Artists and LDS film-making, movies ?

[BrioCyrain]

Yeah, I tried calling. I talked with a lady in the arts/computer animation area and she basically told me that only the students make movies as it is mandatory. Only student based, I guess. >.< I have given up on this search that leads to nothing. Even the one lead I found (Book of Mormon Movie) turned out that they ran out of money to produce the second movie in the series.

I really honestly think that there must not be anyone out there with a big enough budget to get anywhere for LDS CG films. So sad....

Scripture bugs is an LDS-themed CG cartoon series, but the animation quality is pretty average IMO. Still plan on taking an animation course in Japan.

[JasonK]

So, am I to understand that the most of you in this thread are more into animation, rather than live film? Are any of you capable of intigrating your skills into live shots?

[BrioCyrain]

So, am I to understand that the most of you in this thread are more into animation, rather than live film? Are any of you capable of intigrating your skills into live shots?

Well, the stuff I want to do in a story is quite impossible in live action. Unless Frankly you got a million/billion dollar budget like Narnia or Transformers

[JDBentz]

Animation is one of those things that can be hard to get into, if you don't have a basic idea of how things work. Me, I'm going into it blind because I've got a whole bunch of story ideas going around in my head, some of them only suited to an LDS market, even if its only Direct-to-DVD style.

My original project ideas were to bring some of the stuff we see in theaters to the LDS market, but with the focus more on family themes along with trusting in the Spirit when making tough decisions. My first idea was about a some men who'd formed a group in high school to try and keep some of the more 'bad' elements at bay. (gang members, criminals, etc.) And, as the stories always go, one of them goes bad and starts a 'gang', which becomes more of a terrorist organization. I've been re-working the story idea for years, and I've got a pretty good idea where I want to go with it now. I'm interested in teaming up with others who are into this stuff, especially since they'd understand some of this animation stuff that goes over my head.

Anyone here ever try Blender? From what I've seen, if you combine their stuff with one or two other 'freeware' things, you'd get a pretty good animation.

If anyone would like to hear the synopsis/summary of the idea mentioned above or one of my others, feel free to reply to this post. Its hard to want to do any kind of filmmaking without dealing the problems regarding money and such.

Here's a idea I had, though I don't know for sure if it'd work out. Make an animation (shorts or feature length), get it formated to DVD files, and then go to Lulu.com to use their free self-publishing service. As Utah is the main area of focus, talk to places like Seagull, Deseret, and locally-owned bookstores, and see if they'll carry it, even if you have to write the 'corporate' section of the place.

Anyways, I gotta get to something else, but I thought I'd put in my two cents.

[the Ogre]

My neighbor is an animation major at BYU. I know of other people in film, but they are either interested in doing web movies or simply doing flash.

The biggest issue is that they are not organized (ie. no LDS film association like some of the literature groups - I could be wrong, however). It is difficult to think that the primary examples of LDS film are Dutcher (sp) and HaleStrom. Dutcher is a flake and HaleStrom was weak at best.

Maybe you guys ought to start something.

[JDBentz]

I've considered starting a 'production company', but considering all the people who would be interested probably don't live near each other, it'd be web-based for the actual 'production' section, and then it'd be trying to approach various stores or distributors about actually selling the finished product.

I think one of my biggest sticking points, and I think its one that all writers have, is that I'd like to see what I write up on screen how I write it. Of course, there's always a loss in translation between page and screen, which is why I've had to really practice using as little action as possible and concentrating more on dialogue. It should be up to the actor (or in this case the animator) how certain scenes should be shot/created. Me, I'm fine with giving up that section. I'll even go to the whole 'change the dialogue so it suits the actor/voice actor's own way of talking.

I'm mainly worried about plot changes. There are certain elements in my scripts, LDS or not, that are for, say, PG-13 audiences no matter what. I would be willing to cut down on ones where they're more explicit, but I still want the idea of what's going on to cross the minds of the watcher. I've noticed that a lot of LDS filmmakers, in an effort to capture the whole 'LDS Spirit' in their films, have cut off the realism of it. Dutcher was an extremist: he either went on the whole 'Spirit' or he went for the 'realism'. For examples, the two God's Army movies. First one was humorous but was also focused more on the spiritual side of LDS missionary life; the second had a more temporal feel to it.

In animation, things would be different, I think. For one, we wouldn't be bound by the problems involved with 'big-movie budget' shots. I think the Book of Mormon would be told much better in CGI or something similar, and you can apparently get that when using the program I mentioned earlier, plus I think a couple of others. Also, who wouldn't want to see if the Work and the Glory could be continued or even re-done in animation? One thing I've always wanted to do is make a CGI LDS movie, show it to someone like Chris Heimerdinger, and see if they'd want their book made into a film like that.

I know a lot of people focus on stuff like 3D Max and Maya, but there is plenty of freeware 3D engines and development programs out there; you just gotta look.

Anyone whose interested in making an actual filmmaking group for LDS Animation, either contact me or lets set up a group here on LDS Mormon Forums so that we can chat about it extensively. Oh, what the heck. I'll set up the group right now if I can.

[JDBentz]

Okay, here's the link to the new group, LDS Animators. It's a private group for those of us who're serious about it.

Groups » LDS Mormon Network

There we go.

[BrioCyrain]

Joined, I have some experience in animation as for knowing some flash skills and writing, etc.