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| Roland
looks exactly like this, we swear. Also, he only responds to being addressed as "Professor Googly-Glasses" and has a proclivity toward red-heads with strong Brooklyn accents. |
To begin with, the bit of info on the Sailor Moon video game being produced by Genvid's buddies at Heavy Cat Studios. They updated their news page today, so you might want to take a look.
Kicking things off:
Plan B actually answered the phone, so we're starting over, but at least we're starting with a different company. We're negotiating a presentation schedule, and we should have some idea what is going on this week.
What you'll understand, as you read the update, is that the problem with the licensing situation is one of obtaining funding from a company willing to invest in the license for them. Licenses are not cheap, and I'm understating the situation by a lot. When you license a video game for the Matrix, for example, you're paying a premium. You'll probably not make much money off of the game itself as you would compared to creating your own franchise. But you'll get a lot more sales out of that license, so its more lucrative, which is why so many video games that come out now are based on established licenses- and why licenses hold such premiums. Sailor Moon, in this way, is like every other license in the industry, but is unlike the rest in that not only does it carry a premium but its a license that's extremely complex and elusive. This is why its so important that they show the companies to whom they are presenting that there is a significant fanbase out there who will buy this game, and in turn, why its so important that you show support for this game if you want to see it become a reality.
You've also got to understand that Heavy Cat is working on a number of other projects in addition to the Sailor Moon video game, so Scott and the others are probably near exhaustion at this point, but keep trudging along, because they want to see this game become a reality. Every day they don't hear back from one of these companies (Plan A, Plan B, etc.) is more money being lost and more things going stagnant.
So now we can look at the following:
It has been suggested on several occasions that we start asking for donations to raise enough to just buy the license outright. At this point I don't know if that would help, but it sure would be entertaining to see how these companies might react. This isn't without precedent. There are successful examples of customers or "fans" buying the copyrights for commercial computer applications. Such an effort would probably generate tremendously positive press for Sailor MoonŽ as well. I guess we'll think about it. If you have any comments about this idea, you're welcome to e-mail.
A word of caution: don't just fire off an e-mail on the spur of the moment. Like I said, they're all real busy there. If you have an opinion, and this opinion doesn't automatically lend itself to being one saying "Yes you should do this," write a polite and thoughtful one on it expressing your actual interest. Don't say "Sure, I'd donate money" just so they do it, even though you have no interest in being a donor to the project.
Next, plugging something for Genvid's dear friend Roland Parliament.
Do you live near Toronto, Canada? Ever consider entering the voice actor industry? Want to take classes with one of the best out there?
Roland Parliament, voice of "Melvin" (Umino) in the DiC dubs and ADR (dubbing) director, is holding classes on voice acting, and you can join.
Even if entering the industry itself doesn't interest you, imagine how much fun you'd be able to have with some of the things you'd learn there. If I was anywhere near Ontario I'd jump at this chance, as it looks like a ridiculously fun class, and you get to hang out with one of the greats.
Information is located in these two sheets, and please, spread the word around to any Canadian friends you know!
 
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