The Animation Podcast

I haven’t spent much time going through Google’s video search site, but I saw something interesting over there today. They’ve added a bunch of interviews from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation that feature television producers. Most relevant to animation are interviews with Joseph Barbera of Hanna Barbera and Phil Roman of Film Roman. I haven’t watched them yet, as the interviews are quite lengthy, but I imagine they’ll provide some great insights.

If you do some more digging, there are brief clips where Sherwood Schwartz talks about the Brady Kids animated show, James Garner mentions his voice work for Atlantis, and Quincy Jones talks about working with Chuck Jones. One more to check out might be Joan Ganz Cooney who helped create Sesame Street, probably everyone’s gateway to animation.

I’ve had a lot of listeners say that they like to listen to The Animation Podcast while they animate. I think animating is hard enough as it is, so, personally, I can’t do it. Even listening to music takes some of the pep out of my animating muscles, so normally I work in silence. ¬°Qu?© l?°stima!

If you’re the type who is fueled by syncopated rhythms or a driving baseline (uh, yeah, I sound cool), then you’ve GOT to check out Pandora. It’s a free website that asks you for a song or artist you like and then it makes a surprisingly accurate playlist to keep you tapping your toes for hours. It plays through your browser and it really is amazing. You’re allowed up to 100 playlists so chances are good that you may discover new bands that you never knew existed.

For the last hour I’ve been coasting (that’s KOSTing in So. Cal.) along to a sweet blend of mellow seventies pop based on my search for the dearly dissolved band, Bread. Somehow that stuff doesn’t take much brain power.

I’m always on the lookout for some audio entertainment for you guys in between shows. Of course you’ll have to turn it off when my next show comes out, but you knew that. So what’s your playlist based upon?

Go to Pandora

I guess I should have done this a while ago, but I always have felt that this site isn’t about me, but the guests on the shows. I’ve finally gone and made a page with all the juicy details about how I came to work in animation, as that subject (not me particularly, but in general) seems to be an area of great interest for many people who have contacted me. I think that’s what they wanted. At least I hope so. When someone asks, “What do you do?” they want a little something more than, “I do this thing,” don’t they? Well, I know I like a little history thrown in, so that’s what I did. Enough already, there’s a link in the sidebar as well as here.

In part three, directors and writers Ron Clements and John Musker describe their writing process as well as developing The Little Mermaid and Aladdin.

Get the MP3 here: Show 9: Ron and John, Part Three

(11.9MB, 25:27 minutes)

Or get the enhanced version playable only in Quicktime or iTunes
Get the AAC here: Show 9: Ron and John, Part Three


(11.6MB, 25:27 minutes)

Continue for Show Notes…

Read More

I know, I know. You want more shows. They will come, I promise. In the meantime, I just took a break and set up a Frappr map. You can go there and add yourself so we can all see who’s listening and from where.

Be sure to use the Shoutout box to tell something about yourself like your homepage, where you work/go to school, what is your favorite type of animation. You can add a picture (or a creatively drawn rendition) of your mug too! And by mug I mean face, not coffee.

I started it off, but it’s so lonely on that map. Fill ‘er up!

If you ever want to change what you’ve put up there, send me an email and I’ll delete your name so you can start fresh and clean. By the way, I’ll add something that looks more like me when I’m at home with my scanner.