“Pageant is a responsive and responsible festival run by supportive and professional people, very well suited to indie creators. Highly recommended!”
Director Biography – Jonathan Nolan:
Jonathan Nolan is a writer, artist, poet and published author and game designer. He is the originator of the FASERIPopedia retroclone OSR superhero game and its licensed spinoff “FASERIP Tidal Wave Comics sourcebook” range created in cooperation with Tidal Wave Comics. Most recently, he has written and published EPIC FANTASY, an OGL-D&D game combining the entire OGC SRD from the world’s most popular fantasy role-playing game with FASERIPopedia’s wildly successful rules.
Director Statement:
CROM was the single highest selling sourcebook for FASERIPopedia in the first six months of the line’s release as well as being the basis for the D&D-OGL SRD adaptation EPIC FANTASY RPG – in effect “Basic D&D” to EPIC FANTASY RPG’s “AD&D.”
Much more importantly, CROM immediately became a fan favorite with constant requests for expansions, comicbooks or other tie-ins.
Despite stupidly ignoring this for months, now CROM gets a new incarnation, as an ongoing animated series!
1.What inspired you to become a writer, artist, poet, and game designer?
A desire to not only create detailed new worlds and works of art but to share them with as wide an audience as possible; to entertain but also to inspire people to free their minds and create for themselves.
2. How did CROM become the highest selling sourcebook for FASERIPopedia in the first six months of its release?
Word of mouth was 100% positive and it is a complete game in one book, relatively short but packed with new monsters, charts and concepts that have really engaged the audience’s imagination.
3. What sets CROM apart from other sourcebooks, leading to it becoming a fan favourite with constant requests for expansions, comic books, or other tie-ins?
CROM is set in 150,000 BC, an unimaginably distant time in the past when Earth is almost like an alien world: two moons in the night sky, a new race created by the space gods warring with the pre-existing apemen and a detailed sprawling world of jungles, jewelled cities and high adventure.
4. Why did you initially ignore the constant requests for expansions, comic books, or other tie-ins for CROM?
I had less faith and interest in my own work than did the fans, a very shameful reflection me as the creator of the work. Now I am fully engaged with CROM and doing right by it.
5. Can you elaborate on the vision and direction for the animated series based on CROM?
CROM will continue to explore the fabled long ago of 150,000 BC with lusty violent adventures!
6. Creating games to making projects is completely different. How did you manage to make a project? What are the difficulties you faced?
The main difficulty for me has been script to screen. Finding talented actors is not difficult -or I have been very lucky; but lifting the quality of the animated characters I create is a constant battle.
7. According to your film “CROM” the narrative incorporates elements of mystery and discovery. How did you handle revealing secrets about the lost cities and ancient artifacts?
It’s on screen as easter eggs and in some cases referred to in passing in dialogue. However in a realistic fictional universe it’s important to be somewhat “matter of fact” about the wonders presented so as to let the audience form their own independent reactions.
8. The story ends ambiguously, leaving room for continuation. Are there plans or ideas for further developments in this world or with these characters?
A full season of CROM adventures is planned.
9. How do you envision the world-building process for the various lost cities, tribes, and races mentioned throughout the tale?
The scripts as yet unfilmed take CROM, his sister Lalla and his lover Tanit on a globetrotting journey to various horror filled and wondrous locations, including the lost city of the Spider-God, the Treasure-Tombs of the Star Slayer and so on. So this odyssey is the vehicle for showing, not telling.
10.Can you share any upcoming projects or future aspirations as a director?
our multi-award winning animated series NIGHTWORKS is concluding its first Season, Season 2 and a feature-length one-off are already on the drawing board. We are also completing the animated feature film WRATH OF THE TITANS: ARGO in conjunction with TidalWave Productions.
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Pageant is a responsive and responsible festival run by supportive and professional people, very well suited to indie creators. Highly recommended!