Starcraft Chronicles: Calling all 3D animators and the like!
by Joystiq Staff 
{ Jul 19th 2006 at 8:25PM }
If you're like us and still have nightly dreams of Starcraft 2 but wake up cold and alone to the fact that it's still not here, then this could be the project for you. Blizzplanet brings word that there is a collective effort underway to bring to life a high-quality Starcraft-inspired CGI film to the masses -- all on a volunteer, non-profit basis.
Already dubbed Starcraft Chronicles, this project is looking for a few good men and women to whet all our appetites until Blizzard gets off their collective butts and gives us what we want: Starcraft 2. If you think you got what it takes, here's what the group is looking for:
- 3D Modelers: Character, Objects, Vehicle modelers
- Character Animators: Human and non-Human
- Special Effects: (Fluids, particles, hair, etc.)
- Lightning and Rendering
- Matte painters & Concept Artists
- Workflow/Pipeline and Management: Web designer, Web Content Manager, Site admin, Forum moderators
[Thanks, Medievaldragon]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Draco @ Jul 19th 2006 8:42PM
Sweet... comon people! I have no skills so I can't help, but I'd like to see it!
:D
GSI @ Jul 19th 2006 8:57PM
Funny how people think that just b/c certain developers don't officially announce something specific...they automatically assume that it isn't being worked (in this case Starcraft 2.)
Adam Campbell @ Jul 19th 2006 9:05PM
So they need just about everyone and everything? Nice one! Sounds like every mod project ever!
GSI @ Jul 19th 2006 9:09PM
...except it isn't a mod.
Walter Crespo @ Jul 19th 2006 9:26PM
I personaly don't have what it takes to make a CGI movie, but when it comes out I will see it.
Goober @ Jul 19th 2006 9:27PM
Well shoot, that sounds cool. I should "try out" for this one. Only thing I'm afraid of: no mention of needing any writers? Uh oh. That is very likely going to be the weakest link I'm afraid.
Grant @ Jul 19th 2006 9:35PM
I'd imagine whoever is pulling this together already has a script. That's the first piece of the puzzle after all.
GSI @ Jul 19th 2006 9:37PM
...as is the case with most fan made CGI films.
But maybe they already have the writers and are in need of the technical people.
TeamTBA @ Jul 19th 2006 9:39PM
Darn, if only i was 18 lol.
www.flickr.com/photos/greenrabbit360
Some of my work
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j294/TeamTBA/griffoncompleted.jpg
A griffon from WoW
:(
Damn you age limits!!
GSI @ Jul 19th 2006 9:49PM
D'oh! Flickr is down at the moment.
That link you put up though doesn't really show anything either b/c it's too small to see the actual griffon.
Adam Campbell @ Jul 19th 2006 10:01PM
Do you work on this GSI? You're very keen! The comparison is that every mod team that start up over a Pepsi-fueled IRC end up with a post on planethalflife or doom3town or whatever "Need - Programmer, animator, character models, weapon models, texture artists (levels, characters, weapons)" and so on. I'm a little disappointed though, usually these useless things have forum moderators and PR people already, since that's something they (anyone) can do.
Already having the writers and needing everyone else with the intention of making an unofficial fully animated film of a licensed property isn't very far away from having written this really wicked awesome Star Wars fan-fiction spec script! Grrrrrrreat.
GSI @ Jul 19th 2006 10:06PM
No I don't but your calling this a mod when it isn't a mod. It's clearly labeled as a CGI project...although (like you said) I wouldn't be surprised if this was thought up from some caffine fueled all-night Starcraft gaming session.
Night Elve @ Jul 19th 2006 10:13PM
My blood needs StarCraft vitamine ¡¡¡¡¡
I hate Blizzard they are all happy making a lot of money with WoW, that they don`t care a shit about a StarCraft sequel.
T_T
GSI @ Jul 19th 2006 10:20PM
Like I said before:
"Funny how people think that just b/c certain developers don't officially announce something specific...they automatically assume that it isn't being worked (in this case Starcraft 2.)"
Pal @ Jul 19th 2006 10:31PM
Hmmm...Interesting. I'm a 3D modeler, but I dunno. Takes away time from my hobbies.
Twist @ Jul 19th 2006 10:43PM
What is that clacking noise? Of it is Blizzard's legal team typing the cease and desist order. If anyone wants to truly make something like this the first thing they need to do is make it not send out a call for help that will just get the project shutdown before they even get started.
noob @ Jul 19th 2006 11:14PM
basically if blizzard doesn't stop making crappy MMORPGs, and get cracking on more starcraft games, I am going to hate them forever.
Vazel @ Jul 19th 2006 11:31PM
Haha, who actually believes this will pan out?
SirNicholai @ Jul 19th 2006 11:44PM
Of course, you could aslo look at these people, who are making a Warcraft III mod of Starcraft. http://www.wc3campaigns.net/revolution/index.php
>_> @ Jul 20th 2006 12:21AM
I imagine that instead of dousing our appetite, we might prefer to "whet" it.
Brandon @ Jul 20th 2006 12:42AM
I dont understand why they are trying to do this for free on a volunteer basis, they could easily get someone to pump out a script and submit it to a movie studio and have it picked up.... I think it would be cool as a live action, but cgi would still be cool
GSI @ Jul 20th 2006 12:47AM
If they aren't going to make money on it, I don't see how the Blizzard lawyers could tell them to stop making it.
I mean imagine if George Lucas sued all the people who make fan films? Some of those fan films are pretty damn good...ESPECIALLY the "Troopers" films.
GranddJesterr @ Jul 20th 2006 1:11AM
I dream of starcraft 2 *drool*
Brian @ Jul 20th 2006 1:15AM
Why bother with Starcraft 2? Just play Warhammer 40,000. Blizzard stole the whole damn concept anyway. Even better, play 40k: Dawn of War.
It's criminal that Blizzard stole the entire Warhammer 40k universe and made millions. Not to say that Games Workshop is the most ethical of companies, but still - credit where credit is due.
ill trooper @ Jul 20th 2006 1:30AM
Know Photoshop, SoftImage XSi, Maya? Protools, etc?
Then don't do things like this for free.
Just don't.
It's not a good use of your time, and any company that can create and spend time on something like this (or say, this one specific company who gets more money that 1,000,000 'gold farmers' in 100 years by selling World of WarCrack as well as monthly subscriptions) can afford to PAY PEOPLE the proper rates and compensate people properly. Who is gonna get the back-end on this when it hits DVD or becomes the roadmap for the next Starcraft?
Most certainly not the poor souls who poured everything they had in for 2 years, just to be lost in a huge list of others at the end of the film while some StaticX track plays.
Don't forget about the overworked EA employees and developers. Respect yourself and your time.
If you're thinking 'doing it for nothing is a good way to break into this industry,' take a different tack: spend time on your own 8-10 minute animation reel and make yourself look like you're WORTH something, which you are, if you can handle any of the above-listed tasks. Get down with some motion graphics houses (all over the place in L.A. and NYC) or watch any effects-laden film on DVD, pause it when it lists the various effects houses, look up their mailing address on the internet, get involved, and GET PAID, NINJA.
.
GSI @ Jul 20th 2006 2:05AM
...however if you already have a job doing 3D stuff and wouldn't mind doing a small project for free just for the fun of it, it wouldn't hurt. Plus if you already have the software (I personally prefer 3dsmax), it won't cost you anything.
Kristijan Stuhli @ Jul 20th 2006 2:13AM
OMG! I can't believe I got this much support. Anyway, I'd like to tank all the admins that oisted news and I encurage people to this because I am a CG artist today, thanks to Starcraft, specifically their animation-
Kristijan Stuhli @ Jul 20th 2006 2:18AM
lol, this has grown very quick, well to clear some thing s up, it is not starcraft 2, and yes it is a carrier boost since I am reading my email, and some CG proffesionals from hollywood want to spare some free time to make it a high quality movie.
ill trooper @ Jul 20th 2006 2:25AM
Well put, GSI, but I see stuff like this and I think 'the only person who will get credit for this is the main organizer, everyone else will just be a blip on a DivX download and get a t-shirt...'
Projects this huge are large-team efforts, and are very difficult to vivisect and see who did what - I've seen the same shots on several people's reels before, liberally staking claim to the same work, and you gotta wonder... Just who did what, and who's taking more credit than they should?
Just protect yourself people, that's all I'm suggesting... Keep the ownership of your 3D models you create, allow the usage but don't give away for free the designs you've created.
Kristijan Stuhli @ Jul 20th 2006 2:55AM
LOL no, there are rules when you enter every collaboratory project to keep the files in secracy after that you cad do with them what you want, it's a modeler animator relation thing. THIS is about credits ! You have the right to use everything you want later on in the animation, the problem with people wanting their name on the front will be solved, I have a boss that is sitting on me for 24/7 and I do everything, he takes the credit and I can't say I did that because of my contract, so I pretty much now how people feel about it, based on my personal experiance. This is primarily for fun, not for show off.
peace-
Vazel @ Jul 20th 2006 3:54AM
How is voice acting going to be handled? Going to pay for professional voice work or just wing it with the development team pitching in voices?
Vazel @ Jul 20th 2006 3:55AM
Didn't Sky Captain start out as a one man project before it attracted the attention of Hollywood? Who knows, maybe with the right talent this can pan out...
The_Pete @ Jul 20th 2006 5:40AM
No. It won't pan out and become "the next big thing" because it's an owned IP(!) and doing a full-on CG feature is NOT arbitrary or easy. It takes many man-hours of dedicated and highly skilled work PLUS all the logistics keeping it all running smoothly. Even doing 2-3 minutes of fully rendered, film resolution work can take months of dedicated, full-time production.
I've seen so many so-called "projects" asking people to do work for free for these kinds of projects and not one of them ever saw completion.
Exile Films and the Warhammer 40K movie anyone? Where are they now? Gone.
If you want to do a project like this, collaborate with the IP holder, get funding, hire a real team, work on it full-time and do it right.
Kevin @ Jul 20th 2006 9:15AM
Unless you want your appetite to be soaked, you meant "whet." That is all.
potato @ Jul 20th 2006 9:53AM
Agreed with #32. I've seen a kabillion things like these, collaborative indie games, collaborative mods, collaborative CG short films... these things take an immense amount of effort that amateurs simply cannot give.
Not to mention this is just ASKING to be foxed.
Andy J @ Jul 20th 2006 10:52AM
Seriously, I can barely afford rent as is...
This is a massive amount of work for free
Matt E. @ Jul 20th 2006 2:22PM
I'd settle for just a live action movie with some killer CGI. Anyone remember starship troopers and firefly? I see a starcraft movie being a cross of those two, sort of.
Medievaldragon @ Jul 20th 2006 8:12PM
I know the sentiment about working for free, however just because some won't like to do a free job, doesn't mean everyone shares that sentiment.
In fact this is a community effort. People is doing it for fun. Up to last night on July 19, Kristijan told me he had over 30 emails of people wanting to join the team. By now his email should be swamped with volunteers. The two most impressive emails he got were from Hollywood people wanting to join the project ((FREE)). Why? They are fans of Starcraft.
To understand this you should be a Starcraft fan and addict. When things don't happen, you wish to use your skills to make it happen ... even if it is a non-profit fan made product.
The joy of working as a team to offer the fans something they would enjoy. Not everything is measured by money. I have been webmaster of a fansite since 2001 -- for free. I simply love to do what I do and to serve the community any way possible.
There was a time a couple years ago, I talked with a US Senator over the phone. I opened my eyes wide when he said he loved to frag Zerg butt on the evenings when he gets home from his job. We are fans at heart of something.
The_Pete @ Jul 26th 2006 10:53AM
Fair enough. Some people want to do major work for free because they are fanatic and not all things are about money.
However, checking the Starcraft Chronicles site, I noticed that there is no job posting for Producer or Project Manager - these are the people that usually deal with the logistics of a project and keep things focused. This lack of management, for a project like this, is enough to make me take several steps.
In the opposite direction.
Epopisces @ Aug 7th 2006 12:02AM
In response to number 22, there is a HUGE difference. George Lucas permits and even encourages fanfilms, even holds contests: he has 'opened his universe' to any who want to use it (for nonprofit fan media).
I am a 3d modeler/animator, loking for a job. This sort of thing IS a good way to add to your portfolio and gain recognition. But not when it comes to property owned by a company, especially one in a related field. Blizzard has made their own cut scenes, and have their own content---making a production this close to their actual product is asking for a lawsuit.
Diablo @ Oct 12th 2006 4:29AM
I love Starcraft but I don't see how Blizzard are going to succeed in bringing a sequal to it. Apart from adding 3D graphics, I don't see how they gonna improve on it.
Quite the opposite with Diablo 3. The doors are wide open for a sequal: both from a story/game perspective and from a business perspective. Be it MMO or not, Diablo 3 will be one of the annoucements in 2007.
http://www.maxfreak.com/diablo3/archives/diablo-3-coming-in-2007/