This article deals with the limited signed screenplays boxset editions of Show Pieces. Show Pieces is a collection of five shorts directed by Mitch Jenkins and written by Alan Moore (the shorts are linked together in the same setting). This project, initially started to fund His Heavy Heart short, was financed through a crowdfunding Kickstarter campaign launched by Lex Records in June 2013. Some of the shorts were released as downloads at the end of 2013 (His Heavy Heart shooting had started in January 2014), and the first physical DVD boxsets were shipped in August 2015. My own reward was at the £150 level (limited to 100), and featured signed screenplays of all 5 shorts in addition to the signed DVD boxset. This reward was eventually shipped in November 2016, with a total printing run of 70 copies. It consists of a boxset (12.5 x 9 inches or 32 x 23 cm) with the limited signed screenplays book, and a dedicated empty space to put the limited signed DVD boxset already shipped in August 2015.
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| first when the boxset is opened we have the screenplay book |
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| here I have filled the boxset in the empty space below the book with my DVD boxset |
Now let's take a look at the limited signed screenplay book:
This canvas hardcover book (12 x 8.5 inches or 30 x 22 cm, 152 pages, no ISBN) comes with plain black back cover, second and third of cover. Alan Moore and Mitch Jenkins have signed the second of cover, that is also numbered (mine is #32/70).
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| the very light glued binding |
In addition to the screenplays, we also have storyboards. One of the picture below described the specificity and exclusive contents of this book.
So let's begin with the Act of Faith screenplay (this one short has very few dialogues).
So one of the highlights of this book is the presence of Alan Moore art!
Mitch Jenkins' shot notes is another exclusive content from this book.
The most comprehensive section of this book is dedicated to His Heavy Heart short:
His Heavy Heart screenplay is accompanied by Phil Garner storyboards, which is also an exclusive to this hardcover book.
The book ends with these two group shots.
Now we will continue with the limited signed DVD boxset:
In my reward, this boxset was reputed to be signed with a limited print run. It turns out that I have received the regular Kickstarter DVD boxset in August 2015, and a limited signed card to put inside the DVD boxset in November 2016, shipped with the screenplays boxset (I have decided to put mine on the storyboard paperback tray case). The hardcover DVD boxset (10.5 x 8.5 inches or 27 x 21 cm, referenced as LEX104BOXX) features an outer slipcase, and a wraparound tray case where the two disks (DVD and CD), and the storyboard paperback are inserted.
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| front slipcase and tray case |
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| back slipcase and tray case |
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| the opened tray case |
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| the numbering is coherent with the hardcover screenplays book |
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| the DVD extras are also described on the slipcase back cover (see picture above) |
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| to the left, the storyboard paperback |
Now, let's pursue with the paperback description:
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| back cover is plain black |
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| maps illustration by Edward Tuckwell |
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| yest it is Nighthampton |
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| the very tight glued binding |
The five shorts are part of a grander scale project called The Show (hence these Show Pieces), aimed to develop into a feature film and a TV series.
The screenplay texts presented in the paperback are identical to the one printed in the hardcover screenplays book (they have been edited from the raw originals).
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| A Professional Relationship is used as an interlude in the middle of Jimmy's End storyboards |
The next section of the paperback is dedicated to the lyrics of the songs used in the shorts and the CD.
The book finishes by cuttings produced for the newspapers that can be spotted in the shorts (one article is written by Faith Harrington, one of the main characters of Show Pieces)
I won't describe further the DVD/CD contents, but for anyone interested, there are additional info on this project and others on Alan Moore and Mitch Jenkins Orphans of The Storm website.
Here is the links to Jimmy's End animated storyboard (Kristian Hammerstad), and Jimmy's End behind the scene.
Also for memory's sake here are pictures of the original mock-ups of the boxsets (a signed bookplate was originally planned).
Let's begin with the DVD boxset:
And here is the screenplay book boxset (the final design is quite similar to the final product):
I appreciate your attention to detail. I was in the same reward tier as you were, and thought I'd share some pictures with you of what I decided to do with the signed card. I was disappointed that the large box itself did not have anything on the spine, so I decdied, after looking at Moore's signature on the card and exactly where he signed it, to perform an operation on the card. I sliced it and used the gold corner stickers to put Moore's signature on the spine. Mitch's signature is thrown in the box somewhere, I don't really care... I think it makes a nice topper sitting on my Moore shelves.
ReplyDeletehttps://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2815718/mooreshelf01.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2815718/mooreshelf02.jpg
I had spotted two weeks ago your pictures on the Kickstarter comment section, and I am glad you have also put them here. And I took the opportunity to ask you here what is the last Watchmen oversized piece on the left? Is it the French portfolio?
Deleteand also what is the Alan Moore Thunderstruck book?
DeleteIt's the American version of the portfolio published by DC after the French one. It has the same content as the French one, with the addition of full print-size copies of the 12 original issue covers. The whole thing has a (I think) new painted cover that's very nice, of the button in the bloody gutter.
ReplyDeleteIt's not surprising you don't know Thunderstruck. That's my undergraduate English literature thesis for university. The full title is Thunderstruck: The Building, Binding, and Collapse of Symbol Systems in the Work of Alan Moore. It covers This is Information, From Hell, The Birth Caul, Snakes and Ladders, and Promethea. This was done in about 2006, so I was quite surprised and happy that Moore used the word "thunderstruck" again recently, in the promotional blurb for Jerusalem.
Thank you for this. I just bought the screenplay/storyboard book on eBay, and wanted to know more about it. Mine came only with the book, signature card, and some weird gold triangle stickers, which, I can see from your photos, is meant to mount the signature card on the DVD set. My set is number 34. It didn't come with anything else, mostly I was attracted to the signature and limited nature, so I will hunt down the DVD set and the rest soon.
ReplyDeleteHi Spencer. You were a backer of the Kickstarter campaign or do you have bought a resold copy?
DeleteResold copy bought on eBay. Unfortunately, I somehow missed the kickstarter campaign. Would have loved to have contributed and gotten some more exclusives through that.
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