Broken Frontier

The Last Son of Krypton’s cinematic escapades have been as much of a rollercoaster as his adventures on the printed page. Sure, Christopher Reeve’s brief but brilliant portrayal of Clark Kent and his superheroic counterpart was everything Superman should be, but in the three decades since, those heights have yet to be revisited. Numerous attempts to get further films off the ground have involved everyone from Tim Burton, Nicholas Cage and Kevin Smith (as detailed in his hilarious Evening With… DVD) and 2006’s Superman Returns divided long-time followers of the character. They have found much to like in the Kryptonian’s animated adventures though, from his self-titled cartoon series last decade to the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited shows. Of course, let’s not forget the excellent run of animated films that have spoilt fans with interpretations faithful to the comics (not including his death and resurrection in Superman/Doomsday).

However, Superman fan and director/producer Steven LaMorte looks set to give the Man of Steel the respect he deserves. He and his team are behind an ambitious new project entitled Superman: The Unofficial Web Series. LaMorte chats to us about the series, and debuts the official poster below right.

With the news that David Goyer  (writer of JSA for DC Comics, co-creator of FlashForward) and Christopher Nolan are re-teaming after their two Batman films, to create a new Superman film, it’s a good time to be a fan.

BROKEN FRONTIER: Firstly, how about some background on what exactly Kickstarter is and how you became involved with it?

STEVEN LaMORTE: Kickstarter.com is a great site a friend recommended to me that’s used to raise money for creative projects. We contacted the site to see if we could host our project with them, and they have been extremely supportive and helpful since day one. Given the fan based audience that comes with a project like this, we felt it would be a great tool to connect directly with the people who wanted to see the series get finished. We raised much of what we needed just within the first few days of posting, so I’d say it’s been working pretty well so far!

BF: Just to clarify – you’ve shot all the footage you need and now require funding for the effects, is that right?

SL: Yes and no – we have been developing the project since 2008, and went into production the following June with a 94-page script written by screenwriter Michael Nixon. We shot for 3 weeks, but due to budget/time restrictions, we had to make a few creative changes. Now, as the cut comes together and FX shots are coming in, I have a better sense of the pace of each episode and I see what is still needed to make each episode as exciting as possible. Basically, we’re trying to beef up the action! Fans have sent us such warm feedback and ideas, that we can’t help but work them in!

BF: How has your experience at uni and your previous projects helped you develop the Superman series?

SL: Mixed media animation has always interested me, and when we were conceiving the project, we knew we wouldn’t have the money to go to a farm and an office or build a full robot and crystal fortress, so we needed to find a creative and cost effective way to bring the story to life. 3D animation is great, but we really wanted to make this look as unique as possible, and having actual miniatures and puppets will really fit into our comic book style. In terms of workflow, stop motion animation is very time consuming, so it takes about as long as computer graphics. The only difference is once our stop motion elements are shot, they need to be composited into the existing shots, so in the end it takes a little longer, but the end result is different, and very worth it.  All in all, we wanted to use our low budget as an advantage, and utilize it to think creatively rather than allowing our budget to stop us from telling our story.

BF: Were there any other superheroes, or even villains, that you were thinking of focusing on, or was it pretty easy to convince the team that Superman was the way to go?

SL: I have always been a comic book fan, but this character has been my favorite since before I made my first stop motion movie when I was 7 years old. The idea that a person decides to take what they’ve got, whether it be special abilities, money, or otherwise, and dedicate them to the greater good is really interesting to me. Everyone has a special gift — whether you use it to rule the world or to serve it determines whether you get the label “hero” or “villain.”

BF: Why did you choose to focus on the different aspects of Superman’s character?

SL: We wanted to focus on his character and his past, rather than the usual cinematic interpretations of the Man of Steel. What interested me most about the character was not just catching planes and rescuing cats but the man at the center of it all. When I pitched the project, I always started with the man who balances four lives – farm boy, city reporter, keeper of a lost culture, and committed volunteer. At the end of the day, when he’s flying through the clouds he’s probably thinking about a deadline for Perry, and when he’s having dinner with his mother he could be thinking whether or not he left the lights on in the Fortress. I also wanted to touch on what pushed him over the edge in deciding to become a hero. 

BF: Is there a bridging narrative across all 12 episodes to tell one complete story?

SL: The story is more of a 12 part miniseries rather than having each episode stand alone. There are several arcs within the 12 episode run, and they all come together in the end.

BF: I gotta say, the costumes look pretty authentic. How did you come up with the wardrobe?

SL: Our wardrobe was designed and furnished by our costume designer/prop builder Jenny Liu. For the hero suit, we decided to go with the newest variation, mainly because it looks excellent on camera. We really wanted to emphasize the alien nature of the suit, and the standard three color suit doesn’t seem to translate well into the real world – it will always be a man in tights! The silver suit was furnished by a company that, due to its failure to deliver on an agreement we made, shall remain nameless… 

BF: Your introductory video says there’s 3 villains. Care to tell us who they are?

SL: I can’t tell you everything, but I can tell you he crosses paths with Lex Luthor and John Corben. You’ll get some clues about who our main villain is once the trailer and website are up, but until then you’re more than welcome to give

BF: Are you happy with the support the project has received so far?

SL: The most amazing part of the experience so far has been fans who email us and say “Hey — I don’t really have money to help right now, but good luck! I’m pulling for you!” Honestly, support (the non-financial kind) from people like that is what reminds us why we do this — from one fan to another, we appreciate people taking the time to send the thumbs up. But of course, physical donations help too!

BF: If things go well, is there room for a sequel?

SL: I have the treatment taped to the wall in my editing room, as a constant reminder to hurry up and finish Season 1 so I can start Season 2! The script is in the works, and it is BIG.

BF: And here’s your last chance - how can people help your project out, and why should they?

SL: What makes our project unique is it truly is a fan based passion project. Every aspect of the project was made possible because of our love of the character – from the crew’s dedication during production to the talented artists who are helping with Visual Effects remotely from around the world, to people who donate funds to make our project take flight, this truly is made for the fans, by the fans. Every dollar, every shot, every person who said “What if you guys did this…” has gone to make our series what it is, and it’s still growing to this day. So if people have ideas, or want to donate funds or services to our production, no matter where you are in the world, we welcome the help! We are especially looking to collaborate with Visual Effects Artists and Comic Book Artists of all styles to bring this series to life. We had (and are still having) so much fun making this series, and we hope people have as much fun watching. Up, up, and away!

If you’re interested in helping this unique project in some way, (they still need 2D and 3D artists) or just want to say hi, shoot Steven LaMorte an e-mail at superunofficial@gmail.com. For more details about the project or to make a donation visit the Kickstarter page here.