BIG JAMARI UPDATE!

FINALLY!  The completely overdue blog post!  Sorry, life has been keeping me BUSY!  So, you get a SUPER LONG post!!

First up, my review of the fantastic call with Karen Lloyd about the storyboards.  The call was done with Skype.  Karen and I talked while she wrote notes on the boards live and I watched and took notes.  I’m sorry to say, the call was really one-sided because I was a literal SPONGE soaking in all the technical and story knowledge and furiously scratching down notes and thumbnails.  Karen apologized after because she thought she was talking so much…  No, no, I was positively dazzled… All I could do was mutter “okay” a couple of times, haha!  Sorry Karen, I’ll try to open my mouth next time.

Like I’ve said before, I have no formal storyboard training, so Karen spent a lot of time on technical do’s and don’ts.  We talked about how my boards are more like comics and less like storyboards.  Lots of it involved creating “start poses”, meaning creating a beginning pose for your characters in a scene and then creating a second pose.  This is so the animators know how the characters act through a scene.  Also, I need to back the camera up a LOT more and constantly re-establish where the characters are.  I also need to USE camera angles to tell the story.  I also need to allow camera space for all the action in a scene.

We only had an hour for the call, but we did talk a little about story.  She didn’t get the Raincoat character.  She said she was more accepting of Jamari and suddenly having superpowers than Raincoat just standing there in the beginning and all of a sudden turns into a villain.  The audience is going to get confused. 

SERIOUS PROBLEM. 

So, I’m going to add a quick backstory to Raincoat.  I’m thinking that he is now going to be one of the kids in the playground and he finds a mysterious raincoat.  He tries it on for fun and it is too big for him.  It would then tighten around him to the point where he can’t take it off and gives him a negative attitude.  Cue the bullies and the recess rainout.  Then, in the conclusion, I can have Raincoat abandon the coat and the bad attitude it gave him and go back to playing.  I’m also going to establish that Jamari and Raincoat know each other early.  That will allow Raincoat to know that Jamari is allergic to peanuts later.  It also allows me to make this a personal mission for Jamari to save his friend from the coat.  I LOVE WORKING WITH STORY!  AAAH, its working better for me!  And I have TWO more calls with Karen to REALLY get this thing right.

Here’s a few pages of her revisions.  I love the big red marker.  It looks like authority.

So, I am revising the storyboards again.  I will keep you informed!

Second, fundraising for the film!

I finally set up an IndieGoGo page.  There’s a link for the site on the upper right side of the blog here.  For my Facebook Note section followers, I’ll put the link in the comments.  Like I said in the last post, I need to raise funds to get the computer I need to create this thing as well as ToonBoom Studio.  I’ve been talking to Sam Stroud (best photographer in town and big time fundraiser) about some things I can do to get the funds.  I’m going to have to use a Kickstarter page for it, for reasons I will explain in later posts.  But, I have my FIRST DONATION, and as per my IndieGoGo page:

Special thanks to Stephanie Hudson!  She donated the “Faith” level to the project, so she gets special thanks here, a credit in the film and an autographed DVD of the finished film.  I think I thanked her on the Facebook and Twitter too, for good measure.

But, I need to craft a fundraising video soon and during production I will post more stuff.

Lots of momentum here!  LOVING IT!

In other news, I need to spend more time on my GoAnimate stuff for my fans there.  The singer from my “Jingle Bells” music video, Natalie Brown, contacted me.  She loves the video, put it up on her Twitter and I’ll be working with her on another project down the road!  Time management, here I come.

Thanks for reading!  I’ll keep you posted, I PROMISE!!!!

IndieGoGo and Crowdfunding has Begun

Hi folks!

I have reached a very important point in creating this short film.  I can see the jump from pre-production to production right around the corner.  I can see that my current computer is aging and I need the benefits of Toonboom versus Flash.  Next week, I will be sending my storyboards for revisions.  To proceed, I’m gonna need a little help.

I have finally launched the IndieGoGo page for Jamari Animated.  You can find it here:

http://www.indiegogo.com/Jamari-Animated  

I will update the pitch clip and some other things soon enough.  Just wanted to get it up for now. 

The first goal is to replace my laptop.  I need a computer that has the processing power and proper video card to run Toonboom Animate Pro.   I need Toonboom Animate Pro specifically because it has the ability to create the effects I need for Raincoat’s superpowers and the weather changes that the story calls for.  It also has the ability to export in stereoscopic 3D (3D glasses).  It would speed up production DRAMATICALLY versus me trying to reproduce the effects in Flash and After Effects or Nuke (it would save money too).  Please check out the demo of the program here to see what I mean.   http://www.toonboom.com/products/animatepro/features.php

I tried to run the demo with my laptop to see if it could do it.  It promptly locked up.  So… gotta replace it.  I’m probably gonna use a site like TigerDirect.com get the most processing power I can for the money (Thanks Master Tom for the suggestion!) so the $1000 goal should handle the lion share of the cost.

The $1000 goal also does something else.  With my fiscal sponsorship with Fractured Atlas, once I raise the first $1000, I will be eligible to apply for grants, which will REALLY help.  I’ll be able to approach companies and other non-profits for help too.

After I hit the first goal, then I need to fundraise to get Toonboom itself and on from there as the needs arise.  There are fund levels there and you can get some cool stuff, including a credit in the film!  Let me know if those perks are cool enough, or if you have a suggestion for a perk.

It’s IndieGoGo, so even if you can’t support the film financially (there’s a $5 level!  Every little bit helps!), please Facebook or Twitter or promote with your social media.  You may know someone who knows someone that may want to help.  Thanks!

I’ll keep you informed as I get my storyboards revised by Karen next week.  I’m also working on two webshorts and I’ll let you know about those too!

The New Storyboards for Jamari Animated

It’s up everyone.  The revisions to the storyboards are online for you to review.  You can check them out below or on Hollywood Shorts’ Facebook page.

Jamari Storyboard Revision

Karen Lloyd told me that she could check them out at the end of the month.  Check back for updates on that!  It’s gonna be awesome for her to review it and rip it apart!

In other news, I didn’t win GoAnimate’s Creating for a Cause contest, but I did get a special mention on their blog.   Check it out, along with the winners.  Mine is the one all the way at the bottom.

You can see all my GoAnimate created webtoons online this weekend if you happen to be in Lynchburg.  I will join other local filmmakers for Riverviews Artspace’s first Open Projector Night and show work.  We only have 10 minutes so I’m giving it to my nephews cartoons, my Christmas video and my Creating for a Cause entry.  Stop by!  It’s Saturday night at 8pm in their brand spankin new screening room.

So, for now, I’m working on two new webtoons for GoAnimate;  another music video and a team up project with fellow user and GoAnimate favourite “Reddplague”.  I’ll keep you informed.

  

Oh, and sorry about the lack of video posts.  My computer is slowly dying.  I think I might need to revv up IndieGoGo and my fiscal sponsorship with Fractured Atlas and start fundraising!  I do need a copy of Toonboom too!  Do you like the story above?  Would you donate?  Even $5 helps!

Videos, videos and more videos!

Hello everyone!  Here’s yet another update on whats happening.

Before I start, I just want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Amazement Square today!  They hosted the first film festival where I was a guest speaker and I am eternally grateful for that.  Have a GREAT celebration this weekend!

I hope you all like the new look for the blog.  I made it wider to host more high resolution drawings and videos and changed the look a bit.  This post, I’ve got a bunch of videos!

Check out this video first:

Watch live streaming video from chaostoon at livestream.com

I’m going to start creating my own Livestream show.  I wish I had visited the site and read the tutorial a long time ago, or I would have started using it when I animated that Dragon for GoAnimate.  I’m gonna start creating a “Making Of” series of videos for Jamari Animated and my web cartoons and just turning it on and welcoming anyone that just wants to stop by and watch me work.  I’ll keep the Facebook and Twitter updated with when I turn it on.

Now, check this video out:

From Word To Image Contest Winnah! from Karen J Lloyd on Vimeo.

I won the storyboarding book, From Word to Image by Marcie Begleiter on Karen Lloyd’s blog!  Yay!  Thank you Karen, Muk Muk and Margie!  Sorry about the Twitter stalking, Karen, but I’ve learned so much from your blog.  When I get done with thumbnailing these storyboards, I’m totally asking paying for your guidance and I’m sure I’ll learn a lot from Marcie’s book!

Okay, last video:

GoAnimate.com has launched a brand new contest this month in which entrants must promote a charity of their choice.  Of course, I created a video for Fractured Atlas.  I designed it to be a fun video that any member could use to embed in their blog or website to briefly talk about what Fractured Atlas is.  They could use it to introduce their fiscal sponsor or what have you.  As far as I can tell, it’s the first GoAnimate hosted cartoon to feature a character with real lip sync.  It was fun to make, even if I threw this together over a weekend.  Fractured Atlas liked it so much, they put it on their blog and Twitter.  Thanks Adam!  Of course, I put it everywhere, hee hee.  

The first part of qualifying to win is being among the top 4 in views.  At the time of this writing, I’m number 5.  Help a guy out and watch a few times?  No biggie if I don’t win though, the prize is a Wacom Intuos, and I really need a Cintiq, especially for my Livestream shows.  If I win, I’ll keep the Intuos and hand my trusty Wacom Bamboo down to Jamari.  I dunno though…  I really like my Bamboo… maybe I’ll give Jamari the Intuos, hee hee. 

Now, some thumbnails!  Here’s a random selection:

This technique of thumbnailing has really helped me.  It showed me that my film was way too heavy in backstory and setup in the front, so I’m simplifying the beginning and focusing on the middle and end.  Instead of having Jamari’s Bible powers materialize near the ending, I’m giving him those powers from the very beginning and simplifying how he uses them…  I’m getting rid of all the unnecessary flashy crap and just telling the story… not at the expense of the stereoscopic though, still planning that as I go.  I’m also redoing the ending and it is so much more satisfying and meaningful now.  Thanks again Karen!  I can’t wait for her to rip it all apart and help me make the story unbelievable!

I’ll keep you informed!

Storyboarding, a Successful Contest and Some Old (but cool!) News

Hello everyone!  Sorry for the long wait for the update.  I know you have been wondering what in the heck have I been doing!  Well, here’s the deal:

If you’ve been following my Twitter, you know that I’ve recently admitted a dirty little secret – I have no formal storyboarding training.  When it was time for me to take the class at SCAD, they weren’t offering the course that quarter, so I had to substitute it with another class.  Not that learning about comic strips with visiting artist Robb Armstrong wasn’t cool… but its not helping me now.

I did storyboard this thing out…  the next step is to take the storyboards and the audio from the actors and create a little movie called an animatic.  You do this to get an idea of how your movie is gonna look.  Well, I did that, and it’s not working for me…  not the whole thing anyway.  My friend Brian said he didn’t like the timing, so that’s what I thought the problem was.  So, I went back and reworked the timing over and over…  and it still didn’t work for me.  So I went back to my storyboards… and slowly remembered that I really don’t know enough of what I’m doing to fix what I’m feeling is wrong.  So, I did a Google search to see what I could learn online about storyboarding... and I found Karen Lloyd.

On her blog, she has a short series of posts where she critiques the storyboards of Aidan Casserly.  I learned SO MUCH from that.  My storyboards were similar to his in that they were more like comics than storyboards (thanks Robb).  She really showed me what I was doing wrong by proxy.  She also has a handy little series of posts about shots and WHY to use them.  AAAH, just what I needed!  So, I reached out to her on Twitter.  Hopefully, she’ll have the time to help me when she’s not as busy on Kid vs. Kat…  and that’s fine!  I’m having a BLAST digging back into my boards and they’re WORKING!  Between the knowledge from Tuck and Karen...  I think I'm gonna be alright.  -sigh of relief-

Here’s some of the thumbnails from going back to the storyboards and revising.  It will require some light re-recording from my actors, but I can probably do that in post-production, no problem.

Why am I thumbnailing on legal pads?  Well, there's something soothing about doodling on lined paper.  Reminds me of my childhood and doodling in class...  plus, they're just thumbnails.

If you are a storyboarder or indie animator, please check out Karen’s blog here.  It is SO worth it.

http://karenjlloyd.com/blog/

So, I will update you all on the story as it goes.  I’m working on it, Joe, I’m working on it…

Other updates: My first social media contest went GREAT!  I threw a contest for whoever used my pre-animated dragon and got the most views with it.  The winner was Juan Ramirez of Madrid, Spain.  You can see his winning entry and the other entrants here.  http://bit.ly/dragonchaos

Also, I forgot to mention in previous posts…  I was named a “Filmmaker to Watch in 2010” by Hollywood Shorts!  Yay!  Check out their article in LAist magazine about their African-American Filmmakers Celebration.  They said they were saving a spot for me next year!  OMG!

http://laist.com/2010/02/26/african_american_filmmakers_celebra.php

Looking forward to the OSCARS tonight!  C’mon Secret of Kells and Logorama!  I’m rooting for ya!

A Pre-Animated Experiment and A Quick Animatic Update

I apologize for the lack of blog posts last month!  I promise I’m still here!  Here’s a quick post to let you know what I’ve been up to.

I’ve recently been animating a pre-animated character for the GoAnimate.com Studio.  I animated a dragon!  It’s actually a neat little setup – You animate different actions for your character which turn into options for users to manipulate.  For the dragon, it can walk, fly, throw fire and more, all selectable from a drop-down menu in the Studio.  I created it with the GoAnimate user in mind, including separating anticipation animation, moving holds and walk / flight cycles so the user can custom fit it into the timing of their choice and lining up registration between these animations for smooth transitions.

Why am I focusing so much on GoAnimate here lately?  Well, I think it has potential far beyond being a toy or an educational tool.  I’m planning a little social media experiment with the dragon, possibly in concert with my Twitter and I also talked with the GoAnimate staff about making user uploaded pre-animated characters available for purchase (source of income for freelancers!)

I created a quick demo for the dragon below.  I even whipped up a British sounding android butler to introduce it.  I thought it was fitting for my first character… in my Intro to Animation class at SCAD, my first animation assignment was a flipbook where I had to start and finish with a circle.  I turned the circle into an egg and a dragon hatched out.  That dragon then flew up into a sun (or moon) and then that became the original circle.  I included a reference to that flipbook in the demo animation.

GoAnimate.com: Sneak Peek at Chaostoon's Dragon by Chaostoon

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

As far as Jamari Animated, I finally feel confident on the story and I’m working on finishing up the animatic.  Animation should begin this month sometime.  I’ll keep you informed, I promise!!

A Go!Animate Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! This would be a post about the animatic for the film… BUT my scanner and my computer have decided that they want to be fussy and don’t want to talk to one another here lately. So I decided to take a little break from the film for the holidays and work on getting those two back together again (that would be the Christmas miracle...  pray that I don't need a new scanner!). I did want to take the opportunity to talk about Go!Animate, the website that I’ve been using to create the little cartoons I’ve been making with my nephews.


Go!Animate is a website where, as their tagline reads, “anyone can animate”. I discovered this site after Go!Animate followed me on Twitter. They have created a unique platform where you can create a simple Flash cartoon with pre-animated characters and preloaded backgrounds, sounds and special effects, even camera moves. They have licensed characters from various properties including Street Fighter, Star Trek and even Akon (the rapper!) and they also have a custom character creator. They have a very clean and simple interface for their animator program. You drag and drop your elements onto the “Stage” and adjust the length of time your elements appear. You add another Scene to make a change. You can import your own sound and images. You can also sync sound and music to the elements. The site has a community of GoAnimators that regularly chat on the forums and there is a Facebook Chat like feature so you can instant message other GoAnimators. You can even easily share your creations on the various social media portals.


At first glance, a professional would call it “cheating” or “lazy”(and they have, I asked.) The program gives you a very small level of control and the controls you do have are imprecise and clumsy, especially to sync your sounds and music. The pre-animated characters have limits on what they can do, thus limiting what you can do and the story (if any) you can tell. You need Firefox or Google Chrome to run the site without it crashing or locking up. If you have ever felt that you had to fight Flash to get the results you want, you feel that in spades here. Granted, this is a new site and they are still working out the bugs. So, why would someone like me even bother with a website like this? Several reasons.


This is the perfect platform to teach kids how to animate and I saw a tweet where Go!Animate is creating a special educational version. I’ve been using it to teach my nephew Jamari about some of the basics of animation. Yes, the characters are pre-animated… but to create something of quality you still need the basics of story, staging, pacing, etc. Jamari is seeing these basics and understanding them with this platform because he can see the results instantly and apply them himself to his own cartoons. Once he learns to draw and is ready to take intro to animation courses or learn Flash or ToonBoom or even Maya, he will already know how to compose his shots and tell a story visually. His eyes widened when I explained why you use an establishing shot and why and when you change a scene. I’m so proud.


Go!Animate now has the option to download your films so you can host them wherever. This can now be a very quick and elegant tool to create animated content for YouTube or Hulu and potentially have a solid animated series, as long as the story is there. Hey, look at South Park, its all about story. Its way faster than animating in Flash so you can be razor sharp with topical humor and you can crank out tons of episodes in a very short period of time. You just have to pay a small fee to download the toon.


Also, its FUN! I love animation and I love animating, so this is almost like playing with a toy for me. Yes, its not very sophisticated and you feel like you’re fighting the program, but that’s part of the challenge. Creating something of quality here is difficult and limiting so when you get that scene to read the right way and everything is timed right and acts right, its awesome! They also recently made me a beta tester so now I can add my own pre-animated characters. I’ll be able to work with Jamari on animating elements in Flash which will be even more fun.


But here is the latest cartoon from Jamari and Bralyn, their Christmas Special. We created it to enter Go!Animate’s Jingle Bell Blowout contest to win a Nintendo DSi! I think they’ve got a real shot to win this thing even though there are some good entries there. I’m really hoping that they don’t get beaten by one of the more lude entries that they can’t watch.

And because it has become a family thing for me, I chose Go!Animate to create my Christmas card this year. Everyone else is making those JibJab dancing elves cards, I wanted to be different. I went and found a Christmas song with a Creative Commons license (a concept the GoAnimators haven’t grasped yet… pray for them) and made a little music video card. Check it out!

Merry Christmas again to everyone and I’ll leave you with this link – Larry Lauria’s Christmas Animation Festival