By: Nicole D’Andria
This time
we’re showcasing something a little different on “Kickstart the Week.” Orient City: Ronin & The Princess is
a hand drawn animated film. This samurai spaghetti western features characteristics
of the American Wild West combined with the architecture of Feudal Asia.
Orient
City is built on top of four rocks connected by the channels of water at their
base. The poorest citizens live at the bottom while the highest class lives without a care at the top. There is no electricity in the city, making coal is the most valuable
commodity. Gunpowder is also a rarity, meaning weapons usually only fire one shot. This
is why blades are the weapon of choice.
The
Kickstarter for Orient City lists detailed biographies of the two men I will be interviewing
today: Zsombor Huszka (Saint
Chaos,
R.E.M.) and Ryan Colucci (R.E.M., Harbor Moon).
The short
needs about 6,000 frames. Huszka will draw 1,000 key-frames and set the colors
for each sequence while additional colorists and in-between characters animator
will be doing the other 5,000 frames. The rest of the process includes background
rendering/painting, voice recording, key-frame animation, in-between animation,
ambience building, visual effects, sound design and score.
The
Kickstarter for Orient City will end
on June 2, 2016 at 2:59 PM EDT. Colucci is trying to raise at least $30,000. If
you pledge $10 you will get a digital download of the film (1080p) and for $15
you will get a DVD copy. Other rewards include t-shirts, movie posters and art
prints. Pledge money to the project here.
I spoke
with lead animator, director and producer Zsombor Huszka as well as writer,
lead producer and co-director Ryan Colucci.
 |
| Zsombor Huszka |
Me: How did you come up with the idea of creating a
setting that combines the American Wild West with the architecture of Feudal
Asia?
Zsombor Huszka: Two worlds that I just love.
Probably the work of Quentin Tarantino inspired it the most. I have always
loved how he picks a genre or a type of movie and lifts all its elements into
his movies. Then he exaggerates everything, even its flaws.
And western
movies just reek of schemes that are begging to be exaggerated.
On the other hand, as far back as I can remember, I was always drawn to Asian martial arts and the culture around them. I have vivid memories of drawing ninjas at a very young age. My subconscious most likely mixed these two together. I used to fence for the Hungarian national team, so I took my love for sword fighting quite literally. And I still train jiu-jitsu every day.
Me: If you had to pick, who is your favorite
character in Orient City and why are they your favorite?
Huszka: Obviously Boshi is the original character of Orient
City. He existed before we even came up with the idea of the film. This image
was the one of a few that inspired us to go down this road.
My other
favorite would be Nessa. She is completely Ryan’s brain child. And I know his
personal experience that made him create her. I think her character and her
role in the movie is what separates Orient City from being just pointless
blood splatter.
Me: Why did you decide to make this a hand drawn animation
rather than a comic book?
Huszka: Ryan and I are both huge fans of high-quality animated
movies. It was always my childhood dream to make animation, or cartoons. I
can’t give you a specific reason why, but when we started brainstorming this
project we both assumed it was going to be 2D animation from the very
beginning.
However, we
do plan on turning this to a comic if we reached a certain stretch goal in the
Kickstarter campaign.
Me: The Kickstarter mentions you can do roughly 20
key-frames per day. What is the process of creating a key-frame like?
Huszka: I think about the choreography of a motion in my head
and I break it down to key moments. I capture those moments and sketch them
down. Then I clean up those sketches into line arts. Then I add a shadow and
shade layer, then a color layer. There are other steps that give my characters
a final look, but those are my little secrets.
The key to
doing that many frames per day possible is that my sketches and line arts are
pretty close to each other. I like to keep some level of sketchiness in my line
art. I think that is one of the aspects that defines my style.
Me: What is the number one reason you think people should
back Orient City?
Huszka: In my mind people look at it and think: “Holly sh*t! I
want to see this movie!” As simple as that. It doesn’t have any other purpose
but entertainment.
Of course,
to me it means much more. But I can’t expect other people to pledge for that
reason.
If someone
won’t get excited by an idea of a samurai western but they can appreciate a
work of art, I can promise them that I will do my best to make every single
frame a piece of art that one would want to hang on their wall.
Me: What advice do you have for people trying to break
into comics?
Huszka: Well, I don’t consider myself someone who has broken
into the industry. I still have a long way to go. But for anyone on basically
any field I would say find your passion and practice it diligently. Work hard
and always find your happiness in it. Sometimes it may not be enough, but that
is all you can do.
Specifically
for the comic industry I would say look for any smaller opportunities at first.
They might lead to something great and they make your resume longer. Many
people think breaking into the industry is sending your submissions to DC or
Marvel and they will buy your idea or just have you draw Batman. It could
happen, but there are many people out there looking to collaborate with a great
artist… I found Ryan like this and now we’re making an animated film together.
Me: What advice do you have for animators?
Huszka: In this kind of art you have to put many hours of
labor in before you even see the tiniest result. It can be break you down
sometimes. Patience is everything for an animator. But when you see your
character come to life, you forget all the struggle you went through.
 |
| Ryan Colucci |
Me: How would you describe the protagonists of
Orient City?
Ryan Colucci: Troubled. These are
people who are rough around the edges. This is a world built on violence,
bloodshed and corruption. Even the best of them are still extremely flawed.
Me: If you had to pick, who is your favorite
character in Orient City and why are they your favorite?
Colucci: Boshi. He is our hero, or closest thing
to it. I grew up on spaghetti westerns, and the heroes of those were characters
that lived by a code – but their own code. It wouldn’t fit in today’s
politically correct universe. I love that. Guys like Harmonica and Blondie, who
don’t speak often, but when they do it means something. Who are faster with a trigger than their
mouth. That is Boshi. At some point he was a proud samurai, but
when we start he is wasting away in an opium den – a disgraced ronin. Our hero has cold sweats and the shakes and
isn’t fond of conversation. To say he is
rough around the edges is an understatement.
Me: How did you and Zsombor Huszka meet and start
working together?
Colucci: I was looking for an artist for the
graphic novel R.E.M. and he
applied. It will sound trite, but as
soon as I saw his samples I needed to know more. He did a test page – which is
pretty much what wound up in the book – and it has been no looking back. It’s
hard to think about doing a project without him in some way. Even when I do a live action piece, he is
involved. Whether it’s providing artwork that goes on the walls or doing
animated titles… but this is the ultimate – an animated film together.
Me: What is the number one reason you think people
should back Orient City?
Colucci: I just don’t know if they realize how
epic this thing is going to be. We are
not going to sleep until it is done, and we are going to pour every ounce of
ourselves into this project. And who
doesn’t love samurai westerns?
Me: What advice do you have for aspiring comic book
writers?
Colucci: Patience. Anything that has to do with
the arts, just be patient. What we do is not necessarily well paid – or paid at
all. If this is truly what you want, you need to persevere. Trust your vision
and don’t ever give up. Specifically for comic book writers – you can’t expect
anyone to hire you. If you really want this – go out and create a book. Find an
artist and make it happen.
Me: What advice do you have for aspiring directors?
Colucci: I don’t know if I’m in a position to be
giving life advice to directors as I just directed my first feature…. But… find
the absolute best script you can do for the absolute least amount of money –
then go make it. I had a lot of scripts… and after shopping each one to direct,
would write another that was smaller.
Until I eventually wrote one that I could actually do without having to
beg and plead for money. We are all only aspiring until we actually do it. So just go do it.
Me: Thank you for your time Zsombor and Ryan! If
you want to support their hand drawn animation, check out the official
Kickstarter for Orient City.
Do you
have a Kickstarter? Want to be interviewed about it and have the project
featured on "Kickstart the Week?" Let me know in the comments below or
message me on comicmaven.com.
Other
“Kickstart the Week” features:
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