TBF, Mags, you have been doing a lot of the heavylifting for the quest, so this will be in good hands.
To be clear to everyone, this is just me burning out on imagination of the quest, since my muse has been hitting me over the head a lot with so many different ideas that I just can't find myself too interested in this.
I'll still hang out here, though, since this still does have a sepcial place in my heart.
I'd like to thank you all for making this a wonderful experience while it lasted.
I'd also like to thank @Magoose, @Fluffy_serpent, and @Martin Noctis for doing so much to help prepare and write this quest. I couldn't have done it without you all.
Wait, guys, I just had an idea. At the moment, we have Sunrise Studios to serve as the distribution arm for our films in Japan, but at the end of the day they are still an animation company, so their work might not be the best. So, I figured, why not take this opportunity to buy a stuio in Japan to get better distribution not only through the country, but through the Pacific countries as well.
I'm talking about Daiei of course. At the moment they are still a small studio that is owned by Kadokawa, so if we can use the reward we have to be aable to autosuccess our acquisitions, then we have a greater chance to establish ourselves in Japan, perhaps even manage to help them become a greater studio than what it was in OTL.
Wait, guys, I just had an idea. At the moment, we have Sunrise Studios to serve as the distribution arm for our films in Japan, but at the end of the day they are still an animation company, so their work might not be the best. So, I figured, why not take this opportunity to buy a stuio in Japan to get better distribution not only through the country, but through the Pacific countries as well.
I'm talking about Daiei of course. At the moment they are still a small studio that is owned by Kadokawa, so if we can use the reward we have to be aable to autosuccess our acquisitions, then we have a greater chance to establish ourselves in Japan, perhaps even manage to help them become a greater studio than what it was in OTL.
Didn't we already try this and got stonewalled? I could have sworn Magoose said something about it, either in an update or outside it. If not though, I have no problems with it.
Didn't we already try this and got stonewalled? I could have sworn Magoose said something about it, either in an update or outside it. If not though, I have no problems with it.
Well, just to make sure. @Magoose, can we acquire Daiei to serve as our distribution arm to Pacific Asia, own the rights for their films, and perhaps have them become a greater studio in the future?
Well, just to make sure. @Magoose, can we acquire Daiei to serve as our distribution arm to Pacific Asia, own the rights for their films, and perhaps have them become a greater studio in the future?
Wait, guys, I just had an idea. At the moment, we have Sunrise Studios to serve as the distribution arm for our films in Japan, but at the end of the day they are still an animation company, so their work might not be the best. So, I figured, why not take this opportunity to buy a stuio in Japan to get better distribution not only through the country, but through the Pacific countries as well.
I'm talking about Daiei of course. At the moment they are still a small studio that is owned by Kadokawa, so if we can use the reward we have to be aable to autosuccess our acquisitions, then we have a greater chance to establish ourselves in Japan, perhaps even manage to help them become a greater studio than what it was in OTL.
I feel the time to buy them out was before we teamed up with them to do Gamera. As for distribution I feel that whoever's in charge of our distribution over there is doing a good enough job. Japans consistently one of our biggest markets.
I also feel that besides Gamera we don't currently have enough live action film pitches that are Japan centered to warrant a whole branch.(I may be wrong though.) While I'm not super opposed to buying Daiei I'm not super exited for it either and would prefer to just build them up as a friendly studio in Japan with the Gamera pitches and sweetheart ILM deals.
Oh! I just remembered. We should totally reach out to Joe Cates and Stan & Jan Berenstain about acquiring their The Berenstain Bears TV Show that their currently shopping around for LucasTV's children's lineup. That and/or maybe The Care Bears
Oh! I just remembered. We should totally reach out to Joe Cates and Stan & Jan Berenstain about acquiring their The Berenstain Bears TV Show that their currently shopping around for LucasTV's children's lineup.
I feel the time to buy them out was before we teamed up with them to do Gamera. As for distribution I feel that whoever's in charge of our distribution over there is doing a good enough job. Japans consistently one of our biggest markets.
I also feel that besides Gamera we don't currently have enough live action film pitches that are Japan centered to warrant a whole branch.(I may be wrong though.) While I'm not super opposed to buying Daiei I'm not super exited for it either and would prefer to just build them up as a friendly studio in Japan with the Gamera pitches and sweetheart ILM deals.
For LucasTV, when the time came to select the top programming, whether to continue or cancel one of their shows, or when the time came to give the go ahead to one of the new proposals that arrived daily to the station, in the end, it all had to pass through Tartikoff's office. At many times it would count as a blessing, since the man was someone who was always on the look for any new and interesting series that could be used to enhance both the viewership and prestige of the fledging new station.
Already on its second year, it had so far managed to get a viewership that numbered in the million's thanks in large part to the stellar programming that he'd managed to acquire, not to mention the support of both animations studios that worked for his employers, and their tendency to not mind costs so long as it produced quality entertainment.
On the other hand, Tartikoff could be stubborn when it came to his preferences for the scheduling, as well as the type of shoes that would be allowed on the channel. It was no surprise to many that the ambitious and forward-thinking executive would usually prefer to innovate and bring about TV Shows that were more of the serialized bent than the more episodic types that had dominated the airwaves until recently. That his bold steps forward had managed to put LucasTV among the top of the pack when it came to programming was more than enough vindication for his ideas, and thus, even Bruce O'Brian would let him have full control over his fief so long as he kept on bringing results, only occasionally barging in when he wanted something done.
It was an odd give and take relationship, but it was one that fit both men, both busy with their own work, who would only get to meet occasionally. The meeting for the selection of TV Shows for the next year being one of them, where both sides would meet, have a brief discussion, and just have the entire thing hashed out and ready in just a few minutes, Brandon already having the entire schedule ready, and Bruce giving his approval, unless he had something else he wanted to add. Both of them usually being in-sync on what they wanted.
So it was, and so it should have remained... until Bruce went to film Conan, and what should have been a simple 3 months filming, turned into a near year of troubles, delays, political pressure, and travels to three different countries in order to film the first third of the film.
Did that mean Brandon had loose rein over the programming schedule for next year? He would certainly have hoped so, had it not been for the fact that in lieu of Bruce O'Brian, he now had to deal with the member of the Triumvirate who he could do without.
"Well then... I think we have come to an agreement" Brandon said to the man opposite him, his voice sounding tired even to himself after hours of arguments, shouts, discussions, and eventually just wishing the entire day to end.
"Yes. I think we do" Eisner replied, his face made as if of granite and his voice toneless, sounding almost as tired as Brandon did. The man's charisma nowhere to be seen after one of the most exhausting meetings he'd had in a long while.
Michael Eisner, a man Bradon would sooner avoid rather than shake his hand. A man that for good or for ill, he had to acknowledge as his superior in the company, and the one man that had decided that in lieu of Bruce not being able to attend, he would have to be the one to give the go ahead, what with George Lucas once more being too busy with one of his movie ideas with Steven Spielberg.
Which left him as the one man who would have to go and once more enforce the hierarchy in the mish mash that was Lucasfilms Unlimited and its many different departments, subdivisions, and branches. Not that he minded the model much, in many ways what both Bruce and George had managed to achieve with a looser system that put trustworthy men in charge and let them do their own thing had managed to improve both morale as well as efficiency in most cases.
The downside being that at times, said branches also needed to be reminded that they were not their own companies, but part of a greater whole. After all, it would not do for all different companies to start making decisions that would affect each other without a plan in mind. It was something that Eisner had noticed and had worked with in order to correct, creating different connections between the usually different branches, as well as making sure that if George did not want to go and make the regular rounds besides his own preferences with ILM and Skywalker Sounds, then at least Bruce had to be there to serve as the symbol to unify everyone.
And when both of them were unavailable, the tasks fell on him. Something which Eisner quite enjoyed due to his micromanagement nature.
Both he and Brandon had been at it since the moment he arrived, and from the very beginning he could see that they were not going to agree as quickly as he'd hoped for. It was not just a matter of taste, as he soon found out that despite their initial preferences about series they had more in common about what they should be showing and continuing for the rest of the year. Shows like Family Ties and Luke Cage were clearly winners that would not be even considered for cancellation. Atomic Betty and Love Connection may have had some rough times, but the same could be said of The Gentleman's Club, and now the latter was one of LucasTV's own station jewels.
But the moment when they began talking about the new shows to be added... "Who the hell is 'Punky Brewster', and why is she being given the top slot?"
"Look, it's a fun, slice-of-life series that really delves into the true meaning of family, it can be a really charming addition for the station."
"It's a series about a child who is abandoned by her parents and is then being taken care of by a hobo! What the hell Brandon!?"
"Hey, you're just looking at the surface! Beneath it, there's a lot of care, love and depth to each of the characters. Heck, I helped make the series!"
"...WHAT THE HELL BRANDON!?!" "How on Earth did you get the go ahead for Miss Marple?
"The BBC may not agree with Bruce's desire for Dr. Who, but they do want to improve ratings and expand their viewership. It only took a few calls to have them agree to a deal... That and they know that the Queen favors our boss, so it was better to give in now rather than for something they value more."
"Wait, they prefer letting us distribute Miss Marple rather than Dr. Who?"
"They're Brits, I stopped trying to understand them a while ago." "Knight Rider... is this supposed to be a Sci Fi show?"
"Look a friend of mine's been having problems selling this show to the other stations so I thought I'd lend him a hand."
"It's about a man solving crimes with a talking vehicle... you know that Herbie is owned by Disney, right?"
"It's nothing like that! KITT is an AI that is put in a car that helps Michael Knight fight crime, it has nothing to do with a sentient vehicle with his friends going on adventures!"
"Rrriiiight... and who is this... David Hasselhoff? Is that a German name?"
"It's Austrian, and look it's not like the entire premise is bad. Glen has already worked on series before which managed to get on the air. Like Battlestar Galactica."
"The series that went overbudget, had little to none viewers, and was cancelled before the climax, with no other studio willing to touch it?
"...Yes?"
"...This is a disaster in the making." "Rainbow Brite... really?"
"I made a deal with Mattel in exchange for some of the profits for their toy lines, and Hallmark was keen on having our studios make the animation. It was basically a steal."
"What happened with doing Art over Money?"
"Why not have both?" "You actually agreed to a show called 'The Duck factory'"
"They show promise, and the premise is hilarious. The mix between animation and live action is revolutionary as well, and the lead actor that came with it has this manic energy around that one would think he's a cartoon himself."
"We already have cartoons for that, not this... whatever it is. Heck, if we wanted a cartoon, then I alraqdy have an idea for it."
"Wait, you actually thought of an animation series?"
"Why do you look so surprised? Anyways, the premise it's simple enough, and it only needs two words; Gummy Bears.
"...Gummy Bears."
"Gummy Bears."
"... Okay, so The Duck factory is approved then."
"Oh, come on!" "So... Swat Kats."
"Yes, Swat Kats."
"..."
"..."
"Don you say it..."
"Well.... it's just-"
"Don't you say it!"
"If you really wanted to get some pu-"
"EISNER!" "Night Court, huh?"
"Yes, anything you have to say about it?"
"For once, no. This does seem to align with what we want, and it sounds fun as well."
"Well, that's nice to hear."
...
...
"Are you still also pushing for the freaking babies?"
"Yes Eisner! We are still going with the Muppet Babies!" "This is a dumb idea... a dumb, dumb idea and we're not doing it!"
"Come on Brandon! Can't you at least give it a chance?"
"No Eisner! We are not making an animated show about Gummy Bears!" It had been an entire ordeal for both of them, having to wrangle, argue, debate, compromise, and all so that they could finally have their own schedule for the 1984 programming. And though it had been one of the most grueling experiences in their lives, it had also engendered some level of respect between both of them, recognizing their own stubbornness and strength of character respectively.
But damn it, both of them hoped they would never had to deal with the other like this again.
And if he had to hear Eisner's ideas for animation one more time...!
But at the very least, they'd managed to finally have something workable for next year.
Series Not Renewed:
Cupid
Miraculous
Renewed Series:
Fraggle Rock - S2
Luke Cage - S3
Daredevil - S2
Fillmore - S2
Are You Afraid Of The Dark? - S2
Remington Steele - S3
Love Connection - S2
Lawyer's Dozen - S5
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero - S2
Mafia - S2
The New Adventures of Jonny Quest - S3
The Nguyens - S3
Spider-Man: The Anime - S2
The Gentleman's Club - S3
Atomic Betty - S3
Liberty's Crystal Skeleton - S3
Family Ties - S3
New Series:
Night Court
Swat Kats
Miss Marple
Punky Brewster
The Transformers
Highway to Heaven
Hellcat
The Immortal Iron Fist
The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo
Muppet Babies
Knight Rider
The Duck Factory
Rainbow Brite
The Legend of Chun Hyang
Laff-a-Lympics
And God willing, they would not have a repeat of this next year.
1984
"Bruce, I'm begging you here, don't leave us hanging again!"
"Brandon, I'm not going all the way to the other side of the country here. I'll be at the very least a call away in the Columbia lots. We can still work on what the schedule will be even if we get a bit delayed."
"You were not here last year Bruce, and it all nearly went to shit because of it, so forgive me if I'm a bit tense right now!"
"Oh come on, it couldn't have been that bad, you managed to get all the points we wanted nonetheless. Besides, I spoke with mike and he did not seem to find the entire experience as bad. Heck, he even talked to me about an idea that I think we can work with now."
"Yeah, not awful. Like I'd belie- Wait. Waitwaitwait. An idea about.. Oh no, please don't tell me..."
A.N.: This is something I've had in the background for a while now, mostly because I could not help but think on how, without Bruce there to help with the TV Scheduling, and with George usually not as interested with the TV side of our company, it would have fallen to Brandon and Michael to try and find a working compromise there, not helped because they seemed to have very opposite views on what to do for TV, and Mike's own ideas for animation tend to be occasionally right, and other times just so mind numbingly confusing that it's no surprise that they came after speaking to his children and actually following their advice on it.
On the other hand, I did like the Gummy Bears as a child.
Brandon and Mike are suffering because Bruce was not there.
Yeah, that fits. They cry and dry their tears with hundred dollar bills.
[]Oh God: (Unknown effect)
[]Brandon and Mike excellent adventures (THe two men join forces to avoid the gummy bear show. There has to be a better idea)
[]Hey what if we made a (Mike has an idea that makes Brandon wish he was fired.)
"How on Earth did you get the go ahead for Miss Marple?
"The BBC may not agree with Bruce's desire for Dr. Who, but they do want to improve ratings and expand their viewership. It only took a few calls to have them agree to a deal... That and they know that the Queen favors our boss, so it was better to give in now rather than for something they value more."
"Wait, they prefer letting us distribute Miss Marple rather than Dr. Who?"
"They're Brits, I stopped trying to understand them a while ago."
In Quest: Brandon feels that since the fans were willing to wait four years for the next season that there must not be as big a draw as one would expect, and thus puts it in the low priority list.
Out of Quest: I've yet to write the 3rd season, and this is one of the projects I'm kind of micromanaging.
[]Change the Title: The Dark Knight Sounds stupid, so you want to change it. DC: 45
-[]Write in what you want to change for it
[]Look at the Script: You want to look at the Script, and make changes, or rather, prevent Colombia from changing it. DC: 50
-[]If you want to change the script, write in below.
[]Where to Go from Here: You fought a hundred men all at once and made one of the greatest car scenes ever. How the fuck are you going to top your best?
-[]Write in what you want to try to do?
So I'm trying to formulate a plan, but any ideas on how to address these? I'm fine with the The Dark Knight, but maybe we can get something different to reflect Robin and Batgirl's presence? I guess Batman Forever might work since it's the last film.
Generally I'm fine with the script and I also have no idea on what to do to top the 100 men fight and cool car chase scene. Maybe we can do some crazy Nolan stuff but I don't think we have the tech for that.
So I'm trying to formulate a plan, but any ideas on how to address these? I'm fine with the The Dark Knight, but maybe we can get something different to reflect Robin and Batgirl's presence? I guess Batman Forever might work since it's the last film.
I say leave The Dark Knight since it fits better than batman Forever in my opinion. Not to mention that this is going to be the film where they face the Joker, and this is going to be parallel somewhat to the OTL film.
Generally I'm fine with the script and I also have no idea on what to do to top the 100 men fight and cool car chase scene. Maybe we can do some crazy Nolan stuff but I don't think we have the tech for that.
The script already has the entire chase that happened in OTL movie between Batman and the Joker as well, so that can help. I was thinking, that perhaps a change we could make to the script, is have Harvey fully become Two-Face like in OTL, but instead of just threatening Gordon's family, we show how hes truly split into two different persons by having him put Gordon on trial, showcasing there both his brilliance as a lwayer, but also his madness anddesire for vengeance as well.
I think we could have somewhat of a Plot B with it, we could have Robin be the more headstrong and violent sidekick through the film, and learning that he has to hold back, or care more about protecting the innocent rather than punishing the guilty, perhaps have him realize that he might be going the same path as Harvey and hold back. That way, when Gordon is being put on trial by Two Face (a mock trial with only him of course) Robin goes to stop him, and manages to talk him down in an unusual way; by having his sane side be the defense attorney, leading to asequence where Two Face is arguing with himself, paralyzed in indecision (though we would show his inner struggle through effects and sound of course), but allowing Robin to free Gordon before he leaves once more to aid Bruce and Barbara.
Generally I'm fine with the script and I also have no idea on what to do to top the 100 men fight and cool car chase scene. Maybe we can do some crazy Nolan stuff but I don't think we have the tech for that.
So I'm trying to formulate a plan, but any ideas on how to address these? I'm fine with the The Dark Knight, but maybe we can get something different to reflect Robin and Batgirl's presence? I guess Batman Forever might work since it's the last film.
Generally I'm fine with the script and I also have no idea on what to do to top the 100 men fight and cool car chase scene. Maybe we can do some crazy Nolan stuff but I don't think we have the tech for that.
You could add some Arkham Knight, like seeking around areas to take out guys. If possible, you could do a scene to take advantage of Batman's identity as a ninja, like having a group of villains with weapons in an area prepared for Batman; they are ready to take him out; the building is brightly lit, then the lights go out, or they start to flicker such as one of the gangsters or mooks says they are fully prepared for Batman. They get taken out one by one as the lights flicker.
As the scene ends you could have it not be just Batmen, but Robin and Batgirl as well, taking them all out to show them as a team or have it as three scenes spliced together as one where it shows Batman doing the flicker scene as above, robin doing acrobatic takedowns, and Batgirl taking advantage of technology to take out mooks.
You could add some Arkham Knight, like seeking around areas to take out guys. If possible, you could do a scene to take advantage of Batman's identity as a ninja, like having a group of villains with weapons in an area prepared for Batman; they are ready to take him out; the building is brightly lit, then the lights go out, or they start to flicker such as one of the gangsters or mooks says they are fully prepared for Batman. They get taken out one by one as the lights flicker.
As the scene ends you could have it not be just Batmen, but Robin and Batgirl as well, taking them all out to show them as a team or have it as three scenes spliced together as one where it shows Batman doing the flicker scene as above, robin doing acrobatic takedowns, and Batgirl taking advantage of technology to take out mooks.
Perhaps what we ned to do different here is not focus that much on Batman's feats, but on Batgirl's and Robin's as well. I mean, for the last two movies we've pushed the limit on what Batman can do, and if we try to go above and beyond now, well it might just make Batman feel less hum and more on the real of those above human. Less grounded if you will.
However, we have a blank slate when it comes to Batgirl and Robin, so why not have them be the ones to do feats that would show their skills, like Robin's athletism and Batgirl's smarts and deduction thinking as well. Or, we could use the beginnign of the script where we show Bruce training them both and demanding more of them, then have them face situations similar to said training and how they have mastered it and overcome the trials.
Punisher should appear in Daredevil S2, since that one will have only some small changes to fit the overall narrative (Elektra will not be there for one) so, from there we migth start working on a Punisher TV Show.
In Quest: Brandon feels that since the fans were willing to wait four years for the next season that there must not be as big a draw as one would expect, and thus puts it in the low priority list.
Out of Quest: I've yet to write the 3rd season, and this is one of the projects I'm kind of micromanaging.
