Premise, Characters, and Target Audience

Scroll straight to the bottom of the blog for the premise, characters, and target audience.

Here It Is

Finally finished the episode:)

Update

This is a still from the animation so far, from the same scene in the car.

Most of the voices for E 101 have now been recorded, and about half the lines from Episode 102. I'm now well underway doing the lip sync animation for Episode 101, and trying to decide how smooth to make the body animation. In the interest of saving time and money, I might go with a pretty simple animation style. I'll just focus on the key poses, and not worry much about the smoothness of the in-betweens. Because the look of the show is somewhat graphical, I think people would be comfortable seeing Flash quality body animation. If the look of the show was more photo realistic, limited animation would be harder to get away with.

In other news, the script for Episode 104 is finished, Episode 103 is being written, and I feel very good about the project in general.

Student 2

Cleaning Guy

Student 1

Another character...

Girl 1

Another character from the first episode.

John

This is John, the bad guy security guard.

Another poster image

Moon and Bradley have been re-worked, and Tammy is newly created. Thanks to Dennis Nikolaidis for helping out with the re-designs, and for improving the lips and eyes of all characters. I'm wondering whether Ricky and Claire could use a little tweaking as well, toward the direction of their 2D predecessors.
This week Dennis and I will be modelling the heads of four more characters. I'll also be making rough versions of the interior sets that appear in the first two 11 minute episodes. They include 3 different hallways and an apartment. I'll also be posting ads in Backstage and Voices123.com, as I start the search for voice actors.
I've started writing weekly reviews and weekly schedules on Sundays, which really helps with organizing and prioritizing. Last week I fell short of my goals. Hopefully this week will be different, and I'll lay out my progress here:)

Volumetric Headlights

First Scene Still

This is a still from the first scene of the first episode, yet to be casted, recorded, or animated.
I finally have some working character rigs moving these guys, but it took a while. Now I'll try to cast these characters, and start setting up other scenes.

Poster style still

Here's the first picture of the campus. It's a good start, and the backgrounds will only get better.

I've tweaked the settings for the cartoon shader so that the characters' faces are lit crisply and evenly, regardless of how dark the scene is. I also made Claire's nose smaller, and lowered her cheekbones a bit.

I'm feeling very good about the look of the show, and the backgrounds and the characters' faces will get better and more detailed.

Further revisions

Claire

Goofing Around

Toon Shaded

This is likely to be close to the final look of the show. A bit more graphical, and closer to the show's 2d origins.

The three together

This is looking a lot better. I'll be painting better eyebrows, refining Bradley's face, and adding better hair textures to all three.

Better

Today I styled Moon's hair and figured out some skeleton issues. Moon's hair took longer than I thought, and I added some morph shapes so that the left and right bangs can sway back and forth. I'm thinking that Moon could regularly be brushing hair out of his eyes, or he could flip his head back when his bangs swing down. I'll be adding a better hair texture tomorrow.

I also fixed the crotch issue, and made the pants more baggy.

I still need to make his eyebrows, but the character is fully ready to animate, with moving eyes and all.

Early sample

Here's an early sample of the three main guys in 3D. Still need to do the hair and fix the uniforms, and I think my earlier 3d rendition of Bradley looks more like the original 2d version, so I'll make his face less round and youthful.

These faces have a large library of morph shapes, so they are capable of a wide variety of expressions. Tonight I'll be adding skeletons to them and learning how to transer movements and poses from one character to another, which will be a big time saver. I think I'll only need to make one walk cycle, then transfer the movement to the other characters and customize the walk for each character.

I'll also be able to make a library of hand shapes that can be transferred to every character in the show.

So things to do right away: Hair, uniform fixes, skeletons, and then finish Claire and add a cloth effect to her skirt.

3D?

I'm facing the big decision of whether to produce this series entirely in 3D. I had made the decision to make the backgrounds in 3d, because painting backgrounds and taking reference photos are too labor intensive for my no/low budget approach. But playing around in 3D led me to make this test of Bradley, and while doing this series in 3D would be more labor intensive for me, it might be cheaper. The pre-production will take longer, but once things get going it should look very good, and the characters will be re-usable.

I would also love to have a small video game made where you drive around campus in a security golf cart running down terrorist hippies, and having the world already made in low polygon 3D will make it much much easier.

Anyway, I'll have to decide within the next week whether to go with Flash or 3D for the characters, and going 3D would be more risky as I try for a September debut of the show...

First After Effects 3D Space Test

This is the first test of compositing the 2D Flash characters in After Effects using 3D space, lighting, and cameras. I'm very happy with the way this came out, and I'm happy to have more RAM to make it easier to work with 3D layers in After Effects. This 3D look will definitely be easier to pull off for night shots like this, and there is still much work to be done in creating the daytime and interior backgrounds.

I can't wait to populate this campus quad with trees, background buildings, and stars in the sky.

New Music For Original Trailer

Mike Cohen of Lucinda Black Bear came up with new music for the trailer, and here's a rough score.

Bradley Character Turn

This is the character turn for Bradley. He was designed by Sam Ferri and Orion Nelson in late 2006, and the turn was completed by Steven Lalonde.

First Things First

I spoke with the agent of a potential Jonesbury writer yesterday, and she had the great suggestion that I focus exclusively on the first episode or two, and then try to find financing, sponsorship, and/or distribution after that.

Because the first two episodes essentially amount to a half hour television pilot episode, we'll produce them both at the same time. We had been planning to work on the scripts for all of the first 10 episodes, and create some art assets for these episodes, while producing episodes one and two. Focusing most of our time and resources on the first two episodes, and getting them done as soon as possible definitely seems like the right thing to do.

I'll still be assigning the scripts for episodes 3 and 4 while producing the first two episodes, so that if funding arrives after episodes one and two are shopped around, we'll be ready to immediately go into production. I will also have established a working relationship with two writers. After I know what kind of budget we'll be looking at, we'll then start writing episodes 5-10 which have already been outlined. The size of the final writing staff remains to be determined.

The goal is to finish the first two episodes by the third week in July, but there is much work to be done. Fortunately, we are already hard at work, and I'll post some updates about the progress we're making, perhaps with art samples from different stages of production.

Alternate Business Plan

Because we're trying to keep the momentum going while looking for funding, instead of just sitting around while September gets closer, I guess you could say we're flying by the seat of our pants, but definitely not flying blind. We'll be making adjustments as necessary. For instance, the design of the secondary characters might be kept more simple than they otherwise would be, and they might not necessarily be full puppets (every movable piece on it's own layer). Fortunately with Flash, it is easy to re-use some assets for various characters, while just making small tweaks to shape and color.

The more things fall into place with the hiring of the writers and animators (and exciting progress is being made), the easier it will be to raise money. I've become aware of a tax incentive that rewards investors generously for investing in film projects that mostly use American production staff.

I'm hoping to have the first episode finished by early August, and to find a distribution company or a connected representative to help me market the show to international markets. Hopefully something happens there, but I'll also be putting the first three or four (or perhaps all 10) episodes up on Youtube, Google Video, etc for free in a medium-low resolution. Fans will have the option of buying hi res versions from itunes, and my website will allow people who pre-order the Volume 1 DVD to sign in and watch streaming high quality episodes before the DVD is shipped in December. My web site will also have every episode in medium-low quality, and we'll have banner ads and perhaps video ads on the site.

I will also be negotiating non-exclusive deals with web sites like AtomFilms, BlipTV, and several other web sites that have ad sharing deals.

Then of course there is the DVDs, sold both in America and internationally. I have confidence that Jonesbury will be able to attract a following that will want to support the show. I will also be selling T-shirts on the web site, and will have fan forums where people can talk about the unfolding mystery, and this will increase traffic and ad revenue.

When the show is about to debut in September, I will be sending sample DVD's of the first two or three episodes to influential blogs and magazines, with custom press releases to maximize free promotion of the show. The participating blogs will mention the web site, and perhaps include the first episode embedded into the blog page.

I also hope to recruit a few students at a few large universities to hand out fliers promoting the show, as students are returning to campus or coming for the first time. This could pay off greatly, and college students will likely be a big part of Jonesbury's audience.

First status update

There have been a few developments in the past few days. A talented composer friend is in the process of re-scoring the music for the old trailer, which will give it a more modern, energetic vibe. Hopefully it proves helpful when I approach potential investors, as well as cast and crew for the show.

I've found our background reference photographer, which I'm thrilled about. He's going to start photography next week, on a campus that should be a perfect fit for the show. He's also a film student, which will definitely help, since there will be a lot of improvising involved. He'll have to imagine animated characters in the viewfinder, and basically be the cinematographer for imaginary stories. I'm in the process of organizing the set lists for each episode, and providing some limited notes.

We plan to have the backgrounds painted at standard resolution because it will be much easier to accomplish, but if the show takes off, we'll still have the high res reference photographs on hand, and the backgrounds and the rest of the show could be re-rendered in Hi Definition, which would look really good.

Today I posted a job notice for playwrights on a few different web sites, and I've been very excited with the quality of applicants and writing samples so far. I look forward to putting together a nice team, and know Jonesbury will be better written than what I could ever do by myself. This collaboration should be very enjoyable and educational.

I've also been organizing the existing Flash art assets created for the trailer. The book Foundation Flash Cartoon Animation has excellent advice about setting up and organizing Flash projects. The authors are an Emmy winning team from Animax, and they use more advanced organizational techniques than I've read about previously.

Tomorrow I'll be posting an ad for a Flash illustrator/character designer to help flesh out the character libraries. For example, I might already have a character's body drawn in front and profile views, but over the course of 20 episodes I'll also need 3/4 front view, 3/4 rear view, and rear view of the characters body. Same goes for all of the characters' faces. I have front, 3/4 front, and profile views for the faces of every main character, but I'll also need the angles when the characters are facing away from the camera.

There are also several secondary characters that need to be designed. Over the next couple months, as scripts 3-10 are written and polished, and as the art assets are finished, we'll be able to put animatics together for the episodes. The animatic will allow us to watch entire episodes, with only still images and an amateur voice track. We'll be able to see how the episode is playing, and see if any changes are needed. The changes can be made efficiently, before the real actors record the characters' voices, and before animators start moving the characters to the actors' voices.

The goal is to have "Jonesbury" debut in early September, and to have DVD Volume 1 (10 episodes) finished in time for the Holiday DVD buying season.

Moving Forward

Things are starting to come together with the series. Completing outlines for all 20 Season One episodes was a major factor. While I'll still be pursuing some financing, having the basic structure of the season down has given me a lot more confidence to move forward with a no budget/deferred payment strategy.

Some of the episode outlines of will undoubtedly be changed, but not flying blind makes the leap towards production less intimidating, and very exciting.

The Original Trailer

This is the trailer from before the series became a crime mystery. These backgrounds are based on low res photographs pulled from the internet. The backgrounds for the series will be based on high res custom photographs, and will be composited in After Effects. Different elements of the backgrounds will be placed on different layers. Lights, camera movement, and focus will affect these layers differently, and the results will be more three dimensional.

Here's an example of Flash animation given 3D depth by compositing with After Effects:
The Boondocks

Series Premise

“Jonesbury” is an animated series about a misfit team of security guards at a prestigious private college in rural New Hampshire. The characters all have bigger dreams than being security guards, but while pursuing those dreams, they lean on and rag on each other.

When a college building is damaged by late night arson, the guards have reason to suspect one of their own as a conspirator. But a radical hippie alumni group claims credit for the arson, and a hippie scare consumes the campus.

The guards set out to discover the truth behind the arson, hopeful that doing so will improve their lives and perhaps bring glory.

Their investigation is complicated when the college administration exploits the anti-hippie climate to change the makeup of the Board of Trustees, even in the face multiple scandals.

The Main Characters

Ricky
21 year old newcomer to town.

Becomes a security guard to soak up the elite college experience.

Lives in a trashed apartment with a drug addicted alumnus.

Wants be accepted socially by students despite his status.

Becomes the friend and project of Claire, a rebellious student.

Ricky hopes that solving the arson case will allow him to stop sneaking into classes, by gaining him admission to the college. He also hopes to impress Claire.

Moon
27 year old Jonesbury College dropout.

Spent two years in India before a drug induced breakdown.

Moved back home after a stay in a mental hospital.

Trying to get his life together enough to move back out of Jonesbury, or at least out of his father’s house.

Father is a narcissistic professor at the college.

His sexy step mom is a former grad student at the college.

Moon hopes that solving the arson case will help prove himself to his father, a prominent professor at Jonesbury College.

Bradley
28 year old local boy, former football player and self-described “redneck.”

Energetic 3^rd in command, who is protective of his guards.

A threat to John, the 2^nd in command, who will stop at nothing to become Chief.

Surprisingly insightful and helpful to students in crisis, and is popular with the girls.

Engaged to Tammy, who works as a dispatcher for Security.

Bradley hopes that finding the real arson culprits will lead to a job promotion, especially if one of the culprits is John.

Claire
19 year old sophomore who lives on campus.

The most rebellious girl in school.

Befriends Ricky and makes him her anthropology project.

Sneaks Ricky into classes and helps the guards solve the mystery of the arson.

Explores a variety of social circles on campus, while trying to discover and develop an identity.

Tammy
Bradley’s girlfriend since high school.

Works as Security Dispatcher, ever since a controversial incident while on patrol.

Knows how to talk crudely with the guys, which helps her fit in.

Has a hidden feminine side that she shows only on occasion.

Tries to set Ricky up with her good friend Cindy.

Target Audience

The target audience for Jonesbury includes college students, alumni, and fans of blue collar comedy. The show offers plenty for all three groups, despite being an unconventional show.

For college students, Jonesbury offers a realistic portrayal of the social politics on a college campus, and the difficulty students face in developing an identity. It also looks at the ways in which students are ripped off by their schools - whether by high interest student loans or by the mandatory purchase of inferior books by their professors.

For alumni, Jonesbury offers a chance to re-experience college, from a wiser, more cynical perspective. The conflicting desires that students have to both conform to a group and to discover their own unique self are looked at humorously. This will also offer some amusing nostalgia. Many alumni will also appreciate the metaphor of post 9/11 America that the drama on campus represents.

For fans of blue collar comedy, Jonesbury offers an insightful look at elite college life, but from the perspective of working class outsiders. This audience will appreciate the humorous take on the contrasting mannerisms and world views of locals, students, professors, and administrators. Also of interest will be the inequity in how the children of the fabulously rich are treated when applying, when being graded, and when being punished.

Because the distribution strategy behind Jonesbury relies in part on DVD sales, PoPo Media realizes that the passion of viewers is as important as the number of viewers. The fresh perspective of the show, and its discussion of class and post 9/11 America, are likely to endear it to people of several different backgrounds.

The show will make great effort to be entertaining independent of the political themes, and will be enjoyable as a humorous crime mystery. But the show will also cover issues that Libertarians and disgruntled Progressives agree on, and the bi-partisan hunger for content critical of the status quo presents a ripe opportunity.