The Pocketwatch Discord: An animation collab

[Shoprocks]

We're making a steampunk fanime called The Pocketwatch Discord. And we're looking for animators!

This is a reboot of our original thread.

For all you new people, here is what's happened so far (reading this is optional, but the gist is that we have an existing story and need some more people to help animate it):

Spoiler! :

Shoprocks saw a deserted anime collab and decided to start one herself. Users tossed around ideas for ten pages and started bickering until Shoprocks scrapped all the existing material and said "let's just make a fake anime trailer." Of course, the ambitious users of Smackjeeves would not allow it to be so simple. What was supposed to be a minute-long thing quickly escalated into a full-length story with a huge ensemble cast and an overarching plot.

12 characters were created. Elaborate backstories were written. And gifs of Adam West as Batman were shared en masse. We took the project to the Voice Acting Club and spent a great deal of time choosing voice actors, who haven't gotten much of a chance to show their stuff yet, but they will.

Music Girl wrote some songs for us, but since real life has claimed her we now have LunarDusk (often called AJ by Shoprocks) as our Director of Music. He has a really good Soundcloud page but most of his new music will be in our anime so spoiler alert. Owlgravy also makes music, and Pwii plays.

Shoprocks animates a lot and designs all the annoying characters. Pwii wasn't originally an animator, but he is now. Other notable animators/artists are Rinncake, Suneda, and to a lesser extent by volume Lain and Horsedeer.

The lead writers are (alphabetical) LunarDusk, Owlgravy, Pwii, and Shoprocks.

We haven't gotten a lot of TANGIBLE stuff done yet, but we made a trailer and have lots of story planned. Plus, it's kind of an achievement that we're even still together at this point. If that doesn't do it for ya, hold on tight, because we have lots of episodes planned (the exact number strategically withheld). They will be around five to ten minutes in length, allowing us to release them a little more often.

There once was a web site called smackjanime.webs.com ("Smackjanime" meaning "Smackjeeves Anime"), but it was really buggy and now it's gone. We have a site over at Proboards but we don't really use it all that much. We have an expansive network of files on Google Docs, and we have Skype meetings every week-ish that usually go for a few hours wherein we discuss (??????). Our main line of communication is this very thread you hold in your hands.

The anime is called The Pocketwatch Discord, and our studio is called Clockwork Cow Studios. Smackjanime also works (despite being a very stupid name, it's catchy for some reason).

Oh, and we did finally make that trailer.

Important Links
FAQs about story, joining, and who we are - please read if you want to participate
Official web site
Our YouTube channel, ClockworkCowStudios
Our trailer
A playlist of our progress so far


Current members as of this posting, alphabetical:

Spoiler! :

Shoprocks (director)
Pwii
Owlgravy
LunarDusk
Suneda
Rinncake

Former members:
Interterrestrial (honorable alumnus)
Lain

This thread is mostly for the staff to communicate with each other, but if you're a newbie and you'd like to join then read the stuff on this page, then post all you want right here.

Now there's pressure to make a REALLY GOOD second post...I see you squirming...struggling to come up with something clever, yet essential to the project...

[Amante]

You should probably change the title to something like your production's name and add that members are welcome to join, to match the idea of this thread.

[LunarDusk]

Hmmm any chance we could have a meeting before the weekend? Im not sure I'll be able to do it then :/
How can I be helpful at the moment?

[pwii]

I have school on the weedays. It's not IMPOSSIBLE per se to have a meeting then for me, but really draining, so I would really rather not. Are you free Sunday?

(Oh and you could work on a new song or something. I don't know about scripts, because Suneda hasn't written anything and she might want to do something.)

[LunarDusk]

Actually Sunday evening shouldn't be a problem, depends on my family though

[pwii]

I'm good for Sunday. The earliest I can make is 2 EST. I'll leave the time up to LunarDusk to decide.

[Shoprocks]

You should probably change the title to something like your production's name and add that members are welcome to join, to match the idea of this thread.

OTL

The number of embarrassing things I've said/done is still way lower in this thread than in the last one.

Spoiler! :

for now

Meeting: I can do Sunday at 2.


AJ, I got something for ya. We won't be able to work on the actual episode until Sunday, since we have to make decisions about the art and script. In the meantime why not make a short Halloween special? (just something very small to show off everyone in halloween costumes or something)

Once we've decided what we're doing, perhaps you could edit one of your existing songs to give us a little soundtrack? (A new song would be fine too, but I don't think original music just grows on trees...)

This is extremely short notice since I thought of it 30 seconds ago, so we're talking VERY VERY SMALL-SCALE. I'll animate it. No pressure on Pwii, although he's probably going to volunteer.

EDIT: I designed a costume for Magpie just in case you guys approve of the Halloween video idea. THIS IS FUN!
edit: MARK COLORING CONTEST, ALL ARE INVITED

[Shoprocks]

Okay, uh, uhhh.

I have just been informed that my little cousins have a birthday/Halloween party Sunday at 1est. Which means that on Sunday I will only be on Skype starting at 4est D: Sorry gaiz! I do it for the children.

Originally we planned on Saturday at 3, and I haven't heard from Suneda and Owlgravy about whether Sunday works for them. So I will be on Skype at both times: Saturday at 3 and Sunday at 4, until further notice.

Orders of business (some of which we could do without AJ, no offense):

Spoiler! :

*The goods and bads of our process so far
*What I can do to help make things easier and better
*Brand new visual plan for this anime. That means color, art style, and actual genre goodness
*Where we'll get new animators and how exactly we plan to torture them (slowly and painfully is a given)
*Unfinished business
*STORY WHOO!

In other news, since Pwii and AJ have contributed to the Halloween doc I'm assuming we're going for it. In addition to my drop-dead gorgeous costume designs, I've made up a little perspective test.

[suneda]

I should be able to do sunday.

[pwii]

Ok, I think I'll go for Sunday too. Although I'll check if people are on Saturday.

Your perspective thingy is cool. I think the first clip is near perfect, but I'm not that good a judge. The second one is good too. I can't really tell what the third one is trying to convey though.

In other words, I think I WILL animate some for the Halloween special (although I'll leave out the backgrounds because I don't wanna clash with shoppy.) And what are we gonna do about the VA's? Or is it just gonna be silent? IDK. I'm just gonna do some silly something with cap and a couple other characters. It doesn't have to make sense, right?

[Shoprocks]

Your perspective thingy is cool. I think the first clip is near perfect, but I'm not that good a judge. The second one is good too. I can't really tell what the third one is trying to convey though.

In other words, I think I WILL animate some for the Halloween special (although I'll leave out the backgrounds because I don't wanna clash with shoppy.) And what are we gonna do about the VA's? Or is it just gonna be silent? IDK.

Cool cool! I planned everything out in video form--I'll post it as soon as I'm near a computer. Most of it is in one unbroken shot, so if that does work out then I'll have to give you rather specific instructions for what I need (since it's become my pet project...) I will get back to you ASAP for dat.

I wrote a script in the Halloween doc and I've contacted some voice actors. The lines aren't set in stone, but I would rather give the actors the wrong lines ahead of time than the right lines at the very last second.

I'm just gonna do some silly something with cap and a couple other characters. It doesn't have to make sense, right?

What do you mean?

[LunarDusk]

Currently downloading and testing a tonne of VST packages (virtual music packs) Why the hell haven't I done this sooner, all synth stuff should sound sooo much better soon!

[pwii]

Here

Spoiler! :

http://youtu.be/QFzhdyA3SwA

Please give me the green light so I can ink this thang.

Also AJ, I don't really understand what you mean, but it's good. Better music is good.

[Shoprocks]

Currently downloading and testing a tonne of VST packages (virtual music packs) Why the hell haven't I done this sooner, all synth stuff should sound sooo much better soon!

Ooh cool!

Here

Spoiler! :

http://youtu.be/QFzhdyA3SwA

Please give me the green light so I can ink this thang.

What did you just link to?

I'd green light you if I knew what you were talking about?

[pwii]

lol what did I link to. I'm...I'm keeping that there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X43GUeqz9Kc
Here. That SHOULD work.