by Aaron Mystery
While all good things must come to an end, not all endings are good. I find myself on a precipice, looking back over my shoulder at some recent hits & misses, deciding if I should jump into something else. Whether June 2011 at Suckermouth was a partial success or a complete failure is not for me to decide. But as June wrapped up, the month's offerings of cartoons made me wonder: Am I off-course?
It seems as if my strongest or most exuberant runs in creating cartoons come after projects I consider stinkers, from one aspect or another. The "B.E. of the Day" concept finally burst forth after the purposefully-named "Video Lame". So, after a month of mostly "2D" animation, I have to make a course-correction in regards to quality & quantity.
Enter "Every Day People", my latest Suckermouth.com cartoon: Priscilla Minx finds herself chastising B.E. artists Aaron Mystery (me) & Ace the Zombie on their lackluster output of late. Apparently, Minx is tired of Grizlore & Wheeler's hack-Anime.
What results is a challenge: For every day (starting tomorrow) that Mystery & Ace fail to make a cartoon, Minx will step in with a Breast Expansion vid of her own. The question is: Will Minx emasculate the guys by having to be the bearer of B.E., or will the twin towers of Suckermouth hold up their end after all?
One thing's for sure: July 2011 is going to be busy.
Showing posts with label Animation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Animation. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Fishing for pearls: Breast Expansion before the internet
by Aaron Mystery
After five years of writing, animating, editing, voicing, & publishing cartoons for Suckermouth.com, it's obvious Breast Expansion isn't new to me (possibly the biggest understatement of all time). But B.E. wasn't new to me back in 2006, either. So let's get in the wayback machine...
I've always been attracted to women (& boobs), even when I was as young as 5 or 6. Hot women, especially hot cartoons, turned me on in much the same way as they do now, taking into account the added hormones. Who else remembers the big, round naked boobs on the succubi in Walt Disney's Fantasia? I also remember - as a very young kid - a (Ralph Bakshi?) cartoon I watched in the middle of the night where a woman stripped her clothes off after she got drunk; the motion of her breasts bursting forth as she removed her bra had a Breast Expansion quality to it.
But I was more privileged to be exposed to Benny Hill, the British comedy legend imported to America via PBS, unedited with no commercials. As far as I know, it was this great man who technically invented "Breast Expansion" as an art (he also created She-Hulk, but Marvel Comics literally stole his parody). I found myself looking forward to any clip that included Breast Expansion (there actually weren't very many).
But the ultimate childhood Breast Expansion memory for me is from the Playboy Channel (yes, I would stay up at night & watch it). "Booby Chew" was just a stupid little skit that I believe was run between shows. This really unattractive '70s-looking women would chew this gum, & their breasts would inflate (modestly) beneath their shirt. It's really quite awful, but it had an amazing effect on me: I would never stop thinking about B.E. again.
However, B.E. was not easy to find before the internet age. What few clips there were couldn't simply be looked up on a second's notice, & creating your own B.E. meant writing stories or drawing pictures, not creating film clips or cartoons; as a young man, I had few places to look for my favorite thing. And when I did find a B.E. scene, it was often the exact opposite of what I wanted: i.e., the boob popping in Flesh Gordon 2 or that horrible scene in one of the Leprechaun movies.
Later on, Howard Stern offered what (was) a great B.E. clip in his film Private Parts, Mad TV did "Maliboobs", the lame spoof Mafia featured a B.E. scene that was suited for me at the time, & Dude, Where's My Car? stands as the only Hollywood film that is really just a long Breast Expansion story (think about it).
There were films & television shows I saw & didn't see among these, of course, but these stand out as great clips for the time. With the exception of Where's My Car, the others don't really hold up today (Mafia's competent, but it's a kid). I actually appreciated Where's My Car more with each passing year, which is surprising.
Modern cartoon Breast Expansion shout outs go to that great episode of American Dad; Lois's modest B.E. in a Family Guy episode; at least one Striperella cartoon; & one of my favorite new discoveries, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, the 2009 animated film that features lots of big, naked, round cartoon boobs, but even more importantly: Breast & Butt Expansion. If you haven't watched this Rob Zombie masterpiece, you need to treat yourself (oddly enough, it was a couple of giant-titted drawings on the back of a White Zombie album that confirmed I wasn't alone in the world as a lover of monstrous breast sizes).
Thanks to the internet, I could now name dozens of clips - from many countries - animated & live-action - that were released from before I was born through today. Most have a quality that makes them worth watching at least one more time, if for no other reason than to recapture that magical age in our life when searching for new Breast Expansion video was like fishing for pearls in the ocean.
After five years of writing, animating, editing, voicing, & publishing cartoons for Suckermouth.com, it's obvious Breast Expansion isn't new to me (possibly the biggest understatement of all time). But B.E. wasn't new to me back in 2006, either. So let's get in the wayback machine...
I've always been attracted to women (& boobs), even when I was as young as 5 or 6. Hot women, especially hot cartoons, turned me on in much the same way as they do now, taking into account the added hormones. Who else remembers the big, round naked boobs on the succubi in Walt Disney's Fantasia? I also remember - as a very young kid - a (Ralph Bakshi?) cartoon I watched in the middle of the night where a woman stripped her clothes off after she got drunk; the motion of her breasts bursting forth as she removed her bra had a Breast Expansion quality to it.
But I was more privileged to be exposed to Benny Hill, the British comedy legend imported to America via PBS, unedited with no commercials. As far as I know, it was this great man who technically invented "Breast Expansion" as an art (he also created She-Hulk, but Marvel Comics literally stole his parody). I found myself looking forward to any clip that included Breast Expansion (there actually weren't very many).
But the ultimate childhood Breast Expansion memory for me is from the Playboy Channel (yes, I would stay up at night & watch it). "Booby Chew" was just a stupid little skit that I believe was run between shows. This really unattractive '70s-looking women would chew this gum, & their breasts would inflate (modestly) beneath their shirt. It's really quite awful, but it had an amazing effect on me: I would never stop thinking about B.E. again.
However, B.E. was not easy to find before the internet age. What few clips there were couldn't simply be looked up on a second's notice, & creating your own B.E. meant writing stories or drawing pictures, not creating film clips or cartoons; as a young man, I had few places to look for my favorite thing. And when I did find a B.E. scene, it was often the exact opposite of what I wanted: i.e., the boob popping in Flesh Gordon 2 or that horrible scene in one of the Leprechaun movies.
Later on, Howard Stern offered what (was) a great B.E. clip in his film Private Parts, Mad TV did "Maliboobs", the lame spoof Mafia featured a B.E. scene that was suited for me at the time, & Dude, Where's My Car? stands as the only Hollywood film that is really just a long Breast Expansion story (think about it).
There were films & television shows I saw & didn't see among these, of course, but these stand out as great clips for the time. With the exception of Where's My Car, the others don't really hold up today (Mafia's competent, but it's a kid). I actually appreciated Where's My Car more with each passing year, which is surprising.
Modern cartoon Breast Expansion shout outs go to that great episode of American Dad; Lois's modest B.E. in a Family Guy episode; at least one Striperella cartoon; & one of my favorite new discoveries, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, the 2009 animated film that features lots of big, naked, round cartoon boobs, but even more importantly: Breast & Butt Expansion. If you haven't watched this Rob Zombie masterpiece, you need to treat yourself (oddly enough, it was a couple of giant-titted drawings on the back of a White Zombie album that confirmed I wasn't alone in the world as a lover of monstrous breast sizes).
Thanks to the internet, I could now name dozens of clips - from many countries - animated & live-action - that were released from before I was born through today. Most have a quality that makes them worth watching at least one more time, if for no other reason than to recapture that magical age in our life when searching for new Breast Expansion video was like fishing for pearls in the ocean.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Suckermouth announces "Breast Expansion of the Day"
by Aaron Mystery
While Friday, April 8, 2011 seemed like any other Friday (& largely was), something big happened. Or something small that shows something big that by the frequency of its occurrence is big. It's a tiny drop of nectar in space age packaging. It's... well...
It's new Breast Expansion every day from Suckermouth.com, the adult animation site that has re-written the book on B.E. animation and then some. Sometimes moving forward means moving backward, as "Breast Expansion of the Day" harkens back to a time when the site was young: Short, pointless B.E. cartoons showed up nearly every day (or it seems that way in retrospect).
So I asked myself this: What if I took my current abilities - now geared towards longer, dialog-driven B.E. cartoons - & reapplied them to one-shot vids of Breast Expansion growth? No set up; no dialog; no epilogue: Just a well-executed Breast Expansion cartoon, so short that it just seems to rush by (~10 seconds).
I will, of course, continue to create other cartoons besides "Breast Expansion of the Day," (my secondary focus being on Giantess fans, then on series like Ink Boob). I am also looking for an opening to do a second Choose-Your-Own-Transformation, as well as other forms of growth on a regular basis.
It's a lot for me to take on, but tomorrow's "Breast Expansion of the Day" is as good as done, so why don't treat yourself to the biggest little animation site in the world? It's like rewarding both of us for a job well done.
While Friday, April 8, 2011 seemed like any other Friday (& largely was), something big happened. Or something small that shows something big that by the frequency of its occurrence is big. It's a tiny drop of nectar in space age packaging. It's... well...
It's new Breast Expansion every day from Suckermouth.com, the adult animation site that has re-written the book on B.E. animation and then some. Sometimes moving forward means moving backward, as "Breast Expansion of the Day" harkens back to a time when the site was young: Short, pointless B.E. cartoons showed up nearly every day (or it seems that way in retrospect).
So I asked myself this: What if I took my current abilities - now geared towards longer, dialog-driven B.E. cartoons - & reapplied them to one-shot vids of Breast Expansion growth? No set up; no dialog; no epilogue: Just a well-executed Breast Expansion cartoon, so short that it just seems to rush by (~10 seconds).
I will, of course, continue to create other cartoons besides "Breast Expansion of the Day," (my secondary focus being on Giantess fans, then on series like Ink Boob). I am also looking for an opening to do a second Choose-Your-Own-Transformation, as well as other forms of growth on a regular basis.
It's a lot for me to take on, but tomorrow's "Breast Expansion of the Day" is as good as done, so why don't treat yourself to the biggest little animation site in the world? It's like rewarding both of us for a job well done.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Can Kink the Elf save me from suicide? (Sneak preview)
by Ace the Zombie
After a particularly challenging week, I have wondered why I shouldn't just end this pointless hamster wheel of an existence and shove my head in an oven. Being a zombie-demon-B.E. monster has its charm at times, but it is a lonely and fruitless existence nonetheless.
Woe is me! It would take a magic elf to get me to even reconsider my decision... (sneak preview below... or is the last animation you'll ever see from me?) Stay tuned. And stay alive.
After a particularly challenging week, I have wondered why I shouldn't just end this pointless hamster wheel of an existence and shove my head in an oven. Being a zombie-demon-B.E. monster has its charm at times, but it is a lonely and fruitless existence nonetheless.
Woe is me! It would take a magic elf to get me to even reconsider my decision... (sneak preview below... or is the last animation you'll ever see from me?) Stay tuned. And stay alive.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Complete! Ace the Zombie interviews Kink the Elf and the Princess
by Ace the Zombie
When I found out Suckermouth was doing a Legend of Zelda B.E. parody, I wanted to be the first to scoop an interview with the stars. I was disappointed to see the Princess so small-chested - luckily, her little Pixie was able to solve the problem. Two occurrences of Breast Expansion here - Lemon Lime the Pixie (subtle) and the Princess (not subtle). Of course, the censors have tied my hands, and this version crops out the naughty bits; otherwise, this video is presented here in full. Tune into Suckermouth.com and get a front row seat like none other. Thanks for watching!
When I found out Suckermouth was doing a Legend of Zelda B.E. parody, I wanted to be the first to scoop an interview with the stars. I was disappointed to see the Princess so small-chested - luckily, her little Pixie was able to solve the problem. Two occurrences of Breast Expansion here - Lemon Lime the Pixie (subtle) and the Princess (not subtle). Of course, the censors have tied my hands, and this version crops out the naughty bits; otherwise, this video is presented here in full. Tune into Suckermouth.com and get a front row seat like none other. Thanks for watching!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Suckermouth Year-In-Review Part 3: Series and Featurettes
by Aaron Mystery
For my penultimate 2009 Year-In-Review article, I'm left to focus on Featurettes, which have been spun off into a variety of series, most notably Transformation Fantasy Force. There was never a better year for Featurettes and series than 2009.
The last episode of Wand Day After Another, "A Cold Day in Hellen," debuted in January. It was a fantastic and drastic change from the previous two episodes, chucking the flat "Adult Swim" style animation for the vivid 3D experience that better suits Breast Expansion. This episode had everything, from Giantess to pygmy growth/shrinking, breast expansion, Ace the Zombie, and two magic wands! Oh, and the whole thing takes place in Hell! Also of note is that this was the last Alpha Omega storyline crossover to date.
Another series that appears to have come to an end in 2009 is the Big Brethren concept. "Twittersode" was a questionable start, featuring a nude (but obscured) Mr. Romance-Oh and Wheeler bickering over Twitter. Although I accomplished what I wanted with this animation, it is not what I should be doing. To correct this uneventful and unattractive vid, I created "Lick My Crack: A Lesbian Experience" featuring Geena Bahoobie and Vanessa. It was hard core lesbian action - one of the only examples you'll find on Suckermouth. And it was wonderful!
Ace the Zombie's Nightmare Hour failed to gain traction this year. The Kate Moss skit was a bit of a dud, and subsequent attempts to make more segments of this mock late night show have gone nowhere. I don't think this is a concept I'd ever call dead, but "in a coma" might be appropriate. (Note: Had this Nightmare Hour episode had played more like the following B.E. Quickie "Vegas," it would have been a hit.)
As old series began to fade into obscurity, new ones rose to take their place. I had two ideas that I was looking to implement for years: First, Bimbo Vampires vs. Zombies and second, a super hero team with members that had the power to transform. Both got lots of attention in 2009.
Bimbos Vampires vs. Zombies is a relatively simple concept: Bimbo Vampires are just like regular vampires, except they have giant boobs - if they bite a person or zombie, it transforms into a Bimbo Vampire. "The BEginning" serves as the Prologue, and seemed a reasonable place to start. I made the creative decision to start the vampires out as ugly, distended bald creatures, which made it hard to promote with. Luckily, Ace works his magic just in time, and all three hideous vampires are transformed into the first Bimbo Vampires. What's cool about this is it's the first animation to show Ace the Zombie operating in the past, as he is about 400 years old.
As the Bimbo Vampires vs. Zombies project is essentially a feature-in-progress, I saw it fitting to do the Epilogue next - "Growing Ratings." An outright parody of the final scene in The Howling, this animation shows a reporter transforming into a Bimbo Vampire while on the air delivering a news report on the vampire epidemic. A gorgeous model and a lengthy vid make this a winner, and a lot sexier than the Prologue.
Although there were plenty of other animations in between, the next BVvZ was "Ambush," an adventurous little vid featuring a female zombie hunter; our unnamed heroin blasts a couple of the walking dead before a Bimbo Zombie bites her, causing her breasts to swell and rip through her shirt, the latter detail being a first for a Suckermouth cartoon. (Another personal breakthrough - depth-of-motion blur - occurred in "Ambush.") A solid piece of work.
The final BVvZ episode to date is "Chamber of the Zombies," which - although it failed to contain any transformations or big-breasted women - was a noble attempt at a more traditional zombie segment. A friend I made on Twitter, Jennifer Hudock, was wonderful enough to donate her time and talents to the voice of Dr. Holder. Whether I cut too many corners or just failed to have the faith to follow it up with a proper conclusion, "Chamber of the Zombies" was probably an unwise use of my time, and - despite being very happy with it initially - convinced me the Bimbo Vampires vs. Zombies project was on the wrong track.
If Bimbo Vampires vs. Zombies failed to live up to my expectations, then Transformation Fantasy Force exceeded all of them. TFF was preceeded by its sub-series, What's Breast for Women - possibly my most popular and successful concept to date. "What's Breast for Women" Parts 1 and 2 featured a new character, Priscilla Minx, giving advice to a petite model on how big her breasts should be by expanding her on the spot. Priscilla has become my favorite character (sorry, Ace) - her snooty personality, British accent, and breast expansion powers making her the most original character since Mr. Romance-Oh, with a lot more sex appeal. The What's Breast for Women sub-series would continue, featuring a "fat bottomed girl" in Parts 3 and 4, and moving on to the strip club in Parts 5 and 6, when Priscilla gives advice to a mediocre dancer. It is likely you'll see further episodes in 2010.
The main portion of the Transformation Fantasy Force series - essentially, the work-in-progress superhero feature - kicked off with an Origins tale. "The Shrink Must Die," also covered in the previous Giantess article, showed me that I could do things I didn't think possible. It was huge, colorful, alive, and a ball to watch. TFF was definitely off on the right track.
"The Gladiator" wasn't every bit as good, if not better. Taking place in the present, "The Gladiator" featured Priscilla Minx (nude and expanded for the first time) and The Giantess from "The Shrink Must Die," this animation moved me up another rung on the ladder. It's impossible not to enjoy this one. Also of note is Jen-Der Bender and The Fat Girl make their first appearances here, although only in cameo form (they're the prisoners seen in the hangar bay). My brother did an awesome job on Maleteki's voice.
Transformation Fantasy Force got even more adventurous with "Thar Be Monsters" Parts 1 and 2, the former featuring the H.P. Lovecraft creation Cthulhu, and the latter featuring everything else, from a male-to-female transformation to a weight-loss morph. And both episodes had amazing scenery. Monsters plus big-breasted women make for some great cartoons.
Uploaded in between the two "Thar Be Monsters" episodes, "TFF Origins: Jen-Der Ben-Der" gave us a proper introduction to the member of Transformation Fantasy Force with the ability to transform from man-to-woman (though not on purpose). This is an animation to be proud of, and still sits at the top of the Suckermouth Members Index as I write this.
While it's likely I'm neglecting something with all these various Featurettes and series I completed throughout the year, I'd like to wrap up this article by giving Ace the Zombie his due. While his talk show may have stalled, he contributed to what are possibly the best two Suckermouth cartoons of all time: "Tasty n' Juicy (Ace Has Talent)" and "BErater."
"Tasty n' Juicy" took advantage of the Susan Boyle hysteria that raged throughout much of 2009. A trio of young women working at the mall tease each other over their bodies when Ace the Zombie shows up to give them the bodies they want. When one demands to hear Susan Boyle, Ace dons a gold gown and belts out a tune of his own, creating age progression and breast and butt expansion in the process. (Two weeks was as long as I spent on one animation in 2009, and the process involved a render than lasted for three days and had to be restarted when the power went out 24 hours in.) The results were fantastic, hilarious, and sexy. Yum, indeed!
When a fellower Twitterer (Tweeter? Tweerson?) tore into me for making Breast Expansion cartoons, I responded the best way I know how: Revenge as parody. When our obnoxious model types about hating B.E., Ace the Zombie sneaks up behind her, expands here breasts, and cuts her shirt off with a pair of scissors. Man, what a great animation! Ones this good are few and far between.
Funny enough, I almost forgot to mention the last two animations of 2009 - "I Am Tiger" Parts 1 and 2 - which answer the question What if Tiger Woods met "I Am Legend" met Breast Expansion? The answer is An insane and sexy parody that will continue into 2010, just like Suckermouth.
Please join me for one last (and hopefully much shorter) Year-In-Review article, when I take a look at the ups and downs and politics of running Suckermouth and being a full-time animator this year.
For my penultimate 2009 Year-In-Review article, I'm left to focus on Featurettes, which have been spun off into a variety of series, most notably Transformation Fantasy Force. There was never a better year for Featurettes and series than 2009.
The last episode of Wand Day After Another, "A Cold Day in Hellen," debuted in January. It was a fantastic and drastic change from the previous two episodes, chucking the flat "Adult Swim" style animation for the vivid 3D experience that better suits Breast Expansion. This episode had everything, from Giantess to pygmy growth/shrinking, breast expansion, Ace the Zombie, and two magic wands! Oh, and the whole thing takes place in Hell! Also of note is that this was the last Alpha Omega storyline crossover to date.
Another series that appears to have come to an end in 2009 is the Big Brethren concept. "Twittersode" was a questionable start, featuring a nude (but obscured) Mr. Romance-Oh and Wheeler bickering over Twitter. Although I accomplished what I wanted with this animation, it is not what I should be doing. To correct this uneventful and unattractive vid, I created "Lick My Crack: A Lesbian Experience" featuring Geena Bahoobie and Vanessa. It was hard core lesbian action - one of the only examples you'll find on Suckermouth. And it was wonderful!
Ace the Zombie's Nightmare Hour failed to gain traction this year. The Kate Moss skit was a bit of a dud, and subsequent attempts to make more segments of this mock late night show have gone nowhere. I don't think this is a concept I'd ever call dead, but "in a coma" might be appropriate. (Note: Had this Nightmare Hour episode had played more like the following B.E. Quickie "Vegas," it would have been a hit.)
As old series began to fade into obscurity, new ones rose to take their place. I had two ideas that I was looking to implement for years: First, Bimbo Vampires vs. Zombies and second, a super hero team with members that had the power to transform. Both got lots of attention in 2009.
Bimbos Vampires vs. Zombies is a relatively simple concept: Bimbo Vampires are just like regular vampires, except they have giant boobs - if they bite a person or zombie, it transforms into a Bimbo Vampire. "The BEginning" serves as the Prologue, and seemed a reasonable place to start. I made the creative decision to start the vampires out as ugly, distended bald creatures, which made it hard to promote with. Luckily, Ace works his magic just in time, and all three hideous vampires are transformed into the first Bimbo Vampires. What's cool about this is it's the first animation to show Ace the Zombie operating in the past, as he is about 400 years old.
As the Bimbo Vampires vs. Zombies project is essentially a feature-in-progress, I saw it fitting to do the Epilogue next - "Growing Ratings." An outright parody of the final scene in The Howling, this animation shows a reporter transforming into a Bimbo Vampire while on the air delivering a news report on the vampire epidemic. A gorgeous model and a lengthy vid make this a winner, and a lot sexier than the Prologue.
Although there were plenty of other animations in between, the next BVvZ was "Ambush," an adventurous little vid featuring a female zombie hunter; our unnamed heroin blasts a couple of the walking dead before a Bimbo Zombie bites her, causing her breasts to swell and rip through her shirt, the latter detail being a first for a Suckermouth cartoon. (Another personal breakthrough - depth-of-motion blur - occurred in "Ambush.") A solid piece of work.
The final BVvZ episode to date is "Chamber of the Zombies," which - although it failed to contain any transformations or big-breasted women - was a noble attempt at a more traditional zombie segment. A friend I made on Twitter, Jennifer Hudock, was wonderful enough to donate her time and talents to the voice of Dr. Holder. Whether I cut too many corners or just failed to have the faith to follow it up with a proper conclusion, "Chamber of the Zombies" was probably an unwise use of my time, and - despite being very happy with it initially - convinced me the Bimbo Vampires vs. Zombies project was on the wrong track.
If Bimbo Vampires vs. Zombies failed to live up to my expectations, then Transformation Fantasy Force exceeded all of them. TFF was preceeded by its sub-series, What's Breast for Women - possibly my most popular and successful concept to date. "What's Breast for Women" Parts 1 and 2 featured a new character, Priscilla Minx, giving advice to a petite model on how big her breasts should be by expanding her on the spot. Priscilla has become my favorite character (sorry, Ace) - her snooty personality, British accent, and breast expansion powers making her the most original character since Mr. Romance-Oh, with a lot more sex appeal. The What's Breast for Women sub-series would continue, featuring a "fat bottomed girl" in Parts 3 and 4, and moving on to the strip club in Parts 5 and 6, when Priscilla gives advice to a mediocre dancer. It is likely you'll see further episodes in 2010.
The main portion of the Transformation Fantasy Force series - essentially, the work-in-progress superhero feature - kicked off with an Origins tale. "The Shrink Must Die," also covered in the previous Giantess article, showed me that I could do things I didn't think possible. It was huge, colorful, alive, and a ball to watch. TFF was definitely off on the right track.
"The Gladiator" wasn't every bit as good, if not better. Taking place in the present, "The Gladiator" featured Priscilla Minx (nude and expanded for the first time) and The Giantess from "The Shrink Must Die," this animation moved me up another rung on the ladder. It's impossible not to enjoy this one. Also of note is Jen-Der Bender and The Fat Girl make their first appearances here, although only in cameo form (they're the prisoners seen in the hangar bay). My brother did an awesome job on Maleteki's voice.
Transformation Fantasy Force got even more adventurous with "Thar Be Monsters" Parts 1 and 2, the former featuring the H.P. Lovecraft creation Cthulhu, and the latter featuring everything else, from a male-to-female transformation to a weight-loss morph. And both episodes had amazing scenery. Monsters plus big-breasted women make for some great cartoons.
Uploaded in between the two "Thar Be Monsters" episodes, "TFF Origins: Jen-Der Ben-Der" gave us a proper introduction to the member of Transformation Fantasy Force with the ability to transform from man-to-woman (though not on purpose). This is an animation to be proud of, and still sits at the top of the Suckermouth Members Index as I write this.
While it's likely I'm neglecting something with all these various Featurettes and series I completed throughout the year, I'd like to wrap up this article by giving Ace the Zombie his due. While his talk show may have stalled, he contributed to what are possibly the best two Suckermouth cartoons of all time: "Tasty n' Juicy (Ace Has Talent)" and "BErater."
"Tasty n' Juicy" took advantage of the Susan Boyle hysteria that raged throughout much of 2009. A trio of young women working at the mall tease each other over their bodies when Ace the Zombie shows up to give them the bodies they want. When one demands to hear Susan Boyle, Ace dons a gold gown and belts out a tune of his own, creating age progression and breast and butt expansion in the process. (Two weeks was as long as I spent on one animation in 2009, and the process involved a render than lasted for three days and had to be restarted when the power went out 24 hours in.) The results were fantastic, hilarious, and sexy. Yum, indeed!
When a fellower Twitterer (Tweeter? Tweerson?) tore into me for making Breast Expansion cartoons, I responded the best way I know how: Revenge as parody. When our obnoxious model types about hating B.E., Ace the Zombie sneaks up behind her, expands here breasts, and cuts her shirt off with a pair of scissors. Man, what a great animation! Ones this good are few and far between.
Funny enough, I almost forgot to mention the last two animations of 2009 - "I Am Tiger" Parts 1 and 2 - which answer the question What if Tiger Woods met "I Am Legend" met Breast Expansion? The answer is An insane and sexy parody that will continue into 2010, just like Suckermouth.
Please join me for one last (and hopefully much shorter) Year-In-Review article, when I take a look at the ups and downs and politics of running Suckermouth and being a full-time animator this year.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Chamber of the Zombies Recap (Clip 3 of 3)
by Aaron Mystery
I'm pleased to say I wrapped up and uploaded the aforementioned short CG vid "Chamber of the Zombies" today. It was a labor of love, in that I have wanted to do a pure zombie vid for years (Ace the Zombie aside, since he's actually a demon and doesn't eat brains). Yes, it's done with the ubiquitous transformation fantasy element in mind, but I pushed that out of the equation and pretended I was just making a decent CG zombie flick.
While I won't apologize for being successful and therefore supporting my other projects with B.E., I am intent on making the first half of Bimbo Vampires vs. Zombies (minus the possible prologue), a module of sorts that can be consumed and enjoyed by the pure zombie enthusiast. The second half - where the Bimbo Vampires come in - won't be a mindless series of B.E. morphs, but will tend to appeal to my usual audience more than the first half.
It's important that I stay true to those who have built this house that is Suckermouth with their love of everything B.E. and generously paid subscriptions, but to grow as an artist, I must become more clever in the way I deliver the usual and more adventurous in how often I pursue the unusual.
I can't thank Jennifer Hudock enough, who understood and believed in this project enough to donate her talents to the voice of Dr. Holder. I also want to thank my father and brother, who - as they did here - occasionally lend their voices to my vids when I grow sick of my own lispy mumbling.
By believing in a guy like me that basically built his brand with morphs, you help him grow into a filmmaker that's worthy of a larger audience (I hope). My ultimate goal - and an unabashedly unoriginal one - is to make beautiful emotional films.
You can watch the finished short here. Below the vid are some things I knew from the outset I wanted to do or add but just didn't have time for. That stuff will get added in for the feature length film.
Bimbo Vampires vs. Zombies - Chamber of the Zombies
Uploaded by suckermouth. - Watch more comedy videos and sitcoms.
First, what I did focus on: I wanted a couple of all-star zombies, though out of the six I made (not counting Steve the Infected Worker), the ones I planned as the stars didn't come out as cool as the ones planned as background zombies. Consequently, the far-too-scary fat lady zombie was moved to a central location (I wasn't initially thrilled with the buff male zombie Mr. Sterling's checking out, but he's grown on me).
I also modelled the facility and containment units myself, and put a lot of thought and discussion (with others) into the form and function of the location. This allowed me to create exactly what I wanted, as well as change things I didn't like on the spot.
The last thing I took care of an a filmmaker was trying to pull together a composition that held a false and strange beauty for the location of a zombie movie, while remaining sterile and dead.
Here's what I left out:
1) Other scientists, technicians, extras. I wanted the place to be a little more buzzing than it is, but adding all those extras would have slowed down every aspect of production and taken too much focus off the primary action and characters.
2) A transport system. I figure this place is so big it needs a transport system for both the living and the dead. I have a clever design sketched up that I think you will love (but you will have to wait until the feature for this). Like the extras, transports moving along the hallways would add life and realism to the scene.
3) Zombies reacting. I conceived a closeup of one of the zombie's opening her eyes when Steve hits the floor. I simply ran out of time, and will likely add some more ominous zombie movement to this scene in the final film.
4) Background sounds and music. Other than the BVvZ theme during the credits, the vid is noticeably without music or sound effects. It seemed silly at this stage to add these elements since the driving visuals (other workers, vehicles) for these sounds are not yet present. The music will likely be added after I see how the sound effects come together.
5) Elaborate key-framing of character movement. Sometimes, I take it on myself to actually be a good "animator" and spend hours and hours key-framing each body part down to the individual digits, running preview animations and redoing my work until I'm satisfied that realistic movement has been achieved. This kind of work is necessary and valuable, but a process unto itself, and here I had to make the sacrifice. Admittedly, while the movement is stiff and action-figure like at times, some things I thought I would hate came out well enough they shouldn't require much tweaking (Steve collapsing, for example).
6) More lights. Lights increase render time exponentially, so - to avoid thirty-hour renders - less had to be more. By the time I re-cut this in a year or two, it'll be that much quicker with advances in software and hardware (and other tricks I might learn by then).
Well, that's it. It's important to understand when you make your own CG vids in a week, perfection is rarely the immediate goal. I hope you enjoy these results nonetheless, and thanks again to Jenny, Jon, and Dad!
I'm pleased to say I wrapped up and uploaded the aforementioned short CG vid "Chamber of the Zombies" today. It was a labor of love, in that I have wanted to do a pure zombie vid for years (Ace the Zombie aside, since he's actually a demon and doesn't eat brains). Yes, it's done with the ubiquitous transformation fantasy element in mind, but I pushed that out of the equation and pretended I was just making a decent CG zombie flick.
While I won't apologize for being successful and therefore supporting my other projects with B.E., I am intent on making the first half of Bimbo Vampires vs. Zombies (minus the possible prologue), a module of sorts that can be consumed and enjoyed by the pure zombie enthusiast. The second half - where the Bimbo Vampires come in - won't be a mindless series of B.E. morphs, but will tend to appeal to my usual audience more than the first half.
It's important that I stay true to those who have built this house that is Suckermouth with their love of everything B.E. and generously paid subscriptions, but to grow as an artist, I must become more clever in the way I deliver the usual and more adventurous in how often I pursue the unusual.
I can't thank Jennifer Hudock enough, who understood and believed in this project enough to donate her talents to the voice of Dr. Holder. I also want to thank my father and brother, who - as they did here - occasionally lend their voices to my vids when I grow sick of my own lispy mumbling.
By believing in a guy like me that basically built his brand with morphs, you help him grow into a filmmaker that's worthy of a larger audience (I hope). My ultimate goal - and an unabashedly unoriginal one - is to make beautiful emotional films.
You can watch the finished short here. Below the vid are some things I knew from the outset I wanted to do or add but just didn't have time for. That stuff will get added in for the feature length film.
Bimbo Vampires vs. Zombies - Chamber of the Zombies
Uploaded by suckermouth. - Watch more comedy videos and sitcoms.
First, what I did focus on: I wanted a couple of all-star zombies, though out of the six I made (not counting Steve the Infected Worker), the ones I planned as the stars didn't come out as cool as the ones planned as background zombies. Consequently, the far-too-scary fat lady zombie was moved to a central location (I wasn't initially thrilled with the buff male zombie Mr. Sterling's checking out, but he's grown on me).
I also modelled the facility and containment units myself, and put a lot of thought and discussion (with others) into the form and function of the location. This allowed me to create exactly what I wanted, as well as change things I didn't like on the spot.
The last thing I took care of an a filmmaker was trying to pull together a composition that held a false and strange beauty for the location of a zombie movie, while remaining sterile and dead.
Here's what I left out:
1) Other scientists, technicians, extras. I wanted the place to be a little more buzzing than it is, but adding all those extras would have slowed down every aspect of production and taken too much focus off the primary action and characters.
2) A transport system. I figure this place is so big it needs a transport system for both the living and the dead. I have a clever design sketched up that I think you will love (but you will have to wait until the feature for this). Like the extras, transports moving along the hallways would add life and realism to the scene.
3) Zombies reacting. I conceived a closeup of one of the zombie's opening her eyes when Steve hits the floor. I simply ran out of time, and will likely add some more ominous zombie movement to this scene in the final film.
4) Background sounds and music. Other than the BVvZ theme during the credits, the vid is noticeably without music or sound effects. It seemed silly at this stage to add these elements since the driving visuals (other workers, vehicles) for these sounds are not yet present. The music will likely be added after I see how the sound effects come together.
5) Elaborate key-framing of character movement. Sometimes, I take it on myself to actually be a good "animator" and spend hours and hours key-framing each body part down to the individual digits, running preview animations and redoing my work until I'm satisfied that realistic movement has been achieved. This kind of work is necessary and valuable, but a process unto itself, and here I had to make the sacrifice. Admittedly, while the movement is stiff and action-figure like at times, some things I thought I would hate came out well enough they shouldn't require much tweaking (Steve collapsing, for example).
6) More lights. Lights increase render time exponentially, so - to avoid thirty-hour renders - less had to be more. By the time I re-cut this in a year or two, it'll be that much quicker with advances in software and hardware (and other tricks I might learn by then).
Well, that's it. It's important to understand when you make your own CG vids in a week, perfection is rarely the immediate goal. I hope you enjoy these results nonetheless, and thanks again to Jenny, Jon, and Dad!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Chamber of the Zombies Day 2 (Clip 1 of 3)
by Aaron Mystery
I'm very excited to present you the first third of the new Chamber of the Zombies animation (mercifully, that's a working title). Continued thanks to Jennifer Hudock, whose excellent voice acting makes up for my own subpar delivery.
Video is below. After a short break, I start working on the next scene, which requires a trio of zombies. I will post pics as I conjure these beasties up. Stay tuned and thanks for watching!
I'm very excited to present you the first third of the new Chamber of the Zombies animation (mercifully, that's a working title). Continued thanks to Jennifer Hudock, whose excellent voice acting makes up for my own subpar delivery.
Video is below. After a short break, I start working on the next scene, which requires a trio of zombies. I will post pics as I conjure these beasties up. Stay tuned and thanks for watching!
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