Eric Peyron,  producer and writer of RAGE WEB SITE [ http://www.ragewebsite.com ] a collaborative online publication project, was lucky to catch XE7 at the Facebook Comic Con Gala Premiere March 12 2009. Here’s a group shot of him, XE7 & FBCC Creator Michael Netzer. This is his submission for the Art of Xero Error Competition which is now on & accepting entries until August 15 2009. 

Details on The Art of Xero Error Competition here:  http://xeroerror.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/the-art-of-xero-error-competition/

Or Download  the guidelines in PDF Format here

Hats off to Umar M. Yousaf of Sharjah, UAE, for being the first official entry for The Art of Xero Error Competition. The competition is now on until the 15th of August and open to all creatives everywhere. We will be posting new entries periodically. For details on the competition please read:  http://xeroerror.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/the-art-of-xero-error-competition/

or Download the guidelines in PDF Format here

Virgin Megastores will be promoting the competition in their stores very soon. We will keep you posted of new developments.

We’re surprised too. I’m sure this is not official in any way, but this just goes to show you to expect the unexpected

http://www.obamaadministrationblog.com/18072/the-art-of-xero-error-competition-dubais-first-cg-movie/

Note from Ashraf Ghori:

Just wanted to inform all my good friends on facebook of an unexpected event. While trying to promote ‘The Art of Xero Error Competition’, facebook being the ‘social’ site they are, have disabled my account with hardly a warning and have not replied to repeated emails from me.  I am hopeful they get back soon and things go on as before. Although I am not aware of all the repercussions, you might lose access to certain pages and links from me. I do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you and look forward to get back in touch. Fingers crossed.

If you would like to get in touch with me please email me at ghori@x-panse.com

[Download the guidelines in PDF Format here]

Be a part of Xero Error Film through your artistic or creative talent! Inviting all creatives for ‘The Art of Xero Error’ Competition.

Have our Cybrog hero XE7 do something cool. Whether he’s jumping off the rooftops, greeting Obama at the White house on the cover of Time-Travel magazine or saving the world in general! 

XE7 is the protagonist of the film ‘Xero Error’, the first computer generated Scifi Film from Dubai UAE. Please keep in mind XE7 is a time traveler so it would be appreciated if he is pictured as part of pop culture of today or in a particular period in history. 

You don’t have to be an award winning artist to participate. We’re accepting any medium for entries as long as they are creative and original in approach: sketches / drawings / paintings / sculpting / lego / straws / ascii art / a whole bunch of people standing together to make an image / finger painting / class project / graffiti … you get the picture.

Outstanding entries will be featured in a major scene in the Xero Error Film!

Winners will be :

• Credited as part of the team that made Xero Error in the film credits
• Listed on the official IMDb page
• Featured as a major story on the Xero Error Website
• Entitled to receive Xero Error merchandise, tickets & other goodies at the time of release. We will be getting sponsors to donate some cool prizes for this event – details to be announced at a later date.

All participants will receive publicity on the Web Site and their work will be featured at an art exhibition organized in Dubai.

Wish we had loads of money to give away to make it worth your while but alas we are struggling artists trying to make a difference by making the first CG Movie from the region and we need your support!

Simply email us a high resolution scan or photo of your entry [ preferably 3000 pixels height or width ] with the subject ‘The Art of Xero Error Competition’ to:
info@x-panse.com

or mail to:
Xero Error Competition
C/o Ashraf Ghori
P O Box 8425
Dubai
UAE

Participate on Facebook

Artwork will be judged on:

• Quality of the finish of the artwork – How well it is produced or executed
• Originality of idea
•  Clarity – If the idea is conveyed clearly in the visual 
•  Format of submission – Artwork should be a high resolution image at least 3000 pixels height or width or larger. 

REFERENCES: (This is what XE7 looks like)

[ REF1: http://www.mediafire.com/file/ynijm3dznlm/Render_028.JPG ]
[ REF2: http://www.mediafire.com/file/gh2zynxzygz/XE_Refs.jpg ]

XE7 Superpowers

XE7 can shoot arcs of electricity from his finger tips and ankles. He has a ‘skin’ that can mimic surroundings and heal itself. XE7 also has super fast reflexes and enhanced senses. He is an expert in many forms of hand to hand combat.

Trivia

XE7 was sent back in time to record history. His dreams can end up in his recorded data. When not in a combat situation, XE7′s skin displays animated brand endorsements. A contractual obligation.

Conditions:

• You must be from planet earth
• Your entry must be original
• You must not be related to XE7
• Entries must be submitted before Saturday, August 15, 2009
• The winners will be judged by a panel of no less than 4 representatives from the creative industry
• Winners of the competition will be announced on the Xero Error Facebook Group, Xero Error Website & will be notified by email if provided.
• Xpanse will keep in its possession the submitted artwork/s and reserves the right to use in further displays and publicity in connection with the promotion of Xero Error. Artists will be credited wherever their art is used.

For further info please contact:

Ashraf Ghori
ghori@x-panse.com

Mohammad Mondal
mondal@x-panse.com

Credit: Promo artwork features sketch by Alan Quah

[XE7 Created by Ashraf Ghori - All rights reserved, Xpanse CGI] 

Xero Error Facebook Group Honorary Member Michael Netzer recently launched a fantastic new group on Facebook which managed to bring together some of the best talents in the world into one dynamic community. The rapidly emerging ‘Facebook Comic Con’ is quickly gaining cult status.  Michael is a comic book industry veteran with art credits at Marvel & DC Comics, contributing to titles such as Detective Comics, Batman, Armageddon, Legends of the Dark Knight, Huntress, Comet, The Shadow, among others too numerous to list here.  We thank Michael for actively supporting Xero Error and spreading the word on our film.

I had a chance to talk to him online & wanted to share this rare insight with all of you:

Ashraf Ghori : How did Facebook Comic Con come about?

Michael Netzer : I was inadvertently drawn into Facebook by a group of local friends. Once joined, I was overwhelmed by friend requests from acquaintances in the comics community. I quickly found a vast representation of the comics world registered, including a near endless growing array of fan and professional pages and groups. In my present unemployed artist state, I found myself thinking about all this. In looking at how this community can somehow be enhanced, it struck me that Facebook tools such as Notes, Groups, Events… and the well engineered inter connectivity mechanisms are very conducive to housing a virtual comics convention. I first tested it with a group page, without much of a long range plan. It received 700 registrants on the first day. It’s been growing steadily since and in our third week we’re nearing 2000 members. It’s a very phenomenal response, which itself is what’s shaping its ongoing construction.

Ashraf Ghori :How does it fit into your long range goals and what do you see FBCC leading to?

Michael Netzer : The way world resources, and these of the comics community, are becoming divided, it might be safe to say that a majority of creators, fans and even simple people are being inadvertently pushed outside of the loop, as far as the limited corporate enterprises are willing to share of their success with the world community. It is a by-product of a free capitalist ideology where everyone has the right to succeed and is not obligated to consider anyone else’s benefit along the way. This has left too many good people outside of the ability to participate in mainstream ventures. But the advent of the internet is helping strike a return balance in this arena. The nature in which Facebook Comic Con is developing sees a greater participation by the younger more disenfranchised set, while more of the established icons tend to be somewhat reluctant to join, at least in the beginning. What not everyone is grasping here is the powerful influence of such a vast PR network on actual marketing potential. This is why I suggest that everyone who can do so now should join FBCC at this early stage. It gives its members a growing resource intended to help them reap an economic benefit down the line. It is not simply another group on Facebook. By its very nature, it holds a large appeal as a unique venture utilizing existing web tools, with little to no fiscal investment, in order to establish a vast marketing force in the hard-copy real word. This can also be seen in how you’ve promoted Xero Error on Facebook and your enthused participation in FBCC. It’s the spirit with which a project of such fabulous aspirations as Xero Error is gaining notoriety and critical acclaim. It is exactly the spirit of the new web generation.

Where is it leading to? Well, I’ve never kept secret the long range goals I see for the comics medium relative to world culture and our progressive evolution as a civilization. I’ve come back down to earth over the years and look for practical ways to advance these goals. This particular escapade with Facebook seems to be opening a door towards them which had not existed before. For now, I’m satisfied with moving it along at a steady growing pace. Though I would not rule out the possibility that Facebook Comic Con may provide a vehicle for the voice of comics fandom, or if you will, the voice of the people. A vehicle which can command a market share in the economic arena and one which will steadily bring more creators, media artists and prominent concerned personalities into its fold. A new union of expression and statesmanship, if you will.

When The Comic Book Creators’ Party web site was published 4 years ago, most industry voices said that America isn’t ready for such a message of world peace and prosperity. That the socio-political reality doesn’t allow for it. But here we are today with an America which recently elected exactly such a message by Barak Obama. I would not hesitate to suggest that a union of comics and media creators is today closer than ever towards being able to put forth a credible platform of leadership and statesmanship on the world stage. In the meantime however, we seem to have our hands full trying to get a virtual comics convention ready for a jubilant premiere. That’s a good enough reason to keep giving it our best effort.

Michael Netzer on Wikipedia

Michael Netzer Official Website

Facebook Comic Con

Long-time Xpanse collaborators Distinct continue the trend and join the production team on Xero Error.  Welcome on board guys!

ABOUT DISTINCT

Headed by Essam Chaechi, Distinct is a collaboration of young and aspiring CG & creative artists, who believe in setting trends than following them. Distinct specialize in creating digital environments for film and animation and have been also involved in the architectural visualization, creative & new media solutions industry for the past 3 years.

www.ds-me.com

Read the full interview here – www.scifi.co.uk

It is really encouraging to know that people from all over are equally interested in Xero Error.  The best is yet to come [IA]

Scifi Channel interview on Xero Error.

Details:

On my usual travels around the Internet, I happened across the Xero Error website (www.xero-error.com) for a CG animated short film in the early stages of development. The site’s already up and running, and looking very nice too, and pre-production looks to be well under way, as you can see from the character designs. Given how early on in production the Xpanse CGI team are, I thought it would be fascinating to get a bit of inside info. They’re making what looks to be quite an ambitious film, and X-E’s creator Ashraf Ghori was on hand to talk about some of the issues they face creating a new vision of a futuristic world.

You can read the full interview here:

http://www.scifi.co.uk/articles/2009/02/ashraf-ghori-on-xero-error.php

We thank Sam Ricketts of scifi.co.uk for seeking us out and helping us reach a wider audience.  Sam, I’m sure you’ll hear from us again !