Voodoo Vids Low Poly Day special is joining in the celebration of this wonderful artstyle

<img src="https://img.ngfiles.com/image-uploads/000/001/607/iu_1607403_28415006.webp" alt="iu_1607403_28415006.webp" data-smart-scale="764,318">PHEWI almost didn't think I was going to make this in time. But I locked in, dug deep.... ANNND stayed up animating and editing until 4am.... i'm tired. but I'm super proud of this special! I hope you love it too. I love low poly style and although I don't stick strictly to a lot of rules surrounding the more stricter side of things with resolutions and pixel densities. Voodoo Vids is set in a world that is largely made up of low poly models I spent 2 years making. I felt I had to participate in an event that is celebrating it. Wow I didn't think I would have made it this hard for myself.The idea was conjured.... i'd say last minute, It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do within the Voodoo Vids World to celebrate the art style. I didn't BEGIN animating a single shot on this until June 3rd. I had the script, voices recorded, props made, but 3 days to animate, edit, sound, music? am I insane? Turns out I am.What ensued was solid days and nights of animating and pushing my comfort zone. I also chose this SHORT time window to try to improve the animation where I could, I hope some will notice a step up in that area. I could have refined more, I could actually tweak and add to this forever, but you have to draw a line and with the deadline looming I couldn't keep adding or making alterations. Episode 5 is still in the works, and more is coming but for now, I want to say thank you to Newgrounds! And thank you to all that have supported Voodoo Vids!Please check out my other socials too, I'd love to get Voodoo Vids to a wider audience and your likes, comments, shares go SUCH a long way. I love hearing from you and will always try to respond to everything!<img src="https://img.ngfiles.com/image-uploads/000/001/607/iu_1607404_28415006.webp" alt="iu_1607404_28415006.webp" data-smart-scale="764,318">

Voodoo Vids - LOW POLY DAY SPECIAL 2026

Franklin finds something odd in the storeroom

<img src="https://img.ngfiles.com/image-uploads/000/001/586/iu_1586310_28415006.webp" alt="iu_1586310_28415006.webp" data-smart-scale="764,317">VOODOO VIDS EPISODE 4: IN BRUCE WE TRUST Episode 4 is upon us and I hope you enjoy it! I'm aware that many people may not have seen the original Evil Dead movie. And you don't need to have seen it to have some fun in this episode, but there are a lot of references here that are connected to the Evil Dead series. If you want some more context before watching, maybe check out the last edition of the <a href="https://voodoovids.newgrounds.com/news/post/1619729">Spooky Zine</a>. ABOUT THE SPOOKY ZINEThe spooky zine is a once a month mini mag that explores some more of the local lore and connects with the episodes and world of voodoo vids in a way that's external to the animation. They are a bit of fun, but also can contain wider context for viewers that want to have some additional context. Or maybe you just want to read more about what's happening in the wider universe. A LOVE LETTER TO EVIL DEADThis episode is a love letter to Evil Dead and nods to the horror classic in certain ways I hope you would find nostalgic and at the same time, perhaps encourage some new people to seek out The Evil dead movies if you haven't seen them. You have to have a passion for old school splatter gore horror. But it's got a great blend of gore and comic styled over the top supernatural elements that are sure to delight, and Bruce Campbell is just brilliant as Ash Williams. I'm super excited to learn that there are rumors Bruce may even return to the movies in some capacity. I know currently Bruce is battling cancer, which is awful news, but as he said himself, "Fear not, I am a tough old son-of-a-bitch".I along with many fans are wishing him a good battle and hope he gets well soon! I'd love to see him on the big screen in Evil Dead again! Beyond this point there will be episode 4 spoilers so return to read the rest after you've seen the episode. <img src="https://img.ngfiles.com/image-uploads/000/001/586/iu_1586325_28415006.webp" alt="iu_1586325_28415006.webp" data-smart-scale="764,317"> BEHIND THE SCENES OF EPISODE 4This episode took a lot longer to make than the others, I hope that shows and also thank you for your patience. The script went through a few re writes and last minute changes that extended the runtime. Having every character in a single episode comes with more challenges, making sure to give each of them a good scene. But I think it was worth it as if you like any character in particular they are all present in this one. THAT ICONIC INTROIf you are familiar with Evil Dead you will have noticed I did my best to pay homage to the opener from Evil Dead 2 that explains the Necronomicon's origins. Making that was so much fun, animating the front cover of the book, combining it with some stock footage of an ocean that I tinted red, and for the "ink effect" on the page reveals I used some simple track mattes of real ink drop footage to do that. I love how it turned out.I also did the narration in the intro, I rearranged elements of the original script to work better with the set up for this parody. My goal was to allow people who've never heard of, or watched Evil dead to get up to speed as quickly as possible with the idea that "this book is bad news" TECHNICAL STUFFOne of the biggest challenges is creating new environments and props. Something you see on screen for a few seconds in a few shots has had to be created from scratch. Some times I over engineer stuff too and I probably could've made the chainsaw without an actually animated chain... but because I did, It allowed me to get some cool camera angles of it in action.<img src="https://img.ngfiles.com/image-uploads/000/001/586/iu_1586351_28415006.webp" alt="iu_1586351_28415006.webp" data-smart-scale="764,317"> Same can be said for the shotgun that Franklin is using. it is based of the same model they used in Evil Dead 2, the original film Ash used a single barreled Winchester, but the sequel it was a 12 guage double barrel Stevens model, and later in the 3rd movie it was a double barrel Stoeger Coach Gun, which is lovingly referred to now as "The Boomstick"Ash famously saws the barrel off in Evil Dead 2. Of course I needed a forest. Not any easy set to build but I made it easy by cutting a lot of corners, the whole forest set is just a simple plane with a particle system placing tree images randomly across the surface.<img src="https://img.ngfiles.com/image-uploads/000/001/586/iu_1586349_28415006.webp" alt="iu_1586349_28415006.webp" data-smart-scale="764,495">I made it within an hour and the lighting is doing most of the heavy lifting. which is again fairly simple. I like my renders to not take AGES. Most of the animation scenes take about 4-5 seconds per frame. So the forest was as basic as it needed to be. Paul's date cutaway was another external set that required a suburban feel to it. so I modeled some simple houses and kept camera angles to a minimum and focused only on what I needed. it was a very short scene so keeping the set small was important... but I could probably use it again in future should the need arise.<img src="https://img.ngfiles.com/image-uploads/000/001/586/iu_1586352_28415006.webp" alt="iu_1586352_28415006.webp" data-smart-scale="764,295">Voodoo Vids itself as a set is the biggest and most detailed because I wanted a space where I can point the camera pretty much anywhere and have a great shot. A lot of time was spent on that, but it still needs work and more will come to the set eventually. Another huge time save has been using multiple cameras within the same scene and swapping between them. traditionally I would've worked on one scene per camera shot, but using Blenders camera marker system I can have multiple cameras that I can cut to whenever I need. so I can animate the whole scene in one blend file. This also makes it easier to alter small parts or fix things in post easier without having to dig through a load of different scene files. MUFFINMuffin the Dog was referenced in the <a href="https://voodoovids.newgrounds.com/news/post/1619729">Spooky Zine</a> and fun fact, he is voiced by our own dog Podrick. Recording his various noises is fun. To get his taco crunching sounds we used a Poppadom, he very much enjoys working with us when there's food involved.<img src="https://img.ngfiles.com/image-uploads/000/001/586/iu_1586356_28415006.jpg" alt="iu_1586356_28415006.jpg" data-smart-scale="764,764">The next two episodes will probably be a little shorter again too not keep the gaps too long between them. AND for the finale there's going to be another great addition to the page that you can all experience and join in. more on that soon.We may even see some more new characters too!! FINAL NOTEThank you all for watching and a special thanks to Bruce Campbell and Director Sam Raimi for making a bonkers horror franchise that inspires fans and creators still to this day.As for Voodoo Vids please share it if you can, tell people about It! Your support is greatly appreciated with every like, vote, comment. It will be available on youtube next week, right now they remain as Newgrounds exclusives at launch.If you want to know anything else about production or things I've not mentioned here, then please ask. more than happy to answer any questions.See you in the next one! and look out for the next edition of the Spooky Zine for some more info soon!

Voodoo Vids - #4 In Bruce We Trust

Franklin has an idea to get more money in the shop

<img src="https://img.ngfiles.com/image-uploads/000/001/571/iu_1571748_28415006.webp" alt="iu_1571748_28415006.webp" data-smart-scale="764,296">VOODOO VIDS EPISODE 3: THE CLAW! Well here we are with the third short! This one was a lot of fun to work on this past week. I'll go into more details below as there will be spoilers if you haven't watched it yet. But thank you so much for the support! Newgrounds saw potential in the first episode and gave it a front page position. Truly thankful for that opportunity, and i'm really happy that the short has found some fans. I've been receiving some great messages and really am enjoying meeting others in the indie animation scene. OK, on with the the details. Spoilers from this point on. <img src="https://img.ngfiles.com/image-uploads/000/001/571/iu_1571729_28415006.webp" alt="iu_1571729_28415006.webp" data-smart-scale="341,606">THE STORYThis third short is based on true events. I was out celebrating a friends birthday and there was an arcade, a claw machine contained these capybara toys, I just really wanted to win one but the machine wouldn't hand it over. My partner decided she would make it her mission to get it for me and i'm happy to say she returned to the arcade the next day and did get it as a surprise, and i'm now a proud owner of a capybara holding a smiling pineapple. FRANKLINWe saw Franklin in the 2nd short briefly. But this time he's made his debut. Franklin is a positive happy guy that just wants to help in anyway he can.. sometimes, he makes mistakes but that's ok. I find BIG characters are a fun contrast to the smallness of Thalia. Having a range of character sizes makes for a more visually dynamic cast and I love how Franklin is essentially Frankenstiens monster wearing bowling shirts and sandals. He's a lovable dude and I can't wait to make more with him.<img src="https://img.ngfiles.com/image-uploads/000/001/571/iu_1571750_28415006.webp" alt="iu_1571750_28415006.webp" data-smart-scale="248,419"> WRITING COMEDYProbably the hardest thing to write because it's just so subjective and i'm not a super confidant writer of anything. The first two shorts required the viewer to have some external knowledge of films like Twilight and Terrifier 3 to really land as intended. So this time I wanted to make the comedy as self contained as it can be. This ones for everyone, or at least I tried my best to write it that way. Some of the greatest comedies ever written stick close to what most people can relate to, Faulty Towers with its husband &amp; wife running a business angle, IT crowd with its office antics... THE OFFICE itself! all of those are relatable character driven sitcoms. As well as referencing popculture from time to time, I need to remember that the writing will land best if it serves what people KNOW. So going forward I hope to lean into that more. and when all else fails? slapstick... Tom the cat getting hit in the face with a frying pan never fails. THE SHOPThe Voodoo Vids building itself is somewhere I want the viewer to desire to go. it's warm, inviting, filled with interesting things. It likely smells of stale coffee and hot CRT's and plastic video cases. I've seen every inch of it because I built everything in it, but the viewers haven't, So I try to get a few establishing shots in there to show the place from different angles. Getting that feeling of "I wish I could go to a place like Voodoo Vids" across more without sapping the pace. I just love strong establishing shots, combined with a nice piece of music, it sets the tone for the rest of it. There is a lot more to see inside, but we'll get to that in a future episode. SILLY VOICESI've done voice work before but for comerical purposes. Yes... I've literally been the guy that says"BUT WAIT! There's more" and I still do that, but I've wanted to get into character work for a while, so I'm using my own project as an excuse to have fun and explore that side of things too.I promise i'll get new voices in for future episodes... i'm no Hank Azaria and i'm looking forward to working with more people. SOME TECHNICAL STUFFThe Capybara world machine was fun to make BUT it was a headache at times. Between the claw rigging, and parenting to the control box, and the fricken CORD on the claw OMG... That was a fiddly thing to get looking right. A lot of trial and error but I settled on a bezier curve and used "hook to" constraints. It does the trick and that's good enough!The Capybara toy itself is a real toy, so I used my own as reference to make the model. I drew the machine artwork in Photoshop and brought it in as an image texture. and to finish off the machines aesthetics I composed its chiptune jingle using a website called "beepbox", if you want to make cool chip tunes and muck about with it, it's a great tool!I was going to model some coins for Victor to use, but I decided it was a detail I could cut to save time, and I don't think it would impact the visual impact by not having that in there. ON great tools a friend told me about WIGGLYPAINT which is the tool I used to draw the squiggly doodles of the characters in the credits. I love how fun they are. FINAL NOTEAside from my partner doing voice work and helping me recording foley sounds I'm working on the animation alone. It's tough but seeing the end result is so satisfying. And if others are enjoying it too then that's even better! Doing this lets me take on all aspects of a production and being indies, we get to just MAKE stuff without having to pass it around a boardroom for sign off on the dirt texture on the glass of the capybara machine.Thanks for the support, thank you for watching, and I look forward to hopefully making you laugh again real soon.<img src="https://img.ngfiles.com/image-uploads/000/001/571/iu_1571751_28415006.webp" alt="iu_1571751_28415006.webp" data-smart-scale="764,316">

Voodoo Vids - #3 The Claw

<img src="https://img.ngfiles.com/image-uploads/000/001/567/iu_1567331_28415006.webp" alt="iu_1567331_28415006.webp" data-smart-scale="764,318">Second short for Voodoo Vids! slowly introducing new characters, here we meet Paul! In the first episode, Paul was a background reaction character for a single appearance... but I like how he looked so much that I decided maybe he is another regular. Of course, he is now a regular. Expect to see him haunting the shop more often. Some behind the scenes.I use blender for all the animation. I designed and made all the characters, painted their textures, rigged them... that has taken the longest to do. But now that I have them, essentially it's all about writing, animating and editing the final episode in premiere pro.You have to wear many hats with indie animation, often you do a bit of everything in the production pipeline. And to every animator that has had sleepless nights doing "one more shot" or "one more frame" to make their production happen. Well done. This stuff is HARD. AudioA lot of audio I gather from freesound.org Or i'll record some bits of foley myself. In this episode I sat in front of a microphone shaking a real VHS tape around to get the sound of it in the characters hands.The sound is something I try to spend a lot of time on. Panning the voices through different shots to make the characters feel like they are in the world, adding a subtle room ambient reverb, panning the voice audio when the character turns their head... Such a small thing, but it's the difference between audio that feels "in world" and audio that feels "stuck on top" Time ScalesEpisode 1 took around 2 weeks to do (not including building all the props and the sets etc) , but Episode 2 I managed in 4 days. The context of the episode matters too, If i need to make a bunch of unique props for the story that can take more time. but I could factor in an extra day to just model all the scene specific props.The exterior of Paul's house in this episode for example was a last minute addition. I had time to quickly model it. and light it. so was happy to get it in.<img src="https://img.ngfiles.com/image-uploads/000/001/567/iu_1567332_28415006.webp" alt="iu_1567332_28415006.webp" data-smart-scale="764,318"> Cinematographygetting those nice cinematic shots is important to me, so I spent a lot of time studying the rule of thirds, and other techniques like the golden ratio. If you want to up your game on camera shots. look into this stuff, it'll take you from a bad framing loser to a Hollywood champ in no time! Simple rules to follow and they yield good results. (knowing when to break them is important too) I'm enjoying discovering what kind of show this is turning out to be, I don't have a plan or massive future goal, I just want to explore, introduce new ideas, experiment with different skill sets and channel them all into this video shop.I've got a lot of ideas about more scenarios and characters to make. I'm always open to ideas too so if you want to add something to Voodoo Vids in some way get in touch, let's talk. If you've read this far then thank you, Some people aren't interested in this stuff, but I'd like to include it for those that do enjoy some more content to read after they (hopefully) enjoyed the short. Love to hear your feedback, thoughts in general. drop a comment even if its just to say Hi :) Bren.

Voodoo Vids - #2 The Recommendation

Welcome to Voodoo Vids, life with a girl running a haunted, strange video rental shop

Welcome to Voodoo VidsThis short has been a real passion project of mine. I wanted to create something that introduces a couple of characters and gives you a small glimpse into a wider world I’ve been building. If you enjoy this, I’d genuinely love to hear what you think. Comments and shares are always appreciated.