Not limited to stories told in books, their interest extended to a variety of other media, from oral tradition, comics, cartoons and video games, and to a variety of genres, encompassing Greek mythology and other works of classic and contemporary literature, like "Catcher in the Rye," and fantasy novels like those of the "Pyrdain Chronicles." The stories they encountered shaped their character and imaginations, often leading them to explore the unknown, untamed groves and grottos in their own neighborhood, forging adventures of their own.
As they came to realize the extent to which stories had influenced on their childhood, the twins desired to share their own stories with the world. Seeking the instruments and training that would help bring others into their worlds, they applied to Amherst College for the liberal arts education it could provide and the open curriculum that would allow them to pursue their goal. And, most importantly, Amherst, having been the first college to accept the both of them, gave James and Julian the opportunity to continue to create as they had always done: dreaming up worlds together.
The story thus far
Once upon a time, two twin brothers arrived on the fair, rolling hills of Amherst College with hopes and dreams of crafting and sharpening their abilities as storytellers. Yet, to some small extent, their story, known to them and those around them as Cross-War, was just that, a dream. A project that James and Julian had been working on since high school, the creation and development of the Cross-War universe consumed nearly all of their free time, but had little connection to their academic pursuits. The only certainty that they had as freshmen was that they wanted to continue playing football as running backs and cornerbacks as they had in high school.
It was at the advice and strong encouragement of Assistant Professor Patrick Caddeau of the Asian languages and civilizations department, their advisor, that James and Julian brought Cross-War into the light of academia as a proposed joint thesis topic. The major for which the thesis topic was designed was an interdepartmental one labeled Conceptual Directing and Producing of Animated Film. Despite working on the same thesis project and towards the same major, James and Julian had different areas of focus. They both took course in the fine arts and Asian departments. In addition, James took courses in computer science, whereas Julian enrolled in courses related to directing.
Though Caddeau, currently on sabbatical, knew that he would not be able to be to advise them during their senior year, he provided a great deal of support for the two brothers. Their current advisor, Professor of Asian Languages and Civilizations Wako Tawa, like her predecessor, continues to provide encouragement for their efforts. Tawa recalls their work ethic, "They always knew what they wanted to do; they were very focused."
Of their advisors, Julian said, "Tawa Sensei instills discipline and passion into her students. You can tell that she loves teaching, and when she is your professor you want nothing more than to make her proud. It is an honor to have her praise your progress or smile at your willingness and effort. And Professor Caddeau is a great mentor. His general knowledge in so many fields helps a lot, as does his down to earth personality. He bridges the gap between professor and student making all of our conversations light hearted and inspirational."
Life at Amherst has not only provided James and Julian with the tools and training necessary for a future career in directing and producing, but has also material for their characters and stories. Seeking to capture the "epic quality of everyday life," James and Julian often incorporate elements from their daily lives into their world.
In one such instance, James and Julian found inspiration at the local Amherst Karate dojo, located next to the fire department. Enthusiastic fans of fighting sports, participation at the dojo provided not a workout, but also models for the actions and fighting styles of their characters. At one point, they were invited to a neo-karate tournament, a competition styled around martial arts as stunts and dance.
Their experiences and work ethic were readily apparent in the work that they produced. Visiting Assistant Professor of Fine Arts Professor Betsey Garand recalled, "I had the pleasure of working with both James and Julian during the spring semester of 2004. The course was a Special Topics entitled: Elements of Japanamation, structured around the drawing styles existent in Japanese anime and manga. Julian and James both had a rigorous and focused work ethic.
Assignments varied, but one in particular focused on gestural figure drawings, which are drawn quickly and capture the proportions, structure and inherent movement of a figure in various poses and states of motion. Julian would draw James and James would draw Julian. They are skilled in the martial arts and extremely athletic, so needless to say their poses were quite varied."
It was not only the events and opportunities that shaped James and Julian's stories, but the people as well. With their story always in mind, they would often observe people, taking note of their actions and characteristics, consciously or not, incorporating the people they meet into their stories. "So many nuances [in people] breed creativity. The people we meet are immortalized in our characters," said James.
Off-campus, James and Julian enlisted the help of their two younger brothers, Jon Jon and Brandon, who provided the inspiration for the main character of Cross-War and tested out their ideas and characters. Their brothers are, at once, their inspiration and their toughest critics.
Studying Godzilla and ninjas in Japan
In the spring semester of their junior year, James and Julian made a pilgrimage of sorts to the land that is the home and birthplace of their childhood stories as told in video games, animated television series and comics. Enrolling at Temple University in Tokyo for a semester abroad, the pair flew across the Pacific in hopes of immersing themselves in the culture, taking in the sights and meeting the occasional ninja or two. Having experienced life on the other side of the ocean only through the stories they read and watched, they were blown away by what they saw. Not a single black-clad ninja or rampaging lizard in sight, Tokyo was a fast-paced city of high-technology and pop-culture; reality was somewhat different from the Americanized idea of the land of the rising sun.
Tokyo, and Japan in general, had a presence that was distinctly and uniquely Japanese. Intermingled in the sparkle and glitter of the cosmopolitan city was a rich historical heritage; complete with ancient statues and temples. The myriad of Japanese landscapes, so different from their preconceptions, shining in their memories long after they returned, serve to color and shape the settings and backgrounds of their work today.
"Regardless of the lack of ninjas or samurai roaming the streets, the magic that I had always associated with Japan was still present. The country managed to blend centuries of rich tradition and culture with the ever increasing world of technology. It was breathtaking really; a retro-future that highly influences the worlds I long to create in my stories," recounted James.
The twins' academic term in Japan also challenged their ability to present their art and story to extent they had not experienced before. During their stay at Temple, James and Julian enrolled in a media arts course titled "Introduction to Techniques." Taught by a professor with a ponytail and a crazy laugh, introducing himself only as "Professor Ned," they were tasked to produce a film of any type, 29 minutes in length, within the space of only a month.
Thus, while slaving away for Professor Ned, who all the while would invite his students, James and Julian included, for dinner and drinks, they produced a film comprised of still frames with backgrounds and voiceovers set in their Cross-War universe. The film, complete with dialogue descriptions of their characters, was no small feat and left them feeling ready to tackle whatever challenges lie on the road ahead, namely one thesis project.
Cross-War revealed!
After months of labor and planning, James and Julian unveiled their thesis and the Cross-War universe to the world at large. Image after image of their characters and backgrounds lined tables and walls all throughout the Friedmann Room. Center stage showcased a television and a DVD player.
Dim the lights and roll tape, James and Julian presented a set of clips showing off various animated sequences, backgrounds and visual effects that represented the many drawing, animation and programming techniques they had learned over the years. The work displayed representative not only of academics, but also of the support of their professors, friends and family.
James and Julian remember working with one friend in particular, Lindsay Totty '07, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, often from 12 at night to 3 in the morning, on designing and sketching characters. "We had very similar aesthetic backgrounds, having grown up on the same shows and games; we had chemistry," said Julian.
"I met them during my freshman year while waiting for the train to come to take me home for Thanksgiving," Tiffy reminisced. "We didn't have much to say to each another then. But some time later, the two of them knocked on my door, one of them holding a cut-out copy of one of my comic strips, 'Lucky and Guy,' back when it was printed in The Amherst Student. They had been trying to locate me before, but because of my first name, they were thrown off, thinking I was a girl. They told me about their project and said that they needed someone good with character design to draw the sketches of the characters of the anime they were planning."
Totty admitted that his first inclination was to decline the twins' offer because he knew it would involve a considerable time commitment. "[B]ut I could see that their businesslike demeanor guarded serious passion, and I knew if I worked with these brothers, I wouldn't regret it," he said.
To be continued
As they leave Amherst College and move on to the real world, James and Julian plan to continue telling stories, working to expand their Cross-War universe and to make it a reality for other lovers of stories. Aiming to realize their characters and story of the Cross-War universe in the form of a manga or anime, they plan to continue to develop their art and hone their directing skills in the years to come, hopefully through hands-on experience in the industry.
Although undecided on whether or not to enroll in a graduate program, for the immediate future, James and Julian plan on returning to Japan. James, recipient of a Fulbright scholarship, and Julian will spend up to a year or more immersing themselves once again in the Japanese culture while studying manga and animation and making connections in the animation/manga industry.
Garand expressed positive hopes for the twins' future. "All in all, we had intensely stimulating conversations about their work, historical references of animation and contemporary animation and, oh yes ... being twins. I'm a twin too, so [I] can relate to their bond of friendship and respective individuality," he said. "They will no doubt make an indelible impact within their field of animation. The Seltzer Brothers are a memorable duo."