You did it: you brought back MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000! Thanks to you, MST3K will be able to shoot FOURTEEN NEW EPISODES next year, including a new holiday special!
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
Just like I promised in Tuesday's update...
And, speaking of wonderful new rewards, I'm excited to share this with you: for the new season, we asked our good friend Gary Glover to help design some official new artwork, and I'm thrilled with how it's coming along. This isn't 100% final – we might tweak it a little – but it should end up looking pretty much like this:
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Pretty neat, huh? You can get a better look at Gary's artwork on the brand new Season 12 T-SHIRT, TOTE BAG and POSTER rewards!
Also, in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the last update, I want to take a minute to repeat three important notes about why we're holding a pledge drive to help with the new season of Mystery Science Theater.
1. You told us you loved being more involved during Season 11.
The most important reason for the Pledge Drive is because we've gotten hundreds of emails and comments and tweets from members of the MST3K Revival League over the last year or two, telling us how much you enjoyed the Kickstarter experience, and being more involved with production, and getting some of the neat rewards we offered – and, most of all, how much you enjoyed knowing that you were an important part of the show getting made!
2. We loved having you more involved during Season 11.
You already know this, but MST3K has always been kind of unique, and we've done things differently than most other shows. And you know, my favorite thing about the Kickstarter isn't just that we got to bring Mystery Science Theater back, but how we got to do it: with you. We got to make the show with, and for, the people who actually loved it most.
When we started the Kickstarter, I didn't realize how special that experience would be, or how wonderful it would be to have fans join us during production, or at the premieres. But it was: creating Season 11 with you didn't just make the show possible, it made it better. The shoot was more fun with fans on set, laughing at jokes. We've gotten so many messages about how it felt good to be part of something – and hey, we felt the same way. That's why...
3. We want you to have the option to get involved again, if you want!
When we really thought about this season, we all knew we wanted to find ways to keep some of that experience going, and to make the process fun for everyone who wanted to keep going with us. And we also knew that there were plenty of MSTies, old and new, who missed out last time, and didn't get to be part of the fun. So, it was important to us to offer another chance.
But here’s the big thing I want you to know: I don't want you to feel like you have to keep making pledges to support Mystery Science Theater, you already #BroughtBackMST3K and we are so grateful. But the truth is, your support still makes a very important difference.
But yeah, the most important thing, whether you decide to pledge or not, is that we're so grateful that you gave us the chance to bring back MST3K, and we're excited that you're still here with us.
Anyway, that's it! Our first PLEDGE DRIVE is now open for business, so I hope you'll take a few minutes to check out some of the ways that you can get rewards and stay involved in the making of the new season, as well as our ongoing innovations like bringing MST3K to the stage and the world of comics!
Let us know what you think!
Cheers and Thanks,
Joel
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Hellllllo, friends! Tom Servo, here. Long-time listener, first-time caller. If you want to help boost the Pledge Drive and preserve Mystery Science Theater 3000 for future generations, it's easy!
Miss the #BringBackMST3K campaign? Ready for more? It's your lucky day! Join me & support the #MST3KPledgeDrive to help @joelhodgson finish the new season of @MST3K + get new exclusive rewards! http://season12.mst3k.com/pledge
How's it going? It's Joel again, back after a pretty busy month! But it was all worth it, because I'm really pleased to share some good news with you:
Now, I've got to say, it was really fun getting our on-set crew back together for the new season. Our production partner, Abominable Pictures, assembled a really wonderful and talented group of folks last time, so I was very happy that so many of them decided to return for Season 12.
In Hollywood, it's actually sort of unusual to get most of the same crew back together each time, because so many people get tied up with other projects and shoots. But my impression is that, even though Season 11 was a very intense and demanding shoot, everyone involved had a lot of fun, liked the finished product, and wanted to be part of doing it again.
Also, I really have to tell you: having so much of our Season 11 crew back made things a lot easier this time around. There are a lot of unusual details about shooting a show like MST3K, and last time, we needed to figure out a lot of it as we went, and there was some extra work involved to help everyone understand the vision, and how to make so much of the show work "in camera" – meaning, to shoot exactly what we wanted in the studio, rather than trying to do most of the work after production, in editing, like a lot of other shows would.
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But even though we had most of our Season 11 crew again, there was one very important person who we just couldn't get back this time: our wonderful co-director from last season, Rob Cohen, who was already tied up directing Stan Against Evil – a great series from our friend (and former MST3K writer) turned showrunner Dana Gould. When we realized the schedule wasn't going to work out this time, Rob and I spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out the right replacement for him – and when he suggested Rob Schrab, I knew he was the perfect choice.
So yeah: Rob Schrab, if you don’t already know, is this incredibly multi-talented guy. He created this long-running, proto-punk comic book series called Scud: The Disposable Assassin, and has written and directed for a ton of great shows, including The Sarah Silverman Program, Children's Hospital and Community. (And speaking of Community, Schrab is also pretty famous for his long-time collaborations with Dan Harmon, with whom he co-created the influential monthly short film showcase Channel 101.) And I'll also have you know, Schrab was a remote writer on MST3K back in the day: when he was about 24, he was one of the writers on Santa Claus Conquers the Martians!
I knew he'd be a perfect fit, and I have to tell you: as our Season 12 co-director, Schrab just killed it. He has this hilarious attitude and shrill voice that helped keep everything moving, even though the set had a real "back to summer camp" atmosphere this time around. He did a fantastic job "running the floor," and made quick work of our ambitious schedule.
Anyway, I’m so pleased to tell you that the Season 12 shoot went beautifully, and that our marvelous cast, crew and creative team have done it again. And this next season, I’m happy to report, holds some of our best work – and crummiest movies – yet.
We can't share too many images from set yet, but I did ask Jonah and Schrab to shoot a quick hello with me just after we finished the last shot:
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After the shoot, I stayed in LA for about a week and we went straight into editing. It's always so satisfying to see the show come together on the screen, and I think you’ll be able to see how our cast and crew and creative team are getting even better at making the show.
The new episodes are looking terrific. Your feedback has been really useful as well, and without revealing any spoilers I hope you’ll find some of your suggestions manifested in the new season.
Of course, even though we're finished shooting the new season, things haven't slowed down much at all. I'm back in the Alternaversal offices now, and things are as busy as ever.
For one thing, we're still involved in post-production on the episodes, and now we're also getting deep into writing and planning our MST3K LIVE 30th Anniversary Tour for later this fall. The shows are selling pretty fast, so if you want to see Jonah Heston, Joel Robinson and our screwy robot companions riffing live on stage, you might want to grab your tickets now.
And, of course, there's the little matter of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 comics. If you've been waiting for more details about our comic book with Dark Horse, be sure to keep an eye on your email over the next week, because I've got something to share with you before San Diego Comic-Con starts next weekend. More on that soon.
Before our team gets back to work planning MST3K LIVE in a few minutes, I wanted to say a few more words about the "MST3K Season 12 Pledge Drive" that I announced last month, since I know a lot of you have questions about it.
Now, there are three important things I’d like to share about why we're doing this:
1. You told us you loved being more involved during Season 11.
The most important reason for the Pledge Drive is because we've gotten hundreds of emails and comments and tweets from members of the MST3K Revival League over the last year or two, telling us how much you enjoyed the Kickstarter experience, and being more involved with production, and getting some of the neat rewards we offered – and, most of all, how much you enjoyed knowing that you were an important part of the show getting made!
2. We loved having you more involved during Season 11.
You already know this, but MST3K has always been kind of unique, and we've done things differently than most other shows. And you know, my favorite thing about the Kickstarter isn't just that we got to bring Mystery Science Theater back, but how we got to do it: with you. We got to make the show with, and for, the people who actually loved it most.
When we started the Kickstarter, I didn't realize how special that experience would be, or how wonderful it would be to have fans join us during production, or at the premieres. But it was: creating Season 11 with you didn't just make the show possible, it made it better. The shoot was more fun with fans on set, laughing at jokes. We've gotten so many messages about how it felt good to be part of something – and hey, we felt the same way.
That's why...
3. We want you to have the option to get involved again, if you want!
When we really thought about this season, we all knew we wanted to find ways to keep some of that experience going, and to make the process fun for everyone who wanted to keep going with us. And we also knew that there were plenty of MSTies, old and new, who missed out last time, and didn't get to be part of the fun. So, it was important to us to offer another chance.
But here’s the big thing I want you to know: I don't want you to feel like you have to keep making pledges to support Mystery Science Theater, you already #BroughtBackMST3K and we are so grateful. But the truth is, your support still makes a very important difference.
But yeah, the most important thing, whether you decide to pledge or not, is that we're so grateful that you gave us the chance to bring back MST3K, and we're excited that you're still here with us.
Anyway, that's all for today. If you want to be sure you get one of the really limited rewards this time, be sure to look for an email (and check our Kickstarter updates) on Thursday morning at 10am!
And as always, thanks for everything.
Cheers & Thanks,
Joel
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
Hey, it's Joel again. Yeah, I know, I just sent you an update on Friday. But you know, at the end of that update, I also told you there were some other special surprises coming up to celebrate Mystery Science Theater 3000's THIRTIETH BIRTHDAY. And last night, I found out that I could share one of the best surprises with you right now, before we tell everyone else.
That's why I'm happy to tell you that…
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That's right, y’all: for this very special anniversary tour, I'm pleased to tell you that Joel Robinson will be returning to the Satellite of Love. I'm back in the red jumpsuit, and this time around, I'll be riffing live on stage, shoulder-to-shoulder with Jonah, Crow, Tom Servo and Gypsy. We had such a wonderful time last summer, meeting so many of you in person, that we wanted to do it again as soon as we could. And having Joel Robinson return to riff after 25 years seemed like the perfect way to celebrate MST3K’s anniversary with you!
We'll be performing two completely different shows as part of the tour, featuring two incredibly strange and cheesy feature films: The Brain, a Canadian sci-fi suburban nightmare, and Deathstalker, a fun sword and sandal epic with some surprisingly muppety monsters!
And, just like last year, we’re traveling all over the United States, and hope you’ll join us in a city near you. Plus, we’ve added some great locations we weren’t able to visit before, including shows in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Connecticut and Maine.
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Since I know a lot of you are going to ask, here's the whole schedule for the tour:
So, there you go. This fall, we'll be on the road for 6 weeks, 29 cities and 42 shows, and I hope some of you will come out to celebrate THIRTY YEARS OF MST3K with us, because I think we'll have a blast. And, as always, since you're the reason the show is alive again after all these years, I wanted to make sure you heard about this before anyone else.
And actually, just like last year, I also want to make sure you get a chance to reserve your seats before anyone else, which is why, once again...
We'll send an update tomorrow morning at 9am Eastern Time with a secret "backers' only" link, and tickets will be available starting at 10am, local time, for each show.
Now, I need to get going, because we're getting ready to start shooting the new episodes, but before I do, I also just want to take a moment to let you know that I've read your comments and questions about last week's update, and I'll do my best to share some more details here.
For those of you who are concerned about our decision to shoot a shorter season, or to make the episodes more "binge-friendly," I hope you'll keep an open mind. We're not changing the style of the show, or dumbing it down, or making concessions. We’re just having some fun with the format, and this new season, and the way it’s structured. We love this season’s lineup of movies. In fact, I honestly think that this could be our best season yet. Also, I suspect that season 12 is going to be the best opportunity yet for you to invite your friends and family to get into the show, if they haven’t already!
And you know, if you don't want to binge, you don't have to – the show will be just as good if you watch one episode at a time. I guess all I was trying to say in the last update is, the world of television has changed a lot in the last 30 years, and we think there are some neat ways for Mystery Science Theater 3000 to have fun with that. You’ll see.
But yeah, for those of you worried because we're "only" making six new episodes, I promise, there's nothing to panic about, so repeat to yourself: "I should really just relax." Shorter seasons don't mean we're going to make fewer episodes, they just mean we're going to make fewer at a time! And like I said last week, that also means we should be able to get them out sooner, and not make you wait so long in between seasons. It’s also, we feel, the best way to help grow the MST3K community – and obviously, that's a really important goal so that the show can keep on having a long and productive life.
I've also seen some of the theories that have popped up since our last update, but you don't need to worry: we're not planning to end the show again after this season. As you know, we’re so happy to have the show back and we’re looking forward to continuing for as long as we can! I also want you to know that Netflix hasn’t forced us to change anything about MST3K, or make creative concessions. They’re actually really enthused about the show.
Also, if anything, my feeling is that being able to shoot shorter seasons is way better for the creative life of the show, and I hope you’ll agree when you see the new season.
So yeah: in conclusion, my friends, it's okay if you're not sure how you feel about last week's update. But before you make up your mind, I hope you'll tune in and see what we’ve done. We've got some really fun surprises (and terrible movies) planned for Season 12, and I'm excited for you to see them!
Anyway, now I really have to get to the studio so we can start shooting – but if you want to come out this fall and join us for the MST3K LIVE 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR, be sure to keep an eye out for the update we'll send at 9am Eastern Time tomorrow!
Cheers & Thanks,
Joel