Earl Newton.com » Stranger Things

A Question about Stranger Things DVD

Earl Newton — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:21:58 +0000

I posted this on Twitter at on September 14, 2009, at 6:50 PM EST:

How many of you would be interested in a numbered, limited-edition Stranger Things package that would include:

A Stranger Things DVD with Episodes 1-4, and bonus content galore
A documentary about Stranger Things, especially the move from low-budget show to TV in 14 months
An e-book containing extensive notes regarding the show and the people, along with script excerpts and other materials
A graphic novel version of an unproduced episode
A gorgeous 11×17 print of a painting inspired by the series
Also, branded swag like jump drives and more
All of this, of course, will be signed.

Would you be interested in that?

The time has come to make this happen. But it’s not going to be easy, and I’m going to need your help. Here’s the Plan:

1) A Stranger Things DVD release will take time. I want to do some things that have never been done with DVD. This Christmas may be too close to have it ready, but we are going to do our damnedest to do it.

2) I will need everyone’s help. To make a DVD release happen, I need at least 500 pre-orders. That means: when the time comes, spread the word!

3) We’re not ready to take preorders yet, but I will let you know as soon as we are.

4) Until then, this is your chance to put in your ideas for the DVD: earl@strangerthings.tv. Or, just sit back and prepare to be wowed.

Strange RSS, LLC Logo Animation

Earl Newton — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 01:28:24 +0000

In my spare moments this week, I’ve been working on a logo animation for Strange RSS, LLC (the company I started to create Stranger Things).

At fourteen seconds, this is a bit longer than I want. I’ll end up cutting a few seconds out of the middle for the “long version” (8-10 seconds), and fading to black at 4-5 seconds for the short version.

I could also chop it in half and have two options for an animation.

Strange RSS LLC Logo from Earl Newton on Vimeo.

Stock footage animated in After Effects.

I’ve done a lot of VFX insertions into live footage, but this is my first attempt at completely artificial photorealism. Color choice seems to be everything in photorealism. Nothing is ever true white or true black, it’s a lot of grays and irregularities and asymmetrical details until it looks right.

Unquiet Desperation: The Creative Process (interview)

Earl Newton — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:19:37 +0000

Chris Miller should get extra points for having this interview posted before I’d had time to even compose the blog post linking to it. We literally recorded this interview two hours ago. Madness.

In this piece, Chris and I talk about the creative process, about what I’ve learned since starting Stranger Things, and what’s gotten me into blogging regularly (short answer: a beautiful woman).

While you’re poking around Chris’ site, check out my favorite episode of his: Conversion, about a Southern Baptist preacher who converted to Judaism. Fascinating stuff, and his interview subject is very well-researched.

Disconnect, Screenwriting, and Storytelling (Interview)

Earl Newton — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:38:05 +0000

A few weeks back, J.C. Hutchins invited me to come on his program “Hey Everybody!” to talk about our collaboration on Disconnect, the nature of storytelling, and the process of making a low-budget film.

It runs about 45 minutes long, and is one of the more in-depth discussions I’ve ever recorded about these topics. If you’re a filmmaker or know one, it’s worth a listen.

Click here for the interview.

While you’re at it, consider picking up a copy of J.C. Hutchins’ Personal Effects: Dark Art. This isn’t a paid endorsement, but I think as a storyteller it’s important to keep up with where the craft is going, and what J.C. is doing with Personal Effects is close to revolutionary. It’s worth your time, if only for a master class in storytelling.

JC Hutchins and Geek Cred talk Stranger Things

Earl Newton — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 06:33:01 +0000

Just finished a great interview with JC Hutchins for his podcast Hey Everybody (great, a very in-depth piece that will be out next week), and while I was browsing around afterward, I found out JC had already been talking about Ep05: Disconnect on Geek Cred with Steve Riekeberg.

I’m posting this in my feed because I really think JC nails a lot of the challenges and the ideas we worked with on Disconnect, and if you enjoyed the episode, this little behind-the-scenes preview will be a fun snack before JC’s interview with me drops on Thursday. The whole interview is terrific, but if you want to fast-forward to the Disconnect talk, roll forward to about 29:50.

I think of Geek Cred as the NPR of geek podcasting, and host Steve Riekeberg is definitely living up to the name. If you like this episode, check out the interviews he did with Jonathan Coulton, Leo Laporte, and Wil Wheaton, among others. I think Terry Gross is the only one who has him beat for geek media guests.

Post Your Thoughts on I Look Forward To Remembering You

Earl Newton — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 06:21:57 +0000

As Episode 05: Disconnect circulates through the Internet and we wrap up Singularity 2009 (Did I say Balticon?), I’m setting my sights on the next episode for Stranger Things.

I did an impromptu Twitterpoll and the audience voted overwhelmingly for Mur Lafferty’s time-travel/mystery/romance piece “I Look Forward to Remembering You.”

I originally heard the story on episode 61 of Escape Pod, and knew even then that it was something I wanted to do.

This week I’m going to download Escape Pod #61, reacquaint myself with Mur’s story, and begin the adaptation process.

I’ll be posting updates here and on Twitter as I work through the script. Post your thoughts about the story and what it means to you. I’ll be referring back to these comments as I construct the screenplay, and eventually, the movie.

Follow me on Twitter.
Listen to Escape Pod #61: “I Look Forward To Remembering You.”
Post your thoughts on the story below.