The Return of 1313

A long time ago, I created a short lived web cartoon series called 1313 13th Avenue. This series was about a group of classic monsters all living under one roof. Kind of a Real World scenario. I’ve attempted over the years to evolve the characters and implement them into new epsiodes, games and full 3d animations, but the time just wasn’t there for me to invest. But seeing as WellHey Productions finally has its own home and Halloween is just around the corner, I’ve decided to bring the boys (and girls) back, a little wiser for the wear and do a little revamping.

Honestly, I think about 10 people knew about this series, and with those 10 people, it was a hit. But when you’re doing all of this for no profit, motivation is hard to come by. Now it may be a few more months, or maybe even a year before the gruesome gang makes their triumphant return to the internet, but all good things take time. When I first created the residents of 1313 13th Avenue, I used a program that I ranked high on my list of favorite toys, Poser. Although, I still use Poser to this day, it has fallen in the ranks of most proficient tools to use.

I am gearing to make this generation more detailed more animated. I recently saw that AE TUTS+ will be presenting an entire series of tutorials on Character Animation using Free Form Pro and After Effects, so I’ll definitely be checking that out and using those techniques to my advantage.

Also, in the four (or was it five) episodes of 1313 13th Avenue, I was the voice for ALL of the characters, even the ones that didn’t talk. So, I’m going to see if I can recruit some of my part-time staff to loan me their vocal talents and make the characters a bit more robust.

The premise of the entire series is one of those “MAN, you gotta do something with this” ideas that continues to nag at me even after all the years that I stopped working with it. It just sounds like comedy gold. Let’s face it, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, Wolfman, The Creature from The Black Lagoon, The Invisible Man, The Blob.. all the greats, living under one roof… and there’s only ONE bathroom! You’d have to be a total moron not to think that’s just funny right there. I think the bit’s that’s been plaguing me is how to present the crew. 3D animation or 2D animation? Well, with Free Form Pro, I can have both.

Here’s the current resident list for the condemned halls of Irvine Manor:

  • Frankie (Frankenstein) – Calm, Cool and Collected. Tries to keep his temper in check, but some of the antics of his roommates cause him to blow his top, literally
  • Vlad (Dracula) – Womanizing playboy. Narcissistic. The first of his illustrious family to be able to survive in the sunlight
  • Elsa (Bride of Frankenstein) – Every house must have the responsible one that bails everyone out of jail
  • Harry (The Wolf Man) – Consummate prankster, “Party Animal”. Always looking for the perfect set-up.
  • Tut (The Mummy) – Grumpy, ill-tempered, bitter. Your run-of-the-mill classic mean-tempered war veteran.
  • Gil (Creature from the Black Lagoon) – Clumsy, dumb-witted, but friendly. Tries to help out, but always manages to screw things up.
  • Grimm (Grim Reaper) – Cynical, down-trodden and sarcastic. Although, he is a kind in nature, his permanent occupation has transformed him into a over-bearing pessimist.
  • Wells (The Invisible Man) – Proper, well-educate, brains of the outfit. Book smart, but street stupid
  • Lon (The Phantom of the Opera) – Perfectionist, workaholic. Not much time for fun, but ever so often, tends to break out of his shell.
  • Bob (The Blob) – Outgoing, definitive ladies man. Any chance he gets, he’ll brag about his female conquests.
  • Maddy (Medusa) – Sultry, promiscuous party girl. All has to be the center of attention, self proclaimed diva of the mansion.
  • Mary (Bloody Mary) – Quiet, introverted, creepy and possessive. Resides in the complex network of mirrors located throughout the mansion.
  • Irving (The Headless Horseman) – The Flawless Athlete. Extremely competitive, yet silent due to his lack of head
  • Jekyll (Jekyll & Hyde) – Brilliant man of arts &amp sciences, yet possessor of superhuman strength and ape-like agility. The personification of the dichotomy of brains versus brawn.
  • Godzilla (Godzilla) – If you don’t know who Godzila is, you need to get out more.

These next three are the newest additions to the cast, or combinations of old characters

  • Abby (Ghost) – Victorian duchess on the outside, Harty tom-boy on the inside
  • Eve (Demon) – Goth and Hipster all into one. Always reading, yet knows how to hang loose.
  • Dexter (Masked Murderer) – The combination of every slasher ever, but deep down, he’s just a teddy-bear.

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