Read the release here:
WEIRD MARKET SELECTS 203 ANIMATION, VIDEO GAMES, COMICS AND BOARD GAMES PROJECTS

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

¡Ya podéis conocer todos los proyectos que formarán parte de #WEIRD2020! 👏👏 ⠀ En esta edición contaremos con ni más ni menos que 59 presentaciones de proyectos de #largometrajes, #cortometrajes, #series, #Videojuegos, #webseries, proyectos #transmedia, #comics y #juegosdemesa por parte de sus autores. ⠀ Lee la noticia completa 👉 https://weirdmarket.es/2020/09/17/weird-market-selecciona-203-proyectos-de-animacion-videojuegos-comics-y-juegos-de-mesa/ ⠀ #3dwirefest #WEIRDMARKET #animación #animation #videogames #shortfilm

A post shared by WEIRD (@weirdmarket__) on Sep 17, 2020 at 4:06am PDT

WEBSERIES AND TRANSMEDIA PROJECTS FROM AMERICA, ASIA AND EUROPE

Multiple countries from three different continents come together in the selections of web series and transmedia projects. In the first section, there are 27 works that are included in the catalogue and a dozen of them (from America, Asia and Europe) will advance news during the course of the Castilian-Leon event. The Spanish Vip Pets by Álex Cervantes and Manu González, the Canadian I Was There by Arnaud Bouquet, the Mexican F#%@ My Family by Ricardo Abraham Ibarra or the more exotic AstroLOLogy by Ken Foong (Malaysia) and Celflux by Everard McBain (Trinidad and Tobago) are some examples.

This is the second time that Celflux is visiting Europe. The first time was our virtual attendance at the Annecy Film Festival in France. It’s an awesome feeling to know that our project from Trinidad and Tobago has been selected to be presented at this prestigious event in Segovia Spain. This gives us a decent level of exposure so that many more people around the world would hear and know about the hero Okira and the story of Celflux.  We are always reminded where this journey started and are amazed to see where it has taken us so far. We look forward with great anticipation to see where the Celflux journey takes us next. 



Stay tuned for more updates on Celflux. Follow us on social media and sign up for our mailing list. 

Till next time.
Everard

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

ww.gemgfx.com

The post Celflux Selected For Presentation Weird Market 2020 appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.

When we decided to create the Celflux Animated Short, a few folks asked, some in a rather patronizing way, “Why did you choose to use 2d animation?” One person went so far as to say “Don’t you know that no one is using 2d anymore.” Yeah. They actually said that. Now to be fair, the last feature-length film released by Dinsey with any hand-drawn elements was Princess and The Frog in 2009. Paperman was released in 2011 but was just a short. Someone also pointed out to me that there was also Winnie The Pooh which was also released in 2011. It had a smaller budget but was indeed feature-length. It’s poor performance at the box office, along with that of Princess and The Frog, caused Disney Exects to rethink their 2D department. Most people cite the reason for this to be an issue of cost. Traditional animation, they say, was getting too costly to create without any guarantee that it would give a return. 3D films such as Frozen, Toy Story, and Finding Nemo, cost less and rake in millions at the Box Office. So there’s been no major theatrical release of a traditionally animated film in years. So perhaps it’s safe to say 2d is dead… but only on the big screen.

Does 2D animation have a future?

Blizzard is a company known for developing some of the best games around. Classics such as Starcraft and Warcraft. One of their latest games has already become a hit and powered its way into pop culture. Of course, I’m speaking about Overwatch. Apart from creating great games, Blizzard for years has been known for creating some of the most breathtaking 3D shorts known to man. This was no different when it came to Overwatch. Marvelous 3D work was done on the various shorts that told the character’s backstories. Recently, however, for the release of their character Doomfist, Blizzard shocked everyone by releasing Doomfist’s origin story as a 2D animated short.

The release quickly racked up about 11 million views online with many fans commenting that they would definitely watch a 2d animated series if Blizzard made it.

John Lasseter, former head of Pixar, once said:

“I love the medium of hand-drawn animation. I think it’s fantastic. I never quite understood why animation studios… were deciding that audiences weren’t interested in watching hand-drawn animation anymore. What an audience doesn’t want to watch are bad movies. They want to watch good movies.”

So what he’s saying is that 2D and 3D are just mediums. It’s what the creator does with the medium and how they use it to tell a good story, that makes the difference.

So there’s definitely a future for 2D animation because there’s still an audience out there who appreciates a good story. Also, with the closing of one door, the big screen, many other opportunities have arisen for 2D animation.

The Future of Independent Animation Lies With Independent Creators.

There was a time when comic books were created by teams. Writers, artists, Inkers, Colorists and Letterers. Times have changed. There are now independent creators who do everything themselves. There was a time when animation was done by an entire studio. But again, times have changed. Just as in the comic book industry, more and more individuals are creating independent 2D animated projects. 2d animation is thriving online, in Europe and in Asia. Here are the reasons why I believe the future of 2d animation lies with independent creators.

The Availability of Technology

With the development of various accessible animation programs such as Toon Boom, TV Paint, and Adobe Animate, the ability for independent creators to develop their own projects has come within reach. Phenomenally talented animators are rising up all over the internet and producing quality work. Such a thing would not be possible if the software and technology did not exist.

I have told the story before of Makoto Shinkai. He was the creator of 5 Centimeters Per Second. A movie that he created all on his own over a period of seven months. He did this because he had access to the programs that the company that employed him used. Programs such as Photoshop. Which is what I use to animate by the way. His story to me is most inspirational because it proves that independent animation is possible. He was one of the first to do it and many other creators have followed in his footsteps.

The Ability to Reach an Audience

The internet has changed the world in so many ways. It has made the world accessible. Before a creator had to be in a studio in order to get his work out to the public. The studios and production houses were the gatekeepers. Independent animators can now reach out on their own and find an audience to support their projects. Through social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter creators can communicate directly with their fans. Through video hosting websites like YouTube and Vimeo, creators have a place where fans can access their creations. Through crowdfunding, such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, thousands of independent shorts and series have been successfully funded.

The Opportunity For Diversity

When the big name studios were the only ones creating the animation all the stories and the characters, for the most part, looked the same. Now that there is a diverse group of creators at work the animated projects themselves are diverse and made up of diverse characters. LeSean Thomas is the creator, writer and director of Cannon Busters. An animated adventure featuring diverse characters. He worked for years on several popular animated series. One of the most popular is The Boondocks. The pilot for Cannon Busters was successfully funded on Kickstarter to the tune of USD $156,535 and has recently been picked up by Netflix.

Read about it on Forbes.

And yes. Cannon Busters is 2d animation.

There’s also Urbance. Urbance is a 26-minutes animated action series for a 16+ audience. Written and Directed by Joel Dos Reis Viegas and Sébastien Larroudé. A topic that hits with stunning visuals and blasting tunes; Urbance brings you into a post-modern story world, made of hip-hop vibes and electronic influences. It successfully raised CA$ 229,300 on Kickstarter.

Urbance is also 2d animation.

These diverse animated projects would most likely have been turned down by a large studio but independent creators are able to bypass those conventional routes and bring their work directly to the public.

Conclusion.

So is 2D animation dead? No. Not really. This is why when we decided to create our own animated short, I made the choice to do it with 2D and taught myself how to animate. 2D animation is very much alive and well in the hands of independent creators. So we encourage everyone who loves 2D animation to support the indie creators that do it.

We are also throwing our hat into the ring with our own animated short. We are currently working on Celflux Reluctant Heroes The Secret Weapon and will be releasing the first 20-minute chapter online in April 2018 for everyone to see. Watch the trailer:

We will also be launching an Indiegogo campaign to help fund two more 20-minute chapters.

Early Bird Sign up Here!

Help us spread the word so that ours can be another successful independent animation project. We encourage every to continue to create because like animation the only limit is your imagination.

Till next time

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

ww.gemgfx.com

The post Is 2D Animation Dead? Not Really. appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.

Due to the overwhelming success of the Black Panther movie and because Marvel recently announced that they have moved up the release of Avengers Infinity War to April 27th (our launch date), we have decided to push back the launch date of our crowdfunding campaign. It is believed that much of Avengers Infinity War takes place in Wakanda and we acknowledge that nothing else will be happening on April 27th. Our new launch date is May 25th, 2018. This means you have more time to sign up early and grab the early bird bonuses. Thanks to all those who have already signed up. Mark the date and spread the word. Are you excited about the Celflux Animated Short?

Greetings Celflux fans.

What a ride this Celflux journey has been. Those who have been with us from the beginning know that it’s a labour of love. The late nights, the sacrifices, all worth it because we are passionate about this little project of ours. It’s hard to believe that it’s been four years since we started working on issue number one. We’ve learned a lot and our little project has grown quite a bit. Today, we are three issues down and also working on an animated short. So we believe the time has come for us to take a leap of faith to the next step of our journey.

As you guys know Celflux is a totally independent project by Dixie Ann and I. For three years it’s been a team of two. Everything you see in the pages of Celflux was put together by just us two. Both of us write the story and I’m responsible for all the visuals. When we decided to work on the animated short it was the same. We both came up with the story and I taught myself how to animate to deliver the visuals. At this point, we needed some help. We needed to bring our characters to life by giving them voices. We were extremely lucky to find an awesome group of voice actors who came on board and lent their voices to our characters. Our team went from two to fifteen. This included a talented musician who also came on board to give the short an original score. We are totally indebted to them all because each person that came on board did so because they saw our vision and fell in love with Celflux. They all lent of their time, talent, energy and equipment to help us make the short a reality. We’ve released our first trailer check it out below:

The Next Step

Ever since day one we’ve have avoided crowdfunding. There are a few reasons for this.

Firstly, as we said Celflux has been a labour of love. Making money from it has never been our motivation. Those who follow us on social media know that we don’t push sales because it’s not our priority. Anyone who is passionate about what they are creating can identify with this. You just want to create and you find a way to do it. You don’t concentrate on monetizing it. Many might say that’s not a good thing. They might be right, but it’s the reality. Don’t get me wrong money has its place. However, historically, the desire to make money has never been a good motivator for anything. We’ve got enough of that in the world.

Secondly, Crowdfunding is somewhat of a litmus test to determine who are your real supporters. Most projects have a lot of followers, but you are not sure how many of those are loyal fans. Crowdfunding helps give you a clear picture, really quickly, about how much real support you have. Not too long ago I was introduced to the 1% rule of internet culture. It’s the philosophy that states that 90% of the participants of any internet community only view content (they are called lurkers), 9% of the participants actually participate by commenting, liking, sharing etc., and 1% of the participants are actually invested, emotionally and otherwise, in seeing you succeed. I’ve seen quite a few crowdfunding campaigns fail that had large numbers following them. Large following numbers does not necessarily translate to a large amount of support. So we’ve stayed away from crowdfunding because we really did not know if we had enough real support. But I guess the only way to know is to make that leap.

Thirdly, fear of failure. This is basic. No one wants to fail. No one wants to be seen failing. But most can tell you that if you never try, you will never know. Better to try and fail, than to fail to try.

Fourthly, not having a good enough track record. When we started out in 2013 we came out of nowhere. Nobody knew us from Adam. We were just a couple working on a book. Who would support newcomers and strangers? Not many folks would. So we had to take the time and build the awareness of the Celflux brand so to speak. Make people aware of Okira and her team. Let people get to know about the project and the folks behind it. While Celflux is far from being a household name, we believe that Celflux is a lot more known now than when we first started. People can also see that we’re dedicated to this project for the long haul otherwise we would have let it go a long time ago. Folks can see our progress and are aware of the quality of the characters and project as a whole.

So these are the reasons we’ve avoided crowdfunding in the past. Today we are overcoming all those fears and taking Celflux to the next step. We’re talking the Celflux Animated Short to Indiegogo.

Sign up and see the first of three chapters for FREE!

Release Date & Breakdown

The Celflux Animated Short will be one hour long. It will be made up of three twenty minute chapters/episodes. The episode titles are; I. Assault II. Alone III. Awakened.

We will be releasing the first twenty-minute chapter “Assault” on 25.05.18. At the same time, we will be launching our first ever crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. Everyone who signs up early will get to see the first chapter for free. You can sign up on our Indiegogo pre-launch page.

Sign up and see the first of three chapters for FREE!

For our crowdfunding campaign, we’ll be offering all three chapters on one DVD or digital download along with lots of other perks. We’ve got comics, posters and more. We’ll be giving more details in the coming weeks. Help us spread the word by sharing the news with your friends. With your help, we’ll be able to make the Celflux project a success. Thanks to all who have supported Celflux thus far and we’re looking forward to great things in the future.

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

ww.gemgfx.com

The post Celflux Animated Short Coming To Indiegogo appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.

We here at Celflux are continually humbled and thankful for the doors that continue to open for our small indie project. Most of our updates these days are about our current project the Celflux Animated short. However, our graphic novel is still very much in production. Other independent creators can testify that because of limited time, people and resources things move a bit slower. Nevertheless, you do what you can and grab opportunities as they come along.

One such opportunity has arisen for our graphic novel. We recently published Celflux issue no.3 and entered it into CODE’s Burt Award Caribbean Literature. In collaboration with Canadian organization CODE, the Bocas Lit Fest manages CODE’s Burt Award for Caribbean Literature, a literary award that recognizes literary works by Caribbean authors for Young Adults.

Now in its fifth year, the Burt Award for Caribbean Literature recognizes up to three English-language literary works for young adults (aged 12 through 18) written by Caribbean authors.

This year, the winning title will be awarded $10,000 CDN, and two finalists will be awarded $2,000 CDN each.

Publishers of winning titles will be awarded a guaranteed purchase of up to 2,500 copies, which will be donated to schools, libraries, and literacy organizations throughout the region. To date, more than 15,000 copies of winning books have made their way into the hands of Caribbean youth.

We are excited to just be a part of such a prestigious event and that Celflux would be considered of good enough quality to be accepted into the festival. We want to thank the Bocas Lit Fest and CODE for their consideration.

You can grab your copy of Celflux on Amazon just follow this link: Celflux

Remember to check out the Celflux trailer our release date is 27.04.18. Details to follow:

The post Celflux Enters CODE’s Burt Award for Caribbean Literature appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.

Would you be interested in an Okira Goddess Mobile Wallpaper? If the answer is “YES!”, We have something really cool for you guys today. Download this free Okira Goddess Mobile Wallpaper for your smartphone today. It’s absolutely free and is our gift to our fans for all your loyal support.

Just click here to download.
Download “Okira-HD-wallpaper-Mobile.jpg” Okira-HD-wallpaper.jpg – Downloaded 1146 times – 277.89 KB

Remember to check out the trailer for our upcoming Celflux Animated Short and like, share and spread the word if you think it’s cool.

Till next time.

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

ww.gemgfx.com

The post Okira Goddess Mobile Wallpaper appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.

We have some really great news to share about our Celflux short film project. A while ago there was an open call for small marketing and development grants by FilmTT and CreativeTT here in Trinidad and Tobago. We decided to take a leap of faith and make a submission for the grant. Our leap of faith paid off.

The Trinidad & Tobago Film Company Limited (FilmTT) is a state agency established in 2006 to facilitate the development of the film industry in Trinidad and Tobago. As a subsidiary of the Trinidad and Tobago Creative Industries Company Limited (CreativeTT), FilmTT provides logistical support and film commission services such as location scouting and research and acts as a liaison with industry partners, the community, production houses and Government agencies. We submitted a proposal for our Celflux project. On May 12th we received an email from Ms Nneka Luke, the General Manager of FilmTT, informing us that our proposal had been accepted. We are happy to announce that the Celflux project was selected to receive a grant towards its marketing and development. We are extremely grateful and humbled by this and we would like to thank Ms Nneka Luke, Ms Raycy Rousseau, Ms Maya Cozier and the rest of the FilmTT team for the confidence they have shown in the Celflux project by awarding us this grant.

We are humbled to be among some of the most talented veterans in the Trinidad and Tobago film industry and realise that this affords us a great opportunity to take our Celflux project to the next level. I want to also thank the Celflux team of voice actors and the musical score composer for the encouragement they have given us and for the work they have put into this project. We could not have done it without them. We also want to single out Tony Black, who is the voice of Raymond, as he was the one who first suggested that we take Celflux further than we initially planned. Thank you for looking out.

Dixie Ann and I (far left) alongside the other recipients of the FilmTT marketing and distribution grant at FilmTT’s office.

So stay tuned for more updates as we move forward. Follow us to stay updated and be sure to help spread the word about the Celflux project. Great things are in store.

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

ww.gemgfx.com

The post Celflux Receives M&D Grant From FilmTT appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.

One of the first things we wanted to do when we began production on the Celflux Animated Short, was to create a trailer to help spread the word and give our fans a glimpse of what they can expect. We’re happy to let you guys know that today we are releasing our very first trailer for Celflux Reluctant Heroes The Secret Weapon.

It features the amazing voice work of Demetria Bridges, Matthew Curtis, Manuel Benavidez, Chasity Conner, Sarah Brown, Tony Black, Kate Sample, Tracy Pfau, Hector Chavez, William Harmar, Stephen Jared, and George Sharperson. It also features a fantastic original bit of music composed by Gwenaël Mario Grisi. All the artwork, animation, video and sound editing was done in-house by me. It was a lot of hard work and involved many all nighters but I had the encouragement of Dixie Ann and the members of the Celflux film team. So let us know what you think of the trailer. Does it get you excited to see the Celflux Animated Short? Is this something you would watch?

Special thanks to the Trinidad & Tobago Creative Industries Company Limited: http://www.creative.co.tt/

As usual, if you think it’s cool please help spread the word and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up to date with the film’s production and development. Be sure to like and share.

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

ww.gemgfx.com

The post Celflux Reluctant Heroes The Secret Weapon First Trailer appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.

I wanted to create something just a little bit iconic. An image that folks would remember as well as easily identify should they see it in the future. Let us know what you think about it in the comments. If you like it, you can download a high-resolution copy of the poster using this button.

Download “Celflux Reluctant Heroes The Secret Weapon Poster” Celflux_Secret_Weapon_Main_Poster.jpg – Downloaded 1472 times – 9.74 MB

If you think it’s cool please consider helping us spread the word about the Celflux project. Thank you for the continued support.

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

ww.gemgfx.com

The post Celflux Reluctant Heroes The Secret Weapon Poster appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.

Free Comic Book Day is administered by a panel representing all parts of the comic book industry: retailers, publishers, suppliers, and Diamond Comic Distributors. Each year, publishers apply to provide comic books at cost to retailers, who in turn give them away for free. Diamond handles marketing and logistics for the event, shipping comics to shops and handling marketing and PR for the event.

Free Comic Book Day

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/GcY44hx64Bw” width=”500″ height=”340″]

We wanted to be a part of Free Comic Book Day this year, so we’ve decided to offer Celflux issue no.1 as a #Free digital download. This would be both to celebrate Free Comic Book Day as well as get everyone ready for the launch of Celflux issue no.2. This download will be available till Saturday May 2nd, 2015 11:59pm EST.

[Download Closed.] Thanks to all those who took part in our #free giveaway for FCBD2015. Thanks to all those who liked and shared Celflux with their friends. Next event is the #Free online screening of Celflux issue no.2 on May 16th 2015. Register now for free to be a part of it.

Till Next Time.

The Celflux Team.

The post Celflux Issue No.1 Free Comic Book Day appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.

The video is basically samples of the artwork from Issue no.1, animated in the order of the story. The action sequence is just to generate some excitement. The very end of the teaser shows Samantha coming down flying through the clouds, and she makes a fly by the screen.

What I tried to do is convey and communicate the excitement I feel about Celflux in this short vid. You guys will let me know if I did. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Everard J. McBain Jr.

Everard is the Creative Director and CEO of GemGfx. GemGfx is a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been involved in the field of Graphic Design for over 14 years. He is also the art director and co-author of the graphic novel Celflux which he created along with his wife Dixie Ann Archer-McBain.

ww.gemgfx.com

The post Celflux: The Graphic Novel Teaser Trailer 2014 appeared first on Celflux - Graphic Novel & Animated Series.