Channel Frederator Blog

Belgian production company Volstok Telefunken (Wouter Sel and Thijs De Cloedt) is home to “De Monsters”, dozens and dozens of shorts featuring animated monsters interacting with real people. Here, Wouter and Thijs tell us how they go to be so stinkin’ rich and famous.

Can you tell us a little bit about Volstok Telefunken?

Thijs and Wouter teamed up a few years after they graduated in animation from KASK, Gent in Belgium. Wherever that is. A failed career of pouring beers and changing tires forced them to pursue professional silliness in character animation and motion graphics.

What gave you the idea for De Monsters?

We were looking to create something of our own, because it was the time of the great job scarce. Animators were dying of dehydration and we weren’t ready for full-on prostitution, so we came up with this illustration of a monster having a beer in a very common setting. This started [Read more…]

Halloween is here. It is HERE!!! You like weird monsters goofing off with humans? Then you’re gonna love this. This episode of Channel Frederator is a trick and a treat.

Just like your mom.

“De Monsters” Volstok Telefunken - A sampling of the 115 “De Monsters” films from Belgian production company Volstok Telefunken. They all feature animated monsters hanging out and doing some crazymaking in the real world.

Animators whose work is shown on regular episodes of Channel Frederator will receive cash! Learn more about the changes we’ve made here.

Leave lots of comments and follow us on Twitter!

WARNING: Channel Frederator is rated EXPLICIT. Man, monsters are so *bleepin’* scary! Oops. Sorry. Some content on CF is pretty grown up. If you’re under 18, get your parent’s permission prior to viewing.

-Bailee DesRocher

CalArts graduate Daron Nefcy’s “The Terror From Mars” is here just in time for Halloween! Below, she answers very important questions pertaining to candy and imaginary creature fights.

What was the most useful thing you learned about animation when you were in school?

To understand what you’re going to do before you do it. Learning to act out the movement beforehand, creating thumbnails, and then keeping the key frames rough so that you don’t waste time doing things over and over. School was a series of looming deadlines, so getting things close enough to the way I wanted them as accurately and as quickly as possible was great preparation for me.

Any cool stories/accidents/explosions involved in the making of “The Terror From Mars”?

Hmm… I’m not sure I can remember any. There were always happy accidents, but this film went from an idea to completed product in 5 months. I don’t remember much aside from [Read more…]

This weeks episode features “The Flower Lion” from animator Sehwang Heo. Here he tells us about the unique origin of the film’s premise, and why he won’t fight for his food.

Where did you study animation/film?

Sehwang Heo: I took a one year animation course in South Korea.

What inspired the story for “The Flower Lion”?

I traveled in India two years ago. I was joining a Vipassana meditation course. During the course, suddenly an image popped out from my head. That image was a lion with flowers. The story started from the image.

[Read more…]

Our 200th episode ‘toon is “The Owl and the Squirrel” courtesy of animator Nick Bachman. He graduated from MCAD in May and is now gainfully employed at PUNY Entertainment in Minneapolis. Woot! Read on for all you ever wanted to know about futzing with clay, Ticketmaster, and Pee Wee Herman!

We featured your stop motion short “Chocolate and Mices” earlier this year - what have you learned about animation or about yourself as an artist since then?

Nick Bachman: I think I’ve learned to take breaks from working more often. If you work on something constantly and think about it 24/7 without taking time for yourself, the quality of your work, health, and life will deteriorate and you will become a sad, lonely little hermit. True story.

The gags in “The Owl and The Squirrel” are Sylvester and Tweety-esque. What gave you the idea for the film?

NB: I was trying to write a story to [Read more…]

“The Dragon’s Claw”, directed and animated by Robert Bruce, featuring music by Justice of the Unicorns, won Best Animated Music Video at Animation Block Party 2009. And also, sad little animals-turned-ipods.

Where did you study animation/filmmaking?

Robert Bruce: I studied filmmaking at Binghamton University which focuses mainly on experimental film. I started teaching myself how to animate a few years ago just by reading tons of books and analyzing my favorite animated movies frame by frame.

What are your favorite films?

RB: I’m currently a bit obsessed with Samurai films, Spaghetti Westerns, and Film Noir. They usually have such wonderfully complex characters. I guess a few of my favorites are “Hara-kiri”, “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”, and “Touch of Evil”.

What gave you the idea for “The Dragon’s Claw”?

RB: To be honest, I don’t really know. I just listened to the song on a loop and began making a rough animatic. It was a bit of [Read more…]

Clive McFarland’s short “Tom’s Fridge” is strange and sentimental. A sweet appliance-based film like this hasn’t come along since The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars…

Where did you study animation/film?

Clive McFarland: I learnt a lot of useful things at Liverpool School of Art & Design. (http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/lsa/graphicarts)

What have you the idea for “Tom’s Fridge”?

CM: I found something encouraging everyone to recycle their fridge if it was over ten years old as it wasn’t energy efficient and was bad for the environment. I wondered if it would be so easy to say goodbye to your fridge if you had lived with it for ten years.

[Read more…]

This week’s animation spotlight with Anton Bogaty is pretty sweet. Below is a brief Q & A about the films in this episode.

To read more about Anton, check out his past CF interviews here and here.

Channel Frederator: In the episode you say that “Dee” was a song inspired by the singer’s relationship with his grandmother. Can you elaborate on your process - how that information lead to a giant floating robot full of zombies?

Anton Bogaty: I squandered a lot of the time that I had to work on the video by jumping between several animatics, trying to decide which storyline to go with. Daniel Harmann mentioned how the song was inspired by the passing of his grandmother and I had three different animatics that involved the deterioation of and eventual passing of a grandparent. The storyline of the girl chasing down a floating craft of some sort was an old idea that I [Read more…]

Ernest Kim’s “Oh, My Captain!” is a simple, seafarin’ film about a landlubber captain who finally takes to sea.

Channel Frederator: Where did you study animation?

Ernest Kim: I studied at SAIC. I just graduated from there.

CF: What gave you the idea for “Oh, My Captain!”?

EK: During the fall, I had done a small comic for a class. Then during my last semester, out of a combination of a short deadline and wanting to do something new, I ended up working on “Oh, My Captain!”. One idea lead to another and I ended up where I ended up. I have to thank Erin for helping with the music, especially since she was already busy with her own studies.

[Read more…]

Animator Jim Dirshberger collaborated with artists Kelly Tunstall and Ferris Plock to create “The Seafarers - Sea of Love”, a story set on the high seas. This tale has it all: Action! Adventure! Animatronic genitalia?

CF: Tell us a little somethin’ ’bout yourself.

Jim Dirshberger: I’m a filmmaker/animator living in San Francisco. I’m currently directing an animated web series called the Forest City Rockers and I produce short films which can be seen on my website.

SF is a kind city with lots of great artists who are eager to collaborate, it’s a great place for an animator like myself. The artists, Ferris Plock and Kelly Tunstall, were not only eager but they’re also extremely talented. I’m very fortunate to have worked with them.

CF: I love the design of the Seafarer’s seafarin’ jalopy. Where did you draw your inspiration from for the style of the film?

JD: I approached this as an adventure story. Most of my inspiration came [Read more…]