THE HOBBIT 'AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY' TRAILER ARRIVES.

  By: Russell R Cera

   When someone refers to something as "much of the same", you can probably bank on the idea that they aren't very enthused about it.  This couldn't be any further from the truth in regards to the first teaser trailer for The Hobbit 'An Unexpected Journey', from Peter Jackson, director of 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy.  In fact, it is that very "sameness", if I may make up a word, that many if not all fans of the original trilogy were hoping for, and it ensures that regardless of it's smaller stature, we will receive yet another treasure, much like the additional footage on the extended versions of LOTR.  Watching the trailer is almost eerie in a way, in that outside of Martin Freeman's appearance as Bilbo, it feels as if we are visiting the same people and places all over again!  Oh wait, of course!  That's because we are!  Well sort of, in many cases.  Nothing seems to have changed.  Not the wide scope cinematography, nor the effective use of flashbacks and flash forwards that Jackson employed previously, nor the narration of Ian Holm as Bilbo.

  Exactly! Thank you!  Perfect!

  When you note that all of the key players in making 'Lord of the Rings' have returned, from it's director to its writers Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens, to Richard Taylor and the wizards at Weta, to composer Howard Shore, to concept artists Alan Lee and John Howe, to all of the key actors necessary to reprise their roles, it's no wonder, that successful or not, by 2013 there will be six films in total that feel as cozy and comfortable as one!

  One of the biggest questions leading up to this trailer is how Peter Jackson planned on utilizing the returning talents of Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins.  Another was if and how they would use Ian Holm, if at all, to tie in the appearance change from him to Freeman.  It seems that these two questions are immediately answered, and as expected, the entire two film piece will in fact be a flashback of Bilbo in later life (Holm), more than likely transcribing the details of his adventures into the Red Book of Westmarch or 'The Hobbit'.

  Now there are a few things of course, that fans will just have to gulp down and get over regardless.  The first of those is the previously mentioned appearance of a younger looking Bilbo (Freeman) when he should look much the same as he does when Gandalf first visits him (Holm) in LOTR.  "You haven't aged a day." If taken literally, he shouldn't have. The ring brought to Bilbo the same extraordinarily long life as Gollum.  However, we could make the case that the statement can be derived as figurative and complimentary over completely accurate.  In other words, we have to just let go as staunch followers of Tolkien's words and just roll with it!

  Another obvious mismatch are the appearances of some of the company of Dwarfs.  Where I wrote a previous article about the subject, I will not reiterate the details here, however it seems that Jackson favored a diverse visual approach rather than sticking to the descriptions given by Tolkien wholeheartedly.  Again, we have to take into consideration that there will be massive changes in film adaptation, much like there were in LOTR.  Some of the diversions in the trilogy were preposterous to the books and others were cut (thank goodness).  Some examples of this are Arwen's arrival at Helm's Deep to do battle and the reemergence of Sauron in the physical form to battle Aragorn. Now those would have been some inexcusable stretches!

  Yet let's get off the negative, because those points are few. Before I wrap this up let's just note some of the highlights we should expect in The Hobbit and note the LOTR tie in pieces of the trailer itself.

• The narration of Ian Holm as Bilbo.  The appearance of Holm is clear from the onset, and while I'm not sure that his scenes are not completely regurgitated from the Trilogy, it is a good thing to know that he was available to some extent to tie in the Bilbo of old to new. Or new to old?

• The appearance of Elijah Wood as Frodo and Biblo's relating the story as a flashback to him through the Red Book of Westmarch.  This is a perfect devise to tie in the original films and I cannot think of a better way to do it.

• The return of the indelible Ian McKellan as Gandalf the Grey.  It is incredible to see him once again back in charming Grey form as opposed to regal White.  Of even more special note is the return of Christopher Lee as Saruman.  This sets up for the back story of 'The Hobbit' which in fact was never presented in the original book but in a later publication called Unfinished Tales.

• Rivendell in all it's glory and the approach of Biblo to the Shards of Narsil. This is of course the blade that cut the ring from Sauron's hand and eventually the sword that is mended back to Anduril.  Nowhere is such detail in the book of 'The Hobbit', yet this is another perfect tie in.

• The appearance of Kate Blanchett as Galadriel, the knowledge that Hugo Weaving will reprise the role of Elrond and the cameo appearance by Orlando Bloom as Legolas.  Note the latter two do not appear in the trailer.

• Sting is unfurled by Bilbo. Enough said.

• Last but not least, the return of Gollum (Andy Serkis) both in vision and voice.  I can only assume that his sequence will wrap up the first installment of the two piece interpretation of 'The Hobbit'.

  Will 'The Hobbit' be the outlandish success story that 'Lord of the Rings' was?  That remains to be seen, however it is almost sure to be a financial hit regardless of it's critical reception.  While I assume there will be many critics chomping at the bit to fork over a negative review, I can't imagine how the two piece set won't garnish the same type of acclaim that it's predecessors did. 

  How can I say that?

  It is that made up word I spoke of before - "sameness" - that nearly guarantees it!

TO BAG END - A PERSONAL REFLECTION ON A PIECE LONG IN THE MAKING

To Bag End completed, or at least until I find reason to continue to refine it!

 By: Russell R Cera

  Nearly a decade ago, I began to illustrate the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.  I had just seen Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring in theaters and was in the midst of reading the first book of The Lord of the Rings. I was hooked, and the subject was the first thing to intrigue me enough to dedicate my artistic endeavors exclusively to.  Up until then, my portfolio lacked examples of my interest or ability in fine art, with most of my work coming by way of employment or contracted pieces for commercial purposes.

  Something just clicked, and I recall on my lunch break at work one day, beginning to sketch a small drawing of Gollum, which later I turned into a full size graphite piece.  Looking back, the image wasn't one of my personal favorites, however it was the catalyst for several more concept sketches of scenes I imagined directly from the novel.

  It seemed in the following years, while completing the novels and witnessing two more masterpiece films my thirst for Tolkien's work kept getting stronger.  In that time I would go on to complete two major color art pieces, first Back To The Shadow, a depiction of Gandalf facing the Balrog and There and Back Again, a collage of the events from The Hobbit.  These pieces took immeasurable time and patience to complete, especially the latter of which I must have spent every free moment working on.

 Naturally, I couldn't help but try to market my ability in my new found obsession, so I contacted the Tolkien Estate in hopes I might be able to sell one time pieces to would be enthusiasts. All the while I hoped to garnish a name for myself with the online Tolkien community, most notably theonering.net, aspiring to bring my craft to calenders or future publications.

  I also had the distinct pleasure of confiding in John Howe, renowned Tolkien artist and co-conceptual illustrator for Peter Jackson's films.  His incomparable style, especially for concept pencil work was exactly what I aspired to, and after attempting direct contact he graciously accepted. His words of encouragement as well as compliments for my work was and still remains one of the highest points of taking on the subject matter as a whole.  In fact, a very nice moment came, when John complimented a concept piece I created of Smaug the Dragon, while in the very early moments of his involvement on the film adaptation of The Hobbit.

   What I was starting to realize though, is that I loved the method of conceptual art over finishing full color works.  I would get lost in imagining how a particular piece of the text would look, translating it to my own vision on paper. The process was intoxicating, with all the creative energy going to conceiving or translating ideas over the tedious effects of rendering. The ideas were coming fast and furious and before long I was surrounded by pieces of artwork that were unfinished or had no sense of direction.

   Still, I knew that a portfolio of unfinished concept art for a subject that already had it's fine art masters, had already been translated to three major motion pictures and who's hysteria was beginning to quell was not taking me anywhere.  So I began my third full color piece, of which I picked from a slew of other ideas, knowing that I would not find success in illustrating Tolkien unless I dedicated myself to finishing the works into fine art pieces.

   The sketch I chose was called "To Bag End" a depiction of the Dwarf brothers Fili and Kili arriving at Bag End early in The Hobbit.  I enjoyed the idea that this was a quiet moment that had never been depicted before, rather than some major set piece or battle and it also provided an opportunity to recreate a lavish landscape in color.

Image at top shows progress of To Bag End by 2005.
Below image shows entire progress up until Summer
of 2011. 

  The imagery provided at left shows "To Bag End" in progress, from it's earliest color stages beginning in 2002 with the giant tree and Bag End's indicative round green door.  My intent was to utilize very saturated colors and detail, but in doing so, progress was incredibly slow.

  Over the course of another year, I danced around from one section to another as I had very little patience over long periods of time, concentrating then on Kili, the first of my two dwarfs.

 All the while I was sadly beginning to loose interest in my original intent, with the piece growing so tedious to me that I was not enjoying myself like I should have been. I moved on to other images and subject matter, and so "To Bag End" began to sit idle.

   Life was taking different directions as well, with the birth of my two children during this time, a relocation and new job, my focus and interests were admittedly going to more important things than finishing "To Bag End!"

   In all, the piece lied dormant for nearly five full years, sitting inside of a folder with it's progression halting with only a third of it completed. I consigned myself to the fact that "To Bag End" would never be finished and so I started to use it in it's partial state as an example of a work in progress. Although, I wasn't making any progress.

  Fast forward to 2011. With RJA Creations well into it's third year, I began to take an interest in finishing "To Bag End" again.

  Quite simply the reason was this.  Myself and creative partner James had begun to formulate full stories that we intended to turn into treatments for hopeful publication.  We soon noticed that we had more ideas than time warranted to create, and once again I found myself involved in  unfinished works that had great potential if only we could figure out a way to finish them.  The pattern was repeating and so I needed to break myself of the habit for losing energy when something more intriguing came along.

This photo shows progress of To Bag End by mid September
2011. You can see just how much more work was necessary and
how little I had accomplished from where I left off.

  The both of us had taken on personal projects for the year, and that down time from collaboration provided a window for me to finally fish what I started with "To Bag End".  I made it my mandate, in other words that the piece would serve as an example to myself that I would apply the same dedication to all of my other creative endeavors going forward.

   In May of 2011, I began again to move on to uncharted territory and develop the untouched areas of "To Bag End".  I laid out the background landscape and re rendered the road using Prismacolor pencil and acrylic paint.  Progress continued at a steady pace now, with the Dwarfs taking shape and reaching the far right corner of the piece by September.  Soon after, the sky was nearly completed and I had laid out the final details of the landscape background.

  The deal was that I had to dedicate at least three days a week to doing at very least an hour a piece of intensive rendering, with a target finish date of end of 2011.  As of November 16th, I had placed the finishing touches on a piece long in the making.  I sat back and took a deep breath... it was finally over!  Completing "To Bage End" was truly the end of a long journey to who's destination I thought I would never reach.  Quite possibly with the coming of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, I may find renewed interest in illustrating the subject and marketing the pieces for future publication.  Either way, I know now that all of my personal as well as RJA Creations works can and will be completed.  It only takes time, continued effort and a lot more patience than I am used to having!

  

BREAKING DAWN PART 1 REVIEW

by: Russell Cera

Synopsis: It's the wedding of the century!  Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart heat it up again as everyone's favorite vamp/human couple!  Oh but wait... this time baby makes three! 

Rating: 2 and 1/2 STARS

Bottom Line:  A shade above better than the original Twilight, but a disappointing step back from the fast paced action packed Eclipse.

  Breaking Dawn Part 1 (Rated PG13) hit theaters this week, and it's sure to rack in it's fair share at the box office, with most ticket sales going to teen girls on either side of a Team Edward vs. Jacob scrimmage line as well as the hoards of uber-fans for Stephanie Meyers' incredibly successful book series. Yet it also spawned the Saga's lowest Rotten Tomatoes Critic's rating of 27%, with most "experts" agreeing that this installment as a stand alone film is a big step down from last year's Eclipse.  So let's sink our teeth (even if none of the Vampires in these films have them), into Breaking Dawn Part 1 to see if it stacks up to expectations and heightens the anticipation for a climactic finale.

  To begin, this critique will be based solely upon the film and the ones that preceded it, since it is no mystery that readers of the series will tell you the quality of the books far outweigh the film adaptations in every department. In addition, I am personally not acquainted with Meyer's books, having only read a small portion of the original Twilight. However I certainly have a great respect for the writer, her success, as well as her technique in creating a phenomenon.  Meyers can most certainly, at least in part, be credited for the revival of the Vampire obsession in the last decade, and unlike countless other writers' efforts since Anne Rice, this one just seemed to stick more so than all the others.  Likewise, the Twilight Saga has opened the floodgates for those aforementioned writers' efforts to spawn wildly successful television series, more books, new movies and so much more.  In other words, everyone is getting in on the act and Meyers can certainly be thanked for ushering in this new age of the blood sucker.

  That being said, a meager budget was granted to the first film, while studio execs hoped for high turnouts to dictate continuing the series.  Their projections were correct.  Despite poor critical acclaim, Twilight was a hit and it's stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner were suddenly household names.  This opened the way for the entire Saga to follow.  New Moon came with the debut of Jacobs' rippling abs and some fair CGI wolf transformations contributing once again to growing ticket sales.  Eclipse, the third installment raised the bar with much more action, better special effects and interesting back stories.  Still, neither teeth nor blood were anywhere to be found.

  Therein lies the irony of Breaking Dawn Part 1, split into two parts, marketed of course for a PG-13 audience, translating to, you guessed it - higher returns at the box office.  A disconnect that serves to disassociate this film from it's predecessors is the decision to go with a different director on each.  This time we have award winning Bill Condon, who certainly has a flair for the extravagant, yet is asked to tone it down to appeal to a wider, younger audience. Also, the book series is quite graphic throughout with no lack for the violent nature of the very creatures that inspired it.  It is that aspect which finds the movies searching for an identity of their own while being somewhat of a sad contradiction to it's source material.

  Breaking Dawn Part 1 is no exception to this rule.  While most readers would agree, the first part of the two part book should most certainly garnish an R rating.  There's plenty of sex, violence, gore and torturous effects of a demon spawn child growing far too rapidly inside of Bella to go around for an eternity. Yet once again we get a watered down ultra close up series of cut scenes to tame what inherently should not be tamed. It's a prime example of a saga that keeps making excuses for itself to make more money.

  The movie begins with a preparation for a wedding and continues with a nightmare about a wedding, goes forth from there with a wedding and on with a wedding reception.  The sequence is undeniably lavish and beautifully filmed as well as reflective for Bella who contemplates her decision to cast away her humanity for a vampiric existance.  For a moment as she strides toward the alter, she exhibits a sense of "get me the hell out of here", until she looks into the eyes of the dreamy Edward, the one thing she continually finds her strength in.  A few sniffles in the audience may come at the vows and the kiss, after all, this is the most highly anticipated wedding since Prince William and Princess Kate.

  The entire sequence is well over a half hour before we pepper in some conflict, with the sarcastic over-male Jacob showing up at the last moment like a wedding crasher.  Yet Bella couldn't be happier that the intrusive, brutish ass hat of a jealous wanna be boyfriend shows up and Edward is trusting enough that his sworn enemy is left alone with her. Seems odd doesn't it?  Everything is fine until Jacob can't control his machismo, spurts slurs and ill omens, then storms off in a fit of uncontrollable wolf rage with the knowledge that Bella is going to risk her life while getting some from another supernatural violent creature.

  With Jake out of the picture at the moment, we are whisked away courtesy of  our "are they really" happy couple on a honeymoon that exhibits no financial bounds.  I get it, the Cullens have been living well beyond normal human years, and Carlisle's practice has garnished plenty of dough to go around, but it's somewhat sickening to see expensive cars, boats, a private island, a personal jet and so on all at the immediate disposal of our snobbish rich heroes.

  What is well played amongst the decadence is of course Kristen Stewart's natural propensity for awkwardness.  We get the sense that no matter how much she is in love with Edward that the repercussions of her decision do not pass idly.  She is in fact as unsure of herself as any girl blessed with her beauty could be and that makes her endearing to some extent.

  Then comes the sex scene, which is by the way, kid in the room approved. Both members of our married couple fear for how Edward will perform, for we know just how wild and crazy he can get in the bedroom around Bella.  At one point he even tears apart the headrest to pieces while remaining tender enough not to destroy our heroine down below.  It is once again a strange contradiction to this relationship.  All throughout the movie series, both characters exhibit so much apprehension, it is nearly impossible to really convince anyone about how these are two people that are destined for one another.

  Uneasy feelings continue the morning after, when Bella uncovers some rather tame bruising on her arms and shoulders form her rabid vampire lover.  Edward shows his self loathing, apologetic and ashamed nature when he cannot forgive himself for denting his wife's fragile skin.  We look to be creeping up on our married couple's first argument, but neither can imagine what they are in for.

Bella senses there is a rapidly cooking
bun in her oven. Edward stands ready
to react like most men do.

  A couple weeks pass and so does another half hour of the movie, before we learn that Bella is late on her period.  Things progress rather quickly and we find that Bella is with child, or demon child, feeling effects almost immediately from a fetus that is growing far too many times the rate of a normal baby.

  In typical fashion for men and women, Bella takes the impossible news in stride, dealing with the irrational rationally while Edward goes into a catatonic state, then broods, then asks his superstitious maid to make a diagnosis. "DEATH" she claims, and so we know things don't look good for our new mom from here on in.

  We return back to Forks now where Jacob is still selfishly frustrated over Bella's decision, and his instincts tell him that something awful has happened.  A motorcycle trip to the Cullen's home reveals Bella and Edward have returned, but Jacob's dream girl is terribly sick and now showing like a woman in her second trimester. 

  This sends Jake into a fury and we finally get to see what we paid eight dollars for - a good wolf transformation and gathering of the entire Clan.  Once all together the pack of CGI wolves are at their best during the entire film series. The special effect work is much improved while still a bit less than realistic, but the close ups look simply amazing.  Here, we get to travel into their heads for the first time to hear them speaking "in human English" to one another.  Plans are set forth that the coming of the child, which will inherently kill Bella during birth only to wreak havoc on the human world, will break the Vampire and Wolf treaty that keeps the Cullens and Black Clan from killing each other.  The wolves must either kill Bella themselves before this occurs or even take the baby out if necessary. Jacob vows not to agree with his brethren and sets off on his own mission to protect Bella from the coming doom or do what must be done to the child himself before the others do. What a guy.

   What is most disturbing itself, is how throughout the film (and book) all the characters short of one - Alice, refers to the child as "IT" of "The Fetus" placing Bella's welfare and safety paramount over an unborn child. There is so much disdain to go around, no one knows who to blame first, and throughout it all Edward sulks about the coming loss of the love of his life.  Yet Bella comes to terms with the idea that this blessing, as unnatural as it is - the thing that is chewing through her insides, is worthy of being treated as a child and not some object of evil.

   By this time our heroine is falling apart and looking quite horrifying.  I am glad to say that Kristen Stewart did not have to lose 80 pounds of her 110 pound frame, because if she did it would be almost criminal of the filmmakers to ask of her.  The slimming effects are uncomfortably real looking and quite possibly the only thing to make this viewer squeamish throughout the movie is a disrobing shower sequence.

   Ah but there has to be an answer to Bella's deteriorating physical condition. Quite possibly the baby is hungry for what no one has thought to feed it!  Break out the blood and suddenly our girl is slurping the potion through a straw and liking it!  Premonitions of things to come perhaps?  With little demon baby satisfied momentarily, Bella recovers just enough to parlay her father's concern for her over the phone, who still thinks she is overcoming a bug in some far off land.

   Then comes a very strange scene, that regardless of the text that inspires it, feels completely off.  Edward begins to "see the light" when he communicates telepathically with an unborn, who can apparently speak well enough to inform him that it is happy.  Smiles and good feelings are exchanged while baby continues to claw it's way out from the inside.

   Over in wolf world, Jacob guards the Cullen home with Leah (Julia Jones) and Seth (Booboo Stewart) from the oncoming slaughter the rest of the pack is planning.  While there, the subject of imprinting comes up between Jake and Leah, casting a foreboding sense that Jake has to move on from Bella and find someone else to dedicate his life to.

   As blood packs run short in the home things amp up as Carlisle, Esme and Emmett are off to get more.  Meanwhile, it's baby time and Edward, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and guest doctor Jacob are left to tend to the ailing Bella, who settles on names for boy or girl only to have her spine cracked in two by our coming little joy.  She is laid out in the makeshift birthing office surrounded by windows for wolves to break through and prepared for a quick expulsion of the baby.

   While the book gets horrifyingly graphic, the movie does it's best to skirt the violence.  There is however plenty of blood here, more than anywhere else in any of the previous movies.  Of course, it is as it should be.  The scene is quite harsh otherwise, and soon a C-Section delivery is performed without the doctor of the house present.

   Guess what though... baby looks normal!  It is not a demon, nor does it have wings or giant fangs like the ones Edward researches earlier in his 27 inch I Mac. Oh it's bloodied of course but looking quite healthy and happy... after all it told Edward it was.  Here however is where our Bella expires, finally succumbing to the damage the incredibly strong child has done to her.  Edward does what he can, injecting his venom into Bella's heart, biting her body, hoping that a last moment revival is possible short of Carlisle's prediction that it will not work.  It does not, Bella is dead, or is she?

Jacob stands poised to go wolf while the Cullens look on.

  News gets out quickly, the wolf pack moves in, having knowledge that a "vampire" has killed a human and all bets are off.  Jacob decides it is time to take the baby's life himself (does anyone find anything wrong with all of this fundamentally?)  However he looks into the beautiful child's strangely mature eyes and  foresees Renesmee as an adult, deciding right there in an instant to "imprint" on the baby to protect and eventually fall in love with.

  While one immediately draws a conclusion that Jacob has feelings he should not for a child, which is a creepy thing no doubt regardless of Indian folklore, it should be noted that his intentions are to protect the child for as long as he shall live.  The one law among the wolf clan we soon learn after an insignificant wolf vs. vampire battle is that anyone, no matter who or what they are can never be harmed if imprinted upon by a fellow member.

  With disaster averted, all attention now turns to the dead Bella, who still lies unresponsive to Edward's efforts.  Her meager body is prepared to be put to rest and the entire Cullen family as well as Jacob try to come terms with their beautiful human Bella being gone.

  Cue another weird CGI sequence, in which we witness Edward's venom taking control on the inside of Bella's body, repairing the damage done by the child. Then miraculously, we witness her beautify again.  Sure we know what is coming, but one last scene straight out of James Cameron's Avatar, an extreme close up of our heroine's opening eyes reveal them to be red!  Bella is revived, now a vampire and ready to take on Breaking Dawn Part 2!

  Overall, while I wasn't terribly disappointed by Breaking Dawn Part 1, I found it to be a huge let down from the rather quick paced, surprisingly entertaining Eclipse of the previous year.  The film takes forever to get going and gets so stuck on recreating a wedding experience that it feels just about as long as attending a real wedding experience!  If you're interested in the pomp and circumstance of Edward and Bella's matrimony, a good portion of the beginning will more than likely satisfy.  Performances are good, obviously awkward when they need to be, but effective nonetheless.  I found Jacob's character this time around to be much less convincing and far more selfish, looking for any opportunity, even inside of his head, to get his digs in.  Meanwhile, I still can't help but find Edward to be wishy washy and far too lenient on Jake, who swears to kill him if Bella dies, only to tell Edward he wont so the vamp can live forever with the pain of doing "this" to her.

  "This" to her?

  In our world, many a woman has sacrificed her life for a child to live.  It is a terrible thing to contemplate, but most of us agree that if given the choice of ourselves or our children to live through a terrible ordeal, we wouldn't need to even think for a moment what choice we would make. All the characters, including father Edward, treat the coming of Renesmee as a curse, an aspersion, the "thing" that kills their beloved Bella.  Sure everyone expects a monster to come out, but does anyone show any care short of Rosalie for that adorable little baby?

  Well in the end, all answers will finally be revealed next year when the climax, Breaking Dawn Part 2 finally arrives. While it may be a little too late to vindicate the film series overall, let's hope the final installment follows Stephanie Meyer's intentions as well as satisfies our thirst for more vampires, werewolves, R Pat and K Stew!

   

ENTIRE SUPERMAN:REQUIEM POSTER SERIES BY JAMES LINCKE RELEASED

James Lincke's portrait of director Gene Fallaize,
presented at the premiere in London!

  RJA Creations co-founder and illustrator James Lincke has outdone himself once again, this time lending his incredible artistic talents to Superman:Requiem A fan film by Gene Fallaize.  The five poster series he created over a five month period features characters from the feature that was released worldwide online 11/11/11.  This is the first time the entire collection of James' art is presented as a cohesive set,  adorned by a lavish background, title and his signature.

  James also had the esteemed honor to attend the film's premiere in London, presenting a custom portrait of  the director as a gift from cast and crew!  The RJA Creations website will soon feature a special section dedicated to projects like this, and you can preview all of James' work for the film including concept iamges and art in progression!  

  Meanwhile stop by www.themanofsteelisback.com (the officail website for Superman:Requiem to watch the film!  Congratulations and best wishes from the RJA Creations team to Gene Fallaize and the cast and crew including James for a job well done, carrying on the legend of Superman while dedicating the film to the legacy of the late Christopher Reeve!

RJA CREATIONS AND LOUIS A. PUCCI TEAM UP TO CREATE FUTURE GRAPHIC NOVEL

  RJA Creations is proud to officially announce the collaboration of an exciting graphic novel currently in production, written and produced by writer/musician Louis A. Pucci!  

  Russell R Cera was a previous colleague of Lou's when the two laid groundwork for a partnership in creating the graphic novel but time and other obligations temporarily put them out of touch.  Recently however, the two reconnected, with Russell proposing that himself and James Lincke of RJA create concept art as well as the actual illustration to marry the text into the finished graphic novel.  

  What occurred was a fortuitous rebirth in this project as well as a commitment from all parties to see current and ongoing freelance projects through to completion as a collaborative effort.  "I'm very excited to reestablish this relationship." Says Russell R. Cera.  "Lou is an incredible writer with the same creative goals as James and I.  As a whole I think we are all hopeful that through combining our efforts on certain properties, it may very well lead to making our stories better and putting them in the right hands.  The process to create a treatment like this is an incredible challenge as well, with all parties sacrificing  personal time, talents and profit to come out with something greater in the end."

  Lou is a screenwriter and writer of short stories, having previously collaborated with artists David Baird of Sydney, Australia as well as the highly acclaimed World's greatest Beatles artist Shannon.  He is also a guitarist and singer, playing with various New York area bands from the age of 15.  At 24 he joined the tri-state area's number one highest paid party and original band "The Watch" and toured with them for almost 10 years.

  Lou's name might also be familiar by way of his namesake, Award winning actor, Lou Taylor Pucci.  Lou Sr. managed his son's career, which started in the principle role of "Friedrich" in the Broadway Revival of The Sound of Music with Richard Chamberlain and Rebecca Luker.

  Lou Jr. has gone on to a very successful film career, which spans an impressive array of works from his debut in Personal Velocity Three Portraits (2002) to The Go Getters and Horsemen (2008) to Carriers (2009) as well as All Together Now and The Story of Luke (both in post production). These of course are just to name a few. You can check in on Lou Tayor Pucci at www.loutaylorpucci.com.

  The team hopes to complete a fully rendered cover and proposal chapter as well as a treatment for publication consideration sometime in 2012.  As more information develops we hope to bring you news on this as well as other future projects in the works!

RJA CREATIONS JAMES LINCKE ATTENDS SUPERMAN REQUIEM PREMIERE

Jimmy Lincke presents Director Gene Fallaize with a
special piece of art created by Jim and dedicated from
cast and crew!

  On Monday November 7th, 2011 my good friend and colleague Jim Lincke (co-founder of RJA Creations), attended the premiere of Superman Requiem, a fan film by director Gene Fallaize in London, England!  Over the last six months, James created promotional posters as well as costume concept artwork that actually appears in the film!  His tireless efforts have paid off in a very big way, and Jim was asked to create a special portrait gift for the director himself, to whom he presented the piece last night at the premiere.  Afterward, cast and crew partied on the Thames to celebrate their incredible efforts!

  I personally want to extend a heartfelt congratulations to Jimmy as well as the rest of the cast and crew, for a job well done!  The film will be released world wide via the Superman Requiem website on Friday November 11.

  Jimmy... great work!  I know how much time and effort, sweat and sleepless nights you put in to complete this intense project!  You deserve much praise! Please take a deep breath, have an incredible time across the pond and return home safe!

                                                                           Your friend, Russ

  

CREATING A VILLAIN WE LOVE TO HATE

How do you create a villain we all "love to hate"?
Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter that's how!
His performance still haunts us to this day.

  By: Russell Cera

  Undoubtedly, we've all heard the phrase over and over. "Now that is a villain I love to hate!"

  It truly is a strange anomaly isn't it?  - How in experiencing film and literature, the human psyche often surrenders it's natural convictions about causing chaos, mental or physical harm, and ultimately death and destruction, when carried out by an engaging or charismatic villain or villainess. This is usually due to a ponderous quality we all possess - an instinctual morbid interest in "doing the wrong thing" or the desire to acquire power and influence over others to evoke an emotional response. Thankfully, these  inert traits are usually benign in most of us and often aided by the natural disconnect from reality that entertainment is intended to provide.

 Then what would make us "love to hate" a villain or even maybe "love to love" one? Some antagonists in film and literature are so terribly loathsome and bereft of empathy that our only desire is to see them suffer the most awful end by the hands of our hero, where others are charismatic, convincing, or just plain look so cool in their bad guy attire, we can't help but wonder what it's like to be them or see things from their perspective. Still others possess motives that are caused by personal tragedy, neglect or abandonment - likely reasoning for having a chip on one's shoulder, and so these things become instantly identified as a means of justifiable vengeance. Then there are those that travel the route to transcendence, proving that anyone, no matter how bad they may be, can become good and whole again.

  Anyway you slice it, the truly wise storyteller develops an antagonist that is equally important to their tale as the hero is, albeit through ulterior design. To put it plainly, creating a villain we "love to hate" is just good business. The Bad Guys (or Girls) will often sell books, movie tickets and merchandise from t-shirts, to toys, to collector memorabilia and costumes all on their own without the aid of their goodie two shoe adversaries. From Darth Vader to Hannibal Lecter to Dracula, the examples go on and on how villains can go beyond their otherwise disdainful trappings to become iconic figures that remain with us for all time.

  So let's delve a little further, dissecting several types of wrongdoers one might encounter to see which of them, above all the rest, qualify for a villain we "love to hate".

Who can forget the Exorcist?
One of our greatest supernatural fears - possession.
Pure evil is in no way "lovable"!

 The first type we will discuss is the malevolent villain, or an embodiment or disembodiment of omnipotent evil.  Some examples of these would be the Devil, a demon, superior alien invaders or another form of paranormal intelligent terror that we have very little to no ability to alter it's purpose. There are of course plenty of books and films who's villains are denizens from other dimensions or planets. For many, the fear that these beings evoke is real and can be incomprehensible, especially to those of us who are heavily rooted in faith, legend or superstition.  Rarely does a villain of this type become one we "love to hate" because it is nearly impossible to connect with them on any basic human level.  They are beyond our scope of comprehension and fall so far outside the "rules" of morality that their motivation simply paralyzes us.  True, that some villains of this category can be "caricatured" to the point of iconic adoration. One for example - Freddy Krueger of the Nightmare On Elm Street series, is an evil entity from another dimension with complete enmity for humanity.  Yet what makes him different over other examples of his sort, is that he was in fact human prior to his present state, thereby making the natural connection we need to formulate to identify with him on a personal level.

Jaws - A prime example of a creature doing what it does
naturally, being demonized by humans that get in the way.

  Another villain type coincides with the first, but deserves a category all to themselves.  These are animals or creatures either earthbound or possibly not, possessing non human intelligence nor malevolence to our species as a whole.  For the sake of this article I will call this a benevolent villain, not friendly by our standards, but at the same time having no concentrated malcontent for humans. In other words, they do what they do because it is in their nature to do so.  Often however for dramatic purpose, fiction creates the villain from what is natural, exaggerating the ferocity and will of the animal to coincide with our human motives or capabilities.  A great example of this is of course Jaws, or the shark and those that followed it in sequel after sequel.  A shark is not an evil creature nor does it have the capacity for human intellect or emotion.  Therefore it doesn't attack people because it has the desire to do so.  Yet it invokes a primal fear in us... after all, who wants to go out by being eaten? So in essence, from our standpoint it becomes a likely villain in both literature and film.  Possibly the worst effect a successful movie like Jaws can create is for the animal itself in reality, as the real bad guy - the human, makes it their mandate to hunt them for pleasure or convenience.  Unlike Jaws, one such villain that bucks the benevolent trend is King Kong. Although he isn't truly a villain at all to the audience, he becomes an adversary to the human characters he encounters in the film.  Since Kong is in fact an over sized gorilla who's real world counterparts are primates, their ability to emote and feel much the same as people do delivers the endearing quality that makes a creature identifiable.

  The prior are two examples of villain types that, although memorable and effective, rarely become an example of why we "love to hate" the bad guys.  Now let us look at some formulas that actually do fit the bill. We will note once again, that the human factor is the overwhelming determination in creating a memorable and "lovable" villain.

The late Heath Ledger's Joker made us
all consider his reasoning by way of  an
unforgettable performance.

  Let us discuss what I like to call the valid cause villain. This is the bad guy who, that regardless of how maniacal or deranged, has a practical opinion about a situation, society or a system as a whole, along with a plan to change it to his or her liking.  Heath Ledger's interpretation of The Joker in The Dark Knight is a perfect example of the valid cause villain - terribly disturbed, and yet his philosophy for chaos over order is not only conceivable but also reasonable in a way.  In other words, there are several moments where, through the character's dialogue we sit back and say, "yeah I get where he is coming from!"  This is an incredibly powerful tool in connecting an audience with a villain.  If you can make an entirely sane person contemplate that there is a believable motive for evil, regardless of how wrong it is, suddenly you've made an indelible human connection.  Often with these villain types however, their motive is so resolute that there is absolutely no chance for rehabilitation or redemption, so the only way to deal with them is to terminate them or lock them up for good... hopefully!

Tim Curry's Lord of Darkness - yes a malevolant
villain but tragic as well.  After all he was in love.

   A related type of antagonist to the prior is the emotionally compromised or tragic villain.  In very much the same way, the tragic villain has a justifiable vendetta, but his or her anger is fueled by a loss of love.  Of all the categories we could use to identify a character, both bad or good, love is the strongest human emotion and therefore can be the cause for our greatest and worst achievements.  We've all suffered loss, and some of us have had the misfortune of that loss coming by way of suicide or murder.  It is an unbearable pain that brings out the most primal urges.  Audiences will, regardless of whether they agree with a villain's methods, always connect with a character who has turned to a dark side due to the loss of a loved one by way of unnatural death.  Bram Stoker's Dracula became one of the most notorious fictional villains; due to the mistaken suicide of his bride, he relinquished his natural life to become our most adored vampire.  Yes people, Dracula did it for love.  In this way, we can naturally relate to him, seeing that his his actions are purely inspired by loss and a resolute desire to reclaim the love that was once his.

Darth Vader - unanimously everyone's favorite film villain.
You have to admit though, he is sort of a big softie!

  Finally we come to our last and most popular villain category - the redeemable villain.  This is one that audiences unanimously "love to hate", or possibly even "love to love" by performance's end!  That is because no matter how terrible this character is throughout the breadth of the story, a turning point makes them see things from a different side, finally relinquishing their evil ways to reformation.  Why is this so identifiable?  All of us inertly want to believe that we all get a second chance in life; an opportunity to right the wrongs and find inner peace.  Most come nowhere close to committing evil deeds in our lives and so our misguidance is microcosmic in scope compared to say, a fictional villain.  However in film and literature, knowledge that forgiveness and acceptance can come to those who have paid a great price for their deeds makes a redeemable villain identifiable.  Darth Vader of course, one of film's greatest villains is a transcendent character.  By the finale of Return Of the Jedi, we have totally forgiven him for his downfall to evil as he makes a conscious decision to relinquish his position and destroy the Emperor himself.  Why does he do this?  Love of course!  Love for his son Luke, who he witnesses being tortured to near death.  Hence we come to realize that a redeemable villain can be entirely complex and enjoyable, with motives and reasoning that are affected by rational emotion over unbridled evil.

  Okay, so we've covered several types of villains in film and literature and attempted to understand what makes one worthy to "love to hate".  We can all agree that no matter what formula an antagonist might naturally fall into, the greatest of them may possess several traits or motives all in one.  A tragic villain will often become a redeemable one, and more than likely the same character may have a valid cause for it's treachery!  We have identified however, that the villains we unanimously connect with are the ones that emote to us on a human level or make an audience understand what it may be like to see things from their side.  

  Forget not, that regardless of formulas or types that articles like this discuss, the actor or writer creates the villain character with dialogue, vision or interpretation, making the performance the factor above all other things that makes us "love to hate" them!  You also have to admit, regardless of their deeds, a lot of them just look damn cool or come wrapped up in pretty awesome costumes!

  Which villain do you "love to hate" above all the rest?

RUSSELL R. CERA OF RJA CREATIONS CREATES COVER ARTWORK FOR ACCLAIMED NOVEL CRY WOLF CRY

Completed front cover

Author and conservationist Russell M. Cera

  Cry Wolf Cry, a novel by accomplished writer and wolf conservationist Russell M. Cera, is a beautiful tale that interweaves tragic and triumphant lives both human and lupine. The novel is currently available through all major online distributors, receiving impressive accolades, including a five star rating on Amazon.com from it’s readers! The book was originally published with a different jacket illustration, but in 2010, Russell M. Cera commissioned his namesake, Russell R. Cera of RJA Creations, to redesign the cover layout in order to better compliment the outstanding story.  “It was truly an honor to illustrate the jacket for such a wonderful piece of literature, my Uncle being the author aside.  Likewise, it's a thrill to know that the jacket artwork can be the eye catcher to interest a possible reader or buyer.” - RRC

Original study of Reese character

                                                              

Completed character of Reese

Original study of Elizabeth character

Completed Elizabeth character

  

  

  As for the art itself, Russell (R.) took reference and guidance to recreate the human and wolf characters, from early sketch through to hand painted completion. “My uncle had a very clear vision as to how he wanted each character to appear, and it was a challenge recreating that vision while achieving a sense of overall realism.  I wanted more than anything, to create a more dynamic, vibrant image that truly complimented the book.” - RRC

Original study of wolves

                                                              

In progress rendering of Jacy for back cover

 

To learn more about Cry Wolf Cry, author Russell M. Cera and his latest writing projects, please visit www.librabooks.net.  The book may be purchased directly from Amazon.com as well as other leading distributors.  For wholesale discounts of ten or more books please email rcera10@optonline.net. Learn more about and see images of  the art process on the SPECIAL FEATURE page.

SUPERMAN REQUIEM CHARACTER POSTERS BY JAMES LINCKE RELEASED!

Issue 1 Martin Richardson as The Man of Steel.

The Man of Steel Is Back! Superman Requiem, a fan film by acclaimed director Gene Fallaize, asks you to Believe once more on 11/11/11!  The heroic efforts of the talented cast and crew culminates in a web released full length feature sure to delight Superman fans around the globe.  

Issue 2 Stacy Sobieski as Ali Noels.

  One such fan, James P. Lincke of RJA Creations is eagerly anticipating the release, not only because the superhero is so near and dear to his heart, but he also has the distinct honor of being the exclusive illustrator to the film!  Apart from several projects James did for the production, he is currently in the midst of illustrating a series of exclusive teaser posters based on portrait shots of the main cast.  

Issue 3 Paul Khanna as Alex Luthor and
Lucy Bruegger as Eve.

 "It's an honor to be working on the film and to contribute artwork to help promote the project world-wide.  The cast and crew have been working so hard for many many months and I personally can't wait to see how everything comes together in November!  It's the level of professionalism, creative ingenuity and devotion that Gene and his team have exuded that's so inspiring to me!  Superman Requiem truly is a labor of love and a film that I'm sure will leave a lasting impression for fans of the franchise.” - JL

  As for the actual artwork, James chose to work on translucent vellum, which has a great tooth for texture and building color in a signature style that employs crosshatch shading. His choice of medium for the posters is Prismacolor pencil mixed with acrylic embellishments.

  To learn everything about Superman Requiem as well as view trailers and the actual film screening as of 11/11/11, visit www.themanofsteelisback.com.  To view all of James Lincke’s teaser posters for the film as well as other art contributions for the film, please visit the SPECIAL FEATURE section coming soon  to RJACreations.com!


Check back for more issues coming soon!

THOUGHTS FROM AN ASPIRING AUTHOR

FRONT COVER ARTWORK FOR TWISTED
EARTH BY RUSSELL R. CERA

By: Russell R. Cera

 I think in my heart of hearts, I've always wanted to be a creative writer of some sort, or at very least author something from start to finish.  For years I toyed with the idea and eventually took up a contributing editor's position to an industry magazine, turning out "how to" instructional pieces on the processes of art making.

 It was fulfilling to some degree, but at the same time difficult and tedious. All that hard work and effort to kick out an article in a week only to have it sliced and diced to the point of it being the editor's creation over my own.  Let's just say... creative writer's angst unfulfilled.

 So one day out of nowhere, I sat down and started to conceive an epic battle scene into words, which looking back now was more or less a page or so straight up, ripped out of Lord of the Rings.  Oh, I wrote on and on about the emergence of evil forces from the bowels of the underground while a stout hearted beleaguered troop of heroes rallied against them.  Terrifically original stuff right?

 I fondly remember loving it at first review and hating it by the fourth or fifth.  If I were to find it now in the bowels of forgotten Text Edit files I would more than likely read it and roll in the aisles if I had aisles to roll in.  Well, that was the end of that.

 Now before I go on, let me add one more piece to this puzzle.  I am not a reader. No, that does not mean that I cannot read, it is just that I prefer visual storytelling to the written word.  Why?  My imagination is constantly at work, conjuring imagery of all sorts to the point of exhaustion.  While reading I do much the same, concentrating too hard on how I want the people and places I'm visiting to look, sound and act.  There are times I can blow through an entire page only to realize I haven't truly comprehended what I've read as I concentrated on the exact facial expression of the main character back on paragraph one!

 You're more than likely saying, this isn't going anywhere. To which I might be so bold to tell you you're right!

 Let's skip forward now to several years ago.  RJA Creations was in it's infancy stages and myself and James Lincke had begun putting the pieces together of what would eventually become Twisted Earth, an epic illustrated full length novel that is currently in the works.  It happened purely by accident I imagine, for TE up to that point was a series of sci-fi/horror art pieces intended for a merchandise line.  It did however have a twist.  The art and product had a story to tell, and with each new piece of art, the plot would unfold via a web based community site that offered all kinds of special content.  The idea was visionary.

 Yet good ideas often go unnoticed, as did this one, and in picking up the pieces after realizing there was no financial or promotional backing to our efforts, we decided the entity itself was too good to die.

From there, we began to formulate a main character and a villain based on one of Jim's recurring images.  We pieced together the antagonist and protagonist conflict, their motives, desires, eventual victories and downfalls.  Plot line soon followed, storyboarding and outlining next.  Before we knew it, we had something brewing for good or bad.

 Who knew?

 Some time into the project, I began to write again.  This time, I felt or at least I thought I had a good command on prose and the "what to do and what not to do" rules of writing. I would study other's works, albeit their technique over an entire story, applying my own structure and how I wanted it to read over trying to follow a particular formula.

  Ah ha!

 Twisted Earth was finally the vehicle I needed to express my writing aspirations... and so it happened! Now enough of back story, because this blog is not about me, although it seems that way, but more about the challenges of becoming a storyteller and writer, and possibly some advice or general grievances that others out there like me trying to do this can relate to.

  I thought for a while I had it figured out, but what I figured out, was that writing is difficult beyond any means of explanation!

  I have an incredibly renewed respect for the art form and those that perform it to seeming effortlessness.

  At first the process seemed rather linear, start here and end there.  It is not.

A GATHERING OF DRAFTS, PLOTS AND SYNOPSIS WRITTEN
BY RUSSELL R. CERA AND ILLUSTRATED BY JAMES LINCKE

 Countless drafts, ideas, thoughts - words words words... they all seem so wonderful as they emerge. Then you review, and tweak, adding this or that.  Maybe a new plot line comes out of nowhere, and where you thought you were going to write four sentences on a thought, it turns into four paragraphs or even a chapter.  Double back again and you'll find grammar mistakes, or start reconstructing prose to sound more eloquent.

 Later you realize some things are in the wrong place.  Maybe this belongs in chapter one where that belongs in chapter five. Your character descriptions aren't up to par, so you add and revise. Actions occur but you have not explained how the character got into the place they needed to be for the action to occur.

  It's MADNESS I tell you and it can drive a person to drink!

  So here are seven lucky things I'll present, based on knowledge, research or advice from accomplished writers and my greatest inspiration of all, my wife.  An avid reader herself, she has embarked upon her very own vampire novel and is going through much of the same challenges as I and possibly you are!

 Take this then for what it is, and I promise that even I would be the best benefactor to the following suggestions!

 1.  The number one thing I've learned is to JUST KEEP GOING.  DO NOT STOP!  Do not be so discouraged by a lack of ideas that the fire just dies.  Keep writing every day!  Even if what you are kicking out is awful, and you know it, you are making progress.  Put that piece to the side for another day when you've got more juice or an idea on how to tie it in!

 2.  Another thing I practice, which may be wrong, is to write about a particular scene or piece that I am really enthusiastic about doing.  If you have a clear vision or you can play it out in your head... action, even dialogue, no matter what or where it falls in a piece, get it out!  You are obviously going to be more excited to emote something you feel very strongly about.  Write it down. Worry about how it falls into place later.

3. Once you feel comfortable with your plot line, outline it!  Provide descriptions of what each chapter is trying to say, how it starts, what happens, and create the hook that takes the reader to the next chapter!

 4. Write a terribly non descriptive bare bones draft first, very little on description and almost outline like.  Fill it in with all the good stuff from suggestion two once you know what point A and point B is.

 5. Try your best not to be overly descriptive (a challenge I am currently working on).  Allow the reader to piece things together and conjure up their own visions.  If you try too hard to describe a character or setting down to the very last detail, then the reader becomes instantly bored with words, denying them personal creative expression within their mind!

 6.  Know your climax and plan it out.  If you know where you are going to go it is much easier to reach the destination!

 7. Your characters are more important than anything!  A reader needs to connect and identify with your protagonist. Make them do the same with your antagonist - then you've really got something cookin'!  Make sure to develop clear cut roles and motives, attempting to revolve everything around a central conflict!

 Let's face it, writing and storytelling is an unmatched art form - period.  On every level it is extremely difficult, time consuming and nerve racking.  Yet, at the very same time can one think of anything more fulfilling than telling a story from beginning to end, taking your characters through ups and downs to their eventual destinations?  I can't. No one can guarantee how it will be received.  No one can  guess that they might be the next J.K. Rowling.  So don't worry about those things. And even if, as of the posting of this article, I have acquired a horrific writers block and have lost my way, I know it is only temporary.

 If it's inside of you, as this is in me, trust in this. The only means to sanity is to get it all out and just finish it!