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October 30 - November 30, 2006

World Series and End of the Year

225 Magazine - ICON Studios is being featured in the December issue of 225 Magazine. Read it.
Review of Like That - Another good review of Like That has been posted. This time it is from Darren Schroeder of Silver Bullet Comics. You can read the review here.
World Series - So my boss, Mike, and I were driving back from a client listening to someone on ESPN radio recap one of the postseason baseball games. I mentioned that one day before I die I'd like to go to a professional playoff game. I also said I was kicking myself for not going to the World Series last year when it was so close in Houston. Then we came to the realization that if St. Louis won their series against the Mets, the World Series would for a second year in a row be in driving distance. So, what would be stopping me this year? Well, I couldn't come up with a good answer. Tickets were available and I had the money. Christin could take the days off from work, and since my boss was suggesting I go, I guess I had the days off too. No excuses this year. We just needed St. Louis to win. They were up 3 games to 2. No problem, right? St. Louis lost game six and it was down a dramatic game 7. After work, Christin and I went to O'Henry's to watch the game on their giant screen and have some beer. The game was very close. It was 1 to 1 until the 8th inning when the Cardinals catcher hit a homerun. But it wasn't over yet. The Mets loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth and Carlos Beltran, one of the best hitters in the league, was up to bat. Beltran eventually struck out looking on a nasty curveball and we screamed with excitement. It was a good thing that by then they were closing up. So now we were going to the World Series completely on a whim. I think I needed to do something spontaneous and this is by far the most spontaneous thing I've ever done. It's not like my favorite team was playing. Heck, I don't even have a favorite team! Sure, baseball is my favorite sport, but I don't really have a favorite team. Baseball has a real hometown aura and mythology about it. Cal Ripken is Baltimore. Mickey Mantle is New York City. Since we don't have a team in Louisiana, I just don't have a favorite team. I know Houston is only 4 hours away, but that's Texas, and Texas is nothing like Louisiana. I just can't relate to that team. And truthfully, I really don't like their uniforms. I just can't have a favorite team if I don't like wearing their merchandise. Them's the rules. Anyway, the World Series was great. The brand new Busch Stadium is unbelievably nice and it was so cold. It was about 38 degrees at game time. We drank a lot of hot chocolate, and Christin had to fill out a credit card application to get a free World Series blanket. St. Louis won the game, which got me a couple of taunts as we were leaving the game since I was wearing a Detroit hat. All in all, it was a great experience. One we might have to do again sometime, but who knows when!?
Comic Book - The Louisiana Book Festival was this past Saturday and it was a huge success. We sold a ton of copies of Like That including some limited edition copies that included original artwork (which we sold for higher price) and several t-shirts as well. We have been doing well at these smaller shows, so I'm looking for some more to attend. I think I'm not going to WonderCon in San Francisco and will instead go to the smaller convention, Staple, in Austin, TX. Other than that, I need to follow up on some contacts I met at the festival and I need to be more aggressive in getting Like That in more stores.
Movie - I've been working on the script. I've even helped start a script writing group that meets at Barnes and Noble every other Saturday. There's about 6 of us and we've had one meeting. The result of that one meeting was that I need to re-think the structure of my story. So, it's back to the drawing board for a little while.

September 1 - September 18, 2006

Reviews and Signings

Another Review - Like That received another review this week from Blake Petit of comicXtreme.com. You can read it here.
Review - I finally got the first official review of Like That! It was written by Kevin Agot of The Comics Review. It is a great review and I'm pretty pumped about it. You can read it here.
Signing - We will be signing at Media Underground Comics in Metairie on September 16th from 1:00 - 6:00 PM. There will be all kinds of neat stuff for sale including copies of Like That, t-shirts, and limited edition prints. There is an ad for the signing in this month's Antigravity magazine so there should hopefully be a good turnout.
Comic Book - We had a really busy August. We produced an art show every Wednesday at Rasputin and we also had a table at the Alternative Media Expo in New Orleans (see above picture). I sold a bunch of books and met a lot of new people. I've taken a different route with distribution. I've hired a sales rep that I met in San Diego to help me get my book in stores around the country. So far, he's got it in a store in Berkley, New York and Chicago and he's only been on the job for a week. Hopefully, he can get it in enough stores to where I won't have to go with a Diamond at all. We'll have a table at the New Orleans Book Fair on October 28th. I'm trying to decide what the next convention I'm attending will be. I want to go to WonderCon in March, but if it's the same weekend as Staple, I might go there instead then go to APE. I also might be going to Wizard World Texas in Dallas in November, but I won't be getting a table.
Movie - I've gotten a lot of work done on the screenplay. I'm about a fourth of the way through it. I've also been securing equipment and such. We are on track for our first script reading in October.

July 29, 2006

Art Show and Articles

Art Shows - Every Wednesday in August, ICON Studios is teaming up with Rasputin Vodka Bar in downtown Baton Rouge to produce a series of art shows that showcase the very best art in Baton Rouge. The show on August 23rd is the ICON Studios show which will feature the best projects from us the past 10 years. There will be art from Chosen and Keepers of the Word including ALL NEW art from Like That and Out of Character. Click the image below to see the entire line up. Hope to see you there.
Alternative Media Expo - ICON Studios will have a table at the Alternative Media Expo organized by Antigravity Magazine. It takes place on Saturday, August 19th at the new Howlin Wolf in New Orleans. Heath and I will be there signing copies of Like That and prints of Heath's digital paintings. Come visit us!
Comic Book - I am learning, like other self publishers have in the past, that marketing and distribution is the most time consuming part of producing a graphic novel. I've been spending all of my time updating websites, sending out press packets, and working with the local media. I've been featured in two articles so far: in the LSU Reveille and the Advocate(the Baton Rouge paper not the gay magazine...not that there's anything wrong with that). The Advocate actually has a cool video about how we made the comic that was produced by my new friend, Kevin. I went to Comic-con in San Diego last week. I passed out a lot of copies of Like That around. I made some good contacts and a lot of people to follow up on as far as distributing goes. I'm hoping to get a review of the comic soon. I've recently been added to the Independent Propaganda Store. So, Like That can now be purchased online if you have a PayPal account. Click the banner below to purchase a copy.

June 24, 2006

Like That Released

It's finally here!

Comic Book - Like That, my first graphic novel is finally out! If you want a copy please email me at likethat@iconstudios.org. Getting it in from the printer was quite a relief. But now I'm realizing that marketing and selling the book is going to be way more work than producing it. So, the hunt will definitely be on in San Diego next month to find a publisher who will do all of that stuff for me. I want all my fans out there (who am I kidding) to do their part and help spread the word. Other than that, we should be starting our next project soon. Heath and I are in the beginning stages of it now. I'll have more info later.
Film - I'm currently working on my first feature length screenplay that I hope to start shooting in the fall. I wish I could get more done on it, but so many other things demand my time.

April 10, 2006

Film Finished

Film - Our ten minute movie about some old guy is finally in the can. It even got a title along the way! We called it: Work in Progress. It premiered at the LSU Outhouse Film Festival in early April (thanks to all those who came). Although we didn't win any awards, there were a few people who came up to me afterward and said they liked it. Overall, it was a pleasing experience, and I was proud of all of the hours of hard work that went into just 10 minutes of film. It was almost pleasing enough for me to start another film project right away. But then I thought, naaahhh! I'm too busy right now. Work in Progress can now be viewed on this website.
Comic Book - There are 10 fully complete pages of my graphic novel, Like That, on this very computer on which I am typing. Can you believe it!? It's getting close. I spent the better part of last weekend (about 20 hours) lettering some pages. I finished about 20! I only have two pages left to letter. So basically I'm waiting on Allen to finish inking and Heath to do the cover. By the end of the month, I'll actually have a comic book...for sale...to make money...real money...off of something I wrote! It's too good to be true.
Other - The Red Stick Animation Festivalis April 20-23. ICON Studios will be giving lectures (I don't know what times yet) on sequential art and self-publishing. So, the one company I co-own, ICON Studios and the video game company I work for, Yatec are both sponsors of the event. So, come down and show your support!

February 10, 2006

Film and Comics

Film - FINALLY! We finally wrapped up filming on the movie we started shooting last August (even before Hurricane Katrina). It took us a whole Saturday, but we shot all of the remaining scenes in one day (almost a 12 hour period) two weeks ago. We had two great actors that were very cooperative, and Heath came in and did the necessary make up to age one of the actors. Everybody worked really hard and it couldn't have gone any smoother. I deeply appreciate all of the work everybody put into it. So now, we're at the editing stage, which is a part of it where I have hardly any involvement. But we are definitely on track to premiere it at Outhouse, LSU's film festival, in the beginning of April. It think it's really going to be great.
Comic Book - CHOSEN is back on track. Sean is even back on board as our script and story editor. I think all three of us are finally really to get cracking (and it's about time). I finished the outline for the first part out of four. It's time for me to write the script for the first part. I should be able to finish that within a month or so. Then, I'll pass it over to Sean for revisions, and before you know it, Heath will be working on pages. Also, I've begun production on another graphic novel. This will be a 48 page book that will hopefully be out in time for the Red Stick Animation Festival in April (if not then at least Comic Con in July). I'll be doing most of the work myself: the script (which is complete), the photos that will be the basis of the work (no pencils), and the lettering. I am contracting Allen Gladfelter to help me with page layouts and provide his inking skills. I'm very confident that we can have this book printed by April. So, you probably won't see another site update until it's done. Between that and Chosen, it's going to be a busy, but fun February and March.

October 16, 2005

Filming

You know it's been over a month since I've updated this journal, and I'm sad to say that there's not much new information to report. There's just been so much "other stuff" going on that I haven't had the time to work on the things I really want to work on. Things at work are starting to stabilize and calm down, and I'm getting my half-day Fridays back so I should be getting a lot done in the coming weeks. I've also decided to focus only on the creative endeavors that mean the most to me: film and the comic. Everything else will have to go on the back-burner for a while, because Cutting Edge needs content (more on Cutting Edge later).
Film - I finished all of the props I needed to make. Chad has found us a person to play the elderly character. He's a bit younger than we wanted, but he has acting experience. Heath has agreed to do any make-up necessary. We still have a goal of finishing all of the shooting before the end of the month. I think it can be done if we get on the ball. Steve says that he is almost finished with the screenplay for the 15-minute movie. So things are moving forward, it's just a lot slower than I'd like.
Comic Book - We're still in the conceptual phase right now. This is a slow but very important process. We've got Roland involved in this phase, so we're that much better now. I'm supposed to be writing the outline, but I just haven't had a free moment to think in the past couple of weeks. I should be getting started on it this week though. I have plenty of ideas, I just need to force myself to sit down and actually work on it. Heath is continuing to work on conceptual artwork, mainly of the city and the military. We shouldn't be in this phase too much longer.

September 8, 2005

Post-Hurricane

Film - Last Saturday Steve and I went to Chad's house to look at all of the footage we shot for the flashback scene of our current film. All of it looked really good. We learned a lot about what we need to do in terms of lighting, the one aspect where we lack the most knowledge. Seeing the tape rejuvenated my desire to finish this film. I've been working on creating the props we need for the other scene in the movie. The big hold up is definitely finding the elderly actor. We need to try harder to find one. It's time to get on the ball and get this puppy in the can and wrapped up. I had another person read the script for the 35 minute movie I wrote, and I received great feedback on it. I read it again myself, and I'm actually still pleased with it. I'll probably do another revision very soon.
Comedy - The first episode of the Family Dinner TV show aired on TigerTV the first week of school. It's been showing about 4 times a week for the past two weeks. This coming week, the second episode should air (that is if LSU ever gets back to normal). We did two FD shows this weekend: Friday and Saturday night. All of the admission we took in at those shows is being donated to the Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina victims. I really bombed in the Saturday show. I wasn't on at all, and I'm pretty bummed about it. I haven't done stand-up in a long time because there is just so much other stuff to work on. I wrote horror-scopes for Red Shtick Magazine this month, but the editor decided not to publish them because the theme was suicide. The slogan for the magazine is "Irreverent Views and Satirical News." So much for the first half of that slogan. Oh well, at least I won't have to write one next month.
Comic Book - I updated the ICON Studios website with all of the prints that Heath has been digitally painting for CHOSEN. The neat part is that is how the finished comic book will look eventually. Quite impressive if I do say so myself. Heath and I met this weekend and discussed what our plan is going to be for getting started on this graphic novel. Heath is going to start concept sketches while I write a detailed outline for the first issue (of four). Then, when I give him the outline, he'll paint some of the scenes to get a feel for the setting while I work on the script for the first issue. Then, pages!

August 15, 2005

First Day of Filming

Film - We had our first day of shooting on Saturday. We shot the flashback scene of the 7 minute film. It went better than I could have hoped for. A lot of people did a lot of really excellent work for free, and I am truly grateful for that. We had a shaky start. The lead actor was well over an hour late. On top of that, it took us almost two hours to set up. Chad is a bit of a perfectionist, but in the end, I'm glad he is because this film will look great. So, we had been there about two hours before we even did the first take. Once we started shooting though, it went very smoothly. We had enough people there where I didn't have to operate a camera or act in a scene, so this was my first real experience directing. I got to watch the action on a separate monitor that was set up, and I think I picked up on some things that I wouldn't have seen through the lens of the camera. Poor Steve had to hold the boom, so next shoot I'll try to find someone who will so he can not be bothered with that (any volunteers?). The actors were all excellent! You definitely won't be able to tell that they were doing this for free. Because of the space that we were using, we had to stray away from the storyboard a bit. But I think the changes we made will work out for the better. My only concern is the sound. There was a large generator that was making a really loud humming sound. I hope that something can be done about that in post. Perhaps the largest triumph was the dolly shot that ends the scene. This dolly was constructed by me on Friday afternoon. Can you imagine me wandering around Lowe's for 2 hours trying to figure out how I'm going to build this thing? But after I put it together, I felt like the manliest man that ever lived (insert Tim Allen grunting here). Now, we have to focus on the other scene. There is no date for that shoot yet. We are still looking for the older actor. We won't be shooting on such short notice next time, so we should be very well prepared.
Everything else - The Family Dinner TV show is almost complete. We have about another week of hard work left. The first episode will be aired the first week of classes. We will also have an article in the Reveille about it. We had another killer show on Friday. Other than that, I need to finish the new outline for the Chosen graphic novel soon.

August 15, 2005

First Post

The staff here at PatrickRills.com (by staff I mean me) want to try something different. A lot of you that read this site (who am I kidding) are probably saying "Patrick never updates his site. And he's quite ugly." While both of those statements are accurate, I can do nothing for the latter. The first complaint is legitimate though. I've been really busy lately, and the web site is not my top priority. So now you're wondering why I'm so busy. Well, that's where this column comes in. This journal will serve as a web log of all of my creative endeavors (and just when you thought I was above blogging). I'm going to try my best to not make this a typical blog. You will not see posts about what CD's I'm listening to, how dreamy I think Orlando Bloom is, or what I think about John Roberts. This will be an update on of all of the comedy shows, films, comic books, and everything else I'm working on. I welcome your "two cents" as often I will be soliciting assistance from my faithful readers (that's right "readers" is plural, after all, I have two parents). Let me get this started by giving a brief description of everything I'm currently working on.
The Family Dinner - We are performing shows every single Friday now. This is hindering my schedule, but I don't care because we are kicking ass. If you haven't seen an FD show yet, you truly are missing out. Also, we are producing a television show that will be aired on TigerTV this fall. It is a sketch comedy show in which I have been heavily involved in both writing and technical assistance. I feel good about the quality of our show. I haven't seen any of the edited episodes yet, but Steve assures me that it doesn't look amateurish. We are going to blow away everything on TigerTV. Although, our tapings constantly remind me how horrible of an actor I really am. Oh well, I'll stick to writing.
Stand-Up - I'm working on producing another fifteen minute set that is completely different than the set I normally do for headliner shows (aren't you guys sick of that one yet). I did five minutes at Sogo a couple of weeks ago, and it went over really well. It was actually the best night I've ever had. It was the first time I've ever had to stop my set and wait for people to stop laughing. So the next week I brought that set to the Funny Bone. I didn't do so hot there. The crowd was much younger. When I said, "Richard Nixon" they all looked like a bunch of monkeys doing a math problem. My delivery was off I think. I did another 5 minutes at Sogo last week, and it went over really well. So, it is a work in progress, but so far I'm getting good feedback.
Film - I'm now teaming up with fellow Family Dinner member, Steve Mayeux. Steve has his own filmography company, Poet Motel Films. He has been interested in doing short films also. With our powers combined, we will rock the independent film scene of Baton Rouge (Go Captain Planet!). Our plan is to shoot a 7 minute film, a 15 minute film, and a 35 minute film in time for the LSU Outhouse Film Festival next spring. You know, start small and work your way up. The 7 minute film, which still doesn't have a title yet, is currently in pre-production. I wrote the story and co-wrote the script with Steve. This is a story I've been wanting to tell for a long time, and I think I've found the proper time and format. We are desperately seeking actors as we only have two parts cast. We badly need older actors (40-60 years old) for this project. Actors are few and far between in this town, much less old ones. If you know anyone please direct them to either me or Steve. Steve cleared everything with LSU this week, so we have a location to shoot (and it will be legal!). I'm waiting for the storyboard to come in the mail. They were done by none other than the great Allen Gladfelter, who for some reason lives in Boise, Idaho. This project is moving along slowly, but moving along nonetheless. And that's what's important. As far as the other film projects, Steve is currently putting together an outline for the 15 minute project. The script for the 35 minute project is done. It was written by me, and I finished the second draft last weekend. It is called "Like That," and it is actually a prequel to the feature-length film I'm also writing. It is a romantic comedy. Ok, Ok, I know what you're thinking, but I don't care. Good writers can write anything! I want this film to have a "Cameron Crowe" feel to it. I'm actually pretty excited about this script. I think it is one of the best things I've written since I can't remember. And if you know me you know I never say that about my stuff.
Comic Books - Chosen is coming back. It will be re-vamped and better than ever. Stay tuned for more info.