December 13, 2011 : Ninja Tales Audio – Done
Just a quick update: after a round of retakes, the audio has been recorded, approved, and edited. It has also been pieced together to get the rough timing for each of the 12 shorts. The average length for each short is 1:05, ranging from 0:40-1:40.
Storyboarding is underway, and animation is about to begin. It still needs to be seen how much time will be required to complete each short, however the goal will be approximately 2 weeks for each one. Below is a preliminary background poster for one of the sets, created by Moridin:
I love the coloring as well as the font – and you can’t beat a Beastie Boys reference.
posted by Pi Visuals at 2:16 pm
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December 4, 2011 : Ninja Tales Intro Animation
Here’s the Intro animation for Ninja Tales… in High Definition, of course.
Overall, I’m pleased with how it came out. We’ll see if that changes after I step away from it for a day or two. In case you’re interested, here is the link to the video on Vimeo.
With respect to the rest of production, audio has been recorded and soon to be edited. Animation is set to begin shortly, and hopefully the shorts will begin getting rolled out in a few weeks. As expected, updates will follow.
posted by Pi Visuals at 7:29 pm
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November 24, 2011 : Ninja Tales Intro Audio – First Pass
Moving forward from the Title Card, a first pass for the Intro song to Ninja Tales was cranked out.
[audio:http://www.pivisuals.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/NinjaTalesIntroSong.mp3|titles=Ninja Tales Intro Song]After listening to it (a lot), it’s become apparent that the length of the song needs to be cut. Since each clip for the series is going to be short, it only makes sense the Intro should follow suit. It looks like only the second half of the audio will be used. I enjoy the melodic setup in the first half, but sadly it’s unnecessary.
By the way, the higher pitched instrument used for the melody during the last half is the Koto – a Japanese, stringed instrument – alongside a subtle violin backing. Of course, those instruments weren’t physically used during the recording. Instead, they were created via a MIDI keyboard.
The next step is to create the animation for the Intro. The specifics still have to get worked out; but since it has to be short to accompany the audio, that means it needs to be efficient (yet effective).
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:37 pm
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November 22, 2011 : New Shorts On The Horizon – Ninja Tales
Not sure if it’s been noticed, but there have been a few ninja posts in the last couple months. While some of it can be attributed to my general love of these stealth mercenaries, it is mostly due to an upcoming side project that has slowly been in the works. Ninja Tales is a series of animated shorts, typically 1-2 minutes in length, that follows the workings of a less than stellar ninja clan. Below is a title card that might be used for the series.
Pre-production is about complete. Nearly all of the set and character design is finished, and the shorts have been written. Audio will be recorded within the week, and the rest of production will follow. The goal will be to release a new short every one to two weeks – hopefully beginning at the end of December or start of January. Once animation gets going, expect updates to follow.
posted by Pi Visuals at 1:43 am
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November 1, 2011 : Ninjas, All In A Row
The Base Ninja Model has spawned four ninja characters of a less than proficient clan. Below are two basic character sheets:
And a side shot:
These ninjas will be used in a series of animated shorts… each ~1 minute in length (give or take). The shorts have been written, but the audio still needs to be recorded. Additional modeling for the sets and props still need to occur. This includes weapons – even though they’re bad ninjas, they still deserve cool weapons.
posted by Pi Visuals at 1:48 pm
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