Project Dumpling
Project Overview
Project Dumpling is an initiative taken up by an indie developer collective that believes in creating portfolio pieces for early-career professionals, hobbyists, and students to gain experience working with roles they would not normally have exposure to. We are putting together a team of 15 to 20 creatives to finish a 5-minute pilot rough animatic along with other key deliverables essential to various portfolios in the animation space, such as character turnarounds, a pitch bible, and narrative outlines among others.
We have a rotating cast of contributors with over 100 developers across various projects, many of which not under our main account. You may view a selection of some works at the Table for Twenty Itch page. Our first project, Run Shiba Run, has been released to Steam and shipped over 20K units, with over 50 developers contributing to it. Animation and writing take a back seat in the game jam scene, which is why we want to have a long-term project to highlight these disciplines.
This project will not start pre-production until the full team is assembled because each member will have a chance to bring their ideas to the table and be involved in the creative pitchout process. Therefore there is no concept outside of our main deliverable goals and the overarching intent to create a marketable animatic.
This is an unpaid hobby project with no guarantee of getting picked up, but once pre-production is wrapped up after a 6-month period the team will vote on 1 of 3 outcomes:
Polishing the animatic as a portfolio piece
Building a Kickstarter campaign to fund completion of a 12-minute pilot
Pitching to studios and distributors to find support for a full production
While we are open to applications of all levels, there are a few baseline criteria for us to have in our selection process. This might be a lot to ask for a volunteer project, but because of how long animation takes we want to ensure only people who are dedicated apply so that we can minimize turnover:
You must be 18 years or older, this is non-negotiable.
You are in North America, but exceptions can be made.
You have a specific role you are targeting and have a portfolio for it.
You follow animation news and stay up-to-date on the industry.
You do not utilize generative-LLM technology in your artwork, voice acting, or writing.
For this project we ask that you have the following mindset:
You are comfortable working on a project that is designed for marketability.
You are comfortable having your ideas cut or criticized.
You are able to work with distribution partners you do not personally like.
Some of the deliverables we expect to have within 6 months are:
A fully fledged pitch bible showcasing the characters, world, and narrative plot.
This includes a concrete ending for the series and its intended length.
A 5-minute animatic with voice over work.
Storyboards and concepts for the pilot episode.
A full script for the pilot.
Narrative outlines and episode list for the first season.
Partial scripts for at least 3 episodes.
A dozen reels to showcase on social media.
Original score uploaded to a music sharing platform.
3 Polished and fully animated 30-second segments.
Full art package including turnarounds and style guide.
Production plan for each of the 3 pathways moving forward.
This project is headed by Zach, an engineer-turned-producer who has been working with content creators in the animation space for over 8 years and has spent the last 3 years helping an indie animation studio run their online community, culminating in a successful Kickstarter last year. He has spent 5 years designing services utilized by dozens of animation and gaming studios to protect their assets during development. He will be overseeing the creative direction of the project while working on the script. He enjoys watching Critical Role, being in tabletop campaigns, playing Stardew Valley until 2am, and finding bogo deals at the supermarket.
Iris, our lead cleanup artist, has done cleanup on an award winning short under celebrated filmmaker Esther Casas Roura while contributing to coloring work for a professional web comic with 2.7m views. She has been creating art for almost a decade with a passion for animation matched only by her commitment to volunteer work. She has been a major investor in a kickstarter campaign for an indie studio, being involved in the pre-production process from table reads to shadowing in for recording sessions. Outside of her career she runs a small farm with donkeys.
Writer
We are searching for 2 writers to be involved in developing concepts and pitches for the project. As part of this role you will be creating a pitch bible, narrative outlines, episode lists, partial scripts, and potentially a full script for a pilot. The end goal is to have a full range of writing deliverables to put on your portfolio.
- english
- screen/script writing
- screen writing
*Say something you think would fit*
Producer
We are looking for a producer to help facilitate work between the 5 pods, being involved in managing the project in a PM software, helping with production pipelines, and developing production plans depending on the project outcome.
- english
*Say something you think would fit*
Artist
We are looking for a concept artist to help convey the early feel of the project, from initial character designs to making storyboards for the narrative designed by the creative team.
- english
*Say something you think would fit*
Artist
As the concepts get made, the 2 storyboard artists create fully fledged storyboards for the animatic and work closely with the concept artist to understand the original vision for each scene.
- english
*Say something you think would fit*
Video Editor
The editor helps cut storyboards together and composites the animatic later in production. They also help with creating short demo reels to share on social media or for members' portfolios.
- english
*Say something you think would fit*
Artist
The character designer takes the original concepts and creates a full art package including turnarounds and a style guide for the characters. They work on the characters in each scene and ensure they adhere to the guide.
- english
*Say something you think would fit*
Artist
We are looking for 2 background artists to help create the art shown in each scene from building to landscapes to other backdrops.
- english
*Say something you think would fit*
Artist
The prop designer creates assets in the scene whether adding to the background or interacted with by the characters.
- english
- prop design
*Say something you think would fit*
Animator
We are looking for 4 2D animators to create the poses for the characters, move props around the scene, and animate the environment.
- english
- 2d animation
*Say something you think would fit*
Artist
We are seeking 2 cleanup artists to help polish the rough line art for our animations and get us to production quality.
- english
*Say something you think would fit*
Artist
Our in-between artist helps the animators draw frames to smooth out the animation and help us finish the animatic.
- english
*Say something you think would fit*
Audio Engineer
The sound designer creates foley and sound effects for interactions in the storyboard, potentially working on scratch VO too.
- english
- sound design
*Say something you think would fit*
Musician
The composer creates an original score for the project which is later uploaded to a music sharing platform. They help the editor with sound direction as well as write music for the animatic itself, separate from the score.
- english
*Say something you think would fit*
Voice Actor
TBD. Since conception will not begin until the team is formed, it is unknown how many voice actors will be required.
*Say something you think would fit*
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