An Online Animated Musical Adventure

The lessons of the past can be taught via a new kind of narrative.

Mythology

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The Story

Primary Characters

Cathode Ray - The central hero, the voice of reason, always looking for 'the middle way'

Paul Pecker - Ray's closest companion, the skeptic, slacker

Regina - A former pirate, the most spirited of the group

Dr. Kilbert Saturday (Dr. K) - The villain, not quite pure evil

Secondary Characters

Aunt Jenny - Ray's aunt, a nurturing figure and the cause of the first adventure

Johnny Valve - A robot fascinated and jealous of the human traits denied to him

Dr. Monday - The mentor, affable and loony

The Machine - Dr K's main tool of destruction, a large walking robot

The Messenger - A flying black metal skull that delivers warnings by spitting out red ribbons with embroidered text

The Guardians - Two ghostly figures, one blind and one mute, who protect the entrance to Dr. K's fortress

The Helping Hands - Two flying stone hands that do Dr. K's bidding

The Other Doctors - Drs. Monday and Saturday were once part of a group of 7 engineers. These characters are the wizards of this world.

Other characters who appear infrequently: Keasto, McDuff, Rumlock, Quoin, Magrus, Ricker, Tyrus

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Trailer

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The Animation

Visual style reflects ideas of recycling and conservation

Characters represented as anthropomorphized animals

Inspirations: Terry Gilliam, Ralph Bakshi

Animation Sketches:

Background for title - 133KB	Gatekeepers - 229KB
Laboratory - 532KB	Retalliation - 539KB

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The Music

Markov Chain analysis

Prevalence of intervals

Inspirations: Rodgers and Hart, Beatles, Nirvana

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Online Distribution

Name and Logo

Ascension from Ruin

Markov Chain, Albion, Zion, Oblivion, Tennessee

The animations will be produced in Flash and made available via the Web.

Marketing

I plan to rely on the power of viral Internet marketing, by submitting new content to well-trafficked blogs. This is a proven method for online games, short films, and cartoons.

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Production Objectives

Immediate

To create one two-minute teaser trailer that introduces the characters and the visual and musical style

Short-Term

To draft scripts for about one dozen scenes, with one or two songs per scene, including music and lyrics

To complete animation for one five-minute scene, including recorded song and dialogue

Long-Term

To continue project with new one new episode each month

To continue developing characters and storyline

To generate revenue via sales of branded merchandise, sales of compilation DVD, or possibly seling as a package to a network

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