These past couple of months have been filled with challenges and it seems everything in my life is on delay.

One of Joy’s good friends and one of my acquaintances, Jo, once upon a time looked at the quantity of my work, writing, photos, film ideas and told me that I was an artist in the purist sense of the word: multi-talented, disciplined in numerous areas; a renaissance man. I remember arguing with him that it wasn’t true while simultaneously being blown away by the concept. Jo is an artist. He lives in Manhatten and he paints portraiture on contract and he teaches and hangs work in SOHO galleries. I am a father - an absent one. I’ve left my loves thousands of miles away to fend for themselves while I deal with my dying mother and some way to find a dollar.

Before Jo, came Emily. Another one of Joy’s good friends and my acquaintances. One night, 3 years ago, during one of Jo’s opening shows while he was still at Notre Dame, she stood with me outside on the steps of the gallery and had a cigarette. I was introduced to her boyfriend (I forget his name) as a creative genius in his own right, one who, while still thwarted by the challenges and damages of his youth, would smash out of his chrysalis one day with all of these things in hand - and change the world. I’ve always wondered if this is the type of thing nice people say to their loser acquaintances who should have had a shot but forgot to go after it.

And then there’s Christine - doe-eyed and beautiful, she looks at me as though she’s waiting for something to happen, still - pleased as punch that she got to have my baby because there is simply no doubt in her mind that him simply being mine acts as proof that he will be the best kid in the world. Now only if I can live up to being his father. I still don’t know.

Then there’s Adrian - waiting patiently for me to get my bearings in this strange new world, so we can get back to business. But the question is what business to get back to.

Myst came to a grinding halt. Between Micam’s birth and Mom getting more and more sick, finalizing Alone in My Head for it’s premiere and DVD burn, and countless hours dedicated to watching Felicity on DVD (because there is very little else to do after working together until 3 am every single night) , there is room for very little else. He’s chomping at the bit to get back to the drawing board - to even have a discussion about the trailer script he wrote months ago. We never even talked about it. I said cool, man and then started ranting about my fears of fatherhood.

The post-its that outline the trailer are still stuck to the wall. One fell off and I had to stick it back with tape because I couldn’t bear letting the idea being ground into the floor. There is a big empty space that I’ve been meaning to flesh out with other post-its but the moment just hasn’t come yet. We sat there tonight staring at that spot without saying a word. I imagine we were both wondering if this would just be another one of those damn big dreams that we just couldn’t figure out how to make happen.

I opened the Myst folder tonight and started reading through something that I wrote in January trying to reconnect to it all:

Myst: Passage to K’veer

The first short film will be based on a sample of characters first introduced in the Myst video game originally released in 1993 by Cyan, Inc. Hyperion closely followed in 1995 with the first release of a trilogy of novels which further explored the Myst universe.

The story behind Myst is a fantastical journey into a civilization of people who “create” worlds by combining magical inks and paper to write highly descriptive books which, after complete, they are able to visit by simply touching the pages. It is a society which at first glance seems utopian, though harbors a growing greed and corruption just beneath the surface.

The film’s story focuses on Aitrus- grandfather to the most recognized and favored character (Atrus) in the Myst universe. After spending a night of rest and relaxation in the common area of the grand underground city of D’ni, Aitrus, and his friend Veovis, settle into a crafted yacht to return to Veovis’s homestead on the island of K’veer. A debate very common in D’ni culture opens between the two, on whether the worlds the D’ni people create are truly created by them- which effectively renders them as gods, or are the worlds simply one of an immeasurable amount of possibilities which they merely create bridges to.

Through quality performance depicting the very human relationship between Aitrus, and Veovis (which is investigated thoroughly in Myst: The Book of Ti’ana), excelled computer graphics, set construction, and digital matte paintings, it is the intention of Mysteria Film Group to bring the cavern of D’ni and its inhabitants life.

Co-director Adrian Paul Vanderbosch has written the screenplay along with Co-director Patrick A. McIntire. The projected budget for the project is $25,000, with MFG producing. Mysteria Film Group is currently in the developmental stage of this project. The initial script has been written, but there are no commitments from actors. Special effects teams are being consulted. Casting will commence once financing is in place.

And then inspired, I wrote this:

Myst: The Book of Atrus

This film is based on the first novel of the same name by Rand and Robyn Miller with David Wingrove. It is the first true dramatic investigation into the lore and background of the most popular video game franchise ever, Myst. In the story, the most recognizable character from the Myst universe, Atrus, grows from a child into adulthood and uncovers the truth about his heritage. After being ripped away from his desert home and introduced to the once majestic underground society of D’ni by his father, Gehn, he is astonished to discover the madness and obsession that his father holds in the now-extinct culture.

The film will follow Atrus as he is reunited with his father and educated in the history of this grand civilization which fell within the last century to a massive genocide. As Gehn further introduces him to the art of “writing” and “creating” worlds, he beings questioning Gehn’s beliefs that he is a god. The film depicts Atrus’s life and discoveries, adventures to other worlds, and his compassion for humanity. As a prequel, the film answers questions which have been asked by many Myst fans, and ends where the video game begins.

The film is planned to be co-directed and co-written by Patrick A. McIntire and Adrian Paul Vanderbosch. It will be produced by MFG in association with a studio that has yet to be named. Development will commence after the completion of Myst: Passage to K’veer, and once licensing and rights have been secured. The projected budget of this project is $35 million. Both fans of the Myst franchise and other audiences would help create box office success comparable to that of The Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy.

And then I sighed heavily and stopped writing… I’m heading to bed.

4:38 am

tags: micam, mysteria film group, trailer