say that the first pass at the final draft was finished up last week (2 weeks earlier than my original deadline!) and that everyone seems to be pleased. 

This makes me grin in a little warm creative glow. I’ve been told to expect news within the week and let’s hope that’s the case.

So, as the script has been put into a holding pattern while deals are struck, I’ve found myself with some time to work on my own stuff. 

It’s been so long since I had to work to an actual deadline I’d forgotten how much it can fire you up to write. I’m currently about half-way through a new SOJOURN story I’ve had in planning for a while. My hope is that I’ll have a good chunk of this week to work on it before I’m back on scripting duties.

This isn’t really news but I’m going to act like it is: E-cigarettes rock! They’re healthier, way cheaper, and you can use them indoors (Which is important when you live in the lands of perpetual winter!). I doubt I’ll full-out quit smoking real cigarettes any time soon but the amount I’ve cut down on them is really shocking.

For those of you keeping track (and let’s face it someone probably should) you’ll remember my mentioning having done a shoot with the ever so cool April Rose recently (The first image from which: “Nightmare of the Witch Queen” can be found a couple posts past)?

Well I’ve finally had some time to get a handful of those images together and they’re here for you now.

This was a fun shoot. We basically had no idea what we were going to do so April ransacked her wardrobe and we came up with ideas over bottles of Newcastle Brown Ale.

This first image was sort of a “Femme Fatale” vibe...

I’ve always loved the swing thing. The Rat Pack, Big Bands and skinny ties all the way Baby! So this image came together like a dream. (I think April would have made even Frank’s cool waver just a little with this one.)

The next couple need some explaining...if only of my motives.

So the other day I was talking with my buddy Tim from Mutagenic Studios (http://mutagenicinteractive.blogspot.ca ). We were discussing/ having a laugh about just how popular CTHULHU has become lately in pop culture. Some of it’s great, some of it’s funny and some of it...isn’t.

For better or worse the conversation stuck in my grey-bits and the following image, Old School Cthulhu, was the result...

Sorry. Couldn’t resist.

Of course I then realized that, perhaps, April wouldn’t want to be associated with the Elder Gods?

Maybe the implication that she was dating “He who shall not be Named” might not be appreciated?

What if she’s not such a fan of tentacles?

So with this in mind I went back to the “drawing board” and came up with this alternative.

So there you have it: Ass covered and day saved.

Drop a note to tell me what you think, share on Twitter, Facebook or wherever else like minded folk might go to see these.

I’m off to the Madhouse now to take tea with an Immortal and discuss the merits of a Robot Apocalypse. 

As you do.

‘Till next time... 

Post Nouveau

Happy Monday all (or happy Whenever it is that you’re looking at this)!

It’s a busy time right now for me and, Magpie that I am, my attention’s been all over the place. Let me fill you in...

First and foremost I’m mired deep in screenplay. I still can’t say too much about this project just yet, as contracts and such are still being negotiated, but I can say that the producers of the picture just had a huge opening weekend on another film which should mean our financing is pretty much locked in.

So I’m hammering away at the script and, all and all, I’m pretty happy so far.

More Movie news coming (hopefully) soon.

As you know from the last Blog I shot with April Rose recently (more pics from that on the horizon) and last week we went out prop shopping so clearly even more to come.

Right after shooting with April I shot with, the far too nice to me, LAURA ROBINS.

Laura was one of the first Models (and yes, the capital “M” is well deserved) I shot with in Ottawa and we’ve been friends ever since. (Side note: Laura and I went to WINTERBREWED the other weekend. Outdoor beer “tasting” in -40 weather. Screw you winter! We’ll have fun in spite of you!)

This image is an older concept image I did for the story SOJOURN: GRIEF that everyone seemed to like.

Speaking of SOJOURN, that’s still moving along in the background. As much as is written though, that much more needs writing. I’m hoping that come late April I’ll be able to focus most of my time on that. My original hope was to start releasing SOJOURN works starting in may. While that’s still possible I don’t want to commit until I’m sure I can keep the production up and rolling.

But back to my latest shoot with Laura.

This shoot was an idea I had yoinks ago and we only recently got to it. I’m not posting for that concept this time rather something that emerged from that shoot.

 A little Art Nouveau style.

Laura’s a real pro when it comes to modeling and I’ve discovered that if I give her no instruction she sort of “Defaults” to classic poses, which inspired this image. I think she hates me a little when I do this to her but it always seems to work out.

Well, that’s it for this instalment of random gibberish from me. Time to brew up another tea and chisel away at the script some more.

Wish me luck, as I wish it to all of you.

Oh and SHARE this on your social networky places. All involved will thank you.

Nightmares and updates

Good intentions aside I haven’t found the time to post much in the last month or so. Can’t give many of the details  just now but I can tell you I’ve been working on a movie script and that the deadline was almost ludicrously short and, as always happens with these things, all the factors keep shifting and evolving.

But more about that in a later post.

‘Course that isn’t to say I was locked in a room 24/7. I did manage to have something of a life from time to time. Last weekend I went to Winterbrewed in downtown Ottawa. 

What is it about us Canadians that looks at a -30 weekend in mid February and say “We should have an outdoor beer festival”?

I also had a couple photo shoots recently. The first was with the always cool April Rose.

April and I have shot for the Rocket Belles and some Sojourn images. I also turned her into one of my Canada Day cards last year.

Usually if I set up a photo shoot it’s for a specific story or image idea. This time it was a complete free for all where we just had a laugh with as many different looks and styles as we could manage. There were props and multiple outfit changes and, of course, a big ol’ bottle of blood.

Below is the first of the images I’ve played with. Like the shoot it’s self there’s not a lot of per-planning about what I wanted to do, just that I wanted to play about with different techniques and styles I’ve picked up and see what plays out.

The basic idea came from a waking nightmare I had years ago that still freaks me out from time to time. I used some of the basic elements from that nightmare and make them more Anime /cute.

I’ve called it: Nightmare of the Witch Queen.

Hope you like it.

Drop a note to tell me what you think, share it on Twitter, Facebook or wherever else like minded folk might get to see it.

Courtesans and De-motivation Harpies

Ever have one of those days where your get-up-and-go seems to have been gang raped by the de-motivation harpies?

Yeah. Me too.

I don’t blame this on the holidays being over or the nearly three weeks of constant snow we’ve been having or even the cold that’s trying to invade and put my life on hold while I chug medicine like a hobo.

 It just me.

 Just being locked away without much social contact to speak of and the pile of things I need to work on (Projects I’m really excited by) seeming to loom large and nasty in the corner while I wrestle with this apathetic bla feeling.

Ah to be a creative, eh? We so do it to ourselves.

But enough with the moping and on to some cool/ pretties.

So a while back I had an idea for a story. I don’t like to say it was a Steampunk story because while I like the Steampunk ascetic, Love it in fact, Steampunk stories seem to be getting pretty watered down and homogenized. Having a steam powered baboon and a girl in a corset and gasmask is not the heart of a great Steampunk story.

Just sayin’.

Any-who I came up with a story I called NEON & GASLIGHT: COURTISANS. I was so enthused by the idea I launched into a series of photo shoots for it before I actually knew what the completed project would be. Never wise. The upshot was some great images and a chance to work with some really talented models. The down side? Still no finished story in sight. Thing is because I was still working out what the story should be I ended up creating and re-creating it. Then shelving it in frustration.

It’s a problem I’ve always had, rushing in where Angels fear to tread. Also known as chasing the “shinny”.

Well, about a month ago a turn of phrase sprouted in my head and became a title. Don’t ask me where it came from, I haven’t the foggiest, but with the phrase came a story and a lynch-pin for NEON & GASLIGHT. After a week I had the bones and sinew of the story and it’s now #4 in the queue of stories to finish.

Here’s the promo poster inspired by said phrase.

Modeling is the wicked-cool Cherry Valance. She came to the shoot wearing her character like a cape and just did a stunning job. Her pictures really inspired the story and character. She created a palpable crazy menace that was great fun to shoot.

So there you have it. A peek into my twisted cranium and a teaser poster. Take that de-motivation harpies!

You know, now that I’ve done the blog I think I’ll crack on with that new image I couldn’t wrap my head around last night. 

Hmm. Seems like there’s a lesson in here somewhere.

Just sayin’.

‘Till next time.

Babes, blogs and bands

“Realistically, 2013 is not going to be your lucky year.”

                                                                                                   -Frankie Boyle

And with that bit of enthusiasm we launch into another new year.

2012, for me, has been a bit of a weird year. I was sort of in a frustrating holding pattern that felt like I wasn’t creating anything even while I was shooting and writing away.

Imagery-

I suppose one of the reasons it’s often felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere was because, despite all I’ve already learned, I really feel like Photoshop Newb a lot of the time. So it’s been a year of tutorials and experimentation. I’ve got a load of images that I’m quite happy with like

                                                                       Or

                                                                         Or

And they’ll be appearing here with regularity starting nowish.

 I’d love to know what people think of the images so leave comments and criticisms. How else am I going to learn?

Writing-

Again, because I haven’t been releasing any of my new writing, it feels like I haven’t produced anything in the last year. In truth, much like the images, I’ve been stockpiling stories. I could explain the logic of this but I don’t want to bore you. Suffice to say I’m now in a position where I can start releasing stuff and you’ll be getting product soon.

“If you want to make god laugh, tell him about your plans.”

-Woody Allen

So not to give too much away then, over the weeks and months you’ll be seeing the re-release of some older works, some re-vamped stories I’m finally happy with, the continuation of SOJOURN and a bunch of shinny new product never before inflicted on the world.

As there’s news, or just New, it’ll be appearing here and I’ll give you all the details you could care to know as the posts and releases go out.

I hope you’ll follow this page, I’ve got some pretty cool stuff that’s been percolating and 2013 is the year it’ll all start rolling out.

‘Till Next time.

C.T.