The Art of Pho – Julian Hanshaw

‘The Art of Pho‘ is an ambitious interactive motion comic project that utilises a myriad of drawing techniques, mixed media and interactivity. Based on the graphic novel by Julian Hanshaw and animated by Lois van Baarle, ‘The Art of Pho’ manages to create a compelling and uplifting interactive experience that compliments both static and moving image sequences. The ambient soundtrack also provides a dream-like atmosphere that suddenly shifts as the protagonist enters ‘the big city’.

‘The Art of Pho’s’ artistic merits are beautifully realised throughout the episodes on ‘Submarinechannel.com’ and the playfulness of narrative, visuals and interactivity provide an utterly compelling experience.

“The Art of Pho is a deliciously surreal interactive motion comic about a lovable creature named Little Blue and his friends. Through an extraordinary sequence of events, Little Blue ends up in Ho Chi Minh City where he learns to master the Art of making Pho (Phở) – Vietnam’s ubiquitus noodle soup. The adventures that ensue set him on a marvelous path of self-discovery.

Based on the graphic novel by Julian Hanshaw, The Art of Pho is a moving story-slash-travelogue about friendship, love and discovering your roots, set against the backdrop of Vietnam’s hustling and bustling capital.”

The Art of Pho.

John Woo’s ’7 Brothers’ Motion Comic

*Contains Garth Ennis strength language!

7 Brothers is a collaboration between John Woo, writer Garth Ennis and Jeevan J.Kang. Woo himself takes on the role of executive producer, letting Chris Firestone and Jeremiah Strackbein from ‘Pixofactor Entertainment’ assume the respective roles of Creative Director and Animation Director/Producer. The story takes ancient Chinese folklore as a catalyst for a modern-day ‘quest’ narrative that brings seven strangers with mysterious powers together.

John Woo Quote from comicbookresources.com

“For me, working in comics is quite comfortable – it’s like the ultimate storyboard. The original Seven Brothers graphic novel, and this new animated comic book series, takes the seed of an idea I had about famous Chinese folklore to a whole new level. It creates a modern, global story, and an art form that is unique and yet, clearly, a brother to the film medium,” said creator, John Woo.

The series is available on the machinima.com youtube channel.

“We at Machinima are excited to partner with the Liquid team and world-class action directors like John Woo,” said Allen DeBevoise, Chairman and CEO of Machinima, Inc.  “Because of the strong overlap between the worlds of videogaming and comics, Machinima was the natural distribution outlet for this high-octane animated series, and we hope our global audience of over 118 million viewers will enjoy it.  We’ll continue to partner with the best creative talent to produce and distribute more and more original content that resonates with the male 18-34 demo.”

Sharad Devarajan from Liquid Comics suggests that comic books are undergoing a digital revolution.

“We are thrilled to work with John Woo and the teams at Machinima and Tiger Hill to bring this exciting story to audiences worldwide through digital platforms,” added Liquid Comics Co-Founder & CEO, Sharad Devarajan.  “For Liquid, the future of comic books is about jumping from the printed page on to the digital screen and ‘John Woo’s Seven Brothers’ is the perfect project to launch our new line of animated web shows.”

‘Reclamation’ by Romeal Watson

‘Reclamation: the Motion Comic’ is a new Kickstarter project that hopes to create a motion comic, and later a feature film. Creator/Artist Romeal Watson is clearly passionate about the project and the combination of martial arts, the supernatural and onscreen action point towards influences such as Constantine, Underwold and even Buffy.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/242321217/reclamation-the-motion-comic-0/widget/video.html

From the kickstarter page

“WHAT’S THE STORY ABOUT?
Reclamation is a dark tale of a pragmatic preacher’s son who discovers the true power of the supernatural, when the death of his father drags him in the middle of an ancient mystical rivalry. With the help of an elite squad of demon hunters, Ray must find the courage to step into his father’s shoes, and rise up against the Dark Order, a vicious demon clan.”

The Darkest Hour – Motion Comic Trailer

The Darkest Hour digital/motion comic www.darkesthourmovie.com/comic/ provides some additional exposition to the upcoming live-action film. It’s a science-fiction themed action thriller set in Moscow, that follows five stranded people as they fight to survive a brutal alien attack.

Featuring the collaborative artistic talents of illustrators such as Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night), Tom Fowler, Pia Guerra and many others, ‘The Darkest Hour’ is an prime exemplar of ‘convergence culture’ and transmedia and features comic, motion comic and live-action narratives

The motion comic is typically restricted to lighting and particle effects and simple camera movements. A series of text boxes and sound effects add further depth and atmosphere to the narrative. The addition of an interactive menu system allows the viewer to navigate the narrative and also incorporates a fullscreen feature, which is useful for viewers with smaller resolution settings.

The Darkest Hour.

The Green Wave

The Green Wave, a documentary that depicts the wave of protests against government vote-rigging in Iran. The film blends filmed footage from the crowd, as well as an illustrated ‘motion comic’ aesthetic to depict the hardship of Iran’s people against state-orchestrated violence.

Directed by Ali Samadi Ahadi and featuring the motion direction of Professor Sina Mostafawy and Ali Soozandeh, The Green Wave will be playing in Dublin, Sheffield, London, Aberdeen and Bradford throughout October and November 2011.

From the website:
“THE GREEN WAVE is a touching documentary-collage illustrating the dramatic events and telling about the feelings of the people behind this revolution. Facebook reports, Twitter messages and videos posted in the internet were included in the film composition, and hundreds of real blog entries served as reference for the experiences and thoughts of two young students, whose story is running through the film as the main thread.”

Muppet Show motion comic

Jim Henson’s ‘The Muppet Show’ as a motion comic? It’s not a combination that I would have initially thought of. However, Disney and ‘Double Barrel Motion Labs’ created a trailer for a Muppet Show motion comic series back in 2010. The approach to the animated sequences seem more aligned with limited animation, rather than the manipulation of static images, although the various panels and gutters do reinforce a comic book aesthetic. Hopefully the series will make a more public appearance soon.

“They’re back to corrupt a whole new medium”

Angry Birds : The Motion Comic

Angry Birds Motion Comic part one … This fan-made motion comic provides a gruesome exposition on the origins of the hatred between the pigs and the birds. The story is told purely via the comic/motion comic format and despite the lack of narration or dialogue, the emotive power of the soundtrack and visual imagery provides a gripping narrative.

Angry Birds Motion comic part two … featuring disturbing ‘Clockwork Orange’ style mind control over one of the ‘Angry Birds’. All is not well within the angry birds camp!

*Additional information on the creators of the Angry Birds motion comics -

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/hyjkar

Facebook (Sketches, storyboard, etc!):
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Angry-Birds-The-Motion-Comic/177157369020192?re…

Art: Liisa Kareranta
(BLOG:http://giraffesketches.blogspot.com/)

Story/Sound: Heikki “hyjkar” Kareranta
(BLOG:http://hyjkar.blogspot.com/)
(IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3163017/)

Fubar – A War between Cats and Dogs

Featuring some cutting-edge compositing, courtesy of Hasraf Haz Dulull, Director and VFX artist, ‘Fubar’ tells the story of an on-going war between cats and dogs that echoes many of the concerns some have today regarding modern warfare and links to arms suppliers. After the initial shock/novelty of the protagonists, there’s plenty of unfolding action and storyline to keep you glued to this brief but beautifully executed motion comic short.

From the Director Notes:

“In a nutshell what is the synopsis of Fubar?

Fubar is an epic story of an on-going political war told in an alternate reality with cat and dogs.

Why create this alternate reality with cats and dogs?

One of my favourite books of all time is George Orwells- Animal Farm. I loved the idea of using certain animals to depict the chain of command politically. With Fubar I chose specifically Cats and Dogs as they have always been territorial animals but at the same time reflect certain characteristics which makes them stand out from one another. Each of them have their strong and weak points yet they both strive for territories. I used that to create the world of Fubar and the metaphor of what’s happening around us today with the military, government, war, media and politics.”

Fubar on Vimeo on Vimeo

via Fubar on Vimeo.

Untold Tales of the Comic Industry — Kickstarter

UNTOLD TALES OF THE COMIC INDUSTRY by UNTOLD TALES OF THE COMIC INDUSTRY — Kickstarter.

Pledge some support for this innovative comic book documentary that aims to highlight the present state of the comic book industry … in all of it’s various guises! Visit the website.

From the website:

“This documentary takes a look at the comic industry from the inside out, guided by writers, illustrators, editors, distributors, Hollywood storytellers, and global fans of the art form. You’ll see the genesis of our shared love of comics, and explore the inspirations that keep creators running. You’ll learn what these creators love about the industry today, and what they hope to see improved for the industry’s survival tomorrow. No topic is off the table: economics, fan culture, the industry’s need to open its ranks to include a wider range of race and gender – it’s all discussed. This film isn’t a tell-all in the scandalous sense, but it IS full of honest stories and opinions offered up by the people behind the pages.”

Moore & Reppion: The Thrill Electric Teaser

Teaser trailer for Leah Moore and John Reppion’s ‘The Thrill Electric’ … This looks like an interesting use of the motion comic genre to explore an earlier technological breakthrough, namely the telegraph. The trailer features an abundance of artist sketches and finished renders, as well as a sense of the ornate Victorian society that informs the aesthetics of the comic book and also the screen backdrops.

“The Thrill Electric is an up coming Channel 4 enhanced comic, exploring how the telegraph changed Victorian society every bit as much as the modern day internet.

Written by Leah Moore, John Reppion and illustrated by Emma Vieceli and Windflower Studios and animated by Little Loud Studios,

This promo is a preview showing work in progress. The Thrill Electric will be launched in Autumn 2011 and will be free worldwide.

See more coverage on the Moore/Reppion blog here: http://www.moorereppion.com/tag/the-thrill-electric/”