New York Comic Con

New York Comic Con: a bastion for comic readers, anime nuts, video game lovers, and film buffs. The last 3 days have not disappointed. This was my first convention, and although I was there to work for the American Museum of Natural History and to hand out flyers for The MK Projects, I had a fantastic time and walked away with more s.w.a.g. than I thought I could carry. The MK Projects got some great reception from passers-by, but unfortunately the nature of flyer-handing in a place packed so tight with geeks you can barely breathe didn't allow for much conversation about the show. I managed to have a few minutes with one of the co-founders of The Cultyard, a large section of the con devoted to independent artists and companies in the arts, everything from comic artists to toy designers. He had a lot of great advice and insight into the world of independent nerddom that will definitely be of use when we here at The MK Projects get a few more minutes of the show completed.

That said, it was fun. Played some upcoming video games, saw some excellent cosplay, viewed a panel or two, and genuinely enjoyed the neon trip through another louder, crowded world of terrible wigs.

Tonight's The Night!

Alright faithful readers (all the millions of you, I'm sure), tonight is the night we begin the Kickstarter campaign! We have exactly 45 days from 9pm tonight to come up with $6,000 in donations for the show! For the next several weeks, I'll be talking up the projects on message boards, flyering in New York and San Francisco, as well as bugging everyone I see at the upcoming New York Comic Con (October 13th through the 16th) to visit this blog and donate at Kickstarter. November 6th at 9pm, the donation period ends. It's make or break, if we don't reach our $6,000 goal by then, we don't get any of the donations, so tell your friends, family, enemies, pets, neighborhood grocer, cleaning lady, manager, co-workers, and THEIR pets about The MK Projects.

So what are you waiting for? Head over to the Kickstarter page to donate now. Remember, you don't even have to have money now to donate today as funds are not allocated until November 6th!

Today is a big day, so I'll leave you with some grand animation to check out for stopping by.
This animated short is called "TARBOY". The story of a being created from the sorrow of thousands of artificially intelligent robots that were destroyed by their masters. A combination of Flash and traditional 2D animation, "TARBOY" was completed 2 years ago by James Lee at the Griffith Film School in South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Wonderful character design, chilling silhouettes, and rich colors sets this noir-esque action epic apart from anything you'll find on television. STUNNING!

The home stretch...

Here it comes. The long wait is nearly over.
The Kickstarter proposal is completed, polished up a motion test this week, and worked up a couple of flyers to post all around New York and San Francisco. By the way, the fan page for The MK Projects is now up on Facebook. Click on the link and hit the Like button or attack bees will find you.

Here are the fruits of my labor this week. Check out the motion test below. It is very simple, just a 3 second sweeping gun motion. I animated it at 30 frames per second as opposed to the standard tv animation speed of 24 fps. The smoother the better, right?

And here are the flyers. Simple, just a few pieces of concept art and a still from the motion test for the background, a little bit of show info, and pull tags for people to take away. The tags lead them here, and from here, they can see all the other Facebook, Tumblr, and Kickstarter posts.

The proposal is coming this Saturday, August 13th. Be ready for it, and by that, I mean give me your money. Please.

"The time has come," the walrus said...

After, oh, I don't know, A MILLION hours of image touch-ups and video editing, the Kickstarter funding proposal is here! Well, not here, but

here. It's currently just on Youtube while I drum up some interest in the show around the city and online, but it IS finished.
Okay, not 100% finished, it is still just the proposal's rough draft version, but all of the agonizingly tedious single-frame edits and writer's cramps are over with for the time being.
There are a couple of images and renderings in the video I won't be posting here or on the Flickr account, so I suggest you watch it now, and ready your wallets, purses, and pocketbooks, because I'm going to be asking for contributions soon. Of course, with Kickstarter contributions, you are guaranteed something awesome for your donations, but you'll see what those are soon enough.

I'll leave you with another one of Genndy Tartakovsky's greatest works, Samurai Jack. A seamless effort of fantasy, science-fiction, and japanese lore all with Genndy's signature style: fluidity, dramatic lines of action, and a color pallate of rich solids that aren't afraid to display the texture of the watercolors that compose them, particularly in the backgrounds. Enjoy!

Maybe He's New In Town

The Kickstarter funding video is coming along nicely. I have the next 2 days off from work, so I should be finishing it any time now. I'll load it here and try my hardest to get it on Kickstarter around the beginning of August. And just 40 or so days after that, hopefully funding for a cartoon will come through!

If you haven't had a chance to check out Aniboom, do so! It's a site loaded with works by amateur animators and occasionally run contests for coveted television timeslots. This short film about a bounty hunting cowboy unprepared for the relocation the corpse of finds is grotesque and hilarious. Also, it has some Tom Waits at the end. Always a plus.

Come back Thursday night, you're bound to see something great in here...

Classic Animation Mashup

No new update on the toon today. A bit too much work over the last couple of days, look for one tomorrow or Friday, though!

Today, I have a video uploaded to Youtube earlier today by Nick Bertke, better known online as Pogo. A professional remix artist, he has worked directly for Disney, Harpo, Showtime, among other companies to provide some post-modern tracks. In this video, you'll see clips and sound bites from Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Aladdin, and other classic Disney movies cut together into an ethereal song that catapults the listener back to a state of childlike wonder, almost a sense-memory of what it was like to feel the magic of Disney's stories for the first time. A fitting tribute to one of the world's greatest animation dynasties.

"It doesn't tell what o'clock it is!"

We're getting closer and closer to having a real show on our hands, kiddos. Head over to The MK Projects Flickr photostream for a few new character renderings, as well as this sweet new composite of some of the characters from various seasons:

This will be a short post, work in the morning. You know how it is.

I'll leave you with a clip from Batman: The Animated Series. It is the introduction to the show. Can't really be called a "title sequence" as there is no title. Even those who have never watched an episode can recognize the grandiose score by Shirley Walker, futuristic/art-deco visual style (thanks Tim Burton), and the unmistakable silhouette of The Bat. No title needed. One slick animated series enjoyable for people of all ages. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEx9r5enZsk

Well... it seems there is trouble getting the video to embed here. Just hit the link.