Tom DesLongchamp’s short film “Kid Show” is an homage to the wonders of being a kid and his nostalgia for VHS mix-tapes. Here, he gives more insight into the process of developing the film and its characters - plus, he reveals his superpowers.

What gave you the idea for “Kid Show”?

Well, the short answer is that I very much enjoyed childhood, and I was very fond of the childrens shows I grew up with (Mr. Dress up, Fred Penner’s Place, Mr. Rogers, etc.) The detailed answer is that my mother used to record those shows, as well as whatever cartoons were on TV, onto VHS compilations. There were two main tapes that I watched over and over again. They were titled “Kid Shows I” and “Kid Shows II.” These tapes were beautiful collages of stories, commercial blips, out of context scenes, static washes, and silent visuals.

[Read more…]]]>

Tom DesLongchamp’s short film “Kid Show” is an homage to the wonders of being a kid and his nostalgia for VHS mix-tapes. Here, he gives more insight into the process of developing the film and its characters - plus, he reveals his superpowers.

What gave you the idea for “Kid Show”?

Well, the short answer is that I very much enjoyed childhood, and I was very fond of the childrens shows I grew up with (Mr. Dress up, Fred Penner’s Place, Mr. Rogers, etc.) The detailed answer is that my mother used to record those shows, as well as whatever cartoons were on TV, onto VHS compilations. There were two main tapes that I watched over and over again. They were titled “Kid Shows I” and “Kid Shows II.” These tapes were beautiful collages of stories, commercial blips, out of context scenes, static washes, and silent visuals.

At a very young age, I remember feeling slightly uncomfortable watching the Flintstones on live TV, since it wasn’t like the episode on “Kid Shows II” where Fred’s voice suddenly drops out as the static overcomes him and fades into the last scene of an episode of Mr. T’s animated show. I think many people in and around my generation have been influenced by these kinds of home-made tapes.

What influences your style the most?

Conceptually, the pursuit of honesty and intuition. Once a line is drawn, you have to be true to that line with the next line you draw, which also applies to movement, cutting, sound, etc. Since my work is so personal, I tend to ignore conscious style. Sometimes it’s not till after I finish an animation that I see who I was influenced by. Some of my favorite animators are Don Hertzfeldt, Christy Karacas, and Joel Trussell.

The voice actors in the film are precious. Did you do any improvising with them while recording? How, if at all, did they influence the film’s development?

Honestly, the whole film was an improvisation. It started out as a live action idea. Then I met the Bonneville family. They have 3 boys. They were 5, 7, and 10 at the time. They were so excited about everything, and their voices were so great! So I asked their dad, Doug, “Would you think it was weird if we came to your house sometime and recorded your kids’ voices?” and he was like “Sure! We’ll make you dinner!” I think we did 3 or 4 sessions within 2 months.

I fell into a pattern of writing loose material at home, then bringing it over and feeding them the lines/directing them, and allowing them to do their own thing. They were exploding with energy, yet able to be directed, so it was great fun. I think the most random thing they came up with was little Jud getting really quiet then saying “Can I….. can I say PEACH?” There were things I wrote that didn’t hold up, and there were things that worked better when recorded. For instance, I told Jud to say “yes!” enthusiastically, and he tensed up and spouted “yes-yes-yes!” They made everything sweeter than I could have imagined.

What was your favorite part of being a kid?

Easy–building couch cushion forts, and being a ninja dragon… and making kung fu films with David S and Mom.

Are you working on anything new you can tell us about?

I just finished a music video for a song called “You Cried Me” by Jookabox. Check it out on the youtubes. The music video medium was something I sort of dreaded doing, because its kind of become a joke. I mean, there are contemporary music videos that I love, but they’re rare. I’m really happy with how “You Cried Me” turned out, so I’m looking forward to making more music videos. As far as personal films go, I’m experimenting with a short about a guy in a panda suit waiting for a party to start.

What is your question for Mr. Sun?

What’s the deal with global warming?

What are your superpowers?

Animal charming and nimbly gliding over rock jetties.

Who or what is your arch-nemesis?

Cold temperatures. I have poor circulation and my limbs freeze quickly.

Leg warmers are on the way! Thanks for the interview, Tom!

You can check out “Kid Show” right here on Channel Frederator!

Being a kid is radical. You already know this - as an animation nerd/connoisseur you are more than likely a giant, fun-loving child. Nobody captures the essence of what it means to enjoy being a kid better than this week’s featured animator, Tom DesLongchamp, in his goofy and sweet short “Kid Show”. Look out for his awesome interview with Channel Frederator later this week!

“Kid Show”, by Tom DesLongchamp - An animated homage to the wonders of being a kid.

Keep your eyes peeled for our new show, Cartoon Hangover, featuring the silliest, smuttiest animation on the web. For your beer-goggled, grown-up eyes only! Yes, you’re a kid a heart, but for serious, this will melt your face off.

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, [Read more…]]]>

Being a kid is radical. You already know this - as an animation nerd/connoisseur you are more than likely a giant, fun-loving child. Nobody captures the essence of what it means to enjoy being a kid better than this week’s featured animator, Tom DesLongchamp, in his goofy and sweet short “Kid Show”. Look out for his awesome interview with Channel Frederator later this week!

“Kid Show”, by Tom DesLongchamp - An animated homage to the wonders of being a kid.

Keep your eyes peeled for our new show, Cartoon Hangover, featuring the silliest, smuttiest animation on the web. For your beer-goggled, grown-up eyes only! Yes, you’re a kid a heart, but for serious, this will melt your face off.

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, fall is so *bleepin’* pretty! 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

This week’s cute and creepy Edward Gorey-inspired “Dead All Along” comes to Channel Frederator courtesy of animator Giles Timms.

Channel Frederator:This is your second film featuring Ceri Frost’s music. What is your relationship to him as an artist and what draws you to his music?

Giles Timms: Ceri is the brother of one of my friends from art college in Wales. The family also owns and runs an organic farm, Blaencamel Farm, near Aberaeron in South Wales where I worked one idyllic summer and hung out with the Frost family.

I really like working with Ceri because his music inspires me and he’s very trusting of the creative process. I feel very fortunate to have worked with him [Read more…]]]>

This week’s cute and creepy Edward Gorey-inspired “Dead All Along” comes to Channel Frederator courtesy of animator Giles Timms.

Channel Frederator:This is your second film featuring Ceri Frost’s music. What is your relationship to him as an artist and what draws you to his music?

Giles Timms: Ceri is the brother of one of my friends from art college in Wales. The family also owns and runs an organic farm, Blaencamel Farm, near Aberaeron in South Wales where I worked one idyllic summer and hung out with the Frost family.

I really like working with Ceri because his music inspires me and he’s very trusting of the creative process. I feel very fortunate to have worked with him

CF: How long have you been interested in Gorey’s illustrations and style?

GT: In high school I read The Gashlycrumb Tinies and I’ve been a huge fan ever since.

CF: The animation in “Dead All Along” is pretty slick! Did you encounter any problems during the process?

GT: No real problems, but it was a challenge to try and create a story in two minutes.

CF: Are you working on anything new you can tell us about?

I have recently gained representation with RW Media and have several treatments for animated music videos in the works, so hopefully I’ll have a new video out in the new year. You can follow my work related news on my blog, facebook and twitter.

CF: What creeps you out the most?

GT: The Exorcist…

CF: Anything you’d like to add?

GT: Thanks Bailee, for inviting me to be a part of Channel Frederator again – always a pleasure.

*Blush* … I mean, you’re welcome.

You can check out “Dead All Along” right here on Channel Frederator!

We’re still spookyboots here at Channel Frederator, even though Halloween has passed! Don’t get too hyped for the holidays - animator Giles Timms brings us a creepy Edward Gorey inspired music video guaranteed to tickle your… spookybone? Yes. That’s right.

“Dead All Along”, by Giles Timms - Outstanding cut-out style music video for musician Ceri Frost.

Keep your eyes peeled for our new show, Cartoon Hangover, featuring the silliest, smuttiest animation on the web. For your beer-goggled, grown-up eyes only!

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, fall is so *bleepin’* pretty! 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

You guys, you guys, you guys… FOUR WHOLE YEARS! That’s right! In this episode we celebrate Channel Frederator’s fourth birthday with a wild bunch of four-second films depicting what Fredbot would do to throw down!

I suggested that he enroll in pre-K, like I did when I was four, but animators have big, sexy imaginations and came up with way better ideas than that. Plus, you get to watch a fab film from animation collective, Vurup. Lucky you!

“Insert Coin”, by Vurup - Super cool, surreal, hand drawn goodness packed into a minute!

“4-Second Fredbots”, Various - A sa-weet tribute to Das Bot (LOL), the one and only Fredbot, from the raddest of the rad: Art Grootfontein, Ben Smallman, Brandon Ray, Ned Wenlock, Niko Anesti, Pedro Eboli, Rich Chapple, Sam Caudill, Steve Stark, Victor Courtright, & Zhivko! Whew!

Animators whose work is shown on regular episodes of Channel Frederator will receive cash! Learn more [Read more…]]]>

You guys, you guys, you guys… FOUR WHOLE YEARS! That’s right! In this episode we celebrate Channel Frederator’s fourth birthday with a wild bunch of four-second films depicting what Fredbot would do to throw down!

I suggested that he enroll in pre-K, like I did when I was four, but animators have big, sexy imaginations and came up with way better ideas than that. Plus, you get to watch a fab film from animation collective, Vurup. Lucky you!

“Insert Coin”, by Vurup - Super cool, surreal, hand drawn goodness packed into a minute!

“4-Second Fredbots”, Various - A sa-weet tribute to Das Bot (LOL), the one and only Fredbot, from the raddest of the rad: Art Grootfontein, Ben Smallman, Brandon Ray, Ned Wenlock, Niko Anesti, Pedro Eboli, Rich Chapple, Sam Caudill, Steve Stark, Victor Courtright, & Zhivko! Whew!

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, fall is so *bleepin’* pretty! 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

This clip is of 24 year old Kseniya Simonova, a Ukrainian artist who won Ukraine’s Got Talent 2009. She uses a giant light box and sand to illustrate (and sometimes, real-time animate) the invasion of the Ukraine during WWII, set to haunting, dramatic music. I love a good Britney Spears impersonator, but this is incredible.

-Bailee DesRocher

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…]]]>

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 a flood of ideas and we introduced our ideas to Woestijnvis, that’s a famous Belgian tv-producer. We walked out covered in jewelry and fur coats, smoking the biggest cigars this side of the equator.

What is your process for creating these shorts? Do you take live footage and let that inspire you or do you create the concept for the monster scenario and have actors play it out?

We did have some raw storylines or situations when we went shooting, but you can never predict what is going to happen on location. So we mostly improvised on the spot, directing our actor to get genuine reactions from genuine people and we only selected the best live footage. And that’s where we created a new story on top of the existing one. “What if we put Ronny here? Or DIY guy?” “No, No! A huge banana-eating bananamonster!” and so on.

Which episode is your favorite?

Thijs his favorite episode is “The Tourists”. The idea is so simple and clear and it charms the pants of of every pants wearing creature.

Same goes for Wouter’s favorite: Wieners and Pineapples. Ronny is such an endearing monster and the lady that helps him with his difficult choices in life is so cool. But don’t be lazy! Go to www.demonsters.be and pick your own favorite. There’s a 115 of them, so chop-chop!

Are you working on anything new you can tell us about?

We are currently animating a comic created by a good friend of ours, Jonas Geirnaert. It’s 30 episodes around 1 min 30 sec about a nihilistic anarchist Leprichaun with a bad temper and who is prejudiced against goats and hedgehogs. I am not BS-ing you. That’s really what we do for a living and we love it. You can find the first episodes on YouTube when you search for “Kabouter Wesley” but they’re in Dutch, so good luck.

If you could be any monster, what you would you be and what would you do?

Braaaghkdejom hgybraghk bhrààl!

Well said. Thanks for the interview, guys!

You can check out “De Monsters” right here on Channel Frederator!

-Bailee DesRocher

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…]]]>

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 being in a crazed work frenzy.

What artists/filmmakers have influenced your work the most?

This is a hard question because it changes pretty often. I’ve always liked Stanley Kubrick’s films, right now I think Bwana Spoons paintings are awesome, Scott Pilgrim is the best comic ever, and I’ve had a life long obsession with the animated film Unico. Working on “The Terror From Mars” I was lucky enough to have a room mate who had a huge collection of 1950s-1960s horror films that I watched for inspiration.

If Izzy from “Fern and Izzy” had to duke it out with the space alien from “The Terror From Mars” - who would win?

Haha, I’m afraid poor Izzy might be doomed. He would put up a good fight though.

Are you working on anything new you can tell us about?

I recently created a short film for Nickelodeon, but the details are secret.

Who (or what) is your arch nemesis?

Boredom.

What’s your favorite Halloween treat?

You know, I don’t actually like candy. I’m more about fruit salads, ice cream, and cupcakes when it comes to sweets.

Ice cream filled caramel apple cake it is! What are you going to be for Halloween this year?

I don’t know yet but I need to figure it out! Usually I will throw something together last minute that looks costume-y but isn’t anything in particular. This year I want to be some kind of super hero princess, a made-up one with lots of glitter.

Superhero glitter princess… who battles boredom. Radical.

You can check out “The Terror From Mars” right here on Channel Frederator!

-Bailee DesRocher

This week Carl tackles the annual, all important question, “What will you be for Halloween this year?” Channel Frederator’s answer? “Awesome. We will be awesome this year.”

And our featured film is…

“The Terror From Mars” by Daron Nefcy - An alien with hunger pangs lands on Earth for a snack. Whaddya know - I get my snacks from Earth too! Wild.

Animators whose work is shown on regular episodes of Channel Frederator will receive $50 cash! The animator that receives the most views in their debut week wins $200! Learn more about the changes we’ve made here.

Follow us on Twitter!

WARNING: Channel Frederator is rated EXPLICIT. Man, candy corn is so *bleepin’* delicious! 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