2:26 AM, Hollyweird time.
The video is uploading now and I’m terrified.
Anyone who has worked freakishly hard on a project to be shown to the public must feel like this. I slaved, I sweated, I bled and I lost sleep over this, and by god it was worth it. Can’t wait to do it again.
This is sincerely the best video I’ve ever made, and I’m scared nobody is going to like it.
An irrational fear, obviously. On a spinning rock populated by 6 billion people SOMEone is bound to like it. I mean in a world where Pauly Shore was king for a day there’s hope for anyone, right?
2:36 AM, Hollyweird time.
Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god.
3:00 AM, Hollyweird time.
Ok, I’d better stop freaking and just get to explaining the video already.
The video below is the product of well over 40 hours of hard work, fits of rage and confusion and quite a lot of caffeine. Before you ask, soda was the only substance abused in it’s creation at all levels (read: No I did not get “high”… my brain is just that fucked up).
All of the materials I used are either public domain or from http://www.sxc.hu, which is a lovely site by the way and an incredible resource for all artists. The song is “Don’t try it for it can’t be done,” by Riley Puckett which I chose as it resonated with many people’s opinion of my efforts and skills. It is also in the public domain, which is rather nice I think.
The animation was done in Anime Studio 5, which in spite of the name and stated purpose is quite a lovely, if ill tempered, program1. No, I won’t teach you and no, I don’t have any tips. Just because you fiddle around with a car long enough to figure out how to drive does not qualify you to teach, in spite of every DMV ever.
The script was written by me in about 30 minutes after having mulled over bits and pieces for probably weeks beforehand. I’m proud to say that it’s some of the funniest shite I’ve ever written, and I can’t wait to do more.
All of the voices, with the notable exception of Toby were done by me. Toby was played by the incredibly talented “Leah” pictured at the end of the video. She doesn’t always have the skull on her head, but when she does she looks just smashing. The skull is named Octovillikahn2, by the way.
As far as I’m aware, this is the first ever animated Steampunk comedy sitcom, and I hope it flies.
This is the combined result of every single talent I have cultivated in the past five years: photomanipulation, animation, scriptwriting and learning cinematography and directing.
It’s my opinion that it’s the best thing that I have ever done. Please be gentle.
William Butler Yeats – He Wishes For the Cloths of Heaven
HAD I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
Haberdashery – Episode 1 from boh3m3 on Vimeo.
Dedicated to Terry Gilliam, Mel Brooks, George Carlin, and every incredible comedian who has shaped my view of the world and made me better for it.
I would also like to thank Leah, for doing such a great job with the voice work, sxc.hu and the public domain catalogs for providing such incredible materials, and you all for watching and supporting my mad thoughts. I hope to continue making many more episodes to come.
I would also like to extend a special tip of the hat to Site5 for providing such excellent website hosting and recently allowing me to have unlimited bandwidth for $5.55 a month under Matt’s Birthday Special. Even though very few people will get that special deal, I recommend anyone looking for an inexpensive and excellent service check them out.
To my dear friends who I offered voice acting roles to and then quickly decided against it, accept my apologies. It’s not easy being this weird.
(added 9:14 AM, Hollyweird time)
Haberdashery - Episode 1
- I laughed, I cried, I want to donate (but probably don't have the money to in an economic crisis) (86%, 134 Votes)
- I didn't like it and I want to hurt your feelings. (14%, 21 Votes)
Total Voters: 155
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1: Forgive my lack of respect for Anime “art” and especially Anime culture. It’s been my [limited] experience that many of the people clinging to Anime are just looking for something different and settling with Anime in spite of the majority of shows being artistically challenged. Seriously. It’s repetitive, formulaic, and not detailed. I’m speaking, of course, of DBZ and Naruto and it should be clarified as a critique on art and not story, characters or the seemingly intense 20 minutes it seems to need in order to create a 20 minute episode. I will however say that Anime such as Blood: The Last Vampire is innovative, intelligent and beautiful. It’s just a shame it’s drowning in a sea of mediocre productions.
2: I have no clue why either.
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HOLY CRAP
I was laughing so hard XD
Ben I can’t believe it, it’s freakin’ AMAZING! Influenced by wondermark! at all?
10/10. Honestly very, very impressed.
Besides… I’d much rather dance with your dreams than tread on them, old thing.
x x x x
Well, what a nice surprise. I just got home and look what’s waiting for me, the much-anticipated Haberdashery!
I’ll keep it short Ben – very, very impressive and great entertainment. It’s so good to see something new, something unique and something that someone has actually put a shitload of work into. I wish there was more stuff like this on the net, can’t wait for your creation. Good fucking work!
Keep an eye out for my donation – I don’t know whether to wait for the Aussie Dollar to pick up again, BAH! damn economic crisis…
PS, meant to say, you’re a brilliant voice actor :)
Unlimited hosting for $5.55 a month is an excellent deal for Brainpoops and thanks to “Haberdashery Episode 1″; might be a lucrative one also. I’m no expert, but I have a feeling that this video might be your calling card, Ben. What Parker & Stone did with construction paper, may ring true for you with Steampunk animation.
I favourited this video on YouTube and I can’t wait for this weekend to show it to my brother Dane (a struggling cartoonist) and see the reaction on his face – he may be inspired!
I re-watched this video several times already and the humour holds up nicely. Riley Puckett’s “Don’t Try It For It Can’t Be Done” was a pleasant surprise and so was the voice talent of MyPinkElephants (Leah).
haha, I do love it, I would go as far to say a high class south park. That beats south park with it’s own lame jokes, alot.
Couple of small notes;
When the arm put the hat on Toby the animation on the arm was a bit off. Try start moving the arm in just after the line ‘privacy, Toby’ and land the hat on Toby’s head a bit closer to ‘awww’ then you have now. Lastly try moving the arm faster away afterwards.
Also I thought it odd that Furstenburg’s moustache didn’t move when he sniffed.
On the whole a great piece with some excellent writing, you should be proud of yourself.
It was pretty good i guess, not so much a comedy for me as simply entertainment.. I am experiencing an urge to watch more of this.
However i doubt that most people will get it, it’d be great if you could publish the scripts :)
if…perhaps we were at the opera id throw rose’s at your feet and clap like i had no wits about me screaming bravo. or maybe your wayne newton…in that case you just landed yourself my panties :)
excellent ben. <3
That was awesome, seriously! I look forward to the next episode :) You might also wanna upload it to http://www.newgrounds.com and see how it goes down there? I’m sure they’d enjoy it.
Would a potential follow-up be a sequel, or an unrelated clockpunk-themed story, or would it have a totally different theme to it?
Very excited to see where you go next, your fucking LEG-END.
*you. I didn’t mean to imply that you copulate with feet.
Anna x x
“No you bastard, He’s surgically grafted to it,”
That was simply the funniest animation I’ve seen ever
Bravo! I always knew there was a reason I stuck around!
Can’t wait for more.
Way to go, Ben.
It was fucking awesome.
=]
I…smiled.
I thought Toby was pretty hot. I was really thankful to learn he was played by a girl.
It was amazing, and not just amazing “for a first try”…amazing in itself. You did a great job, and you’re not a bad voice actor.
This is the best video ever!
I’m setting this as my homepage.
You rock, Ben.
Jesus Christ Bo, that was creepy. Haha, they grafted the styles and times to his bones! The bathtub scene was my favourite. :)
Great man, and it must seem that all the people on your website would love anything you did and praise you even if you were a complete douche. Well, this was genuinely good and you definitely have a talent for this. Keep em coming.
The people on this website would praise him for anything…almost. We might have a problem with him, if he fathered 52 children beat them, raped them, maimed them, and then got them into paraplegic politics.
i feel like i should comment on your voice comment.
1st i think the majority of your fans have stuck by you thru all your phases…if the excellence of Haberdashery weeds out some fucktards…well thank god. it gets crowded with the douche kits loitering.
2nd im happy you’re realizing you dont have to please everyone…cause unfortunately is impossible. ive tried. and failed. just do what you damn well please…if we dont like it…we can keep our mouths shut and not pay attention…offer constructive advice. and stick with you while you find yourself further.
i think this is an excellent stepping stone…could i possibly cram anymore cliches into this response. fuck
what i mean to say is
<33
It was so weird for me… I don’t get it.
More episodes may help, so keep it up Ben.