Talkback: Atomic Betty [10/3]

[Red]

http://fridays.toonzone.net/talkbacks/premiere.gifhttp://fridays.toonzone.net/talkbacks/atomicbetty.gif



Uh heres the talkback. Uh I forgot. Uh Yeah

Uh if you want to do these from now on PM me.

[Bubblegum Girl]

Now these episodes have much better writing material. :)

[Tea]

First time catching this show. It's a pretty okay series! I like Maximus IQ's "oh so evil" voice, but the robot's is a very odd pick. Fight scenes were nice, but I did catch some being reused. As long as Betty doesn't become another shallow female lead obsessed with clothes and popularity, I got nothing against this show.

[Ridd]

Fight scenes were nice, but I did catch some being reused.
Guilty! Animation in the Betty vs. robots scene in 'Furball' was indeed reused for 'Maximus Displeasure'. It was just too damn cool to use only once! The problem is that those two shows were paired together, so when the scene comes up again a second time, it's glaringly obvious. It's one of the only times we reused an action scene though, so there's still some pretty cool 'fresh' stuff to come.

[Killtacular]

Guilty! Animation in the Betty vs. robots scene in 'Furball' was indeed reused for 'Maximus Displeasure'. It was just too damn cool to use only once! The problem is that those two shows were paired together, so when the scene comes up again a second time, it's glaringly obvious. It's one of the only times we reused an action scene though, so there's still some pretty cool 'fresh' stuff to come.
Yeah, this was one of the things I harped on in my review (I think) but having seen other episodes I'm glad the action is pretty specific to each sequence. I've seen far too many Flash projects (and NON Flash projects) recycle entire animation sequences to save money. Some of the action that looked the best, if I recall, was in last week's episode.

[Ridd]

I won't say there's not going to be any reuse whatsoever, but we're trying our best to keep it specific to non-action sequences as much as possible. Betty will definitely use a lot of the same 'signature' moves (roundhouse, spin-kicks, etc.), but the situations she uses them in are for the most part always going to be different.
Her transformation scene (when Betty beams up, spins and turns into Atomic Betty) is total reuse though - we usually only change the BG color. I'm thinking of animating a new take or two on this to have some variety to choose from. Any input on what to do different is welcome..

[CookieS]

Yeah, the transformation sequences are unstandable reuses. If anyone is familiar with Japane anime, they reuse transformation sequences to death. I think its kind of part of the super hero genre though...after all, Superman used to always duck into the SAME damn phone booth each time.

One thing I suggest you experiment with, which is one of my favorite action-y things is the extreme zoom. Have characters in the backgroun become foreground and then reverse them. Its similar effect to a cut, but everything remains on the screen all the time. So we're looking at Betty and zoooooom, you see someone else in the background fighting...the camera spins, not Betty is in the background. Maybe I'm just a sucker for the camera movement, because it gives a scene so much life. If its done right, it gives an undenible sense of movement. Just a suggestion, since a majority of cartoons these days are opting for the sitcom-ish side view.

[raykremer]

I missed the second episode, but I managed to see the third. I won't be watching any more.

It's odd, from appearances I thought Foster's would be stupid and Atomic Betty would be okay, but it turned out just the opposite. I guess you can't always judge a show by its character design.

[Nin-Nin69]

This may be just me, but I feel that Atomic Betty doesn't fit on CN. The writing drags on and the character so far have not even struck my interest. This show has some nice animation, but feels like a Toon Disney/ABC Family show. Original shows (made within the past couple of years, not shows or anime brought over from other channels) that have poor writers with above average animation.

[Ridd]

CookieS - That sounds like a really cool idea, thanks. Maybe we'll give it a shot.

[Killtacular]

I won't say there's not going to be any reuse whatsoever, but we're trying our best to keep it specific to non-action sequences as much as possible. Betty will definitely use a lot of the same 'signature' moves (roundhouse, spin-kicks, etc.), but the situations she uses them in are for the most part always going to be different.
Her transformation scene (when Betty beams up, spins and turns into Atomic Betty) is total reuse though - we usually only change the BG color. I'm thinking of animating a new take or two on this to have some variety to choose from. Any input on what to do different is welcome..
Once the show gets off the ground and people are familiar with Betty you probably won't need to use that full sequence anymore. You could come up with an animation that would allow you to have Betty transform right on the spot during a scene instead of cutting away. I don't know, it could even be as cheap as a white flash. Not that I recommend that. But I know shows have done it in the past.

[SuperSonicvs]

I do indeed like this show. It's not great mind you, but it is good. I like how Betty is already a developed character.


It lacks something that I just can’t put my finger on, but it has something else that makes it a good show. Come to think of it I think that it lacks drama and real suspense filled danger. The animation style is weird, but good and I say that it has some real potential. Then again I’ve thought of a way to make Dexter the coolest thing ever. That is should I ever acquire the rights to the character.

[Scythemantis]

It does seem to get a bit better after the first few episodes, though it's still an average teen/kid superhero series.

I do like some of the designs, though. I think I said that in a previous thread. My favorites so far have been those floating drones - the ones she's standing on a pile of in the title shot. They remind me of 50's martians.

[Ridd]

It is indeed hard to relay genuine moments of danger and suspense with so little time allotted per episode. I think we really pulled it off in 'Spindly Tam', 'Furball' (to a certain extent), and in a few other upcoming shows - but it's definitely one of the areas we're trying to push more at the animation stage with timing, camera angles, etc.

Thanks for the feedback.

[Psycho Fox]

Once the show gets off the ground and people are familiar with Betty you probably won't need to use that full sequence anymore. You could come up with an animation that would allow you to have Betty transform right on the spot during a scene instead of cutting away. I don't know, it could even be as cheap as a white flash. Not that I recommend that. But I know shows have done it in the past.
Does Atomic Betty even need a transform animation? They could just jump to where Atomic Betty already transformed and save that time to use elsewhere in the story.

[Ridd]

No. We've already started editing it out of a couple recent episodes to do just that. Still, when we do put it in the shows it'd be cool to have a couple different takes on it available.

[Mogli]

Sorry for bringing back an old thread, but I didn't want to start a new one just for this post.:sweat:

I think Atomic Betty is an entertaining show with tons of potential. I really enjoyed the episode with The Chameleon and the mind-control cake icing(forgot the titles of the episodes).

I thought I would post some things I like about the show and a few suggestions. I think it's great how the creators hang out on these forums and actually pay attention to what people are saying about the show. I love to draw, and I love cartoons, so it is really inspiring that these guys got their show on the air and are making many people happy with it.:)

Things I like:
Atomic Betty is a great character. She has a good personality, and her design is perfect. Her space outfit reminds me of the girl from Battle of the Planets.

The show has great music and a fun and exciting atmosphere. I also like how the jokes never get vulgar. I also love the scenes in her school, and the character interaction is excellent. I love the little incidental jokes and sight gags too, the ones you have to look really hard to catch.:) Plus, the action is great.


Suggestions:
I think too much of the comic relief relies on Sparky. It would be cool if Betty got to say more of the jokes and do more funny things. Also, I think X-5 needs a new voice.

I think if the show got a cooler villain, that would change everything. I realized the show is going for more of an adventure/comedy feel than just comedy, so a villain who was a little more serious would be great. Of course, the villain could still be slightly goofy. Maximus just isn't very interesting.


I hope nobody takes these suggestions the wrong way. I can tell how hard everyone worked on this show, and I just want to see it get really popular so it can stay on the air and just keep getting better.:)

I would like to see Atomic Betty's adventures for many years to come.:)

[Ridd]

Thanks for the support and your suggestions, Mogli. Keep it coming!

Maximus is quite hurt and is already plotting his revenge for what you said about him, but you can rest easy knowing that some more villains are on the way. Make sure you check out 'Infantor' in next Sunday's episode (Attack of the Evil Baby).

[Mogli]

Thanks for the support and your suggestions, Mogli. Keep it coming!

Maximus is quite hurt and is already plotting his revenge for what you said about him, but you can rest easy knowing that some more villains are on the way. Make sure you check out 'Infantor' in next Sunday's episode (Attack of the Evil Baby).Excellent! I look forward to seeing this new villain. :) And thanks for the warning about Maximus, I'll keep an eye out for him. Although I'm sure Atomic Betty will ruin his plans. ;) :)

[Mackaybear]

I admit I was skeptical about Atomic Betty when I first read about it. But I've really loved it. Betty has a great upbeat personality, and shows real ingenuity in defeating her foes. Bright but not cloyingly sweet. She shows wit and intelligence for a girl of her age. Probably why she was chosen as a Galactic Guardian.

I also liked that we started in with Betty already a Guardian. Too many shows get bogged down with an origin type story. And this was a refreshing change.

I like Maximus IQ myself. He's evil through and through and truely relishes being so. But has a sense of humor without seeming dumbed down. Especially in those scenes on that water world with him freaking out over possibly getting wet.

And in my opinion the show really uses it's space settings well. I like hard sci fi as well but it's nice to not get things slowed down while someone explains how or why things are the way they are. Just get right down to the plot and the action.

All in all a show I really look forward to seeing each week.

[Tash]

One of my main complaints about this show is Minimus.

Why's he there? He doesn't do anything. He seems like an interesting guy, but why does Maximus him around? He doesn't seem to do much grunt work. I mean really; he has a spinning head! How can anyone not like that?

[maximumzero]

One thing I suggest you experiment with, which is one of my favorite action-y things is the extreme zoom. Have characters in the backgroun become foreground and then reverse them. Its similar effect to a cut, but everything remains on the screen all the time. So we're looking at Betty and zoooooom, you see someone else in the background fighting...the camera spins, not Betty is in the background. Maybe I'm just a sucker for the camera movement, because it gives a scene so much life. If its done right, it gives an undenible sense of movement. Just a suggestion, since a majority of cartoons these days are opting for the sitcom-ish side view.

I'm trying to wrap this idea around my noggin...

The best example I can think of is in Golden Sun for the GBA when the enemies attack you, the camera pans to their over-the-shoulder view, rather than yours?

Is this sort of the idea you're trying to convey?