Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Bullet in the Hole Diamonds: Animatic Action



...Wouldn't it be awesome if, theoretically, you were quietly browsing online one day, and then WHAMMO! Sparkly, fully-animated Dreamkeepers action flew out of nowhere to kick you in the ass?

And wouldn't it be crazy, suppositionally, if that cartoon collision happened in a big, high-profile mainstream website - the type of site where no independent comic, let alone a furry anything, has ever before ventured?

And wouldn't it be spiffy if none of this was hypothetical?

Liz & I have plans in motion to produce a 15-second, fully animated Dreamkeepers commercial slated to air on Adultswim.com this summer - for starters. Using our publishing revenues and some planned 2011 fundraisers, we've budgeted $10,000 to unleash an unprecedented independent ad campaign. It's our intent to spread this promo to the ends of the earth, and take a big step towards bringing Dreamkeepers- and the entire genre of furry art & comics - closer to the mainstream recognition it merits.
But I'm staying pretty composed about the whole thing. Serene. Unflappable. Mr. Cool, that's me.


As much as I enjoy power-blasting hot air regarding our hopes and plans, 'what-ifs' are never quite as fun as 'lookit this'. So check out our progress so far! (Note - There's no need to worry about spoilers in the animated scenes, as they're intended to be teaser images for new readers. So if there is anything that's new or suggestive, bear in mind that it's not a major story twist or anything, you are safe.)



But, regarding the animatic above - a bit of background before I dash off.
We were fortunate to meet voice actor Philip Sacramento at a previous convention. Contacting him again recently, he was available to create the spectacular voice-over work you just heard. This guy is absolutely stellar - he even went so far as to give us more than one version of his lines!

It was hell trying to choose which take to use in the commercial - but a good kind of hell. If you really want some fun, check out the amazing range on his site's vocal reel, I'd highly recommend him for anyone seeking some voice talent.

The background music I made myself, cobbling together royalty-fee samples and foggy memories of childhood piano lessons. Audio isn't my forte' but with some tweaking I think we've got a perfectly serviceable soundtrack coming together for the promo. Plus the composer was willing to work for coffee and peanuts, which is pretty awesome.

Most of the work, of course, will be in creating the actual animation - even 15 seconds of good stuff is a monumental task. Which is another salient reason we made the decision to add some freelancers to the team recently. That way we have some extra production-power in churning out animation frames, plus the ability to keep Volume 3 progress rolling forward unchecked.

And speaking of Volume 3, we've got some fun in store for you, right here next week...

19 comments:

Jon said...

Holy Adult Swim, Batman!

Congrats, Lillies. You're really making this thing happen.

Chris said...

Mind Blown.

Fletcher the Arctic Fox said...

Oh yeah! This looks epic! :D

Jax said...

I'd love a kick in the ass by this! :D

This is gonna' be amazing, more then it already is!

Anonymous said...

I....I....will need popcorn to view this commercial of theirs.....

Noxkitsune said...

Congratulations!

Looking forward to seeing the finished commercial. ^^

Anonymous said...

I wonder... will having an animated commercial for a comic produce results, or just confuse people?

Still though, Adult Swim? That's nothing to sneeze at. I hope this is a huge success. You guys certainly earned it.

MacMit said...

Hell yeah! This'll be awesome! I am enthused! It's great to see some high-end marketing for Dreamkeepers. Good Luck!

A Nonny Moose said...

Major congrats. I have truly enjoyed reading your comic. It drew me into online comics and is still my favorite. I hope this is the start of great things for you guys and your comic.

Flubflub said...

After reading through your books so far, i'm kinda surprised this isnt directly on it's way to an animated series. And from the multiple webcomics I have found, this is my most recent and in my top 3. Great Job so far and i can't wait for it to get better!

Arkani said...

:O I know you don't know me (YET)
But if you ever get an offer to have an animated series please let me know, I'd love to work on it as an animator. (Or atleast have a chance to)

Love ya guys, (kojikomix@yahoo.com)

Anonymous said...

*bends over* ok my ass is ready for some sweet kicking.

Anonymous said...

If this becomes a cartoon or anime I would love to help as a voice actor I am an unknown voice but would love to give it a shot if you want samples drop me a line at Pyro1-44-5@live.com

Unknown said...

15 seconds of pure bliss...

Tenko Kitsune said...

*FLAIL* XD
Congrats. I look forward to seeing the progress on this. Also, Vi!

dreamkeeper said...

This is awesome! just completely awesome; my favorite free comic (prelude) and my favorite graphic novel series are going MAINSTREAM!!! oh and did i mention ITS THA FURRIESSSSS

Alphadarkfox said...

Great work. But I'm a bit curious about that commercial. it looks live Vi's in it. She hasn't show up in the graphic novel... yet?

Can't wait to see the finished production. The only animations I've seen you made is in the montage.

Anonymous said...

i hope the 3'rd one is comming out soon i'm really enjoying the comic

Calisther said...

That's really super cool. I'd really be interested how Adult Swim and their viewers would think of it.