Seasons Greetings!

Wishing all of my valued and dear friends and family, old and new, far and near a peaceful, safe and restful Christmas season and a exciting and fulfilling 2010!

Blessings all!

Mark

Back In London...

For the annual reunion lunch with The Chaps...See you Thursday!

Changes...

A Doncaster Sunday morning. The sky is clear, bright blue and the air is damp and chill. Way above the world, the white con-trail of some speeding aircraft cuts through the frigid air. Beechfield School on Chequer Road and the Technical College are now just piles of red bricks and concrete. The Gaumont Cinema, likewise is now just a smoldering heap of crushed debris. Schooldays and childhood movie memories. Wuthering Heights, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and The Italian Job. And why I pursued my dreams of escape into this crazy old world of cinema and theater. All things must pass but nothing's forgotten.

A Beautiful Celebration of Friendship...

I just had a rather spectacular supper with the wonderful Dwina and RJ Gibb and John & Caitlin Matthews at The Sir Charles Napier Restaurant in Chinnor. We celebrated friendship and reveled in the company and conversation while surrounded by beautiful Michael Cooper sculptures. I also enjoyed a couple of glasses of the magnificent 1929 Maury after dinner! I'm feeling no pain whatsoever now...

London Visit

I'm enjoying being back in Dear Old Blighty!

Visiting family and friends, taking a few meetings about future projects and enjoying the bright/damp/cool/clear London weather!

I also had a lot of fun with the UK Transformers "Bendy Bus Prime" ROTF Face Book fan competition! Thanks for all the questions!

It was also my honor to attend the SKRUM, Swaziland rugby charity event for my dear old mate; Mick Collinson! Josh Lewsey showed up and gave generous support for this very important cause, as did everyone who attended. Well done Mick for keeping the spotlight on the desperate plight of these kids. You'll hear more of SKRUM and it's vital mission in the future.

I'm off to Oxford next to work with John Matthews on Wildwood Tarot and then onto Yorkshire for more writing and a bit of a break.

Have a wonderful week folks!

Marky

LONDON COLLECTORMANIA!

London! Coming ready or not!

Meet Me at Collector Mania in London this Weekend

COLLECTOR MANIA London
November 28 & 29, 2009

Now here's me with more...

Discussing Panto with Fans at British Emporium in Grapevine, TX

It's Just Good Fun Meeting Fans

Come See Me in Dallas on Wednesday, 11/4

I'm in Dallas this week and I'll be at the following locations signing autographs tomorrow - please stop by and say hello!

11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Keith’s Books and Comics

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Madness Games and Comics

DALLAS EVENTS & INTERVIEWS

A quick rundown of what's going on it Dallas!

I''m doing an interview with Nancy Churnin from the Dallas Morning News today about the tradition of Panto and Theater Britain's production of "Puss In Boots". Then it's onto the Collin Theatre Center to talk to the drama students about Transformers and the glories of showbiz!

Tomorrow it's an appearance at Keith's Books & Comics, then onto Southern Methodist University to talk to the theater students there about Transformers and Voice Acting. Then onto Madness Games and Comics for more signings! YeeeeHaaaaaaaaah!

Come up along and hello!

Dallas! YeeeeeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaaah!

I'll be heading for Burbank-Bob Hope shortly. Next stop Texas!

ON THE RELEASE OF THE ROTF DVD

"Michael Bay absolutely nailed it. Forget the critics, the worldwide numbers speak for themselves. When Michael talks about "a new film genre" he means this isn't just about watching a CGI T-Rex chasing a jeep and believing it's there. This franchise is called "Transformers" and is about alien robots that emote, have their own code of honor and morals and you can have an intelligent conversation with them. It's supposed to be fun and entertainment wrapped in a dark and complex 21st Century urban fable. Now there are kids growing up who believe you can actually have a friendly alien robot living in their garage, disguised as a car because they've seen it and for them it's real. I know because I meet them all the time. I'm very proud to be just a small part of this new genre and the urban fable."

IT'S BEHIND YOU!

OK! I'm off to Dallas on Monday, courtesy of Sue Birch and the Theater Britain crew, to do some promotion for their forthcoming panto season production of "Puss In Boots" and talk all things Transformers, voice acting and the tradition of screaming: "It's behind you!"

Voice Talent Panel: Revenge of the Fallen, DVD Launch

I had a wonderful afternoon at the Viceroy Hotel with Jess, Charlie, Kevin, Andre and Fred. The chemistry was amazing! I'd also like to personally thank Martin Blythe and Tiffany Olivares from Paramount Pictures for their excellent good humor, guidance and hospitality during the event. It was really fun and quite a unique Press Panel! Can't wait to do it again.. .

Check out a bit of the panel:

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, DVD Release!

I shall be a guest of Paramount Pictures at the Viceroy Hotel, Santa Monica, Ca on the 8th October at 3:30pm for the Press Launch of the Revenge of the Fallen: DVD!

There will be a special press "Voice Talent Panel" at the event and lot's of wonderful folks are attending. This should be a of of fun!

Blood Type: The Search Part 2

Blood Type: The Search Part 1

Bioluminescent Glowing Waves in the Point Magu Pacific Ocean during the camping trip this weekend.

Wuthering Heights & Wildwood Tarot News

More Wuthering Heights music is in the works, as Robb, Katie and I went back into the studio to record the new track: “Look At Me.”

The song is a musical dramatization of Isabella's plea to Heathcliff to look at her both as a woman and his wife and confronts him with her tragic conclusion that if Catherine Earnshaw were dead, she might begin to have a life with the demented and revenge obsessed Heathcliff. Isabella naively believes she can heal and rehabilitate Heathcliff with her love and devotion. Katie Boeck powerfully and movingly performs this new piece. We'll be working on moreWuthering Heights songs throughout the rest of the autumn.

The “Behold The Glory Of Jetfire!” watch contest we ran while I was in Hong Kong got a massive online response from Transformers fans. I was knocked out by the skill and humor of the entries! Congrats to Dane Pavitt for his hilarious “British” Jetfire video and Michael Wright for his marvelous claymation effort. Special mentions also go to Fariz for his very funny “mockumentary” style news tribute and Tino for his drawing but all the finalists were brilliant and I'm glad I did not have to pick the final two winners! The Transformers fans got that honor!

After all the vitriolic hullabaloo from the critics regarding Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, it was nice to see the US domestic box office top $400 million, making the worldwide gross over $830 million. This pushed the movie into the “Top Ten” of most successful films of all time. I guess the summer film audiences have spoken! The Blu-Ray DVD will be released on October 20th.

So! After a highly enjoyable and productive trip to the international toy events in Japan and Hong Kong, it was straight back to work in Los Angeles, first with John Matthews on The Wildwood Tarot and then onto finishing up some new material for The Pilgrim. There's been further discussions about the future development of Blood Type, which has now caught the attention of several production entities. Good luck John and Wil!

As folks may know, The Greenwood Tarot has been out of print for some years and when I got the offer to rework the system with my old pal John Matthews with artwork by Will Worthington, I absolutely jumped at the chance!

It's been really enjoyable working with John and Will and the whole Eddison-Sadd team involved with the revised version.

The Wildwood Tarot will now be published by Eddison-Sadd in 2011.

We may have an exciting announcement regarding a live performance of some of the Wuthering Heights material in an exciting location, to be announced in the near future.

Take care folks!

Welcome Home Discovery!

My windows were rattled by the double sonic boom as Discovery landed at Edwards AFB yesterday evening! Reminded me of the days shooting on the base for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Welcome home to a safe landing after a successful mission, Discovery!

Lest We Forget...

Live From Hollywood: Part II

Meet and Greet with Jetfire Contest Winner, Michael Wright. Also check out video from the day here.

Live From Hollywood: Part I

Hello everyone - just wanted to share a little video I recorded at Universal Studios right before I presented one of the winners, Michael Wright, with his limited edition Decepticon watch. Stay tuned until the end because I make an announcement regarding another idea I have that all of you Transformers fans will love. Also, be sure and check the blog for Live From Hollywood: Part II when I meet Michael and his family to present him with the watch!

He's coming...

On the death of Ted Kennedy.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could;

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that, the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I marked the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost. 1875

After Nearly 100 Entries, Five Finalists & Thousands of Votes, 2 Clever Video Entries Come out on Top!

Once again, all of you Jetfire fans amazed me. On Monday I posted the five finalists and in just 5 days over 7 thousand votes were cast with Michael and Dane's videos just edging out the other three entries, but wow was it close!

Congratulations to Michael and Dane on winning the collectible, Transformers watches. I am pleased that the watches are going to two great fans who will appreciate their uniqueness and value. Also, thank you to everyone who submitted entries - all of you overwhelmed me with your talent and devotion to Jetfire!

Winning Entry by Michael Wright. Congrats on creating this very creative and inspiring claymation piece!


Winning Entry by Dane Pavitt. Way to go Dane - this made me and many people laugh. Cheers to being British!

Keep visiting me on the blog - more exciting things to come!

Jetfire Contest

Thanks to all our amazing entrants and to the fans for voting all week on our 5 finalists. The voting has ended and I will announce the 2 winners of SeaHope Transformers Watches on Monday, August 17th right here!

Cheers,
Mark

"Jetfire" Voting Ends Friday at Midnight

Be sure to cast your vote for your favorite finalist in my "Behold the Glory of Jetfire" competition! Voting ends tonight at midnight & winners will be announced Monday, August 17th.

Behold The Glory Of The Finalists

All the drawings have been seen, all the essays read and all the songs/haikus/poems heard. Now it is time for all of you to Behold the Glory of the five finalists and cast your votes for your favorites. The two fan favorites will win the limited edition SeaHope watches. Voting begins today, August 10th and will continue until Saturday, August 15th. Vote as many times as you like. Congratulations to the finalists and thank you for everyone who entered to show me what I already knew - that Jetfire is the best Transformer! -Mark

Here now are the finalists - choose your favorite and vote in the poll on the top right side of my blog:

FINALIST #1:

FINALIST #2:

FINALIST #3:

FINALIST #4:

FINALIST #5:

And, this one receives Honorable Mention - great work!

Update From Hong Kong

Lei hao from Hong Kong!

This is my first time in Hong Kong and I am here to represent "Transformers" at the Hong Kong's Toys Open Day & Super Festival. It is taking place Aug. 8th -9th at the Hong Kong International Trade & Exhibition Centre. If you are a "Transformers" fan in Hong Kong - I look forward to meeting you!

On the "Behold the Glory of Jetfire" contest - let me first say thank you to everyone who entered and helped spread the word. I thought all of your entries were top-notch and I am having a difficult time only choosing 5 finalists. I will post the 5 finalists, right here on the blog, by Monday Aug. 10th. Then it's up to you to vote for your favorite entries until Aug. 15th. The top two fan favorites will win the SeaHope watches!

Talk to all of you soon. -Mark

Hong Kong here we come!

Wow! Great event in Yokohama yesterday...Back in Tokyo today and relaxing in the hot tub! Friday, onto Hong Kong!

OK! Tokyo tomorrow...

Yet Another Contest Update!

It continues to amaze me how viral the Jetfire Contest has become! Entries keep pouring in, and it's proving to be quite difficult to choose my top five favorites. Who knew being a judge would be so hard? The watches will certainly be going to two very deserving winners. Thank you to all the Transformers fans for being so creative and for keeping me well entertained. I'd also like to give a special thanks to two well-known Youtubers, Sean Long and Peaugh, for helping me to promote the contest. Videos promoting the contest have received over 55,000 hits online! This in itself is surely something to celebrate!

My World Tour

Well folks! I'm back in Los Angeles from the UK and The London Film & Comic Convention. It was a massively successful event with people traveling from all over the world to get there and I really enjoyed talking with everyone and meeting so many dedicated fans.

I was pleasantly surprised at the number of Robin Of Sherwood fans who attended and it was great to see the show find a whole new audience with the younger crowd finding the show for the first time!

Of course, Jetfire was a huge favorite with the British Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen fans because of the character's eloquent use of a colorful British expression! It seems Jetfire has added at least one new word to the Transformers lexicon! However Bumblebee remains everyone's favorite yellow, alien-robot guardian and I'm extremely proud to be associated with the character.

Special thanks go to Jason Joiner and Paul Jones for your friendship and support and all the incredibly hardworking staff at the event.

We also launched the Blood Type trailer (which I directed) on Saturday and the stars: RJ Gibb and Edward Blagrove were literally swamped by autograph hunters and writers, John Matthews and Wil Kinghan also ended up signing away for dozens of enthusiastic vampire aficionados!

Blood Type is a new take on the Vampire myth, created by John and Wil with music by RJ and Robin Gibb with a brand new score by Mick Kiely. Featuring narration from Jason Connery and a talented cast of young actors the film follows the story of Sophie (Emily Berrington) whose unique blood carries a deadly secret that can kill or cure. Pursued by a savage assassin Galen (Edward Blagrove) aided by a young American doctor, Stephen Hampton (Emrys Matthews). Sophie flees through time and across worlds on a mission to save her world-and ours.

Stay tuned for further Blood Type production news as it happens.

On another Transformers note, the competition for the two Seahope watches has turned into an Internet phenomenon! Thousands of fans have watched the various YouTube promotions and fan supporters online and entered the competition with the hope of winning those two unique watches! We'll wade through them all, I promise and hopefully have by finalists by August 6th! Keep sending them in and we'll do our best to keep up!

Work on new issues of The Pilgrim has commenced and online Graphic Novel publisher: ComicMix will be running the new material through the fall. Mike Grell (Warlord, John Sable - Freelance, Green Arrow) is hard at work, drawing the series and Mike's new material really rocks!

We've also laid down the basic musical tracks for two more songs from Wuthering Heights and I'll keep you posted as to when they are ready to be released on the site…Probably sometime in the fall!

I'm also very happy to announce that The Wildwood Tarot has now been officially commissioned by publishers: Eddison-Sadd Editions and co-authored by John Matthews with artwork by award winning artist: Will Worthington. The Greenwood Tarot has been out of print for some years now, so it's timely and fitting that a revised and updated version be produced by this high-quality publishing house.

The Wildwood Tarot has actually come full circle in many ways, as I originally pitched the idea to Nick Eddison and Ian Jackson of Eddison-Sadd in the early nineties. At that time it was not a project we could go forward with together and Harper Collins picked it up and requested we change the name to The Greenwood Tarot. So in a way The Wildwood Tarot (It's original name) has completed it's journey around “The Wheel” and it has finally come home! Developing a new Tarot is a long and demanding process that cannot be rushed but we project The Wildwood Tarot will be available sometime in 2011.

Now! I am very excited to announce I can confirm I'll be traveling to Tokyo and Hong Kong to represent Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen characters at several events in Japan and China and I'll post the event details next week.

Thanks again for all the support and keep those Jetfire competition entries flowing!

Love to all,

Mark

Behold the Glory of the Watches! (contest update)

Limited edition Transformers watches, that is. You folks have been asking for it, so here's an exclusive view of the prizes: two (one Autobot and one Decepticon) collectible Transformers watches, courtesy of SeaHope. They were given to me during a press appearance in Japan for the first Transformers film. The watches are limited edition collector’s items and are no longer available. Hard to put a value on such hard to get collectibles--may the best Jetfire fans win!



I've already received a bunch of incredible entries (some of which have been posted online on Youtube), but remember that the contest ends on AUGUST 1st, so get your entries in!!

At the London Film & Comic Convention - Are you?

Behold the Glory of Jetfire: A Contest for Transformers Fans

It's time to show the world that Jetfire is the best character in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen for the chance to win 1 of 2 limited-edition Transformers watches - there are only 2 outside of Japan (that I know of!) SeaHope has generously donated one Autobot & one Decepticon Watch for our top 2 winners. This truly is a unique item that all you die-hard fans will love! Here's a little video I made to explain how the contest works:




Good luck! I can't wait to see what you come up with. Email your entries to JetfireContest@gmail.com by August 1, 2009 at midnight PDT.


Official Rules:

How To Enter
Put your creative caps on and create something that depicts the Glory of Jetfire! It may be a video, drawing, blog, picture, story, haiku - whatever!

Next, Send It To Me
There are (3) three ways to enter:
1) Share your creation online (youtube, myspace, facebook, your blog, twitter, etc.) and send the link to JetfireContest@gmail.com;
2) Send your entry as an attachment to jetfirecontest@gmail.com;
3) Mail your entry to: Starfish PR, Attention: Jetfire Contest, 1715 Via El Prado #54, Redondo Beach, CA 90277-8719.

Judging
I will pick my (5) five favorite entries and post them to my blog (http://mark-ryan.blogspot.com) and open up the voting process. Then it's up to you to decide by visiting my blog and voting for your favorites (dates will be announced after August 1, 2009). The top (2) two entries will be announced once tallies are counted and each will win a limited edition SeaHope Transformers watch.

About the Prizes
(1) one Autobot watch and (1) one Decepticon watch will be awarded to the top (2) two favorites as determined by your votes. Both watches are limited edition, collectors' items that will make the winners the envy of all Transformers fans. The watches were generously donated to me by SeaHope when I was last in Japan to promote Transformers. Winners will be notified via email within 3 weeks of the end of this contest, prizes will be shipped within 6 weeks of notification. This contest is limited to residents of U.S., Canada and the UK.

I am on Facebook too

That's right kids, let's have some fun on Facebook too!

Here's wishing everyone a happy, safe and glorious 4th!
Lots of love,
Mark
xxx

Dude, Where's My Camaro?

My Visit to See Jetfire

One of the reasons the legendary SR71A Blackbird (Also flown out of RAF Mildenhall in the UK) was sometimes reported as a UFO...

Greetings from the Philippines...sort of

This is really cool. My friend Azrael from the 8th Philippine Toys, Hobbies and Collectibles Convention 2009 asked me to record a message for the over 30,000 attendees and then he edited it...check it out here:

“The critic has to educate the public; the artist has to educate the critic.” - Oscar Wilde

Wuthering Heights Music Now On Amazon!

I have been busy with Transformers and loads of other projects, but I am thrilled that it just got easier for all my Wuthering Heights Fans to purchase and download the music - we are now on Amazon! You can stream and purchase it here on the blog, or read all about it here. 

There are six songs currently available, but I have written eighteen and plan to get back into the studio just as soon as I return from the world of Autobots and  Decepticons. Until then enjoy your MP3's and if you haven't already check out a music video I directed for the song "Women" on the Wuthering Heights Music page.

Thank you all so much for the lovely well wishes and birthday gifts! I had a total blast last night with one of the most eclectic and wonderful gatherings I've ever had! I'm going as a guest to a French Food and Wine Festival later today in Downtown LA! What more could be fitting, on the anniversary of my 39th birthday! Thanks again to everyone for the gifts, cards and kind thoughts. I really appreciate and value all of your lovely messages and amazing friendship! Mxx

BotCon!

Just a quick note to say thank you to all the guys at IDW for their friendship and help at BotCon, especially Chris Ryall and Denton Tipton. Also to Jason and all the guys at ActiVision! The ROTF game looks amazing! So cheers to all the wonderful folks who came up and said hello! I had a blast chatting with you all and the whole crowd was fantastic! Best wishes to all. Mark

Go see "Anything Goes" at UCLA Theater School! A fantastic production of Cole Porter's timeless masterpiece! Jessica Armstrong (Reno Sweeny) is a STAR! Mke Grell, who was with me last night (because of our visit to BotCon as guests of IDW) bounced around the theater shouting: "That girl is a star mate!" Katie Boeck also shone as Hope Harcourt and the whole show was a fantastic night out! A great job by the whole cast! I highly recommend it for a fun and relaxing evening out in the theater in Los Angeles!

The Few...

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." - 

Prime Minister Winston Churchill

BotCon

I will be at BotCon this weekend signing autographs at the IDW Booth on Saturday, May 30 from 2 to 3 pm.  Hope to see you there!

Visit the BotCon website.

Post Production: Blood Type Trailer & Shawshank Redemption in Dublin

I'll be heading back to California today after a fantastic post-production and editing stint in Dublin based in the Screen Scene Production Facility. Hosted and supported by Jim Duggen and his staff the promo/trailer looks great and the brilliant editing skills of Paul Mullen (Once) help cut the material together with efficiency, patience and insight! Paul listened to my sometimes unusual, symbolic ideas during the edit and smiled with a curious, if bemused humor and we finally got a twelve minute trailer which also includes the track: Instant Love written by RJ and Robin Gibb.

The whole project is coming together very well although there'll be some more sound mixing and effects work to be completed but the whole "Vampire Universe" concept works really well and all the performers look great! The sword cane duel looks very good as well, though I say so myself, considering the limited rehearsal time the boys had to get it together.

RJ and Robin's beautiful new song: Instant Love set's off the atmosphere and really captures the essence of the emotional back-story involving all the characters. We all ended up humming and whistling the tune for most of the week! RJ seems to be a chip off the old block when it comes to writing catchy tunes...

Also, Mick Kiely's eerie soundtrack and incidental music also sets up the gothic and edgy atmosphere of a menacing and insane world turned up side down. Great stuff Mick!

More news on Blood Type as it develops.

On different note, I had a fantastic evening on Saturday watching the Lane Productions preview of The Shawshank Redemption at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. My old King Arthur pal; Paul Burke is the Fight Coordinator and the multi international-award winning director; Peter Sheridan helms this marvelous piece.

As the production is still in preview I'll not say too much, other than the show is really a highly creative theatrical adaptation of the Stephen King novel and is wonderfully executed by a very talented cast. It's a fantastic evening out in the theater and special mention must go to Reg E. Clathey as Red and Kevin Anderson as Andy Dufresne, who really take the audience on a deeply moving and ironically humorous journey. It was also wonderful to see Keir Dullea (2001-A Space Odyssey) as Brooksie.

Of course, Paul Burke's well-staged and brutal action keeps the constant threat of prison violence bubbling just below the surface and the fights are tight, bloody and full of menace. Great work mate!

I'll be back in L.A. tomorrow and I'm looking forward to working on a new track for Wuthering Heights (Look At Me) with Robb Vallier later in the week.

More when I get over the dreaded jet lag...

BLOOD TYPE - DUBLIN POST PRODUCTION

I just wanted to say a quick thank you to Jim Duggen and everyone at Screen Scene Post Production Facilities in Dublin, especially Paul Mullen who did an amazing job editing the Blood Type promo. A first class editing environment and John and Wil are over the moon with the results! I'll blog more fully about this over the weekend.

More Wuthering Heights

Just a quick note to let you know that soon Wuthering Heights Music will be available for purchase on Amazon.com.  I am very excited about the feedback we're getting on the first six tracks and I am hoping to bring you some more soon.

In meantime, you can still purchase Wuthering Heights Music at iTunes, CDBaby and of course you can listen to the 4 song compilation with narration by Ray Winstone for free - exclusively at the Wuthering Heights Music website. 

Cheers!

Check out the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Trailer

Transformer "Revenge of the Fallen" trailer #3 from Bay Films/Michael Bay Dot Com on Vimeo.

Congrats to The Gurkhas! 

"Shameful" is the right word.

So cheers to my old mate Jo Lumley for leading the fight! 

What a bloody disgrace but at least justice was done in the end.

Mark

No Rest for The Wicked

I am feeling rather fortunate to be working so much, to be actively involved with so many cool projects and surrounded by so much creative talent. 

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is coming out in June and it’s been, once again, another great experience. I’ve been enjoying myself thoroughly in the ADR studio this past week and I have so much respect for Michael Bay and the amazing team that’s putting this sequel together. There’s not a lot I can say right now, but if you thought the first one was a wild ride…you’d better buckle up! Michael Bay has outdone himself this time and even Steven Spielberg said: “Awesome!” ‘Nuff said!

Filming for the Blood Type teaser/trailer is completed and I have to say the terrific cast and crew made it possible to wrap with tons of amazing footage. Even London’s fickle weather behaved. I’ll be heading to Dublin in May to work on the editing and I’ll definitely post some sneak peeks here when I have more to share. The vampire “universe” John Matthews and Wil Kinghan of Mythwood Films have created, really set’s up a whole new psychological spin on the vampire mythos and I’m sure the project will pick up a strong gothic following. All you Vampire fans thirsting for more info, check back for news soon.

Many of you are asking me about The Pilgrim over at ComicMix.com – sorry we were on hold there for a bit, but we expect to have another episode up in May.  Mike Grell is a popular fellow and you just can’t rush genius, why would you want to?  Speaking of Grelly, we’ll be back at Comic-Con in San Diego in July – hope to see you there.

Clamoring for more Wuthering Heights Music?  I’m also heading back into the studio with Robb Vallier to record more tracks and working on a framework for a screenplay progresses. Remember I said there are 18 songs total?  It will be a little bit before the next one is available but please let me know how you’re enjoying the first six.  All six are on sale through iTunes and I am working on making them available on Amazon.com also.  But seriously, how chilling is Ray Winstone’s narration?  He and I are teaming up again for an independent film later this year and it’s one of the funniest scripts I’ve ever read…Really clever.  More about that little flick later.

For all you awaiting news of The Wildwood Tarot, great news!  Our publisher is presenting The Wildwood Tarot this week (as we speak) at the London Book Fair.  The project is really coming together wonderfully and our illustrator, Will Worthington, continues to turn out amazingly beautiful art for the cards.  I am confident that Greenwood Tarot devotees will love this new version.

As always, I am grateful you stopped by and I do love getting your emails and reading comments. 

Now, it’s back to work…Lots to do….

More from Blood Type - The Search

What can I say! I got back from the UK Tuesday night and went straight back into the ADR studio yesterday. So, my apologies for not posting about BLOOD TYPE sooner. I was totally blown away with the whole experience and owe so many folks a huge thank you!

We first filmed on location in London at Atlantis Bookshop on Museum Street, world-famous for its occult links with Alestair Crowley and Denis Wheatley and WW2 esoteric warfare history. The place exudes atmosphere and authenticity. Many thanks to Geraldine and Bali for their generosity and patience! 

We started shooting the opening scenes with Hamilton (Emrys Matthews) and Sophie (Emily Berrington) in the alley and moved onto the fight scene with Galen (Ed Blagrove) and Hamilton in the stairwell.

It was pretty tight maneuvering around those spaces but Anthony Straeger's “Quid in Shrapnel” productions crew, Dennis Morgan (DOP) Chris Reading (Sound) and Sally Alcott (Makeup and blood-dripper extraordinaire), all performed like magic and with exceptional good humor and enthusiasm!

Special mention must go to Anthony; he offered sound shooting advice and kept the whole thing moving as 1st AD. Also to Dennis, for capturing the incredibly claustrophobic and creepy wartime atmosphere in the period underground alleys and stairwells with his amazing use of light, shadow and smoke. Thanks a million chaps!     

Our second location was The Prebendal, Thame in Oxfordshire, an amazingly beautiful 12th Century estate and home of Robin and Dwina Gibb. Robin-John Gibb (Robin and Dwina's son) also plays the part of Belisar, lord of the vampire clans, and an amazing discovery as a new face on the screen! Without doubt a highly charismatic and poised young man, RJ took in my multi-layered direction and guidance with focus and professional skill and turned Belisar into a leading BLOOD TYPE protagonist with a mesmeric and chilling charm.     

We shot all the “Vampire Universe” scenes, including the stone circle and sword cane duel at The Prebendal. The wonderful support, enthusiasm and hospitality of the Gibb family, especially Dwina Murphy-Gibb and all the staff were amazing! Dwina, you're an angel!   

The grounds at the Prebendal are surreal  and suited to represent an alternative universe where Earth is ruled by “royal” vampire clans, and humans are slaves, owned and controlled as a convenient and docile work and food source. 

Sophie, played by the beautiful and talented Emily Berrington escapes this terrifying world and arrives in our reality during the London Blitz, running for her life and suffering from amnesia. A fugitive, carrying an unknown strain of blood, Sophie is helped by a young psychiatric doctor, played with compassion and intensity by Emrys Matthews, who discovers her unusual blood type and falls in love with her.

Galen, (Ed Blagrove) a ruthless vampire assassin sent to bring Sophie back at all costs, is dispatched by Sophie's master, Belisar (Robin-John Gibb), and the pursuit and clash of wills begins. This dramatic framework is unique, and a very colorful and darkly rich canvass on which to paint the conflicted brushstrokes symbolizing the drives and emotions churning within these characters. 

This conflict results in the deadly sword-cane duel between Emrys and Ed, who threw themselves into the fight with gusto! Very well done chaps! It looked really exciting and dangerous indeed! 

So! Thanks to John and Wil for their confidence, support and trust in me to handle their thrilling and complex material. Thanks also to the entire cast who brought it all to life!

And remember: “Lots to do. It's four o clock”... 

And...Action!

Tomorrow (Saturday, April 11) will be the first day of shooting of the trailer for: BLOOD TYPE - THE SEARCH after what can be described as a rather hectic week of preproduction, location scouts and rehearsals in Oxford, Thame and London.

We'll be moving into the world famous occult landmark: The Atlantis Bookstore in Museum Street in London for shooting tomorrow. I have to say it's very exciting and rather unique to be shooting an esoteric vampire thriller in a location so bathed in occult history. Everyone from Alistair Crowley, Dennis Wheatley, Austen Spare and Winston Churchill visited this classic bookstore in search of enlightenment over its very long and sometimes colorful history.We'll be shooting most of the WW2 scenes on the premises during the day tomorrow with Sophie (Emily Berrington) Hamilton (Emrys Matthews) and Galen (Ed Blagrove) and we'll move to Thame to shoot the "vampire world" stone circle scenes with Belisar (Robin-John Gibb) and sword-cane duel on Sunday.

It's nice to actually commence the shooting and directing phase after choreographing and training the actors for the fight and choosing authentic 40's outfits from Vintage Years Costume Hire in Leicester and sword canes from the unique and mind-blowing collection of weapons at film and TV armorers: Bapty's in Southhall, London. The schedule is tight, the concept is complex and dark. Great! I'll let you know how the first day goes…Mark

"Blood Type - The Search"

I'm here in Oxford preparing to direct the teaser promo trailer for a new vampire Sci-Fi show called BLOOD TYPE!
Written by John Matthews and Wil Kingham, BLOOD TYPE is a multidimensional new take on the ancient story of Vampires. Two very different Vampires form an unlikely alliance to hunt for a girl who holds a terrible secret in her blood. The show revolves around the struggles and conflicts of two alternative universes, one ruled by vampires where humans are feudal slaves, kept as a subjugated food-source, and our own reality, where vampires are only perceived as creatures of myth and legend, their real interaction with our world a well kept but deadly secret.
Starring Emily Berrington, Emrys Matthews, Edward Blagrove, Robin-John Gibb and narrated by Jason Connery I was very excited to be asked to direct the promo-trailer: BLOOD TYPE - THE SEARCH here on location in UK.

I'll also be choreographing a sword-cane duel between the two main protagonists who both search for "Sophie" (Emily Berrington) who's escape to our world triggers the struggle to control her destiny, as her blood contains a cure for the deadly epidemic now raging through the vampire world.

It's great to be working with John and Wil on BLOOD TYPE - THE SEARCH and many thanks go out to all who have supported the project including: Dwina Murphy-Gibb, The Atlantis Bookshop, Anthony Streger and of course Caitlin Matthews.

Shooting commences in London on April 11th at various locations in London, Oxford and Thame.

Love to all…

IDW and ComicMix Join Forces

Thu Mar 26, 2009 — by Mike Gold
IDW and ComicMix Join Forces

Renowned comics publisher to distribute online comics in print form.

Well, we've been hinting at this for about six months now. Some of you traditionalists have been asking when and how and where and when you can buy printed versions of the ComicMix comics. I'm proud to announce that we have partnered up with our friends at IDW (where GrimJack and Jon Sable Freelance and Mars last appeared) to produce one graphic novel and two comic books each month, starting this fall. Plus hardcovers and omnibuses and such, as the market demands.

O.K., I'm one of those traditionalists as well, and while I love reading this stuff online (particularly on my iPhone), I'm looking forward to seeing them in print. And I'm looking forward to running my typical long-winded introductions in the trades and letter columns -- yet, genuine letter columns! -- in the comics.

So if you'd like to email us a letter for publication, just post 'em as comments to the comics. Oh, yeah, we're starting off with GrimJack: The Manx Cat and Jon Sable Freelance: Ashes of Eden in mini-series format. As if we should start somewhere else? IDW's press release, for the record:

SAN DIEGO, CA (March 25, 2009) – IDW Publishing, a leading publisher of comic books and graphic novels, has begun an innovative partnership with ComicMix.com, a free website offering new and classic comics. Through this multi-year agreement, IDW will publish graphic novels, books and comics for ComicMix.com properties, enabling both companies to expand their offerings to customers and retailers, and combine their audience reach.

“ComicMix has a great line up of original and classic brands that are currently only available online, and despite the shift to the virtual world, there is still something unmistakable about reading a real-life book” said Greg Goldstein, chief operating officer of IDW. “IDW is known for producing some of the highest quality books in our industry, and we are looking forward to offering this to fans of ComicMix properties.”

Beginning in the fall of 2009, IDW will release trade paperbacks of ComicMix comics, as well as monthly comics, including many new stories that have previously been only available online at ComicMix.com. Initial titles will include GrimJack: The Manx Cat by John Ostrander and Timothy Truman, Jon Sable Freelance: Ashes of Eden by Mike Grell, and Hammer of the Gods by Mark Wheatley and Mike Avon Oeming, among others.

“This is a bit of a homecoming for many of us at ComicMix, because we have had a professional relationship with IDW Publishing over the past several years,” ComicMix Editor-In-Chief Mike Gold noted. “We’re honored to be among such first-rate comics and graphic novels. Quite frankly, I don’t think the ComicMix properties could find a better publishing home than IDW.”

The partnership with ComicMix allows IDW to distribute comics via mobile devices, increasing the company's growing digital, downloadable publishing program, which already includes several major titles such as Star Trek: Countdown and Ghostbusters.

About IDW Publishing

IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. As a leader in the horror, action, and sci-fi genres, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including television's #1 prime time series, CBS' “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation;” Paramount's “Star Trek;” Fox's “Angel;” Hasbro's “The Transformers;” and the BBC's “Doctor Who.” IDW's original horror series, "30 Days of Night," was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. In April 2008, IDW released "Michael Recycle," the first title from its new children's book imprint, Worthwhile Books. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

About ComicMix.com

Organized in 2007, ComicMix.com is the free website for brand-new comics, news, opinion and historical research. Organized by comics veteran Mike Gold (DC Comics, First Comics, Image Comics), Internet pioneer Brian Alvey (WebLogs Inc., Blogsmith, AOL, Netscape) and print and online publishing vet Glenn Hauman (Random House, Simon & Schuster, BiblioBytes, DC Comics), ComicMix has been leading the comics industry in the production and online distribution of new comic book stories by major talent.

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The Legend of Mike Grell & the 45

Hanging out with my mate Mike Grell at CUT! Film Festival over the weekend...and telling stories...because that's what we do!

Come See Me at CUT! Film Festival this Weekend

I'll be at CUT! Film Festival celebrating the 25th Anniversary of "Robin of Sherwood" with my old mate Jason Connery and a few other lads. I hope you'll join or check back here to see video and pics from the event. Mike Grell will be there too and we'll be discussing Comics in Film.

Read more about it:

MARK RYAN CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF “ROBIN OF SHERWOOD” AT CUT! FILM FESTIVAL 2009

Ryan will join Cast Discussion on Show’s Loyal Following & Promote New Projects Including “The Pilgrim,” “Transformers,” & “Robbing Bingo”

Los Angeles, CA – March 13, 2009: Mark Ryan will join former “Robin of Sherwood” mate, Jason Connery, at CUT! Film Festival 2009 for a screening to celebrate the show’s 25th Anniversary and a discussion about the show’s loyal fan base. Ryan will also sit on a Comics panel with Mike Grell, with whom he partnered to create “The Pilgrim,” a graphic novel based on true accounts of paranormal espionage, currently available at ComicMix.com. CUT! Film Festival 2009 is a benefit and celebration of cinema dedicated to the art and imagination that goes into the creation of film. This year’s event takes place the weekend of March 14-15, 2009 at the historic Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, CA.

WHO: Mark Ryan (Robin of Sherwood, Transformers, The Prestige)

WHAT: CUT! Film Festival 2009 – 25th Anniversary Screening of “Robin of Sherwood”

WHERE: Aero Theatre
1328 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA

WHEN: March 14, 2009:
· 11:20 am – “Comics and the Impact On Film Today” - Mike Grell, Steve Niles, Mark Ryan, Daniel Vest
· 6:45 pm – Celebrating “Robin of Sherwood” 25th Anniversary with Mark Ryan, Jason Connery & other guests TBA – Screening of episode: Sheriff of Nottingham plus a charity auction.

WHY: “Robin of Sherwood” has enjoyed a loyal fan base that keeps the show alive via web groups, fan clubs and conventions both in America and the U.K. Mark Ryan has had a successful career since his days as a merry man, including voicing Bumblebee in the box office hit, “Transformers” and partnering with legendary illustrator, Mike Grell to create “The Pilgrim” graphic novel. Ryan recently launched a musical project nearly 20 years in the making, based on Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights,” which he plans to bring to the big screen soon and is currently available on iTunes. He has also signed on with Mighty Finn Productions for 3 upcoming projects including “Robbing Bingo,” which will reunite Ryan with Sherwood cast mate, Ray Winstone (Beowulf.) Ryan will pull triple duty on the film as Associate Producer, Actor & Action Coordinator.

For more information and all media inquiries regarding Mark Ryan, The Pilgrim and Wuthering Heights
Music, please contact Angela Moore at 310-429-8868 or angela@starfish-pr.com

Live From New York…

What a month it's been! I returned from London last week after dodging the snow storms and having several meetings regarding a new directing project, then turned around and went to New York to discuss a brand new movie reference book that John Matthews and I are very excited about!

It's true that I've been called back to work on TF2 but for now, it's pretty hush-hush, so no comment! But as you can see from the new trailer, it's going to be a very exciting movie with spectacular visual effects! But you can bet that as soon as I am able, I’ll blog about this experience.

My old mate Jason Connery and I will be together again at the CUT Film Festival this March 13 to 15 in Los Angeles talking about working on various independent film projects and of course, Robin Of Sherwood. I hope you can stop by if you're local. It's always entertaining when we get together and CUT is always a wonderful event. Should be fun!

Wuthering Heights Music On Sale Now at iTunes

I am so pleased to announce that our six original songs based on Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte are now available for purchase at the iTunes Music Store and through CDBaby.com! We issued a press release today with more details, which you can read here.

Cheers!

Wuthering Heights on iTunes, Transformers 2 and The Wildwood Tarot

Well! ‘09 got off to a roaring start!

I can now announce that the first six songs from the Wuthering Heights Musical Adaptation have now been delivered via CD Baby to:

• Apple iTunes (search Mark Ryan)
• Ruckus
• Rhapsody
• VerizonTradebit
• Napster

Six tracks will be available to download either as a single track or as a an EP featuring of course Jenn Korbee, Katie Boeck and Jessica Keenan Wynn. As soon as I get back to the U.S. we'll be working on more material for the production and I'm hoping to finish the whole project during the next few months. This will probably include a screenplay integrating the whole musical framework similar to Moulin Rouge & Sin City style. If you like what you hear, please add a review to iTunes and become a fan on Facebook!

So! I'm actually in the UK right now, talking with a prospective new publisher for The Wildwood Tarot and taking meetings with various possible illustrators for the project. I'm working with world-famous Arthurian and esoteric expert and old mate: John Matthews on the system and we're reverting to the original name for the deck. More news as it develops.

On the Transformers front, I got called back into the studio recently but for what? I am sworn to silence! All will be revealed in good time!

All the best from London!

The Pilgrim #4 is Live

Hope you're enoying The Pilgrim over at ComicMix - if you haven't already done so, please check out the latest episode.

Mike Grell and I are pretty proud of the graphic novel and we look forward to reading more of your comments.

Special Note of Thanks

A special thank you to Jenn Korbee, who just launched a beautiful new website, for talking up Wuthering Heights Music in her online journal.

Thanks, Jenn, you really bring Cathy to life!