Channel Frederator Blog

Multi-talented, healthy eating Lindsey Testolin gives us the what’s what about her style, the bane of her existence, and how she’s saving the world, one author at a time.

Channel Frederator: Where did you study animation?

Lindsey Testolin: I earned my degree at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. I met brilliant people there, but I think the most successful animators in the group had a strong intuition for what their audience wanted. If you’re animating for a festival or band or gallery, you’ll treat each work differently. You’ll decide whether you’re making a short story or a poem. You’ll think about marketing before the work is even complete. In this case the animation is a delivery system for people to discover music… you have to acknowledge that.

CF: Where did you get the idea for “An Average Idea”?

LT: Film trailers. It’s really like a film trailer; all my favorite parts and motions [Read more…]

Michael May’s radical and romantic webcomic Eros, Inc. follows the unassuming Mot Fleishman as she is unexpectedly chosen to assume the role of “Cupid of Silverlake”. Eros, Inc. is featuring guest artists all week long (including Box Brown and Yuko Ota) and launching hardcopy versions of the first chapter this weekend.

Channel Frederator: What gave you the idea for “Eros, Inc”?

Michael May: I love writing about relationships, meeting someone for the first time, that first kiss, the heartbreak, the drama, the love; I’m obsessed with it. So I wanted to do a comic about that - an “investigation” into relationships, why we like who we like, why things fall apart… That really attracted me to the idea. And I had realized that not many people had played with the myth of Cupid, so I decided to go my own way with it. Which is to say I more or less went an entirely different [Read more…]

Happy Fatties is home to a slew of animated sketch comedy series from Mike Scott. Here he gives us the lowdown on junk food, comedy, and what he’s working on now.

Channel Frederator: Where did you study animation?

Mike Scott: Well, the short answer to this is that I never studied animation. I originally went to school for video and film production and ended up finding that animation was best suited for me to express my comedic ideas. Much like in any art form, when you find yourself in it, you want to learn more. So since the time I started working in the medium, I’ve studied animation in the comfort of my own home, mostly while wearing footy-pajamas.

CF: You have about a million films. What are your sources of inspiration?

MS: You’re close in your estimation. The number of pieces I’ve made is actually just under a million, more than Disney, Warner Brothers, [Read more…]

Ever wonder who would win in a shape fight? Animator Rui Gomes‘ “Square v. Circle” answers the question with an epic battle (and soundtrack!).

Channel Frederator: Where did you study animation?

Rui Gomes: I learned animation all by myself…tryout and making mistakes. I’ve only been “working” in this area for two years- I’m a beginner. This animation was a university work, although I don’t study animation there.

What are you favorite films/cartoons?

RG: My favourites are all of Disney’s 2D classic films and Japanese animation. Besides those, I like some sci-fi films like The Matrix and Artificial Intelligence.

CF: Why can’t squares and circles just get along?

RG: Circles and squares are opposite objects. The circle represents the organic world (the freedom of movement and expression) while the square represents the geometric world (full of rules and barriers that define his attitude). The idea may be a bit confusing…but I think it ended ok.

CF: Are you working on [Read more…]

Jorge Garcia’s thesis film “Cat’s Meow” is hi-larious. He wanted to be a gag man - I say mission accomplished!

Channel Frederator: What are your favorite films/animations?

Jorge Garcia: I can never pick a favorites… I do have a very special place for everything Looney Tunes in my heart, and I always wanted to grow up to be Bugs Bunny. That didn’t turn out so good, but it did make me want to draw and eventually animate! I’ve always loved TV cartoons and the short film format, and anything with funny gags would spark my interest. Mickey and Donald shorts, Daffy and Porky, and all the classics. I would love to be a gag-man one day if I were to become really funny.

Other animated films that I love and have influenced me have been Toy Story, Emperor’s New Groove, Bambi, and Indiana Jones.

But keep E.T. away from me. He gave me nightmares.

CF: What was your [Read more…]

Former CalArts student and storyboard artist Derek Evanick’s film “Los Estrandados” is a hysterical take on a crappy situation (being stranded on a desert island - tell me that’s not crap).

Channel Frederator: What was the most important thing you learned at CalArts?

Derek Evanick: I think listening and working with other people. There are so many amazing teachers and students at CalArts. I came into CalArts thinking that I knew more than I actually did. I wouldn’t always take advice or criticism very well. Once I shut my mouth and started listening things went a lot better. I also found a group of friends that had the same style and humor that I did. It was a lot of fun throwing story ideas at each other and finding out what worked.

CF: Most useless?

DE: I think if you ask a lot of CalArts students they would say critical studies… So yeah, I’m going to say [Read more…]

CalArts student Marcos Cohen’s film “Madame Babette” is all at once retro, cute, hilarious, and dark. Check it out…

Channel Frederator: Where did you get the idea for Madame Babette?

Marcos Cohen: First off, I’d like to thank you guys for showing “Madame Babette”. It’s such a great honor to share it with you.

It took me a while to come out with the main idea for this film. I spent countless days thinking about what kind of story to make. The idea for “Madame Babette” actually started while watching a movie from one of my favorite Spanish filmmakers, Pedro Almodovar, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. There is a scene in this movie in which the main character throws a phone or answering machine out of the window. It was so hilarious the way the actress did it that it sparked in me the idea of making a short film about [Read more…]

Just in time for ComiCon, Javier Lopez Duprey gives Channel Frederator “Trigger Happy” - a short and sweet short about a good guy gone bad.

Channel Frederator: Where did you get the idea for “Trigger Happy”?

Javier Lopez Duprey: I got the idea while I was in the middle of the superhero craze. I was wondering when the next Spiderman or Batman would be coming out and I immediately thought that it would be great to do something related to superheroes. Then I thought about how I could tell a different story than that which I have already seen. So I came up with a world that required heroes to be licensed and a main character that wanted to be good, but could not help being bad.

CF: What was your favorite part of making the film?

JLD: My favorite part had to be animating the film. Coming up with how the gun would move and [Read more…]

Self described weird kid Ian Jones-Quartey’s film “Unfair” is as hysterical as it is brutal. He learned early to roll with the (literal) punches, and as a result, has stories and talent to spare.

Channel Frederator: Where do you draw your inspiration from for your films?

Ian Jones-Quartey: I think that real life is probably the best inspiration someone can get! I like to do my commutes to work on the subway without being plugged in to an iPod. It sounds crazy but all of my best ideas have come to me from noticing something about my surroundings that I wouldn’t have if I were distracted. I think the best characters are usually the ones people make based on their friends. The way people interact is a really interesting thing to explore.

CF: What has influenced your style the most?

IJQ: I try to shy away from the term “style” and just say “the [Read more…]

Recent Ringling grad and pro animator Michael Rutter has some killer 3D animation skills (and charming OCD skills). Read on, reader!

Channel Frederator: What (or who) has influenced your style the most?

Michael Rutter: I suppose the most evident when watching my film would be the Goofy “How to…” shorts, or Wile E. Coyote cartoons. Both of them had a real knack for taking a simple premise and really exploring the possibilities…allowing an otherwise mundane situation to escalate into something truly ridiculous. As for the visual style, I felt this character was a pretty “inside the lines” kind of guy. The strong sense of solidity and geometry in the 1950s/60s decor seemed most supportive of that.

CF: Where did you get the idea for your film “On the Level”?

[Read more…]