What Would You Want a Fan Organization Producing New Bionicle Media to

[Azani]

Would you be interested in a new group, dedicated to producing new Bionicle media? One which planned to produce an entire series, either of drawings, or stories or films, and promote them in the larger Bionicle community. One which would have it's own social media presence, possibly taking advantage of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube. The project could potentially make use of all of them, as well as this site. A project with that goal would be entirely run by fans, and it would likely require many of them; even if it's goals were relatively small. There are many different tasks which would be required to carry such a project to its conclusion.

 

In order to prevent its focus from being spread out too far, I would recommend that a large group of fans working on creating new media remain focused on one medium at the start, while keeping the possibility of diversification for a later date For that reason, I've organized the second question of this poll to allow you to choose only one medium for the project to focus on, from the start.

 

I'd like to get some discussion going here, so don't hesitate to talk about any other thoughts which you might have on a project of this type, in addition to your choices, in this topic. In addition, I'm sure that some of us will support certain plans very strongly, and I'd like to hear that, too.

Edited May 26, 2014 by Artakha's Nephew

[fishers64]

I wouldn't be able to contribute.

 

I think it should be film, and I clicked other because I want to see 2-D animation, possibly MNOG-ish style. I'd be okay with 3-D though. I think that anyone can write/draw/stop motion, and that has been done - I'd like to see something unique come of it. My $.02.

[Crunchyn]

I'm curious about the drawing. Would that something along the lines of a comic or the Mata Nui Saga illustrations? Also would limited-motion comics or the MNOG 2D animation mentioned above be part of Drawing?

[Mesonak]

Basically... yes. I would like to see a project such as this to come around again. Ambition breeds activity, and all that jazz. The community really needs something like this to rally behind. We kind of already have it with Solis Magna, but... that's a completely different animal entirely. I would gladly support, promote, and advertise a project such as this if it were to be created.

 

HOWEVER, while it is true that ambition breeds activity, too much of it will cause an endeavor like this to fail before it begins. In order for a project such as this to succeed it must learn from where similar projects have failed. I'll outline a list of recommendations below.

 

1. 3D is not an option.

 

It just isn't; it's not realistic at all. You can make progress on the models all you want, but when it comes time to actually animate movies or 3D shorts... it would be incredibly difficult. Peoples' time would be much better served on 2D animation, which is my ideal form of media for a project such as this.

 

Ideally, a series/movie in the style of MNOG OR, possibly, "The Two Leaders," BNG's crowning (and only) achievement - an actual, high quality 2D animation that, while a little rough around the edges, was pretty cool for what it did. That is my ideal situation; just stay away from 3D.

 

2. Maintain active leadership.

 

Active project leaders that are qualified, charismatic, and can rally people behind their cause are critical to a project like this succeeding. Leaders must be able to put aside their personal beliefs for the sake of the project, promoting the project everywhere they can and being active and helpful within the project itself. When you get a large group of people going with a project like this, they look to the people in charge for guidance and inspiration. If the people in charge aren't doing their jobs or are making questionable decisions, structure will fall apart and people will begin to leave.

 

3. Keep the focus.

 

This one's pretty simple. No side goals, no offshoots, no script writing/voice acting for a billion different movies/series just because you're busy and you "can't help." This, while it may appear helpful at first glance, will be a detractor in the long run. Projects like these that get too hung up on script writing, voice acting, etc. are doomed to fail. 2D animators and artists would be what is needed above all. Keeping the focus on a centralized project or goal and concentrating deeply on it will likely bring success.

 

4. Don't cut yourself off.

 

I'm not going to name any names, but excluding yourself from the rest of the fanbase because you disagree with BZP's community or methods is a sure-fire way to kill your project. You need the fanbase (BZP included) to recruit people to your cause. If you aren't constantly recruiting and advertising, your project will stagnate and inevitably die. It's important to keep a public presence UNLESS you've got everyone you need and are hard at work creating something behind the scenes. If you're in need of help... yeah.

 

I'm sure there's more I could think of but I'm going to leave it at that before this post goes on for too long. Just remember this...

 

If we don't learn from the past... we're destined to repeat it.

 

-Mesonak

Edited April 19, 2014 by Mesonak

[JAG18]

I, unfortunately, would not be able to contribute much to this.

 

I voted other, because I like the idea of a 2-D BIONICLE film.

[Pomegranate]

I'd be happy to help however I can, and I put in my vote for Drawing/2D for the reasons Mesonak listed. It's extremely difficult and time consuming, and Bionicle media already has a history of great official 2D animation with its own unique style, so it's not anything new. While BNG was at its peak, banging out scripts and art and 3D models and voicework, Tokann's Bionicle anime series was coming out fairly regularly often and it was spectacular and I'm pretty sure he did it completely on his own, or with onyl a few partners (besides voice actors of course, since there'd be a bunch of 'em). 2D is the way to go, for sure. I'm only getting my foot in the door in the 3D field, but I've been doing 2D animation for years and years and I'm much more comfortable with it

[Mr. Lightning Bolt]

I think the best thing for any bionicle resurrection is the flash animations. I was far more emotionally connected to the flash animations than I was to the actual Direct-To-DVD feature films. They looked how the sets did, and they had a charm to them.

[Azani]

As a small addition to this poll, I've added the option of recommending 2D film as the medium of choice for this project, as the idea of 2D films, visually akin to the Templar animations from 2001, 2002, and 2003, is noticeably very popular. I'd definitely be interested in seeing how those films would look.

[Arzaki]

I would love to contribute to something like this. I voted for a video game because I'm a total game nerd and there needs to be more bionicle games.

[TERIDAX941]

As much as I'd love to contribute to something like this, we'll have to see if I'll be able to in the future, because currently I wouldn't be able to.

 

Ah there are so many good things to choose from, but I'd go with either a 2D movie, maybe more video games, and then also perhaps writing, especially writing that makes the story enjoyable and that it flows well.

 

P.S. If there was a BIONICLE game that was a RPG, with complete map exploration like Skyrim, I'd definitely spend all my money on that one lol xD

Edited April 20, 2014 by Iron_Man5

[Arzaki]

As much as I'd love to contribute to something like this, we'll have to see if I'll be able to in the future, because currently I wouldn't be able to.

 

Ah there are so many good things to choose from, but I'd go with either a 2D movie, maybe more video games, and then also perhaps writing, especially writing that makes the story enjoyable and that it flows well.

 

P.S. If there was a BIONICLE game that was a RPG, with complete map exploration like Skyrim, I'd definitely spend all my money on that one lol xD

That would be quite possible as long as it's not in 3D. RPGMaker is your friend.

[TERIDAX941]

Not 3D? that wouldn't be any fun though, at least it wouldn't be as cool as they made the Elder Scrolls.

[Azani]

Not 3D? that wouldn't be any fun though, at least it wouldn't be as cool as they made the Elder Scrolls.

There's no doubt that an open world RPG animated in 3D computer animation would be very impressive in appearance; the issue is that a virtual environment animated in 3D is much more challenging and time consuming to produce than a 2D environment would be. It might be necessary to cut back on the visual appearance of the project in order to ensure that it can be completed at a reasonable point in time. The quality of the project wouldn't require reduction- only the medium would necessitate change.

[Crunchyn]

Not 3D? that wouldn't be any fun though, at least it wouldn't be as cool as they made the Elder Scrolls.

There's always the Legend of the Toa Skyrim m o d

[TERIDAX941]

 

Not 3D? that wouldn't be any fun though, at least it wouldn't be as cool as they made the Elder Scrolls.

There's always the Legend of the Toa Skyrim m o d

 

I saw that. I'm definitely going to look into it. Totally worth it

[Sir Kohran]

What subject matter would this proposed media cover? New depictions of the canon storyline, or writing and then bringing to life entirely new storyline?

[HahliNuva]

I know that this isn't quite on topic, but I'd just like to say that there is still a very small group of people who are still working on 3D B:NG. We have a forum set up, although at the moment we're really only accepting people who are able to contribute constructively to our progress (for example, people who already know how to work with Blender); I'd like to stress that it's intended to be a work forum, not an idle discussion forum. If you meet those requirements and would like to help us out, PM me with proof of your skills for whichever department(s) you'd like to join. Right now we're up against the age-old problem of finding animators, and before anyone asks, we're not looking for voice actors at the moment.

[Arzaki]

What subject matter would this proposed media cover? New depictions of the canon storyline, or writing and then bringing to life entirely new storyline?

I think it's like making new media on canon that never got it's own movie or game or something like that. I guess a Voya Nui movie could be an example. Not sure though.

[Sir Kohran]

I know that this isn't quite on topic, but I'd just like to say that there is still a very small group of people who are still working on 3D B:NG. We have a forum set up, although at the moment we're really only accepting people who are able to contribute constructively to our progress (for example, people who already know how to work with Blender); I'd like to stress that it's intended to be a work forum, not an idle discussion forum. If you meet those requirements and would like to help us out, PM me with proof of your skills for whichever department(s) you'd like to join. Right now we're up against the age-old problem of finding animators, and before anyone asks, we're not looking for voice actors at the moment.

 

Your post highlights another big problem fan-made projects face - whilst there are often plenty of people willing to contribute, the number of them who have the sort of technical skills that are needed is painfully low. It doesn't help that many fans may be expecting an almost professional standard of quality.

 

May I ask what story or media you're working on specifically?

[Toa Smoke Monster]

I chose for the first option, but only because I don't have a lot of free time. I work a lot these days, so I wouldn't have a lot of time to give to this.

 

If I were able to contribute, I would probably help out in writing. Maybe with proofreading another's stories and writing my own for the project.

[HahliNuva]

 

I know that this isn't quite on topic, but I'd just like to say that there is still a very small group of people who are still working on 3D B:NG. We have a forum set up, although at the moment we're really only accepting people who are able to contribute constructively to our progress (for example, people who already know how to work with Blender); I'd like to stress that it's intended to be a work forum, not an idle discussion forum. If you meet those requirements and would like to help us out, PM me with proof of your skills for whichever department(s) you'd like to join. Right now we're up against the age-old problem of finding animators, and before anyone asks, we're not looking for voice actors at the moment.

 

Your post highlights another big problem fan-made projects face - whilst there are often plenty of people willing to contribute, the number of them who have the sort of technical skills that are needed is painfully low. It doesn't help that many fans may be expecting an almost professional standard of quality.

 

May I ask what story or media you're working on specifically?

 

Without giving too much away, right now we're working on a couple of short test animations that will hopefully look nice enough to show to the public once they're finished. Depending on how much interest and support those generate, we might try to move on to some more complex projects.

[Arzaki]

 

 

I know that this isn't quite on topic, but I'd just like to say that there is still a very small group of people who are still working on 3D B:NG. We have a forum set up, although at the moment we're really only accepting people who are able to contribute constructively to our progress (for example, people who already know how to work with Blender); I'd like to stress that it's intended to be a work forum, not an idle discussion forum. If you meet those requirements and would like to help us out, PM me with proof of your skills for whichever department(s) you'd like to join. Right now we're up against the age-old problem of finding animators, and before anyone asks, we're not looking for voice actors at the moment.

 

Your post highlights another big problem fan-made projects face - whilst there are often plenty of people willing to contribute, the number of them who have the sort of technical skills that are needed is painfully low. It doesn't help that many fans may be expecting an almost professional standard of quality.

 

May I ask what story or media you're working on specifically?

 

Without giving too much away, right now we're working on a couple of short test animations that will hopefully look nice enough to show to the public once they're finished. Depending on how much interest and support those generate, we might try to move on to some more complex projects.

 

Are 3D models and stuff in Blender the only things you need?

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

I wouldn't be able to support it through donations.

[fishers64]

Since you guys are taking ideas (I guess? ) an old idea I thought about developing was to have five minute videos for each story year of Bionicle. You could start with 2001, and if that works, do 2002, etc...

 

I don't know, just something my memory dragged up.

[LordofBionicles]

In my case you already know I'm doing my videos so that's what I can contribute with, but also with writing. Anyone saw my Bionicle Valentine card? I can do those kind of things as well as fan fictions and even song writing.

[Azani]

In my case you already know I'm doing my videos so that's what I can contribute with, but also with writing. Anyone saw my Bionicle Valentine card? I can do those kind of things as well as fan fictions and even song writing.

I appreciate the videos and written works that you've been producing on your own, LordofBionicles, and they're definitely helpful in maintaining interest in the story. However, the point of this topic is to evaluate the amount of support and effort that fans would be willing to put into one large scale project, such as a full length film, a lengthy collaborative fan fiction piece, a video game, a YouTube channel, or a project of similar size. If you'd be available to participate in a project of that sort, then it would be quick to attract attention, due to the number of people working on it, and it would help to keep the community alive in a much larger way than a one person project ever could. Keep up your videos, though!

 

Since you guys are taking ideas (I guess? ) an old idea I thought about developing was to have five minute videos for each story year of Bionicle. You could start with 2001, and if that works, do 2002, etc...

 

I don't know, just something my memory dragged up.

That sounds like a very reasonable goal, since it would help to attract old fans who enjoy the nostalgia which come with the early years of the series, yet would be quick and relatively simple to complete, assuming that the videos were kept to a very short length, as you recommended. A project like that would be a good start. Go ahead and suggest any other ideas that come to your mind; all of them are useful at this stage in the development of the project.

 

I wouldn't be able to support it through donations.

In case you didn't notice the wording of that specific choice in the first question of the poll, the act of "donating" includes grants of one's time and effort, in addition to monetary funds. You very well might have noticed, but I wanted to clear up any confusion that you might have had.

 

At least two members on this site possess copies of a draft of the script for The Empire, the film that would have been BNG's adaptation of Dark Mirror, had it been released; Pomegranate and I both have saved copies of it. (My copy come directly from him; he deserves some applause for sending it to me) Does the idea of making a 2D animated version of what would have been The Empire sound feasible?

Edited April 25, 2014 by Artakha's Nephew

[Lewa1096]

I would love to be part of the writing process. There is so much potential to be had from the Bionicle universe, both in character development and simply exploring the universe itself.

[Quisoves Potoo]

Does the idea of making a 2D animated version of what would have been The Empire sound feasible?

Certainly! Perhaps it could be done in the MNOG style?

I'd be up for any script revision if necessary.

[Vuk-91]

I would suggest everything in the poll *-* Everything! It would take multiple groups working tho.

[fishers64]

 

Does the idea of making a 2D animated version of what would have been The Empire sound feasible?

Certainly! Perhaps it could be done in the MNOG style?

I'd be up for any script revision if necessary.

 

It depends on how long the movie would be. If it's like 2 hours long, you might want to try for a smaller goal first.

[Azani]

I would suggest everything in the poll *-* Everything! It would take multiple groups working tho.

Thanks for your suggestion, but we've already decided, nearly unanimously, that the one thing that we're not going to do is everything in the poll. We would want to avoid following in BNG's steps by focusing on too many projects at once.

 

 

 

Does the idea of making a 2D animated version of what would have been The Empire sound feasible?

Certainly! Perhaps it could be done in the MNOG style?

I'd be up for any script revision if necessary.

 

It depends on how long the movie would be. If it's like 2 hours long, you might want to try for a smaller goal first.

 

Prior to any editing, the script for The Empire is 46 pages long; it would translate into a film of the same number of minutes in length, or a bit over three quarters of an hour.

Edited April 25, 2014 by Artakha's Nephew

[LordofBionicles]

I appreciate the videos and written works that you've been producing on your own, LordofBionicles, and they're definitely helpful in maintaining interest in the story. However, the point of this topic is to evaluate the amount of support and effort that fans would be willing to put into one large scale project, such as a full length film, a lengthy collaborative fan fiction piece, a video game, a YouTube channel, or a project of similar size. If you'd be available to participate in a project of that sort, then it would be quick to attract attention, due to the number of people working on it, and it would help to keep the community alive in a much larger way than a one person project ever could. Keep up your videos, though!

 

Then count me in for writing!

Edited April 26, 2014 by LordofBionicles

[Arzaki]

I feel like I'm being annoying by saying so much about games, but if the group decides to make a game with RPGMaker VX Ace, then I can help you out a bit. Toatapio Nuva also made an amazing Bionicle game with RMVXA, and since he's had more experience than I have with it, he could probably help out a lot.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Flamewing Studios

[Azani]

 

I appreciate the videos and written works that you've been producing on your own, LordofBionicles, and they're definitely helpful in maintaining interest in the story. However, the point of this topic is to evaluate the amount of support and effort that fans would be willing to put into one large scale project, such as a full length film, a lengthy collaborative fan fiction piece, a video game, a YouTube channel, or a project of similar size. If you'd be available to participate in a project of that sort, then it would be quick to attract attention, due to the number of people working on it, and it would help to keep the community alive in a much larger way than a one person project ever could. Keep up your videos, though!

Then count me in for writing!

 

Good to know- thanks again for the offer! Once we officially decide upon our first goal and begin to organize the types of work that we need and the contributors that we'll need to produce them, we'll find a job for you.

[Matoro Lives]

I voted 2-D, because although I would prefer 3-D. 3-D animation is expensive and much more difficult to accomplish. I would love to see an online animated web series focused on some of the lesser know characters and events in the MU (toa hagah, toa mangai, lesovikk's team, the order of mata nui, etc) it would be neat to expand on the story-lines that ran in the background alongside the main story.

 

I've always enjoyed creating stories using the MU, and I would be willing to help write for whatever project is chosen.

[fishers64]

 

Prior to any editing, the script for The Empire is 46 pages long; it would translate into a film of the same number of minutes in length, or a bit over three quarters of an hour.

 

Eh...that might be a bit long...

 

I don't want to tell you how to run your project though. I've never done something like this, just going off my intuition.

[Pomegranate]

 

 

Prior to any editing, the script for The Empire is 46 pages long; it would translate into a film of the same number of minutes in length, or a bit over three quarters of an hour.

 

Eh...that might be a bit long...

 

I don't want to tell you how to run your project though. I've never done something like this, just going off my intuition.

 

It certainly is very, very long. It takes hours and hours and hooouuurs to produce several seconds of a finished video. With 2D, everything has to be drawn out and colored and moved around by hand, in 3D you have to account for render times and modeling and animating and lighting and texturing and compositing, with film you need to shoot scenes multiple times then go in with editing and color correction and audio and all these different variables. Any way you cut it, it's gonna take a long time to do a little bit of work-- quality work, anyways If you split up the work among a lot of people, however, for example by assigning a different scene to everyone, the project as a whole will get finished much quicker. Collaborations can be very fun, too!

[HahliNuva]

 

 

 

I know that this isn't quite on topic, but I'd just like to say that there is still a very small group of people who are still working on 3D B:NG. We have a forum set up, although at the moment we're really only accepting people who are able to contribute constructively to our progress (for example, people who already know how to work with Blender); I'd like to stress that it's intended to be a work forum, not an idle discussion forum. If you meet those requirements and would like to help us out, PM me with proof of your skills for whichever department(s) you'd like to join. Right now we're up against the age-old problem of finding animators, and before anyone asks, we're not looking for voice actors at the moment.

 

Your post highlights another big problem fan-made projects face - whilst there are often plenty of people willing to contribute, the number of them who have the sort of technical skills that are needed is painfully low. It doesn't help that many fans may be expecting an almost professional standard of quality.

 

May I ask what story or media you're working on specifically?

 

Without giving too much away, right now we're working on a couple of short test animations that will hopefully look nice enough to show to the public once they're finished. Depending on how much interest and support those generate, we might try to move on to some more complex projects.

 

Are 3D models and stuff in Blender the only things you need?

 

To finish the shorts? Not exactly; the character models for the shorts are almost done (just have to finish up some rigging stuff), there's a couple of people working on sets, and an animator is working on the first of the shorts, but we're also going to need sound effects and possibly music at some point.

[ALVIS]

I have no experience with animation, am not comfortable with contributing voice acting, and sure as heck am not making any donations.

 

But with that out of the way, I wouldn't be averse to helping with script-writing and plotting. This is especially so if the project were to focus on the more minor characters of BIONICLE, like Matoro_Lives mentioned -- as my library shows, I have a great passion for writing small little side stories (ex. "An Even Exchange", "The End of the Brotherhood", and even "Sundown", though that's a HF one). I can't promise much time investment, but it'd be simple enough to draw up a brief little script for, I don't know, the battle against the Barraki or something.

 

If you're interested, PM me to get my attention, since I don't regularly check this subforum.

[moochfloatjr]

I voted on 'other' for support - I could possibly provide some ideas for small things in the story, and I'd certainly support the project by spreading the news around.

 

As for form of media, I think writing is the safest bet. It's something that only requires knowledge, concepts, and something to write/type with, plus a large chunk of the franchise was told in the form of books and serials. Ideally, I'd like to see MNOG-esque projects with a large scope and upgraded graphics, but for media revival to float, we need to start small. Games would take a while to develop, while writing can be launched faster and easier.