The future of Damon Dark. Discussion.

Hello everyone!

Well, first of all I want to say that I'm very proud of what has come out of Damon Dark, especially the creation of spin off/related shows like Vincent Kosmos, Young Damon Dark and Dr.Lansing Chronicles.

But as you may be aware, I've announced an end to the current webseries. Does this mean an end to Damon Dark itself? Well, obviously, the episodes all exist in my archives, safely stored on an external hard drive and they are all available on YouTube, Openfilm. com, Revver and Daily Motion. So they are all there to be enjoyed. And ofcourse, Damon Dark has existed before YouTube, too. It was a short film and an attempted feature film project in the early 90s. It was also a Community TV series in the late 1990s and a professional pilot in 2000. And I've even self-published a novel.

So Damon Dark is not ceasing to exist!

But the real question is, what is its future going to be? Well, I feel that the current version on YouTube has suffered somewhat from circumstances at my end. I don't like to make excuses, I think we can change our circumstances. But I also realise these things take time and effort and commitment.

Because I have small, pre-school age children and work two jobs, I often find it hard to get the time to shoot. And if I try to introduce other people into that mix, it complicates it even more.

I think Damon Dark can be revived, in a new form. But how? What is the best way for it's future to manifest? A short film? An independent feature film (which could be eventually uploaded in segments, in serial-fashion)? Or should it become a series of books? Or audio dramas? All these ideas and more are things I have considered at various times.

I have no wish to see Damon Dark end completely, but I have ended what I was doing because it was becoming a problem for me. It's frustrating when you want to do bigger and better, but you're not achieving that.

So...what should the future of Damon Dark be? That is my question to my friends? At the end of the day, I feel there can be a revival in the future. How soon that happens, and what form it takes, needs to be decided on with care, patience and thought.

Dr.Who and Star Trek both came back after a long time. I hope it wont take that long. But again, I feel if Damon Dark returns, it needs to be special, it needs to be "worth the wait"! Know what I mean?

Well...first of all...as I said....IF DD will end...I will end Vincent Kosmos series.
There's no reason to exist for the time-thief without his old friend.
Then...you need to think what you're doin'...cause this is the DD World...and if you do something this will have some effect on VK, young DD, Lansing etc.
Anyway.... I don't think you need to change something...I hate audio books (expecially for who is not english...is not easy to understand it all!) and I don't want DD books!!!
The future is internet...youtube and other channels...
What you need to change on DD???Maybe you're on the right direction with last episodes with grading etc. You need a more professional opening titles (I really love the old DD opening with scenes from the episodes!) and of course (I know that is not easy) you need to involve more people...I really want a Chronos comeback for exemple.
I think everybody here will be happy to help you...I can help you in the edit and grading and Trea with the FX...and I'm sure Olly can give u some help about in which way use lights etc.

ANYWAY IN THE END...and this is a promise...IF YOU STOP DAMON DARK...I WILL DELETE EVERY FU****** EPISODE OF VINCENT KOSMOS! It's a threat???MAYBE!

They make 13 Dr.Who's per year. This year I've made...how many Damon Darks? I think it's reasonable for any production to stop at some point. When Dr,Who stopped at the end of the 80s, it was because they recognised it needed to change. I think it took way too long, but when they revived it, it was brought up to modern production standards. SO it was a competitor with the rest iof what was out there.

So, what I'm saying is, if Damon Dark is revived, it must be revived better than before. I don't want to just make another episode of me talking to my evil twin without the two characters appearing the same shot as I can't do split screen. The point of this thread is to ask for ideas, to open it up to discussion.

I am not deleting Damon Dark and I don't see any need for anyone to go bananas. Damon Dark can be revived for 2010. But it needs to be something special!

We are in OCTOBER..........
2010???? Do you need I will wait 2-3 months????NO WAY!!! I will buy a fu*** wig and a trenchcoat and I will do the "Italian Damon Dark" if you don't move your a** and do something!

Well...you suggest "Ehi, Ade...make a Damon Dark Xmas Special like Dr.Who"???

Hmmm...if it comes back, I think it needs to be better than before...so maybe Damon Dark in Flying Titanic over the Queen is not a good idea!

Maybe you don't understand my words...maybe cause I'm italian...and it is a "language barrier"....I DON'T WANT TO WAIT 2 MONTHS! I DON'T WANT DD STOP FOR A SINGLE WEEK! If you need to rest it's ok...but only for this!
I Don't want a XMAS Special...I want DD series...the reason cause I created VK...

I appreciate that...but...discussion means...discussing stuff. Ideas, suggestions...I don't want to rush out the next one and the next one and the next one...this is the whole point.

I mean, Trea is taking months working on his pilot...you're not threatening to wipe out the whole pantheon of VK if he doesn't hurry up and finish it next Tuesday? The point is...I would like Damon Dark to achieve a higher level of quality too...so that's why I am stopping the present "by the seat of my pants" series and opening up a discussion thread...for....DISCUSSION!

So...apart from "Get it back in production or else"...what are your thoughts?

I said what I think u need...new opening...more grading...more FX, some actors, nothin more.
About Trea...well...Lansing series have a different approach with more Computer Graphic...and it's not true that I don't press Trea:) Ask it to him!!!!
Anyway...think what u want...do what you want...but you will never see a VK episode till I don't see something new from Damon Dark....THIS IS IT!

It's all very well to say "do this and that" Chris...but how? I already said if I comes back I want to make it *better*, so I agree about all that...but it's finding a way to make that actually happen in reality...hence the idea of discussing, rather than just saying "get back into production and do it."

If I could "just do it", like NIKE, then I would have just done it by now!

Unfortunately I can't help u about actors (I have same problem I think and Trea too) but everybody here will help u for grading, fx, edit etc.

I always knew there would be a point when Damon Dark would have to end some day. But frankly Adrian, you could not have picked a worse time. My series is just starting to kick in, Trea's hasn't even started yet. It will just degrade the whole idea of the other projects. Also, the video which you have posted as "The End" is absolutely pathetic. If you are going to end, END WITH A BANG! The UFO Hunter serial showed that you were going in a new direction with Damon Dark which everyone liked. So why not do it?

If you're having trouble squeezing Damon Dark into your life schedule then just don't make them as often. The Lansing Chronicles is taking a long time to get released but no-one's given up on it. Mine, Chris' Trea's shows have a long gap between each episode because they take so long to make. There is no way that people would get fed up of waiting for a new episode because otherwise I would have no-one watching at all!

I don't understand why you feel it needs to end at all. I also feel that this is completely the wrong time for it to end. You were on the verge of a relaunch anyway with UFO Hunter so why not go through with it? I am hopeful that these doubts will change and that Damon Dark relaunches, maybe as more professional project but less frequent episodes.

If you do end this now you will let down Chris, Trea and me. If Doctor Who ended now, they'd end Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. I'm not prepared to end now because I've put so much work into the future and so have many other people.

I agree with a relaunch. I don't mind if it happens in a few weeks or even a few months time. But a year or two? I'm not ready to end, Trea's definately not ready to end (he's not even started!) and Chris doesn't want to end - he just feels he has to if Damon Dark is ending.

I was actually hoping that Young Damon Dark was the future of Damon Dark, that the other series would live on after me. I'm 43 in a couple of months...I'm not sure I want to be playing Damon Dark as Damon Grey, looking older and fatter all the time! I'd like to think the legacy of what you, Trea and Chris are doing was resilient enough to survive anything that went of with Damon Dark. It's not as if I'm burning the master tapes or deleting my YT account.

But I do feel that a return of Damon Dark in the future does need to be something special. Certainly, I am not turning my back on anyone here, in any way. I'd like to hear ideas about the future of Damon Dark, what people think it should be. Things have become difficult lately, and I want to stop the current "making them on the fly" approach. If it is to come back, then it must come back in a better way.

Ade, I'm 30 years younger than you! If you wanted me to replace you as the Damon Dark you play, you'd be waiting an awful long time!

But what really annoys me about this whole thing is the fact that you ended it with an awful clip show! Take that down right now and we'll all help work on something which ends the show for now dramatically but leaves it open for a relaunch. All I can say is, you needed to talk to us about it first before you did it! We're working together on this now. It may have been your idea originally but now we all work on the format creatively.

WOW!! What a huge thread for one day... this is a surprise. I have to put my 2 cents in here now...

It is true that my pilot is taking a long time... recently I have suffered some computer problems which hopefully are fixed now.. but I also have issues with work, and personal issues. My wife just lost her job today unfortunately.. the job market here in the US is very bad so I am worried now that she wont be able to find a new job. All of these things way in on shooting and producing these shows so Ade, I DO understand where you are coming from. I have also been considering a life change MYSELF... IF ANYONE WOULD READ MY POST IN THE FILMAKING FORUM AND RESPOND TO GIVE ME ADVICE!!! :/

Back to the point though... Chris is constantly wanting me to hurry up and get my episode released so yes.. HE IS very impatient! LOL I do not think that he should delete the Vincent Kosmos series though... nor do I think that Lansing should necessarily be cancelled before it begins.

This is why... although VK, DD, and Lansing are all in the same universe... they do not have to be active shows all at the same time. Think of Star Trek... when TNG ended... I was devestated... but just because the show ended, didnt mean that the characters ceased to exist.. Thats why the made the movies later.. AND they made cameos on DS9 and Voyager.

I think of this like Star Trek.. VK can still have a show and maybe DD can occasionally appear... same thing with Lansing. I they can even MENTION Damon occasionally... all of those things help to keep the character alive even though he has gone into cancellation for the time being. I think occasional specials would be nice when you have time Ade.. and while I hate to see it happen.. I do understand.

I would hope that you could still be in my 2nd episode like we talked about, but if not I will figure something else out IF I ever get to that point. :/

I WOULD DEFINATELY be willing to help you with any FX, split screens, etc etc.. you need.. as well as sound or anything else when your ready. Bottom line, Voyager and DS9 kept the crew in existance... I think that VK and Lansing, and Young DD can do the same.

I would ask that if you end things, you do it in a way that is not too abrupt, write it into a final episode where DD gets trapped in another universe or something.. MAYBE EVEN HAVE HIM DIE.. but you just THINK he DIED.. then he could make a come back.. (HMMM THAT SOUNDS FAMILIAR!)

First thing that comes to my mind is that the Magician may find a way to pull Damon into his Universe and trap him there or something.

I am sure there will be much more said here so I will end it for now... BUT YOU GUYS PLEASE READ MY POST IN THE FILMAKING FORUM I NEED HELP.. ESPECIALLY NOW WITH MY WIFE LOSING HER JOB.

Trea

I just now watched the new episode "The End" so sorry if anything I said didnt make sense.. it was sort of .. ABRUPT.. LOL... reminded me alot of the end of Quantum Leap which I was a big fan of where Sam Beckett "never made the leap home."

Well atleast there is an opening for a come back.

Thanks Trea! I agree with you. I think also the "awful clip show" is really an over-view of Damon's story to date and does indeed leave it open. I think it's about as much The End of Damon Dark as The Next Doctor was about the next Dr.Who after David Tennant. The title was kind of misleading. The whole point of "The End" is that it's actually "The Beginning". It's recapping what Damon's story is to date and then leaving it open for the future.

The point of ending what I've been doing and having this thread is about looking at better options. One door closes, another door opens. I think Chris and Jack have taken me the wrong way. I think Trea, you seem to get the idea. Making the Trek movies meant less Trek, but higher quality of production, etc.

Ofcourse I want Damon to appear in VK, YDD and Dr.L's Chronicles! Absolutely! The parent series isn't ceasing to exist, I just wont be posting new ones. If I make something new it will be something else: Damon Dark returning in a new format.

Straker wrote: Making the Trek movies meant less Trek, but higher quality of production, etc.

Well...unfortunately...the Star Trek movies have a better production...but are worst than the series:)
Maybe some Original Series movie it's quiet good (except "Generations") but...TNG movies...well...
More budget it's not "better story" sometimes...more budget is "worst story" that u can cover with FX etc...
Yes sister series of DD can survive for a while without DD...but in this moment after all I'm not sure I want to do another Vincent Kosmos episode. Not at the moment sorry.

Yeah, actually Chris, I didn't think "I have a great idea...I will make a movie that's crap." Just sayin'!

Well... this idea of taking a step back by ending the weekly Damon Dark series and holding a discussion about the possibility of reviving it as something more high quality seems to be backfiring.

24 hours of relentless chatting, posts here and emails from Chris Heaven about "the sky is falling" are proving more exhausting than if I just keep making the thing!

So much for discussions! Oh, well...I think Trea has the right idea, but fine...I will remove the "THE END" video...

I disagree it was awful. I thought it was a good over view. Oh, well...

Ade, don't worry about this discussion. Do whatever you have to do and we will (should) support you. It will work out and WHEN you are ready, I'd be glad to help increase the production value of the show.

Thanks Trea, I appreciate that very much. I've deleted the "THE END" video. I figured it was the only way I'd ever get to relax again! So, we'll just work on the idea that Damon Dark is taking a short break while I consider what will happen next.

Please email me about your other issues, Trea. I've had a lot of experience with issues like the one you mentioned, maybe I can offer some thoughts. I'd be happy to try my best, anway!

Anyway...as I said...I think Damon Dark does need to change...I liked the way Torchwood went from 13 episode seasons which were rather inconsistent, to a 5 ep season with a single mini-series type plot, Children of the Earth, and it was much higher quality. Maybe that's the way for Damon Dark to continue. The "UFO Hunter?" story was 45 mins long and it worked much better I thought, than many of the one-offs.

Well...I'm still open to thoughts and suggestions and "discussion" as the thread title says!

Good morning gentlemen. I'm glad to see that some sort of resolution has been reached. I'm glad the clip show has gone. Sure it was a nice overview but it wasn't an ending for something as terrific as Damon Dark ! I'm looking forward to the future possibilities now. I loved Children of Earth, particularly the format so I'd be very happy to see Damon Dark do something similar!

I personally am very sorry if I sounded angry in my previous posts, but it just goes to show how important Damon Dark has become!

I'm not sorry if it seems I was angry...I WAS REALLY ANGRY and I stressed Adrian in chat too much I can...

It's been a fascinating 24 hours. I wonder if now we can have some slightly more relaxed discussion of how Damon Dark's next adventure can be made to the best level, ala Children of the Earth's quality over quantity approach?

Yeah sounds like a really good idea to me. You did mention after UFO Hunter was released (in the UFO Hunter thread of the forum) that there were scripts with titles like Kill Damon. What's happening with those?

Well...ahem...this is one of the reasons why I wanted to step back and re-think. I have tried to get "Kill Damon" and another story made...but as soon as you start to involve people in a bigger production than the kind of thing we've been doing thus far, issues begin to arise.

Maybe I need to try the Lonely Girl 15 approach and use the 'pretend web vlog' in the same way that Blair Witch Project used the pretend documentary to scare audiences rigid?