Category: News & Info

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.

The planning was almost perfect. I finished animating on Meet the Robinsons the week before Thanksgiving and then took off last week for a vacation in Maryland and New York. Why do you care? Because I theoretically have more time now that I won’t be doing overtime every day and so that means I’ll get back to producing shows and answering your comments and emails. I keep them all, so if you’ve written but are still waiting for a response, I’ll get to it.

It feels great to come back to work after the holiday with a refreshed mind and the promise of a new movie to work on. I also can’t wait for Meet the Robinsons to come out on March 30th to see how people react. I haven’t seen the final version myself so I’m excited for that too!

There are some questions that keep coming up so I’ll answer them here.

– The enhanced podcast feed in iTunes doesn’t have all the shows. I still need to make them. Every show is available in the regular feed.

– One of the Nik Ranieri files was cutting off and that has been fixed.

– I will add to the animation notebook in the future as well. I want it to be worth your while and looking back at my notes, I felt like they needed some more explanation so I’ll be writing and posting when I can.

I’ll talk to you guys soon.

I’ve been getting a surge of visits today from Cartoon Brew and CG Channel, so if you’re new here, you can find a list of all the shows at this link. Just click on the titles to get to the shows.

You can also subscribe in iTunes, which is the easiest way to stay updated. There are links for that in the sidebar.

You can also use the popup player at the top of the sidebar.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy listening!

-Clay

Hey everybody! I’ve been trying to find the time to work on the next shows (with a NEW guest), so when that all comes together, you’ll be getting Show 16. In the meantime, while I’m not editing audio, I’ll be taking a fresh look at my email inbox to see if I can whittle down the pile and respond to you if you’ve contacted me. Thanks for the patience. I know there are a lot of different places you can go on the web for animation information, and I’m happy to have you stop by here.

On a side note, I’ve been getting questions about unfinished interviews. I’ve got more Nik Ranieri audio to make a few more shows (and then we’ll get together again to bring it to the present). You’ve heard all the Ron & John audio I have, but now that they’re back at Disney, we can finish what we started. Like I said in Show 15, I’ll be meeting again with Glen, so if you want to ask him a question, use the Voicemail link in the header and record yourself.

You’ll hear from me soon.

-Clay

If you didn’t know, the site was offline for a day while I transfered to a new host. It was fairly painless. I think in the whole process I only lost one or maybe two of the most recent comments. Well I’m glad that’s all done! I also tried to reduce some of the visual clutter in the process.

I’m assuming you don’t care about all this and just want the next show. I’ve been working on the site all day and I’m all computed out. It’s Easter weekend. Go outside. Breathe fresh air! I’ll get to the next one this week.

See you guys later.

I’m transfering my site to a new host in the next week or so. I can’t say exactly when because it’s out of my control. When that happens, the website will most likely not be available for about a day, and that’s if I get to it right away.

I’ve decided to hold off on releasing Glen Keane, Part Two until after the switch because I don’t want people to come looking for it and find absolutely nothing. It’ll only be a short while and when everything is squared away, I’ll put out Show 15.

I host the audio files on a totally different server, so all the previous shows will still be available. The best bet is to access them through iTunes or another podcast directory like Odeo, Yahoo! Podcasts, or Podcast Alley.

Thanks for your understanding and patience,
Clay

Hey everybody,
I’ve been collecting a couple things in my head so it’s time to dump them here. (My head only holds so much.)

Comments
Thanks to everyone who’s commented here on the site and via email. Generally, I’ll respond to the site comments first since the emails I get usually have more detailed questions, but I do try to answer all of them. So if you’ve sent me mail, I’ve got it, I just haven’t had a chance to respond yet.

Odeo Voicemail
Thanks for all the Odeo voice messages too! Like I said in the last show, the audio is so much better!

Survey
The survey is still active, so click it in the header, or here, if you haven’t taken it. I have a target number of participants and you’re already half way there. It’s giving me some great insight to who you guys are (and who you’d like to hear on upcoming shows).

Badges (or buttons)
If you’ve been wanting an image to use on your site to link back to me, want no more. I’ve got a variety of sizes to choose from, so step right up and get your badges here.

Voting
I’ve kind of dropped the push for votes at Podcast Alley, but listener Paul’s comment rightly points out that it does help to get more listeners. If you’re so inclined, you can vote from the link on the homepage (under Feedback), or through this link. Thanks Paul.

I’ve been futzing with a new theme that offers some cool functionality, so check it out. If you don’t see a difference, use the Theme Switcher in the sidebar. And if it totally busts your viewing experience, just switch back. I know it’s very “traditional” in the animation sense of the word, but don’t get all bent, there’s a CG theme coming soon.