Mother's Day Update: Progress on the Three Summer Animations

By: Andrew Bermudez

(LEGO Studios; May 12, 2013)

     To begin, we would like to apologize for the lack of any recent updates and this month's Ask Mark Matthew. Things have been very busy lately. Read on and you'll see why.

     To commemorate Mother's Day, we would like to look ahead to the summer season, starting May 24. As we're sure you are well aware, we have three new films to kick off this summer season: A Friend of the Police (May 24), A Bite of MyJobs (May 31), and New Friends ~ An Environmental Fable (June 7). Let's take a closer look and see how things are shaping up for these films.

Chase McCain at the cargo train depot in A Friend of the Police.

A Friend of the Police: Currently entering post-production; animation sequencing underway.

     If you are a member of our Facebook page, then you would have found out that filming for this film wrapped up last night, which is a good thing. There are only two weeks left to get this film finalized and sent for print, so the time between now and May 24th is going to be very busy. However, the voice actor for Chase McCain called in sick yesterday, so he will need to be replaced. "However," said LEGO Studios CEO Mark Matthew, "we are still going to make it for the May 24th release date, though it will be close. That's Memorial Day weekend, so we want to claim the spike in viewership that occurs that weekend, especially since the main character has become highly popular recently." In other words, pushing off the release date is a last-resort move.
     May 18th Update: Post-production is moving along smoothly for this film. Animation sequencing should be done this weekend, with audio mixing starting soon after.

Concept art by Melanie Modesti for the career advisor, a major character in A Bite of MyJobs.

A Bite of MyJobs: Currently in production; animating underway.
     It's going to be another close call, but A Bite of MyJobs should be done in time for its May 31st debut. "However," according to director Andrew Bermudez, "we are just as hard-pressed to get this film done as we are to get A Friend of the Police done. It may not be released until May 31st, but it has to be done by May 23rd in order for A Bite of MyJobs to be a part of the College of the Canyons Student Film Showcase. Getting it selected isn't a problem, as we just have Gina Bogna, our associate and client from COC's CWEE department, lobby for the film's acceptance on our behalf. We just need to get it done in time." This film will be released online on May 31st, the same day as the showcase.
     May 18th Update: Getting this film done in time to submit it to the showcase is starting to look like a long stretch, but it will be done in time for May 31st.

Abraham chops wood in New Friends ~ An Environmental Fable; this is the shot before the background and shadows were added.

New Friends ~ An Environmental Fable: Currently audio mixing; visuals nearing completion.
     Even though it is the last of the three to be released, New Friends ~ An Environmental Fable is actually the closest to completion of the three. In fact, it is so close to being completed, the film's 8-month development period may finally come to an end this week. A few shots still need to be delivered, but those can easily be taken care of in a few hours time. In the meantime, audio is now being synced to the visuals. "We are so excited that we are almost done with this film," said Steve Brocko, head of Drawn to Life Animation. "As you can tell from the trailer, it's going to look spectacular. It's been an amazing experience working on this film, as we've learned so much along the way." The film will hold its grand premiere at COC's Student Film Showcase at Hasley Hall 101 at 7:00 PM on May 31st, then will debut online on June 7th.
     May 18th Update: Unless any final changes are requested, New Friends has wrapped up post-production and is now completed.
     In other news, we would like to mention that Zoo Flight has been delayed again, this time into 2014; it's now part of Ten Years of Going Crazy! Problems with the programming have halted the project before, but the bugs will finally be worked out this time. In other news, the Mustache Maniacs Film Co. Wiki will be linked in this press room by the end of the month. A 3-D version of An Afternoon at the Zoo will also debut later this month.