Behind the Scenes: Interns!

Hello, world.

This is Steve, a current all-purpose animation intern at Moving Box Studios. My creative director Chris Davidson wants to give you all some insight into what us interns actually do (i.e. not watch cartoons all day), so here's some insider info.

I had my hands on the pilot episode of Java, correcting colors and whatnot. Java refused to "pop" against the background in his drab duds. We can't have our title character blending into the background, so I created a bunch of alternative palettes. I consulted with Chris on what the final color choice should be, and after picking it, I went to town in Adobe Flash changing each instance of Java to the new palette by Cmd + I'ing and Cmd + K'ing everything into submission. Repetitive? Eh, maybe, but it seriously helps develop an eye for color, attention to detail, and, well, using Flash in general. Java will be coming to your screen this summer... so I better hop to it.

That's all for now. Cheers!

Update 4/20

Here's some more content to make you drool - it's a short animation titled "Meet Java!" where you'll "meet" Java, Heidi, and Maddie - the three main characters from the upcoming series created by Danielle Chillemi, Java!

Watch it on Newgrounds too, and remember to vote 5!

The Java pilot episode is coming out this summer, so stay tuned.

Update 2/11

Whatever the weather's like outside, you can be sure that inside Moving Box Studios, everything's coming up roses. (forgive me, please)

The Making of The Elephant's Lullaby has reached it's second cut, and the final cut is expected by the end of the month. Wanna see how the cutest animation you ever saw was put together? This'll be the one to watch.

Don't forget about Java! The pilot has gotten a sound-lock and the picture-lock will be finished next week. Plus, we've gotten some awesome additional art by Emily Benning (see the image above). Java will be out this Spring!

We have a full inventory of everything we need to complete Days of Our Lamps 2 - General Popsicle. We just had a shoot at a local hospital and have a new action sequence planned - it's gonna be epic! Don't let the sequel status fool you...this Summer blockbuster is gonna make you think in a whole new way about lamps and popsicles.

We're working on a cut for a highlight reel of completed Moving Box productions. It'll be featured on our website when it's done, so keep a lookout for that!

Moving Box Studios is launching a new service called Ithaca Tape to Disc. If you have any old home video tapes, you probably know by now that they wear down, and this service is the perfect solution - we'll convert your tapes to digital format! More details to follow.

Update 12/2

Winter has brought us festivities, happiness, camaraderie, and snow. Clearly this is a big change for Matt Lenz and Joe Zohar after returning from the tropical paradise of Costa Rica.

Matt and Joe have been gone for just over a week filming the pilot episode of Eco-Spots, a Co-Production of Moving Box Studios and GA.GA Productions. This show about environmental awareness; it includes shots of breath-taking deserted beaches of the Pacific Ocean, completely self-sustaining eco-lodges, national marine parks, and the mountains of Costa Rica. After a week of filming, the team walked away with great footage and production stills. The pilot episode is scheduled for completion this week and it will air in March in LifeStyle TV.

Joe has recently started using Photoshop’s animation timeline sequence for Chalk Outlines. It has allowed the artists to work more effective with each other. Nicoli Schwiep and Liz McLelland have just breached the halfway point with rotoscoping for the film. It’s looking as if a first fine cut will be complete for December 15th, and will be followed by a first trailer. Liz will produce promotional material using graphic design.

Nicoli's Robobots is coming to fruition. He is currently putting the final touches on the first draft script of the origin story of the gigantic killer Robobots. The character designs are also on lock and some images will be posted on the blog soon.

The Java promo is also almost completely done, but a release date has not yet been set.

The principal photography of Tom Knight’s Elephants Lullaby is complete. All that’s remaining in production is the shading of the characters, which will be finished soon by Liz.

Olympus Burger HD is more than halfway converted, with 8 of the 15 scenes in HD. According to Joe and Chris, the fight scene is almost completely converted to HD and is looking awesome.

Looking towards the future, Days of Our Lamps 2 is going back into production THIS WEEK and is looking at a tentative release date of early 2009.

Stay Tuned.

Update 11/11

C
A hard beginning makes for a good ending, especially when you’re looking at Moving Box Studio’s new digs.

With only a few touches left, construction is soon coming to a close. All that remains is paint touchups and trim on the doors, and what a time to start finishing up, with all of our projects traveling towards their conclusions.

Chris Davidson has just brought Ryan Mauk back on board to work on sound design for Olympus Burger HD. Dave Livingston is composing new music for the show and Joe Zohar is re-animating the epic fight scene of the pilot episode. Everything we have learned in the last three years will be put into this pilot, proving what we are capable of.

Our very own Matt Lenz and Joe Zohar are flying to Costa Rica tomorrow as the production team of a new pilot produced by Lifestyle TV. The off the charts tourism show called Eco-Spots takes the viewer to secluded places in popular areas and teaches them how to not leave their environmental footprint.

Tom Knight’s Elephant’s Lullaby is nearing completion, with 99% of the main cartoon done. Tom’s rotoscoped intro is now being colored and synced, and the main characters are being shaded by Liz McLelland.

As for Java, Danielle Chillemi has just green-lit a short promo for the show. Megan Corsen has already completed the art, now it’s Chris’ turn to composite it. Matt has been working on the syncing for the pilot, but the promo will be released first.

In addition to working hard at the construction of the studio, Dave has been recording Mike Brindisi and the New York Rock. He is almost finished with the lead guitar and the vocals are the next step.

Chalk Outlines is getting close to having a full cut to watch all the way through after Joe added a few more shots last week. Nicoli and Liz has been working extremely hard with the rotoscoping of the film so it can be finished as soon as possible, and the 3D components are almost complete, thanks to Evera Lovelace.

In addition to all of this, Chris has just finished the introduction credits for the ICTV program, The Quasi Late Program with Joe Para. Click here to take a look.

Stay Tuned.

Update 10/28

This year, Halloween is anything but scary for us here at Moving Box. Between Olympus Burger, Chalk Outlines, Java, and Mike Brindisi, the studio is more exciting than ever before.

Mike Lazzo of Comedy Central’s Adult Swim wants to see the pilot for Olympus Burger, so we’re putting together a press kit for him. Chris is returning to all of the source files of Olympus Burger, fixing any problem he ever came across. He is adding new music composed by our very own Dave Livingston, including Joe Zohar’s smash hit, Dewey Dewey. The most exciting part is that Chris is reanimating the pilot to a true widescreen 1920 X 1080 HD video.

The first trailer of Joe’s Chalk Outlines is coming soon. All but one or two shots are complete, and the film is in for sound design touchups with Ryan Mauk. Joe is working hard with Nicoli Schwiep and Liz McLelland to finish the Rotoscoping for the film.

Matt Lenz is finishing up the lip-syncing for Java. The front shots are complete and the only thing left in this fun for anyone film is a few profile shots.

In addition to all of this, Dave is working hard with Mike Brindisi and the New York Rock. The group has been in and out of the studio for a few weeks now. There are only a few songs left to record guitar on and the album is pushing ahead.

Possibly the coolest thing going on at the moment is the show reel being compiled for the Olympus Burger press kit. A show reel is roughly 20 seconds of each project Moving Box has completed, chronicling the last year of our progress. The show reel will be released online and will include Java, Chalk Outlines, Olympus Burger, Repentance, Bacon Samurai, Purgatory Pizza, Girls will be Girls, and a selection of documentaries.

Stay Tuned.

Java Flash Promo

Can you tell what project I've been working on?

Java Promo img

Featuring Java!

The last day of September is upon us and we’re working hard on Java. We finished recording the voiceovers this weekend and now we’ve moved on to sound design and mixing. This is very exciting for all of us here at the Box because Java was our first commissioned project, the baby of Danielle Chillemi.

Danielle, a former classmate of Chris, contacted him in the summer of 2007 and asked him about an idea she had. She had been thinking about her pets when she came up with the brilliant concept for Java, an animated TV sitcom based on the life of three playful dogs.

After the planning process was complete and artists and animators were selected, production began. Crafting the personalities of the three dogs Java, Heidi and Maddie was a challenge, but the animators of Moving Box surpassed expectations.

Java, the main character of the series, proves his charm with each loveable phrase he barks. Not only is he a working model, but also a performer at a nightclub on weekends. He is living every man’s nightmare/dream of having a love interest as a roommate.

Maddie is a crazy Golden Retriever pup who loves to cook. She is haunted by a Rastafarian Duck who steals her baked goods, and is such a frantic pup that she can never sit still. Maddie, without thinking about it, provides much of the comic relief for her roommates.

Heidi is a cute mutt, but often is annoyed by her two roommates antics. With Java always trying to dance with her and Maddie always making messes, she plays the role of the homemaker, balancing out the trio. With those two in play, Heidi is a necessity. The three pooches together is a recipe for fun.

A 30 second promo is coming soon, and the first episode is to follow, so be ready. These characters are too much fun for you to miss.

Stay Tuned.

What's going on at the Box

As wedding season comes to an end, festival season begins. With that said, Moving Box Studios is ready to show what we've got, and we've got a lot.

M.9. is a major project of the video department at Moving Box. They have entered their final stages of sound recording and music this week. Dave is alternating days between the two until they are complete, which should be sometime in September.

Chalk Outlines, is in the hands of Nick and Liz, who are making the first test images look great. The whole team here at Moving Box is really excited about the project, a contemporary take on the classic film noir genre.

Joe has taken the lead in pursuing festivals for the coming year to show off all the projects we've been working on this past year. The festival Fundraising Party is still in the works.

[Charm City Remix] is an interactive walkthrough of Baltimore told through stories, and was produced by Matt and Joe. The film shot entirely in Baltimore with a mix of musical composition and a conversational tone, leaves the viewer with the state of mind of having actually taken the tour. The video can be seen anytime in the next two months at the Contemporary Museum of Baltimore.

[Java], an animated pilot produced by Chris Davidson, will begin voiceovers on the 27th of September, and is projected to be released sometime in October. This is big news for all of us here at Moving Box, because [Java] was our first commissioned project and it is nearing completion, causing a lot of excitement at the studio.

[Purgatory Pizza], created by [MC Deathbear], is flying through production. The script has been edited and scene one is completely animated. Scene two is in the process of being synced, but what really shines in this animation is the character development. The piece is scheduled to be released in volumes, one of which should be available for viewing sometime next week.





All of the backgrounds have been completed for [Elephants Lullaby] and the shooting has begun for the upcoming video, The Making of Elephants Lullaby. We're ahead of schedule for this one and really excited about it.

We have just finished a commercial for The House of Zohar that came out great and are looking to make more. We also do wedding videos, all in HD.

our studio has been in motion for months now, with construction and work all at once, but an end is in sight with the final touches being completed.

Stay Tuned.

Update 9/9

Hey everyone, September is here! Most people associate September with the start of school, the start of fall, the start of a new year. Well, along with all that, Moving Box Studios has a few new projects we’ve been working on.

[Olympus Burger] is the flagship project of the Animation department here. The pilot episode has been on the web for over a year now, but if you haven't seen it yet [Watch it Now]. Everyone has been working hard and the trailer for the new episode is almost complete. The editing is all set and we’re working on sound design and music.

Chalk Outlines, the thesis project of Joe Zohar while at Ithaca College, is humming according to Joe. The work is being completed quickly and Joe will be placing some of his screenshots online, asking the viewers what they would like to see. Joe is really driven to get this project complete and release a trailer.

We are also planning a Festival Fundraising Party! Word will come soon as to the location and day of this event.

Nikolai has created Robobots. He is currently refining character designs and working on a backstory in order to put together a really solid foundation. We have a writers meeting set for this week to discuss script ideas.

M.9., a short experimental film directed by Joe Zohar, is almost complete. Sound production is scheduled to begin this coming Monday, September 15th.

[Java], an animated pilot produced by Chris Davidson, has voiceovers scheduled for later this month. All art and animation blocking is complete. It is projected to be released in October.

[Purgatory Pizza], created by [MC Deathbear], is coming along splendidly. The pilot episode is projected to be complete in September-October and a trailer can be seen at the website.

We here at Moving Box Studios have our work cut out for us, with seven projects currently in production. However, things are moving faster than ever with the renovations nearly complete. A studio warming party is also planned, but no dates available.

Stay tuned.

Saturday Night and Java promo

So instead of going to a keg party at a lakehouse, I stayed in and drank redbull. Tween and I are at the studio, working on stuff (she's mostly working on meowing). New backgrounds by Nick featured here, and I'm loving that wallpaper texture. 

Java: Featuing the art of Megan Crosen

Chris here, with a look at what's coming up from the box.


Created by Danielle Chillemi
Coming soon from Moving Box Studios

Hey, Chris here. AuditionHQ has had some upgrades, including an awesome new file uploading solution from the cool dudes over at Encodable Industries. It's super sweet Ajax with upload bar and in browser FTP (not currently enabled). Way more reliable than the old PHP script that didn't work for anyone except me. The JAVA AUDITIONS have been extended an extra week for the people who've had trouble submitting.