Upon talking to one of the fans about a situation in which I was given the chance to have the original Video Masters show produced, I decided to search through my old emails, and find emails between myself and a gentleman who is a writer, comic, producer, and I believe director, if I remember correctly. We originally talked in 2000. I was looking for advice on how to pitch Video Masters to people, and he liked the idea for my show, so he wanted to discuss it more. So the next month, he called me from a hotel in NYC, and we discussed things.
The only thing was (at the time), he wanted me to write the reviews, and he would hire actors to host the show (maybe male or female model actors, who knows?). I didn't agree with the idea, not because I wanted the spotlight, but because I felt it was a bit dishonest. When you think about, most people who write reviews or critiques, take Siskel and Ebert for example, (or Ebert and Roeper as it is now). They not only write the reviews, but host the show themselves. Back when it was Siskel and Ebert, you had one guy who was bald. Another was....well...not bald, but not thin, either. They looked like normal people. People you might have do your taxes.
So the idea of me writing my opinions and thoughts and having someone else reading them didn't sit right with me. If it was some hot female actress who had never played the game or saw the movie, or whatever, wouldn't it be a bit misleading if she appeared on camera and said "I felt that the acting was horrible, and unconvincing. The plot was thin, filled with holes and continuity errors" having never seen the movie in question?
Afterwards, this guy and I didn't have much left to discuss. But then, a month before my son was born, I was emailing this guy from an unemployment office. He wrote back with this.
hi john,
thanks for your email. i still like the sound of the show.
this is how it would work:
i would produce it and host the show. we would shoot it with
green-screen in a studio. you write the reviews. i rewrite them to make them funny and upbeat. you provide the games and footage for us to use as clips to refer to in the show.
you would have 15% ownership of the show plus credit as assoc producer
and writer. we would share co-creator credit.
or if you would like to split the $10,000 it'll cost to shoot and edit the
show, we can split ownership down the middle.
6 reviews per show. each review should contain a good thing about it and a bad thing. length of each should be 3 minutes.
upon completion, I'll send it to people in the biz and hope for a sale
or a deal. no promises, but i'll do my best.
my one man show just got optioned by broadway producers so i've got
some nice heat on me, which is helpful.
let me know your thoughts.
I wrote back with
Everything sounds ok to me....except for the whole splitting the $10,000 part. I'm lucky right now to have $10, otherwise, I'd say "sure". See, right now, I'm trying to find myself a job before my son is born next month. Otherwise, my wife and kids really have no use for a deadbeat father with aspirations of making a video game review show. Co-creator does sit well with me, I used to be co-webmaster of the Video Masters website. A friend of mine had to take the helm when my computer got a virus. Supplying the game footage shouldn't be a problem, though I'm thinking of an idea centered around classic games, Super Mario, Pac Man. Even though everyone has played them time and again, I thought it'd be nice to let this generation of game players see what they missed before games turned violent. Oh, and it's ok to have the reviews re-written to make them funny. If you want, we can both try to make them funny, though your humor may..and probably is better than mine, but we'll ! discuss that further. Thanks for writing
His response:
Hi John,
I can put together a team to make the pilot. Glad you're into it.
The only way this can work though is if the show is focused on today's
games. I like the idea of a Classic Throwback where we have a 1 minute review on a classic game every show. Otherwise the show has no repeat value. It's gotta be hot for kids of today. Are you versed on today's games? A kid wrote to me a while back with the same idea, only he wanted to have he and his pal play the games while I interacted with them via satellite. So we'd have the review spoken by me then a clip of kids talking about it "live" - although not really live.
Thoughts on this?
I wonder if that was me, though I don't remember the whole "via satellite" scenario, or playing a game live and then talking about it.
So that's my little story (lol yeah, little). I never heard back from this guy afterwards, and I want to avoid using his name, cause I don't want the wrong people to read this. I could always PM the name, if there are any curious parties here on the forums.
Do you guys think I was wrong for not doing this? [/i]
Black Flag NC
The thing that attracted me to the show was that it was NOT G4. It wasn't industry sponsored programming that was pushing people to feel like losers if they didn't have the latest greatest thing in gaming. Everybody hears about Halo 3 and Super Mario Galaxy and Metal Gear 4, but I don't have nor do I really want the systems to play them on. VMTV appeals to me because it is a balance of recent and classic TV, movies, and games. As the first real video game generation (people born in the late 70's and early 80's) gets older, classic games are taking on more of the characteristics of classic films. A great game is great no matter how old it is just as a great film is great no matter when it was made. I find that I'm playing PS2 one day and Super NES the next. I think you did the right thing, dude.
Black Flag NC
Oh yeah.....
"It's gotta be hot for the kids of today."
The kids of today are the little bastards acting like they have balls online.
Fuck the kids of today.
John Gibson
Yeah, the 11 year olds from Milwaukee who kicked Matt Rau's hinder in Halo 2 or 3 or 17 are the kids of today, unfortunately.
I don't make the show for them. If anything they spit on my show. hehe
KITTIE hXc
I believe you did the right thing as well.
jakdin
Dude, you did the right thing. I'd say that guy would have taken the show, thrown up in a tank and then chucked it straight into the creative side of things, mucking not only the shows content, but you as well!
John Gibson
I mean sure they could have re-written it to make it funny, but what kind of funny? Ha Ha Funny? "Jackass idiocy only 14 year olds will get it" funny, or sitcom funny?
I just write it, period. I don't purposely try to make it funny. That's just the way I talk.
Black Flag NC
I like Jackass.
Cause I is one!
John Gibson
Ok, so maybe just plain jackasses, not the show.
You know what I mean. lol
Black Flag NC
No I know, but I do like the show and Wildboys. The only thing I've enjoyed from MTV in the past 15 years or so. It's silly amatuerish comedy, but what can I say?
