Contour At The Movies

My company, PadWorx Digital Media, Inc.,  had the honor of desiging and building the enhanced storybook app for the upcoming Electronic Arts game Alice: Madness Returns™, the sequel to the critically acclaimed game American McGee’s Alice™. Versions of the app for iOS and Android were released in May, 2011.

Designed to bridge the ten year gap between American McGee’s Alice™ and Alice: Madness Returns™, the storybook app introduces readers to the world of Alice as imagined by acclaimed game designer American McGee, recapping the events, characters, and environments from the first game while setting the stage for the visionary world of Alice: Madness Returns™.

Seriously, since starting PadWorx a year ago we’ve been fortunate to work on some very cool projects.  Frankly, it doesn’t get much cooler than working with EA and American McGee’s company Spicy Horse on this.

In the storybook app, visions of madness come to life through interactive elements and animations. The app features hauntingly beautiful art from the visionary team behind Alice: Madness Returns™. Much like PadWorx’s other titles there are hidden ‘Easter Eggs’ built into the app which unlock treasures from Wonderland.

EA made the storybook available as a free download to use it as a marketing tool. From what I’ve been told, it’s been a huge success for them, raising their pre-order numbers substantially over their projections.

If you get the chance, check it out here.  There’s a whole world of storytelling out there, and movies and TV are becoming an increasingly smaller part.  Just saying…

– Jeffrey Alan Schechter

I just read a fabulous article by author/filmmaker Peter Hanson.  It’s posted on The Writers Store website and it condenses down into five points some of the things he learned while interviewing screenwriters for the book he co-edited with Paul Robert Herman, Tales from the Script: 50 Hollywood Screenwriters Share Their Stories.

I didn’t read one thing in the article that I disagree with (shocking, I know!) and I think this short article should become required reading for everyone pursuing a career as a screenwriter.   It puts the level of commitment, time, and effort required into very practical terms.  If this is any indication of the full scope of the book, then it’s a must have.  Well done, Mr. Hanson and Mr. Herman!

CLICK HERE to read the article.

–Jeffrey Alan Schechter

So I’m here in LA ahead of the “MY STORY CAN BEAT UP YOUR STORY!” seminar I’m doing at The Writer’s Store on the 30th.  Taking advantage of being in LA, I’ve had a bunch of meetings this week with producers, agents, managers, and executives.

Knowing that a big topic of interest at the seminar is going to be about the business of writing, I figured that I’d ask the executives I’m meeting with for their read of the pulse of the business: do aspiring writers need agents?  What should they be writing?  How should people go about marketing themselves and launch their careers?  What’s the market for pitching like?  How about spec screenplays?  How important is it to live in LA?

The answers I’ve been getting have been really, really interesting and more than a little surprising.  For those of you coming to the seminar, you’re going to get the most current, best information available on the business of the business.   For those who can’t make it…hang tight.  I’ll turn the information into something readable as soon as I can.

To learn more about the seminar or to sign up, please CLICK HERE or go to The Writers Store website (www.thewritersstore.com) and search for “My Story Can Beat Up Your Story.”

– Jeffrey Alan Schechter

When you have (virtually) unlimited resources, time, and creativity, you can do some pretty remarkable things.  Case in point…PIXAR.

I haven’t seen UP yet (though the estimable Dan Pilditch has and raves about it) but by all accounts it’s a great achievement.  And then to top that off, PIXAR released the teaser trailer for TOY STORY 3.  Goofy charm aside, there’s more creativity, character work, and attention to detail paid in this teaser than in most full-length movies.

As creative types, we should aspire to aim as high as PIXAR routinely hits.  That being said, we have to understand that it’s not just that PIXAR isn’t playing on a level playing field; they own the stadium.

We started right on time and finished early.  Even got in a bonus shot!   Having fun, so far.  But of course, any script that features a meeting of the VSA (Viking Students Association) can’t go too far wrong.  

The script in question is a first script from a new writing team: Richard Rabkin and Matt Simmons.  Richard’s someone who was introduced to me a few years ago and has been impressing me his writing over that time, and Matt is a friend of Richard’s who blew me away with a feature script he had written.  I thought the two of them would make a good team and suggested that they pitch some ideas for OVERRULED.  They did, one of them clicked, and their script is now the lead-off script for season 2.

There is a lesson in there about networking, persistence, and looking for creative opportunities.  Will this lead to more writing for them?  Who knows.  I know I’d hire them again.