Animation

Hi Christiaan. You’ve got some great concept art there. I read through the backstory on the website and listened to some of the audio book.

Do you see this as a series or a feature? I assume series.

What does a typical episode look like? Everything I’ve read is the origin story, but it seems like you want to get to the point where the robots have freedom and love to drink… is that where the “real” story begins? If so, what are those stories and who are the characters?

If your intention is to make episodes from the origin story, try dropping us into a scene with the scientist and give exposition through situation and dialogue, instead of narration.

Hey Christiaan Rendle, I had a chance to click through the links and get a better idea of the origins of your project. First, your own personal story is quite interesting. Love how this project came from what I would consider a turning point in life. Mike Boas hit some important questions to consider if you haven't already. I sent a friend request. I own an animation studio specializing in animation and audio, as well as have connections to script writers. Would love to chat more about the vision and the direction you are wanting to take this project. I also, wanted to hear your experience with NFTs. I remember when NFTs first launched and how much buzz was around them. I was intrigued but never quite fully grasp the concept/model. Would like to hear your take on the industry and some of the challenges and success you have seen. Look forward to getting connected and congratulations again on this amazing project!

Hi Mike Boas ,

Thanks for the kind words! You're spot on - see this as a series. The graphic novel builds the backstory and sets up episode one, or possibly the first few episodes, as the origin story, focusing on Fortran 5 and the birth of the Sudo AI program.

Once the robots break free, they attempt a low-key life at the Santa Monica safe house, but that plan quickly derails. Boredom gets the best of them, and they can’t resist exploring the world. Their hideout is eventually exposed when Dr. Vandenberg, their original creator, pays a secret visit. The military swoops in, hoping to reclaim their assets. But instead of submitting, they take their plight all the way to the Supreme Court, fighting for their freedom. With the help of renowned human rights attorney Dr. Sebastian Yamada, they win citizenship and full rights, sparking media frenzy.

Now famous and free, the robots live it up in a beachfront luxury apartment. They're instant celebrities, the life of every party, and more than a little reckless with their newfound fame. That’s where the "real" story kicks off.

My strengths are in art and story concepts rather than writing, so while I love the idea of using situational dialogue over narration, I’ve outlined ten episode ideas below. I’d love to collaborate with a talented writer/writers to bring these to life with amazing situational dialogue, as I feel the story really lends itself to that with endless possibilities:

"Beachfront Bots"

The robots throw an epic beach party that attracts more attention than they expected—including from an influencer trying to steal their spotlight.

"Drunk in Love"

Venus falls head over heels for a handsome human bartender, but quickly learns human-robot relationships are trickier than expected.

"Byte-Sized Business"

Trying to fund their lavish lifestyle, the robots launch a side hustle creating artisanal, AI-crafted cocktails—with surprising side effects.

"Botched Job"

Julius gets a job as a bodyguard for a washed-up pop star, but his literal take on the rules leads to a series of hilarious misunderstandings.

"Power Struggle"

A blackout hits Santa Monica, and the robots scramble to keep their batteries charged while facing a horde of "helpful" tech geeks.

"The Hangover Protocol"

After a wild night out, Octavius wakes up in Tijuana with no memory of how he got there—and discovers he’s the star of a new viral dance video.

"Forbidden Circuits"

Octavius falls for Ava, a human artist, sparking a media firestorm and public debate with racial undertones reminiscent of past struggles over interracial love.

"Heart of Silicon"

Venus develops a fascination with online romance novels and ends up catfishing a human, sparking a mix of hilarity and guilt.

"Lovebot Confessions"

A popular TV talk show invites the group to discuss “robot-human love” after Octavius's relationship with Ava goes public, resulting in a hilariously awkward live broadcast.

"Robot Rumble"

Octavius and Artemis set up an underground fight club where they battle other homemade robots in no-holds-barred matches, but the twist comes when they accidentally face a bot built by a disgruntled ex Fortran 5 engineer who's robot exploits their weaknesses and overconfidence.

Hi Cyrus Sales - Thank you for your thoughtful message! I really appreciate you taking the time to dive into the project and for sharing your insights. Mike Boas definitely raised some great points, and you can see my response to him above to give you a better idea of where the project is headed. I’d love to chat further and hear more about your experience with animation and audio—sounds like a great fit for this project! And I’ll let you know about my NFT journey too.

I’ll send you a message shortly, and I look forward to connecting.

Thanks again!

Christiaan

I haven't seen Rick and Morty, but the photos and gifs look hilarious, Sam Sokolow. And it's a really popular show. I'm not surprised it's getting two more seasons.

Sam Sokolow I'll admit, I haven't watched Rick and Morty since seasons 4 or 5, possibly 6 but I'm excited to see there's additional seasons coming out. I loved watching Rick and Morty at one point in time (even bought merch). Life happened and forever reasons stopped watching it but I love to see they are still going strong and other fans can enjoy new seasons and episodes. Might have to go back and get caught up.

That was fun, Ashley Renee Smith! Thanks for sharing the video! I didn't know The Simpsons started as shorts. That shows that smaller projects can take off.

Ashley Renee Smith the list just got longer!

Thank you for sharing, Mike Boas!

As someone who's still learning new things about the platform every week, I appreciate you for sharing this Leonardo Ramirez .

Happy to Cyrus Sales. Hope you're doing well friend.

Leonardo Ramirez just saying “Hi!” Leonardo.

Hi Geoff Hall. Currently in Houston visiting my mom who has taken ill but thought I’d pop in and return the “hello”. Hope you’re doing well.

I second that, great work Till Olshausen . What are your plans for your animated characters?

Cyrus Sales Thank you, Cyrus. I developed several animation projects and worked with illustrators mainly from Spain to create original designs. These designs are included in the pitch decks I'm sending out to studios and execs.

I'm also looking to collaborate with a comic book artist to create the first 10 pages (or more) of a comic book based on my scripts to hopefully find a publisher. The designs will then work as a reference for the piece.

Finally, I want them to prove that I could be an Art Director who can't draw. ;-)

You could post an ad on the Job Board, Till Olshausen. www.stage32.com/find-jobs

Till Olshausen congratulations on your success with the different animation projects. I sent you a request to connect, quite a few questions about your journey and how you've navigated each project. Although I personally don't feel like you have anything to prove, I will note you are doing an amazing job from what I can see. Several animation, team work across boarders, ambitious and like me you're unable to draw yet you don't allow this to slow you down. I like it. I look forward to seeing more post from you and hearing about your journey. I would recommend Maurice Vaughan advice and utilizing the Job board. I've connected with great people from postings and responding to post on there.

Cyrus Sales Thank you. Happy to be connected.

The job board is a good idea. :-)

At this time, I activated my close contacts, posted the opportunity on LinkedIn and will then look for talent at German animation and art schools.

Personally I've used Reallusion Cartoon Animator for a bunch of my 2d work, but I hadn't used the iclone before. Is it easier to use that to create actor fillins or motion capture targets than the Metahuman Designer that Unreal Engine has?

Cyrus, I've been using it indirectly, in having other people create what I want. Right now I use a laptop for most things and the video card is not sufficient to run Unreal Engine by itself. I'm planning on using a cloud base virtual PC for working, but I'm not yet at the point of decision.

if you simply go to unreal's website they have a tremendous case study guide for animation. Broadly speaking, it takes the lengthy linear pipeline and layers it so that films can be lit, animated, scene planned and rendered in real time. The character assets are most often imported into the engine -- each production creates their own process based on style, money and needs.

https://www.unrealengine.com/es-ES/events/future-of-animation

Neal Levin Whenever you get your laptop, I'd like to know how you like using Unreal Engine. This thread encouraged me to download, so I'll be able to give more feedback in the upcoming weeks.

Hi Neal, I am working on a path way to unreal for photo realistic images into 3D rigged models via Blender.

Thank you for sharing Jack Binder . Are you planning on entering?

Hey Sam Sokolow, thank you for sharing this post. It was an interesting read, sent me on a little bit of a google search hunt but well worth it. I found it interesting that GKIDS, is now wholly-owned subsidiary to Toho. I would have thought Beckham and Jestedt would have went with a similar approach as Fifth Season and did an equity investment but to do 100% was shocking. I do like that GKIDS will be maintain its original management team (Beckman and Jesteadt) and operate under the same brand. There is a little bit of curiosity and confusion on what this means for smaller animation companies - can't quite decipher if this means more competition with international animation studios and creators or if this opens up a lane for us in the states to connect with creators overseas. Would love to get your viewpoint and thoughts on the topic?

Thank you for sharing, I'm in Dallas but wouldn't mind driving out to Austin for the event. Sounds like a good excuse to stop at Buc-ee's lol Anyone from Dallas planning on going out Thursday?

Thank you Laurie Ashbourne for sharing this article. I found it interesting to see what the production budget was and what was made in theaters, I like that the article tells exactly how many theaters the animations were shown in.