Introduce Yourself : Independent Film Maker, Animator, Artist and Writer by David Arandle

Hi, I just finished creating the website for G.B. Hajim and learned a lot about how he is developing a nacient animation industry on the big island of Hawai'i. He just completed the first Lesbian rock and roll science fiction movie using Photoshop and students from the local junior college as his animators. Strange Frame had its film premiere at the London Science Fiction and Fantastical film festival and will be showing at Dragon*Con. G.B.'s background sounds like yours. The voice talent on the film was amazing: Claudia Black, Cree Summer, Tim Curry, Alan Tudyk, George Takei, Ron Glass, and more. I can probably get you in contact with G.B. if you wish to compare notes. Meanwhile, check out www.strangeframe.com.

Connect with Joe Murray on this site. Years ago I worked with him on an animated short called "My Dog Zero", and soon after, he went on to produce the popular "Rocko's Modern Life" series for Nickelodeon, and the Emmy Award-winning "Camp Lazlo" for the Cartoon Network. He does great master classes, and has a recent book out about creating animations with character. He's a great guy. Best of luck!

Thanks for the leads Rita and Paul. G.B.'s work looks visually stunning from the images I've seen. Will have to look up Joe Murray's work. I specialize in characters and am known for being able to give real personality to my creations. Will be a challenge to translate that to the moving image.

Here is Joe's web site: http://joemurraystudio.com/ Be sure to post your stuff so we get to see it here. Best, Paul

I'd love to see your work, too. I think what GB did was take an unusual animation style, got Skywalker Sound and Gary Rizzo to do the mixing and hired terrific voice talent. I think story and characters are equally important be it for animation or live action. Best of luck.

You can check out what I've been up to - mostly with GoAnimate on my blog (which has plenty of samples of my art too - including the background and header characters): http://www.animationandvideo.com/ I will be putting together a show reel of my own work over time. I just don't want to do a show reel of GoAnimate work because despite that work being written, edited, directed and in some cases even animated by me, many people can't see past the fact that the art is mostly preanimated content by GoAnimate.

Hey, fellow animator! I'm just getting started, putting animations on my website, www.dkladytooner.com and on YouTube. Take a look at my most popular piece right now: http://youtu.be/cfMCZ1fpgmk

I would love to do some voice acting!

David, it was easy to pick up on the humor in your Go!Animate work online, despite the text-to-voice speaking and canned animation elements. That humor is the important thing ... I'm sure once you get the techniques associated with movement down, your own animation work will be great!

Thanks Paul. I've been using GoAnimate to refine my story telling technique over the last four years and discovered I had a bit of talent for comedy writing which really got my work noticed. It gives me some confidence in taking the next step of animating my own scripts myself. Eliza - thanks for letting me know. Voice work on my personal projects may be 'labors of love' to begin with but my commercial clients sometimes are in need of voices actors. Good to have a few people I could contact. D.K. I really enjoyed the enthusiasm that comes across in your animation work. Great stuff.

Thanks, David! Enthusiasm is what I have for doing my animations. I'm glad it comes across in my work.