#09: Goal of the Week (Jan 25)
Our Goal of the Week: Tribe goes to Gather kick-off!
We're aiming to have our website/database for the participants up and running by end of week.
Project diaries
#09: Goal of the Week (Jan 25)
There's a lot on our mind this week! Many small tasks:
- Finalize the rendering
- Build scene and character pose tools
- Design environment sets and objects (like the ships and weaponry)
- Finalize the revamped story
- Start storyboarding and blocking out the first scenes (as soon as the tools are available)
- Characters #3 and #4 final, sculpts for characters #5, #6, #7 and #8
- Get a start on environment and object models
- First music tests in engine
#06: Goal of the Week (Jan 25)
Learning how to respect the relationship we have with our art, as pointed out by one of our mentors, Mr David OReilly. Treating it as a real relationship and making sure it grows, so we don't burn out and grow to hate making cool stuff or just stuff in general as time goes on. We feel like that's a super important thing we had never even considered till it was pointed out to us.
If we neglect treating what we love well, we could actually grow to hate it, and nope, we definitely do not want that!!!
In order to establish a better relationship with our craft we have resolved to try a makeshift situation where we try and date a hypothetical representation of our art (see image here above). We've named them coffee baby. We are looking to develop healthy relationship habits like spending just enough time together, listening when one is genuinely tired and doesn't want to hang out and helping each other grow. We hope we can treat them well so that they do not dump us, and that they treat us right as well. We shall maintain the good state of this teddy and make sure no harm comes to them. They are also now our team mascot because Tabi's cat said no to taking on that role.
#08: Video Recap Week 1-3
It's been an exciting and enlightening 3 weeks in mentorship-land. So much has happened in such a short amount of time! Watch on to hear more about our challenges, triumphs, and discoveries thus far.
#08: Mentor Session Highlights - Week 3
#07: Week 3
Our week 3 goal was spreading the word to the Tribe about TribesGoesToGather.
Our Tribe session on Friday was zesty, inspiring and it got us excited about our goal actualising in the next couple of days. We saw and shared examples of art made with organic findings, one of the THU advisors who was in the session actually shared her makings with us too. We are currently busy with getting an up and running database/website ready for the Tribe participants who will take part in the experiment. So early this week should see us spreading more news around how to take part and where they can begin submitting their findings! We already have a channel #togather-with-the-tribe on our Discord channel, where the announcements will drop. The upcoming 3 weeks will be crucial to the development of this project as it is the first time we are involving others actively, they will be paving the way with the content and discoveries they share with us while we chisel Togather's vision and start to focus a little more on storytelling and experimenting a little more with the digital and 3d worlds through the mentorships.
#07: Week 3: Parlay
<div class="lexxy-content lightbox-container"> <p>Hey! You look amazing today. Care for a chat up on the aft deck?</p> <p> </p> <p>Week 3 was the first time we had one-on-one sessions with the mentors and where our bonds were put to the test.</p> <p> </p> <p></p> <p> </p> <p>We put out some amazing work this week, with Jan and Andreas having finished our first two characters: the hunter Kamalei (just "Lei" to his friends) and his sniper foster-mom Inka. Michael, our engine wizard, optimized pretty much everything, giving us a clear path to develop the tools needed to make this wild VR comic a reality.</p> <p> </p> <div class="lightbox-container"><div class="pswp-gallery lightbox " data-controller="lightbox" data-lightbox-target="container"><div class="lightbox__item"><a target="_blank" data-lightbox-target="item" href="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/83/content_STL_Icebreakers_021.jpg"><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/83/content_STL_Icebreakers_021.jpg"></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> <div class="lightbox-container"><div class="pswp-gallery lightbox " data-controller="lightbox" data-lightbox-target="container"><div class="lightbox__item"><a target="_blank" data-lightbox-target="item" href="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/82/content_STL_Icebreakers_022.jpg"><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/82/content_STL_Icebreakers_022.jpg"></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> <p>Our first mentorships finally happened and hoo boy, were they amazing! We started with an early riser for us at 8 AM with Tetsuya Mizuguchi, where we explained our project once again (as he couldn’t make it to the general meeting the previous week). We discussed how we could turn the interactivity that we had planned even more to our advantage. The mentors provided insights on how we could use the interactivity in different ways based on the mood of the story at various points. This really stuck with us and gave us an idea of how to truly make use of the tech we’re developing for <em>Icebreakers</em>.</p> <p> </p> <p>Our second mentorship, a day later, with Scott Stafford, was immensely helpful (and fun!) as well. This was more focused on the score, which is less our speciality. We invited Chrisna to join us so he too could get a better idea of how to tackle such a project. In addition, we also discussed if we want to include sound design and voice acting. While that is still something we are figuring out, Scott offered to put us in contact with new people, so….we might be getting a fully voiced <em>Icebreakers</em>, y’all! That just feels surreal to all of us.</p> <p> </p> <p>This week was also one that tested us. Last week sent us sprawling a bit after we needed to revamp the story. Over the weekend we created new drafts and came up with fresh ideas for the story in order to satisfy a more realistic scope. However, globally-distanced as we are right now, it was sometimes hard getting on the same creative page and miscommunication was afoot. Tension was building a bit and finally cracked midway through the week, forcing us to put our heads together and resolve it in a bunch of tough calls. It took us a little while, but once we came out of that valley our bonds (AND our communication!) were stronger than ever before!</p> <p> </p> <div class="lightbox-container"><div class="pswp-gallery lightbox " data-controller="lightbox" data-lightbox-target="container"><div class="lightbox__item"><a target="_blank" data-lightbox-target="item" href="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/80/content_STL_Icebreakers_023.jpg"><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/80/content_STL_Icebreakers_023.jpg"></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> <h3>Progress on the goals we set this week:</h3> <p> </p> <ul> <li>Get the first two 3D characters modeled, rigged and textured - <span style="color:#00FF00;">On target</span> </li> <li>Re-write the underlying render-engine to be better perform - <span style="color:#FFA07A;">A little late, but almost done</span> </li> <li>Build basic scene building tools and implement panels - <span style="color:#40E0D0;">Moved to start of next week</span> </li> <li>Decide on the final story (including mentor feedback) - <span style="color:#FFA07A;">A little late</span> </li> <li>Finalize all character designs - <span style="color:#00FF00;">On target</span> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <h3><img alt="" src="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/87/content_STL_Icebreakers_024.JPG" style="width:800px;height:655px;"></h3> <p> </p> <h3>Sometimes you have to choose between a link and another link:</h3> <p> </p> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=bKaVhXn49xY">75 000 h.p. The Biggest Nuclear Icebreaker</a> - just amazing</li> <li>Go check out Mizu’s Company’s games: <a href="https://www.tetriseffect.game/">Tetris Effect</a> and <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/636450/Rez_Infinite/">Rez Infinite</a>, they’re really good!</li> <li> <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/750350/Google_Spotlight_Stories_Piggy/">Google Spotlight Stories: Piggy</a> - a really cool little VR experience Scott worked on...yknow, a little One Piece never hurt anyone?</li> </ul> <p> </p> <div class="lightbox-container"><div class="pswp-gallery lightbox " data-controller="lightbox" data-lightbox-target="container"><div class="lightbox__item"><a target="_blank" data-lightbox-target="item" href="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/76/content_STL_Icebreakers_025.jpg"><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/76/content_STL_Icebreakers_025.jpg"></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> </div>#05: Week 3 Recap
Let's talk about Week 3! Learnings and discoveries from this week's mentorships.
#04: Goal of the Week (Jan 18)
Music on the mind - team Kawia's goal for this week:
Finding suitable music for the animation! That's really important to us as we are really banking on creating a huge connection with our audience through it, especially since our animation is centered around dance.
#06: Goal of the Week (Jan 18)
The team had a lot they want to achieve this week:
- Get the first two 3D characters modeled, rigged and textured
- Re-write the underlying render-engine to be better perform
- Build basic scene building tools and implement panels
- Decide on the final story (including mentor feedback)
- Finalize all character designs
#06: Goal of the Week (Jan 18)
Simple: Spread the word to the THU tribe!
#05: Week 2: Mutiny
<div class="lexxy-content lightbox-container"> <div class="lightbox-container"><div class="pswp-gallery lightbox " data-controller="lightbox" data-lightbox-target="container"><div class="lightbox__item"><a target="_blank" data-lightbox-target="item" href="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/73/content_STL_Icebreakers_016.jpg"><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/73/content_STL_Icebreakers_016.jpg"></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> <p>Welcome back on board! I hope you had a fantastic day!</p> <p> </p> <p>For Week 2 we finally met the mentors. We tried to prepare ourselves as best as possible, having a full scope and timeline at the ready and a pitch to properly show them what<em> Icebreakers</em> was all about.</p> <p> </p> <p>We had just completed our draft of chapter 1 of <em>Icebreakers</em>, which was supposed to be our final deliverable at the end of the project. Unfortunately (kind of expectedly) the mentors’ immediate feedback was that we should cut down in length, opting for a simple scene/proof of concept or a trailer. It is something we’re still struggling with since we had a proof of concept as well when we first pitched the project, so we're still trying to find that middle road of showcasing both story and technology as both are integral to each other.</p> <p> </p> <p>During this week we also got some sweet pirate tunes from our composer, Chrisna. It definitely struck a chord with us, making it feel like <em>Icebreakers</em> is taking more and more shape. We also brought on board (Yar!) Jan Szyja and Andreas Braun, both fellow Unicorns of the Tribe to help us create 3D models of the characters, otherwise we cannot possibly hope to show how truly wild they are!</p> <p> </p> <p>We also had the opportunity to get some feedback from the Tribe with a special shoutout to Olga Andriyenko for being willing to give us feedback on our storyboards outside of these sessions, an area we are still relatively inexperienced in.</p> <p> </p> <div class="lightbox-container"><div class="pswp-gallery lightbox " data-controller="lightbox" data-lightbox-target="container"><div class="lightbox__item"><a target="_blank" data-lightbox-target="item" href="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/78/content_STL_Icebreakers_017.jpg"><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/78/content_STL_Icebreakers_017.jpg"></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> <h3>The heroes of time: Links! (Week 2):</h3> <p> </p> <ul> <li>New music by Chrisna: <ul> <li><a href="https://soundcloud.com/smallfrystudio/icebreakers-ambush"><em>Icebreakers</em>: Ambush</a></li> <li><a href="https://soundcloud.com/smallfrystudio/icebreakers-tuesday"><em>Icebreakers</em>: Tuesday</a></li> </ul> </li> <li>https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg-_lYeV8hBnDSay7nmphUA “woah.” - Mechanic.</li> <li>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH3HOcRayC8 </li> <li>Go watch <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2708480/"><em>The Terror</em></a>, it is terrific and terrifying. </li> </ul> <p> </p> <div class="lightbox-container"><div class="pswp-gallery lightbox " data-controller="lightbox" data-lightbox-target="container"><div class="lightbox__item"><a target="_blank" data-lightbox-target="item" href="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/74/content_STL_Icebreakers_018.jpg"><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/74/content_STL_Icebreakers_018.jpg"></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> <div class="lightbox-container"><div class="pswp-gallery lightbox " data-controller="lightbox" data-lightbox-target="container"><div class="lightbox__item"><a target="_blank" data-lightbox-target="item" href="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/85/content_STL_Icebreakers_019.jpg"><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/85/content_STL_Icebreakers_019.jpg"></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> <div class="lightbox-container"><div class="pswp-gallery lightbox " data-controller="lightbox" data-lightbox-target="container"><div class="lightbox__item"><a target="_blank" data-lightbox-target="item" href="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/88/content_STL_Icebreakers_020.jpg"><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/88/content_STL_Icebreakers_020.jpg"></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> </div>#05: Week 2
Join Dilruba as she welcomes us into Togather's space and shares with us what she's learned this week.
#03: Initial Thoughts
We're at the beginning of an exciting adventure, so to kick things off, we asked the teams for their gut-reactions to the following questions. Their thoughtful responses provide awesome insight into their personalities :)
1. What are you hoping to get from this mentorship?
We are hoping, out of the mentorship programme, to be able to match our skill level to the industry standards given that we have such awesome mentors who are successful in their fields guiding us.
Also, we are really looking forward to building our confidence levels in the process through all the e-interaction, we are having.
2. What do you think you'll struggle with the most?
Our biggest struggle would have to be managing our anxiety as this is such a huge platform we've been offered a chance to grow in, full of such amazing people, and we definitely want to do everyone proud as we share Kawia the best way we know how.
3. What do you think you'll enjoy the most?
Our favourite part of this entire process is definitely meeting our idols who we get the chance to be mentored by. That by itself is just mind-freaking-blowing. And the cherry on that cake would have to be making buddies who are in the same industry as us a part of our new tribe!
4. What do you think will be the most surprising/unexpected part of this experience?
We feel as if there's no way to be more surprised than how we are at the moment, that we are actually doing this right now. We are still trying to collect our brains from being blown away as much as they are 😂. However, we are definitely looking forward to when we will show what we're working on come March. We really can't wait to see the entire project come to fruition.
#02: Kanpai with Kawia's Adventure!
What better way to introduce the finalists to the Tribe than through a special edition of Kanpai! Our very own Shuzo sat down with Lydia (and Tabi, in wifi-deadzone spirit) to chat about all things Kawia's Adventure ;)
Watch to see highlights and get inspired!
#04: Initial Thoughts
We're at the beginning of an exciting adventure, so to kick things off, we asked the teams for their gut-reactions to the following questions. The candid responses they provided were both insightful and inspiring :)
1. What are you hoping to get from this mentorship?
Christoph: Contacts to some amazing people and some of the tiny bits of useful knowledge you only gain through experience or by having an experienced mentor.
Alexandra: I look forward to getting feedback both from the mentors and the Tribe. Having a pool of incredibly skilled people to evaluate a work in progress is invaluable!
Stephan: To learn how to fully explore my vision and make it work. Hopefully finding the true direction I want to develop in as an artist as well.
2. What do you think you'll struggle with the most?
Christoph: Finding our shared vision? I think we have it mostly down technically, but working in a team with different ideas always leads to a bunch of friction (and already has multiple times) and working that out to get to a coherent final project will be the biggest challenge I believe.
Alexandra: Staying productive on a day to day basis is something I’ve been struggling a lot with in recent times.
Stephan: Being a good director and leader. I've led before, but never on this scale and with this level of visiblity, and I just want to do right by myself and the team.
3. What do you think you'll enjoy the most?
Christoph: Working on something I love with people I love.
Alexandra: I always look forward to feedback sessions, as they will permit us to see our project in a new light, and make it better. I also look forward to telling this story to the best of our ability.
Stephan: Figuring out alongside the mentors how to make sense of the chaos that is in my brain and seeing this project come to life. That, and just waiting to see the joy on people's faces when they watch the final piece.
4. What do you think will be the most surprising/unexpected part of this experience?
Christoph: I think the most surprising aspect will be the opportunities and possibilities this will lead us to. I think all in all the project and mentorships themselves are "predictable", but I have no idea what journey this experience is the first step of.
Alexandra: With each new week I find out new paths our project can take, and new avenues to explore. Every week has its share of surprises.
Stephan: I honestly have no clue and I like that! It will make the surprise even more impactful when it happens!
#03: Week 1: Raise the Anchors!
<div class="lexxy-content lightbox-container"> <div class="lightbox-container"><div class="pswp-gallery lightbox " data-controller="lightbox" data-lightbox-target="container"><div class="lightbox__item"><a target="_blank" data-lightbox-target="item" href="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/95/content_STL_Icebreakers_011_new.JPG"><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/95/content_STL_Icebreakers_011_new.JPG"></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> <p>Anchors aweigh! Welcome to the Captain’s Log of <em>Icebreakers</em>! </p> <p> </p> <p></p> <p> </p> <p>Here we tell you a bit on our weekly adventures making a dream project, meeting and learning from legends of our industry, and forging bonds strong enough to barrel through the icy waters ahead!</p> <p> </p> <p>While we can treat this as the first official week of Icebreakers, a true crew makes sure to take stock of their supplies! The moment we heard we were one of the finalists, we basically went to work straight away. In the time we were reevaluating a lot of our work, the characters, story, strengthening the vision behind the project, and even bringing extra people on board to help out.</p> <p> </p> <p>We knew our strengths and weaknesses from the start and we knew if we wanted to make more than just the Proof of Concept that we had for the pitch, we needed more people. Our first new full time team member was Chrisna Lungala, our composer who made the first sketch of the score for Icebreakers. The second was Michael Freundorfer, a developer who helped us out a ton with the render style and making sure it was performing well on the Oculus Quest. Having him on the team would mean we could achieve what we wanted much quicker and to a higher standard, making the tools we want to share with The Tribe a reality.</p> <p> </p> <p>Late this week we got to learn who our mentors would be and that we would be meeting them next week! It really was this moment that it was all starting to feel real and that we would need to get down to business!</p> <p> </p> <h3><b>Links and Stuff from week 1:</b></h3> <p> </p> <ul> <li> <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UYOFwwxhjQ5LwGlc49uf8A2HrhV-2VS8?usp=sharing">Google Drive link to all of our stuff</a> (feel free to berate our organisation!)</li> <li>I have tentatively enabled comments, so if you have specific feedback to anything you find in there, just add one!</li> </ul> <p> </p> <h3><b>Good watches:</b></h3> <p> </p> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr_N7EIpblo">"The Remedy" Trailer</a>, A VR story created in Quill (go check it out in VR too if you have a quest)</li> <li>Go watch <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2375692/"><em>Black Sails</em></a>!</li> </ul> <p> </p> <div class="lightbox-container"><div class="pswp-gallery lightbox " data-controller="lightbox" data-lightbox-target="container"><div class="lightbox__item"><a target="_blank" data-lightbox-target="item" href="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/92/content_STL_Icebreakers_012_new.JPG"><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/92/content_STL_Icebreakers_012_new.JPG"></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> <div class="lightbox-container"><div class="pswp-gallery lightbox " data-controller="lightbox" data-lightbox-target="container"><div class="lightbox__item"><a target="_blank" data-lightbox-target="item" href="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/100/content_STL_Icebreakers_013_new.jpg"><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/100/content_STL_Icebreakers_013_new.jpg"></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> <div class="lightbox-container"><div class="pswp-gallery lightbox " data-controller="lightbox" data-lightbox-target="container"><div class="lightbox__item"><a target="_blank" data-lightbox-target="item" href="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/96/content_STL_Icebreakers_014_new.jpg"><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/96/content_STL_Icebreakers_014_new.jpg"></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> <div class="lightbox-container"><div class="pswp-gallery lightbox " data-controller="lightbox" data-lightbox-target="container"><div class="lightbox__item"><a target="_blank" data-lightbox-target="item" href="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/103/content_STL_Icebreakers_015_new.jpg"><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://trojan-unicorn.s3.amazonaws.com/ckeditor_assets/pictures/103/content_STL_Icebreakers_015_new.jpg"></a></div></div></div> <p> </p> </div>
#04: Mentor Session Highlights - Week 1
Dilruba's taking a novel route for her mentorship session highlights, she's making comics to depict them!
#03: Initial Thoughts
We're at the beginning of an exciting adventure, so to kick things off, we asked the teams for their gut-reactions to the following questions. Dilruba's candid responses shed awesome light on what she's hoping for out of this mentorship.
1. What are you hoping to get from this mentorship?
Growing some creative balls and becoming a more confident storyteller. I see this as my opportunity to nurture this skill, and connect with other creatives who are keen to exchange the joys of making marks and using tools. People are connecting to what I have to say so I want to really understand the emotions, roots and instincts at play here. I want the mentorships to help me see what works, and guide me in terms of moving with intention and clarity in leading this project.
2. What do you think you'll struggle with the most?
Project management, this is the first time I’m leading like this and I’m bringing folks that haven’t collaborated on a project together before. I would like to work on managing my time so I can encourage them to pour their efforts into this in a way that is fun, productive and efficient. I think play will be the strength of this project and it has been thus far, so building up some management muscles will hopefully only make our playtime as a team more valuable.
3. What do you think you'll enjoy the most?
Opening this project up to other creatives. So far gathering tools was a very solo experience for me, and something I would be sharing with only those close to me. Now there is an incredible opportunity to learn and grow with others by spreading the word and seeking the strings of a community. Seeing what others will create using new tools they made inspired by their findings will be the ultimate feel-good moment. Already one of my mentors has been playing with the brushes and it is so badass to see.
4. What do you think will be the most surprising/unexpected part of this experience?
All of it if I'm honest. It’s already been awe-inspiring how much exchange and learning is possible over these Google Hangouts in just 2 weeks. Everybody's distant but keen to grow and support each other. I didn’t imagine THU was this loving, and solid a community holding up creatives and empowering them with so much dedication.
#02: Kanpai with Icebreakers!
What better way to introduce the finalists to the Tribe than through a special edition of Kanpai! Our very own Shuzo sat down with Stephan, Alexandra and Christoph to chat about all things Icebreakers ;)
Watch to see highlights, revelations and even a live VR demo!
