Classes, Comics, and Television Shows Oh, My!

Hello Folks,
Sorry I haven't posted in awhile but some amazing opportunities have came about for me.

#Prof Tric
I have been teaching the Ancient Roman and Greek History course at the University of the People every term since I was hired at the beginning of the year. My experience working at the University and the interactions I've had with students has been amazing! I'm really looking forward to continuing my teaching at UoPeople far into the future.

University of the People

#IMakeHistorians
Secondly, I have been contracted at Study.com to write history lessons for them. I am so grateful for the opportunity to develop history courses for others. This is part of the realization of my teaching philosophy, "I make historians," because I will be creating the content that teaches and inspires future historians.

Study.com

History Television Programming
Throughout the summer I have been filming and writing a documentary television series for Amazing Productions that features some of the greatest icons from the American West. This series has been a lot of fun. It's given me the ability to again work with Warren Jackson, the outstanding director of UFO: The Otis Files. We finished the last day of filming for this series so during our wrap party/dinner today we discussed working on a children's television show that would teach kids about (what else) history. We will begin filming that later this month through Warren's production company, Muted Madness Films.

Muted Madness Films

UFO: The Otis Files

History Comics
One of the greatest things to happen recently was that I combined my love for comics with my love of history. As many of you may know, I'm a firm believer in using comics to teach a multitude of subjects especially History so I have written some scripts for American Legend Comics that feature historical figures which should be available for purchase early next year (if not earlier). Also, I was approached about writing a graphic novel set in World War II. I'll keep you informed about this project as it unfolds.


#HistoryHappyHour
I'm proud to announce that I will be presenting a lecture on the History of the Lone Ranger for the Whaley Historic House in Flint, Michigan as part of their History Happy Hour. I have been hoping to become a part of this History lecture series for years so I'm proud to be presenting next month on September 7th at Tenacity Brewing.

Whaley Historic House

Tenacity Brewing

More Writing
I have been writing some articles for a website called Indie Volt that features indie comic book creators. This website has been beneficial in spotlighting some great comics from independent creators that would otherwise go unnoticed by the big media outlets. The staff there have been amazing to work with and welcomed me into the fold with open arms.

IndieVolt.com

Another website that I have been asked to write an article for is Groovy Historian. This has long been my favorite history website for years and it is truly an honor to finally be working with them. My article about the Second Punic War should be on the website by the end of the month.

Groovy Historian

UFO: The Otis Files World Premiere

Now that I've recovered from the premiere of UFO: The Otis Files I figured I would post my thoughts on that amazing night.

First off, WOW! A lot of people showed up for the premiere. The theater was almost full which was awesome because I thought we wouldn't even have come close to filling all those seats. It was amazing to feel all the support from our family, friends, fans and Kickstarter backers. We even had to start the movie a half hour later than scheduled because there was a line to buy tickets and everyone wanted pictures with the actors. Also, I loved seeing how excited the cast and crew were to have a premiere for their movie. They are the greatest group of people I've ever had the pleasure to work with and I'm glad that we got to have such an incredible night.

The movie itself was very well received. The audience really got the humor of the film and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Later on, we had an after party at a nearby Bar & Grille. From what I remember, everyone had a lot of fun.

Here are some photos from the premiere:

Thoughts on Filmmaking (aka "How I stopped Worrying about Sleep and Learned to Love Exhaustion")

UFO: The Otis Files stars David C. Hayes as Otis. Produced by Muted Madness Films and Tyghtrope Media

Some of you may know that recently I dove into the wonderful (and all consuming) world of filmmaking. It has been an incredible yet exhausting process which I'm glad is coming to a close. I've spent the last month or two doing podcast to promote the film, driving out to Lansing, MI to edit with the film's director, Warren Jackson, and stressing out over the Kickstarter being funded.

I've learned a lot about filmmaking from working on this project and a lot about myself as a screenwriter. Having written the script, I thought I might have a hard time letting go of any control I had over what I wrote. Luckily, Warren Jackson is a brilliant director and all the cast members had an amazing understanding of their characters and comedic timing. All the cast and crew enhanced the bare-bones script I had written and fleshed it out to be a truly hilarious film.

During the editing process I discovered that almost anything is possible with Final Cut Pro software. There were so many effects we were able to do during editing that it inspired additional "Otis Vision" daydream sequences that we added to the film to give the audience insight into the mind of Otis.

Mostly, I'm just glad that so many talented people invested their time and skills in making this film as well as the Kickstarter Backers who invested their finances in order for us to have a red carpet film premiere May 6th in Howell, MI at the Howell Historic Theater. I'm overwhelmed that so many people including the cast, crew, and backers believed so much in this film. It wouldn't have happened without all of you.

Sincerely,

Trico J. Lutkins