Leon Granados

Introduction of Computer Technology (Tues. 12:30)

JAMES PINHEAD

Overview: The JAMES PINHEAD series follows the story of a man by the name of
James Pinhead, an awkward private eye, in his various attempts at finding and defeating
an evil creature referred to as the Claw Monster, who aspires to destroy the world in
which they live. In his many ventures, he makes allies, such as the vengeful Rosencrantz
and soda obsessed Jeffery Carl[1], as well as new foes, the most notable being a ruthless
mobster who goes under the alias of the Maltese Fiordland Penguin. Eventually this
awkward man grows from his experiences, and finally defeats the Claw Monster.
ames Pinhead, the gawky protagonist.
JAMES PINHEAD was created by Leon Granados and Brendan Donaghue in 2004, as an
experimental film project. The project was put on hold for a long time, but eventually became established
in February 2007, and has developed into a series, the most recent having aired in Shrewsbury’s Colonial
Magazine on May 7th, 2008. As of now, the series has 6 main characters and 3 recurring characters, and has
7 episodes so far. An 8th has been planned, but has been placed on hiatus until production can resume in the
aw Monster, Dr. Carl, North Wind, Ernie, Cardboard Cutout, James Pinhead, Rosencrantz, Jeffery Carl, Penguin Minion.
winter.

Index:
-Main Characters (pg 2)
-Additional Characters (pg 4)
-Character Status Chart (pg 4)
-Season 1 Episodes (pg 5)
-Future villain.
he Claw Monster, the demented Episodes (pg 6)
-Additional Projects (pg 7)
-Reception (pg 7)
Main Characters:
The cast of JAMES PINHEAD is expansive, and has grown (and shrunken) since
the series began in 2004. Many of these characters are bizarre, and nearly all of them
have a past that is shrouded in mystery. There are six main characters.

James Pinhead, whom the series is named after, is the main character. He is a strange,
awkward, and witty man. Under the employment of an unseen boss, he is sent on several
missions to stop the evil Claw Monster, a skeletal villain who’s goal is the end of the
world. Armed with his wits, a golden statue, and purple beads, James Pinhead is
prepared to do everything in his power to save the world- and he has a lot of work on his
hands.
Rosencrantz, the determined avenger.

The Claw Monster is the main antagonist, as well as James’s nemesis. He is identified
by many of his bizarre characteristics: his skeletal appearance, incomprehensible babbling, and
a metal claw where his left hand should be. Once alive, he died when a building imploded on him, and was
revived by a Mad Scientist, and has since then had a thirst for destroying the world, which constantly
leaves James Pinhead busy. In more recent episodes, he has enlisted the help of Rosencrantz to perform his

]1] Specifically, he’s obsessed with Sprite

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Introduction of Computer Technology (Tues. 12:30)

dark deeds.

Rosencrantz[2] is a secondary protagonist, and somewhat of a magician, as he has the

ability to alter the shape of cardboard or paper objects to his will. After the death of his
fiancé, the Cardboard Cutout, he was led astray and plotted revenge against her killer, a
ruthless mobster known as the Maltese Fiordland Penguin. Rosencrantz joined forces
with the Claw Monster, knowing that this would also lead the Claw to James Pinhead.
He can be called a man of moral ambiguity.
effery Carl, destroyer of beach ghosts.

Jeffery Carl is a soda fanatic. Rumored to have been spawned in a laboratory from a 2
liter bottle which now rests atop his hat, Jeff is a highly confused and energetic 26 year
old man. He and James Pinhead meet on a reality game show (a spoof called Crazy
Race), and team up for a while. Jeff, for a while is not important to the story, until he
receives his own centric episode, in which he must save his best friend Ernie and his
r a couple of months, their relationship came to a tragic end when she was run over by a sled driven by the Maltese Fiord
neighborhood
of the powers of winters. Once abeach
teamfrom a creature
member known
of the Claw as the Beach
Monster, he Ghost.
gave several instructions on what to do and how
fery Carl, is a scientist who was known for a large variety of experiments that went horribly awry, and is partially respon

Ernie is the ultimate redshirt. He is immortal, meaning he has been killed off and
always comes back. More then often, he serves as the motivation for the others (James
Pinhead and Jeff) to defeat the one who slain him, even though Ernie always returns
unscathed.
Ernie, the series' Until recently, he was referred to as “Background Character #2, having been introduced
only redshirt.
as a background cast member and working his way into the main cast. Ernie claims to have lost 4 loves
and survived through 8 civilizations.

The Maltese Fiordland Penguin[3] is a mobster, and is responsible for the death of
Rosencrantz’s fiancé, the Cardboard Cutout. The second antagonist, he is very
resourceful, and has at his disposal an army of thugs. He attempts to hide from
Rosencrantz when the avenger and the Claw Monster invade, and goes to such lengths
such as impersonating a civilian to ward them off. This all fails however, as he is brought
down in his own office. After his defeat at the hands of Rosencrantz, the MF Penguin’s
wealth and power fall to tatters, causing him to descend into inescapable poverty.

Additional Characters:
nd Penguin, the criminal mastermind and cardboard killer.
Aside from the six main characters, there are also 3 additional characters, who
have added enough to the story to be indispensable.

Character Status Chart:

Shown below is a Character Status chart, displaying additional information about the 9
influential characters of JAMES PINHEAD, which displays:

]2] Rosencrantz is named after a character from Hamlet.

]3] The Maltese Fiordland Penguin is named after the classic Film Noir Maltese Falcon,

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Introduction of Computer Technology (Tues. 12:30)

u Character Name
u Name of actor portraying character
u Status
u Episode that character debuted in
u Alliance

James Claw Rosencrantz Jeff Ernie MF Card North Dr.

Pinhead Monster Penguin Board Wind Carl
Brendan John V. Timofy Brian John V. John S. NONE Leon Sean
Alive Undead Alive Missing Immortal Alive Dead Alive Alive
#1 #1 #5 #5 #4 #5 #5 #5 #7
Good Evil ??? Neutral Neutral Evil Good Good ???

Season 1 Episodes:

Having started in summer 2004 and ending it’s run on May 7th, 2008, Season 1 spanned
for a total of 7 episodes, ranging in duration lengths between 4 minutes and 15 minutes,
the shortest being the pilot episode, and the longest being the sixth episode. All except
for episodes 2 and 3 were created with the assistance of Shrewsbury Media Connection
and Shrewsbury High School.[A] Created by Leon Granados and Brendan Donaghue,
Season 1 has a vast variety of episodes, all of which promise to be entertaining.[B]

1. Episode #1: Zombie Janitor: The series pilot, filmed in summer of 2004. Having
been an experimental project, the entirety of the film was completed in two days, one
for filming and another for editing. The plot focused around James Pinhead, who was
recently fired from being a Weather Man, and later on deals with his first encounter of
the paranormal, a Zombie Janitor.
2. Episode #2: The Chest of Wondrous Things: The second episode, filmed in
February 2007. As a smaller project, Leon and Brendan attempted to revive the
character by providing a new plot. James Pinhead, now under the employment of an
unknown organization, was assigned to “The Claw” case, his first mission to reach a
treasure chest before The Claw does. The episode concludes with James Pinhead
triumphant and The Claw buried under the rumble of an imploded building.
3. Episode #3: The Cabbage Demon and the Depansting Rod: The third episode,
filmed in summer of 2007. This episode introduces new recurring actor John S, who
would return later in the series. James Pinhead’s next mission is to stop a thief from
stealing an ancient artifact from some ruins. James does not win however, and the
thief gets away with his actions.
4. Episode #4: The Mad Scientist: The fourth episode, filmed in October 2007 as a

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Halloween special. This episode introduces the character Ernie. James Pinhead is
sent to investigate mysterious events occurring in another country. It is here that he
discovers the Claw, henceforth known as the Claw Monster, reduced to a skeleton but
revived thanks to a mad scientist. James Pinhead, though unable to save it’s victims,
is able to escape.
5. Episode #5: Crazy Race: The fifth episode, filmed in December 2007. This
episode is known for introducing a large number of characters: Rosencrantz, Jeffery
Carl, the Maltese Fiordland Penguin, the North Wind, and the Cardboard Cutout.
James Pinhead’s next mission is to join the reality show known as the Crazy Race.
The episode ends with the surprise team of Rosencrantz and the Cardboard Cutout
winning the race, but the more pivotal event occurs when the Maltese Fiordland
Penguin arrives and runs over the Cardboard Cutout in a sled.
6. Episode #6: Maltese Fiordland Penguin: The sixth episode, filmed in April 2008.
Whereas the previous movie introduced many of the characters and jumpstarted a
new short story arc, this episode follows as a first sequel and focuses entirely on the
plot. Maltese Fiordland Penguin is the longest episode, as well as the most difficult
to make, due to the multiple objections of the film class teacher who repeatedly
restricted many important details of the film, as well as several conflicts with actors’
scheduling. This episode breaks the normal story set up and follows Rosencrantz
who tries to find the MF Penguin in order to avenge the death of his fiancé, as well as
the Claw Monster in his attempts to find and defeat James Pinhead. The two trek
together, and eventually face off against their adversaries. Rosencrantz and James
Pinhead emerge victorious, leaving the Claw Monster and Maltese Fiordland Penguin
both finally defeated for the season.
7. Episode #7: Beach Ghost: The seventh and final episode in the season, filmed in
May 2008. Dr. Carl, portrayed as Sean Crowley, first debuts. This episode, winding
down since the defeat of both of the major villains, follows the lesser characters of
Jeffery Carl and Ernie. Ernie and Jeff decide to travel to the beach for a leisurely day.
However, this comes to an abrupt end when Ernie is attacked by a glowing
amorphous monster known as the Beach Ghost. Jeff vows to avenge Ernie and save
the beach. When he later confronts the ghost, Jeff shoots it with a slingshot to the
face and managed to defeat it. As of the end of this episode and the end of the season,
Brian, the actor who portrays Jeff, has become busy in his schedule, and for now his
character faces the threat of being written out, and thus is under the missing status.

Future Episodes:

While a second season has yet to be planed by Leon Granados, at least one more
episode is currently in the planning. Very little is set in stone for this episode, other then
that it’s intended is to gather all of the main and recurring characters in order to resolve
long-standing conflicts and/or introduce a new conflict. Within the plot, Rosencrantz and
the Maltese Fiordland Penguin meet and attempt to fight to finally end their dispute,
while James Pinhead intends stop the Claw Monster’s evil plans once and for all. Ernie,
the North Wind, Jeff, and Dr. Carl are also expected to contribute greatly to the plot, and

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a new rivalry is expected to grow that expands upon the current cast. This episode, when
completed, will determine the fate of the series. This means that the work required to
make the series, the cast’s schedules, and audience reception will establish whether or not
the series will continue into a second season or effectively end.

Additional Projects:

Aside from the film project itself, there is one additional program in the making.
Entitled “JAMES PINEAD Untold Scenes”, the new web comic project will be designed
with the intent of depicting many implied or missing pieces of the series. Intended to
follow all of the stories of the 9 characters, each one will be designed to show events that
each character deals with. Some of the comics will either explain why some events occur
they way they do in the films, or show the unseen consequences of some events shown within the
e Claw Monster's Official
films. It isArtwork
unknownfor the
when thisweb comic.
project will begin production, though concept art has already been created
for each character.[C]

Reception:
Many of the episodes made for the series were done for a class or as a show for
SPAC, and thus those that were received critical response. Mostly, the series as a whole
has been considered: “Weird but great”, due to the fact that many of the peculiar events in
the episode are shown in a bizarre or unusual way.

Zombie J. Chest OWT Cabbage Mad S. Crazy Race MF Beach

Penguin Ghost
N/A N/A N/A 95% 87% 62% 85%

the grades received for the individual episodes, on the opinion of one teacher as opposed to an overall consensus.

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]A] Due to these services, in assistance to the initiative of cast, the series could be created. It can be easily said that both
groups are the backbone of the series.
]B] Many of the episodes are themed, or at the very least reference various popular media. For example, Chest of Wondrous
Thing is a nod towards Dead Man’s Chest, Crazy Race is a parody of the Amazing Race, and Beach Ghost, in a way, is a
nod towards Jaws.
]C] The concept art, when placed together, appears as the proposed title screen for the future episode, and appears as the first
picture on this document.