Bill Meeks here, creator of Everly Heights. I hope you’ve been enjoying our creative journey via YouTube as I produce our first animated series, Very Special. It’s coming along! I’m finishing up all the sets this week, then my focus turns to characters. Animation will likely start before Halloween, so maybe some clips before Thanksgiving? Anyway, as I continue to harness the creative possibilities of generative AI to produce the pilot, I have some thrilling updates and opportunities to share with you.
90s PARODY COMMERCIAL WRITERS’ ROOM
First up, now that the writers strike is over, I’m ready to start putting together a mini-writers’ room to create 90s parody commercials for the act breaks in the Very Special pilot. This will be a paid opportunity. It’s still an indie budget, but it’ll be a low commitment: Two recorded sessions for YouTube where we brainstorm, assign, and evaluate the scripts, as well as the final script itself. After I finish the parody commercial, I’ll also provide you with an HD copy you can feel free to share or add to your portfolio. Details coming soon in our Discord channel.
EVERLY HEIGHTS CUSTOM MODELS
Set Model Video
Character Model Video
If you’re subscribed to Building Dreams on YouTube, you know I’ve put a lot work into building Stable Diffusion models for characters and sets to build animated assets for Everly Heights. I’ve got some fantastic videos that break down the process of training AI models (linked above), which I believe will inspire you to create your own unique AI-generated art. I’m also finishing up my video on my “prop generator” model, the last piece of the puzzle for animating Everly Heights. Here’s an example:
Now that I have my three main models, I’m blending them to create a general purpose Everly Heights model I can use for YouTube thumbnails, an upcoming comic set in Everly Heights I’m currently writing, and anything else I think of. Here’s a couple examples of that merge:
I think I’ve nailed down a distinctive style across all the models, but it bums me out that I’m the only one playing who can play with these awesome tools… But wait!
Join Our Everly Heights inner circle! Building Dreams and Everly Heights have grown a lot in the last six months thanks to your support. Now, I’m thrilled to announce our official Patreon! By joining, you’ll get exclusive access to our Everly Heights SD models, merch, behind-the-scenes content, one-on-one generative AI/creative coaching sessions with me, and early peeks at new projects. The Patreon is live now! If you dig what we’re doing, please considering tossing a couple bucks my way to support new videos as we explore and explain the latest creative technology we’re using to bring Everly Heights to life.
The Voices of Very Special
Everly Heights is coming to life with the animated series “Very Special.” I recorded with our cast over the summer, and we published all the sessions over on the YouTube. Check out the table read (narrated by Daily Tech News Show’s Tom Merritt) and meet the talented actors bringing these characters to life.
You can check out edited versions of all of our cast sessions, as well as videos where I make assets for the pilot, via this playlist. The cast is full of talented, hilarious people. Well worth your time!
This week, I published a video showing how I upscale and edit an image generated in Stable Diffusion to a production-ready asset. From generation to ready for animation. It’s a lot of work, but I think it’s worth it!
Follow Us Online
If you want to stay up-to-date on the Everly Heights project, and meet like-minded artists, performers, and writers, join us for plenty of fun at the links below.
