We had a big turnout for the Van Ness gate this morning — all of the regulars plus a few visitors. We debated whether that was an auspice or a coincidence. Either way, there were a lot of doughnuts.

The old Russian guy who stands across the street watching us for hours decided he wanted to carry a picket sign for about 30 seconds. When we offered him a doughnut, he asked for vodka. Which made me rethink the past few weeks of watching him watching us: he may be completely blitzed at every moment.

Except for a brief visit on Tuesday to bring cookies and show off my daughter, I’ve been away from the picket line all week. There wasn’t a lot of news to catch up on. Angry Cadillac Woman is M.I.A. — she didn’t show up today either. Beyond that, same old stretch of asphalt.

Today’s principal topics of conversation: dog rescue, Clinton vs. Obama, good-looking Socialist reporter guy, brain tumors, limousine liberalism, pretending to be Canadian, and those guys who paint street numbers on the curb without asking and expect you to pay them.

I’ll be back at my usual gate and time (5:45 a.m. at Paramount’s Van Ness gate) on Thursday, but writers interested in multi-camera comedies might want to check out Warners Gate 2, for the next Teaching Thursday.

From the organizers:

Writers of various genres join us each Thursday, making themselves available to discuss story, structure and everything in between to aspirings. All you have to do is come out and pick up a sign.

For our second Teaching Thursday hilarity will ensue! It’s MULTI-CAMERA COMEDY DAY! Not sure how to write for geeks when you’re tragically hip? The cool kids from “The Big Bang Theory” have answers! Want to know how to get your own personal studio audience? Writers from “The War At Home” know! And remember: If it rains on our heads, it’s tragic. If it rains on yours, it’s comedy gold!

Thursday, January 31st
9 AM to Noon
Warner Bros Gate 2.

In North America, The Nines is now available on DVD. So I thought I’d explain what’s on the disc and why, and the process behind it.

The cover art

The original one-sheet for the movie featured Ryan Reynolds tying the green string around his wrist. Even as we were preparing for the theatrical release, we encountered resistance from Sony’s home video marketing folks, who worried that viewers might think the movie was in black-and-white. ¹ Since I preferred this one-sheet to all other candidates, I told Sony that we could revisit the issue when it came time for the DVD.²

Once theatrical was finished, I was happy to have the conversation with the marketing folks. It kept coming back to the Wal-Mart factor: where would you physically put The Nines on the shelf? Is it in the thrillers, or the comedies, or the dramas?

A movie playing in a theatre can be several genres at once; a ticket buys you the experience of seeing the film, which you’ve presumably sought out based on advertising and publicity. But a DVD is a bunch of atoms that can only be in one place at a time. The box is either going to be in “thrillers” or “comedies.” And if you’re going to put it in thrillers, it needs to look like a thriller. If comedy, it has to look funny.

So while we’re not a typical thriller, that was the closest available category. The string-tying poster didn’t really work as that, and there were other problems:

• For DVDs, the title needs to be near the top. Think about seeing the box on the shelf, or flipping through them in a collection.

• You want space for blurbs and pull-quotes.

• You want the image to make sense at very small sizes, such as Amazon’s “you might also like” section.

• You can’t have a black-and-white (or nearly b&w) photo. That was an absolute from Sony, so more color would have to be added back.

With these requirements, adaptations of the original one-sheet came back pretty unsatisfactory. In order to put the title on top, we had to go a little wider on the photo, which took a lot of the mystery out of it. The extra color softened it too much, and it certainly didn’t look like a thriller. If anything, it looked to be kin to that Hillary Swank/Gerard Butler movie about micro-managing from beyond the grave.

Punting, we looked at some of the other poster contenders. This one had been discussed and dismissed pretty early on, but the 9 background would certainly hold up to major shrinkage, and Ryan’s expression did say, “unsettling thriller.” Plus, there was plenty of room for blurbage. With considerable changes to color scheme and logotype, we ended up at the final DVD artwork.

I don’t love it, but I accept it as a reasonable alternative given the constraints. Sony was actually really good to work with throughout the process, including me in decisions beyond the contractual obligations. Other than Big Fish, I haven’t been enthralled with any of the posters or key art for my movies, but I don’t know that it’s reasonable to expect a director — who spent two-plus years of his life making a film — to be content seeing it distilled down to one vertical rectangle.

What’s inside

While there were a lot of challenges and restrictions about what could be on the box, there was a lot more latitude about what could be inside. Sony hired a company called Blue Collar to produce the DVD menus, features and bonus content. There was a fixed budget, but beyond having to include a block of Sony trailers, we were free to do pretty much anything.

I’d already been working with Blue Collar before selling the movie at Sundance — Doc Crotzer from the company had been editing our behind-the-scenes footage for months — so by the time I met with Mark Rowen, Sarah Elbert and Erin Brett, they knew the movie inside-out. They were determined to make a disc that invited re-watching.

The movie itself is 99 minutes, which left a reasonable amount of space. But there was a lot I wanted to cram in.

Ryan Reynolds and I had already recorded one commentary for the theatrical run, but I wanted a second one with Melissa McCarthy and editor Doug Crise. I wanted to include the short film God that Melissa and I made in 1998. I wanted storyboards. Script. Deleted scenes. A version of the floating words animation that was on the original Look For The Nines site.

We also had a ton of behind-the-scenes footage. We had video running throughout production, so the challenge was cutting it into a shape that actually told a story, and wasn’t a self-congratulatory wank.

Plus I wanted Easter Eggs. Including more koalas.

Surprisingly, we got it all in. One of the features I’m happiest about is the script-storyboard-screen feature, which simultaneously shows the opening sequence through every stage.

The disc is labelled “Special Edition,” but make no mistake, it’s on the only edition. Six months or six years from now, there won’t be a director’s cut, or an extended edition, or a version that’s almost exactly identical except for one maddening change. There could conceivably be a Blu-ray version, but there’s nothing planned. So don’t wait for it.

I’m including a link to Amazon, but of course it’s available in retail stores and rental shops just about everywhere in the U.S., and also on Netflix. If you have questions on the DVD (versus the movie itself), the comment section on this post is good place to ask.

1. It’s tempting to mock corporate idiocy, but I strongly suspect their opinion comes from some hard data. For example: There are people who refuse to buy wide-screen editions of movies because those black bars aren’t using the full TV screen, and they want to get their money’s worth, dagnabit. ↩
2. Also, one of my representatives gently reminded someone at Sony that I’d made a billion dollars for their company. That probably helped. ↩

I’ve never tried Amazon’s Unbox service, which works with PCs and TiVos. But as I was checking the stats this morning, I noticed a few readers had clicked through and purchased the Unbox version of The Nines.

I’m assuming the $14.99 gets you just the movie, without any of the special features or alternate languages/subtitles. But I’m frequently wrong. If any readers have experience with Unbox, by all means elucidate.

Stuff tends to stack up in the August household.

We have systems in place to optimize magazine readership and recycling,¹ but printed objects of which I am the sole reader — comic books, scripts, serio-comic novels purchased on an Amazon spree — have a tradition of piling up on the corners of desks and counters.

I offer this preamble as partial explanation for my delay in articulating how much I love Marc Andreyko’s Manhunter.

I’m not the first writer of note to notice that it’s great. It features blurbs from Joss Whedon and others. But I came upon so late, and so randomly, that I feel some obligation to point out its merits so others can appreciate it.

As long-term blog readers will know, I have deep respect and shallow knowledge when it comes to the comic book world. I didn’t grow up reading them. My teenage years were spent around the D&D table, arguing over the relative merits of a vorpal blade vs. a sword of sharpness.² That and snow-caving. (Colorado + Boy Scouts = unsafe survivalism.)

So a few months ago, when I was in Golden Apple picking up the latest Black Adam, I had no idea that Manhunter was a DC character, or that Marc Andreyko was doing a new series with a female protagonist: Kate Spencer, a D.A. with no special abilities, a failed marriage and a smoking habit. I would have passed it on the shelf, unopened, except that Marc Andreyko happened to be in Golden Apple at that moment, and recognized me from a screening of The Nines.

After a friendly chat, I asked him what he wrote. He put three trade paperbacks of Manhunter in my hands. Which then landed in one of my to-read piles.

I read all three over Christmas, back-to-back, forgoing sleep and egg nog.

Other than Batman, I never had much use for superheroes who couldn’t fly or punch through walls. If I wanted normal people, I’d read a novel. What Manhunter does so well is create a deeply flawed and funny hero who has to interact with the super-powered every day. As a prosecutor, Spencer has to deal with all the villainous debris left behind after the capes fly off. And one day, frustrated by guilty psychopaths going free, she decides to deliver justice herself.

The series is set in LA, rather than a mythical surrogate city, so having direct references to real places is refreshing. The book manages to weave in a who’s-who of minor DC villains, with some big names showing up in unexpected ways.

There’s no shortage of ambition in the comics world — that’s one of the things I admire most about it, as opposed to features. But the combination of ambition and execution in the Manhunter series is why I’d urge you to give it a shot.

1. When finished with a magazine your significant other and/or roommate may also wish to read, write (your name) read in big letters across the cover with a Sharpie. Then the other person may safely recycle the magazine after reading. ↩
2. You can see a summary of the vorpal/sharpness situation here. And no, I didn’t write it. ↩

Circumstances have left me a single dad this week, so it’s unlikely I’ll make it out to the picket line for more than a brief visit. (Toddlers enjoy signs and lines, but not for three hours at a stretch.)

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go. Go, and report back what you see.

Monday’s picketing is all centered at Fox, with SAG joining in solidarity. Any time you have actors on the picket line, the number of photographers increases exponentially, so it’s a good opportunity to get your face on the news — standing behind that guy from Desperate Housewives.¹ Your mom will save it on the DVR for years, like my Mom did with the Broadcast Film Critics Awards, until the machine finally expired.

Can I just say I love SAG?

Throughout the strike, the media has had fun portraying a Good Cop/Bad Cop thing between the DGA and WGA. It’s not accurate at all, but here it goes: the DGA is reasonable and calm and polite (Good Cop), while the WGA is trashing the room and making threats (Bad Cop). The suspect (in this case, the AMPTP) would naturally prefer to deal with Good Cop, who professes to be on his side against the bully waiting out in the hall. “Just give me something I can use,” says Good Cop.

Extending this analogy, SAG is that wild-eyed guy you have locked up down the hall. Both Good Cop and Bad Cop are happy to point out that unless they can make some progress, the alternative is sharing a cell with That Guy. And he’s effing crazy. He’ll light his arm on fire.

For the record, I don’t think SAG is crazy or pyromaniac. I think they’re smart to point out that they have many of the same concerns about new media, along with other actor-specific issues. I suspect they’ll be out in force on Monday, not because they want to strike, but because they want to let everyone know they would and could.

Me? I’ll be explaining to a toddler why sofas aren’t for jumping, blocks aren’t for throwing, and blueberry pancakes aren’t the only food to eat.

1. Just don’t do that two-finger antenna thing; James Denton could kick your ass. ↩

IMDbPro’s MOVIEmeter charts how often people are looking for a specific film. This week, The Nines climbed from 1539 to 11 on the charts. Since we’re not the only DVD coming out this week, I have to assume that means a lot of people saw the torrent and wondered what the hell the movie was.

Link.

(Note that IMDbPro is subscription-based, unlike the free version.)

In the U.S., ABC will be “network television premiering” Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Saturday, Feb. 9th. Theatrical movies aren’t showing up on free television much anymore, but Charlie should work well. It falls into TV act breaks fairly naturally.

How awkward is this: I got a 93%. It’s full of spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the movie, you might want to bookmark this for later.

The Nines quiz

Based on the syntax, I think it’s made by a non-native speaker. And I’m still not clear what the final (and missed) question is referring to: the poster, “Crime Lab,” or something else.

Despite the cold and rain, we had a sizable turnout at the Van Ness gate this morning, with four newcomers joining the stalwart crew. The Seattle folks brought coffee (purchased locally; they didn’t bring it with them), while feature scribes Amy and Liz enthusiastically pitched the plotline of Miracle Mile, an LA disaster movie they claim seriously smokes Volcano.

To me, it’s the lack of an urban core which seriously weakens LA’s viability for disaster movies. What is a giant monster supposed to attack? The Hollywood sign? A landmark made of white-painted wood isn’t particularly smash-worthy. If recollection serves, The Day After Tomorrow took it out with twisters, but that was hardly a key plot point.

No, the Cloverfield equivalent of LA would find the monster smashing the Santa Monica Pier, then walking 20 minutes to take out the Getty Center, and subsequently getting lost in the Valley while trying to find the Griffith Park observatory. Our most iconic feature is our vast freeway system, which doesn’t lend itself to cinematic destruction.

What LA needs is an ostentatious, provocative and destroyable landmark. Yes, it would be catnip for terrorists. But think of the movies.

Back at Paramount, we had more traffic than we’d seen in weeks, with many cars and trucks backed up. Completely not our doing — it was the security gate checking IDs. After the 10th truck with barking dogs in back, we started to realize that something other than Star Trek must be shooting on the lot. A friendly teamster gave us the answer: Hotel for Dogs.

Thursday is our Friday, so no picketing until Monday. Over the weekend, I’ll update with any special information.