One of the coolest projects to come out of the recent Cartoon Forum in Toulouse was Urbance, a futuristic animated series for adults about a world in which sex is banned because it spreads a fatal disease.
The modern, hip-hop influenced series is a co-production between France-basaed Denis Friedman Productions and Montreal-based Steambot. The project is exploring all the possibilities in search of financing, and the resulting work — seen in the project’s trailer below — is getting a lot of attention.
Friedman caught up with Animag shortly after the show to give us the full run-down on Urbance.
Animation Magazine: Can you tell us about Urbance, your new project?
Denis Friedman: Urbance is an animated action TV series for a 16-plus audience, set up in a post-modern world where sex is totally forbidden because of a deadly virus that infected the whole population. In this world, where men and women are segregated, two characters, Kenzell and Lesya, will fall in love … and that forbidden love will have unexpected consequences.
Animag: You have announced at the Cartoon Forum in Toulouse some very interesting news about the project.
Friedman: Yes, it was a very good event for us. On one hand, we have launched our Kickstarter campaign on Sept. 22 and we have raised more than $70,000 in one week, and on the other hand we have announced that a new fund dedicated to animated TV series and transmedia projects is being launched in Europe and that Urbance will be the first project to benefit from that fund.
Animag: Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
Friedman: Cine Regio is the association of all the big European Regional Film funds, with 43 funds all across Europe. So far, all these regional funds were investing separately in local productions. They have announced on Sept. 26 that they are creating a specific fund called Animarco-Regio to invest in one to three projects per year dedicated to animated TV series and transmedia projects.
Animag: I guess this will be a major help to finance the project?
Friedman: More than that, Urbance is a program targeting a mature audience and, therefore, very difficult to finance in Europe as the number of channels broadcasting adult animation is very limited. We also want to produce a very high-quality show, which is quite expensive. This is why we have decided to follow a very different route in terms of financing for this project: a combination of crowd funding, institutional investors, tax credits and some smaller amounts from the broadcasters. The interest of Cine Regio is proof that this financing strategy can be achieved.
Animag: I understand that Cine Regio will not be the only fund investing in Urbance.
Friedman: You are right. This was the other great news that we received last week: As Urbance is a co-production between Denis Friedman Productions in France and Steambot in Canada, the Canada Media Funds have announced that they will match the amount raised by Cine Regio.
Animag: So you are totally financed?
Friedman: No, this is a huge step but I estimate this will cover about 45 percent of the total budget of the project. The rest will have to come from other sources.
Animag: Does it mean that you do not need anymore the money from the Kickstarter campaign?
Friedman: No, on the contrary, we need it more than ever! First of all, most of the funding from the institutions will only come once we complete the financing of the project, and more than that, all the financiers expect — as we do — the campaign to be successful, as it will show that there is a real interest from the internet community in the Urbance project. And above all, the fact that we raise that money on our own will guarantee our creative independence. With the funds from the campaign, we will produce a pilot and show it to our partners as the reference of what the property will look like.
Animag: That sounds pretty clear. There seems to be a lot of buzz on the net on the project and you find a lot of discussion about the way you address sexuality as well as race. Can you tell us more about that?
Friedman: It is natural to find this kind of questions as Urbance is clearly addressing those issues, but we did not want to make a show on sexual preferences, we wanted to imagine what would become to our world if sex was totally prohibited because it is deadly. Our real subject is love, not sex, and in Urbance, you will find all kind of love … and actually very little sex, as we want most of our characters to stay alive. Regarding the color issue, our characters are not specifically black, white or Asian; they are a mix of all that. In the futuristic world we are depicting, human beings are all born in labs and they all have mixed origins. But I would advise people to wait for the first episodes to judge the content of the show. Once the scripts will be out, I am convinced that this will clear things up.
This is the first time I’ve heard that bit about labs creating humans artificially, cleared up a lot of my questions about how they sustain the population. Still, they haven’t clarified if it’s just hetero-sex which kills in this setting. If it’s all sex, then the segregation doesn’t make much sense.
From the FAQ of the kickstarter they answered that James:
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Help us produce a kick-ass PILOT EPISODE and URBANCE complete Transmedia series will follow…
Urbance is a
26-minutes animated action serie for 16+ audience. Written and
Directed by Joel Dos Reis Viegas and Sébastien Larroudé. A topic that hits with stunning visuals and blasting tunes; Urbance brings you into a post-modern story world, made of hip-hop
vibes and electronic influences.
Watch Urbance official Trailer!
THE ANIMATION: Yapiko & Hiroshi Shimizu
VIDEO 1: What is Urbance?
VIDEO 2: Behind the scene…
PLAID – Coevolution soundtrack
Our
goal is to raise a minimum of $189,000 to complete the production of a pilot episode. After completion, this pilot will be presented to
broadcasters, investors and festivals as an independent artistic vision that will stand as the ground base of a full TV series with Transmedia developments.
Anything raised above our minimum goal will be invested in the
production of the Episode 1 of Urbance.
Here
is how we intend to use the funds raised :
Increase
the quality of animation (and bring Hiroshi Shimizu — of Studio Ghibli’s fame— on board!)
Help
offset the current production costs
Produce
exclusive music with AAA artists
Manufacturing
costs for backers’ rewards
_______________________________________________________________
UPDATE #8: PLAID, the band behind Tekkonkinkreet is signing the soundtrack of URBANCE.
You may have heard about Plaid, the famous duo from the UK who signed the brilliant OST of the japanese feature film Tekkonkinkreet.
Plaid (Warp Records) counts 10 albums in their discography featuring
collaborations with names such as Portishead, Goldfrapp and Björk…
Steambot is hyped to count Ed and Andy among the Urbance crew. They are
committed to create a “never-heard-before” musical world, inspired by
futuristic, tribal and electro vibes.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
UPDATE #1: DAY 1 WAS A BLAST!
Wow… What a kick start! We never expected that much reactivity from y’all guys in only 24H.
50% of the Collector Artbooks gone, don’t miss the chance to get yours, they empty fast!
Also, take a look to the FAQ section, it’s getting more complete every minute.
Please continue to pledge and share, you do great!
“In a post-modern city torn by street violence, sex is
prohibited because of a deadly genetical virus infecting the entire
population. Men and women have grown apart, hating each other until two
young rebels, disowned by their own gangs, are leading the fight to live
their love freely.”
In the crumbling inner city, sex
kills. The urban landscape is split in two — men on one side, women on
the other— opposing each other. COEVO seems to be the only hope: a
government medical treatment developed to cure every single citizen
except that those wearables haven’t produced the expected results yet…
Born
among this lost generation of frustrated gangs, Kenzell and Lesya live
each day as their last, defying anyone who stands in the way of their
union. Like modern avatars of Romeo and Juliet, they will have to choose
between love or their kind, Passion VS Reason, Deadly Eves VS Neo
Blasterz… In their flamboyant relationship lies the premises of a
revolution against the authorities, the vicious Mediators and their
mysterious separatist laws. Rebels can change the world…
Based in Montreal, Steambot is a Canadian creative agency specialized
in developing ideas and providing Concept Art for Entertainment
Industry. Founded in 2006 by Sébastien Larroudé, Joël Dos Reis Viegas
and Nicolas Ferrand, Steambot rapidly became a serious outsider thanks
to its innovative teamwork approach but also its unique creative touch.
We at Steambot come from different backgrounds; from Animation
(Joël) to Architecture (Sébastien), to Céramic Design (Nicolas). This
richness of disciplines keeps us constantly curious to discover new
skills and extand our activites : we don’t only outsource Art, we also
produce original projects (IP) internally.
The journey started in 2005 when Steambot was a collective of
Artists, inspired by sharing, experimenting and by pass ego. Years
later, we still trust in these values that led the team to collaborate
on numerous AAA games and movies such as TRON Legacy, Godzilla, X-MEN: Days of Future Past, Thief, Batman Games (Warner). This exposure allowed Steambot to establish the agency as a leader in the Industry.
“I have been a big fan of this project since I first saw it.
Love the characters, the color design, and the animation… Damn, how did
you guys do that? So damn slick.”
Robert Valley Designer / Animator / Director on TRON: Uprising, Motorcity, XMEN Evolution, Aeon Flux, Dance Central
______________________________________________________________
“With
Urbance, Joël not only opens another door into the high-end space of
the TV animation lexicon, he shatters it. Like Fat Albert, The Boondocks
and Black Dynamite before it, Urbance introduces a world that reflects
the diverse, fast-paced one we live in and not a manufactured one. Where
social tolerance is at the forefront of the world, while never speaking
down to it’s audience…and visually blowing them away at the same
time. It’s a perfect tour de force mix… and it’s a show that needs to
be made NOW.”
LeSean Thomas Creative Producer / Supervising Director, Black Dynamite: The Animated series (Season1)
______________________________________________________________
キャラクターのデザインや色彩が素晴らしく、魅力的なので。
自分にはないセンスに魅力を感じました”The character designs
and the colors of Urbance are incredible. There is a charm that I don’t
have in my designs and I would love to develop.”
Hiroshi Shimizu Animation Director / Character Designer : Princess Mononoke, Porco Rosso, Michiko & Hatchin, Space Dandy
______________________________________________________________
“With
Urbance, I had the chance to discover an uninhibited Western project
offering a large freedom of expression in both story and designs. It’s
pure dynamite in the animation industry and we definitely need to
support it!”
Eddie Mehong CFO / Art Director at Yapiko Animation / Animator on Space Dandy, Macross Frontier, Basquash, One Piece, Zetman, Conan
______________________________________________________________
“When
I saw Urbance for the first time a few years ago I thought that it was
already quite an achievement in terms of design and animation. It never
stopped moving in the right direction then. Steambot guys are working at
the opposite side of the globe, but I can feel a connection with them. I
backed the project and I am confident that the true animation lovers
will support Urbance. I’m also certain that a lot of japanese animators
will be delighted to work on a project with so strong artistic values.
These are way too rare. And I would be honored to help the team create a
stimulating and creative environnement with the japanese side.”
Thomas Romain Tokyo based animation creator : Oban Star-racers, Basquash!, Space Dandy
Crowdfunding is the ultimate way for our growing community of Urbancers to
show their interest and support the franchise. You can be part of it by
pledging here, share the fever with your friends and stay in touch
through our 11,000+ OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE or other social networks (Urbance is on Tumblr, Reddit, Instagram, Pinterest, Linkedin, Twitter, Behance, Deviantart, You Tube,…).
We’ve chosen Kickstarter to make this beautiful and unconventional project possible the way we see it. No artistic compromises. Let’s build Urbance together!
Risks and challenges
Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
Here is how we intend to use the funds raised :
**** Increase the quality of animation
*** Help offset the current production costs
** Produce exclusive music with AAA artists
* Manufacturing costs for backers rewards
FAQ
Will I receive the Artbook featured in the ENTOURAGE PACK if I pledge for one of the upper levels rewards?
What are the rewards that are strictly limited to their pack and ARE NOT featured as part of the upper levels rewards?
With a tag line like “Sex is forbidden”, are you guys only referring to heterosexual sex?
Sex means all forms of sexual activity. In Urbance, any kind of
sexual intercourse is deadly, supposedly heterosexual AND homosexual. We
—as authors — do not discriminate and the serie is precisely about
that. LGBT discrimination is one of the social topics of our show. Now
that does not mean that our views are shared by all gangs and even less
by the government that rules Urbance. We won’t spoil the story for you
guys but there is definitely more than meets the eye in the COVEO cure
policy…
—–
I only copy pasted but i guess that answers a bit your question 😉
Urghs.. sorry for the long post… i hit to fast post before deleting the not so interesting stuff ^^”
Thanks Saron 🙂 When I first heard about Urbance I just skimmed the Kickstarter page; must have missed the FAQ. I’m interested to find out why there’s a complete ban on sex, guess we’ll find out when the pilot arrives.