History
Here are the main steps that led to the Great Adventure.
2004 : Leebo
In 2004, The vision was to create new media to provide innovative products that allow kids and teens to enjoy the most fun through learning, discovery and play. We were 6 people, on 3 computers. The team was great, contributing greatly through the process and learning.
We finally developed an interactive CD-ROM: Leebo's Adventures - History of Lebanon (Part 1). Leebo was launched, but it was not the right time. The CD was bought 500 times and distributed free to about 4000 children in Lebanon.
Doubt sits right from the start and BAN is disappointed with the failure of his first project.
2006 : The Bans
In the desire to improve the quality of the animation for Leebo which was done with 4 key frames per second, while the quality of an animation should be at 25 frames per second; the author wanted to meet animators and met more than 300 talents residing in Lebanon: writers; character artists and animators, modelers, sound artists, musicians, special effects. After meeting all these talents; BAN needed to show their work so he travels to Paris with around 50 talent showreels; and makes appointments with animation studios in Paris.
The French animation studios have all told him the same thing, the freelancers are talented but it takes an interesting project that will bring them together, to bring out the quality, because they need training and work of team. Because of its impossibility to install such a house for artists; for many reasons, the vision has turned into a dream, a movie. Thus, the vision of the community of Bans turns into a short animated film, with the Bans, entitled: "Art can save the world." This short film was transformed ten years later into the great adventure.
It was the beginning of the meditation to save the world, (The Monk was not born consciously yet and will not be born until 7 years later) and The author remained alone with the Bans with this big question.
2008 : Yaya
Returning from this last meeting with Parisian studios and a bit desperate, BAN stopped at his cousin Geraldine to confide in her. On her balcony was her friend, Stephanie who with another Alain, had created a song for a virtual artist named Yaya and drew it in 2D. BAN offers them to sponsor and make the video in 3D, and that he would be the godfather of Yaya. They accepted. Yaya was a really incredible challenge. He returns to Ban and then decides to make a video in 3D, without any previous experience, but it was the ultimate opportunity to learn the manufacturing process on a short project. If BAN manages to make a 3D video, it would be a great step to get to the realization of the adventures of the sequel (TV series, feature films).
Back at the studio, Ban is looking for college talent to form his team. By chance and miracle, Ban receives 3 applications from talented, human and motivated people. Ban spends 8 months doing it, for 8 months, with constant and daily learning, a very strong passion and above all an infinity of technical problems to solve at each stage.
Yaya's first song videoclip (2008) from Ban on Vimeo.
Making of du Videoclip de Yaya
The video has been hugely successful on YouTube: 10 million views and is on TV on melody hits being number 1 for 3 consecutive months.
From 2008 to 2013, with Yaya as a portfolio, Ban made media orders to survive and allow the author to write, and talents, to work on the hero characters of our studio in our spare time.
But the author knew that he had to dedicate all his time, energy and thoughts to future achievements.
Having made the short film "ET si & quot; at the end, "the author discovers its shortcomings and decides to go learn the cinema to know how to do things well for animation.
2013 : The Monk and the Robot
the author decides to travel to Prague to learn cinematography and thus apply it to animation, and especially learn to write film scripts. He who had devoted himself to intensive training for 10 years needed to understand cinematography to be able to make his animated films.
While sitting on the school bench thinking about his graduation film, knowing that he had written nothing and was in total emptiness. In this state of depression, a friend Wendy Wuyts, gives him a small paper pub describing a puppet creation workshop for short film. The Monk and the Robot, who had been there for a long time inside, were born in Prague, at this magical opportunity. During the workshop, it was necessary to create a character, instantly and by magic, the Monk and the Robot were born in power pushing him to draw them on the field and to begin to carve them in the wood. Back home, the script of the short film was revealed to the author in a sleepless night of writing.
short film of the Monk and the Robot
The Monk and the Robot (2013) from BAN on youtube.
The making of is available by clicking on this link : The Making of the short film of the Monk and the Robot
2014-2019 Writing of the great adventure (Tome I, II, ...)
Since the Monk and the Robot were born, everything has changed. The Bans tried to connect with the Monk and the story began to come out naturally. Since 2014, the author has written the trilogy; as an obsession. It takes everything. The trilogy is the story that brings together all the characters from the studio; in a spiritual quest.
The main Mission of the adventure is to spread good values such as the love of others, respect for others, the protection of human values, cultural and historical heritage, personal development. Also, to raise awareness of the great challenges of our time and share the fruits of the Monk's meditation for peace in the world.
2019-2020 : Preproduction
After 10 years of writing the great aventure, these past 2 years have been dedicated to the visualisation of the 2 first volumes through an illustrated book (3D), which could be base for our storyboard. Currently, BAN is entering the last phase of preproduction, which is the finalisation of characters and environments, before entering production.