The GO-BEERKADA launch and New Worlds Convention
May 24, 2005Check out the pics in my gallery.
Oliver out-photoshopped me!
I loved my book launch. Old friends I met again, new readers who told me their BEERKADA stories. And then I treated the stragglers to pizza.
The New Worlds convention attracted a good crowd this Monday. Thanks for Star Wars Philippines and Via-Astris for inviting the Artists Den, and thanks to Syeri for occasionally manning the booth for us.
Next stop: UP Diliman on June 14 - 17, 10am onwards at the AS Walk. Punta kayo!
Here’s a simple marketing truism
May 22, 2005During a birthday party last year, I met up with a former business schoolmate (who recently passed away). He said he just watched Feng Shui, the horror film starring Kris Aquino. I asked him whether the movie will save Philippine cinema.
He said, ‘Man, I just wanted a good time. I didn’t watch it to evaluate its potential to save Philippine cinema.’
Some people have always judged pop culture as moronic, and yearns for more intelligent fare. Fair enough, but here’s the thing: the mainstream works hard for 10-14 hours on the average every day. Even the most intelligent of people spends their daily life striving for top honors, getting a promotion, or making clients happy. At the end of the day, he’s worn out and needs to distract himself, to take out the edge, and relax. So he’ll be ready to carry on the fight the next day.
Tell me: would Joe Mainstream really spend that time between crushing work evaluating films on their potential to resurrect Philippine cinema?
The only people who spends their day critically evaluating movies are film buffs (who actually find evaluating film relaxing), film critics (they’re paid to do so), and the elite (who don’t do a lot of taxing work). These groups are a minority. The rest of us wants entertainment not to tax their system. They want entertainment they can enjoy as pairs or groups. They want entertainment that can fit into their busy lives.
As a creator, who do you want to please? These minorities or the rest of us? You’re best bet in pleasing both is creating layered work, with simple storytelling at the outermost level and nuanced underpinnings for those who wants to search deeper into the structure. CGI features do good work in this method, with brightly colored animation for kids and complex storytelling and mature themes for adults.
As a creator, you have the right to preserve the integrity of your vision. But the audience is waiting for someone to listen to them.
They’re still waiting.
Just watched Episode III
May 21, 2005Thank the Maker, Lucas finally made a second trilogy film that justifies all the millions he’s made.
The best thing about it? Jar Jar Binks had no speaking lines.
Warning! Spoiler here: Incidentally, did anyone catch the Tarzan yell when Wookies were swinging on the Droid attack craft? I think it was Chewbacca, as he did the same thing in Return of the Jedi.
Observation: When Anakin aged from a boy of 6 to a man of 20, Obi Wan grew from Ewan McGregor to Ewan McGregor with a beard. When Luke grew from infant to Mark Hamill, Obi Wan aged from Ewan McGregor to decrepit Sir Alec McGuiness.
Weh?
Ten years ago, George Lucas faced a problem.
He was supposed to write the prequel trilogy for his Star Wars, but it seemed impossible to film it without being compared to the mythos-building initial trilogy.
His solution?
Film the first two movies as a piece of mediocrity then make a decent third film. His fans will be so grateful by then they will laud it.
THOUGHTS
There was a time when I would order Hawaiian-style pizza becuae I wanted to try something exotic.
“Ooh!”:, I go, “Now to try some cuisine from Hawaii. I can’t afford to go to Hawaii, but this will be the next best thing. I’m a jet-set wanna-be!”
It was only a few years ago I realized that Hawaiian-style meant that something had pineapple chunks on it. It was just marketing.
Then I realized more. I realize that Asian-style just meant the food is spicy.
Which makes me wonder about KFC’s Asian-style salad. We’re in Asia; shouldn’t it just be called plain Salad?
It has started raining in the late afternoons. So now its mercilessly hot in the morning and rainy in the late afternoons.
Can anybody say ‘flu season’?
Sometimes, whenever I do something cool, I pretend to hold a cigarette in between my fingers and take a long drag from it. You know, to simulate the coolness of smoking without having to participate in the idiocy of it.
I guess its like those airgun games. It’s people who pretend they’re all cool using strategy and shooting at each other. They’re dressed up as ninja and strut around after a session. I think they pretend they’re in slow motion after each game.
How cool is it to simulate the act of putting a bullet on a fellow human being? The thing about being a soldier is, you’re out to kill a human being. You don’t know him, he never did anything to you personally, you don’t hate him, if there wasn’t a war he’d be out working and raising a family just like you. But you have to kill him because otherwise he’d kill you.
Which leads me to thinking about G.I. Joe. Remember G.I. Joe? All that shooting and no one dies? All those planes being shot down and pilots inevitably bailing out at the last minute?
How many billions of dollars are wasted if that show actually existed? Every time a plane gets shot down I’m thinking, ’That’s a $25 million plane being shot down. That’s the budget of the entire Philippine army in one plane, up in smoke.”
That’s why I respect Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles better. That’s battling evil on a budget. Their weapons are reusable. Much more efficient in resources, far less damage to the environment.
The GO-BEERKADA book launch is this Saturday, May 21, 7pm in Powerbooks Greenbelt. I just thought its a good idea to promote something in the middle of a stream of thoughts.
UPDATE
May 17, 2005The GO-BEERKADA book launch is moved to Powerbooks GREENBELT, this Saturday, May 21, 2005, at 7pm.
Please be advised.
I don’t get it.
I don’t get why people bought tickets for the first hour of Star Wars Episode III’s worldwide release. It’s been declared that Episode I and II are mediocrities, so why support this likely bleh movie?
Are we that starved for entertainment that we can’t wait to see Lucas’ latest letdown? No wonder Beerkada has reached a certain height of popularity: people all-too readily lap up second-rate diversions.
I don’t get this STAR WARS brouhaha the same way I don’t get the clamor for GMA’s resignation. Don’t these people know who’ll be next in line? NOLI BOY DE CASTRO!
I’d rather keep Little Miss Mediocrity over Kabayan Possible Disaster.
I started off with this idea for The Man of Steel
but then I realized Supeman Begins is still a year away. So I started thinking of a more relevant Star Wars joke but couldn’t think of any (Star Wars being a joke in itself). So I just tweaked the previous joke into this:
Problem solved.
RETHINK
May 16, 2005I’m brushing up on my business wisdom, and in the past few months I was stuck in a proverbial hole. I know any start-up company must initially win a fan base, a cult of followers who will swear by your product/service/work, form a community around it, spread the word for you, and support you during the first few years. I’ve already done this part. I also know that to sustain growth, your company has to enter the mainstream, to give more people reasons to patronize your work. I know that entering the mainstream does not automatically flow from a cult following (compare henna tattoo from hard-core tattoo; the former has entered the mainstream while the latter dwells among a core audience.) Finally, I know that you can maintain both a core audience and the mainstream crowd by giving each communities what they want (this is what manga does successfully.)
Here was my problem: how do I move from a cult following into the mainstream?
It’s not just a matter of translating your work for the larger audience, getting rid of barriers, and making it accessible. I’ve already done that and my work still won’t lift off in a big way (aka where’s my car?!)
I found a solution.
Ted Levitt, the father of modern marketing, asked the question, ‘What business are you really in?’ He tells the story of Union Pacific Railroad, who dominated the US railroad industry back in the 1920s. But it couldn’t keep up with the highways and the airlines, and it lost its former grandeur. Levitt argues that if Union Pacific saw itself in the transportation industry and not just the railroad industry, it would have taken steps to insure its continued dominance.
So I ask myself the question, ‘What business am I really in?’
If I see myself in the comic book business, then I would be creating items for comic book lovers. However, if I see myself in the entertainment business, I see a lot more possibilities. I’ve always wondered, ‘How can people enjoy BEERKADA if they don’t read comics?’ If I am in the entertainment business, then I have a lot more flexibility to take my work where it needs to go.
The FHM of the kiddle market?!
May 15, 2005Members of The Artists Den discussed a successful format for a new magazine during a recent meeting of the New Worlds Alliance. I mentioned that the most succesful mens magazine I know is FHM and the most successful womens magazine is Cosmopolitan. FHM won over its target market with scantily clad women and Cosmo won over its market with shopping and guides to female living.
I then asked, ‘What is the FHM for kids?’
What theme would grab kids attention the same way FHM and Cosmo grab their audiences?
Someone came up with FUN.
That’s it. Whoever comes up with a printed version of fun will win the kiddie market.
I still can’t get over the fact that MULAWIN ended.
In my days, a soap opera (that’s what it was called back then) lasted for years and years.
Now a telenovela ends in a matter of months.
The world’s gone mad.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
May 13, 2005Too many people have said too many things.
I thought I could handle the rumors, but they have gone out of control.
Even people who are new to my blog are confused with all the statements being exchanged.
I made a mistake : I should have said something earlier, before it went too far. So I’m saying it now.
It’s final! The GO-BEERKADA BOOK LAUNCH is set on May 21, 2005, 730pm at Powerbooks Megamall. Meet your fellow beerkadets! Freebies are in store for attendees!
I hope this issue about the book launch is finally laid to rest. Kitakits next Saturday!
CONTROVERSY
May 3, 2005“ You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you knew how seldom they did. “
“I have problems with women…
Grow up.”
These are recent accusations about my character. These happen to be the ones that least bother me (I will be more rattled if you accused me of jumping the shark already or being irrelevant). Because I have made peace with who I am some time ago.
I rather enjoy controversy: I heard Usher uses it to push sales of his albums. So I will say the following only once, then just wallow in any further gossip.
Incidents showing my true colors? Have I done things I am ashamed of? Of course. But I don’t care for a life where I didn’t do things that led to mistakes. I want to know my true colors - how else will I know what to repaint?
The following are what I hold true about myself.
I am Lyndon Gregorio.
I could have been/could be so much more.
I have always felt alone.
I have problems with women.
And I could use some growing up.
I can also lighten up a little more.
I am also Lyndon Gregorio.
I lost my long-term girlfriend to another man, my sister to a bus
collision, and a P400K scholarship to grief, all within a 12-month
period.
I did what it took to survive and bounce back.
I make little apologies for it, and I expect little sympathy.
I am following my dreams despite being surrounded by people who do not even know what their dreams are.
There is little inspiration for me in this venture except from what I gather in books (in the inspirational section of the bookstore, of course).
My dreams have not quite shattered yet.
I have pasted my cellphone number on my comic strip because I really want to know my readers think, whereas my contemporaries don’t even care if they have readers.
After much introspection, my depression could just be a chemical imbalance. Thus, further introspection upon will be pointless.
I will keep making mistakes.
Finally, here is the essential truth I have found out about myself:
I am Lyndon Gregorio.
I am doing the best I can.
And I can live with that.
~L.
Apologies to RK Milholland
May 1, 2005I edited the relevant parts of the dialogue, but the following comics remarkably captured my sentiments about certain fanboys’ attitudes towards the DARNA teleserye:
Crap is crap.
