The New Olympian Agora

The unofficial 'Class of the Titans' fansite's newsblog for keeping fans up-to-date on information about the show. No affiliation with Studio B Productions, Nelvana, and Teletoon. Please e-mail any interesting news to age.of.silicon@gmail.com. Thank you.

Sunday, September 09, 2007

REMINDER: Season Two of 'Class of the Titans' to Air TODAY.

Unfortunately, we at the newsblog are still really slow to get started up again on account of too much real-life stuff still going on -- and we do understand that we've got a HUGE backlog right now -- but here's a quick post to show we're still alive and to mark what must be the BIGGEST 'Class of the Titans' event since the premiere.

As noted by digital producer Sandra at Brad's Corner, the first episode of Season Two (not counting the special preview last month) will be aired today -- Sunday September 9, 2007 -- at 9:00AM and 3:30PM on the English version of Teletoon, and at 9:30AM on the French counterpart.

We hope everyone enjoys the episode we've all waited so long for! And we the newsblog will try to keep up better from now on, though please note that over the last while, we'll be posting about a lot of older material -- we'll clearly mark these posts with BACKLOG in the title. Thanks!

Thursday, August 09, 2007

SITE: We REALLY Are Still Here!

Hello all.

Sorry for another one of these messages again, but yes, we really are still here! I'm still trying to decide on how to catch-up and what to do with the newsblog right now, not to mention that I'm still swamped with things like work, graduate school research, etc. (England, by the way, was very lovely -- great classes and professors, lots of fun field trips to London and Roman-occupied sites, world-class opera, etc.)

So yes, we're not dead! At the very worst, we'll be back by the time Season Two premieres, which is shockingly next month, last I checked! Thanks for your patience.

-- xanthophiliac

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

SITE: We're Still Here.

Hey guys.

This is just a really quick post for now, but this is just to let everyone know that I'm back from studying abroad in England now. The newsblog will continue, and I am well aware that there have been some major developments and changes on the show lately, but it will take awhile for things to become organized and caught-up again. Thanks for your patience.

In terms of the contest, I have extended the deadline, but there will be a more formal announcement about that later.

-- xanthophiliac

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

REMINDER: Essay contest entries due tomorrow.

We're not off the hiatus yet, but this is just a quick reminder that entries to the essay contest (in which the winner will receive a copy of a particular classical epic poem in translation) are due on May 31, 2007. If there aren't enough submissions, or if people request it, I am willing to extend the deadline another week, so please leave a comment if you want that. Otherwise, please send submissions to age.of.silicon@gmail.com. Thanks!

Friday, May 11, 2007

SITE: Semi-Hiatus Now a Full Hiatus.

At the beginning of May, I announced that I would be taking a sort-of hiatus on account of a study abroad program that I am currently doing in England. By now, I've been at the International Study Centre for a week and I can definitely say that with the amount of work I have right now, I'm afraid that the newsblog will be going on a full hiatus, with no new updates for the next few weeks.

We're NOT closing, for the record, and the essay contest if still happening, with submissions being due on May 31, 2007. I also understand that there have been a number of new entries at the the director's blog that haven't been recorded here yet, and I will do so later in a recap post when I am less busy.

Thank you, and cheers.

-- xanthophiliac

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

'Forget Me Not' Season Two Screencaps to be Posted on Friday.

THIS ENTRY AND ITS LINKS SORT OF CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR SEASON TWO OF 'CLASS OF THE TITANS'. JUST TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE, PLEASE NEITHER CLICK ON ANY LINKS NOR READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED. THANK YOU.

This Friday, director Brad Goodchild will be posting screencaps from Episode 2.04: Forget Me Not (more information here) to his blog. There will be three exclusive images posted, so remember to check that out at the end of this week.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

'Sibling Rivalry' Background Keys at 'Brad's Corner'.

For this week's Background Tuesday, director Brad Goodchild has posted 14 full-colour background keys from Episode 1.09: Sibling Rivalry to his blog. You can view them here, here, and here. As per usual, it is recommended that comments be kept to the first entry that's been linked to.

SITE: Exam Hiatus Ends and Another Begins.

For the last month or so, the newsblog was on a semi-hiatus on account of exams. That hiatus ended about a week ago, but another one is going to be starting this Thursday and running until mid-to-late June because I'll be studying abroad in England at Queen's University's International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle.

Updates will still occur, but probably not as regularly (ie. some things may be reported days after they were posted) as usual on account of classes and field studies. I don't know if the Season Two news summary will be updated during that time, but most likely not until I return to Canada. If the fansite finally gets legal approval from the studio while I'm away, then it will be launched when I come back. The essay contest is still on-going and I am still accepting submissions as per the rules. Prizes, however, won't be distributed until I get back and can purchase them.

Those are the current terms of the hiatus. If I have anything to add, I will do so as an edit to this entry. If you'd like to keep track of what I'm doing in England, you can do so here. If I'm lucky, one of my field studies will be to the British Museum and I can take photographs of the Parthenon marbles. See you around.

-- xanthophiliac

Sunday, April 29, 2007

SITE: Season Two News Summary Finally Updated!

We said it was coming, and now it's here. The Season Two news summary has finally been updated with all of the new material that has been released since the last update back in mid-February!

So check it out for all sorts of Season Two goodness, and of course, there are massive spoilers everywhere. Also, please let us know if there are any errors (including spelling, grammar, and formatting) or if we omitted something we can fix it as soon as possible.

We're also thinking of putting together a shorter version of the new summary to go along with the main one. This shorter one would include just lists of new characters, locations, episode titles, etc. without the extra information like the mythology and source links. Basically, it would make looking for information quickly much easier. At this point, we're not sure when that would go up, as the editor is soon leaving to study in England for six weeks, but keep an eye out for it in the future.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

GREATEST HITS: Q&A with Director Brad Goodchild.

Since it seems like there are a lot of new 'Class of the Titans' fans coming into the fandom lately (welcome!) and some questions and requests get re-posted often, we're introducing a new Greatest Hits feature where every once in awhile, we'll post links to old news that would interest fans new and old.

To start-off, we're re-posting links to our old Q&A with Director Brad Goodchild. In the past, fans would e-mail questions they had for the director through the newsblog editor, who would then filter them for repeats or overly trivial things, then finally pass on the good questions to Mr. Goodchild. Though we haven't done that for awhile, we actually do have some leftover material that was never posted, and we'll do so soon.

In the meantime, here are the links to all of the questions and answers that were posted in the past. These will also eventually all be archived on Age of Silicon when it finally opens. Do NOT repost any of this material anywhere unless I have given you permission in writing. Please also read through these before asking question on the director's blog! Thanks.

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1. What was the funniest thing and/or blooper that has happened while working on the show so far? ANSWER

2. Characters go through a lot of changes throughout production. For example, you previously mentioned that Odie was originally NOT African-Canadian, and that you made the change in order to have more diversity among the main heroes. What other major interesting changes did some of the other characters go through as they were being designed? ANSWER

3. There's a huge selection of heroes in Greek mythology. When creating the main characters, how did you select which seven heroes to have the kids be descended from (particularly the choice of Narcissus)? And why seven, no more no less? ANSWER

4. When coming up with the idea of New Olympia, was its design based off a real city like Athens, New York, or Vancouver, or was it just a random idea thrown together so that the gang would have somewhere to live? ANSWER

5. Each of the main seven characters has a specific look, personal style, personality, etc. What inspired the different designs, appearance, style, etc. (ie. general character design) for each of them (or a few select ones you want to talk more about)? ANSWER

6. The press release for the show mentions that the seven modern-day heroes are from all over the world. We know from the original series Bible that Atlanta is from the North-West Territories, Herry's from the Prairies, and Theresa was born into an English family, though she doesn't sound English. Where are the other heroes (Jay, Herry, Odie, and Neil) from? ANSWER

7. In an earlier question, you answered that Teletoon originally wanted three female heroes, but Studio B changed it to two. Who would the third girl be descended from, and what kind of character concept was Teletoon thinking of for her? ANSWER

8. How were the voice actors selected and casted for their parts? It seems like they were chosen before the initial character designs, so did they get a say on what they wanted their character to look or act like? ANSWER

9. Most fans have seen from the draft script of Episode 1.23: Cronus' Flying Circus that an episode's contents can change a lot from the draft script to the final episode. What's another episode (or episodes) that went through many changes, and what things changed? ANSWER

10. How difficult is it to fit each episode into the twenty-two minute timeframe? Does a lot of material end-up being cut-out so it'll fit? ANSWER

11. How much research does it take to find all the details you might use for the myths you put into the episodes? How do you even go around deciding what myth to use in the first place, and which research sources does the crew use? ANSWER

Friday, April 27, 2007

SITE: Newsblog Essay Contest Rules.

On Monday, I announced that the New Olympian Agora would be hosting its first contest to celebrate its first anniversary.

This entry covers the rules of the contest. Please read over them carefully and remember to check often to see if there are any additions. Failure to follow the rules will result in disqualification, though I will warn you first and give you a chance to fix it.

BASIC RULES

1. For potential legal reasons, you must be at least 13 years old to participate. Please do not attempt to lie about it.

2. Due to the nature of the prize, you and/or your parent/guardian (if you are underage) should be comfortable with privately e-mailing me your address if you win. If this doesn't work for you, but you still really want to enter the contest, let me know and we can work something out.

3. Plagiarism is frowned down upon VERY much here. Your essay must be your own original work and if you quote something or use other people's ideas, you must use proper citations, and I will run searches for this kind of thing.

4. Individual submissions only. No pair or group essays.

ESSAY GUIDELINES

1. The topic, as mentioned in the original announcement, is to take one of the seven main 'Class of the Titans' characters and argue why an alternative mythological ancestor would work, citing specific examples. Entries that try to cop-out of this by arguing why the character's current ancestor is perfect will be disqualified. The alternative ancestor MUST be an existing Greco-Roman mythological character.

2. The word limit is 500-750 words. There is a little bit of leeway beyond this range, but don't be ridiculous about it. Writing more is not necessarily better.

3. Spelling and grammar DO count. A proper essay tone is expected. Take the time to proofread. If English is not your first language, please make sure you let me know, though it's recommended that you get someone more familiar with the language to also proofread for you. Also, use proper paragraphs.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Please send contest entries to age.of.silicon@gmail.com with 'Newsblog Essay Contest -- [NAME]' with your name or online username (whichever you want to be addressed as) where it says [NAME]. Attach the essay either in the body of the e-mail or as a link to where you've posted it online. The current deadline is May 31, 2007.

Rules are subject to change at any time, so please check back regularly to see if anything has since been modified. Judging criteria and perhaps a sample entry (comparing one of the characters to their current ancestor, so that I'm not potentially infringing on anyone's essay idea) to come in another post.

If you have any further questions, please leave a comment to this entry.

Storyboard Artist Craig Wilson's Blog and Website.

Yesterday, director Brad Goodchild noted that storyboard artist Craig Wilson has both a blog and website and that links to both were added to his blog's sidebar. If you search around the website, you can also find a sample storyboard from Episode 1.02: Chaos 101, Part II.

The newsblog's sidebar will be updated soon to add an appropriate link to the blog. Thanks for your patience once again.

More Incidental Thursday Animals at 'Brad's Corner'.

For this week's Incidental Thursday, director Brad Goodchild has done another animal-themed edition of the feature on his blog. Available for viewing here, here, here, here, here, and here are 26 different images. As per usual, it's probably best to leave general comments at the first entry we've linked to.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

More Opening Video Clips and Background Keys at 'Brad's Corner'.

On the non-spoiler front, director Brad Goodchild posted two more clips to his blog yesterday. You can now watch the opening scene and titles for Episode 1.08: See You at the Crossroads and Episode 1.14: Make-Up Exam here and here respectively.

The spoiler-free part of this week's Background Tuesday can also be seen here, with the spotlighted episode being Episode 1.24: Sybaris Fountain.

THE REST OF THIS ENTRY AND ITS LINKS CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR SEASON TWO OF 'CLASS OF THE TITANS'. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED, THEN PLEASE NEITHER CLICK ON ANY LINKS NOR READ ANY FURTHER. THANK YOU.

This week's Background Tuesday also has a second part with four new background keys from Season Two. The first two lineart images, according to the names of the files, appear to be for Poseidon's underwater palace, possibly the one that was first mentioned in Epidsode 1.16: Get Kraken. Mere speculation on our part though, and there's no confirmation if that's the case yet.

The two full-colour keys are of a cave in Mount Aigaion and the Brownstone in Christmas decor. They both appear to be for the same episode, and given the Christmas theme and the reference to the cave where Amalthea the goat suckled the infant Zeus while in hiding from Cronus, they are probably for the Season Two episode titled The Game Plan, even though Mr. Goodchild didn't specify it in his comments.

We have one more final exam left on Friday, and then we'll finally do a HUGE update on the Season Two new summary with almost a good three months' worth of material.

Monday, April 23, 2007

SITE: The First Newsblog Contest! With Prizes!

The first anniversary of the New Olympian Agora, the fan-run newsblog for 'Class of the Titans', is coming-up very soon on May 7, 2007. Since we're so excited, we thought we'd celebrate by making like Achilles in Book XXIII of the 'Iliad' and hosting a fabulous contest with fabulous prizes!

Since I'm in a rush right now, I'll elaborate on things like rules, submission guidelines, etc. in a later entry. Below is the basic information, though it's subject to change until I set the final rules.

What kind of fabulous contest is this? Will I have to wrestle Odysseus like Telamonian Ajax did?

The contest will be a test of your knowledge of the show AND Greco-Roman mythology. Basically, you will write a short (emphasis on short) 500-750 word (informal) essay where you will take one of the show's seven main characters, select an alternate mythological ancestor, and explain why your choice works.

By explain, I mean you should cite specific examples from both the show and mythology to support your argument -- for example, if you think Turnus (of Vergil's 'Aeneid') is a good alternative ancestor for Archie because they're both kind of angry sometimes, you have to write-down examples for both. If I have time after my exams, I will write a quick example comparing Jay and Aeneas.

What about the fabulous prizes? Tripods? Trojan slave-girls? Cows?

At the moment, I will award the winner of the contest -- judged on creativity, strength of argument, writing, etc. -- with his or her choice of a classical work. The choices right now include Homer's 'Iliad' or 'Odyssey', Apollonius' 'Argonautica', Vergil's 'Aeneid', and Ovid's 'Metamorphoses'. If the winner has a strong preference for something else, I will consider it. Runner-up prizes have not yet been decided at this point.

Depending on how many submissions I receive, there may be two prize categories -- one for fans whose mythology knowledge is fairly basic and one for fans who have a strong classics background and can quote the likes of Homer, Pindar, etc. That's just to be fair, not to insult anyone. But again, this depends on the number of contest entries and their quality.

That's all I have time to elaborate on for now. More information to come later, but if you're potentially interested (you don't have to know for sure yet), please leave a comment so I can get some idea of the numbers. Thank you.

Official 'Class of the Titans' Teasers on YouTube and at 'Brad's Corner'.

Studio B Productions (website) seems to have joined the YouTube trend, as they now have an account there that is currently hosting three 'Class of the Titans' Season One teasers.

Director Brad Goodchild has also posted the three teasers to his blog. You can view the teasers for Episode 1.01: Chaos 101, Part I here, Episode 1.02: Chaos 101, Part II here, and Episode 1.13: Little Box of Horrors here. Each clip includes the respective episode's opening teaser followed by the main titles. General comments are probably best directed to this entry.

EDIT (3:05PM): The newsblog's sidebar has been updated to include a link to the show's official YouTube account.

EDIT (4:17PM): Storyboard artist Lyn Hart has also provided links to the teasers on her blog.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

'Class of the Titans' Nominated for an ACT 2007 Award of Excellence.

'Class of the Titans' has once again been nominated for another award! According to Broadcaster Magazine, the show received a nomination in the Animation 9-14 category for the 2007 Awards of Excellence, which honours Canadian English-language youth programs and is hosted by the Alliance for Children and Television (ACT).

ACT's official website also has more information about the awards, including press releases and ordering tickets to the gala. The award ceremony itself will take place on May 31, 2007 at 7:30PM ET/PT at the CBC's Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Ontario. No word yet on whether the presentation of the awards will be broadcast or not.

Congratulations to Studio B Productions (website) and all of those involved on the show once again!

Thursday, April 19, 2007

'Dream Weaver' Storyboard Sketches at 'HartWorks'.

THIS ENTRY AND ITS LINKS CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR SEASON TWO OF 'CLASS OF THE TITANS'. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED, THEN PLEASE NEITHER CLICK ON ANY LINKS NOR READ ANY FURTHER. THANK YOU.

And now for something different! Storyboard artist Lyn Hart has posted two fantastic rough storyboard sketches to her blog. The two images are from the Season Two episode titled Dream Weaver (more information here). According to Ms. Hart, the storyboard are for a scene that horizontally pans to reveal a battle scene with dead Titans, but that's all that's been revealed (in addition to the previous background key) for now.

We're still on hiatus at the moment, but we will definitely try to get the Season Two news summary (it has NOT been forgotten!) updated sometime between an exam on Roman history and a flight to England. Thanks for being (very) patient.

EDIT (8:56PM): We've updated the newblog's sidebar to include links to the two new crew blogs that were recently established. If you haven't checked them out yet, please do! You won't be disappointed.

Incidental Thursday Animal Edition at 'Brad's Corner'.

For this week's Incidental Thursday, director Brad Goodchild has posted the first of hopefully more animal editions at his blog. There are 20 images in total, and they can be viewed here, here, here, and here. As per usual, the first link is the one containing the director's comments, which includes some mentions of possible featured models for the future.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

'Antikythera Device' Background Keys at 'Brad's Corner'.

For this week's Background Tuesday, director Brad Goodchild has posted twelve full-colour background keys from Episode 1.07: Antikythera Device to his blog. They can be viewed here, here, and here, and please direct comments to to the first entry that has the blurb. Ancient Egypt enthusiasts should really enjoy some of the museum background keys.

We're still technically on hiatus right now.