All initial animation and compositing is complete. Audio Master Ben Chan is now working on the audio and music. The next thing I need to do is review the footage and make all the necessary adjustments and tweaks to the visuals. We are getting very close to completion. We are currently on schedule for mid to late January. In the meantime, you can watch a new teaser video called “The Dark Teaser.” How sinister! Expect a “Light Teaser” in the near future.
So, get to watching it and send it to everyone you have ever met. Seriously! Stop reading this! Watch the video! Why are you still reading this?!!
No more staring at still images and imagining how they move and sound. A new Many Maladies of Marty Mitchell preview video is online! Three minutes of preview clips and storyline information is all yours if you simply click the ‘play’ triangle above.
It would be great if I can keep up this unlikely pace. Scenes 8 and 9 are completed. This means half of the sequences are done and I am roughly at the 50% mark. I’m hoping to jump into Scene 10 tomorrow or within the next few days. I am also hoping to cut a new Work-In-Progress video to put online in the near future. In the meantime, I have more Intergalactic Bathrooms and Earthbound Kitchens to animate. Ciao!
INT. INTERGALACTIC BATHROOM – IRRELEVANT
A rather ordinary bathroom. Dumb Waiter slides up from the floor. Marty exits. He is flanked by a toilet, a shower head and a mirror.
DUMB WAITER See ya!
Dumb Waiter drops into the floor. Marty addresses the room with outstretched hands.
MARTY Oh clever Seers of time and space, come visit me in this place!
A Beat.
Three heads appear: one in the toilet, one in the mirror, one in the shower head. As they speak, they alternate phrases.
THE SEERS Marty Mitchell… our clever friend… what brings you to the Intergalactic Bathroom?
MARTY There is trouble in Fridge Land. IÂ left out some meat over night.
The Seers gasp.
MARTY It went bad… really bad. I have to save Fridge Land and King Pickle. I need your help.
character sketch for Freddy Foodstuff, narrator of the Digestive Education Segment
Scene 11: Pancreas Island in the Land of Gastros was completed a couple of days ago. I will need to tweak a few things (much like in every other completed scene), but it is 98% done. If it had to go into the final project as is, I wouldn’t cry (much). This is to say the visuals are complete, the audio for the scene won’t be touched for a while.
The Many Maladies of Marty Mitchell Pilot Episode “Of Maggots and Meat” will be composed of 16 scenes/segments. As it stands now, 6 of them are complete (1-3,5,7,11). Scene 8 is very close and I started Scene 9 today. Elements have been built for 4, 6, and 12, but they are still in the very early stages (partly because I haven’t cast or recorded dialogue for a few of the Fridge Landers). Scenes 13-16 haven’t been started. I estimate I am roughly 40% done with the visuals. That leaves me 9 months to finish the other 60%.
The smiling cowboy above is Freddy Foodstuff. He is anthropomorphized masticated food and the star of Scene 9. Jon Gormley was kind enough to perform his voice, as well as Dr. Enzyme. He’ll be teaching us about the process of digestion while he giddy-aps through the digestive tract.
Marty watches as the Enzymes convert food into energy
Work continues on Scene 11 wherein Marty visits Pancreas Island and meets the Enzymes. Thus far, this is the only part of the short that includes actual 3D CGI animation. I am using a really old version of  Vue Infinite (I only barely know how to use it) to create the island and its environs. Everything else that has been done so far has been traditional 2D or After Effects 2.5D (flat planes distributed in 3D space).
Here are a couple of samples of Marty composited into the CG world. Higher quality versions and other fun stuff are available at the Marty Facebook Fan Page (it’s where all the cool cats are hanging out these days).
Marty unleashes his battle-cry (or is it a leg cramp?)
What is the best place to visit after learning about digestion? The Land of Gastros, of course. Work is moving forward on scene 11. Jon Gormely has been nice enough to lend his voice to two digestion-based characters, Freddy Foodstuff and the heroic Dr. Enzyme. I completed the initial editing of the scene a few minutes ago. Compositing and animation begins shortly. Mr. Meat better watch out!
The Pilot episode will contain three educational segments. The first is nearly complete. Bartholomew Bacteria steals the show for 38 seconds to teach us about food safety and why we shouldn’t leave food out for long periods of time. SPOILER ALERT: It can make you sick!
Overall show update: I estimate the post production animation/compositing for the pilot episode is roughly 30% complete. I’m pushing hard to make sure this thing is finally finished this year. Keep your fingers and cilia crossed.
Marty learns many things on his quest to confront Mr. Meat. One of those things is why you shouldn’t leave food out for long periods of time. It gives bacteria like botulism the opportunity to invade your leftovers.
Work continues on the Pilot Episode. Here are two screenshots of Marty meeting with Mr. Dumb Waiter and being transported to the Intergalactic Bathroom.
INT. DUMB WAITER ROOM – DAY Marty enters the room and approaches a small DUMB WAITER.
MARTY Open up, Mr. Dumb Waiter. I must visit the Intergalactic Bathroom.
The Dumb Waiter opens and Marty climbs inside.
DUMB WAITER (mumbling) How rude.
The Dumb Waiter launches into outer space with Marty inside.
Mr. Dumb Waiter travels to the Intergalactic Bathroom
