O.k. so now Iv'e been thinking about a new direction for my project. I still plan to finish episode one with the current format (only two scenes left), but I have been experimenting with "Vert" tools within anime studio. I must say that it is a simpler way to rigg up models. It is a bit simplistic, and its hard for me to adapt to using less detail. You have to understand that I come from the "comic book" side of this media. Basically I have been animating images that I would normally create in a comic. This is kind of strange for me, but I find it rather interesting to draw my characters in this manner. It's kind of fun, it seems a bit more marketable. This is kind of where animation is coming from (As far as television is concerned). Well, take a look and let me know what you think. This is a test, and I am not happy with the Eye, Nose, and Mouth proportions... but It gives you an idea of what to expect should I go this direction. Marzout!
Actually, I prefer your original art direction. I'll have to see how you develop this style; it may be worthwhile if you gain some efficiency by using it. But the painterly look, I think, is a big part of the appeal.
I saw both parts of your edited versions and I have to say, it looks ready for TV. Congratulations on getting this far. It's an amazing accomplishment.
I agree with Neeters. The original style is something no one has really seen before. I say stick with that and work out the new style until you get it to where you want it.
I also like your original style. It's very visually impressive and I think it also fits with the genre of story you're telling. On the other hand, a simpler style might be advantageous for production if you get some kind of tv deal. I have no idea how tv deals work, like if you would get together your own team of animators or if it would be sent away to some flash animators or traditional cel animators or what.
I watched your pilot ep all together and I'm really impressed. You've got something really amazing to show for all your hard work, especially visually.
Rather than change the art, I would work on the story telling. I think you mentioned in another thread that your test audiences had short attention spans. I think that most audiences are like that. But there are ways to hook an audience and keep them interested even through slow scenes. Francis Glebas's Directing the Story explains ways you can control your audience's experience and make them engage with the story "actively," especially when a story has lots of secrets and surprises like yours. The basic idea is to raise a question about some aspect of the story, show how significant it is to know the answer to the question, withhold the answer a little to get them really curious and then reward their patience with the answer. That way they're thinking actively about your story the whole time.
I see that you've raised some questions like what is the soul child. But on a lot of other points, the audience is getting information before they have been made to want it or provided with a context to understand it and its significance. You really have a whole season's worth of material as far as dramatic reveals go. You could even add new material here and there to spread this into a set of webisodes to build up a bigger following that could give you some leverage for tv deals. Just some thoughts.
I like this style but I agree with the others, the original is unique and characterize your work. Anyway, if art is experimentation, you should consider seriously the new style, keep working on it to see its pros and cons, maybe with a brand new project.
neeters_guy wrote:Actually, I prefer your original art direction. I'll have to see how you develop this style; it may be worthwhile if you gain some efficiency by using it. But the painterly look, I think, is a big part of the appeal.
I saw both parts of your edited versions and I have to say, it looks ready for TV. Congratulations on getting this far. It's an amazing accomplishment.
I appreciate that Neeters. It's hard to consider the change. I am just trying to see how everyone takes it. I really dont want to change it, and I may not. The method I chose is a big time slam on production, but the models are there, so maybe I can just update my riggs. I may use the other style for some short episodes. That way I have some options when I decide to pitch this. Thanks for the follow up. Sorry I got back to this late, I did not get an inform in my email... not sure whats going on. Marzout!
lwaxana wrote:I also like your original style. It's very visually impressive and I think it also fits with the genre of story you're telling. On the other hand, a simpler style might be advantageous for production if you get some kind of tv deal. I have no idea how tv deals work, like if you would get together your own team of animators or if it would be sent away to some flash animators or traditional cel animators or what.
I watched your pilot ep all together and I'm really impressed. You've got something really amazing to show for all your hard work, especially visually.
Rather than change the art, I would work on the story telling. I think you mentioned in another thread that your test audiences had short attention spans. I think that most audiences are like that. But there are ways to hook an audience and keep them interested even through slow scenes. Francis Glebas's Directing the Story explains ways you can control your audience's experience and make them engage with the story "actively," especially when a story has lots of secrets and surprises like yours. The basic idea is to raise a question about some aspect of the story, show how significant it is to know the answer to the question, withhold the answer a little to get them really curious and then reward their patience with the answer. That way they're thinking actively about your story the whole time.
I see that you've raised some questions like what is the soul child. But on a lot of other points, the audience is getting information before they have been made to want it or provided with a context to understand it and its significance. You really have a whole season's worth of material as far as dramatic reveals go. You could even add new material here and there to spread this into a set of webisodes to build up a bigger following that could give you some leverage for tv deals. Just some thoughts.
Thanks, Your on the money, and I couldnt agree with you more. I thought about this "Reveal" issue a lot. I may rework this through episodes as you suggest. Right now I am trying to get something in the pilot to show a general direction... Plus I have to consider the possibility that this may only find a place as an OVA. Originally these "reveals" were to come a little later (say episode 4), but I have a lot ideas still to come. Thanks for placing a comment, much appreciated. By the way love everything youve been doing lately. Nice to see another anime style out there. Your not to bad at anime, better than most I've seen! Marzout!
