Next to “Do you guys use flash?” (no), the most common question fans of the For Tax Reasons cartoons ask in either the comments section or private emails is “Have you thought about doing a television show?” That’s usually followed up with, “You guys should totally have a television show.” The generosity of those comments is never lost on me. To think that people out there want to see more of your work, so much more that they’d sit through 22 minutes of it, on a weekly basis, is incredibly flattering and humbling. I’d like to address those people today.
Yes, we have thought about a TV show. Extensively.
IM IN UR MANGER was supposed to be a one off. Mark, Barry and the forgotten musketeer David (whose irreplacable vocal talent Zach Steel moved to the other side of the country some time ago) weren’t even characters yet, so to speak. . . in the script and artwork, they were referred to as Casper, Melchior and Balthasar. We had a whole other idea for the cartoons we were going to do next, something completely removed from the world that became Ronin Dojo. But the short clicked with people, and clicked with us even more, to the point that Ben and I would randomly mention to each other ideas pertaining to these characters: their backgrounds, stories we could do with them, funny cosplay we could put them in. . . until eventually there was a lot more to Ronin Dojo than anyone watching the cartoons on the internet was aware of.
Mark.
We eventually got organized and put it down on paper. Hidden on our personal hard drives exist a show bible for Ronin Dojo Community College DX, a complete pilot episode script, and a 13 episode season breakdown. I’ll always remember the night we wrote every story idea and joke we would ever want to do on individual index cards, laid them out on a table and asked ourselves “What is the show we want to do.” It felt like some kind of weird school project the laid back media studies teacher would give you when he ran out of stuff to teach. It was the most fun I’ve had doing this independent animation thing yet.
But wanting a show and getting a show are the beginning and end points of a super twisty path that takes a very, very long time to walk. And at any point on that path, things can just shut you down and end your journey before it is completed. Ben and I haven’t done enough to warrant a television show. We’re young and relatively new to the industry. At this point in time, when it comes down to finished and polished product, we have one idea to sell: Ronin Dojo Community College DX. You can’t go around selling one thing and one thing only. Even Vince, the ShamWow guy, shills other products.
People may like Ronin Dojo, but it’s not necessarily something a network would want to put on air. That’s totally understandable. If a network or studio likes Ronin Dojo, we should be able to come at them with a few other ideas that still reflect our sensibilities but are ideas that, frankly, more people are going to watch. We’re working on building a portfolio of pitches and scripts, and when we’re ready, we’ll hit the streets hungry for another venue to make jokes and tell stories. But that time is a ways off.
Barry.
That said, don’t come away from this feeling down about your dreams of seeing Mark, Barry and David on the small screen. The pitch for the show, which we’re not ready to publicly post. . . it’s out there for the people who need to see it. Maybe someone will dig it, and we’ll be allowed to take the first step on that path, beyond just wanting it. I throw out a lot of self-deprecation whenever I talk about my work, but honestly. . . I think Ronin Dojo is an awesome idea, and I’m very invested in where it goes from here. We can do so much more with these characters, and it is so awesome that you want to see what those things are. But we need to keep at it if we’re to go to the next level, and YOU need to keep at it, too.
Keep being fans. Keep watching, keep commenting, keep sharing the videos with your friends, your WoW guild and your local anime club. Blog about us, post about us on forums, email your Uncle Turner and tell him he should give these For Tax Reasons guys a shot. We’re perfectly happy with where we’re at right now, doing shorts for the web completely for free, but, in the brief moments of respite from late night animating, we allow ourselves to wonder what the future might hold. It’s rad beyond words that you think we’re ready for that future, but we know we’ve got to earn it. If you’ve liked what you’ve seen so far, just wait until we get to the top.
David.
What I would want more than a television show, though, would be seeing some Ronin Dojo Community College DX boys’ love doujinshi hit the web. That’s when I’ll know I’ve made it.
January 31, 2009 at 1:14 pm
So the Zach Steel, the voice of David moved far away. That mystery solved I was wondering why his character wasn’t included in any recent episodes. Is it possible to record his voice over the phone or through the internet? Anyway, you guys are consistently awesome. Both your blogs are great too.