Use Facebook? Find us there and *like* the page for updates and artwork! Chapter 3 has been delayed until 2012 but promises to be more exciting than Chapter 2! The saga of the little boy from the Underworld continues...
Meet Krista Brubaker, the featured cellist for "The Prince of Banes." Krista is pursuing an undergraduate degree in instrumental music, at Lindenwood Univeristy.
Krista took up playing the cello ten years ago when she joined her school district's sixth grade orchestra. Originally committed to playing the viola, she switched to the cello when her music director announced a need for another cellist. "Probably one of the best decisions I've ever made," Krista has since said.
When Krista's old piano teacher became her new cello teacher, she quit piano lessons to focus on the cello. In high school, she became the principal chair for three years and made it to the Illinois All-State Orchestra for two consecutive years, as well as played in the Central Illinois Youth Symphony, during school.
"I came to college as a graphic design major," she says, "but when I discovered the possibility of a career in music therapy, I realized that a music major was the best choice for me -- just like my mom. The degree I'm working towards right now is a B.A. in Instrumental Music, with the intention of pursuing a Master's of Music Therapy."
Krista joined me (Wes Murrell) in scoring "The Prince of Banes" late into the production of "Chapter 2," but just in time. My sisters Catherine and Abigail Murrell had just joined the team as contributing artists, reinvigorating the project's production. Krista's timely addition to the team, which included writing and performing the cello piece and female vocal part herself, was much-appreciated, elevating the quality of the original score to a fuller, more moving sound. To hear her honest cello, CLICK HERE or click on the embedded video below.
(C) Copyright 2011 Wes Murrell Phoenix, now free from the Underworld, hides in the Forest of Nymphs, until Athena sends Agathon after him. Nymph statue drawn by Abigail Murrell.
(C) Copyright 2011 Catherine Murrell & Wes Murrell. I'm happy to announce that my sisters, Abigail and Catherine, are on board for "The Prince of Banes." As of today, Catherine and I will be animating Athena together. Catherine's version of the Greek goddess is much softer than mine had been, but I think that that will add a different (and helpful) dynamic to the production. Athena is the heart of this chapter of the story, so I think that this change is quite welcome.
Although Athena looks flirtatious here, my aim will actually be to give her a sort of aloofness and innocence that's mildly akin to that of the forest fairy's in 2009's animated fantasy "The Secret of Kells" (which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year).
Abigail's role is costume design. She's at work on both Athena's and Agathon's attire. It's going to be awesome.
(C) Copyright 2011 Wes Murrell. The blind priest of the gods (voiced by Jamal Mackey). I'm a little behind on production, but I'm shooting to be done by February.
Animator/Cartoonist "The Prince of Banes" is an emotional, visually-stunning, and fulfilling story about a boy whose escape from the Underworld creates dissension among the gods. Follow the saga at thePRINCEofBANES.com.
