Post-apocalypse movies have been a popular genre for decades, largely thanks to that ‘Mad Max’ movie that came out in 1979, a movie that defined the genre. These films depict what the world would be like after a catastrophic event, and how humanity survives or perishes in the aftermath. They often employ a distinct visual style, the gritty wastelands standard established by the ‘Mad Max’ trilogy, characterized by a distinctive visual style that immerses viewers in a world of desolation and survival. Barren and desolate landscapes, such as parched deserts or urban ruins, dominate the scenery, often rendered in muted, dusty tones.
Continue reading “Post Apocalypto”Tag: filmmaking
The Fence
Which side of the fence are you on? When making a film about a civil war, it’s a good question to ask.
So, when a director attempts to craft a harrowing and immersive experience set in a dystopian near-future America, deploying evocative cinematography, art-house editing and eclectic use of music, against a screenplay so bereft of logic and meaning, the result is some of the dumbest shit committed to film. This is quite an achievement considering how bad cinema has devolved since 2016.
It’s not that formidable a task, and yet here we are.
Continue reading “The Fence”Tarantino 10
Quentin Tarantino is undeniably one of the most distinctive and influential filmmakers of our time. With his unique blend of genre-bending storytelling, razor-sharp dialogue, and unapologetic style, Tarantino has carved out a niche for himself in the world of cinema that is entirely his own. However, perhaps equally as intriguing as his films themselves is his decision to limit his directorial career to just ten movies.
Tarantino has been vocal about his intention to retire from filmmaking after completing his tenth feature film. This decision has sparked curiosity and speculation among fans and critics alike. Why would a filmmaker at the peak of his career choose to impose such a strict limit on his output?
Continue reading “Tarantino 10”The Omega Legend
Among all the tropes, the “Last of a Kind” concept stands out as a rare narrative device that seamlessly blends theme, plot, and character, achieving an almost mythical status with a single masterful stroke. Richard Matheson’s classic vampire novel reigns supreme as its definitive exemplar. ‘I Am Legend (1954)’ is an ingenious hybrid of two previous classics, Mary Shelley’s ‘The Last Man (1826)’ and Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula (1897)’. Vampirism and plague, a combination that captures the definitive pretext for a last man alive narrative, grounding the myth of the supernatural with the reality of pathogens.
Matheson also deploys another trope in the finale of the story, one that is more devastating in its social commentary. The vampires, the pandemic, and the last man on Earth are just the setup for the novella’s central message, and it’s the one element shunned by all the film adaptations to date.
Continue reading “The Omega Legend”Star Wars: A Lost Hope
Now that this sad shit-show of a saga is over, the only thing we have left, is the thought, ‘What if they did a decent sequel trilogy with a coherent story without the political rape that Disney inflicted upon this series?’ How hard was it to produce something that remotely resembles a Star Wars story?
Apart from the visuals, there are three fundamental flaws with Episodes 7, 8 and 9. The visual effects and art design are the trilogy’s best asset, but sometimes they do act against the films. The entire narrative seems to be built around these great visuals. And then, to make things unbearable, the cluttering of the SFX is overdone, almost to the point of ridiculousness.
Continue reading “Star Wars: A Lost Hope”The Bad Samaritan now stalking Unbound
A while ago, after finishing my novel A Hostile Takeover, I took on adapting my screenplay ‘The Bad Samaritan’ into my next book project. It turned out to be an ordeal, with convoluted plots ending up driving me insane, but in the end I had myself a completed draft.
Continue reading “The Bad Samaritan now stalking Unbound”PKD
The early eighties were remarkable, to me anyhow. Not only did my fascination with science fiction grind into high gear, but there was an explosion of new and modern genre films that hit the scene at around that time, in particular, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner many having been influenced by film-makers from a bygone era, and more importantly, by novels penned by hardcore science fiction authors, such as Philip K Dick, just a decade earlier.
Continue reading “PKD”The Fleming Paracosm
As we enter a new chapter in the James Bond movie franchise, staunch fans like myself are apprehensive or intensely curious about what direction the franchise will take, and about who will be chosen to play the next 007. The naming of the actor to play the MI6 spy appears to have turned into a cultural festival that runs every decade or so, much like the naming of who will host the next Olympic Games. It’s a media tradition ever since George Lazenby famously turned his back on the franchise.
Continue reading “The Fleming Paracosm”Origin: The Blood Ring
After I published “A Hostile Takeover” I began exploring ideas for a second book. At some point, I entertained the thought of adapting one of my screenplays that had been sitting on the shelf, collecting dust for over a decade. How easy. The basic story and material were there. All I had to do was tweak this and rewrite that, so I committed to writing it, setting a target to keep it short and simple.
The screenplay was called ‘The Bad Samaritan’ and it was turned into a guerilla film back in 1999 by me and associates. Its only release was at the 2001 Melbourne Film Festival, and it’s been buried ever since. I felt it was a natural step for a novel to come out of it.
In hindsight, I was naive about how easy it would be. In my writing experience, nothing goes down as planned. With me stories evolve, ideas get bigger, and themes dig deeper. When I decided to turn what was originally a serial killer horror thriller into a serial killer science fiction horror thriller, I entered a world of hurt.
The original story idea still resonated with me, enough for me to decide to revisit it. The challenge is; how do I take this to another level?
Hence, The Blood Ring was born.
Writing a novel is no small feat, but writing a novel that merges two wildly different genres – the suspense of a serial killer story with the speculative intrigue of science fiction – is a journey that tests every ounce of creativity. I tackled this challenge by developing futuristic technology that feels both plausible and thrilling, crafting four distinct yet interconnected characters, and weaving complex plotlines that come together in an explosive finale.
Serial Killer Meets Sci-Fi
When I set out to write this novel, the idea of combining the gritty realism of a serial killer thriller with the imaginative scope of sci-fi felt both exciting and daunting. These genres have wildly different conventions – one thrives on grounded human psychology and moral ambiguity, while the other often explores speculative ideas about the future or technology. Finding the right balance was key.
I’ve always been fascinated by the questions posed by shows like Dexter and movies like Se7en or Blade Runner. They create tension through contrasting elements: human flaws versus technological advancements, intimate crimes versus large-scale societal impacts. I wanted to explore these contrasts in my own story.
My approach was to ground the sci-fi elements in a reality that felt eerily close. The story focuses on surveillance technology and rogue AI algorithms – tools that feel just one step ahead of today’s world. At the same time, the serial killer plot ensures that the story stays emotionally charged and deeply personal.
Yellowcop and The Dendrome
Every sci-fi story needs its technological backbone. In my novel, two systems define the world: Yellowcop, a government surveillance network, and The Dendrome, an illegal algorithm capable of infiltrating any system. These technologies are more than just tools; they shape the story’s moral dilemmas and create challenges for the characters.
Yellowcop: The All-Seeing Eye, Yellowcop is inspired by real-world discussions about AI surveillance and government overreach. Imagine a system that can monitor every citizen’s movements, behaviour, and decisions. While it promises safety, it raises ethical questions: How much privacy are we willing to sacrifice for security? In the novel, Yellowcop becomes both an ally and an antagonist, as characters debate its morality and manipulate its capabilities.
The Dendrome: A Chaotic Counterpoint. If Yellowcop is the enforcer of order, The Dendrome is the agent of chaos. This rogue algorithm, created for illegal purposes, can hack into any network. It started as a tool for rebellion but quickly spiralled out of control, becoming almost a character in its own right. The Dendrome symbolizes the unintended consequences of technological innovation, pushing characters to confront the danger of systems that operate beyond human control.
Making Technology Personal. What makes these technologies compelling is their impact on the characters. Yellowcop invades their lives, revealing secrets and forcing moral compromises, while The Dendrome’s unpredictable behaviour becomes both a threat and a tool. They aren’t just background details; they’re woven into the fabric of the story, shaping the characters’ decisions and arcs.
Setting Up the Four Main Characters
A good novel needs strong characters, and in this story, there are four protagonists, each with a distinct voice and arc. Here’s a glimpse into their roles:
Matthews: The Detective
Wendy Matthews is a seasoned detective who is sceptical of Yellowcop. While the system promises an all-seeing solution to crime, Matthews has seen its flaws up close – from innocent people being falsely accused to crucial evidence slipping through the cracks. Haunted by a string of unsolved murders, she relies on her instincts and investigative skills, often clashing with the overreliance on surveillance technology. Matthews represents the tension between trust in authority and the need for human judgment in the pursuit of justice.
John: The Psychopath
The character of John remains mostly intact from the screenplay. His mental illness deepens as the algorithm grows beyond his grasp, tormenting him with greed and paranoia. Now a fugitive, John is desperately trying to merge with this entity, even as it reflects his own fractured mind. John’s arc explores the theme of paranoia and the fragile line between sanity and madness.
Luke: The Acolyte
Luke represents the dark side of social media’s evolution. Once a passionate citizen journalist, he became a social media influencer chasing likes and views by amplifying sensationalism. Now, disillusioned with his role in perpetuating falsehoods and division, Luke seeks to expose the truth about Yellowcop and The Dendrome. His story delves into the tension between authenticity and performance in the digital age, questioning how much of ourselves we lose in the pursuit of online validation.
Mark: The Enigma
Mark is a shadowy figure operating outside the realm of the civil world and The Dendrome. His true motives remain unclear until the story’s climax, making him a wild card in the narrative. Mark embodies the novel’s central mystery, tying together the other characters’ arcs in unexpected ways.
Each character has their own journey, but their paths are destined to collide as the plot unfolds.
Interweaving Four Storylines
Managing four protagonists and multiple plotlines was one of the most challenging aspects of writing this novel.
Each character starts on their path. Matthews is investigating the murders, John is on the run, Luke is uncovering secrets, and Mark is lurking in the shadows. Early on, their storylines feel separate, but subtle connections hint at how they’ll converge. For example, the murders Matthews is investigating have ties to The Dendrome, and Luke’s investigation overlaps with John’s desperate attempts to join the dark network.
The middle of the novel is all about escalation. Each character’s decisions unknowingly affect the others, creating a web of cause and effect. The reader sees how the threads are tightening, even if the characters don’t yet realise it. Yellowcop and The Dendrome play central roles here, as both tools and obstacles for the protagonists.
In the final act, the characters are forced together by their overlapping goals and conflicts. Matthews discovers the truth about the murders, John confronts the consequences of The Dendrome, Luke exposes secrets that upend everything, and Mark’s true motives are revealed. The ending ties all the threads together in a way that (hopefully) feels both surprising and inevitable.
Keeping the Plot Coherent
Writing a novel with this level of complexity required careful planning and constant revision. The challenge was amplified by the need to integrate the original screenplay into a futuristic setting, ensuring the core story evolved while maintaining its essence.
I created a detailed mindmap that mapped out each character’s arc, key plot points, and how the storylines would intersect. I made sure to plant subtle hints throughout the novel that would pay off later. These clues help the reader feel like the twists and connections are earned rather than coming out of nowhere.
Exploring a Dark Humanity
Writing this novel taught me a lot about patience, planning, and the power of revision. Combining two genres, developing a unique world, and juggling multiple protagonists was challenging, but it also pushed me to grow as a writer.
If you’re tackling a similar project, my advice is this: Don’t be afraid to take risks. Not only by blending genres and crafting complex stories but, as in this case, by going all in on a bleak and malevolent world that takes no prisoners. It can be daunting, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. If you want to write something different, plan meticulously, revise ruthlessly, and trust your instincts.
Most importantly, remember why you’re telling this story. For me, this novel is about the intersection of technology and humanity, the dangers of unchecked power, and the lengths people will go to satisfy the darkness that exists within them.
Before I became a serial killer, I made a film about one.
Sometime late in 1999, I was planning a series of short films. An actor I approached at the time to be in one, managed to ‘somehow’ convince me to make a feature-length film. “Why not?” he asked. I explained the negatives such as the lack of funding, which meant no big-name cast and little to no crew, and the unlikelihood of selling the finished product. It would have to be a very, very low-budget guerrilla film.
Continue reading “Before I became a serial killer, I made a film about one.”