Slogging along

Scene One... Scene Two... Scene Three... Well, that's done. I should be saying Book One... Book Two... Book Three...

The Illustrated Storybook is considerably more extensive than the Libretto. Not so much in terms of the writing, but more in terms of the layout. The Libretto is more of a technical manual, while the Storybook is more artistic in it's layout, which means the design must fit into the page in a balanced fashion. With the Libretto, it was just a matter of shrinking the page to fit into the space provided by the overlay. With the Storybook, it is both a reduction and a readjustment of the page components. Resizing of the art and repositioning of the text. The reason for this is that I originally laid out the pages for 8.5"x11" and have since created a design for HDTV (16:9). So that ratio requires adjusting everything. 800 pages! No wonder this thing is taking so long. I'm closing in on page 200 and I can generally do around 35 pages a day, mostly because I have to do each page (essentially) twice, right and left gutters. Because the outer page design (created as an overlay) changes the shape of the perimeter from right to left, the inner content needs to be adjusted so it doesn't hit the edge of the page and is balanced in the space. You can see what I mean by searching down in this blog to see some page samples.

The really nice thing is that once this layout process is done, it's done... Done. The only changes that will occur after that are adding new elements, such as animations, music and other links. But those elements will only take place in the context of a subscription page.

Once this is done done, we can start setting it up to distribute the finished product to the public. Gadzooks!

I'm at the point where I just want to finish putting my cars back together, putz around the shop, and not worry about anything else. I can dream can't I?

AG

The Libretto

As I've been preparing The Industry Review Package, one of the elements in the PowerPoint aspects of it has been to include some of the music. I've inserted a few songs along with the sheet music. One if those songs is the recorded duet titled "Completely" It is a love song. I've included the video animation of "Never Been So Near", which you can find further down on this blog and a few other songs.

The instrumental version of "You're The One" is used as a backdrop for my narration of portions of the presentation. That is one of my favorites. I can't wait to hear it with vocals. It's a choral/dance number. But then I have also included "The Stone of Wisdom" and "The Gnomen of The Yard" (a homage to Gilbert & Sullivan)

Those songs, like "Completely" are presented along with the Lead Sheets, so one can follow along and see how the lyrics fit in with the music. All the songs presented are orchestrated, even though the sheet music is simply the Lead Sheet with a piano adaptation. I did piano adaptations of the orchestrations after the music was orchestrated, which is rather backwards. I'll explain that later. But that required that I reconstitute the melody lines out of the orchestrations and isolate the lyrics by assigning a vocal instrument predominance for the purpose of identifying the vocal line. This was a result of the way the music was arranged.

An example being the trumpet in "The Stone of Wisdom", which is the finale of Scene 9, leading into the intermission. That song is well orchestrated and stands up nicely as an instrumental.

So, in making the presentation, as a whole, I am inserting Scene 9 of both the Libretto and the Illustrated Storybook by way of providing a comparison of how the material is presented both literally and on the stage.

So, I realized that both the entire collection of the Storybooks and the Libretto need to be converted over to PowerPoint, for various reasons. I will go into that later, but this is my current effort. I do believe that once that is done, we will be in a very good position to advance into production on numerous advanced levels. The advantages of having that as a production tool are cause for hope... The Gnomes of New Hope ! AG

Current activities

Well, if you've read my last few posts, you might have sensed my frustration. I have to say, I think there are VERY FEW people who really have any idea of the sheer volume of work that goes into this. It's hard to keep looking forward with a positive attitude when you feel your resources are running very thin.

I'm continuing to refine the Industry Review Package. Everytime I think it is enough, I come up with another component that should be included. I have set some pretty solid, and not so sparse, goals that I need to achieve. I have found that the work needing to be done for this project must have a secure work environment. The rather tenuous nature of the studio environment was tolerable for the development work that has taken place up to now, but that condition is unacceptable for the next stages of operations. So now I need to secure the facilities for the long term and that is part of the buy-in to the project. All of this is contained in the Industry Review Package. From now on, the only participants I will be seeking, are those who can contribute to the $5M that I need to secure. If you are such a person or organization, do contact me.

At this point, although I still seek production funds that are assigned to assorted production activities (illustrations, animation, puppetry, parade, set construction, etc) those activities will not advance until the facilities are secured as I have defined. Any production funds so assigned, will be held in escrow until the facility operating funds are in place. If I do not secure those facility funds in time, then operations will shut down and I will take another direction, which may or may not be working on The Gnomes of New Hope, depending on demand.

That being said, my effort is focused on securing the facilities funds and any communication with other producing persons needs to take this into account. Still, I am looking to fill the Board Positions of The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture. Doing so will achieve the goals I have described. AG

Libretto and other Thoughts of Insanity

As I was finalizing the DVD Package, I realized that the Libretto needed to be included. I already built an e-book version of the Libretto, but it was not configured for the HDTV format, so I set forth to do that. In the PowerPoint presentations, I've included a few songs with the score. So it makes sense that I include at least those scenes from the Libretto and possibly the e-Storybook as well. I'm moving forward to do that, however, those items may not make it into the DVD, if I run out of time (as I mentioned in my last post).

On an unprofessional, more like venting note:

I have to say, I am getting very tire of busting my ass on this thing with seeing little forward momentum as a result of  other competent participants or investment from industry professionals. I have made this very available for review and presented so many components of this to public view, if find it amazing that some more competent professional have not stepped up to the plate along the way.  It is so clear how massive the potential of this project can be given the right circumstances. I'm starting to believe that the only projects that advance are the ones created by people without a clue and people who can easily be taken advantage of because of having stars in their eyes.  It's a sad perspective, but I see real garbage being produced, sick and perverted material making money and being glorified. While I have been striving to create something of real and lasting value that is founded in goodness. I have struggled beyond all conception to build a well conceived project, to bring together all the components that could possibly be involved, on a scale that represents the fullest possible manifestation of the project across allthe possible markets involved and to set the groundwork for all that to happen. I have moved forward at all times leaving a door open for other industry professional to become involved, moving step by step forward while expecting some degree of engagement from the Industry, not based on my pushing that to happen, but based on recognition to occur from making the material available in increments. I've been crafting this for thirty years! Enough already.

I have a very viable working plan for advancement of this project in all arenas. I have a grip on all the aspects of production. After 45 years of work in the Industry, I have experience in all aspect of this work, I have built a 10K sq ft well equipped studio to do service this work. All of this work has been done on the premise that if nobody else comes into the picture, if no opportunities come to me, then I must keep going and create them for myself. I have been doing so here in jibibisville for way too long. But now it's too late I may never get out and... I'm too old.

The project is refined beyond any that I have seen in my forty plus career, yet I am under extreme financial duress and about ready to break. I just smashed my phone against the wall after an important email that I crafted got discard when my pen accidentally  tapped the screen. This is only a symptom of how volatile I am becoming  as a result of the extreme complexity, stress, and deprivation involved in crafting and mounting this project. I  have few, if any, people around me that have even a scintilla of a clue, much less an idea of what it takes to do this. I constantly have to explain it to people who are stunned and utterly unable to help other than to wish me well.  This is, in part, the source of my duress and the pressure being put on me because of how long it is taking and how many resources it takes for this project to manifest.

I can no longer jerk around. I need a minimum of 5M to stabilize my studio environment, 12M to set up the Joint Venture with Vested Board Members who will then raise the production funds, and/or 30M (under terms) plus 10% of the Gross gross, for a complete buyout. I have been pussyfooting around this fundraising for too long, taking it gently because of SEC rules. Screw all that! I need to see some real coins happening real soon or I'm shifting into something more viable for my immediate needs. I have other business endeavors that I put on hold for this for years, business endeavors that have nothing to do with The Gnomes of New Hope and unless I see some serious action that funds my operations I'm shifting gears. The fact of the matter is that if I do that, this may very well die. I say this because I've seen it happen before, but I have other significant matters to attend to and they can no longer be put off.

So if you are a business person who has been watching this and considering involvement when this reached the right level of refinement, this is it. Shit or get off the pot. I'm about fed up. I don't need any more mamby pamby crap from people who don't know and haven't put in the time to know. I'm only going to deal with professionals who do know, are serious and are capable. The rest is a waste of my time.

 I'm probably saying all this because I'm pissed that I just smashed my phone.

AG

Shut down?

Well, as I've mentioned, capital influx is at a critical need level. Studio operations have been intentionally kept at a minimum but the situation has taken a turn for the worse. I have been urgently trying to prepare the Core Creative Materials for presentation in the appropriate arenas. The package looks really fantastic, bit it's not quite done. I think my best bet is to sell board positions, but I haven't worked to locate persons of sufficient resources or stature I've been too busy prepping the materials. I guess whatever I have will have to do. But I need players who play in the big league.

Let's Go People. We needs some serious coins... and quickly, ASAP!

Let me know.

Business Plan

I spent the day setting up a DVD burn that contains the "Gnomes in a Gnutshell" PowerPoint presentation along with some flyers, order forms, a file containing The Restrictive Covenant Agreement and the Front Money Agreement. Then there is a file containing sections of a thorough Business Plan.

The Business Plan is divided into eight sections. The first is an Introduction to the Creative Material, the second is the Modus Operandi, which I think contains the Production Approach Summary, the third is a bio outlining my 45 year Career History, the fifth begins the Production Management and outlines the basic terms related to The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture, the sixth continues with other management parameters, the seventh addresses The Approach to The Industry the eighth examines the Ancillary Markets. Then there is a file folder with A Work File and another file with Important Issues to Consider.

These are very extensive files, but since it is time to generate substantial investment, it is appropriate for submission to potential Board Members, Producing Partners, Production/Distribution Companies, Packaging Agencies, Service Vendors and appropriate crew members.

If you would like a copy of the DVD, you will need to submit a request on your company letterhead and open a dialogue with me via email.

AG

The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture

I'm moving more aggressively to locate individuals can and will buy into The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture.

As I said before, buy-in is one dollar per share for one million shares. Each Board Position holds one million shares.

I serve as the Chairman, over a seven member board. There is a plan to increase the board to twelve members.

I am looking for a CEO and a CFO for starters. The Elder Gnomes are not the Producers. The Producers are part of The Gnomes of New Hope Productions, the production company for the theatre, film, television and other products.

I can also secure funding by a buy-in to The Gnomes of New Hope Productions. So producers who are willing to provide funding can secure a position in the management or the board of that organization.

IMS Management, Incorporated is the logistical organization that will supervise the management logistics and we can also begin forming that organization, if funding comes in from that direction.

My point is that these three organizations share in the overall financing, production and management of The Gnomes of New Hope. I do not expect to be in control of these organizations. My arena of production control resides in Image of the Mind Studios, which is strictly engaged in development, limited edition product lines and non-union film and theatre activities.

I outline this briefly because the need to secure substantial funding has become urgent and I invite vested partners to participate in the first three organizations.

IMS a private development studio that will remain a proprietorship.

Funding can also be secured through Licensing and Options, if that is preferable.

Outright Sale of all rights to the material is an option, but that involves a 25% deposit on $30M  against 10% of the reported gross/gross, off the top on all markets.

This deposit is required to pay off the debts thus far incurred and to secure the existing facilities.

I will consider some degree of stock swap against the balance remaining after the 10% deposit of the 30M, so long as the quarterly income is significant. In that instance the Royalty will be deferred until the income reaches the 30M.

No royalties are to be based on any net income and there are no deferrals (other than what was just mentioned)

A 10% fee against the MSRP on each production run of products in every  market is required before production.

In the instance of film, theatre and television productions, there is s prepaid deposit of 10% is against the budget and required to be updated and paid if the budget increases and paid before production commenses. The 10% Royalty against the Gross remains as defined.

All Royalties are against the reported Grosses, not the net returned to the producers by distributors.

No fees are to be taken out of the monies paid to Arthur Greisiger/Image of the Mind Studios. Any commissions, fees, or taxes are added onto IMS income and not taken from it.

That's basically it. I tried to make that as simple as possible. These terms are not open to debate. I know what some of the Industry Terms are, but these are mine and I will not diverge from them.

I've worked too hard, too long, and invested too much over 30 years to create this project and it has a potential that reaches in to the hundreds of millions of dollars.

These terms are extremely fair, and give the producers the Lions Share of the amazing potential.

It also needs to be realized that The Gnomic Tales are also part of those rights and there are three to five more tales with the potential for more based on The Gnomes of New Hope Core Creative Materials.

Obviously, the contracts need to be implemented and they contain other terms, by necessity, but these are my basic terms.

Communicate via e-mail;

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

AG

Urgent Funding Needs

As it stands now, I am under severe threat in terms of the studio space. I posted elsewhere on this subject.

But the financing requirements I have been discussing for some time, needs to come to fruition.

The basic need here is to secure the facility for a minimum of three years. Optimally, acquisition of the property, which was in the process of happening, is the best approach. The funding to implement that needs to be drawn from the equity inherent in The Gnomes of New Hope.

We were on a path that would not have required that degree of funding, but changes have been forced upon us by outside parties who, from my estimation, have no right to do so. By so doing, the cost and management of the property will be increased and impaired. It may not be worth it, because I will loose the grandfather clause in zoning and the taxes will go up. Yet here it is, thrust upon us by foolish people.

Refer to the post on The Elder Gnomes.

AG

IMS Producing Partners

This link should really be on the IMS Producing Partners page, but I'm testing the link to the cloud.

An Invitation to Become a   Producing Partner

This is one of the introductory letters to the Industry Review Package, which is still being constructed. The current effort is to assemble portions of that review package in PowerPoint, because by so doing, the e-Storybook and other promotional materials advance at the same time.

Contract materials need to be reviewed before they can be made available, but certain points will be included in the Industry Review Package.

Inquiries are welcomed.

AG

Navigating this blog

I have attempted to move some of the more relevant posts closer to the top without much success. So, I invite you to scan through the posts to look for those which provide you artwork or photos. When I post from my phone, I don't seem to be able to add images. A lot of my posts lately have been via my smartphone, which isn't smart enough to post pictures!

PowerPoint Update

I was delighted to find that PowerPoint works so well as a presentation medium for the e-Storybook. I redesigned the layout to work on the current HDTV format, so now the e-Storybook can be viewed on your television.

I may have posted some of these thoughts before, so excuse me for that.

But, not only does the e-Storybook look great on the HDTV, but I can add Narration and animated videos to that format, which I'm very excited about. As I was crafting this new format, I had a revelation. The e-Storybook needs to accessible via a subscription page. At first thought that seems like a ploy, but the truth of it is that, by having access solely via a subscription page it simplifies thing greatly and solves a number of problems

Firstly, a subscription page delivers the books electronically, eliminating a great deal of expense which comes with hard publishing the books. That's not to say that hard copy books are not also going to be available. For now all the hard copy books are published on demand, so you can still order them. You can read other posts about that. But for the most part, I am not going to inventory the books, until the demand to do so warrants it.

Secondly, by making the e-Storybook only available via a subscription, the expense of publishing can be reinvested in the project; creating the artwork needed for the entire collection, sculpting new Garden Gnomes, creating animations, and a whole plethura of other things that need to be done.

Thirdly, by providing it via subscription, I can make the material accessible to you without worrying that it has been released with some portions incomplete, because I can continue to update the material as it is completed, making corrections or adding things like gifs or other animations. Plus, I can add the music and update it as we add vocals, so you will be part of the production process, leading up to the stage show.

So for those three reasons alone it is a good idea. But...

Fourthly, there are issues of security and presentation format which I think will be solved by using an online service to deliver the material to you for your enjoyment.

As I am sure you are aware, this computer/television stuff is constantly changing. That leads me to believe that by keeping the delivery via the Internet, we will be able to adjust the material to the most current systems. If we we're to deliver it via DVD the technology would be outdated before we even got started. But then there are other issues with providing it as a download, issues that are difficult to solve. So, making it accessible via a subscription page solves a great deal of problems that thusfar, I have not been able to solve.

I am working to prepare some of the PowerPoint material so that it can be posted here. I have a few options, one is to post it as a PowerPoint, which would require you to have access to the program. I'm hoping that the subscription page may be able to provide that program, because it has navigational tools not available to a movie file. So I'm still working all that out.

I am setting up a series of videos, which I expect to post on YouTube. The size if the videos need to be adjusted, so the PowerPoint will need to be broken down into smaller videos. The current promotional presentation is around 45 minutes long (which took me by surprise). That doesn't even include the narrated version of Book One. That only explains some of the project. I can't imagine how long the narrated e-Storybook will end up being, after all it is around 800 pages.

Still looking for Vested Producing Partners. Let me know if you are interested.

Keep watch. AG

Festival Environments

I've posted on a number of important subjects relative to the advancement of The Gnomes of New Hope, on various forums including LinkedIn and Facebook. So check those forums as well.

But after reading the latest edition of The Bucks County Herald, I realize that the summer season of Festivals is a market that we need to be on top of. Yes, we have the developing GnomeFest, and maybe GnomeFest could be a traveling part of The Gnomes of New Hope? After all, we are developing the parade float aspect of this. So, as I write this, I'm thinking that the parade float/portable stage should be the way we present at numerous summer festivals. I guess the original concept was to be a presentation at The New Hope Arts Festival, so maybe returning to that idea, now with the ability to expand into other markets, is the best approach. Hey, a portable stage for puppetry eliminates renting a theatre. Not to say we won't also hit the bricks, when the time is right. The whole point of all these years of development was to prep the material to broach numerous markets thoroughly. We're almost there, it's only a matter of careful planning and implementation of production management. The Core Creative Materials are richly developed so we will never run into a dead end. So we have literally decades of open-ended possibilities before us, clearly there is more life in The Gnomes of New Hope than there is in me. So the trick is getting this up and on it's own feet.

I'm working out a commission structure for the sales department. I'd rather leave all that up to the Board of Directors, but I'm still setting that up. Look for some if the Business Plan getting posted on IMS Producing Partners.

AG