Brian Schmoyer (aka CirrusEpix)

Need Script Help

2011-11-26T10:56:00.002-05:00

I've been forced to make some scheduling changes for the December episode of New Leaf Saga, and rather than run a full story-based episode I've decided to do a short holiday themed short.

What I need help with are some good jokes for a holiday themed episode. I realize that Maple Story runs a winter event, so what funny things could I point out about it? Also, what are some jokes I can make about gaming and the holidays? Thanks ahead of time!

Episode Eight Preview

2011-11-06T16:43:00.003-05:00

I think dues in some part to the fact that last month's episode was a mini-episode, it seems as if it has been a while since that last New Leaf Saga came out. Well, time to change that...

Episode 8 will deal with travel, and walking, and mounts, and walking... It should be out in the next Blabber Box in a few days and I'll post a link here when it does.

That leaves only four more episodes left in what I'm either going to call "season 1" or the "Len series." Episode 12 will end this story arc, and I'll probably take a short break after that. As long as Nexon wants shorts, I'll be willing to make them, but I may change things up with new stories, characters, or a completely new cartoon. Not really thinking about it just yet.

NLS?

2011-10-23T12:29:00.003-04:00

So a quick post:

Sometimes so that I don't have to write out New Leaf Saga, I'll often abbreviate it as NLS. Today I realized that also stands for National Library of Scotland, and their logo is strikingly similar to another one I know! Talk about a coincidence!

October Maple Update

2011-10-23T11:42:00.006-04:00

OK, so I'm 'trying' to be hard at work on episode eight right now but I wanted to take a break and upload a few new videos to YouTube.

The first video is the commentary for episode 5, which is by far one of my favorite episodes by far. Not only is it a character exploration of Chance, but it deals directly with "what it means to be a friend:" the number one moral I want to tackle in this series. It also introduces two new and fun characters, and reveals Jackson as the villain of the series.

In that commentary I show off some drawings made by Websiter, that really blew me away, so I'll share one of them here. Thanks so much! I also showed an image drawn for me by the voice actor for Jackson. He thinks I need more slimes...

The final thing I'll share in this post is a bonus episode of New Leaf Saga I did for the last Blabber Box. By far the number one comment we seem to get on this series is that Nexon should probably spend more time doing tech support than making cartoons. As much as we try to explain it, I DO NOT WORK FOR NEXON. In fact, Luis Reyes, the man in-charge of the rest of the Blabber Box, is not a computer programer either. Neither of us are taking any time away from the operations of any Nexon game. Still, I've always wondered what it would look like if I flew across the country to offer my services.

I was a bit hesitant in making this episode cause it could feel a bit like poking fun at the fans, rather than at the game - but overall, I feel it's really just poking fun at me and my obsession with ponies. Anyway, keep an eye out for a cameo by Crystin Cox, the producer for Maplestory playing herself. Also for Luis playing a very convincing computer nerd!

On MapleStory, Minecraft, Star Wars & birthdays

2011-09-22T19:47:00.001-04:00

The one good thing about writing an entry every-other month is that I certainly save up a good deal of topics to cover:

Concerning Maple Story, or more directly when you might see a new episode. Since I was away most of August and was rather busy with the start of the school-year in September, I was only able to make a non-canon short for this month. In it, me (as in Brian, not Michea) rushes to Nexon's aid to help fix all their hacking problems. I turned it in a week ago, but I have no idea when it will be released. I am starting work now on the next full episode for release in October.

Concerning Minecraft, it's important to realize that my two fanatic loves in life are video-games and Legos. To this day I still visit brothers-brick.com every week or so and drop my jaw at the combination of engineering and creativity that makes me wish I had enough money to buy my own Lego collection. Thus consider Minecraft, an open-ended do-anything game that I fear if I ever give into and try, I will never be heard from again... So, I am doing my best to stay away. For all our sakes.

On Star Wars, or more importantly, the new Blu Ray release. To be honest, I have been duped 3 times now into buying these movies on VHS in 98, DVD in 2004, and now again on Blu Ray. I told myself that this time I could sell all the others at a local CD/Book store and the $80 would really only $50ish. Forget added "Noos!" or occasional blinking (I really don't care) but then I realized that the new set does NOT include any of the extras from the DVDs. Yes there are new deleted scenes, but NONE of the deleted scenes, documentaries, etc. seen on on the DVDs. Being a complete-ist, I now have to decide whether to keep both, or live without. I may just sell back the new set, and wait for a more comprehensive set down the line.

Finally, birthdays. Thanks everyone for your well wishes. To be honest, I was sick on my birthday, but that really didn't stop me from sleeping in and doing nothing all Saturday which was my original plan. It only added an element of mucus and fever. In all I watched "Stardust," finished a book, and tried not to think about being 32. Oh well. Here's to at least that many more!

Thanks all.

Episode 7 and Beyond

2011-08-22T22:08:00.002-04:00

Some of you may have noticed that episode Seven of the "New Leaf Saga" has been online for a good week or two and I have yet to post about it here. While that might be due to some end-of-summer laziness, the bigger reason was that I was out of town for most of the first half of August (more on that later) and have spent the last week getting my classroom ready for the start of school (yes, I am a teacher. I think I mentioned that a few times)

So in order to catch up, here are the videos in no particular order:

Next comes the official "New Leaf Saga" episode.

Finally comes my updated commentary on episode Four. I picked up a used Flip Camera to record the opening and I realized from the less-than-optimal sound that I'll probably need to get something better. Oh well.

That of course brings us to the "beyond" part of the post. I'm hoping to start uploading the series to Newgrounds starting next week. This of course will bring more attention to the show, but I worry that up till now this series has been playing mostly to a "pro-Maplestory" audience. I'm hesitant to see what the reaction will be to this series there. I'm sure it will be fine.

Besides, it will be good to see the series in it's optimal Flash quality, and I'll be adding subtitles to them as well.

After that, I've kinda taken August off so there won't be a full episode at the beginning of September, but there might be something short. After that, a full episode in October featuring the highs and lows of in-game marriages.

Commentary: New Leaf Saga Ep 3

2011-07-19T14:00:00.003-04:00

I went ahead and put together a new commentary video for the third episode of New Leaf Saga where I talk at some length about how I develop the story for the series, AND still manage to have time to say "ummm" at least once every few seconds...

I also took a moment to give props to the animated series "My Little Ponies: Friendship is Magic," for being 1. a really-well animated show, 2. for being a funny well-made kids show, and 3. for being a well-made, well-animated show for GIRLS! Name another series that can claim those creds?

Anyway, here is the NLS characters as ponies. I really like how it came out. Enjoy!

New Leaf Saga: Episode 6

2011-07-05T21:33:00.002-04:00

Can you believe it? Six episodes in and still kicking. I guess I am doing something right!

In episode six I've tried to tone down the amount of "let's all be nice" preachy morals content, and replace it with some funny jokes about portals. Trust me when I say that I really, really wanted to insert a cake joke, but I didn't want to risk copyright problems =(

What we get instead is a reason to kick them off into another location, and we finally learn the NPC's name: Len. I'm also happy that I worked with the team at Nexon to do a cross-over between the "New Leaf Saga" and their other Blabber Box series "Testers."

I'm not quite certain why all the color was drained from this month's video but I will try and get them to upload a new one soon. Until then, here is episode six:

Also, if you want to hear me drone on for eight minutes about pretty boring stuff, here is the commentary for the second episode. Enjoy!

Episode 1 Commentary

2011-06-05T01:17:00.002-04:00

One of the things I had thought about doing since the first episode of Blabber Box went live back in January was if/how I should post the episodes on my own Youtube channel?

The biggest reason would be to share my recent work with those who've followed my old work, but may have not have seen the new films on the Nexon channel. The problem was, I didn't want to upload a duplicate of the film to compete with the first upload. I decided to solve that problem by overdubbing the episodes with dull and boring commentary =)

This first episode is a bit longer and offers undeniable proof why animations should remain behind the camera unseen =). I also spent most of the time dwelling on the "why." Most notably, Why did I accept to make this series?

While episodes 1-5 are available on the Nexon channel right now, I'll be uploading these commentaries every two weeks until we are caught up. Future conversations I would like to expand on are how I make the episodes, how did I develop and cast the characters, and what are those morals/lessons that I keep talking about?

Keep an eye out and thanks for watching!

New Leaf Saga: Episode 5

2011-05-28T10:45:00.002-04:00

So! Here it is! New Leaf Saga episode five!

As many may have noticed by now, I'm really starting to develop the core themes/morals I have planned out for this series. 1. Be nice. 2. Don't cheat. 3. Make friends. And 4. Moderate play time. In retrospect, my goal with this series is not to make a cartoon about Maplestory only, but instead a cartoon about how we interact/behave online.

So what does this episode teach us? Simple. Don't be a prick. It's amazing how many people call themselves friends online and off, and then do such mean stuff to each other. Especially online, sarcastic statements can quickly turn into mean jabs. The lesson, be nice. Always.

Special thanks go out to Ian and Kimlinh for lending me their voices. I'm gonna try and write them back in at some point. They did a great job being mean =)

Official Episode 5 teaser

2011-05-26T21:40:00.002-04:00

Here is the official teaser for this month's upcoming episode. Like last time, not a whole lot of plot revealed, but that's why it is a teaser!

I want to give a special thank you to our two new voice actors Ian and Kimlinh who will be heard playing the parts of the mean friend seen in the last image. They did a great job and I hope that I can bring them back soon.

Expect the official release on Youtube before the end of the month!

Episode 5 teaser

2011-05-22T21:32:00.004-04:00

It's been a busy week between winding down the school year and trying to get caught up on the animation for the next episode of "New Leaf Saga," but I thought I would take a moment and tease you with a screen shot from the next episode.

Where last episode focused on the NPC girl, this episode serves to add some character development to the warrior boy (yes they have names and both will be revealed in time.) The two new characters serve as the warrior boy's old friends whom he meets back up with. Of course, the term 'friend' is used lightly here.

Want more, you'll have to wait just a little longer. Sorry.

New Leaf Saga: Episode 4

2011-05-04T16:00:00.002-04:00

Here it is folks! New Leaf Saga episode Four! This time with two heaping servings of plot!

So, yeah. Plot huh? Expect more of this to follow in future episodes. Although an official timetable was never set before me by Nexon, I've decided to write this series with an arc that will culminate in twelve episodes. While I have most of the episodes sketched out, I'm still kinda writing as I go, filling in fun ideas based on fan feedback. Yes... I do read the forum posts and replies =)

I could talk about the two new characters, but you can read more about them in the last post. So, otherwise, enjoy and let me know what you think!

New Leaf Episode 4 Preview

2011-04-26T22:30:00.003-04:00

Well, it's that time again! I submitted the fourth and latest episode of New Leaf Saga to Nexon last night and below you can find a stunning preview of screenshots from the episode (that may, or may not give away any actual plot...)

Of particular interest in this episode are the introduction (or re-introduction) of two characters that fans of the original three films (True Maplestory, Another Maplestory, and Last Maplestory) may recognize. Who are these new characters and what role will they play in the developing story? One thing I can tell you is that you won't find answers to those questions just yet. Let's just say that Jackson in particular will play an important role.

I guess that brings me to the topic of "what next." Well, Episode Five will be a good guess, and yes I will be starting on that soon. Also I've decided to release the films on my own Youtube channel but this time with my own commentary audio track pointing out some of the weird stuff that go into making these shorts. So keep an eye out for those soon.

Later!

New Leaf Saga Episode Three

2011-03-28T23:20:00.003-04:00

Can you believe we are already at episode three? Neither can I.

Anyway, episode above. When writing these episodes I have three things in mind. 1: develop and advance an original story. 2: Poke fun at the odd things in online games, and 3: address my deeper messages of "be nice to others," and "balance your playtime." Hopefully you can see these three points clearly in this episode, and are beginning to see how they are developing alongside each other.

I can promise that the next few episodes are going to start getting real interesting!

Episode Three Leaked

2011-03-24T16:22:00.003-04:00

No! It's not a bad thing. The guys over at Nexon have been liking the "New Leaf" videos so much that they decided to drum up some extra excitement for the Blabber Box by exclusively releasing the next episode a day early to Massively.com

While I still expect the full Blabber Box to be released on Friday, you can check out the episode now at the link below!

http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/24/maplestory-exclusive-cartoon-new-leaf-saga/

New Leaf Saga Ep2

2011-03-22T22:36:00.002-04:00

Although it was already included in the Mini Blabber Box that was released last month, the stand-alone second episode of New Leaf Saga has been posted on Youtube. Check it out if you haven't had a chance yet!

New Leaf Saga Ep3 Preview

2011-03-22T17:56:00.002-04:00

Well, as of last night the third and latest episode of the New Leaf Saga is done and turned in to the good people at Nexon. You can see below a small selection of nondescript screenshots from the full film below.

What I realized in posting these preview images, is that they seem to make the film much more exciting than I think they really are. While five minutes may seem like a very long time (especially when you have to animate it), the truth is I'm finding out is that it barely gives any time for big story events to play out. Once you've scripted the establishing shot and first act event that sends the story rolling, you probably only have 3 minutes left to develop the story, reach a climax, and wrap it up. I've learned a lot about what to include and what to shorten, and I'll probably learn more as the episodes continue.

They've given me a tentative date of Friday for the film to be posted, and I will certainly make sure to post that link here when they do!

New Leaf Saga episode two

2011-02-28T23:38:00.002-05:00

Well, the second episode of the "New Leaf Saga" is out. You can watch it below.

I'm a bit put off by re-rendered quality on this episode. While I know I might be labeled a perfectionist, the colors are off and it is skipping frames. I may look into getting a better quality version uploaded at some point. Until then, enjoy!

What's in a Name?

2011-02-25T09:03:00.002-05:00

In the original MapleStory series I made, the names of the characters in the films were mostly real people I knew online. Case-in-point, the mage Ephasia was a girl I played online chess against back in the day of Microsoft's Zone (though was voiced by someone else.)

Althought not mentioned by name in the series, I have been giving the characters in the "New Leaf Saga" names if only to help keep the scripts less confusing. Names will become important in the fourth episode, but I'm not certain when (or if) I will reveal all their names offically.

For a bit of a laugh though, I thought I'd clue my readers into some backstory.

The main NPC girl's name is Len which in a way is a play of the word LAN. Both the headstrong mage Amara and the warrior Chance take their names from two students I once taught. My character Michea carries his name over from the original series.

The names of the three annoying punks are Glitch, Stitch, and Mitch and are given digital voices to make them even more annoying. Carsis and Katia whom will be seen at the beginning of the second episode are named after real people I know. Carsis being a friend of many years online, and Katia being the name of a cat, who belongs to a wonderful woman. Additional background characters are named Hughes because he wears aviator goggles, Ronin because he looks like a samurai, and Tala (girl with monkey) cause I like the name.

Future characters will mark the return of a few old faces. DB and Ephasia will return from the original series as Jackson and Snow. The name Jackson was the original name for DB, which was originally short for Deebunnie or DustBunny. Finally, Farrah and Kabari are two other characters whom are planned for around episode five and will be the old friends of Chance that he hasn't seen much since he started hanging out with Len and company. Both of them, like Amara and Chance are names of students I taught that I really liked.

Well, that's a lot of text, but hopefully informative. Later!

Coming soon: Episode Two

2011-02-24T19:03:00.003-05:00

It's still not officially released yet, but the second episode of the "New Leaf Saga" will hopefully see the light of day soon in the February edition of the "Blabber Box." Expect a post here as soon as it does. Also, be sure to let me know what you think. I love reading feedback!

So what's next? Well, I have episodes three and four written and my talented voice actors are currently working on the audio for episode three. Story-wise, episode three deals with MapleStory's extremely confusing class system, and episode four will deal with the boredom of grinding. Also expect a cameo appearance in episode four from a familiar character from the original series I made a few years ago.

So, what to expect? Well, my plan is to start to develop the larger over-arching series message of 1. play less, 2. be nice to others, and 3. create real friendships. It's a vision that both I and Nexon seem to share - and hopefully a lesson I can help instill in their online community.

Lofty goals perhaps, but well worth the effort.

"New Leaf Saga" episode one

2011-02-24T18:57:00.003-05:00

While it has been up on Youtube for a while, I thought it was only fitting to place my latest animation here on my blog. Though only a small part of it was featured in the 30-min "Blabber Box," so I am happy to see the whole version uploaded on it's own.

It is still a bit of a surprise to me even now after the first episode has made it online that I am even making films for Nexon in the first place. It is a funny world, but I am thankful I will have the opportunity to bring my films to such a large world audience.