Tracy Morgan

Dave Attell

After gestating the concept online, Clark developed the series with David M. Stern (The Simpsons, Monk), who also served as an EP on the project. Clark and Stern then turned to two animation studios to bring the show to life. First on the job was Augenblick Studios (Superjail!), appropriately based on Brooklyn, for development and pre-production, and then the majority of the Flash animation was produced at Cuppa Coffee Studios (Glenn Martin, DDS) in Toronto.

With the first batch of episodes under his belt, Clark took some time to answer a few questions for CHF, and below that we quiz Augenblick Studios founder Aaron Augenblick.

SIMPSON: Huge congrats on the new series. A big premiere back in March, positive reviews and now the additional episode order for October 2010.

CLARK: I feel amazingly lucky to get the opportunity to have one of my ideas brought to life; and to have so many fantastic, creative and smart people helping. But it’s funny, I’ve been so caught up in production, so busy, sometimes I feel like I don’t even get an opportunity to get excited about how big a deal it is. So, only recently, I’ve been like “Oh, this is a show I made. It’s on air. Holy cow.”

SIMPSON: Take us back to before the Atom.com deal.

CLARK: For years, I was doing a lot of freelance motion graphic stuff like broadcast design and along the way I formed certain relationships with studios and networks. And in ’05 or ’06, there was this big push for a lot of the networks to have Web portals with video content – sites like Super Deluxe, Motherload and even AOL was dropping tons of money into cool little web shows. So, I pitched some stuff to IFC, Spike, and Super Deluxe. And I didn’t really get very far with any of it. But, the one that kind of resonated was when I pitched 5ON.

SIMPSON: Why do you think that was?

CLARK: It was just more fleshed out as far as the look and feel. One of the biggest challenges I found with pitching animation is you really need visual proof in order for people to get the idea. With live action you can do say, “I’m going to do this,” and they be like, “I totally, I get it.” So, I had a lot more visuals for 5ON and I think that’s what helped. And it was, you know, a funny idea, I feel like. And there was actually interest both from IFC and Comedy Central, but Comedy Central seemed like a better fit so I ended up going that way.

SIMPSON: So you made the 6 shorts, and then how did the TV discussion start?

CLARK: So after I was done, Dan Powell, the executive at Comedy Central who I pitched to, said, “why don’t you pitch this world back to us as a TV show?” And so, I think that was like within maybe three months after the last episode of 5ON went and Dan said, “let’s try to make this thing bigger.” And so I did. I wrote it out and then I pitched as a TV series and we kind of went from there. I mean, obviously, this is my first TV show and so I think it was pretty clear early on that I wasn’t going to be writing for this show.

SIMPSON: And you knew that you’d be….

CLARK: …directing and designing the characters. So, we started approaching different people and that’s how we ended up connecting with David Stern.

SIMPSON: And when you first talked to David, did you hit it off right away?

CLARK: Well, we contacted a couple other possible writers and one of them like wanted to make it a live action show. No one really seemed to understand the sensibility, the humor that we were creating by having absurd and horrific creatures completely normalized in a human world. But the minute we sat down with David, he instantly got it. He Said “I know what you’re trying to do here, but I think it’s really funny and I think we can make this work.”

We initially set it in Washington, DC, and David said “That’s totally the wrong angle. You’ve got to do it here. New York’s where all the weirdos are.” And he’s been fantastic to work with ever since.

SIMPSON: How did you kick off the development process?

CLARK: We went out just grabbed beers and chatted. I tried to dump as much of the world into his brain as possible so he could start writing the pilot script. And after meeting with him a couple of times and a few drafts on the pilot, we had a pretty solid episode. And then it’s a very weird process. After doing the full episode script, the development execs said, “we actually want to make this into a pilot but we only do half episode pilots.” So we cut it in half, and that’s a very weird, backwards way of writing.

SIMPSON: And then you produced the pilot.

CLARK: Yes, and then they said, “The pilot’s really great and now we want to make this back into the first episode.” So, we had to add 11 more minutes into it. But at that point, so much had changed in order to make it work as an 11 minute pilot that it was almost impossible. But, I have to say, I think we did a pretty good job.

SIMPSON: And is the world we see in the series far different than what in the 11-minute pilot?

CLARK: Oh yeah, because we ended up building out background stories for everything, like even for weird, background characters. And we designed them all and this really help the writers who print them out and put up all over the writing room and come up with crazy creation myths. So, there’s definitely a lot more – and like figuring out how all these bizarre, horrific creatures would actually function within our world. Like what kind of stores, products and restaurants would they actually go to and what kind of services would need to be available in order to make this all work. So, that’s the fun for me.

SIMPSON: And you’re incorporating actual New York into it.

CLARK: Yeah, and the outside exterior of Mark and Randall’s apartment you see in the episode, is actually the exterior of that address in real life. So, I don’t know who actually lives there in that apartment but in our version of New York, they do. This is a New York show. Obviously, Cuppa Coffee also helped us in Toronto, but a big chunk of this show was created by people who live here in New York. So, that’s a lot of fun for us.

SIMPSON: Have you guys come up with a set of rules that help define the show’s structure?

CLARK: There’s definitely rules. But there’s been a big effort to make this show a much more traditional sitcom. So, it’s not as scatological and weird as, say, the Adult Swim stuff. But as far as like limitations, I don’t like the idea of having Gods and Super Heroes involved in this world, because I feel like those kinds of characters are hard to normalize and I think that they really throw off the whole balance of the world. But, in one instance, we have a counseling session and they’re watching this extremely violent slideshow and terrible things are happening and the audience is freaking out and it cuts to all these different reaction shots. And one of them is Buddha going, “Jesus Christ,” you know. So, I was like, “That’s a funny joke. Let’s throw it in there.”

SIMPSON: There’s been a handful of shows that have made the leap from the web to TV. Do you think this is a valuable development path?

CLARK: Well, I think it’s a pretty awesome and unique way of approaching new talent, especially coming from someone who has no experience creating a TV show. What other way is there to get your work seen but do it on a small scale? To try and jump in and do a full TV show is impossible. The web allows anyone with a good idea the chance to create content and to put it out there. So, the fact that networks started identifying that and using that as a way of approaching new talent – I think it’s very smart and I’m sure to some degree it saved them money down the road with having to create full pilots.

SIMPSON: What would you say the animator community is like in NYC?

CLARK: I mean it’s a pretty small community. There aren’t a lot of animation companies out here. That’s good in some regards, because it’s nice to have that level of intimacy with the people involved in the scene. But it also means that there’s a limited amount of production that can get done here. But, especially within the last two years, I’ve had a lot of friends who work in the business at the big studios and then there’s like 150 people laid off. It seems like a lot tougher of a business here in New York than it is like in say L.A. and Toronto.

SIMPSON: Do you have thoughts for the up and coming animator show pitcher who’s, you know, got a couple ideas rattling around? They may want to pitch, you know, to one of the adult animation networks?

CLARK: Yeah, definitely. A while back, Fred Seibert created Oh Yeah! Cartoons, which kind of did the same thing that some of these web networks are doing. He approached young talent, gave them enough of a budget to do a short film, and hoped for the best. But I pitched him a bunch of stuff years ago for Oh Yeah! Cartoons and it was there that I kind of learned one of the biggest lessons about pitching shows – your passion and your excitement for the show needs to be extremely visible. I came to him with ideas for kids shows because I knew that’s what he was looking for and I think he was aware of it right away that my heart wasn’t fully into it. And he said to me, “Could you imagine spending the next four years working on this show?” And I was like, “Whoa, no way.”

SIMPSON: And how did that change your approach to pitching?

CLARK: Well, I went back to the drawing board, and I was like, “I love comics. I love horror. I love comedy.” And 5ON was born out of that. It drew on a lot of the elements that I was really excited and passionate about. And I loved coming up with all these crazy, weird characters and creations. And I think that passion and that excitement was visible because it was something that I was really stoked on trying to bring to life. And so, I guess that’s my advice. You have to really, really love the idea that you’re trying to get made. You have to feel that “I’m going to do this no matter what.”

SIMPSON: Did you use any references to help translate your thoughts about the production design to Augenblick?

CLARK: Both Aaron and I share a huge love for EC Comics and that’s definitely where we get alot of our reference. I mean those old horror and sci-fi comics were really dark and grainy and really inky and had a lot of shadows, and we just loved that world. We even pull from that world for the palette and the colors we use. Obviously, we can’t be as sketchy and loose as a lot of those old comics were since it’s an animated show. We love Will Eisner, Will Elder, Johnny Craig, all those guys.

On that note, we turn to Augenblick Studios founder Aaron Augenblick (also read CHF interviews from 2005 and 2008).

SIMPSON: How did Ugly Americans find its way to Augenblick Studios?

AUGENBLICK: Dan Powell was my producer when we made Golden Age for Comedy Central and we were always hoping to work together again. When he was developing Ugly Americans, he arranged for me to meet with David Stern and Devin Clark and we all hit it off. We made a pilot together which quickly led to a 7 episode series.

SIMPSON: How is Flash being used on the production – more as a design and traditional animation tool? A puppet tool? A mixture?

AUGENBLICK: We use Flash for everything. From design to finished animation, everything is hand-drawn directly in Flash.

SIMPSON: How did the show evolve, design wise, from the initial online shorts?

AUGENBLICK: When they told me that they wanted to make Ugly Americans a horror/comedy, my mind immediately went to EC Comics. Devin was also a big fan so we dove in head first. I was really excited to try using the visual language of the greats (Harvey Kurtzman, Wally Wood, Al Feldstein, etc.) as a launching point for the storytelling in Ugly Americans.

SIMPSON: How do make sure a character is streamlined enough to be “animatable” on a half-hour show? (not too inky, etc.)

AUGENBLICK: In recent years I have tried to avoid the thick vector line like the plague. We use a single thick brush and real in-betweens to achieve the traditional “comic-book” look. I tend to like things that look really busy so I don’t streamline things too much. I love that Randall has crusty skin and scars all over his body because it’s really fun to draw.

SIMPSON: How much comedy is added in the animation process that’s not there in the script?

AUGENBLICK: Filling every inch of the screen with nonsense is one of our favorite things to do at the studio. Will Elder called it “chicken fat.” The visual gags are both scripted and created by our artists.

SIMPSON: How did the Superjail! production effort prepare your studio for this?

AUGENBLICK: After surviving Superjail!, I feel like our studio can withstand anything.

SIMPSON: Devin mentioned that a number of background layouts are based on actual New York locations. Do any in particular stick out in your mind?

AUGENBLICK: Mark Lilly’s apartment is an exact replica of our artist Kris Wollinger’s apartment in Chinatown. If you play the online Ugly Americans game you can find out his exact address. Strangers can visit him anytime!

SIMPSON: What else is cooking at Augenblick Studios these days?

AUGENBLICK: We have a very exciting new project called Cartoon Show. I created and wrote the idea with my head animator Chris Burns. We are currently in negotiations with a major network for a series. I’m really looking forward to making a psycho pilot.

With that out of the way, I’d like to begin celebrating the DVD’s release, along with the team at Six Point Harness Studios, who produced the DVD right here in Hollywood. They took the Comedy Central series that was animated traditionally in South Korea, and re-imagined it as a Flash production, easily mimicking the production values, and often going above and beyond.

In this behind-the-scenes video below, you’ll learn that the pilot was actually produced in Flash, and this feature-length production is sort of a “make good” on that clunky effort. You’ll hear from series creators/writers Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein who offer high praise to 6PH, and then there’s some lengthy discussion with director Greg Franklin, animation producer Andy Fiedler and editor Tony Christopherson. Huge congrats to the whole team at Six Point – looks great and I’ll see you tonight at the premiere.

and here’s the Red Band Trailer (NSFW):

So…. we move on to The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!, which will release direct-to-DVD in April 2010. Six Point Harness recently put the finishing touches on the project, which was animated in Flash right here in Hollywood. The TV episodes were never about the animation, so we’re not talking about recreating The Lion King here, but nevertheless there will likely be discussion about how the move to Flash has somehow soured the visuals. I personally think it looks great, and I’d argue that the production values have gone up a notch. More importantly, what do you think?

The Demon Chick

Sneak Peek

The coverage of Odd Todd’s work starts at 3:28.

…Samurai Love God, which was created by Eric Mahoney, and animated at Jordan-based Crazy Piranha.

And here is Window Seat, a series animated at Radical Axis.

And here’s the crudely-animated series from Scrubs-writer Ryan Levin, Benny, Escaped Convict:

[NSFW - blood, animal cruelty and Latino stereotypes]

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