Bruce Boxleitner-Lantern City

[Ubik]

They just posted the concept trailer on Facebook. So great to hear Bruce Boxleitner's voice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TzTT_gYMyw

Jan

Damn my office network for blocking streaming media! Looking forward to seeing this when I get home. Have high hopes for the series.

[Ubik]

Well, the trailer gives very little away! Hard to really get a good feel for the show.

This still looks like very early pre-production work... which it IS, so perhaps I'm stating the bleeding obvious here! Curious where they'll go from here. Am I to understand this is still being shopped to networks? Or is is going to be web based?

[Looney]

Agreed

I agree with Jan that it was awesome to hear Bruce's voice do that narration. I hope this show really takes off. It is a nice teaser, but I don't think it will earn them any investors. They need to do one with real visuals. I can't wait to see it.

[Looney]

C2E2 Lantern City Panel

Ok, here is a little more on the Lantern City panel at C2E2. I already mentioned the biggest Lantern City announcement in another thread, but here it is again. They are releasing Rise, an illustrated book, as a prequel to the Lantern City TV series. You can pre-order it through their website. Here is the link.

http://lanterncitytv.com/

It cost me just under $39 with shipping. And the sooner you pre-order the better the bag of goodies theyÆll send you with the book. They said it will ship in July, just before San Diego. And I believe they said that as the release date approaches there will be audio excerpts on the website of Bruce reading passages from the book.

So, moving on to the rest of the panel, you can tell Mira and Bruce are really invested in this emotionally . . .or perhaps they had their acting prowess turned on and I was tricked. Their passion really came through. The whole panel seemed passionate. Of course, most of them have been working on this for more than a year. I actually think a couple of times Trevor Crafts just wanted to start screaming, ôPlease! We just want to make the show!ö.

I am working from memory here, so donÆt take anything I say as being etched in stone. I am just going to relay some of what I heard when it got to the question and answer portion.

The first thing I think I should mention is about the fan submitted items. One of the unique things about Lantern City is that they are asking fans to join them before the show is made, in particular Steampunk fans. But what is even more unique is they are asking fans to submit items of Steampunk for possible use on the show. This aspect seems to be generating the most interest over on their website. What did they say when asked questions about this? Most importantly, no financial compensation will be offered. The show will be a showcase for the artistÆs work and that is all. Their ôFor instanceö was that a person submits a piece of jewelry they like and want to use. They will acquire it from the artist, Mira might wear it on the show, and then in the end credits the artist will be given credit as well as promotional information on how viewers can purchase items from the artist directly. (I guess they forgot that many networks donÆt show full end credits.) They also said that they have their own artists working on the parts of the show that will require mass quantities. They do not want to get Lawyers involved in the legal aspects of getting the rights from the artists and so on. The show will merely be a showcase of talent.

Also to that end, they did assure the audience that the show will use practical sets and props. There will be CG, but it wonÆt all be CG. They seem very aware that their target audience does not want everything in Lantern City to be CG. Plus, the gimmick of fan submitted work is winning them some attention. If they don't use it then they'll lose those fans.

They were asked if the show will be kid friendly. They were describing the show earlier in the panel as being very dark, so I thought they would say no. They said yes, as long as the kids were old enough. They said small children shouldnÆt watch it nor would they like it, but twelve and up was fine.

There was a question about making it a web-series and a fan asked a question about whether or not they were targeting specific networks, in particular NOT Fox. They said they felt the show was not web-series material. Bruce and the other panelists made sure the fans knew they would be very grateful if they could get FOX interested. They said they were targeting any network that wanted them. This led to a later reminder from Bruce that the eventual content of the show was going to be controlled by whatever network wants it. I think he was saying there will be changes and those changes might make it not so twelve year old friendly and so on. I personally hope HBO or Showtime pick it up, but more than likely it will be a network that wants to keep it as twelve year old friendly as possible for merchandizing.

So, I think those are some of the most important items from the panel, other than promoting the show. If you havenÆt yet, go to their website and sign-up, buy the book, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, or whatever way you can show your support. In this day and age they could literally get a network to purchase to show just by getting enough followers on Facebook. After hearing about it I know I really want to see it happen. I mean, this is just my opinion, but I think Mira is going to be kind of an evil queen character. That isnÆt how she puts it. She says she fell in love with the role because you canÆt really discern if she is good or bad. My opinion is that she is going to be one of the ruling class, so bad. Who doesnÆt want to see that!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? If I think of anymore tidbits from the panel I will post them as soon as they come to me. And if you missed the live webcast of the panel I think they might eventually post it on their website. I also read over in their forum that it is available on a site called Twitch.

[Looney]

And now . . .

I just saw that their pre-orders for Rise are finally up over 100. I can't believe there are not more. Didn't my post sell it!?

[Delenn_of_Mir]

I pre-ordered it, so you sold one person, at least! Unfortunately I just heard about it though so was #128.

Having free access to the app would have been Kool. Oh well, least I get the book.

#edit# facebook the first 750 orders get the exclusive order so wahooooo!!!!!!

I love the idea of having the backstory told in an illustrated novel before the show begins.

I also had no idea that Bruce wrote novels, and it was sooooo wonderful seeing Bruce and Mira together again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like You I am sooooo excited for this show, especially to see Mira on tv again, and if she is an evil queen type character then even better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope Fox, nor any of the big 3 networks picks this up. HBO or Starz would be great. Have it on Sunday Nights right before Game of Thrones.

[Looney]

I like the way you are thinking....

I like the way you are thinking about the networks that should pick it up. I think the website seems slow because it is taking so long to get the show off the ground. I was surprised a couple of weeks ago when I looked at the site and nobody was actually discussing the show. I think they need to put more material on the site to create more show specific discussion. I mean, how hard can it be to shoot some little informational videos and keep putting concept art up!?

I actually bought Bruce's first novel back in 1998. I forgot the second one ever came out. I bought a hardcover a couple of weeks ago and just got it in the mail. I am going to re-read the first one soon. If I recall it ended on a cliffhanger so it will be great to have the second one ready to go. I can't say I remember it being great, but I do recall enjoying it. And if you haven't read it, you are in for a surprise. There was a blockbuster movie out a couple of summers ago that seems oddly close to the same story.

[Delenn_of_Mir]

Oooh will have to check those novels out!!!!

I think they need a better marketing team for their site, and just better marketing overall. Great shows have died before anyone even knew they existed for this very reason.

[Jan]

I think they need a better marketing team for their site, and just better marketing overall. Great shows have died before anyone even knew they existed for this very reason.

Thing is, this is an interesting bit of marketing in that there's no show yet. They're working on creating buzz in order to get a studio interested. So pretty much everything they're doing is 'on spec'. Hope it works.

Jan

[Ubik]

Does anybody know what they mean by 'illustrated novel'? I take it this is a prose novel with a few illustrations interspersed through the book. Or is it some newfangled fancy term for a comic / graphic novel?

A comic series would have been a great idea. The amount of films that have been sold on flimsy comic books (cough Cowboys & Aliens cough) are fairly numerous. A comic is also a very visual and immediate format for people to get to grips with a new world. I enjoy BruceÆs acting work, but I must admit IÆm not in any rush to read his prose.

I do hope this generates interest and they can get a series off the ground.

[Looney]

The way I understand it, RISE will be a novel with a lot of illustrations, but not a graphic novel. I am not sure if you are saying this, but Bruce did not write Rise. And did you mention Cowboys & Aliens because it is so closely related to the novels Bruce did write?

[Ubik]

The way I understand it, RISE will be a novel with a lot of illustrations, but not a graphic novel. I am not sure if you are saying this, but Bruce did not write Rise. And did you mention Cowboys & Aliens because it is so closely related to the novels Bruce did write?

Ah okay, sorry I thought Bruce had some involvement in the writing because there was a lot of talk about his own novels in this thread. I must admit information on the Lantern City site regarding the book is a bit scant. With no previews, or samples, hard to know what it'll be. Hence I'm reluctant to order it.

I only mentioned "Cowboys and Aliens' because even though it was a god awful comic, with very massaged 'sales figures', it formed a springboard to a well financed film. Arguably, that was the ONLY intent of that comic.

Just making the point that if even the most god awful, scraping the barrel, sorry excuse for a comic can become a film, then it's not a bad avenue to get investors on board. Now, god forbid, the Lantern City team produced a GOOD comic, with subsequent sales stats to back it up... that could do them a lot of favours in terms of selling the show.

A comic has potentially more mainstream appeal than an illustrated novel by a relatively unknown author. It could really help sell the project to a geek / SF fan audience.

[Looney]

Agreed

I could not agree more. All I kept thinking during the C2E2 panel before they announced RISE was that they should really be doing a comic as a preview for the show. I don't know if you caught the video of the C2E2 panel, but one of the big things they were trying to push is that the artists who work on the God of War video games are doing the art work for Rise. They don't really push that on the website like they should. Of course as Jan said, it does appear that most of the work they are doing right now is either with people who will work for very little or free. It looks like you won't have any problems waiting to pre-order. Ten days ago there was a bit of a pre-order spike and I thought they might start moving, but now it has really leveled off . . .I think there have only been 6 pre-orders since. As it is now, you are only missing out on the pre-order bonuses if you don't pre-order before they reach 750 and they are a long way from that number.

[Ubik]

Sounds logical to me. A free web comic would have made even more sense, that way you promote to a massive audience with no printing costs! I think they need me on board as a creative / marketing consultant.

[Looney]

Yep, but . . . .

We go as a team or not at all!