RubberOnion

VLOG #7: Music

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:00:00 +0000

I'M BACK!!

We actually literally just moved into a new apartment yesterday and I'm sitting in my new office surrounded by boxes and I can't WAIT to start some really cool stuff in here (stay tuned for that)!

This was a long time coming, I know, but I try to explain at least a little bit of why in the beginning. Hopefully this is a good VLOG to come back to after a couple months but now that everything is where it needs to be they'll come more often.

Basically my method of writing music is to pick a speed, jam to that to get an idea of where I'd like to go... then rinse and repeat the jamming over with the other instruments. The further you get along the song the easier it becomes.

The only thing I didn't mention, because of time restrictions (10 min maximum on YouTube), was that there are a few points in the song where I wanted it to sound more serious and another where I needed a break. There's no difference in the method for those parts: just break up your song into mini-queues and take each one accordingly.

... and don't worry, you'll get to see the animatic with the sound fx, dialog, AND music in the VLOG where I do the animation (=

CAN'T WAIT!! Thanks for the support everyone and leave some love below, it energizes me to keep doing these!

Trivia Question #3

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:00:00 +0000

TRIVIA QUESTION #3:

"What is the significance behind this Bugs Bunny clip?

Hey everyone! Since you all were SO good at guessing the last couple trivia questions I'm going to do something new to pick the winner this time: after a week of guessing, I'm going to put the name of everyone who guessed the answer correctly in a bag, shake it, and select the winner of the prize! I might actually live-stream it as well if there's enough interest (first I'll actually have to figure out how to do that!). Just like last time, though, I'm going to keep the comments hidden for a few days so that MANY people can participate without the risk of cheating off others so you should make sure to answer because this time, with the lottery method, everyone who guesses correctly has the same chance as anyone to win the prize!!! I'll announce what the prize is when the winner is chosen!

Ehhhhhhh... Good luck, Onions!

(Remember, you must be on my e-mail list to be eligible for the prize. You can sign up and then participate, but the RSS feed must be active so when you put in your e-mail address don't forget to look for the confirmation e-mail, THEN you can participate. Put your e-mail in the top right of this website where it says "SUBSCRIBE FOR UPDATES")

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The winner has been picked!

... and the winner is... Crooklyn (Stephie Daniels) from TapouT Radio

Here's her comment:

This episode was important because Bugs was originally slated to fall to his death.

From "The Heckling Hare" (1941). There was supposed to be a surprise waiting for Bugs and "Willoughby" after the "fade-out", when they fall through ANOTHER hole {Bugs: "Hold onto your hats, folks...here we go again!'}...but Leon Schlesinger vetoed the idea of Bugs Bunny falling to his doom, and ordered that footage removed. Director Tex Avery objected, Schlesinger suspended him, with Tex finally quitting the studio to join MGM.

While Bugs wasn't ACTUALLY supposed to fall to his death, the fear was that leaving the end of the cartoon that way would leave "the less sophisticated" (reads: kids) to assume that Bugs had died, and this wasn't a button Warner Brothers was ready to push.

Here was the prize for this week's trivia question. Since this short, "The Heckling Hare," was the one that prompted the great Tex Avery to leave Warner Brothers for MGM the prize is the book "Tex Avery, the MGM Years":

... but there's a catch! "Crooklyn" said she really is just a sucker for trivia questions, so what she told me and the rest of our UStream show was that she would like to put the prize for this trivia question as well as the prize for the last trivia question she won AS WELL AS a prize or two of her own (she mentions a $25 Amazon gift certificate) into a prize kitty that can be a HUGE prize for my next giveaway!

I'll make a post on when and what that giveaway will be SOON so stay tuned for that!

So, if you're reading this you might have missed the very first UStream LIVE video!! I embedded it below for your enjoyment...

Excuse the "um's" and "uh's" and keep a lookout for the NEXT Ustream broadcast and a new prize giveaway that's going to be so big it'll sink the Titanic all over again!

... ouch, too soon...

"My Friend the... Computer: 1 - Three, Two, One..."

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 02:00:00 +0000

As a freelancer, I literally have no choice but to work on a computer... this of course leads to ultimate frustration because that seems to be what computers are best at dishing out.

This is the next in the "My Friend the..." series (the first "friend" was the toilet, of course! Check out them out HERE if you haven't yet!).

For this microshort, I did the background animation in Sketchbook Pro and the guy in Flash.

Also for those that are interested, this actually is based on something that happened to me (if a bit... exaggerated haha).

Enjoy... and leave your own computer horror stories below, I might just animated them!

Trivia Question #2

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0000

TRIVIA QUESTION #2:

"There are 2 degrees of separation between this video and a classic animation character; what are they?"

The classic animation character may be a bit obvious but you MUST include the connection between what's in the video above and the character to win... remember TWO degrees of separation.

Marilyn says, "Good luck!"

NOTE: don't worry if you comment doesn't immediately show up, I'm going to keep the comments hidden for a couple days so that people can participate even if the trivia question has been solved so you should answer as soon as possible because like last time the first one to guess it right and answer BOTH parts of the question who is ALSO on my e-mail list will win a prize! I'll announce what it is when the winner is chosen!

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It's been solved! Here's the comment that won it:

The song was first performed in late 1928 by Helen Kane, who became known as the 'Boop-Boop-a-Doop Girl' because of her baby-talk, scat-singing tag line to that song. This version was recorded right when Kane's popularity started to reach its peak, and became her signature song. Two years later, a cartoon character named Betty Boop was modeled after Kane.

BUT... there was also ANOTHER connection that could've won it and the SAME PERSON ANSWERED IT:

The character is Betty Boop. Both Boop and Monroe were recognized as sex symbols, and both based their images/personas on a silent film star, Clara Bow.

That pretty much sums it up! Here's a picture with Kane, Betty, and Bow to see for yourself!

And finally, Onions, here is your winner: Crooklyn (Stephie Daniels) from TapouT Radio

... and tell her what she's won: "a Betty Boop computer sitter that will watch in judgment of your every move!"

"Broken Egg" - Promo 1: Storyboards

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:30:00 +0000

Here's a little promo video I cut up with some footage I recorded while doing the storyboards for "Broken Egg." When I'm done with the Easter Bunny short I'm working on now I'm going back to work immediately on "Broken Egg."

On a side note, this is also the first time I'm using Vimeo so let me know if there's a noticeable difference in any way.

Trivia Question #1

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:00:00 +0000

TRIVIA QUESTION #1:

"Who is this character and what importance does he have in animation history?"

The first one to guess it right and answer BOTH parts of the question who is ALSO on my e-mail list will win a prize! I'll announce what it is when the winner is chosen!

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It has been answered (many times over, I might add)! I'm impressed and pleased with the showing of animation history... I'll just have to make the trivia questions harder! For those of you who DON'T know who is in that picture above, here is an excerpt from Wikipedia:

Crusader Rabbit was the first animated series produced specifically for television. The concept was test marketed in 1948, while the initial episode - Crusader vs. the State of Texas - aired on KNBH in Los Angeles, California on August 1, 1950.
The concept of an animated series made for television came from animator Alex Anderson, who worked for Terrytoons Studios. Terrytoons preferred to remain in film animation, so Anderson approached Jay Ward for financing. Ward became business manager and producer, joining with Anderson to form "Television Arts Productions" in 1948. They tried to sell the series (initially presented as part of a proposed series, The Comic Strips of Television, which also featured an early incarnation of Dudley Do-Right) to the NBC television network, which assigned Jerry Fairbanks to be "supervising producer". NBC did not telecast Crusader Rabbit on their network, but allowed Fairbanks to sell the series in national syndication, with many of the NBC affiliates (including New York and Los Angeles) picking it up for local showings. WNBC-TV in New York continued to show the original Crusader Rabbit episodes from 1949 through 1967, and some affiliates used the program as a time filler as late as the 1970s.
The original series had limited animation, appearing almost as narrated storyboards with frequent cuts and minor movement by the characters. This was due to the limited budget producers Jay Ward and Alex Anderson had to film the series.

... and here is an example of this historic series which as you can see is little more than a glorified animatic, but SO important:

Also, without further adieu, faithful Onions, meet your winner: Erick Hernandez

... and as a prize for answering the trivia question correctly FIRST, he gets a "Crusader Rabbit" DVD!

VLOG #6: Sound FX

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:00:00 +0000

HERE IT IS!.. the VLOG on sound effects! I hope you got some use out of this one.

As you can probably tell this is great part of the process. It's a lot of fun to break sounds down into parts and build them back up using household items... I feel like MacGyver if he were a foley artist.

As with all recordings, you want to keep your eye on the input meter to make sure you're not clipping when recording your sound effects. Once you've cut them up, arrange them to the animatic but remember that these are rough placements so do a good job but don't obsess over it because they'll fall into place when you start doing the animation.

What I said at the end is true, if you don't at least try to tidy your office after recording sound effects you will be struggling with motivation the next day.

Also, I'm going to wait until I have at least 50 people on my e-mail subscriber list until I post my first trivia question + prize so if you want to participate don't forget to subscribe (even if you already follow my stuff)!

Thanks and I'll see you all for the NEXT one on MUSIC!

VLOG #5: Animatic

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Thu, 13 May 2010 05:00:00 +0000

So far we've done the story, we've drawn up boards, we've recorded dialog... now we start applying some visual timing to it all with the Animatic! The Animatic stage is pretty funky if only because it starts to feel like you're animating... but you're not. I will revisit an Animatic sometimes dozens of times in the next couple stages before I get to actually animating just to get things tightened up just right.

I say about 1/2 in that I had "computer issues"... that's a bit of an understatement! I'm sure that has happened to us all and it's incredibly frustrating. I would recommend that if you can't fix a problem within 2 hours, make the rest of the day dedicated to JUST solving that issue and when it's fixed just call it a day... if you try to work any more past that it'll just lead to more frustration; in times like those you really need "a win" so just learn when to walk away.

Don't forget to subscribe, join this site using FriendConnect (using your google, twitter, or yahoo accounts), and/or become a fan of Rubber Onion Animation on facebook (links in the sidebars)

VLOG #4: Voice Acting

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:00:00 +0000

I love doing voices... always have; the difference is now I get to do them for work! When doing voices you really just want to make sure that the characters that have lines back to back sound different enough from one another... the character designs will carry the illusion the rest of the way.

I hope you enjoy watching me make all the faces and noises because cutting up the footage for this VLOG was definitely the weirdest time yet.

I mention "motivation" in the intro; at the time of this taping I was coming off of 3 hours of sleep and hardly ready to record voices. The point is that when the work needs to get done you just need to get started, and usually you'll fall back into a groove part way into the process.

Also important, when trying to overcome a motivational hump when faced with a more creative part of the process (like Voice Acting) you don't necessarily need to make it a full day's work. This was a half day, but I got the Voice Acting and Soundtrack Mix done and was able to keep the energy level up for the recordings... the rest of the day was to recoup for the next day. Even on your worst days, if you can knock SOMETHING off your to-do list you can consider it a success.

Working from home often lives or dies on small successes.

If you have any questions please direct them to the comments section below.

You can follow my updates on twitter (http://www.twitter.com/rubberonion) and facebook (http://www.facebook.com/rubberonion) for more info on what will be released, when. As always, thanks for the support everyone!

Don't forget to subscribe, join this site using FriendConnect (using your google, twitter, or yahoo accounts), and/or become a fan of Rubber Onion Animation on facebook (links in the sidebars)

VLOG #3: Storyboarding

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:00:00 +0000

If you have any questions please direct them to the comments section below and I will answer them in a special Q&A section in the very next video!!

This VLOG was a monster to edit! I hope you find this as entertaining to watch as it was to record. I love storyboarding, it's my favorite part of the process... what's your favorite part of creating an animated short?

If you would like to download your very own copies of my work files such as the brainstorming page, script, and the storyboards in this video just Subscribe to the RSS feed by putting your e-mail into the Subscribe field on the top-right of this page, leave a comment saying simply "I subscribed and I want the files!", and you'll receive a pack of recent work files so you can follow along the process even closer! If you've already Subscribed and would like the files, just put the request in the comments below.

You can follow my updates on twitter (http://www.twitter.com/rubberonion) and facebook (http://www.facebook.com/rubberonion) for more info on what will be released, when. As always, thanks for the support everyone!

Don't forget to subscribe, join this site using FriendConnect (using your google, twitter, or yahoo accounts), and/or become a fan of Rubber Onion Animation on facebook (links in the sidebars)

VLOG #2: Plot & Script

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 11:00:00 +0000

So here it is, my second VLOG! This was a hard one to edit because it is probably my least favorite stage: scripting.

There's not much to really describe about this particular process, it's just all about fleshing out the story that we brainstormed earlier with dialogue and plot points. The footage shot for this installment was actually in the same day as VLOG #1 so you'll probably be able to notice the fatigue setting in towards the end of this video as the end of the "shoot" was 9pm.

I'm looking forward to cutting up the footage I shot doing storyboards; I think that's going to be a really fun one! You can follow my updates on twitter (http://www.twitter.com/rubberonion) and facebook (http://www.facebook.com/rubberonion) for more info on what will be released, when.

If you have any questions please direct them in the comments section below. I receive an e-mail for every comment and can respond in kind so this is the best place for me to answer questions. And as always, thanks for the support!

Don't forget to subscribe to my RSS feed, join my site using FriendConnect, and/or become a fan of Rubber Onion Animation on facebook (links in the sidebars)

VLOG #1: Brainstorming

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000

My very first video log! I'm making these to document each stage of the process it takes to create an animated short.

This video is the first, and probably strangest, stage: the brainstorm.

Hopefully seeing how I work can be a source of motivation for an Indie-animator-in-the-making out there that wants to create something but just can't pull the trigger yet.

If you have any questions please direct them in the comments section below. I receive an e-mail for every comment and can respond in kind so this is the best place for me to answer questions. Enjoy!

Don't forget to subscribe to my RSS feed, join my site using FriendConnect, and/or become a fan of Rubber Onion Animation on facebook (links in the sidebars)

GSF - Animated Minisode #13: "Tiger's Rehab"

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:55:00 +0000

This is the latest animation I did for the Global Sports Fraternity. March is the month of work for me and I've been pulling marathon days so keep tuned for some new announcements and content to be posted here in the next month - but now... enjoy the video above!

This is the description of the video taken from the GSF website:

It’s no secret that Tiger Woods recently entered a rehab program to help him regain control of his life…and his sexual urges.

But details of the golfer’s rehabilitation have been sketchy at best, and we haven’t seen much of Tiger since his infamous press conference several weeks ago.

So what’s Tiger really been up to these past few weeks?

"Valentine's Training Day"

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 09:03:00 +0000

I decided yesterday that I wanted to release a short for Valentine's Day so I sat down and pumped this one out.

This is a very odd holiday... hence the tone of the animation.

Please send this to friends, family, anyone who you think might enjoy a little smile today!

Also don't forget to use the share panel under this post to share on any social network you want (facebook, twitter, etc)!

GSF - Animated Minisode #12: "Big Mac"

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:16:00 +0000

Taken from the GSF website:

It’s only been two weeks since Mark McGwire’s teary-eyed interview with Bob Costas, but the slugger’s steroid use already feels like old news. If 70 dingers didn’t hint that Big Mac was taking more than just his Flintstone vitamins, all you had to do was take a look at the increase in his hat size — the man’s head blew up like a sorority sister with a boyfriend.

But now that our suspicions have been confirmed, a juiced up Mcgwire raises some interesting questions. What, exacly, was he taking? Did he stop using after he left baseball? And is it possible that the greatest slugger of our generation was a full blown addict?

GSF - Animated Minisode #11: "Neanderthal Mannings"

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:53:00 +0000

Taken from the GSF website:

First there was Monkey.

Then there was Man.

Then there was… Manning.

Everyone knows that the Manning family has come to be synonymous with the Quarterback position. But with Peyton leading his Colts to a first round bye, and Eli leading his team to an early vacation, the elder brother has clearly asserted his dominance.

Evidently, it’s been that way since the dawn of time…

"My Friend the... Toilet: 3 - Surprise Guest"

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:00:00 +0000

I say to the fauna of the world... humans do NOT want to be disturbed while on the toilet!

This is a place of peace, the toilet... serene porcelain plumbing. Some of modern man's best thinking was done on the toilet. When relaxed and undisturbed, the mind can explore life's greatest questions and take virtual existential quests to answer them...

So again fauna, I say to thee... "DON'T BOTHER ME WHEN I'M ON THE CRAPPER!"

GSF - Animated Minisode #10: "Jabba the Rex"

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:50:00 +0000

Taken from the GSF website:

It is a period of war in the AFC East. After Supreme Chancellor Belichick lost many men in an early season battle with the evil Jets Empire, the Patriot rebellion has been in a state of disarray.

A botched 4th down made matters worse, and Luke SkyWelker has been sent on a mission to rescue his friends Han Brady and Princess Gisele from the clutches of the vile gangster Jabba the Rex.

It is a dark time for the Patriot rebellion, and SkyWelker is the only hope.

"My Friend the... Toilet: 2 - Cold Backfire"

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:23:00 +0000

If you've ever done a jackknife dive into a pool to see how high your splash could go, you'll know the general idea of the "cold backfire"... I call this little diddy the ploop poop and it is much feared. Unpleasant and disgusting though it is, young and old I've found can relate; plus, what good is the internet if not to indulge in our lowest brow for no one's benefit but our own?

GSF - Animated Minisode #9: "Vick's Voodoo Doll"

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:25:00 +0000

Michael Vick is back; reformed to be a dog lover... but "doll" is close enough to still abuse. What's REALLY behind Donovan McNabb's recent injury?

GSF - Animated Minisode #8: "A Favrian Decision"

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:19:00 +0000

"I'm retired"... "I'm back"... "I'm retired"... "I'm back"... Brett Favre can't seem to make up his mind lately. The guys at GlobalSportsFraternity.com decided to delve into his thought process a bit and contracted me to animate it. Behold...

GSF - Animated Minisode #7: "A-Rod"

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:13:00 +0000

Yankee Pride?... sort of. They have the best record in the majors but A-Rod still can't do anything right in some eyes...

GSF - Animated Minisode #6: "Mets Trap"

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:47:00 +0000

If you've ever played the game Mouse Trap, and you've followed the pre-season injuries the Mets suffered, you'll find this absolutely hilarious; if not... still...

"Manny's Baby Shower" was on ESPN2!

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:38:00 +0000

The last animation for GSF (#5 - "Manny's Baby Shower") was featured on SportsNation on EPSN2 Thursday, July 16th at 4PM ET. Check it out!

GSF - Animated Minisode #5: "Manny's Baby Shower"

noreply@blogger.com (Rubber Onion) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:04:00 +0000

If you've been following the Major League Baseball news here in the U.S. you'll know what's going on with Manny Ramirez. If not, it sums up as such: Manny took performance enhancing drugs and was suspended - the kicker was that those drugs happened to be fertility drugs.

So to welcome Manny back, the L.A. Dodgers decided to throw him a special party!