Cyclorama and other related thoughts

I've been planning the components required for the parade float, but I've realized that; sized properly, the cycs can also serve as a presentation in both the parades and in Gnomefest (which is subject for other posts), but for some time I have had it in mind to open a storefront in New Hope that serves as a walkthrough display of both Volume One, an introduction to The Gnomes of New Hope and scenes from "Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure".

Today, I had a discussion about this with a friend and the idea seems even more viable. Partly because, in addition to the cyclorama aspect, I have been building a traveling exhibition containing art panels, samples of the production & publishing materials and displays showing what is involved in producing a project like this. So a storefront gallery presenting The Gnomes of New Hope, seems like a good idea. Of course, the cost of set & operation hadn't been determined yet, although I am certain it will not be inexpensive. The potential return seems to imply that it could be viable, but there is also the publicity value for a number of markets. But add to that the range of product, which are already developed or are in process. So a gift shop would certainly be added to the walk through cyclorama. Now, animatronics are part of our puppetry work, so that may be included. As it stands now, we can build those cycs in the existing studio. So the plan is to make the cycs multi-purpose, in other words, parades, museum displays, walk-through scenario (as described) and other possibilities not yet considered.

One other application of the cycs is for claymation. I have spent a fair amount of time considering this aspect of the project. A 100% claymation effort, including both the characters and the setting is very interesting to imagine, but it is a massive amount of work. I did a stop action film in college, but nothing that even comes close to attempting the entire "Gnomes of New Hope; Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure". That would take years to accomplish and only if I can find enough talented sculptors. My plan has been to create articulating figurines instead of using clay. One reason for that is the fact that the surface of clay changes when you attempt to articulate the figures. Things like fingerprints and such show up, whereas with costumed articulating figurines, the variables in positioning the characters no longer pose difficulty, or rather the difficulties are reduced. The other advantage of using articulating figurines, is that another ancillary market will be developed.

So, there are some thoughts on that subject. I'd post an image but attempts to do so always seem to cause problem from my phone.

AG

Link to Facebook posts

Since I post in a number of places...

Here is a link to a post on the Image of the Mind Studio page. Here I talk (somewhat) about how the first book will be released. Some of the details are important.

AG

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156715620640337&id=322835550336

Industry Activity

It's not an easy haul to be advancing a project like The Gnomes of New Hope. My philosophy has been to hold my cards close to my chest. As you may have been able to conclude if you've read any of these posts, this project has been developed to consider the markets across the board.

It's clear to me that, given the right circumstances and in the hands of an organization with a far reaching ability to saturate the markets in a timely manner, this project could fly very high indeed. It was designed to be so, yet there is much more that needs to be done to make that happen. Frankly, it is a phenominal and increasing burden to advance this project on the limited resources I am working with.

When one arena begins to demand a greater degree influx, it becomes very important indeed to correctly evaluate the consumption of resources in the context of the broader advancement of other critical arenas. This can lead to a greater challenge across the board, for the clarity and justification of actions are brought into a position of being required to maintain and support the value of those actions in the overall context.

Now I know that sounds obscure, but it is all a question of balancing the resources with the most viable means to advance the overall cause.

From my perspective, working from very limited resources, it is critical that providing a sound foundation for the full scope of the project be maintained. Entering into the assorted arenas needs to be done in such a way as to lead one into the other, in a specific order that is based on the resources developed. If it were the case that, any number of arenas, were already broached, then applying a greater degree of resources would result in rapid success. As it is, those markets are not established with the IMS  organizational structure, so  resources are required for both internal and external operations. "Therein lies the rub". But that's just the way it is, unless a partnership arises.

So onward and upward, as they say. I'm working on a presentation package, because this has reached the stage where aligning multiple major arenas is, if not required, most certainly, is advisable. Thusfar, the entire package is based primarily on content, with some very significant work done on markets. If I had my choice, my work would continue in that vein. But of course, in the context of First-Class/First-Run theatre/film; other elements, such as significant principles, need to be attached. But in terms of the work I need to do, moving to secure those principles is too much of a burden on my resources and abilities. So I leave those details to a future time, either under my own or someone else's purview.

I still need to shift over from book publishing to music scoring/recording, so even contending with distribution of the published product is a strain.

As it stands, IMS is the publisher with direct supervision over manufacturing, so there is a degree of management for distribution which is encroaching upon completion of the Core Creative Materials. This is something that needs serious consideration, because the strain effects the outcome of the process.

So at this stage, I'm inclined to think that introducing the right Literary/Theatrical Agent into the scenario might be advisable.

Anyway you look at it, I intend to pursue the Parade Float, because that is the simplest and most effective form of staging to advance the cause. Other than that, getting the books into wide distribution is the primary goal. Add to that the refinement of the studio space (10k sq ft) for production and you can see, my plate is full.

I welcome participation, particularly from fellow producers and finnanciers.

AG

Various Editions

As I've said, there are a number of editions of The Gnomes of New Hope. Initially, I published the prototype editions of both the Big People's and the Gnome-sized books. These prototypes looked really good at the time, but as I moved closer to spending the big bucks required for a public release, it became clear that - once the layout goes to press (and by that I mean high production) the product is (more or less) "set in stone". Of course, it's paper, but nonetheless, the expenses involved across the board, require that all the elements be as correct as humanly possible. Otherwise it is wasted money and the potential of it's success would be impaired.

Now that the books, as a whole, have been thoroughly reviewed, proofed, and sampled out in all formats, one would think it is time to move into Production and Distribution. That is true. But what is also true is that; other minutiae which was only lightly considered has become increasingly important.

As it turns out, any attempt to initiate the market without deep saturation is inadvisable at this point. This series of stories is founded in the theatre. It was designed as a stage show and that remains at it's core.

The Illustrated Storybook has always been intended to support the stage production, even though the storybooks stand on their own. In fact, the storybooks provide more character information than the stage show does, well different information.

The Digital e-Storybook version will offer the best blending of the two, in fact, three markets; Publishing, Music, and Cinema.

The truth is that - Theatre rather stands independent in terms of the aesthetics of the art. The fact of it's three dimensional and live action nature does make it unique and separates the experience. It is much more transitory... and more difficult to produce. That also means that it is more difficult to sustain because the elements are always in a state of flux.

This would be the reason for approaching Publishing first. As you can imagine, music publication follows the printed books. By that I mean; the refinement of the music into it's final printed form. The music is in fact written, but it needs to be refined so as to be presentable to a Maestro and Orchestra. Once again there are countless minutiae in preparing the Score. Much of that work has been done, but not sufficiently for final publication. That's a discussion for another time.

So I have returned to the Gnome-sized Edition and determined to publish a limited run of that book first. The larger publication of all four basic editions (not to mention the Boxed set or Gnomes in a Gnutshell e-Storybook) involves a substantial outlay of capital. Production quantities need to be in the tens of thousands, at a minimum. Publishing two versions of Volume One in both soft & hard cover editions puts us into the hundreds of thousands of dollars range. Obviously, that outlay cannot happen without distribution channels in place and the support marketing aligned for simultaneous implementation.

So as you see, it is a very complex endeavor, whose success lies in impeccable timing. I do not say that lightly. The timing extends beyond the mere production & distribution of the published goods. The critical factor here is the span of attention of the target audience. Considering the scope of the markets for which this endeavor has been created, it is critical that the potential expansion of each of the markets be carefully considered. The most advantageous timing is to cause the collective markets to reach their Apex within a defined parallel. That means calculating the extent of the work involved in bringing each arena into a fully active state and assuring that by so doing, the resources for each of those arenas, most of which are proceeding simultaneously, be sufficient for continuing advancement. It is critical that the momentum be maintained and controlled in a calculated way. That is the real secret to producing a product that has such a wide latitude as;
The Gnomes of New Hope; Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure.

Pop-up Book

Within the last day or so, the idea of a pop-up came back into the picture. I was thinking that the hard-cover book might have a single pop-up in the center as a bonus. But doing that will cause further delays in releasing the books. At this point I am convinced we need to release four versions of the book simultaneously; the Gnome-sized and the Big People's, in both soft & hard cover editions. For both of those releases, there will be both unlimited general release and the signed & numbered collectable editions.

Well, now it is clear to me that a pop-up edition is also quite appropriate. After some thought on the subject, I've concluded that the pop-up will be a companion to the full collection of Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure. That means that the pop-up will essentially be a cyclorama of points in the story. I like that because one aspect of the larger show is to create a cyclorama with animatronic puppets. The pop-up book will be like a mini-version/test run.

Golly, with all this I hope we actually get around to producing the stage musical !

I welcome partnering with anyone interested in being involved, especially financial and production management persons. We do need to fund all this and manage the affairs.

AG