Monsterwood

Hey All,

Just a quick update.  Awhile back I had mentioned that Brendan and I were very interested in adapting the Monsterwood manuscript into a graphic novel.  The material lends itself so well to the format with the visual nature of such an action packed fantasy adventure.

I turned in a draft of a sample excerpt in  graphic novel script format. Brendan Deneen ( Read: amazingly talented manager extraordinaire ) has done a quick edit, and I am very psyched with the result. It moves, is quite dynamic, and sets the story in motion quite well. While I can’t share it with you here, I can tell you that we are currently contacting artists to illustrate the 6 page sample that we have.

Many of my friends seemed shocked when I shared that I was looking for artists. ” Why aren’t you doing it?”. Well, the answer is simple really. I consider myself a conceptualist. Someone who conceives, designs, and writes the material. My medium , as heavily profiled on this site, is sculpture. I can draw, but I do not do the rich digital art that is currently the standard in both film design and graphic novels.  To do 6 pages  ( 5-7 panels per page) in sculpted, photographed form would take forever and we are looking to get Monsterwood going.

I hope to be able to announce an artist soon.  When you see the work, you will see why this artist was picked and why I am so excited. It is going to look amazing and the artist will be working from the already established designs…so nothing will be lost in translation.

I will mention, that nothing is signed with any artist yet, so if you are a reader/fan/ or friend and also an artist whose work totally rocks and you feel that your stuff is perfect for Monsterwood, feel free to shoot me an email. Please don’t send art work, but rather a link I can check out. I will be out of town for a bit and don’t want my mailbox getting overloaded. Thanks.

Out of town? Yup.  I am heading out to L.A. for a groovy mix of business and pleasure and greatly looking forward to both. When I return I will post a slightly off topic post about my trip.  L.A. is a great and crazy place!

As always, if you think a friend would appreciate the world of Monsterwood why not send him a link right here. Thanks again for checking us out!

In the meantime, keep watching the skies.

All Love,

Jason

Hey All,

Sorry to have been gone so long.  It has been a long, slow month ( Damn Mercury Retrograde!).  Some interesting rumblings and conversations, but nothing definitive enough to speak about until now.

First off, Brendan Deneen, my most awesome manager  will be attending Book Expo America at The Javits Center in NYC this weekend. This means that Monsterwood will be there too.  That can only be a good thing.  In addition to that, I am imagining that Guillermo Del Toro may be in attendance as well as he is out promoting his novel ” The Strain “,which hits shelves next week. My most sincere hope is that Brendan and Guillermo run into each other. Guillermo and I have had two exchanges in the past. One completely unexpected and ill-prepared, the other prepared, but too chaotic to really have a good chat.  Four days after handing him my pitch pack for Monsterwood, he signed on to do ” The Hobbit“. You can read more about both experiences here.  Not that I mind, Peter Jackson producing  Guillermo’s Hobbit is what geek dreams are made of, but for goodness sake… Guillermo is one of the most prolific writer/producer/directors out there.  My hope is to get him involved in the development of Monsterwood, as producer, or in whatever capacity he sees fit.

Why do I think he should do it? Because it blends Horror and High concept fantasy in a way I think he would appreciate.  It even contains fairy tale elements that I think he would love. I also know he is a rabid fan of creature design work…and Monsterwood has that in spades.

So I am hereby issuing an All Points Bulletin for Mr.  Del Toro.  If you see him… tell him to visit www.Kingjovis.com! lol!

The second cool update is a dear friend, Sally Anne Syberg has returned for a visit to Monsterwood.  Sally Anne is an amazingly talented producer/ developer who is now working with SpeakeasyFX, an animation studio dedicated to creating high-end computer generated character animation and visual effects for the broadcast and feature film.  Owner/Executive Director of SpeakeasyFX, Scott Stewart was introduced to the world of Monsterwood through Sally Anne and we are in the process of finding a date for them to visit my home studio to see the various sets, models, and maquettes and discuss the possibility of doing some animation tests of some of the Monterwood characters.

SpeakeasyFx has recently completed a full season of a 3-d animated children’s program that premieres next fall.  I have seen glimpses of it and it literally has to be seen to be believed. It may be the most beautiful children’s show ever produced for television. You can be the judge come the fall.

I will keep you posted on all the developments as soon as I have something more to share.

In the meantime, here is a quick pic of  the slowly progressing Kakundakari sculpt.

Alright, time for me to hear from you. Drop me a line. Ask a question. Leave a comment.

Until next time…

Be Well,

Jason

Hey All,

It has been too long since my last post. Almost three weeks in fact. I wish I had some super exciting news or some mind bogglingly awesome sculpt to reveal…but I don’t. The truth is just not that exciting. At least nothing concrete as of yet.  The truth is, I have either been preoccupied with teaching ( The end of the academic year always gets a little intense! ), or getting ready for Spring ( I am an avid gardener/landscaper.).  It is also Lacrosse season, filling the weeks with practices and games.  Bottom line is: time becomes an issue.  I don’t mind a little distance from MONSTERWOOD  now and again actually. It gives me a little perspective that is lost when working so intently for long periods of time.

All that being said, I do have a few cool things to mention.

First off I managed to have a quick chat with Mystic, Ct native Jason Filardi  a successful Hollywood screenwriter. His latest project, “17 Again,” stars Zac Efron and took in almost $24 million its opening weekend April 17. He has also written “Bringing Down the House,” starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah, “The Craft,”  and “Drum.”  He and his brother Peter Filardi ( who is a fan of Monsterwood!) are something a kin to local legends around here ( CT).  Both have been incredibly successful, are super talented, and two of the nicest guys you could ever meet.

My question to Jason Filardi:

” How long did it take for your first agent to place your first screenplay? Can you give any advice on remaining patient while waiting to be sold?”

His reply:

“Well, I went through a few different agents before I finally sold a screenplay.  What you hope for is that your screenplay goes out to the town and you hear something within a day.  And best-case scenario is that you hear that 2 or more studios want to buy it so a bidding war starts. This will drive the price of your script up.

This is not always the case of course.  Sometimes it takes weeks, months even, to sell a script.  My advice to you while you wait…and by the way I feel your pain…is move on to your next project.  Delve into something brand new.  Don’t waste time twiddling your thumbs and waiting for the phone to ring.  Have another script lined up.  Because if your script sells, the powers that be will want to hear what else you have.  Wouldn’t that be nice to sell two in a row? Good luck”

I would be ecstatic to sell one.

The stars seem to be lining up. Some interesting conversations are beginning to take place and a meeting is in the planning stages.

More on that soon. Promise.

So how’s by all of you?

-Jason

Quick update. Hope this finds you all well.

I am sure none of you would be shocked to hear that Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are” has always been a favorite of mine.  I still have the same copy I had when I was very young.  Sendak’s work has been adapted for film before.  His other classic, “Outside Over There”, about a big sister stuck babysitting wishing her baby brother would be taken by goblins. Well, of course that is exactly what happens.  The loosely based film version was of course Jim Henson’s “labyrinth”.

Not since “Labyrinth” has another children’s property being adapted for film given me so much fear and excitement. When I heard that Spike Jonze  ( “Adaptation”, “Being John Malkovich” ) was directing I was relieved. I had no idea how the material would be handled or expanded ( which an obviously neccesity for a feature length film) but have complete trust in the man. Rumors circulated last year around this time that Warner Brothers was ordering extensive reshoots citing the the material for being “too dark”. I found this deeply worrisome.

However, the new trailer debuted last week and looks amazing. The film is not released  until October 2009, but it looks like it will be worth the wait. It would appear that Spike Jonze has not only captured the look of the wild things, but also the heart of the beloved children’s book.

It is my prayer that someday someone adapts MONSTERWOOD for the screen with the same sense of love and dedication that can be glimpsed here.

It does indeed seem to be the stuff of which dreams are made. Mine very much included.

Be Well,

Jason

Fear: A favorite tool of The Watcher.

Hey All. Hope this post finds you enjoying the first signs of Spring. Man, it seems like a long time coming… I feel the Sun getting a little warmer each day! The buds are swelling, ripe with possibility. With all the ferocity of the crocus breaking through the crust of the earth, Monsterwood moves slow and constant toward it’s becoming.

Brendan Deneen and I have been having some really cool developmental exchanges the past couple of weeks. The long and short of it is…the Maheekanu people are now fully human instead of just humanoid.  In fact, Jovis and Jocosta will be the last two remaining humans on this future Earth.  It certainly ups the ante in my mind.  The world the story takes place on is now… Earth. A future Earth.

In addition to this change, Brendan and I are preparing material to pitch Monsterwood as a graphic novel, as well a novelization.  This is very exciting to me.  Monsterwood is a very dynamic, action packed visual story that lends itself to the graphic novel beautifully.

I have adapted a scene into Graphic novel script and we are already in the editing stage.

Both of these developments feel very fresh and exciting and I find myself very energized!

What does Brendan think of the latest developments?

"For me, there is very little difference between magic and art.
 To me, the ultimate act of magic is to create something from
nothing: It's like when the stage magician pulls the rabbit from
the hat. And then you can turn that idea into a film, a book,
a painting, a piece of music, something that other people can
experience. That in itself is stunning. And I suppose this is
one of the reasons I got into magic, because I was tired of
ducking that question that people always ask writers, which
is, ''Where do you get your ideas from?''"
                                                 -Alan Moore,
                                               Author of Watchmen

Jason here with just a quick story about common interests,
inspiration, and the work of others. It seems obvious that
I love monsters. Monsters, creatures, newly discovered
species...somehow they all seem to be closely related in
my mind. Like the old sci-fi geek expression, "I want to
believe"... I really do want to believe that they exist,
or might exist.

I want to believe that we don't know all that we think we do
about life on this planet. Life consistently surprises even
the most hard-core scientific minds and certainly never ceases
to amaze me. The natural world strikes me as nothing short of
magic and is often a great source of inspiration for my work.

Often I draw inspiration for my creatures from a variety of
places, myths and folklore, and even cryptozoological thought
and research. One of my favorite websites to check out is 
www.Cryptomundo.com, run by Loren Coleman. Loren is considered
to be the world's foremost cryptozoologist.
Check out his impressive bio here.


The other day Loren actually checked out kingjovis.com and was
admiring the Kakundakari design/sculpt. The name Kakundakari
comes from an supposed actual species of smallish hairy hominids
called the Agogwe that are belived to live in the Congo region
of East Africa. One theory posits that they are surviving 
Gracile australopithecine. Read more about them here.

Loren's comment/question:

"Nice monsters on your site.  Kakundakari, humm!  What happened
 to the five digits on feet and hands?"

I had to laugh...yes, the "true" Kakundakari are suppossed to
have five fingers and toes. Call it creative license...that and
the fact that animators love three fingered characters...less to
animate!

Anyway, I was flattered that Loren took the time to check out my
work and I would like to thank him for doing so. Recently, Loren's
museum, International Cryptozoology Museum has been in some
financial jeopardy and it's survival may be threatened. I know we
are all feeling the money crunch these days, but I have made
a small donation and suggest you all do the same. I feel strongly
that Loren, his work, and his museum deserve our support.



You can make a donation here ( by mail and paypal!).
Loren has stated that even small donations
can add to up substantial support.

That's all for now. Stay tuned.
Lots of news coming up regarding Monsterwood. More soon.

Be Well,
J

Here is a beginning of the week check in.  Although the posts have slowed down a bit, I assure you the work has not. There are some exciting  bits and pieces happening behind the scenes of Monsterwood. Here’s the rundown…

First off, we reached a milestone last week.  We have now had over 10,000 visits ( and 82 subscribers!) to the site since we switched over to the more active blog style site.  You guys get ALL the credit for that! I cannot thank you enough for all your support.   humbly ask that you keep up the good work and continue to share the site with people who you think may enjoy Monsterwood.  Please know I appreciate all your time and effort.

We are starting to let some readers preview the full novel.  To be clear, we are not talking about my friends here.  I am blessed with great friends who no doubt will be brutally honest about the book, but at some level they may be biased.  Instead, we are letting young people who have no direct connection to myself or any level of investment/partiality review the book.  The response has been overwhelming positive.  Here is an excerpt from an early response from Olivia, a 16 year old girl who is not even finished with the whole novel.  Her response is reflective of the feedback coming in.

“Mr. Rosen, your book is addicting. I can honestly say it’s better than a huge number of published novels I’ve read in the past. I love fantasy and fiction, and your book is the epitome of my favorite genre. It starts out exciting, and it just keeps getting better… you really never want to stop. I’m pretty well-into the book by now (I’m not really sure what chapter) but I can say I will be sad when the fantastic journey that is Monsterood comes to an end. You’ve done a great job- it’s one of my favorite books!”

Not to reduce real-deal, super cool people to marketing statistics, but Olivia is the bulls eye of the target market.  I particularly love the comment about being saddened when the book is over. Any avid reader can relate to the certain feeling of despondence one gets when reaching the end of a great read.  To me, that seems like the highest compliment an author can receive.  I truly believe that I have created a work that speaks to both male and female Young adult readers. Having never lost the part of me that thinks like a 16 year old boy, I know it will work for the guys ( enough action/adventure/horror/ and a cute girl!),  but to have the female protagonist read true for the female readers feels like an accomplishment.

Brendan is very excited about being at FinePrint Literary management.  We spoke late last week and Brendan proposed some VERY interesting ideas, both tweaks for the book and a new publishing approach to the material itself.  We both ended the conversation feeling a renewed sense of excitement about everything.  A good place to be, for sure…

More soon,

-Jason

Progress...

Adding the details. He is beginning to make me giggle. Always a good sign.

More soon.

-J

Well, despite my lack of updated posts, it has been quite a week here in Monsterwood.  After fighting off Zombie hordes and crashing servers, we have even more exciting news.  Brendan Deneen, manager of both Monsterwood and Myself has moved from Objective Entertainment to FinePrint Literary Management a full service literary agency, based in New York City.

From their website:

“FinePrint launched in September 2007 as the merger of the Peter Rubie Literary Agency and the Imprint Agency.  We represent both fiction and nonfiction for adults and young adults.  Our nine full-time agents allow us to take on works in many categories. We welcome a wide range of fiction, both literary and commercial, including thrillers, mysteries, fantasy, women’s, romance, chick lit, YA and middle grade readers.”

Brendan has released the following statement via the Publisher’s Lunch newsletter from March 2nd, 2009:

‘Agent Brendan Deneen has joined FinePrint Literary Management. He had been at Objective Entertainment. He will “continue to represent a wide swath of genres but I have a particular fondness right now for YA and thrillers.  I’ll also still be representing novels and graphic novels for film and television.” ‘

In other words, same great agent, hot new house.  I look forward to meeting the good folks at FinePrint and feel honored to be a part of their stable of writers.

I have also been working on the Kakundakari sculpt, although it has been more challenging to find the time. The simplistic shape of the head had also proven a challenge. I have found it to be harder than I had imagined capturing the “feeling” or sense of character that is present in the rendering. I feel that I turned the corner last night and am finally pleased that he is headed in the right direction. The kakundakari sculpt will be realized in the same fashion as The Watcher, in that his head will be done in 1/2 scale while his body will be done in 1/6th scale.  Both elements will be composited together in Photoshop.  This approach allows me to achieve a certain sensitivity of form that is more difficult with a smaller sculpt. I hope you like it so far.

Be well. Talk soon.

-J