Broken Saints Finale Available 129
An anonymous reader writes "The hour-and-a-half finale to the killer animated Web comic Broken Saints is finally available. I just finished watching it, and I can't believe that only three guys made the damn thing. The story is intense, the music kicks, and the art's cool if you dig anime. Nice effects, really cool style, and even some nice Linux hacking scenes." We've covered this award-winning Flash-animated series previously.
stuff like this (Score:5, Interesting)
gives you a warm feeling inside if you can get past the pervading cynicism of the times for a moment.
Re:stuff like this (Score:5, Insightful)
You don't have to be a flower-child to appreciate that..
Re:stuff like this (Score:3, Interesting)
Wow, I don't think I've seen a better job of someone summing up the original definition of "entertainment". That is what it used to be all about. Now its going through its whole corporate phase because thats the only way to get heard. But thanks to the internet
Re:stuff like this (Score:2)
Hey, even if it's not...
Re:stuff like this (Score:2, Interesting)
In the past it was much harder - and thus we had record company royalties of 5%-12%. The reason those rates are so low is that getting content out by traditional methods is hard. But now that is changing and the balance of power is shifting to the artists.
Its a good thing.
Re:stuff like this (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:stuff like this (Score:2)
The real paradigm of the artist is starving. And like someone else said, every other person already is an artist.
Re:stuff like this (Score:5, Insightful)
Hah! You are kidding, right? I think you meant to say "it used to be that artists who had mass market appeal were the only ones who could get an audience". Of course, this typically translates to artists who appeal to the 12-20 age bracket, or so, since they have massive amounts of disposable spending cash which they are willing to spend on the latest fad.
The fact is, for nigh on 20 years now (at least), art has been all about demographics and marketability. This applies to music, books, movies, and pretty well any other form of popular art (as opposed to "high" art, which is a different beast altogether) you can think of.
So, the hope now is that, maybe, artists will be able to mass distribute their art without having to worry about marketing, etc, etc, meaning that new, unique stuff might start appearing. Of course, you do have to wade through the crap to get to the good stuff, but at least you CAN get to the good stuff, now. And new technology can help people find the high quality art. For example, imagine a site where you could submit a site for an indie piece of art which can been reviewed by peers. With something like this, it should be quite easy to weed out the less interesting material and get to the good stuff.
Re:stuff like this (Score:2)
Sure, everyone can point to Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Arnold Schwartzenneger and claim the sky's falling.
Any honest person will also observe that many talented artists are readily available: Terry Gilliam, David Mamet, 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding', 'Bend It Like Beckham,' Radiohead, Yo Yo Ma, Sleater Kinney, Kevin Spacey, Mel Brooks, Chuck Palahniuk
Re:stuff like this (Score:1)
So, should I ask YOU before I update my blog? Can I have your home phone number please?
Re:stuff like this (Score:2)
See? Nothing about stopping people from making art.
Re:stuff like this (Score:1)
What, do you think somebody's going to come to your door and MAKE you read their blog?
"every crap artist with angsty poems can easily put up a site" They sure can. And good for them.
This is a problem, but not a big one (Score:2)
Re:stuff like this (Score:1)
Incidently, ZeD covered Broken Saints [zed.cbc.ca] in a previous episode. Yay Zed (and the CBC and Canada) !
Disclaimer: I'm a Canadian, and I love Zed + the CBC.
As a person non-interested in comics and anime... (Score:5, Interesting)
The animation was VERY well done and the sound-effects and graphics were actually pretty amazing.
The story-line was slow and didn't hold my attention.
While I appreciate the artistry it wouldn't be good for the mainstream unless the pace was quickened.
Just my worthless
Re:As a person non-interested in comics and anime. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:As a person non-interested in comics and anime. (Score:2)
Gimme some Grant Morrison-like stories (lots of extremely disturbing concepts, delivered with economy of words). Or, if you use lots of words, make them meaningful (like in Watchmen).
Having said that, I have to admit the concept has a bright future.
Spoiler? (Score:2)
Do you have a link to a spoiler [storyline]? Or can you tell what it is, approximately?
Re:As a person non-interested in comics and anime. (Score:2)
Bittorrent (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Bittorrent (Score:1)
"The Matrix Reloaded Trailer [97.35MiB] Laid to rest with 9380 transfers (1018.31GiB)"
a quicktime file hosted on aol's server, and we used p2p software to distribute it. thats 1tb less of traffic. on aol. we could have slashdotted aol. sometimes we are just too smart. damnit!
and dont you dare and provide a revolutions trailer torrent!
btw: thats still the old torrent without the finale if im not mistaken. any package to update that previous broken saints do
Re:Bittorrent (Score:2)
Now that this is the next day, I can tell you that the bittorrent file circulating is WITHOUT the last chapter, so no, it isn't the whole thing. The brokensaints site has a handy link to download the last chapter. Without the flash editor there's no updating the menus included in the bittorrent so the last chapter must be viewed independently.
Re:Bittorrent (Score:1)
Re:Bittorrent (Score:2)
I have this too, some things download lightening fast (lie a file this morning which I pulled with 80KB/s) and then others they just drip in and I upload more than I download.
Last time I checked I had a 1:2 download to upload ratio, so for every byte I downloaded I uploaded 2.
Either I am the only one in my area who has the file and everybody is coming to me or something is fishy here, at times I am connected to more than 30 nodes at the same time and still only get 5KB/
Why fishy? (Score:1)
Re:Bittorrent (Score:1)
It turns out that Bittorrent will work (slu
Re:Too bad it is Flash (Score:5, Informative)
Looked lame, but I'll try it (Score:4, Interesting)
The whole "treatment of Iraq" based character is ignorant though. I bet the creators are punk rock slackers - you know the kind, they attend the riots but never know what they're fighting for, they ramble on all day about imaginery politics and "fighting the man" (which is usually their rich white dad), they are always in a "band", etc.
Re:Looked lame, but I'll try it (Score:1, Insightful)
Yea, ok, SOME punks are as you described, but it's a minority. Most punks really do believe in the causes they fight for, and they're quite intelligent. I'm a punk (well, sorta). Most of my friends are punk. Ok, I'm better off than most. "The Man" is not my father (he's quite far from rich, by the way). I also am not particularly political. However I make sure to understand the things I do become involved with, and most other punks I've known are the same way
Re:Looked lame, but I'll try it (Score:1)
Not a serious question, of course -- just pointing out how silly your point is. Your overly restrictive definition of "punk" would exclude about 90% of the punks in the world. He's not stereotyping himself, you're just *way* overgeneralizing...
Re:Looked lame, but I'll try it (Score:1)
Proud to be Punk.
Re:Looked lame, but I'll try it (Score:1)
Doesn't that pretty much defeat the purpose of being a Punk, if you're just like everybody else? That's why I wear and suit and a tie, I'm rebelling against established social norms.
Re:Looked lame, but I'll try it (Score:1)
I simply don't care about social norms. If I happen to be congruent with them today, fine. If I don't, OK. I just don't care.
Re:Looked lame, but I'll try it (Score:1)
Is the term "punk", as used to describe a social group, still in circulation? When I left off, punks were mohawked Sid Vicious types in the '80s, and seemed to turn into what everyone called "goths" in the '90s (discounting the many splinter groups). What is a modern punk?
Re:Looked lame, but I'll try it (Score:2)
Anymore, I dont cl
Re:Looked lame, but I'll try it (Score:2)
I definitely don't classify myself as a punk, but from observation I've noticed that it's not just about musical preference and style of dress, although recently there is that superficial resurfacing. I believe punk was originally sim
"You're not punk unless you've had scabies" (Score:2)
"You're not punk unless you've had scabies!".
Of course, really there are lots of different kind of punks. I used to know this really hot little punk chick in Savannah named Kitty who knew more about music than god and lived homeless for a year
Re:Looked lame, but I'll try it (Score:1)
pretty cool stuff (Score:5, Insightful)
First off let me just say this is really great work ... great story, great art, great flash programming. I'm excited to see stuff like this coming out, stuff done independently that's quality.
I only have one complaint ... I think this story would be better served going all the way to animation. I know the comic purists out there would balk, but to have basic animation, dissolves, and WORD BALLOONS of all things, when you already have audio ... this work has already left the roots of comics on a page. This project should just go fully animated.
Oh, and I just have to mention, no Scott McCloud-esque micropayments going on here. Kudos to these guys ...
Re:pretty cool stuff (Score:3, Insightful)
Then there is the bandwidth difference for including audio and full animation. That can add up to a hefty bill, something these guys probably can't swing considering they do not have and McCloud-esque micropayments.
Re:pretty cool stuff (Score:2)
Re:pretty cool stuff (Score:2)
Re:pretty cool stuff (Score:2)
Only three guys made this? (Score:2, Interesting)
And I still can't comment on the artwork -- after a 5 minute wait for the "50K skinny site" to download, my browser locked up. OK, I'm probably not running the latest-and-greatest: this is "only" a 1.8 GHz Wintel PC with 255 MB RAM & a T1 connection with Netscape 7.02... I'm sure the site looks fine on a 3.0 GHz Linux box with a gig of RAM & a T3...
The point of this rant is that it's a damned shame
Re:Only three guys made this? (Score:1)
Re:Only three guys made this? (Score:2)
I did. I said it was a Wintel box & that it would probably work better on Linux. Gotta stick to the /. code, y'know? ;-)
But you're correct -- my usual reaction to an overly-Flashed site is to "stop" & "back"...
Re:Only three guys made this? (Score:2)
Broken Saints soon to have Broken Server (Score:1, Redundant)
To those of you just starting to watch BS. (Score:3, Informative)
To watch the evolution, especially of the art and flashwork, is quite amazing also!
I just can't believe it's finally over.
I tried, I tried... (Score:2)
But I persevered, slow as it was, until I was sure the actual content was a bunch of studenty drivel about saving the third world and getting in touch with your feminine side. I think it's safe to conclude that the same stuff that has always sol
Not necessarily Liberal propaganda (Score:1)
This makes it much more of an Orwellian type of tale in that it describes how parties in the search for 'noble' revolutions can sometimes deliver regimes much
Smart anonymous reader (Score:5, Funny)
And only then did he submit it to /. Veeeeerrrrry clever, Mr. Anonymous Reader. Let this be a lesson to us all.
Broken Saints? (Score:1)
Not even 25 post on
10 and a half hours! (Score:5, Insightful)
Not an ad on the site and the creators pledged that there won't be any profiteering or commercialization of this.
We are so not worthy.
Thank you guys.
Re:10 and a half hours! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:10 and a half hours! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:10 and a half hours! (Score:1)
Why is this bad?
i hate flash.. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:1)
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:2)
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Not to say I don't appreciate people dedicating themselves to their craft as these guys do, but just because you're an artist doesn't mean you don't have to pick the right technology.
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:2)
Out of curiousity, what is the "right technology"? Quicktime? MPEG4? Powerpoint slideshow?
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:2)
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:2)
when i right click on this movie (on my mac, with the two button mouse i bought, you one-button trolls), i get the following context menu:
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:2)
Therefor this isn't FUD, but a genunie complaint.
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:1)
the problems that you're citing are problems of the particular implimentation and not Flash itself.
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:1)
Except that the the problems turn out to be caused by a technical choice between event and stream audio in Flash. More info here:
Broken Saint's FAQ [brokensaints.com]
Ian.
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:2)
i'm standing by my earlier implimentation argument.
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:1)
I suppose that from their point of view it takes out a lot of the hassle out of trying to get the synchronization exactly right... some of the scenes just wouldn't work the way they do if the sound or looped music transition were a second or two out. It would lose much of the intensity and impact. And that, for me, has been a large part of what the Brokens Saint's experience has been about.
I don't know how much of
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:2)
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:1)
http://vobsub.edensrising.com/mpc.php
http://guliverkli.sourceforge.net/
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:1)
Nothing a couple lines of ActionScript can't fix.
Here is an example [totalusa.com] of a Flash movie I've made which has a pause/play button, as well as a Fast Forward and Rewind Slider that acts just how you want and expect it to.
BIG advantage of using Flash is that it's more likely to appear the way you want it to on your website, as opposed to Quicktime, RealPlayer, WindowsMedia, etc, which adds all their controls to it.
Bear in mind the example above is only a rough example that I placed on the web to show a
Re:i hate flash.. (Score:2)
Just try to right click on the movie.
- Uncheck "Play" to pause the movie
- Check it again to "Resume"
- There is a big "Rewind" option
- Use "Forward" and "Backward" to navigate (unfortunately these two does not work well all the time)
Here is a direct link (Score:1, Informative)
A mplayer-like program for flash files? (Score:1)
Is there any media player for linux able to play those flash thingies? I only use my webbrowsers... to browse the web!
Thanks
Re:A mplayer-like program for flash files? (Score:2, Informative)
The limitations of flash (Score:5, Informative)
In other words, the animation is a set of instructions, and the downloaded data is kept to a minimum.
The upshot of this is that while there's a lot of movement on the screen, it gets pretty repetitive. For example, during the intro, we see the same artwork (various faces) used over and over again using a variety of different animation effects.
Whereas film uses a separate image for every frame, flash can use 3 or 4 images and a set of instructions. But these 3 or 4 images (flashed, panned, faded and moved around the screen), hardly approach the immersive experience of thousands of frames used in film.
In an era of digital video and truly fantastic compression technologies, this approach seems dated. True, the potential audience for flash movies may be larger, but that seems like a business decision and not a creative one.
They've done a great job with the medium, but unfortunately this medium, as with so many others online, is extremely limited.
Re:The limitations of flash (Score:1)
Re:The limitations of flash (Score:1)
Perhaps in order to make you happy, they should spend a couple hundred man-years painstakingly drawing, one dot at a time, ultra-high-resolution chroma paintings for each frame?
OMG free expression (Score:1, Insightful)
Much better than the tripe that's played on mainstream TV.
Yes, primitive animation, etc. but I don't care.
Disney, and others should realize they are obsolete except to the mindless drones that want to rehash stale PC ideas and wait for death on the couch.
Direct link to movie to get it fullscreen (Score:1)
limitations of a medium. (Score:1)
I am aware of a medium called "film" which takes millions of dollars and the MPAA to get distributed, additionally costing the end viewer 5-10$ for only one viewing. i know, it's proprietary, it's inconvenient in your browser, but for chrissakes, stop your whining. what do you want it in, an animated GIF?
NOBODY FORCED YOU TO WATCH IT.
Re:limitations of a medium. (Score:1)
Says who? Every heard of independent films?
NOBODY FORCED YOU TO WATCH IT
True. I went to the site and downloaded the intro, which I watched. The whole time I was hoping this was just a ploy to get me to say "Man, there wasn't much content in that...I guess I'll have to watch Chapter 1 to find out more!" Consequently, I downloaded and began to watch Chapter 1.
After sitting through 5-10 minutes of
Watched 1...does it get better? (Score:1)
The only problem with Ninjai is that this will be the THIRD time they are re-releasing the chapters every two weeks. In other words, I have to wait a couple of months before those of us that have seen all of the chapters from the beginning can see a new one.
Anyway, the question still stands I guess. Does this get better? Has ninjai spoiled me?
Re:Watched 1...does it get better? (Score:1)
Re:Watched 1...does it get better? (Score:1)
I will say though, that the later chapters of Ninjai gave me the chills at times. The animation and the music is unbelievable...
Thanks again though, I've already bittorented the stie and will continue BS.
I suppose... (Score:2)
Broken Saint's animation is cool, but the story bores me I'm afraid to say. (I think I just get tired of reading and wish they included a voice audio).
I also wish they had a "play the whole story" button, it's a pain waiting for their lovely, but ultimately time wasting graphics as I navigate between episodes. And before you say anything yes, I am aware they provide zipped copies [brokensaints.com] of the episodes for download and easy viewing (I think this is very nice of them).
In my book the best flash animation site
Comics? (Score:3, Funny)
So (Score:1)
Horrible trite writing (Score:1)
Does anyone know "rmatthews@red" password? (Score:1)
Does anyone know if this thing has a response to a valid password? What does "B.T.S." stand for here?
Ninjai (Score:2)
What the hell happened to Ninjai [ninjai.com]? I was really getting into it, then they stopped, two episodes from the end, and haven't pumped out anything new for nearly a year.
And now you can only view chapters 1 through 3, instead of the 10 they'd completed! Argh!