06.April.2000
Fatman
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a donut-wagon! The New Venue brings you the exciting first episode of Honkworm International's Fatman series.
Concept and Script
Johan Liedgren and Noah Tannen
Produced by:
Janet Galore
Sound Design
fnurPf Productions
Character Design and Animation
Debreuil Digital Works
Voices and Script
Christopher MacRae and Nathan Reed
Stills from "Fatman"
Honkworm International is the acclaimed Seattle-based web animation studio responsible for the "Fishbar" and "Siliconites" series which have received cult followings across Internet and television air space.
(Janet Galore of Honkworm)
New Venue:
What is the appeal of digital filmmaking?
Galore:
When we create shows digitally, we can be agnostic about the delivery format -- we can quickly deliver shows in virtually any streaming format, or we can output to tape. I think digital media is much more scalable than analog. We can also capture analog media and mess with it digitally, which is fun, too.
New Venue:
How do you take into account the constraints of the Internet?
Galore:
We designed Fatman to run in a 320x240 window, so the cuts and scene composition is different that what you'd see on TV or the big screen. The graphics and audio are compressed in the usual manner, and the animation is simple so that it doesn't tax the user's computer too much (in Flash). These constraints are changing quickly, and much of our new stuff is designed with looser constraints.
New Venue:
What's the story behind "Fatman"?
Galore:
Fatman was created by Noah Tannen and Johan Liedgren. It's animated by the talented team of Debreuil Digital Works, and the character of Fatman is played by Christopher MacRae, who does a lot of voices for us. We wanted to make a show about a misfit, low budget, anti-superhero and his disappointed side kick.
New Venue:
What tools did you use?
Galore:
We used Photoshop, CorelDraw, various sound editors, and Flash 4.
New Venue:
Did "Fatman" ever really kick ass or is he all talk?
Galore:
He's a kinder, gentler superhero... I think he'd like to get to the bottom of why the bad guys are so bad, make them a nice macaroni and cheese dinner and discuss things. Kicking ass would only happen as a result of food deprivation.
New Venue:
When it comes to movies and animation on the web, what would you like to see more of?
Galore:
I would like to see more things like "More" by Mike Osborne (can be seen on IFILM). There are a lot of stories to be told that aren't necessarily funny, but are very powerful nevertheless. I'd like to see more cinematic techniques used, and a bigger dedication to cool stories rather than more fart jokes. But then, you gotta love a good fart joke...
New Venue:
What's the next project?
Galore:
We are working on a lot of new shows, including more Fishbar, a new show called "Dog in a Box with Two Wheels", and some live action stuff as well. We're always looking for new ideas and new creative partners!
New Venue:
Where else can we see your work?
Galore:
HONKWORM.COM
View this movie.
You can find out about other digital flicks in the New Venue Archives.
