We Share Because We Care (collab with GagaManMusic)

Animated music video (folk song) for preschoolers. If you've got preschoolers, show it to them and let us know what they think!

Join Share Kong and the Share-If as they perform for Brooke, Max, and that one girl on the left.

CREDITS:
Animated by Andrei from GagaManMusic: http://youtube.com/gagamanmusic
Written, Directed, & Voice of Share-If by Ed 'word'' Price
Guitar, Music Composition, & Voice of Share Kong by Rogs (Nick Rogstad)

This is our first collab with the animator GagaManMusic. We think he did a great job!

To see Rogs lead a live-action music video (he wrote the song), then watch our "Pretty Good Friends"

Thanks for watching! Leave a comment to let us know what you think!


- TAE

Even and Odd (collab with CartoonKing3)

Check out our new animated music video for preschoolers:



The monsters Even and Odd perform an upbeat song for you about even and odd numbers. This is for a preschool audience, so watch it with chilluns and let us know what you think!

This is our third collab with CartoonKing3 (the creator of Dr. Choker)

CREDITS:

Written, Produced, and 4 Voices by Ed 'word' Price
Animation and Designs by Patrick Jenkins (from CartoonKing3)
Guitar and 2 Voices by Tyler B
Keyboard and Music Composition by Jeffrey B

Enjoy!

X6-227 -- Creative Writing by Ed Price

X6-227

by Ed Price, Creative Writer

==========================


In 2209, a 12-year old boy named X6-227 (his friends called him Josh) awoke from his bunk. He always slept on a top bunk in his barracks because it allowed him to see down through the window, in case any intruder was ever stupid enough to try to infiltrate their camp and break into their barracks. He knew there were many opponents to the X-CORE 9 program, and he frequently heard of riots breaking out in nearby Seattle. He wouldn’t put it past the protesters to attack his home.

Apparently some people were a little upset that the United States was building up a small army of super-human soldiers. Josh didn’t care about the politics. All he knew was the life he lived. He was born in a lab to become a super soldier. That’s all that Josh thought about.
He wanted to be someone; he wanted honor and glory. He didn’t care what the U.S. wanted him to do. Josh wanted to be prepared for whatever it was, and that’s what Josh was thinking about: how he was going to prepare for his future missions.

Suddenly, Josh heard a noise outside, and his thoughts immediately turned to it instead. He saw a shadow shift on the ground outside. He strained to see what had cast it. “Maybe this isn’t the best vantage point,” he thought. It was about 2 AM. The other five boys in his room were all asleep, including his bunk-mate, X6-332, who was known as Alex. Another boy was even snoring. That was X6-498, James. James is always snoring. How can he be an X6 agent if he can’t even sleep without making noise? Josh shook his head as he silently slid down to the floor.

He gently tapped Alex on his chest. Alex opened his eyes and looked at his friend. Using sign language, Josh brought Alex up to speed about the intruder. Both boys slept in their clothes, boots and all; so they were ready to go. They slowly edged toward the window. For a split second, Josh saw a head duck down off in the woods. “Someone penetrated our camp barrier,” Josh signed to Alex.

“Window or door?” Alex signed back. “Good question,” Josh thought as he edged back to the door and slowly opened it, peering out. Sergeant Logan was sleeping at his desk. Even though the door didn’t make a sound, Josh was surprised the door didn’t wake the grizzled old man. Josh thought the air current of the door opening might even be enough of a disturbance to wake up Logan.

Josh carefully closed the door. “Window,” he signed to Alex. Of course, their window doesn’t open, so the boys had to spend the next two minutes dismantling the window to open it. “The intruder is getting away,” Josh thought. He wondered why his and Alex’s movement didn’t wake up any of the other boys. “James is snoring,” Josh remembered. Maybe the snoring was good for something after all.

The two boys slipped out of the window as they carefully and slowly lowered each other down. As Josh and Alex landed, they used the toes of their boots to push the dried leaves away. They didn’t want to make any crunching sounds in a camp full of genetically-altered soldiers. Josh heard a distant sound in the woods. Alex heard it too and signed, “He’s still here.”

The boys moved quickly while being careful not to make any sounds. They moved into the woods and passed the large oak tree. There were a lot of underground tunnels in the area, but Josh and Alex hadn’t found them all. Josh saw some tracks. Or Josh thought he saw some tracks. At closer inspection, he realized that what he saw were former tracks. Someone was covering up his own tracks. Josh signed this to Alex. The boys spread out to look for more covered tracks.
As they were looking, Alex saw a faint circular line in the dirt. He waved his hand for Josh to join him. The boys slowly lifted the hatch to an underground tunnel, and they disappeared into the shadows. Click. Click. The boys’ wire lights turned on as they explored the tunnel. There was only one way to go.

Before long, the boys came to a dead-end chamber. “Something is wrong,” Josh thought. As if to confirm his suspicions, Josh felt the muzzle of a combat rifle on the back of his neck. Josh was busy wondering if he could disarm his assailant when he heard Alex speak out loud for the first time that evening, “Oh. Hi Nicole.”

“Hey boys!” Nicole said cheerfully. Josh whipped around to see Nicole (X6-038) and Adrian (X6-412); both giggled thoroughly after seeing Josh’s expression. Josh smiled. Only Nicole was crazy enough to sneak out of her barracks with a gun in the middle of the night. Of course, he and Alex also just snuck out. “But that’s different,” Josh reassured himself, “I thought we were chasing an intruder.”

“Uh, what are you girls doing here?” Josh tried to sound like an authority figure. Of course, he always had a crush on Nicole. Who wouldn’t? She was beautiful, full of life, she had a rebellious nature, and she was one of the best soldiers in the camp, including the boys.

“Well, Adge and I found something that you’re going to love,” Nicole sang her words, and she seemed to ignore Josh’s authoritative tone. Alex was about to ask who Adge was when he saw Adrian looking at him. He stood there for a few seconds while his mouth was still open. Adrian’s look told Alex that she already knew his question, that the answer was obvious, and that he was an idiot. A girl’s look can say a lot. Alex closed his mouth while he took all that in. Josh observed it and smiled.

After finding a hidden hatch that the boys missed and after going through a series of tunnels, the four genetically engineered soldiers came across a large room with a table in the middle. “This is our place,” Nicole said cheerfully. “Nicole tends to say everything cheerfully,” Josh thought to himself. On the table laid a key. Josh didn’t know what the key did, but he would soon find out. That key would change Josh’s life forever and would keep him occupied for the next five years.

Nicole knew that her little team had just doubled in size. She smiled at this thought.


==========================

About the author: Ed 'word' Price is a Content Writer and Game Writer. His writing experience includes localization writing for Dragon Warrior 7 for Square Enix, Editing for Nintendo games (Pikmin, New Tetris, Starcraft 64, and Loderunner 3D), UI writing 24 Microsoft Surface games, and script-writing for 30+ animations and videos. Ed has a Masters degree in Technology Management and 5 interactive design patents with Microsoft.

Agents of the Spirit packaging copy - by Ed Price, Content Writer

Agents of the Spirit
Moral Productions Direct-to Video 3D Animation
(released in stores throughout the north west)

“Package Content” by Ed Price

==========================


Since the division of all that was good and the manifestation of evil, the Agents of the Spirit have engaged in a continuous battle over the influence of boys and girls, and their free will. This age old war is currently being fought between fruits and bugs…

To win this war, these Agents have created a television cartoon known as “Agents of the Spirit.” That cartoon has started a marketing phenomenon, where the humans buy “Agents of the Spirit” videos, videogames, action figures, posters, bed sheets, and candy dispensers. Little do the humans know that the Agents of the Spirit actually exist, and they created the cartoon and merchandise to protect the secret of their existence and to fund their covert operations!

The human Bobby Nelson has been tempted to steal. It’s up the heroic Agents of the Spirit to thwart the sinister schemes of Big Bug and his menacing minions. Will the Influence Bug and the Trooper Bugs be able to infiltrate the Nelson home and influence Bobby to steal while he sleeps, or will Agent Brett Banana and his team of secret agents stop the bugs from completing their corrupting concoctions? Find out in this exciting thrill-ride featuring a plethora of silliness, action, and hi-tech gadgetry that will keep you coming back for more.



==========================

About the author: Ed 'word' Price is a Content Writer and Game Writer. His writing experience includes localization writing for Dragon Warrior 7 for Square Enix, Editing for Nintendo games (Pikmin, New Tetris, Starcraft 64, and Loderunner 3D), 24 Microsoft Surface games, and 30+ animations and videos. Ed has a Masters degree in Technology Management and 5 interactive design patents with Microsoft.

Agents of the Spirit character biographies - creative writing by Ed Price

Agents of the Spirit

Moral Productions Direct-to Video 3D Animation

(released in stores throughout the north west)

“Character Biographies” by Ed Price, Content Writer

(biographies for Web and print)

==========================

 Agent Brett Banana

The leader of the bunch, Brett Banana (Ooo-Rah) is the perfect model of structure and discipline that the HS9 needs at its head. Brett is the most experienced of the team and takes his role as the team leader very seriously, firmly believing that a hero's work is never done. That is why when Agent Banana is not defeating Big Bug's evil minions, you'll usually find Brett training his body in the HS9 Training room and his mind in the library, in order to maintain his peak condition.

Brett's greatest strengths lie in his ability to recognize and draw out the talents and skills of those around him. Though Brett admits that he has a good sense of humor, he never jokes around, and when he gives his team an order, they follow it. His wise decisions in times of trouble have earned him the respect and admiration of friend and foe alike. The Agents of the Spirit would follow him into the depths of a grocery store if he asked.

In "Agents of the Spirit Episode 1: The Phantom Influence," Brett Banana led a covert ops team with three other members into the potentially dangerous territory of a human's house. There, they waited to stop the Influence Bug and the Trooper Bugs from influencing Bobby Nelson to steal. Brett's fruit of the Spirit is self-control.

 

Agent Peter Pear

Agent Peter Pear only recently graduated from the HS9 Academy to join the field team and has thus far proven to be a fast learner and an enthusiastic member of the team. He worked hard for many years in the Academy before being accepted as one of the HS9, and even though it took him a few tries to complete basic training, he never gave up on his goal. This persistence helps him to attack his missions with confidence, and it is one of the reasons that the rest of his team members trust him so deeply -- they know he will never leave another fruit behind.

Though still learning the tricks of the trade, Peter's positive attitude and strong attention span are helping him develop into a seasoned professional Agent more quickly. Above any other agent, Peter looks up to Brett Banana as a shining example of what a superhero should be and strives to emulate his leader in every respect. Even without the experience of his teammates he is proving himself to be a helpful and positive addition to the HS9.

The perseverant Peter Pear's most particular pet peeve is a sticky keyboard. The Tech Fruits will often find him at their computers cleaning them, so that their keys don't get stuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk. In addition to cleaning the keyboards, Peter converted all the Tech Fruits' mice to wireless laser mice. The drawback is that he will often find himself using his spare time to replace the batteries.

Agent Pear is the first fruit in his long family line ever to leave the shoemaking business. When interviewed about the reason for his departure from tradition, Peter Pear piped: "I wanted to have a career with a little more kick!" In "Agents of the Spirit Episode I: The Phantom Influence," Agent Pear played an important role by bravely confronting the Influence Bug. Peter's fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness.

 
 

Agent Paul Pineapple

The toughest fruit of the HS9 is the incredibly hulking Paul Pineapple. With his prickly skin (that is even more durable than Carl Coconut's head) and a healthy exercise of running back and forth, Paul is a juggernaut among fruits. On any mission that involves hostile enemies, Paul is an essential part of the team, being the first one into the danger zone to help his teammates assess the threat.

His favorite pastimes when not on the field are maintenance work, weightlifting in the HS9 Gymnasium (which has become too easy for him), playing racquetball (whenever he can find someone who is not too afraid to play with him), and grooving to his music. Agent Pineapple's greatest fear is of water (not drowning in it, just getting it in his eyes). Paul is also hesitant to ever use a trampoline again, since the last couple attempts left him stuck in the ceiling.

Aside from his prickly hair, Paul isn't very sharp. In fact, some would go so far as to label him dull (seeing how he actually is labeled "Dull"), but this doesn't deter him from doing his best to help out the HS9 and to be a hero to all the sprouting young fruits out there. It has always been Paul's dream to be needed in an organization like the HS9, and in truth he is one of the most essential fruits of the entire team. Without him, their headquarters would probably fall apart, quite literally: Paul also leads a team in charge of the general maintenance of their home base.

Pineapple joined up with the Agents of the Spirit after watching a boy push another kid. He vowed from then on he would teach children to use their strength to help others. In "Agents of the Spirit Episode 1: The Phantom Influence," Paul Pineapple was assigned to the control center located inside the Groovemobile where he helped coordinate the efforts of the rest of the team without endangering the Nelson home. Paul's fruit of the Spirit is peacefulness.

 

Agent Sarah Strawberry

Though Agent Sarah Strawberry may be the smallest member of the HS9, her size does nothing to diminish her part in the team. Sarah is one the most talented members of the group, and she proves it constantly. She can single-handedly take down a group of bugs without breaking a sweat - sometimes turning the tide of a whole mission. While confident in nature, Sarah also knows when to be humble and faithful to the team.

A close friend of Agent Penny Peach, Agent Strawberry got to know her fellow fruit exceptionally well, particularly on covert ops they shared, and they will often spend time talking and training together. Sarah has also found a good friend in Adam Apple. Having graduated from the HS9 Academy in the same class, Sarah and Adam have collaborated and competed for a long time before they started working together. Sarah has always shared Adam's positive outlook and energetic approach to any challenge.

Before attending the HS9 Academy, Sarah lived in various cupboards and markets on the East Coast until she was eventually discovered and recruited to attend the Academy by Adam's father. She once owned a hamster named Bubbles, but after she became an Agent she realized that she wasn't home enough to really care for him anymore, so Sarah gave Bubbles to a friend who lives in Atlanta. Sarah will often spend her spare time overseeing the production of the Agents' cartoon in the "Agents of the Spirit" Animation Studio.

In "Agents of the Spirit Episode 1: The Phantom Influence," Sarah was assigned surveillance duty at the back door, where she kept watch to make sure the Trooper Bugs and the Influence Bug didn't infiltrate the Nelson house. Agent Strawberry's fruit of the Spirit is love.

Agent Gary Grape

What can we really say about Gary Grape? Most of the HS9 is baffled by him most of the time, not knowing how to react to his voices, impressions, and chicken chasing shenanigans. While all the team members can count on Gary, they know that he's a few grapes short of a bunch, so they watch him carefully, waiting to see what he's going to do next. However, Gary is exceptionally talented when it comes to protecting the innocent and battling off the forces of evil, which he loves to do. The bugs have never had a more frightening opponent than Agent Gary Grape.

In his spare time, Gary sneaks into the "Agents of the Spirit" Animation Studio and alters the scripts, adding in scenes for the sole purpose of mass confusion. Plus his current goal is to swing so fast and high on a swing-set that he makes it all the way around.

Agent Gary Grape was part of the surveillance team in "Agents of the Spirit Episode 1: The Phantom Influence." His assignment was to stay in a wagon near the front door to the Nelson house and stop the bugs from getting in. Most of the team has come to respect Gary even if he is legally insane, but more importantly they've learned to never again allow him control of heavy machinery or fast vehicles. They're also reluctant to hold any serious discussions around him, since any conversation he's involved in eventually turns bizarre and often has something to do with his fascination with catching chickens. Gary's fruit of the Spirit is joy.

Agent Angie Orange

Agent Angie Orange is the voice of kindness and reason among the HS9. She is the main source of wisdom among the Field Agents not only because she is one of the most intelligent, but also because she is one of the most caring fruits of the team. Angie is usually the fruit who watches over her teammates the most, checking that everyone is properly equipped before leaving on a mission and making sure that everyone returns safely.

In her spare time, Angie practices her sumo wrestling in the HS9 Training Room. Agent Brett Banana will often locate her at the local shopping orchard where she enjoys buying retro clothes at thrift stores.

Angie Orange has phenomenal observational skills and is able to commit a great amount to memory, making her a valuable asset while out in dangerous territory. Unfortunately, Angie memorizes so much key information that she often forgets where she puts things. In "Agents of the Spirit Episode 1: The Phantom Influence," Agent Orange forgot her watch in the Nelson house while on covert ops detail.

Agent Orange is always able to brighten up the most difficult situations with her kind heart and unending energy. Angie's fruit of the Spirit is gentleness.

Agent Carl Coconut

Agent Carl Coconut is much more intelligent than he appears to be. Physically the largest member of the HS9, he is also the smartest. He earned doctorate degrees in biology, criminology, computer science, history, anthropology, psychology, calculus, geology, and ultimate frisbee physical therapy. Though he may be a genius, Carl attended the HS9 Academy to become a Field Agent, not wanting to be stuck behind a desk as a Tech Fruit. Agent Coconut maintains a wild sense of adventure and is usually the first one in the elevator when leaving for a mission.

Carl gains most of his knowledge from the internet, but every time there's a power outage at the HS9 Headquarters, Carl Coconut will grab a candlestick and join his friend Professor Plum in the library. This agent's greatest fear is laughing so hard that milk comes out of his nose.

In "Agents of the Spirit Episode 1: The Phantom Influence," Agent Carl Coconut was assigned to covert ops. Infiltrating the Nelson house was easy for Carl; the difficulty was dealing with their dog, Quincy. Carl's fruit of the Spirit is patience.

Agent Penny Peach

Agent Penny Peach is an agent that knows balance. She knows that God has given her skills at certain things, and she uses those skills as a dedicated member of the HS9. Penny knows that she needs the other team members to help her in areas where she is weak. Team unity is very important to Penny, knowing that each fruit has been given unique talents, and when the Agents work together in an unselfish way, the team will be stronger.

Agent Peach has mastered the use of all of the HS9's gizmos under even the most extreme circumstances and loves to experiment with any new toys that Professor Plum comes up with in the HS9 Engineering Lab. Penny Peach also loves to dance, and will often show off her new moves at the latest HS9 social gatherings.

Miss Penny is known for her Southern graces, having been raised in Georgia. She is well on her way to becoming one of the most vital members of the current HS9 team. With both her parents having been medal-winning figure skaters at the 1966 Winter Fruit Bowl, she has inherited an agile physique that enables her to dodge just about anything. Agent Peach's fruit of the Spirit is kindness.

Agent Adam Apple

Agent Adam Apple is second banana to Brett, as the Deputy Leader of the HS9. Adam trains under Brett Banana's watchful eye and, like his leader, has no visible weaknesses. Adam will be the first to tell you that he can hold his own in almost any field he's tested in and has proven himself a worthy substitute commander in times of need.
A third generation Agent, Adam Apple joined the team after attending the HS9 Academy as his father and grandfather did before him. At the Academy, Adam excelled above the rest due to his charm, charisma, quick thinking, and overall leadership skills. While not on tactical missions, Adam Apple will often compete with Agent Banana in the HS9 Training Room, where he will constantly attempt to reach higher scores in their training simulations.

In "Agents of the Spirit Episode 1: The Phantom Influence," Agent Apple was assigned to surveillance in the tree in the Nelson house front yard. There he was able to watch the action unfold and supervise many of his fellow Agents. Adam is no "bad apple." In fact, his fruit of the Spirit is goodness.

Currently, there is no law against these fruits of the Spirit.

==========================

About the author: Ed 'word' Price is a Content Writer and Game Writer. His writing experience includes localization writing for Dragon Warrior 7 for Square Enix, Editing for Nintendo games (Pikmin, New Tetris, Starcraft 64, and Loderunner 3D), 24 Microsoft Surface games, and 30+ animations and videos. Ed has a Masters degree in Technology Management and 5 interactive design patents with Microsoft.

A smaller Pirates 4 budget is still a huge budget

The Pirates of The Caribbean franchise has done nothing but rake in millions of dollars for Disney but its previous success isn’t good enough to grant its sequel a financial pass. It’s no secret that the economy is in the crapper and a lot of companies are tightening their budgets, including Disney. According a recent article in the LA Times, the studio has set a limit on how much they’re willing to spend on Jack Sparrow and his next adventure.

Under Disney’s new Chairman Rich Ross, the studio will exercise some “fiscal restraint,” when it comes to the Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster. Even though the desire for popcorn movies and escapist films hasn’t changed, DVD sales, marketing, and production costs have. The previous Pirates films cost about $300 million to make while On Stranger Tides is expected to stay near $200 million. So even though theatrically the films are turning a profit, they still have to compensate for the areas that are failing.

According to director Rob Marshall, “This is by far the biggest budget I’ve ever worked with. We’re all working hard to keep it as lean as possible…. It’s a tricky time in the economy. You can’t be insane.”

The Pirates of The Caribbean franchise has done nothing but rake in millions of dollars for Disney but its previous success isn’t good enough to grant its sequel a financial pass. It’s no secret that the economy is in the crapper and a lot of companies are tightening their budgets, including Disney. According a recent article in the LA Times, the studio has set a limit on how much they’re willing to spend on Jack Sparrow and his next adventure.

Under Disney’s new Chairman Rich Ross, the studio will exercise some “fiscal restraint,” when it comes to the Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster. Even though the desire for popcorn movies and escapist films hasn’t changed, DVD sales, marketing, and production costs have. The previous Pirates films cost about $300 million to make while On Stranger Tides is expected to stay near $200 million. So even though theatrically the films are turning a profit, they still have to compensate for the areas that are failing.

According to director Rob Marshall, “This is by far the biggest budget I’ve ever worked with. We’re all working hard to keep it as lean as possible…. It’s a tricky time in the economy. You can’t be insane.”

From:
http://screencrave.frsucrave.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/pirates-of-the-caribbean-on-stranger-tides-4-5-10-kc.jpg
=====================

$200 million is not a small budget. It just means that Gore and Jerry let the previous Pirates movies get out of hand with their budgets, and I don't think it was used super well. I hope that Ted and Terry (the writers) can write better action to spend the budget on instead of... weirdness like Pirates 2 and especially 3.

Rob (the director of Pirates 4) also has a good point above. $200 million is still a huge budget, and far bigger than anything Rob's had before. Previously Rob did Chicago and Memoirs of a Geisha, so this is Rob's first attempt at a blockbuster (although Chicago was a blockbuster by accident). That's nothing against Rob though. He's an amazing director and more than qualified. Before Pirates 1-3, Gore (the director) was the director of Mouse Hunt, The Mexican, and The Ring.

So Jerry has a good process of finding great directors, even if they haven't done blockbusters. Perhaps great directors of other genres would make better directors of blockbusters than directors of "okay action flicks." So keep the system going Jerry, you've got a great one!

- TAE

Jerry Bruckheimer went to Wonder Con

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer had never been to a fan boy convention before. But, suddenly last month he found himself the center of attention at Wonder-Con in San Franciso's Moscone Center, where nearly 5,000 comic book aficionados waited in long lines to get sneak peeks of footage from his upcoming summer films "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" and "Sorcerer's Apprentice."

Bruckheimer appeared almost awed by the reception as many attendees snapped photos of him from their cell phones as if they were at a rock concert. Of course, the stars of his films, "Prince of Persia's" Jake Gyllenhaal and Nicolas Cage from "Sorcerer's Apprentice" got their photo ops. But, for Bruckheimer, the event was illustrative of a new marketing push at Disney.

The producer said he was thrilled when Disney proposed that he attend this year's Wonder-Con , a gathering of 35,000 predominantly male comic book fans.

"Disney came to me and said, "Let's go to Wonder-Con' ... I was jumping up and down," said Bruckheimer. who recognizes the importance of enticing this group, who are the target audience for the movies. That's why Bruckheimer also will attend the biggest of the costumed-hero geek fests, San Diego's Comic-Con, in July.

Read the rest:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/05/disney-geeks-out-plots-theater-domination-for-prince-of-persia.html

Enjoy!