Wed Dec 9 '20 Announcement
over 3 years ago – Wed, Dec 09, 2020 at 10:56:23 AM

Hey Everybody! 

It's been a WHILE since I posted here. As most of you have been following for the past couple of years, I've been primarily updating on Social media and the newsletter. It's come to my attention that some of you were only following the Indiegogo updates and, naturally, have been in the dark for the last two years. I am terribly sorry for this and from now on, will resume regular updates on here as well. 

I. The Trailer

First off, in case you haven't heard, the Trailer is out!! That's right the first trailer of Yohance can be viewed here on Youtube:

As you can see, it's been a real rollercoaster to get here but we're deep into production now. Just look at some of these stills!

 

2. What's Next

So, while the pandemic has been a halting force in man of our lives, it has brought about an unexpected side effect. Streamers like Netflix, Amazon, or Apple have moved forward as the main form of distribution -be it for Film or TV. What this means for us is, instead of trying to get an international release at first, we have a better chance of pitching to a major streamer. This would allow a worldwide release while gaining enough popularity to warrant a Theatrical release post-Covid. 

Currently, we are preparing to pitch this project along with a couple others to Netflix Africa as well as a few other major streamers this month. We'll definitely keep you posted as that progresses.

What happens if it doesn't get picked up? We'll just get the film done independently and hit the Festivals. Either way, you guys will still get your copy. ;)

3. Tragedy

This last piece of news is more personal than project related. I'll have to ask to be a little patient with me over these next few months if the updates don't roll out as quickly as planned. Three months ago, I lost my father to Covid. I was incredibly close to him and he was my biggest supporter. He was such a fan of Yohance and would constantly brag about me and this project. As a matter of fact, he was one of the first donors to this campaign.

Losing him has been a debilitating blow for both me and my family. However, he saw the importance of this project. WHat it means for POC and the world by extension. Once the film is completed, I intend on dedicating it to his memory. He lives on through Yohance.

Anyway Thank you all for sticking by me all this time. I have many more updates coming soon!

Thu Apr 11 '19 Announcement
about 5 years ago – Thu, Apr 11, 2019 at 10:43:26 AM

Hey guys!

So I know it’s been a long time since my last update but only because I was deep in working on the trailer. Which I’m proud to say will be dropping at the end of MAY! Originally i had planned to release it in March but with Avengers Endgame right around the corner, it didn’t make sense to release an indie trailer in the midst of all that hype.

The Trailer

Incidentally, the extra time allowed me to pump a lot more detail and scenes into this thing. The runtime is now 1:40!

As you can see from the stills, we’re going for a Photorealistic look. The ongoing challenge is finding that perfect stylistic balance between realism and the surrealist colors of the book. It’s been exhilarating!

New Book

While I enjoyed making the comics so much, the epicness of this series demanded a much more engaging and bigger medium. I mean, that’s the whole basis of this campaign and project. However, I hate leaving things unfinished. 

Therefore, I am happy to announce my return to the comic series Yohance for one final Issue - coming this fall. This will be the fourth issue and it will close out the series, setting things up for the Movie. All backers will receive a digital copy of this issue once it’s released.

Perks

I’m sure many of you want to know the status of your perks. First off, I want to sincerely thank each of you for your incredible patience. As I mentioned in the last update, fulfillment has been delayed until the trailer’s completion. 

  However given that the comic series will be wrapping up in Fall, all physical Book perks have been upgraded to Collected Edition Trade of all 3 Volumes! All Digital backers will receive Volume 3 (Issue 3& 4) the moment it’s published. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the update and I hope to see you guys soon with more news on the trailer!

Thu Jan 10 '19 Announcement
over 5 years ago – Thu, Jan 10, 2019 at 10:59:28 AM

Happy New Year Everyone!

Thought I'd share the official Teaser Poster for Yohance the Movie! This our first official look at the movie before the trailer drops in a couple of months. I could not be more excited to share this with you. 

Of course, there's been a lot of radio silence concerning all other footage and that's because I want to make sure you guys are as blown away as I was when you first see the trailer in March. 

As you can see, there has been some significant redesign compared to the comic but that's mainly due to the extensive Conceptual Art that was done during Pre-Production. I'll share an exclusive gallery with you the backers after the Trailer airs.

Physical Perk Fulfillment

As I mentioned, a LOT of work went into Pre-production of this movie. Once that was done last month, we realized that Production would be much heavier due to the ambitious redesign. Unfortunately, this also means that our current hardware simply isn't powerful enough for the level of industry standard simulations, effects and photorealistic rendering required to pull this off. 

That said, we were able to procure exactly what we need this month with the editions of a new Computer and makeshift Render farm in February. 

As exciting as this is, this regrettably pushes physical perk fulfillment back to March instead of this month as previously planned. I'm terribly sorry for this 2 month delay but I think you'll agree when  I say that this movie needs to go above and beyond what it can be. 

Stay tuned and thank you for your immense support!

Fri Nov 9 '18 Announcement
over 5 years ago – Fri, Nov 09, 2018 at 04:31:00 PM

Hi Guys!

I know it's been a couple of months since my last update but I assure it's only because how busy at work we've been. Because it's been a while, this update has quite a lot in it. This includes News on the Movie, Midas Monkee Comics, and other Projects. Let's get to it!

Yohance: The Movie

Preproduction comes to a close. Script finished

So as I mentioned in the last update in August, Pre-production on Yohance had begun. This included Concept art and most importantly the script. After three months, countless drafts, very little sleep (and a lots of tea) - I can finally say the script is pretty much done. It still needs a little find tuning here and there but it means that Pre-Production can officially close at the end of This month. Thus allowing us to jump right into Production after the Holidays. It took a while but I’m fairly confident that this is a story that will captivate viewers for generations to come. I can’t wait for you to see it!

Modeling begins

Speaking of, take a look at this snapshot of Yohance helmet being modeled! 

Because most of the preliminary concept art has been completed at this stage, I was finally able to start modeling the LONG lost of assets in this project. First up, of course, is our hero’s iconic mask. The final result ended up being far more complex and sharpened than the screenshot above but you get an idea of how these things are developing.

First Trailer coming Early 2019

With Production well on its way, we're actually right on schedule. In fact, the first trailer should be dropping Early 2019. This will be the first official Teaser for Yohance and will showcase some exciting footage from the movie.

Which brings me to our next Announcement:

The Pack is becoming a TV Show!

  I've honestly been waiting for a while to share this one. The Pack is becoming a TV Series! What's more, the first season will be completely free and available on Facebook Shows, Youtube, and Vimeo. Pre-Production started last month and Principal Modeling has already begun. 

  A trailer is expected to drop around May 2019. The first season will be around 22 episodes covering the entire Egyptian Saga as it was originally conceived. This means that it will include and extend far beyond the story of the published comics. The Series will hopefully continue after that in other series across the world of Aya.  

New Composer

Joel Santos will be replacing Michael Klubertanz as the Composer for both Yohance & The Pack's respective scores. I'm super excited to welcome this visionary artist to the team. 

Joel has established himself as a versatile composer meeting the precise need of the collaborative setting. He is known for scoring Funny-Or-Die content creators Weirdfellas short, Wiretap Scars (2017), and for the feature length documentary, The Art of Growing Up (2017), directed by recently retired Walt Disney Imagineering Executive Producer Bob Zalk. Most prominently, he has worked for composers Benjamin Wallfisch, Bear McCreary, and Dominic Lewis.

Comics
 

The Pack and Yohance Comics Cancelled to Continue as Movies & TV Show

Earlier this month, I decided to cancel all ongoing comics in order to fully focus on the movies and TV shows. This is not the end for these franchises, on the contrary. 

From the very beginning, my intention was always to tell these stories as movies and Shows. While beautiful, the medium of comics is incredibly labor-intensive. And since I do this entirely on my own, it was just too draining for what amounted to a small output compared to what I had planned. 

So, Yohance will pick up where the comics left off and tell the complete Saga of the Space Opera across several movies. The Pack will do the same as a TV Series. 

The Magazine

As some of you may have noticed, the Magazine is going through a complete overhaul. In that, it's temporarily paused until after the break. I'm not sure if I'll be able to continue it but if it returns, all existing series will be replaced by a new roster of series and artists. Hopefully, this can become a platform where multiple narratives of African fantasy can blossom. 

Well, that's it! Be sure to stay tuned next month as I'll be dropping more insight into production of this exciting project before Christmas. Until then, Happy Holidays!

Thu Sep 13 '18 Announcement
over 5 years ago – Thu, Sep 13, 2018 at 12:17:39 PM

Hi Everyone!

I hope you enjoyed your summer. We're done moving and production on the Yohance Movie officially began last week! That said, we can finally move forward with physical Perk Fulfillment and get this thing rolling!

1. New Issues! (Yohance, Byala, & The Pack)

  As most of you saw, your Yohance subscriptions were updated last night with Yohance 003. Be sure to check your email and download your copy! If you're having difficulty accessing your downloads, please let me know and I'll send you the direct link. Also, The Pack 004 and Byala 001 are also available directly on the website.

2. Issue 002 of the Magazine

  The Magazine is back! As most of you know, we were delayed by two months due to the move and Movie Pre-production logistics but we're back on track. If you have the Midas Monkee Magazine in your perks, you should have the download link in your email. I think you all will love it. In addition to Yohance 003, it also features articles about my design process and Great Zimbabwe architecture. 

3. Fulfilment & Shipping

It's coming to that time! Most of you have already received your digital perks but are probably where the physical ones are. For packaging reasons, they're being split into Phases 2 & 3. 

Phase 2 will include all Posters, Snapback Hats, and Posters. Those will ship in January 2019.  Next up is Phase 3:

  Most of you ordered perks containing Printed copies of Yohance 1 - 2 as well as the Exclusive T-shirt. It made more sense to ship the T-shirts in the same box as the books so they have to wait until all items are printed. That said, I've decided to throw in a complimentary copy of Yohance Volume 3 (Issues 3-4). That book drops in January and thus will be in print by February. The Phase 3 boxes will be shipped later that same month.

4. Production has Begun!

  We have officially begun Pre-Production on Yohance the Movie. I'm so excited and there's been a lot of hard work leading up to this point. Basically, for the next 4 months, I will be finalizing the drafts of the script, producing Concept art and putting together the storyboard. After that, we have about another 3 months or so to produce the animatic and then its off to 3D Production! Preliminary work has already begun on the score in Germany by our talented composer, Michael Klubertanz. 
  I'm working with a videographer to produce several featurettes of each Stage to share my process and give an inside look at the production of this beautiful film. That should be up and sent to you guys in a few months as we near the end of Pre-Pro. 

Anyway, that's all for now! Enjoy the new books and I'll see you in a few weeks with the next update.