Hey everybody. GET READY FOR A LOOOONG NEWSPOST...
So it looks like I'm finally being productive again. Thanks for the warm reception for Paul Voltaire, which admittedly wasn't the funniest of cartoons. Still wort a watch though :). Also, I submitted a little Showreel that I made a few days ago. I needed to make it for a job application and just figured I might as well plop it in here. It includes some goodies, including clips from unreleased cartoons and some pencil tests. Excuse the shitty compression and ghosting, Adobe Premiere is a cruel temptress. Also, who doesn't love the band CAKE, I mean really?!
Besides all that stuff, I have even bigger news... As in news that hasn't already happened and me recapping like a dick. I'm far enough into planning to give a preliminary write-up on a new series!
I really missed writing for a series of some sort after I dropped out on my old Tywo stuff, so over the last few months, I've been dicking around with new series premises. I finally thought of one that would probably kick the shit out of my old cartoons, especially writing wise since I like to be hard on myself and be ashamed of everything I've made previously all the time.
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Anyway, the new series is called "The Summer Help" (working title) and it follows the lives of several summer counselors at a small-town recreational center. There's a rough draft design of a bulk of the main characters below, 2 of them I'm still tweaking a ton.
I might as well give you guys a write-up of these characters so you have some idea what the hell is going on. Some details are subject to change depending on my mood or my friends'.
The Meadowlark Rec Center Staff:
From Left-to-Right on the Model Sheet
Derek Manthee:
Often fairly nervous and an awkward conversationalist, Derek is a philosophy major in school which he always gets dumped on by his parents about. He can be very idealistic and is known to get on his high-horse about certain issues. The possibility of being wrong or hypocrisy terrifies him. He's the rec center's only lifeguard and also is too busy getting all introspective to pay enough attention to what's going on around him at the pool.
Jim Woodsworth:
(Probably the same Jim from that unfinished cartoon)
Known to be a frat-boy douche among his coworkers. He's narcissistic and has a strange infatuation with his car (A beat up, piece-of-crap Chevy Chevette hatchback). When he's not taking advantage of kids' gullibility, claiming that doing chores for him is community service, he's probably indulging in any way possible. Although, he may be a stoner douche, he's still a pretty fun guy and is a foil to Derek as much as Derek is to him.
Retired Lt. Dirk "Burch" Burchibald:
The short, fiery, teeth-clenching supervisor with a Napoleon complex. Often any conversation with him turns into him barking at his employees as if he were a Drill Sergeant. He has an issue with eye contact, forcing all his employees to maintain it at all times while speaking to him. This can cause some issues as employees often have to resort to standing on their knees or even laying on their stomachs when being addressed by him. There's also a possibility he has OCD, just throwing that in for good measure.
Rebecca Kershwell:
When you look at her, do you think "bitch"? Yeah, she is. She hates working with kids and its pretty evident, as much as Jim likes to take advantage of them, they're basically her slaves. As much as she may be a cold-hard bitch, it's more of an outside persona as she is fairly likable to the people around her. Just don't fuck with her or else you're getting teeth-checked with those ridiculous boots she's wearing.
Lolita Pooshawattaha:
The omega hippie. With the ideals of the Hippie movement instilled in her by her parents, she's a peace-loving, drug loving, neo-hippie. She runs the art department at the rec center and has an odd fascination/obsession with beads. She hasn't worn a pair of shoes or anything resembling them since she was little and most likely has callouses thick enough to walk across hot lava. She's always very chipper and optimistic, basically the anti-Rebecca. For as much shit she may get for being a hippie, she can sling it right back though. She's half-Native American if the last name wasn't a hint.
Norm McNulty: (Not pictured)
A pissy, large, metal-head. He has a gigantic crush on Rebecca, who is completely oblivious. He works the office at the rec center and is Burch's lackey, much to his dismay. It's obvious he's been working there too long as he often has fantasies of murdering Burch in pretty horrific ways, for as much shit he's had to deal with.
Penelope Attleman: (Not pictured)
A very tiny, meek nerd of a girl. With her crippling social phobias and low-esteem she seems fairly out of place at this job. Especially considering she is extremely creeped out by children, something about their fingers, I dunno. One kid in particular freaks her the fuck out, she believes he may possibly be the antichrist. Maybe!
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So yeah, there's the rough outline for the main characters. I'm writing the pilot currently and so far it's looking pretty good. There's also a ton of really funny ideas I'm looking forward in writing into later episodes. I'm still not entirely sure whether or not I want to animate this thing, because all the scripts are built to a 22 minute format. If you guys like the idea, I may release episodes in 7 minute acts maybe or rewrite the episodes in short-form. Who knows?! Also, I may switch to ToonBoom if I animate it since I really like the visual style I can get out of it.
Goddamn long post, you were warned.
...So what do you guys think? You wanna see this happen? DO YA?!
Dragproductions
That would be a pretty sick series man!