Interview with Animator
Mike Geiger
Creator of
"County Ghost Episode 3"
Watch it now!
Watch "County Ghost"
Background: I think my earliest inspiration was probably Sesame Street. I remember the "pinball countdown" like it was yesterday.
Training: I did a basics of animation coarse at Capilano College in Vancouver B.C.(Canada) and then took
2d animation at the Vancouver Film School after that.
What's great about it?
The best think about animation is that creativity is pretty much the entire driving force. I think it's a rare medium where skill is almost secondary to the innovation of the artist. The only limit to what makes animation interesting is what is put down on the paper, the options are as endless as the creator wants them to be.
Influences:
I think my main influence most likely comes from
skateboard culture. I know its probably not super relevant in my work, but I grew up inspired by the graphics on the skateboards I would buy or see in magazines, and I think I can base most of my appreciation for art at an early age to designers like Marc Mckee, Neil Blender, Barry Mcgee, or Ed Templeton.
View Mike's Portfolio
Inspiration:
I just wanted to make something simple and fun that could be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Technique:
I usually do a super rough thumbnail storyboard, then draw the main poses out on paper and scan them into Flash for cleaning. The rest of the episode is animated with Flash and then the odd scene is run through After Effects to apply the "glow" effect to the ghost. The b.g.s are usually sketched out really quickly on paper, traced in Flash, painted in Painter and then imported back into Flash. It sounds like a bit of a long process, but it feels like the best way for me to get from point A to point B without compromising the look I want.
Time Required:
An episode usually takes me about a month to make from start to finish.
Challenges: My main challenge tends to simply be getting it done before I start to feel any frustration of it not being done yet. If I make it to the end of an episode with the same excitement I felt when I started, that's really my goal. If I start to feel any defeat of "I have so much more work to do", or temporary loss of inspiration, is when I face my biggest task of just getting past that moment, or scene, to enjoy the fun of the process again. I really do enjoy making them, so it's just important to me that I don't end up turning my enjoyment into a chore.
Watch "County Ghost Episode 3"
Go to Mike's Portfolio