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Ask Neil Gaiman and Amber Benson About Their Kickstarter Vampire Movie
Writer and novelist Neil Gaiman and Amber Benson of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame have teamed up to star in a new vampire movie called, Blood Kiss. Kickstarted by ST:TNG and Emmy-winning writer Michael Reaves, Blood Kiss is a film noir vampire movie set in Golden Age Hollywood. Of his acting debut Gaiman says, "I'm willing to pretend that the prospect of acting doesn't terrify me in order to help Michael Reaves make his film." The trio have agreed to take a break from the blood and answer any questions you have about the new project or their past work. As usual, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one per post.
Given the plethora of vampire-related media in recent years, do you believe there is still a market for this type of film? What will you bring to the table that has not already been done?
what are the vampires like? are they cool like masquerade, goofy like buffy or just plain retarded like twilight?
yes this is intended to sound like buffy and twilight are uncool/stupid and that masquerade is cool/interesting. if their faces change to bad masks like buffy then gtfo and if the thing is like twilight then gtfo. don't care about the story. blade style is ok as well, it's somewhat akin to masquerade anyways(the basic stuff minus the "special" shit).
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Household names teaming up with an industry award winner? Leave the crowdfunding for the people without deep pockets and industry access/connections.
I'll only watch if the main character is a popular dead president.
Somebody didn't get the memo that vampires are over.
You can track this at a Barnes and Noble store by noting how many bookcases in the teen section are devoted to a subject. At peak, there were four cases of "Teen Paranormal Romance" and two of "New Teen Paranormal Romance". That dropped to three cases total, then two. "Survival" books are big now - there are two cases of Hunger Games imitations, not including the table of Hunger Games merch.
Than Twilight?
Bazinga.
If that's the best name they could come up with then I won't look forwards to the rest of the writing.
like MirrorMask, which was mediocre?
What are your thoughts on Vampire rules; such as classic vampires vs sparkling?
Over the decades we've seen Vampires (and Zombies) change and evolve from the classic rules and mythology to a whole plethora of variations. Powers, weaknesses, origins, turnings, etc. Such transitions have been slow, but now we have sparkling vampires made of stone. Do you feel that we should stick more with the classic mythos? Or are you in favor with your own spin.
suck.
Didn't Twilight ruin Vampires for generations to come?
With Michael, Neil and Amber on board, this project has a very intriguing pedigree and I think stands a good chance at being something original and fresh. At the same time, the vampire story is feeling a little worn-out at this particular time, which might make it a hard sell for some. My question is, will Amber Benson marry me?
--- Math illiteracy affects 8 out of every 5 people.
Neil, no question just wanted to tell you I love your work
What's making out with Alyson Hannigan like?
Thanks to both of you for this interview!
Who is your favorite vampire ?
So, I have a certain amount of money, and I also volunteer (mainly for litter cleanups on local waterways). By your logic, since I don't pay people to do the cleanups for me, and since I accept assistance from nonprofits (in the form of boxes of free trash bags), I'm a complete asshole?
I think I'd rather live in my universe than see the universe through your shit-colored glasses.
Will you marry me?
Am I remembering things wrong, or have these sorts of interviews on slashdot become much, much less popular in terms of number of responses than they used to be? The only ones I've seen lately have had the post count in the tens, which seems like a waste of an opportunity. I feel like maybe they should stop doing them because apparently almost no readers care.
Will Amber be singing? Some of us have been waiting a long time for the debut album but will take what we can get.
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SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Nothing like reading a story about Nell Galman, whoever that is.
Never heard of any of these fine people, maybe I'm on the wrong continent or just too old...
Question: Why should I look up from my server logs? Will the blood in Blood Kiss turn out to be engine oil and reveal that the vampires are actually robots?
I'm founding Kickstopper.
things supernatural making a vampire movie?
If these guys say Vamps are overdone, are there any types of monster you find underdone?
Given that Neil has access to the Hollywood funding machine and has already made a couple movies, why should he be using Kickstarter to fund his project? Shouldn't Kickstarter be used for people who have a good idea but don't have those industry connections? Isn't Neil's tactic going to only start to push those people out and reduce their opportunities when every well connected person starts using it? It doesn't seem fair.
As a proported vampire himself, this would be amazing.
Without spoiling the plot, what separates Blood Kiss from the Vampyres of Hollywood series of novels?
...ANOTHER vampire film / franchise!!!
I know, "But this is Neil Gaiman!!!" /facepalm
https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested
The Kickstarter page asks for $50K, but considering the apparent costs usually involved in making anything other than the smallest-scale movies, as well as the references in the text of your KS pitch regarding venture capital, I'd like to know how much you *actually* need to get this film made and distributed.
A few (two or three) variations of Dracula.
And "An interview with a vampire".
Oh, well if you are hardcore you might want to see Nosferatu.
Market? Yeah sure, there is a market. The stupid idiots watch everything that is marketed right.
I for my part can not stand vampire movies, most zombie movies (except "Brain Dead") or horror movies in particular.
The audience around me is submerged into the "story" and "feared". I see no story as nonly see the flaws in the "chain of events" ... obviously for the brain dead masses some effects that "scare" them are enough to make a movie "exciting".
Disclaimer: I never saw a vampire movie in the theater (except that movie with Pat Britt and Tom Cruise)
Hey but Neil writes nice books and I hear Amanda or is it Amber is a nice singer ... perhaps they have an IDEA!
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
My question:
Don't you think celebrities should get the hell off kickstarter? Having both achieved success and fame in your chosen fields, why don't you use your undoubted influence and contacts instead of taking the lazy option of asking fans to shoulder the risk and provide project financing for you?
Kickster is a fantastic opportunity for unknowns and people with good ideas, who otherwise would find it hard to raise capital, to get their small projects off the ground through crowdfunding. I find it pretty shabby that it's now become a playground for individuals to use their celebrity to further their own ambitions and careers, thus making the pot available to those who don't have your name recognition all the smaller. It's not like your idea even has anything original or inventive about it. Neil Gaiman in particular - you're an international multiple best-selling author, so I doubt you're short of a dollar or two. Why go cap-in-hand to people considerably less affluent than you to pursue your hobbies and side projects?
What do you have to say to this?
Wait. Will characters fall in love or sleep with each other, eventually or otherwise? If so, count me out.
The Buffy series was awesome but starts to lose its shine when every character 'buddies' up.
Series I can think of right now that do not do this are Sam Raimi's Hercules and maybe, Xena.
Neil Gaiman gave an interview in 2009 to Entertainment Weekly : http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20301186,00.html
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
In a 2009 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Neil Gaiman mentioned his opinions on what vampires represented, and the published interview concluded with:
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
As it says we're allowed to ask about past work --
Should we still hold out hope for a Good Omens movie, or is it just dead in the water?
(it's still one of my favorite books of all time ... I think I'm on my 4th copy as I've loaned it to over a dozen people over the years and don't always get it back)
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
Well, even going back to Brahm, Dracula was less powerful in daylight but didn't necessarily kill him, it just reduced his strength and made him unable to use some powers (such as transformation, etc).
Still, he certainly didn't freakin' sparkle in the sunlight.
As far as movies go, vampire genre should be far from done and dusted.. books maybe, but surely not movies.. Someone should make a movie from the Vampire Hunter D novels.
Hi Neal - first off I want to say I'm a huge admirer and I can't wait to see you in Nashville this July! That being said, the tour is billed as the "Last US Signing Tour". Say it ain't so!
My question:
With the upcoming "American Gods" project for HBO, how much creative control do you have over the direction of series? Is there a firm beginning and an end to the story arc, as with the novel, or do you have to keep things open for possible future seasons?
Blood Kiss sounds interesting due to the sheer creativity pool involved, although I think the vampire genre is getting a bit washed thin and fraying at the cuffs lately. Hopefully this approach will be sufficiently unique as to revitalize it (entendré completely intended).
"Not all who wander are lost" -- JRR Tolkien
Somebody didn't get the memo that vampires are over.
The vampire thing has been ongoing for more than a century and a half so far and probably will never be over. Before Dracula, there was Lord Ruthven who every author made their main vampire. The 19th century was full of books and plays about vampires. Thing is that vampires are allegories for sex, death, and even sometimes romantic love which people have tended to dwell on since they started telling stories. They may be over used at times, but will never be over until something else comes along to replace them.
From the webpage it sounds like you don't relish the idea of acting Neil. What made you decide to do it and what is Mr. Reaves holding over you?
I think the success of Game of Thrones and the fact that most successful Sci-fi or fantasy films unfold over multiple movies shows that people want to get to know characters on a personal level more now than before. Do you think it still possible to tell a great story with fleshed out characters in two hours or less?
A lot of recent movies have kind of ignored sub-plots and development of non-lead characters in exchange for stunts and effects.
I'm a big Gaiman fan for his thoroughness in crafting worlds (the world is a character, the reader's view and understanding expands as the story progresses). His interest in this movie (... as an actor?) implies that the movie will also have this element.
What kind of movie will this be, action (effect) or plot (story)? Will there be the level of depth and plots within plots that can fuel the imagination beyond the story that unfolds within the movie, or will it be an effects-driven flick that keeps us at the edge of our seats?
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