Henu Productions Blog

Round and Round

Just saw the trailer for the new film “2012”.  Apparently, the Mayan Calendar signals the end of the world as we know it.  Yeah, yeah, I’ve read the more sensible explanations as to what that December 21, 2012 date really signifies – how it’s all cyclical and the world’s not ending so much as it’s beginning again.  Blah, blah, blah.  Roland Emmerich can’t make a kick-ass disaster movie out of all that spiritual circle of life gobble-de-gook.  He needs the world. to. end. 

Oddly it reminded me of scene in the middle of “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”, another disaster flick that’s been bringing in big audiences.  As giant food falls from the sky a reporter notes that all the major capitals seem to be getting hit by the storm first before it spreads across the globe.  So in “2012” we see the White House and St. Paul’s Cathedral crushing and being crushed, and then random other places are engulfed by the destruction.  Thank goodness for the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben and the Great Wall of China.  No one wants to see a meteorite hit a cornfield in Nebraska.  And a lot of people are actually hoping for the destruction of the crappy little towns they left behind after high school.  So you gotta go for the big stuff.  If the government can’t save the Golden Gate Bridge then we all are surely doomed.

It’s all about symbols, old and new.   We give them power as surely as the gods themselves.  The Hollywood sign signifies a town, an industry, a dream, while the lost knowledge of an ancient civilization equals mysticism and magic.  Since humans first wandered the planet we have identified symbols and then gathered them around us to protect our friends and families and to wreak havoc on our enemies.    Once we gazed into a fire and imagined our futures.  Now we bask in the glow of a movie screen.  If we are to believe the movie industry’s interpretation of that ancient calendar, we’ll soon be gazing into campfires again.  We are as cyclical as the Mayans predicted...

What Was That??!!

Hi Gang---

Things have been crazy busy here at Henu. I though I would try something new and post a video entry to this blog. This is a tale that occurred during our recent visit to the Nevada desert in search of little green men. Did we find something else instead? You decide.



Ace

Nobles of the Mystic Shrine*

We’ve been staying pretty close to home base these days.  We’re editing the SCi about why we need to believe in “the other”, working on the website, organizing the November conference and generally messing about in boats, so to speak.  But of course, the elephant in the room is Dan Brown’s Lost Symbol coming out in September.  The glare of a very large spotlight will soon hit us squarely in the face as people await Simon’s next best-selling companion book.  The publishers expect Simon’s manuscript on their desk two weeks after Brown’s book is released.  Simon won’t be getting a sneak peek or advance copy.  He will simply read Brown’s book on September 15 and then work non-stop to create the unauthorized, authoritative guide in 14 short days.  They want Decoding the Lost Symbol on the shelves by November 1.  Oh my.  Can old school publishing somehow meet the new media demands of instant mass distribution?   

Simon is back in the UK right now.  Sort of “in training” for the writing process.  He’s been reading every book he can get his hands on that might relate to the many hints Brown’s publisher has been releasing regarding the mysterious subject matter.  Freemasonry, the Founding Fathers, symbols and maps, clues and imagery – all centered in Washington, DC, the most symbol-filled city in the US.  Simon reads and summarizes and cross-references and fills book margins with his own illegible “symbols” that will help him quickly create Decoding.  

Of course, I’m trying to be supportive but I’m following my usual pattern of getting completely ahead of myself.  I’m totally distracted by what I’m pretty sure is going to be a super fun production for Unlocking the Lost Symbol’s DVD.

See, I love Washington, DC.  I get all caught up in the history and the beauty and the, well, symbolism of the place.  I was a snare drummer in my high school and college marching bands, so I know all those John Philip Sousa marches* backwards and forwards – the minute I step onto the National Mall, the piccolo part from "Stars and Stripes Forever" starts whistling through my head, and I can’t stop smiling.

I joined Henu Productions because it provided the opportunity to learn about subjects and visit places that I find deliciously evocative and enticing.  Cairo and Kabul. Tiahuanaco and Taklamakan.  Wewelsburg and Washington.  Atlantis and Area 51.  Oh, right, Area 51.  Back to the editing room for SCi’s “Little Green Men and Other Strange Beliefs.”  But soon, we’ll cross the Potomac…

Your pal,

     MjM

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together

This have been very busy in the Henu camp!  We have been moving full steam ahead on the various projects that fill our days and sleepless nights.  I though I would take a moment to give you a quick run down on the wonders to come.

Sci: Little Green Men

We have made a couple of great road trips to begin filming the new Simon Cox Investigates series.  The first is all about why people seem to have the eternal need to believe in “The Other”.  It is different for everyone, for some it is God, for some it is that Aliens live among us.  Still others believe that salvation lies in the power of the crystals.  Our inaugural outing of SCi tackles this topic head on.  We started with the belief that so many have in UFOs. 

 

So, first we headed out to the mysterious Area 51 near a little town called Rachel, NV.  After experiencing a night in the only rent lodging in Rachel (a series of double wide trailers) that were haunted no less (see the video blog for that tale - coming soon), we managed to get some really great footage all around Area 51.  I must admit that it was a great deal of fun mixed in with that sense of danger that comes when men in Camo and guns are watching your every move from their armored vehicles in the desert.

A couple of weeks later we headed out to Roswell, NM to see the famous Corona crash site for ourselves.  The whole town of Roswell is focused on this event from 1947.  For a town wholes reported population is around 50,000 – there are a whole hell of a lot of shops that sell UFO memorabilia.  The coke machines have aliens on them – even the street likes are made up to look like visitors!  We managed to take in the sights and talk to some interesting people. 

Heading back to California, we made a quick stop at the famous Meteor Crater to see the impact site of a world changing event.  The wind was intense, but we all enjoyed the view.  We did have a moment of musical history when we stopped for gas at a little truck stop in Arizona.  As I got the receipt for the gas from the pump, I happened to notice the address was in Winslow, AZ.  The famous Eagles song “Take It Easy” immediately sprang to wind and I realized I actually was standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona!  Jenifer and I sang the song all the way into the diner! 

On the way back to Los Angeles, we stopped over in Sedona, AZ to check out the Vortexes that are reported to exist there.  I must admit that Sedona is one of the most beautiful spots I have seen!  But sadly, I felt no vortex activities.  We did get some great visuals in the paradise and Simon did a great job despite the fact that he was hounded daily by a sore tooth and the day-to-day rigors of dealing with the changes in diet that road trips inevitably bring with them.

Our trusty director Joel has been doing an awesome job and the initial edited scenes he has assembled are looking even better then I had hoped!  Check out the stuff on the site by SCi Preview.  This is getting really exciting!

 

Decoding The Lost Symbols Conference

Everything is set for the first of our Decoding The Lost Symbol conferences.  Set to take place on Nov 8 at the beautiful Glendale Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, and the speakers are all book.  As a special treat, we will also have John and Erik from “Asia featuring John Payne” performing some tracks from a special Henu project they are working on as well as several Asia classic hits!  For all the details on the conference, head on over to this link.

The Architects Of Time

John Payne is best known for being the voice of 80s classic rockers ASIA.  He took over vocal duties in 1991 and fronted the band until 2006 when he went on to form a new project called GPS.  John is now working directly with us on a new concept we are all very excited about.  The project has been dubbed “Architects of Time” and it sees John composing music that is a companion for Simon’s latest offering, “Decoding The Lost Symbol”.  John also penned the theme song to the SCi series.  You can hear that track by checking out the SCi trailers located here.  We plan to have this project ready to roll by the end of the year, but we will be presenting little snippets over the ensuing weeks and months to come.

Simon Cox Investigates: Egypt

The first of our new tours to investigate some of the world’s most interesting places is almost set to roll!  More then just a travel group, we invite people to join Simon on his Investigations on the mysteries of Ancient Egypt.  Between Jan 25 and Feb 10, we will be taking a group of you to explore the wonders of the Pyramids and Tombs of Egypt.  Be there are we explore the mysteries and debate the history of the land of the Pharaohs.  We will be posting details very soon on the site.  In the mean time, if you are interested in more info, shoot me an email at ace@henuproductions.com and I will send you the link when it is all set to roll.

Lots more on the go – but that will wait until next time.  See you soon!

Ace

It's in the Cards

She looked so normal.  I mean, no crystal ball or turban or creepy, unidentifiable accent.  Just, well, normal.  But she was about to read the tarot cards for our beloved leader, Simon Cox, do a little light palmistry, and then identify his inner animal spirit guides.  Fantastic!

Our trusty director of photography, Joel, was doing his best to get some good shots in Krista’s comfy, but small alcove off the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in Los Angeles.  I was helping.  (Really, I was.  I had a clipboard and everything.)  As Simon continues his investigation into why we believe, we were there to find out more about people who look to psychics and card reading for guidance. 

And then, with no fanfare whatsoever, she began dealing the cards and talking.  It was fascinating to watch because she wasn’t making a big deal of anything or asking Simon any leading questions.  She was just kind of calling it as she saw it.  No big revelations, but certainly some valid insights into Simon’s personality. 

The palmistry was fun because it was determined that Simon’s lifeline runs right off his hand.  Yes, you read it here first.  Simon Cox is immortal.  But the best part was the whole animal spirit guide thing.  If you are a fan of this set of cards, I apologize in advance for my rudimentary understanding of how it is supposed to work.  What I did understand is that the dog, wolf, badger, and wild boar all represent aspects of Simon’s personality at different times in his life.  And as Krista expounded on the traits that go along with those animals, it seemed to me to be remarkably accurate description of Simon.

As we were leaving she mentioned that one of the cards dealt had to do with building and was often associated with Freemasonry.  We all had to smile since Simon’s next book will be the companion book for Dan Brown’s “Lost Symbol,” which many people believe will explore the secret society of Freemasonry.

Just a coincidence, right?

Your pal,
     MjM

Meeting and Moving Forward

This week has shown a great amount of movement here at Henu Productions.

Joel Schroeder and Simon have been working hard on the edit of the materials that we gathered from Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona.

I haven't had the chance to share with you the fun of visiting Sedona and the UFO museum in Roswell.  The people who populate these towns are very special.  The belief systems that are associated with these areas play a major role in their lives.  I was able to interview both the head of the International UFO Museum (who was born and raised in Roswell and who has a very special connection to the UFO controversy) and a South Korean healer in Sedona (she saw visions of Sedona while meditating in Asia and knew that is where she would end up).  They were both fascinating people with great insights of offer on the nature of belief.

More soon,

Jennifer

Red Lights, White Mailboxes, and Little Green Men

So a few weeks ago we were on the road to Area 51.  Five people, camera gear, luggage, and a substantial bag o’ snacks crammed into a Cadillac Escalade with flames painted on each side.  We rocketed north out Los Angeles towards the far side of Vegas – a seemingly endless swath of dust, cacti, and occasional bomb craters officially known as the Nellis Air Force Base Test and Training Ranges.

We’ve all known each other for a while – years even – but this was our first road trip together.  I was in the backseat, in the middle.  The spot I fondly remember from my youth as the “hump seat” due to the lump in the floorboard caused by the driveshaft running underneath the family car.  Modern technology has smoothed out the floors of today’s vehicles, so that wasn’t an issue.  But the feeling that my siblings were going to start flicking me in the back of the head at any minute never quite went away.

With nothing of particular interest speeding past our windows, we were a captive audience for Ace and Simon, who declared themselves the trip DJs and began to “educate” the rest of us. Two bigger music fans I have never met.  Their depth of knowledge and range of musical taste was astounding and a little bit frightening.  Both have been band tour managers so there wasn’t just running commentary about the music, there was info on the band members, producers, record labels, groupies, and all sorts of random minutia. 

Soon, mercifully, they were so busy entertaining each other that they forgot about those of us in the backseat.  Joel (DP), Jen (Exec Prod), and I chatted about nothing in particular, although there was a delightful interlude during  which we described our favorite Dairy Queen treats.  Good times.

We were off to shoot our first series for Simon Cox Investigates – “Little Green Men and Other Strange Beliefs.”  Along the way we shopped at the Alien Beef Jerky store in Baker, traveled the Extra Terrestrial Highway,  marveled at the giant metal man in front of the Alien Research Center, chatted with the locals at the Little A’Le’Inn, and watched the night skies near the legendary Black Mailbox (now painted white).  It seemed like the little red lights on our cameras were always lit and it was great. 

Our journey to the gates of the Nellis AFB Ranges containing Area 51 (aka “Dreamland,” “Paradise Ranch,” and “the Box”) was one of the highlights of the trip.  In movies people are always breaking into top secret places or smuggling out top secret documents, but when you come up against a real place with real warning signs and real guys with real guns, well, your perspective changes a bit.  The military has every intention of keeping the secrets within those gates, including whatever monkey business that may have occurred in Area 51.   The “camo dudes” (armed guards in camouflage gear) positioned on surrounding hills spend their hot, dusty days watching the roads for potential threats – and for idiots who think it would be fun to step over the line just to see what happens.  Putting a boot on the neck of such a prankster would totally make their day.  So, when an unmarked truck suddenly came down the road towards us while we were filming, we immediately decided that, hey, maybe we have enough footage of this area, you know?  Maybe it was time to head back to town.  Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.  And the flame-painted Escalade made a neat little U-turn and we skedaddled.

Before we said our farewells to Rachel, Nevada, and the surrounding area, we interviewed the owner of the Little A’le’Inn (“aliens are among us; they take over our bodies…”), a woman behind the counter at a local gas station (“those lights are just Air Force maneuvers…”), and other folks with varying opinions about what they believe, what others believe, and why it all seems to matter so much.  FYI, no one at the Dairy Queen in Baker seemed to have a strong opinion about the subject, but the Blizzards and the Dip Cones were most excellent.

Can’t wait to show you the footage.  (teaser!!)  I’ll let you know when it’s gonna hit the website.

Your pal,
    MjM

The Other Side of Show Biz

First of all, in the interest of full disclosure, I want to say that this really is a fun job.  Any whining that may crop up in this or future posts is simply that – self-indulgent whining.  I have been toiling away in the show business trenches longer than I’d like known here on the interwebs, and I am here to tell you that I have had really bad jobs.  The reason Jeremy Piven’s over-the-top character is so affecting on “Entourage” is because he’s based on a real over-the-top agent.  The crazies, the screamers, the debauched, and the recently-placed-on-probation really do exist here in Hollywood, and they all have downtrodden assistants with therapists on speed dial or impossibly high bar tabs (or both).  If one of the afore-mentioned nutjobs gets a show on the air, they then have entire crews working horrible hours trying to capture their OxyContin-laced Bloody Mary-induced fever dreams on tape.  (Oh my, the bitterness is showing and apparently it requires a lot of hyphens.  I’ll stop now.)

But new media, good friends, and a generous serving of luck have landed me in the lap of Henu Productions and the amazing (if slightly, um, skewed) vision of Simon Cox.  It is a refreshing, exhilarating, and creative wonderland of possibility that looks very shiny even from my jaded perspective.  What I found most attractive and intriguing was the idea of a website that made use of all the creative arts to explore ideas.  We’re currently working on our first show under the “Simon Cox Investigates” banner.  The topic is belief and why we need “the other”.  A bit esoteric, you might say, but we enter the discussion in an unusual way – the 1947 “UFO incident” at Roswell, New Mexico.  Atypical storytelling; typical Simon Cox.

The thing that sets us apart, IMHO, is that www.intotheduat.com is more than a series of videos, or just one person’s point of view.  We’ve invited other authors and researchers to weigh in on topics that embrace the search for “the other” on every level.  Other approaches to mainstream science, other perspectives on conventional wisdom, other ways of interpreting what we “know”.  We’ll be publishing articles and books (electronic and hard copies) and showcasing musicians known and new who offer to interpret our themes musically.  There will be conferences, forums, and tours that allow our audience to gather and explore ideas together.  Most importantly, there will be t-shirts.  After all, no legitimate business venture can hope to succeed without a decent t-shirt.  And a Facebook page. 

As you may have read on other blogs here, we have been traveling around the southwestern US shooting the “Little Green Men and Other Strange Beliefs” series.   I’ll add my two cents worth about that in my next posting (teaser!!).  And my social media pals have helped me channel my need to hear to myself talk onto Twitter (@MjBubbles).  Meanwhile, take a look around the site.  It’s kinda cool.  And fun.  Did I mention this is fun?

Your pal,

MjM

Jon Rappoport and the conference.

This weekend, Simon and I traveled to San Diego in order to meet with one of the speakers for the upcoming conference in November.  Jon Rappoport and his wife Laura lead us to a great brunch place by the Pacific Ocean.  It was an enlightening conversation and re-enforces for me that fact that this is going to be an amazing group of speakers.  It will prove to be a time not to be missed.

UFOs, Ghosts and things that are hard to film.

Simon Cox, Joel Schroeder, MJ Miller, Ace Trump and I set off to Rachel Nevada a couple of weeks ago.  It was a fascinating trip that looks great through the lense of a Sony EX1. We captured the lights of Las Vegas and the vast stretches of nothing but sand and Joshua Trees in Nevada.

We meet and mingled with groups of locals who were convinced there were alien mysteries surrounding Area 51, and a few who knew they wanted to capitalize on those who believed there were mysteries surrounding Area 51.  I do have to say that I saw some VERY interesting things on the night we went to film at the "black mail box" (you can learn more about that when we get the content edited and on-line).

Soon we will be off to Roswell to do a little more filming.  Between that and some interviews yet to be captured, we will be ready to show you some beautiful images and share some wonderful insights.

Sadly, I was filming a lot of b-roll on this trip, so I do not have any great still shots.  Perhaps, I can convince Ace to share some of the great shots he took.   Oh yes, and we will have to wait for Ace to post to talk about the ghost part of the this trip.

More Soon!

Jennifer