A unique glimpse into the process of engraving our collectible spoons with a high-powered laser! Check out the video here!
Above: The mark of the Ginosaji is burned into the spoon handle with a laser engraver.
Above: Director of Spoon Production Chris Vick at the laser engraving machine.
Spoons & Bases Shipping Plan
Once the spoons are completed, we need to take a little extra time to get them all autographed by our cast members! We are on track to start shipping out the first spoons and magnetic bases by the end of July, and will continue to ship all 500 spoons throughout the first two weeks of August. Spoons will be circling the globe -- shipping to backers in 37 different countries on four continents!
Below: Stainless steel Ginosaji spoons (temporarily coated with white Laser Marking Spray), after being removed from the laser engraver.
Behind the Spoons ---o Pre-Production: Script Breakdown
One of the key steps in preparing for a production is to breakdown the script into all of the elements required to shoot each scene. The script is carefully studied, to identify every character, costume, prop, vehicle, stunt, special effect, background actor, sound element, special equipment, and more -- with each element organized into categories on separate sheets (one for each scene). It’s a crucial part of planning a shoot, and is essential for budgeting and scheduling a movie.
Below: Sample breakdown sheet
Screenings in Korea! Horribly Slow Murderer short film will be showcased at Two Film Festivals in South Korea in July
The original Horribly Slow Murderer short won two awards at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (the 2nd largest Film Festival in Korea) when it screened there several years ago, and now it has been invited back to celebrate the Festival's 20th Anniversary, where they will showcase audience favorites from the past 20 years. It's a huge honor, to be screened alongside such cool feature films as Amelie, Memento, Requiem for a Dream, American Psycho, Donnie Darko, Let the Right One In, and the original Ringu! We're in great company!
Check out the complete line-up here. The Horribly Slow Murderer is slated to be screened at FIVE different screenings at the Festival! The Festival page for the HSMEIW is here.
Below: At our last screening in Korea (in 2011), while doing the Q & A, a fan dressed as the Ginosaji joined me and proceeded to hit me really, really hard with his spoon. I had to ask the translator how to say "softer" in Korean...
Below: Spoon riot! At another screening in Korea, a souvenir spoon giveaway got out of control when there were a lot more eager audience members than spoons!
Korea Festival #2 ---o Han River Film Festival
The Horribly Slow Murderer short has also been invited to screen at this month's Han River Film Festival, which screens movies in spectacular outdoor settings by the Han River, near downtown Seoul! If you're in Korea this month, check it out!
Below: Han River Film Festival
Fan Art:
The Spooning by Daniele Gatti
Above: Fan Art ---o Photoshop creation by Daniele Gatti, Como, Italy.
Above: Fan Art ---o El peor asesino de cine_by_Magolobo
More to come... stay spooned!
-Richard ---o
Masks, Magnets, Netflix and a Really Big Prize!
almost 8 years ago
– Fri, Jun 03, 2016 at 12:35:25 AM
Hello Friends of the Ginosaji!
We have a variety of updates for you! First, about some reward items...
Sneak Peek: Ginosaji Masks in Progress!
Our amazing artist Larry Torro has been busy creating a collection of more than a dozen Ginosaji masks for our backers -- each one is hand-painted and will be signed by Mr. Torro, Brian Rohan (the Ginosaji), and Richard Gale (me!) Finishing touches are being made now, including a special glaze on the eyes and teeth for a startlingly life-like finish! The masks are expected to ship out in July. These photos show the masks in progress, before they've received final painting / shading and glaze.
First Look: Magnetic Bases for the Spoons!
The ingenious Chris Vick has been hard at work designing, creating, and testing the magnetic display bases which will be included (as a FREE bonus!) with each of the souvenir spoons we ship to our backers. The bases are made of chrome, and have a minimal and modern design that will allow you to display your souvenir spoons upright with great style!
Here is the chrome base, complete with very strong magnet:
Here's what the base looks like with a Spoon of the Ginosaji attached to it. Notice how unobtrusive the stand is:
As seen from the front, most of the stand is hidden, so the spoon almost appears to stand upright by itself! The chrome base is heavy enough to provide solid support for the spoon. We are very excited with the quality of these bases, and a lot of thought has gone into them! ---o
Below: an army of many hundreds of bases in the works!
The Spoons and magnetic bases are expected to ship in July.
On Netflix...
If you have Netflix, and would like to see a Richard Gale Film made long before Ginosaji... one of the first feature films I directed can be found there... The Proposal, starring Jennifer Esposito (Crash), Nick Moran (Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels), William B. Davis (The X-Files), and Stephen Lang (Manhunter, Avatar). A suspense / crime story about two undercover cops who must pose as a married couple to investigate a crime boss (Lang). Distributed by Miramax / Dimension Films. Note: The film is PG-13, and not nearly as erotic as the poster (below) would suggest!
Below: Richard Gale discusses the script with star Stephen Lang on the set of The Proposal, now on Netflix.
Below: Director Richard Gale with stars Jennifer Esposito and Nick Moran on the set of The Proposal.
Also on Netflix: Vintage Paul Clemens!
Long before he was Jack Cucchiaio, Paul Clemens played a young music composer in deep trouble in an episode of Murder, She Wrote in 1987! It's from Season 3, Episode 14, entitled "Murder In a Minor Key." Paul co-stars with Angela Lansbury, Shaun Cassidy, and Rene Auberjonois. If you have Netflix, be sure to check it out!
Above: Before he was ever hit by a spoon, young Paul Clemens makes a shocking discovery in Murder, She Wrote, Season 3, Ep. 14, on Netflix.
Composer Wlad Marhulets Wins Azrieli Prize
Our music composer Wlad Marhulets has won one of the biggest international music prizes, the Azrieli Prize, for his Klezmer Clarinet Concerto. They will honor him and perform his concerto at a concert event in Montréal in October, with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. The award also includes a $50,000 cash prize. Congratulations to Wlad, again and again!!! ---o
Above: Ginosaji composer Wlad Marhulets conducts the orchestra at the World Premiere performance of his Oratorio in Poland, written as a celebration of the Polish Presidency in the European Union, and 100th Anniversary of the birth of Nobel Prize winning poet Czeslaw Milosz.
Coming Spoon...
...Info on the pre-production of the GINOSAJI movie... Stay Spooned!
-Richard ---o
April Update - Jack Reacts Video and more!
about 8 years ago
– Sun, Apr 17, 2016 at 10:08:52 PM
Hello Backers!
Happy April! We have some GINOSAJI movie and reward updates for you...
VIDEO: Jack Reacts to the GINOSAJI Script
Paul (Jack Cucchiaio) Clemens read the GINOSAJI feature script and his reaction to certain scenes was fun to watch (the first part was shot by hidden camera)... and he also had some interesting comments after reading it! Here it is:
As you might imagine, an epic feature film about the Ginosaji will require a large quantity of spoon props. We are currently in the process of gathering a mother lode of spoons in many, many different varieties for use in the movie. Here is a quick glimpse of some of them (with some other assorted cutlery as well...) ...and a cameo by our prototype Ginosaji mask!
Please Note: These are NOT the Ginosaji Reward Spoons for backers, but actual props for the movie.
Behind the Spoons ---o Pre-Production: Lined script
One of the first steps in turning a script into a movie is to create a lined production script, in which each scene is numbered, and a black line is drawn with a sharpie between each scene in the script (you can see these lines if you look at the page of the script Paul is reading in the video above). The scenes are then measured in 1/8ths of a page. For example, the scene below takes up 6/8ths of a page, and so 6/8 is written in the right margin. Knowing each scene's length is an important part of scheduling a film shoot -- it helps determine how much we should plan to shoot in any particular day. If we're planning a complex action scene, we would likely shoot a smaller page count that day.
Below: Scene from our script which has been measured at 6/8ths of a page
Below: Scenes measured in the lined script
Reward Update: T-shirts and Posters Shipping!
Many backers have already received their T-shirts and Posters. Coupon Codes were sent on March 9th to more than 400 backers to obtain their T-shirts and posters. (Note: Signed posters will be delivered later, after production.) About 70 backers have still not used their coupon codes to order their stuff... we will remind you again (by email) to do so! ---o If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]
Below: Acclaimed Horror Novelist Jeff Strand in his new T-shirt -- about to attack a decadent dessert ---o
Below: In Germany, Kevin Junk is happy like a Ginosaji with his new T-shirt!
Below: Renata Rances in her T-shirt and friend, with Kenpachiro Satsuma & Tsutomu Kitagawa, two Godzillas!
Below: Actor Trevor Larcom (HBO's True Detective) with his cousin William in his new Ginosaji T-shirt ---o
Below: Our backer @gaizkairu posted this pic on Twitter just after receiving his poster -- it looks awesome!
30,000,000 Views and Climbing!
The Original Horribly Slow Murderer short film recently topped 30 Million Views, making it one of the most popular horror comedy shorts of all time! It appears nothing can stop the Ginosaji!
Ginosaji Fan Art
Wanted to share some wonderful Ginosaji fan art by Daniele Gatti from Como, Italy - entitled Ginosaji and the Maiden. (modified from the classic Death and the Maiden by Marianne Stokes, painted in 1900)
Stay Spooned!
Richard ---o
Movie Prep + T-shirt / Poster Prototypes!
about 8 years ago
– Sat, Feb 13, 2016 at 11:45:01 PM
Movie Preparation Update
We are in the early stages of Preparation, revising the script (it is epic), and putting together the plan for making the movie.
Good preparation is the key to a successful production, and the more thoroughly prepared we are in advance, the smoother it will go.
Early Script Reading
One important part of my writing process is to video myself reading the entire script out loud (a one-man, very dramatic script reading), so I can later sit back and experience the story in realtime-- by listening to the whole story. That way, it becomes easier to judge pacing-- which parts of the story might need tightening, trimming, or losing altogether. By trimming the script in advance of shooting, it saves time and money, avoids shooting scenes that would end up on the cutting room floor (or rather, the delete bin). We want our movie about the world's most inefficient killer to be made with great efficiency. Being able to sit back and listen to a recording of the entire movie in advance also makes it easier to get perspective and see the story as a whole.
The script reading took place at the home of our composer Wlad Marhulets, for a very small audience who had an extremely positive reaction!
---o
T-shirt / Poster Prototypes!
We have received the very first poster and T-shirt samples from our shirt and poster makers! The poster looks fantastic and is being printed on a thick, high quality poster stock. This is it-- the first full-size (24" x 36") poster, fresh out of the mailing tube:
We're very happy with T-shirt Design #1 -- reminds me of a classic rock album cover. Kudos to artist Milivoj Ceran who created the designs by painting them on canvas, just like the masters centuries ago! This is Design #1:
T-shirt Design #2 - the "Face and Cross Spoons," is being modified slightly, to add the Ginosaji's hoodie around his head-- it just doesn't seem like the Ginosaji without it.
(You can see the revised T-shirt Design #2 with hood at the top of this Update)
Working on the revised design in Photoshop late at night was actually pretty frightening...
T-shirt codes
We've just sent the newly revised Design #2 back to our T-shirt maker. After the revised Design #2 sample shirt is produced, shipped to us and approved (in the next couple weeks), we should then be able to commence sending codes to our 423 backers in 35 countries on five continents (!) receiving T-shirts as part of their rewards.
Once you receive your code, you will be able to go directly to a special shop for backers, (there will be two shops, one in the U.S., another in the E.U. You'll be sent to one of the shops depending on your mailing address.) You will then select your preferred size and design, confirm your shipping info, and enter your code.
Those getting unsigned movie posters will also receive their posters at the same time as the T-shirts. (please note: the SIGNED posters will not be delivered until after the film goes into production, since they need to be signed by all the key cast members!)
Stay Spooned!
-Richard---o
Holiday Update! Timeline + Delivery Schedule
over 8 years ago
– Wed, Dec 23, 2015 at 10:11:34 PM
Happy Holidays!
Kickstarter is in the final stages of collecting pledges and transferring them to our account, which typically takes two weeks (plus an additional few days for bank processing).
Our shop on Backerkit is scheduled to open the first week in January, which will enable others who missed the Kickstarter to still pledge and receive reward items.
During the first week of January, a survey will be sent to all backers to collect everyone's shipping info. Backers getting T-shirts will be able to select their choice of size and design later in the month.
