Visit Black Flag TV

Visit Sv Bell's Art Shop!


SV BELL PRINTS AND MERCH AVAILABLE THRU PIXELS / FINE ART AMERICA

Back to Sv Bell's Blog Front Page

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Movie Poster Art I made for Slasher Horror Death Dive!

I've been fortunate enough to be invited by canadian filmmaker Alain Vézina to take care of the artwork for his latest horror movie, entitled "Death Dive" (in french: "Le Scaphandrier").

The film tells the story of a dead diver who's treasure has been taken away from a wreck, and he comes back to life to claim what's his. And take a few lives on the way. With the help of an army of zombies of course. This is Alain's second horror feature film. His first one (La Morte Amoureuse) is available on DVD here.



This slasher horror film is very 80s, and that was the goal from the producers and the filmmaker. I created the art to follow the same retro pattern. Not sure when the DVD will come out, it still has to go thru the approval process at the distributor's, but the film's producers are all excited about this cover.

I'll let you know when a release date is announced!


Official trailer (in french):



Enjoy!!
- Sv Bell

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Black Flag Pictures Stuff No Longer on Amazon!

You may have seen my tweets already, but I have removed all my stuff from Amazon! Now on, for everything Black Flag Pictures, please visit my store right here!

Why removing everything from Amazon? Well, several reasons, mainly that Amazon doesn't bring me much new customers. I was basically sending them buyers, and they'd take a markup on the sales. So I'd rather keep my own customers on my own web store instead of sending them somewhere else and have a billion dollar company monetize on my efforts.

Should Amazon eventually want to buy volume of my DVDs or books to offer on their site at discount, I have no problem with that! But until then, use my own store! You'll love it, I promise!

- Sv Bell

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Cosplay section coming on Black Flag TV website

I'm working on it!
A new section dedicated to cosplay models is opening this week, and will be gradually deployed on my website. It's already accessible, though there's very little content as of writing this. More models will be listed in the next few days (and the following weeks!)

I've always been a fan of that culture; back in the early 80s when I started to do conventions, I always enjoyed to see people dressing up in comic book characters or TV icons! So I wanted to have a place where I could share the love, pay tribute to those models who have a passion for costuming and modeling, and in some cases do it professionally. That will be my tiny and humble contribution to the movement.

And maybe, just maybe, one day, I'll be fortunate enough to see someone cosplaying one of the comic book characters I created!

Sv Bell
 

Sunday, March 1, 2015

5 times more exposure for Black Flag TV advertisers

It's been brought to my attention yesterday that the ads I run on my websites were underperforming.

Not that they didn't generate a lot of money (digital ads never do anyway) but the fact that I had so many options available in so many separate sections, advertisers were not getting enough visibility.

So I've reduced the amount of options in order to give more exposure to every advertiser.

That means an advertiser will have his banner displaying on ALL pages of my cluster of websites, instead of running on a certain section only. That means an advertiser now gets FIVE TIMES more visibility than before.

Should you want to throw a bid on an ad, visit ProjectWonderful.BlackFlag.TV

Cheers!
-Sv Bell

Friday, February 27, 2015

Ad spaces consolidation! Or Two for the price of one.

I just made a slight change to the advertising spaces on my website.

Now on, the same advertiser owns both the top and bottom of all pages on the site. I thought it would be cool to have the same brand to open and close every page.

Should you want to place ads for your comics, books, fundraiser or anything, visit ProjectWonderful.BlackFlag.TV

Cheers!
-Sv Bell

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Free ads available on Black Flag TV website

OK, nothing is free you'll say.
What's the gimmick, you'll ask...

There's none! Simply put, the banner ads on my website are up for auction, and I've set the minimum bid to $0. That means you can run your banners on my pages totally free of charge, until someone decide to bid a penny. Otherwise you have nothing to pay. Pretty neat!

Banners on my site don't go thru an approval process. You're going live right away!

That's the perfect option for indie filmmakers and comic book artists, to advertise their Kickstarter and IndieGogo campaigns!

How to go to get your banners displaying across my pages?
Easy enough - click here to join Project Wonderful (free of course), upload your banners, and select which page(s) on my site you want your banners to display!

Good luck!
-Sv Bell

Sunday, February 22, 2015

New Trading Cards coming this week!

Everytime I see you folks in comics convention, you ask me "Got any new trading cards, brother?" Guess what? Next time you will ask me, I will be able to respond "Yes, YES!"

Color 2 sides, 16pts stock, laminated.
Because I'm getting a new run of trading cards this week. Finally! Two new cards to add to the lineup. Mainly used as freebies and gifts for people subscribing to my comic books, these lil'things are sexy as Hell. Take my word for it.

Want your kit of cards? All numbered, with illustrations I did: covers, paintings, heavy metal art, and still photos taken from my horror movies. All packaged in a lovely resealable bag. Get'em while they're... OK it's getting cheesy now.

'Nuff said, here's the Paypal link to order the kit for $5 postpaid.

Thanks!
-Sv Bell

Friday, February 20, 2015

No budget to advertise your stuff? No problem!

Comic books?
Self-published author?
Crowdfunding your project?
Advertising your Amazon or Etsy store?
Advertising your Ebay auctions?


I've been there too, you have great stuff to advertise, but no money to do it...
There's only so much you can do thru social media before feeling like you're spamming your friends.

That's why I'm offering banner ads on my website for free.

Well not really for 'free', since placement are auction-based, BUT I have set the minimum bid to $0. That means if no one has paid for the space, you can use it to promote your stuff, at no cost.

You can see the current bids of the ads right under the banners. If it states 0$, that's because the ads are currently free and you can run your banner at will.

You can take a peek at all the spaces available
via my Project Wonderful profile.

That is also where you upload your banners, and publish them on my website. Joining is free, by the way. Can't beat that!

(Don't have a banner? Drop me a line, maybe I can arrange that.)

Enjoy!
-Sv Bell

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Black Flag TV Website Facelift

I felt like it was time to slightly update my website. Some minor changes, but that gives a bold new look to the whole thing.

Darn! I'm having more and more pages and content to show the visitors! The usual webmaster trap, we always want to have everything accessible from the main page. So I changed a bit the navigation, all the main links are in the header, but there's loads of stuff that's more or less hidden on the pages.

I leave it to you to find out where are the easter eggs!

Sv Bell

Monday, February 16, 2015

Comics: Apple picking doesn't help the fruit producer!

We live in a fantastic age with the internet! Comics fans now have an unbelievable selection of comic books to chose from, available online. Comics that can be ordered right from the artists themselves!

La Boite à B.D. de Laval
Doesn't it feel great to buy a comic book from the artist? It's so - Oh! so - very satisfying for a comic book fan to get the goods right from the hands of the author. And believe it's the best way to buy something. Because all the money goes right from your hands to those of the artist. No one in between to take a cut!

Folks, sorry to break your bubble here, but brutal truth is: it doesn't really help the artists.

Don't get me wrong. Sure, as an author, it's really satisfying to get an e-mail, a Paypal payment for those comics we make with passion. Often, comics are printed low runs on-demand, and money is always, always welcome to recoup the investment.

But what's even more satisfying is to receive an email from a retailer, or even better, a distributor. Selling comics to fans, one by one, is very cool, but retailers will buy comics 10 (or more) at a time. And a distributor will buy in bulks of hundreds. Or thousands. Yes, they do take a markup, sometimes an outrageous one, but in the other hand when we publishers print runs of comics in quantity, the production prices go dramatically down. Down to the point where it's more interesting to sell in bulk with 60% discount than it is selling comics one by one directly to readers.

«So... what are you saying? Not to buy from you?»

Of course not. My online store is always open! But before ordering from me (or from your favorite artist), check if the comics are available at your local shop. If the retailers hear about our comics, they might be up to order them, and carry the entire series in their stores.

Volume is the key. What helps the most a small indie publisher is selling in bulk. And retailers play a critical role. Ask your retailer for the title you want to get even if you know they don't carry it just yet.

Remember: would Metallica have made it if they were pressing their own albums to sell fans?

Sv Bell

Friday, February 13, 2015

Why books in print? Why records on vinyl?

There's a whole lot of stuff web-based companies and e-marketers won't tell you. Stuff like: real world still exist. And it's where you should look to have an idea of how the future is shaped. Not online. You know movies are fake, right? Now see the web as a movie. Because that's what it is!

Occasionally I get mail from people asking me how come I haven't uploaded my comics online, and offer them on various digital platforms, e-reader and the like. Why?

Simply because I prefer my comics available in print, on paper. I feel like having them displayed on a screen kills all its value, and kills the experience of flipping thru pages. Nobody can brag about having a sentimental attachment to a digital file. But they do feel something for a book they hold in their hands, and that is what really matters to me regarding my comics!

Offering books in digital format as a way to bring in extra revenues for an author selling physical books? How about offering a book on digital platform impact physical sales... Because it does. The general thinking goes like: "Hey it's available online, one day I'll download it." In most cases that day often never comes.

In the other hand, when you walk in a store, grab a book that interest you, chances are you think "Hey, I'm here, I like this book, I have it in my hands, so while being at it, let's buy it..." Why is that? Because it's physical. It exists, and unlike a digital file that will be available online forever (in legit or pirated form), there is a possibility you may not find the physical book again somewhere.

That's the real world.

Same applies to vinyl records. It's cool to buy and download a digital album from your favorite band. What kind of attachment do you have with the album? None. It's another icon in your player. You are attached to your mobile, tablet, iPod, but are you feeling anything for the files it contains? You connect only with the real, physical world. Same goes for the records you have on your shelve... You like them. They ain't perfect, records may be scratchy, sleeves may show signs of wear, but they're there in your hands. The real world connection always work.

We can go on and on. Are you taking photos? Probably. Like many people during vacations you will take thousands of pictures. And store them online, or on a disc. But you don't print them on paper. The interesting part is, photos on paper stays forever. They're in the real world. You still have (and cherish) those 36 photos from 1985 in an album on your shelve. But do you remember where are the thousands of digital pictures you took last summer?

Digital world means big numbers, but that's all what it is. Numbers!

sv bell

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

My new doodles site coming soon!

I'm preparing a new section on my website, where I'll be posting on a regular basis some rough sketches and doodles.

The name?
Monsters and Models!

I'm populating it right now, adding some content, and will go live in a few days!

Nothing but rough black and white marker sketches. For some reason I wanted to have it separated from my paintings and comics area. Though both pages will be linked, of course.

I also have in mind to post a doodle every 48 hours, sketch something new, force me to spend more time away from the keyboard, and make it some sort of challenge. Kind of. But - hey! - you now how it is.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Wondering why there's only reboots and remakes lately?

This Variety article about the Jupiter Ascending flop sums it all. It goes along the lines of what I've been saying for years.

There is no lack of creativity in Hollywood.

Movies are expensive, and investors are simply afraid of throwing money in a film that audience won't go to see.

Investors are afraid to throw money in a film that will end up free to download from torrents hours after the premiere. Sometimes even before the premiere.

When something new comes out, give it a shot, try it! I know it's an expensive try, but see it as an investment and support for a studio who might want to try again something new next time. Otherwise, the message they'll get is: stick to remakes and reboots.

sv bell

Want to give exposure to your Kickstarter or IndieGogo campaigns?

Well hear this: ads on my sites start at 1¢ a day. That's right!

Use Project Wonderful, upload your banners, and throw in your bid on my site!
https://www.projectwonderful.com/viewprofile.php?id=105955&tag=105955

The system is auction-based. If you want to bump out someone elses' ads, you increase your bid and spread across all the pages of BlackFlag.TV

If you set your bid at 1$ a day, and the second highest bidder is 5¢, then you only pay 6¢. You know how auction works...!

I recently created a blog sectionon my site, so since it's pretty new, there's very little advertisers. That means you can bid 0¢ and you still have exposure. Give it a try and see how it works for you!

https://www.projectwonderful.com/viewprofile.php?id=105955&tag=105955

See you there!
sv bell