Stretttch (Patreon)

The following post does not contain any major spoilers.

Hi Patrons!

This is an update post about the new animation, which is more than 90% done now. We are currently racing to wrap up compositing, backgrounds, and end credits. To help with this effort, we've recruited the talents of Voroxzii! 

https://voroxzii.carrd.co/ 

This is turning out to be the biggest production I've done, and I'm growing more and more confident that it'll knock all of your socks off! I'm also getting more eager to show off the sweet scenes, so expect a trailer soon!

As you can see above, a huge portion of the animation work is DONE. I'm looking forward to making the whole spreadsheet nice and green in the upcoming weeks.

Compositing Fun

For those who are unaware, the compositing phase involves adding final color corrections, digitally assisted lighting/shading, and the combining of background & characters for the final look of the film.

Before compositing:

After compositing:

There are over 200 scenes (or more technically, camera cuts) in Story 7, and I've been fine tuning the compositing of each one by hand. It is a careful balancing act between adding compositing and retaining the original art. Too much shine and digital upgrading can muddy the drawings. On the other hand, a lack of polish can weaken a scene's cohesiveness and looks cartoony.

I've been able to composite 1 scene in a little less than an hour on average. It's not as time consuming as the animation and inking stages, but is important nonetheless!

This phase of the project is also a favorite for many animators, becauseit lets you see all the hard work come together. It can also be frightening to do, since, once it's all done, there's little you can do to improve the art. I notice that putting the finishing touches is very difficult for perfectionistic types.

Stream Frequency & Work Load

I'm still streaming all of this on Twitch! Although we're headed into very spoilery territory, I will try to share as much as I can. The final stretch is here, so please forgive me if I "go dark" for a few days at a time. The animation is almost done, but there is much prep to be done for the premiere and release.

Unless there are any "special" interruptions like with last year's Fortnite event, expect the hype train to arrive soon! Thank you for your support and patience!