Base14

Could it be? The triumphant return of Base14 Comics? Well, it was supposed to be. Three weeks ago.

Now that I’m a grad student happily nestled in Savannah, the plan was to begin publishing a weekly comic in the student newspaper, The District. But the comic was pushed back from the first issue to the second, then to the third, and now I’ve gotten word that this week will be the last printed edition of The District ever. Looks like this syndicated strip got canceled before it ever got published! Ah well. Below is the one and only strip of Base14 Comics that was meant for The District, but didn’t make it out. Naturally, it’s meant for a bit earlier release than the end of September.

Well, on Tuesday Adobe Creative Suite 4 was announced officially, although there’s still no word on when exactly we designers and developers can get our hands on it. Or, in my case, when I would be getting my hands on it if I could afford it.

Well if I can’t get it, I can do the next best thing. Make cool wallpaper! Adobe sent me an ad in my email this morning for the software and I thought it look pretty good, so I converted into a saucy background for my computer desktop. Now you can enjoy it too! if you’re an Adobe fan, go ahead and give it a whirl.

1600 x 1200

1280 x 1024

Gee golly Whitaker Street, it has been a while! The winds have been changing and it’s been hard to keep up with the good ol’ Base14 Blog. And we actually have done a thing or two that’s way worth mentioning, can you believe it? Well believe it.

So the rock-hard-fast news is that the Ara Collector’s Edition DVD was finished two weeks ago to much critical acclaim! (Isn’t that an oxymoron?) It was at the very least, for Base14, a great DVD authoring accomplishment. Ara was a monstrosity of a CGT department project, and with all the hard work put into it by such a large array of artists, I wanted a permanent and professional collection of everything that was put into the Ara project. As a student collaboration, it was more about the process than the project, and I feel the Ara Collector’s Edition DVD showcases that process wonderfully. In addition to the complete short film, the DVD also includes:

• Fully animated DVD menus and menu transitions
• Producers’ Commentary
• Original Animatic
• Never-Before-Seen Alternate Ending
• Extensive Image Galleries
• Exclusive “Making of Ara” Featurette
• Complete “Ara, LLC” 411 Presentation
• Ara Soundtrack
• “This Thing Won’t Render” - The Mercy Mix Music Video
• And Much, Much More!

The other important thing to mention is these DVDs are not going on sale! Only 30 copies were made exclusively for crew members and other supporting parties. There are a few left over, so if you’re a fan of the movie and want an feature-rich inside look into the production and inspiration behind Ara, let us know and maybe we can slip you an ripped copy (or, who knows, a real one.)  Or, if you live in the greater Lafayette area, there should be a copy in the CGT department for public viewing. It was a goal of mine to start a tradition of student groups leaving DVD records of their projects in a CGT library of sorts, for future classes to find and draw inspiration from.

Well, more is to come real soon, I promise you! With a new school year upon us, things are just getting warmed up at Base14.