TripleBeard.com Interviews Todd
Tuesday, 29th June 2010Posted in Blog Archive, Press
Tags: Jace Hall Show, Kwoon, Todd Roy, Triplebeard
Written by: Todd Roy
Brandon over at TripleBeard was nice enough to take some time and do a phone interview with me for his new blog.
Brandon just started his blog and he can use some love. So please check out the interview and if you like his style (and I will say he did his homework on me) please check out some of his other interviews. I think he’s hitting up Jace next!!!!
Thanks – Todd
CHADAM – ONLINE SERIES MEETS VIDEO GAME TECHNOLOGY!
Wednesday, 16th June 2010Posted in Blog Archive, Online Video
Tags: animation, bioshock alex pardee, carl weathers, CHADAM, epic games, gears of war, Jace Hall, katy sagal jeffrey combs, sid haig, thewb, thewb.com, Todd Roy, unreal, unreal 3, warner bros, web series, web series development, WebSeries
Written by: Jace Hall
Many of you know that my company (HDFILMS) has been working on a cutting edge computer animated WebSeries called “CHADAM” for the last couple years.
“CHADAM” is a story about reclusive character who lives as the “chosen one” in the hyper-stylized and exaggerated metropolitan island city of Vulture. His power of imagination is strong enough to physically change his environment and, therefore, his world … to save it from evil. The series finds Chadam in a place of refuge where he and others have retreated to plan their attack against a serial killer known as Viceroy…
The challenge of the project was not only to tell an engaging story, but to also make an unprecedented attempt at producing nearly an hour of detailed computer animation within the extreme budget constraints of current internet economics.
To put this in perspective, in order to be viable as a project, CHADAM’s budget for the entire 10+ episode hour long computer animated series had to be significantly smaller than what it typically costs to produce ONE SINGLE half hour animated network television episode.
Not an easy feat. I assure you.
These extreme limitations led us to focus on more creative and out-of-the-box approaches to accomplishing the task at hand. A notion was conceived to see if it was possible to use video game technology (specifically UNREAL 3) to lower the barrier-to-entry and actually be used to produce the desired final product.
Coming from the video game industry, and having been personally involved in working with numerous game technologies, I felt strongly that we could tell the entire story of CHADAM within a video game engine technology like UNREAL 3 – and so our journey began and we discussed it with the character’s creator, legendary artist ALEX PARDEE…
Historically, the use of video game technology to tell linear narrative has been limited. Utilization as transitionary moments in-between video game levels is a typical example of the limited use. Never has there been a whole movie completed in such a way - Although there has been a great effort and community known as MACHINIMA that has always held the idea that movies could be made with video game technology, and it is only right that I should mention that in this article.
The issue with most MACHINIMA efforts has been that typically all the content that appears in a MACHINIMA-type production, is primarily a re-use of a particular video game’s art assets. This immediately brings in extreme story-telling limitations because if your story requires a scene or character interaction that the original game never conceived, there was no simple way to do it.
Nonetheless, there have been some pretty cool MACHINIMA efforts and if you want to see/learn more about it, you can go HERE:
CHADAM, however is different than that. The CHADAM production represents a complete-front-to-back original content creation effort without any game asset re-use. It literally is the ultimate expression of the MACHINIMA idea, and guess what? They were right! It works.
It is also an expression of what can be created within “internet economics” by a VERY small team, using nothing but video game technology.
CHADAM was never intended for any other medium besides the Internet. It is not an independent film that couldn’t find distribution. It is not a direct to DVD effort that then suddenly changed strategies. CHADAM started as a web series for the internet and it has remained so.
The description of the production journey itself (the trials and tribulations) will have to be discussed in another blog entry – there is also a “making of CHADAM” documentary that we shot and will become available…. But my point here is that there is clearly new opportunity in animated series that can make use of state of the art video game technology, and the internet is a fantastic medium for its distribution.
It is important that you know that Warner Bros. demonstrated vision and leadership by choosing to get behind this project. They stood strong where many would have faltered. Please do us and them a favor by spreading the word to everyone about CHADAM on theWB.com and getting people to check it out. They won’t be disappointed!
Please tell people to go here:
And now for the first episode. Let us know what you think!!!
We are very interested in your opinions. Please share them with us!
Jace
The T-REX Stolen by Fergie and The Black Eyed Peas…
Monday, 7th June 2010Posted in Blog Archive, NERDCORE, Offbeat
Tags: black eyed peas, car, fergie, Jace Hall Show, music video, roadstarr, t-rex, trex
Written by: Jace Hall
As most of you probably know, The Jace Hall Show owns a super exotic sports car called a “T-REX”
If you didn’t know this then WATCH THIS EPISODE TO SEE HOW IT HAPPENED!!!
In any case, a few months ago we loaned our T-REX out to Fergie and The Black Eyed Peas for what was supposed to be just a day or so, but DAY became DAYS and I started to wonder where the heck the T-REX was…
Anyway, after a few DAYS, we get the T-REX back, and it is all covered in dust and dirt and a bunch of the electronics were unplugged and not working, and we were like DAMN!!! WTF!??? But the people who dropped it off fixed it all up and made everything perfect again…
Then I kinda forgot about the whole thing…
Until I WATCHED THIS MUSIC VIDEO:
Everything becomes clear at ’3:06′ in the video….
THAT IS WHY IT WAS SOO DUSTY!
So the Jace Hall Show T-REX seems to have become even more famous, since now Fergie and Will-I-Am have sat in it! 
What do you think?
-Jace
You see… Jace Hall isn’t totally worthless after all…
Saturday, 5th June 2010Posted in Blog Archive
Tags: feedback, game industry, Jace Hall Show, motivation, persistence, programming
Written by: Jace Hall
Got this letter and I wanted to humbly share it with you all:
Name Dex Robinson Subject Inspiration Message Dear Jace,
First of all love the show! I like how you get everyone that comes on your show to be like “What’s the Jace Hall Show?” Anyways, I have been wanting to write you an email to tell you how much you inspire me to be a better programmer/artist/person. I just graduated college with a BS in Game and Simulation Programming(yes that is the actual degree name). Before I started watching your show I was starting to think that everyone in the game industry was just hard ass, non joking, unfriendly, snobby people. All the programmers I worked under treated me like garbage. Something like a maid or personal servent. Granted I was an intern and I thought it was just a hazing thing I didn’t let it bother me. Any time I had a question everyone would jump down my throat and get annoyed when they had to show me.
I thought about giving up and just become a normal programmer and getting away from the game industry all together even though I love making games and nothing brings me more joy. After an episode of your show I sat up and watched the entire 3 seaons from start to finish. I like your show a lot more than any other show out there because you talk to the developers and not the stupid marketing director who knows nothing about making games(i espically loved the Blizzard team meetings you did, are they really like that?). But after watching your show it gave me hope that the game industry is a fun and exciting place to work and while it is a VERY stressful place to work there is still time for fun and pranks. Keep up the great work and I am looking forward to new episodes of the JHS!
Thank you,
Dex
The idea that the show that I work on here with everyone at HDFILMS is actually inspiring people to not give up and pursue their dreams REALLY makes all the effort and hard work worth while.
It is an honor to serve.
Jace
SEASON 5 IS COMING…
More Music From Jace Hall
