I can't tell if I like this beer, or I'm just drinking it because it's beer. Regardless, this post isn't about the simply amazing looking Jurassic World, in which I'm super over excited for. It's nice to see after years of waiting- and being fearful beyond words that Universal would ruin the franchise for good (if JP3 hadn't already done that...) that they were finally breathing new life into the series.
No, this post is about a personal project of mine that I started well over a year ago. It was called Ranger Corps: Jurassic Park. It was an indie film and had a lot of heart. The number of hours are beyond measure that a group of us spilled brainstorming, writing and designing this film. It was a real genuine act of love and it was unfortunate that life got in the way. A lot of personal drama got in the way of production, namely people moving, women, work and a slew of other time obsorbing issues. Try as we did, it just never panned out.
Truth is, I've felt terrible about putting the film on hold. Though I feared it may have been lost forever a few times, I always believed we would come back to it eventually. But perhaps it's for the best things did get torn apart. Because it gave me time to reflect and look upon the concept with fresh eyes.
At Ranger Corp's core, the film was to depict a Jurassic Park under construction, about 2 years prior to the film Jurassic Park. We really wanted to show how amazing this park was going to be, even if it meant just sliding in 'master shots' of in-construction park attractions, facilities or beautiful landscapes. The idea was to celebrate this beautiful world that was being protected by a group of extraordinary Rangers.
But things have changed. I've changed. In the year that's passed I moved on from working at Starbucks and took a job as a Video Production producer. It's been a great opportunity and I love what I do. However, it's shown me the other side of Video. While the average film maker is worried about telling a message or making an emotional point- Video Advertising isn't. Well, not in the same way anyways. I've done a lot of promotional work and advertising. Even just creating Product Example videos are highly analyzed and orchestrated productions. Scripting just the right message with the right visuals, to give the product just the right value that will send the viewer to that purchase page.
So recently when I started about picking up this project again, it got me to thinking about all the things I've seen since I started this project and it got me to thinking about how much consumerism is really the selling point behind Jurassic Park. The novel and even the film make no point to hide this fact, the entire idea is wrapped around the 'theme park' model! But there's a certain beauty that escapes all from all this and lets us forget that Jurassic Park is a money making machine- or that's the intention anyways.
I usually brainstorm and script the hell out of anything I'm working on. Logistically it's the smart way of going about things- but this time I had something very particular in mind. I wanted to sell the same smoke and mirrors act to the audience. I wanted to shovel it into their watering mouths... and then wrench it all away. I want the audience to feel the warmth of the embracing blanket of majesty and discovery- to only jarringly have it stripped away to a much more raw reality.
To achieve this I decided to use some of the same resources I would use if this was any other product I was trying to sell. There were the 'money shots' of dinosaurs, and the filler B-Roll that supplements the message that's being sold. Add in a touch of music that conjures feelings of the classic 'Jurassic Park' magic and you're well on your way to achieving JP Nirvana.
The project is a ways from completion, the hard part is ahead of us. But with a little luck I can bring the crew together and finally make something of this project once and for all.
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