Congratulations to Carrotkid for winning this month. We have a previous interview with Carrotkid that you can read here. Great job Paul! We hope you keep uploading videos and I’m sure we will see you in future “Animation of the Month” contests.
Everyone keep uploading all of your animations. I am so impressed with the videos lately. Keep rating and commenting and keep our community alive.
-Gary
Paul Whittington, aka Carrotkid, is a stop-motion artist who is also an avid photographer and filmmaker. His work can be viewed at carrotkid.com, but what ToonLifeOnline readers really want to know….
Hi Paul. Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions.
No problem, I am happy to do it.
First and foremost, let us know a little about yourself and your talents?
I live on Vancouver Island and I mostly make short films. Of those, I like to make stop-motion films, but I also do live-action ones as well (I hope to combine the two in future films perhaps). I also screen write and and do a bit of photography as well.
As I mentioned to you earlier, I found your video on our ToonTube site. I watched it an was absolutely amazed. What inspired you to create L19: Disposed?
Thanks… Umm, actually nothing really inspired that film. It just sort of sprang up out of nowhere starting off with a couple of test shots. The main reason for making that film was so I could force myself to learn some good compositing skills. I wanted to get better at composting so I took the character L19 (originally from android 207) and did a few blue screen test shots. I liked how they turned out, so I did more and more until I had enough for a film. Then I just filmed a bunch of odd shots to fill in the blanks and that was pretty much it.
(pictured above: L19’s impending fate)
L19 is your latest short film correct? Can you tell me about some of your other films?
Yes, “L19:Disposed” is my latest… well sort of. I’ve been doing a lot of odd little videos here and there, but nothing too major. I recently made a short video in March which was a montage of the herring run season we get here on the Island each year. Before L19 I made “Android 207″, which has so far been my most successful (popular) film. Then there was “Table Kid Kirby”, which is a 5 part stop-motion series about a clay man stuck on a table. “Isabel Knew Too Much” was a live action short who’s main character was a dog who’s world comes crashing down around her through self realization. “Spare Parts” was a sort of post-apocalyptic fable story about a small android who heads off to fulfill his destiny. And then there was “The Doctrine of Vitality” which dates back to 1997. It was my first real short film where I play a man addicted to carrots. It may not be my best film, but for me it is one of my favorites because it is my first. I am currently working on a new short called “The Baked Apple” which will be a blend of stop-motion, pixilation, and live action.
“L19:Disposed”and “Android 207″ have a sense of dread and desperation. You were able to do this without having any dialogue. Was that your initial intentions, or did it just end up that way when you were done?
Yes, that was my initial intentions for sure. I don’t usually like to use dialogue very much because it often gives off a strong sense of reality, meaning the view can relate to things more. Sometimes I’ll use narration, but very little. There are just too many advantages to making films non-dialogue which appeal to me, so I rarely use it unless I feel it necessary.
(pictured above:Android 207)
“L19:Disposed” recently received second place at the Milwaukee Short Film Festival. How was your experience at there?
The guys who put on the Milwaukee festival are great. They are great to talk with and they seem to understand a lot about film, so I always love submitting to them. I first found out about them through a really cool illustrator friend of mine Matthew Laznicka of Basement-Productions. He’s the one who illustrated the Carrotkid image of me on my website. He is a fantastic artist! He lives near Milwaukee and told me what a great festival it was, so I submitted “Android 207″. I was surprised to see “L19:Disposed” win this year, but also happy about it indeed. “Android 207″ also won the second place award at last years Milwaukee festival so that rocked big time as well.
(pictured above: Setting up top-down shot)
Your short films take place in a very sterile and clinical setting. It really lends itself to using Android characters. It actually reminded me of the game Portal, and I mean that as the ultimate compliment. Do you have any plans to indicate what has happened to humans in your world that you’ve created?
The humans are there, (usually at least one in each film) such as the scientist at the end of “Android 207″, and the dude who drops L19 into the waste disposal. To me, the humans are always faceless and unimportant in a way. That is why I never show their heads in the films; I learned that from Charlie Brown. There are many things I don’t like to dig too deeply into in my films, partly because there is limited time in short films, but mainly because I love having a sense of mystery in the films. Tthe less I mention about anything that is not needed to be explained in order to get the story across, the more there is for the viewers to reach their own conclusions.
Have you played Portal?
No, but it does look like fun! I don’t own a gaming machine, but I used to love video games when I was growing up. I used to have a Mrs. Pac-Man arcade machine, but I still play it on my computer all the time! From what I’ve seen of Portal, it reminds me of one of my all-time favorite games from the past, Load Runner. I was addicted to it! Ahhh, the memories. Actually, there are a lot of people who compare Android 207 to video games, including Portal. I recall reading a few “Cool, reminds me of Portal” comments on Youtube and the net. I don’t mind the comparisons at all. I do have a great love for vintage video games and it is nice to see some of it rubbing off in my films, even though I had no conscious intentions of doing so. I guess it must be coming from my sub-conscious.
How long does it usually take you to create your short films? What usually takes the most time?
All depends on the film. Each one is usually quite different for the one before it, as far as production goes anyhow. I am always using different equipment and processes, so the work flow fluctuates quite a bit. For “L19:Disposed”, which was mainly a compositing film, about 90 percent of the shots where shot in from of a blue screen, so I spent most of my time in front of the computer doing the compositing and making up of the shots. For “Android 207″, as simplistic as the maze set looks in the film, it was actually the most complicated thing I ever built in my life! It was very difficult to get all the pieces cut and fit into place exactly right and precise so that everything would line up perfectly, and doing so without getting any scuffs and scratches on the freshly painted walls and floor was madness. Plus, I had to do it in such a way that any wall could be quickly taken out and put back in so I could get the camera inside the maze. All this, plus rigging up all the moving walls, floors, giant nails, etc. Near the end on the last set, it got to a point where I didn’t think I was going to be able to construct it! For that film, I’d say I spent about 70 percent of the time building the sets.
(pictured above: Paul setting up one of Android 207’s traps)
Your stop-motion is flawless and I really love the art direction in each of your films. “L19:Disposed” is some of the smoothest stop-motion I have seen. Can you tell me a little bit about the process of creating your films and what you use to create them?
Thanks. Well, first I usually have a general idea of what the film will be about. Usually I will write a script and or storyboard the complex shot/scenes, but sometimes, like with the film I’m making now, “The Baked Apple”, I just have a general idea in my head and just make up the shots as I film. “L19:Disposed” was done that way, and “Android 207″ was scripted. I get a lot of people asking me what stop-motion software I use, but I don’t use any at all. I usually animate a shot capturing the frames to either tape or memory card, and then I upload them to my computer, and edit them together afterwards using Final Cut Pro. For “L19: Disposed”, I filmed it with a Nikon D40 DSLR – the shots were nice, but image cameras are not really designed for stop-motion. Sometimes you get slight variations in the exposure in between frames resulting in a flicker effect which is painful to correct in post. Now I use a Canon XHA1 video camera, which allows you to capture still frames onto a memory card. That’s how I filmed “The Baked Apple” and it worked out great!
Can you tell me why you use androids as your characters?
Not really use actually, just sort of something I fell into. I guess because I love all that robotic-like stuff, technology, and the building of the characters. Because they are android (not human) you have more creative freedom in constructing them and you can make them look however you like.
I saw that you enjoy Science-Fiction. As a huge Sci-Fi fan myself, can you tell me some of your favorite movies, authors, etc., in this particular genre?
My favorite sci-fi films are the older films from the 70’s and 80’s like Tron, Blade Runner, Westworld, THX1138, Star Trek Original Series, The Terminator, and others which I can’t recall right now. I love Isaac Asimov. He is such a great author. His robot novels are a big influent to me as well. Philip K Dick is great too, but I have only read a few of his books. But my all-time favorite book, which is now not even a book at all, but a play, is R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) which was written by Karel Capek back in 1921 I believe. It is a fantastic story and it is were the word ‘Robot’ came from.
What are your future plans? I would love to see you put something together with more story element involving the androids.
I’m not sure if you’ve seen ‘Spare Parts’ or not, but if you’re looking for a film of mine with a more deeper story involving android, I guess that would be the one to see. For my future film, I seem to be heading away from androids and more into object-orientated stop-motion stuff, but I’m sure I will do more robotic stuff at some point for sure.
(pictured above:Paul filming Android 207)
When you aren’t animating, filming, or taking photographs, what are you doing?
Working and sleeping – that’s about it.
Speaking of photography, I’ve seen some of your photos. You said on your site, only 1 out of 100 is a good photograph. I doubt that statement is true *laughs*. You seem like such a humble guy.
Thanks, well maybe 2 out of a 100 is where I’m at now, *laughs*. Actually, when I shoot I take dozens to hundreds at a time, as we all do nowadays with memory chips being so cheap, and usually I find myself deleting shot after shot after shot. I never studied photography so I’m not really sure what makes a good photo, aside from that which I know about film that is similar in photos too. So I just snap and when I see one I like, it keep it.
Do you have any advice for individuals getting started into stop motion?
Yes – If you are new to it, the first thing you will want to do is have fun with it first. Start off simple. Animate a simple object moving along a table. This will also allow you to become used to how the objects move, the speed they move at, and to train you to have patients with stop-motion. It can sometimes take a long time to do. Then when you get bored with simple objects, try animating other things more complex. Don’t feel as though you have to come up with a story at first, or have to build sets and do all sorts of post work. If you do that, you will soon become overwhelmed and most likely give up. As with anything, best to start off simple and progress from there.
Thank you for your time. I really look forward to all of your work in the future and If you don’t mind, I will definitely be posting about all of your progress and work on our blog.
Thank you – it’s been fun! And please, feel free to post whatever you like about my progress. For updates on current news about what I’m working on, people can visit my blog at: http://carrotkidfilms.blogspot.com or to view my films you can visit my website at: www.carrotkidfilms.com
We had our interview with Ron a while back, but a video interview with Ron was posted on Moli.com.
-Gary
Ron Cole, aka Wobbly Tripod, is a stop motion artist. He is the March winner of the “Animation of the Month” on ToonTube. You can see more of his work on his blog, but what ToonLifeOnline readers really want to know is…..
ToonLifeOnline: Hi Ron! Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. First and foremost, why don’t you let everyone know who you are and how long you have been doing this?
Wobbly Tripod: I’m Ron Cole, artist and stop motion animator. I’ve been working on my film for about 6 years! But, much of that time has been spent in the development of the cable control system which I’ve created to allow my puppets to articulate facial expressions and speech, which was really the main reason why I started making the film in the first place. Over the course of the years, I’ve also done many other projects on paying jobs, at least half of that time so, in reality maybe 3 years worth of actual work time was spent devoted to this film.
ToonLifeOnline: I first learned of your talents because your trailer for “In the Fall of Gravity” won the ToonTube animation of the month. Tell us about “In the Fall of Gravity” and what lead you to this particular project?
Wobbly Tripod: That’s a LONG story but, I’ll try to shorten it up… For many years, I’d had this dream of creating a type of puppet animation that features realistic stop motion puppets that combines the traditional stop motion technique with the puppet making technology that has been applied to live action puppets (such as Yoda and E.T.) together.
Convinced that was possible, I started by writing a feature length script titled TRUE MAGIC with the idea that I would attempt to get that made into a film. I realized that no one would fund me unless I could prove that such puppets could be constructed to perform convincingly. So I took up the task of designing and creating the puppets used in my short as a ‘proof of concept’, only intending to shoot some test footage with them. But after constructing them, the temptation to make a short film with them became inevitable. I’m glad I made that choice because over the course of making the short, I managed to make many improvements on how the puppets perform and operate.
ToonLifeOnline: The amount of detail on Isomer and Trevor are amazing. How long did each model take to create?
Pictured above: Isomer sculpture from front and back view
Wobbly Tripod: It’s difficult to answer that question because the process of making them never really ended. Each time a puppet would wear out and need to be recast, I would have some new approach to how to make them work and end up retooling something on the scull design, molds and method of casting them into rubber. The good news is, each new version of the puppets would last longer and perform better. If I had a need to recast one of them tomorrow, I’d invariably go back into the invention process once again.
ToonLifeOnline: I have found out since I have joined up at ToonLifeOnline, that there is an immense amount of work that needs to be done. On our animations, I do the writing/voices, and Wes does the animating/voices. Does anyone else help you out, or is it you doing it alone?
Wobbly Tripod: I had the assistance of an armature builder named Kenneth Walker for about 2 weeks and he manufactured some amazing ball & socket joints for the wizard character, other than that – it’s all me. I live in New York, an area of the U.S.A. that was once populated by many effects artists and animators. Unfortunately, over the past 15-20 years, I became (as far as I knew) the only person left doing this type of work, as the rise of computer generated animation gradually replaced most of the work that had been done previously by hands-on artists.
It was my personal love for this craft that drove me to create this film – prior to learning that there is a community of other artists who are as devoted to the preservation of this art as I am. I’m a relative newcomer to the internet and all things computer related.
ToonLifeOnline: What are your plans for “In the Fall of Gravity”? Is it going to be a short film, full-feature, first in a trilogy? Is it going to be released as a DVD?
Wobbly Tripod: I plan to make the rounds at the coming New York area film festivals and make my film available on DVD to whoever wants it. There are a couple of things I need to do first however, I need to make a ‘behind the scenes’ segment to add to a DVD because I’ve had many requests for that. I’ll also need to make sure that releasing it on DVD won’t disqualify me from entering it into a debut festival.
I recently received the final cut of the music for the film by composer Richard Brooner, so I’ll be generating the final edit and packaging art for it in the very near future.
Pictured above: “The Deception” by Ron Cole
ToonLifeOnline: “In the Fall of Gravity” has a fantasy setting. Can you tell me some of your influences in this particular genre?
Wobbly Tripod: My first love in film is Science Fiction. I chose a fantasy setting for my film because fantasy is more economical to produce. The building of props and sets for a fantasy film involves natural environments, as opposed to the mechanical environments shown in science fiction. The interior and exterior sets of a science fiction film world require much more labor intensive work to create.
Regardless of the genre, all stories are Human stories and can be told in any environment. If I can’t afford space ships to carry my story along, so be it.
ToonLifeOnline: I saw on your blog that this project has been years in the making. What problems have you faced and how have you overcome them?
Wobbly Tripod: Money!!! The greatest challenge I faced in the making of “In the Fall of Gravity” has been the fact that I don’t possess the right camera equipment to produce a quality film. Most of the materials that I used to create the sets and backgrounds for this film are found objects. I’m proud of what I managed to create with zero funds, but it slows the process of film making tremendously! My sets are constructed atop old closet doors and my background paintings were done on wooden paneling I found in the trash.
ToonLifeOnline: The background you painted is absolutely beautiful. These were three separate paintings correct?
Wobbly Tripod: Painting was my first craft in the world of the arts. I painted six backgrounds for this film to accommodate the various camera angles seen in the film. Three of those backgrounds were major undertakings of their own. I like to shoot long duration shots and felt that the eyes of the audience would probably wander away from my characters so, I included as much detail in the paintings as I could to keep it interesting.
Pictured above: Background setting for “In the Fall of Gravity”
ToonLifeOnline: How long did it take you to paint them?
Wobbly Tripod: I think I spent about 2 weeks on each of the major 3 backgrounds. The design of the castle was something I spent a lot of time sketching prior to painting and I did a sculpture of the castle to work from for the final work.
ToonLifeOnline: I know you still have a lot of work to do on “In the Fall of Gravity”, but what is next for Wobbly Tripod?
Wobbly Tripod: The next project is currently underway! I had an idea to bring other animators together via the internet and image technology to create something I call a ‘virtual animation studio’ where animators in different parts of the world would animate different elements of a single film as if working on the same set. I’m Proud to announce that I have partnered with Paul McConnochie and Nick Hilligoss to create a short film that will break down the barriers of oceans and miles for our characters to meet on screen seamlessly. I’ve also been invited to join the crew of animators who are creating a very ambitious project right here in New York that looks to me to be amazing!
The world of Stop Motion Animation seems to me to be in a period of resurgence, that I am very excited about… a resurgence I was afraid to imagine when I took the first frame of my short, but now I am entirely enthusiastic about. May the force be with us.
ToonLifeOnline: Thank you for your time and for participating on ToonTube. I look forward to the completion of “In the Fall of Gravity” and I hope to interview you again in the future.
I forgot to mention and thank Ron for designing the picture trophies that we give out at ToonTube. Ron has won two months in a row. Perhaps he had an ulterior motive for designing the trophy. Just kidding!
All pictures are courtesy of Wobbly Tripod.
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