Welcome back to Artificial Ink Drops, or hello for the first time if you’re a new face. I’m Ted Kendrick, and this is my newsletter and project update hub. You probably already know all of that, but now you’ve got another reminder.
Thanks a lot, friend.
Don’t mention it. Like, really, don’t. People only have attention spans so long that I really shouldn’t waste any of the valuable real estate in this newsletter.
So...what’s new?
Exactly! DOUBLE AGENT is scheduled to play at SPLICE Film Festival in Brooklyn, New York, which occurs from June 17th to the 20th. I enjoy a quick trip to NYC for festival purposes, but the event will be entirely virtual this year. DOUBLE AGENT will screen in the comedy shorts block on day one.
Film festivals are the perfect places to celebrate independent filmmaking, and network with other creatives. I was happy to work with Kira Bursky of All Around Artsy over three quarters of 2020 to coordinate their short film festival strategy, juggling three shorts at once: the BEAUTIFUL MESS dance drama, CONSIDERATIONS OF INFINITY experimental documentary, and LESSONS FROM MY NIGHTMARES experimental animated short.
Despite what was an obviously weird year for festivals, given the pandemic, All Around Artsy maintained a presence on the short film festival circuit, celebrated below in the LESSONS FROM MY NIGHTMARES clip.
NO MEAN FEET is my current personal filmmaking endeavor which I am co-producing with my brother Joe Kendrick. I wrote the 4-page short script in April intended to be a fun Kendrick family production endeavor. A hunter tracks the legendary Bigfoot to find that the task is no mean feat. I put my own father in a Bigfoot suit, perhaps fulfilling his childhood dreams. I’m not sure, but doesn’t everyone want to be Bigfoot when they grow up? Just me?
Production ran for two days from May 7th and 8th in Reliance, Tennessee, mostly on location at the family cabin, with parts along the trail to Yellow Creek and Bullet Creek Falls. I was both director and cinematographer, which was a fun change of pace since I rarely operate the camera, but I found that I enjoyed that aspect, especially with the help of a gimbal. Joe played the hunter, and my mom was an excellent assistant cameraperson.
You really put your fam to work?
100% Kendrick credits. I think we all had a lot of fun. Joe took on the bulk of post-production. He pieced together the first draft to a selection of temp music, then I came back with a laundry list full of timestamps with places that I wanted to further adjust. We did that back and forth for a few drafts until we landed on the picture locked cut. The soundtrack is currently underway with color correction, sound mixing, minor CGI edits, and title graphics work on the way. We expect to finish it by end of June, send it along the film festival circuit, and drop it publicly online around the end of the year.
But that’s, like, six months away!
Look, if you really want to see the film as soon as it’s finished, just ask me. You may be surprised. You’re on the mailing list, so you’re cool with me.
I’ve also recently served as an admin and moderator for AVLFilm.com’s social media pages and Discord server. Rome Widenhouse, Whitley Albury, and I organized various virtual events for local Asheville filmmakers during the pandemic, including online open mic screenings, writers’ room games, workshops on topics like “practical production,” and an interview with film historian Frank Thompson to discuss Asheville’s silent era in the 1910s and 20s. Twice a week, I post a recurring segment on social media promoting Asheville’s storied (pun intended) film history in an effort to bring more awareness to the city and region as a potential filmmaking destination.
Any comic book related news?
Yeah! I submitted a 3-page short form pitch to an indie comics anthology called SATELLITES, depicting themes of community and creation in a sci-fi backdrop where humanity has left the confines the Earth by the 22nd century. Still waiting on an update for whether it gets chosen and paired with an artist, but it’s a fun story set in the 51st century about the hubris of mankind’s manifest destiny, based on a 20th century prediction from the historical blind Belgian clairvoyant Baba Vanga. She was a fascinating real-world figure whose visions of the future still provide excellent fuel for science fiction.
Okay, so what about the Watchtower Database?
Yeah, that’s probably where you know me from if you’re not a close friend or family. We recently started our review and easter egg coverage for BATMAN: THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE SEASON II comic book by Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, and Ty Templeton, which we’ll continue to do once a month for the duration of the series, alongside the new JUSTICE LEAGUE INFINITY series by J.M. DeMatteis, James Tucker, and Ethen Beavers that starts in July, essentially continuing the JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED animated cartoon.
I presented a spontaneous review on the JUSTICE SOCIETY: WORLD WAR II animated movie, and conducted a Zoom interview in two parts with writer Rich Fogel from BATMAN BEYOND and the JUSTICE LEAGUE cartoons. I’ve got a video essay dropping Sunday that is all about Joel Schumacher’s live-action BATMAN movies, how they influenced the 90s animated series, and vice versa, which took a heck of a lot of research, but I’m real proud of it.
Another component of the Watchtower Database is The Podtower, a newish YouTube channel that was launched to serve as a platform for our podcast and streaming endeavors from James Strecker, Mattie Washburn, and my own weekly Wednesday retro DC Comics video game streams. We’ve also got the “12th Level Intellects” podcast archived over there, before we launch the “13th Level Intellects” later this year, as well as podcasts from friends of the channel such as TimmTalk and The DCAU Review. Like and subscribe!
Ehhh...maybe. Tell me about the stuff that I should be reading and watching, or whatever.
Right. Lately, I’ve enjoyed the DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH comic book series published by Image Comics, co-created by James Tynion IV with haunting artwork by Martin Simmonds. The general premise is a government agency, led by major conspiracy figure Lee Harvey Oswald, exists in secret to maintain order in a world run rampant by conspiracy theories that seep into reality the more people believe. It is a brilliant premise with a fountain of familiar nods for anyone with passing knowledge of pop-culture conspiracy theories like the JFK assassination, Flat Earth, Lizard People. I am genuinely excited it’s already been optioned for a TV series by the folks from CHERNOBYL. Pick up the first volume if you’re ready for a gritty dismantling of belief systems.
THE NEVERS is now available on HBO Max in what is such a wild mashup of genres, beginning as a Victorian-era period piece before shifting into a sci-fi epic full of super-powers, time-travel, and aliens. Joss Whedon of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and FIREFLY was involved in the series creation, though stepped away after pressure from Warner Bros, likely a consequence from their internal investigation on the JUSTICE LEAGUE reshoots. Only six episodes were completed before the pandemic, but it ended on a huge hook. Actors Laura Donnelly and Ann Skelly aren’t so bad on the eyes either.
Stop that. Let’s do music.
DARKSIDE— no, not the Colonial pipeline hackers— has remained one of my favorite musical projects ever since their 2016 album “Psychic.” Nicolas Jaar also composes music under his own name, but lately, he is releasing multiple new singles under DARKSIDE. I’m hoping it’s a tease to another full album.
Is that it for today?
I suppose so, unless you have something to add?
Not if it makes the mailing list hate this bit.
Fair enough. Hopefully they find it more funny rather than annoying.
We’ll see, won’t we?
That we will. Stick around, and share this newsletter with a friend if you enjoyed it. More to come next month! A comic book series! The 48 Hour Film Project! Music promotion! Poetry! Screenplay writing! It’s kind of a lot!