Recording Complete

Great news: One phase among the multitude has been completed. After a rousing session earlier this week, all of the voices have been recorded! There for the occasion was another member of the AXES family, Matt Portman, who came all the way from the West Coast just to make sure everything went smoothly. Actually, he just happened to be in New York this week, but it was nonetheless great to have him. There were only two actors for this final round of recording, but jeepers did we ever have fun!

First, we had reigning "love-meister" Nate Chapman of Dateocracy fame as the Slumberjack...

Pending proposal for a live-action adaptation.

...and ABC Family heartthrob Zander Eckhouse in the role of God.

Seen here posing for a Windows XP background.

Both gave great performances, and really took the care to bring actual depth to their characters. I would like to take this opportunity to semi-publicly thank all those who have volunteered their time and talents to AXES thus far. Everyone, without exception, has given it their all, which will make my job much easier as I continue to animate this thing. With every session, I've been increasingly happy with my decision NOT to do all the voices myself. The next update, (hopefully) later this week, will be the BIGGEST EVER, so hang onto your modems!

Bible Comics!

Guess what? There's been progress.

   Last week, we successfully recorded even more voices, and there's just one more session on the way, most likely mid-September. In the meantime, there is kind of a lot of other work to be done, so I've begun some storyboards and - as referenced previously - actual animation!

   I may post some videos soon, but since posting pictures is far less complicated/labor-intensive, here are the completed storyboards for the opening scene, gloriously off-model. (Note to self: Make model sheet.)

As can see (if you do that whole "click and enlarge" thing), it is a very lovely recreation of everyone's favorite Old Testament romp. Now that I have it as a reference, I know that it will at least sort of work on screen. Only 1400 more drawings left before it's animated, so I'd better get moving.

Sunshine and Such

Still plugging away... backgrounds... storyboards... organizing the second and hopefully final recording session for next week. Speaking of which, a shout-out and thank you to Solar Film/Video Productions for providing AXES with recording facilities. Quality studios are hard to come by, and they're usually super expensive, so I must express my appreciation to owner/president/oddity Eric Lau. Also, filmmaker friends, if you're in the NYC area and are looking to improve your production chops, I oh-so-shamelessly must point you to Eric's monthly lighting workshop. He's done some seminars on behalf of Apple (COMPUTERS!), had Oscar-nominated participants, and I'm seriously done plugging now.

  With the nod to Solar behind us, I feel it's time to go in the complete opposite direction and post something with a flagrant lack of sun, so here it is: the tower of the Electrocutioner.

Maybe some day I'll have something to show besides backgrounds, like possibly animation or something. You won't want to miss it!

Sound Studio Success!

What a week! The first recording session for Axes is over! Lots of fun, fantastic cast, but I'm glad to be through it. With production ramping up, there may be some changes to this here blog, which might mean fewer updates, but rest assured: progress is happening. And now, as a partial non-sequitur, here's a poster from Finn's room. Is there anyone out there who would NOT want to see this movie?

Our Neo-Pop Phase? Something Like That.

   I was just taking a trip down memory lane, (or the online equivalent), and came across this old gem. Although it's not directly related to AXES OF EVIL, it does mark the first animated collaborative effort of the AXES team, (that is: the creative team, not the characters). It's a bit superfluous, but given the success of a certain movie this past week, it's at least sort of relevant. Also, I have nothing interesting to say about production right now. How disconcerting.

Mini-Update: Evening in Harlem

Although I learned last time that "Mini-Update" results in "Mini-Interest," there hasn't been a lot of progress this weekend other than additional casting and artwork, (exciting, but more of the same). Eagle-eyed viewers might have noticed some Christmas signage within the previously posted butcher shop background, but been confused by the lack of Christmas weather. This update remedies that baffling conundrum, and showcases the versatility of these backgrounds. Not only is the winter setting more clear, but it's also nighttime!

Because we wanted to make the sight gags harder to spot.

Admittedly, this is a baby-step. I won't be posting every single tiny bit of artwork associated with Axes in the future, but these backgrounds are the brunt of production right now. I'm also learning a lot about both Photoshop and After Effects, so hooray for career-related skill development!

Friendship, Love, and Meat

  Amazingly enough, we actually got some responses to our casting call, and it looks like we may be on track to record within the next two weeks. Don't let that discourage you or your thespian comrades from e-mailing us, though, as there are still some choice parts remaining. There's still a chance to join our talented cast.

  Speaking of our talented cast, (segue alert!), our very own Nate Chapman has just unleashed his own project into an unsuspecting world. Since he's been working so darn hard, and it's turning out really incredible, here's a link to Dateocracy! As the host, Nate explains the concept pretty succinctly, so I won't overdo it here, but it's a more-than-nifty online dating show with a bunch of fun, interactive twists. Go support Nate and Dateocracy with your participation!

  Back to Axes, though, because that's really why we're all here, (unless you are one of the many who got here by mistake). All you media-lovers may now sink your teeth into this freeze-frame worthy background, unless you're a vegetarian, in which case you may silently disapprove.

  Don't forget to click the picture in order to get a full-size view. There are a lot of mediocre sight gags and details, and five seconds of eventual screentime won't justify the thought and work put into them. Okay, that's all for now. You have our permission to have a good weekend.