We’re back this week for a sit down with animator Tim Heiderich to talk about his ongoing series “Emergency 411”. All of these pieces are slowly rolling out on the new Myspace channel but you can check out the work over on Tim’s Myspace page or on his official site. I believe Tim is close to completion on a new 411 spot so we hope to share that with you soon. I’ve blathered on before about my love for Tim’s other projects (namely his Sarcastic Hulk ) but you must go now to his official site as well. Fantastic stuff!
Tim Heiderich
Emergency 411
What burning idea did you have in you that you had to get out with the “Emergency 411” shorts cycle?
It originally started as a way to give out practical and useful advice, but when I realized I didn’t have any of that, I quickly changed the subject to something more fanciful. Because sometimes you’re tied to railroad tracks and don’t know what to do, right?
What were your duties on these shorts – animation, character modeling, direction, art direction, editing, voices?
Oh wow, everything. Just everything. I was a little hesitant about using my incredibly average voice in them, but all my voice-over friends were busy that day. So instead you’re stuck listening to me and my rampant insincerity.
Talk about some artists that have influenced your design style.
Apart from whoever makes those “Don’t Walk” signs, I would list Chuck Jones, Tex Avery and Savage Steve Holland as influences in both my comedic as well as visual storytelling style.
What found materials did you surround yourself with for inspiration?
Putting on some Kubrick movies while I work makes for good inspiration, and usually parts of whatever I’m watching will find a way into my work here and there. I believe this qualifies me as a film snob.
How long did the productions take from start to finish?
About two weeks of working all through the night and sleeping at work. I kinda came close to being fired over that.
Are you test-driving any new skills or technology here? Or working with anyone for the first time?
The one weird thing I’m doing here is, though there are several good animation applications available, I opted to animate these in Final Cut Pro. I was in a time crunch when I started and didn’t have time to re-learn the, y’know, ‘proper’ animation tools.
What was the biggest technical challenge?
I would say attempting to animate in software designed mostly for editing, but my familiarity with Final Cut actually made it pretty easy. The characters are all done by animating the layers of photoshop files, so arranging the layers within layers within layers can get a little tedious. There was a sequence of 36 animated characters that was so dense it took overnight to render, and three minutes to see any changes I made. All that for three seconds of animation.
Talk about your scholastic background and your professional background. What led you to animation?
While a student of psychology, I spent much of my undergrad time at UCLA working on a student-run TV show called The Mike & Ben Show, which is where I picked up my editing and animation skills and (most importantly) my ability to work without pay or sleep. At the time, animation was just a way to fuss around with the editing software while avoiding the other actors as much as possible. Since then I’ve been working on my own cartoons, which I’ve pitched to Cartoon Network and FOX.
What’s your latest project?
More E411’s, and hopefully resuming a parody I started years ago of the old Incredible Hulk cartoon. I had a great time writing it with a friend of mine, so of course we shelved it inexplicably.
Blog? Personal website? Company website? Other?
http://www.timtoon.com/
Day gig?
A programmer for LA Weekly. You’re the first to know about the coolest parties, so that’s kind of a perk!
Why do we live in L.A.? Why? Why...
I’m originally from a dusty crossroads in norcal called Hollister, and I figured is was either tipping cows there or tipping out of work actors here.
My personalized warning label from www.warninglabels.com says “Anarchy to commence shortly – no flip-flops”. What does yours say?
Funny you should mention that! http://www.timtoon.com/2007/04/05/the-warning-label-generator/
Do you make art at work? Is it a place where you have to be naughty and make art in discreet five-minute chunks so no one sees? Or do you just go for it because no one can ever appear looking over your shoulder? (Or are you simply conscientious and not the type to take a creativity break?)
Alas, the environment of software development isn’t really conducive to little art breaks. It’s tough to switch gears between thinking analytically and thinking visually. But I have a feeling something’s gotta give.
Emergency 411: At a Concert
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