Scottish superhero series – Saltire Annihilation Part 2

Saltire – Annihilation Pt.2. 

Full Colour Graphic Novel by John Ferguson.  

Art by Claire Roe. 

Coloured by Lauren Knight. 

Cover by Jim Devlin. 

Published by Diamondsteel Comics Ltd. 

* WARNING: While there are (hopefully) no give-aways of this latest instalment in the Saltire series, there is the odd spoiler-esque element concerning the first part of ANNIHILATION.......


Way, way, way back in the deepest mists of time (well last October to be precise), I wrote a piece about a very exciting development in the world of the graphic novel - The appearance of what is arguably the first Scottish Superhero in Graphic novel form, Saltire.

Saltire - Invasion was the first in a what was intended to be a series of books that was the beginning of what promised to be a grandiloquent odyssey through the history, mythology and country of Scotland. The Superhero in question was quite simply a big, blue and ginger creation intent on protecting his country from invasion and destruction. 

At the time of writing back in October I did say that the superhero reminded me a little of myself ..... well except for the big, blue and ginger bit. I will actually take part of that claim back, because it has been something of a rather cold winter up here in the North East of Scotland. As a consequence some parts of me are still a little bit on the blue side, however my legal team have advise me that due to taste, decency and potential litigation, I should refrain from saying which parts. Though as I write this piece it's actually a balmy (well it is for Scotland) Spring day with a bright yellow thing shining up there in the sky. I believe it is called the Sun.

The second edition in the Saltire series was Annihilation, which found its way into stores late last year. Once again, it didn't disappoint with its continuation of a parallel mythical history of Scotland, this time with the setting taking place  a number of centuries after the first book's events. This time the story took on a darker, bleaker tone in parts whilst still managing to become ever more sweeping in terms of its narrative scope. It was an ambitious undertaking, but once again the delightful artwork and good narration carried one along in a veritable whirlwind of exciting myth and legend.

A week or so ago witnessed the continuation of Annihilation, rather cunningly called Annihilation - part 2. Though not officially released until April 11th, the comic was available at DeeCon in a pre-release launch over the Easter weekend. In addition people were able meet the entire creative team behind Saltire and have the opportunity to get a whole range of big, blue and ginger related goodies in the process. Unfortunately I wasn't able to be there as I had a pressing appointment at the vets - well, actually I didn't, but my dog Jasper did....and he still hates me for what the operation meant he had to have removed. Let's just say that there won't be any little Jaspers ever running around Fifth Dimension towers in the future.

Anyhoo, a little while ago the good people at Diamondsteel comics contacted me and asked if I would be interested in an advance digital copy of Annihilation - part 2. Of course, you know me well enough by now, I'm anybody's for a freebie - particularly a sneak advance freebie. Naturally I was interested. So this week I sat myself down with a cup of Earl Grey Tea (I'm nothing if classy) and my iPad and read the next instalment of Scotland's foremost superhero.

"As blood thins and silence echoes, a fresh torment builds behind the southern wall. When heroes fall, who will stand against an unyielding force and the brutal terror from the earth? The freedoms of a nation laid bare before a cruel and tyrannical foe, for as one battle ends another must begin.

To fight, to endure, to survive..."

The first part of Annihilation witnessed the forces of the Mercyan army and its vampire Witch being defeated by Saltire and the other leaders and champions of Scotland's assorted tribes and clans. However, the victory has come at a high cost with the villages and towns in near ruin and the many of champions themselves having either killed or their strength severely diminished. In Annihilation - part 2, the Mercyan king has returned and has sworn to rid the Scottish lands of all who stand in the way of his Saxon forces. If that wasn't bad enough for the beleaguered Scots, Saltire himself is severely ill and weakened from his heroic efforts

If there is one thing that is pleasing (and I believe necessary ) to see at any stage of a publication's evolution is a continuation of pushing the boundaries of ones own artistic standards. This is perhaps arguably more of a necessity in the ultra-competitive area of the graphic novel and comic book - quite frankly, it's brutal out there with many an example of new and ambitious projects that have fallen by the creative wayside and drifted off into faded obscurity. 

Thankfully, Annihilation - part 2 continues where it left off in terms of outstanding and dynamic artwork, and if anything, the level of of exciting precision and pacing in Clare Roe and Lauren Knight's work is been taken up a further notch in this edition. The zestful visual strength on offer is simply jaw-dropping on occasion as it gives a sense of fluidity and life to the characterisation. It is a constant visual treat for the eyes as richly textured colours and artwork vie for ones attention. It is simply excellent stuff.

The pacing of the story, as in the first Annihilation, moves the reader along at a breakneck speed as it carries you breathlessly through it's plethora of skirmishes and battles. If I had one minor criticism of the first edition it would be that the dialogue occasionally at times struggled to keep up with the large array of characters and varying scenarios they found themselves in. Whilst incredibly enjoyable, there almost seemed an insatiable need to cram as much mythical history in as possible and this occasionally impacted on the pacing of the plot. However this time things have been ever so slightly 'tightened up' and as a consequence a very good piece of comic book narrative has evolved in Annihilation - part 2 to become an excellent example of narrative pacing.

Saltire's story is ambitiously sweeping in scope and application as it skillfully incorporates a whole array of Scottish myth and legend without ever resorting to tired Tartan parody and cliche. Not only that, but it very nicely taps into the contemporary cultural and social engagement that is going on in Scotland at the moment as a consequence of the recent independence referendum and not too distant General Election that will soon be with us. Something very special has been happening in Scotland over that last couple of years as a fresh sense of national identity seems to have gathered an impressive momentum. The independence referendum may not have achieved in the short term what many (including myself) wanted, however, that momentum for both for change and authentic pride in what ones country stands for is, I feel, ultimately unstoppable.

What Saltire has done is to tap into that very sense of cultural pride, something which the popularity of the character amongst the Scots populace is more than clear to see. However, don't just listen to what I say. After all, just what the hell do I know? By all accounts, I'm not alone if the collection of other positive reviews of the exploits of the bIg blue one are anything to go by. Not only that, but there is also the recent news that Diamondsteel comics have been approached by a number of Hollywood film studios with a view of bringing the graphic novel to the big screen.There is a part of me that is truly happy at the prospect of seeing the Saltire Universe expand beyond all belief. I just hope that the Hollywood treatment that he gets, if indeed it does happen, is as authentic and respectful to Scottish culture as it is at the moment in this marvellous comic.

Saltire Annihilation - part 2 is available for order and lands in stores this weekend on the 11th April. I cannot recommend the series highly enough. If you like your high-octane comics then this is the one for you - whether you're Scottish or not!


For more information about Saltire and how to acquire the comic then the Diamondsteel team can be contacted by the various means below.

The Saltire Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/saltirecomics

The Website can be located at http://www.diamondsteelcomics.com

Or you can email the good people via info@diamondsteelcomics.com

Aether - A glorious new Steampunk movie + Interview with legendary Film & TV production designer, David L. Snyder (Blade Runner & more)

I've never made it any secret that I don't consider myself as a proper critic type writer person. My intention on this blog has always been to feature 'stuff' that has caught my eye, things that excite me. It all rather fits in well with my general 'me, me, me, it’s all about me' approach to life.

Therefore I have little interest in wasting my precious hours berating or intellectually mocking another person’s piece of work - I take myself far too lightly for that. I will leave it to some (by no means all) bloggers who's sense of self-importance far exceeds what would be regarded as acceptable in polite company. That doesn't mean to say I won't be honest and acknowledge whether the odd element here or there in a piece of work doesn't quite work for me, but here in the old Fifth Dimension, I only talk about what interests and makes me go all "oh yeaaahhhh" and a little gooey inside. 

As a consequence, I've had what seems like an endless amount of projects on here about which I have eulogised about with glowing adoration. I indeed have felt blessed to be but a very small cog in the bigger creative wheel. However, this week I had the opportunity to speak with people who are involved in perhaps the most exciting project yet that I've come across in my time as perhaps the foremost blogger around (well I am on Planet Stuey, anyway). This is not empty hyperbole, I genuinely mean it when I say how exciting this project is, and for a number of reasons - the concept, the themes, the genres and perhaps just as exciting, the who's who of Science Fiction production who are part of the team behind it all. (More about that last point in a short while, but all I will say for now is....cough.....Blade Runner......cough.

Some very nice Aether concept art

You may be wondering (if you’re still with me) just what the heck has got Fifth Dimension towers in all of a giggly kerfuffle? Well let me tell you.

A few days ago I was contacted via my website by Drew Hall, who proceeded to tell me that he is the writer/co-director of a Steampunk inspired science fiction film called Aether and that he and his team are looking for a degree of promotion for the said film. You should know me by now – mention words like ‘Steampunk’ and ‘science fiction’ in the same sentence and I’m interested. Mention them in the same sentence as ‘Helena Bonham-Carter is at the door asking for you and carrying books about........’ and I’m yours forever. Sadly, the future Mrs Anderson isn’t part of this scenario, but one can dream. 

Now I don’t know about you, but I for one think that if there is one sub-genre of sci-fi and fantasy that has been under represented in its own right on a cinematic level, Steampunk is it. Yes there have been a number of related examples – but nothing that as yet has transported this most stylish of genres in the wider public consciousness. So when Drew said a big fat no, that they were not asking for any financial support via a crowd funding campaign, but instead were just looking for as much publicity as possible, well I was doubly interested. It seems that at this stage they want to do something which I and many others have wanted to happen for some time - namely to pressure the bigger studios into acknowledging that people do want original, story driven science fiction – and not simply rely on Tranformers 25: The of the Rip-off of film goers continues or the latest Marvel superhero adaptation as a means of so-called original creative output.

Anyhow, before I tell you about the mouth-watering collection of production staff on this film, I wanted to know more about Aether,  – and this is what I found.

"Aether is a steampunk inspired science fiction film set in a world of flying cities, massive airships, and ghost towns. On the tiny island of Deos, the citizens in the small town of Specter struggle to survive, as the wealthy floating city of Wavelinde looms overhead serving as a constant reminder of oppression. 

Meanwhile, a storm is building in the savage mines held by the Bruewen. War is coming."

We'll I don't know about you, but when I first read that I was more than a little intrigued. This soon turned ever more interesting when I delved further into some of the background information about the film. Potentially, the world within Aether may be is as vast as the Star Wars ( soon to be 're-imagined) universe, as gritty, at times, as the wastelands of Mad Max (Again, soon to be re-imagined) and is charged with political intrigue that would make the characters in Game of Thrones blush (Btw, I love Queen Cersai with an almost illegal passion) ; throughout this though, the aesthetics of Aether simply ooze the ultra-stylised essence of Steampunk. Ok, I'm hooked.

Because Hollywood seems hesitant to put out original content, Drew Hall (writer/director), Horst Sarubin (Co-director/VFX producer) and Scott Robinson (Producer) decided to shoot a short proof of concept film called "Aether: Prologue". It is basically a primer to the style and experience that is the Aether'verse. It seems then that the word got around about this gem of a project and they were somehow able to assemble an incredible creative team - it's kind of a science fiction dream team really.

Erm, lets just look at this picture a little while, eh?

Their Director of Photography is VFX pioneer and 3 time Oscar Winner Alex Funke (Total Recall, LOTRs). The production designer is David L. Snyder who has an amazing resume, though perhaps people like myself would be salivating over a film which saw him Oscar nominated for art direction on Blade Runner. Yes, that's right......only the blooming favourite ever sci-fi film of this here blogger.....be still my beating heart.

If that wasn't enough, they have Kim Bailey as the airship designer. He's responsible for some of the most iconic ships/props in all of science fiction including the FIRST Borg Ship and the original Stargate. There are a plethora of hair and make up effects in the film so when Oscar winner Robin Mathews (Dallas Buyers Club) jumped on board, I'm sure that Drew and the team probably fainted. In addition, to incorporate the fact that Science fiction must have good sound design, so through a series of magical events the team were able to sign Oscar Nominated Chris Ward (The Hobbit) as their sound editor.

If you're not taken in by my enthusiasm for this film then the fact that this who's who of sci-fi creativity have also jumped on board because they love the story and the Aether'verse says everything.  However, Drew has told me that they don't want to give the impression that Aether is simply some superficial all style and no substance production. They've been pushing a hashtag of #WelcomeBackSciFi as a means of reminding themselves, and the world, that sometimes VFX aren't enough - story should always come first. The team have worked hard to make a science fiction film for the audience who cares about story first. Yes, there are some VFX, but Drew assures me - it's a story driven film for sci fi fans. Personally, I think that's bloody important and something that the Transformers et al of this world would do bloody well to remember. 

The Aether team are keen to have the publics feedback on their project. They desperately want to bring the film to life on the big screen or small and want to make sure that they listen to the audience in the process. blimey, democracy in the movies - a frightening prospect.

Here's a short video with some behind the scenes and interviews about Aether. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-T2zYTashE 

You can out more about the film at the teams fan site http://www.weareskyborne.com/ 

You can also reach the team on the facebook page facebook.com/AetherMovie 

Drew Hall's IMDB page can be located at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355527/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

THE INTERVIEW BIT :

DAVID L. SNYDER (Production Designer extraordinaire + Tanqueray & Tonic devotee).

In keeping with the essence of the innate stylisation of Steampunk, it is essential that Aether has a team behind it that can deliver the necessaries in terms of style and appearance. So when it was confirmed that I may be able to get access to some of the most iconic creative production names in science fiction I was immediately like the proverbial kid in a candy store. I simply couldn't decide who to ask to speak to first, until one man's list of impressive film credits caught my eye, and in particular, a certain film featuring a Mr Harrison Ford chasing after Rutger Hauer and his group of misfit replicants. 

It's pretty much safe to say that David L. Snyder has something of an epic resume, so I'll leave it up to IMDB to give you something of a flavour of it........

David on the set of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

"....,,,,After stumbling through life as a rock 'n' roll drummer, architectural designer, graphic designer and theatrical stage designer he began his Hollywood career as the assistant art director on the 50th Annual Academy Awards. Following a year in 'live' television, David was soon recruited by Universal Studios and spent a year and a half art directing science fiction television series such as "Galactica 1980", "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century", "The Incredible Hulk" and "Captain America".

After designing Taylor Hackford's feature directorial debut, "The Idolmaker" he returned to science fiction as the art director on Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi classic "Blade Runner". David received an Academy Award nomination he shared with Lawrence G. Paull, the film's production designer. It was also awarded the British Academy Award (BAFTA) for Best Production Design/Art Direction.

Since that time he has designed more than forty feature films including "Untitled", "The Whole Nine Yards", "The One", "Soldier", "Demolition Man", "Super Mario Bros.", "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" and Tim Burton's cult classic feature film directorial debut, "Pee-wee's Big Adventure". In 1996 he designed "Rainbow" the motion picture Industry's first live-action digital to 35mm theatrical feature film starring & directed by Bob Hoskins."

And that only barely touches upon his career. I think I would like to write a book about this guy.......

"Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, David. However before I ask you about your role as Production designer on Aether, I hoped it would be ok to talk about one or two other notable strings to your bow….."

Q) Blimey, your resume isn’t too shabby is it? You worked as Art Director on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Battlestar Galactica  - For those who don’t know what Art Director is on a movie, can you explain the role in general and how it fitted in specifically for those shows?

Erin Gray, one of the loves of my life...

A) I was on-staff Art Department at MCA Universal 1978-1980. There were 35 shows happening including "1941", "The Blues Brothers" etc. and many TV series e.g. "Buck" and "Galactica". I worked as an all-around 'doctor' on about a dozen TV's. I was assigned to this job by the Art H.O.D. due to my charm and flexibility. (LOL) Don't know why, but I was delighted being out of the grind of one Sci-Fi show every 7-10 days. So, I would jump in and help out the assigned staff art directors who were overwhelmed with impossible deadlines and airdates. 

My experience on "Galactica" was minimal until "Galactica 1980". The word went around that "Galactica" had been cancelled and with the insatiable need for stage space, some of the "BG" sets were 'struck' and thrown into the landfill on the backlot. Then Glen Larson announced that the network had changed it's decision to cancel and "BG" was picked up for another season. What to do? Using existing footage and the remaining sets, Glen came up w/ the brilliant scheme to keep the show on the air by having the cast travel via 'time machine' to 1980 Los Angeles as if on a mission. Ha! It worked. (This will be denied by the studio). re: "Buck Rogers" the brilliant Paul Peters was the supervising art director and a good friend. I was assigned to help out the two art departments (yes two, as there was a revolt by the staff and the studio relented and doubled the overworked team who alternated episodes.) 

"Now then Lou, that's your one and only Hulkout for the day........"

I was given an entire episode (uncredited) about Interplanetary Olympic games. ("Olympiad"- Feb 7, 1980) The studio did not want to spend the money to fill the stadium (on a sound stage) w/ extras, so they had the athletic events in the stage 'as' arena. I installed a series of large stadium speakers and prop video cameras, so the idea was (laughingly) that the audience would view the games at home, or in the pubs and their interactive audio from their homes, pubs, etc. could be heard by the athletes to cheer them on. I have never seen the episode, so I can only confirm what we filmed. As absurd as I thought the idea was, it was brilliant economically. 

My final note on MCA TV is when I was assigned to "The Incredible Hulk" they were well into the series which was a certified 'hit'. When a show was a hit at Universal, the first step is to cut back on all spending. The studio's position was "Fuck it! They'll watch it no matter what the budgets are". So, what did they do? They told us that there was going to be only one 'hulk-out' per show, not two as in all previous episodes. Costs for make-up, floor effects & break-aways, costumes and optical VFX transitions between Bill and Lou would be cut in half. The front office was delighted.

To answer Part 2 of your question, an Art Director is in charge of the 'look' of a film or show. He coordinates with the Set Decorator, the Props-Persons, Costume Designer, Make-Up & Hair and Special Floor (Mechanical) Effects & Visual Effects, in collaboration with the Director of Photography, all under supervision of the Producer(s) and Director(s). In contemporary terms the job title is most likely Production Designer. You are the Architectural Designer of the film.

Q) What did you think of the re-vamped Battlestar series? 

Only saw glimpses of it looking for Eddie Olmos and the 'then' actress / girlfriend of one of my director friends. (A very pert Canadian blond).

Still stunning.....

Q) And then there’s Blade Runner – wow. What are your memories of working on that film? 

More than any film I've worked on, totalling forty +. It was my third feature and I was hired by my mentor, Lawrence G. (Larry) Paull ("Back To The Future") who, at MCA Universal, promoted me from Television to Features. If you view "Dangerous Days - The Making Of Blade Runner" (3 Hrs. -33Min.) on Disc 2 of the DVD / Blu-ray Box Set, you'll get the full story. 

Here's a wee bit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPluJUQGHrg. My biggest memory was receiving an Academy Award© nomination for Best Art Direction. Can't believe we lost to "Gandhi", but the Production Design took the BAFTA. 

Q) Why do you think it took a hammering on its release from fans and critics alike yet has now become perhaps the seminal Science Fiction film of all time.

Zhora's termination

It was released here in the States at the time of President Ronny Raygun's P.R. infused economic boom. Blade Runner was very political and Americans were horrified of a dystopian future that unfortunately for most has nearly come to pass. I won't go into my political views, but from what I read from my U.K. mates, it's as bad there and the rest of the planet. Time to go Off-World. On top of that we released at the same time as feel good "E.T." and that's what America hungered for. The Shaw Bros. did much better with the film in Asia, the only territory where it was a hit. In addition to all the above, it was just way ahead of it's time in every aspect. It frightened most. I was so stunned, when I first saw the film at The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, that I couldn't believe that I had anything to do with it. For the record and in the opinion of all who were there at the beginning, the 2007 "Final Cut" is the only "Blade Runner". 

All other versions were impaired by the lack of technology that we had envisioned since pre-production in 1980. Once we had the proper digital 'tools' we could finally achieve our vision. The public opinion reversal came about at a screening of an obscure 1981 preview print in 1992 at The NuArt Theater in Santa Monica CA. The studio (WB) realised that there just might be a chance to recover their investment. It wasn't as if they were interested in art for art's sake in spite of the fact that WB had been honoured w/ 5 AA nominations and we won a few BAFTA's. 

 Q) So how and what attracted you to the chance to work on Aether? 

The script was sent to me by my "Crave " producer Scott Robinson. I was keen to work on a steampunk oriented science fiction film due to the genre's focus on design. Needless to say, I liked the story / script very much. When I arrived in Mobile, Alabama and met Drew Hall, I knew I had made a good decision. He is an enthusiastic, talented guy who is without any perceptible ego. He would drop into the Art Department at least once a day, whenever a brainstorm would hit him, and share his ideas with the staff, and take our comments and ideas in a true form of  collaboration. He had a terrific team of art director-set decorator and props-people assembled for me upon my arrival and they did a great job considering we had never worked together prior to "Aether". 

Also of note is Drew had brought 3-time Academy Award© winning director of photography Alex Funke and visual effects guru Horst Sarubin on board. I brought along longtime model-maker Kim Bailey to assist me. It all fit nicely together. Each member of the team had a specific set of skills that magically crossed over by virtue of these artists having knowledge of each others skills even if they did not personally possess them.

Q) What challenges have you faced on Aether so far?

I approached the project with the notion that it was going to be difficult to find enough talent in Mobile with so many productions headed that way from L.A. I am eager to say I was wrong. I found a crew who not only did not resent an outsider coming on board, I was welcomed by young filmmakers who were eager to work with me, learn from me and even have a pint and a meal with me now and then. I was treated with respect and it was mutual. There were some tolerable problems with the weather, cold & windy, and the usual budget considerations but that was about it. I couldn't wait to get to the office / set each and every day. Aesthetically, the show was loaded with so much talent and enthusiasm that the only challenge was to decide which props, settings, costumes, decor etc. we would select out of so many choices made available to the production. There were some tough decisions to be made on what to eliminate. This was not a problem. It was a bonus.

Q) Just how much has the advance in technology changed how you approach a film project?

As we approach 2019 A.D. I have seen technological advances beginning with Alfred Whitlock's glass matte paintings on Marty Feldman's "In God We Tru$t", John Dykstra and Doug Trumbull's in-camera effects on "Starflight One" and "Blade Runner" & Brainstorm"(70mm), respectively, to motion pictures shot with digital cameras and cellphones. My work is basically the same except it's all in the digital domain. Design is design no matter the input and result. The difference is it's lightning quicker to express your ideas in hours and minutes instead of graphite (pencil) on vellum drawing paper set designs that would take days or weeks. The ability to share your ideas from Hollywood to China in seconds, as I have been recently doing would have been impossible to imagine 20 years ago. It boggles the mind. CAD, Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop, 3D SketchUp and other software that I may not even be aware of. It's all good. The future is now.   

Q) So what are the future plans for David L. Snyder? 

Back together again with Douglas Trumbull ..........

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/the-wonder-3d-set-as-first-china-new-zealand-co-production-1201186043/, 

http://www.screendaily.com/screenasia/parc-media-unveils-3d-co-productions/5082351.article?referrer=RSS 

David L. SNYDER (left) with Douglas Trumbull

You can find out more about David's work by looking over his website at http://davidlsnyderfilms.com/

I would like to say a huge thanks to both Drew and David for giving me such a huge slice of their precious time. I don't expect that this will be the end of my eulogising about Aether as I'm hoping to do a couple of follow up interviews with some of the aforementioned creative individuals very soon.

The Necroslinger - Indie filmmaker has shot at $1M CineCoup prize

You know something, some people just don't play fair. I'm not saying that people cynically flatter me with praise & kind words about my blog just to get my attention. I'm sure (or at least hope) that the positive comments are mostly sincere, particularly when they come from people I know. You see, this week I received a request on behalf of an old friend of the Fifth Dimension, the wonderfully named King-Pin Lei, asking me if I'd be prepared to help publicise his latest film project and its involvement in a rather unique Canadian film programme. 

Before I could spend a moment to think about this request he then went on to shower me & my blog with praise using words like 'respected', 'popular'........ damn it, I was hooked again. However, the world that I live in is not quite the superficial one I always make it out to be, I do have occasionally have standards.......be quiet...yes, I really do. For a start I already knew King-Pin from a rather fine previous Sci-Fi concept, The Never Man, that he first sent my way a year or so ago. I also know that he isn't one for faint praise, so of course he was being sincere. However, far more importantly, I was fascinated and a just little excited by both the concept of his latest work The Necroslinger, and the competition he was entering his work into.

Before I talk about the film programme, I think it's fitting that I pass on to you a little of what I know so far about King-Pin's proposed movie.

"A Necroslinger is a master sorcerer trained in the way of the Gunsmith Arcana  - the science of ballistics merged with the art of magic.

The Necroslinger is a Western/horror/fantasy set in a post‐apocalyptic future where magic and monsters return to a world devastated by past world wars. Only a fraction of humanity exists, living as people did in the Old West of the 1800s. 

This is the story of a mysterious Necroslinger who stumbles upon a teenage girl and her little brother and becomes their unwilling guardian when they are pursued by the Dead. What the Necroslinger doesn’t know is the secret the children carry – a secret that even the Dead fear.

The story intensifies when another entity pursues the children – something that has not walked the Earth for a very long time and lurks just beyond the shadows and the dark, whispering out to the children.

Running out spells and aided by the fierce Sister Magdelene from the Order of the Blind Magi, the Necroslinger must uncover the heartbreaking truth about the children – before time runs out."

I must admit, as I've previously mentioned, the concept of The Necroslinger pretty much grabbed my attention straight away. Not only does it have some very tasty elements of an unflinching and seemingly inspired mix of familiar genres; A post-apocalyptic ravaged world, the Western, horror and fantasy hybrid that hopefully will take this movie hybrid in a fresh new direction. If that wasn't enough, then there is also an enticing dose of Steampunk for the lovers (such as myself) of that particular sub-genre in the appearance of the Necroslinger himself. I'm sincerely hoping that this will be replicated in various other aspects of the movie once it sees the light of day.

To see for yourself I suggest that you have a look at the 60-second concept pitch trailer – which was filmed and produced in two weeks – online at http://www.cinecoup.com/necroslinger.

So that's the synopsis of the proposed film. What about the actual film programme that it has been entered into?

The Necroslinger is one of 74 Canadian film projects competing for $1 million in production financing in the CineCoup Film Accelerator – a unique program that gives indie filmmakers an opportunity to pitch their ideas to the public and make their film a reality.

Lei is asking the public to support The Necroslinger by signing up on the CineCoup website (http://www.cinecoup.com/necroslinger) as a fan, and casting votes. Fans can sign up NOW, and the first round of voting (Top 60) begins April 6, 2015. Fans can also rate concept trailers and ‘follow’ this fabulous project.

Film making teams in CineCoup Film Accelerator develop and market their film ideas over a 12-week period through weekly missions and with audience feedback. Teams advance in the program through several rounds of public voting. The winner is determined by CineCoup, and receives up to $1 million to make their film, as well as a national film release through Cineplex.

So here's how you guys can participate: (it costs nothing!)

• Register with CineCoup and sign in to vote for a project;

• Cast your votes during the three voting windows (Top 60, Top 30 and Top 15); and

• Use social media to spread the word about The Necroslinger
The Facebook page can be found at (https://www.facebook.com/necroslinger?ref=hl) 

You can also find the film on Twitter at (https://twitter.com/Necroslinger) – don’t forget to use the social media hashtag #necroslinger for this project.

It all sounds very good so far doesn't it? A great concept for a film and also a chance for us, the general public type people, to help the movie become reality.......and it doesn't need to cost us a penny..........What's that you say? You want even more information about the man with perhaps the finest name around? Well all righty then, because not only do I have a mini-bio of the writer/director, I also had the chance this week to ask King-Pin Lei himself some legendary Fifth Dimension piercing questions.......

Lei’s previous work in film has earned him several awards and nominations, including The Night of the Living Film Festival’s Audience Award for Best Sci-Fi Film (2010), Best Screenplay (2010) and Best Debut Director (2010) for his gripping thriller Killing Schrodinger’s Cats.

He also advanced to the Top 20 of the 2013 CineCoup Film Accelerator program with his concept for the sci-fi thriller The Never Man, an eerie and haunting space exploration film.

Q) To begin with, tell us about some of your influences, both in print & film.

For print, definitely the works of H.P. Lovecraft (for his themes of cosmic dread and the insignificance of human beings compared to the enormity of the universe), William Hope Hodgeson (for showing the horrors lurking just beneath the surface of unimaginably deep oceans), Stephen King (for making his characters totally relatable to everyone so that their screams of horror are our screams as well), Ray Bradbury (for showing us our possible futures through darkly coloured lenses) and Richard Matheson (for showing me that horror can exist in the house next door or the next street over).

In film, the horror classics such as Frankenstein, The Mummy & Dracula, The Haunting of Hill House, Hellraiser, Chronos, Pan's Labrynth and Dark City; and then the westerns such as The Wild Bunch, The Man with No Name Trilogy with Clint Eastwood, Tombstone (a highly underrated movie).

Q) So what came first, the name of Necroslinger or the plot?

The plot came first. It actually started its life as a novel I began writing a couple years ago, which grew into a sprawling epic that I'm still writing. I hope to finish it one day soon.

Q) The look of The Necroslinger is pure Steampunk and looks great! How did the look evolve?

Well, it's still evolving! I'm a big fan of the Steampunk aesthetic and it seems to go very well with not only westerns, but also horror. It grew out of my idea of what would come after the collapse of the modern world, after the time of machines and technology has been forgotten, but with trace elements continuing to exist as shadows of the past, re-purposed to suit the return of magic. But it's not just for an aesthetic look, there are functional reasons for it in the story.

Q) The story seems to mix a number of genres; Western, Scifi, horror and steampunk. Did you set out from the outset to create this Genre mash? 

Yes. Western-Horror has not been well represented in movies, which is funny because they have been popular in video games and television shows like The Walking Dead. As the story of The Necroslinger evolved, I realised that post-apocalyptic and fantasy elements worked very well in the mix which in turn lead me to fold in elements of Steampunk.

Q) what influences were there for you in the concept of this story?

There's a little bit of the Doctor Strange comics, the classic Mummy movies, and a bit of The Good the Bad and The Ugly. As a kid I also loved comic books like Jonah Hex, which gave me my first taste of the Supernatural Western, and The Unknown Soldier which blended war stories with elements of the weird and supernatural.

Q) For those of us outside Canada, tell us how the Cinecoup competition works?

CineCoup is a Film Accelerator that aims to supercharge the development of local Canadian feature films. They call for Canadian filmmakers and film making teams to enter by creating a short one-minute movie trailer that can either be a 'concept' trailer, or a full-fledged movie trailer, if the team has the time and resources to produce it in time for the application process. Then, through a rigorous 12-week competitive development process, each team completes weekly missions from CineCoup and vies for public support in the form of trailer and missions ratings, and votes when each of the three voting windows are open to the public.

On top of this, CineCoup judges are taking the mission content into account to give their own votes. That way, this competition does not turn into just a popularity contest. In the end, the CineCoup panel of judges and one 'superfan' decide who wins the $1-million in production funding.

Q) So you win and get the funding. What will this enable you to do in regard to The Necroslinger?

Make the movie of course, but with a proper budget! 

On top of this, there will be a nation-wide release of the film in theatres in Canada, followed by an international release. They did this with the first year's winner, Wolfcop.

Q) Of course, the intention is to win......but would you consider a crowdfunding campaign for the film if you weren't successful in the competition?

Definitely. I would definitely consider crowdfunding if we do not win the funding.

Q) Are there plans for any spin-off projects for The Necroslinger, such as Graphic Novel etc?

Well, considering that I've been working on the novel for the past two years, the novel release would be first, then definitely a graphic novel. We've already had a chorus of people tell us that this would make an awesome graphic novel or comic book series.

Q) What future projects lie in store for the King-Pin?

Many things! I'm still working to get my science fiction film The Never Man made (it made it to the Top 20 cut in the 2013 CineCoup Film Accelerator!) and I have other feature films and TV concepts brewing. But that's for a later story...

I would like to offer my thanks to King-Pin's team for providing the opportunity to talk to them and share their exciting project. All it needs now is for you and me to do what we can to ensure that they win the competition, get the money and bring The Necroslinger to the big screen!