MUCHBETTERNOW

Hello TeamLiquid users, friends and Starcraft fans

I’ve wanted to make this post for a long while now. It’s about what I’ve been doing with my good friend and business partner Simon Griesser over the last year and a half. Now that our short film has had its world premier, at the European short film festival in Paris, I’m finally able to show all of you my pride and joy. Its the official web kick off, this is a big moment for me.

I suppose this post is all about my experience producing the film itself, called MuchBetterNow, and how important Teamliquid.net and its community have been to me.

What I had really wanted was a chance to show you guys the results of all the time and effort that have gone into the film. If I could give you a glimpse behind the scenes, I could give you some idea of the dizzying highs and abysmal lows of a project like this. It’s been the biggest enterprise I’ve ever undertaken on my own.

MUCH BETTER NOW

This is the title of my shortfilm; it’s all about life, being stuck, taking a chance, and eventually, with a lot of passion and perseverance, succeeding. It pretty much sums up my last five or so years, so I can’t help but feel that the short has a lot of autobiographic elements; there’s a lot of me in it - probably like in every passionate person's work.

But that’s enough talk for now; please take the time to sit back and enjoy the next six minutes.

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WATCH FILM NOW

So that’s the end product, but getting to that point was long and arduous. Even at the worst of times, though, it was still fun and exciting.

Here is what some notorious friends at TL had to say about it:

Liquid`TLO:
I watched ''Much better Now'' a couple of times now over the past months and it always puts me in a good mood. The Graphics are top notch and the story is simple, just doing fine without any dialogue, yet captivating. Oh and the music of course, perfect choice, overall the movie really wants me to make a holiday at a beach... Proud to have someone as talented as lip the pencilboy on board with TL. Definitely watch it, you won't regret it and it's only five minutes.

SirJolt:
It’s hard to know what to say about something as short as MuchBetterNow, but that it is a short, sweet, and reaffirming. The film is suffused with a sense of light and texture that manages to communicate a warmth, and a genuineness, that’s a pleasure to see.

Liquid`Nazgul:
TeamLiquid and the SC2 community are lucky to have you. Besides all the other amazing things you have done, this is the work of your life. I hope you all take the time to watch this and let Lip know what you think.

HawaiianPig:
Without a word, "Much Better Now" speaks volumes. It urges introspection, as you witness a journey of discovery and self-actualization. It gracefully reminds us that to succeed, perseverance and curiosity are crucial. Through it all, it reminds us that the end of a story can bring new opportunities.

Plexa:
It is about people being able to move on and explore new options in life. In the first third of the film, we see the bookmark in a book where it sits for some considerable time and ages. I read this as representing how its easy for people to stay in one place without having to move on in life. Wind blows open the book, making the bookmark come to life and *surf* through the pages of the book. The bookmark clearly enjoys this and represents how people are content with the status quo. However, the wind forces the surfing to eventually come to a close mirroring the fact that periods in your life or experiences in your life do have to come to an end and you can't keep living through them again and again. The conclusion of the film remarks that actually, this isn't the end of the road and there are a lot more stories out there (representing life choices, life experiences and whatnot) for the bookmark to explore and enjoy.

Here is a video of the making of, and behind the scene footage:

WATCH MAKING OF NOW

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How did TL support me on my project?
Over the last year or two, I got into SC2; I came to TeamLiquid and I was lucky enough to get to know impressive personalities who then gave me their trust. People like Disciple, IntoThewow, and even Nazgul himself were there from the start, always ready with a kind word when I showed them my works-in-progress. I let them see them some of what I was working on, and they helped me understand that these were ideas I should see through to completion. Even the TL projects I worked on over the same period, like PonyTales 2-4 and the race logo shirts, gave me the breaths of fresh air I needed to keep chasing the dream.

Of course, playing a little SC2 and watching some high calibre streams on TL has helped me relax and cool down on those days when I’d been focussed on work for too long.

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So, there you have it, this has been a slice of my life. Now that it’s all done, I look back on those days and nights spent in the basement fondly. I really feel as though I could be that bookmark, standing in front of a thousand new opportunities.

Maybe now is the time that you feel the same way. Don’t let it pass you by. There is a whole world out there, go get it; grab it with both hands and don’t let go.

Now we come to the part where I ask you guys for a bit of a favour. Our business, like so many others, relies on exposure. If you enjoyed MuchBetterNow, it would really help my new company, Salon Alpin, a lot if you could take a few seconds and like us on Facebook. Maybe even show it your friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, mother. I’d be endlessly grateful to anyone who does; it helps us out more than you might think.

SALON ALPIN ON FACEBOOK

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me and my partner Simon on a tipical working day

Thanks for taking the time to read through this and to watch my film. I hope you’ve enjoyed it,

Sincerely,

Lip

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Last edit: 2012-06-20 23:21:33

"Ieri ho bevuto troppo, stasera bevo solo Birra!" - DEBO IS MY PERSONAL SC2-HERO

SirJolt Ireland. June 20 2012 20:41. Posts 2192

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So glad to see this all done. Congratulations Lip. It's excellent

I write an advice column for amateur necromancers; feel free to ask anything you like - http://necromanswers.com/

Jaaaaasper United States. June 20 2012 20:46. Posts 2390

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congratulations on finishing it, its really really good!

Sounds like your relationships suck, although probably not literally.- kwark Best part of waking up, KwarK banning rape apologists in my cup! I guess you could say... *puts on sunglasses* ... they were asking for it. colaboy and Kasaraki

Shock710 Australia. June 20 2012 20:47. Posts 2925

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On June 20 2012 20:41 SirJolt wrote:
So glad to see this all done. Congratulations Lip. It's excellent

wow sirjolt when did ur icon become so much more awesome...tho sadly lip's is just sooo kickass

The day before christmas my true love gave to me: Teamliquid | [23:55] <Shock710> that was out of context -_-

Provocateur Sweden. June 20 2012 20:48. Posts 1075

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I absolutely loved it, beautiful artwork! Sharing it on facebook right away, word definitely needs to spread about your fantastic work.

mizU United States. June 20 2012 20:49. Posts 9976

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Lip you're amazingggggg

if happy ever afters did exist <3 @watamizu_

marttorn Norway. June 20 2012 20:53. Posts 5011

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On June 20 2012 20:41 SirJolt wrote:
So glad to see this all done. Congratulations Lip. It's excellent

Holy god, your icon :o...

On topic, I already watched it and it was amazing! Absolutely excellent work

So far as we can determine, peanut butter has no effect on the rotation of the earth.

LightTemplar Ireland. June 20 2012 21:13. Posts 112

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That is really really awesome, I loved the animation, music choice is just perfect and the messages, well, I guess its one that I've needed to hear for a while. Thank you so much for this film and congrats on its release. You should be really proud.

"Thoughts are always there, the mind can't stop" - Grubby

Serimek France. June 20 2012 21:14. Posts 672

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I can help but share your short to all my friends. Very good job Lip ! Guys like you is why I'm fond of TL community

Z : JD, Stephano, TLO - P : Grubby, Feast, Oz, MaNa - T : MMA, Polt — Root for TL, TSL & Millenium — "I will smash open Stephano at DreamHack, 'cause I'm the only King of the Franks" Feast

Al Bundy June 20 2012 21:14. Posts 7167

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Wow. Just wow man. That was awesome, I'm genuinely impressed. Hopefully this will get a ton of exposure.

Last edit: 2012-06-20 21:19:58

Once it's about the money, it's never quite as pure.

pPingu Switzerland. June 20 2012 21:25. Posts 2314

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Really cool video

I love the art

Irave United States. June 20 2012 21:41. Posts 7907

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Great work, thank you for providing it for us. Congratulations on finishing!

Najda United States. June 20 2012 21:43. Posts 1767

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Awesome video, I honestly wasn't expecting such an uplifting feeling from a 5 minute short.

"Admit your flaws, admire your weakness, hone your imperfections – then may you address your desires." — Paul Crik

7mk Germany. June 20 2012 21:47. Posts 9436

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lip is da man
+ Show Spoiler +

Last edit: 2012-06-20 21:47:32

http://twitter.com/#!/Doc_Awesome . Effort, herO and HerO hwaiting :)

Synwave United States. June 20 2012 21:50. Posts 2738

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I loved it and have watched it 3 times so far.
It doesn't fail to cheer me up when stressed or annoyed at something.

♞Nerdrage is the cause of global warming♞

fusefuse Estonia. June 20 2012 21:53. Posts 1322

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Im pretty much speechless
Lip, this is spectacular. Heartwarming & pretty. Instantly pulled a smile onto my face

And being stuck with my life, the backstory & the actual story almost brought a tear to my smiling face :D!

You guys are awesome.
Also, I have to commend the soundtrack, it fits so well & sounds so guud.

(already spreading the word heh heh)

// mandatory military service until June // sgt. Fuse // Liquipedia 4 lyf // @jkursk // @liquidret

Lip the Pencilboy Italy. June 20 2012 21:56. Posts 392

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<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

"Ieri ho bevuto troppo, stasera bevo solo Birra!" - DEBO IS MY PERSONAL SC2-HERO

VonDarkmore Australia. June 20 2012 21:57. Posts 186

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The journey of the bookmark was fascinating, it says so much about life. How it can be slow, then a new period begins, it becomes so brilliant that you get lost in the moment and do not wish for it to end.

Near the end when the book closed, and the bookmark wanted to continue but couldn’t. Some things in life you do not want to change or end, you struggle with it at first, eventually though everything works out.
I liked the attention to detail as well, the paint cracked windows, and frame, several draws open at varying lengths, and the contrast of colours with the red lamp gave it a very strong feeling. At night when the car left the noise made me associate that with leaving for good or being forgotten, Just lovely.

The music was good at describing the first slow loneliness then the upbeat new beginning.
This is a most wonderful, and inspirational piece of film. Lip you should be proud I can see many people finding the drive, love, and passion for life from this, I can see you have it now through the ups and downs of your journey. I am glad you shared it!

I didn’t go to in depth Lip, since Plexa pretty much said what I would have posted lol

One who understands much displays a greater simplicity of character than one who understands little

fusefuse Estonia. June 20 2012 22:07. Posts 1322

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On June 20 2012 21:56 Lip the Pencilboy wrote:
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

quote of the day
right back at you!
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

spread the <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

// mandatory military service until June // sgt. Fuse // Liquipedia 4 lyf // @jkursk // @liquidret

Deathfate Spain. June 20 2012 22:07. Posts 531

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This was amazing, i really enjoyed it.
Although i understood the message of the shor i think it would also be a very nice commercial to encourage people to read more.

Feel the power of the zerg swarm.