Morevna Project

[Genete]

The main goal of Morevna Project is creation of full-lengthened anime movie, utilizing Open Source software only.

The story is based on the Russian fairy tale “Marya Morevna”. It is completely reworked to futuristic high-tech twist with a large amount of technobabble, expounded in a style specific to anime genre.

Also it has other goals:

• Promotion of Open Source software and its ideology.
• Testing and improving existing Open Source products by giving appropriated feedback to developers and community.
• Validate Open Source tools as suitable for creation of professional good-looking animation.
• Provide content for other artists to learn from or to re-use, including documentation and tutorials

Main production tools:

• 2D animation: Synfig Studio.
• 3D modeling and animation: Blender.
• Static images: GIMP, Krita.

The project is not receiving any sponsor support or subsidy funds at this time.
The nearest milestone in project development is creation of its demo. The demo is 3 min scene from a movie where two main characters (Ivan and Morevna) meeting each other for the first time.
The demo planned as a music video and could be watched as a standalone piece.
It is planned to publish source materials under one of Creative Commons Licenses when, where and if it possible. Some sources are already published - license is clearly indicated in corresponding posts of its blog.
Help

We are looking for creative people to help our project:

• Characters designers (drawing in anime style required).
• Keyframe animators (making extreme key drawings of characters/objects operating in scene, drawing in anime style required).
• Inbetweeners (making smooth animation based on drawn keyframes with Synfig Studio).
• Background painters.
• 3D designers (knowledge of blender required).

If you are not good at drawing, animation or 3D modeling you still can participate in project! You can support us in following ways:

• Translation of project documentation from Russian into English. Even if you don’t know Russian but know English very well you can help the project by correcting our existing translations.
• If you are good at C/C++ programming we appreciate if you help with the development of Synfig Studio or contirbute to Synfig project in any other way.
• Just give us your feedback or constructive critique.

If you want to know more about this project, or participate in project development, please contact us: .
Project page at MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/morevna_project.

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I'm contributing actively to the animation of the project. I'm working with Synfig Studio tracing keyframes and fixing the inbetweens when needed.

I did all the animation of this scene (except the sketches of the main keyframes and the hair motion draft).
http://morevnaproject.org/wiki/Scenes/Demo/22

I'm having a lot of fun!
-G

[TheChewanater]

What exactly do you need done in Blender? And can other free programs be used (like Jahshaka or Debugmode Wax)?

[Genete]

What exactly do you need done in Blender? And can other free programs be used (like Jahshaka or Debugmode Wax)?

Blender is used for video composition, for 3D environment for some scenes and for some 3D props (bike, helicopter, etc.)

Not other application is needed I think. Maybe for the long film other sound applications are needed (Audacity)
-G

[TheChewanater]

Cool, I'd be interesting in participating in this. I'm no too good at making and animating characters, but I could help with Blender or Audacity stuff.

[2ner]

Does this mean you have to be running Linux?

[Genete]

Does this mean you have to be running Linux?

According to the Contributor's guide:

Contributed data must be produced with the help of open source software only

I don't know if use Blender, Synfig or Gimp under other OS than linux matches that requirement. Better ask to the Project Director.
-G

[Genete]

Does this mean you have to be running Linux?

I've contacted the project's director and this is the official reply:

It is possible to contribute to Morevna Project using the OS other than Linux (even Windows) if you will manage to run necessary OpenSource software on it.

We're not excluding the possibility to the OpenSource software other than synfig/blender/gimp/krita. For example, we're using Pencil for draft animatic. But we are not use the software if it is
proprietary-os-dependent. I.e. if you use an OpenSource tool which could be used on Windows only, we're unable to accept contribution made with such software (BTW, Debugmode Wax is not an OpenSource).

At the same time we're trying to avoid the usage of software if it is duplicates the functionality of the project major tools -
synfig/blender. I.e. if your contribution made with a OpenSource 3D software other than blender, we prefer to stick with blender, rather than make an efforts trying to make this two software analogues work together.

Consider, that if you use OS other than Linux (especially Windows) it could be difficult to set up/use tools like git and make. As a consequence you probably will be limited in actions related to automatization and will loose advantages provided by those tools.
Anyway, we appreciate if you will share our experience of setting up production tree environment (http://morevnaproject.org/wiki/Contribu ... ction_tree) on the OS other than Linux.

-G