When’s the next show?

Tuesday, March 6, 2007 91 Comments

I get this question almost every day. Well, a lot of things go in to making each podcast so I decided to give you some idea of when to expect the next one. In the sidebar you’ll find some progress bars to visually guide your mania. I’ve broken it down in to four easy steps. Here’s what they mean:

1. Interview recorded: I’ve actually sat down and recorded a conversation long enough to make at least one more show (usually more). This is the fun and easy part.

2. Interview edited: I’m still learning after all this time so I have to go in to clean up the audio quality as much as I know how and then edit it down to take out dead space, my stammering, and any else that could detract from your enjoyment. Lots of ums get killed here. This is the longest part of the whole process.

3. In/out recorded & edited: This is my jabber before and after the interviews. I want to stick with the format but things will come and go as it suits me. I thought it was difficult to talk to someone else on the mic until I tried talking by myself – painfully funny for my wife to listen to at times. If I ever get it right on the first take, it’ll be a miracle.

4. Publishing (Chapters marked, images and links added, files converted and uploaded, RSS feeds updated, post written): I have a giant checklist for this part that I dread, as it seems to take forever. Tons of little (and crucial) steps happen here. Most of these details have to be just right or it won’t work. I’ve included so many steps here because they are like cogs in a clock that all have to be set up and put in to place at once. Once it’s done, I’m so happy and exhausted.

Generally one show will take me about 12 hours to produce, but as you may have noticed, those twelve hours can be very hard to come by, especially when other parts of life can be so fun. So you may still be wondering when the shows will be out, but at least you’ll have some indication of my progress on the next one.

91 Comments on “When’s the next show?”

  1. Michael Woodside: “Ok. We get it. Clay didn’t post up this blog so that people can bicker about someone else’s podcast. Seriously, just let it go. Clay is doing a great job here (we all agree). If anyone wants to talk more about the splinecast, go to their blog and talk about it. For the rest of us, let us wait patiently for the next one.”

    I second that. Thanks Michael.

  2. Thank God!

    After all this site is for the Animation Podcast, not Splinecast… Andrew and the other splinecasters need to grow-up… if they have a problem with comments on THEIR site, post it up there (like they have) rather than bickering on someone elses site… I never said anything on their site, what makes them think they can come over to Clay’s site and start harrassing his readers and listerners. I never went to the splinecast site and started posting crap about them!

    “OH, HELLLLLL No. You‚Äôre RUDE, alright” … ;)… gee, i wonder why!

  3. Dear Emma,

    In an effort to make you shut your trap and put an end to your blabbering I offer this:

    I appologize for harrassing any listeners of Clays’ Animation Podcast. I promise I will only harass the listeners of SplineCast (from now on). I will also have a meeting with my other fellow “Splinecasters” to see if they might want to grow up.

    I, on the other hand, refuse to grow up. After all, I’m an animator. If I grew up, my work might suffer…

    -Andrew

    ps: I hope we can once and for all put an end to this thread. I’m sure everyone is tired of reading about it. Although, I know you will have to have the last word Emma…

  4. Actually, Emma, I think that posting crap about splinedoctors on someone else’s site is VERY cowardly, and disrespectful…which is what you and others did. And I think you’re the only one who thinks they are harrassing Clays listeners…and I think you’re the only one who even has categories splitting up Clay-listeners from Splinedoctor-listeners. I think everyone listens to both.

    And I don’t think you can blame splinedoctors for posting here, since you and a few others posted negatively about them. I think Andrew Gordon actually took care of it in a very mature way; he has every right to state HIS side. Wouldn’t YOU? And I think what he had to say actually mirrors the way Clay thinks about how hard it is to make these podcasts.

    Why do you think they are in competition with each other? That’s ridiculous. I think you’re the one who needs to grow up, you’re not lookin too good on here. Please change your attitude for the sake of everyone on here. We just want to have fun and learn about animation.

  5. Just wanted to say to both Clay as well as Andrew, thanks so much for doing this. Your podcasts are a gift from heaven, both of you guys are doing your thing your way and both of you guys produce quality stuff, not even considering the fact that it’s free. I just wanted to tell you guys that you should earn allot more recognition for what you are doing, and I will be forever gratefull for the work you have done so far and the things to come.

    Frankly it’s sad people argue over things wich in fact have no meaning at all,
    Andrew : don’t ever listen to people saying you are doing a bad job, cause you ain’t you’re doing a terrific job. And for the rest, invest your time in other more important stuff like trying to get better at animation or something instead of fighting over the net.

    Thanks again to both “animationpodcast” as well as “splinedoctors”
    Keep going
    Ciao
    Mathieu Vierendeel

  6. Woa…so I hadn’t visited this thread since I posted, and I just wanna say that I’m ashamed that my post has been added to this argument that got out of hand. The only reason I get frustrated when I can’t hear Spline Casts on the train because I want to hear them so bad–and heck, I still download and listen to it, enjoy it, and am grateful! The guys over at SplineDoctors seem to have taken this personally, I certainly didn’t intend my post that way. I meant to just give Clay a compliment, and did it the wrong way. But both podcasts are great and well-deserving of praise.

    Hats off to everyone that does animation podcasts, and my apologies to the Spline Doctors.

  7. :Kyle walks away with “tail tucked between his legs”:

  8. Wowowow. I just got back from a month in China and Japan (really) and this is all making my head spin. I’m sorry that the conversation took such a contentious turn in my absence, but I’m relieved as I read on here (and at the Spline Doctors’) that common sense is prevailing.

    It was never my intention to draw any comparisons to other casts. I only wanted to provide some insight in to the process I go through to make a show – and I KNOW it can’t be any easier for anyone else who does one too.

    I wish more people were willing to take the same efforts as the Doctors to contribute to the animation community. That’s what it’s about in the end – we’re just adding what we can to the collective knowledge. The more that happens, the better it is for everyone. I’ll echo what Andrew said in his related post by paraphrasing a Pixar maxim: “Content is king.” In this, the Splinecast delivers in spades.

    I’m glad the discussions have ended up focusing on the positive aspects of what these podcasts provide.

  9. Welocme back Clay! hopefully soon we can all just calm down relax and enjoy more podcasts and spline casts….. there all friggin awesome, and the information on both sites is golden to all animators!

  10. WOW!!! I cant believe that grown adults can sound so childish!
    If the quality is that bad and you cant hear them talking then I have a awesome solution..DONT LISTEN!!!!

    Frankly I love hearing Splinecasts or AnimationPodcast or any podcast for one reason – to hear what the person on the other end is saying..that is why you get them. “OOh, a podcast – I wanna hear it for its quality!” cmon!

    I like to know that the podcast is thrown together on a Thursday afternoon when everyone is goofing off – otherwise it feels like they are ina room reading a script.

    Clay, Andrew and whoever else is doing podcast..keep it up. The fact that I can hear Glen or Ron & John talk about animation is why I come to ANIMAITON podcasts.

    And go ahead and bash me on this because frankly I dont care, and I probably wont even know..I’ll be listening to some crappy, distorted podcast because I chose to.

    Matt

  11. wow..i cnt believe all of this…y’all people dont forget who’s site this is…so ya know…le’ts keep our heads’ cool and down to earth, and open to any criticisms or complements…. just cool down on this thing…. sometimes ya gotta be the bigge person.. n jus say …u know what..this isnt’ worth it..cuz both podcasts are excellent…so i hope we can learn, n move on…n wait eagerly for the next BIG SHOW…that Clay will of course mention all of us that have waited patiently ( WINK WINK), anywho, have a great day y’all, later my peeps, n back to work CLay! 🙂

  12. Thanks Clay and Andrew for all your hard work. As a full time animation student and working full time plus ot, I KNOW how hard it is to come by any time to complete projects and stay sane. If there is anyone who expects more from these guys than they are giving then I challenge you to walk in their shoes for a while. You may not last. Keep up the good work and don’t compromise your standards for anyone because this is your legacy and I know, as a fellow perfectionist, I want to leave a lasting one as well.

    btw what brought you to Japan and China? I would love to visit Japan one day because my wife is Japanese and I love the beauty I’ve seen in pictures. Is it an expensive trip?

  13. Hey Clay!

    I just sent you an e-mail through the “e-mail me” tab. Since it’s pretty urgent, I thought I’d let you know here too, so you don’t miss it.

    Thanks in advance!

  14. Clay,

    You rock man! You’re doing a great job here! The release schedule is just fine with me! We’re all in information overload all the time anyway. It’s something very sweet to look forward to!

    Thanks for doing this and don’t think for a minute that you need to change anything! There are plenty of us quiet ones that are very pleased with every aspect.

    —
    Jim in Japan

  15. Woo Hoo! Progress!!

    Can’t wait for the new show!

  16. Looks at progress bar. WOOHOO ! updated !! Aw you’re detemined to keep us all in suspence huh? Keep up the good work 🙂

  17. Thanks, Clay, for all the effort. As a result, your product is not only informational, but also clean and organized. I appreciate how much you put yourself through just to let us in on your hobby.

    Take however much time you need to keep this train a-rollin’! Every podcast you’ve released so far was well worth the wait.

  18. “I‚Äôll echo what [clay] said … ‚ÄúContent is king.‚Äù In this, the Splinecast delivers in spades.”

    -;

  19. I like alot of things. I also like to complain, and long walks on the beach. I love the animation pod cast, and spline casts. Most of all I like to use expensive machines to poke holes in old computer hardware at great distances. It helps with the stress of deadlines, and what not.
    Cheers,
    andy

  20. ohh the bar is progressing! 🙂 I’ve been soo busy I didn’t get a chance to check in a bit!

  21. Good God, it’s alive! The blue progress bars are alive and moving forward! So excited for the next installment, Clay! Thank you!

  22. so close i can almost hear it….
    this is my first “new” podcast since discovering these gems last year. i can’t help checking every day!

  23. Holy crap! Two days ago the “In & Out…” bar was up to 30, now it’s 95! It’s so close! It’ll be on everyone’s iPod in no time! Go, Clay, Go!

  26. great job with the podcasts clay
    but its been at 100% on all of them for ages now,
    whats going on?
    we need our podcasts!!

  27. Haha yeah I keep checking back here several times a week too, to see when the next show will be out. It’s been a while now, but I can imagine that life just gets busy sometimes, and it’s quite some work after all, to do these shows. Still, excited for whenever the next show comes out.
    I simply love listening to these, especially while I paint or draw, it’s so motivational and inspirational to listen to something when you are in the process yourself.
    Awesome work on the shows, hope life is treating you well, Clay!

    Daniel

  28. We’re all thinking the same thing. I posted on twitter about how much I miss the show and someone, who seems to get to speak to Clay from time to time, replied saying he is super busy right now. 🙂 So, yeah, waiting patiently… lol

  29. Well that’s a sign of life then! 😀 Hope it is the good kind of busy!

    Seems like now and then I should search the twitters for some stuff, haha.

  34. We’re dying! We’re having space madness from this delay. We need a new show now!

  35. I’m waiting too! I want to show support! More people post here so Clay gets it that we really appreciate this (if you don’t mind)!

    I used to love listening to Animation Podcast podcasts! Who is the next guest!!?

    Thank you Clay.

  36. Well, I don’t want us to pressure Clay – I think he’s super busy since “Bolt”. 🙂 A new show would be nice, of course, and hopefully he’ll have the time soon. In the meantime, you guys can follow the Animation Podcast on Twitter – http://twitter.com/AnimPodcast -I discovered that by accident the other day. Looks like the AnimMentor exclusive podcast will happen in October according to the last tweet, so that’s something.

  37. Elizabeth, that doesn’t help! It’s been 9 months since the last show and it looks like the fans are slowing down.

  38. Sorry, but to smooth things up, I found out that Clay was a post mentor at Animation Mentor. I think he’s not teaching anymore. Or
    maybe.

  39. Totally understandable how busy you must be Clay. Just wanted to to know that around the time I found the animation podcast I was extremely discouraged, and listening to all the podcasts in a row at that time really dug me out of my funk. Thank you and I’m waiting with baited breath.

  40. Just a heads up,
    i was looking at the Animation Podcast on twitter,
    and it said the next podcast will be released thru animation mentor so you should sign up for their free newsletter if you want it.

  41. Ok…WAY too many comments to respond to, so I’ll summarize.

    Yes, I’m alive!
    Yes, I’m very busy at work – I’ll write an update post about that very soon.
    Yes, I will be doing more interviews.
    Yes, they will be AWESOME.

    No, I’m not mentoring on Animation Mentor at this time (I was a campus mentor a few years ago and I loved it).

    You can follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/animpodcast

    I love you all. Your feedback keeps me going on the shows.

    Josh Taback – thank you for sharing that. I can’t stop now!

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