Directionless - Roach

The movie was inspired by a true event where the roach did not survive. After luring it out, I chased it around and eventually used a butcher knife to stop it in it's tracks. Then I flushed it's remains down the toilet. 

I started the short almost immediately finishing Way West and tried to get as much done in-between freelance projects as I could. I was actually on track to complete the movie around the early October but, as I suspected when I started the project, in September freelance picked up and the I had to put the movie on hold for a bit.

As I said in an earlier post, sound design was a huge part of this movie. Majority of the sounds were homemade and you can probably guess the ones that weren't. A lot of the time in post production was spent doing the sound design. I had some difficult selecting music for this movie. I pictured the movie without sound at the beginning because I thought the sound effects alone would create some sort of rhythm. I found when I started to do sounds the rhythms I thought would be there weren't so music was used to fill in the gaps. I settled for ragtime music because it matched the mood(in my opinion) and the previous Directionless animation had piano music so why not keep the tradition up?

It's the first voice acting project I've done where I don't say a single word but my voice is throughout the entire movie. It also reveals Jeff's voice even though he still remained a relatively silent character.

This shot was actually edited out of the final movie!

So now the question, what's next? Well for one, the comic strip continues Monday-Fridays. Roach was actually the reason the comic started up again!

As for cartoons while I was working on Roach I did a lot of concept art for various animations. I also did voice recordings for the next Directionless short. My goal is to try to work on two completely different cartoons simultaneously and try to release them BOTH by the end of the year. I also am in the planning stages of an animated music video but I am not sure what the timeframe for it will be. Way West 2 is also in the back of my mind, I may begin storyboarding it soon. It has a much more detailed and intense story than the first one.

The next Directionless short is about running. Voice acting plays a much more prominent role in this one but Jeff will still remain relatively silent. 

I am storyboarding a new music video in this style. The goal is to try to finish it by the end of December.

This is the main character of another video I am planning. 

Oh and I also will be directing some live action music videos in the very near future. It borders on what I consider freelance because I won't have full creative control(but something very close to it). I know my animation crowd has generally disliked my attempts at live action but maybe I'll be able to change their minds with the upcoming videos! 

Even though I don't update this blog as often as I should, remember Directionless the comic runs 5 days a week! 

Directionless becoming Directioned?

So I've started doing the Directionless comic strip again. I've been working on the next animated installment of Directionless I couldn't help but want to start up the comic again. I took a look at some old comics and I found them funny and realized I could start them up again. I am opting to continue the black and white style simply because I like how it looks more. I used to draw comics during school so it's more natural for me to do comics like this in black and white. But I repeat, the next animation will be in full color and will have cleaner drawings.

One thing I plan on doing is taking some of the plot lines and jokes from the unreleased animated series and putting them in the comic. My goal right now is to release around 5 comics a week but we'll see if I keep that up. Right now I am writing a bunch of comics before I start to get into the plot. I'm hoping that when I released Roaches Directionless will pick up some fans again and more people will enjoy the comic.

Here is a sneak peak at the dilema that will unfold next week....

And for a minor update on the animation, I completed the rough animation stage and now I am cleaning up the drawings, adding inbetweens, coloring, and adding backgrounds. Sound effects play a huge roll in this animation (I think it will be most comparable to Ballin') and I am still undecided about music. I'm hoping to get it done by the end of September, but will all the freelance projects I am not sure that is going to happen.

Directionless - Roach

I'm just about done with the rough animation for the next Directionless movie. I have to say it's a lot of fun to make, very reminiscent of old Looney Tunes animations and heavy slapstick comedy. It will be in full color with sound effects and voice acting (still undecided if Jeff will actually say anything, he may just grunt a lot). It's very different from the other Directionless animations, so because of that Jeff looks slightly different. Perhaps he's aged a little bit since I have drawn him for 2 years now. Perhaps when this animation is done I'll do a retrospective on how Jeff's design has changed over the years. Would anybody ever read that? 

Originally I had some characters from the comic strip appear in this animation but they have been edited out in favor of some new characters. There is a lot of jokes so I am trying not to spoil anything with these screen shots but I do think this animation is one to look forward to!

The further into the movie we get, the more Jeff goes from annoyed...

 ...to furious.

Who are these folks? I decided to color these characters in early to show the voice actors what they would look like. 

I am aiming to get this released by the end of September. I have two freelance projects (both different types of animation) so I must spend my time accordingly. It's odd because I've actually been producing about one animation a month but I don't put any of my business stuff onto my youtube. 

So right now I am steamrolling ahead with Directionless, I've written a few ideas for more Directionless shorts in the vein of this one(fast paced slapstick comedy). I also have an idea for another black and white music based Directionless animation. I have a random short film I would like to make which I think will come out sometime in October. I also plan on doing a sequel to Winter White which follows the same main character on a new adventure. And there is of course the chance I'll get an idea that puts all of these aside or I'll get a paying gig that meshes with one of these passion projects. So much to make, so little time. 

See you space cowboy...

Directionless

It's funny doing another Directionless Short. It's different than the other 3 Directionless animations because it has voice acting and includes other characters from the series. It's basically a teaser of what a tv series version of Directionless would be. 

Hopefully I'll finish it by the end of September (or even August). The storyboard is complete and I'll be recording the voice overs within the next week. These are just concept art pictures so the final look may end up being very different. 

I am also writing the sequel to Way West (tentatively titled Winters Teeth). I also have a 3rd movie idea that I may end up making before releasing Directionless because it's very simple to make and hilarious.

Way West

I'm finally done but what took so long? Well, I made two other movies during this but both of them were freelance projects that aren't going to be put on my youtube channel. And I took a break from Way West in June to make Sax Man. I've just been slowly chopping away at this one (as you can tell if you take a stroll backwards in this blog).

I've been wanting to make a video in the style of Way West for a long time. I saw Winter White perform the songs live and I spoke to the band after about doing a video. It was originally envisioned as one short movie, which I fully storyboarded and started animating. After listening to more Winter White I thought the story could be expanded and match two of their songs. So thats what I did. The orignal storyboard for Way West is actually pretty different from what you see now. It involves a rivalry between two kids competing to prove themselves. This is one of those cases where I started animating the movie before I knew how it would end which I find very exciting. 

In the latter stages of production I was already thinking of a sequel movie which I'm strongly considering making if enough people enjoy Way West (I am considering just making it anyway).

My next project will most likely be a Directionless short. It's not going to be related to the pilot nor will it be a continuation of the black/white piano pieces. It'll be a fun short story with voice acting and a story. It will give the "feel" that I would want a Directionless tv series to have. I also have been wanting to storyboard a sequel video to Must Have Done Something Right and the aforementioned Winter White Sequel. I've also had a lot of little ideas I've been writing down so we'll see what happens. I would love to release another movie in August so hopefully I'll be able to!

Kids on the Slope

My favorite kind of anime is one that doesn't feel like anime. I would say I am a fan of anime but I'm not, I'm a fan of good anime. Kids on the Slope is one of the best. Maybe I'm partial because I'm a piano player and a fan of jazz but this show is outstanding. Shinichiro Watanabe is one of my favorite directors, his resume includes Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, and the shows he has worked on have a wonderful mix of story, characters, and most importantly music. The animation and coloring are extremely well done, every frame is something to be admired. The animators capture performing jazz so well.

No matter what I say I won't do the show justice. I don't even want to summarize it, just watch it. The first episode was a little boring but it picks up after that. I love it when a show or movie takes an idea that I think is uninteresting and makes it more interesting than I could imagine. This show does that.

Of course it may not be your cup of tea. The pacing of the show is slow and not a lot "happens" at any given moment. Personally, that's what I like about it. This is one of the shows where if you aren't immersed in the story it'll be boring. It's a very engaging show.


It's a 12 episode series that I would strongly encourage checking out.

Sticky Stick Figures

So I made this because all the movies I am working on won't be done by the end of this month and I figured I needed to release something. I made this in about 10 days work. I have wanted to do something with this song for awhile but never came up with a video idea that was good enough.

I have a bunch of projects I am doing right now so hopefully I'll have a bunch of really fancy shorts coming out in the coming months.

Rambings

I was hoping my next update would be accompanied by the release of a new animation. The first half of Way West is done but after showing it to a few people I came to the conclusion it'd be best to release both parts simultaneously as one movie. I'm about 80% done with Way West. I have keyframed almost the entirety of part 2 but there is much more action in part 2 so it will take me another month to complete it.

And here are some works in progress from part two.

Besides some commercial projects Way West has the only animation I've been working on. I still would like to continue Directionless in the form of animation and have been piecing together ways to do that. I realize I haven't mentioned Directionless in a few months so I should dedicate a full post to it. To summarize, I wrote 5 episodes series (and a 6th was planned) and began production(art and voice overs) on the first but it became far to overwhelming for me to complete alone. I've been contemplating taking some of the plots I enjoyed from the series and converting them into short vignettes or music videos. This does mean I did not reach my goal of May 1st for the completion of the first episode but I do think there will be some Directionless related animation in the future.

A project I had started back a few months back has been coming to mind lately. This one is entitled "Space Base". It is the spiritually successor to a tv show pilot I had made in college. It's about a cocky jazz loving pilot ready to chase his dreams of being the best pilot ever. I'm considering making a pilot episode for the series. It's quite a bit of fun to write.


As for other projects....not sure. I am considering making a sequel to "Must've Done Something Right" but other than that no substantial stand alone projects are in my head. Hopefully next update I'll have a new animation to release and talk about!

Way West

I'm almost done with the first part of Way West. Still have to add some minor animation, shading, and backgrounds but the movie overal is done.

I was going to release part one when I finished it but the two parts are so closely linked I'd rather release them at the same time.

Updater

I'm pish posh poor at updating.

I'm still making the same three movies.

Here are some updated pictures from The Way West. I like how it's turning out. I'm aiming for a release in late April but we'll see.

Juggling

So I'm currently juggling multiple projects. Currently I'm working on 3 projects and thinking of adding a 4th.

The Directionless Pilot is in the storyboard stage. I've decided on a simpler animation style simliar the Simpsons or Family Guy where frame by frame will only be used for big motions. Since it's a 8 minute video, my first round is storyboarding is extremely loose. Once the storyboard is complete, I'll re-edit the script(since storyboarding will surely reveal new dialogue, pacing, and things unseen right now) and do the final voice overs with the actors. I'm aiming for within 2 weeks.

The Way West (commonly referred to as the Winter White video in previous posts) is also in production. I started animating it even though the storyboard isn't complete.

The other project on the table is actually a commercial I am animating for television.

And I am considering animating a Cat Stevens song.

This is a lot of projects I am juggling and I would like to release something in March. It looks like "The Way West" will be done sometime in March, or at least that's the goal.

Hello

Since I finished writing the pilot episode now I move into the storyboard/animatic stage. There will probably be another rewrite that occurs to make everything funnier during this stage but I am excited to get it started. It's been a long time in the making.

It will be more limited animation than my previous cartoons, so I will be focusing on staging and posing the characters to compensate for the lack of frames. Music is also extremely important for the series. I will try to get in contact with some bands I like and ask for permission to use their music ( primarily Relient K, The Dear Hunter, and possibly others). I will be composing all the other music for the series. There will be some other musical treats for the series where entire songs will need to be written, but more on that later.

Plot spoiler, Jeff doesn't find his direction over the course of these 6 episodes (maybe he doesn't I actually haven't written episode 6 yet :o ). But I will say, the journey is much more exciting than the destination.

Vocal talents will be supplied by various people I know.

When I have more material complete I still plan on starting a Kickstarter account to help fund the project.

Directionless Update

Writing a pilot is very difficult. I've been struggling to write the directionless pilot for over a year now. At the beginning of this month I finally sat down and wrote a pilot episode from start to finish. A big aspect of my writing style is rewriting. Starting over and keeping what worked and getting rid of what didn't work. It also means if I am not careful I will end up in an endless loop of writing and never finishing.

Currently with Directionless, I've rewritten the first episode twice and I am on my third rewrite now. Hopefully this will be the last one. Each of the episodes following the pilot are much easier to write out so they aren't giving me the same amount of trouble.

Hard to believe that around year ago I was just starting up Directionless - Job Hunt. There was also a ton of snow on the ground so all the comics were snow related. In fact a year ago I was just putting the finishing touches on Directionless Anime Intro. Directionless was inspired to have wacky stories like Ranma 1/2 which is why I made the fan video.

I finished the first part of the story for the Winter White series(the previous post was referring to that video). It's a lot of fun to write.

Card in Sleeve + Lorem Ipsum

So I started storyboarding a music video/story. I like how it looks. It gives me something very different than "Directionless" to work on and think about. The video is currently untitled but the song titles are Card in Sleeve and Lorem Ipsum. Slowly as I am writing it it's becoming a story with the music as a backdrop. It's possible down the line I may cut out the music in favor of sound effects but I don't think that is likely.

At this point it's looks like Night Life won't be made anytime soon.

Whenever I work on longer projects I always have an "exhaust" project. Something that deals with simliar themes to the big project but is something I work on to give my mind something else to think about. It's basically like if I come up with one story, another one appears. This one looks like Directionless's exhaust story. This is a much shorter term project though. We'll see what happens.

I'm also hoping to make a short 30 second animation. Since both these projects are pretty long term, I'd like to release something by the end of the month.

Directionless

I've decided to put all further Directionless updates onto this blog. I was already splitting the Directionless posts between my two sites but I think it will just be easier to use one. The first episode is written and I've started writing the next few. I have not decided on my animation style.

Directionless Full Cast

So I put all the characters from Directionless in this nifty drawing. Head over to the Directionless. Most recent designs are on the left. After the punk-ish looking girl the designs are from over a year ago.

Majority of the characters in the comic/existing animations won't be appearing in the animated series.

Some Wallpapers

Kitty

So the kitty idea has been expanded and changed. Here is a style frame I put together. It is now called "Things my Cat Does". It will be a somewhat random series of funny stuff that this cat does(with or without the owner). I want to try to come up with a story throughout too. I would like to tie all the random events together somehow. That is all.

Duck

Next Animation

So with the completion of "Must Have Done Something Right" comes the question, what's next? I have a number of projects raring to go so let me list them here. It'll be interesting to see what does get made.

Directionless - Pilot/Series

Okay, this has been in the works for a very long time. Over a year now. A month ago I wrote a working outline for the series and since then have been piecing it together when I could. Now with Must've Done Something Right Done I can move onto other projects and I will give Directionless more attention. The first episode still isn't written. It's about halfway done, with the rest summarized out. I will still edit it down tremendously. I will most likely release the "intro" to the series a month or so ahead of the episode itself. I said my goal for the first episodes release is May in a post on Directionless and that remains the same. I'm planning to do 5 episodes. I haven't decided on a style of animation, but it will be something simpler than what I have been doing so I can make more of it. It will be more focused on witty writing and characters rather than perfect animation. I will probably write an in-depth look at what I hope directionless to be as well as production updates on it.

Night Light - Sister Sisters

So I mentioned this in a previous post. I am still really interested in making this movie. It follows a shy girl as she ventures into the underground new york city club life and becomes a slut. I've wanted to take some characters from un-used videos and stick them into the movie. I would love to be able to do a style simliar to this video by David Ochs.

I

I also would like to mix in 3D animation alongside the 2D. This would be a very big project and take me many months to complete. I've started the storyboard for it and hopefully will finish it sometime this week.

Burds (tentative title)

This is a short movie I storyboarded today. It's about two birds who bolt infront of cars to try to impress a lady bird. Short. Fun. And Stupid.

Kitty (tentative title)

This would just be another short. I had storyboarded a scene where a cat was watching a nature documentary on tv and pretended it was a lion and slashed a couch. The owner put the cat outside and I never progressed further in the plot than that. I think it might be something fun to elaborate on.

Tim Minchin

As of right now, this video is canceled. There is a small chance I may animate an individual sequence from it for fun though (20 seconds or so).

That all I can think of for now. Of course more ideas will come to me. It's possible I'll get some inspiration for an idea tomorrow, ya never really know with this kind of thing. I also have a large collection of storyboards and ideas I never used. I might just open up a file and want to work on it. But as of right now, Directionless is priority, followed by Night Life and then whatever else I decide to do.

Must Have Finished Something Right?

Must Have Done Something Right is done! Unlike my last animation(Directionless - Entry Level Job) there is quite a story behind the making of this one.

I'll start by saying where the orignal idea for the animation came from. I was waking around New York City in May 2011 and the song came on my ipod. I knew I wanted to make a video for it the instant I heard it but had no real concept as to what would happen in it. This happens pretty often with songs.

I decided to lift the main guy character from a TV Show pilot I had made( Scott, who appears in this video). I designed the girl from scratch, though she is loosely based on the girl that appears in the songs actual music video.

So I then made this brief animation to feel out the characters,

So then I started producing the movie in May 2011. At the rate I was going the release date was set for June 20th, or something to that extent. Sadly, I was going to become busy with other things and would not be able to made that date, and would have to put down the animation for awhile so I quickly produced Mellow Brick Road to release an animation near the date I wanted to really Must've Done Something Right.

I didn't pick up Must've Done Something Right again until October or so. I did some blog posts on it but if you read them careful you'll notice I never really made a dent in the overal movies progress(it remained at 1/4 done).

I did a little bit of animation but was still too busy with other things to take it on entirely. I finished the Directionless movie and decided to finish Must've Done Something Right as well. So I set a due date, January 30th, for myself and went to work. And look at the date, finished it right on time!

Since there was such a long gap in production (from May - October - January) there were some aspects of the movie I did not like. Some animation was removed/replaced. And I became more selective about the paper texture. Here is a shot of something that didn't make it to the final cut,

The movie also worked as an spiritual sequel to a movie that I never finished and as a re-imagining to a movie I never made.

Back in 2008 I wanted to make a video about a guy trying to talk to a girl but things kept getting in the way called "Talk to Her". It also involved a sequence where they were happy being together. I never got a working storyboard for it (meaning I had trouble writing the movie). Because this was a movie with a deadline I took my attention away from the idea and I made Nuts instead. I do see "Must Have Done Something Right" as a revisit to this concept. A mildy interest tidbit, I used the girls design from "Talk to Her" in Directionless - Anime Intro. She's the girl in the blue dress.

I had started a music video for the song " Island " by the Starting Line. It was about a couple drifting apart. The guy wanted to go sailing and go on adventures while the girl wanted to have a steady job. Partially inspired by the film Revolutionary Road, it was a very interesting concept to me. I finished the storyboard but I found myself bored with the video itself. I see "Must Have Done Something Right" as a movie in the same vein as this one. A prequel to this couple in island, showing how they started out, or a sequel showing them staying together.

I decided not to re-use their character designs, but I did decide to keep the color scheme the same. Their darker tones represented the darker/sadder story. While in Must Have Done Something Right their bright colors represent the happy emotions!

Pillow Cat

Happy New Year

So I completed the Directionless animation mentioned in the last post and have resumed production on "Must Have Done Something Right". I'm about halfway done with the animation and am speeding through it trying to get a January release!

There isn't much of a story behind the latest Directionless animation. I was at an internship and storyboarded a movie about a guy at an internship turning into a dog. It's very loosely based on the internship itself.

or awhile I've wanted to start using classical music in my animations and this storyboard presented a perfect opportunity. It was not drawn with any music in mind but initially I selected the Chopin piece " Grande Polonaise Bril" to be the background music. But shortly before I started finalizing the animatic I changed it to Chopins "Waltz in D flat major" because it seemed more comical and also matched the length of the cartoon.