Diagram for Delinquents Update #8: You've Been Seduced

I created another promo for Diagram for Delinquents. As I become inspired by things I encounter during the filmmaking process I will use those to create promos. I will post them here and see "what sticks" as they say. Here is the latest:

The crew has an exciting few days coming up on June 27 to the 29th. We will be travelling to interview Mr. Stephen O'Day. He runs the invaluable and fascinating site: seductionoftheinnocent.org. Stephen will be chatting with us about his work and his thoughts on Fredric Wertham and Seduction of the Innocent. What he has unearthed and created so far is an incredible and utterly necessary archive of one of the most important periods of comics history.

To grasp the full depth of what Stephen has done, you must visit seductionoftheinnocent.org.

It was a serendipitous run-in I had to meet Stephen as we were both doing research at the Library of Congress pouring through Wertham's Papers. We are excited to sit down with him and to see, in-person, the materials he has gathered.

Stephen has been in the trenches doing the arduous research in tracking down the comic books that Wertham quotes and uses illustrations from but did not cite. As you can guess, as a researcher, this is a highly problematic issue with the book.

Also, currently, Producer Mike Phillips is hard at working trying to capture important interview subjects for the film. We are hoping to sit down with David Hajdu, author of The Ten-Cent Plague as well as Jim Trombetta, author of The Horror! The Horror!: Comic Books the Government Didn't Want You to Read!

Hopefully, after Stephen's interview this week, the blog will start intermixing some footage with these picture updates.

Finally, an animation team is currently creating the first sample of the animated court scenes. I hope to share some of that with you soon!

More in a week!

Diagram for Delinquents Update #7: The Reboot (Comic book reference. As in character, continuity, or universe. But you knew that.)

Dear Backers, Believers, & The Curious (Soon to be Recruited to the Cause):

Let me begin by again thanking the Kickstarter funders for your support and belief in our film, Diagram for Delinquents: Fredric Wertham and the Evolution of Comic Books. This film is not possible without your generosity. It is now OUR film.

It was overwhelming to witness the outpour of pledges and words that you have given us and I look forward to hearing from you and sharing with you as the picture develops.

Now that the funds are in place it is my goal to make a compelling, fair, and thorough piece which examines comics of the 50’s, the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency, Dr. Fredric Wertham, Seduction of the Innocent, the Comics Code, media and its effects on society, and the current state of comic books.

Production will begin with interviews this July. As those are proceeding, animation and post-production teams will also begin the initial stages of the animated sequences for the film. Also, archival footage and images will be gathered and analyzed.

This is an exciting time and I will use my blog (robertemmons.blogspot.com) and the film’s space at Kickstarter.com and Sequart.org (or fredricwertham.com) to post updates on the production process through the post-production stage.

So from here on out, look for updates every weekend. It may be a small kernel of information, a piece of art, music, or animation, it may be a clip from the film, it may be a status update, or an extensive write-up of an important discovery or some progress in the film. The important thing is to keep your eyes on the updates! I always look forward to your thoughts, suggestions, or insights.

Two exciting interviews have been solidified for July.

From July 22 to the 24^th a small production crew and I will be visiting the SUNY Geneseo campus to interview Dr. Steven Kirsh, author of Media And Youth: A Developmental Perspective and Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence: A Critical Look at the Research. Dr. Kirsh is important to the film for two reasons. One, he has examined and commented on Dr. Wertham’s research and practices in his own books; and two, he has conducted important research and surveys on violence, media and youth, which will play a significant role in the latter half of the documentary.

This traveling shoot will be followed by another important interview.

The producers will be bringing Dr. Bart Beaty to Philadelphia from Calgary to interview him on July 30^th. If you recall from earlier blogs, Dr. Beaty has written the very important book Fredric Wertham and the Critique of Mass Culture which is a re-examination of Dr. Wertham and his book Seduction of the Innocent. As you can assume Dr. Beaty’s research is essential to the film and my goal of capturing the many and diverse views of Dr. Wertham and his ideas.

Finally, I have made a couple of new promos for the film. One was made a couple of weeks back and you may have seen it on my Facebook page (above). The other was made just this morning. Thoughts?

Sincerely,

The Filmmakers (of which you are now included!!)