State of the Terrace
1:27 am, October 30 2018
Well, it's been a long time since I've posted anything here. So much for getting one character up a week. I've had a lot to deal with the last two years, but Teras Terrace isn't dead. It's just been on hold a while while I put some other things in order.
As a matter of fact, it's looking like I may have a chance soon to make a pitch to a studio for an animated series! I'm not ready yet, of course... I need a full pilot script, a partial animatic, a series bible, more concept artwork, and so on. But I'm hoping before the end of the year—hopefully by the end of November—it will happen.
And if it does, I... probably won't be pitching Teras Terrace.
Not because I've lost interest in the project. Not because I don't still hope to make it into a series someday. Not because I don't like the concept. As a matter of fact, it's kind of because I like the concept too much. The thing is, suppose everything goes right and a studio was interested in buying the property. It seems extremely likely that, well, whoever bought the series would buy all rights to it; I'd no longer own the intellectual property; and I'd have limited creative control. Now, as others have said to me, that would be a good problem to have! Selling an animated series would be huge for me! And... yeah, that's true, but even there are worse problems to have, it's still an avoidable problem. It's not like I'm incapable of coming up with other ideas. And so I did, and I've been developing them. (Of course, as I've developed them I've kind of started falling in love with those ideas as well... but maybe not quite as much as Teras Terrace, and at some point I do have to risk giving something up.)
Actually, there are more practical considerations as well. All in all, I think Teras Terrace would be a relatively expensive series to make... at least if I want it done right. The vast majority of the characters, including background characters, are unique monsters that each need their own individual, very different designs, body types, and motions. I have to imagine it would probably cost more to animate a diverse assortment of disparate creatures than it would to animate a bunch of humans who have, after all, the same basic shape and range of motion. So... it might not be the easiest sell for my first project anyway.
So, as I said, I'm developing a few other animated series concepts. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to continue developing Teras Terrace. I'm not going to go back and try to catch up on all the weeks of character introductions I've missed (though I did actually consider doing that, because sometimes I am dumb), but I'm going to resume the character introductions, every Monday starting next week, November 5. And I'm also going to redraw some previously posted characters, and maybe rewrite some of the descriptions. Some of the drawings have significant mistakes (like Kayla Worthingdale, who's missing part of the outline of her left arm, and Olo, whose top got cut off). Some I'm not really happen with their designs, and may want to do a more significant redesign for (like Melodica Bing and Bunches). There are a few inconsistencies in the descriptions (such as the descriptions of Logan Ward and Aunt Lake—wouldn't Aunt Lake's presence render the creation of the artificial lake mentioned in Logan's entry redundant?). And overall, well, it's been six years since I started posting characters; I'd like to think my artistic abilities have improved in that time. (They haven't, or at least not nearly as much as I wish they had, but I'd like to think they have.)
And I want to finish and publish some Teras Terrace works. The animated short (/pilot presentation) itself, obviously, yes. But also a comic book or two, maybe a game of some sort. Why? Because that establishes my ownership of the intellectual property, so then if eventually I do sell it as an animated series it helps me keep control of the characters and concept rather than having to give over all rights to the studio.
So yes, I hope Teras Terrace will be an animated series. Someday. When I have other projects under my belt; when I have a little more leverage; when I'm in a better position to do it the way I want to. But it's not likely to be for a while. In the meantime, though, keep watching this space. I'll be posting more characters and other artwork and materials.