Unfortunately, I can't exhibit it on the internet yet or else I will not be eligible to enter Sundance. Fear not, that day will come. However, I will show some screenshots and give a summary of the story. I'll also tell you some things about how I made it. I don't smoke, but I think I might just go get myself a nice cigar to celebrate.
I would also like to say thanks to all the friends I've made at SEN and here. Working on this movie, plus raising a toddler put a serious cramp in my social life. But you guys were there to help ease the lonely days. <3
THE FILM'S STORY
The movie's title is "Making the Grade"
It's about a high school kid named Jacob who battles evil test papers alongside his talking pencil (Led), eraser (Pearl), 3-ring binder (Binder - inventive name there, no?), and the newest addition to the team, a talking ink pen (Biik). The talking objects, as well as the evil, transforming tests (who are led by a standardized test named 'Sycro') were brought to life with enchanted ancient ink that Jacob found as a boy. He keeps this part of his life a secret from the rest of his classmates.
One day, the girl he likes (Becky) asks him if he'd like to study at the school that weekend for the upcoming test on the U.S. Constitution. He agrees, of course, but finds out right after agreeing that Sycro is planning to come to the school that day as well. Unable to reach Becky, Jacob plans to try and ward of Sycro before she even gets there to study.
But when the day comes, she shows up early. She overhears part of a meeting between Jacob and the objects, and asks who he was talking to. Jacob tries to stall her and get out of having to study. Undoubtedly, he's narrowly avoided being discovered before, but was always able to talk his way out of it. Led, Pearl, and Binder wait for her to leave. But Biik, being the novice that he is, becomes worried that Jacob has forgotten about their mission to take out Sycro, and jumps in to clear view to remind him. There's no way Jacob can hide it now. He introduces Becky to the objects, but isn't able to explain much before Sycro shows up on the school's roof. Becky insists on coming.
They get to the roof in time to see Sycro change from his test booklet form into a monster. He and Jacob exchange taunts, and Jacob manages to hit him. Not wishing to get too roughed up, Sycro summons the Constitution test as a reinforcement, and changes it into a monster. In a fight like this, the test will ask questions related to their subject matter. If Jacob and the objects correctly answer, they gain some strength, and if they're wrong, the test gets stronger.
The Constitution monster uses too much power and blows a crater in the school's parking lot. The shockwave injures Jacob. Sycro, who like Jacob also wishes to keep these conflicts a secret, decides to leave before the police inevitably come to investigate the explosion. Led tries to thwart his escape, but the monster catches him and breaks him in half. The monster then easily pummels Pearl and Binder, and continues pounding Jacob.
Since he didn't study, Jacob can't answer most of the monster test's questions, but luckily, Becky does know the answers to a few. Jacob is able to regain control of the fight and eventually kills the monster. Jacob explains some more of the backstory to Becky, and when they hear the firetruck sirens, he rounds up everyone, gets Led's pieces, and they leave the scene.
THE END
SCREENSHOTS
http://www.UploadYourImages.com/view/884219screencaps_copy.jpg
1. Jacob, the hero of the story
2. Becky
3. Led the pencil, Pearl the eraser, and Binder the binder, are being introduced to Biik, the pen.
4. Sycro, the evil standardized test booklet.
5. The Constitution test monster
6. The history teacher, whose single line was voiced by me.
7. The teacher's name plate. A shout out to my net homies.
8. OMG! Our very own Sie-fun is in the credits! Several months ago, he helped me figure out a trick in photoshop that proved quite useful for the test transformation sequences and the monster's death sequence.
BEHIND THE SCENES
I've had the basic idea of a kid with talking school supplies that battle evil tests for many years. I even made a comic book out of it as a teenager. But I forgot about it for a few years while I chased skirt and later had my son. Back in 2004, I was trying to come up with an idea for a college capstone project, and I wasn't too fond of the ideas I was having. But then I remembered this old story, and thought it would make a cool cartoon. I knew animation would be very time consuming, but it would also be very cheap if I did all the drawing myself and I wouldn't have to deal with a lot of people.
I wrote the script and revised some of the character designs in a single night. That's the story of my life, ya know. One night of passion followed by years of work. ><
At first, I cast my friends for the voices. But none of them were actors, so they didn't do very well. I ended up firing all of them. I called a number of local casting agencies and hung up flyers at college campuses looking for actors. About 50 - 60 actors ended up coming to the auditions. I was very pleased with the people I got. Jacob was voiced by a Christian rapper, for instance. Led was voiced by a DJ for the oldies station. Pearl's voice was the local news anchorwoman. I didn't pay any of them, but since they only had to show up at a recording studio for an hour or two, and they didn't have to dress up at all, it's not like they were being strained very hard. My grandma generously paid for the studio time.
Once all of the lines were recorded, I began to do the animation in the summer of 2004. I drew everything by hand. I would draw the backgrounds, characters, and moving body parts seperately. I would then scan the drawings into my computer. Using photoshop, I would clean up the drawings (some of which my son scribbled on!) and color them, and then combine the characters with the backgrounds for the finished cels. After enough of those were finished, I would import the images into Avid, and sync up the mouths with the dialouge, and add sound effects and music.
By the time I started drawing, the initial lust that one feels when they start a new project had faded, and staying motivated to draw and color was EXTREMELY hard sometimes. For about 8 or 9 months during the end of 2004 and early 2005, I didn't work on it at all. There was a string of deaths in the family, including the grandma that paid for the studio time. My dog died. I had a girlfriend that I really liked, and we broke up around then. That's when I had the custody fight with my son's mother (which I eventually won). Plus I was in college and taking care of my son. I just didn't feel like working then...
Also, I learned a new way to procrastinate, and that was to make Starcraft maps! By summer of 2005, I was feeling more like working again. It was around then that I joined SEN, too.
I stupidly lost the release forms that I'd had the actors sign after they recorded their lines. Most of them signed new ones. But I was unable to track one guy down (the voice of Biik). I called him and mailed a few copies, but he just never got back to me.
Also, I needed a couple of them to come back and re-record some things in late 2005. The guy that did the Constitution monster was supposed to come back, but a few days before we were supposed to be in the studio, I find out the guy had moved to another state and didn't want to drive back for recording. So I fired those two guys and had to hold new auditions. I found a new guy that could do both voices, so he redid those lines and I replaced the old voices with his.In early 2006, the teacher for the sound recording class kindly let me borrow his students for two class periods so we could record sound effects (footsteps, paper rustling, etc.) and atmosphere sound (like the hallway full of students, for instance). This way, he got to teach foley work, the students got a grade, and I got my sound effects without having to pay! It's amazing what you can get for free if you just ask.
So finally, after all this time, I am done with all of the drawing, coloring, and editing. There were some pretty bleak moments during production, and some times where I honestly felt like quitting. There just seemed to be no end to the work. But I want to make movies. It's what I've always wanted. So I never let myself give up. And now here I am, with something to my name. Something that will live on after I die. I feel proud of that.
Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Sep 3 2007, 8:04 am by Doodan. Reason: GRAMER
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