Babel Universe to launch on Mogul Productions and power an Animated Series
Background
Babel began as an academic thesis about a hypothetical “universal language”, a language that is powerful enough to overcome all communication barriers between individuals. If you’re familiar with the biblical story “Tower of Babel”, you probably know that the people there spoke a unified language until God confused their tones. That language led its speakers to build a tower to reach heaven. In another sense, it showcases a positive belief in the collective power of mankind when connected.
After researching throughout history, (Handuo, Co-Founder of Babel) found that the search for the “universal language” has taken many shapes over the past thousands of years. From religion to linguistics, from philosophy to computer science, the most recent attempt to realize such a language is the BCI (Brain-Computer Interfaces) technology.
Such a techno-universal language may become true in the unavoidable near future. (Not only because Elon Musk’s company Neuralink aims to make it.) Especially when it brings more productivity to the ones who “speak” it than the ones who don’t. However, just like the “Tower of Babel” story implies, we can be constructive when we’re connected, but destructive when such a connection fails. We’re not only facing a technological problem but a humanistic choice. Because technology is who uses it. Just as a language is who speaks it.
In mid-2020, Handuo wrote these ideas into a Sci-fi short story and presented it at the Cologne film festival. Three writers (Marina, Michael, and Hernando) saw his presentation and found him after. In the following half a year, they expanded the short story into an animated series bible.
The Animated Series
“After a VR game that offered them purpose and a sense of community ends in 2035, 10,000 individuals reunite through an overwhelmingly powerful mindsharing software given to them by the game makers, only to find themselves on the run from the authorities…”
Together with Marina Bendocchi Alves, Michael Grießler, and Hernando Sandoval, they wrote an Animated-Series Bible in early 2021 that contains 10 x 10-15mins episodes for the first season.
We follow three main characters’ journeys from finding “Heaven” (the software that enables the universal language) in an online game to forming a collective intelligence and confronting an AI totalitarian world.
On one hand, the story is a speculative future of our world. On the other hand, it also centers on a universal topic: Connection vs Disconnection. The universal language speakers can share their thoughts, experiences, emotions, and skills, but also their flaws. Will they be able to shine a light on the dark cyberpunk future? We invite everyone who participates in the project to decide.
BabelDAO
Babel believes that a story about a collective intelligence is best to be made by a collective intelligence. And the best people and tools for this large-scale co-creation are only to be found in Web3. Therefore, Handuo partnered up with blockchain veteran Yanko at the beginning of 2022 to establish BabelDAO: a decentralized autonomous organization to bring the animated series to life and expand the Babel universe in ways that we alone cannot imagine.
The BabelDAO members will hold NFT badges that represent their levels of involvement in the universe’s creation. Their NFTs can be earned without spending money. Members can upgrade their badges by completing educational tasks, participating in community events, and creating values (Creative, Financing, Marketing, and Management) for the project in their own ways. On the other hand, they can open a purchasable option for members to speed up their growth. This is to bring cash flow for the project.
Every part of the series production is to be co-created. Members with high-level badges (which usually means a deeper understanding of the project) can do things such as writing their own storylines, voting on creative decisions, auditioning for voice-acting, and getting paid for their work.
The BabelDAO funds their creatives with both USD and their native ERC-20 token. All members involved in the series production are also to be compensated a royalty when the series goes public (i.e. streams on one of the major streaming platforms).
There are eight guilds in the DAO. They are: Writing Guild, Visual Art Guild, Audio Art Guild, Creative Coding Guild, Moving-Image Guild, Design Guild, Finance Guild, and Public Relations Guild. A universe can only expand with the collective effort of people with different skills and passions.
For those looking to get involved, you can earn a Seed badge (for free) and join their Discord. The date for the Babel NFT Drop will be announced on Mogul Productions in the near future!
About Mogul Productions
Mogul Productions is revolutionizing film financing, allowing a global audience of fans to participate in the financing of movies and other forms of entertainment through NFT sales. Mogul’s NFT marketplace serves as a bridge between the NFT arena and the world of entertainment financing. It’s a platform for film fans, by film fans, empowering users to take an active role in the script-to-screen process. Access Pass holders get even more insider benefits and perks, including access to exclusive events held around Mogul-produced film releases.Website | Twitter | Instagram | Reddit | Telegram | Medium
