Written by Carmen Lehtimaki, contributor
On Monday, Oct. 20, at 9 a.m. SCAD students were treated with a free pre-screening of “Constantine,” at SCAD show. “Constantine,” a new show premiering tonight, Oct. 24, on NBC. “Constantine” is about a man named John Constantine, a demon fighting detective that is trying to protect humanity from supernatural threats. It is based on the popular and long-running DC Comics/Vertigo series of the same name.
“Constantine” was originally a comic book series protagonist in Hellblazer. He was a con-artist, anti-hero and he smoked a lot. Smoking is a big part of his character in the comic books, but that doesn’t transfer over so well in the television world. It crosses a lot of boundaries to have a character constantly smoking as much as Constantine’s character is known too. Instead of him actually doing it in the show it is hinted at. “You will see a puff of smoke in the opening of a scene that let’s you know he was just smoking, but you won’t really see him doing it so much,” Blank said. There are things that had to be altered or taken out of the show for it to be shown on national television, but Blank said, “we push enough boundaries later.”
After the screening, students got to participate in a question and answer period with Kevin Blank. He talked about when he first gained interest in visual effects. “I grew up in the business. My grandfather was an actor, and my mother a drama director. I learned about visual effects during a time when how we did visual effects changed.”
For students who are considering going into any type of special effects field Kevin said, “In the television environment there are more opportunities for advancement. If you are starting at an entry level start there. As important as visual effects is, I would caution you going into it. You may start at an entry-level and be paid as an intern or nothing at all. Visual effects is very expensive. They want to find young talent for a low cost.” He continued to encourage students in the audience to be patient and do their best as because people in the entertainment industry will always want a lot from them, but will probably give very little in terms of pay. “Do your best. The situation is they’re paying for perfection and they expect beyond perfection.”
As someone who has taken a few screenwriting classes and tried his hand at writing Blank had this to say for students interested in writing across any genre or field, “If you want to be a writer, you don’t need many tools to sit down and write, but you have to keep doing it. It’s eight to get paid and 11 to get made.” He explained by saying how most people will not get very far with the first piece they write, but after trying several times you will have written something someone is willing to pay for. After continuing to write you will then be able to get into your chosen field, “but not on your first or even fifth try.”
SCAD students were given a rare and great opportunity by getting a free private screening and getting advice from an industry producer. Kevin Blank was very open to questions as some students lined up to speak with him further after the screening and take pictures. Students seemed to have been pleased and hopeful for more events like this in the future. “Constantine” will premiere tonight on NBC at 10 p.m.
