Joe Murray's Journal

Here are some screen caps from the first final scenes coming back from animation. Jantze Animation in Georgia are doing a great job.

At times I have to stop and remind myself that I am holding standards for cartoons that cost around a half million per half hour to produce with a staff of 50 or so in house, and 200 in an overseas studio. For just the kickstarter money, ( and a hell of a lot of sweat equity) I’m hoping we will do the Kickstarter backers proud, and kick this web channel off in good fashion.

In some ways however, it’s the adage:  Inexpensive- Good Quality- Done Quickly    : Pick any two. Because it’s very difficult to have all three.

I also realize that my work has always been more personal stories. Not so much pop culture cartoons. So we will see how these play. Both of these episodes have some personal experience and metaphorical points that maybe some won’t get until they have a few watchings.

Hmmmm. We will see.

Voice Actor Jill Talley Shows How It’s Done.

I’ve given so much attention to Tom Kenny and Carlos A. for their voice work, I wanted to send some props’ along to the very talented Second City, Mr. Show actress Jill Talley for her work on these Frog In A Suit episodes.( She was also Gretchen and Nina in Camp Lazlo). This clip shows Jill in action perfecting lines for Peete’s crush Lilly Hopper, and I’ve included early rough animation to see how they play. You will also see me directing the voice session with my engineer Krandal Crews at Sunshine Studios. Hope you like!

Mark your calendars for my first live event EVER! Tuesday, August 24th at 6 pm PSD, 9pm eastern on USTREAM.TV. (Yikes). I’m still working out the details on how the questions come in, via the chat screen on Ustream, or another method. But I will keep you posted. If you go to USTREAM.TV and sign up with a login name, you can join the chat while it’s going on. I will be monitoring the blog as well. You can pre-submit questions here. Obviously I can’t get to all of them, but I’m sure we will have a good time!

Of course this is all in connection with the release date of my new book “Creating Animated Cartoons with Character”, which I’m very  excited about.

I’m knee deep in getting these Frog episodes done, and preparing KaboingTV for a soft launch. In a way, I feel like the small business owner whipping up the first batches of his product on his kitchen table. Pot’s overflowing, things exploding. Trying out different recipes of just the right product that will sell in the market.  It’s pretty crazy, but fun crazy.

“Genuine beginnings begin within us, even when they are brought to our attention by external opportunities”- William Bridges

I’ve been thinking a lot about the course our lives take, and how we are more in charge than sometimes we think.

Back in 1986, at the tender age of 25, while still attempting to get a comic strip in the newspapers, I was sketching in my notebook, and suddenly wrote out ” If minds are going to watch the screen anyway, why not put something useful there? Create characters that entertain, provoke thought, and use the platform to help in other ways”. I’m not sure why I wrote this at that time. I had not yet discovered animation, never considered television as a useful place for anything, and the computer at the time was an infant that needed twenty codes to type a document. Yet after that, the world started spinning for me. I was on a path that I wasn’t quite aware of, yet felt so  right. I abandoned comic strips, and found animation. Even when I thought my future was in independent films for festivals, I got swept up in the wave of 90′s animation in television. I learned, studied. Rocko and Lazlo feel more like stepping stones for me, as well as the education of producing, managing crews, managing budgets, etc.

Over twenty years later, I feel I’m still playing out that goal. And I still have a ways to go.

I’ve cursed at times the need I have to remain so independent. I feels a lot easier to care for a family and have job security when one makes peace with working for someone else. It’s noble for sure. But for me, it’s a sweater that keeps you warm, but itches like hell. ( I think I stole that from Hunter Thompson.) There are many who have achieved high potential working for someone else. We are all different breeds.

The life of an independent artist/business owner was probably one of the hardest I could have aspired for. My Dad tried to talk me out of it. Loved ones got tired of watching me fall flat on my face. ( and trust me, I still do.) But for some reason, I keep getting up.

Some day I may not.

But until then,  I’ll keep carrying out my marching orders. It’s all a mystery, isn’t it?

Frog In A Suit Progress

Wanted to share some progress with you on the next two Frog in a Suit episodes. Pencil tests are coming in on the animation. ( This one is from Kelly McNutt of the Jantze Studio in Georgia, showing Dad spilling his guts. Not all of the mouth movements are there, as you can see. A lot of blocking for the acting needs to be set in place.

As the animation on Episode 35 is getting completed, the storyboard and script were finished for episode 36, and on Monday we recorded it with Carlos Alazraqui and Tom Kenny. Will have video soon. It was a very entertaining record. More later!

Thank you all for your input. I’ll have to look into all options and figure out whats best. The only definite is that there will be a live Q & A event on August 24th, the release date of the book. I”ll keep you all posted where it will be. ( And yes, I know there will be a lot of Rocko questions. I’ll try and give equal time.) I was just on the phone with Tom Kenny ( Heffer, Spongebob, Lumpus) and he just got back from Comic Con. He’s said he’s surprised how many Rocko questions get thrown at him. We both had a laugh about it. It feels so  far in the past, but still an important part of both of our lives. ( And fun for the most part. At least the records were.)

Sorry for so long between posts. We just sent off the first chunk of animation, and I’m finishing up the next FIAS storyboard. Also trying to set up recording time with the Sound studio and the voice actors.

I’m thinking for the upcoming release date of my book to host a live Q & A. Someone had posted something a while a go about someone else who had done that on a particular site. Maybe you all can feed me your ideas on this event. Or I could do it here.

What are your thoughts?

I came across this model sheet I did of Spunky for the Rocko pilot, ( I’m putting it up for sale in the Archive store). and it  flooded me with a lot of memories of the pilot, and how we did it with a lot of sweat, and flying by the seat of our pants. A lot of what I’m feeling now with Frog in a Suit and Kaboing TV. Also, that we are trusting are gut without any pre-conceived templates. Making it up as we go along.

Carlos Alazraqui ( voice of Rocko, Lazlo, and Garcia on Reno 911) is coming over to my home studio next week to lay down some tracks for Frog. It reminded me of when he  first came to audition in my co-producer George Maestri’s basement in San Francisco. It was 1991 I believe, and George had a little make shift recording set up. Carlos was probably the 50th person we listened to, and Rocko came out of him, and then Spunky, and I knew we had both. When Rocko went into production and I moved the studio down to LA, we would fly him in to Burbank to record. He would stay at my house in Studio City. We always  laugh about the time my pipes in the kitchen busted, and Carlos climbed under my house to find the water main switch because I didn’t fit.

Anyway, he’s a good friend, and taking time out before he leaves on his honeymoon to help the project out. It’s becoming quite an adventure.

There are few new things in the Archive store that I just love ( especially the cel from Jetscream where they are morphing from being in a free fall.)

All is good!

Turn-arounds

In animation, as most of you probably know, before production begins, all characters need to be designed in”turn-around” so animators  know what things look like from all angles. These are the first step in creating a “model sheet” for each character, which I am in the process of doing as I attack these storyboards.

Just wanted to keep you all updated on the production process.

I know I’m preaching to the Choir

“Money will  come when you are doing the right thing”.- Mike Phillips

I know that anyone who reads this blog, if they could afford it has already become a backer. We are in the homestretch now, but in so many ways it’s out of my hands. I do the interviews when I can ( Here is another one on AWN by Mark Simon Read it Here.) hoping to spread the reach a little further. I feel I’ve pestered the heck out of my contacts.

All I can do is extend my gratitude for the journey this has already become, and no matter how it ends up, I’m so appreciative of the support.

It’s been great. Thank you.