In this review we’d like to turn the tables a bit as PageCrush shares time with Marcelo Pham. Marcelo is a software engineer by day and a story teller by night. PageCrush has been granted a little look into the secret world of Dr Mortales and the creation of a series Marcelo has put together and continues to do so. In this discussion we shed some light on the fascinating concept of a character who has ties with the underground worlds of secret societies and unpublished missions until something terrible is foreseen and it’s up to Dr Mortales to set the world straight on what really goes on out there. Will the public believe him and if so what will it take? Stay tuned for Marcelo’s TGSNT IV award winning animation series and enter the life of Dr Mortales.
Follow below as we spend time with Marcelo and the exciting events working in the life of a creative mind.
Q. Where are you located?
West Palm Beach, FL however I’m originally from Argentina, my native country.
Q. Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m a software engineer by trade. I have a software consulting firm, my ‘day job’. I came to the states in 1999 and my first job was as a junior programmer. I then founded Software Solutions in 2005. Also in that year I started my first animation, what you see today as episode #1 of Dr Mortales.
Q. You come to us today to shed some light on Dr Mortales. Can you elaborate on this?
Dr Mortimer Mortales, PhD is a fictional character that presents all the episodes on his series, entitled ‘The Files of Dr Mortales’. In 1995 the Russell Trust Foundation, the secret society most popularly known as Skull and Bones, launched project MK GAMMA with the objective of developing newer and better methods of social control. Dr Mortimer Mortales, a prominent patriarch member of Skull and Bones, was assigned to lead the project.
Dr Mortales was instructed to research on the human behavior in extreme situations, analyzing their strengths, weaknesses and other aspects ‘at any expense’, and report the investigation results to the foundation headquarters in Connecticut.In 2005, the MK GAMMA project was suddenly canceled for unknown reasons, and there were orders to eliminate Dr Mortales, but the attempts were not successful.
Dr Mortales is now at an undisclosed location, releasing all the results of the MK GAMMA project to alert the public. To make you aware, to tell you to ‘watch how they’re watching us’.
Q. Dr Mortales won an award. The TGSNT IV award. What went through your mind when you found out this news?
I was speechless. Winning an award for something that you do for fun it’s something unbelievable. I didn’t expect to win, I was competing with amazing comics and artists, so I felt really lucky, proud of the Dr, and also grateful.
Q. What inspiration brought on your displayed talent and do you see yourself growing with this?
I’ve drawn cartoons and comics since I was 6, I always liked drawings. Regarding the stories, my inspiration comes from the way society is nowadays and the values that were lost in time. Now selfishness, greed, lack of ethics, are the ones that prevail.
Dr Mortales by telling his stories will try to somehow alert people not to follow these ‘directives’…And yes, I do see growing into this and making Cino Productions a source of quality entertainment.
Q. What is Cino Productions and what part does it play in your flash videos?
Cino Productions is the studio company that produces The Files of Dr Mortales. Cino Productions also have two more properties: ‘Mental Asylum’, a feature film; and ‘Customer Service’, a new breed of hidden camera show. All of three revolve in the same subject: how deteriorated our society is.
Q. Do others help in your productions?
Yes. I usually do the writing, drawing, production, and direction. Then for animation and sound I usually subcontract artists. Then, for the soundtracks, I usually pick some song I like from an upcoming band. For example, for the next episode, I chose one of the songs from ‘Gone for Good’, (www.goneforgood.net) an upcoming rock band from Las Vegas, NV, who are highly rated in the music website garageband.com
Q. How long does it usually take you to come up with a story idea and put it into motion?
It depends. Story ideas usually come from real social situations that I observe and analyze. But others come from unexpected sources. For example, episode #1 ‘Sometimes’ was based on a nightmare I had… But usually after I come up with an idea, the storyboarding may take from 1 to 2 weeks. Producing them is another story. First 2 episodes took 4 months each (lot of experimentation and also doing it in spare time), I changed styles from episode 1 to episode 2, and episode 3 will be a totally different layout, I’m still looking for the ‘Dr Mortales’ signature style. So the first 2 episodes are not good reference as for timing. I’m aiming to produce episode 3 in 2 months.
Q. Do any of your stories or ideas have some sort of truth behind them?
Yes, they all do. Actually, they’re all based on situations I observe and/or experience myself, and the way I feel about them. I have some 15 stories already written, and each one of them is based on something I experienced, someone I know, or something I heard, saw or felt.
Q. How do you stay unique and apart from the rest?
By not trying to ‘copy’ or ‘be like that artist’. But most importantly, by listening to the ‘voices in your head’ and not ‘what people tell you’.
Q. Can you give us any hints into the next future episode or what to expect?
Next episode is called ‘Sacrifice’ and is about a crime that took place in a strange setup. That’s all I can tell you without spoiling the twisted ending.
PageCrush response; ‘Fair enough’ :)
Q. What do you hope to achieve in the long run?
My dream is to see Cino Productions and all its properties involved in mass media to spread the message, to get people thinking, and hopefully, make the world a teeny tiny little bit better place to live.
Q. Any advice you’d like to leave inspired artists and designers with?
a. Do what you love.
b. Listen to your inner voice and don’t take any rubbish from anybody.
c. Work on your passion every day. Can be 2 hours, can be 2 minutes, but do it. You must feel that every day you make one step -regardless of how small or big it is- towards your ultimate dream.
Q. Is there anything else you’d like to share that was not covered above?
I think we’ve covered pretty much everything for now. Stay tuned for more Dr Mortales :)
PageCrush would like to say thank you for this review. It’s been a true pleasure to talk with you and get a glimpse into a secret world. It will be exciting to see what happens next with not only Dr Mortales but in the creative life you’ve shared with us today. Marcelo, what you do is an inspiration to all in the midst of a crazy and busy world. Keep up the fantastic work! PageCrush thanks you for your time and dedication.
For more of Marcelo’s recent and upcoming work, please visit: www.DrMortales.com and www.CinoProductions.com
To view the recent video on its award site, please visit: www.tgsnt.com
