The first episode of an animated series for adults based on the Nouns NFT project just came out. It takes a meta look at the decentralized IP.
Nouns is an open-source intellectual property (IP) that is based on a series of Ethereum NFTs. With “The Nouners,” an animated show for adults, Nouns is moving into the TV world. And the series, which was originally funded by a grant from the Nouns DAO community and was made by independent creators, is staying true to its roots by selling the pilot episode through an NFT access pass.
“The Nouners” uses the colorful pixel characters from the Nouns project, which are based on a wide range of things and creatures and all have boxy glasses (called “Noggles”), to make a cartoon for adults. The absurdist vibe recalls offbeat hits like “South Park,” “Robot Chicken,” and “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.”
With a lo-fi look to match the pixelated avatars, the 11-minute pilot episode takes a decidedly meta approach, depicting designers pitching various projects in an effort to promote the Nouns brand. Only in this case, they are selling to an all-powerful creature with a “Wizard of Oz” type twist, complete with profanity, sex, drugs, and other adult themes.
In reality, “The Nouners” was pitched to the Nouns DAO, which is a group of Nouns NFT owners who, control nearly $43 million worth of ETH as of this writing. This treasury helps pay for a wide range of projects, such as toys, comic books, a parade float, and brand partnerships.
More details about “The Nouners”
The idea for “The Nouners” came from Executive Producer Mike Rekola and his team. Last August, they made a one-minute animatic and proposed the project to the DAO. Nouns was created with a Creative Commons 0 (CC0) license, which means that anyone can use the IP to make a similar project without the DAO’s permission. It’s completely free to use.
However, the DAO approved the $15,000 USDC funding request via its Small Grants committee. Co-showrunner Sean Flanagan told Decrypt that navigating the DAO proposal process and communicating with anonymous online users influenced the storyline of the pilot episode.
“It was complicated navigating the waters of an organization of faceless people around the world,” he said, contrasting it to the traditional film world. “This process was very mysterious and new—which is what led to the creation of the Wizard of Nouns in our pilot. We were making educated guesses based on the voice of a man behind a curtain. This became the inspiration.”
Rekola said that his team asked for a small amount of money for the pilot episode because he had seen other creators ask for hundreds of thousands of dollars for things like Nouns-based story bibles and animatics, which he thought were “anything but a finished product.”
“The Nouners” pilot episode is finished, but you need an NFT access pass to enter the token-gated portal and stream it. Rekola stated they need to sell 3,200 NFTs to finish the second episode, which is halfway done. The pass costs 0.003 ETH, less than $5.
What will the next episodes be about?
With a Nouns-based and Nouns-funded episode about Nouns and how funding works, the pilot feels like it was made for a group of people who are already interested in Web3. But Rekola said that future episodes will cover a wider range of topics and be less about the show itself.
“Nouns is an ideal partner for the show because its IP is undefined, CC0, and fully ripe for exploration,” Rekola told Decrypt. “Nouns aren’t limited to kids, nor crypto bros. All are welcome in the Nouns community. This is why the Web3 space is amazing. No legacy media company would ever let random filmmakers have fun with their brand.”
“Do you think Disney would ever let us have the chance to experiment and make a mature audience-themed Mickey Mouse cartoon? I don’t think so,” he added. “But Nouns would.”
Content Source: decrypt.com