M. Night Fans » M. Night Shyamalan

M. Night Shyamalan Joins Twitter and Facebook

Dr Malcolm Crowe — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:30:32 +0000

Writer and Director M. Night Shyamalan has been starting to break out of his shell, and his latest attempt at that is by joining Twitter and Facebook! The filmmaker is famously secretive and tends to keep to himself. Rumors for the longest time were that he didn’t frequent the internet or even have a personal email account. Over the past couple years though, the director has become more open to the current online and social media markets. In 2010, Shyamalan took it upon himself to personally invite a couple fansites and others to a breakfast in NYC, of which I was lucky enough be to one of the few selected. Shyamalan was extremely gracious and open to fan feedback, which is counter to the negative, incorrect reputation he has gained throughout the years.

No doubt that the man has developed a rather thick skin when it comes it criticisms or film-goer perceptions, and his latest venture into the social media sphere proves that he is willing to test that thick skin. My first concern was the waves of criticisms he will likely receive, but I have faith that the Writer/Director will continue to use the services to keep fans up to date with the latest news. His Twitter and Facebook are currently unverified, but the links were shared on Google+ by Gary Whitta himself, a good friend of Night’s, and the writer of his upcoming film: After Earth.

You can follow Night on Twitter at @MNightShyamalan, and ‘like’ him on Facebook by clicking here.

M.Night and Bhavna Shyamalan to host a fundraiser event

Rohan — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 01:21:06 +0000

The Face of Water: An exhibition of photography to benefit The Samburu Project, a Santa Monica based non-profit will be hosting a photography exhibition to raise funds to create awareness of the World Water Crisis and to raise funds to drill freshwater wells in Africa. This event will be taking place in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 12th 7:30-10PM at the Manny Silverman Gallery. Honorary Event Chairs for this event are long time supporters and friends of The Samburu Project, M.Night Shyamalan and his wife Dr. Bhavna Shyamalan.

San Francisco photographers Chris Majors and Rudi Dundas traveled to Samburu to document The Samburu Project’s work. It is nice to see that M.Night is not only busy with making films and writing, he is also involved with organizations like The Samburu Project to make a difference in this world. The Face of Water: An Exhibition of Photography will illustrate the importance of water as captured through the touching photographic stories of the Samburu well communities.

Advance tickets to the event are available now, $75 per person here. And thanks to PR Newswire for reporting the event information.

Shyamalan’s Next Film Titled ‘After Earth’?

Dr Malcolm Crowe — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:46:29 +0000

According to an article posted by Mainline Media News, M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming sci-fi film starring Will and Jaden Smith will be titled After Earth. The film was formally titled One Thousand A.E., but recent reports had stated that the film would eventually going by another, then unknown, title. The Mainline Media News article reveals that director M. Night Shyamalan was at the Valley Forge Military Academy doing research for the film. Shyamalan’s assistant said that the filmmaker was researching the academy’s training camp because Jaden Smith will play a military cadet of the future in the film, which according to her is titled “After Earth.”

The main reason I use a question mark at the end of our article is because the Mainline Media News write-up then goes on to get one of Shyamalan’s other titles incorrect, stating Unbreakable was titled Unbroken. They also then refer to Shyamalan’s upcoming film under its initial title, the aforementioned One Thousand A.E..

So which is it? It seems reasonable to assume that the article’s writer just did poor research in his article about M. Night Shyamalan doing research — ironic. After all, it’s more likely that he got his quote right and the rest wrong, especially since everything else Shyamalan’s assistant reportedly said fits right in line with the rest of the news we’ve heard about the premise of this film. The film follows a young boy who navigates an abandoned Earth to save himself and his estranged father after their ship crash lands on the planet. The project is set to go on production in early 2012 and has release date of June 7, 2013.

Shyamalan’s Will Smith starrer gets a release date

Rohan — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 02:34:59 +0000

Since Mr. M.Night Shyamalan loves to keep all things locked in secret when it comes to his new projects we have not been able to post anything fresh on the site lately regarding his next project which is starring Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith. For some who are not aware of this project we reported it back here before that it is a story set in future written by M.Night Shyamalan himself and The Book of Eli scribe Gary Whitta. I personally enjoyed the story and concept behind The Book of Eli and I am excited to see Mr.Whitta and Mr. Shyamalan working together.

Now according to folks from BoxOfficeMojo Sony has set a release date of June 7, 2013 for the film which was formerly called ‘One Thousand A.E.’ The story follows a young boy who navigates an abandoned and sometimes scary Earth to save himself and his estranged father after their ship crashes. The project is set to go on production early next year.

M.Night Shyamalan Foundation Event & Fundraiser

Rohan — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 02:28:12 +0000

If you are interested to make a mark Givology and the M.Night Shyamalan Foundation is hosting “Make your Mark On The World” on Friday, July 29th from 8PM to 12AM at Griffin, a cocktail lounge located in the meatpacking district of Manhattan.

This exclusive, invite-only event celebrates the new partnership between Givology and the M.Night Shyamalan Foundation. Givology and MNSF will welcome the MNSF co-founders M.Night Shyamalan and his wife Bhavna Shyamalan, members of the Givology board, as well as partners, supporters, friends, and media at “Make Your Mark On The World,” a partnership launch and art exhibition event. It would be a great honor for us to attend this stupendous event, however due to timing conflicts, we will not be able to attend. If anyone is going to attend the event we would love to read your experience by commenting below or sharing it at the forums with us.

Will Smith committed to Shyamalan’s untitled film

Rohan — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 05:56:10 +0000

There is a project that Will Smith has been working on for a while now about Hurricane Katrina. A drama called THE AMERICAN CAN which tells the story of an ex-marine John Keller and his fight to save the elderly residents of the American Can apartment complex trapped without water, food and medical supplies. A project that he planned not only to produce, but to star in as well.

Now according to Vulture, Mr. Smith has bowed out of starring in this drama due to his commitment to the yet to be titled project with M.Night Shyamalan along side his son Jaden Smith, a sci-fi film written by Shyamalan himself and the ’Book Of Eli’ scribe Gary Whitta. Since not starring anymore in THE AMERICAN CAN, Mr. Smith is keen on casting Mr. Denzel Washington in the lead role. This marks the second lead role Mr. Smith is passing after saying no to Quentin Tarantino’s spaghetti western style “Django Unchained.” And as far as his untitled sci-fi project with Shyamalan is concerned, stay tuned.

Understanding Shyamalan’s ‘Lady In The Water’

Rohan — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 07:02:27 +0000

Once man and in those in the water were linked. They inspired us. They spoke of the future. Man listened and it became real, but man does not listen very well. Man’s need to own everything led him deeper into the land. The magic world of the ones that lived in the ocean and the world of man separated. Through the centuries their world and all the inhabitants of it stopped trying. The world of man became more violent. War upon war played out. As there were no guides to listen to… Now those in the water are trying again. Trying to reach us. A handful of their precious young ones were sent into the world of man… They need only be glimpsed and the awakening of man will happen, but their enemies roam the land. There are laws that meant to keep the young ones safe, but they are sent at great risk to their lives. Many do not return, yet still they try…. Try to help man, but man may have forgotten how to listen.

These are the first lines once the film Lady In The Water begins. A film written and directed by Mr. M.Night Shyamalan, based on a bedtime story he used to tell his daughters. Shyamalan as a writer and director could put the words about “man may have forgotten how to listen” at the end of his film, yet he chose to put it in the beginning. He put it in the beginning of his film so man can listen and comprehend the meaning of what’s the film about and to undertand the moral of his bedtime story.

Lady In The Water is a fantasy film released in 2006 and received some unfavorable reviews from the film critics. They didn’t only trashed the film, but they disrespected M.Night Shyamalan as well. Not only the film critics are the ones who I like to blame, but some audiences as well are to blame. I understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but let’s not forget what the film is about. This is one of the main reasons I am writing this, for I have been hearing things whenever a discussion takes place about this film. Some claim that it is a stupid film. Didn’t made any sense. And some claim that they liked the story and didn’t like how Shyamalan portrayed himself through out the film as a writer whose book is going to change the world. Someone will read it and will become the leader.

This project was Shyamalan’s riskiest move as a filmmaker. “The Man Who Heard Voices or How M.Night Shyamalan risked his life on a fairy tale,” written by Michael Bamberger was published after M.Night Shyamalan’s departure with Disney. This film was originally set up at Disney, M.Night Shyamalan departed from the studio over “creative differences”, and brought it to Warner Bros.

I have been thinking to write something about this film for over three years, but it’s the time that never gave me the permission to write. I am trying to bring the spotlight mainly on the moral of the story to those who doesn’t listen or repudiates to listen. Please do not find this irreverent. I am aware that there are those who perceive the moral. See, if you watch films with an open mind and heart you get the point and you will understand the moral of the story. It can be an action, drama, adventure or fantasy anything. A filmmaker like Shyamalan brings meaning to his films as well. Every M.Night Shyamalan film in a way is unique. And his purpose in this world as a writer and director is not only to entertain, but to teach something valuable about religion, fate, love, life and purpose.

I don’t find anything obtuse about his writing, because as an aspiring screenwriter I sit and write what I feel and what I learn from life. No one can stop me from writing and no one can stop Shyamalan from writing and directing what he wants to tell, for he knows deep in his heart and mind that the story he is telling is important to others because it is important to him. Lady In The Water is a simple story. A fairy tale about a man name Cleveland Heep, a maintenance man who discovers a young woman in the swimming pool of his apartment complex. Gradually, he and his neighbors learns that she is a sea nymph whose life is in danger from a vicious, wolf-like, mystical creature that tries to keep her from returning to her home, blue world.

In this film, Shyamalan is trying to tell us that we are all connected. These are the exact words of “Story” in the film. Meaning that we are all on the same boat and this fairy tale also provides a message about purpose. We all have a purpose in this world. All of us has something important to do and due to these unfavorable reviews many didn’t see the film. Lady In The Water deserves to be viewed with an open heart.

There are plenty of good films and bad films that I can write a list about. Some are huge projects and some are simple like Lady In The Water. A simple and beautiful fairy tale written by a man with heart. It is an important film not because I am a Shyamalan fan or because you are reading this on his largest fansite on the net today. It is important because it carries a message that wakes the inner human. It’s an introduction of yourself to yourself.

It angered the critics because Shyamalan is pointing his finger at them in a way in this film. And what you have read and what you have heard about this film negatively is wrong. Yes, I would make some changes here and there if I would be the director, but again if you think about it every artist has his or her own unique artistic stroke. Overall, Lady In The Water is a film with heart. A daring film, a daring tale. It is important for us. I have always been and always will defend a film like Lady In The Water because it tells us something about life. It is that prescription written to heal the world. Our world still needs to be healed. We are the young ones who can fix it. Let us not forget who we are. We are all connected regardless of race, religion and culture. We can make that difference not only through films, but through any kind of field. We can listen. Continue to listen and let’s not forget how to listen.

Shyamalan, Nolan and Tarantino are battling Premium VOD

Rohan — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 01:53:16 +0000

On April 19, 2011, DIRECTV launched its much-discussed premium video-on-demand service. A service that offers customers to watch newly released movies only after 2 months they hit the theaters for the price of $29.95. Recent films that aired include Battle: Los Angeles, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules and Sucker Punch.

Now dozens of Hollywood directors and producers are criticizing this plan by the major Hollywood studios to release movies in the home early while their movies are still playing in the theaters. James Cameron and Peter Jackson were the first two who signed the letter prepared by the National Association Of Theater Owners, which now also includes M.Night Shyamalan, Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino and Jon Favreau.

As an aspiring screenwriter, I can understand the grief of these filmmakers. I mean they work hard and consume long days and nights to make a film and they are not only filmmakers or writers, but movie fans as well. I personally find it preposterous, for if I were a filmmaker myself, I would be saddened and broken hearted seeing my film playing in homes while it’s playing in the theaters.

This is not the case of being selfish and greedy, please don’t think that. The average theatrical release window is over four months. The theatrical release window model has worked for years for everyone in the movie business. Current theatrical windows protect the exclusivity of new films showing in state of the art theaters bolstered by the latest in digital projection, digital sound, and stadium seating.

The letter that NATO prepared and signed by all the filmmakers states that, as a crucial part of a business, last year grossed close to $32 billion in worldwide theatrical ticket sales, we in the creative community feel that now is the time for studios and cable companies to acknowledge that a release pattern for premium video-on-demand that invades the current theatrical window could irrevocably harm the financial model of our film industry.

And, I must agree with the letter, for studios are struggling as you read to replace the revenue lost by the declining value of DVD transactions. Low-cost rentals and subscription are undermining higher priced DVD sales and rentals. But the problem of declining revenue in home video will not be solved by importing into theatrical window a distribution model that cannibalizes theatrical ticket sales.

The letter also brings up some very important points that the history has shown the price points cannot be maintained in the home video window. What sells for $30-a-viewing today could be blown out for $9.99 within few years. If wise heads do not prevail, the cannibalization of theatrical revenue in favor of a faulty, premature home video window could lead to the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue. Some theaters will close. The competition for those screens that remain will become that much more intense, foreclosing all but the most commercial movies from theatrical release. Specialty films whose success depends on platform releases that slowly build in awareness would be severely threatened under this new model. Careers that are built on this risks that can be taken with lower budget films may never have the chance to blossom under this cut-throat new model.

Thanks to Hollywood Reporter. You can read the rest of the letter signed by these filmmakers and you are welcome to post your comments below. Let us know what are your thoughts? Would you pay $30.00 to watch the movie at home or watch it with your family in the big screen? This is what I think, film fans will say no to Premium VOD and go watch it in theaters to enjoy the magic that movies present.

In Defense Of: M.Night Shyamalan

Rohan — Tue, 24 May 2011 03:02:48 +0000

When you hear or read the name M.Night Shyamalan there are few things comes to your mind. And that depends on who you are. Do you respect him or do you respect his work? Or, do you just hate him and his work? As a fan of Mr. Shyamalan, without any hesitation I can answer the first two questions without muttering. And unlike me, there are those who think about him differently and sees his work differently. And what I mean by ‘differently’ is the impiety of that group of people.

I’ve been thinking about putting something together for the site which is a way of showing others that there are some who still respects him and respects his work. For what he has done and for what he believes in. I am aware that there are groups of people, the fans out there who still believes in him and not only respect his work, but him as well. And that’s why, I am in the position to ask, which one are you? - The article that I am talking about is something I’ve been thinking about for few weeks and I am late for it, for ‘HeyUguys‘ recently published a sapid, sagacious and a almost similar to what I would write article that comes in defense of M.Night Shyamalan.

It is not only a interesting read, but an important spotlight on the master of film, Mr. M.Night Shyamalan as well. And their article also contains a intriguing video showing clips of Mr. Shyamalan’s films. Tell us your opinion. We would like to read your comments below.

How I would have converted The Last Airbender from TV season to Film

Specter — Sat, 21 May 2011 04:56:44 +0000

I admit that The Last Airbender film has plenty of flaws. I will also admit to enjoying the film immensely once you get past those. Seeing the various forms of bending in live action is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. The problems I have with the translation from the small screen have to do with the pronunciation of names and the characters not all being as they were in the series, Aang and Sokka being furthest from what I wanted from them. The levity those characters bring to the cartoon is needed so that the Fire Nation’s invasion isn’t all depressing.

That said, here’s what I would have done, and was under the impression that Shyamalan was doing. I would take a page from how they convert a book to the big screen.

Watch and outline the whole series

I would watch the whole series, and write it all out in an outline. It would be a massive outline, but thorough. This is something that Shyamalan did do. In fact, he was so thorough that the show’s creators sent him notes about which characters they think could be cut out, and what sequences weren’t necessary. He literally had included everything.

Note Cards

Put all of the major scenes down onto note cards, listing all appearing characters with color coded names for ease of site. Spread those cards out on pin boards around a writing room. Seeing the characters and sequences all laid out through the entirety of the story helps to find the important characters and through-lines.

I would take the cards and figure out what the overall storyline is, and what scenes are absolutely necessary to include to get that storyline told. In this series, the storyline is about Aang acceptance of his role, above all else, so I’d look though his story to make sure that it is told to the full. Then I’d look at all of his scenes and see what other characters appear in his scenes. I’d find out how they are important to the story and what sequences to include that are important to their characters. In this case, it’s Zuko, Iroh, Sokka and Katara – at least in Book One.

Editing the Series

Now, here’s where the fun begins. I would take the animated series itself into my editing software and cut each book down to a feature length film that contains all of the important character arcs. This would probably take multiple cuts to get it down to the proper length. Each book is roughly 7 and a half hours long, with the last being about 8. I’d give myself an extended edition cut to work with, that gives me a Lord of the Rings length of three hours per film.

By this time, I’d know what I did very clearly, and would ask some friends to watch my feature length edits of the series, to see if it works for them. It would be best if they had never seen the series.

I would then work on refining that animated cut to make sure the film has everything that it needs. It is also possible that new scenes will be needed to fill out some of the story in a way that was different than the animated version could convey. Now you’ve got a working pre-viz storyboard that you can show to the studio to give them a good idea of what you’re going to be shooting for in live action.

Script writing

Now I’d start writing the first draft of the script. I’d start with a line-by-line transcript of the film that I had cut together from the animated series. It’s likely that I’d also need to re-write some sequences or bits of dialog to get a message across that the film was missing.

I’d send that script off to the show’s creators to have them provide notes on things, and then I’d re-write it. I’d then hand the script over to the studio to get it budgeted. (This is something that is typical of all films with special effects this intensive, they estimate the potential budget for the script that they have been given.) Usually, this is followed by another re-write, and by the time the filming begins, it’s a near-final seventh draft. I say near-final, because sometimes the script will change on the set, and stronger scenes are written as filming goes on.

Pre-production

After the script is finally approved, and a budget is agreed on and approved, the film is green-lit and goes into heavy pre-production. It is here that I would find my cast, and we’d do a table read of the screenplay, and all sorts of effects work, set building and training begins.

And this is when the magic comes to life.

And that, folks, is how I would convert the animated series into a live-action film.

Why couldn’t Night accomplish this?

He had the whole series outlined, right? Well, for one thing, he only watched the series a known single time. It’s possible he watched it more than that, but he definitely watched the whole series once. He grew up hearing the names pronounced correctly, and in the animated series, the names had very different pronunciations than Night was likely used to. He thought it was doing the right thing, and I don’t fault him for that. I do fault him, however, for throwing away the pronunciations that we’re all used to from watching the series play out over 4 years, and talking to friends about the show. (There was one instance that a character pronounced Aang in the way that the tv series does, and it sounded so natural, I almost missed it.)

He was also given limitations on the run time for the film. The shorter a film, the more screenings it can have per day, the more people can see the film each day. This is something that had a negative effect on Ridley Scott’s film Kingdom of Heaven. Apparently the director’s cut of the film is incredible, while the 2 hour theatrical cut was missing a lot of story, including a whole character that had been cut out.

He has since said that it was self-imposed, that he hasn’t yet “earned the right” to make a longer movie. I don’t buy that for a minute. I think he’s just saving face, and that it was a studio imposed length to shoot for. I would have loved for him to pull a Peter Jackson and shoot for the long form, fan edition.

When it comes to the music, James Newton Howard did a terrific job on the film score, though I would have also asked him to subtly include the themes from the series as well.

What do you think?

Would this work? Has anyone created a feature film length edit of the animated series? Is that something that you’d be willing to try?

The other question has to do with the legality of the screenplay – if it was written as a transcript of your own edit of the series, did you really write it, or did all of the original writers? Is that legal? Probably not, as far as the Writer’s Guild of America is concerned – as well as the other writers. It wouldn’t be original enough, at least at first, but upon re-writes would become moreso. Your thoughts?

M. Night Fans » M. Night Shyamalan

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