Hey all…
So after three years of answering so many questions about the process and updating schedule and pretty much everything about Dreamland…I’ve finally created a FAQ!
So…here we go. Feel free to ask more questions below and I’ll happily add to this list.
Thanks
Scott
1) How often does The Dreamland Chronicles Update?
The Dreamland Chronicles updates FIVE days a week. Monday through Friday.
Midnight (CST).
For three years I’ve updated lock clockwork. But ask we’re getting further into the story…I think I’ll have to take a few weeks off between chapters to work up more buffers.
But until then…it’ll always be updated every day…Monday through Friday. Promise.
2) What software do you use to make The Dreamland Chronicles?
3D Studio Max. I love their Character Studio setup with Biped.
We use morph targets for facial expressions.
Brazil Rendering system is used with Global Illumination for renders.
And finally…Frischluft’s Lenscare for depth of field and glow in Photoshop.
3) Is the Dreamland Chronicles safe for my kids to read?
Absolutely. I’m writing this with my twin sons (currently 6 years old) in mind and they love it.
As always…parents should read stories FIRST before letting their children read…but other than some sword play and a few bad guys getting killed…oh…and some kissing….we’re pretty G rated.
4) Is The Dreamland Chronicles collected as books?
Yup. You can order from the store (see above in the links) at IDW, Amazon (see the right side of the page for links to that), and in all Book Stores.
There are 3 books in stores now. And 3 more to come.
5) Will you link to my comic?
I’m trying to work out a system for that. Currently I’m not linking to new comics.
BUT…
I got started by the kindness of others linking to me. So I’d like to implement a way to do this.
One thing to remember, though, is I will NOT link to comics that have bad language, sex, gore, and such.
We’re trying to keep the links from here family friendly.
6) Can I email you questions?
Of course! I love getting emails.
I always reply…but just please be patient. I do get a lot of emails. So sometimes it takes a bit to reply.
7) How many people work on the comic?
Good Question (thanks Dan).
Well first we have Karen Krajenbrink who does the character designs.
Then the designs are giving to the character modellers.
Ivan Perez, Can Tuncer, Marcello Bortolino, Peter Starostin, and others.
Once modelled…the rigging and morph targets are done by…
Juan Carlos Prados Herrada, Jenn Downs, Kobi Alony, and others.
Environments are designed by Stefano Tsai who also models them.
Additional environment models are done by Antero Pedras.
Over the last 7 years…there have been over 20 people involved in the production of The Dreamland Chronicles.
8 ) What do you do to make a page?
Once I have all of the “assets” for the story. I take my script…do storyboards of the pages…and start laying out the scenes on the computer.
I pose, light, tweak textures, and render.
Once I’m happy with a frame…I take it into photoshop and add depth of field (blurring the background) and slight glows.
I fix any problems with the paint brush…and put the page together.
I then letter it. And…I guess that’s it.
It’s a lot of work…
9) How long does it take you to do a page?
It really depends.
First you have to take into account the time it takes to design, model, rig, and texture the characters. Additionally there’s the environments too.
Once I have them all…and I have the scene set up the way I want…lit for the time of day and such…then I can work.
That time. from THAT point…takes me about a day a page.
If it’s just two characters talking…i can sometimes crank out 3 pages a day. But the action scenes usually take a bit longer. Or scenes that have dozens of characters in it.
I have to place each character into the scene…pose them….and make sure they move in each frame and are not static.
Hope that answers that one.
10) This looks like a movie. Are you going to turn it into a movie?
I started Dreamland to be made as if it were a feature film.
I saved up my money and have put a lot of money and time into the development of this project.
I come from 3D animation and treated it as a movie.
That said…we DO have plans to turn it into a movie and we have a wonderful team of actors, writers, and producers already attached.
But until it goes public…I can’t say anything more about that…sorry.
So…YES…we do have plans for a Dreamland Chronicles feature film.
11) Do you accept Fan Art?
Oh HECK yes. I LOVE fan art.
Any Fan art I get…usually goes into the printed books. So definitely show me.
I hope to create a page on the site dedicated to fan art.
12) Do you go to any conventions?
Yes. There’s a schedule on the right side (towards the bottom).
13) Will you attend a con near me?
I would love to. But it depends on a few things.
a) My schedule has to permit it.
b) Finances. If I can afford to go.
If a con INVITES me as a guest and helps with the costs…I’m usually more likely to attend.
So if you know of a con near you that would be interested in inviting me…Have them email me.
14) Do you do sketches at conventions?
Yes. And I don’t charge for that.
I love doing sketches in the inside of the books and will sketch any character.
It’s a lot of fun to do. And I encourage people to bring books…or buy them from me at cons and get sketches of their favorite characters.
What 3D design program do you use to create the comic? Also, how many people in total help you with the comic?
Thanks Dan.
Hopefully I answered the first part in number 2.
I’ll add the other.
Great comic. I really enjoy hearing about what you do to get ready!
Thanks Eric!
It’s a lot of work…but a labor of love.
Scott- A appreciate you putting this FAQ up. I just found out about The Dreamland Chronicles about a week ago, and read through the archive. I was thinking about how much time this must take, and thought that it must be impossible to do without help. You’ve done an amazing job of putting this project together, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Also, thanks for mentioning me in in FAQ. I’m curious though- What other projects (films, commercials, etc.) have you worked on in the past that we might know of?
My pleasure Dan.
You can check out here for the film stuff…
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1762349/
And here’s some of my past comic stuff here…
http://www.comicvine.com/scott-christian-sava/26-11530/
It’s been a fun career so far.
Thanks for the FAQ, Scott!
I was always interested in what went into the comic -it’s a whole lot more work and people and stuff than I thought!
Wondering: Is the DLC film gonna be live-action or 3D-CGI like the comic?
Thanks Andrew…
Currently it’s going to be live action. But we’ll see how things pan out….I’ll definitely keep everyone in the loop once I’m able to say more.
I just found TDC yesterday, and i’ve already finished watching it XD Can’t wait for new pages ^^
I like the FAQ. But midnight is misspelled as “Midngight” on question 1.
welcome Oragami…
Say Say…thanks. i just spelled checked. hopefully it’s all better now.
Just a quick question, Scott. I know you’re trying to stay away from the typical ‘Elf’ and ‘Dwarf’ for the comic strip, but could you tell me why the Dwarf King is roughly the size of a ‘Hill Giant’? Maybe you just wanted him to stand out (and *boy* does he… X3), and you probably have your own reasons and all, but I was just curious. =)
Awesome strip, btw. It kinda weirded me out seeing it rendered like that, but after a while I got used to it, and I’m quite enjoying it now. Points and a cookie for trying something different, man. Keep it up!
Oh, and I’m sorry to hear about your back/leg pain Scott, I hope you feel better soon. Any word from the doctor?
Hey Chakat.
SOrry for the delay. The back injury really left me with a lot of catching up to do.
The simple truth is…I thought it’d look cool if Bognok was huge.
That’s it.
You mention that you only link to kid friendly sites. Then why am I seeing Exiern over on the right side? Not really kid friendly.
Hi Scott. I’m a long time reader and I have enjoyed the prompt updates. And it helps a poor college student like myself get her “comic fix”.
One thing though: in question one it looks like “lock clockwork” should be spelled “like clockwork”. And “but ask we’re” should be “but as we’re”. I’m not one to be picky but thought it would be nice to help you out (even in a small way). Thanks again for a great comic and all the time you put into it!
Thanks Solar.
Do you remember which pages?
I can’t wait for a movie to come out of the Dreamland Chronicles. However, If it does come out, how long do you think it will be, and when?
I wouldn’t expect it until 2011
Um. Where did the cast page go?
We’re redoing it.
you reeeealy need to make that film. it’d be so goddamn awesome. but for now, d’you think you can give us a fan art zone? we’ll give you fan art in return! fan fictions maybe? although, if you’re going to allow it at all, you’ll need an adult section. I know that you already do waaaay too much, but seeing their interpretations and such may make you smile at the end of a working day. It could be worth it. The movie would take forever to make, but you’d get plenty of profit from it. thousands… and thousands… *daydreaming*… whoah, sorry. you’d be rich though.
Yes. We’re working on a Fan Art ZOne too.
05:21 pm here… maybe you could make a little use-your-own-computers-time script in?
Personally, I think it’d be pretty cool if we could have the option to read the story without the comments attached. (Not thinking of myself obviously, since I do enjoy a lot of the comments, but it would be nice for kids and/or other sensitive folks!)
Come to think of it, though, that’s what the books are for, right?
Yeah. Comments are pretty much here to stay.
The books are perfect for not having them. Plus they’re much higher resolution.
Please remember, when linking to other sites, to see what sites THEY are linked to. Then check several “generations” further to see what sites each successive comic may be linked to. Generation “one” may be harmless, but (e.g.)generation “four” might be R+ or X rated. Be safe!
Thanks CJ.
It’s tough. It’s very tough.
I do my best. But I would hope that any parent who reads Dreamland would read WITH a child young enough to “wander off”.
I am starting a Kids Webcomic site that will be MUCh safer. And geared towards 5-10 year old readers. That will be even safer I think.
SInce Dreamland is PG. I have to allow for some more leniency in my ads.
But it is tough. Trying to keep that balance.
Out of curiosity, is ‘Bahta Alikchi’ Choctaw? It has been an incredibly long time since I was in those classes, but I’m fairly positive ‘Alikchi’ means ‘doctor’ or something similar.
Yes it is. A Choctaw reader helped me translate Medicine Bag into that language.
Great catch!
Out of curiosity (of course, or I wouldn’t be asking a question
), Are any of these stories inspired by the actual dreams of yourself or people you know? I was surprised this didn’t make it onto the FAQ! Thanks!
No. But I have always had vivid and lucid dreams.
So it’s inspired by that a bit.
But mostly from other stories I grew up reading and watching.
Hi, I hope this isn’t a weird question, but what is Nicole’s ethnic background? I just find her character design very interesting and pretty…
African American.
Though honestly…sometimes her skin seems so light. I may consider mix.
But for now…she’s of African descent.
Is there going to be a Character or Cast page?
Yes. We’re working on that.
Hi, I discovered this comic first through Colleen Doran’s blog, and then promptly lost the link :-/ then when I was doing some research for a project I’m gearing up for I found it again and grabbed the RSS feed so that won’t happen again XD I’m working on a project that I conceptualize in just the same format, CG rendered GN, and your success with what you’ve accomplished is inspiring. Your design and production values are fabulous, and the story quality matches.
Glad I found your site again, can’t wait to catch up to the current pages! (only 900 mumble more to go!)
Thank you Arlene!
Glad you found us again.
Good luck on your project. Hope you enjoy catching up with the rest of our pages.
Hey there. I’ve just started reading this past weekend, and I’m still playing a bit of catch-up, but I’m definitely loving what I’ve read so far. Good job. It’s a fun ride.
You put great messages in this webcomic (especially in a way kids can get it). I really like how you’ve presented truth in particular. (I’ve just seen the page where Alex’s brother ‘interprets’ him as a 300-lb hippo) This got me wondering, do you have any religious/philosophical views that you follow and in turn influence DC? That is, if you are comfortable answering. (I go to a Christian college, and we are also taught to start with faith and then use reasoning.)
I did come up Christian as well.
In speaking to others about their faiths…it occurred to me just how much interpretation there is to scripture…and the world around us.
There has to be just ONE truth. No interpretation.
Now…discerning this truth is a whole other matter of course.
Exactly. Thank you so much, for replying as well as all you do on DC.
Ok so you said that you wouldn’t link anything with gore or sex? phoenix requiem has gore, drug use, and maybe a sex scene… not that its a bad comic, i really love it, but… yeah there you are
Really? I’ll have to check it out again. I don’t remember much more than some fighting.
ha well it’s worth reading still ^-^ just a little grownup