Instead of telling you to BUY scary stories, today I'm telling you how to write them!

Hey Horror Fans!
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I promised I would write more about the actual craft of writing on my blog, and not just throw thinly veiled Christmas Terror Tales advertisements in your face!  Consider this a compromise.
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In previous posts, I’ve simplified fiction writing as experiences filtered through your brain, pulled apart, and stitched back together. The best part is the experiences don’t even have to be your own. Books you read, movies you saw, and things that happened to you or people you know can all be reworked and reimagined. You hear it all the time: good writers draw inspiration, great writers steal.
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Crafting a short scary story is the same, and anybody can do it. So here is my humble perspective on how to write one in four stages.

Stage 1: Have a Concept

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Every story starts with an idea. It doesn’t even have to be a good idea. Seriously. I personally work better telling myself that there’s absolutely no way I’m ever going to come up with something original. It’s all been done. Relax. The originality comes naturally because we all have unique interpretations, vocabularies, and perspectives.
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Just have a concept. Know that you want to write a certain kind of story, or even just a story about a certain kind of thing. Have a main goal, and sweat the details later.
Scary stories do not have to be genre transcending literary masterpieces. They just have to have a singular effect that will work on your audience. They may or may not have twists. They may or may not be surprising. They may or may not even be scary. What they should have is some kind of hook, and an action or event that moves the reader on more than one level.
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In writing Christmas Terror Tales I had a specific built in premise. They all had to be short, precise stories; and they all had to have some kind of Christmas, winter, or holiday gimmick. Some of the concepts came more naturally than others, but my most useful tool was my brainstorming list of conventions and gimmicks. I knew somewhere in my collection of scary stories I wanted there to be one about a snowman. I knew one had to have a Jack-O-Lantern. I decided it would be cool to have one about the Nativity Scene. Growing up as a good God fearing Catholic boy, I thought the devil was really scary. So in he went.
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What did I think was scary? What did I know other people thought was scary? What did people think of when they thought of Christmas? How could I turn those holiday conventions upside down? I told myself that every story that made it in absolutely had to have two gimmicks: Horror and Holiday.
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This whole notion of combining ingredients can work for just about any kind of scary story you’re writing. What’s a tried and true convention of horror? What’s something else that people might not fear or associate with horror? Smoosh them together. It’s certainly not the only way to write a story, nor is it the only way I come up with ideas. But it works.
What’s scary about this picture? Not a trick question.

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Just have an idea. Don’t pressure yourself to be brilliant. Brilliance rarely strikes, so if you want to be a writer, make peace with that and start generating material. A lot of literary people might turn their noses up at that word: gimmick! But gimmicks make the world of fiction go round. What do you think people were talking about when they first saw Jaws in 1975? I’ll give you a hint: it was a shark! Not a genre transcending diatribe about primordial fears and the struggle between Jungian baloney and psychological who-gives-a-fig. It was a shark that ate people.
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Not every horror fan will agree with me perhaps, but to me stories are scarier when they’re raw. And part of that rawness comes from the simplicity of that initial concept. Have a good “what if…” and don’t overthink it. Just try to flesh it out into a story. The complicated psychology of your story can (and I like to think should) rise up around your characters and premise naturally.
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Outlining is a great tool for conceptualizing as well. Sometimes I outline a story before I write it. Sometimes I don’t because that raw concept explains everything I need to know to write a draft. But either way, I try to be flexible. Make an outline to figure out who’s in your story and what happens, but have fun as you write your first draft too. Chances are you’ll come up with a better idea after you’ve outlined… or in many cases after you’ve rewritten your story ten times.
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Like anyone, I have lots of ideas that go nowhere. No problem, some ideas pan out and others don’t. The more you explore the more likely you are to find one that clicks.

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Stage 2: Write a Draft

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Writing a scary story is actually a lot like telling a joke. There’s a setup, there are one or more events, and there’s a disturbing or frightening “punch line.” Many jaded or seasoned horror fans will see these conclusions coming and they won’t be scared. Don’t worry. Most of them still enjoy the ride.
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When writing that first draft, don’t be alarmed if things don’t come out right. That’s what revision is for. A lot of people are afraid of the “blank page.” They hate that whole part where you supposedly “make something from nothing.” Fear not! That initial concept you came up with is your security blanket, and it tells you enough about what has to happen to get moving.
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Scary stories can be simple in their effect and thus can be sparse on words and details. I’ve read one-page stories that were much better than whole novels or feature length movies. Dressing things up with lots of bells and whistles in my experience can be fun, interesting, or even impressive. But it’s not the part that makes something scary. The scary part is making your reader buy into the events of the story. It’s making them afraid that the same thing could happen to them… even if they know logically it isn’t likely to. In order to accomplish this, I’ve found that less is more. It’s not a perfect rule of thumb, and yes longer pieces can be effective in their terror; but don’t overthink the backstory and the details. Just tell us about something awful.
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Horror comes in many forms, but the short scary story is unique because people can tell it around a campfire, remember, and retell later. Hollywood horror doesn’t do that. Novels don’t either. Don’t think your short story isn’t scary because it’s not building an elaborate universe around its characters. The universe and the backstory aren’t ever scary and they’re not essential.
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You know you’ve gotten to the end of your story when you’ve reached the scariest or most horrifying detail. Again, it’s like a good joke. You don’t keep explaining the joke after you’ve reached the punch line. It’s over. If you keep explaining the “aftermath” of events, what you reveal to your reader may be less frightening than where their imagination might have taken them if you just left things up in the air. Like any good performance you end on a high note. Ironically, when telling a scary story the “high note” is usually the worst thing possible.
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M.R. James is a turn of the 20th century writer I recently discovered who specialized in ghost stories, and I really wish I had found him sooner. He provided excellent criteria that I plan to use to evaluate my short horror fiction going forward. According to Mr. James, scary stories should have the following…
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The Pretense of Truth: Ever notice how urban legends spread like wildfire… because people think they’re true (which sometimes they are.) Ever notice how disturbing news stories, documentaries, or “real life” investigations of the paranormal (shows like Unsolved Mysteries) tend to resonate with us? We are more afraid if we think something’s real. Now that doesn’t mean that modern scary stories have to start with that bold assertion: “this is true!” But verisimilitude matters.
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Write it like it’s real, treat the characters like real people, present it as something that might happen to the reader, and don’t overthink the details. Scary things are things that happen to normal believable people. If all the characters in your story are vampires, it might be fun, but it won’t be scary.
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“A Pleasing Terror”: This is one of Mr. James’s vaguer criterions and I’d be interested to hear more about what he thought this meant. But the general message is this: write a story that people can be afraid of from the comfort of their safe and happy home. Scary stories should allow readers to live vicariously through the adrenaline rush of the events. They should make the reader’s skin crawl, but not make them literally want to vomit. There are some places that are just so dark and disturbing that using them to “scare” people is just too easy.
What’s the difference between scary and just plain sick? This movie.

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Example: “The Human Centipede” isn’t a scary movie… it’s just sick and disturbing. There is a difference. The “Torture Porn” sub-genre of Hollywood Horror is a great example of the kind of terror that really doesn’t “please” its audience. It’s horrible, it’s disturbing, but it’s not scary. You could write all sorts of stories that disturb people deeply and take us to extremes of disgusting that would make our grandmothers cry, but that doesn’t make your story scary. It’s too easy, and it’s not really effective because it’s usually so outlandish that people know it’ll never happen to them.
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Develop a “pleasing terror,” something that people will want to read about. Something that will keep them in suspense. Something they can be scared of in a fun, or at least reasonable, way. I could write a story about a man who eats a woman’s baby in front of her face while she is helplessly chained to a wall. But that’s not scary. It’s just terrible.
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No Gratuitous Bloodshed or Sex: Gotchya again Hollywood! Too much sex and gore makes things less scary. Avoid it, especially if you want to attract young readers.
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Should violent things happen in a horror story? You bet! Should we describe the blood, brains, and puss in visceral detail… well you can if you want. But that doesn’t make it scary. It just makes it gross. Again, there are many fun sub-genres of horror and “bloody” certainly has its audience. Just don’t mistake gratuity for scary. Less is almost always more.
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No “Explanation of the Machinery”: This is a great rule of thumb! It mostly applies to the paranormal, but it works across the board. Don’t overexplain. Things are scarier when they’re mysterious. It’s like a bad prequel. The more we learned about Darth Vader the less cool he became as a badguy… until he wasn’t a badguy at all. Just a whiny little punk. Scary stories loaded with backstory, details, and elaborate plot points or author-invented mythology are almost never scary. If you explain what a ghost is, or explain exactly where vampires came from and what they “really are” people will never be impressed.
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Okay, so millions of Twilight readers are proof that they might be impressed. But I guarantee you they won’t be scared.
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Set the story in contemporary times: Here’s a big one. It’s great fun to write period pieces, or stories about alternate or future worlds. But rarely are those stories scary. Almost never. Because the reader is so far removed from the element of terror that they can’t make that crucial connection “this could happen to me.” I’m not afraid of vampires in Victorian London any more than M. R. James was afraid of the ghosts of people who hadn’t been born yet in 21st Century Chicago. Many terrific sci-fi or historical fiction stories exist, but the ones that can scare the audience are exceptions.
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Five great rules that I intend to hang onto for my next batch of scary stories! And in retrospect, I think CTT measures up to Mr. James’s criteria pretty well.
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Again, not every scary story will affect every reader equally, so be thrilled if half your readers are scared. A great example is the CTT story “The Green Box.” I’ve gotten just about every comment ranging from not scary at all to deeply disturbing, and all the stuff in between. Don’t worry, lots of people are afraid of lots of different things and you’re not going to get everyone with one idea. Fiction is subjective and that’s a good thing. The more stories you write, the more you will start to strike those different chords with different people. I’ve had seasoned horror vets read my collection and tell me they liked half the stories. I take that as a tremendous compliment.
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Just write a story that you know some people will find frightening. Get yourself a beginning, middle, and end. Once you’ve got that, you’re all set to start the long fun process of evaluation and revision.

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Stage 3: Get Some Feedback

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Some of us are really good writers and we can write perfect, flawless stories on the first try. Most of us aren’t though. And almost all of the writers who think they’re that good aren’t that good. So I would never publish something without getting a few second opinions. We tend to be the worst evaluators of our own work because we’re closest to it.
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Some writers are lucky and work with agents, publishers, and professional editors. Most writers don’t get to. In fact with the changing publishing scene, the rise in legitimate self-publication, and the increasingly tightening circle of publishers who won’t take a chance on new authors… most of us have to do everything ourselves. That means editing, editing, and more editing.
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Don’t get overburdened. Make friends. Ideally, join a local writers group. You might have to try a few before you find one you like. I’m very lucky and I found a great group of writers at my local library. They were instrumental in getting feedback and advice for Christmas Terror Tales. However, community writers groups often take time to get to your work. It’s a give and take relationship and you extend them the same courtesy that they extend you by reading and providing honest constructive criticism for their writing.
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That meant in my case that I was only able to get about half of the CTT stories through the workshop before the deadline I had set for myself. As such, I turned to other writer friends outside the group. Friends who I knew enjoyed speculative fiction, and some friends who weren’t necessarily into horror… but none the less were great writers and had an eye for grammar and mechanics. Find people who will give you the honest truth about your writing. You won’t always like it, but you can always use those impressions to improve.

Illustrator J.T. Molloy is one of several creative friends who helped me improve the ending of CTT story "Twelve O'Clock."

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But by the same token… don’t be afraid to take some advice with a grain of salt. You have a better idea of what kind of audience you have in mind for your story. You have specific goals and a specific idea that you’re crafting. Some criticism will help you develop that and get you to where you need to go. Some criticism needs to be filtered, reflected upon, and reconciled.
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Not everyone knows what’s best for your story so that’s why it’s great to have as many people check it out as possible. Exercise your power to veto a recommendation, just have a good reason.
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A good critic will usually account for this, but sometimes you have to adjust the feedback yourself. Just don’t go easy on yourself. I myself was stubborn about the ending of “Twelve O’Clock” in CTT. But after three or four people told me in a row that it was underwhelming I finally slapped myself and believed them. I took some suggestions, put my own spin on them, and came up with what I feel is a much improved ending to the original. But I never would have gotten there without my network of writer buddies.

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Stage 4: Revise & Proofread

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I prefer to do a few major revisions based on my own observations and editorial knowhow prior to turning to fellow writers. But one way or another, you get different (usually better) ideas out of a critique. Time to sit down and implement the ones you know are on the money.
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Stage 4 is pretty cut and dry. Take the good advice you got and put into practice. Proofread for grammar and mechanics. Fiddle with your word choice, tighten your descriptions, strengthen your verbs. Blah Blah Blah. The best advice I give people on proofreading anything is to read out loud. Most people agree that it works, but don’t do it because they feel stupid reading something out loud to themselves. Just get over it. Reading out loud works, and it’s a lot easier to “hear” your own mistakes than it is to see them. I could write more about revision and proofreading, but let’s make a long story short. Perfecting writing is fun for some, boring for others. Either way, you gotta do it. Your story will never be perfect, but you should try anyway.
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As my final word let me just say that the number one reason to write fiction is for enjoyment. If you’re writing to publish, more power to you, but why not write a scary story just to share with your friends and family? Make it short. Memorize it if you’re a good oral storyteller, and keep it in your back pocket. Scare your kids, scare your neighbors, terrorize your spouse or significant other. Post it online and guarantee your audience that your story is 100% “true.” You could be the originator of the next best urban legend! And to me, that would be far more impressive than publication!
Keep track of all the CTT action on Amazon, Facebook, and Goodreads.com!

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Don’t forget to check out Christmas Terror Tales on Amazon, Facebook, and Goodreads.com! Plenty of copies of my book to give away, and cool prizes to win. Check out the links below. Happy holidays to all!
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CTT for Sale on Chicago’s South Side at Bookies: http://bookiespaperbacks.com/
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Posted on November 7, 2011 by kmfollia | 1 Comment

Christmas Terror Tales Halloween Giveaways!

Posted on October 29, 2011 by kmfollia

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Seasons Greetings Scary Stories Fans!

Not only are there 2 contests currently running at the official CTT Facebook Page.  But I’m also doing a giveaway at Goodreads.com which is only running for a few more days so hurry up and enter.

Lots of chances to get Christmas Terror Tales for free so take advantage everyone!  Also don’t forget that you can buy CTT the old fashioned way on Amazon or at The Bookies on Chicago’s South Side!

In the coming weeks I hope to have some more blogs about the whole process of writing a scary story, so if you have any questions about that please ask away and I’ll try to answer.  Happy Halloweekend!

Christmas Terror Tales at Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/16349-christmas-terror-tales-stories-to-enjoy-from-october-through-december
Christmas Terror Tales on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Christmas-Terror-Tales/204731106257625
Bookies in Beverly:  http://bookiespaperbacks.com/
Christmas Terror Tales on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Terror-Tales-Stories-December/dp/1463786948/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319923837&sr=8-1

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A Few “Christmas Terror Tales” Updates…

Posted on October 18, 2011 by kmfollia

CTT is now available on Chicago's South Side at Bookies: 2419 W. 103rd Street!

Hey folks!

Huge thanks to everyone who has purchased, read, and helped to spread the word about my new scary stories collection Christmas Terror Tales!  Don’t forget to take a moment and share your thoughts with your fellow readers by writing an Amazon review.

Also don’t forget that there are currently giveaways, contests, and holiday trivia at the CTT Facebook page!

Currently there are two CTT giveaways which are ongoing:

CTT Jack-O-Lantern Carving Contest/Giveaway: “Like” CTT and post a picture of your 2011 Pumpkin Carving on the CTT Facebook wall or event page and you could win several excellent Alvin Schwartz Scary Stories collections, as well as a copy of CTT!

CTT Costume Contest/Giveaway: “Like” CTT and post a picture of you in your 2011 Halloween costume and you could win a Bluray/DVD of A Nightmare Before Christmas as well as a copy of CTT.

Full details for both of these contests can be found on the Facebook page.

Finally, some exciting news for Chicagoans who aren’t big online shoppers:  CTT is now available at a great brick and mortar store:  Bookies just west of 103rd and Western!  Check out the links below for more details…

Bookies Website:   http://bookiespaperbacks.com/
CTT on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Terror-Tales-Stories-December/dp/1463786948/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318975532&sr=8-1
CTT on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=685003001#!/pages/Christmas-Terror-Tales/204731106257625
CTT Press Release:  http://www.kevinfolliard.com/blog/?p=170

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Christmas Terror Tales Jack-O-Lantern Contest!

Posted on September 26, 2011 by kmfollia

I am thrilled to announce the first of several Christmas Terror Tales giveaways that will be taking place at the official CTT Facebook page!

The rules are simple:

  1. 1.)  “Like” the official Christmas Terror Tales Facebook page.
  2. 2.)  Carve a Jack-O-Lantern and post a picture on the CTT Facebook wall.

The most creative and attractive entry wins a copy of CTT along with the popular Alvin Schwartz collections “More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” and “Scary Stories 3.” The runner-up will receive a copy of CTT as well! Photos must be posted by midnight October 31st.

(*Family friendly entries only. Jack-O-Lanterns determined to originate from Google Image Searches or other fraudulent sources will be disqualified.)

Best of luck to everyone and have fun! If you’re not an expert pumpkin carver, no worries. More giveaways to come! Please spread the word!

Happy Halloween! Get creative!

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Press Release: Christmas Terror Tales on Sale Now!

Posted on September 17, 2011 by kmfollia

LA GRANGE, IL – September 17, 2011 – Author Kevin M. Folliard’s new compilation of Christmas Terror Tales for all ages is now available through Amazon.com for $5.50! This collection combines traditional Christmas elements with the spooky fun of Halloween. Sixteen gripping tales borrow from classical horror and urban legends, and twist holiday archetypes into chilling cautionary tales.

For generations, the traditionally peaceful December holiday season has been a celebrated backdrop for frightening tales. A mischievous snowman frames the children who built him for its misdeeds. A haughty priest offers shelter to a hideous monster posing as an orphan. A father brings home a cursed Christmas tree resulting in a terrifying haunting experience for his family. From October through December, these stories of devils, spirits, murderers, monsters, and surprise twists will fascinate children and their parents.

While the notion of combining the Christmas season with the macabre is not new, collections of scary stories set around the holidays are virtually nonexistent. Those few examples of Christmas ghost stories focus on spiritual encounters that bring enlightenment and holiday joy to the characters. However, this collection embraces the dark tone of Halloween, allowing its wicked or misguided protagonists to fall victim to forces that go bump in the night. Accompanied by spine-tingling illustrations by Chicago area artist J.T. Molloy, these stories introduce younger readers to the true nature of the genre, without employing any graphic or inappropriate language or descriptions.

Christmas Terror Tales is currently available through Amazon.com. Preview pages are available through Amazon’s “search inside” feature, and more information is available at www.kevinfolliard.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kevin Folliard is the screenwriter of the acclaimed videogame parody “Press Start” and its sequel “Press Start 2 Continue.” He is also the creator and head writer for the web series “Press Start Adventures.”

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: J.T. Molloy is a Chicago area artist and post production editor. Recent works include promotional materials for Dark Maze Studios in Champaign, IL as well as the action adventure graphic novel “The Sapphire Spectre.”

Contact: Kevin Folliard
Kmfollia AT gmail DOT com
www.kevinfolliard.com

IMPORTANT LINKS:
Christmas Terror Tales Amazon Product Page
Christmas Terror Tales on Facebook

PRESS IMAGES:

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Christmas Comes Early. And it’s NOT Pretty!

Posted on September 7, 2011 by kmfollia

Now available through Amazon.com!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am proud to announce that my first book available for purchase through Amazon.com is now available for a mere $5.50!  Christmas Terror Tales is guaranteed spooky fun for all ages!  For generations, the traditionally peaceful December holiday season has been a celebrated backdrop for frightening tales.  This collection combines traditional Christmas elements with the spooky fun of Halloween.  Sixteen gripping tales borrow from classical horror and urban legends, and twist holiday archetypes into chilling cautionary tales.  A mischievous snowman frames the children who built him for its misdeeds.  A haughty priest offers shelter to a hideous monster posing as an orphan.  A father brings home a cursed Christmas tree resulting in a terrifying haunting experience for his family.  From October through December, these stories of devils, spirits, murderers, monsters, and surprise twists will fascinate children and their parents.

Now, since this collection is obviously geared toward the Halloween season and beyond, I’m holding off on an official press release for just a bit.  Regardless, the book is ready NOW, and I’d really like to get the word out among my faithful online followers as much as I can right away.  So if you’re a horror fan, a Halloween person, or just a fan of short fiction at large please check it out and help spread the word!

Remember, just like with past projects of mine like Press Start and Press Start Adventures this is not an endeavor backed by a big publishing company with an advertising budget.  I depend on my readers to help spread the word as much as they can:  link it, blog it, Facebook it.  Mention it as often as you can throughout the months of October and December while people have these themes on the brain.  I really appreciate anything you can do to raise the profile of this unique anthology.

For those of you who really want to go the extra mile, here are some of the best things you can do for me:

  • “Like” it:  This one’s easy.  Amazon product pages each have a “Like” button just like Facebook.  Sign into your Amazon account and click it.  Similarly, I have created a Facebook page just for this collection, so please like that as well.
    http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Christmas-Terror-Tales/204731106257625?sk=wall
  • Purchase my book on the same order as similar items:  If you are buying my book from Amazon, take a moment to think about whether or not there are other horror, Halloween, or Christmas themed books or products you’d like to buy in the same purchase order.  If you’re looking for an anthology of scary stories by a well-established author I highly recommend the various anthologies by the great Alvin Schwartz.  He’s the man!  Buying my book along with other similarly themed books will help improve Amazon’s recommendations.  Remember, when you spend over $25 on Amazon your shipping is free.  Go nuts if you can afford it!
  • Write an Amazon Review:  If you have read my book and enjoyed it, please take a moment to rate and review it on Amazon.  Even a short, thoughtful, two sentence impression will go a long way to encourage readers of the caliber of this collection.  Of course, if you despised the book… don’t worry so much about writing that review.
  • Make a Listmania! List:  Amazon has a very cool feature called Listmania in which consumers can make lists of similar or grouped items.  Make a list of Christmas, Halloween, or Horror products and include my book!  http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=14279651
  • Make a So You’d Like to… Guide:  Amazon has a similar feature called So You’d Like to… Guides.  Again, make one of these that is geared towards scary stories, horror, Halloween, or Christmas and include my book.  More info here.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=14279691

Overall, I had a blast writing this collection, and believe me you haven’t heard the last of my journey into self-publishing or my crusade to get these stories out there from now through New Year’s.  And of course… there’s always next year too!

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Stay Tuned…

Posted on September 3, 2011 by kmfollia

My newest project is just over the horizon folks…

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Press Start 2 Continue On Sale NOW!!!

Posted on May 7, 2011 by admin

Originally Posted on March 11, 2011 by kmfollia

 

Ladies and Gentleman,

I am proud to announce that at last Press Start 2 Continue is available to purchase on DVD!  Press Start 2 Continue is the feature length, live action sequel to the acclaimed video game parody Press Start (2007); and both films are companion to the monthly web series Press Start Adventures; which I write, animate, and lend my voiceover talents to.

I strongly encourage everyone to buy the movie here!  But what we really need is good word of mouth.  A considerable amount of time, energy, and resources go into making Press Start happen, and Dark Maze Studios is a small operation that does not have the scratch for a big advertising campaign.

If you have friends, kids, nephews, nieces, husbands, wives, co-workers or just plain know anyone who loves videogames… please tell them about Press Start.  There are trailers and shorts on the website for them to check out to see if this kind of humor is their bag.  Press Start has gotten unique attention because it has gone beyond the usual internet meme humor and established a universe of characters and situations all its own, so there’s plenty to check out without even having to buy the movies.  And if you’re one of those people who LOVES the cartoons but keeps putting off buying the movie, there’s no better time than right now to show your support by picking up the films.  We want to keep making Press Start stuff, and we need your support and your word of mouth to make that happen.

And if you’re just plain curious about the movie:  here is an exclusive scene with introduction by Director Ed Glaser…

Press Start 2 Exclusive Sneak Peek!

So if you really want to go above and beyond to support the movie, here’s some specific things you can do:

▪               Spread the word on your Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, blog, website, or whatever! Just link to http://pressstart2.com.

▪               Post or embed the trailer on any relevant forums you frequent. You can embed the trailer from the Press Start 2 Continue website or from YouTube.

▪               Submit it as a news item to your favorite gamer blog (Kotaku, Destructoid, Joystiq, etc).

▪               Tell, email, or AIM your friends about the movie.

And just as a refresher on the features, this is a Region-Free NTSC DVD containing:

▪               3 Audio Commentary Tracks

▪                                 Director/producer Ed Glaser & writer Kevin Folliard

▪                                 Director/producer Ed Glaser & production designer Meagan Rachelle

▪                                 Actors Al Morrison, Joshua Stafford, & Alex Mitchell

▪               Making-Of Featurette

▪               “Press Start: Bio Haphazard” short film

▪               Mini-poster insert by comic artist J.T. Molloy

▪               Trailer

Thanks for your support!  And let us know what you think!

Sincerely,

Kevin M. Folliard

PS:  I know I had promised some behind the scenes Press Start related blogs leading up to the movie.  Unfortunately I’ve had a few technical difficulties with the blog that I hope to resolve soon (some of you have not been able to leave comments for which I apologize.)  As soon as I have these issues resolved I promise a series of Press Start related Q & A blogs for all you gamers!

 

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Press Start 2 Continue Trailer & Official Site Launched!

Posted on May 7, 2011 by admin

Originally Posted on February 11, 2011 by kmfollia

The title of this post says it all folks!  We are on the verge of the live action sequel Press Start 2 Continue!  See the trailer here!

For the next month Dark Maze will be updating its blog frequently with new bits of news, info, photos, behind the scenes stuff etc.  As promised, I’m also going to have some very special blog posts about the ins and outs of writing all things Press Start right here on my blog.

What we need you to do is alert any and ALL of your gamer friends that this movie is happening.  Word of mouth is critical to the success of Press Start.  Send Emails, post on Facebook, Twitter, alert your favorite gaming newblogs and newsites and let them know how excited you are for this movie!  Spread… the… word!

http://www.darkmaze.com/pressstart2/

 

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Press Start Adventures Is Back!

Posted on May 7, 2011 by admin

Originally Posted on January 1, 2011 by kmfollia

Ladies and Gentlemen I am thrilled to announce that after a brief hiatus Press Start Adventures has triumphantly returned with one of my new favorite episodes “Trial and Error”!  For those not in the know, Press Start is a video game parody I wrote several years back which was made into a feature

 

Lin-Ku squares off against ace attorney Tucson Jackson in this month’s Press Start Adventure!

length film by the excellent Dark Maze Studios.  I feel incredibly lucky that the characters and universe of Press Start were well received enough that today we are just a few months away from the live action sequel Press Start 2 Continue.  But most surprising of all perhaps has been the success of the animated web-series Press Start Adventures.  What started off as a few crudely drawn experiments to help promote the existence of the original movie has expanded into almost forty episodes which have introduced fantastic characters, places, and situations which never would have been possible in live action.

If you haven’t watched Press Start Adventures, you can stop reading my blog now and go check it out!  Similarly, if you’re already a fan but haven’t seen this month’s episode yet, stop now and go check it out!  I’ll just be waiting here in this ellipse…

…Ah you’re back!  I’m glad you decided to take time out of your life to indulge in some video game parody!  Well I’ve got a little treat for you now.  A behind the scenes look at how a Press Start cartoon is made start to finish.  The journey begins, as with any piece of fiction, as an idea…

 

 

Shredder’s Technodrome was stuck in Dimension X… Count Vile is stuck in Hades. Who says the ’87 Turtles toon didn’t have some good ideas!

Step 1:  Brainstorming

 

When director Ed Glaser approaches me to make a new batch of PSA episodes, the first thing we must do is figure out what the heck they should be about.  At this stage Mr. Glaser is typically pretty hands off.  But there are often a few general guidelines.  For example, we hadn’t initially planned beyond season one and the movie.  So in approaching season two, Ed knew we would have to breathe a little new life into the series.  He mentioned that he’d been watching the 1987 Ninja Turtles cartoon.

“Shredder, Krang, and the Technodrome are always getting stuck places, and the villains are always motivated by looking for ways to escape.  What if Count Vile was stuck in hell and working on getting out?”  Ed Suggested.

“Capital idea!”  I said (or something less sophisticated sounding perhaps).  And off I went.

The first thing I want to do is figure out what kinds of video game characters, conventions, and situations we haven’t spoofed yet.  Some episodes are pretty fully formed in my head already, others I have to really think about before I know I have something that might possibly work.  My brainstorming techniques generally involve lists that range from very vague to very specific.  Often just coming up with a really funny character to introduce is more than enough to carry a whole web short.  I keep listing until I feel satisfied that I have a thorough variety of ideas.  There’s no real science behind brainstorming.  It’s different for everyone.  Sometimes it comes easy.  Sometimes not.  Either way, an excellent list of ideas does not necessarily equal a batch of hilarious scripts.  So the next step is to pick out the best ideas and fully conceptualize them.

Step 2:  Season Pitch

Press Start Adventures, like any film medium is a highly collaborative process.  So the next thing I need to do is convince my director Ed that my good ideas are actually good ideas.  Often they are not, so this is an important step.

An episode pitch for PSA is typically a very short paragraph or two.  In one paragraph I’ll summarize the premise of each episode.  Then in a second brief paragraph I might include a few “writer notes” in which I explain any particulars or specifics for why I think this episode is going to be funny.  I might mention specific gags that aren’t relevant to the plot which I’m excited about, or I might explain a joke that Ed might not necessarily get, but a lot of other games probably will.  If I myself am not 100% sold on an episode but think there’s potential, I might mention that as well.  A lot of times when I admit that an episode is kind of half-baked, Ed comes back at me with a great idea for how to fully bake it and we’re in business.

Ed provides me a batch of notes on my season pitch, and we do a little back and forth.  After a few rounds of this, we typically find ourselves with 10-12 solid ideas for a batch of episodes.  Just like with any TV show, the idea is to have a mix of different kinds of episodes, give everyone’s favorite characters time in the spotlight, and do our best to keep the pacing up and the story of Press Start moving.

Here’s the original pitch for the most recent episode “Trial and Error” including a snippet of E-correspondence between myself and Mr. Glaser:

Trial and Error: The tournament is underway and Lin-Ku is well on his way to the finals, but ace attorney Tucson Jackson has a cease and desist order! Apparently two young children imitating the fighters hurt themselves. A trial is staged to determine if the tournament is to blame.

NOTES: Mostly a spoof of attorney games for the DS as well as the ongoing debate about the affects of video game violence. Was thinking the two kids would be the Paperboy and a “bully.”  This would be a chance to bring a lot of fighter characters to the stand for quick punchy gags (pun unintentional).

Ed: The videogame violence angle has a lot of potential. The trick is gonna be to use a lot of humor/satire and avoid being heavy handed and soap-boxy.

Kevin: Yes.  Slap me upside the head if I’m being heavy handed and soap-boxy.  If we’re going to nix the tournament as a storyline maybe we can filter it all into this one episode.  What if just as Lin-Ku is about to “Finish Her” he’s interrupted and the trial starts.  Then after the verdict (something like “fighting tournaments don’t cause violence”) the tournament resumes and Lin-Ku immediately rips her wings off?

As you might have guessed from these early conceptual notes, my first crack at PSA season three included a longer ongoing plot about a fighting tournament that was rightfully consolidated into just this one episode.  In fact, out of the original twelve episode pitch only about five and a half of them ended up resembling the final product.  Many were smooshed together, severely altered, or ditched entirely as we worked out major plot points and seriously evaluated their comedic value.  It pays to plan.

Step 3:  Scripting

Once we have a solid batch of ideas, it’s finally time to sit down and do some serious screenwriting.  Scripting web cartoons is pretty fun and organic for me.  But if I had to break down the ingredients for a good PSA script it would probably look like this…

Setup: Lin-Ku and Morgan Le Slay are fighting in a tournament and Lin-Ku is about to “finish her!”

Conflict/Entanglement: The self-righteous Tucson Jackson shows up to put the fighters on trial for their violent ways.

Gags: References to games, spoofs of particular characters, conventions etc.  The best PSA episodes usually try to mix and match different kinds of video game genres.  “Trial and Error” is heavily influenced by fighting games on the surface but it’s also got a hefty dose of other stuff:  attorney games, sports games, sandbox games, and real life social issues related to video game violence.

Resolution and/or Punchline: Lin-Ku outsmarts Tucson by pointing out that violence is an intrinsic part of human nature and the violent ways of the fighters resume.

Sometimes in comedy shorts a true resolution is not reached.  The punch line serves as a climax and we don’t need to know or understand how a character gets out of a situation.  In the PSA episodes which feature Count Vile vs. the “Dreadful Yellow Chompy Things” the problem is never solved.  We just work our way up to the biggest or funniest gag and end.  In “Trial and Error” the conflict of the trial is resolved, but the issue of the affect of violence on youths is left open to debate as Lin-Ku’s murderous actions seem to have a direct influence on the children after all.

Step 4:  Rewrites

As with episode pitches, nothing comes out perfect.  There’s usually even more back and forth that goes on with scripts.  Remarkably, by the time I scripted “Trial and Error” Ed didn’t have any serious notes to pass back to me.  But normally I get lists of comments like these…

▪               Maybe include a little exposition, Vlad video screen to tell E Penguin to get ax.

▪               Vile should repeat Zippy more.  “HEY”  “HEY”

▪               CUT quadruplicating sword joke (too naughty)

 

If Ed Glaser didn’t have the guts to tell me when a script was no good, we wouldn’t have episodes like “Grand Theft Awful” to replace them.

Although we try our best to solidify the season before scripting, there’s always at least one dud that gets scripted.  For season three it was a highly mediocre episode about Zack, Sam, and Lin-Ku trapped in a haunted art gallery that was a holdover from my original concept about a fighting tournament at Vlad’s castle.  Fortunately, inspiration struck and it was replaced by the much better “Grand Theft Awful.”

Some episodes like “Shoplifter” are intrinsically good, but need some kind of major change to get them moving.  Originally that episode opened with Vlad and Morgan listing off a bunch of “spooky sounding” groceries to one another that dragged out for a good page before Vlad got to the part where he was messing with the self-checkout machine.  Ed said:

▪               Goes on for too long, pacing wonky.  No build.

▪               Morgan doesn’t need to be in it???  Don’t need to establish they’re in a store.

He was right.  We would see right away that Vlad is shopping in a store.  Nobody needs to talk about it.  Schizoid Cricket and Vlad had such funny interplay at the checkout though, so once we expanded that and gave some of Morgan’s lines to him the episode really clicked.

A lot of aspiring writers like to believe that literary gold just oozes from their pens, and love butting heads with editors and instructors that are telling them when things don’t work.  Revision is critical.  Have lots of faith in yourself as you sit down in front of a blank page or screen.  But let your pride end there.  Find yourself a good editor with an excellent sense of pacing and trust him or her 95-100% of the time.

Step 5:  Voice Recording

Here’s the really fun part for me!  Once we have a batch of great scripts Ed takes over and starts working his directorial and editorial magical mumbo jumbo that I don’t really completely understand.

 

I look mad so I must be voicing Lin-Ku here…

Remember that Press Start Adventures episodes are normally planned and worked on in batches of 10-12.  So Ed schedules each of our very talented voice actors to record an entire season’s worth of shorts at once.  Without the extremely talented cast of PSA the humor would fall flatter than Mr. Game and Watch, so we are incredibly lucky to have wonderful actors like Peter Davis, David Humphrey, J.W. Morrissette, Arin Hanson, and many more lending their hilarity and professionalism to our series.

Many of us in the PSA cast voice multiple characters so we’ll generally work our way through a batch of scripts one character at a time.  I like to start with Trenton Belfast and any others that I may be voicing, then once my voice has gotten a little hoarse from all the other stuff I move on to the gruff and gritty Lin-Ku voice.  I myself am not as talented a voiceover actor as many of the others in our cast, so I imagine I need a little more direction than most.  I will say each line a few times, and then Ed will give me a few suggested line readings and we move on at a steady pace.  Voice acting is the ultimate no pressure situation for me as an actor.  Just cut loose into a microphone.  No inhibitions, no live audience, no problem if you screw up, no worries about whether or not you look stupid.  You just have to sound good and have fun.

Step 6:  Rough Audio

Once Ed has collected all of the lines from his actors, the next thing he’ll do is create rough audio tracks for each episode and get them to me early in the month in which that episode will premiere.  The rough audio just has the actor’s lines and a selection of key sound effects for timing purposes.  Once I have this sound track, I can animate to it.

Step 7:  Rough Animation

Now comes the most tedious part in the process for me.  Animating!  Typically, there’s no trick to it.  I just plop the audio into my Flash file and get to work, animating the episode from start to finish.  Usually I’ll have done a little prep work beforehand.  Any new backgrounds, characters, or interesting little bits of animation I know we’ll need for the episode may or may not be ready to go.  Fortunately, even if they’re not, PSA has a very cut and paste style of animation, and the more episodes we make, the bigger our stock of materials becomes.

“Trial and Error” required quite a few new models, props, and backgrounds.  Tucson Jackson, Spanish Ninja, and the Bully were all making their PSA debuts.  We’d been to a fighting arena in the Press Start movie once before… but never in a cartoon.  So I had to design that with the movie in mind.  And I actually did have quite a few stock “fighter” characters.  But as it turned out, about half of them were established to be dead and in Hell with Count Vile.  So I had to make a bunch of new ones anyway.  This

 

Thai Fighter, Toxique, and Eyeballctopus are “original characters like Ricky Rouse and Monald Muck!”

ended up being great because I was able to pay tribute to a few popular fighting games that weren’t otherwise referenced in the script.

In fact, animation adds a whole new level of gags to the story.  I’m a firm believer in pause-button comedy.  I think there should be hidden jokes for people to catch the fifth or sixth time they watch the video.  So any time there’s cause for a newspaper, poster, letter, etc. I make sure I take time to flesh that out as if someone cares enough to stop the video and read the whole thing.  (Even if they don’t, it’s fun for me.)

The amount of time to complete the rough cut varies.  I’m going to make an uneducated guess and say between 24 and 36 hours?  But it’s spread out over the course of days and weeks so it’s hard to say for sure.  What I’m mostly grateful for, however, is the fact that people can forgive simplicity, crudeness, and cut and paste recycled animation as long as they are laughing.  If not for that, we would never be able to keep a monthly schedule and we wouldn’t have a show.

Step 8:  Animation Notes

Revision, revision, revision!  That’s the key to any successful project.  I’ve gotten a lot better at staging, framing, and cinematographing the heck out of my rough cuts.  But I know that my director has a better sense for that stuff.  So there’s always another set of insightful notes for me to address.  A sampling of just some of the animation notes I got for “Trial and Error”…

▪               I like that the set looks like the one from the movie, but I never liked the white walls. Any chance of trying something darker and seeing how it looks?

▪               With a name like “G. Fourman’s Greatest Hits”, I feel like the cover should show him punching a guy?

▪               “Legal Flash!” — I’d kinda like to see him throw the thing and catch fire in the same shot, if possible

▪               Wing-ripping might be a little too bloody? What do you think?

Like I said, trust your editor almost 100% of the time.  As usual everything he suggested was pretty much spot on.  My only contention…

Kevin: “I like the bloodiness of the wing ripping and feel like it’s not so gratuitous since we’re specifically spoofing video game violence this time.  But I’m open to debate about it.”

Ed: “Good point about the blood, let’s leave it as is for now.”

Woah!  It got a little tense there for a second!  We get along pretty well.

Step 9:  Final Audio

While I’m tending to his notes, Ed is typically working on the fully fleshed out final audio.  Aside from being an insightful director, Mr. Glaser is also a top notch sound editor with a very comprehensive library of sound effects and non-copyright infringing stock music.  When you’re making a web cartoon having quality sound is one of the best ways to set yourself apart from all the other random stuff on YouTube.  Once again this is all Ed.  I couldn’t begin to make a cartoon sound as nice as PSA does on my own, so I won’t bother pretending like I understand all the hard work that he puts into this.  All I know is that in a matter of days (sometimes even one night) he will send me a master sound file that fully fleshes out the episode with detailed sound effects and music.

 

 

Press Start 2 Continue is right on the horizon folks!

Step 10:  Publish

 

Once I’ve tended to all the animation notes and dropped in the final sound mix, we’re ready to roll!  I send it to Ed who publishes it on the Dark Maze website, YouTube, Newgrounds, and That Guy With The Glasses.  Everyone does their part to promote their hard work and spread the word that yet another PSA episode has debuted on schedule and hopefully you all laugh really hard at the quality gaming humor.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this behind the scenes insight about Press Start Adventures.  Keep watching for more Press Start related blogs in the coming months.  Remember, there are three more episodes left, debuting on the last Friday of every month.  But most importantly Press Start 2 Continue will be here in just a few short JackaMonths!

 

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