Knowhere, U.S.A

We can see the finish line, the light at the end of the tunnel, the rest after a long day!! 

This week Elizabeth and I recorded the presentation with our finalized script. Now it’s all about editing in the final art pieces along with some music and BAM our amazing journey comes to an end. 

Both Elizabeth and I have had the time of our lives not only learning from amazing people but finding true friendship in the process. This road has been both difficult and beautiful all at once with taking in a new foster baby to working countless hours trying to get our first baby (Mosi and the gang) where it needs to be. Nothing would have been possible without the support of our THU family. 

Now it's time to buckle down, pedal to the mental, nose to the grindstone (okay I’m done with the clichés) until we submit :)

Such a fun week developing the script and meeting with Kevin. We can't wait for what week nine has for us in store! 

The goal for this upcoming week is quite simple, finish the entire project… simple right? Okay, okay maybe not the final project. We would like to have a first draft that includes most of the final art pieces and the script of what and how we are going to present to send to our mentors. This will allow us the time to receive the feedback in order to add the elements that are missing and take out the ones that don’t add to the presentation. There is so much Elizabeth and I can say about this project which means we could talk for 30 minutes but since we only have ten our main goal for this week is making sure that what is included gets our message across. We want the love of the characters and the town to come across, the excitement of the expandability, and the importance of educational element that are interwoven with the project to come across first and foremost. This is probably our hardest goal yet but with the help of our mentors we know we will get this presentation to where it needs to be

We got to meet with all the mentors this week along with Scot who gave us some insight on the benefits music and sound bring to a project. The mentors came to conclusion that we need to adjust the game play from horizontal to vertical which should give us plenty of work for the following weeks! 

Week seven gave us new perspectives and ideas to think about that will take our project to the next level.

After having four mentor meetings last week Elizabeth and I were able to solidify some of the more tedious elements of the game and what to include in our final presentation. It came to a consensus that Elizabeth and I need to explain both the user journey while making sure that we explain the technical end of its development and the realities of producing a game. 

For this week we are focusing on just that. Flushing out the game elements while creating the final presentation and all that goes into it. 

Another task on our to-do list is figuring out exactly how we want to present our ideas in the ten minutes we are allowed. Over the last seven weeks we have added so many amazing ideas to this project and finding a way to portray that is going to be crucial going forward.

This week we want have the prototype of one game space and the line art done for the pitch deck in hopes that we can share it with our mentors and get feedback through slack. We are both so excited to see all our small ideas come together as one and hopefully continue to mold into a cohesive final project.

 

This week Elizabeth had a lonely week with our only mentor meeting getting pushed to week seven. It ended up being a blessing in disguise allowing us to take all the feedback from the previous week and create something more developed to pitch for week seven!

We feel like each week is going by faster and faster. Even though the next three weeks are absolutely packed with drawing, developing and pitching our ideas we both feel a sense of calmness. Our mentors have helped us so much to get the show and game where it needs to be and now it's our job to execute.

On our to-do list we (Elizabeth) will be finishing the character and location art along with the gadgets that will be used throughout the game and show. 

Our other main goal is to make sure that we have a solid plan for the elements going into the final presentation. This includes breaking down our pitch deck to add the updated art pieces along with incorporating the new ideas that we have developed over the past seven week. 

In week seven we have meetings with Matilde, Sally, Kevin, Shuhei, and Scot. We are planning on using each of them to get the feedback we need in order to make our presentation the best it can be. 

This week is our busiest yet which is equally exciting and nerve-racking. Just don't be surprised if we look a little tired in our week seven recap video!

Music and Knowhere 

Elizabeth and I have been scouting similar animated TV shows for what we like and don’t like. Our show revolves around a little boy and the crazy, fun, and exciting adventures that he embarks on with his closest buddies. We want the music to reflect that. 

Gracie: Whether it's on the speakers, my headphones, or just in my mind music is always playing. The music that I listen to all depends on what I’m doing. If I’m working out there is Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, or any other upbeat pop queen you can think of. If I am cooking, there’s usually bands that my dad listens to playing over the speakers. Whatever genre is playing usually is reflective of what mood I am in. Music is such a beautiful artform because there are full stories that are told within just a couple minutes. 

Elizabeth: I don't tend to listen to music when I write or draw (or are even in the longer development phase of a project) because I tend to become a little too impacted by whichever song or album is playing and it shows on the page. When I do listen, however, I am a huge fan of The Goat Rodeo Sessions with Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile, Stuart Duncan, and Edgar Meyer. The entire album feels like a storybook unfolding with twists, turns, heartbreak, and joy. I also tend to listen to show tunes and film soundtracks on repeat until everyone around me wants to throw the phone out the window. I guess the long and the short of it is, I adore music that has story baked right in. 

Elizabeth and I might have different day-to-day styles of music but when we boil it down what's left is a love for hearing what the artist has to say. Music has an impact and elevates stories in ways that dialogue can’t. We hope that the sounds and music in the town of Knowhere showcase the love and joy that it possesses.

Week five was thankfully a little less chaotic than week four. We were able to, with the help of our mentors, create a game loop that we feel confident in for the final presentation. Sally and Shuhei gave us great advice on sound/haptics that Elizabeth and I think will elevate the gaming experience to a whole new level. Shuhei helped up find ways to highlight each aspect of the different cultures that will be represented within the show. Even though we still have a lot of work ahead of us our goals seem obtainable which is making both of us extremely excited. 

We can’t believe we are already in week six! Things are ramping up quickly with the soft deadline Elizabeth and I made for ourselves approaching in less than a month. For this week specifically we want to write up the master list of final art, create a game document that defines the loop and starts to gather specific mechanics of the game, and finalize the overview of what our final pitch will look like.

Elizabeth will be focusing on finishing key character art along with some of the pieces (Mosi’s gadget) we have added throughout the last couple weeks. After week five and talking to our mentors we have solidified the aspects of the game we were unsure about. For week six we want to break the game down step by step in a PDF to explain the format and mechanics the game will possess. Our final goal will be piecing together what will be included in the final pitch presentation including artwork, story and game loop, and the purpose behind the show. We can’t wait to get to work!

Some pretty exciting news came our way in week four! Elizabeth got a call to foster a baby boy that has brought us nothing but joy. We have been doing our work in between baby cuddles :)

We decided to have the neighbor kids join in on the action so we present you with "Our Workspace" - Directed by the 8 year old that lives above us, along with comentary by the 4, 6, and 8 year old that lives next to us.

For week five we have added a new addition to team Knowherian! During the middle of week four Elizabeth got the call to foster a baby boy. Since then we have been adjusting  and working to get back on track with our new little friend. Our goals from last week have transfered over to week five but with a more secure view on what our end goal is going to be. 

After talking with Kevin he solidified our idea to cut the animatic and focus on completing an interactive PDF file, which is basically taking our show deck and, minimally, getting a sense of the interplay between the show and the game by making it engageable. This way we are able to make sure both the show and the game are getting equal attention. 

Some other goals we are trying to achieve for week five include the Knowhere map and talking through the updated game loops with Sally and Shuhei.

We can't wait to get started!

 

We are becoming more and more comfortable with our goals moving forward. With help from our mentors our to-do list has grown but our stress is shrinking (thank God). We have been able to streamline our ideas to make our goals more concise. 

Shuhei shared with us games that utilize hidden content that could be applied to our project. For this week we want to define the season game break while brainstorming hidden easter eggs throughout the show. This will help with tightening up the connection between show and game. 

From our meeting with Sally, we concluded that we need to create a level loop for the game and to show a visual of the map of Knowhere. Breaking down each portion of the game will help us better comprehend how it will be played and how it ties in with the show. 

We are excited to get this week started!

We are three weeks in and could not be happier with how things are going. The mentors have been so helpful to not only give us new ideas but to streamline the ones we already had. As of right now we are taking all the advice and suggestions and applying it to our project to hopefully create a stronger, more effective concept!

 

 

These past two weeks have been nothing but highlights. Meeting with our mentors, talking with the tribe members, and hearing about the Carmela and Family Britannia projects really proved THU is something truly incredible. Elizabeth and I have taken so much away from each meeting and are eager to apply it to Knowhere, USA. The most exciting part for us was probably getting to pitch to all the mentors along with getting our first round of feedback. We are so inspired from everyone that was there and can’t wait to hear more!

 

With the kickoff meeting being behind us Elizabeth and I were really able to dive into the nitty gritty of our project. This week we want to set up the key art and crossover content for the show and video game while exploring the content break for seaon one. While Elizabeth focuses on the location and character art I will be researching real life experts that will be highlighted in each episode throughout season one. We also start our one-on-one meetings this week! We are so excited to hear from Sally and Shuhei about what they have been thinking in regards to our project!

 

Week two is almost wrapped up and we could not be happier with all the feedback we have recieved. 

Both of us are so excited to get to work!

For week one, Elizabeth and I want to focus on setting a solid fondation for the next 10 weeks.

At the end of week one we want to:

(1) Finalizing our work schedule 

(2) Meet our Mentors 

(3) Pitch our idea and concept to our Sony Talent League Mentors 

We are both so excited to start the work and meet everyone who is going to help us get to our end goal!

We are both so excited to get started and extremely grateful for everyone that got us here!