Good news, Etherites. The Weak and the Wicked has been selected to screen at the 2008 Action on Film Festival in California. It takes place the week of July 25th.
We hear through a mutual friend that Thicker Than Water has also been accepted- albeit into the Live Action category.
We're still waiting on the official schedule. I'll keep you posted!
-JM-
There's been much confusion over our talk of "episodes," and what we're currently working on. I'd like to stress that Ether is, first and foremost, a concept for an animated series to air on Television. We've got 8 full-length episodes written, and barring a few more simple draft changes and grammar corrections, these are completed.
In 2005, with an earlier site build, we approached a representative of a pretty high-up cable network about our idea, to which the main question was "Do you have any animation?" We faltered a bit, pretty sure that the idea was to get some resources or money and THEN start production, but just the same it was decided to attempt a smaller web production to have something to show and maybe gain some attention. Thus, the "Duel in Ether," series of shorts was spawned.
The Duel is a series of shorts featuring a few of the main characters from the television series, with new locations, new characters, and a smaller episodic breadth- though no less 'epic' in scope. Currently there are 9 of these written with a plan for a few more to create a full arc for the shorts leading up to the start of the show proper.
At the moment I'm putting together the pitchbook for the main show, which will be a 20-30 page monster of story, data, and plenty of new concept art. The Duel has geared down a bit due to lack of art and animation support and so my duties shift to the main series as this is truly our baby and cash crop, so to speak.
So thanks to you who are pumped about the Duel, I apologize as it seems the second episode, "Bandit Dreams," will be a bit of a wait while the TV series gets a bump back to the spotlight.
It's been a while since we posted. If you're a new visitor, we hope you enjoy The Weak and the Wicked as much as we do. It's certainly not perfect, and we'd love for it to be just as gorgeous as a short from Gobelins or a serial from Production I.G, but there is no Great Ether Committee and we have but one animator. Many have been asking about Episode 2's status and the general answer is that it's on indefinite hold for that very reason. To put out the quality we strive for, and promise to everyone, and demand of ourselves, we require more resources. And let's be honest, true animators are a dying breed- despite the promise of a forthcoming 2-D renaissance that has yet to appear in the United States.
We continue to flesh out the world of Ether, of course, and between the numerous full-length episodic television episodes we've completed, the remaining short films to be produced, and the mountainous pitchbook currently being forged, we're not for want of content.
No, content and characters for this IP have never been an issue. We stand upon a veritable gemstone of an original IP, shouting through the foggy din of Remakes and Rehashses: "OVER HERE!!!" But no, our issue is, as it continues to be, finding a dedicated group of animators and artists willing, and able, to offer us their time. We have offered wages and freelance pay, to continued empty promises and flaky commitments.
At this point I must thank everyone in our team who has continued to offer their support and time; you've been wonderful. We continue on without those whom have not.
SO! Onward to the pitchbook and presentation, and a Story Reel, or animatic, of the entire pilot episode.
-JM-
A rough shot from episode 2 is online over at the YouTube. Just a wink and a nudge from the Ether team that things are progressing on the next short. I've neglected the "making of," segments for a while, as the current production has superseded anything from the last- but I may decide to remedy this in the near future.
The Ether Lexicon is also awake, essentially a glossary of characters, cities, mythos, biology, and civilizations that we create. The catch is, we'll only be adding things as they're presented in the series, as to not spoil necessary reveals and revelations to come. In other words, speaking of the characters- they'll be updated in a specific fashion.
All the best.
One might now find a smaller and slightly more pixellated version of The Weak and the Wicked over on YouTube for the ultimate convenience of embedding it on the blogs and MySpace pages of your closest friends and most wily enemies!
There's many exciting new things (besides episode 2) that are off the drawing board and into the foundry! I wish I could spill the beans but they're still very much stewing on the pot. Suffice it to say that the world we've built is big enough for much more than a single project.
