Release Schedule and Format
When and how will you release the pilot for Lunatics?
At this point, my guess is that the pilot will be released "sometime in 2012", but we are fairly new at this, and there are a lot of open questions about the production to be answered. Funding is also a major concern. It remains to be seen how much collaboration we will have, and how much money will be available to pay for commissioned work, equipment, and/or services that we need to complete the work. The more we have to pay out of pocket, and the more we have to do by ourselves, the longer it will take. If we have to slip to 2013 or later, then we'll do that.
What about the rest of the series?
The plan as it stands is to produce a "season" of eighteen episodes, with lengths from 30 to 45 minutes, for each season. This will be in three "blocks" of about six episodes, which represent our funding units. This way we can slow down production if it becomes necessary in order to raise sufficient production funds (and funding a block of six episodes should be easier than having to fund a whole "season".
How far along is Lunatics now?
We are currently (as of 2011-9/20) working on early pre-production work for the pilot episode "No Children In Space." This will take some time, and I hope to complete not only the particulars for that episode, but also much of the material (sets, props, and characters) that will be used to produce future episodes. We're also ramping up to the character design project, which will be our first Kickstarter campaign.
How long do you plan for Lunatics to run?
Ultimately that's going to depend on the fans. We have story arcs planned into about the third season, and treatments for specific episodes through all of season one and some of season two. However, the series is intended to develop in a definite plot arc with a particular ending in mind, much like a typical Japanese anime serial, rather than a typical long-running US "series" with a preserved status quo. However, whether we get to complete this arc or not is going to depend on whether the fans want to support us in doing it.
