Long Overdue

Well, this certainly took longer to come around than it should have. Without further adieu...

Welcome to the official blog for The MK Projects, the sweet, sweet entertainment idea-baby of Jared McLean and Cole Musselman. The MK Projects is an animated short film based on experiments, some hilariously misguided, others genuinely terrifying, conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s regarding interrogation tactics, bio-effective weapons, and even (by some accounts) attempts to create Manchurian Candidate-like sleeper agents during the worldwide feverish delirium known as The Cold War. These experiments had many different codenames, the most infamous being Project MKULTRA. It is currently under production, as it has been for a year and a half now. Motion tests, research, storyboards, scripts, character breakdowns, a move from Eugene, Oregon to New York, NY, and pair of red, sleepless eyes are just the beginning of this journey.

This blog will see frequent updates for a while, until things start to demand a bit more confidentiality, but I can tell you that the past few days have been very productive: I've managed to bang-out a handful of concept pieces and storyboards. Thank you for returning, my muse, whatever you are.

Here's a little info on the show, from the upcoming production pitch for Kickstarter:

"The story follows a man named Cole Allen, as a young man in the early 1950s during his time in the Korean War all the way to the 1990s in the crumbling former Soviet empire. In short, he joins the CIA after the Korean War and soon goes on the run after deciding he can no longer ethically continue his endlessly violent orders.

"The story is incredibly involved, flashing backwards and forwards, delving into the personal and emotional journeys of Cole and those around him, from old war buddies, enemies, and the family he was forced to leave behind. Moreover, it is a show that takes on a much larger, yet simpler theme of what it truly means to be free. Which is where the inspirations and influences for the show come in...

The Who invented flying,
screw you Wright Brothers.

"Taking place from the 50s to the 90s, the show parallels the evolution of Rock and Roll throughout. Each season, as the story arc is currently planned, features a soundtrack that matches the era in which the action takes place. One of the reasons Rock and Roll has had such a powerfully lasting effect on popular culture is its simple message freedom, it is the aural embodiment of the quest for freedom.

Samurai Jack, all
kinds of messed up.

"Visually, the shows influences come from a number of different animators and television shows. Gendy Tartakovski of Dexter's Lab, Samurai Jack, and his animated Star Wars shorts of The Clone Wars; The Venture Brothers; Cowboy Bebop; shows with fluidity of movement yet high character detail.

And, of course, the
greatest action hero
of them all: Reginald
VelJohnson... as a cop.

"Overall though, the show is an homage to the great action stars and films from the last 50 years. Stars like Steve McQueen, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, the greats. Movies like Bullitt, Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, the Bond movies, of course, Indiana Jones... the list goes on." 

Over the next month or two, you'll see more art, video links to the many sources of inspiration for the show, and the funding proposal on Kickstarter, without which, this thing could probably not be possible. So start spreading the word now, this cartoon is gonna be
HUGE.