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Nawmal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Technologies Nawmal Inc.
Company type3D animation website
FoundedApril 2015; 9 years ago (2015-04)
HeadquartersMontreal, Quebec, Canada
Websitehttp://www.nawmal.com

Nawmal, formerly known as Xtranormal, is a web and desktop do-it-yourself animation software. It is produced by Technologies Nawmal Inc., formerly Nawmal Ltd., a Canadian digital entertainment company based in Montreal, Canada. Nawmal turns words from a script into an animated movie using text-to-speech and animation technologies.[1]

History

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Logo of Xtranormal

Nawmal's predecessor, Xtranormal, was launched after four years of software development.[2] It was established as a storyboarding tool for writers and film directors. The original intent was to allow users to create videos by choosing from a menu of pre-designed characters and sets, and scripting their own dialogue.[1][2][3][4]

Xtranormal's State platform allowed casual users to create their own animated videos, and could be downloaded for free and run offline. At some point, State was replaced with a newer version of the animation software called Xtranormal Desktop (or, XD). Like State, XD was free to download from the Xtranormal website, but is no longer available after Xtranormal's shutdown.[4] Xtranormal also released a web-based animation software tool called Movie Maker (alternately known as "Text-To-Movie"). Movie Maker offers users a more limited subset of functionality in exchange for the convenience of a web browser. Xtranormal videos could at one time be created through an interface directly on the YouTube website.[3]

In 2011, Xtranormal launched a subscription service called Xtranormal for Education. This program aimed to empower teachers and students by giving them a new way to express themselves in the classroom. Teachers could create and grade animation-based assignments directly from their web browsers. Xtranormal for Education was implemented in K–12, university and special needs classes all over the world.[citation needed]

In January 2013, Xtranormal's CEO at the time told Forbes magazine that Xtranormal had a viable web subscription model, including Tellagami app, but they believed that the real opportunity for growth was now in mobile.[5] On June 28, 2013, the company announced that they would be shutting down its online services including all current subscriptions, points plans and existing services as of July 31, 2013.[6] They encouraged users to use up existing points and to publish and download created movies before that date.[6]

Xtranormal's online services were taken down shortly after, with the content of their web site replaced by a holding page showing the company's logo, a set of media player control buttons, and the word "pause",[7] but in early October, the placeholder was gone, thus their site was shut down altogether.[citation needed] Its official YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter pages had also been deleted.[citation needed] The site was briefly home to a store called "The College Shop" in November 2013.[citation needed]

In July 2014, it was announced that the assets of Xtranormal had been acquired by Nawmal Ltd.[8] As of 2016, Xtranormal's new parent company, Nawmal Ltd. has split Xtranormal into 2 different animators named after the company itself, both just like Xtranormal, except one being for professional use and one being for education.[9]

As of 2020, Xtranormal had a new feature of Nawmal Ltd. but is introducing new VR, AR, advanced customization and more.[citation needed]

Legacy

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Xtranormal bear characters

Some user-created videos reached more than a million views on YouTube.[1][3][10][11] According to NPR, Xtranormal's most successful videos featured a conversation between "a wise guy who is the voice of reason" and "a tone deaf, argumentative adversary".[12] A popular subgenre of content involved career professionals satirizing their workplaces[1][13] or students satirizing their college majors.[14]

In 2010, the short film Sleeping with Charlie Kaufman by director J Roland Kelly, animated entirely with Nawmal, premiered at the Little Rock Film Festival and was shown at The Rome International Film Festival in Rome, Georgia. Xtranormal videos once formed a recurring feature on the late night FNC talk show Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld, and were featured as part of a GEICO advertising campaign.[15] The Micros series of shorts about the world of online poker has been the most popular Xtranormal web-series on YouTube.[16] Some videos created on Nawmal have appeared on shows such as The Colbert Report, The Kroll Show and Howard 100.

A viral November 2010 cartoon by real estate manager Omid Malekan criticizing quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve was referenced by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in his memoir.[17][18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Stein, Jeannine (April 24, 2011). "Using video to fight workplace stress". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ a b Albrecht, Chris (October 8, 2008), Xtranormal Launches Text-to-Movie Making, gigaom.
  3. ^ a b c Newman, Jared (March 24, 2011), "Make Your Own Cartoons and Slideshows on YouTube", Time.
  4. ^ a b Grotta, Sally Wiener; Grotta, Daniel (April 2, 2010), "Make Bobbleheaded Animations Easily With Freebie Xtranormal State", PC World.
  5. ^ Wing Kosner, Anthony (January 30, 2013), "Tellagami Makes Fast, Fun User Generated Video Content For The Mobile Generation", Forbes Tech.
  6. ^ a b "Important Message From Xtranormal". Xtranormal Blog. June 28, 2013. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013.
  7. ^ "Storytelling | Xtranormal". August 1, 2013. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  8. ^ "Xtranormal". Nawmal Ltd. July 31, 2014.
  9. ^ "Home". nawmal.com.
  10. ^ Humphries, Matthew (July 2, 2010), Best Buy suspends employee for making funny iPhone 4 vs HTC Evo video, Geek.com, archived from the original on December 12, 2011, retrieved December 10, 2010.
  11. ^ Siegler, MG (July 1, 2010), Best Buy Trying To Fire Employee Over Those Hilarious EVO Versus iPhone Videos, TechCrunch.
  12. ^ Kurwa, Nishat (January 5, 2011). "Behind Rise Of Xtranormal, A Hilarious DIY Deadpan". NPR. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  13. ^ Edwards, Jim (January 19, 2011). "Xtranormal, Where Office Dissenters Skewer Their Bosses and Clients". CBS News. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  14. ^ Charbonneau, Léo (January 20, 2011). "So you want to do a PhD in the humanities?". University Affairs. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  15. ^ Hart, Hugh (October 26, 2010), "Video: Robo-Talking Superhero Ad Uses Text-to-Voice Trick", Wired.
  16. ^ Hustvedt, Mark (June 3, 2011), "The Micros: Nerds Web Series Flops a Boat", Tubefilter News.
  17. ^ Weigel, David (November 22, 2010). "The Man Behind the Quantitative Easing Cartoon Speaks!". Slate Magazine. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  18. ^ Malekan, Omid (October 1, 2018). "I Created 'The Bernank' on YouTube. And I Was Mostly Wrong". The New York Times. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
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