Ultra-Super-Big Online Crew Meeting Summary
Howdy everypony!
Our first online meeting was so big that we couldn’t figure out how to get everyone in on an audio discussion, so Zach chatted away on livestream and we all typed back in one big Skype chatroom. We had 39 people in attendance from all over the world! All-in-all, in went really well.
For the first time, all of our online crew members got to see all the work that’s been done on Double Rainboom, including our animatics, storyboards, backgrounds, and animated shots. We also went over our pipeline and how the project has developed over time from The Ballad of Mecha Pinkie Pie and Present Prank. We then recorded who need what files and who was interested in doing what kind of work.
Right now we’re working on version 1.1 for our Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle puppets for our next web-release. There will also be some new backgrounds and updates of our crew and contact pages.
/)^ɛ^(\
Stay tuned!
- Cara Ann Murray (Assistant Producer)
Crew Meeting Summary
We had a great crew meeting last week! We went through every animatic that has been constructed and critiqued them together as a group. With all the fantastic critique we’ve been getting, these animatics are going to be amazing when it comes time to go through them one-by-one at the giant online crew meeting next week!
While Zach’s working on all the animatics, all of the crew members waiting for animation are working on warm-up exercises to familiarize themselves with Flash and the pony puppets.
At the meeting Zach also announced that we will be adding more content to Double Rainboom so that it will be a full-length episode!
/)^ɛ^(\
Stay tuned!
- Cara Ann Murray (Assistant Producer)
I read that DHX does a prelay, where they have the VAs read the script with the animators present, and then the scene gets animated. Are you going to use the same order of production as DHX, especially in regards to this prelay method?
“We’re currently unsure as to how easy it’ll be to have a preliminary reading of the screenplay since all of our voice actresses are in different locations around the country. We hope to be able to get them all on a conference call and have a reading of the screenplay then - but right now it’s looking like we’ll have to record each character separately and work from there.
We’ll keep you all updated on the progress.”
- Zach Rich (Director/Producer)
Website Update!
We just updated the Double Rainboom website! We have a bunch of new backgrounds, a new poster, new concept art, and our new Rainbow Dash puppet!
The Double Rainboom DeviantArt is also up! Go here to visit: http://double-rainboom.deviantart.com/
Could you possibly do a live stream of the animation process at some point?
“I definitely can! Once production starts and we’re well under way - I’ll livestream an animation of a shot for everyone. That’ll most likely be around late June, early July.”
- Zach Rich (Director/Producer)
How did you draw the puppets did you use screen caps or you drawn it yourself
To make the the puppets for Double Rainboom, Zach first studied the way the ponies moved in the show. He had to look for clues whenever a puppet broke during animation and was eventually able to understand their construction (the legs and hair are the most complex parts). We then gathered screenshots of all the different parts of the puppet and traced each individual shape with the line tool in Flash. They were then re-sized, organized, and nested into the puppet rig of Twilight Sparkle on the website.
Crew Meeting Updates
Animators get ready! As soon as Rainbow Dash is done we can start handing out shots! We only have a limited number of shots without dialogue though, so if you don’t get a shot this time, we will make sure you get one over the summer.
At the last meeting Zach also announced that part 3 is going to be completely scrapped and re-boarded. But don’t worry, Lenny, one of our fantastic storyboard artists, is on it!
We also saw some incredible backgrounds, progress on some animated shots of Twilight Sparkle, and a nearly complete animatic for part 2.
We have been amazed by all the tests we’ve been getting of the Twilight Sparkle puppet. We really appreciate your feedback and help finding any flaws, keep it coming!
/)^ɛ^(\
Stay tuned!
- Cara Ann Murray (Assistant Producer)
