Nightmare Sound Laboratory

Nightmare Theater - The Hottest Films in Horror, Sci-Fi and Cult Cinema # 4

2011-07-31T16:20:00.000-07:00

This month features more Asian Horror Cinema!
And you know I like em strange so let's get right to it.

Uzumaki

Based on the Junji Ito Manga, "Uzumaki" is a darkly comedic Alice in Wonderland; only instead of entering through the looking glass into another world, another world seems to be entering the small town of Kurouzu through a growing number of "Spirals" creating bizarre obsessions, Medusa-like hair, and insects crawling into people's ears and settling in the inner cochlea to transmit hallucinations. Yes, all that and more...

This is beautifully shot and immensely odd. While not a violent film it does have a certain amount of gore that is fairly original in its delivery as the final results of some of the odd obsessive and eccentric behavior elicited by this inexplicable spiral curse. If you think it is cool in it's own right, I had a cool sync experience watching the film while listening to the first album by Fantomas !

With or without the audio augmentation, I rate this unique film 5 Skulls!

Living Hell aka Iki-jigoku

Sometimes referred to as "Japanese Chainsaw Massacre"!
By Shugo Fujji

Only instead of a man in a skin mask with a chainsaw we have a granny who is creepy and enjoys torturing her crippled relative, Yasu (Hirohito Honda) with a taser. The reviews on this film are often mixed, and while it is an obvious homage to the Tobe Hooper classic original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" it certainly doesn't steal the show from its predecessor. That said, the Japanese have an interesting flair to put on just about anything and this is no exception. The cold cruel Grandmother and Grand daughter team are delightful. And you just gotta wonder when poor Yasu is gonna get a break!
I liked this film, It's got some character, but being a"take-off" of another classic original, I can only give it 3 Skulls.

Gozu

A Takashi Miike Film

Merely mentioning the name Takashi Miike certifies that the movie you are about to see will probably not be like many other films you have seen. "GOZU" or ("Grand Theatre of Perversion and Fear: Cow's Head") as it's longer full title translates, is a Yakuza horror flick that would make David Lynch stand up and take notice! It has a strange over-arching philosophical vibe that creeps throughout the work similar to a Jodorowsky film, but in the end this is classic Miike all the way! A positive reception at Cannes Film Festival in 2003 assured that this bizarre film got a theatrical release (well not in the States, but...)

4 Skulls for this creative Miike film!

All for now, Till next time...

May all your Nightmares be cinematic:)

Nightmare Theater - The Hottest Films in Horror Sci-Fi & Cult Cinema #3

2011-05-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

This month's Nightmare Theater will delve into Science Fiction and shall be dedicated specifically to films adapted from the works of Phillip K. Dick.

Phillip K. Dick, as almost everyone knows, was a deeply cynical and brilliant writer who wove his stories through apparitions of conspiracy theory, dark political agendas and (despite the fact that some would say he presented things through a lens of paranoia), some frighteningly prescient thoughts on authoritarian governments.
All the while he found a way to drift through issues of spirituality and transcendence as seen through the lens of the remnants of the 1960s drug culture. The first thing that comes to mind is probably "Blade Runner". While that's a fine film, I'm going to go with a few less obvious for this PKD edition of Nightmare Theater recommendations.

His style became clearly evident in some of the first PKD stories that I read which included "A Scanner Darkly" which was adapted for film in 2006 by Richard Linklater.

This was the cover that introduced me to Phillip K. Dick.

The film was a partially animated endeavor that delivered the drug-like nature and subject matter of the book in a unique way. Featuring Keanu Reeves, Robert Downy, Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder in both live and in disturbed looking animation form. When I first read the book I wondered how a film adaptation would address the "scramble suits" (clever ever-shifting "human camouflage" suits designed for undercover law enforcement).

Next up on the PKD "hit list" is John Carpenter's "They Live" a film that is not generally thought of as a PKD film (because it is not based on one of his stories.)

While this 1988 horror film is based on Ray Nelson's short story "8 o'clock in the Morning", I can't help but think that both Nelson and Carpenter were deeply inspired by the style and subject matter of Phillip K. Dick. Although Carpenter approached the material with a more action/comedy tongue in cheek approach (casting Rowdy Roddy Piper as lead and including a 4 minute buddy fight scene with Kieth David kind of spell that out) the core elements of PKD's primary obsessions are all over this film!

It's hard to deny the Phillip K. Dick influence at work in this film. The sense of "paranoia that might not be paranoia", Authoritarian Governments obscuring the truth from the masses, and somewhere mixed up in that truth, sure enough, there's aliens ...Sounds like Phillip K. Dick must have been typing in the subconscious of John Carpenter and Ray Nelson to me!

And of course "They Live" left us with classic images like this one below.

Last but not least, the latest Phillip K. Dick adaptation is

John Alan Simon's "Radio Free Albemuth" featuring: Shea Whigam (as Phillip K. Dick), Jonathan Scarfe, Alanis Morrisette, and Katheryn Winnick.

"Radio Free Albemuth" was perhaps my favorite Phillip K. Dick novel, so I wait with excitement for this film (which is currently doing the festival circuit) to reach a festival near me or achieve distribution that brings it into theaters and/or the hands of anxious PKD fans!

While I have yet to see the actual film itself, the trailer looks promising and I have spoken extensively with Producers John Alan Simon and Elizabeth Karr about adapting "Radio Free Albemuth" for the big screen.

You can catch - Part 1 of that interview -

"Radio Free Interview - Part 1" at Film Courage.


Link to Radio Free Interview by T. Reed for FilmCourage.com

Keep your eyes peeled for

Part 2 of "Radio Free Interview" COMING SOON!

What are YOUR favorite movies

adapted from Phillip K. Dick Novels?

T.Reed - Composer/Sound Designer, Writer and Artist

@TAOXproductions

TAOXProductions

T. Reed at Film Courage

Happy Easter from the Vampire Bunnys!

2011-04-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

On a holiday dedicated to a Zombie, rising from the grave and colored eggs, (for some reason) We introduce the Vampire Bunnys to wish you a Happy Holiday! That is all;)

And ACTION... HARDCORE INDIE FILMMAKING

2011-04-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

Thoughts and observations on extreme indie film production and the collaboration bridging filmmakers from two continents to create two horror films and the documentary “HARDCORE INDIE”, a project by
Oklahoma Ward, Nikki Alonso (U.S.) and David P Baker (Scotland)

UPDATE: Project achieved 103% Funding Goal within last 24 hours of deadline!!! CONGRATULATIONS & THANK YOU INDIE FILM FRIENDS

WHO BACKED AND SUPPORTED HARDCORE INDIE

Over the last few years the nature of the film and entertainment industry has gone from difficult to…well, difficult. For people who truly need to make films and create art, those who are really putting their energy into it, the challenges remain the same…always daunting, but rarely insurmountable to those with the time and perseverance to endure.
While financial constraint and economies have thrown some speed bumps into the process, social media, crowd sourcing and affordable filmmaking technology have thrown out a lifeline. Talk is cheap and money may be hard to find, but what gets films made is ACTION.

Real people, beyond hype and talk, dedicated to learning and executing a craft with the caliber of storytelling and filmmaking that will make their work stand out in the minds of their audience amidst an ocean of filmmakers trying to do the same.
Amidst this ocean Oklahoma Ward, Nikki Alonso and David Paul Baker and their unique project HARDCORE INDIE has leapt out at my consciousness from the Twitterverse and other social media avenues. The Hardcore Indie project is, in its scope, more than simply a campaign to create a film.
HARDCORE INDIE brings Scottish filmmaker David Paul Baker to Tulsa Oklahoma to embark upon a project of collaboration on two independent horror films { CRAWL and SCREEN } in the spirit of the Drive-In Cinema double feature experience AND to make a transparent document of the trials and tribulations of the process.

There is an edge of danger in the mere undertaking, as everything in filmmaking can so often go in unexpected directions and money (or the need for it) is an ever-present spectre looming. I think it was that sheer level of utter transparency that I observed in these filmakers (independently at first) that led me to believe so strongly in this project.
While David was engaged with trying to move his MISSION X project to the next level, we had several brief conversations regarding the movie consistent with everything he says and his video blogs online. The combination of experience and the sheer level of honesty and transparency about his own work was refreshing and is precisely the kind of person you could trust in a filmmaking scenario where there is no room for blowing smoke rings for ego’s sake.

Meanwhile Oklahoma Ward and Nikki Alonso were posting video logs on the making of the film CRAWL which gradually shifted to an actual LIVE FEED. Here is where I was sold on Oklahoma Ward as a filmmaker. The way he dealt with vendors on the phone. As unsexy an aspect of filmmaking as that could possibly be, that was what let me know this guy might really have what it takes to get into this truly challenging industry.

Live Video streaming by Ustream
Because filmmaking is so much more than the artificial and glorified perception most people (who don’t actually work in the biz) have. It can be a horribly soul sucking endeavor for those who don’t have what it takes to tackle the business aspect of creation. It can mean seemingly endless hours of very unsexy thankless chores and months if not years of sacrifice and investment. It’s not about fraternizing with actors and walking red carpets and champagne. It’s not about becoming a star or winning awards, and it is definitely NOT about waiting around for someone from Hollywood to come around and give you permission to make your film.
Filmmaking is about taking ACTION, action that moves you toward achieving the creative and financial goals that will allow one’s art to be manifested in the world on a level that is meaningful to the individual artists involved.

So this month I pay special tribute to HARDCORE INDIE. Please support this project and these filmmakers however you can. If you are tired of waiting and wading through what Hollywood is putting out for some good fun films, then TAKE ACTION and help filmmakers themselves bring it to you directly! Check it out for yourself. If you believe in it too, donate and/or spread the word.
Suffice it to say these filmmakers have been Nightmare Sound Laboratory Approved!

Cut out the TV stations and Hollywood Studios as middlemen. Be a part of a new way of doing things where you can take direct action in bringing the films you want to see to life. Both filmmakers and fans can find a satisfaction from this approach that goes far beyond waiting around to read what’s playing in the newspaper and TV schedules.

You can hear more from these filmmakers in the replay of their 4/8/11 interview on
Rex Sikes Movie Beat
Big Ups to current supporters of HARDCORE INDIE on Kickstarter
who have provided 61% of the budget as of posting of this blog:

04/08/11 - ONLY 5 DAYS left to reach Budget!!!

Please help if you can!
Many Thanks!

T. Reed – Composer/Sound Designer/Music Producer @TAOXproductions www.taoxproductions.com

Nightmare Theater - The Hottest Films in Horror Sci-Fi & Cult Cinema #2

2011-02-20T11:56:00.000-08:00

Today I am featuring three more examples of Asian Cinema gems.
One of the most amazing works of animation I have ever seen also happens to be an incredible interpretation of the Japanese manga by Taiyo Matsumoto.

TEKKONKINKREET

The 2006 release directed by Michael Arias is the fantastical adventure of Black and White, two street urchins determined to protect their town; Treasure Town, a place run by Yakuza and plagued by rival alien assassins.

With an incredible mix of 3D animation and highly sophisticated and rich painted backdrops Treasure Town becomes a real and dimensional world made magical by the original soundtrack/score by Plaid and the compelling personalities of the stories main characters two little boys who know how to navigate the dangerous turf with both ass kicking ability and childlike naivete.

Despite the the fact that inside this tale is a heartwarming story of brotherly love and loyalty between two small boys, this is no kid's stuff. The violence is intense and is perpetrated both by and upon the young children but it is not merely gratuitous splatter. This is truly a triumph of animation (from the team that created The Animatrix), storytelling and collaboration between great Japanese and American creative minds and hands. Tekkonkinkreet makes it to my list of top 25 films of all time.

JUNK

Next it's Zombies vs Yakuza with the 1999 Japanese film "Junk" ("Shiryour Gari"). Writer/Director Atsushi Muroga brings us a well done action packed story of what happens when military experiments, Yakuza and petty criminal ambitions converge. An old military base housing the refuse of dangerous military experiments is probably not he best place for four amateur thieves trying to wrangle their way to the big time

to arrange a meeting with Yakuza heavyweights. This was a fun fast paced zombie adventure with generally pretty creepy zombies, squirming body bags, blazing gunfights, rich colors and all the traditional Zombie homage and gory bits.

Much fun!

Add to that the absolutely stunning Kaori Shinamora

While I have seen reviews that ravage this movie, it is as good as any Zombie movie out there, combining camp, gore and action in a low budget but well shot film that pays tribute to the George Romero Zombie films while tipping it's hat to "Reservoir Dogs" and "The Score".

What "Junk" might lack in budget and finesse is more than made up for in FUN!
So I give it 4 Skulls.

SAYUKA - THE SLAYER OF DEMONS

From the creators of Gamera, veteran creature filmmakers Tomo’o Haraguchi and Shinji Higuchi created this film in the tradition of Yokai Monsters. This sword girl vs monsters fantasy adventure is chock full of bizarre demons, some of whom are friendly and others that are bent on destruction. While Sakuya (Nozomi Ando) is the Star and Hero in the film who wanders the world with her half-demon brother destroying demons with her magic sword, I was left enamored of the Spider Queen and the amazing special effects that made her hands look like living tarantulas!

Kappa monsters, undead samurai, and a giant werecat type beast are but a few of the wonderfully fun and nicely crafted oddball monsters That Sakuya and her Ninja assistants must fend off with swords and "Bamboo Punk" devices.

Rare as it is to see on my movie lists, this one is entirely family friendly (so long as fighting and killing demons isn't considered too much for your household.

But take it from me, your life will feel more complete when you see the awesome Kaiju sized Spider Queen!

Sakuya _The Demon Slayer - Trailer

Sakuya is a fun adventure into the strange world of mythical Japanese Demons that I highly recommend!

Till next time, Happy Nightmares!

Interview with Hart D. Fisher - "The Scariest Man in America" - Part 2

2011-02-05T12:32:00.000-08:00

T. Reed interviews Hart D. Fisher “The Scariest Man in America” - Part 2.

Hart D. Fisher is the darkly creative Horror entrepreneur behind the comic publishing company {Boneyard Press}. He is also a writer, filmmaker, an avid Martial Artist and currently the Host of "American Horrors". You can catch Part 1 of this interview at FilmCourage.com

Part Two of this interview includes more discussion about Boneyard Press, Hart’s work with Verotik and Glenn Danzig, the infamous Jeffrey Dahmer comic, and his time spent in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
While not everyone knows it, it is fairly common knowledge that between Wisconsin and Illinois there is a sort of “Bermuda Triangle” of three of the most notorious serial killers of all time! Ed Gien, the real life inspiration for Wisconsin author Robert Bloch’s “Psycho” (as made famous by Hitchcock and Anthony Perkins), “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, “Deranged” and others), Jeffery Dahmer (who tried to make “real” zombies out of his victims through back room lobotomy), and (just to the South) in Chicago, the infamous John Wayne Gacy for whom killing was just a matter of “clowning around”.

TR: As a Milwaukee native I am of course interested in how you came to the creation of the controversial “Jeffrey Dahmer”comic biography and what your interactions in Milwaukee were like. You also “did time” at Milwaukee’s Metal Fest and had a legal conflict with Miller Brewing Company. Could you tell us briefly about your experiences (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin?

HDF One of my old childhood friends, Dan Madsen, had just recently sold off his comic book company, Northstar (the original home of splatter classic Faust), but he still had the publishing itch. Since Dan knew I had just started up Boneyard Press, and we’d known each other since grade school, he called me up and suggested that I do something similar to the Nancy Reagan/Kitty Kelly bio book, only with serial killers and in comic book format. It was Dan who suggested I check out Jeffrey Dahmer.

By this point in my life, I was pretty bored with serial killers. I’d been reading about them, researching them since I was a tween. Hell, I even took some abnormal psyche classes in school, both my parents had degrees in psyche so I grew up around psycho babble, doing a piece on just another serial killer didn’t really appeal to me. So when I did get around to checking into the Dahmer case I was absolutely appalled at the distortions going on and the relentless marketing of this scumbag pedophile as some kind of handsome intriguing dark heartthrob. It was sickening. I decided I would do a very dry “just the facts, Ma’am” kind of a book and I hired a newspaper illustrator to draw the book. I did the best I could to handle a distasteful subject and handle it as tastefully as possible, while being true to the facts of the crimes.

When the book came out, a reporter in Milwaukee bought copies and then ambush-interviewed the victims’ families at their homes. I mean, this is exactly the kind of wreckless shitty behavior by the television media I was criticizing in the book. The families were very upset about my comic book. In their minds, comics were for kids. Then the “local community leaders” got into the act and started using the victims’ cache for their own political gains and to get on television. It was an awful thing to watch, let alone be in the middle of.

Hart Fisher On Sally Jesse Raphael Show 1993 - This round goes to Mr. Fisher!

I tried to have fun with this media bad guy thing but it got real ugly real fast. Death threats, vandalism, businesses refused to work with me anymore like my local copy shop. My house was robbed because the assholes in the local news broadcasted to the town that I’d left town to do a Fangoria Horror Convention. At the convention I found out that my house was robbed and now that too was on the news, in fact, it was a CBS news team that found my place busted into.

I’d been to Milwaukee plenty for conventions and promotions and always had a good time there, except for the court dates, those were humiliating. This included time at the Milwaukee Metal Fest, I mean, metal fans rule, man; they’ve always supported me all the way. That’s why I’m down with the fucking metal. When I needed them, the metal heads were there for me. They scooped me up off the ground, put a fistful of booze in my hand, and sent me back out into the fight. That means the world to me.

It’s just the last time I was at MMF that was brutal. The longer the Dahmer controversy went on, the more I was getting hunted and attacked. I had two different stalkers in Champaign, Illinois where I was living. One was a gay ex-marine who tried to spook me, stalkin’ me out at the local Goth bar hang. Another was a female stalker who liked to dress up as the killer from Brian DePalma’s Dressed to Kill, the one with Michael Caine, she’d stand across the room at Comic Conventions and stare at me.

The more television shows I did, the more death threats poured in, particularly from Milwaukee. When I came up for the last MMF show, it was the summer of ’93 and it was one week after Michele had been killed and I was out of my mind nuts, packing a .357 revolver in my briefcase. I was stone cold out of my mind crazy. Sure, I sold a ton of shirts and comics at the show, but I didn’t know who was there for the show and who had a shiv meant for me.

Dahmer Cue Pt.1 - Protest March on Comic Publisher Hart Fisher's Home

Frankly, I don’t remember much from that weekend at all, it’s just one red hazy blur.

As for Miller Brewing… Same old shit. A dick sucking reporter, looking to stir up trouble, bought a couple of my Jeffrey Dahmer: Milwaukee’s Best t-shirts and sent them to Miller Brewing to get a reaction out of them. Heehehehe… That got a reaction out of them all right, Miller Brewing sent me a cease & desist order. I was tired of being in court so I said fuck that one. Hell, I can’t deny I took the logo for the shirt right off of a case of Milwaukee’s Best and slightly altered it.

Slightly…

Man, I laughed so hard when I got the cease & desist… I had that thing taped up to my fridge for at least a year after that…

Hart Fisher with Martial Arts Trainers Gokor and Bas Rutten

TR: Interestingly enough, while I was familiar with the Dahmer comic, it barely made a blip on my radar. Living in Milwaukee, I started to tune out the local media and District Attorney grandstanding that surrounded the case, so the whole controversy with the comic slipped by me without much notice. I actually first became familiar with Hart Fisher indirectly. I was working on some storyboards for a horror comic inspiration that was much more demonically grisly and risqué than my “normal” more cerebral horror fare. I had the thought that it was just too much for most publishers, but it had some real creative merit! Were there even any publishers that would touch it with a 10 foot pole? Then I discovered Glenn Danzig’s comic line “Verotik”. While my life got swallowed up by the music biz and didn’t leave me time to pursue that line of thought any further, I was always curious about the few comic companies that really dared to push the envelope – Enter Hart Fisher and Boneyard Press. Could you talk about your experiences in comic publishing with Boneyard Press, Verotik and the role that experience has played in your filmmaking endeavors? Are you through with the comic publishing business? … Or is that bug still inside you somewhere waiting for a future in which it can breed?

HDF: I’m returning to comics sooner than you think.

Clint Scott hired me to write his new series, Splatter Saint, I’m finishing up the writing chores on the first issue right now. He’s asked me to deliver to him the HAMMER; much like Glenn Danzig did when I brought him “A Taste of Cherry” for Verotika #4, so I’m bringing him something really dark, twisted and fucked up. It’s going to damage some fan boys out there for sure...

But to answer your question about comics and movie making… When you publish comic books on a monthly basis it’s much like managing your own mini-film studio. You have creative teams on your “features”. You have monthly deadlines you have to hit, ad campaigns that you have to create, manage, and gauge how well they do or don’t do… You have to be able to manage people well. You have to be able to budget, to plan for and overcome obstacles… You ship your “Prints” to your “Theaters”, just like you do in film.

Comics is actually a merciless business full of jealous back stabbing social rejects who don’t know how to interact with each other well… Don’t get me wrong... it’s a funny world too, full of awesome people, funny guys and artists… But Jesus jumpin’ Christ, do you deal with a lot of gossipy little girls who’re afraid of interacting with real human beings, who are threatened easily, who guard their turf like it’s their own personal fiefdom, and not a lot of insight of ability to laugh at themselves… You know, Hollywood without the pussy and the big money…

Yeah, I’d say comics is a nice starting business before getting into Film and Television, but you better be ready to play rough in the entertainment business, you better be ready for fuckin’ war in the gutters and death from above… but to me, they’re weak, they’re staggered and stunned… They’re ripe for a fall, for the blade, for my fire. I’ve got high tolerance for pain and pressure just pushes me to do better work. The more you pile on the pressure, the better and sharper I function. I mean, I started Boneyard Press while going to college full time, writing & drawing the books and training six days a week, 2 hours a day for my Black Belt test in Tae Kwan Do. A guy who does that for FUN is a driven dude.

Comics, I’ll come back to comics when I’ve got money to burn and unleash bloody hellfire like they’ve never seen. One thing I truly learned from running Verotik with Glenn Danzig’s muscle behind me vs. being the Boneyard Press outlaw- Money talks. Money changes the game, changes the rules, all of them. Everything else is window dressing. Hell, I’ve been working with Glenn again as his editor, and he’s been teaching me more and more about navigating Hollyweird and the entertainment game. How’s that for an advisor? Glenn’s been very generous with his time, he’s watched everything I’ve given to him, he’s given me sharp constructive criticism of the American Horrors show that I’ve incorporated into the American Horrors Mobile Network.

You name me one other fucking horror company with a guy like Glenn motherfuckin’ Danzig giving advice. Name one… go ahead. I’ve got a lot of sharp, experienced people behind me on American Horrors. That’s a major game changer.

Boneyard Press was my one man vendetta to be the scariest publisher of comics EVER. I brought a unique voice to horror with Boneyard Press, one that slipped under the radar, touched people where they didn’t expect to be touched. I started the careers of a slew of creators (like My Chemical Romance front man Garry Way, Village Voice critical darling and foster care reform advocate Stephen Elliott, Top Ten Wizard artist John Cassaday) in comics and I aim to apply that same ability to spot and develop talent to use at American Horrors. I’ve formed alliances with the tastemakers in the horror film festival game, and they’re steering me the talent. American Horrors is backed with serious professionals who bring their wealth of experiences and business relationships to my plate. I’m being groomed for the boardroom and the media world by serious men who’ve taken an interest in me and my vision for American Horrors.

It’s a great day to be alive and walking in my shoes. I’m doing everything I want to do with all the people I grew up respecting and wanting to work with. That’s the result of hard, hard work that people have noticed, a lot of pros have been waiting years for me to find my way out of the madness and into the light so we could have some fun, make some money, and bring down the nightmares.

You can find Part One of this interview at FilmCourage.com

Nightmare Theater - The Hottest Films in Horror SciFi, & Cult Cinema

2011-01-16T16:04:00.000-08:00

I am happy to present a new feature here at Nightmare Sound Laboratory! In case you haven't guessed it by now, I sort of have a thing for Horror movies, as well as Sci-Fi, Cult, Asian Cinema and, well, just movies in general. As such I have a collection of over a thousand films, including many obscure titles. From "so bad it's good" to "so good it's terrifying" and everything in-between, I'd like to present some of my favorite picks in this feature I call "Nightmare Theater". I won't be doing reviews here 'per se', but I will present some recommendations and sufficient description to solve your movie night dilemmas. The hottest picks from my private collection, rated on a scale of 1 to 5 skulls.

Today's picks are from my Asian Cinema collection. Here are a couple of my all time favorites and definitely amongst some of the wildest films out there!

Hellevator

"Hellevator" or ("The Bottled Fools") the 2004 Japanese film written and directed by Hiroki Yamaguchi is definitely NOT for the kiddies:) It is gruesome, freakish, post-Apocalyptic cyber-punk in an elevator. This film makes M. Night Shamylan pee his bed while David Lynch laughs about it. It's weird, it's tense, and it's everything I love in a film. "A Clockwork Orange" get's stood on it's head, crammed through "1984" and dropped in to a brave New Tokyo most of which occurs while a group of strangers are trapped on an elevator with dangerous prisoners. Bored with "regular" old movies? THIS IS A MUST SEE FILM! Five Skulls!

Save the Green Planet

"Save the Green Planet" (2003) is a Korean film from the mind writer/director Joon Hwang-Jang. This Dark Comedy lives up to both characteristics to the highest degree. Again, this film is NOT for children, nonetheless it can be both heartwarming AND horrifying in the same moment. Byeong-gu (Ha-kyun Shin) suspects his boss is an Alien. With the help of his adorable hapless, naive but loyal girlfriend Kang Man-shik (Yun-shik Baek) they go to extreme measures to save the world from invasion! Madcap creepy fun! 5 Skulls!

Volcano High

Another splendid Korean film by Director Tae-gyun Kim, "Volcano High" (2001) is a fun high flying fantasy FX film about violence between rivals at WanSanGo (Volcano High). This is silly comic book fun with plenty of martial arts madness, schoolgirls who kick ass and enough mystic Kung Fu to sooth the Taoist in me. Think Battle Royal but WAY cooler! Exciting cinematography and experimental tones give this a super comic book feel! The film centers around Kyeong-su (Hyuk Jang) a transfer student known for disciplinary troubles, who must unite the students to face a greater enemy than rival gangs. The DVD comes with an English version dubbed by famous rappers (Snoop Dog, Method Man, & others); DO NOT WATCH THE ENGLISH VERSION! It ruins the movie, and whether you like those artists or not, the dubbing is sub par and the entire flow and vibe of the film is lost. There is also something about the nature of the Korean language that is so critical to the actors' performances. Definitely watch the Korean version with English subtitles. You won't regret it! You guessed it: 5 Skulls!

These are three of my all time favorites so we got 15 Skulls up on the trophy wall!

Nothing like watching a good film with some great fiends!

That's all for now, till next time at Nightmare Theater,

Beast Wishes,

T.Reed - Composer @TAOXproductions

http://www.taoxproductions.com

http://www.imdb.me/treed

2011 : A Space for an Odyssey

2010-12-30T18:05:00.000-08:00

This New Year I am probably the last person who should write about “How to keep New Year’s resolutions” (so I won’t). I am as guilty as anyone of what I call the creative “Art of Multi-crastination” and have a task list longer than my arm stretched out before me as we speak!

For that purpose, Angelo Bell has a wonderful Blog post for Filmmakers that offers up some great tips for setting powerful goals and keeping them here: 11 Ways to Keep Your Indie Film New Years Resolutions

I’d like to talk about the “Why” - Why NOW is a particularly important time. And I don’t mean in that nebulous Zen “Now is the only moment of power” kind of way (even though it’s true).

As we approach this New Year - 2011, many of us carry forward resolutions to do more, do it better, and get in great shape while we are doing it.These valiant goals and others come in many forms and just about every artist, writer, musician, filmmaker and entrepreneur have a host of industry specific goals they would like to achieve at the start of each year.

For Artists of all kinds, the journey from creative inclinations to professional aspirations and achievements is indeed a great odyssey!

But this year is a particularly interesting and fortuitous year to get on top of that list and really tackle the goals you wish to achieve.“The industry” is in a temporary upheaval and there is a groundswell of independent arts activity and technology that is shifting the balance of power and creating a more Artist friendly environment with more direct connection to audiences. Alternate paradigms are emerging and gaining ground.

The challenge and core “down in the gut” question for many ambitious creative people has always been “How can I “make it” doing what I love to do?” For many that means finding a functional “middle class” path that not only provides life’s necessities, but also the means to facilitate the manifestation of more new and unique collaborations and works of art and entertainment.

There are some lovely new “memes” spreading across the internet like “authenticity” and “Becoming one’s own brand”, but … there is still a long way to go! There is always the danger that these ideas with such great potential could simply be assimilated and abused to dysfunction by the pre-existing stagnant industry giants or people that are still so saturated by the previously engrained “competition” and “scarcity” based paradigms that they simply imprint the old memes upon the new ones, effectively canceling their value. (i.e. SPAM and “Push Selling” ain’t “NEW” or “authentic” simply because it’s “tweeted” from a freakin’ Star Trek lookin’ Android or iPhone”).

2011 holds a great deal of potential opportunity precisely because we are in this state of flux. The atmosphere is bristling for change and anyone with the courage and fortitude to play a positive role in that development NOW has a good chance of finding their “wave” in the years to come. Being flexible and open to new ideas, people and processes while maintaining clear focus on our goals may just be the key to riding this wave. I truly hope that there are many of us who can heed this call.

We need to cautiously but expeditiously find our way through developing better business paradigms SO THAT we can really sit down and focus on developing our craft and our art. That is after all, the heart of what we do and the reason why most of us do it in the first place.

We need to be able to focus on writing NEW stories and finding amazing new ways to tell them.

We need to expand our creative and cultural vocabularies by collaborating with artists, friends and partners that enrich and enhance each other

And we need (and deserve) to be able to survive and thrive while growing and expanding to our full creative potential. “The Arts” play a very important role in culture – too important to be left in the hands of bean counters and corporate executives with no connection to the art itself.

Whatever your role in the world of arts and entertainment, now is the time (while the “system” is broken or at least reasonably off its footing) to rebuild our industry more in the image we’d like to see, rather than simply struggling to get on for the ride and trying like hell not to get bucked off.

Just keeping our ordinary New Year’s resolutions seems hard enough. Getting on point toward building a great career and body of work in the Arts is an added challenge. Doing it during an economy in flux adds even further complication. Attempting to change the industry one artist at a time may seem even more daunting. But determining to do any of those things NOW may just be the single step that launches the rest of your own amazing creative odyssey in the world of Art and Filmmaking in the 21st Century.

Stanley Kubrick's "2001 A Space Odyssey" was a groundbreaking film and represented what great filmmakers could achieve at the time. It spoke to the 21st Century over thirty years before it would actually arrive.

Take inspiration from that and speak to your own future as an Artist and your own personal creative odyssey for 2011.

Happy New Year!

T. Reed - Composer @TAOXproductions http://www.taoxproductions.com

Thanksgiving Day - Drive By Interview - Tyler Weaver - Whiz! Bam! Pow!

2010-11-25T11:32:00.000-08:00

This month Nightmare Sound Laboratory is kicking off a special feature:

‘Drive By Interviews’ with Filmmakers, Writers, Artists, Musicians and other Creatives.

The goal is to shine a quick spotlight on talented creatives working in the super cool land of film, music, storytelling and "comic bookery"

The process is simple. I ask three questions and get a little info I can feature about the latest work of the selected artists.

As Thanksgiving approaches I am now (and always) enormously grateful to the artists that inspired my life in storytelling, art, film and music. In honor of that gratitude one question I will ask all 'Drive By Featured Artists" is regarding the first or primary influences that launched them toward a career in their chosen field. So without further adieu let me present:

Thanksgiving Day Writer’s Drive By Featuring:

Tyler Weaver

Current Project in Development:

Whiz! Bam! Pow!

"Told through comic books, radio shows, and films, Whiz!Bam!Pow!{ http://whizbampow.com }

is a transmedia love letter to comic books, the heroes in them, and the people they inspire.

Whiz!Bam!Pow! is currently crowdfunding at http://www.indiegogo.com/whizbampow and needs your help to soar!"

Nightmare Sound Lab’s T. Reed asks Tyler Weaver:

T.R. : " What was the first moment, (and if applicable, movie, comic, or other influence that inspired you to KNOW you had to be involved in the creative process/industry?"

T.W.: " It was the first time I saw Tim Burton's BATMAN in 1989. That opening sequence, with the Elfman score propelling us towards a bat symbol made me want to do something creative. I thought film music would be my vocation, but it turned out that I wanted to be a filmmaker."

T. R. : Where do you see the “Transmedia” movement taking entertainment and storytelling over the next five to ten years?

T.W.: "We're going to see a similar thing that happened from silent film to the "talkies." After awhile, the "Talkies" were no longer considered separate, and it all became "Film." The same thing's going to happen here - the term "transmedia" will be dropped from "storytelling," and it will just be what it is: storytelling."

T. R. : Where do you want to see yourself in the creative field five years from now and what role do you see Whiz Bam Pow playing in that equation?

T.W.: "I wish I had a more definite answer but here goes: I want to be continuing and growing a sustainable creative career, working with cool people, and getting the chance to tell the stories I want to tell the way I want to tell them. As far as where Whiz!Bam!Pow! fits in to that equation? It's my hope that it continues to be a thriving and developing universe that people enjoy being a part of."


All Whiz!Bam!Pow! Artwork by Blair J. Campbell. Courtesy of Whiz!Bam!Pow!

You can find out more about Tyler Weaver at http://tyler-weaver.com

Vampire Mob - Staking a Claim on Season Two!

2010-10-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

VAMPIRE MOB UPDATE - 04/21/11

It's Springtime! Vampire Mob has started shooting Season Two because of all of you and that is exciting. But they could still use some more funds to ensure the completion of the new season! I am still offering the bonus music reward for all financial backers of Vampire Mob, a dowloadable 70 minute CD DJ mix of original music created by TAO X Productions studio, from cinematic horror music to electronica fit for danceclub vampires. They also have the AWESOME Vampire Mob logo and "we are all famous to a few people" T-shirts available to help support the cause!

The new season has added even more cast members you are sure to enjoy. So check out the new trailer for Season Two and whether you are new to the "VMob" or a previous supporter, please think about donating to keep making this excellent Web TV possible!

Go to their site to find out more and check out the great swag you can get for becoming a supporting producer! Read the original article below and head on over to WWW.VAMPIREMOB.COM

Q: What did the Fonz say when he met Vampire Mob? A: "Heeyyyyy!

THANK YOU!
Indie Film & TV Supporters

.....................................................
ORIGINAL ARTICLE - Halloween 10/31/10

This Halloween I wanted to share a GREAT web series with a dedicated cast and crew working hard to bring you a quality show well worth your time. What happens when you put writer/director Joe Wilson behind the reigns of a labor of love Vampire Comedy featuring TOP NOTCH actors and quality writing?

Vampire Mob happens!

If you haven't seen it yet, you are missing out!

The premise is stunningly simple and a great vehicle for this talented cast and crew! "Vampire Mob" revolves around the life (afterlife?) of John Colella's character, the Mobster turned Vampire, Don Grigioni...and his Family!

"He’s a hitman and a vampire, and he just found out
his mother-in-law is moving in for eternity."

Check out Episode 1

You can catch the rest of Season One at VampireMob.com

The series, produced by Joe Wilson & John Colella, has completed its six episode run of Season One which has featured cast members from “The Simpsons,” “Boardwalk Empire” and “Criminal Minds,” and includes John Colella, Reamy Hall, Marcia Wallace, Kirsten Vangness, Chris Mulkey, Elizabeth Beckwith, Andrea Cansler, Jim Roof and Cris DAnnunzio. Members of the VMob cast have also appeared in: The Bob Newhart Show, Twin Peaks, Friday Night Lights, CSI: NY, The West Wing, General Hospital, Bowfinger and others. Season One, I came to discover, was the entirely self-financed labor of love of Joe Wilson. Now its time for Season Two! Vampire Mob could use any help they can get financing Season Two and they would love it if their Fans themselves could directly effect the outcome by pitching in what they can! They are offering many delicious rewards for contributing to the creation of this high caliber, new media monster madness. You can contribute directly at the Vampire Mob site!

To give the VMob a hand, I have donated to help make Season Two, AND I am offering a FREE music download of wonderfully horrific Halloween appropriate music I had just put together for a Flyway Film Festival Special Backer Event - A screening of Gary King's "The Death of the Dead".

Some of this music will never be released anywhere else except for these downloads available only to the Flyway Film Fest Kickstarter backers, and now YOU, VMob supporters who donate to the Vampire Mob Season Two campaign! I even provided some sassy CD art and a track list for this Halloween DJ Mix of original music from TAO X Productions !

A little or a lot, give what you've got, if you like quality entertainment...and Vampire Mobsters,

Help keep this show Undead!!!

Contribute to Season Two and get a Vampire Mob Backer Reward that consists of a 70 minute mix of some BADASS cinematic horror and dark electronic club thumping vibes by 'your's truly' Composer T. Reed of TAO X Productions created right here in my Nightmare Sound Laboratory!

Go DONATE at the Vampire Mob Website and get your access code for this FREE DOWNLOAD. Click on the CD image below to get to download site and enter your code to access your reward!

And please, spread the word...before the sun comes up!

Please feel free to follow the Nightmare Sound Lab Blog

and let me know what you think of Vampire Mob in the comments below!

My Race With the Devil

2010-10-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

The Story of my Race to the “Mortuary” with Horror Director - Tobe Hooper

First let me clear a couple things up –

This was not a metaphorical race to the grave, nor an actual footrace to the gates of the cemetery.

This was a race to finish a film.

But before I go on…a second point:

Tobe Hooper is NOT the Devil! (I just thought that was a snazzy title;)

But he might as well have been, to the people who wanted his horror masterpiece banned, often based on the name alone! “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” will go down as one of the most groundbreaking films in the Horror genre.
The greatest irony is that, for a film with such a gruesome reputation, there was very little gore (at least by today’s standards) and precious little stage blood used, and yet it still resonates as terrifying to this day!

No small part of this was probably due to the unique score created by Tobe Hooper himself, using unconventional instruments to create the discomforting sound that was so important to creating that horrific environment. But as we know - as directors become more “in demand”, having the time to score as well as direct becomes a much less viable option (yes, even if you are John Carpenter;) So this was a rare point in his career where passion and skill had the perfect environment to converge!

Oh and synchronicity…did I mention synchronicity? (I’ll come back to that – so pay attention!) But let's just start with the fact that Tobe Hooper's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" was inspired by Wisconsin's (and perhaps one of the World's) most notorious serial killers, (and human taxidermists) Ed Gein!

In any event, the art, hunger, dedication (and suffering) which usually only comes from that kind of an independent film making experience, came through in the film in an artful, earnest and terrifying way. The New York Museum of Modern Art agrees apparently, and has a copy of the film amongst their permanent collection.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me wax poetic on the virtues of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (even though I gladly could, and would) you came for a race! Ah, but first, Synchronicity! (Told you there’d be a quiz!)

Long after the original TCM struck terror in the hearts of British censorship boards (and others), long after “Poltergeist”, Tobe made a movie adapted from a short story Stephan King called “The Mangler”. The film featured Nightmare on Elm Street’s Robert Englund and Ted Levine as well as, yes, you guessed it, a demon possessed laundry mangling machine.

And here is where strange synchronicities (and your’s truly) come into the story.

Flash forward about 9 more years! (2004) I fly to San Francisco to meet with the Director of a film called Mortuary to sign contracts and have a look at the roughs on an actual telecine machine. In fact, the entire film was being edited on the very machine that was used to edit Terry Zwigoff’s Robert Crumb documentary, {“Crumb” 1994} or so I was told. It was entirely believable.

Just an aside: Terry Zwigoff (by the way) is also a Wisconsin Native and a musician/filmmaker. I hadn’t even considered that coincidence (and that his name is also Terry) until writing this article now!

10 years later the machine he used to cut “Crumb” wheezed and cranked like it had a devil in it, the kind of thing that could only happen to a machine after having born witness to the surreal expression of countless filmmaker’s projects! As Director Sean Hazelaar showed me reel one, we carried forward with the conversation we started on the phone before I arrived at his studio. He had mentioned one particular scene involving a mortician’s furnace in which all the set sound was destroyed by a bad hum generated by nearby machines. I would be expected to really make something sweet here, because it was a very important SFX scene.

When he asked me about this, I hadn’t seen the film yet. It just so happens that I have an extensive background in horror and a huge collection of horror/scifi and Asian films (on good ol’ hard copy DVD;)

I thought about the furnace scene and off the top of my head I said something to the effect that I could hear music/sound there sort of similar to that in the scenes of the evil machine in Tobe Hooper’s “The Mangler”. The Director’s jaw dropped. He informed me that the guy they hired to do that special FX scene was someone who had worked on “The Mangler”.

That in itself was wild! But there’s more…

As my team had taken the reigns of much of the post production, music and sound and were well into getting the color corrections, score and sound design under way, we discovered that Tobe Hooper, by some utterly ‘Bizzaro World’ coincidence, was in production on a movie also called “Mortuary”!

Van Hazelaar Productions “Mortuary” was nearer completion at the time, but Hooper’s “Mortuary” had a larger budget and the capacity to roll a little faster. From here the race was on!

Tobe Hooper's "Mortuary" Trailer 2005

Now we all know it didn’t really matter, as two movies can have the same title in many cases (There was already a Howard Avedis film called “Mortuary” done in the eighties.)

Howard Avedis' "Mortuary" Trailer 1983

In the end we had to differentiate the name for foreign and US sales anyhow, so the name of Van Hazelaar’s “Mortuary” became “Final Remains” (which, I am proud to say, was one of my suggestions).
It really wouldn’t matter at all, but factually, the statistically unlikely event had occurred. Two movies called “Mortuary” would both appear on IMDB as having been released in 2005. It was just a matter of whose film would get finished first! In truth, Tobe Hooper was probably entirely oblivious to our 85,000 dollar picture, as he was likely quite busy directing, but somewhere an assistant whose job it was to pay attention to just those sort of things must certainly have noticed the site. It would have been hard to miss our use of the Mortuary Movie domain at the time (Now located at VanHazelaar Productions website).

Clip from Mortuary aka final Remains

In the end I believe we technically finished our film first, but with the clout and machinations already in place for Tobe Hooper’s film to enter a marketing and distribution stream, it would obviously be Hooper’s “Mortuary” that would make it to market first. VanHazelaar’s “Mortuary” aka “Final Remains” did however get distribution a little later, in 2006, and is currently available as a rental from: Blockbuster and for sale via Amazon.

"Mortuary" aka "Final Remains" Trailer

In the end, it didn’t matter who won in this race with the Devil. The only thing that mattered, is that for a brief time in 2005 we got to run that race right alongside horror film legend, Tobe Hooper, tiptoeing on the edge of synchronicity with one degree of separation between us and a Master of Horror! Rod Serling could have had a field day introducing this story. It certainly added zest to the project before we got to the truly terrifying (and far less glamorous) part of filmmaking – the hard work;)

Speaking of work I suppose I need to finish mastering the

Mortuary aka Final Remains - Soundtrack/Score CD

that has been sitting on my drive for 5 years now!

Happy Halloween Everyone and to All

A Dark Night!

"Death of the Dead" at Flyway Film Fest 2010

2010-10-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

Halloween is almost at hand and the Flyway Film Festival located in Pepin & Stockholm Wisconsin has already begun! Big ups to my fellow Wisconsinites on their successful Kickstarter campaign which helped fund this years awesome films and events including the Special Kickstarter Backer Screening/Party for Gary King's "Death of the Dead" Friday October 22nd at 10:00 PM at the Lake Pepin Art & Design Center Director Gary King will be in attendance!

I like to help and encourage other Wisconsin film and music makers to step up to the craft however and whenever possible. Unfortunately, I am booked in the studio for the next month and will not be able to attend this years event! I did however do my part by pitching in to the Flyway Film Festival Kickstarter Campaign AND I have been asked to provide a CD of music for the DOTD After Party. And this I have done, (and if snail mail cooperates it will be arriving before Friday Night's Event!;)

In fact, I thought I would volunteer to add a bonus to the rewards offered by the Flyway Film Fest! For anyone who was a Kickstarter Backer for this years festival, I am going to offer a FREE DOWNLOAD!

Are YOU one of the 65 backers of The Flyway Film Festival Kickstarter Campaign? Would you like to receive a FREE DOWNLOAD of the 'Death of the Dead Party -TAO X MIX'?

All you have to do is comment on this article (in the comments section below) including the phrase:
"I supported the Flyway Film Festival on Kickstarter".

OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS UPDATE - As posted on Flyway Film Festival Kickstarter Backer site:
TAO X Productions is offering a Halloween Bonus Reward for anyone who supported the Flyway Film Festival Kickstarter Campaign:
I gotta make you work for it a little bit, so leave a comment that includes the phrase "I supported the Flyway Film Festival on Kickstarter" under this Blog Post: http://nightmaresoundlab.blogspot.com/2010/10/death-of-dead-at-flyway-filmfest-2010.html
And send me an email to taoxproductions@gmail.com or follow & tweet me @TAOXproductions letting me know, so I can email or DM you a link & code to retrieve a FREE download of the DJ mix I created for The Flyway Film Festival "Death of the Dead" Special Kickstarter Backer Screening After Party!
Scary good music all from my studio for the scary holiday:)
I would also love it if anyone would choose to follow my Nightmare Sound Lab Blog!
Feel free if you like, but I won't make you do that to get your reward.
Thanks,
T. Reed - Composer/Producer
TAOX {The Art of X} Productions
http://www.taoxproductions.com
http://nightmaresoundlab.blogspot.com

P.S. If you are already a blog follower but did not support the Flyway Film Fest campaign and want a copy, please comment on this article with some damn fine fancy talkin' on what you do to help and uplift the state of independent artists, musicians, filmmakers and the craft in general. I can be persuaded to give out a few more codes for a free download:)

Thanks for all of you who are dedicated to the craft and culture!

T. Reed - TAO X Productions - Nightmare Sound Laboratory

"Multi-Crastination" The Dark Side of a Busy Creative Mind!

2010-10-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this article with a little background. I am a 'Type A', multi-media multi-taskin' creative madman who is entirely unsatisfied sticking to one discipline. I do believe I could be very happy with a set of octopus arms to achieve all that I would like to. So far, knowing of no living mad doctors who can achieve this operation successfully, I have had to settle for less sleep to create more time.

I started as a graphic artist only to become a musician. I employed all of my artistic and sculptural skills for supporting my musical projects including creating posters, promo art, packaging, props, and set/stage design. For two decades I have been pouring creativity out of one vessel or another. I became involved in video production in the late 80;s and since that time have added several other skills and projects to my already full schedule of mad scientist, rock and roll
'comic bookery' (To use a term Tyler Weaver, (creator of "Whiz Bam Pow") likes to say.)
The other day I visited Tyler Weaver's Blog News at: The Tyler Weaver Daily and there was a mysterious audio file the emerged from out of nowhere! I couldn't even be sure that is where it came from! I was frantically closing windows to see if some strange pop up had hit me...nothing; Maybe it was only my subconscious speaking to me? In any event, I am not normally keen on auto-play files on websites wherever they come from, but this one was tastefully mixed, haunting, humorous, and the source of an epiphany in my life as a crazy multi-media artist!
It was a lecture from a soft compelling voice with gentle British accent describing the nature of procrastination.

"Procrastination is..." - It listed through a number of obvious definitions. We've all been there and can relate. But then...it got a little deeper.

Now, I know I procrastinate, but I'm also so busy most of the time that it is hard to picture myself as a "procrastinator" per se'. I mean, how can one be procrastinating if they are always busy, right?
And that is where the revelation kicked in...
I laughed when the voice said "Doing the dishes is procrastination." Because yes, I had coincidentally stepped into the kitchen to do a few dishes when I heard it;)
"Making lists is procrastinating" ...
BUT WAIT! I have to make lists to keep all these projects and their (ever-extending) schedules in order!...And on and on the list went...etc., etc.

And then it said something I can only paraphrase (as the ghostly voice has since vanished from whence it came.) It regarded starting new projects to ensure you could never finish any of the old ones still lost in the loop. FLASH! A light went on in my head. I know I DO THAT! It's not on purpose, and I definitely DO finish lots of things, but still, there is an element of truth inside the statement uttered by that disembodied voice!

There is a certain thrill to the chase when it comes to ideas. The pragmatics and logistics of starting a marketing campaign for an idea in motion, is generally not as alluring as the next "BIG THING" idea that pops into one's head. Carried to it's logical conclusion, without discipline, this can lead to creative projects left on the back burners (of a stove stored in the garage.)

Keep loving what you do and doing what you love!

What do you love to do creatively? Have you fallen into the trap of 'multi-crastinating'? When you've finished adding your comments, you can always procrastinate some more by visiting fellow 'multi-crastinator' Tyler Weaver's latest project at: http://tyler-weaver.com/WhizBamPow!.html
Let me know what you think in the comments!

And don't forget to TWEET if you are a #multicrastinator as well!
~

Born Free...Lance -The Thrill & the Peril

2010-09-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

FREELANCE!

Lets take a little closer look at that word, comprised of two words. FREE : as defined in the dictionary as independent and unrestricted. LANCE: defined as a long spear, or to pierce with a lance.

For those of us who actually live the life of a freelancer, it certainly does (at times) seem like a poke in the eye (or elsewhere) with a sharp stick. It can be a very "feast or famine" affair and your work never ends even though you aren't always pulling a check from the intensive efforts required to keep the gears turning. But despite all the battle scars and tribulations, the FREE part still holds enough compelling appeal to keep us coming back for more. I think a lot of people who might enjoy the "romantic" notion of what a "freelancer" might be, would not fare so well when their lips get dry and full of the taste of dirt and blood from hitting the ground a few times. And that's why it takes a special breed to hang in there and roll with the punches.

Speaking of "punches", I recently read another great article on freelancing by a very funny and talented freelance writer, Chuck Wendig, on his website 'Terrible Minds' entitled: 'Want to be a Freelancer? Just Punch Yourself in the Face, Instead'
In it he brings up one of the more unsung perils of freelancing: Most people who have never freelanced will probably never understand what exactly it is that you do, and you are going to have to be okay with that fact.

Besides that, you will need to conceal that incredulous look that creeps onto your face when your friends and family start making embarrassingly retarded and backwards statements about your work, of which they clearly know nothing. Chuck's brilliant quote (from the article mentioned above) really captures the heart of the matter with grace and humor!

"Nobody seems to believe that freelancing is real. It’s as if you’re playing pretend. “That’s not a real job, is it?” “No, I just made it up. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go hang out with my pet dragon and have a tea party in Narnia." - (Chuck Wendig)

There is plenty more that can be said on the subject of freelancing (I'll save that for another article) and I could go on and on with a list of stupid crap people have 'unwittingly' said surrounding the subject, but I think I will leave that for you, dear readers. Any of you freelancers got any stories or examples of the stupid things people have said to you regarding your work? Add your comments here so we can all have a good cathartic laugh,...and then get back to work (or tea time in Narnia, if you prefer;)

Yes I know this isn't Narnia!
But it's not freelancing either...or is it?
~

Drew Daywalt - Master of Horror - Brings you "Doppelganger"

2010-09-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered one of the finest horror filmmakers ever! Yeah, that's right, I said EVER! Drew Daywalt is the master of the horror short. There are many well known horror creators for whom I have great admiration, but none of them have had the consistent ability to make the hair stand up on the back of my neck (and include a clever twist) all in under 5 minutes! His latest effort, "Doppelganger", lives up to that benchmark handily. There is little point in giving an actual review of the piece itself, as any spoilers would probably ruin the 'creepalicious' effect. Yeah, I made that word up!

JUST WATCH IT!

Drew Daywalt and his team at Daywalt Fear Factory consistently deliver stellar examples of what can be done with short form low or controlled budget filmmaking. You can see more of his hair raising storytelling at:

Daywalt Fear Factory

And if you liked "Doppelganger", make a point to also watch "Bedfellows". Am I exaggerating by calling Drew Daywalt a Master of Horror? Judge for yourself and let me know your opinion. And for God's sake...

"DON"T GO HOME!"

Happy Birthday Lost in Space Robot Model B-9!

2010-09-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

A Robot favorite no doubt, the Lost in Space Robot came into this world on September 1, 1965.

Bob May was the actor who operated the robot.This show was a childhood favorite with stellar music by the ever amazing composer Alexander Courage!

HAPPY 45th B-DAY ROBOT!

Australian commercial featuring B-9

Preparing an Army of Robot B-9 for the coming Rise of the Retrobots!

Rise of the Retrobots: What's Up With That Anyhow?

2010-08-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, rumors of a robot uprising known as "The Rise of the Retrobots" began to surface.
A lowly Repair Droid , apparently annoyed by frequent queries about his knowledge of this supposed 'robot uprising' tries to answer the question once and for all!

More to come...Bleep!

Astrology and the Multi-Media Artist/Entrepreneur

2010-08-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: LAST MERCURY RETROGRADE for 2010:
DECEMBER 10 - DECEMBER 30.
Perhaps you are asking yourself, "What does Astrology have to do with being an artist or a media entrepreneur?" There are many who might even scoff at the notion entirely, as if it were some 'mumbo-jumbo' best suited for Saturday night fright flicks.

Let me assure you, that having lived with an astrologer for nearly twenty years and having used it as a tool in our lives, it has been an incredibly helpful 'guidebook'. Skeptics should consider that on an entirely scientific and physical level, if the gravitational forces caused by the motion of planets can move the tides of the oceans, certainly they must have some effect on our own physical bodies (made primarily of water), which must in turn have some effect on our physical, emotional, and spiritual nature. These effects can often be clearly be felt and seen if we are paying attention.

But how can we (entrepreneurs and artists...and, well everyone!) actually work with this information to improve our selves and our lives? Let me give you one powerful example.
Life gets busy and one can easily slip on the consistency with which they (me) update their blogs and networking activity from time to time. Networking can seem like a moot point when impending bills and deadlines loom, and sometimes everything can just plain go haywire, from computers to communications to projects. Thankfully, this is not usually the case, but this can happen to any of us at any time (and probably has at one point or another). We often do not recognize when it's time to stop and rest, or refresh our commitment to excellence and discipline
Enter a particular phenomenon in Astrology called "Mercury Retrograde".
Mercury,(The Messenger), is the planet strongly associated with communication and travel. When Mercury goes retrograde it can boggle computers, tie peoples tongues and create misunderstandings. It can also bring an increase in car breakdowns and accidents as well as just generally interference with travel plans.
Now, that may all sound somewhat ominous, and considering it happens three or four times each year and lasts for three (or more in effect) weeks each time, it might appear a daunting obstacle.
But there is an up side to for those who can embrace a more Taoist sense of balance in the Universe. One useful mantra that I have heard (and applied) to Mercury Retrograde is to consider the prefix "re" from retrograde. Use these retrogrades intentionally and take the time to do things that generally use the prefix 're': (rethink, prepare, research, retool, reorganize, reflect, and yes, even relaxation:) Make a conscious effort to slow down and re-examine your situation. Back up your computers before retrograde hits (and remain vigilant with good back up procedures in general). Make sure you have any necessary car repairs taken care of, especially if you plan or expect a long drive. Re-confirm your flights and rooms if you are traveling, and be well prepared for changes and delays. This is also a good time to plan for doing studio repairs or renovations. And despite the focus on travel issues, it can also be a good time to plan for some rest and recreation (provided you remain chill and follow the recommendations above regarding travel!). And while there is never a bad time to revisit gratitude and rectify your attitude, Mercury Retrograde would be a wise time to do so.

Astrology is not an old wives tale used to scare people or fill them with pipe dreams and superstition. It can be a valuable tool (properly utilized) to help the entrepreneurial spirit thrive and navigate in both creative and business environments, as well as in our day to day lives. For anyone involved in the highly competitive and often stressful creative industry, we need all the tools we can get to stay on top of our game, reduce stress, and prepare the way for joyous and prosperous ventures. Astrology can be a useful asset on that journey.

As of the writing of this article we are currently in a Mercury Retrograde that started: August 20th and ends September 12th 2010 (although the effects can be known to start early and slowly wind down prior to and after the 3 week retrograde period).

For a good forum to find out more about Astrology and that kind of stuff you can visit:

http://www.astrocreepsandtarotfreaks.com

For more about my place in the world of music and multi-media production you can check out my site at:

http://www.taoxproductions.com

"Her Last Seven Seconds" in Rock and Roll Ghost Stories

2010-07-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

Greetings! I've been away from the Blog for a while but am happy to return to announce the upcoming publication of my (very) short (true) ghost story, "Her Last Seven Seconds" which will be
published In "Rock and Roll Ghost Stories:" - Volume 1 edited by Stacy McArdle-Sardelli. The book is coming out this October on Charles River Press and features true Ghost stories by various bands and musicians TBA.

http://www.rockandrollghoststories.com/

Angry Robot Review of Tim Waggoner's "Dead Streets" by T. Reed

2010-04-19T10:08:00.001-07:00

Nightmare Sound Laboratory

presents:

The Angry Robot Review for April 19, 2010

“Dead Streets” by Tim Waggoner

“Oh baby, baby it’s a wild world.” ... Cat Stevens

Or at least that’s what the Artist formerly known as
Cat Stevens might have said about ‘Nekropolis’, the alternate universe inhabited by Matt Richter – Zombie Detective, and the Midnight Watch.

Somewhere between ‘Mad Monster Party’ and
the alter-dimensional Hell of Clive Barker’s ‘Hellraiser’ we find ourselves on the “Dead Streets” of Tim Waggoner’s Nekropolis.

In this world filled with Frankenstein’s abominations, Vampire Lords, Half-bloods, shape-shifters, and Lycanthropes of every imaginable variety, ALL of our childhood’s favorite TV and movie monsters converge with entirely unheard of creatures, most of whom spell trouble for Zombie Detective Matt Richter and his cadre of security professionals. When the neighboring businesses are a “misfortune teller” and a “head shop" – ("new and used, all species, original size and shrunken") – you just know there is going to be more than enough humor and horror to go around in this ambitious tale that starts with a mystery and escalates into an all out monster war.

I started reading this series with “Dead Streets” (Book 2) and felt (at first) as though maybe I should go back and read Book 1: “Nekropolis” before embarking on this path, but ‘Dead Streets’ was the book I was entrusted to review, so onward I forged, to be pleasantly surprised at the ease with which Tim Waggoner brought you right into the story regardless of having not yet read “Nekropolis” already. It’s like picking up right where you left off without ever having been there! That said, ‘Dead Streets’ made me hungry to go back and see how Matt Richter became a Zombie Detective in the first place, and of course, what the next case for Matt Richter – Zombie Detective will be.

Keep tuned in for more: COMING SOON! An audio excerpt from “Dead Streets” featuring a spoken excerpt with the music of the novel’s Banshee led, all monster band ‘Kakophonie’!

As one might hear on Bedlam 66.6
Nekropolis’ favorite ghoulish radio station.

Right here @ http://nightmaresoundlab.blogspot.com/

Let the ‘Scream Queen’ sing!

T.Reed is a Film Composer and Multi-Media Creative specializing in the realm of Horror and Sci Fi Music, Art, and Writing. http://www.taoxproductions.com

Cryptozoology - Poems by "The Captain" @ CaptainPoetryBlog.com

2010-03-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

"The Captain" has unleashed some of the most Godawful poetry

on the planet. His harrowing tales of travel on the high seas and

to remote locations include battles with Sea Monsters, Giant Sharks,

Giant Octopus, Bigfoot, and even the infamous Loch Ness Monster!
See posts from 3/24/2010:

Loch Ness Monster, Unattached, and Bigfoot)
Read if you dare, but be fair warned;)

http://www.captainpoetryblog.com/
Please sign on as a follower and decry the greatness

or awfulness that is indeed called Captain Poetry! 
Sign up on The Captain's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Captain-Poetry/108007355887553
for even more Maritime fun! Show your support for an old seafaring

wayfarer determined to spread his stunningly poisonous  poetry from

shore to shore while battling  beasts and critics from land and sea!

TLR

I Have Joined the Robot Army

2010-03-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

Yes, I have done it. I have gone to the Robot's side.
Angry Robot Books that is.
As a reviewer for the UK based genre imprint, I will have the opportunity to preview selections from their growing catalog of SciFi, fantasy and WTF fiction, and bring you the scoop on what's fresh and hot on the table.

First up will be my review for Tim Waggoner's "Dead Streets" from his monster fueled Matt Richter: Zombie Detective series. So keep your eyes peeled here for this and other reviews to come!

Science Fact: Robot /Man - Exoskeleton

2010-02-28T23:55:00.000-08:00

FROM AMAZING SCIENCE FICTION TO SCIENCE FACT!

The robot exoskeleton and giant mecha warriors, previously the exclusive domain of sci-fi pulp magazines, comics, ambitious Japanese animae and cinema, are now active development projects with functional prototypes. It's all here in this month's robotic feature. From the serious and militant to a "big kid's" toy for those who can afford the price tag, from the deadly serious to the patently absurd, or artistically odd and even a dose of downright silly just for fun;)

If I didn't know better, I'd think we were preparing for some kind of Mech-War!

I think this guy he thinks he's Tony Stark;)

How do you get this damn thing on the tour bus?

Save up your pennies and platinum for this 300,000 dollar gem;)

Ok, Ok ...It's silly as all get out...But man what a lot of work and fun it must have been to put that costume together, he better just hope it doesn't rain...

Till next time, keep well oiled;)
See ya again, same robot time, same robot channel.

Rock & Roll Ghost Stories

2010-02-22T18:38:00.000-08:00

In October 2010 Charles River Press will be releasing

"Rock & Roll Ghost Stories"

edited and compiled by Stacy McArdle-Sardelli.

Stacy was the editor and chief of the music and entertainment magazine Babble and Beat. In this frightful collection Stacy brings together musicians from around the world to share their real life ghostly encounters! Some of the Artists who have provided true ghost stories include:

The Church, Tim Finn, Nosferatu,
Metropol, Screaming Mechanical Brain

and quite possibly a macabre tale from YOURS TRULY,
T.Reed Composer @ TAO X Productions:)

Keep your eyes peeled!

Are you a musician with a true ghost story of your own to share? There is still time to submit your story.

The Deadline for Volume 1 Submissions is March 15th!

Submissions for a Rock & Roll Ghost Stories (Volume 2) will be accepted starting in April 2010.

Want to learn more? Want to pre-order a copy?

Check it out @ http://www.rockandrollghoststories.com

and @ http://www.charlesriverpress.com/horror.html

Winter Updates : Film Festivals, Writing, Remixing

2010-02-12T12:51:00.000-08:00

While I must apologize for a month without any new posts, it has not been for a lack of writing .
I have continued delving into Horror Fiction with a short horror story submission for a paranormal romance collection. I wanted to try and defy the stereotype of that genre with a story that was perhaps a bit more horror filled and less traditional romance.
"The Man in the Mirror" was the result:

SYNOPSIS

Sarah lives a sequestered life of abuse at the hands of her less than perfect man. She escapes into romantic fantasy novels from the library where she works, but back at home, she gets a beating, again. At her wits end, Sarah turns to a Jamaican Hoodoo woman who tends to her injuries and sends her off with a mirror, and instructions for trapping her man’s devil inside it. There are two things she must never do...look into the mirror, or break it! Staring into the shattered glass on the floor she wonders what happens when you’ve done both.

Official selections should be made by next month. I will post an update if my submission is chosen for publication. Wish me luck!

I'd also like to announce some info regarding "Four Cups of Joe" a short film written by Steven Baer and produced and directed by Brandon Butrick at Photon Creative, with sound design, Foley, dialog & music editing, and mix by 'yours truly' at TAO X Productions. We also worked with Composer Steve Moon on this to free up my hands for the sound design and production work. You can see the comedy short at:

http://www.photoncreative.com/films.php
It will also be appearing at the
Beverly Hills Shorts Festival
March 18 -21st 2010
I will update as new festivals and screenings are added.

I have been busy developing a number of other projects as well, including the music for the current Welcome video commercial on the homepage of the Savasa Fitness website.

I have begun work on a remix for RPM recording Artists "The Vanguard"
for their track "And Then We Dance" which I intend to wrap up and deliver by the end of the month.
You can check out The Vanguard and hear the original track at their website.

And last but not least I have had to put some Hip Hop collaborations, Cinematic Monster Music, and various other projects on hold while I completed other scheduled work, but I will be returning to these projects and others that I am involved with, in March.
Till the next update, Keep creating!

Vampire Apocalypse - Support Horror Creations!

2010-01-02T23:43:00.000-08:00

Nightmare Sound Laboratory supports fellow artists embarked on interesting creations in their own laboratories; and now YOU can too! Vampire Apocalypse is an upcoming Graphic Novel adaptation of the original series written by Derek Gunn. This project features the artwork of Federico Combi and additional scripting by CJ Hurrt. The project is being put together by Eric Mullarky at New Baby Productions.

On behalf of everyone at:

Nightmare Sound Laboratory

TAO X Productions

Monster Makers Lab

We would like to wish this fairly new Comic company from Michigan and all the Artists involved the best of luck!

Come join together with other Monster Makers and Horror/SciFi Creatives at:

MONSTER MAKERS LAB
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/monstermakerslab/

T. Reed - Composer/Producer/Writer/Monster/Robot

X-Mas Special! ZXR RADIO SEADROME on Other Dimension Radio

2009-12-25T11:44:00.000-08:00

Other Dimension Radio

The Official 'Other Dimension Radio' Podcast available now!
Program # 1. ZXR RADIO SEADROME
Almost Live via Biomass Transmitor - Music and Interview!

Other Dimension Radio 1 - X-mas 2009 by TAOXProductions
An interview with Sir Devin Starke

Of ZXR RadioSeaDrome

This interview with Devin Starke was conducted via
biomass interface between ZXR RadioSeaDrome
and the Biomass Research Laboratory

of Doctor Stephan Warlock in October of 2009.

Transcript from the desk of Dr. Stephan Warlock:

Recently, while conducting some experiments in Biomass Communications, I stumbled across an unusual signal. I was able to tune in to a broadcast from a strange facility called ZXR Radio Seadrome. After some calibration, I managed to pinpoint their clandestine Broadcast Network long enough to reverse a patterned biomass signal and get their attention.

Only someone with a mind sharp enough to design, build, and operate the Tesla powered SeaDrome broadcast facility would be able to see the code in the biomass feedback pulses and recognize them as a “friendly hello” from someone with the capacity to interrupt their signal.

It was the first round in a game of “psycho-electro-acoustic/ tag” with ZXR Radio Seadrome.

For those unfamiliar, ZXR RadioSeadrome is comprised of a partnership between:

· Dr. Alex Zarkov (Chief Engineer – Electronics Expert),

· Captain Reginald Van Duesenberg – (ZXR’s Commander and navigator).

· Sir Devin Starke – (Composer/Musician and ZXR’s Music Director)

And now, streaming through an arcane array of biomass feedback generators and wave converters, I am pleased to bring you delegated representative from the SeaDrome itself …

Sir Devin Starke, Composer extraordinaire:

1. Dr. Stephan Warlock: Greetings Devin, I believe you are it, so to speak. Could you start by telling us a little bit about the ZXR RadioSeadrome and your music? Give us a general sense of your purpose and style…

Sir Devin Starke: Greetings Dr. Warlock, it’s a pleasure to speak with you. By the way that was pure genius how you intercepted our signal, very impressive work. Dr. Zarkov would like to talk to you about it after the interview. Let me start by saying that the SeaDrome is the world’s only Tesla-powered floating radio station. It roams the Atlantic sending out a one million watt signal capable of reaching halfway around the globe. Being ZXR’s onboard composer and music director I alone am responsible for what goes out over the airwaves. As an artist my sole purpose is to create the finest electronic sound sculptures I am capable of producing for the station. Some may say that I have fallen short of this goal but as the SeaDrome is a unique creation in an increasingly conformist world I feel compelled to create the most unique sounds I can for broadcast.

As for my style I have no name for it. Dr. Zarkov likes to call it lo-fi sci-fi for your Hi-Fi. The style could probably be traced back to the countless hours I spent as a child ‘composing’ on my Muson toy synthesizer which was an excellent source of incredibly cheap-sounding outer space type noises. I still have the Muson but seldom use it anymore for fear that it may finally give up the ghost. It’s at death’s door now.

2. Dr.W: How did the ZXR team actually come together…I mean you have quite a unique approach to fusing science, art, and broadcasting.

DS: I first met Captain Van Duesenberg after a midnight performance of my “Wow and Flutter Concerto” at the 42^nd Street subway station in New York. He told me that he was the commander of Dr. Zarkov’s new floating radio station which was to be launched later that week. He also mentioned that they were looking for a music director to join them on the high seas. Having grown rather tired of performing underground I immediately offered my services. The rest as they say is history.

Dr. Zarkov is a brilliant scientist, he designed the SeaDrome entirely on his own. Unfortunately just a few weeks after we launched into the Atlantic the United States Federal Communications Commission began searching for us, claiming that we had no license to operate a one million watt transmitter. This was a ridiculous claim since we were broadcasting in the middle of the ocean far from any government jurisdiction. They continue to hunt for us nonetheless.

But I would say that life on the SeaDrome is quite groovy actually. Supplies are delivered to us every week via Dr. Zarkov’s private magnacopter and there is always fine champagne and Beluga caviar on hand to fuel my creativity. And Dr. Zarkov’s daughter Alexia spends a lot of time on board where she can be closer to her father. She’s a fascinating young woman and we enjoy each other’s company a great deal, although the good Doctor seems to disapprove somewhat.

3. Dr.W: You seem to have a great deal of focus on Nicola Tesla and his science, from the theoretical design of your broadcast facility, to the content of your music. You’ve even written a marvelous tribute piece, “Theme for Tesla”. Can you tell us a little bit about how that came together and the involvement of the Tesla Memorial Society?

DS: I had wanted to write a Tesla tribute for a long time but the right idea wouldn’t come to me. Then one day I came across the Tesla Memorial Society website where I first heard the beautiful eulogy speech read by Fiorello La Guardia who was mayor of New York City at the time Tesla died. In my mind I could hear music accompanying the words and immediately began writing the track. I contacted the Society asking for permission to use excerpts of the speech in my recording and I also sent them the track for their perusal. The Society’s president actually wrote to me giving his approval and thanking me for my work on Tesla. I was honoured to say the least.

4. Dr.W: Besides Tesla, Whom else would you consider an essential influence that inspired the work you do today?

DS: Hugo Gernsback was a big influence on me. He was a prolific publisher of science fiction stories long before anyone even heard of the term. He actually coined the term “science fiction” although he preferred to call it “scientifiction”. As a young lad I was given a rather large collection of his early magazines. They’d be worth a fortune today if I still had them.

Regarding music I would have to say Kraftwerk first of all, I was greatly affected by their early albums. Klaus Schulze’s double album called “X” (“Ten”) was a major influence on me as well. I thought “Stratosfear” by Tangerine Dream was an electronic masterpiece, though I really don’t care for anything else they ever did. And I also spent a lot of time listening to vintage stereo test records. These were highly technical affairs usually filled with frequency sweeps, white noise, pink noise, all different colors of noise, sonic booms and such, really inspiring stuff.

Then there was a guy named Edd Kalehoff who was an early Moog player. The only time I ever saw him play was in a TV commercial but it had a profound impact on me, not so much for the music as for the huge modular synths, tape machines and electronic devices he was using. If you’d like to check it out I believe it’s still on YouTube somewhere. Edd looked like the coolest guy in the world surrounded by all that technology and I wanted to be that guy, minus the moustache and glasses of course, maybe a different shirt too.

5. Dr.W: You have an unusual tone that is both old, warm and retro feeling, yet new and crisp simultaneously. For some of the ‘techies’ and music producers out there, would you be kind enough to describe a little bit about your recording process and the gear you use?

DS: I have no definitive recording process. I do use a combination of analog and digital devices which probably contributes to the ‘old/new’ feel of many of the tracks. Sometimes I’ll record certain parts directly onto reel to reel magnetic tape for added warmth and saturation before I transfer them into the digital realm. Some parts of “Frequency of Storms” were recorded onto a vintage stereo cassette deck for a truer lo-fi feel. Quite often I find that a digital synth will sound much better when first recorded in analog. Of course it all goes digital eventually but the process does impart a certain ineffable feeling to the track. One could call the tracks “analogically de-mastered” so to speak. Yes, I rather like that term and I think I’ll coin it right now. You’re my witness to this Dr. Warlock, I hereby make my claim as the man who coined the phrase “analogically de-mastered”. All rights reserved, all wrongs reversed and all that.

6. Dr.W: Could you tell us something about the track you created (“In Robots We Trust”) for the upcoming “Rise of the Retrobots” compilation project? For starters, is that your voice opening the track?

DS: No, that is the voice of Emerson Crosley, ZXR’s on-air announcer. He and I were having a conversation one day when he mentioned that Captain Van Duesenberg once said that he didn’t trust robots because it was impossible to tell what they were thinking. I thought the line would fit the track nicely so I added it. Since this track was to be destined for a robot-oriented compilation project I wanted to create something a bit more in the style of early Kraftwerk as a sort of personal homage. I trust that imitation is still the sincerest form of flattery and not plagiarism!

Dr.W: For those who haven’t heard, “Rise of the Retrobots” is a multi-media compilation being put together by our glorious sponsors here at Other Dimension Radio, Nightmare Sound and

TAO X Productions creating unique, compelling music & sound for film and media. The call for submissions of Robot Oriented Music, Video, Animation, and Art is out there. Find out more at: www.myspace.com/riseoftheretrobots

7. Dr.W: Considering the brief telling of the legend of your Captain Van Duesenberg’s experience with the ‘Robot Mutiny’ on his trip to Tahiti, I’m just curious what is the official ZXR stance on Robots?

DS: Actually ZXR is decidedly pro-robot. Indeed, some of our best friends are robots such as Victor the Robot whose electronic grooves are among the finest I’ve heard. Captain Van Duesenberg still has some issues with robots but so would you if a dozen of them turned against you in the middle of the Pacific Ocean during a raging storm. Perhaps a better type of electrical insulation would have made all the difference but he’ll never know, will he? As I mentioned it was the good Captain himself whose words were replicated on the track “In Robots we Trust”.

8. Dr.W: So, are there any new tracks or projects on the immediate horizon?

DS: I’ve been working for quite a while on the music for a new ballet which is to be performed entirely in zero-gravity, but it seems I shall never finish it now as the SeaDrome takes up most of my time these days. I do have several tracks in the works at the moment, one of which is some appropriate ‘please stand by’ music for those times when the station runs into technical difficulties. A seemingly simple track such as this is much harder to do well than one might realize, it’s a matter of creating just the right mood to accompany the thoughts of a listener who is waiting in anticipation for the regular broadcast to resume. Capturing a mood is everything to me. Each track needs to create a certain atmosphere. If it doesn’t then I reject the track.

9. Dr.W: If there was one piece of gear you could add to the SeaDrome’s arsenal of sonic equipment, what would that be?

DS: Well, there are a lot of pieces of vintage gear that I would like to have. One which comes to mind is a Buchla 700 synth. I believe about twelve of them were made so they’re a little hard to find.

10. Dr.W: What are your hopes and goals for ZXR Radio SeaDrome and your musical composition over the coming years?

DS: Whether by fate, luck or inclination I am now part of the ZXR crew. My only goal is to continue working as the artistic soul of the SeaDrome for as long at she may sail over the storm-tossed wine dark seas of time. And long may that be.

Dr. W: At this time I need to thank you Devin, for gracing us with your time and your music, and thank all of you, for tuning in.

You’ve been listening to an interview with Sir Devin Starke of ZXR RadioSeaDrome here on Other Dimension Radio. You can learn more about ZXR RadioSeaDrome at:
http://www.myspace.com/zxrradioseadrome

I’m Dr. Stephan Warlock bringing you music and sound from Other Dimensions.

Tonight’s fine programming has been brought to you by Nightmare Sound and TAO X Productions.

You can find out what other mad science and musical metaphysics are going down at the Nightmare Sound Laboratories by checking out:

http://nightmaresoundlab.blogspot.com/

For Other Dimension Radio this is Doctor Warlock signing off….

This program has been sponsored by:

Music Producers - Musical Multiple Personality Disorder

2009-12-23T14:37:00.000-08:00

Producer's Journal

The Deep Dark Secrets of Music Production

Nobody Wants to Talk About

Perhaps only other producers will be able to relate to this dark secret of the business, but many of us suffer from MMPD (Musical Multiple Personality Disorder).
   It starts off innocently through study of music and music appreciation, but like a gateway drug, leads artists to want to actually create music in genres outside their natural areas of expertise, to explore, collaborate, innovate, and finally bend and twist genre on it's head...And then, it's too late; you are hooked.
You start to notice it when you hear a track in a genre you never liked and suddenly have a wave of immense appreciation for the songwriting and production, or worse yet, you can re-imagine the song in an entirely different genre/arrangement. These musical "hallucinations" can have far reaching effects, including a sometimes excessive build up of interesting, but unrelated tracks in one's music catalog.
For producers who come from the performing/recording artist/band world it can be even more traumatic.
An artist with a band or specific solo project already has identity issues, often using one or more obfuscated identities to represent their 'creative selves' versus their 'business selves', and their 'everyday selves'.
   For those afflicted with MMPD, the compulsion to analyze music and engage in unsavory acts like: research, study, practice, collaboration, experimentation and ultimately becoming involved with 'foreign' genres, becomes irresistible, pulling countless producers down a long hard road of musical addiction.
For the performer turned producer, coming down from a 'one genre' focus and having to enter a beginners mind in unfamiliar territories can be a challenging transition, but the lure of "mind expanding" musical experiences often proves too compelling for an artist just leaving the exciting world of long hours, late nights and too much cigarette smoke.
   Side effects of MMPD can be a heavy level of appreciation for cultural diversity and an open mind.
Often times artists with an established following can suffer the stigma of being accused of lack of focus or betrayal of genre/fanbase. Without a community of other producers willing to come out and openly discuss this 'seamier' side of the business, an individual producer can feel isolated and lock themselves in their studios for hours if not days at a time.
If any of these symptoms or conditions sound familiar to you, you may be afflicted. You may be a producer.
Until now, it had been thought that the only cure for this affliction was a steady job doing only one kind of music (or in extreme cases, no music at all!) for the rest of their life...For some, that cure is worse than the disease.
I am happy to be able to reveal to you today, that the real cure is much simpler, free, and readily available!
The secret? Having a good sense of humor, a healthy dose of ambition and perseverance, and finding a supportive place where you can openly declare:
" I am (insert your name here) and I'm a Producer";)

Happy Holidays,
T. Reed - Composer/Music Producer

Sun is Down-TAOX Stars Mix by TAOXProductions

2009-12-12T11:48:00.001-08:00

Sun is Down-TAOX Stars Mix by TAOXProductions

Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band - Sun is Down - TAOX Stars Mix
Remix by: T. Reed - TAO X Productions
Submission for "Sun is Down" Remix Contest - 12/12/09

Celebrating the release of their new Album:

"Between My Head and the Sky"

As licensed under the Creative Commons 3.0
by Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band

TAO X Productions Online! 11/29/09

2009-11-29T06:57:00.001-08:00

Official TAO X Productions Website now online!

After much tribulation, procrastination, and frequent 'conflustrication' (nope, not a word, ...yet;), I finally retooled the TAO X Productions website.
New easy to access flash audio and video samples, project links, and a sleek new design are finally available.
The Shopping and Newsletter features are not fully functional just yet. At the moment they are still a world of code I have to finish grappling with, but I'm well on the way and should have those aspects ironed out before long.
As a long time practitioner of DIY philosophy, it can be both frustrating and rewarding to pick up new software from scratch and tickle the edge of code, while trying to get regular projects done. Web work can be so time consuming and meticulous!
All that said, I hope I've managed to create an enjoyable and useful space for clients, fans, and new viewers to experience a piece of my world as a composer/artist/musician/producer. As time permits I will upgrade and improve the site to better serve the developing needs of my clients and the general needs of the multimedia, post production, music and entertainment industry.
I want to thank everyone who shows interest and visits my sites/blogs etc.
For clients I hope to bring a unique flavor that really helps lift their projects/campaigns to their highest potential. For listeners and fans, I hope you all enjoy my eclectic collection of odd bits, albums, and video work from throughout my career/life as an Artist/Musician/Composer.
I thank you for your ears and your support!
Best Wishes,

T. Reed - Composer/Music Producer
TAO X Productions
Nightmare Sound Lab
TAO X on Twitter

Retrobots of the Month: Thankful for Dynamic Duobots

2009-11-26T11:20:00.000-08:00

Alright, This Thanksgiving I am thankful to be able to work in the field of music and art (for 20-plus years and tracking). I am also Thankful to all creators of Monster and Robot masterpieces like the following video for " Positive Contact".
Yeah, this may be a few years old but it is seriously cool. Awesome animation and a most brilliant "Gamer" hook to it from Intergalactic Hip Hop heroes, Deltron 3030

On the other side of the World we have the second half of this month's Dynamic Duobots, a superior animator from Argentina, Federico Alvarez and his exceptional giant Robot alien invasion short: Ataque de Pánico! (Panic Attack!) 2009 (produced by: Aperato Post).It doesn't hurt to be backed by British Film Composer John Murphy and his incredible song,
"In a Heartbeat"(as heard in"28 Days Later" theme /"Dr. Who" etc.)
This is just one of the most awesome animated SciFi shorts ever!

Till next time...same Bot channel;)

Godzilla Stop Motion Animation/Score/SFX Test

2009-11-21T18:02:00.000-08:00

I ran across this stop motion animation test featuring none other than the Big 'G' himself, with models and animation by Stu Venom. I asked permission to use his work as the basis for an exercise for one of my intern/students in the art of music for film.

This clip features models of Super Godzilla vs HyperGezora in battle.

You can find more about Stu's stop motion animation project at:

http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/chokaijugojira/

Rob Zombie 11/19/09

2009-11-20T10:40:00.000-08:00

Rob Zombie brought his Hellbilly Deluxe II tour to Milwaukee last night.

I missed Captain Clegg & the Night Creatures, but Nekromantix a hot psychobilly act, featured Lux, an incredible female drummer (who can give any man I know a run for his money on the double kick drum game!)
This was one of my all time favorite shows! Featuring the man himself, with John 5 on Guitar (Marilyn Manson), Tommy Clufetos on Drums (Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent), and longtime Zombie bassist Piggy D. , the show was a stellar example of tight experienced performers with a great sound.

Forgive the lame cell phone cam pics, but I was going to enjoy the show, not be a photographer. For those who want a bigger taste of the Zombie flavor, check out Rob's YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/user/robzombie
And his Official Site: http://www.robzombie.com/

And no, we are not related;) We are the same age, and share similar influences, but any resemblance to any Zombies either living or now un-dead is purely coincidental.

Guns, Girls, and Giant monsters - Assault Girls - Another Mamoru Oshii TKO

2009-11-10T14:32:00.001-08:00

I think I love this movie and I haven't even seen it yet.

Here's why:

Did I mention, this movie has it all! The 3 Gs: Guns, Girls, and Giant Monsters. Don't know that I need to say more, but for those that need convincing, take into account that it is a Mamoru Oshii film ( The same guy responsible for the groundbreaking "Ghost in the Shell", Avalon, and perhaps less well known, but no less intriguing and bizarre "The Red Spectacles" (1987). The music was done by Kenji Kawai. http://www.kenjikawai.com

In case you are not convinced yet:

Check out the trailer:

"Assault Girls" is scheduled for a 12/19/09 Japanese release. I can't wait to get it here!

Horror and SciFi writer, Robert Hood usually beats me to the punch on these hot new films, I just toss one or two in that really strike my fancy. You can check out his fine blog @ http://undeadbrainspasm.blogspot.com

Kaijusonic Update

2009-11-04T11:03:00.000-08:00

Kaijusonic - Release Delayed

Well the idea was to arbitrarily post Halloween as a deadline for this project...The reality is that some film project and festival deadlines and priorities stepped in the way. Not so out of the ordinary in this crazy biz;) That said, I want to make this a spectacular project with lots of fun cool merchandise and an incredible collection of fine monster music so, I am going to take the time I need to make sure this is worth the wait! I promise it will be MONSTROUS!!! I will post a new release date when I've had more time to give this project the focused attention it deserves and I'm sure a financing and distribution chain is in place.
More on this soon...

Kaijusonic Team - Nightmare Sound/TAO X Productions

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T01:03:00.000-07:00

Nightmare Sound Lab and TAO X Productions will be back shortly with
more music , film, art and all around fun Monster Creep stuff!
Recuperating from a frantic sleepless week of Dialog, Music,
Foley and Sound FX recording, editing and mixing for a short film called
“Four Cups of Joe”,
destined for the film festival circuit!
Be back after a day of sleep or so;)
Best,
T.Reed - TAO X Productions ~ Nightmare Sound Lab

The State of The Independent Record Label

2009-10-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

Recently, on a professional Industry group, someone posted the question, "Whatever happened to all the pioneering record labels?" I thought I would try and give some perspective on that topic here.

There is one problem that has always been a problem in this industry..but even more so today:

Investment and operating capital, or just plain simply: MONEY! For years I have been trying to set the framework for just such a pioneering label. I did some A&R consulting for a label in the past and got to see first hand the pretty ugly financial truth to operating a label. From that vantage it's quite easy to see why there aren't a million pioneering labels out there. Problem #1: Distributors don't pay fast enough, or at all. Shelf space is finite, subject of fierce competition, and being downsized and out-dated more each day. And returns can crush a label owner and come unexpectedly at any time from a distributor.

Now, during this technological 'weeding out' phase where all these new "models" for distribution and marketing (iTunes, etc.) are competing for dominance in the market, we are in an odd flux where no one is quite sure what the rules are, and, as usual, the established "powers that be" are fighting desperately to regain control of and/or co-opt the innovations that were created specifically to circumvent their system in the first place.

Right now most people with the entrepreneurial spirit, experience, and technical capacity to run a label are busy throwing down in their craft and maintaining financial solvency. IMHO a couple of things need to coincide to create the circumstances that can foster a successful "Pioneer" or alternative label:

1. Money: But that's not enough on its own... you could give someone 100K to get operating and when that money ran out and they were waiting to get paid by distributors, the repo men would already be coming gut the label's office.

2. Research and Experimentation: New distribution methods and their roles in the emerging evolution of this industry need to be studied and paid attention to. A new label pioneer will have to be clear on how they are going to divide their energy between divergent markets and distribution methods.

3. Cooperation: A community of Artists and Labels being innovative and proactive in marketing (viral and otherwise). Artists have got to get over the notion that getting signed to a label means having everything done for you, and Labels need to be in tune with the Art, Artists, the audience, the markets and the money side simultaneously, if a label is to be more than a part-time expensive, time consuming hobby with every bit as many liabilities as a major label (a lawsuit for copyright infringement looks exactly the same when it arrives on your desk as when it arrives at Sony...only difference is the average indie label doesn't have an army of attorneys on retainer. To really make a splash that gets sufficient marketing attention (even for a niche market) it requires co-mutual and creative partnerships and activity that moves that agenda forward with grace and purpose.

4. A Market (with enough disposable income to be customers):

However odd or eclectic one's "niche" might be, a label has to find their market and get them to the door with cash in hand.

5. Luck: Yup, good ol fashioned luck…to be in the right place at the right time, to meet the right people, to sign the right Artists, to hit a market trend just before the ride is about to begin with a quiver full of just the right arrows to hit that mark.

So while this laundry list of the complications and obstacles to running a successful label seems daunting, there are some, myself included, who are working to stir the air enough to start creating the conditions for that perfect storm…In this economic environment however, the process becomes even more lengthy and challenging, no matter what clever angle you come up with. The prize will go to those who have the time, passion, skill, money, and perseverance to weather the economical and technological storm that is creating our current condition, and to be lucky enough to create or choose a business model that works.

Here’s wishing the best of luck to all those taking the time to make the effort!

T. Reed – TAO X Productions - Nightmare Sound Laboratory

Retrobots of the Month - Crazy Robot Fight Club

2009-10-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

This Month I am featuring some great stuff (some of which feature tight music tracks) from the Crazy Robot Fight Club category. Lets start with an incredibly cool clip covering the Robo One Championships in Tokyo.

Next up 2007 Robot of the Year... Replacing humans in the workplace so people have more time to play second life online;) Hope they don't make an army of giant versions of the Scorpion robots shown here!

Here's one from the 2009 Kondo Battles sponsered by Kondo Kagaku a hobby-robot company.
No cool music, but much cool info and fighting robots!

And finally lets add just a little crazy and stir it with some dancing, some bad-ass stop motion animation, Transformers and The Dukes of Hazzard and see what amazing French-Canadian Director/Animator/Filmmaker Patrick Boivan can come up with (In the form of Fighting Robots that is!) Check out more work by Patrick at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/PatrickBoivin#p/p

All for now in Retrobot World:) Till Halloween!

Strange World - Cool Head

2009-09-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

STRANGE WORLD ~ COOL HEAD

Taking on an Economy & Industry in Flux

For a lot of us (inside and outside the music and entertainment industry), this has been a strange and harrowing year fraught with economic adjustments and new challenges.

The music business has been undergoing a dramatic shift for at least a decade and still hasn't come to settle. More than ever, it has been incumbent upon creative entrepreneurs to carve out their own paths, and while it is true that artists now have many more tools and resources available to them to become more self-sufficient in business and production, it doesn't change the level of time, effort, and skill required to find a comfortable place in the industry.

While it's easy to see how one might feel like everything is falling apart, a far more valuable position to take would be to consider this a time for recalibration, reevaluation and evolution . This economic readjustment is, and has been, coming for some time now. New methods and mediums are still fighting for their role in the new economy, and, as always, some will flourish and some will fade.

What many of us who are working as freelance, self-employed creatives can take some heart in, is that things have not essentially changed that much for us. We wake up every day without any absolute guaranty that the jobs will be there, the projects will be paying and plentiful. Everyday is a challenge to find the work and keep things rolling even when it isn’t readily available.

Do I have any definitive answers? No. Who does? This is a great big recalibration long overdue and it is coinciding with massive technological leaps and shifts that have made the ground floor unstable for all kinds of businesses including the entire” Recording Industry”…

Remember that song “Video Killed the Radio Star” (The first MTV video ever!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWtHEmVjVw8

Yup, they were talking about the same kind of industry shifts back in 1979.

Every artist, era, market and circumstance is different, so there are no definitive answers.

I can only tell you the way I’m dealing with these times and inform you of the outcome of my experiments and efforts as they unfold. As I dive into this "Strange World", my motto is to keep a cool head, and figure out how to turn adversity into advantage.

The one thing that having less work than one might like provides, is the space and time to realize and address a lot of unfinished aspects of both the business and creative ends that tend to get left behind when the clock is always ticking on a client’s project. Of course one must prioritize making sure all ends are met, but we can all take an inauspicious time and use it wisely to set up for a win further down the road. Do more studying, research, and social media networking. Take steps to make your studio cleaner, more ergonomic, and efficient. Learn those keystrokes that could save you valuable time on your project work. Cut those new demos that you’d been meaning to get around to. Cut up and file those field recordings that are sitting on your media shelf and turn them into valuable organized assets in your sample library. Put together an improved and upgraded web interface. Talk to some new people and brainstorm. The list can go on and on, and many of these tasks don’t even require capital, just the will and the time.

Maybe now is just the time to take on new challenges. Attempt to achieve the unlikely… Yes, why not? What have you got to lose? There is no amount of moping, complaining or worrying that will ever float a boat, so if the old formula isn’t working try something new.

If you have faith in yourself, now is the time to invest it. If you don’t, then now is the time to earn it and get it! A lot of us have hidden masterpieces - novels, movies, songs, etc. locked up inside, waiting for the day when we have enough security and time to pursue them…All an illusion that never seems to arrive no matter where you are.

Perhaps the best time is NOW!

For myself, I’ve taken on a tall plate from the ‘all of the above’ column. This year I finished a screenplay in the action comedy genre, written with a collaborator/colleague and long time friend. We have now begun preparing a business plan to support that effort. With several music projects, a new compilation CD project (Rise of the Retrobots), and some sound design for a short film all on my plate in October, I have a lot to do and look forward to updating you with the results as these, and other projects progress.

I’d also like to hear your stories and experiments of surfing the entertainment industry during these strange and uncertain times. Feel free to share your appropriate stories, ideas and experiments as comments to this article.

Here’s wishing you all the best in your creative endeavors and careers.

T. Reed - Composer/Sound Designer/Music Producer

Retrobots of the Month - Robomercials 2

2009-08-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

Retrobots of the month for August brought to you by Nightmare Sound and the "Rise of the Retrobots" multi-media compilation project.

Any kid in their right mind would love a set of these guys which hit the streets just a few years before I would have been old enough to appreciate them.

The Japanese however, had developed a massive robot toy culture that went way back. As a product of wild imaginations and a million copycats, there were robot and monster TV series and fleets of accompanying products some of which made their way to American markets...
(Note the strange inclusion of Godzilla in this completely unrelated toy series/franchise)

And some of which didn't...

Perhaps with the endless barage of cool, cheap and cheesy TV shows like this one:

And the extreme expectations some of these TV commercials put on these Robot's abilities and interactive scope with their audience...

Enticing children with promises of massive destructive power;)
Perhaps that is what's got this next guy SOOO excited!

All for now till next month's Retrobots return. Till then, please go play at some of the ancillary laboratories:
Rise of the Retrobots on Myspace
Rise of the Retrobots Home
Monster Makers Lab
TAO X Productions
Kaijusonic

He's back...

2009-08-13T07:47:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I disappeared there for a couple weeks;)
This is turning out to be a very busy Summer indeed.
In addition to all the music projects I have culminating simultaneously, I am also working on a screenplay for (oddly enough) an dark action comedy with a writing partner in San Francisco. Over the several weeks I have been in the process of making revisions in preparation for some film festivals. My writing partner produced an independent film for director Adam Orman last year called Fifth Form. (Sorry, again NOT a horror film at all) BUT... Fifth Form was accepted and will be screening next at:

Indiefest USA (Anaheim). AMC Downtown Disney, Thurs. Aug 27, 10pm

More to the point...We have a very close to solid new script/screenplay available to pitch by the week of the festival. We are working towards developing this screenplay into a new independent film, even as the script is being completed and fine tuned. I will announce more about this project when I can. After the fest I will be back to more horror oriented subjects, Rise of the Retrobots updates and other project news. Till then I will be busy doing all the screenwriting/editing I can. I'll still try and stab in article or two in between :)
T. Reed - TAO X Productions - Nightmare Sound Laboratory

Retrobots of the Month - Robomercials 1

2009-07-18T03:24:00.000-07:00

I have a ton of writing to do this weekend , so before I take off to one of my secret remote laboratories where I can work without distraction, I wanted to leave you with a new feature brought to you by the "Rise of the Retrobots" multi-media compilation project. Please enjoy these Retro Robot Flashbacks. Some of these may even be lurking in your closets! Remember kids, the Robots we make today could become the Overlords of tomorrow!
So be careful what you build! And be kind to your Robots:)

At the time of its making, this robot cost enough to feed an average family for a week, (which is probably why you don't see too many around today). That might be a good thing considering how much damage they could do in a Robot Uprising (Providing they could afford the batteries).

According to the commercial, "Ideal's Robot Commando is here to help you!", at least if you are a boy bent on World domination! Apparently 'Ideal' had the market cornered on creepy mesmerizing robots designed to train a legion of grade school children to find a gleeful pass time in conquering, crushing and destroying the defenses of Earth. Ideal for Robot propaganda preparing the youth for the next Robot Uprising coming to a town near you soon!

I discovered one of these 2xl Robots(sans power supply) with a Marvel comics cartridge...If I can batterize it it looks like a great candidate for circuit bending AND tape looping!
What could possibli go wrongggggg...bleet- do..beep kkkkchztrrrt*$$#@!Excelsior ...popsizzleburningmeltysmell.....;)

That's all for this week kids, see ya when I get back from the remote lab.
In the meantime go play at some of the ancillary laboratories:
Rise of the Retrobots on Myspace
Rise of the Retrobots Home
Monster Makers Lab
TAO X Productions
Kaijusonic

Rise of the Retrobots Update and blog notes

2009-07-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

Rise of the Retrobots Update for 07/10/09

Greetings Robot, Monster, and Music Freaks & Connoisseurs,
This update is a personal note to inform everyone of the status of the Rise of the Retrobots project, The Monster Makers Lab and the Nightmare Sound Blog.
I have received several excellent contacts with interested Artists some of whom are busy working hard and some even having already submitted tracks which have proven qualified to be eligible for selection.
All three of these projects were launched simultaneously this June (2009) in a fit of ambition and artistic passion. There are still some communication and networking structures I need to establish to make this easier for me to communicate with all participants (and potential participants and sponsors) so that I don't have to spend all my time re-iterating the same ideas via different forums/formats and individual emails. So bear with me and please participate in the alignment as the infrastructure gets molded to make this all smooth and easy.
What is in place currently is as follows:

I have already established a decent FTP solution for submissions, important file exchanges, and
Artists who want to collaborate. The details of which will be provided as I get contact from the individual Artists.
To help centralize communications, please send all correspondence and inquiries to:
retrobots@nightmaresound.com

Postings of latest news and instructions on compilation project are available at:
RISE OF THE RETROBOTS OFFICIAL SITE UPDATES
http://nightmaresoundlab.blogspot.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/monstermakerslab/

In addition to some duplicate Blog info and updates, some sample excerpts of the types of tracks and other media that will be on this project is available at:
RISE OF THE RETROBOTS on MySpace
(Currently there is 1 sample available: "Kill Robots Rise")...More examples will be added as submissions are completed and accepted.

Because of the greater scope, the uniqueness, and complexity of this multi-media compilation project, I am still in the process of honing down the best system and guidelines to bring everything together smoothly and create an enormously cool project we can all be proud of. My sincerest wish is that all who choose to participate and can contribute a quality piece and/or some assistance promoting the project will be able to use this project as their own promotional tool and have an excellent creative experience.

Of course, all my regular work and pursuit of paying prospects must continue right alongside these projects that I foster out of love for the subject matter and the collaboration involved.
I am currently wrapped up in a critical phase of screenwriting with a partner where some deadlines are involved, so I may be a bit sparse with updates and communications over the next 2 weeks in July, but please sign on to publicly follow the Nightmare Sound Lab Blog to keep posted and informed, and to be eligible for contests.
NEW CONTEST WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON! SO KEEP YOUR EYES PEALED
I will do my best to keep things coming and keepin it fresh and exciting!
Keep those submission ideas coming!
Thanks!

T. Reed - TAO X Productions - Nightmare Sound Laboratory

My Monster Madness & the Book that Started It All!

2009-07-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

"A Pictorial History of Horror Movies" by Denis Gifford
Review by T. Reed - 2009

In 1973 Denis Gifford, a British author who wrote several books on the culture and genre of Horror and SciFi, published "The Pictorial History of Horror Movies"( © 1973/74 - Hamlyn).
I received this book as a gift as a kid less than 10 years old, and for years I carried this around , like a sacred tome, studying every word and picture .
From the original dust jacket picture one might get the mistaken impression that this was a book primarily featuring Universal's Monsters, but further inspection proves it to be far more. Most of those dust covers don't exist any more, like mine, they disintegrated. I actually recovered my copy from my parents house over 20 years later, showing the incredible wear and tear I put this thing through.
While most of the photographs in the book are black and white on cheap paper that easily yellowed, there are a few nice full page color glossies, one, most notably a full page picture from a rare and difficult to find film starring Boris Karloff called "The Sorcerers" (Tigon 1967).
The black and whites are easily every bit as fascinating, offering a good blend of images from many classic films as well as a host of rare and seldom seen images, such as pictures from Georges Melies silent films done at the edge of the 19th century, featuring amazingly well crafted demons, devils, skeletons, and assorted fantastical creatures and events, (including one of the first cinematographic ventures to to the Moon). Also striking were pictures from Terror in the Sun (Ungar 1961), and some of the Asian titles very few outside of Japan were seeing i.e. "The Snake Girl and the Silver Haired Witch" , Living Skeleton (Schochiku 1968), and "Horror of Malformed Men" (Toei 1969).
But beyond the awesome pictorial record, there are tidbits of information and very cool and obscure facts about many of the movies and artists we are all familiar with, as well as the many of the less familiar. From Melies to Poe, from "Fiend Without a Face" to the "Mad Doctor of Blood Island" and from all across the World, Denis Gifford presented an intoxicating look into the heart of the Beast that is the Art of Horror and SciFi film-making. To my knowledge, this book is no longer in print but can still be obtained as a used book via Amazon.

T. Reed - TAO X Productions - Nightmare Sound laboratory
http://nightmaresoundlab.blogspot.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/monstermakerslab/
http://www.taoxproductions.com

Arts & Business Series - Part 1- Intellectual Property

2009-07-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

What every Artist should know about Intellectual Property & Copyrights

(And why they should care)

Before I begin, let me first present you with a brief preface and an official disclaimer.

When I started to write this article, it became clear to me that it would take more than one single quickly digestible blog snippet to cover these deep and sometimes gray uncharted waters. I have decided to release the article as part of a series, which I hope you will continue to tune in to for valuable information and insights regarding subjects of interest to professional and aspiring artists alike. For the first part of this series I want to cover intellectual property rights, including topics ranging from copyright and creative commons, to lawsuits and licensing, to sampling and seeking permissions. If that all sounds too dry, technical, and legalese for your taste, then try substituting the alternate more “Artist friendly” title/description:

“Demystifying Intellectual Property - Why my stuff should be mine, and your stuff should be yours, and how we can learn to share our work with the world, make a profit and not get ripped off along the way”.

No guarantee that reading this series will ensure success on all those levels, but armed with a little information and some diligence, you can vastly improve your odds at being in a position to take the most possible advantage of all the hard work and creativity you put into your craft.

OFFICIAL DISCLAIMER: Let me first preface by saying that I AM NOT A LAWYER! Anyone seeking absolute clarity (if that is even an available option), and actual legal authority on any subject contained inside this article should refer to the appropriate regionally based agencies i.e. U.S. Library of Congress Copyright Office (or it’s International equivalents), the artist’s performing rights organization (PRO) i.e. ASCAP, BMI, SEASAC in the U.S., (If you don’t have one or know what that is, then please, do read on!), or one’s own trusted legal council/entertainment attorney. I won’t go into detailed copyright form specifics (which vary), as these forms and the corresponding information are all readily available via the respective copyright offices in your country of residence.

I am an artist/musician/writer and general renaissance man and freak living in the U.S. who has been in the music business for 2 decades, from struggling artist to successful entrepreneur (and that can just be from one week to the next!) Even though I am approaching this article primarily from a musician’s standpoint, the concepts are generally applicable to other art forms as well, which I will touch on briefly throughout. But what I really want to achieve here is to take this subject beyond the legalese and break it down to the core issues, motivations, and attitudes that are meaningful to us all, and which often (for better or worse), guide our hand in forming our own creative path, and manifest the opportunities (or obstacles) that present themselves along the way.

PART 1 – Introduction

The one thing we should all remember, (artist or otherwise) when approaching the topic of “intellectual property”, (If your first instinct when you saw that word was to go, “What?” or simply tune it out, then this article would be ESPECIALLY helpful to you!), is that every artist is out there trying to express themselves with varying degrees of talent, ambition, and solemnity and respect (or lack thereof) regarding the creative rights of their own works and those of others. With such a broad range of attitudes and misunderstandings that abound on the subject, it’s no wonder that this becomes a world that artists prefer to avoid putting too much thought into. Believe me, skilled artists who are successful in their field are keenly aware and on top of, the terms and issues covered in this article. Their eyes would not glaze over, or stare blankly in confusion if I approached them at a party and asked them what they thought about I.P. rights issues (unless they happened to be “overly infused with the party spirit”, if you catch my drift). For all the struggling artists who are continuously grumbling that they just can’t get a break, the preceding is a very noteworthy, statement so let me repeat it: With almost no exception, “Every successful artist has at least a fundamental understanding of, and interest in, copyright law and intellectual property rights”.

Now let’s get to it. If there is any assumption one would be safe making regarding copyright and IP law, it would most likely be to assume everything you see or hear or read or that is made by man in general, belongs to someone and therefore has inherent protections under copyright, trademark, or patent law. Start there and work backwards with any of the additional verifiable facts that are concrete. There will be plenty of time to deal with gray areas.

Sampling was one of those gray areas a few years back (1980s and 90s), which is no longer AS gray. I will go into greater detail on that subject in another installment dedicated more specifically to that issue. But let’s start by tackling a short list of misnomers and misunderstandings about copyright law (at least as it stands in the United States at the time this article was written). These will begin to open up the discussion to some of the individual aspects involved in the process of understanding IP rights that I will delve deeper into in future installments of this series.

A Few Common Misnomers About Copyright Law

1. I have to file a copyright claim and pay the $30 (as of this writing) to register my song/CD/artwork/literature with the Library of Congress or my work won’t be protected.

NO, not true, once you affix your work to a physical medium you have ownership and copyright to that work. That said, it would be a whole lot easier to prove it in a court of law however, if you bit the bullet, paid the fee, and filed your paperwork.

2. If an artist doesn’t post a copyright notice on their work, then it doesn’t have a valid copyright claim and falls into Public Domain.

And that would have been true… until that law was changed in 1989 to comply with the Berne Convention. Many foreign works originally published without copyright notice before that date, that could have entered the public domain in the United States, have had their copyright restored by the URAA (Uruguay Round Agreements Act), which amended that oversight.

3. I can legally use samples of another artist’s music or clips from movies (without getting clearance) if I: (insert/select ill-founded rationalization here).

A. Only use a little section or mash it up beyond recognition.

B. Am not making any money from sales of the work in question.

C. Still believe that everything you can see or hear on the Internet should be free.

And of course the correct answer to the multiple choice is NO, NO, and NOOOO! Recent court cases have set precedent that pretty much says no to sampling any uncleared bits of anyone else’s work without permission, (and most likely clearance fees) from all interested parties. (More on this later in the series).

4. I can use a portion of someone else’s copyrighted material on a project I’m doing that is not for profit.

Really? Perhaps but only if it complies with Fair Use Doctrine and ‘Fair Use’ is a pretty limited and specific law, which you better understand clearly before ‘assuming’ anything.

And this brings us to the first rule of Intellectual Property law:

Assumption can be a very expensive legal strategy. Don’t do it.

Do your research. If every single note or sound or image you are creating isn’t absolutely painstakingly created by YOU and placed into your 100% original work, then you may want to clean up the piece or track down the appropriate parties to request permission and pay any fees required to use someone else’s material. Anyone serious about making a career out of ‘The Arts’ needs to get serious about the subjects contained in this article/series. Another good resource to help guide you in this process would be to check out the latest edition of Richard Stim’s “Getting Permission” by NOLO Books or any of their other fine books on copyright law and the IP business.

Also, make sure you read the licensing agreements on all the Royalty Free samples and loops you might use as well. They may not all have the same license agreement and specific usage might be restricted. It pays to know. Your license agreement on a royalty free loop disc is a binding contract, be sure you read it before you assume anything. And whenever in doubt, especially when something significant could be on the line, consult a qualified attorney in the area of expertise you require.

WOW, now you might be thinking “That sounds like no fun, what a pain to do all that ‘research’ and ‘reading’ and asking permission and paying fees, instead of just playing with my music toys and making cool sounds and stuff”! If those were the only thoughts that come into your head after reading this so far, then I’d re-examine your desire to make it in the industry of art and keep it just a hobby. Being an Artist who makes their living exclusively from art/music is one of the hardest jobs and courses in continuing education one can engage in. If it were easy, everyone would be millionaire artists, so prepare to dive in, do some extra work and get yourself (and your mindset) ready, so you can not only enjoy what you are doing, but also reap the benefits and rewards from doing professional work that is legally and ethically straight up. If you do your homework ahead of time, and do your job right, you may never have to experience the bitter pill of being on the wrong side of a lawsuit (which by the way tends to be either side, a litigious strategy is a costly money and time drain whether you are the plaintiff or the defendant!

OK I’ve laid out a lot of SCARY warnings and said a lot of NO, so next time tune in for the Arts & Business series where I will provide some Yes answers!

T. Reed - TAO X Productions -– Nightmare Sound Laboratory

www.taoxproductions.com

Monster Makers Lab

2009-06-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

In conjunction with the Nightmare Sound Laboratory,

I have just opened the Monster Makers Lab at yahoo groups:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/monstermakerslab/

Monster Makers Laboratory is for anyone who plays some role in bringing Horror and SciFi Monsters to life! Whether your an industry artist, media professional, or a hobbyist who likes creating monsters for fun, this is the place to be:) Every facet of Monster Making is on the table here, from creating models, sets, costumes, soundtracks, sound design, writing, acting or any other role in the production of Horror and SciFi Films, TV, Music, Comics, Toys, Literature, Art etc. This is meant to be an active forum created to pursue the mission of this group:
To keep the fine art of Monster Making alive and well by fostering collaborations, promoting member projects, exchanging tips, tricks,(and tales of our trials and tribulations along the path;), and sharing appreciation of fine works in the field.
I look forward to meeting you all and exchanging ideas.
Happy Nightmares,
T. Reed - TAO X Productions - Nightmare Sound

They're Here! "The Outer Space Men" in the 21st Century.

2009-06-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

Just received this blast from the past. These are probably some of the first really cool action figures ever! Created by Mel Birnkrant, they came and went just a couple years before I would have been old enough to appreciate them, but they are cool designs even to this day. The 2nd series (unfortunately left un-produced in the 1960's) is even better! Well it appears that new blood has infused "The Outer Space Men" with a second resurrection of the line as both a Graphic Novel and a new collectible toy series. Best of luck to everyone at OSM!

http://www.theouterspacemen.com/

You can check out their Blog at:

http://theouterspacemen.blogspot.com/

The Return of Blood Reaper?

2009-06-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

Well, no, not really, But I just discovered that Unstoppable Pacific is offering up a way cool poster for a Horror film I scored back in 2002

"Blood Reaper"This Movie got some incredibly cool DVD box art devoted to it for the American, Canadian, U.K., S. African, and Japanese releases... and now this beautiful full size 40"x27" high quality 4-color process poster designed by New York Graphic Artist Brenda Trevethan. The artwork, in fact far surpasses the film, which featured Scream Queen, Brinke Stevens in a brief appearance.

This movie succeeds at being exactly what it is, and does so unapologetically, so despite it being a typical STV teenage slasher flick, for me it had a level of humor and charm others might not necessarily see.
I suppose that scoring this film, for weeks, and hearing the director's instruction in the background of the rough audio added to the humor that I alone would be in the unique position of engraining into my experience. I mean there's something hilarious about watching an actor looking at a dripping substance hitting the ground, and hearing the director in the background whispering

" You look up...and sure enough... it's blood!"

You can see a trailer for Blood Reaper here:

It was the first feature horror film I scored and I had fun doing it. I hope and believe that my music served it well. My favorite aspect of the film was probably the most understated, the scenes with a homeless woman who lived in a tent, played by Emalie Ortega. They had a very 'David Lynchian' vibe which I attempted to accentuate with the sound/music.

I wish all the best to the cast and crew of "Blood Reaper" and the Producers at U.P. and hope they continue to put out creepy films. Their latest short film looks pretty cool!
See Unstoppable Pacific's Trailer for "Eternus" Here:

Rise of the Retrobots - History - Mission -Future

2009-06-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

TAO X Productions
&
Nightmare Sound

Present:
'Rise of the Retrobots'

Greetings Fellow Electrobotic Freakazoids...
As owner of TAO X Productions, one aspect of my work is to connect with excellent Artists interested in similar genres and mediums as those generated in my Nightmare Sound Laboratories, as well as other new, innovative, or just plain high caliber creativity.
Outside of composing for commercial work and other projects (when in survival mode), I feel it is my duty to keep my own music alive and to share and collaborate and bring new and interesting projects and compilations into the world. For better or worse, I also tend to have a pension for making things slightly more complicated and full blown, and spend a good deal of energy and time making sure things are clear, legally clean, and sound overall.
Around 2003 I embarked upon bringing together the first TAO X Records compilation project,

Brotherhood of the Drone - Volume I

The result of those "complicated" methods and diligence apparently paid off with an enormously cool compilation of 13 International Drone Artists whose tracks, mastered by Thomas Dimuzio @ Gench in San Francisco) all flowed beautifully together in a mentally audio-cinematic experience of amazing variations in the possibilities of Drone Music. Unfortunately, my schedule and budget made it impossible to give that project the additional care, support and distribution a work of that caliber actually deserved (albeit the small niche of style specific fans that Drone Music holds;) I send my highest regards and thanks to all the contributors to the Brotherhood of the Drone Compilation. Since that project, I've put some thought on that problem and I intend to correct that disparity for the future of TAO X Records projects, and even possibly return to do Volume II of the Drone Compilation, at which time I will probably create a special offer putting Volume I & II together, so the original CD can get it's due presentation to the World. For the time being however, I am concentrating on the "Rise of the Retrobots" Compilation (and of course, 6 other projects I am trying to wrap up simultaneously;) It is my deep love for all things Monster and Robot, make this a project that is especially close to my heart.
This compilation is even more ambitious, as I am attempting to bring Artists, Animators, Videographers, and Musicians into the tent together to stew this into an eclectic, electric, fantastic audio-visual contraption of sheer retro-future magnificence with a general coolness factor of 10x;) To this end, I am being temporarily flexible about submission deadlines and structure, because a part of what I want to achieve is to create some cross-pollinated creative collaborations, mixes, etc. to make this a unique project in terms of a good percentage of special custom tracks being created exclusively for this comp, but also because of the effort to bring it to another level with video, art and new media to whatever extent and creative design the contributors can bring to the table. I want this project to have a unique and technologically forward scope while presenting an intriguing and aesthetically appealing retro-future vibe to it.
To achieve the desired level and scope of this project, I am going to attempt to alter the course and grand tradition of all Indie Labels (at least ones run by 8 brained producer's with more ideas than hands or time to do them all, who want to put out great works no matter what it takes and simply finance it themselves). Herein I will attempt to come up with some creative concepts to finance this project properly via private and corporate sponserships, from people or companies who would benefit by advertising their "Robotic" product, art, toy, service or or biz, or who just love robots! I am also contemplating the creation of a line of merchandise including T-Shirts and possibly some other goodies as well. A selection of BAD ASS Robot T-Shirts ranging from the cute to the menacing, would probably have a broad appeal and might help offset CD/DVD production and distribution costs. This combined with special offers and pre-orders might get us to a better place to be able to produce AND promote a project worthy of it's weight in circuits and bolts;)
One thing for sure, your support and interest, whether as a creative co-conspirator or a music/art loving fan is essential and greatly appreciated!
So spread the word and please keep following the progress here. I will be adding updates, T-Shirt designs, Contests and more, some of which may be exclusive to ROTR contributors, my followers on this blog, or friends at the

Rise of the Retrobots Official MySpace page.In fact I'm feeling another Blog coming on...Yes, Yes...T-Shirts, Contests, ...do them!...

T. Reed - TAO X Productions/Nightmare Sound