Back From Next

Howdy, folks!

Just got back from the best conference I'd been to in a long time: NEXT. Put on by Sovereign Grace Ministries, the theme was the church, and how I as a Christian fit into it. Speakers included C.J. Mahaney, Kevin DeYoung and Matt Chandler; and let me tell you, God has gifted those men greatly!

So, now I'm back, and you can expect posts again. I've got a handful of Deep Red comic pages in the pipeline, along with a fair collection of poems I wrote while on my trip. I'm also working on a internet-safe trailer for When Darkness Falls, so ya'll can get a little peek into what I spend my summers doing.

Let me know if there's anything else you'd like me to post, I'm all ears!

Deep Red- #2

Here's the next couple of pages! And, fyi, sometime in the near future I will be compiling all of these and creating a page specifically for them, so you can re-read the whole story without searching through weeks of posts.

Deep Red- In Brick

Well, back when I asked ya'll about which story to work on next, I mentioned a Lego stop-motion video. A few days later, I posted a few screenshots. Since then, my goal changed a little. See, if any of you have ever made or attempted to make a stop-motion flick, then you know that it takes FOREVER. On the order of a few weeks for every two minutes or so. And Deep Red was too big a story to tell in thirty seconds. :)

So, I switched gears. I had dabbled with a certain program a while back, really enjoyed it, and rather forgotten about it in the hubbub that was finals. Well, partway through my realization that making a full-length feature film for Deep Red was impossible, I remembered it.

And ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the result: Deep Red; the graphic novel; in Lego.

And that's just the first two pages! There's nine more, as of right now, which constitute one section (or four pages, if you like), of text in the actual book.

So, what do you think? Nifty visualization, or epic fail? 

A Comment to the Comments

Well, since I had a little too much to say in answer to all the comments on my last post, I decided that instead of stuffing it all in the comments section and hope everyone checked back there, I would put it here.

To answer all the questions about viewing the movie; due to many of my actors' differing privacy preferences, (including my own), I doubt this movie will ever reach public viewing on the internet, though I might be able to fashion a trailer or scene preview at some point which will allow a glimpse of our work. I will get back to ya'll on that.

But seriously? 36 A's, and a collective dozen each of exclamation points and question marks; all for a junky photoshop of a sword with darkness sprayed around behind it and a fairly basic (read: unoriginal) plot line synopsis? Over excessive, much?

Keep thy cool, folks. :) Save your fanaticism for Legolas, Twilight and The Hunger Games. They need it. :P

Now, that's not to say I don't enjoy you all drooling over seemingly whatever I post, but it does get old to hear everything I do praised as if it was the latest Harry Potter movie. Just remember, as I have said before, and will continue to say, everything I apparently create has been given to me by God. And He should get the glory, not me.

So go ahead and scream with excitement every time the word "Excerpt" appears on this blog, but do refrain from putting said excitement into text. Trust me, you'll live longer for it. :)

Now, please don't take this for what it's not. I'm not asking anyone to stop commenting. I'd just rather not be the subject of uber-excitement. But here's what you can do. See, I'm just like you. The only difference is here I'm on the other end of the blog. I write, you read. But what if my writing is doing what this kind of commenting is doing, only the other way around? In other words, am I sticking myself and/or my writing on a pedestal to be admired and above reproach? Am I asking (not in so many words, of course) for all the attention and praise I 'say' I shouldn't have?

So keep me accountable. Let me know if I'm being stuck-up, or asking for praise and approval for my work. This blog should point to God, but if all it's doing is pointing to me, then it's failed in its purpose.

And finally, thank you all. Thank you for every single wonderful comment you've ever posted here. I truly appreciate them.

Sincerely, Farjag

It is DONE!!

In late December of 2009, I shot the first frames of my biggest film project to date.

Two months shy of a year ago, I shot my last.

Last night, almost three entire years after starting it, I can officially declare When Darkness Falls: 

COMPLETE!!

A Dark-Ages-esque piece, When Darkness Falls is the tale of a kingdom rising up against the tyranny that has crushed the life out it's people for fifteen years. It chronicles the story of the outlaw Flaren, him named the Fellburn, and his efforts to ignite the people of Faerndell into revolt against their oppressors. But the true hero of the story is a young boy named Drelborn, whose true identity will topple the outcome of the fast-approaching war one way or the other.

You Can Has Excerpt!

Because I'm lame and didn't know what else to post. :)

From Deep Red:

Kale chuckled, shaking Cordan’s hand good-naturedly. “Best of luck to you, mate. I’m pretty sure you need it.”
Cordan winked and turned to go. “I’ll be picking up them supplies tomorrow round abouts noon. Have ‘em ready at your east entrance, I’ll be putting down in the street.” 

* * *

“You sure this is a good idea, captain?” yelled Reese over the whipping of the wind and the roar of Deep Red’s engines. He hadn’t realized the Cordan wasn’t joking when he had said he was gonna pull up right to the cantina’s front door.
“Course I am! You ever flown a cutter afore?”
“No, but…”
“Then shut up!”