About

a.k.a. How This Whole Thing Got Started

Welcome to Shoom Zone Productions!  Let me introduce myself.  My name is Amanda Rogers and I’m a rather new independent producer with a couple of projects under my belt.  I’m also a fan of “The Invisible Man” (Syfy Channel 2000 – 2002).  I began watching the show on June 9, 2000, when the Pilot episode first aired on the Syfy Channel (back then known as the Sci-Fi Channel).  While the trailers made the show look interesting, I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting much.  However, the Pilot was so well done that I decided to give the show a chance.  I was anticipating that I-Man was going to be your basic run-of-the-mill formula show and that I would quickly get bored with it.  But this show really surprised me and by the third episode I was a die-hard fan.

In my wildest dreams, I could have never imagined back then that some day I would be developing a film that featured the entire original I-Man cast.  And yet here I am, years later, doing exactly that.

It all started in February of 2005 when Mike McCafferty(Eberts), who knew the fans wanted to see the show continue, suggested to me that I make an I-Man fan film.  Cool idea, I thought.  But what did I know about filmmaking?  Back then…virtually nothing.  And what the heck was a fan film?

So I went home and googled “fan film” and can’t say I was really impressed with what I saw, but I do admire the ingenuity of the fans who make them and who do the best they can with virtually no budget.  Over the next few days I kept thinking about the idea of doing a film with the I-Man cast.  In fact, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head!  This was a chance to possibly get the show back and the cast together again.  How could I pass up this opportunity?  I couldn’t.

I started making phone calls and looking into what was involved in developing a project of this sort.  I quickly learned that there was a great deal of work and money involved in making a film…even a short film.  Not to mention the hurdle of getting permission from the rights holder.  It wasn’t until I got some preliminary interest from a financing source that I realized that I had a chance of getting what I really wanted…a full-length I-Man feature movie with enough of a budget to make a film worthy of this wonderful cast.

To make a long story short, back to Mike I went telling him about my findings and suggesting that we go for a feature film.  He was supportive of the idea.  Then, wanting to be sure that I wasn’t wasting my efforts and resources for naught, I contacted Vincent Ventresca (Darien Fawkes), Paul Ben-Victor (Bobby Hobbes), and Eddie Jones (The Official).  They too were supportive of the idea and expressed the desire to work together again.

Man, I love this cast.

I wish I could say that I was successful in obtaining the feature film rights to “The Invisible Man,” but, alas, I was turned down.  I had talked to enough people in the business to know that getting those rights was a long shot.  Everyone told me that the studios almost never give up their rights.  So it wasn’t really a surprise, but I had to try.  The cast, however, has not been easily deterred and they expressed to me the desire to get together and create our own film…something original…where rights weren’t an issue.  So I decided to go for it.

I’m working to make an original feature film in the same sci-fi/superhero genre that I-Man was, but with the actors playing completely different characters in a completely different story.  I may not be able to copy I-Man, but I can show off that same wonderful chemistry that makes this cast so special.  Of course, hope springs eternal, and I’m hoping that if this movie is a wildly successful hit, the studio will take another look at I-Man.  If I had a successful movie with the cast under my belt, I know I would definitely take another shot at either licensing the rights or offering to produce an I-Man movie for them.

Whatever happens, I have Mike McCafferty and I-Man to thank for turning me on to the world of film production.  I admit that I’ve become hooked.  I’ve learned a lot and still have a lot to learn, but I find the idea of taking a project that you love and making it happen irresistible.  And what better than a film with my favorite cast?

Please join me as I write about my adventures developing and producing a film featuring the I-Man cast.  Whether you’re a fan, a colleague, or just an interested observer, you’ll be able to follow along with me on my Blog as I navigate the world of film production.  In addition, I’ll still do the fan thing and keep everyone up to date on cast and crew projects.