Back And Fourth The Sewers: TMNT Fan Documentary Recruitment
 

I've conversed with Krang, got the approval, and I'd like this to be stickied as soon as possible

Those following the "Fanatics" thread may have seen a few disparaging comments about it, some were not happy that the fandom had again been portrayed as little more than "people who still live lives despite our obsessions", we've seen this millions of times, it's not offering anything new, and it blinds audiences to the real heart of the franchise's long and succesful history that has spanned years.

This is ending. Starting now. If they won't respect us, we'll do the job for them. We have to make this audience aware of this franchise, so that hopefully higher powers, including the ones we are often in contact with, will see fit to pursue a larger professional project, and they'll know who to recruit when we do so.

This is the beggining, the recruitment of fans who want to be seen as hungy and persistent, and who want the fandom and the franchise given the ultimate sign that people are paying enough attention to learn something about it

This is a documentary, it will be fan produced, it will be non-profitable, it will be edited together and complied for the sole purpose of being traded amongst the fandom and those who are interested

Requirements:

-Submit a video detailing personal recollections and the history of pretty much all of the aspects of TMNT you can remember, these will be split up across the documentary. You can even choose a specific aspect, you don't need to cover all of them.

-TWO people, myself and one other, will be the ones who will receive all of the submissions, and who will make decisions on which videos fit the documentary best, and also which scenes from all of the series represents each of them the best individually.

Just remember, if your submission does'nt make it into the documentary either through time constraints or personal opinion of the editor, you need not worry, several of them will make it into the "deleted scenes" section of the special features, or into the "Toy Vault" feature.

Volunteers (this will be filled as the list hopefully expands)
Roseangelo
iris
jenna
Jo Dawn
Tinuvielsdreams
Rooish
Andrew NDB
Raph
avalon2004
Jester
cowabunga14
Raven
Garou;519428
CrazyCowboyDion
mattmanw54301
tmntobsessions
raphroehler2003


Confirmed Posistions: (will be filled by the volunteer)

Narrator:Jester

Editor: Myself and one other


Sound Editor:

www.iproductionsonline.com

DVD Editor

www.iproductionsonline.com

Promotional Material: Myself, Sliced (Will send out info and in Slice's case, promotional artwork to other animation or genre forums with the intention of providing interest in the project)

To submit any video or audio related material: Contact me or the editor through PM. Use megaupload or sendit for uploading.

Chapters


1. Begginings: Origins of the TMNT
2. The Turtles: A look at the four brothers
3. April: From Channel Six To Kirby Pen Drawing, a look at the TMNT's best friend
4. Change For The Better: The original TMNT Mini-Series
5. The Shredder: From rival to goof, to Utrom, fans recollect the character
6. The animated series begins
7. This Ain't No Cartoon: The first movie
8. Volume Control: The live stage show, the end of volume one and the short-lived volume two
9. In Thy IMAGE: A history of volume three
10. TMNT III: Fans reflect the last theatrical gasp
11. Red Red Sky: The TMNT's final seasons
12. The Next Mutation
13. The WB CGI Pilot
14. The New Series
15. Turning The Volume: The fourth volume and Tales of The TMNT
16. Lost In Network Transactions: The Lost Season
17. TMNT: Fans recollect the movie
18. Fast Forward
19. The next step
20. Epilouge

Special Features:

1. Toy Vault: All Fans wanting to display your toy shelves only as videos will be displayed in this short feature, I think a good thirty minutes will suffice

2. Deleted Scenes: Fan videos that never got into the documentary

Note: I recently got a PM asking if I could supply personal and private details about my home address. Whilst I respect the notion of trying to work around any problems you may have with contributing to the documentary, I don't want to intrude on anybody's privacy in this matter, and therefore I have to stress you find a means of supplying anything without bringing this into the equation. If, say, you want to create the DVD but don't know how to upload it's contents, I suggest you do look up how to make ISO files. Anyone who knows this will probably be a candiate for the posistion of editor.

3. THE Top Five Episodes of the Original TMNT Series (with audio commentary)

4. THE Top Five Episode of the Modern TMNT series (with audio commentary)

Note: It is STRONGLY SUGGESTED that people who volunteer for this project find time to fulfill their obligations to it. If you are hamperd by diesease, family problems, and school, inform me first through P.M. Also maitain P.M reports on your progress at all convieniant and available times.

Thanks

I do think this is a good idea and I am willing to help/contribute as I can.

I would rethink the structure you have outlined in the chapters, though. Don't let that be set in stone. Actually, I think it'd be best to have anyone interested submit possible outlines/scripts. The people these types of films should be made for (although not solely aimed at) are the people not in the fandom and those people aren't going to care if April's a news reporter or a drawing. Maybe mention the different character evolutions in passing, but don't focus on it, rather fit it in to a larger story.

The history of the TMNT and Mirage Studios is actually quite fascinating and more than deserves to be a book. It might be able to work on film, too, but I fear it might get boring with too many talking heads.

Fan documentaries have been made with differing levels of success over the years. The biggest and most famous one is Trekkies. If you haven't seen this, you should. Although part of the reason for its success is that the people featured are all on different levels of crazy - but at the same time they're not being made fun of by the film makers.

There was a similar project for Lord of the Rings called Ringers and honestly... I thought it was god awful. This one had less focus on individual fans and more focus on the history of the LOTR books... it was boring and full of fake psychedelic hippies.

There have also been several attempts at Star Wars projects, but I honestly haven't seen any of them. If I thought any of them had potential to be good I would have seen them. There's a new one scheduled for next year called Fanboys.

Dang, Z... you're fast. I was gonna talk to you and Jester about this.

I was going to suggest something similar Rose just suggested, which was to let people submit script in addition to video. Not everyone can do video... and really not everyone who can do video can also do scripting. :P Maybe people can team up.

If you're going to have different people doing different sections, you may want to have something that ties them together. Maybe everyone could say something on a common topic, in addition to their specific topic(s). Then your editor will have something to work with.

Hmm, good point actually.

Not all of it will be "talking heads" either, heck we might even had some good montages, like flashes of scenes of the comics, then scenes from all of the series etc

Wow - brilliant, Zarius. I thought it was a great idea when you mentioned it in the other thread and am really glad your initiating it. Too many people complain about stuff but never actually take any action - I'm really impressed. I will certainly make a contribution. Let me know where to submit videos etc and time lines etc. Also, if there is anything I can do from over here (England) I would be glad to.

Really like the chapters you've outlined, and whilst I think Rosie makes a great point, I do like what you've suggested.

If you have any trouble finding an editor, I suggest approaching Raphamel - she edits film beautifully.

Will you be approaching Mirage for permission to use copyrighted images? I would hope that they would support this venture as, like you said, it would demonstrate that TMNT is a much more in depth subject than is generally portrayed.

I'm willing to help however possible. Don't know if I can get a video, maybe an audio, though. Let me know what you need, and I'll see what I can do.

I'll be e-mailing Dan Berger to let him know ahead of what we're doing, since it's non-profit etc, we might be able to get away with the whole licensing thing.

If not, some handy fan illustrations would work very well.

Slash and I are working on something very similar to this for the Empire, a weekly or so series of webisodes with video snippets from fans. Also reviews of the films, cartoons, things of this nature.

Still brewing over the details.

Excellent. Care to step up for this too?

This sounds really cool, a great project that I would be excited to contribute on. I am very saavy with all sorts of film and sound editing programs. Importing, exporting, menus, making vhs and dvd, soundboards...you name it

Zarius, I think I could do an audio file or two for this, but not a video file. But anyway, you can just have pictures going over the screen while the audio happens.

I think it might be difficult to get someone on the Empire State Building or in NYC to do the narration, though.

And I hope this isn't fruitless... I have a feeling that most people who aren't predisposed to being curious aren't going to ever take the TMNT seriously.

Bah, I could'nt care less. At least this time, the option will exist.

And yeah, anyone who wants to only supply audio can do so, footage will substitute for your lack of videos

Sure. Will you return the gesture?

You got it, name what you need

Wow, I really want to be involved in this. Let me know what I can do. I'm rather fond of video editing...and also talking about TMNT. :D

Is their any way I can contribute to this!!!

- Being the biggest Dutch TMNT fan!
- Having the largest TMNT autograph collection in Europe!

Don't know how i can contribute, but please let me know, I think its an awesome idea!!

Yeah, autographs for some of the montage scenes would fit in with the whole merchandising aspect of the documentary (I really need to add a chapter on the live-stage stuff)

Sign me up Z. I'm not sure what I can do. I'd be willing to offer my essay from my Literature class, or my OT reference guide....or my other TMNT obsessive tendancies...:P

I could do voice over.

I happen to love editing together clips (its some what of a hobby for me) so if you guys are looking for some one to put the clips together and such I might be able to, but it counts on how much free time I have.

Go to me I guess for that part if your really hurting for some one (which I dont think you should)

The documentary has now made the main site news, thanks to Shredder for putting it up there. I've also put out the details to several other communities, so the list will hopefully expanded even beyond this message board.

It'll probably present a problem inevitably, but that's no worry. I'll probably make this a two volume documentary to fit anything else in if it gets bigger, though the subjects and chapters probably won't change.

I'll do it, I have a decent camera and I can edit video. Just PM me with details. I got a pretty big collection.

Though my bed room isn't a sewer.

You do how to upload DVDs? If so, you got it.

Anyone else?

I'll gladly contribute with some fan art, if you wanted any of those in the film. I'm aware that I haven't posted that much in the forum, but that can be done - I'm working on putting up some newer drawings on my danish website, which hasn't been updated in eons.

I don't know if you need more people to talk in the documentary. I don't know so much about the comics and some of the older shows, due to the fact that it wasn't treated very nicely over here.

Talk about that then, this covers all the ups and downs of the franchise. Submit your art too.

Kind of find it funny more people would rather waste their time posting screencaps than bloody submitting ideas for this. Now I know why they accept any old garbage like "Fanatics"

Did you see if guys like Diego, Tristan, Andres, Jake, or hell, even Dan Berger and Keven Munroe would be intrested in contributed something to the documentary?

It's worth asking them right? What's the worst that could happen?

You don't wanna know. Trust me. >_<

I'll ask, right now I'm probably going to expand this project to the other TMNT communities and broaden the list. I'm obviously getting s*it all with it here, which is sadly typical, and very much sickening to see.

I've seen lots of people step forward with offers to help. What exactly is it that you're looking for that you're not getting?

I'd gladly help if I had the tools to do so.

Believe me, I really want to do this.

The activity simply has'nt been as big as I thought it would be, that's all. I know with what I have right now is a decent number though

Is there a timeline in mind? ie when does all footage / recordings have to be with the editor?

I don't like deadlines, takes a little freedom from everybody.

OK great. Will be in touch when I have something. Should be soon.

I'd love to help and I'm pretty sure I could do audio but maybe not video. I know I have a few friends with video cameras so maybe I could whip something up.

And I'd really love for this video to include a section on both the old video games and the new video games.

Go with it. It'd probably be dealt with in the segment dealing with merchandising. There's no set time limit for these segments yet, so go nuts with it. Even when I do finally decide how long the chapters have to be, there may be a second disc to cover what did'nt fit into the documentary.

I'm not much of tech gal, but if you need any segways written, or you need any kind of writing, ie. people want to submit essays about what drew them to TMNT in the first place or why they're a fan of the series that can be read over image montages, I wouldn't mind helping in the compilation of them or even combining them into something a little more linear to work with your chapter layout.