Last week, Evan Spiridellis and I spoke at the 2006 Flashforward Conference, an event produced by Lynda.com. The title of our session was JibJab’s Animation Process and How a Small Studio Can Reach a Big Audience, and we spoke for just over an hour. Evan walked the audience through the JibJab animation process – from animatic to animation to finished product. I presented several animators and small teams that are reaching big audiences, first which was JibJab, who had over 80 million people watch ‘This Land‘ and ‘Good to be in DC!‘ during the 2004 election. Here’s the slides from my presentation detailing JibJab’s recent successes.

Back then, it was really 2 guys doing it all, and this is the story I repeated many times over during the night.

Next I spoke about Jennifer Shiman and her ’30 Second Bunnies Theatre,’ the Flash-animated series currently airing on Starz! on Demand. As many of you know from reading the CHF interview with Jennifer, she pretty much a one-woman band, writing, animating, and directing alone, and she gets over 1.8 million unique views a month at her angryalien.com site.

Amanita Design was the next studio featured. This 2-man shop out of Brno, Czech Republic is creating viral click-along games like Samorost 2 and linear music videos with a very small team. Jakub Dvorsky, the founder, gets over 500,000 unique views a month at his site.

Weebls-stuff.com is the playground for Weebl, the British animator. He and a small cadre of animators create ‘Weebl & Bob’ and other funny series like ‘Magical Trevor.’ They get a staggering number of cartoon views every month – over 5 million!

Bernard Derriman animated the music video for TISM’s ‘Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me,’ which went on to become a hugely viral video. He animates alone, and he gets over 50,000 unique visitors to his site, arjandpoopy.com, every month. I completely missed posting about Bernard’s holiday ‘Arj and Poopy’ episode, but you can still see it here.

Adam Phillips, who happens to be an old working buddy of Bernard’s, won his 3rd Flashforward festival trophy for his Flash-animated short ‘littleFoot.’ He too is a one-man Flash army, writing, directing and barely sleeping while crafting his Brackenwood series. In a good month, he gets over 300,000 unique visitors to his site.

James Farr, the creator of ‘Xombie,’ is currently in production on a direct-to-DVD feature version of his Flash-animated series. All by his lonesome, deep in the heart of Tulsa, Oklahoma, James has written, animated and produced 7 online ‘Xombie’ shorts, and now he’s teamed up with Wetsand animation to create the long-form version. He has over 1 million subscribers to his ‘Xombie’ mailing list.

Laith Bahrani’s ‘Low Morale’ series brought down the house during our presentation. We screened episode 9, and the crowd went nuts. Very funny stuff. Laith is the sole animator on his shorts, and he’s welcomed over 800,000 visitors to his site since 2004.

And last, but not least, we talked about ‘Queer Duck: The Movie’ which is due to wrap production sometime soon. It’s a Flash-animated feature project penned by Mike Reiss, a Simpsons writer, and Xeth Feinberg is heading up the animation effort. He’s working with a team that’s usually smaller than 10, and he’s been in production since last summer.

While it’s not always about the size of the audience, it’s still impressive to see so few reaching so many. Thanks to everyone for contributing to our presentation, and to Lynda Weinman (of Lynda.com) for hosting us up in Seattle.

A few days ago, the first half of the Cold, Hard Flash interview with Bernard Derriman was posted. Now we’re back with part 2. In this half, we dive into the world of ‘Arj and Poopy,’ the hit web series that recently won a major animation award…

AARON SIMPSON: Congratulations on the Net Surfers award at Annecy for ‘Long Distance Relationship.’ Did you fly over to France for the ceremony?
BERNARD DERRIMAN: Thanks heaps. I was in Annecy for the full week which was great – I also had a film clip (music video) in competition called ‘Everyone else has had more sex than me.’ I wasn’t expecting anything so it was a real buzz to get the award.

AARON: How did you team up with your ‘Arj and Poopy’ partner, Arj Barker?
BERNARD: I had seen him do stand up here in Sydney, and I thought he was the funniest comedian I had seen live. I came up with the idea of animating him, so I went to his site and downloaded one of his skits, took the sound file and made a little cartoon around it. I sent it to him and he loved it, so the next time he came out (he is based in California) we got together, created Poopy and recorded a whole bunch of episodes. You can see that first short here.

AARON: How has your animation process changed since the first ‘Arj and Poopy’ episode?
BERNARD: The episodes have become more elaborate, the most elaborate being ‘Unlucky in Love’ which had a lot of animation in it. I’m trying now to put out more episodes more frequently, and in order to do that I’ll aim to keep the animation a little simpler. But as far as the actual process is concerned, I do them now the same way I always have – the only difference being I’m able to reuse more and more stuff – rarely do I have to draw a new mouth for instance.

AARON: What can you tell us about the next ‘Arj and Poopy’ episode, ‘Yoga’?
BERNARD: Yoga is going to be a fun one, as it has a lot of Arj jokes throughout – not necessarily building to the one punch line like the earlier episodes. I think it will be one of the funnier ones for sure. But before that comes out I will be creating a little teaser for an all new character to ‘Arj and Poopy,’ which should be out soon…

AARON: Do you storyboard the ‘Arj and Poopy’ episodes before you record?
BERNARD: No, which is one of the fun things about doing this series. When we record, 90% of the time the situations don’t exist at all, so when it comes to animating one of the recorded jokes, I have the freedom to create any situation I like – I can have them talking on the beach, on the moon, or as in the latest episode, trainspotting in the country.

AARON: Have you considered releasing the ‘Arj and Poopy’ shorts on DVD?
BERNARD: Definitely, and that will happen eventually, but I want to get a lot more material before we do. I have been filming recording sessions, which would be a DVD extra at some stage, and I’d love to get together with Arj for some commentary. So maybe in another years time – I just need time to do some more episodes!

AARON: How did you find out about the TISM music video contest for their song ‘Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me?’
BERNARD: A good friend of mine told me about it, and I had always wanted to animate a film clip, so this was my chance.

AARON: How long did it take you to animate the TISM video?
BERNARD: I found out about the competition 3 weeks before the deadline, so that’s how long it took me to do it, ‘after hours’: a couple of hours in the evening, couple in the morning before work, and a few days on the weekends.

AARON: Between ‘Arj and Poopy’ and the TISM video, which project would you say has a bigger internet profile?
BERNARD: Definitely the TISM video. I originally submitted it to an online category of a little animation festival in Australia, and it screened on their site for a while, didn’t win, and then I forgot about it. But someone saw it, loaded it up on their website, then someone else took it from that website, and then the next minute it was all over the place. I’m just fortunate I put my name on the front, otherwise no one would ever know who had done it!

AARON: Your shorts employ a high drawing count, but you’re still leaning on re-use a bit. What’s the best way to achieve a full-animation look while still employing a stock method?
BERNARD: I try not to draw too much, and rely on quickly getting characters into strong poses. Having settling cushions after an action really gives simple animation a full animation feel – a good example is the whiskers on the bunny cushioning to a stop every time he moves – it’s a little thing but it doesn’t make those sharp movements of the bunny look so abrupt.

AARON: When you’re building your Flash character models, do you build the various eye and mouth symbols into the head symbol?
BERNARD: Not really, I just do them all on their own levels – and the only time I will combine them all is when I have to move the head around. But when it comes to technical stuff don’t listen to me – I’m sure there are heaps of easier ways to do it!

AARON: Do you sketch out new character designs, and then scan them in to the computer, or are you drawing straight into the computer?
BERNARD: I am always sketching character designs everywhere, but for anything on screen I draw straight into the computer using a Wacom tablet – I don’t own a scanner.

AARON: How do you balance your time between work and your personal animation projects?
BERNARD: It is tough, as work can be pretty hectic sometimes, and the last thing you feel like doing when you get home is go into the office and start animating again. The only time I seem to get things done lately is when I give myself a deadline. As a result I end up going berserk as the deadline approaches. To meet the deadline I set for myself for ‘Unlucky in Love,’ I was doing 2 hours in the morning, working all day at Disney, coming home and then working on it until early the next morning. That deadline nearly killed me.

AARON: You and Arj produced a live action short. Can you tell us more about this project?
BERNARD: How did you find out about that one?! I came up with an idea for a live action short film and got Arj on board as the star, and filmed it in a bar with about 100 friends as extras. It was a great learning experience (code for ‘it turned out a piece of shit’) but Arj was very funny in it, and it was great fun to do.

AARON: Are you working on any new personal projects – new series or shorts?
BERNARD: I am currently developing an animated series for television, and I hope to animate a short pilot for it later in the year. Other than that it’s all ‘Arj and Poopy!’

AARON: What animators and character designers have had the biggest influence on you?
BERNARD: I grew up watching the Warner Bros. cartoons, and when I look back at all my favourites as a kid I realise most of them were by Chuck Jones, so I’d have to say he is a big influence. Another big one would be Jim Henson and ‘The Muppet Show.’

AARON: What animated DVDs have you purchased recently?
BERNARD: I recently got a bunch of Miyazakis, part of the prize for the TISM clip, including ‘Castle in the Sky’ which is my favourite Miyazaki. I also got ‘The Incredibles’ which of course is awesome – the bonus Jack-Jack short was classic.

AARON: Do you regularly watch any Flash animated web series?
BERNARD: Not really, except ‘Brackenwood’ – but Adam puts out episodes less frequently than I do!

AARON: Your latest Arj and Poopy movie ‘Unlucky in Love’ has a very definite ‘Brackenwood’ feel to it. Are you getting more than just good conversation out of your weekly coffees with Adam Phillips?
BERNARD: He loves to think that, the little bastard!

AARON: I apologize for that last one. It was Adam’s idea. Thanks for the interview, Bernard, and best of luck with the next installment of ‘Arj and Poopy.’ Now get some sleep, for crying out loud!

Bernard Derriman toils away at his Disney animation post, plotting out a scene for an upcoming ‘Bambi’ DVD, pining for a night off. But it’s not to be. Instead, Bernard will travel from his animation disk in the city to his Wacom tablet at home, and settle in for another long night of posing and little dozing. It’s the life of an independent animator with a full-time animation job.

To what ends, you ask? Well, the long hours are surely paying off for Bernard. It all started back in the 2001 at the biggest short film festival in the world – Sony Tropfest. Bernard took first place in Comedy category with a film titled ‘Chopper.’ His 4-minute short twists the already twisted tale of Chopper Read, the notorious Australian criminal. Bernard’s animated version comes complete with a singing children’s chorus, and much like the feature, it’s easy to find yourself giggling through the bloodshed.

But it was last year when things really got rolling. Bernard’s animated music video (or ‘video clip’ as they’re called in Australia) for the Australian band TISM took the world by storm. Titled ‘Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than me,’ the video was the winning submission in a competition held by the band, who hoped to uncover a catchy look for their song of the same name. The Flash-animated video that features a sexually frustrated bunny went on to become one of the most viral clips on the web, eventually picking up the People’s Choice Award at the Second Annual TGSNT festival. The subtleties of Bernard’s character animation weren’t lost on the selection committee for the 2005 Annecy International Animated Film Festival. It’s a major accomplishment, as Annecy is considered to be the world’s preeminent animation festival.

But Annecy held more in store for Bernard this year. He and Arj Barker, the California-based comedian, received the Netsurfers award for their ‘Long Distance Relationship’ film, which is part of the hysterical ‘Arj and Poopy’ series. This was perhaps the most gratifying moment for Bernard, as the 7-part (and counting) ‘Arj and Poopy’ series is responsible for most of his all-nighters.

As Disney has now announced the imminent closure of Disneytoon Studios Australia, we might just find ourselves with regular doses of ‘Arj and Poopy,’ but that all remains to be seen. What is certain is that Bernard will, before long, follow his good friend Adam Phillips out the Disney gates. While the events of the past few weeks have played out, Bernard put down his Wacom pen long enough to answer some questions for Cold, Hard Flash, and rumor has it, not long after, he quickly went back to animating.

AARON SIMPSON: Where did you first learn animation?
BERNARD DERRIMAN: I’d always flirted with animation as a kid – whenever I got my hands on a video camera at someone’s house I would be doing stop motion stuff, and all my school books had flipbook animation in the corners of every page. But it wasn’t until I started work at Disney that I really learnt animation, learning on the job.

AARON: What was your first assignment at Disneytoon Studios Australia?
BERNARD: I’m not sure I can remember – when I first got to Disney we were doing series work, I think it was the ‘Goof Troop’ TV series.

AARON: Where did you work before you landed the Disney job?
BERNARD: Nowhere. I was finishing high school and wasn’t enjoying studying much, so university wasn’t looking like a great option. My father saw an employment ad in the paper for Disney and I went along for a test and got the job, before my final exams. I didn’t do any studying after that.

AARON: Are you still working at Disney?
BERNARD: For the moment yeah, but as you know they have just announced they are closing the studio after the next project, which is a Cinderella sequel, so I will probably hang around and see that one through.

AARON: When did you first meet Brackenwood’s Adam Phillips?
BERNARD: Probably about 10 years ago, he arrived at Disney just after me. We have been great mates right from the start.

AARON: Did you and Adam ever work closely on projects at Disney?
BERNARD: Looking back, not really – I’ve always been a character animator, and Adam was always awesome at Special Effects, as you can see with all the ‘Brackenwood’ shorts. In fact, very early on he became the Special Effects Supervisor at Disney, so while we didn’t necessarily work closely together, I’m sure there are a lot of scenes over the years we’ve both contributed to.

AARON: Do the two of you swap Flash tricks?
BERNARD: Actually, not really. Well first of all, ‘Brackenwood’ fans should thank me for introducing Adam to Flash. I first got into it in 2000 and Adam saw some of my early shorts and then he began doing some too – classics like ‘Pokies.’ Now Adam is a freak with Flash, he knows just about everything and writes books on it. As it happens we don’t really swap Flash tricks as such, but Adam helps me with some of the technical stuff like actionscript when I need it.

AARON: Have you two ever considered working on a Flash project together?
BERNARD: We kind of have, but we’re both really involved with our own things – me with ‘Arj and Poopy’ and Adam with ‘Brackenwood’ – and on top of Disney, we haven’t really had the time.

AARON: Looking back at your Disney work – do you have a particular sequence you’re most proud of?
BERNARD: I did a scene during the end credits of ‘An Extremely Goofy Movie’ where I animated PJ, the big character, doing a dance, which some people remember. I also animated a lot of Pumbaa in ‘Lion King 1½’ which I really enjoyed doing, and while there’s not a particular sequence that comes to mind, I was happy with the animation I did on that film.

AARON: What led you to pick up Flash?
BERNARD: I once set up a website and created it with Flash, and it included some really simple animation. That got me started on it, and soon after I realised how much you could do with the programme, and that’s when I began animating little shorts.

AARON: What animation software had you used before you learned Flash?
BERNARD: I remember I once used a lame animation programme back in the late 80′s on my parents Mac, which I used to create pissweak 20 second shorts. But other than that, nothing – Flash was my first.

AARON: What does Flash allow you to do that you weren’t capable of on a traditional 2D project?
BERNARD: Heaps of cartoons! In ’99, a friend of mine and I developed a television animation series idea and we decided to create a 3 or 4 minute pilot. I only knew traditional animation, so I set about doing the whole thing myself: old school. It ended up being pretty elaborate, and since I was doing backgrounds, animating, cleaning up and inbetweening on it, the workload was out of control. In the end it probably took me over a thousand hours,
and thousands of drawings, paper, pencils and dollars in post production. If I had done it in Flash, which I discovered a year later, I would have completed it in a fraction of the time for nothing, and somewhere a small forest would still exist.

That’s the end of the first half of the Cold, Hard Flash interview with Bernard Derriman, the co-creator of ‘Arj and Poopy.’ Come back soon to check out part 2.

Two bits of news from the Flash-animated world of ‘Arj and Poopy.’ A new episode in the saga of a man and his farting cat is up – ‘Unlucky in love,’ a 4-minute tale of love, rejection and road tripping. As per usual, the short is written and voiced by Arj Barker, the comedian/performer who you may have seen on ‘The Tonight Show’ or ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien.’ His acting is solid, and the writing is clever and even touching amidst the cat farts. The animation and directing is handled by Bernard Derriman, the Disney Feature animator behind the viral internet sensation ‘Everyone Has Had More Sex Than Me.’ Bernard’s work should be studied by those looking to get more Flash bang for the Flash buck. In both ‘Arj’ and ‘Sex,’ Bernard employs a fair amount of re-use, but he’s not afraid to lather his work with heaps of new drawings. He also nails the expressions and poses, which really sells the performance. In ‘Unlucky,’ Bernard also ups the ante by adding elaborate lighting, blurred backgrounds and complex character shading, which all combine to give the short a feature quality.

Secondly, the ‘Long Distance Relationship’ episode of ‘Arj and Poopy’ is in the running at the 2005 Annecy International Animated Film Festival. The episode is the precursor to ‘Unlucky in love,’ and it’s also where we learn of Poopy’s driving skills. Best of luck to Arj and Bernard in the competition.