“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 a controlled stream of consciousness, but I still wanted to keep a narrative structure. I really didn’t know where the story was going to go until I finished it. Are you working on anything new that you can tell us about? RB: I started writing a new script for a short. Although I really enjoyed the free style of “The Dragon’s Claw”, I wanted my next project to be more heavily constructed. I guess I’m going to try to learn the rules this time. Maybe I’ll even make an X-Sheet. If you could have your own woodland creature appliance, what would it be? I’m thinking a bunny can opener… RB: A bunny can opener would be pretty great, but perhaps a bit messy. I wish I had a puppy alarm clock that would lick my face when its time to get up. But I think they make those already… They’re called puppies. Aw, you’re right. Too late to patent it, now. Thanks for the interview, Robert! You can watch “The Dragon’s Claw” right here on Channel Frederator. -Bailee DesRocher

Waste not, Channel Frederator Fans! This week, we’re all about recycling, be it bunnies or refrigerators! I’ll let you decide which of those two is a beloved pet… We’d love to show off your best Halloween themed films - haunting, hilarious, monsters, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, - whatever oogly-booglies you’ve got lyin’ around! Submit today! Don’t forget – we’re changing our format soon to one ‘toon per episode with cash to animators who participate! Learn more about the awesome changes we’re making here. Leave lots of comments and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! “The Dragon’s Claw”, by Robert Bruce – Animation Block Party ’09 winner for Best Music Video! Watch as our hero stops animals from becoming appliances! “Tom’s Fridge”, by Clive McFarland – Man’s best friend isn’t quite what you’d imagine in this quirky paper cutout stop mo animation. WARNING: Channel Frederator is rated EXPLICIT. Recycling is so *bleepin’* helpful! 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, Fredbot explores Williamsburg, Brooklyn’s Erebuni Gallery for the 4th Annual Too Art for TV exhibit! Visit http://bunnycutlet.com/2A4TV for more info. The exhibit closes October 17th! Go, go, go! Don’t forget – we’re switching our format to one ‘toon per episode with cash to animators who participate! Learn more about the awesome changes we’re making here. Leave lots of comments and check us out on Twitter! “Follow”, by Edmond Hawkins – Ambidextrous animator Edmond Hawkins’ latest film! Angels! Planes! Giants! “Forest”, by Eric Leiser – Stop motion animal skeletons and eyeball trees! Creepy and ethereal. WARNING: Channel Frederator is rated EXPLICIT. All this art is so *bleepin’* beautiful! 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

Channel Frederator.com: The world’s original cartoon podcast is turning 4 years old in November and to celebrate we’re giving out cash.You heard right.Starting on October 6th, we’re switching to a one cartoon format and giving every animator $50 to let us show their short. At the end of every month, the animator with the most online views in their debut week wins $200.   As usual, the deal is non-exclusive. You still own the rights to your short, we just want to share it with the world. Oh, and did we mention it’ll be shown on the world’s original cartoon podcast network? (Seriously. Wikipedia it.)But, wait there’s more!In November, we’re launching a new series called “Cartoon Hangover”. A show dedicated to bringing you the craziest animations on the web.   Animators: No longer do you have to censor your most insane (and R-rated) ideas. You now have a venue for your insanity! And that venue is “Cartoon Hangover”.What are you waiting for? SUBMIT your animations today!And while you’re at it, peruse our main site and subscribe to our youtube channel and twitter feed!More about Channel Frederator:Channel Frederator is the world’s original cartoon podcast. Created by former Nickelodeon and MTV executive Fred Seibert and inspired by Tumblr.com founder David Karp, Channel Frederator isn’t just another place for animation on the web, it’s become Cartoon Central on the Internet.. It is the home for animation fans on the web, where the cartoon tribe can meet, show their work, and connect with each other. Channel Frederator has been home to some of the most popular original animation on the web including “Nite Fite,” (an award-winning series created for sponsor Starburst), and the wildly popular Meth Minute 39 series (awarded “best of 2007” by iTunes).

This week, Fredbot sits down with the directors of Sony Pictures Animation’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Chris Miller and Phil Lord! They shared some of their super sweet student films - only available here on Channel Frederator! Leave lots of comments and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! “Sleazy the Squirrel” by Christopher Miller – Director Chris Miller’s raunchy Plymptonesque student film about a potty-mouthed talk show host… that is a squirrel. “Man Bites Breakfast” by Phil Lord – Phil Lord’s student film. Beware of cereal and cereal-based monsters! WARNING: Channel Frederator is rated EXPLICIT. Those falling meatballs are so *bleepin’* huge! 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

All of this week’s films come from one, count ‘em ONE animator – low budget animation wiz Anton Bogaty! The episode features intros and film facts from Anton himself, not to mention the animations are RADical with a capital RAD. Leave lots of comments and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! “Dee” - Music video for Daniel G. Harmann and the Troublestarts. The song was inspired by the singer’s relationship to his grandmother. Anton ran with it and came up with a floating robot ship full of zombies. “Manning” – A trip to the mall becomes a different kind of “trip” after an unsuspecting teen is given a second sight by a creepy old man. “Under the Noodle” – You will never think of carbo loading the same way again. “Nothing Personal (We’ve All Got to Eat)” – Don’t you just hate it when you’re trying to go about your business and hallucinations keep haunting your every waking moment? What a pain. WARNING: Channel Frederator is rated EXPLICIT. Man is it *bleepin’* hot out or what?! 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

Avast, mateys! ‘Tis an oceanic adventure this week, as we set sail on the seven seas with several scurvy, salty old sea dogs! Say that 10 times fast – or walk the plank, ye will! Uhm, also, if you could name your boat or whatever… what would you call it? Like, leave us a comment or something. “Oh, My Captain!”, submitted by Ernest Kim – A would-be captain finally answers the call of the sea. “The Seafarers - Sea of Love”, submitted by Jim Dirschberger – Mermaids ahoy! Action! Adventure! Robots! Wieners! Watch Channel Frederator here or subscribe to the whole series through iTunes! WARNING: Channel Frederator is rated EXPLICIT. Man is it *bleepin’* hot out or what?! 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

We’ve got two radical ‘toons this week, featuring booze, jazz, and journeys. Don’t Stop Believin’, Frederator fans! Okay, it’s not that kind of Journey. It’s better. You also get to determine Fredbot’s musical fate! Leave lots of comments. And by comments I mean presents. “Juiced and Jazzed”, submitted by Justin Weber - An award winning, swanky, super stylized trip to the 1920’s. “Body”, submitted by Zhivko - A trippy journey employing multiple animation techniques. And also, it’s rad. WARNING: Channel Frederator is rated EXPLICIT. Man is it *bleepin’* hot out or what?! 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 episode is the best episode of all the episodes. I mean, I guess until the next episode, but for now, it’s probably the best. We’ve got three films that are stop-motionlicious (who isn’t a sucker for some super sweet stop-mo?) plus we want to hear about your favorite Hayao Miyazaki film, in honor of his new feature “Ponyo”. Watch, love, and tell us what you think! “Ce Soir” by Monogrenade, submitted by Sach Baylin-Stern - Director Christophe Collette’s creative stop motion music video. “Pigeon Pilfer”, submitted by Michael Stevenson - Pigeons. They bug you for food, doodie on your car - now they want your money. “Here Come the Guns” by Choo Choo La Rouge, submitted by Greg Condon - Cool stop motion music video by way of flip bookery. And also, there are guns. WARNING: Channel Frederator is rated EXPLICIT. Man is it *bleepin’* hot out or what?! 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

Multi-talented, healthy eating Lindsey Testolin gives us the what’s what about her style, the bane of her existence, and how she’s saving the world, one author at a time. Channel Frederator: Where did you study animation? Lindsey Testolin: I earned my degree at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. I met brilliant people there, but I think the most successful animators in the group had a strong intuition for what their audience wanted. If you’re animating for a festival or band or gallery, you’ll treat each work differently. You’ll decide whether you’re making a short story or a poem. You’ll think about marketing before the work is even complete. In this case the animation is a delivery system for people to discover music… you have to acknowledge that. CF: Where did you get the idea for “An Average Idea”? LT: Film trailers. It’s really like a film trailer; all my favorite parts and motions are mashed into one work to make a sale. CF: What was your favorite part of making it? LT: I enjoyed building a character with multiple arms, Ray Harryhausen style. Except I had tiny magnets attached to the back of each arm so I could pivot them around freely. I probably spent most of my time playing with magnets. It was great. CF: The hardest part? LT: Crawling on the floor looking for magnets. I also don’t always deal very well with hearing the same sound clip 2,000 or 3,000 times during the process. I don’t think the repetitiveness is good for anyone’s psychology. Producing animation can feel toxic in that way, and I try to eat an organic diet to stay calm and balanced. I can eat 15 pounds of fruits and vegetables each day when I’m working. CF: Holiday fruitbasket for Lindsey, noted. Are you working on anything new that you can tell us about? LT: We’re in New York now and the publishing industry has become a bigger part of my life. I used to be a bookseller at Bookworks in Albuquerque – a great indie storefront on the Rio Grande. I talked with authors who felt hurt because their publisher couldn’t invest in promotional tools or throw them a small release party. Meanwhile publishers, publicists, and sales reps are overworked and underpaid. Next year I’ll be launching an agency in Manhattan tailored to help both groups. We’ll be promoting books, sponsoring literary events, and giving sales reps the right tools. If authors are going to invest in videos, trailers, and e-marketing, they need to do it right. I want to leave the audience with no question about buying their book. There’s no question that you rule! Thanks for the interview, Lindsey! Check out Lindsey’s music video for Love in October’s “An Average Idea” right here on Channel Frederator! -Bailee DesRocher

Happy Fatties is home to a slew of animated sketch comedy series from Mike Scott. Here he gives us the lowdown on junk food, comedy, and what he’s working on now. Channel Frederator: Where did you study animation? Mike Scott: Well, the short answer to this is that I never studied animation. I originally went to school for video and film production and ended up finding that animation was best suited for me to express my comedic ideas. Much like in any art form, when you find yourself in it, you want to learn more. So since the time I started working in the medium, I’ve studied animation in the comfort of my own home, mostly while wearing footy-pajamas. CF: You have about a million films. What are your sources of inspiration? MS: You’re close in your estimation. The number of pieces I’ve made is actually just under a million, more than Disney, Warner Brothers, Hannah Barbera, Fleischer Studios, and Ruby Spears combined. The inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere. Ideas can come from just a funny name or word, setting, or a reaction to a real-life experience. But mostly, it comes from the ridiculous nature of the human race. Reading news articles seems to help get creative waters flowing if there’s ever any need for inspiration. CF: Are you working on anything new you can tell us about? MS: There’s always something new. Currently am working on a second episode of “Let’s Fix You with Dr. Deel” (a cartoon where people write in with their problems and the good doctor answers as best - or worst - as he can), a piece in which survivors (chickens) of the first days of Colonel Sanders are interviewed about their remembrances of the time, another in which a woman tries to get a refund on her teenage son from the baby dealership she originally purchased him from because he didn’t turn out like she thought he would, and one cartoon for Christmas that involves Santa and Mrs. Claus trying to have a baby. So there’s a few items on the plate being worked on. CF: Favorite artery clogging food? MS: Everything’s artery-clogging, isn’t it? I’ll go with a good calzone, loaded with ricotta, sausage, a little mozzarella, and some thick, chunky-style marinara to dip it in. Possibly covered in chocolate syrup. CF: Favorite uh… healthy food? MS: I have no perception on what’s healthy anymore. How’s Lucky Charms? Is that healthy? That has oats and all those vitamins and minerals they advertise on the box, so there’s gotta be more good than bad going on there, right? Right! Thanks for the interview, Mike! You can check out Mike’s film “Eat Healthy, Kids!” right here on Channel Frederator! -Bailee DesRocher

Animation, comedy, flipbooks, and music videos?! Better grab a bucket of ice ‘cause this week’s episode is going to MELT YOUR FACE OFF. Yes, the sun is blazing outside, but that’s nothing compared to the impact our ‘toons will have on your mug. Leave us lots of comments and love for our animators this week, and ye shall be rewarded with more facemelts! “This One Time”, submitted by Nelson Boles - Even in a weird alternate universe, a man’s best friend is still is goofy little alien dog. This film was part of the 2009 CalArts Producer’s Show. “Circus Tricks That History Forgot”, submitted by TotemX - History forgot them for a very good reason. “An Average Idea”, submitted by Lindsey Testolin - An anything but average music video for the band Love in October. “Eat Healthy, Kids!”, submitted by Michael Scott - So bad for you… yet so good. WARNING: Channel Frederator is rated EXPLICIT. Man is it *bleepin’* hot out or what?! 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

Jorge Garcia’s thesis film “Cat’s Meow” is hi-larious. He wanted to be a gag man - I say mission accomplished! Channel Frederator: What are your favorite films/animations? Jorge Garcia: I can never pick a favorites… I do have a very special place for everything Looney Tunes in my heart, and I always wanted to grow up to be Bugs Bunny. That didn’t turn out so good, but it did make me want to draw and eventually animate! I’ve always loved TV cartoons and the short film format, and anything with funny gags would spark my interest. Mickey and Donald shorts, Daffy and Porky, and all the classics. I would love to be a gag-man one day if I were to become really funny. Other animated films that I love and have influenced me have been Toy Story, Emperor’s New Groove, Bambi, and Indiana Jones. But keep E.T. away from me. He gave me nightmares. CF: What was your favorite part of working on “Cat’s Meow”? JG: It was definitely learning and trying new things. It was my first time trying out quadrped animation, and my first time trying out animated 2D water effects! Both were great challenges and it felt great when they were done. Also, I could spray my cats with water for reference. And see how the attacked me back. (But I exaggerate.) Seeing the film progress as a whole from boards to animation was a great experience and I would love to do it again. CF: Biggest pain in the ass? JG: A guy wearing a hat which gets taken by a cat which gets re-taken by the guy and places it on his head again. That shot drove me up the wall! The biggest pain was being a one man team to deal with all of this; broken rigs suck! :} CF: The gags in the film are hysterical! Where did you get your ideas? JG: Why thank you! Most of the gags were inspired by my two cats, such as their hate of water and love of hats. The rest came from long sessions of sketching and storyboarding alongside my instructors at Ringling College. It wouldn’t have been half as funny without ‘em! Just had to draw and board and draw and board some more! CF: Are you working on anything new you can tell us about? JG: Right now I am a Junior Animator at Rhythm and Hues in Los Angeles! It’s been fun and I am thrilled to have joined the feature animation and film industry, although it is quite humbling to realize how little you know compared to the awesome people there. On the side, I plan to start developing a new short film I’ve had in my head for a while. It involves a frog and a roach coach. If I ever do finish it, Frederator will be the first to know! YAY! Thanks for the swell interview, Jorge! You can check out “Cat’s Meow” right here on Channel Frederator! -Bailee DesRocher

ENEMIES. Everyone has a nemesis. Holmes had Moriarty. The Yankees have the Red Sox. The Earth has Mars… thinks it’s sooooo great ‘cause it’s all red… I’ll show you red you big… dumb… planet… This week on Channel Frederator every film is a faceoff! We’ve got dudes battling kitties, shapes in a scuffle, and mankind trying to go unplugged. Normally I’m all for “make love, not war” but watching these guys duke it out is pretty freakin’ awesome. Let us know what you think of our latest episode with lots of comments and hugs! “Cat’s Meow”, submitted by Jorge Garcia – Gags abound in this story of man versus cat versus… cap? “Square vs. Circle”, submitted by Rui Gomes – The battle of the shapes rages on in this action packed 2D tale. “Deederville”, submitted by Richard Del Rosso – OMG! Man vs his addiction 2 portable media! — sent via Fredbot’s iPhone. WARNING: Channel Frederator is rated EXPLICIT. Man is it *bleepin’* hot out or what?! 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

Watching the latest Channel Frederator makes my day. But, checking out the Fredbots from our animators in this week’s episode….That makes my LIFE!Also: Feeling inspired? Submit your Fredbot today!Rui Gomes’ Fredbot from Channel Frederator # 191 (click to enlarge)Jorge Garcia’s Fredbot from Channel Frederator # 191 (click to enlarge)Richard Del Rosso’s Fredbot from Channel Frederator # 191 (click to enlarge)-Bobby