This is what I'm thinking... your thoughts on this would be much appreciated:
I would like to bring this universe to the big screen or at least a web show, and was thinking that something like Kickstarter would be a good place to look for funds, but I'm dealing with an unknown commodity with this universe. So I was thinking that creating a web based graphic comic (and then turning a printed version of it into one of the awards for contributing to the project.) might be a good place to start. But I am pretty uncertain on how to even promote that...
Any thoughts or links to where I can start? Looking for a way to monitize this very time consuming (but rewarding) hobby....
I think you're way too early in the game to consider monetizing or kickstarting this project, you don't have that much to show off outside of some renders (which I like, but aren't mindblowing or attention-grabbing). You need a specific plan of attack, an itemized way to use the funds, you need to know exactly what you want to do and have a conviction that you're gonna get there no matter what. When you start asking for money, the train already needs to be moving and you're just offering your hand out to anyone who wants to grab a ride, while there's still time. You need money when you're in the home stretch, right now your needs are different.
It's one of those really annoying things about creative projects: just how much work you need to put in before you can start actually talking and boasting about it. You need a story bible, you need scripts, etc... what you really need is to create value for this project before you can ask for funds/help for it (I think it'll be easier to attract help once you find the most dynamite way of expressing your characters and story). Until then, you need to work smarter, not harder... don't just generate concept designs, figure out how your story is going to relate to the viewers, what the public face of the project will be, etc.
Plus, you have to figure out what it is you're going to be giving people, people don'd give money for someone else, they pay for something that they get, and Im not talking about those gifts and rewards, and it's more than just bragging rights, they're buying something THEY want, whether it's a moddable PC that you can hide behind your plasma screen, a Veronica Mars movie, or a Star Trek or Power Rangers movie that's more in tune to what the fans want than the actual copyright owners would do. Even the potato salad guy, that dude made a ton of bank and it wasn't because he had the best potato salad or because there was a big party at the end, they donated because it was such a crazy thing to do and people wanted to be part of it. You need to figure out what part of your project is the "shut up and take my money" element, the one little piece that will get people excited. Then the details (which you need to get right) will calm their fears once they pull out their wallets.
And yes, I might be pushing you hard (and I am awfully demanding of quality, both in myself and others) but it's the 21st century, and the democratization of media means that standards are higher than ever, because you're competing with so much.
To be quite honest, I have no idea how one goes about getting page views and attention on the internet, but I know you need constant, unique, high-quality elements in order to do it, and I think you're still finding your voice and carving out what that is. You're still in a fragile incubation period and you need that relative safety to allow the project to flourish (or fail, nothing wrong with failure) on its own. I just worry that if you put too much stress on the project now, it'll prove to be too fragile and fall apart. It's different here, on the forum, where we're all building together and trying things and experimenting, this is a safe place. The work just needs to be more refined before it goes out there.
Hey Blue, thanks for the reply... I am looking for direction with this, You and I have talked at some length on character and story developement (I think you and I agree that without a good story, all the sfx and flash in the world is not going to save a project.)
This project has grown way beyond my current abilities, I've got so much running around in my head, finding it hard to focus on steps I'm not even sure of. I wonder if it would be in my and the projects best interest to back-burner this and work from the ground up on something much smaller from start to finish. Maybe something designed to be very short but complete right from the start.
I know that everything starts with an idea but am pretty much clueless of the proper order of steps from that poin forward.
It might be a bit out of your price range, but I took an awesome class called "From Prep To Outline" a year ago that's just about to start over again that guides you and the other students through developing an idea, creating the characters, coming up with the main plot points, tying them together, and outlining a story.
If you feel like the project has grown far beyond your time and talents, definitely consider something smaller... the big thing you want to do is make a movie with your kids, right? You could always do a contemporary story, maybe it's sci-fi like ET or Earth To Echo. What kind of movie do they want to make?
And when it comes time to fundraising, I think that "I'm making a movie with my kids" angle will be the one that everyone reacts strongest to. What drew me to your project was remembering the video projects I did as a kid, and I think there's a bunch of people who have similar memories.
If you're going to do a webcomic, I strongly suggest picking up a copy of Wil Eisner's Comics and Sequential Art, which is literally a textbook written by a master on how to tell stories in a series of images.
Frankly, I think that starting with a webcomic is a good idea... it'll make sure that you have the elements in place, and give you a feel for what the workflow is like to go forward with an ongoing project. Plus, resources such as Patreon allow you to start monitizing the effort from the first page you put up... not a huge amount of monitization, you understand, but some.
Other than that, I agree with the things Blue said... don't kill your baby in the cradle. Make sure you've laid your groundwork before you move forward. But... don't wait so long you give up on the idea.
My advice for making more of a project with this is to come up with some characters, and also a more complete universe "map" out the major systems, set the tech levels, decide the political situations, look at consequences and alter inputs if you don't like the consequences that come out. Once you have a working "world" set up just drop in some initial starting event and your story can effectively write itself, you just have to put the details and words to the storyline which grows. You also need to decide on a few key events you want the narrative to pass through.
I would also suggest doing some more animations( i recall seeing some, make more of them) and writing some summary type pieces about individual characters, places, ships, events in your verse's history.
p.s. noticed your nostromo like bridge a page or two back. Good design. Also spotted your render of the transport ship with the "puller" ship, i can't say i "like"(although i don't dislike either) the graphic effect used on that render, but it was eyecatching and it was interesting to see something of yours presented in a different way.
I like it. It reminds me of a couple of the "planets" on the '80s cartoon The Transformers. (the concept, not the design) They had the Planet of Junk and a few others that were pretty much just stuff strewn together to make a "planet."
I like it. It reminds me of a couple of the "planets" on the '80s cartoon The Transformers. (the concept, not the design) They had the Planet of Junk and a few others that were pretty much just stuff strewn together to make a "planet."
Thanks for the comp!
Here is the "Harvest Moon" in its natural habitat:
Posts
Oh, I like this ship much better. This is not a suicide machine!
windows help
Thanks all, for the kind words
:thumb:
Or at least embelish it to make it pop a little more.
This is what I'm thinking... your thoughts on this would be much appreciated:
I would like to bring this universe to the big screen or at least a web show, and was thinking that something like Kickstarter would be a good place to look for funds, but I'm dealing with an unknown commodity with this universe. So I was thinking that creating a web based graphic comic (and then turning a printed version of it into one of the awards for contributing to the project.) might be a good place to start. But I am pretty uncertain on how to even promote that...
Any thoughts or links to where I can start? Looking for a way to monitize this very time consuming (but rewarding) hobby....
It's one of those really annoying things about creative projects: just how much work you need to put in before you can start actually talking and boasting about it. You need a story bible, you need scripts, etc... what you really need is to create value for this project before you can ask for funds/help for it (I think it'll be easier to attract help once you find the most dynamite way of expressing your characters and story). Until then, you need to work smarter, not harder... don't just generate concept designs, figure out how your story is going to relate to the viewers, what the public face of the project will be, etc.
Plus, you have to figure out what it is you're going to be giving people, people don'd give money for someone else, they pay for something that they get, and Im not talking about those gifts and rewards, and it's more than just bragging rights, they're buying something THEY want, whether it's a moddable PC that you can hide behind your plasma screen, a Veronica Mars movie, or a Star Trek or Power Rangers movie that's more in tune to what the fans want than the actual copyright owners would do. Even the potato salad guy, that dude made a ton of bank and it wasn't because he had the best potato salad or because there was a big party at the end, they donated because it was such a crazy thing to do and people wanted to be part of it. You need to figure out what part of your project is the "shut up and take my money" element, the one little piece that will get people excited. Then the details (which you need to get right) will calm their fears once they pull out their wallets.
And yes, I might be pushing you hard (and I am awfully demanding of quality, both in myself and others) but it's the 21st century, and the democratization of media means that standards are higher than ever, because you're competing with so much.
To be quite honest, I have no idea how one goes about getting page views and attention on the internet, but I know you need constant, unique, high-quality elements in order to do it, and I think you're still finding your voice and carving out what that is. You're still in a fragile incubation period and you need that relative safety to allow the project to flourish (or fail, nothing wrong with failure) on its own. I just worry that if you put too much stress on the project now, it'll prove to be too fragile and fall apart. It's different here, on the forum, where we're all building together and trying things and experimenting, this is a safe place. The work just needs to be more refined before it goes out there.
This project has grown way beyond my current abilities, I've got so much running around in my head, finding it hard to focus on steps I'm not even sure of. I wonder if it would be in my and the projects best interest to back-burner this and work from the ground up on something much smaller from start to finish. Maybe something designed to be very short but complete right from the start.
I know that everything starts with an idea but am pretty much clueless of the proper order of steps from that poin forward.
If you feel like the project has grown far beyond your time and talents, definitely consider something smaller... the big thing you want to do is make a movie with your kids, right? You could always do a contemporary story, maybe it's sci-fi like ET or Earth To Echo. What kind of movie do they want to make?
And when it comes time to fundraising, I think that "I'm making a movie with my kids" angle will be the one that everyone reacts strongest to. What drew me to your project was remembering the video projects I did as a kid, and I think there's a bunch of people who have similar memories.
Frankly, I think that starting with a webcomic is a good idea... it'll make sure that you have the elements in place, and give you a feel for what the workflow is like to go forward with an ongoing project. Plus, resources such as Patreon allow you to start monitizing the effort from the first page you put up... not a huge amount of monitization, you understand, but some.
Other than that, I agree with the things Blue said... don't kill your baby in the cradle. Make sure you've laid your groundwork before you move forward. But... don't wait so long you give up on the idea.
I would also suggest doing some more animations( i recall seeing some, make more of them) and writing some summary type pieces about individual characters, places, ships, events in your verse's history.
p.s. noticed your nostromo like bridge a page or two back. Good design. Also spotted your render of the transport ship with the "puller" ship, i can't say i "like"(although i don't dislike either) the graphic effect used on that render, but it was eyecatching and it was interesting to see something of yours presented in a different way.
Meanwhile here are some new experiments:
I could see that. Its going to be a more junkyard look though, perhaps the scavenger home world.
Perhaps Something like this?
Thanks for the comp!
Here is the "Harvest Moon" in its natural habitat:
A couple more "Harvest Moon" picture: