What is the latest updates on "Tupac Revelation"?
Well the latest is several things:
1. The movie has had its name changed from Tupac: Revelation to Tupac: Assassination –Conspiracy or Revenge?
2. We have a distribution deal and will be issuing a press release about it Weds or Thursday.
3. We have a release date which has slid to September 25, 2007
4. We are as of now accepting preorders on the website http://www.tupacassassination.com/purchaseTN.html ,
a portion of the proceeds from the pre-sales go toward your TupacNation site, we will track the orders!
5. We have a limited edition DVD we are selling for all preorders!
The DVD will be in stores on Tuesday, October 23, 2007. A special limited edition, pre-order Tupac: Assassination DVD signed by Big Frank with a bonus gift of a Tupac poster can be ordered from the Exclusive TupacNation.Com Purchase Link until September 25, 2007.
Are there any new details to the documentary or changes that we should be aware of?
I don’t know how much your readers know about the filmmaking process, but its “lock and cut”, “lock and cut”. “Lock” means the director is satisfied with the content and says “that’s it”. The “Cut” comes after someone with influence or collaboration comes to me and says, “you know..” then the “this or that” they want changed gets looked at.
I think the biggest change that was made was the last one: We cut the movie from 120 minutes to 90. I am not saying anything of substance was lost, though. We were beating a few subjects up a lot and we needed, for pacing sake, to just get it out and move on. This last cut I delivered required a last minute trip to LA and a weekend edit. Straw Weisman, the god of film surgery, also our associate producer, helped me bring the film to where it needed to be.
What type of response have you received for the documentary?
From who (?) (Laughs). You know on issues like this there is no single opinion. Some who have seen the trailer hated it (a minority). Most loved it and the overall response is that the public can hardly wait. So we have that. Recently, some dudes who want to cause trouble and get a rise out of Frank (Alexander) and I have started making up fake names and saying nasty things to try to derail the project; what these folks don’t understand is that controversy sells and all they are doing is drawing more attention to the project.
Some people have expressed that we are dishonoring the death of Pac. I still can’t figure out what planet they are on- I mean, who doesn’t want to get to the bottom of who was responsible for his death? I hope they never have that happen to their child, and have people say “tough luck, just let them rest in peace- who cares who killed them?”
How did you first get involved in creating this new project?
This is an easy one. Frank and I talked about it and decided it was time to a piece about Pac and how the hip-hop industry has changed since then. What we found was that people wanted to catch up with the past. They wanted to talk. We listened. I remember calling Frank and telling him that I was going to have to radically change the direction and focus of the project.
You are working closely on the project with Frank Alexander, who was a close friend of Tupac during his DeathRow time. How did Frank become involved?
It matters to him. Haters either blame him for something he had no control over, or they think that he is out to make a quick buck. Again trying to figure out what planet they are on. This guy believes in what he is saying and with the cast of characters we discuss in the movie, there is a risk to Frank for being the “messenger”. No amount of money is worth you or your family’s safety.
When speaking about the Murder of Tupac, people often are quick to make assumptions or overlook things. Will Tupac Revelation reveal some of the minor details that people have overlooked?
Yes. Many details. The video drops not only trivial misconceptions, but also major details that have become something of legend in their inaccuracy.
How do you believe the fans reactions will be after viewing this documentary?
I truly believe that justice needs to be conveyed. I believe Pac’s fans will agree. At minimum they will have something to talk about. Something real with evidence.
The estate has become involved, and you have received their "blessing" for Revelation. How did you go about getting them on board?
Well, let me be clear here. Yes we have shown a cut of the movie to the estate and yes we have received no objection from their camp on image likeness or copyright infringement. But they of course cannot take a stance and “bless” anything” that is not theirs. And we understand this. So I would not call it a “blessing” as that would mean that they agree with the information on the project. But they respect our 1st amendment rights and the efforts we are taking to stay clear with them through the process.
How much "new" information is really presented here?
Tons. And I want to add that the information is not only a re-staging of events, but from points of view never told before and with a ton of new testimony. Everyone knows (sort of) what happened. We think that this is the most thorough accounting of exactly what happened to Pac and why.
Have you ever spoken to Afeni about the contents of this documentary? Or has it been more lawyers and her representatives that have spoken to you?
More lawyers and Reps. I love Dina LaPolt and Donald David’s efforts to protect the estate and its purity. So many celebrities, especially dead ones end up becoming a caricature of who they were (how many bad John Wayne impressions are out there?) and then are more known for that than who they were. So they keep that. As to Afeni, we hope that she watches it and embraces not necessarily the message, but the effort and the results it is trying to prompt.
Well the latest is several things:
1. The movie has had its name changed from Tupac: Revelation to Tupac: Assassination –Conspiracy or Revenge?
2. We have a distribution deal and will be issuing a press release about it Weds or Thursday.
3. We have a release date which has slid to September 25, 2007
4. We are as of now accepting preorders on the website http://www.tupacassassination.com/purchaseTN.html ,
a portion of the proceeds from the pre-sales go toward your TupacNation site, we will track the orders!
5. We have a limited edition DVD we are selling for all preorders!
The DVD will be in stores on Tuesday, October 23, 2007. A special limited edition, pre-order Tupac: Assassination DVD signed by Big Frank with a bonus gift of a Tupac poster can be ordered from the Exclusive TupacNation.Com Purchase Link until September 25, 2007.
Are there any new details to the documentary or changes that we should be aware of?
I don’t know how much your readers know about the filmmaking process, but its “lock and cut”, “lock and cut”. “Lock” means the director is satisfied with the content and says “that’s it”. The “Cut” comes after someone with influence or collaboration comes to me and says, “you know..” then the “this or that” they want changed gets looked at.
I think the biggest change that was made was the last one: We cut the movie from 120 minutes to 90. I am not saying anything of substance was lost, though. We were beating a few subjects up a lot and we needed, for pacing sake, to just get it out and move on. This last cut I delivered required a last minute trip to LA and a weekend edit. Straw Weisman, the god of film surgery, also our associate producer, helped me bring the film to where it needed to be.
What type of response have you received for the documentary?
From who (?) (Laughs). You know on issues like this there is no single opinion. Some who have seen the trailer hated it (a minority). Most loved it and the overall response is that the public can hardly wait. So we have that. Recently, some dudes who want to cause trouble and get a rise out of Frank (Alexander) and I have started making up fake names and saying nasty things to try to derail the project; what these folks don’t understand is that controversy sells and all they are doing is drawing more attention to the project.
Some people have expressed that we are dishonoring the death of Pac. I still can’t figure out what planet they are on- I mean, who doesn’t want to get to the bottom of who was responsible for his death? I hope they never have that happen to their child, and have people say “tough luck, just let them rest in peace- who cares who killed them?”
How did you first get involved in creating this new project?
This is an easy one. Frank and I talked about it and decided it was time to a piece about Pac and how the hip-hop industry has changed since then. What we found was that people wanted to catch up with the past. They wanted to talk. We listened. I remember calling Frank and telling him that I was going to have to radically change the direction and focus of the project.
You are working closely on the project with Frank Alexander, who was a close friend of Tupac during his DeathRow time. How did Frank become involved?
It matters to him. Haters either blame him for something he had no control over, or they think that he is out to make a quick buck. Again trying to figure out what planet they are on. This guy believes in what he is saying and with the cast of characters we discuss in the movie, there is a risk to Frank for being the “messenger”. No amount of money is worth you or your family’s safety.
When speaking about the Murder of Tupac, people often are quick to make assumptions or overlook things. Will Tupac Revelation reveal some of the minor details that people have overlooked?
Yes. Many details. The video drops not only trivial misconceptions, but also major details that have become something of legend in their inaccuracy.
How do you believe the fans reactions will be after viewing this documentary?
I truly believe that justice needs to be conveyed. I believe Pac’s fans will agree. At minimum they will have something to talk about. Something real with evidence.
The estate has become involved, and you have received their "blessing" for Revelation. How did you go about getting them on board?
Well, let me be clear here. Yes we have shown a cut of the movie to the estate and yes we have received no objection from their camp on image likeness or copyright infringement. But they of course cannot take a stance and “bless” anything” that is not theirs. And we understand this. So I would not call it a “blessing” as that would mean that they agree with the information on the project. But they respect our 1st amendment rights and the efforts we are taking to stay clear with them through the process.
How much "new" information is really presented here?
Tons. And I want to add that the information is not only a re-staging of events, but from points of view never told before and with a ton of new testimony. Everyone knows (sort of) what happened. We think that this is the most thorough accounting of exactly what happened to Pac and why.
Have you ever spoken to Afeni about the contents of this documentary? Or has it been more lawyers and her representatives that have spoken to you?
More lawyers and Reps. I love Dina LaPolt and Donald David’s efforts to protect the estate and its purity. So many celebrities, especially dead ones end up becoming a caricature of who they were (how many bad John Wayne impressions are out there?) and then are more known for that than who they were. So they keep that. As to Afeni, we hope that she watches it and embraces not necessarily the message, but the effort and the results it is trying to prompt.
