Black Science Fiction

I have been thinking a lot about black sci fi and speculative fiction and the lack there of.  I have been inspired by connecting with some folks in the Black Science Fiction Society. 

I am clear there is a market that is hungry for this type of content and that now with the internet we have an unprecedented opportunity to create and distribute some great content that we’ve never seen before.  I am excited about the future!!

Thanksgiving 2010

I am sitting in my office at the Art Institute in Santa Monica and about to go on vacation.
After 10 years I'm going to be moving on in 2 months and I am very excited.

I spoke to Roger Andrews who I really would love to get on this project.
Check out his dopeness here:
http://rand247.com/

We may be able to get together in New York on the 29th.
I also got a line on a good student digital painter this week too I need to follow up on.

Pan African Film Festival 2011

I have begun a conversation about creating and moderating a new Black Animation Panel at the Pan African Film Festival in February 2011.  I will also be putting together a program of Black Animation and Black Animated Music Videos.

I intend to have Penitentiary Philosophy completed by 2012 and screen it there.  I also would like to support other black animators in producing content for the festival and perhaps doing a contest.

Concept Art

This is the level of concept art I want to produce for the video.

Early 3D Badu Head Studies

Next Steps

What I would like to do next with this project is have some color concept paintings created and revise all the boards so that they are not so rough.  I would also like to get some 3D models done of the characters.

I am really a fan of Unity 3D and am curious about what it takes to make machinima in that program.  Building the pyramid enviroment in Unity will allow me to have others explore it in a browser which I think will be really cool.

Are there any great concept artists and storyboard artists out there who would like to create on this project with me?

The animatic is now at over 100 views with no comments and this blog has also had about as many views.

Animated Badu Concept Sketches

These are the first concept sketches for the animated Badu.

It Can Not Be Bound By Time or Space...Love Is Eternal Summer 2011

These images are from the original pitch book.  This is a sketch of a poster image.

Original Treatment

Here is the original treatment I wrote back in 2001:

ERYKAH BADU

ANIMATED MUSIC VIDEO

TREATMENT

PENITENTIARY PHILOSOPHY

   

The story takes place in the future, approximately 2027.  There is a handsome black archeologist, who is studying Egyptian architecture and one pyramid in particular.  While doing research he begins to come across images of an Egyptian queen or goddess (Erykah Badu) in statuary and wall paintings.  We travel through space and time to when the queen is singing to her love in the far of future.  The researcher becomes obsessed with her image and falls asleep exhausted from working all night. In his dream state we build an even stronger connection between the two as the queen reaches out and beckons him to come to her.  The queen is in a massive pyramid and we can see the way her chamber appeared when she ruled thousands of years before.  When the explorer awakens her throne is seen as it appears now, cold and overgrown with spider webs.

He packs quickly and pilots a shuttle craft to Egypt where he infiltrates the pyramid.  There are a few traps that he must evade, in Indiana Jones – style.  Until finally he reaches the throne room of his beloved queen.

There are many splendid jewels and treasures in the tomb of the queen but, he cares for none of them.  Our hero opens the sarcophagi (cryo chamber) as ancient smoke emerges.  He reaches inside to embrace and kiss the queens mummified remains, but when he does, energy is released and the queen is restored to life.  After the queen changes her attire, they both leave the throne room with all the treasure, and ride off into the night.

Eric T. Elder

2001

It still holds true to my current vision.  Coming soon will be concept artwork.