"A Smallville Man" - Official Announcement For My Next Film Featuring Superman

I must admit that when I posted my 7 min animatic film "A Gotham Fairytale" in the summer of 2013, I never thought I'd actually make a second one. I figured that maybe only a couple hundred people would ever see it (if I was lucky), and that I'd just continue with my other art projects such as my children's books. So when I saw my first subscriber notification from YouTube, I honestly felt a bit bad at first because I thought that this person had gotten the wrong impression. After all I specifically made sure to not say anything about subscribing, especially with those annoying pop up requests during the video that block your view unless you close them, because I wasn't ever expecting my channel to have more than that single video.

But then another person subscribed. And another. And then three more. And then several more. And before I knew it, my subscribers were numbering in the hundreds and all without me ever prompting them to. Now I am fully aware that my subscriber count isn't anything special, especially when compared to other Youtube accounts, but it was special in what it did for me. These people were subscribing to my channel by their own choice without any incentive from me simply because they enjoyed my film and were hoping to see more. So it is without a doubt that I can say their show of support was what motivated me to want to make a second film.

At that point it was just a question of what story that film would feature. Would I try to flesh out one of the other Batman stories that I had in my head, or would I try my hand at the other half of the World's Finest team? While I felt that my Batman story was in fact solid and worthy of my creative attention, I have to say that I was pulled more to the Superman idea I had because it provided a few different benefits. Most importantly it offered a bigger challenge for me as a storyteller because the story was more layered than I had previously attempted with "A Gotham Fairytale." Also it required me to push myself artistically by giving me the opportunity to design a new art direction more in line with Superman and his story than sticking with the very moody black and white illustrations that were more appropriate for "A Gotham Fairytale." As expected it took a little while to really nail down the story and art direction, but once I did I was flying fast toward the finish line.

So it is with great pride and joy that I officially announce my second animatic film entitled "A Smallville Man." It features an original Superman story that shows that the "S" on his chest is meant to represent not just the power of his alien abilities but also the strength of his humanity. Just like with "A Gotham Fairytale," I came up with the story first and then serendipitously found the best song for it. The creative process then became somewhat more organic as the music helped influence and even structure the pacing of the narrative until the initial storyboards were completed.

Coming in at under 5 minutes, "A Smallville Man's" 150+ black and white illustrations are set to an amazing rock song by a widely popular American rock group. I'm proud to say that the artwork is 99% finished with only minor adjustments required. Once I complete the compositing of all the artwork with the motion effects to create the final animatic, I am hoping to have it up on my YouTube channel in early January 2015.

As the official release date gets closer I will announce the name of the band whose song will be featured, but for now this is all that I will reveal. Fear not though as I will be posting some scenes from the film in the coming month in anticipation of its release. Until then, thanks for reading!