Slowing Down

Hey guys,

I just wanted to quickly update you on what's been going on with Hunted lately. Basically things are on slow burn, so updates will continue to be infrequent for a while longer.

Developing a movie is an extremely laborious endeavor. And even though Hunted is a short film, the time investment will be in the thousands of hours. A couple hundred hours have already been sunk into it, but the majority of the work is yet to be done.

The most important reason why I have slowed down its development is that it doesn't nor will it ever bring in any significant revenue. There's simply no way in hell that it will be profitable, let alone recoup the considerable costs that it will take to make. So, I will continue to chip away at it, but I simply must focus on more reliable revenue streams to make sure that food remains in my refrigerator.

Hunted is a considerable investment for me, and I plan to continue reaping the rewards of this endeavor (learning, etc.). However, I feel I must make ends meet for a while before I'm ready to take on this behemoth of a project. Hunted will help me in the long term, but it provides very little monetary value in the short term.

I still believe in the project and in the story. I really really want to bring it to light. It's just gonna take time to get there. Hopefully that makes sense.

Bailey

Radio Silence

Oh dear oh dear. Things have certainly been quiet here. I know that many of you have been asking about what's goin' on with Hunted, and the truth is that the last two months were crazy for me. However, I still feel bad for not updating sooner.

Hunted is on slow burn, but it's still Forma Pictures' primary original IP. I know that updates are sparse at times, but it's always on my mind. It can be tough to balance the immediate client pay with the long term investment of an original short which won't pay any bills. But as an investment, it could have other benefits. It's tough for me to know what to do. Trust me, the war is always raging on.

The other trouble is that Hunted is full of content that is a bit outside my wheelhouse at the moment. Characters art and animation are so difficult for me. I can fake it a bit, but the truth is that my brain simply isn't interested in becoming good at those things. I find myself most at home when I'm creating environments. That's why Hunted is full of environments. But the characters are still vital, so I'm looking for a character animator to help out.

Thanks for your continued interest in this project. More updates to come.

Bailey

Moving Forward

Well, after a good deal of analysis, Hunted is officially the new priority for Forma Pictures. If you read last Friday's update, you'll know what I'm talking about. Original IPs! :)

That said, I'm still going to be doing freelance work when I can. Remember! If you and I have worked together before, and you like my work and how I work, be sure to tell everyone about me! Word of mouth has brought me the best jobs so far. A couple of you have helped me in this regard already, and I heartily thank you. My stomach thanks you too, because groceries cost money.

Is it safe?

This week I'm going to be taking a hard look at the layout and editing of the film, so I'll probably talk about that next Tuesday. Until then!

Bailey

The Debate

The past few days have been unusually soul-searchy. I've been examining and trajectorizing Forma Pictures overall, and a good deal of this has centered around Hunted and its future. Every hour counts, and it can be easy to second guess yourself. I'll go into this more on the main blog on Friday, but it is still relevant to Hunted.

It's relevant because Hunted is a mammoth project. At least for me, and at least at this point in my career. Ultimately I want to deliver something top notch that says something meaningful. That's what art is all about. But the fact remains that I need to make sure (to the best of my ability) that Hunted will contribute directly to the success of this business. Money, it turns out, is an unrelenting concern in this world. ;)

The question I've been debating (with all my mental ability) is whether to focus completely on Hunted, or whether to put it on slow burn for a while. The former will result in a much earlier release date, but there will be few updates (besides BTS content) coming from Forma Pictures during that time. The second option would enable me to release new, shorter content (still high quality) where there would be less risk in the outcome of each piece.

As of now, Forma Pictures has a small audience. Principally this is because it has not yet released original intellectual properties. So far it's mostly client work. But as we know, client work will never result in lasting success.

So, this has been the debate. Focus on Hunted now and release this IP when it's finally finished, or work on different IPs that can release sooner. I'm not even going to start on the monetization debate that's been roiling in my mind all week. But I will say that if I finally do make everything and it becomes successful, it will be sweet. Growing up poor, and working my way up step by step continues to be quite the journey!

As always, I'm trying to be transparent about this process. If you have ideas, comments, or anything else...comment below.

Bailey