The combination of family travel, lingering illness and Fallout 3
There’s actual news, including my next writing project and an update (post-mortem?) on Shazam!. Plus, I really want to write something about this misguided memo from Thomas Kinkade reprinted in Vanity Fair. It’s a good cautionary tale.
(Update: Fixed spelling of Kinkade’s name. Thanks Matt Redd.)
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November 28th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on that memo. I’ve got no love lost for Kincaid, having been dragged through his traveling gallery by my mother more than once. But the memo didn’t seem all that bad to me. He was maybe being a tad too specific on the “how-to’s” for someone who really doesn’t know what he’s talking about. But that memo could be a pretty good jumping off point for a meeting with Director, DP and Production Designer, no?
November 28th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Of course, a movie based on a Kincaid painting is a bad idea in the first place. They’re boring when it’s just a painting. Getting sucked in to two hours of a moving Kincaid painting… I shudder!
November 28th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Aha Fallout 3, how far are you into the game and what do you think of Rivet City (comparing it to the conceptual artwork) http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images//a/a5/Carrier_m.jpg
“Next project” per IMDB is “Dark Shadows” with, again, Mr. Burton and Mr. Depp
And I thought “lingering illness” read “lingerie illness”
November 28th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Dear America – I’m President John Henry Eden. Inspirational words from my lips… straight into your heart.
November 28th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
I’m actually curious to see where you come down on the whole 360 vs PS3 debate. I’m absolutely torn on which to buy this Christmas.
November 28th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Next distractomatic is gonna be Fable 2. :)
November 28th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
While Kinkade’s memo took some liberties that might have seemed less imposing had he worded it another way, I can’t blame him for wanting to be specific about his style and why he feels people have been drawn to it.
In fairness, the entire project is called “Thomas Kinkade’s Christmas Cottage”, and the statement from Lionsgate almost announces, “This movie was designed specifically to tap into Kinkade’s pre-existing fanbase.” If they are going to use his popularity and his name to make a buck, the least they can do is let him get a chance to explain why he’s so popular.
Did he cross some lines that perhaps he shouldn’t have? Sure. But he’s also been painting for forty years, seemingly grossed more than $4 billion, and he’s certainly not the first person in the movie business to be guilty of crossing bounds for the sake of protecting his work, or just plain ego.
November 29th, 2008 at 5:28 am
You know who loves that Kincaid fellow? My Grandma.
But she also thinks the birds on the telephone wires outside her house communicate with NASA. So. There you have it.
November 29th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Shazam! as in Billy Batson? Cool. I want to know more.
Regarding Kincaid, I learned a tough lesson about dissing him when you’re not 100% sure of your audience. My boss turned pale and quiet, and then she told me she’s a huge fan of Kincaid. Oops. There I go again. Is art really in the eye of the beholder?
November 29th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
re: Robert Kincaid… Well, everyone is stupid sometimes, I suppose. I’m pretty certain that a director and crew do not need to be reminded that an effort should be made to make, “every scene is the best scene.”
This reminds me of the first screenplay I wrote, where, after I made it to the Quarterfinals of the Nicholls Fellowship, was certain Hollywood would come knocking. I typed up extensive casting notes, complete with an alternate cast lest the first cast be unavailable. Yeah, still agentless, I haven’t sold that screenplay or any other one. But I am smarter now. :)
November 29th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I’ve never heard of this Kincaid person. But evidently this is somebody who makes cutesy kitsch paintings with upbeat messages in a moralisic vein (or whatever) and is hugely popular and makes a lot of money. I have absolutely no problems with that.
But I find it mighty strange that Robert Kincaid issued a memo to the CREW re. the look of the film. I don’t know what to make of this.
Was there some kind of communication breakdown going on?
All I can think of is that the director and producer (and possibly the DOP and Production Designer as well) got fed up with the guy and his ideas. So to sidestep authority — so to speak — he went ahead and made an appeal to the crew?
November 30th, 2008 at 6:04 am
When I first heard of this film I thought, “Peter!!! WTF!!!”
November 30th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Whether you like his style or not (I don’t), Thomas Kincade can paint better than all of you can (and if not, he can definitely SELL his paintings better than you). Obviously the movie is aimed at his fan-base and his name is in the title, so a memo to the crew is completely within reason. Producer memo, anyone? Now, other than the fact that his instructions sound like the recipe for a really amateur film, here’s my biggest issue with his memo: mood is not supreme. Not in a film. We writers like to think that Story is supreme… and it is huge… but a film can’t rely on one single element. Story, Mood, Pacing, Style, Acting, Music, Editing… it’s ALL supreme. If mood is his only concern, he should’ve stuck to painting.
November 30th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Could Kinkade be a closet fan of Yasujiro Ozu? His emphasis on mood and “stillness” over everything suggests that this might be the case.
Nah.
Perhaps it’s that the man hasn’t a clue how cinematography works or how movies are made. He does appear to be just throwing out his Personal Painting Techniques ®. Then again, he repeatedly cites Barry Lyndon as a sort of primer for the crew, so maybe he really is into long, long movies in which nothing appears to happen.
Regardless, it’s wrong to chastise him for simply creating a memo in an attempt to express his vision. And I adore the idea of plastering “LOVE THIS MOVIE” signs everywhere. In reality they would induce great Orwellian irony and create the Most. Hated. Movie. Ever.
November 30th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
My favorite is #6, hiding references to his anniversary, children, etc… As I writer I do thing sometimes, but I’m writing the movie and I get personal enjoyment out of doing that because chances are my script will never make it to screen. To instruct someone else to do that seems to really defeat the purpose, especially when you call attention to it.
November 30th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Does Kinkade remind anyone else of Warden Gentles from Arrested Development?
December 1st, 2008 at 9:16 am
It’s quite fun to follow the progression through various spellings of this chap’s name from the original post through the comments.
December 1st, 2008 at 9:27 am
I also know nothing about Kinkade’s work, but I think the idea of applying art to filmography isn’t necessarily bad. In a way, that’s what makes CSI Miami great: the art directing, because DANG that is a pretty show. (I heard the colors are super-saturated in post-production?) But perhaps this was not the best application? Also hard to judge without seeing the movie. But I have no desire to…
December 1st, 2008 at 10:35 am
My minority report lawyer saw this one coming and said that we need to settle out of court before “soft-around-the-edges” makes an example out of me.
December 1st, 2008 at 11:32 am
Forget Kinkaid’s ill-advised cinematographic prescriptions for a sec… Just one look at the guy’s schmaltzy style is enough to tell me that this movie couldn’t be anything but pure Hallmark Hall of Fame-type crap. Naturally it went straight to video. And if the track record of his paintings is any indication, it’ll probably sell. So what?
December 1st, 2008 at 9:03 pm
I agree that the idea of applying fine art techniques to cinematography isn’t necessarily bad (in fact, it can be a very good idea, if one knows what they’re doing). Perhaps Kinkade saw the cover of Laszlo’s “Every Frame A Rembrandt” and thought: “Yeah, that’s exactly what I want — every frame a Kinkade.” After all, the very existence of that film hints at someone basically saying to the guy: “Hey, Kinkade, you’re like a Rembrandt in your own time, so let’s make every frame of this film look exactly like one of my paintings.” The problem here his memo steps all over both the camera and art departments, gives some suggestions that are either distracting or counterproductive, and makes mistakes that will cause a professional crew to consider his advice suspect at best. I can’t wait for John to blog about it so we can argue in more detail.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:00 am
Everyone’s a critic. Great blog, John.
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:36 am
Hi John,
What did you think of the writing in Fallout 3? My husband wrote some of the quests, so I’m curious what you thought of it :)
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:40 pm
No worries, everyone gets busy during the holidays. You should write ahead of time and schedule them ;)
December 3rd, 2008 at 1:47 pm
I’m socked, SHOCKED to find out that the movie based on a Thomas Kinkade painting would not meet the standards for a major theatrical release. This does not bode well for my “Untitled McDonald’s Tray Liner Adaptation Project”.
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Please do sound off on Fallout 3, as well, should you find a couple of spare hours in a forgotten coat pocket or something. I’d love to get your take on how it builds and reveals the setting.