Some of you may recall a time last year when your girl in music was constantly imploring everyone she knew to “join Johnny Otto’s cult and drink the Kool-Aid.” The cult had been an idea that came to me after my first viewing of his “Slimdunce” Short Features (see cinematic fanatic for clips) and my remark that “I would so drink any kool-aid [he] offered me.” Although the cult has since been replaced by the Otto Army, it remains one of the most favorite projects I’ve ever attempted, in part because it was in support of a real artist who creates art for arts sake, Johnny Otto, who is not only a ridiculously talented indie filmmaker, but, I am proud to say, one of my friends. His latest project, SOMA, is now underway, as is its comprehensive kickstarter funding campaign, which you should check out here: SOMA: Special Operations for Mutations and Adaptations.
ΣΩΜΑWritten & Directedby Johnny OttoSYNOPSISA top-secret government experiment called ΣΩΜΑ is using an experimental new treatment to turn America’s Most Violent Criminals into crime fighting superheroes. |
ΣΩΜΑ PROJECT DETAILS
In 2008 the FBI joined with the DOD and other government agencies to form ΣΩΜΑ: Special Operations for Mutations and Adaptations, an organization responsible for the recruitment of new superheroes. But this wasn’t going to be like any recruitment process ever attempted before. First off all the operatives within ΣΩΜΑ had to have their identities changed and any records of their of their public service destroyed so that they could operate with complete secrecy. Second, the recruits were not going to be people of valor, upstanding citizens, the usual heroes. Instead, ΣΩΜΑ’s goal was to convert hardened criminals, America’s Most Violent Offenders, into crime fighters. The belief was that those with criminal minds would understand other criminals and how they operate. In 2011, after 3 years of experimenting on test subjects, ΣΩΜΑ had its first successful recruit, a violent murderer known as Hopper The Axe or just plain old Hopper. Hopper had a bad habit of kidnapping people and chopping them up with his axe. This is Hopper’s story of how he went from being one of the most violent men in America to America’s greatest hope.
Pretty brilliant, right? That’s Johnny: brilliant quirk; mad genius; all that jazz. He’s like our Woody Allen, without the arrogance or any of that messy “woody no goody” controversy. There’s no chance he doesn’t make it. Best of all, you can be part of his meteoric rise by helping to SPREAD THE WORD about ΣΩΜΑ.
*Like Johnny’s Facebook page.
*Purchase the ΣΩΜΑ soundtrack on iTunes.
*Donate $1 or resources @ SOMA: Special Operations for Mutations and Adaptations.
*You can reach Johnny with questions, comments or anything else you can fit in an email at johnny@johnnyotto.com