The Virtual World and Animation Come Together to Create the New Nightshade Animated Series

PRLog (Press Release) - Sep 24, 2009 -
MILWAUKEE – More than 100 years ago, J. Stewart Blackton became the father of animation with his first film Humorous Phases of Funny Faces. Today the art is continuing to evolve with the development of new technology, the Internet and most recently virtual worlds like Second Life©. Milwaukee-based animation studio Captive Media Productions has placed itself on the cutting edge of new innovations in animation, creating a new series about a dual-identity super heroine produced exclusively in Second Life©.

“I love Second Life© and wanted to incorporate the cutting edge virtual world with an animated series,” said Captive Media Productions founder and series creator Tamara Norwood. “So I developed Nightshade who protects the Metaverse in the new series.”

Norwood is breaking new ground in what has been named “Machinima.” Basically, it uses technology or “machines” to create a unique “cinema” style movie production. It takes the 3D virtual world environment and uses avatars, or characters, in the game to take the place as the actors. It also is 30 to 40 percent cheaper to produce a quality animation series using Machinima than tradition computer technology animation development.

It’s truly the next generation of animation following in the footsteps of anime.

“Creative animators like me are constantly developing new ways to further the art and make it current with the latest technology available,” Norwood said. “Since most of the adult animation viewers are males between the ages of 18-35 with a strong interest in video games, it was a perfect extension of the technology.”

In Nightshade, entrepreneur Mary Slade doubles as a crime-fighting heroine that defends the Metaverse virtual world from serious criminals. She rides a motorcycle, is a martial arts master and loves high-tech toys and gadgets. In other words, she speaks relevantly to the target demo viewer and incorporates their dreams and ambitions.

Norwood has posted the series on popular online video websites, such as YouTube, and has been receiving hundreds of views from fans interested in the new animated series. Her next step is to migrate the series to a cable provider’s on-demand platform or even a cable television channel. She hopes to one day have her series on the G4 gaming network, Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim or even Nick at Nite.

“My submissions are pending their review and approval,” she said. “Just like any cutting edge technology, it takes a little bit to get understood and adopted as the new animation art style.”

To check out the new series, and experience Nightshade in “Machinima” for yourself, please visit http://www.nightshadetv.com.

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Media Contact:

Tamara Norwood
Captive Media Productions
Phone: 414-426-9334   
tamara@captivemediapro.com