[David C. Matthews]

(Cross-posted at DCM Studios Online – News and Updates)

A little explanation first…

It is true that the long hours at work in the Florida heat and humidity have sapped a lot of the energy I've had to do artwork in the past couple of months. At times like those, strangely, writing comes much more easily. So that's what I've been spending a lot of time lately doing: writing.

Screenplays.

About six weeks ago, I was contacted, out of the blue, by a man named Joel Davis. He's based in Los Angeles, he's a member of the Writer's Guild of America West (WGAw) (so he's sold at least one screenplay)… and he's a muscle-woman freak like us! He saw this drawing I'd done of Hannie van Aken as "Thyvalla", a character I'd created for a "fantasy movie project" entitled Last Ride of the Valkyrie. ("Fantasy project" in the sense that I thought I'd never see it produced.) Joel loved the drawing (he's a fan of Hannie as well), loved the concept indicated by the mere sentence or two I'd spent describing it, and wanted to collaborate on a screenplay for it. So we've been talking on the phone a lot lately, giving me advice on the proper format for screenplays, hashing out details of plot and structure, tossing out ideas for who should play Thyvalla, etc.

Then, I made the "mistake" of showing him – just on a whim, just because I thought he'd get a kick out of it – a screenplay I'd written about a year and a half ago. Many of you may remember I'd come into some money from a mortgage refi, and was contemplating either upgrading my studio computer setup, or producing an "amateur" video based on a superheroine character I'd created for the project. Well, Joel loved that idea as well, and suggested that it be expanded to feature-length as well.

So we've been juggling two screenplays, although our emphasis in the past couple of weeks has been the superheroine story.

Now here's the kicker: the original superheroine video script I'd written was originally supposed to be based on Dyna, the Damsel Dynamo. But I thought, at the time, that it was very unlikely I'd find a woman tall enough to play Dyna. (There would've been at least one transformation scene, and I needed someone substantially taller than whoever played Deena, to accentuate the height difference.) So, to be on the safe side, I dropped the idea of a transforming heroine, and changed the character's name to "Daystar". This way, even a woman 5' 5" could play her. (I'd even written to Melissa Dettwiller, asking if she'd be interested in being in the video – she graciously turned me down, citing a busy schedule.) But now, with the prospect of this screenplay being professionally produced and commercially released, I've decided to go ahead and restore Dyna as the star of the story.

Now, I'm staying optimistic about our chances of getting this project produced; but anyone who's done any research into the movie business knows how many pitfalls and booby-traps there are in getting anything made, and even the best intentions count for nothing. (Remember when the "new" Superman movie was supposed to star Nicholas Cage? Remember when there was supposed to be a Watchmen movie??) So I know better than to promise anything. But we (Joel and I) are certainly going to do our best to see this thing through.

Wish us luck!!

[Muscle Growth Nut]

Luck, luck…must give luck! *gives David every rabbit's foot on Earth*

[Lingster]

Very cool.

[CDR]

[JimmyDimples]

Hmmm…

I'm definitely hoping and literally praying for the best here, Dave.  But yes, I know that there's a lot of pitfalls and snare traps between writing and the screen.

I'm hoping you'll be wise as a serpent, but not become a snake like too many people end up in Hollywood. 

And some advice I remembered from my own college days in Mass Communication classes… just in case you hadn't heard it yet:

If You Want To Keep Ownership… Don't Sign ANYTHING With The Words "For Hire" In Them.

[Cowprobe]

Given the quality of homebrewed productions these days it'll be amazing to see.

Especialy since you've got a MAC to get your Final Cut Pro on. :>

Since you're in Florida there should be no dearth of cool locations to shoot on and around.  ;D

you might even get some storyboarding under your belt. With your ability to capture expression and in the caseof boarding forma nd movement especially it might prove a big aid in planning what effects shots you might have.

[AlexG]

Excellent news, Sir DCM!  Good luck with making a go of it!

Now, a sidebar –

Aside from the other aforementioned pitfalls, comes the problem of finding a woman exceptionally uber-buffed-up enough to fill out the role (no pun) that also has the acting chops to plausibly play the part convincingly.  Otherwise, the result could turn into something like the Nemesis movies, a feast for the fem-muscle fan's eyes, but hardly what I'd call a movie(s) capable of drawing in a mainstream audience.

Now, if we had a time machine, we could do a Bill and Ted to grab Cory Everson from fifteen or so years back . . .  😉

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

[The_Pimp_NeonBlack]

This is indeed most excellent news, dear friend, and I's wish you all the best in this endeavour.

May Fortune smile graciously upon and make all your favoured dreams and desires a Reality and may she grant you the fortitude and conviction to produce your vision unhampered by the Philisteins of the Studios and Cinema.

We all await with bated breath and wish you Godspeed and grand fortune.

Peace
Neon

[pict]

Best of Luck, David.
May this dream become flesh for you and for us.

[nam]

Sounds good, best of luck (crosses fingers and toes)! Hopefully this will bring forth a Tetsuko film (one can hope)  ::) … 

[Author]

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