Gunderson; an Xmas Noir (and the Road to December)

Back in Dec I asked, what came first: the promo posters or the story?

Santa was a Daz asset I got on sale and Ms. Claus was a CC character that matched him real nice. Then the two of them look as smug as a bug in the rug, hence the “Naughty” tagline. And then once the posters were created I knew that the story of a villainous Santa Claus would have to come to fruition. So, December and into January I drafted Gunderson; An Xmas Noir.

It’s a mildly serious tale of elves and santa and an automaton and its humor lies largely in taking itself serious. It has elements of The Big Sleep and maybe a sprinkle of Chinatown.  It’s also a rather ambitious project for me with a 15 page script, 4 major VA roles (and many smaller speaking parts), 7 custom sets  and a slew of elvish extras to bring my version of the (North) Pole to life.

Another thing it has is a strict schedule to be completed in time for Christmas 2023.  Based on my estimates from my last 3 projects its going to be tight (working hobby hours).  I’m a project manager type of guy so I’ve developed a shooting schedule with several major deadlines along the way to December. 

• May 1 - Script rewrites, major character design, general set design (to be finalized before shooting) and casting the voice acting roles  
• July 15 - First 3 Scenes 
• Oct 1 - Next 2 scenes 
• Dec 1 - Final 2 scenes, foley, editing and titles

So that’s that (mattress man).  My 2023 dance card is filled up.  I'll give some progress reports as I jingle all the way to the finish line.