Blood makes noise

Hi Frank - 'Blood Makes Noise' is a short film [29 minutes]. It has shown in various festivals, picked up Best Suspense at the NYIIFVF. There are plans for the short to go into distribution in 2006. And yes, Chris Jones was one of the Executive Producers and yes, Dalton [Richard Norton] did choreograph the knife attack sequence. Famous illustrator Drew Struzan [Star Wars/Indiana Jones/ET/Bacl to the Future et al] has a cameo at the start of the film. You can see the poster on http://www.imdb.com [subject Blood Makes Noise] - then check out Drew's other works at http://www.drewstruzan.com

A feature version of the script is available to go into production titled 'Ride A cork Horse' - so if anyone has a spare coupla mill [ie $US]...

While the short is more light suspense, with a bit of bloodletting towards the end, the feature is dark [but with some dark humor to lighten the mood].

Hope this is of some insight.


Dalton

The one and only Dalton wrote:
Hope this is of some insight.

Damn straight! Thanks for the info, looks interesting. Always good to see such things progress. Something to keep a close eye on no doubt.

Hope to see more of you around Dalton. Also hope you were able to relax to a nice cold stubby of green death over Xmas.

-Cub. =o)

Looks good, Frank. Anything by our heroes is most welcome.

Speaking of a welcome, hats off to you Dalton! We are always insterested in new members (or older members with new handles). Been a Tex fan for long?

G'day Jim,
Thank you for the welcome. Let's say I became interested in Tex at the start of The Pandora Directive [or Device as it was known].

And to Cube - Green Death is near impossible to get in the States. Though I do smuggle some in every now and then.

Things could get worser.

This is what I like about our community, and life in general. You see something surprising and interesting, and out of nowhere registers someone with all the informations needed to look into it! Well thanks a lot stranger! I'll definitely dig around for it, and spread the word about it. I converted dozens of people to look into Crash, who were amazed by it and spread the word in turn, so hey, you never know

Oh and I was going to make a joke with 'Ride A cork Horse' but I'll refrain myself

You're welcome, Frank.

FYI: 'Ride a cork Horse' is a children's nursery rhyme [~1790s by Anonymous]. I understand it is also a children's toy horse. A wooden staff with a cutout shape of a horse's head attached to one end and some reins or a handle to hold onto. The child would play riding this imaginary 'horse'. Believe me, when the film is made no one will ever look at the rhyme again in the same way.

Things could get worser.

So that's what those toys are called? I just called them stick horsies

Tell me Insider (can I call you Insider, you know too much not to be granted this name ), have you been lurking our den for a while now, or is it purely coincidential that you come accross my thread the same day I accidently come accross your short on IMDB?

Oh and if I hear of anyone with millions to invest, I'll let them know about the cork horse riding. Well, right after a new Tex project that is

Isn't 'The one and only Dalton' or 'Dalton' supposed to be a long time lurker by the name of Adrian Carr?

Funny 'bout that Frank - that's what I get for trolling the message board. I knew no one else could really answer your question and since you had bothered to check me out on imdb...

I think you guys know me best as Dalton 8) and the line I coined "Things could get worser". I was more invisible as the director.

It'll take more than a coupla mill to get a new Tex game made but that doesn't mean it isn't gonna happen.

Oh no you were trully visible as the director. Not to take anything away from Chris and Aaron, but the change in fmv sequences was spectacular when you stepped in for Pandora. There are still scenes that give me chills today, like the one at the Brew&Stew where Tex's talking to the journalist, all the ones with Barry Corbins, the scene where the devices are all put together, and of course the whole Roswell chapter.

Glad to know you're lurking, and be sure to step out of the shadow whenever you feel like it

If you have other interesting projects/movies, let us know too!

Thanx for the compliment, Frank - what I wouldn't give to go back in and rework Pandora with the technology available today. Overseer was a giant leap forward back then but as Chris said to me "It's great to be on the cutting edge of technology - it's a bummer when you're ahead of it".

For those fans who have played the DVD version you can see where we were headed [I don't talk about the multi CD version - it was inferior to Pandora even with the high end graphics]. CJ, AC and I even discussed the idea of upgrading Pandora so it runs at 30 fps and not 10 fps and using the full color palette and not be the limited to the 256 colors which causes that hideous blotchy pixilation effect. However, Pandora and Overseer are done, we shouldn't retread old ground - we will use those experiences to take advantage of new technology when we make the next installment of Tex.

Now that I have a moment, I will say, in layman's terms [since I am not a gamer - I leave that side of it to CJ and AC] As I understand - Overseer was never meant to be as interactive a game as Pandora. Apparently Intel approached Access to produce [for a limited budget] a high-end graphics-live action game with 5.1 surround sound as part of a package of projects to demonstrate and promote a new DVD computer graphics and audio chip. Overseer was treading old turf for some Tex gamers but it was also limited to a linear story/gaming experience to be available to people who have never played Tex or role playing games before. I believe Aaron created a story that followed on from Pandora, brought new Tex players up to speed and hinted at clues for the next true interactive game [and believe me - it will be mind blowing]. So when I hear people moan and whine about Overseer not being as good as Pandora they should be aware of the facts and the people who didn't know Tex [or Pandora] thoroughly enjoy the experience. Alas, we all know what happened when MS bought Access.

In closing, the experience of working with Barry was priceless - he had just wrapped Northern Exposure and was flying back home to Texas. He left at 5:00 am and arrived in Salt Lake City and arrived on set at noon. He was shooting the Archie death scene first up. Then the complex interrogation scene with Tex. Ah, the memories - and that's just what are... "a memory".

Thanks for the insight Pandora:Source would be pretty kickass, but you're right, it's best to look ahead than starting to revisit the past.

I'm sure working with Barry was fantastic. Since I saw War Games as a kid I was always a big fan. Seeing him in Pandora was just plain delicious, to speak in festive terms He's up there in my top underrated actors.

Hopefully we'll have new memories to dream on, ten years from now

I found the video quality of the Overseer DVD version pretty darn impressive. And you are right about the CD version; the video quality was inferior to Pandora. For some reason, Pandora had it all. Even though it was limited to 256 colours.

What I found amazing about the Tex Murphy games was the cinematic feel... it was especially enjoyable to experience all this on a PC... which in the Under a Killing Moon days, was unheard of.

I feel many games, if not most of them (these days) fall short of the cinematic feel that an excellent writer and director can bring to the game. Of course, now that the gaming industry makes more than the film industry its a wonder why they insist on churning out little half pint games and/or skimp on the important parts… such as a decent ending (which I have not seen since 1998)!

Being a wannabe film-maker myself and studying film and digital media for a few years now (in the hopes of becoming someone like Adrian), although it is a hefty benchmark you set) I have always thought big, and to think big you have to think risky. And I think (even though not many will agree) that if someone were to step up to the plate, with a stellar script, an awesome director, known/good actors and the ability to take advantage of the latest technology, we might just see true cinematic gaming again. After all, the days of trying to conjure up a story out of shooters are dead. People want to be entertained and not just relieved of their boredom. I am talking about WOW factor here. The feeling you get when you finish a game and think to yourself how much you miss the characters, the adventure and the feeling that you have achieved something. Lately I am only ever glad to finish a game to get it over with, and even then I am rarely rewarded with a decent ending or as much of a sense of satisfaction that I did with something like Pandora, or Overseer.

I guess when comparing most games, even the latest games, to the Tex Murphy series, it is hard to find any that have matched or surpassed the wow factor we had experienced. Even today, Moon, Pandora and Overseer are not just games, they are more like your favourite films that you love to whack in to your DVD/VHS and watch every so often. And this was no doubt thanks to brilliant writing (Mr Conners), wonderful technology, production values and of course acting (Chris) and of course, top notch directing!

Although, something to keep an eye out for; Speilberg is directing 3 upcomming titles for EA games. Let's just see if a Hollywood big-wig can bring life to the game scene.

Cheers,

-Cub. =o)

Thanks to Dalton et al for the above posts. Encouraging, enlightening and laced with hopes of future prospects.

The old saying goes: "Don't get your hopes up." BAH! Spit! Gag! Cub - get your hopes UP!!! Think big and follow through! As for the rest of us - get your hopes UP!!! Keep the faith and Tex will be resurrected!

Lastly, we all remember Dalton (a.k.a. Adrian Carr) saying, "Things could get worser." But, if I'm not mistaken, Dalton was one of the thugs who conked Tex on the head and placed an implant behind his ear at the Mysterious location in Overseer. Ya?