I got to see Paul Jannicola (sp?) again at the festival last weekend, though it seems like it was for only about 30 seconds… and had the pleasure of being introduced by him to Kerria Seabrooke, director of the wonderfully animated Tiny Nation. Paul had emailed me last Friday about their latest minisode, and I hear they showed it in the panel Paul was a part of (I, like my friend Matt, found myself drawn to those spaces between and missed it), so I didn’t get to watch it til I got home tonight.

It’s yet another wonderful part in this new Ill Clan series, and worthy of examination. Pay attention to some of the clever ways they handle some of the filming here. What really caught my attention was the great “heads together” scene. How many times have we seen the huddle done in film? This was a really unique approach.

I also loved the way they presented the action sequence where they were jumping the would-be voter to take on his disguise. The stills combined with appropriate cartoony sound effects were really effective presentation, and were also very efficient versus what it would have taken to film those moves in real time, where they likely wouldn’t have had such visual impact. It’s the most stylish “shortcut” I’ve seen in a long time.

Watch the minisode here: http://www.illclan.com/ill-blog/35-ill-blog/92-tiny-nation-minisode-1

The Ill Clan are at it again! I remember when I first saw Hardly Workin’ coming up on 10 years ago; it was such a leap forward from where everyone else was in terms of visual design that it made me honestly consider quitting out of feelings of crushing humility.

They haven’t lost a step in all these years. Once again, as with HW, Tiny Nation features quick and witty dialogue, highly memorable characters, and magnificent set and character design. I feel the camerawork had moments of weakness, while respecting the helluva task it is to get that done in Second Life.

Really nice to see such non-traditional character types (for machinima anyway). Furries around the world will be pleased.

Enjoy it at: http://illclan.com/tiny-nation

Leave them a comment and let them know what you think!

ILL Clan Launches New Animation Studio – Joint projects with The Electric Sheep Company Continue

New York City, May 29, 2008 — After a highly successful 16-month run, virtual world content creator The Electric Sheep Company (ESC) and its critically acclaimed machinima animation division, previously ILL Clan Inc., have restructured to operate as distinct business entities.

“The Electric Sheep Company has seen an increased demand in Web-based virtual experiences, and our direction as a company has shifted to serve this demand for our clients and our own business initiatives,” says Sibley Verbeck, CEO for The Electric Sheep Company. “This focus has limited the potential for ILL Clan to service the separate growing animation market that utilizes their skills and technology. We are pleased to be in the client roll with ILL Clan moving forward and look forward to the increased business opportunities this split represents for the crew at ILL Clan.”

“Our tenure at the Electric Sheep was an incredible experience,” says Frank Dellario, ESC’s former vice president of machinima and current president of the newly re-formed ILL Clan Animation Studios. “Their support enabled us to expand our expertise to a new level and add some of the world’s biggest entertainment and marketing companies to our portfolio.”

ESC recruited the ILL Clan, then an independent company with nearly a decade of experience, as its exclusive machinima division in January 2007. Under the “Sheep” banner, the department flourished, producing landmark works for virtual-worlds clients, such as CBS, NBC, MTV, and IBM, as well as for television, including key animation sequences in two episodes of the primetime drama “CSI: NY” and a pre–Super Bowl commercial for “Two and a Half Men.”

“It was a privilege to be part of that visionary organization,” Dellario says. “Now, as we embark on this new phase, we are excited and honored at the opportunity to continue serving their machinima needs, as well as those of new clients.”
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About ILL Clan Animation Studios

As the multiple award-winning ILL Clan Inc., the company has been creating machinima since 1998 for world-class clients such as CBS, IBM, MTV, Microsoft, NBC, SpikeTV, Warner Brothers, and more. Named “Machinima Masters” by Wired Magazine, the team renowned for pioneering the field will resume its longstanding tradition of excellence in providing innovative machinima content under the new ILL Clan Animation Studios moniker. To learn more, visit www.illclan.com or contract Frank Dellario at frank@illclan.com.

About Electric Sheep Company

The Electric Sheep Company (ESC) is the leading creator of 3D virtual world content and solutions specializing in providing software, interactive design, and integration and production solutions. Founded in April 2005 and headquartered in New York City, ESC is dedicated to the complementary tasks of bringing relevant social and information products to consumers, and helping major organizations find ways to use virtual worlds to realize operational, marketing and educational goals. Clients include AOL, MTV, NBC, Nissan, Sony, Reuters and many others. To learn more, visit www.electricsheepcompany.com.

Frank Dellario
Director of Machinima Production
ILL Clan Animation Studios
www.illclan.com

P: 718-599-2591
C: 347-277-1920

SL: illbixby cerveau
Skype: illbixby

Destined to be the As Nasty As They Wanna Be moment for the overcast, the latest interview Hugh and Johnnie conducted at Machinima Europe was with Paul Marino, Frank Dellario, and their lowered inhibitions. Everyone involved has agonized and deliberated over whether or not to even release this audio, but ultimately I don’t think any of us could pass on such comic gold, however blue it turned out to be. I had to do some interesting adjustments to sidestep a few things which were Too Hot even for “Too Hot for TV,” but I think it ends up playing very well, engaging the listener’s imagination with some obscuring pockets of elevator music. I really hope you enjoy it. I hope not too many of you are offended by it, it really is all in good fun. And I hope not too many of you are aggravated at not getting to hear an uncut version, but there were factors at play we could not afford to ignore.

If you are sensitive to adult language, sit this one out; we will return to regular programming before too long.

This is U.N.S.F.W. (Unreservedly Not Safe For Work) Be advised. Thanks.

http://theovercast.com/overcast-026/