You know me... anytime I get silent for a while, it means I'm working on something big. And yes, that is the case this summer too.
Specifically, I am working on a 2-minute trailer featuring the new stylized look of Heroes of Bronze. You are fairly familiar with NPR (non-photorealistic rendering) by now; if not, just scroll back a few posts and discover it for yourself, along with my reasons for switching.
Behind the scenes of my stylized shots
After a few months of testing this style, I think I finally got the hang of it, and currently, I'm finishing several quite complicated shots for the teaser—shots I wouldn't be able to make if I were sticking to the realistic style of rendering. They would simply be too difficult to make look good.
Sea battles, burning cities, huge ancient armies... all that, plus characters finally talking and showing emotions!
What I learned
In the past several months, I have learned a lot about animation, stylization, painting, camera projections, and more.
Thanks to the iClone package and its AccuLips function, I also have the option to make lipsync and then adjust it to my stylized characters. Using the money from this Patreon, I have already hired several voice actors, an I am now animating characters based on their performances.
This possibility to add acting and lipsync to my shots was the last part of the puzzle I really wanted to learn—and thanks to the NPR style, I can finally do it!
If you want to watch my tutorials detailing my journey into the new style, you can find them at my Patreon.
What I plan
I'd like to unveil the trailer at this year's BCON, screening it there at the Lightning Talks.
I really believe that with this style, a longer-format story is possible to make. So, with the trailer in my pocket, I will finally start talking to people with money and try to pitch a pilot to producers.
It will be something new, difficult, and kinda scary for me... but hey, at this point, I just cannot imagine not being able to tell the story of Heroes of Bronze. I've been dreaming about it for almost seven years now and it's time to push that effort to another level.
Talk to you soon, friends. Fingers crossed.
Chairé!
Martin
