1. 9volt's computer is back online and Operation Neptune 2 is intact! We're back in the game!

2. Thomas "F4c3fuck3r" Gardner's updated "Pure Hatred" track sounds amazing. There are little details all over it that make it truly stand out from the audio portal submitted demo. Character design concepts are completed, all that's left to do is story-board the action to the music.

3 & 4, progress on both the next original comedy sketch, "Working on the Foundation" and (the book trilogy) have been temporarily paused to lend myself some time to spend on upcoming math tests, and, dig this.

I've begun work on a minute long short, making fun of myself for having a shitty microphone. My brother, Chris, and I were talking about how busy he's been earlier today, and somehow or another we got to talking about an idea for a funny scene.

My friend Thomas and I made a song that'll be incorporated in a montage scene for the little monster. He did a great job, and my vocals kinda sucked, but whatever...it's supposed to be campy.

The flash shouldn't take long to make, but it'll be a nice little filler, and reminder to Newgrounds that I'm still actively animating.

The new microphone is coming soon.

5. After further discussion with Adam, it would appear "The Black and Blue Room" animation will be post-poned until after summer.

My position on the Zone of the Awesome/Blenders web-comic continuation is completely dependent on the release of the Art Portal, which, according to a leaked screen shot I have seen on one of Tom's posts on the Admin Forums, won't be until August.

We shall see. Film at Eleven!

1. Still waiting for news on 9volt's computer; it's broken, and he's still not sure if Operation Neptune 2 is still intact. He is currently the only user I'm collaborating with to-date, so far I've helped him with details, writing, eventually voice-acting, and real-time constructive criticism. Hang in there 9volt!

2. After consulting my good friend, Thomas Gardner, about animating a music video from one of his more popular songs, he volunteered to show me how he's brushed up the piece after submitting it to the Audio Portal. Currently I'm waiting for him to email the updated "Pure Hatred" track. The character designs for the music video flash are almost complete.

3. Dialogue and story-boarding for my next comedy short are also almost reaching finalization. I'm still trying to coordinate time with my older brother for the hook-up on a new microphone and interface. This is proving to be a little difficult, as we operate on completely different times of the day. Just as I came in from school today, he was out the door because he was needed at the studio for the Dallas Sound Lab. Go figure, right? I can't complain because he's much busier than I am...and this is hella busy for me!

4. The flash series that I've been working on is about to take a turn for a completely different direction; instead of running up and animating a series with a DVD movie at the end, I now have the intention to make the series into a three-part book trilogy. I will release NO details on it, as ideas are not copyrightable. I will begin writing the first novel soon. :P After the novels are completed, and I'm waiting on them being published, I will immediately begin designs for the animation, which I have the intention to make it perfectly clear this is something original that spawned from Newgrounds.

If there's one thing this site needs, desperately, is more originality. Less video-game parodies and less tributes...we need something new. I'm helping 9volt out with his Madness-themed flash because I see incredible potential in him. Once he's developed the confidence in himself after the success that ON2 will receive, I can pray he'll be motivated to press on with his own designs.

5. After considering the possibility of writing something in a novel form (active voice, pass-tense) I'm also motivated to animate the memoir that I wrote for English 1301 about myself, titled "The Doom Incident" It is my intention to begin work animating my memoir either before or after helping my other good friend,
Adam Holland, animate his poem, "The Black and Blue Room"

Busy. Busy. Busy. I neglected to study for my math test, due tomorrow, because I've been writing down details on this trilogy I've been working on. You'll receive more updates in a couple-of weeks!

I'm enthralled to start work on these projects right away. Also, that flash book that I've never gotten the chance to use to help earn a credit has been incredibly helpful. Hope you guys are as ready as I am! :D

Film at Eleven.

(Leo may never button-mash again. We'll see if by the time the Art Portal kicks up if I'll feel up to doing a "Zone of the Blenders" parody web-comic which would pick up right where "Zone of the Awesome" left off. That is a project that I'm only doing for the fans that liked ZOA. If it takes off, I'll keep on working on it. If it doesn't, I'll drop it completely, and never touch another "Zone of the Enders" parody ever again.)

Somebody sent me this video, if you're not familiar with Buffalax, he takes foreign music video's and interprets what the lyrics sound like in English...this is my favorite "Buffalaxation" or whatever you wanna call it.

.
/* */
I don't care what you say, that's fucking awesome.

But that's not the video my friend sent me, he saw Zone of the Awesome and knew I enjoyed Buffalax's interpretations, so he sent me this.

.
/* */
To be honest, even when I first played ZOE, I hated the intro song (in hindsight, it reminds me of Wing) but I cracked up through this, especially for the "Sky Nazi" and being "Find me in your mom."

======================================
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As for me? I'm working on three projects simultaneously. I'm writing a series which will be animated here later (I'm keeping it hush-hush on purpose) while I'm still hunting for that new microphone...the reason why it's taking so long also has to do with saving up funds, because I'm going to try and get a really good quality one + interface.

While I'm waiting for the microphone, I'm brushing up the dialogue for a short that'll obviously require voice acting (I'm animating an original comic that I drew for my father last year, I'm also working on the story-boarding, as I need to lengthen it from a two-paged comic to a 3-minute short)

All the while this is going on, I've started animating the animatic for a music-driven flash...I've already selected the song, it's just a matter of making it move :D (once again, I'm keeping you in the dark on this until I'm certain it'll be finished. I started work on it yesterday.)

This school semester, however, proved to be a bit of a let down.

I was going to take two core classes
-Developmental Math 0097 On Tuesdays and Thursdays.
-and Physical Education. On Mondays and Wednesdays.

and I was reeeally looking forward to both of my elective classes
-Artistic Photoshop.
-IMED (Basic Flash Animation)

Guess which two classes got dropped due to a low attendance? Guess which classes were dropped because on BOTH of them, it was just me and one other student?

Luckily I didn't buy the book for Photoshop because it wasn't clear which version I needed, but I bought the book for flash, and Goddammit, the Professor won't even coordinate with me to help me get on the online class afterschool, so I'm just going to take the book that we bought and teach myself.

Humph. >:C

Every week, I carpool up to school...wait for hours...go to one class....and wait for hours....When I'm done writing everything that needs to be written for these several flash projects I'm juggling, I'm hitting the gym in my spare-time or walking home from the campus (I've done it before, it's not that bad)

As for my collab-projects? Still waiting to coordinate with my friend in McKinney for animating his poetry, and 9volt's computer bit the dust for a bit...let's hope ON2 is still there when he boots it back up, eh?

Film at Eleven.

I believe it was Murad136 that convinced me to just do something...ANYTHING new, and get it out on the portal. Thinking of things to do, I started with the 2-week-fight that he suggested, but scrapped it because it was coming out crappy. Then I wanted to do an elaborate Megaman frame-by-frame fight...but I concluded I wasn't skilled enough to pull off what I envisioned for it yet, so I put that on hold.

Going through an old sketchbook, I uncovered an old comic I doodled waaaay back when I first had a Playstation 2. My first PS2 game was Z.O.E. I played it, loved it, and beat it within a few days (it was very short IMO) but I was still a fan. I also read a lot of Mad magazine at the time, so I started doing a Mad article styled parody on Z.O.E. called "Zone of the Blenders"

It was unfinished, and the jokes were really corny with lazy artwork, but it gave me an idea of what I could do to bridge my first flash test with my more advanced projects. While the "Awesome" craze is still kicking around, I figured I would make it "Zone of the Awesome"

Just working on this thing (and failing on the two other projects) I've learned an incredible deal about the flash software, and the art of animation as a whole.

The craftsmanship is far from where I want it to be. Playing it back, it's too fast, wayyyy too rapid...not enough pauses, to the point where too much shit is flying by at once. The animation is sloppy, and the artwork is lazy. My microphone is a headset I used for gaming and when you're not hearing a sludgy sounding voice, it's this over-bearing fuzz.

But I can't be too hard on it. This is the best flash I've yet to make. Before ZOA, I have had no experience with flash other than my Flash Test which is viewable as my first submission. I've worked on this before going to school for flash at Brookhaven (My first day is today...in a couple of hours...but the first REAL day starts on the 22nd.)...so hopefully if my pattern persists, my next flash projects will only get better and better.

Anyway. you should check it out! Be sure to leave a review, because I respond to just about all of them when I get around to it!

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/
479488

Enjoy!

I got three frames left that I'm about to knock out on the Jehuty vs. Raptor, not including the ensuing explosion, which I'm probably going to cut a few corners with.

There's so much in Jehuty's structure that I disagree with now...I want to add more detail to 'em, but I've gone too far. I'd like to add more detail through A LOT of this flash, but I've still gone way too far. There's no going back now.

Other than that scene, I got three scenes of lip-syncing for Leo, four for ADA, and the final scene + re-doing the credits.

The goal is before the 20th. I will work now.

Also...as it turns out...it wasn't the serpentine belt that snapped on my car...nor was it the timing belt.....we're speculating I might've blown a cylinder...which costs money that, frankly, none of us have.

My poor car has put up with so much shit. I don't know what's going to happen...

Thankfully I'm carpooling up to Brookhaven, and I guess on a brighter side of things, this gives me incentive to ride a bike more...I just hope I can get that concealed hand-gun's permit so I could feel a lot safer riding at night. Thanks to Dad, I already have my first gun, Senor Ebar. I just can't carry it legally.

*groan* ...everything happens for a reason I suppose. Now I gotta finish this flash.

Just to reassure you guys I aint slackin'.

Re-recorded several lines I thought desperately needed re-wording (or just calmer delivery...the flash is already at the pace of a rabbit on acid, so I needed to slow some lines down)

I'm still a little stuffy...just on the verge of being sick. The challenge for you guys is to point out which lines you think were recorded at the last minute. (shouldn't be hard to spot *cough* *hack*)

The extensive scene of Leo falling into Jehuty's cock(pit) have been completed. What took so long was I decided to re-do the first fall...

Lemme start over...

There are two falls in this scene. The first one, propelled by an explosion, where Leo busts his head on the robot. The second, where he accidentally opens the robot on accident, and is sucked in by some inexplicable force.

The scene pictured below is the latter of the two.

The former, I had about three or four frames in place for it. It looked like complete and utter shit, so I redid them, lip-sync and all, extending it to a nice-looking fourteen frames.

Combine that with the final 18 frames I just did for the second fall, and there's where I'm at. A couple of re-recorded lines, and that entire scene is complete.

Since I gave myself until tomorrow to complete this, I'm going to keep working on the hardest scene to animate...Jehuty vs. Raptor....oh boy oh boy oh boy.

It should only get easier, as the volley of attacks start getting so rapid, I barely have to be careful to keep the previous frame into consideration as a guide. Meaning I can just briefly glimpse at the onion skins, and turn them off, as I got a general idea of where I'm supposed to go from there.

But enough talk. See you guys tomorrow.

It was at this moment, two minutes ago, that I had finished every scene that had pink mannequins in place as an animation guide.

JESUS CHRIST...I'm never making that mistake again...from now on, the outlines I'm actually using will serve as the animatic.

I'm about to re-record a line that's been bothering me for a while, even though I'm starting to get a little sick. Damn weather changes! *fist shake*

Then I'll try tackling the difficult Jehuty vs. Raptor scene again...save the easier scenes for last...which is what I should've been doing in the first place.

No pics posted this time because I'm on a roll. Film at Eleven.

Using pink mannequins was a mistake. This is taking unnecessarily long to do...

Duely noted, in the future I will be sure to not leave mannequins in any animatic, so I don't have to go through this RIDICULOUSLY long process to carefully edit around them.

You live and you learn I suppose...

Well, my car died last night; serpentine belt broke while I was driving on the highway. So it looks like I'm not going ANYWHERE until this Flying-Spaghetti-Monster-forsaken flash is DONE!

(ARRRRRRGGGGHGHGHGHGHGGHGGGHHH!!!!!!)

FILM AT ELEVEN!!!!! This is my last shot at this before school! I have ONE WEEK!

After a long stint of procrastinating after sitting down for hours, I have literally HALF of the pink mannequins to go over.

I'm saving one of the mannequin scenes for last because it's relatively easy, but the one I'm working on now is the Police guy hazing Leo, spitting in his face and shit.

After that, STILL got about twelve or thirteen frames of Leo falling into the cockpit.
STILL have half of the Jehuty vs. Raptor scene.
STILL have the ending scene to do.
STILL have two ADA lip-syncs.
Re-doing the credits shouldn't be a problem.

Here's a picture of a giant robot that fell over! BRB!

Starting the long process of converting all of the scenes with Pinky the pink mannequin and fleshing them out.

Doing it all while jamming out to tunes from the Audio Portal. Give 'em a listen!

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen /177866
http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen /146586
http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen /114077

Anyway, can't talk now! I'm busy for once!