HAPPY LAND update

jahnocli · Post by **jahnocli** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:28 am

He he! That works for me too. Love that ninja!I still think they need arms they can use... telekinesis doesn't do it for me...

Mikdog · Post by **Mikdog** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:00 am

Yep, I think arms are in order too.

Got some schweet little stories for Guy & Girl & Ninja.

Anyway, just messing around and put a 3D Happy Lander test together:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfh8W4XfkDE

sigh.

Mikdog · Post by **Mikdog** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:10 pm

Put this together today.

A bunny navigating a 2D platformer.

I really like it. Not sure what to do with it. Think I might try contacting a local electro band and asking if they'd like a music video with a similar theme.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLrcy9O8k3E

human · Post by **human** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:20 pm

Mikdog wrote:Put this together today.

A bunny navigating a 2D platformer.

I really like it. Not sure what to do with it. Think I might try contacting a local electro band and asking if they'd like a music video with a similar theme.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLrcy9O8k3E

Yes, music video might be your best bet for now... but why not try to court some bands who actually have some money? Your work is good enough for the best of them!

In addition, you know, this bunny reminds me of the One Laptop Per Child. Maybe you should see if they would hire you to do animations to enliven fund-raising videos (if they are producing videos for that purpose.) In fact, if anyone is producing a documentary about the impact of OLPC, your animations could enliven that as well...

The other thing to add is that your viewer is expecting a little more from the encounter with the spring. Your bunny needs to feed energy into it as s/he bounces, so it goes higher and has more snap.

Also, add a little sizzle to the greeting between the bunnies--more of a "take" or an emotional reaction.

(Just say no to crack and sex, however...)

Mikdog · Post by **Mikdog** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:03 pm

Ah, ok. Thanks human.

I've put the changes in.

Tried finding the bunny you were referring to for OLPC. I found their website but didn't find any bunnies. Would really dig to check it out. Also tried YouTube but couldn't find any videos with the bunny.

Clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP1lm4ApmE0

human · Post by **human** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:22 pm

Mikdog wrote:Ah, ok. Thanks human.

I've put the changes in.

Tried finding the bunny you were referring to for OLPC. I found their website but didn't find any bunnies. Would really dig to check it out. Also tried YouTube but couldn't find any videos with the bunny.

Clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP1lm4ApmE0

Oh, well to clarify, your character actually looks MORE like OLPC than a bunny ! Nothing wrong with that, though

I was more or less suggesting that you animate the OLPC coming into kids' lives. A sprite on top of somebody's live video, perhaps.

Mikdog · Post by **Mikdog** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 3:01 pm

Aha!

Maybe I'll contact them

Put up a revision.

xxx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rj1cDF2g5Y

xxx

Pity you can't really change the file that YouTube uploads and keep the same address...unless you can and I don't know about it.

Added facial expressions and more sound.

Mikdog · Post by **Mikdog** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 4:44 pm

Hi,

Well, I managed to get hold of Nickelodeon thanks to a kind forum member who knew someone who knew someone, who forwarded Happy Land (unexpectedly) to Nick.

Got a very nice reply. General feedback was that Nick gets the impression the target audience is very very young. Nick does mostly older audience and sends it out to the rest of the world. The remainder is made up of local content.

Also thought the look, although simple, perhaps wasn't inviting enough.

So, with that very useful info, I'm going back to the drawing board and reworking the whole thing.

In the interests of personal learning I've put the AS file up.

edit: removed

By downloading this file you agree to not use any elements in your own production or for commercial purposes. It took me a long time to put this all together.

synthsin75 · Post by **synthsin75** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 5:59 pm

Oh wow! That's awesome that you're letting people get to see how your whole project is put together! This'll answer a lot of those questions about stitching scenes together, transitions, etc.

Thank you for letting us see backstage, as it were.

DarthFurby · Post by **DarthFurby** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 12:34 am

Originally the humor in Happy Land was bizarre and demented, like your Beatboxing Dave cartoon, so I was somewhat disappointed when you took that away and turned it into a child psychologist approved kid's show, effectively eliminating perhaps your biggest strength. Here's hoping your deranged humor makes a comeback in Happy Land 2.0, and glad to see you took the advice the way I would have taken it.

Mikdog · Post by **Mikdog** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 8:10 pm

Ah, ok. I didn't know if anyone really 'got' my deranged humour. Nice. I'll put some more stuff together. I also kind of feel the humour doesn't exist in the animation I made. I kind of killed it and really wanted to make a child psychologist-friendly show. Oh well. Next time

Mikdog · Post by **Mikdog** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 9:52 pm

Thinking of re-pitching Happy Land with a wacker sensibility:

synthsin75 · Post by **synthsin75** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 3:42 am

I, for one, would LOVE to see a wackier Happy Land. Appearantly I missed out on seeing Happy Land before it became rather vanilla. After seeing your music video for Goldfish, I'd say just let loose.

DK · Post by DK » Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:22 am

MAN...I LOVE your work Mikdog.....you have a very cool and unique style in your designs these days....I would also LOVE to see your AS illustrations in print.

Well done mate

D.K

Springymajig · Post by **Springymajig** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:00 am

I saw the Happy Land video and thought that it looked like somethign that'd be nice for toddlers or something... something that would've fit on Sesame Street well. But I do prefer the work you've done on that music video, and if you re-made happy land in that style, with a broader audience in mind I think that'd be awesome.