Sideshow Freaks: We Should Start Making Our Own Movies, Comics and Art together

This might sound cheesy. I don't care. Troll me all you want. Dogpile me, if you'd like.

After watching The Last Jedi, I've come to realize that our culture is being completely decimated by an increasingly centralized entertainment industry. With the new merger between Fox and Disney, it's only going to get worse.

For those of us who feel let down, we have to start making our own art. We have to take a more active role in shaping this culture, because the corporations who've taken the wheel don't care about anything but profit. There's no quality control. I thought the era of centralized entertainment was over thanks to the internet. I thought the days of Cultural Gatekeepers were over, when mp3s became downloadable so that the radio stations couldn't force me to listen to garbage. The opposite has happened. In a world where everyone can publish anything, where you're inundated with more information every day than you could possibly consume in a lifetime, the only way we can find common cultural artifacts that bring us together, is via large corporate entertainment because they have the loudest voice. We're drowning in a sea of information, and large companies like Disney and... well, pretty much Disney now, are the only light tower guiding us to shore. But it leads to a landfill.

I don't believe that anyone owes me, or anyone else anything. However, there's obviously a demographic for adults who want graphic design incorporated into an adult oriented narrative. I don't mean Deadpool. Not "edgy" in a sh@#joke sense, although that's alright once in a while. As adults, I think it' s safe to say that if you're on this site, we don't want to abandon everything that made our childhood icons great. Some of us obviously want to evolve them, in a way Disney won't accommodate. Instead of just complaining about it, lets solve the problem.

Lets make our own movies. I'm serious. Those of us who, as grown men and women, are spending $300 on an action figure, working jobs we need to escape from to the point where we'll show up to sub-par superhero movies and insulting Star Wars reincarnations... we have the means and the motive. It's time to take back this culture from corporations that are completely out of touch.

You think I'm being grandiose? How many of you have been sculpting custom action figures, selling limited runs of figures for intellectual property you don't own. I'm not complaining... but forget action figures for a while. Sculpt masks, helmets and armor. Create characters you own, and create action figures to promote your own ideas. If you can write, start writing scripts. I know it seems impossible. I mean, you're just you and I'm just me. We're not George Lucas. Forget all that. Forget fame and wealth. Just make art for the sake of having it exist. To have something that doesn't suck. I think those of us with no hope of wealth or fame from the entertainment industry, who work to subsist and have families... we're going to have to make the time to save our culture from the likes of Kathleen Kennedy.

It's been done before. Punk rock was made for dive bars, and crowds of 10 people. It didn't take technical skill or corporate backing to create art that reshaped our culture. It just took passion, and a desire to deviate from the garbage being thrown at people. If you're into hip hop, the same can be said for old school rap. You think NWA knew they'd be successful, while hustling in Compton? When I was a kid in the late 80's I bought their first album, visiting the Tower Records on Sunset Blvd. with my dad. I asked someone who worked there if they could recommend any local groups because I'm from Canada. I made so many cassette copies of that album, it probably got re-recorded 100 times.

Cameras are cheap. Computers are cheap. It won't have the production value of Disney, but we can work around that. We can build a style around our means, low budget, by pooling our resources from all over the world. We should create something for ourselves instead of waiting for the next corporate turd to be thrown at us from above.

Don't have any relevant skills? GOOD. I don't care how old you are, it's not too late. Start learning now. Start sculpting or writing or filming things. Learn, then find people online to work with. Let's show Disney that we, the three chord wonders of pop culture fandom, can overthrow the Prog Rock that is their soulless, elaborate waste of time. Disney is Disco. They're hippies in a world that needs Black Sabbath. If we don't create it, I'm starting to think that no one else will.

This isn't some sort of cheesy manifesto. It's an actual proposal. I want to make art with you. I want you to make art with each other. If you hate The Last Jedi as much as I did, I think it's time to alter our behavior and do something about it. Not fan fiction. Something new, that Disney can't own.

For anyone interested in learning Character Creation (Masks, prosthetics and other aspects of creature design) check out the Stan Winston school of Character Arts:

https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/

Stan Winston studio worked on Terminator, Aliens, the first two Predator Movies, Iron Man... The site offers online courses from people who work in the industry. Everything you need to know as a beginner, you can pick up from this site. It's doable. If you want to start creating your own characters, a good place to start is

1) Make a lifecast of yourself. This way, your initial masks will fit you.
2) Buy Monster Clay. In my experience, it's the best clay to start off with as a beginner. Throw it in a cheap croc pot and you're good to go.
3) Start off by creating a latex mask. It's technically the easiest project. There are instructions on the site.

Want to start writing your own script? There are plenty of online resources to teach you how. However, in terms of software I'd recommend getting Final Draft:

https://www.finaldraft.com/

I'd also recommend getting a program to help you organize your ideas. I use a program called Scrapple:

https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scapple/overview

Why would you make this thread? Oh right...

Marvel comics right now suck.
DC movies suck.
Star Wars is ruined.
At least Marvel Studios is somewhat delivering, but not at a 100% hit rate.

Hollywood execs, "talented" filmmakers, screenwriters and editors all eventually ruin what we all love. We've seen what they can deliver and it's way more miss than hits. I'd bet most people on here could come up with more creative ideas than the garbage we're served.

matticus said:

Why would you make this thread? Oh right...

Marvel comics right now suck.
DC movies suck.
Star Wars is ruined.
At least Marvel Studios is somewhat delivering, but not at a 100% hit rate.

Hollywood execs, "talented" filmmakers, screenwriters and editors all eventually ruin what we all love. We've seen what they can deliver and it's way more miss than hits. I'd bet most people on here could come up with more creative ideas than the garbage we're served.

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There are plenty of foreign movies and other entertainment.

I wish it was easier done than said. Lots of writers/creatives want to be the next George Lucas, J.K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, etc. Nowadays it's tough to come up with something original that may become a blockbuster franchise someday. Even Rowling, in creating Harry Potter, had to plagiarize Neal Gaiman by copying his original character creation: Tim Hunter of DC/Vertigo's "Books of Magic." Both characters are the same age, both are kid magicians, both are "The Chosen One", they look alike down to the hairstyle and eyeglasses. The only difference is that Tim Hunter doesn't have a forehead scar and he was created by Gaiman more than 10 years before Rowling's first Harry Potter novel.

Putting out a literary intellectual property (a novel) is easy nowadays with online publishing but making a movie that costs millions of dollars? If it was something like the "Blair Witch Project" which cost a few thousand $$$ but made millions in the box office. But a CGI-loaded science fiction/fantasy movie?

Anyway, I've been thinking about this because of the recent DC comic book movies. The public is now aware of the meddling of executives on this art form (or atleast on Zack Snyder's movies). Directors no longer have full creative control. Tim Burton had a bad experience while directing his 1st Batman movie. Executives were always breathing over his shoulder. But when the movie became a hit, Warner Bros finally allowed Burton full creative control on the 2nd movie. But critics and audiences liked it even less. It made less money because the movie was too dark. So you couldn't blame executives if they are too protective of their properties.

Antihero said:

I wish it was easier done than said. Lots of writers/creatives want to be the next George Lucas, J.K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, etc. Nowadays it's tough to come up with something original that may become a blockbuster franchise someday. Even Rowling, in creating Harry Potter, had to plagiarize Neal Gaiman by copying his original character creation: Tim Hunter of DC/Vertigo's "Books of Magic." Both characters are the same age, both are kid magicians, both are "The Chosen One", they look alike down to the hairstyle and eyeglasses. The only difference is that Tim Hunter doesn't have a forehead scar and he was created by Gaiman more than 10 years before Rowling's first Harry Potter novel.

Putting out a literary intellectual property (a novel) is easy nowadays with online publishing but making a movie that costs millions of dollars? If it was something like the "Blair Witch Project" which cost a few thousand $$$ but made millions in the box office. But a CGI-loaded science fiction/fantasy movie?

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No, that's not what I'm saying. I agree, it would be absurd to think you could create something like Star Wars by networking online. That's impossible, so there's no point in even trying. I also don't think people should create in hopes of obtaining wealth and fame, if they want to enjoy making art and, especially, if they want to break convention.

Make art for art's sake. Create something that doesn't suck, because you want something to exist that doesn't suck.

You're right, it would be low budget. Fine. You wouldn't have an army of CGI developers. Granted. However, with Adobe creative cloud, some DSLR cameras, some LED panel lights and enough practice, you could create something worth seeing. Could you create something on par with A New Hope? I don't know. Challenge yourself. See what you can do. You won't know unless you try.

I agree, it won't be easy. It'll be hard. That's why it's worth doing. It's not only a technical challenge, but a political one because you lack resources and are competing with a centralized oligarchy with a stranglehold over the culture. Disney is the Empire. I'm going to rebel.

F#$% Disney.

Spazz said:

Lets make our own movies. I'm serious. Those of us who, as grown men and women, are spending $300 on an action figure, working jobs we need to escape from to the point where we'll show up to sub-par superhero movies and insulting Star Wars reincarnations... we have the means and the motive. It's time to take back this culture from corporations that are completely out of touch.

Disney is Disco. They're hippies in a world that needs Black Sabbath.

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there is so much truth to what you said but I just wanted to highlight the absurdity of this, I loved it. It was quite rousing.

Also it *was* a bit grandiose, but I appreciate that! It's better than being boring man.

It's actually a good idea, disparate people coming together to create something. Unfortunately I'm immensely untalented (outside my amazing acting ability ). I appreciate the links to those script resources, I've been thinking about that and I'm going to take a look through them.

Perhaps I can contribute something in time, but I agree where you're going with this. The art has been sucked out of filmmaking almost completely these days outside a few exceptions, it needs to find its way back in somehow, and it's not going to be from the corporate shills like Kathleen Kennedy.

Gimli said:

....and my axe!

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oh man...to think all this and the film is like only 1 week old...amaizing..."You have my sword,my bow, my Jock strap...And my Axe".....LOL

Popnfresh98 said:

there is so much truth to what you said but I just wanted to highlight the absurdity of this, I loved it. It was quite rousing.

Also it *was* a bit grandiose, but I appreciate that! It's better than being boring man.

It's actually a good idea, disparate people coming together to create something. Unfortunately I'm immensely untalented (outside my amazing acting ability ). I appreciate the links to those script resources, I've been thinking about that and I'm going to take a look through them.

Perhaps I can contribute something in time, but I agree where you're going with this. The art has been sucked out of filmmaking almost completely these days outside a few exceptions, it needs to find its way back in somehow, and it's not going to be from the corporate shills like Kathleen Kennedy.

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Forget talent. If there's something you want to do, practice, fail repeatedly until you succeed. Don't even think of it as "failure" so much as "negative results". Failure only happens if you've walked away before accomplishing what you set out to do. The rest is just a learning curve. And it should be fun! That's not a motivational speech, but an epistemological observation; it's how we learn everything whether in science or the arts.

I know it's grandiose. Right?! However, I don't think anyone ever accomplishes anything worth doing, without attempting to do it from a place of absurdity. You start from nothing and go from there.

Good thoughts. The most important thing is you do what you love. And never do it for the money. Money might come, but if money is the motivation, then do something else, don't do art.
I'm a writer looking for an artist to do a graphic novel.

jespernicolaj said:

Good thoughts. The most important thing is you do what you love. And never do it for the money. Money might come, but if money is the motivation, then do something else, don't do art.
I'm a writer looking for an artist to do a graphic novel.

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It's all fun and games until said artist drymounts it up

What if you liked TLJ??? Are you not allowed in the SSF Art Collective?

Spazz said:

Disney is the Empire. I'm going to rebel.

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We are the spark that will light the fire that will heat the oven that will burn The Walt Disney Company down!

jal76 said:

What if you liked TLJ??? Are you not allowed in the SSF Art Collective?

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I don't like authority, or collectives for that matter. I'm not in control anything just because I started a thread. Everyone's invited as far as I'm concerned, and it's not up to me so there's no reason why you should refrain from meeting people on here. Have an idea? Need help with something? See if anyone is interested. We all have common interests on this thread.

I think it would be interesting if we all pitch ideas to each other, find like-minded people and start making art. Not a collective, but a cafe of sorts. Talk among yourselves, think up things you want to create, find people who are interested and make art now.

Maybe start the way jespernicolaj by telling people what you want to accomplish, what you can do and what you need.

I just decided I'm doing this yesterday, because I hate Disney. I'm still brainstorming. Once I have a more specific idea of what I want to do, I'll post a suggestion on here.

So without getting too much into detail, as no one would want to just give away their ideas on a forum, what is the general direction of what you're interested in creating? Like.. Genre, style, what kind of story, how much you want props and what you said to play into it, I'm what capacity you'd want to be involved? (Writer, art direction etc)

Trash Panda said:

It's all fun and games until said artist drymounts it up

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That's what contracts are for! You either pay artists per page, or you offer part of your intellectual property. I talked to Tony Moore about this. He was the original artist for the Walking Dead comic. He told me that when you're starting out, it's good to have a contract with everyone you work with. Take it seriously, if for no other reason than so feelings don't get hurt. Honestly, paying an artist per page is probably your best bet, in the beginning.

Popnfresh98 said:

So without getting too much into detail, as no one would want to just give away their ideas on a forum, what is the general direction of what you're interested in creating? Like.. Genre, style, what kind of story, how much you want props and what you said to play into it, I'm what capacity you'd want to be involved? (Writer, art direction etc)

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I was hoping to get a feel for where everyone else is at, in terms of what they'd be willing to do. For example, would people be interested in dressing up in a costume and filming themselves running around their local city? I've done this. When you do it, you meet a TON of people, because everyone wonders what the hell you're doing. You can't NOT meet people. It's actually frustrating from a productivity perspective. But it's a great way to find local people to work with. Before you know it... You've got a group of people in your area helping you make art. I see this as a springboard for THAT. So I figure, if we made a collaborative short film, as a group, we could contribute different parts from different cities and splice them together.

I'm thinking science fiction or horror, with costumes. This will help get over the performance anxiety of being on film. We should wear the same costumes if it's an invasion, or at least similar ones (we can each be a different alien species, but in the same uniform?) We'd have to orchestrate it.

This first project won't be anyone's masterpiece. It's a gateway into making art. It's like bootcamp. The goal should be practice, to become formidable as artists. In my case, I want to destroy Disney, the way punk rock and metal destroyed disco. However, you don't have to approach this with my level of intensity. It'll be fun!

I'd be interested in doing a number of things. I'd be willing to write something, or I'd be willing to collaborate with a group like at a writer's table. I'm still learning how to sculpt, but I can pull off something B-Movie quality for sure. Think Troma.

We should all film, obviously, by any means necessary. It'll have to be worked out.

I think we should aim for a Grindhouse B-Movie / Horror / Sci-Fi thing. Stylistically, B-Movie camp is the most forgiving when you're going through a learning curve.

Sachiel said:

We are the spark that will light the fire that will heat the oven that will burn The Walt Disney Company down!

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LoL..

You’re all insane.