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.

Thursday, August 31, 2006

New Online Home for the 'Class of the Titans' MySpace.

On Wednesday, director Brad Goodchild noted in his blog that the 'Class of the Titans' MySpace run by composer Michael Richard Plowman had been removed from the site. As of today, the account is back-up at a new profile here -- at present, only the main theme is available. Many thanks to Rick Singer, who works with Mr. Plowman at his studio, for the heads-up.

Everyone is aware that this is understandably upsetting for fans, but please -- there's been quite a bit of fans pointing fingers at other fans for the profile going down, and from Mr. Goodchild and Mr. Singer's comments, it appears that the issues lies with MySpace, not the fandom.

Also, it's important to note that even though Mr. Plowman has images from the director's blog on the show's MySpace, it does NOT mean fans have the same or similar privileges. Mr. Plowman has permission from Mr. Goodchild to use the images. If this is still unclear, the image ownership policy can be read here.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Weapons, Gadgets, and Vehicles Model Sheets at 'Brad's Corner'. And a Notice About the 'Class of the Titans' MySpace.

For today's Wednesday surprise, director Brad Goodchild has posted twenty-four black-and-white model sheets for the show's various types of technology on his blog.

You will probably be able to recognize everything when you see it, but for the record, the items displayed include skateboards, pendant keys, Theresa's nunchucks, PMRs, Jay's staff and Gravitational Blade, a 'rocket bike', Odie's laptop, a Palm Pilot, Herry's truck, Neil's mirror, Hermes' caduceus, Cronus' sickles, Athena's sword, Archie's Hephaestus Whip and boomerang, Atlanta's bolos, the janitor's door, and a headset.

If you like what you see, please leave an intelligent comment here. The post also has some really interesting comments from Mr. Goodchild on a number of things, including the animation industry way back in the day, today's recording session, and more.

Also, there's a notice about the current state of the 'Class of the Titans' MySpace -- the account has currently been removed from the website, and there's no word yet on whether it will be back or not. For more information, please read Mr. Goodchild's comments about it in the linked notice.

'Q&A with Director Brad Goodchild' -- Round VII.

'Class of the Titans' director Brad Goodchild is open to fans asking him intelligent questions about the show and the animation process. His answers are posted here on the newsblog as the 'Q&A with Director Brad Goodchild' feature, with the only changes to his original comments being minor technical corrections. These fan-questions, however, are filtered through a system so that he can devote his limited time to answering the most reasonable questions that will also appeal to as many fans as possible.

For more information about the current system, please read this post. If you are interested in submitting a question for Mr. Goodchild, please see this entry and follow the rules and instructions outlined there.

We also ask that you please do not re-post these questions and answers on your own personal website, unless you run the FAQ, the newsblog's accompanying fansite, or the director's blog. You are, however, more than welcome to provide a link to the entries. Thank you.

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Q: 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?

A: Too many episodes. Nearly every episode gets altered/edited in someway. No single episode ever makes it through with out some kind of a rewrite.

Q: 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?

A: Like I said, some episodes are easier than others, especially if the idea is a bit weak. But that’s where our Springboard stage comes into play. The writers submit a springboard, which is a 1 page description of the episode. If it makes sense and really catches our attention, it then goes on to next stage, which fills it out a bit more and describes action and plot better. Notes are then given on how to fix or add ideas.

So yes, it is difficult sometimes, but with at least 3 people here giving notes, we try and pick the Gems that will have no problem filling a 22 minute timeslot. Sometimes, we cut a little bit here and there and add it in a few other places. Remember, animation is expensive ... a single frame of animation costs a lot. Live action, they cut out feet of film, where we cut frames.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

'Class of the Titans' Section of Teletoon's Website Updated with Finalized Fall Air-Times.

Teletoon has recently updated the 'Class of the Titans' section on their website to reflect the show's new current air-times. The information there is also more complete and up-to-date than our previous reports on the fall schedule -- as it stands, the show's current timeslots are weekdays (Monday to Friday) at 8:00AM ET/PT and Monday to Thursday (not Friday) at 5:00PM ET/PT. The show is also no longer being aired on weekends.

Studio B Productions has not yet updated the 'Class of the Titans' page on their website with the finalized fall air-times and still has the August timeslots up, hence the discrepancy between the two sites.

The 'Chaos Trilogy' to Re-Air on Teletoon in November and December 2006.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week marks the first time the three episodes making-up the opening 'Chaos Trilogy' of 'Class of the Titans' are being aired individually on Canada's Teletoon instead of as a Cinetoon film, with Episode 1.02: Chaos 102 (alternatively known as Episode 1.02: Chaos 101, Part II) re-airing today and the third part tomorrow.

So, does this mean the 'Chaos Trilogy' episodes will finally be incorporated in the regular schedule with the rest of the Season One re-runs?

According to Teletoon audience relations co-ordinator Daniel Charbonneau, not so -- the 'Chaos Trilogy' will reportedly air as individual episodes again in November 2006, and then once more in December 2006. At present, there is also no word on the exact dates, whether the trilogy will air as a Cinetoon presentation again, or what will happen to the episodes and series in 2007.

'Q&A with Director Brad Goodchild' -- Round VI.

'Class of the Titans' director Brad Goodchild is open to fans asking him intelligent questions about the show and the animation process. His answers are posted here on the newsblog as the 'Q&A with Director Brad Goodchild' feature, with the only changes to his original comments being minor technical corrections. These fan-questions, however, are filtered through a system so that he can devote his limited time to answering the most reasonable questions that will also appeal to as many fans as possible.

For more information about the current system, please read this post. If you are interested in submitting a question for Mr. Goodchild, please see this entry and follow the rules and instructions outlined there.

We also ask that you please do not re-post these questions and answers on your own personal website, unless you run the FAQ, the newsblog's accompanying fansite, or the director's blog. You are, however, more than welcome to provide a link to the entries. Thank you.

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Q: 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?

A: The actual drawings were done way in advance of choosing the voices. We open auditions and had loads of actors try out for the various roles.

Some of them did multiple characters. We sat through the auditions and gave them a few pointers in how they should act ... later we narrowed down the list and had each of the 'judges' give their picks. The actor with the most votes won. But it was really amazing that each person basically picked the same as others. You just know the voice when you hear it. The fact that the actor resembles the cartoon character is just a fluke.

When we do an incidental or new character, I give a reference to VoiceBOX Productions and tell them I want an actor to sound like so and so.

When we cast Pan, I wanted a Keifer Sutherland voice and attitude. For Neil, we wanted an Owen Wilson type of voice. I think you get the picture.

'Q&A with Director Brad Goodchild' -- Round V.

During July 2006, we re-posted the first four questions and answers between 'Class of the Titans' fans and director Brad Goodchild from when the feature was still being done on the show's TV.com forum.

Starting today, we continue with the second round of fan-questions that were submitted to Mr. Goodchild a short while ago. Ten questions were included, and we will try to post one or two everyday, or at least every other day. For more information about the current system, please see this post, and if you're interested in submitting a question for the director yourself, please refer to this entry.

To kick-start this round, we are first going to post the questions that cannot be answered. Please do not re-submit these questions. And as always, we also ask that you please do not re-post these questions and answers on your own personal website, unless you run the FAQ, the newsblog's accompanying fansite, or the director's blog. Thank you.

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Q: 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)?

A: Can’t answer this one as I wasn’t around for the original discussions. No one wants to answer it.

Q: 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?

A: Again no one wants to answer this. It also paints oneself into a corner when fans know this and say they made a mistake later. Not really important to story.

Q: 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?

A: Don’t know, wasn’t my decision and no one to answer that.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Background Lineart of Ancient Locations at 'Brad's Corner'.

As with the Monday postings for the last few weeks, director Brad Goodchild has posted more black-and-white background lineart on his blog. This week, the artwork is for the various ancient and/or Greek locations from the show, including Arachne's home, the heavenly realm of the griffins, the Temple of Prometheus in Russia's Caucasian Mountains, Aeolus' palace, a Greek temple, Echo's domain and mountain range, an ancient workshop, Troy, and various Underworld hotspots (ie. the Plains of Asphodel, Hall of Judgement, and Tartarus Prison).

You can probably recognize each location from its respective appearance on the show, but if not, the filenames will describe the images. As always, if you like what you see, please leave an intelligent comment at the latest entry.

Wednesday's director's blog update will be a surprise, and here at the newsblog, we will resume our 'Q&A with Director Brad Goodchild' feature tomorrow, spotlighting various fan-questions about the show and their answers.

No Current Plans for a Season One DVD, Says Director Brad Goodchild.

A rather high number of fans everywhere have been asking about when a DVD for Season One of 'Class of the Titans' would be released, and director Brad Goodchild has finally addressed the issue at his blog. Reportedly, quote, 'there is no immediate news for any release of Class of the Titans DVD as yet', but that if there is any news of a DVD release, he will write a notice about it on his blog.

To read the notice itself, as well as some comments about looking through the archives if you've missed old blog material, please go here. Thanks.

Voice Actors Scott McNeil and Pauline Newstone at BotCon 2006.

On the convention side of things, 'Class of the Titans' voice actors Scott McNeil (Atlas) and Pauline Newstone (Medusa) will be featured guests at BotCon 2006, an annual convention for 'Transformers' fans. This year, the event is taking place at the Hyatt Regency in Lexington, Kentucky from September 28, 2006 to October 1, 2006. For more information about the event, please see their official website.

Many thanks to AnimeCons.com for the heads-up.

'Episode 1.24: Sybaris Fountain' Storyboards at Louie Escauriaga's Blog.

'Class of the Titans' storyboard artist Louie Escauriaga has posted three new storyboards depicting the opening scene of Episode 1.24: Sybaris Fountain at his blog.

All three are posted in order there, or to view each storyboard in succession directly, please go here, here, and finally here. Please remember to click on the thumbnails in order to view the images at their full size.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

'Brad's Corner' Featured in Studio B's 'Toon Times' Summer 2006 Edition.

Studio B Productions has recently updated their website with a slew of new press releases from late May to early July, including the latest issue of 'Toon Times' for Summer 2006.

The publication includes lots of interesting news about what's been going on with the studio and its various projects over the summer, and 'Class of the Titans' itself gets two mentions -- once under the article 'Studio B Goes Digital', and again under a small feature titled 'Bloggin'', which is about director Brad Goodchild's ever-popular blog for the show.

To read the Summer 2006 edition of 'Toon Times', go to Studio B's website, then select 'what's new' from the sidebar, followed by 'STUDIO B's Toon Times' and finally 'July, 2006'.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

REMINDER:'Chaos Trilogy' Re-Airing and New Fall Air-Times on Teletoon This Monday.

As reported at the beginning of August, Canada's Teletoon will be re-airing the three parts of the 'Chaos Trilogy' as individual episodes starting on Monday August 28, 2006 with Episode 1.01: Chaos 101 (alternatively known as Episode 1.01: Chaos 101, Part I), with the second and third parts airing on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Monday's episode also marks the beginning of the new fall air-times for 'Class of the Titans' on Teletoon. Starting on Monday August 28, 2006, the show will only air on weekdays at 8:00AM ET/PT and 5:00PM ET/PT, with no weekend timeslots featuring the show.

For more information, please see the original report from August 1, 2006 that is linked to at the beginning of this entry.

Friday, August 25, 2006

'Episode 1.05: The Nature of Things' Screencaps at 'Brad's Corner'.

As per the usual weekly Friday updates, director Brad Goodchild has uploaded 142 screencaps from Episode 1.05: The Nature of Things to his blog today. Please enjoy those and remember to comment intelligently if you like what you see, and to remember not to use the images for anything other than personal viewing purposes.

Season One Episodes Re-Airing on Australia's ABC TV.

We reported at the beginning of the month that the 'Chaos Trilogy' would be re-airing on Australia's ABC TV during August with one episode air per week. It seems like the event wasn't a special, but that ABC TV is actually re-airing Season One from the start while the later episodes are finishing-up.

Continuing from the 'Chaos Trilogy', the next re-run is Episode 1.04: Man's Worst Enemy on Tuesday August 29, 2006 at 6:35AM. Every Tuesday after that will air the following episodes in order during the same timeslot.

The new Season One episodes will continue airing as scheduled on ABC TV on Tuesdays at 4:59PM and on ABC2 on Wednesdays at 6:00PM.

New Music at the 'Class of the Titans' MySpace.

As scheduled, composer Michael Richard Plowman has uploaded three new musical selections for listening and downloading at the 'Class of the Titans' MySpace today (Friday). Included this week are Cronus' theme, as well as two pieces titled 'Flight Squadron' and 'To The Skies'.

As per usual, last week's files have been removed, and as always, the main opening theme is still available.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

'Class of the Titans' Page Updated on Studio B's Website.

Studio B Productions, the studio behind 'Class of the Titans', has recently updated the show's page on their website. Of note are that the air-times listed now accurately reflect Teletoon's current late summer schedule and two interesting links -- one leads to director Brad Goodchild's blog, and the other opens a pop-up window featuring highlights about the show, such as the number of episodes, target audience, and other interesting information.

There are a number of ways of accessing the show's page, though the easiest is to click on the screenshot depicting some of the major characters on the site's main page.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Odie's Alternate Costumes, Season Two News, and Two Important Notices at 'Brad's Corner'.

THIS ENTRY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SEASON TWO OF 'CLASS OF THE TITANS'. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED, PLEASE DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER INTO THIS ENTRY. THANK YOU.

Director Brad Goodchild has posted at least three items of importance for today's Wednesday update on his blog, starting with the weekly alternate costume models. This week's spotlighted character is Odie, and there are nineteen different model sheets for him. Since he's also the last of the seven heroes to have his costumes posted, it also means the end of the weekly alternate models, and there's no word yet on what the feature will be replaced with yet.

On the Season Two side of things, this entry features an update on the voice recording sessions -- there wasn't one today like there usually would be -- and a teaser for another Season Two episode. Next week's session will apparently be for (assuming the recordings are done in order and things are still on-schedule, as per usual) Episode 2.09: Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself. In addition to reportedly being an episode focused on Archie and Atlanta, the featured mythological creatures will be werewolves (or lycanthropes, to use the Greek-derived term). Last week, storyboard supervisor Todd Demong posted a very early piece of concept art for the creature on his own blog, which you can view the entry for directly here, in addition to his own comments about his design. Please also read the entry on Mr. Goodchild's blog itself for some great teasers of his own.

Finally, and on a more mundane yet no less important note, there are two notices that all readers of the director's blog should not only read, but think about -- one is a reminder that the images posted on his blog are not to be used for anything other than viewing, and the second entry is about how readers should comment intelligently on his posts. Please note that since comment moderation is in effect on the blog, all comments go directly to his inbox, so please keep that in mind.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Tuesday Surprise Postings at 'Brad's Corner'.

As some added bonuses for this week, director Brad Goodchild has posted two surprises today at his blog. First is an entry about voice actor Sarah Edmondson, who is playing Atlanta in Season Two. The post includes a previously posted headshot-character composite image and a blurb about her website, on which you can hear her animation demo reel and learn more about her.

The second surprise has some relation to yesterday's lineart postings -- at this entry are five black-and-white lineart drawings of Theresa's dorm room, as requested by many fans and blog-readers. There's also a bit of information at the post about layout designer Rick Allen, who apparently did the designs for both Jay and Theresa's rooms.

Please take a look at those if you're interested, and as always, leave an intelligent comment or two if you like what you see.

Monday, August 21, 2006

More Background Lineart at 'Brad's Corner'.

In what seems to have become the staple of Monday's surprise updates, director Brad Goodchild has posted more black-and-white background lineart to his blog. This week, there are some excellent pieces depicting Hera's aviary, Hephaestus' workshop, the secret wing's gym, a back alleyway, and a sneak peek at Jay's bedroom, the last of which is a blog exclusive that has never been seen before. Be sure to leave comments if you like what you see, as always.

Also mentioned at the latest entry is that Theresa's room -- which seems to be in high-demand among fans -- may or may not be included in next week's postings. Odie is also mentioned as being this Wednesday's spotlighted character for the weekly alternate costume models, and as per the schedule, this Friday's screencaps entry will be for Episode 1.05: The Nature of Things.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Double the Friday Fun at the 'Class of the Titans' MySpace and 'Brad's Corner'.

As mentioned yesterday, there are twice as many 'Class of the Titans' specials for fans this week, and probably from now on every Friday.

First up are the weekly screencap postings at director Brad Goodchild's blog. Today, there are reportedly over a hundred screencaps from Episode 1.04: Man's Worst Enemy, so check that out. Don't forget to leave comments as well if you like what you see. There's also a bit of a teaser at this entry for Monday's surprise update -- fans should apparently expect some more background lineart, as well as the designs for Theresa's room, based on fan demand.

On the auditory side of things, composer Michael Richard Plowman has uploaded three more musical selections from the series to the show's MySpace while removing last week's old music. Today, you can listen to and download the diving theme from Episode 1.07: Antikythera Device, Cerberus' theme from Episode 1.04: Man's Worst Enemy, and the music from the closing credits at the end of each episode. Remember, the files don't stay up for long, so listen to them while you can!

As mentioned in the aforementioned teaser, this double-update with both screencaps and music will probably continue for the next while. Have a great weekend.

EDIT (4:00PM): Also of note is that the MySpace account now also has its own blog up-and-running, so take a look at that too!

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Herry's Alternate Costumes and More Season Two News at 'Brad's Corner'.

THIS ENTRY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE SECOND SEASON OF 'CLASS OF THE TITANS'. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED, PLEASE DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. THANK YOU.

First up is this week's Wednesday update, which, as expected, is another slew of postings featuring the alternate costume models for one of the seven main heroes. Herry is this week's spotlighted character, so go check-out director Brad Goodchild's blog if you haven't already today. There are seventeen different costumes posted for him, including one from a holiday episode that hasn't aired in Canada yet. This leaves just Odie for next week's update, unless there's some kind of big unexpected surprise.

Also, today was the voice recording session for Episode 2.08: Pandemonium, the Season Two episode where Pan returns, so there's also some (but not too much!) additional news about the episode at this entry. It seems like it's now confirmed that voice actor Mark Hildreth, who played Pan/Phil/DJ Panic last season in Episode 1.05: The Nature of Things is back and reprising his role. There's also a very brief comment or two regarding Pan's relationships and interactions with Atlanta and Archie for the episode.

Friday's blog update should be screencaps from Episode 1.04: Man's Worst Enemy, assuming all goes well like it did for last week's postings.

'Episode 1.02: Chaos 102' Storyboards at Lazarino Baarde's Blog.

'Class of the Titans' storyboard artist Lazarino Baarde has posted five more storyboards from the show on his blog, this time from Episode 1.02: Chaos 102 (alternatively known as Episode 1.02: Chaos 102, Part II). All five are in-sequence and from the same scene, specifically of Archie's initial encounter and fight with the Typhoeus in the woods surrounding the power station.

The storyboards are posted on the blog so you can easily read them in the correct order, but for those of you who'd like links to the entries (not the images) themselves, please go here, here, here, here, and finally here. Be sure to click on the thumbnails to view the storyboards at their full size.

Season Two Creature Concept Art at Todd Demong's Blog.

THIS ENTRY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SEASON TWO OF 'CLASS OF THE TITANS'. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SPOILED, PLEASE DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER AND DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINKS FOR THIS ENTRY. THANK YOU.

In addition to posting eight fantastic pre-colour pages from a recent up-and-coming issue of his comic, '100 Girls', storyboard supervisor and artist Todd Demong has posted a very early concept sketch of a new mythological on his blog -- a werewolf (or lycanthrope, to use the term derived from Greek) that will appear in one of the episodes for Season Two of 'Class of the Titans'.

To view the concept art, please go to this entry. As Mr. Demong mentions here, it doesn't quite match the look of the show, so it's reasonable to extrapolate that the final design for the episode will look somewhat, if not entirely, different. Be sure to take a look at his other great artwork as well.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

The 'Class of the Titans' Blog Community Continues to Grow and Flourish.

For the last few months, 'Class of the Titans' fans have had the pleasure of being able to read blogs run by several key crew members of the show. You're probably all very familiar with director Brad Goodchild's blog, as well as character designer Jeremy Tin's blog. Recently, composer Michael Richard Plowman created a MySpace account for the show where he uploads music files for fans to listen to and download.

One of the more recent additions to the online 'Class of the Titans' blog family is the emergence of blogs run by the show's storyboard artists. Over the last two weeks, we've spotlighted storyboard artists Luisito Escauriaga and Lazarino Baarde here and here respectively when storyboards they've done for the show and posted on their blogs finally surfaced during our Google-crawls for news.

Today, Mr. Goodchild has posted a heads-up on his blog that Todd Demong, who worked as a storyboard artist on Season One and is now the storyboard supervisor for Season Two, has also started his own blog. Be sure to check that out regularly too.

In light of all of these exciting new additions, we have also re-formatted the newsblog's sidebar. We've now seperated crew blogs from fan-compiled information and have added links to all of the sites mentioned in this entry. Please note that we here on the newsblog are not responsible for anything posted in these off-site blogs.

If you think we've missed something, please drop us a line at age.of.silicon@gmail.com. Thank you.

'Episode 1.18: Bows and Eros' Summary Courtesy of an Australian Fan.

As reported earlier, Episode 1.18: Bows and Eros, the 'Class of the Titans' Valentine's Day special, aired today in Australia on ABC TV. As with Episode 1.08: See You at the Crossroads last time, SilverDragon from the Australian forum has very generously written-up a very detailed summary of the episode, also including some choice quotes at the end.

To view the summary, please go here. Note that there are many spoilers for the episode, so if you're a Canadian fan who wants to be surprised in February 2007, don't go there. If you get the chance, be sure to leave a note of thanks or something along those lines.

Also, for long-time readers of director Brad Goodchild's blog, the identities of the two mystery figures in one of the teaser screencaps posted in April 2006 (and has since been removed) is finally revealed. So enjoy that extra bit of visual knowledge if you've got it!

Monday, August 14, 2006

'Episode 1.26: Time After Time' Music at the 'Class of the Titans' MySpace.

According to a heads-up from director Brad Goodchild on his blog, composer Michael Richard Plowman has uploaded three selections from the Episode 1.26: Time After Time score to the 'Class of the Titans' MySpace account. At present, the three pieces include themes for the Titans, going back in time, and a battle theme. You can also download the MP3s to your computer by clicking on the option for each respective file.

Also, it appears that last Saturday's music from Episode 1.07: Antikythera Device has since been removed from the account's listings.

However, please note that the heads-up on Mr. Goodchild's blog says that the new themes will be up on Wednesday, so there's a chance that the music there right now may be taken down and re-posted later this week. If they are removed at some point, we will edit this entry to reflect the change, so stay tuned (no pun intended).

Extra Bonus Background Lineart and More Season Two News at 'Brad's Corner'.

THIS ENTRY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SEASON TWO OF 'CLASS OF THE TITANS'. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED, PLEASE DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. THANK YOU.

In addition to the usual Monday updates, director Brad Goodchild has a few more surprises for fans at his blog, this time pertaining to Season Two. The first is art-related -- remember how many Season One episodes begin with a establishing shot of Olympus High School, usually also functioning as a title card? For Season Two, there will apparently be a new shot of the school from a different angle, for which there is some preview black-and-white lineart. This new shot will completely replace the more familiar one from the first season. There's also a bit of extra news about the use of CGI and animating vehicles for the next season as well.

Also of interest is more information on Season Two episode titles and plots. Assuming voice recording is on-schedule and the cast and crew is still doing them in order, it looks like one episode will be titled Episode 2.08: Pandemonium. As the title suggests, this is the Season Two episode where Pan will return, as reported earlier by Mr. Goodchild here as a bit of a teaser. He also mentions at the blog entry that it'll be a, quote, 'really cool' episode for Archie and Atlanta fans. The recording session for that episode is taking place this Wednesday. No official word yet on whether voice actor Mark Hildreth, who voiced Pan/Phil/DJ Panic in Season One, is reprising his role.

Also, this Wednesday's spotlighted character for the alternate costume models will be a surprise again, this time between Herry and Odie. So keep an eye out for that too.

'Episode 1.08: See You at the Crossroads' Air-Date Confirmed for Teletoon!

Great news for Canadian 'Class of the Titans' fans who have been waiting to see Episode 1.08: See You at the Crossroads, the Hallowe'en special for the series! As you probably all know, the episode hasn't aired in Canada yet due to Season One's premiere date being delayed from September 2005 to December of the same year, and so far, the only airing information that has been released is that it will air sometime in October 2006.

Well, wait and wonder no longer! The current confirmed air-date for the episode -- assuming nothing changes between now and then -- will be Sunday October 22, 2006 at 6:30PM ET/PT on Teletoon. Given the date, this probably also means that the episode will be airing during Teletoon's traditional Thirteen Days of Hallowe'en, but that's just an educated guess.

As for Episode 1.18: Bows and Eros, the Valentine's Day special set to air in Canada sometime in February 2007, there is still no confirmed air-date yet. However, it will probably be decided and confirmed sometime in January 2007.

Many thanks to Teletoon audience relation co-ordinator Daniel Charbonneau for the information.

More Background Line Drawings at 'Brad's Corner'.

For this week's Monday surprise update, director Brad Goodchild has uploaded eleven more black-and-white line drawings of various backgrounds and locations from Season One of 'Class of the Titans' to his blog.

The artwork comes from different stages of development, and some pieces also include scale references with regards to characters and their sizes. Also of interest are two sneak peeks at the design for Neil's room, which can be viewed here. Several months ago, Mr. Goodchild described some of the kids' rooms that have yet to be seen on the show -- he's quoted about it on the show's unofficial FAQ -- and it's certainly very interesting to be able to see some matching artwork to go along with the descriptions.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

'Episode 1.07: Antikythera Device' Music at the 'Class of the Titans' MySpace.

On Wednesday, director Brad Goodchild posted a teaser on his blog stating that there would be three new selections from the 'Class of the Titans' score composed by Michael Richard Plowman uploaded to the show's MySpace account on Friday.

Due to some technical errors, those sound files are up late, but as promised, they are now available for public listening this Saturday morning. There are three musical pieces from Episode 1.07: Antikythera Device up, including the episode's main theme and themes for the submarine and the lost city of Atlantis itself.

Have fun listening to those, and see if you can remember when in the episode they can be heard.

'Class of the Titans' Nominated for Four Canadian Awards for the Electronic and Animated Arts.

The first annual Canadian Awards for the Electronic and Animated Arts (official website here), which has recently been established to honour achievments in the Canadian video game development and animation industries, will be taking place on September 14, 2006 in Richmond, British Columbia at the River Rock Show Theatre. Of note is that Studio B's very own 'Class of the Titans' has been nominated in four Final Animation categories:
  • Best Animated Production (TV Series) -- Episode 1.19: Road to Hades
  • Best Storyboarding -- Episode 1.14: Make-Up Exam
  • Best Writing in an Animated Production -- Episode 1.19: Road to Hades
  • Best Animated Effects -- Episode 1.19: Road to Hades

Congratulations, Studio B and the creative team for 'Class of the Titans', on the well-deserved nominations! The other nominees for the same and other categories can also be viewed here. The winners will be announced at the awards gala itself on September 14, 2006. The event is open to the public, and if you are interested in attending, there is more information about prices here.

Many thanks to snowborderchick at the TV.com forum for the heads-up. There is also an on-going discussion about the nominations here, if you have any interest in offering your own commentary.

Friday, August 11, 2006

'Episode 1.03: Chaos 103' Screencaps at 'Brad's Corner'.

For today's Friday update, director Brad Goodchild has uploaded a record-setting number of ninety-nine screencaps from Episode 1.03: Chaos 103 (alternatively known as Episode 1.03: Chaos 103, Part III) to his blog. As usual, comments are welcome and encouraged.

As for new music on the show's MySpace account, composer Michael Richard Plowman has posted a notice as a comment here stating that due to some technical errors, the new music probably won't be up until sometime on Saturday morning at the latest. Be sure to keep an eye out for that.

On a completely different note, this entry marks the one-hundredth post on this newsblog! That's counting the original test entry, of course, but hey, it's still a neat milestone for us as we near the middle of the blog's fourth month of existence.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

More Rugby Artwork and Friday Teasers at 'Brad's Corner'.

As an added bonus to the posting alerts for tomorrow, director Brad Goodchild has posted another piece from his Rugby and Aussie Rules Football series -- this time of Atlanta -- on his blog.

The same entry also has a reminder to expect screencaps from Episode 1.03: Chaos 103 (alternatively known as Episode 1.03: Chaos 101, Part III on the title card) at the blog tomorrow as part of the usual Friday update, barring any unforeseen technical errors.

In addition to that is a notice from yesterday stating that composer Michael Richard Plowman will be posting three more selections of music on the show's MySpace account on Friday morning. So stay tuned for what sounds like an especially great Friday for 'Class of the Titans' fans.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Season Two Production Dates on Playback Magazine's In-Production List.

Playback Magazine, an online publication that covers news on, quote, 'production, broadcasting and interactive media in Canada', maintains a regularly updated in-production list that's organzied by provinces and studios. The information on the document also includes details like titles, shooting dates and locations, and phone numbers for the production offices.

The most recent version of the list at this time was published on August 7, 2006, and information on Season Two of 'Class of the Titans' is included under the headings for Studio B Productions and British Columbia. Of interest to fans will be the production dates (excluding pre- and post-production) for the season -- at present, the Season Two production schedule will run from June 19, 2006 to January 8, 2008. Thus, production won't wrap-up until several months after the first episodes begin airing in September 2007.

As per usual, this information is subject to change as production continues.

Neil's Additional Alternative Costume Models at 'Brad's Corner'.

Neil won yesterday's vote for today's spotlighted character in terms of alterantive costume models, so check-out director Brad Goodchild's blog for eighteen model sheets, including three from Episode 1.18: Bows and Eros. A few of the models are repeats from when some of Neil's alternative costumes were originally posted several months ago, and those can be viewed in the archives for the week of June 18, 2006.

For those of you interested in how today's Season Two recording session went, there are a few comments from the director about it here, in addition to a reminder that screencaps from Episode 1.03: Chaos 103 (alternatively known as Episode 1.03: Chaos 101, Part III) will be posted on Friday.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

'Class of the Titans' and Main Theme on MySpace.com.

As if there couldn't be more surprises today -- director Brad Goodchild has posted a heads-up on his blog reporting that 'Class of the Titans' now has an account on the ever popular networking site known as MySpace.com. The account comes courtesy of composer Michael Richard Plowman, who has his own MySpace account and professional website here and here respectively.

Right now, the only thing on the show's MySpace account is the theme song composed by Mr. Plowman, as well as an air-time schedule for the cartoon in Canada and Australia. According to Mr. Goodchild though, there's more stuff to come, and if you have your own account there, feel free to add the show's as a friend.

Stay tuned to the director's blog for more information about this recent development in the near-future.

Voice Actors Scott McNeil and Gary Chalk at MechaCon 2006.

In a continuation of reporting convention apppearances by cast and crew members of 'Class of the Titans' (and please bear with us as we get used to this) -- voice actors Scott McNeil (Atlas) and Gary Chalk (Hercules and Ares) will be appearing as featured guests at this year's MechaCon.

The event has an official website with registration details and prices listed here. The convention itself is being hosted at the Hilton Lafayette in Lafayette, Louisiana during the time period of August 11 to 13, 2006.

If you are aware of any interesting and relevant convention appearances by people who work on the show, please e-mail us at age.of.silicon@gmail.com. We are currently only using random Google crawls and AnimeCons.com as sources for this kind of information.

Background Lineart, Rugby Series Art, Vote for This Week's Spotlight Character, and More Season Two News at 'Brad's Corner'.

THIS ENTRY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE SECOND SEASON OF 'CLASS OF THE TITANS'. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED, THEN PLEASE DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. THANK YOU.

Since Monday marked this year's Civic Holiday in Canada, director Brad Goodchild has updated his blog today (Tuesday) with what would usually be the Monday surprise postings. This is a huge update, so we'll break it down into parts:
  • In terms of the usual Monday update, Mr. Goodchild has posted fourteen sheets of background lineart prior to being coloured. This is a fantastic chance to take a look at all the details that go into those drawings. All of the artwork is spread-out over several entries, but if you like what you see and are interested in viewing more, please leave a comment at this entry.

  • At this entry are several key items of interest -- art-wise, there's a black-and-white lineart teaser of Herry from the Rugby and Aussie Rules Football art series Mr. Goodchild has been working on as a blog exclusive.

  • At the same entry as the one above is your chance to determine what Wednesday's blog update will be. For the last few weeks, Mr. Goodchild has been posting alternative character costumes for each of the main seven heroes, at his choosing. Herry, Odie, and several of Neil's costumes that were missing from the original posts for him, are the only characters left, and it's up to fans to decide who the spotlighted character will be tomorrow. To cast your vote, please leave a comment here. Please remember to be reasonable and fair -- vote-flooding takes the fun out of the whole thing.

  • Last, but certainly not least, and posted at the same entry as the last two postings above, is some more information about a Season Two episode. The recording session for it will take place tomorrow (Wednesday), as per the production schedule. If the schedule hasn't been off yet and the episodes are being recorded in order, then it looks like the seventh episode of the second season will be titled, according to the director, Episode 2.07: Time Enough for Everything. Plot-wise, not much as been revealed aside from the fact that some characters will be, quote, 'eliminated' in the episode. Read the director's own teaser itself here.

And that's a wrap for this week's surprise postings. Remember to get your vote in for tomorrow's alternative costume models and play fair.

'Episode 1.18: Bows and Eros' Airing Next Week in Australia.

While this won't be news to Australian fans because it's part of their regular schedule, Canadian 'Class of the Titans' fans may be interested in knowing that Episode 1.18: Bows and Eros will be airing next week in Australia. You can catch it on ABC TV on Tuesday August 15, 2006 at 4:57PM, or on ABC2 on Wednesday August 23, 2006 at 6:00PM.

As previously reported by various sources, the episode won't air on Canada's Teletoon until February 2007 to coincide with Valentine's Day. Singapore's Kids Central, as far as we know, aired the episode first internationally back in June, but no one from there has written an episode synopsis. If you are an Australian fan and do write a summary of the episode, please e-mail us at age.of.silicon@gmail.com next week and we will provide a link to it with full credit.

Monday, August 07, 2006

The 'Chaos Trilogy' Re-Airing on Australia's ABC TV.

Over the next three weeks, Australia's ABC TV will be re-airing Episode 1.01-1.03: Chaos 101 one part each week, alongside the regularly scheduled new episodes. Please see the program schedule for more information about both, but for convenience's sake, the Chaos Trilogy schedule is also summarized below:
  • Episode 1.01: Chaos 101 -- Tuesday August 8, 2006 @ 6:35AM
  • Episode 1.02: Chaos 102 -- Tuesday August 15, 2006 @ 6:35AM
  • Episode 1.03: Chaos 103 -- Tuesday August 22, 2006 @ 6:35AM

The new episodes will air on-schedule on the same days during the timeslot that begins at 4:57PM.

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Voice Actors Kirby Morrow and Trevor Devall at Anime Evolution 2006.

A new type of news we're going to try and report on in addition to show news is information about any convention appearances by the cast and crew members of 'Class of the Titans'. Please note that as we're just starting this and not avid convention attendees, it may take some time for us to perfect reporting on these events. We appreciate any help from fans who are more familiar with conventions to let us know about such appearances at age.of.silicon@gmail.com.

That said, if you happen to be in Vancouver this year during the time period of August 19 to 21, 2006, voice actors Kirby Morrow (Jay) and Trevor Devall (Apollo, Hades, and Minos) will be attending Anime Evolution 2006 as featured guests. You can view the convention's website here, and the event is being hosted at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. At this in point in time, it's too late to pre-register for the event, but's still possible to register at the door.

Weekend Schedule Changes for 'Class of the Titans' on Teletoon.

We reported earlier that Teletoon will be making drastic changes to its air-times for 'Class of the Titans' this fall, starting with re-airing Episode 1.01: Chaos 101 as an individual episode on Monday August 28, 2006. At this point in time, we also have more information about the weekend schedule changes, courtesy of the listings on Teletoon's website.

The previous schedule change report linked above stated that starting on Saturday September 2, 2006, 'Class of the Titans' will no longer be airing on weekends this fall. This is still true at this point, and has been confirmed by Teletoon's website. It could change sometime between now and then, but it's not likely.

A more recent development, however, is that starting next week on Saturday August 12, 2006, 'Class of the Titans' will only be airing once on Saturdays during it's 1:00PM timeslot. The 7:00PM air-time will be occupied by Teletoon's new cartoon, 'DI-GATA Defenders'. This change will continue until when the show goes off the weekend air in September, as detailed above.

Friday, August 04, 2006

'Episode 1.11: Field of Nightmares' Storyboards Found Online.

Today's search engine crawl for 'Class of the Titans' news has yielded another surprise find, particularly if you're interested in the animation process.

Storyboard artist Lazarino Baarde has three amazing storyboards from Episode 1.11: Field of Nightmares on his blog, specifically of the scene where Archie is being chased by the dragon on the deserted shore. These were originally posted on May 30, 2006, but have only recently began appearing in search engine results.

To view the storyboards in order, please go here, here, and finally here. Be sure to click on the thunbnails to view the images in full.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

All 'Episode 1.02: Chaos 102' Screencaps Finally Up at 'Brad's Corner'.

Usually, we would add an addendum to the original news-entry, but since this is fairly big, we'll do a whole new one. After some technical difficulties earlier, all of this week's screencaps for Episode 1.02: Chaos 102 (alternatively known as Episode 1.02: Chaos 101, Part II when the pilot episodes are aired individually).

To check them out if you haven't already, please re-direct yourself to director Brad Goodchild's blog. Comments are encouraged as usual, but please keep in mind that they won't be approved for posting until Tuesday, after the long Civic Holiday weekend in Canada.

For those of who love numbers, there's also an update on the blog's visitor and pageview statistics at the screencaps entry with the title card.

A Few 'Episode 1.02: Chaos 102' Screencaps at 'Brad's Corner'.

Due to yet more technical errors, this week's Friday screencaps posting at director Brad Goodchild's blog is a little short on material, of no fault of his own doing.

That said, there are still thirteen screencaps from the last part of Episode 1.02: Chaos 102 available for your viewing pleasure at the time this entry is being written. No word yet on when the rest will come, if at all.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Neil Rugby/Aussie Rules Football Teaser at 'Brad's Corner'. And an Addendum.

As a bit of a Wednesday bonus for the blog, director Brad Goodchild has posted up a black-and-white teaser drawing of Neil from the Rugby and Aussie Rules Football series. More art from the series will probably be posted during next week.

Also, as an addendum to the last entry -- Odie and Herry aren't the only possible spotlighted hero candidates for next Wednesday's alternate costume models posting. Back in June, the majority of Neil's models were posted before the idea became a series. However, there are a number of costumes missing, and those will be posted in the future. So next week, keep an eye out for Odie, Herry, or the remaining Neils.

Theresa's Alternate Costume Models at 'Brad's Corner'.

Right on-schedule today is director Brad Goodchild's Wednesday blog posting of alternative costume models for the main seven heroes, with Theresa being this week's spotlighted character. There are fifteen different costumes posted and spread-out over three entries, including one from Episode 1.08: See You at the Crossroads, which isn't scheduled to air in Canada until October 2006.

To see the entries with the costumes directly, please see here, here, and here. Be sure to leave comments if you like what you see.

Next week's spotlighted hero will be a surprise, but by process of elimination, it will probably be either Herry or Odie, unless Mr. Goodchild's going to throw fans a curve and surprise us with something unexpected. Also, keep an eye out for screencaps from Episode 1.02: Chaos 102 tomorrow (Thursday). Those are being posted early this week because of the long Civic Holiday weekend in Canada.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Background Keys and Voice Actor Sarah Edmundson's Headshot at 'Brad's Corner'.

Due to technical errors yesterday, the usual Monday update at director Brad Goodchild's blog have been delayed to being posted today (Tuesday).

While we're on the topic of updating schedules, please also note that Friday's usual screencaps posting -- with Episode 1.02: Chaos 102 as this week's episode -- will be done on Thursday this week, since it's the long Civic Holiday weekend in Canada. Theresa's alternate costume models will still be posted on Wednesday as scheduled, assuming no complications arise.

That said, there are some great surprises today at the blog -- the main postings are of some very beautiful background keys painted by background colour artist Geoff Manson, who also won't be returning for Season Two because of being moved to another project. So far, you can view Persephone's Grove, the gates to the Underworld, and the River Styx here, as well as Apollo's study, and two views of the secret wing's lobby here. If you'd like to see more of these keys in the future, please let Mr. Goodchild know here.

Also of interest to fans would be a professional photograph juxtaposed with a character model of Atlanta for voice actor Sarah Edmundson, similiar to the series of Season One cast headshots that were posted previously at the blog. As reported earlier, Ms. Edmundson will be replacing voice actor Meghan Black as Atlanta for Season Two. If you're a new fan of the show, there is more information about the re-casting and why here and here.

Thanks for reading, and remember -- if you do have any news about the show, especially from outside of Canada, please e-mail us at age.of.silicon@gmail.com so that we may possibly do a report on it for all fans.

'Chaos 101' Re-Airing on Teletoon. And the New Fall Schedule.

With the summer season approaching it's end, it's for Canada's Teletoon to change their air-times for 'Class of the Titans' yet again. And what better way to kick-off the fall than with an encore presentation of Episodes 1.01-1.03: Chaos 101?

You heard that right -- but this time, the episodes, which are usually aired as a one-and-a-half hour film on Cinetoon every few months, will be aired individually at the end of August during the new fall air-times. Below is the tentative schedule for which days each part will air on:
  • Episode 1.01: Chaos 101 -- Monday August 28, 2006
  • Episode 1.02: Chaos 102 -- Tuesday August 29, 2006
  • Episode 1.03: Chaos 103 -- Wednesday August 30, 2006

In terms of the times, the re-airings of the trilogy episodes also mark the start of the new daily air-times for the cartoon. Starting on August 28, 2006, 'Class of the Titans' will be shown on Teletoon on weekdays at 8:00AM and 5:00PM ET/PT. This includes the three pilot episodes listed above.

According to Fall TV Preview, the show will also no longer be airing on weekends, as shown on the PDF schedule at the bottom of this page.

Please keep in mind that all of the information reported above is subject to change without notice. Everything is still a month away, and many things can change during that time.

Many thanks to Teletoon audience relations co-ordinator Julie Benoit for the confirmation and permission to share the scheduling information, as well as to iheartyou07 from the TV.com forum for the initial heads-up based on information from Teletoon audience relations co-ordinator Daniel Charbonneau. Thanks again!