Triumph Grilled Spike at Comic-Con 2008

So many great animators got their start at Spike and Mike’s Twisted Festival of Animation. The first US screening of Wallace & Gromit was at a Spike and Mike’s event, and Mike Judge, the creator of King of the Hill, saw his short Frog Baseball premiered in 1992 at the festival, which wound up turning into Beavis and Butt-head.

As attendees will likely recall, the wildly-popular Flash-animated series Happy Tree Friends has been regularly featured in the Sick and Twisted festival. Kenn Navarro, co-creator of HTF, knows the impact Spike and Mike’s has had on our industry. “If the animation world ever had a rock star, Spike would be it,” Navarro said of festival co-founder Craig ‘Spike’ Decker.

At last month’s Comic-con event in San Diego, I got a chance to interview Spike about his Gauntlet show, his new website and his upcoming 3D show.

A big thanks to Jason Costello and Mondo Media for the help with the interview.

What a year for Flash animated productions. El Tigre took home the top prize at the Annie Awards, Sita Sings the Blues snagged the Best Picture award at the 32nd Annecy Animated Film Festival and now the advertising world has bestowed upon upon a Flash project. Last month, the animated Net10 campaign was awarded a Gold at the Cannes Lions - considered the top advertising festival in the world.

In honor of this moment, we present to you an interview with Mike Foran, the Executive Creative Director at World Leaders Entertainment, the studio where the Net10 campaign was produced.

AARON SIMPSON: How did you guys end up partnering with Droga5 to work on this eight spot campaign for Net10?

MIKE FORAN: Droga5 was looking for an animation studio that could tackle a retro style reminiscent of Alex Toth and 70’s era Hanna Barbera superhero cartoons. Seeing that World Leaders produces The Venture Bros. for [adult swim] and that our VB artists design in a similar style, Droga5 selected us for the competitive bid. They asked us to submit a style frame, which we produced, revised, and then we offered a second style frame with even more characters. We leveraged the talent of our crew, particularly Matthew I. Jenkins, a lead VB Character Designer to create the frames that dictated which studio would win. They really liked our approach and aesthetic sensibility and awarded us the eight commercial campaign.

AARON: How long did the production last?

MIKE: The eight spots took about six months - from an extensive character and background development process through the final effects pass and delivery. Last summer we spent a good deal of time refining the look, feel and color for each of the League of Evil characters. Concurrently we spent time creating a fun-but-evil lair to house this unique cast of villains. Every subtly was dissected and discussed over numerous conference calls. Everyone really wanted to make this campaign the best it could be – time wasn’t really the issue.

AARON: What was involved in the production and who was responsible for each step?

MIKE: Droga5 provided us with the excellent scripts and rough character concepts. Matt Jenkins handled the character and background design and oversaw the storyboard process with me. I sat in with them during recording to provide some input on animation issues. Once we had the scratch tracks we got started on the storyboard process. The storyboards, layout, and pencil test animation were completed directly in Flash on Wacom Cintiqs, which allowed us to move quickly. But Flash alone didn’t provide the right look for our project as we needed a more traditional look. So we developed a Photoshop process for digital ink and paint, while still using the Flash environment for speed and versatility. The finished elements were then imported into After Effects for compositing and effects. We developed our own techniques for recreating the exact look of 70’s era film stock, with all their original imperfections and the effects of age.

AARON: What was the most difficult part of the production?

MIKE: It was a challenge to keep things in the realm of the era we were satirizing. Our work pipeline is all digital, but the artists of the era worked solely on analog tools. We had to concentrate on working in an analog way, as if we were working with traditional paper and pencils. We didn’t want to use a lot of short cuts that Flash provides, as they would have seemed out of place on this project. And with all the digital effects at our disposal, it’s very easy to utilize some esoteric thing that wouldn’t have been used back in the 70’s, particularly with the budgets they had.

AARON: How does this production process differ from some of World Leaders other productions?

MIKE: This is actually a progression of the production pipeline that we’ve developed and used for many of the studio’s projects in the past. By combining Flash with our other tools in such a seamless fashion, we’ve created a very versatile pipeline that’s as cost effective as it is quick to use. The new Adobe CS3 software helped in this case as the work we were doing in Flash integrated more quickly with After Effects, so we were able to save some time and increase our flexibility for changes.

AARON: How long have you been using Flash in your productions?

MIKE: World Leaders has been using Flash since we founded the studio. Back when it was called FutureSplash, I used it on some cut scenes for video games. When we founded World Leaders, our first project was producing 10 episodes of WB’s Gotham Girls (recently re-released on the Birds of Prey DVD) which were produced and delivered with Flash. We have used Flash in some capacity on practically every job we have ever done.

AARON: What’s the best part of using Flash in a production?

MIKE: Simply put - speed. It allows us to quickly test out animation with real time playback. We have developed a fully digital production pipeline that helps us to go from storyboards, animatic, layout directly into pencil test or final animation very quickly.

AARON: What was your reaction when you heard that your campaign had won Gold Lion at Cannes Lions Advertising Festival?

MIKE: I was very excited – it’s the most prestigious award in the advertising industry. But all along, I had high hopes for this campaign. From the moment we saw Droga5’s excellent creative, we knew this was going to be a great project to be a part of. They clearly understood the subject matter they were satirizing, and from World Leaders experience creating The Venture Bros., they knew we got it. I’m extremely excited that everyone else gets it too.

AARON: What commercial jobs have you been working on since?

MIKE: We recently completed a fifteen second commercial for Choice Hotels, featuring their rebranding of Econo Lodge. That’s really exciting because they have not advertised nationally on television in over ten years. We’re also starting up production on a web PSA in collaboration with DraftFCB for City Harvest. They are a fantastic nonprofit organization that rescues perfectly good food from restaurants that would otherwise go to waste, and donates it to homeless shelters. DraftFCB’s creative work on this project is great, so I am really excited to direct this spot.

AARON: What else is in the pipeline for World Leaders?

MIKE: The Venture Bros. Season IV is underway, and we have some ten entertainment projects in various stages of development that we are particularly excited about.

AARON: What has been your favorite Flash animation production?

MIKE: The one I am working on RIGHT NOW. Nothing excites me more than the new.

AARON: Thanks for the interview, Mike, and congrats on the award. For more Net10 animation, head over to the no-evil.net mini-site.

by Hayk Manukyan

AN INTERVIEW WITH HAYK MANUKYAN

Neenja, an animated series about discovering hidden powers, is perhaps a bit autobiographical. But Hayk Manukyan uncovered his hidden talents at a very young age, unlike the hero of Neenja, Harut, a balding cab driver. In real life, the co-star of Neenja, Sah, is an actual animator who helped bring the project to life. The two worked together at the Hollywood-based studio Six Point Harness, where Neenja was set into motion as an original production.

Let’s find out how Hayk brought his vision to life, and what he has in store for his own personal episodic arc.

AARON SIMPSON: How does an episode of Neenja come together?

HAYK MANUKYAN: I start by visualizing the story as a whole, then I find a cut-off point in the story which can stand on it’s own. For example in part 1, I end it after Sah tells Harut he is the chosen one. Before the episode ends, we see a hint of Harut’s power which hopefully leaves viewers wanting to see what happens next. After I know my cut off point, I move onto storyboarding, which I do in Flash. My storyboards are usually posed out to the point of almost looking like rough animation. Once I start animating I take the poses in the storyboards and work with them to get the final result.

AARON: How did Six Point Harness get involved in the project?

HAYK: I was working at Six Point and overheard they were interested in new, original properties. But I was pretty burned out from the Neenja part 1 production. I had been juggling my full-time job and late night animating. So I asked Brendan Burch, CEO of Six Point, if they’d be interested in helping finish Neenja. Brendan was excited about the whole idea and so I brought Neenja to Six Point.

The follwing 3 months were probably the greatest 3 months I’ve experienced in the animation industry. I got paid full time to work on my own project, plus I had Angelo Vilar (an amazing artist at Six Point) doing the backgrounds and storyboarding.

AARON: Is the lead character Harut based on someone you know?

HAYK: Harut is actually a combination of people in my family, people I’ve gone to school with, and mostly me.

AARON: Tell us which Los Angeles-based Flash animator co-stars in your series?

HAYK: I always like basing my characters on real people and at the time when I was designing Harut’s trainer, I decided to base it on Saharat Tantivaranyoo, a friend of mine at Six Point. Everything from the way he looks, talks, and acts made it into that character, also called Sah.

AARON: What type of recognition has the series received so far?

HAYK: Part 1 of Neenja won a first place award on Newgrounds and it was also featured here on Coldhardflash.com. The feedback I got from people was also pretty good.

AARON: Neenja is about a man discovering his talents and harnessing them. How did you learn to harness your animation skills?

HAYK: My uncle in Armenia was an animator, and I guess it passed down to me. My parents realized I was into drawing at a very young age so they pushed me into it even more. By the time I discovered animation in America at age 11, I already had years of drawing experience. I also had a little thing called ignorance which played a big part. I felt, at age 14, I was ready for Disney, and I mailed them photos of my artwork expecting to get in. Six months later Disney sent me a packet of sample portfolios and examples of what they are looking for. It made me realize how much more I had to learn in order to reach the level of Disney animators. Luckily they included a list of recommended schools, and so I started taking a lot of classes on life drawing, reading books on animation, online interviews of great animators and so on. After high school I was hired at Cornerstone Animation Inc and the rest I learned on the job.

AARON: There are 2 episodes yet to go in the Neenja series, right?

HAYK: Both episodes 5 and 6 are written and ready to be completed. Part 5 is halfway there, but because I don’t have the schedule I had back when I was at Six Point, the process is taking much longer.

AARON: You’re also planning a feature film, correct?

HAYK: It’s a long term goal I’d like to reach, but it’s nothing to expect anytime soon. I still have a lot to learn before I tackle that one full on. Plus I still need to finnish Neenja.

by Paul O’Flanagan

AN INTERVIEW WITH PAUL O’FLANAGAN

Boulder Media is probably best known for its production work on shows like Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends and El Tigre, perhaps the two best animated Flash series on TV. This Dublin-based team has also produced a number of independent shorts, none better than Carte de Visite, which was directed by Paul O’Flanagan. As with their series work, the Boulder team has managed to push the software in directions never known possible. More importantly, they make the viewer forget about software and technology altogether, and focus on gorgeous artwork, fluid movement and subtle, touching performances. Helping on that front was David O’Sullivan, who oversaw the art direction and a crack team of animators, including Robert Etchingham, Peter Slattery, Sue Pendred, Roger Grogan, Rob Byrne, Robert Cullen, Ed Smith and Chris Lynch.

The project was created with funding from the Irish Film Board. I’d like to thank them and Boulder Media for the assistance in pulling this interview and online screening together.

AARON SIMPSON: What is a carte de visite?

PAUL O’FLANAGAN: A carte de visite, translated as ‘visiting card’, is a memento one could buy back in the mid-nineteenth century after visiting a stage show, circus or other performance. It was a little memory of your visit that people would collect in albums.

AARON: What challenges did you face in producing a film without dialogue?

PAUL: Trying to introduce characters and their place and purpose to an audience is tricky when you’re not using dialogue. You find yourself relying on props and costumes as exposition.

AARON: What was the timeline of the film’s production?

PAUL: The production lasted 6 months from signing of contract to delivery.

AARON: Was the character animation created entirely inside the computer, or did they originate on paper?

PAUL: All the animation was done straight into the computer but all the designs, from backgrounds to character designs started with pencil and paper.

AARON: What methods can a production team take to get the “traditional” feel evident in Carte de Visite?

PAUL: In producing this short, we went to great lengths to hide the digital nature of this film. To achieve this, we had to employ an array of computer programs. The backgrounds were made using Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop. These additional programs were used to create the textures within the character animation along with Adobe Illustrator for the pencil-like lines of the characters.

AARON: How did you construct such a faithful and timely circus environment?

PAUL: I did a great deal of research while writing it. I’d never really had a huge interest in the old circus sideshow until I went to an exhibition a few years ago in Dublin about the various sideshow personalities and celebrities of the time. The exhibition inspired me in a weird way. I left the circus a bit disappointed. It all felt very superficial and I had hoped it would go a bit deeper into the characters lives and their feelings towards this environment they’d found themselves in. So, I decided to write a story myself.

AARON: Did you attend any of the screenings of the film?

PAUL: Yeah, it had its first showing at the Galway Film Festival in Ireland, so I was there for that. I also saw it at the LIAF (London International Animation Festival) which was only a small hop across the water.

AARON: How do you compare directing Carte de Visite to the experience of working on a TV series like Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends?

PAUL: By the time we’d get to an episode of Foster’s, most of the direction is done through the storyboards from Cartoon Network in California. We’d do a wee bit of troubleshooting when needed for composition, continuity or occasionally re-boarding some camera angles. It was a great experience and if it weren’t for working on that show we would have had to take on a steep learning curve for Carte de Visite. It was my first effort writing a story but my years on Foster’s helped me in realising what type of shots would work and which set-ups wouldn’t.

AARON: How did you first learn to animate?

PAUL: In college, doing exercises and learning the principles. I think I really started to get better when I left college, though. I was thrown into a work environment and I spent hours combing through Disney DVDs frame by frame.

AARON: Was there a milestone in your career that helped you make the leap from animator to director?

PAUL: I don’t think I’ve made any big leaps. It’s been baby steps all the way. First animator, then animation director, then directing Carte de Visite. I made some mistakes and learned a lot of lessons with Carte de Visite and wanted to make another short to flex my muscles. That’s when I made Beauty Now. I’ve learned a few more lessons from that short and I’m looking forward to making another film where I can further myself as a shorts director. So I suppose it’s all just a series of small progressions.

AARON: Explain how your team received funding from the Irish Film Board.

PAUL: When we applied for a short film grant, we sent in two submissions. The application for each film was made up of concept art, a screenplay and a few written pieces explaining why and how we wanted to make the film. But perhaps the most important elements in our application were the budget and the producer attached to the production. If the Film board wasn’t happy with these, I doubt our application would have gone much further. Next, we got a phone call saying that one of our applications had been short-listed and we needed to go for an interview to talk about the project in more depth. We went, and they seemed happy and confident with us. We got the grant and then got to work!

by Milton Pool

AN INTERVIEW WITH MILTON POOL

Milton Pool, the creator and director of the Akumi series, said on his own message boards that he wanted to “shock people.” His violent and sexually explicit project did just that, but he also dropped the jaws of our Flash Animation 10 judges. Megan O’Neill, the VP of Acquisitions & Development at Atom, said the film “creates a world through imagery that completely drew me in.”

Pool produced all three episodes with a cadre of industry friends, artists like Dave Johnson, Dustin Remmel, Milton Pool and Tyree Dillihay. We pass along our congratulations to then entire team, but Pool shared his insights on the project below.

AARON SIMPSON: Where did the inspiration for the Akumi series come from?

MILTON POOL: The name derived from two sources 1) a martial arts movie my friend showed me called Azumi and 2) a character I liked from Street Fighter 2 called Akuma.

I had been trying to come up with a character to lead a story for 2 years after I finished Soybean. I made many concepts before she got the look she has. Akumi is a result of my ‘Soybean style’ taken to the next level of production efficiency. Soybean was fun but took way too much work to complete.

I had always loved Dungeons & Dragons, swords, and magic but I also liked big guns, aliens and robots. So I wanted to incorporate both. Akumi is a story and world that allowed me to take those 2 things plus my love of sexy female characters and animate away.

AARON: What are you favorite sci-fi movies, TV series and comics?

MILTON: I like things that incorporate cool creatures, so all the Star Wars films have inspired me visually. Early in my life, John McTiernan’s 1987 Predator film and Aliens together got me hooked on sci-fi.

As for comics, I have always loved looking at Greg Capullo’s work (the Spawn series artist). Simon Bisley is another comic artist/painter that caught my eye. I have really enjoyed his graphic novels, in particular his fantasy adventure series Sláine.

TV shows like Robotech we’re my first taste of anime before Akira. Before I started watching anime, I didn’t know animation could be have blood and sex.

AARON: Was there a particular animated property you relied on for inspiration for shot selection, FX and animation technique?

MILTON: My animation uses similar techniques found in some of my favorite anime project: Fooly Cooly, Dead Leaves and Ninja Scroll. They showed me how to create high-impact, energetic action scenes with keyframes and FX. Beyond that, the characters and animation from Capcom and Squaresoft games are things I always look to for more ideas. Tyree Dillihay helped me push my animation shots to the next level with his dynamic boarding.

AARON: Did you find Flash limiting in any way?

MILTON: Flash is the reason I’ve animated the way I have. Without it I would not have had the patience to take it to the level I did. Flash is the perfect animating tool for me.

AARON: So how has it effected your work?

MILTON: It’s made it possible for me and a few of my friends to create a high-quality film in a relatively short period of time. It’s efficient.

AARON: Mixed in amongst a great deal of praise, you’ve been hit with a fair amount of criticism for Akumi. Why do you think this is?

MILTON: I’d say it’s because of the sexual content mixed with the style of my art. People told me they didn’t expect to see a rape scene in the first episode. I heard that the cute style of my characters and that sexual content didn’t mix. But I wanted that contrast because I hadn’t seen it done yet.

AARON: How’s your next episode, Akumi 4, coming along?

MILTON: We’re about 50% done. We had to put it on hold for a while. Work and life have delayed things.

AARON: How long will this new episode be?

MILTON: It will be 15-20 minutes. Maybe more depending on the content we decide to put into it. We want to take it to the next level!

AARON: Will a DVD release follow?

MILTON: Yes, as soon as episode 4 is complete, we want to package our hard work into a DVD. It’ll be fun to have created our own little product.

AARON: What is the ideal outcome for the Akumi project?