Group animation project

As many of you may know, for the last couple of days I've been discussing the possibility of animating my book, but I've been unsure if a diary based story converts well to a visual animation. I've been story boarding the proposed idea and I've come to the conclusion that while I like the mid section (a OTT bloody fight between two OAP's) the rest just seems too long and without any real payoff, so I think I might put that idea on ice.

NEW IDEA for group

However, the idea was not a complete waste of time as I have come to realise that there are other excellent animators out there, such as Shoepie and Gavin. So I thought that we could perhaps come up with a group idea, maybe a sketch show and each of us can produce a sketch. To keep the art style the same, I would be happy to produce the artwork for you to animate. What do you think?

I'd like to do something sci fi I think, make full use of the animation, do something you couldn't do with live action

I would be happy to add my name to the hat. I'm still learning and way behind you guys. But I'm confident enough I could pull it off.

Would it be an idea to create individual roles like writers, animators, actors? Or would we be working on our own sketch and then compiling them at the end.

My main issue has always been recording decent voices. It's a common issue for peeps without decent mics.

It doesn't have to be all animators though, we need to come up with an idea and write it too,that's the very first thing we need to do. So anyone interested, lets see what you can think of.

Here's something I just thought of:

Something based in dreamland, so the laws of reality don't apply, so you can have you characters do anything you want. Maybe something like a group of dream heroes/cops, whose job it is to stop people having nightmares, but they always end up just making things worse

Another way to go with this, instead of a sketch show and building upon your dreamland idea. How about a story like Alice In Wonderland? That's almost a series of sketches joined with a very odd narrative.

I've worked on a couple of collaboration projects before but unfortunately I wouldn't have the time to contribute to this one. Sorry.

I just counted up six different projects I am working on, or in the planning stages of! (not including decorating my kitchen!)

I would recommend any group project go down the audio/podcast route first before attempting animation anyway.

Sorry to hear that Shoepie. From an animation point of view I'm happy to do that, though anyone else who wants to get involved is very welcomed. I'm proposing a project for both writers and animators

I'd like us to come up with a good premise, and then come up with a sample scene to animate. We should work on something with ambition, something we'd like to see become popular online, like a podcast as Shoepie said, even with a view of pitching it as a TV show.

Ideally I'd like to do adult targeted animation, for those who enjoy shows like Family Guy, South Park, but there is also no reason why we couldn't consider something for kids TV

Alice in Wonderland was an example of a fantasy world, not a suggestion for a kids cartoon.

Be careful though, there are a lot of Family Guy and especially South Park clones out there.

I know, so we need to come up with something original, which is always hard as we hurdle further down the years. The kids show was a suggestion but I would rather stick to grown up comedy.

Well like you said, we could go with the fantasy idea, something to do with dreamland.

So who are our characters

Where are they

Why are they there

Are they stuck there?

How can they get out, who or what is stopping them?

This could ark back to my other idea, of having something like an 80's cartoon, maybe a bit Dungeon and Dragons. Our heroes are stuck in this weird place, they don't know how they got there, and are trying to find a way out?

I don't think you have to be stuck in a Dreamworld to be able to do what you want with your eventual characters. It's a cartoon after all, it never stopped Wile E. Coyote.

Well to be fair to Scott, he did suggest he wanted an adult cartoon. And to a western audience I would presume it would be a lot more palatable if you suggested some sort of magic was going on.

Aye, but South Park & Family Guy are set in 'the real world' and they're pretty popular adult orientated shows. I'm just saying it doesn't have to be in a dreamworld to have out there ideas in.

Who would we sell it to?

I'm not keen on the 80s cartoon idea, nor establishing anything until there is a fair amount of people on board throwing in more suggestions.

Why not create what you have in mind, Scott. Then present it back to the board as a full idea, with concept designs n the like. People then can join up as writers, animators and voice over artists.

Quote: Nil Putters @ December 18 2010, 2:41 PM GMT

Aye, but South Park & Family Guy are set in 'the real world' and they're pretty popular adult orientated shows. I'm just saying it doesn't have to be in a dreamworld to have out there ideas in.

View original

A real world in which Jesus has his own TV show AND Satan goes out with Saddam Hussein.

Quote: Gavin @ December 18 2010, 2:41 PM GMT

Who would we sell it to?

View original

Dragon's Den? I would think selling something created by a group of people on an internet forum would be quite messy. I imagine if this ever got off the ground and became popular it would be more valuable as a credit.

I think we should make something and if it is good, then you can always pitch it to the networks or production companies, but that is something to consider at a much later date.

All programs need a premise, family guy is about a family, south park about a bunch of kids, Futurama about a guy in the future, so yes cartoons can always be out there but they still need a premise to be based in.

I'm open to all idea, and I think a group of us developing something here is a nice place to start. My idea is just one, does anyone else have any suggestions?

Well here is the closet thing to my idea, something a bit unusual and maybe original

You've got these guys that patrol dream land, saving people from nightmares,that's there job, so its like the Bill set in fantasy land. Of course as this is a animated comedy, they are terrible at there job and make eveything worse