http://www.amazon.com/Pulp-Fusion-RAW-Shorts-Collection/dp/B00212TYIO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1238348813&sr=8-5

Return to menu authoring is okay for the DVD proof, however, for the Video on Demand movie conversion, you must set up a new movie file that plays continuously, and flows through to the next title–from one film to the the next to the next. Amazon calls it “straight-through-playing.” Although I wish I’d known this sooner it did help me to create a bid of advertising for myself.

I spent the better part of Thursday re-authoring my DVD. I was hit with a bit of inspiration. I went with a Grindhouse strategy. I created one file with all the films and then I inserted trailers from my upcoming films between the films. The films and trailers have a total running time of 1:06, which is cool because it’s almost like a feature film.

Unfortunately I had problems soon after related to Compressor not working. iDVD and DVD Studio Pro were giving me writer errors, so I went with Roxio Toast instead. At some point very soon I must uninstall and reinstall Final Cut Studio.

So if you’re authoring a DVD for Amazon CreateSpace (and I assume this goes for Amazon Unbox as well) either, create one continuous file or author the DVD setting each track to default to the next asset or playlist item. Do not default back to menu or submenu.

If you know of a better way to do this please let me know

Note: I make a cameo appearance in one of the above-mentioned films

"PULP FUSION: RAW Shorts Collection" DVD cover

The CreateSpace account setup was fairly simple; I’ve completed similar tasks while submitting my films to film festivals and screenwriting contests over the past nine years. The interesting part came when the site called for my DVD cover artwork and disc artwork.

I make a habit of making an Internet sized film poster of all my films. Doesn’t matter if the poster is cheesy, plain, ordinary or what, I just make it to have it. I’m lucky enough to have gotten fairly well-versed at photoshop, particularly as PSD files are concerned. PSD files are more robust than simple jpegs. 

I jammed and quickly grabbed screenshots from my films, or I used the previous film posters (one-sheets). Since this is a short film compilation I needed to find five posters for the five films that will appear on the DVD. I found them, layered them on a textured background, created a drop shadow so each posters stands out and moved on to the text.

Pulp Fusion DVD Disc Cover

Again I’m lucky. I’m a writer and writing comes easier for me than speaking — however sad that may sound. Truthfully, I can literally adapt on the fly and write anything. Thankfully, in the past I’ve also studied promotion and marketing (ie advertising). The blurbs for the DVD cover insert were written and proofed within the 2 hours it took me to complete the assignment.

Like editing, I’ve had to learn to do this stuff on my own. I’ve worked with editors and graphic designers int he past, but I’ve never been satisfied with the levels of commitment to the work. While many of these folks are better than me in skill, they haven’t proven to be as good as I in commitment. And there you are.

What remains is for me to receive the DVD proof of the artwork from Amazon and then ship my DVD to them. One these two last items are checked off, my DVD will be on the market! Wow, I’m excited. This is the culmination of many years of hard work: writing, producing and churning out as many films as possible. 

As I mentioned there are five films included on the DVD. This DVD actually serves as a prelude to my next DVD release (coming very soon) Pulp Fusion: The Resurrection of Serious Rogers. The reason the RAW shorts collection is a prelude is because I used many clips and sequences from the RAW shorts to complete my neo-noir art house drama, The Resurrection of Serious Rogers. Those who obtain the first Pulp Fusion Series DVD will be ahead of the game in spotting how I was able to adjust the narrative of the feature to include the clips from the short films.

Originally I had decided to include the shorts on  the feature film DVD and make it a two-disc set. However, because of the contracts involved with the short films, the resulting pay-outs would tap into my margin. Since The Resurrection of Serious Rogers is my film creation I thought it best to separate the two Pulp Fusion Series DVD’s.