So I've begun work on the first of a series of incredibly dumb ideas I have for Mr Sanderstone. Given I don't have a good video recording camera (my DSLR camera needs an upgrade as I've noticed it has some problems with what it actually focuses on.....that or it's just me....which is a possibility), I have no real idea how it will turn out.
I have the recorded footage, gone to bensound.com for some music and now all I have to do is the editing. Problem is that Total War: Warhammer 2 is coming out and to top it all off the next few days will be a terrible heat wave, so I have no idea as to how long it'll take. That said, the first one will be silly commentary on reaction videos, but I am looking to do a series of political election parody as Mr Sanderstone runs for parliament. As stupid as these are, they are meant more to help bring my recording and editing skills back up to scratch.
I also learned from doing this that I can't actually use footage from Parliament Question Time. Despite our laws regarding the use of footage for parody/comedy, Question Time actually states you can't use its footage for it. I have no idea why, as it is by far one of the most pointless things the Government does (and so easy a target for comedy). Someone asks a question and the response is to avoid answering it, say how great your side is and blame the opposition for something that happened in the past.
Then again, it is called Question Time, not Question and Answer Time, so maybe they take its name too literally.
Update: So the footage I had of the political speech was corrupted (thanks mostly due to the poor streaming capabilities of Australian Internet), but was able to find segments of the conference speech. While it didn't have the part I wanted to use, I was able to find another part that would work well. On another note, the phrase 'Queensland produces most of the gas on the East Coast' has led me to film another scene as a bit of a joke and will be a separate video. There is no time frame as to when they will be done, due mostly to my poor motivation.
Update 2: So one of the problems I'm encountering is that on the moments I get motivated and start working on it, I have problems with the software. See, I can't actually afford Adobe After Effects at the moment (the program I've actually been trained to use) and instead have to rely on Hitfilm Express. The problem is that there are times when either effects refuse to work on imported footage with sound has issues syncing the sound with the footage and due to the way Hitfilm works, I have issues manually fixing it up (the original footage is fine, but when it is imported the sound becomes out of sync with the footage). As such, problems like this are frustrating and I very demotivating.
Wednesday, 27 September 2017
Friday, 22 September 2017
Is it Spring or Summer?
Just saw the weather report for the next week and I swear the temperatures look to be worse then we got last Summer.........and it's only Spring!
I know I use this image in my Animated Reflections post, but it feels more appropriate then ever now.
I know I use this image in my Animated Reflections post, but it feels more appropriate then ever now.
Wednesday, 20 September 2017
The Hunt for Crocadoo
So as part of doing Animated Reflections, I have to try and remember every animated show/movie I have ever seen and then look them up for watching and reviewing (though if they have a current DVD release, that would be so much better). Unfortunately, time never favours those who reflect and this is an excellent example as to why. I did recently stumble upon a series of show introductions and found one for Crocadoo, an Australian cartoon series that was on Channel 9 back in the 90's. Looking for the episodes to review however has become a massive pain.
See, apart from the first episode, the rest simply don't exist. Well, when I say that, they do appear to be available online, but for some reason one channel on Youtube has about ten of them but they are locked from my country and the series seems to be on a paid subscription site called Oznoz, which is apparently an American site with a bunch of Australian content which appears to be locked from every other country (except America), including Australia. You can imagine my irritation that as an Australian, I can't even review Australian shows cause they are locked off from my own damn country. Seriously, this just comes off as completely ridiculous.
To make matters more confusing, the only two other main pieces of information I could find on the series was a lawsuit from someone (who was a writer on the 1992 Blinky Bill movie) who had apparently had a contract that if the show got picked up then he'd be the sole writer on it and he had a hand in creating the concepts for the show? I'm not sure on what the details were exactly, but there was a lawsuit and given where some of the funding for shows comes from, there is a 2002 document in which a representative for the minister from the arts was asked about it in regards to it as a fraud case. Beyond that, I'm completely stumped as to what happened after that as I am unable to find the results of that lawsuit beyond seeing if I could obtain the legal documents and I am not going that far (Why write the article about the case and never follow up article on the results?). Another site says the trademark for it has lapsed and apart from some wiki text, all I have to go on is the first episode.
I do remember that the series did alter from season 1 to season 2, much like Blazing Dragons did, but what all the differences are I couldn't say (beyond cutting out some of the background Crocodiles I think). I do wonder if any of this stuff is even archived is some film and entertainment library, but given I can't find anything on that, I feel not having such a thing is a real disappointment.
A shame really, but what can you do?
See, apart from the first episode, the rest simply don't exist. Well, when I say that, they do appear to be available online, but for some reason one channel on Youtube has about ten of them but they are locked from my country and the series seems to be on a paid subscription site called Oznoz, which is apparently an American site with a bunch of Australian content which appears to be locked from every other country (except America), including Australia. You can imagine my irritation that as an Australian, I can't even review Australian shows cause they are locked off from my own damn country. Seriously, this just comes off as completely ridiculous.
To make matters more confusing, the only two other main pieces of information I could find on the series was a lawsuit from someone (who was a writer on the 1992 Blinky Bill movie) who had apparently had a contract that if the show got picked up then he'd be the sole writer on it and he had a hand in creating the concepts for the show? I'm not sure on what the details were exactly, but there was a lawsuit and given where some of the funding for shows comes from, there is a 2002 document in which a representative for the minister from the arts was asked about it in regards to it as a fraud case. Beyond that, I'm completely stumped as to what happened after that as I am unable to find the results of that lawsuit beyond seeing if I could obtain the legal documents and I am not going that far (Why write the article about the case and never follow up article on the results?). Another site says the trademark for it has lapsed and apart from some wiki text, all I have to go on is the first episode.
I do remember that the series did alter from season 1 to season 2, much like Blazing Dragons did, but what all the differences are I couldn't say (beyond cutting out some of the background Crocodiles I think). I do wonder if any of this stuff is even archived is some film and entertainment library, but given I can't find anything on that, I feel not having such a thing is a real disappointment.
A shame really, but what can you do?
Tuesday, 19 September 2017
Portfolio Update
The portfolio section has been updated with my final assessment from the Diploma course I did. While I admit I had mixed feelings on the final result, I still came out alright. I am uncertain what other videos I will be able to place here, as some of my gag ones may be too simple to classify as any real skill, but we'll see.
I will probably talk more about my green screening experience in the future, probably with a guide on how to do it on a budget.
I will probably talk more about my green screening experience in the future, probably with a guide on how to do it on a budget.
Friday, 15 September 2017
Disney Afternoon Vinyl Figures
Oh heck yes. So want to get the Rescue Rangers ones first (big Chip n Dale & Rescue Rangers fan), probably followed by Darkwing Duck. I do enjoy when they release collectable pieces based on shows from my youth like this, though all it does is make me want more classic stuff released (just look at the shows I look at for Animated Reflections as my starting point).
Thoughts on General's Handbook and my own Collection
So going through General's Handbook 2017, it was no surprise that I'd look over it and the Warscroll PDF releases and compare them to what I have in my miniature collection (painted and unpainted).
Taking into account all the Empire models from whats completed to what I'm still working on, it would actually be a legal 2,000pt Order Allegiance (well, 1,990pts, but close enough). As such, I may consider re-basing the lot, but if I do that it may be some time off. As for adding anything extra, that is still up for debate. I would still like to know if a Huntmarshal was Free Peoples, cuase I would like one of them in my army if it was to go AoS (that and I would need to convert a bunch of command characters for the various units).
As for Death, well my Skeleton Horsemen from the old Tomb Kings range does count as a Battleline, but I would need to add things like Skeleton Warriors, probably some Dire Wolves to get enough Battlelines for a legal faction. Would be a Death Allegiance too, as I have far too many mixed options. Would continue to add more Skeleton variants, lots of Bat and Bat-like models as well.
Destruction is just out. Apart from four Man-eaters and a Night Goblin or two, I have no other miniatures in this range, so I'm just going to call that done.
Finally Chaos. Now I have enough easily for a 1,000pt Chaos Allegiance, which is mostly due to me not wanting to re-base my original Skaven army (still holding out to see what happens. Well, that's the advice I've been given anyway), but if they were taken into account, 3,000pts or more that'd be (but I'm not counting them, so it's 1,000pts). As such, I can't field a Skryre theme as it requires a minimum of two Battlelines alone and even if I was to convert my old Globadiers (Skryre Acolytes now) they only number seven, so I'd need at least three more for a minimum 1,000pt force. Stormfiends are right out as they alone cost $99 and that is well out of my price range. As such, even a Skaven themed force would still need some more miniatures. Until they re-package/re-sculpt the Acolytes, I may hold off on adding too much more (well, maybe a weapon team here and there). I feel they'll probably do that when they release the Skryre book, as given what the so-called 'Sky Dwarfs' got, they'll probably release a few crazy Skryre contraptions too.
As for my Chaos/Tzeentch stuff, for the Deamons I can re-base both my Heralds, I do have an old Changeling miniature, a unit of ten Horrors that I'm just using to mess around with in colour and pattern (I consider them the visage of madness and the whole purpose anyway was to paint something without worrying what it looks like) and my old unit of three Flamers I could re-base. Mortals I have a variety of hero options (a bunch still to convert, plus some Games Day ones), a ten man unit of Chaos Warriors of Tzeentch and an old Chaos Spawn which I could re-base and re-paint to be Tzeentch themed (given now that Chaos Spawns have a Tzeentch name). As for allies, well I do have an almost completed unit of three Chaos Ogors, that old project I could re-base and finish and would act as a great Tzeentch themed ally in a Tzeentch Allegiance. They have a good variety in that range, so I could pick up a miniature here and there to add to it (the Tzaangor Skyfires look interesting and perhaps a unit of Tzaangors as another Battleline).
So I'd have either a Skith/Xzark alliance or two factions, Skith's Skryre Skaven and Xzark's Tzeentch (which reminds me, I should get back into finishing the Xzark conversion. Forgotten how many years that's been needing to be finished).
Taking into account all the Empire models from whats completed to what I'm still working on, it would actually be a legal 2,000pt Order Allegiance (well, 1,990pts, but close enough). As such, I may consider re-basing the lot, but if I do that it may be some time off. As for adding anything extra, that is still up for debate. I would still like to know if a Huntmarshal was Free Peoples, cuase I would like one of them in my army if it was to go AoS (that and I would need to convert a bunch of command characters for the various units).
As for Death, well my Skeleton Horsemen from the old Tomb Kings range does count as a Battleline, but I would need to add things like Skeleton Warriors, probably some Dire Wolves to get enough Battlelines for a legal faction. Would be a Death Allegiance too, as I have far too many mixed options. Would continue to add more Skeleton variants, lots of Bat and Bat-like models as well.
Destruction is just out. Apart from four Man-eaters and a Night Goblin or two, I have no other miniatures in this range, so I'm just going to call that done.
Finally Chaos. Now I have enough easily for a 1,000pt Chaos Allegiance, which is mostly due to me not wanting to re-base my original Skaven army (still holding out to see what happens. Well, that's the advice I've been given anyway), but if they were taken into account, 3,000pts or more that'd be (but I'm not counting them, so it's 1,000pts). As such, I can't field a Skryre theme as it requires a minimum of two Battlelines alone and even if I was to convert my old Globadiers (Skryre Acolytes now) they only number seven, so I'd need at least three more for a minimum 1,000pt force. Stormfiends are right out as they alone cost $99 and that is well out of my price range. As such, even a Skaven themed force would still need some more miniatures. Until they re-package/re-sculpt the Acolytes, I may hold off on adding too much more (well, maybe a weapon team here and there). I feel they'll probably do that when they release the Skryre book, as given what the so-called 'Sky Dwarfs' got, they'll probably release a few crazy Skryre contraptions too.
As for my Chaos/Tzeentch stuff, for the Deamons I can re-base both my Heralds, I do have an old Changeling miniature, a unit of ten Horrors that I'm just using to mess around with in colour and pattern (I consider them the visage of madness and the whole purpose anyway was to paint something without worrying what it looks like) and my old unit of three Flamers I could re-base. Mortals I have a variety of hero options (a bunch still to convert, plus some Games Day ones), a ten man unit of Chaos Warriors of Tzeentch and an old Chaos Spawn which I could re-base and re-paint to be Tzeentch themed (given now that Chaos Spawns have a Tzeentch name). As for allies, well I do have an almost completed unit of three Chaos Ogors, that old project I could re-base and finish and would act as a great Tzeentch themed ally in a Tzeentch Allegiance. They have a good variety in that range, so I could pick up a miniature here and there to add to it (the Tzaangor Skyfires look interesting and perhaps a unit of Tzaangors as another Battleline).
So I'd have either a Skith/Xzark alliance or two factions, Skith's Skryre Skaven and Xzark's Tzeentch (which reminds me, I should get back into finishing the Xzark conversion. Forgotten how many years that's been needing to be finished).
Animated Reflections: The Dreamstone
I was originally going to cover Season 2 of Blazing Dragons, but I accidentally discovered this gem and felt the need to talk about it. I can honestly say my younger self was both intrigued and confused by this show, though I do remember enjoying the characters (I believed I watched season 1 and 2 at the time). Sadly, a number of the episodes (mostly season 1) are difficult, if not impossible to find (even in bad VHS quality), which is a major shame in my opinion. However, more can be discussed by delving into:
The Dreamstone is a slightly different version of the battle between good and evil. On the Dream Planet (actually, from what I can gather it never says the name of the planet, it's just what I got from some released map drawings) the world is split into two places, separated by the Myst of Limbo, which circles around the planet like a fluffy purple hoop. On one side is the Land of Nightmares, on the other is the Land of Dreams. So put simply, one side bad, the other side good. Both sides have key locations where the stories take place and crossing between them is done mostly over the sea section of the world, called the Sea of Destruction.
On the side of good we have our main protagonist, a young Noop called Rufus. Well, the first few episodes have him as the main protagonist, though he tends to share the spotlight with his good friend Amberley. Heck, it's hard to call his the main character of the show, but we'll get to that later on. He is introduced as someone who has a good heart, but tends not to consider the consequences of his actions has has a bad habit of daydreaming all the time. This costs him his work early on and when Amberley tells him to try being apprentice to the Dream Maker, he gives it a shot. This starts the shows episodic theme of the Dreamstone being stolen and Rufus & Co trying to get it back (most of the episodes anyway). I personally find him to be a very likeable character.
Amberley is Rufus' best friend and possible romantic interest? (it is hinted at a few times, plus there was that unused song). She is much more grounded in reality then Rufus and tends to be more aware of whats going on around her, which leads to her trying to keep Rufus focused too. The first few episodes certainly have her with a short temper and she does fight back, but this tends to be reduced quite a bit later on, mostly just to a few moments here and there.. While I'm not sure why, I guess each fan will probably have their opinions on this. She also works along side Rufus, though from what some of the episodes imply is that she is more of an assistant, where as Rufus is an apprentice.
Then we have the Dream Maker and his dogfish Albert. It would appear the Dream Maker is very old, well over a thousand years, though I can't say if he is immortal or not (at least when it comes to age related death). He is apparently very powerful and takes great joy in bringing dreams to everyone, using his dream potions and the Dreamstone to do so. Albert acts much like a dog, but one with average human intelligence. He can only talk like a dog, but he understands everything and has to try and use actions to explain things to others at times.
Finally there are the Wuts, forest creatures who act like the defenders of the Land of Dreams. The Wuts are tall and thin, tend to fly around on leaves and are well spoken. The main ones are Pildit (a.k.a Pildit VIII) who is the leader of the Wuts, Wildit who is Pildit's grandmother (and a bit of a wild character) and finally Mr. Blossom, who is the Dream Makers gardener and specialises in the art of moaning and complaining. Oh yes, there is also Spildit, who is Wildit's niece, who is very much the active kid who brags about how she can do things, but is very polite about it (she tends to treat Blob, Nug and Frizz nicely too it seems).
Beneath the red planet of Doom. Beneath the black mountain of Viltheed, a servant of evil stirs. Zordrak, Lord of Nightmares. That is how the first episode describes him and after your first introduction to him, you would think he was a power to contend with. As we see however, by around season two he tends to be less of a threat and more of a sit-down couch villain. Once a member of the Council of Dream Makers, he was cast out for, well. being evil. He has a great look and an amazing voice, but somehow along the way I feel something was lost with this guy. Still knows how to throw a party though. His Argorrible minions are purple mist monsters which are responsible for bringing nightmares to everyone, only being held off thanks to the power of the Dreamstone (which is why Zordrak wants it so much). He also tends to have his own comedic moments, which I feel makes him an enjoyable villain.
Then there are the Urpneys. These guys are the bumbling servants to Zordrak, either screwing up somehow or succeeding through shear luck, before loosing because of their silly nature. The Urpneys are very much the comedy of the show (most of the slapstick comedy is performed by them), which I feel ultimately made them the focus of the show. Nearly every episode starts with and ends with the Urpneys. There are two types. The first is Urpgor, a green Urpney who is the scientific inventor who creates all of the mechanical devices that are used in missions to capture the Dreamstone. Has a huge opinion of himself and tends to spit and splatter a lot when he talks. He also has some of the most elastic animation compared to every other character in the show, which helps to show off just how much of a mad scientist he is. He grows the most in the sense that when in season one he seems more limited, more structured and more quiet, but by season two onwards he gets louder, more vocal and more growth in character and personality, becoming the nutter he is loved for being.
Then there are the Soldiers of the Urpney army. Here we find the shows main focus, Sergeant Blob and his two man crack team of Frizz and Nug. Sgt. Blob is a large individual who acts like a stereotypical drill Sergeant. Frizz is short, is prone to panic attacks and emotional outbursts and would do anything, so long as it doesn't involve getting hurt, abused or stressed. Nug on the other hand is just as cowardly as Frizz, but his attitude at times seems more calm, though is more straight forward in stating how grim a situation can be, which usually upsets Frizz more often then not. The three tend to get seriously punished in the early seasons, but tend to fair better in the later ones (which is just as well as they are quite enjoyable characters to watch).
It's difficult to judge the animation quality, mostly cause nearly all the episodes I've found tend to be of bad VHS recordings. From what I have seen, the animation seems colourful and smooth and the character designs work well, though seasons 2 to 4 were done by a different animation company, which is noticable. What is amazing is the shows music. The whole thing is was done by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and it is simply a magical experience. Composed and Conducted by Mike Batt, there are two soundtrack versions. One you really need to look for, but is located on Youtube, but I do recommend that if you are a fan of it, then you can actually find another version on iTunes called The Mike Batt Archive Series: The Dreamstone / Rapid Eye Movements. Part of a two pack, the first set contains the Dreamstone songs:
1. More then a Dream - (Vocal Version) The shows main theme song/ end credits song.
2. The Warsong of the Urpneys - (Vocal Version) Instrumental usually heard during the Urpney sequences.
3. Dreamdance - A short and edited version (without sound clips) of the original Dreamdance.
4. Into the Sunset - (Vocal Ver) Apparently the shows love song that was never used (from what I could find it's suggested to be Rufus & Amberley).
Tracks 5 - 9: Dreamstone Overtunes 1 to 5 - Orchestrated music parts from the show.
Personally, I have listened to both and I really do just love this music. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about the music is just so appealing to me. The Warsong of the Urpneys for instants is one of those things that from the moment you start listening to it gives you the feeling of marching and singing (The military marching song certainly makes them sound far more competent and deadly then they actually are). Music like this feels almost like some long lost art form in animated shows. Orchestrated soundtracks like this make me feel like I'm watching a movie, not some twenty minute cartoon. Simply amazing.
Story wise, it tends to have a set standard. Starts off with the Urpneys doing something, then a plan is hatched, we visit our heroes to see what their story part is, then its back and forth between the two until the plan is foiled in which we return to the villains before credits. You get use to it fairly quickly, but along the way I got the feeling that so much more could be added. Straight off the bat I can honestly say that I feel that the heroes themselves don't get much in the way of personal advancement, particularly with Rufus and Amberley. It might just be me, but I felt more could have been done with them as far as character growth. Likewise, there seems to be more focus on the Urpneys then on the two Noops. Granted, they are the strong comedic element of the show, but you get the feeling that the show is more about them and their task to get the Dreamstone then on the protagonists. This tends to kick in after the first season and while they do expand some of the locations and characters, I feel that it comes at a cost. Several times I've often wondered while watching episodes 'What happens next?' with the heroes. What happens when they get back? Was what they did successful? You never know cause it tends to go straight to the Urpneys before the episode ends, leaving some questions unanswered. I wonder if this would work better if they had more time to tell the stories.
Then again, given how the character act in some episodes compared to other episodes, I have to wonder what the plan was for the Noops. It seems that in some episodes they act a little out of, what is, a pre-established character and I feel that given they are set-up as the main protagonists (well, the first few episodes establish Rufus as anyways), something feels like it was scrapped or cut back. This could be down to decisions beyond shows control, which I understand, but it was something that certainly bugged me when watching through these episodes again. I felt more progress and progression for them as characters was needed (they began to feel like side characters in some episodes when they were being active protagonists), but I guess that's just me wanting to see where these two Noops could have gone as far as personal stories and character growth went.
To be fair to the Urpneys, it wasn't surprising they were given more center stage. Just watching the first episode is an excellent example of how enjoyable they are to watch. The best one to point out is when they first use the Whirlyped, from its takeoff to them flying through the mist. Gags such as the 'You'll have noticed I have turned on the hang on to your seat like never before sign' in which even the stick figure Urpney wants out and the 'You'll look back on this someday and laugh', with Blob then getting struck by lightning and Nug and Frizz laughing before Blob yells out "I said Someday, not now". As such, I can't blame the focus for being on the Urpneys when they are the ones who usually are the comedic focus. They certainly got laughs out of me, so if that was the goal they definitely succeeded.
There is also feels like a magic vs technology feel to the series too. The Dream Maker is always using magic and the Wuts fly on magic leaves and Wut globes also act like a magical device. The Urpneys on the other hand are nearly always using some kind of technological device built by Urpgor. Most of the time these fail due to the incompetence of the user, but when used correctly they tend to do their job perfectly. This feels slightly odd when compared to Zordrak, who himself uses magic. Indeed, in the episode Horrible Argorrible, we see Zordrak actually has a book called The Book of Evil Principles and is used to make one of his Argorribles corporeal, stating he should read more often. This implies that he hasn't really read through the book much, which you'd think for a villain who is hundreds of years old and has been at war with the Dream Maker for some time, he would have exhausted his magic spells in the book before turning to relying on Urpgor's technology. Perhaps he has his reasons, but we may never know.
That said, don't let these little annoyances of mine put you off. I do recommend checking the series out, even if its just the first two episodes (the two part introduction) as it alone is an enjoyable watch which introduces everyone and shows off Zordrak at his finest. You can even find the original 1985 pitch and see what was originally pitched compared to what eventually got off the ground (sort of like a movie pitch which seems more re-worked into a television series). In comparison, as a massive fan of Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal, I found so many of this shows aspects so appealing to me and the music really feels so involved in the story telling. The cast of characters are enjoyable, there are so many great moments and while I feel I wanted more from it, I consider that a good thing (being invested is what creates a fan and builds a community). Much like a number of these animated shows I look at, I really want a DVD set of these. Why do so many of these shows not have a DVD collection, it's really frustrating. So do go check it out and remember, if you do end up having some horrible nightmare, you now know who to blame for it:
The Dreamstone is a slightly different version of the battle between good and evil. On the Dream Planet (actually, from what I can gather it never says the name of the planet, it's just what I got from some released map drawings) the world is split into two places, separated by the Myst of Limbo, which circles around the planet like a fluffy purple hoop. On one side is the Land of Nightmares, on the other is the Land of Dreams. So put simply, one side bad, the other side good. Both sides have key locations where the stories take place and crossing between them is done mostly over the sea section of the world, called the Sea of Destruction.
On the side of good we have our main protagonist, a young Noop called Rufus. Well, the first few episodes have him as the main protagonist, though he tends to share the spotlight with his good friend Amberley. Heck, it's hard to call his the main character of the show, but we'll get to that later on. He is introduced as someone who has a good heart, but tends not to consider the consequences of his actions has has a bad habit of daydreaming all the time. This costs him his work early on and when Amberley tells him to try being apprentice to the Dream Maker, he gives it a shot. This starts the shows episodic theme of the Dreamstone being stolen and Rufus & Co trying to get it back (most of the episodes anyway). I personally find him to be a very likeable character.
Amberley is Rufus' best friend and possible romantic interest? (it is hinted at a few times, plus there was that unused song). She is much more grounded in reality then Rufus and tends to be more aware of whats going on around her, which leads to her trying to keep Rufus focused too. The first few episodes certainly have her with a short temper and she does fight back, but this tends to be reduced quite a bit later on, mostly just to a few moments here and there.. While I'm not sure why, I guess each fan will probably have their opinions on this. She also works along side Rufus, though from what some of the episodes imply is that she is more of an assistant, where as Rufus is an apprentice.
Then we have the Dream Maker and his dogfish Albert. It would appear the Dream Maker is very old, well over a thousand years, though I can't say if he is immortal or not (at least when it comes to age related death). He is apparently very powerful and takes great joy in bringing dreams to everyone, using his dream potions and the Dreamstone to do so. Albert acts much like a dog, but one with average human intelligence. He can only talk like a dog, but he understands everything and has to try and use actions to explain things to others at times.
Finally there are the Wuts, forest creatures who act like the defenders of the Land of Dreams. The Wuts are tall and thin, tend to fly around on leaves and are well spoken. The main ones are Pildit (a.k.a Pildit VIII) who is the leader of the Wuts, Wildit who is Pildit's grandmother (and a bit of a wild character) and finally Mr. Blossom, who is the Dream Makers gardener and specialises in the art of moaning and complaining. Oh yes, there is also Spildit, who is Wildit's niece, who is very much the active kid who brags about how she can do things, but is very polite about it (she tends to treat Blob, Nug and Frizz nicely too it seems).
Beneath the red planet of Doom. Beneath the black mountain of Viltheed, a servant of evil stirs. Zordrak, Lord of Nightmares. That is how the first episode describes him and after your first introduction to him, you would think he was a power to contend with. As we see however, by around season two he tends to be less of a threat and more of a sit-down couch villain. Once a member of the Council of Dream Makers, he was cast out for, well. being evil. He has a great look and an amazing voice, but somehow along the way I feel something was lost with this guy. Still knows how to throw a party though. His Argorrible minions are purple mist monsters which are responsible for bringing nightmares to everyone, only being held off thanks to the power of the Dreamstone (which is why Zordrak wants it so much). He also tends to have his own comedic moments, which I feel makes him an enjoyable villain.
Then there are the Urpneys. These guys are the bumbling servants to Zordrak, either screwing up somehow or succeeding through shear luck, before loosing because of their silly nature. The Urpneys are very much the comedy of the show (most of the slapstick comedy is performed by them), which I feel ultimately made them the focus of the show. Nearly every episode starts with and ends with the Urpneys. There are two types. The first is Urpgor, a green Urpney who is the scientific inventor who creates all of the mechanical devices that are used in missions to capture the Dreamstone. Has a huge opinion of himself and tends to spit and splatter a lot when he talks. He also has some of the most elastic animation compared to every other character in the show, which helps to show off just how much of a mad scientist he is. He grows the most in the sense that when in season one he seems more limited, more structured and more quiet, but by season two onwards he gets louder, more vocal and more growth in character and personality, becoming the nutter he is loved for being.
Then there are the Soldiers of the Urpney army. Here we find the shows main focus, Sergeant Blob and his two man crack team of Frizz and Nug. Sgt. Blob is a large individual who acts like a stereotypical drill Sergeant. Frizz is short, is prone to panic attacks and emotional outbursts and would do anything, so long as it doesn't involve getting hurt, abused or stressed. Nug on the other hand is just as cowardly as Frizz, but his attitude at times seems more calm, though is more straight forward in stating how grim a situation can be, which usually upsets Frizz more often then not. The three tend to get seriously punished in the early seasons, but tend to fair better in the later ones (which is just as well as they are quite enjoyable characters to watch).
It's difficult to judge the animation quality, mostly cause nearly all the episodes I've found tend to be of bad VHS recordings. From what I have seen, the animation seems colourful and smooth and the character designs work well, though seasons 2 to 4 were done by a different animation company, which is noticable. What is amazing is the shows music. The whole thing is was done by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and it is simply a magical experience. Composed and Conducted by Mike Batt, there are two soundtrack versions. One you really need to look for, but is located on Youtube, but I do recommend that if you are a fan of it, then you can actually find another version on iTunes called The Mike Batt Archive Series: The Dreamstone / Rapid Eye Movements. Part of a two pack, the first set contains the Dreamstone songs:
1. More then a Dream - (Vocal Version) The shows main theme song/ end credits song.
2. The Warsong of the Urpneys - (Vocal Version) Instrumental usually heard during the Urpney sequences.
3. Dreamdance - A short and edited version (without sound clips) of the original Dreamdance.
4. Into the Sunset - (Vocal Ver) Apparently the shows love song that was never used (from what I could find it's suggested to be Rufus & Amberley).
Tracks 5 - 9: Dreamstone Overtunes 1 to 5 - Orchestrated music parts from the show.
Personally, I have listened to both and I really do just love this music. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about the music is just so appealing to me. The Warsong of the Urpneys for instants is one of those things that from the moment you start listening to it gives you the feeling of marching and singing (The military marching song certainly makes them sound far more competent and deadly then they actually are). Music like this feels almost like some long lost art form in animated shows. Orchestrated soundtracks like this make me feel like I'm watching a movie, not some twenty minute cartoon. Simply amazing.
Story wise, it tends to have a set standard. Starts off with the Urpneys doing something, then a plan is hatched, we visit our heroes to see what their story part is, then its back and forth between the two until the plan is foiled in which we return to the villains before credits. You get use to it fairly quickly, but along the way I got the feeling that so much more could be added. Straight off the bat I can honestly say that I feel that the heroes themselves don't get much in the way of personal advancement, particularly with Rufus and Amberley. It might just be me, but I felt more could have been done with them as far as character growth. Likewise, there seems to be more focus on the Urpneys then on the two Noops. Granted, they are the strong comedic element of the show, but you get the feeling that the show is more about them and their task to get the Dreamstone then on the protagonists. This tends to kick in after the first season and while they do expand some of the locations and characters, I feel that it comes at a cost. Several times I've often wondered while watching episodes 'What happens next?' with the heroes. What happens when they get back? Was what they did successful? You never know cause it tends to go straight to the Urpneys before the episode ends, leaving some questions unanswered. I wonder if this would work better if they had more time to tell the stories.
Then again, given how the character act in some episodes compared to other episodes, I have to wonder what the plan was for the Noops. It seems that in some episodes they act a little out of, what is, a pre-established character and I feel that given they are set-up as the main protagonists (well, the first few episodes establish Rufus as anyways), something feels like it was scrapped or cut back. This could be down to decisions beyond shows control, which I understand, but it was something that certainly bugged me when watching through these episodes again. I felt more progress and progression for them as characters was needed (they began to feel like side characters in some episodes when they were being active protagonists), but I guess that's just me wanting to see where these two Noops could have gone as far as personal stories and character growth went.
To be fair to the Urpneys, it wasn't surprising they were given more center stage. Just watching the first episode is an excellent example of how enjoyable they are to watch. The best one to point out is when they first use the Whirlyped, from its takeoff to them flying through the mist. Gags such as the 'You'll have noticed I have turned on the hang on to your seat like never before sign' in which even the stick figure Urpney wants out and the 'You'll look back on this someday and laugh', with Blob then getting struck by lightning and Nug and Frizz laughing before Blob yells out "I said Someday, not now". As such, I can't blame the focus for being on the Urpneys when they are the ones who usually are the comedic focus. They certainly got laughs out of me, so if that was the goal they definitely succeeded.
There is also feels like a magic vs technology feel to the series too. The Dream Maker is always using magic and the Wuts fly on magic leaves and Wut globes also act like a magical device. The Urpneys on the other hand are nearly always using some kind of technological device built by Urpgor. Most of the time these fail due to the incompetence of the user, but when used correctly they tend to do their job perfectly. This feels slightly odd when compared to Zordrak, who himself uses magic. Indeed, in the episode Horrible Argorrible, we see Zordrak actually has a book called The Book of Evil Principles and is used to make one of his Argorribles corporeal, stating he should read more often. This implies that he hasn't really read through the book much, which you'd think for a villain who is hundreds of years old and has been at war with the Dream Maker for some time, he would have exhausted his magic spells in the book before turning to relying on Urpgor's technology. Perhaps he has his reasons, but we may never know.
That said, don't let these little annoyances of mine put you off. I do recommend checking the series out, even if its just the first two episodes (the two part introduction) as it alone is an enjoyable watch which introduces everyone and shows off Zordrak at his finest. You can even find the original 1985 pitch and see what was originally pitched compared to what eventually got off the ground (sort of like a movie pitch which seems more re-worked into a television series). In comparison, as a massive fan of Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal, I found so many of this shows aspects so appealing to me and the music really feels so involved in the story telling. The cast of characters are enjoyable, there are so many great moments and while I feel I wanted more from it, I consider that a good thing (being invested is what creates a fan and builds a community). Much like a number of these animated shows I look at, I really want a DVD set of these. Why do so many of these shows not have a DVD collection, it's really frustrating. So do go check it out and remember, if you do end up having some horrible nightmare, you now know who to blame for it:
Zordrak, Lord of....
....Nightmares?
Update:
So there is an official Dreamstone channel on Youtube: HERE
Here you will find a majority of the episodes (some are missing, I believed they were removed due to sound issues). Not only that, but there are also messages from those who worked on the show, now promoting the channel. Go check it out.
But that's not all. While searching for miniature games based on franchises, I stumbled upon The Dreamstone miniatures boardgame and RPG: HERE
There designs are done through classic sculpting methods (compared to the 3D computer generated ones) and have the old forces of good vs the forces of evil. Even better, the RPG itself has a rather nice twist to it. Seems others share my opinion about the Urpneys are the real stars, because in this game there is one Dreammaker (the GM in regular RPGs) and the players create Urpney elite soldiers where in each game is like an episode of the show and you are sent on a mission, usually to steal the Dreamstone. Of course, even if you are successful the good guys will just get it back in the end and your party leader will need to give a good excuse to Zordrak to avoid serious punishment. So if you are a serious fan of the show, then give it a look.
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