zandoriastudios

Nice!!!

Maybe some bare-breasted birds...but don't you see the potential for satire and allegory? The style is much more funny-animal, Kung fu Panda than the earlier Heavy-Metal thing I was trying with airbrush. I am a little older now, so I think less shock value--however I think ultra-violent geysers of blood like an old samurai movie will be hilarious in this style! Jody, On the props and things like that, I will have to think about the best way. Probably that needs to be contracted out and payed for. At this point, I'm thinking about assets that I am already planning to build, and a way to open up the world to co-creators--who would share in the copyrights to the episodes they help create.

Oh I will! But right now I'm thinking about more of a series pitch bible, with descriptions of the characters, motivations, setting to create a guide. The story I'm working on now, would serve as a model. But basically you could adapt any episodic fantasy story to the characters and milieu. Tales of Zatoichi, Conan, Kane, Kothar the Barbarian. All of those pulp novels seem to be stitched-together short stories and I have that as my inspiration. Like series television--just leave the main characters alive at the end! Maybe I will have to have two or three finished before it is clear...

Is the idea just crazy? I don't think I'm just the next crazy dreamer

I don't know how best to handle that [props, models, etc. modeled by others]...open to suggestions

And if 50% stake for the company is unreasonable (?) then what is reasonable? I put it out there (mainly thinking that it will help me maintain creative control) Maybe licensing % would be different for different things?

This world of Zandoria, with it's anthropomorphic animal characters is a big place... As I build the characters for the story, in my mind I see an ever expanding library if sets, props, characters, backgrounds that I would like to see used for even more tales! I am also very aware of my own limitations to bring this all to life myself... So here is what I'm thinking about: I'm proposing the following: making these assets available to other artists/animators who would like to collaborate with me. My plan has been to distribute the Tar episodes freely on a youTube channel, and later compile them on a DVD or something...it is in my mind, a very long-term project, maybe even what may be my life's work. DVD might be obsolete--could be some other avenue... By letting other animators or teams create stories, vignettes, etc all set in the same milieu, this "world" is something that can continue into the future. Conceivably there could be volumes of "Tar of Zandoria"-- much like the world of Robert E Howard's "Conan the Barbarian" has been continued and expanded. I will keep creative control over the look, the designs, textures, etc and publish a Bible for the characters and world, that will help maintain cohesion between different collaborators. Since it is the same assets in Animation:Master , I believe we can make it all fit together. Ok: so how do we get paid? I propose to sign an agreement with whoever is willing and able. 50% to Zandoria Studios, the rest split between the contributors. So like you produce a 5 minute story, and it's part of a compilation of 30 minutes you would have a 1/12th financial stake in the profits. Or let's say you create clever T-Shirts using the characters: you pay back Zandoria Studios 1/2 of what you make. Or you rapid-prototype collectibles and sell them , same deal. Essentially we are co-creators. Please post your thoughts, suggestions, concerns and level of interest in working with me. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Edit 3/27/13] Since I first posed this question, I decided to just try to raise the money for TAR on Kickstarter. On the collaboration discussion, what I'm thinking now is just making the characters and other assets available to the animation community under an open license after I am done with the stories that I want to tell. __________________________________________________________________ [Edit 3/7/15] After failing at kickstarter, and working on this project solo for 5+ years, I have made one small episode... I'm ready for help. So if you want to be an animator, modeler, rigger, writer, voice actor, apprentice--I need you.

At the end of yet another stressful week--just now had time to check this thread. It is almost 6:00 and I'm still at the office! I did make some Pho soup last night though

Good advice all around... I won't " just quit"--but maybe if I can get this scene finished, it will make me feel better. Once I have something to show, then a kickstarter campaign won't seem like such a longshot...

Robcat-- I'll definately take you up on that ( when I have assets ready to go!). Ok ...maybe not ramen--but I can make pretty decent pho soup! Scurvy....hmmmm--will orange and black tea counteract?

Yeah--not something too take lightly....But you can get comfortable with just doing your job, and before you know it your are 45 years old, and you haven't achieved your purpose in life. What I've GOT to do is rethink my priorities--even if it means taking a different position, job, or just striking out on my own. It is sucking my soul out of me!!!

I've become very frustrated by my slow progress on this project... The trouble is my day job has become a career, and is now demanding too much of my time. I was just a designer..then the Creative Director...now the Director of Design and Engineering. The pay is good--but I do not enjoy what I do.... On my wallpaper of my workstation, TAR is looking back at me, and I just feel depressed that I am not doing what I ought to be doing. I need to start a kickstarter campaign, and try to raise enough money to fund the project. Get some like-minded artists, and go at this full-time. I feel like I have something unique that I can bring to the world through art, that I will never get that fullfillment through my work career. I am not getting any younger.... Maybe, I should just buy some cases of Ramen noodles and "just do it"! I could even turn my house into an hippie animation commune!! Thats how radical a leap that I feel I need to make :yay: Advice appreciated...Anyone wanting to join Zandoria Studios? [must work for ramen noodles :huh: ]

Happy Birthday!

I have some tutorial videos that might be a help to you. link in my signature:

that date only refers to the "mr Dodo"... I think the technical reference is updated to at least V14, maybe 16

wow...seems so long ago

great stuff--your work is inspiring!

New rendering. I've gone back through the channel editor and tweaked the curves. I think the walk has more weight now, and the head bob is slowed down. The background is something quickly painted in Photoshop, continuing to experiment with rendering the whole shot in A:M...But am thinking that I will switch to rendering passes, to give myself freedom to change things without having to re-render. http://youtu.be/nQeRGSFDymI

Ah--his old friend "Tusk"!!!! I think there is a grownup version in the DarkLead sketchbook:

Thanks ya'll

definately going to drop the cloak in the same shot where he flips the club and the hat is is shield

My sim cloth works fine...but I'm wondering if I forgot to check something somewhere to enable the force. I'm going to experiment ( seems like I remember seeing an updated flag tutorial with sim cloth

Yes, the head nod is way too sharp--have to go back through and tweak curves all over the place!

Testing the leopardskin cloak...forgive rough animation (still some tweaking to do). I could not get Forces (Fan) to seem to have an effect on the simulation--what am I missing? [64bit V16] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GEWPmNzxy8

I use the Libraries, it is easy to set up your own custom one too. Just open the pane and drag and drop files there from an open folder, it will make a shortcut to it in the Library.