Thomas van Kampen

I'm a freelance 2d animator! You can get into contact with me by e-mail: [email protected] and you can check out my portfolio at http://thomasjvankampen.wixsite.com/tjvk Follow me on twitter @Tomjvank and subscribe to me on youtube! https://www.youtube.com/user/TomboTime

[scrawnydutchman]

"Hooked on a Feeling”: A Retrospective on James’ Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FOLLOWING FILMS:

-Guardians of the Galaxy 1-3

-Avengers, Infinity War

-Avengers: Endgame

Thor: Love and Thunder

-The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

The Guardians of the Galaxy films . . . . .  I struggle to find the words as to how much they mean to me, which is saying a lot because I’m probably the wordiest motherfucker I know. In a franchise like the MCU that has become so oversaturated and so bland with every release that it has made the term “Superhero fatigue” prominent, the Guardians manage to stand out with their immense heart and exceptional film making. Guardians 3 is no exception. While it is a *slight* departure from the norm established by the prior films as it’s much darker and more mature, it still manages to be so incredibly fun and uplifting. In my opinion, given what James Gunn had to work with after Infinity War and Endgame (we will get to those in a minute) it truly was the perfect conclusion for all of these characters.

In celebration and tribute to these films that I love so much, I thought rather than doing a long film review of 3 like I usually do, I’d take a look back at the Guardians film franchise as a whole and see what it has meant for the evolution of these characters as well as the general impact on the Marvel cinematic universe. In this retrospective we will be covering Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and finally, closing it off with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

When this film was coming out, it seemingly had everything going against it. It had to establish 5 of the most obscure characters in Marvel’s catalogue all in one film. It had to sell the guy from Parks and Recreation as the leading superhero. It had to compete with the first Avengers, which many called the best superhero movie of all time when it premiered. It had to take a gamble on whether or not the audience could buy the idea of a talking Raccoon being in a superhero movie. If this franchise was to survive, it had to be GOOD.

And boy was it.

It was so good that became a box office hit. Suddenly, these obscure marvel characters of which only the most dedicated of fans would be aware of skyrocketed into household name territory. Baby Groot merch started flying off the shelves. Everyone was talking about how funny and heartfelt the film was, because it is! All the characters were so lovable and hilarious. It was colorful, dramatic, fun, inventive. Chris Pratt was SO charismatic as the leading man. The soundtrack was iconic: a meticulously and appropriately picked set of 70s classics. It just goes to show that when your product is quality enough, anything is possible.

The success of the Avengers may have paved the way for all the crossover potential of the MCU, but the Guardians had set the tone not just for themselves but have captured a charm that the rest of the MCU has been attempting to capture ever since . . . for better or worse. Yeah, unfortunately the lesson the MCU and many other films’ took from the Guardians success is that the audience will eat it up as long as it has a soundtrack of all hits and a buttload of quips, but there’s more to it than that. The soundtrack can’t just be a collection of randomly selected pop hits: it has to be tonally appropriate for the scene and thematic to the plot. And the character’s can’t always just be quipping for the hell of it: it has to be driven by character. So yeah, this film inadvertently set a bit of an unfortunate precedent going forward, but that doesn’t change the fact that it kicks ass. Quality will ALWAYS have its bargain bin imitators.

The film’s biggest strength is how it sells such a big cast of new characters through their chemistry with each other. Backstory, character arc and personality traits aren’t enough in a vacuum: they are at their best when put in contrast with opposing characters. Even though these guys don’t spend *that* much time with each other initially, you get a very quick sense that they were arguably meant to band together. It makes the climax of this film where they join together to share the energy of the power stone all the more satisfying.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (2017)

So while I do certainly love the first film, I would probably say it was also the most flawed. It had a decent theme about the value of friendship and the importance of coming together, especially when you have no one, it was definitely lacking in some places. The biggest example I can think of is its villain. Ronin is lame, there’s no getting around it. He didn’t tie in to the arc of the main characters by any stretch. He wasn’t important in the grand scheme of things. He doesn’t have any particularly memorable lines (other than giving the group their team name). He was merely an obstacle for the heroes to dispose of. On top of that, while Nebula and Yondu were both present in the film, they weren’t given a whole lot of characterization just yet. They were either more mere obstacles or plot devices to further things along, with any further depth merely hinted at.

Vol 2 manages to radically improve where the first one fell short. Ego is the main villain this time around and HE. IS. AWESOME. Cunningly manipulative. Disgustingly charming. Even more disgustingly evil. The dude was a breath of fresh air at a time when many marvel villains were just so forgettable. In my opinion, Ego is still the best villain in the trilogy (we will get to the High Evolutionary later). His intimate ties with Peter’s arc about moving forward and finding new family (not to mention the definition of family) was simply fabulous. Plus Rocket’s side story where he bonds with Yondu was particularly entertaining too. Also, Nebula and Gamora’s relationship was a great source of entertainment. This is the other way Vol 2 improves upon its predecessor: Yondu and Nebula are becoming fully realized. Yondu provides a noble sacrifice that redeems him of his abusive ways while also confirming that he always loved Peter, whereas Nebula gets to shine as, in my opinion, the best female character in the MCU. She’s tragic, she’s ruthless, she’s badass . .  but she’s also very, very funny. Other MCU writers could take notes from this because she has adjectives to her personality besides synonyms for “strong” or “capable”. Not to mention we get Mantis in this movie. She was fantastic chemistry with Drax from here on out and only brings more to the group’s already stellar dynamic. This movie is great and is an improvement on the first one in every way.

The film also establishes Adam Warlock in its after credits scene. Given the timeline of the MCU and my knowledge of who Adam Warlock is in the comics, I was expecting him to be prepared in time for an appearance in Infinity War and Endgame considering he’s basically a primary adversary for Thanos. But, among many things, Infinity War and Endgame did not really capitalize on what the Guardians established as well as it should have. Which brings us to . . .

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Endgame (2019)

Sigh . . . . . so this is around where the quality of the Guardians’ involvement in the MCU goes down. Don’t get me wrong, I like Infinity War and Endgame. I became a 10 year old boy in my seat when Cap lifted Mjolnir too.

But MAN did these movies rob the Guardians.

This is the movie where Thanos makes his move as the big baddie of the infinity saga. The Guardians, indisputably, have more history with Thanos than any other characters in the MCU. Thanos was introduced officially (not as an after credits scene or easter egg) in Guardians 1. Drax’s whole arc for a while was about wanting revenge on Thanos for the death of his family. TWO OF THE GUARDIANS ARE THANOS’ DAUGHTERS. And yet . . . . not only is almost the entirety of the team blipped away for 5 years with the only survivors being Rocket and Nebula, but when they all come back NONE of them get their own chance for licks against Thanos. Drax never gets his long awaited revenge. Neither Gamora nor Nebula have a chance to tag team Thanos the way Cap and Bucky tag teamed Iron Man. Quill never gets a chance to make up for his error that got half the universe killed. SCARLET WITCH GETS HER OWN CHANCE AT REVENGE AGAINST THANOS BUT NOT THE GUARDIANS??? ARE YOU SHITTING ME?!

Also, in my opinion, they reduce Peter Quill to a complete dullard punching bag in these movies. I know Peter is supposed to be a manchild and is somewhat dumb, but it’s like the Russo brothers have a hate boner for him or something.

The line “I’m not from earth, I’m from Missouri” makes literally no goddamn sense. Peter was 8 when he was abducted by the Ravagers. He would have to be Patrick star levels of dumb to not know that Missouri is on earth. Not to mention all the other Guardians treat him with absolutely no respect. They have SO much more respect for him than that. And then in Endgame all he gets is being a punching bag as quick jokes and then immediately going back to being belittled by Thor.

Speaking of Thor, they tease at the end of Endgame that Thor becomes a temporary Guardian . . . and then he leaves the group basically immediately in Thor: Love and Thunder (which is its own trashfire that’s for sure). That movie has weird characterization of Quill too as it essentially shows him at the end of the journey that Thor is supposed to take . . . but then in the Guardians films Gunn still has him struggling with missing Gamora. Yeah, I can’t help but feel like the rest of the MCU really messed with Gunn’s plans for these characters. He now has to make lemonade out of the fact that most of them have been gone for five years, Gamora and Quill’s relationship has hit the reset button, Thanos is now dead which means Drax effectively has no direction and Adam Warlock wasn’t brought out when he should have been. To bring it back, Gunn would have to make some serious lemonade.

Luckily he succeeded.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)

So this was a funny and sweet little movie to tide us over while we wait for Guardians 3. Not entirely necessary, but damn if it isn’t fun. Drax and Mantis are saddened that Quill is still struggling with how much he misses Gamora. On top of that, they learn that they’ve entered the time where Terrans celebrate this little holiday known as “Christmas”. So they have the idea of cheering Quill up by throwing him a big Christmas party and getting him the greatest gift of all . . .abducting and brainwashing his hero, Kevin Bacon. That premise alone is worth checking it out at least once because the Hijinks that ensues is pretty damn funny. But the movie also surprisingly establishes from rather important elements. For one, it introduced Cosmo the telekinetic spacedog as a major character rather than a quick cameo, who will be important for Guardians 3. For another, it reveals that Mantis is Quill’s half sibling as she too was a child of Ego. Sadly this doesn’t shake up the dynamic of the group THAT much, but it IS mentioned in Guardians 3 in a way that furthers the plot along nicely.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 (2023)

So here we are at the conclusion for this team of Guardians. After almost a decade of entertaining us with their antics, Star-Lord, Gamora, Nebula, Drax, Groot, Mantis and Rocket are going on one last ride before their stories come to an end. I was simultaneously so excited and so scared coming into this movie. It’s basically the only thing in the MCU I give a shit about at this point and I got so attached to these characters that I simply couldn’t take the idea of any of them dying. Gunn knew how attached we all are and played a mean trick on us. All the marketing made it seem like they were going to straight up die at the end. My heart couldn’t take that. 

Fortunately nobody *actually* dies. Most of the team just does into retirement, which is also sad but much preferable. Peter goes back to earth to get back in touch with his grandfather. Mantis sets out on her own to discover what she’s all about. Drax and Nebula become an adopted dad and mom to a whole race of kids (which is hilarious, I want to see that dynamic in action). This version of Gamora finds a new home as a Ravager. And Rocket, who is the star this time around, becomes the captain of a new generation of Guardians alongside Groot as a returning member.

This film is quite a radical departure from how Guardians usually does things. While the first two had a soundtrack comprised entirely of 70s hits in reference to Quill’s relationship with his mom, this film starts integrating 90s hits, and I like to think of this as Quill’s evolution as he starts moving forward rather than living in the past. This film is also MUCH darker and sadder. AND more violent. Like . . . holy shit the drama is cranked up to 11 and the film comes out literally swinging in the first 10 minutes. But don’t worry: it still manages to have a lot of classic Guardians fun, especially with it having the best action of any Guardians film BY FAR.

By far the biggest change is that Rocket and Quill switch roles, in more literal ways than one. In the first two films, Quill was the center focus whereas Rocket was something of a deuteragonist (secondary protagonist). But here, Rocket takes center stage and Quill’s storyline serves to further the themes of Rocket’s in a different way. Considering the mess that Gunn was left with after Infinity War, Endgame and Love and Thunder, I gotta say: He made some sweet ass lemonade. Peter and Gamora’s reset relationship resolved in a way that was thematically appropriate for the film (I.E. accepting things as they are instead of trying to bend it to fit your way). Drax was given direction back as a father rather than a destroyer, which is what motivated his revenge arc to begin with, resolving the fact that after Thanos died he didn’t have much to do. Mantis was given a lot of time to shine. Even Adam Warlock had a role in this film that wasn’t completely pointless. He got the ball rolling with his attack on Rocket, he tied in to the theme of self acceptance and discovery over being told what you ought to be, and he saved Peter at the end, solidifying his place as a next gen Guardian. He was definitely childlike, but he was literally born yesterday so that tracks, and again, only further serves the theme of self discovery and actualization.

Also, one of my more minor complaints of past Guardians films is that action has been rather lackluster. The first Guardians film suffers from sporadic editing and uninspired cinematography while the second film pushed comedic value over cathartic action (except for the Yondu arrow scene, that was sick). Guardians 3 goes SOOOO HARD with its action and it’s fucking amazing. All the Guardians got significant upgrades in their abilities on screen. Drax very much earns his reputation as “the Destroyer” in this one, which is a relief because ever since Vol 2 he’s sort of been reduced to just a walking punchline. Mantis proved how scary she can be with her empath powers. Nebula showed off how unstoppable of a force she can become. The hallway scene is the best action scene in the whole MCU, no contest. The Guardians dogpiling on the High Evolutionary was so fucking satisfying.

Also, High Evolutionary was a great villain. A bit hammy for my taste in select places and ultimately I think Ego is a stronger villain overall, but it was cool to see a villain that is 1000% scumbag and it makes him getting his comeuppance all the more satisfying.

This film will leave you crying like a baby over the drama of a little Raccoon. It’s fantastic.

Conclusion

So yeah. The MCU all in all has been quite the spectrum of quality, with some films being much, much, MUCH better than others, especially in recent years. But the Guardians have been consistently amazing quality from beginning to end . . . as long as Gunn is in charge, that is. This team of Guardians is where Gunn says goodbye to the MCU and the new team (plus Star-Lord’s new adventures) will likely be handled by a different director going forward. I’ll keep an open mind about how well that goes, but regardless, all I can say is thank you James Gunn for these incredible films that introduced us to such lovable characters. 

[scrawnydutchman]

Mixed Signals Movie Thumbnail

Hi everyone!

Not a major update to the film, really. Just wanted to show off the thumbnail for when I *eventually * upload the film to Youtube for all to see whenever they want (not before doing a film festival run with it though).The film has MINISCULE adjustments to be made before I call it finished and I cannot wait for everyone to see it. Still taking art requests from those who donated $100 or higher to the Associate Producer tier on Kickstarter. Just email at at [email protected] if you have a request. Please nothing gratuitously violent, prejudiced or sexually explicit.

Those who donated to the "See the Movie Early" tier will be receiving a password protected Vimeo Link to the film THIS MONTH so stay on the lookout for that. To make sure I get everyone I'm gonna be both sending them via Kickstarter messages AND reaching out to backers I know personally with information I already have, but if you have a preferred method of receiving this perk send me your contact info @ [email protected] you everyone, and as always, tune in for the release of Mixed Signals!

[scrawnydutchman]

The Best Friends Zaibatsu: Where are they now?

Let me take you back to a simpler time in internet content. Before reaction channels oversaturated the market. Before the vine invasion after the infamous site imploded. around the time when the algorithm was JUST changing from click based to minutes watched. The video game content block Machinima was still around, and with it, many hit series including Sanity Not Included, Sonic for Hire . . . and Two Best Friends Play.

https://www.youtube.com/c/superbestfriendsplay

Two Best Friends Play (which would later be called SUPER Best Friends Play with the addition of Woolie and Liam to the cast) was a comedy let’s play/sketch series between the duo of Matthew Kowalewski and Patrick Boivin. They were pioneers of their genre: with a format of video game playing focused more on personality and banter than whatever it was they were playing, and it was a MASSIVE success. It inspired some of the most popular Let’s Play channels currently around like Game Grumps and Funhaus. It was largely responsible for the rise in popularity for many game franchises and indie titles including Yakuza, Skullgirls, Shovel Knight and Divekick. It lifted so many other insanely popular creators up like Maximillian Dood, Super Eyepatch Wolf and Mother’s Basement. Don’t let the current subscriber count of the channel fool you: despite sadly having never reached that one million subscribers milestone, these boys’ influence could be felt everywhere in the gaming sphere one way or another.

That said, all good things must come to an end. On December 16th, 2018, the trio of Matt, Pat and Woolie announced that the channel would be discontinuing . . .because sadly, the friendship that started the channel in the beginning between Matt and Pat had dwindled with time and finally broke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8foDBekOYM

As of the typing of this post, we are approaching the 4 year anniversary of the Best Friend’s breakup. Luckily for us, all 4 of the former members still have SOME level of presence online. Which begs the question . . . .where are they now?

Matt McMuscles (Matt)

https://www.youtube.com/c/MattMcMuscles

Matt was, in many ways, the leader of the Zaibatsu. It was his idea from the beginning to start doing Let’s Plays and it was his channel, The Sw1tcher (eventually rebranded to Super Best Friends Play) on which most of the group’s content was featured.

Since their disbandment, Matt has been focusing full time on the steady growth of his solo youtube channel as well as other projects. Matt McMuscles is his own for many media examination videos, including his new cash cow “What Happened?”, a series covering the blunderous behind the scenes production cycles of many games and movies. He has a number of other channels including Flophouse Plays where he does more Let’s Play content (occasionally being co hosted by former Best Friends member Liam) and T.K.O, a fighting game podcast featuring him and his co hosts Maximillian Dood and Justin Wong.

Looking at the impressive growth of his content over a relatively short period of time, one quickly learns that of the former Zaibatsu members, MATT was the business brain. Nothing but love for Pat and Woolie, but I think Matt’s commitment to high production value content and his effective marketing have lead to him easily being the most successful of the former Zaibatsu members. Matt recently achieved over 500,000 subscribers on his main channel! Think about that: the original best friends channel capped off at 722,000 subs after the Zaibatsu disbanded. Matt managed to achieve steady growth that now almost rivals his original claim to fame in just 4 years. He’s reached an audience that now knows him primarily for his Matt McMuscles content rather than knowing him prior from the Zaibatsu. Way to go, Matt!!!

Pat Stares At (Pat)

https://www.youtube.com/c/PatStaresAt

When the Zaibatsu was first developing, Matt originally approached Woolie to start the channel with since at the time both Matt and Pat were mutual friends of Woolie rather than friends with each other. Woolie turned down this offer, so Matt turned to Pat instead to be his comedic partner and Pat agreed. The rest is history. I honestly can’t say whether the Zaibatsu would have seen the success it has had Woolie agreed to be Matt’s comedic partner first, but It’s not hard to see why the Matt and Pat combo was so popular. Even though they aren’t on good terms anymore (and haven’t been for a while) No one can deny they had amazing chemistry together. Pat’s sardonic and sarcastic brand of humor played very well with Matt’s persona of being the upbeat and hype loving guy.

While Matt focused dominantly on his youtube content after the breakup, Pat migrated more over to Twitch Streaming games with his new wife Paige (PeachSaliva). He also moved from Montreal to British Columbia with her and now streams from there. While he doesn’t live in the same province as the rest of the Zaibatsu anymore, he DOES still regularly collab with Woolie on the podcast that is the spiritual successor to the Best Friendcast, Castle Super Beast.

While Pat may not have the same view or subscriber counts as Matt or Woolie, I don’t think anyone can deny that he is living his best life. He’s in a beautiful province, playing the games he loves for a living, supported by a very dedicated and generous fanbase, married to the absolute catch that is Peach. Plus, it’s no surprise he delved so much into personality based entertainment considering he was easily the biggest personality of them all (despite being the smallest person of them all). Wishing you more happiness Pat!

WoolieVersus (Woolie)

https://www.youtube.com/c/WoolieVersus

While Woolie initially declined Matt’s proposal to start a let’s play channel together, he WOULD inevitably join Matt and Pat as the Zaibatsu’s third member and would add even more to the already great chemistry. Woolie was the perfect middle man between Matt and Pat: able to keep up with both the hype and the sass in his own right. He also initiated what would become many staples for the Zaibatsu’s content including the best Friendcast and one of their most popular ongoing series, Friday Night Fisticuffs, a show where every friday the guys would get together to play some rounds of a kickass fighting game. Woolie may have joined a bit later, but he played an instrumental role in the identity the Zaibatsu would eventually have.

Also Fighterpedia, but . . . . who even remembers that? (Just kidding, Woolie. I remember it and love it).

These days Woolie does both a little bit of Youtube content AND a little bit of twitch streaming, as well as the Castle Super Beast podcast which he co hosts with Pat. His channel, Woolieversus, specializes in let’s plays with co hosts like Minh and Reggie, as well as ongoing series like Get Into Fighting Games (a spiritual successor to Friday Night Fisticuffs). In many ways, Woolie is the one most responsible for keeping the old Zaibatsu spirit alive past the channel’s death with series that are direct spiritual sequels to the old days. Thanks for that, Woolie, and thank you for getting ME into fighting games!

Rising Superstar Liam (Liam)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7zkWVkHBSMGpfHVgaFqr1A

Liam was the last to become a member of the Zaibatsu when it was active and he was the first to leave the group for mental health reasons. While his time with the Zaibatsu was relatively brief in comparison to the other three, he nevertheless made a great addition to the ensemble with his optimistic outlook on game design and his occasional zingers so good it causes the whole room to erupt in laughter. As a lifelong Zaibatsu fan, I can confidently say that in my opinion, Liam’s time on the channel was the GOLDEN AGE of the Super Best Friends.

Liam doesn’t have as much of a presence online as the other three and that’s out of his own preference. He still makes some appearances on Matt’s channels to watch Nintendo streams with him or to partake in Let’s plays, which ALSO incidentally capture the old Zaibatsu spirit to an extent. From what I can tell, Liam went back to school for 3D design and game development and I say more power to him! Thanks for making some prime content with the rest of the boys while you did, Liam, and I hope your life takes you in fulfilling places.

Looking Back

I’ve been a fan of these guys for a *very* long time. Almost since the beginning. I remember being a big time Best Friends fan before Game Grumps was even a thing. I quoted these dudes non stop in high school and watched their old Machinima videos RELIGIOUSLY. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed harder than that period in my life and for that I am grateful. These guys are why I associate the Kirby theme more with them than I do ACTUAL Kirby. A few of my friendships in high school were started over BONDING over our mutual love for these guys.

So like many others, it shook me to the core when I found out that not only was the old channel discontinuing, but the duo that started it all weren’t even friends anymore. Even now it still feels SO strange to think about. But nothing lasts forever. After all, all these guys who entertained me so much are still people with their own opinions and perceptions . . .and needs. It’s not my business to know exactly what went down. All I can do is support each of them as they continue on their paths.

It’s not all bad though. In fact, knowing that things were getting pretty contentious in the latter years of the Zaibatsu, if all of them are more happy and more successful doing what they’re doing anyway than I’m all for it. That comes before anything else. It really seems like all the guys are where they want to be now and I’m much more thankful for that than I am sad that a channel I grew up on is no longer active.

Much love and good fortune to Matt, Pat, Woolie, Liam and everyone you guys’ love. You all deserve nothing but happiness and . . . thank you for all the years of making me laugh, whatever form that came in.

R.I.P to the hypest channel on Youtube. Long live Matt McMuscles, Pat Stares At, WoolieVersus and the Rising SuperStream.

[scrawnydutchman]

Better Call Saul: The Slow, Slow Death of Jimmy McGill

(SPOILERS AHEAD FOR BETTER CALL SAUL)

Better Call Saul is, quite possibly, my new favorite show EVER. What started as a strange successor to the legendary Breaking Bad in tone and pace has quickly become a worthy contender in it’s own right as the “Greatest show in television history”. When I first heard of this show after just finishing Breaking Bad I thought “ . . .really? Of all Breaking Bad characters to make a spinoff around you pick the goofy lawyer?”. But oh man. The drama, the lore, the absolutely RICH characters, the performances, the cinematography. Everything about this show is as close to perfect as a show can get. Even Breaking Bad has had its low or questionable moments (the most infamous one being the entirety of the Fly episode) but I can’t think of a single Better Call Saul episode that isn’t necessary for the puzzle that is “who is Saul Goodman REALLY”?

As to whether or not it’s OFFICIALLY better than Breaking Bad, well . . . .let’s see if it sticks the landing. As of the typing of this essay the latest episode is “Fun and Games” and there are still 4 episodes remaining. It COULD fall apart in its finale, but I sincerely doubt it given the immense talent of these writers.

But if the ending of “Fun and Games” indicates anything, it’s that it . . . .might . . . already be the end of the story of James Morgan McGill. The good hearted but sort of crooked public attorney who tries to fight an uphill battle to redemption but is being both pushed down the slope by higher ups that refuse to believe in him AND pulled down by lowlifes of the criminal world who refuse to let him leave the game.

Jimmy McGill’s transformation into Saul Goodman is especially interesting in juxtaposition to Walter White’s transformation into Heisenberg. While Walt willingly dives headfirst into the criminal underworld and has a relatively fast and explosive transformation into the meth kingpin Heisenberg, Jimmy has an agonizingly slow transformation into Saul Goodman because it’s *largely* unwilling or begrudging. Anyone who’s seen Breaking Bad knows where Jimmy McGill is headed, but that makes his decay all the more dreaded as we get a sense of just how good a guy he was from the beginning. What could do this to such a big hearted young man?

WOLVES AND SHEEP

James Morgan McGill was born and raised in Cicero, Illinois. The younger brother to Charles “Chuck” McGill, the two brothers grew up in poverty as their father worked a humble little convenience store that barely made ends meet. What’s worse is that his store was often the target of Grifters who knew that his was the spot for an easy handout. From one of these Grifters an impressionable young Jimmy took a lesson that would inform his life going forward.

“There are wolves and sheep in this world, kid. Figure out which one you’re gonna be”.

This philosophy informs Jimmy’s perception of reality. There are those who are good natured and those who are gonna try and take advantage of good nature. So how does he survive? In what way does he respond to this advice?

Well . . . . . Jimmy is a bit more complicated than simply being either a “wolf” or a “sheep”. He somehow managed to be a hybrid of the two . .  .and as a result, he became the bridge between two very different worlds: Legal and Criminal.

Red and Blue

One of the most common observations (and sometimes complaints) about Better Call Saul is that almost every episode has two very different plots going at once with characters that have virtually nothing to do with each other. Whether or not Jimmy will be accepted at HHM has nothing to do with whether or not Nacho will successfully get rid of Tuco. This is a very deliberate choice because it creates a context of two opposing worlds in this show: legal and criminal, with the legal world often represented by the rich blues of the lawyers suits and the criminal world represented with bright reds, especially on Nacho’s wardrobe.

So where does Jimmy fit in to all of this? Welp, as mentioned before, he is the “bridge” between the two worlds. While he’s fighting with Chuck about whether he deserves to work at HHM, he has a side hustle of helping Mike get out of legal trouble. Whenever he needs to knock an uptight pretentious lawyer down a few pegs he may resort to his connections in the underworld to play a part in his scams. The point is, Jimmy is the only lawyer, for a time, who has the ability to seamlessly step from one side of the law to the other. And he owns every role he plays. He can be the wolf when he needs to humble a pompous jackass or he can be a sheep when he really shows his heart to his brother or somebody else he cares about . . . even if showing his heart often results in him being taken advantage of. Which is precisely what reinforces his “wolf and sheep” philosophy.

But remember what I said about the legal world trying to push Jimmy out and the criminal world pulling Jimmy in? Well, that takes it’s toll, and eventually Jimmy won’t be able to seamlessly step from one to the other forever.

Chimp with a Machine Gun

Sooo just because there are two worlds of “legal” and “criminal” and “wolves” and “sheep” does not necessarily mean there is a clear “good” and “bad”. In fact, one of the shows greatest qualities is how it exposes the many ways morality can be ambiguous.

“I’ve known good criminals and bad cops. Bad priests, honorable thieves. You can be on one side of the law or the other, but you keep your word”- Mike Ehrmantraut.

The PINNACLE example of moral ambiguity in this show is the man everyone holds to high regard as a sharp mind for justice: Charles “Chuck” McGill. Chuck is Jimmy’s older brother, the most well regarded Lawyer at HHM . . . and is the primary antagonist of seasons 1 through 3. He’s also, what I like to call, the “villain of the legal world”.

Chuck wants you to believe that he’s as impartial and fair a judge of character as you can get, but in truth he is a bitter, self righteous and frankly repugnant old man who has ulterior motives for all he does. His main problem is that he’s all about punishment and refuses to acknowledge the possibility of change. He insists Jimmy changes his ways over and over yet denies him any real opportunity to do so. He punishes Jimmy any time he does something above board and he takes Jimmy’s rigorous help for his “allergy to electricity” for granted. What’s worse is that he uses the people close to him as pawns. He gets Howard to play the bad guy for him as he pretends to be on Jimmy’s side, leading to Howard being the show’s "red herring”. He uses Ernesto’s earnest (bravo Vince) behavior against him because he KNOWS he’s going to tell Jimmy about the tape and then punishes him for doing exactly what he wanted. He even tries to manipulate Kim onto his side with his bullshit story accusing a young Jimmy of pilfering 14,000 dollars (Jimmy DID steal from the register, but 14 grand? Sounds more like Chuck is blaming Jimmy for dad’s handouts). The point is, while Jimmy is a scam artist, at least he can say he never uses people’s love for him against them.

Chuck is just one of many forces in the legal world keeping people like Jimmy down. You screw up once and you are a delinquent forever, and no punishment is enough for you to endure so you can turn a new leaf. The tragic thing is Chuck’s omen about the harm Jimmy will cause with his law degree is a prophecy fulfilled in part due to Chuck’s refusal to think Jimmy could be anything different. He, and others, is pushing Jimmy down that slope.

A Friend of the Cartel

So if Chuck is villain of the legal world AND the villain of the first 3 seasons . . .who’s the villain of the latter half? And who is the villain of the criminal world? You already know who it is. Eduardo Salamanca. But you can call him “Lalo”.

So you might ask yourself, how exactly DID Jimmy become the bridge between these two worlds anyway? Well, once upon a time he tried to run a skateboarder scam on the Kettleman family. It failed so spectacularly that he and the skateboarders he was running the hustle with became the hostages of Tuco Salamanca (or as Breaking Bad fans remember, the “TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT” guy).

Jimmy ends up not only getting himself down, but talking Tuco out of killing some Skateboarders . . . which, if you know anything about Tuco, you know is QUITE the achievement. That’s rolling a nat 20 on a persuasion check type shit. So anyway, Nacho, Tuco’s right hand man at the time, remembers this and inevitably introduces him to Lalo. There’s also a number of things Jimmy did with Mike that made him a bridge to the criminal world but Lalo is the important thing here.

So remember when I said that the criminal world is “pulling Jimmy in”? No character embodies that more than Lalo. Jimmy is basically forced against his will to do a LOT of Lalo’s bidding. He represents Krazy 8 in an interrogation, he manages to get Lalo a bail . . . .and throughout his relationship with Lalo he tries and fails over and over again to find a way out but Lalo is not easily talked out of his mind.

That is, except for one instance, where Lalo tells Jimmy it’s totally cool if he doesn’t want to be his bagman, and instead of walking away Jimmy tells him he’ll do it for a price. Yeeeeeeeah we should probably talk about Jimmy’s agency in all this because he is by NO means an innocent party.

The Switch

So I know I made a big point about how Chuck refuses to believe in his brother and how he kept denying him opportunities to turn a new leaf. The thing is . . . . . . Chuck’s not entirely wrong in his assessment about Jimmy. Jimmy is, most certainly, crooked, and he has always had a fascination with causing a little trouble. Matter of fact, he often has the PERFECT opportunities to prove Chuck wrong but does the exact opposite. He aired a commercial without Davis & Main’s consent. He regularly resorts to solicitation to get new clients. He COULD have walked out of being Lalo’s bagman but chose not to, as pointed out before. But probably most egregious of all . . . is his treatment of Howard.

Howard, at one point in the show, gives Jimmy the full package. He acknowledges how he and Chuck mistreated him. He offers Jimmy the position at HHM he should have gotten from the very start. He offers to make everything as right as they can be. Finally, FINALLY Jimmy is going to get what he deserves. And Jimmy . . . throws bowling balls on his car. And sends prostitutes' to his dinner. And eventually Kim gets in on the pranks too and . . . . well . . . if you’re all caught up you know where that goes. Point is, Jimmy’s choices have an effect on where he goes too . . . and all of this, the pushing of the legal world, the pulling of the criminal world, and Jimmy’s self made momentum, lead to the incredibly somber ending . . .where these two worlds mash together.

Two Worlds Mash Together

For 6 seasons, Jimmy McGill was living two separate lives. Red and Blue. Legal and Criminal. But all of this came to a sudden and tragic end when Lalo broke into Kim and Jimmy’s apartment and killed Howard. Howard, who wouldn’t have even been there had Kim and Jimmy just left him alone. Then, Lalo died the same night, losing his long chess match to Gustavo Fring. The two of them were buried together. They were total opposites: Howard being the most morally upright and sincere man in the legal world whom we wrongly labelled as a villain because of his demeanor, and Lalo, the murderous psychopath who we loved because he was just so charming and likable. The two halves of Jimmy’s world were buried under the very lab that his hottest client ever would inevitably inhabit.

There’s no more crossing from one to the other. There’s no being a lawyer by day and criminal by night. Now there is only the CRIMINAL lawyer.

But even with all this, one last piece of Jimmy’s heart needs to be removed. The love of his life, Kimberley Wexler.

Too Much Fun

So. At this point, up to the episode “Fun and Games” almost nothing remains of Jimmy’s former life. No mom and dad. No Marco. No Chuck. No Howard. No HHM. As Rich puts it, it’s “the end of an era”. All that is left of Jimmy McGill’s heart . . . is Kim.

And Kim leaves. She quits the law and she leaves. Because she is finally ready to admit to the truth. Together, Kim and Jimmy are poison. Destined to hurt everyone around them. Kim spent a long time in this relationship coming off as “the squeaky clean one” but her gutting confession to Jimmy is the final blow.

She knew Lalo was alive the whole time. She knew, and she knew what would happen if she told Jimmy. Jimmy would insist on breaking up and distancing from each other to protect her. And she couldn’t take that. Because she was having too much fun. She knowingly put the lives of herself, Jimmy and Howard all at risk . . . . for fun. The truth is, she was always attracted to the crookedness in Jimmy. She DIDN’T want him to change, and that’s precisely the problem. She was enabling him for her own thrills . . . and in a way, she used him more than anybody else.

The Birth of the Criminal Lawyer

The immediate time skip to Saul Goodman after this heartbreaking revelation from Kim is . . . kind of perfect. Because Kim was the only trace of Jimmy McGill left. Without her, there is no Jimmy. Only Saul Goodman. If Jimmy was part wolf and part sheep, Saul Goodman is the wolf who just had that sheep as its meal. Saul is what happens when Jimmy completely closes off his vulnerable heart and becomes a cold, money chasing machine. So gross he’ll ogle his hired help. So low he’ll encourage prison shanking. So opportunistic he will hook up with a Meth Dealer to get that payday.

Y’know . . . . . sometimes, while watching Better Call Saul, I would go back to clips of Breaking Bad with Saul Goodman in them and think to myself “ . . .these don’t feel remotely like the same characters. Where did all that heart go?” When I first watched Breaking Bad I thought he was nothing more than a comic relief character. A goofy man in a goofy suit to offset the darker implications of the series. But now . . . .  it’s like watching the reanimated corpse of an old friend. It’s just weird and sad.

Soooo yeah. Goes without saying I fucking love this series if I’m willing to write a poorly constructed essay about it. Even if it doesn’t surpass Breaking Bad in it’s ending, it ranks high as my favorite live action show ever. I can’t wait to see what happens with Gene. Who knows? Maybe that will recontextualize everything.

[scrawnydutchman]

Howard Hamlin; The Christ Figure of Better Call Saul

*SPOILERS FOR BETTER CALL SAUL AHEAD*

How’s that for an essay title? Lol.

Sooo let me start this by saying if you haven’t seen any of the Breaking Bad spinoff ‘Better Call Saul’ you are doing yourself a HORRIBLE disservice, ESPECIALLY if you’re a fan of Breaking Bad. This show that was once misunderstood for it’s ultra slow burn pace and it’s restrained violence in comparison to Breaking Bad has proven itself as not only a worthy successor to Breaking Bad, but possibly even better than what many would consider the best tv show of all time (whether or not that’s true depends on if BCS sticks the landing in its finale, but there’s no reason to believe it won’t). Anybody who is keeping up with the series up to Season 6 episode 8 (and probably more beyond that) will have one solemn thought lingering in their mind . . . the tragic fate of Howard Hamlin.

Howard is arguably the most interesting character in Better Call Saul because of what he represents. Better Call Saul is all about just how thin the line between good and evil can truly be. Every character in the show ends up defying expectations by showing their true selves in unexpected ways. Nacho, the deadly right hand of Tuco Salamanca, turns out to be a tender hearted young man who desperately wants out of the criminal game and wants nothing more than to protect his father. Lalo is the charming, outgoing and seemingly approachable demon of the show who is arguably the most evil of them all. Chuck is the righteous, steadfast and wise Lawyer of the show who turns out to not be nearly as impartial in his judgement of character as he would like you to believe. Kim isn’t the angel we all thought she was, Mike isn’t the cold hearted hitman we thought he was in Breaking Bad, I could go on and on.

“I’ve known good criminals and bad cops. Bad priests, honorable thieves” - Mike Ehrmentraut

So where does Howard fit into all this? Well, Howard is the show’s red herring. He’s set up in season 1 to seem like the main antagonist of Jimmy McGill and effectively so. He comes off as disingenuous and pretentious. A douchey stick in the mud whose supposed good intention is only surface level. Fun fact: Vince originally planned for Howard to be the sincere villain of this show. But as we continue to watch, we quickly learn that these assumptions about Howard just aren’t true. In truth, Howard’s only real crime is being loyal to Chuck to a fault and being needlessly punishing of Kim by keeping her in doc review. Honestly? Not really THAT egregious in the grand scheme of things. And really, why wouldn’t he do this when you consider his position? Of COURSE he sided with Chuck. He looked up to him. Everyone did. Chuck was put on a pedestal as the sharpest legal mind ever. Chuck mentored Howard from the ground up. When somebody is that significant to you it can take a while for the rose tinted glasses to come off. And of COURSE Howard kept Kim in doc review. Kim committed a big betrayal of trust by not informing him about the commercial. She convinced Howard to vouch for Jimmy and when Jimmy inevitably broke the rules that reflected poorly on HIM and HIS judgement. She made him look like a fool. She can’t just expect all to be forgiven by getting one good client.

But honestly, whether Howard was in the wrong for those things or not, he did ULTIMATELY make amends for them.

I’m reminded of one particularly interesting line from Jimmy in episode 1 of season 4. After Howard confesses that he thinks he is responsible for Chuck’s suicide (even though we the audience know that Jimmy is arguably more responsible) Jimmy says

“Well, Howard, I guess that’s your cross to bear”.

Cold. As. Ice. But what’s interesting is that phrasing. “cross to bear”.

Anyone who knows the story of Jesus of Nazareth (so like . . .everyone in the world) will know the old adage that Jesus “died for our sins”. Jesus took the punishment for a crime he did not commit. Because the masses wanted to see him suffer. Because they hated how his good nature disrupted the natural order of things. He suffered immeasurably not for his own sins, but for the rest of ours. He took the bullet for us.

What’s interesting about Jimmy saying this to Howard is that it’s much more relevant to the story of Christ than we might think. It’s not simply “this is your problem”. It’s “This is technically my fault but I’m gonna let you take the blame anyway”. Jimmy lets Howard go through immeasurable guilt and torment so that he doesn’t have to. And, fittingly, he feels an enormous weight lifted from his own shoulders and goes right to feeding the fish, to the confusion of Kim and Howard.

So Howard takes all the blame and more for the fate of Chuck, especially after a frankly unearned reprimanding from Kim. Howard goes through immense depression and insomnia for things that are not at all his fault.

And yet . . . . he finds the light at the end of the tunnel. He goes through therapy, makes the effort to come back out on top and is made better for it. He’s spiritually whole again. He has dinner with Jimmy (who is going by Saul at this point) and he offers Jimmy everything that was unfairly denied from him for so long. A position at HHM. The legacy he deserved FINALLY given to him. Howard fessed up to all wrongdoing and expressed sincere commitment to making things right.

Jimmy’s response? He destroys his car with bowling balls and sends prostitutes to his dinner with Chuck. Not the answer one would expect. But it makes sense.

Jimmy sees Howards strength of character to triumph over such darkness . . .and he resents him for it. Jimmy let him take the burden because he didn’t want to face the horror of his brother’s death or what has become of the fate of his family. Because that would be too hard for Jimmy to healthily go through. So he sees that Howard faced that darkness honestly and healthily and emerged victorious and he resents him for coming out a better person. Because he could NEVER do that.

Howard tries to tell Kim about this and she . . . ALSO does not give the response one would expect. Yeah, it turns out she’s not nearly as upright as we were lead to believe for so many seasons. Turns out she’s way more into Jimmy’s antics than we thought . . . and wants to REALLY up the anti.

so Kim and Jimmy devise an elaborate scheme to tarnish Howard’s reputation forever. They go to GREAT lengths to convince everyone he is a drug addict, and boy howdy do they succeed. Howard keeps trying to end this feud with Jimmy honestly by exposing him the right way and by ending it in a boxing match, but it doesn’t matter. They successfully ruin Howard’s reputation irreparably. Not knowing that he already has enough on his plate with his failing marriage.

Howard goes to Kim and Jimmy’s apartment and confronts them on this. He really tares into them, and despite being inebriated with alcohol he somehow manages to remain classier than both of them.

And then . . . Lalo pays an unexpected visit. Howard is caught in the middle of a conflict he has no idea about . . .and he’s killed. For no reason at all. All because Kim and Jimmy couldn’t help but fuck with him for really petty reasons. As a cover up they make his death look like a drug induced suicide: maintaining the false narrative Kim and Jimmy have put up all this time.

Once again, Howard pays the price for Kim and Jimmy’s awful behavior. Once again, Howard takes the fall so that Kim and Jimmy can be preserved. Howard literally died for Kim and Jimmy’s sins.

What is a “Christ” figure? It’s somebody with altruistic qualities who was made the fall guy for the crimes of more horrible people.

Howard was misunderstood from day one. He was established from the very beginning as the guy who takes the fall for the awful behavior of others. He willingly acted like the bad guy on Chucks behalf and let him pretend he was always on Jimmy’s side. He paid Chuck out of pocket to get rid of him. He willingly slept in a guest house for the better half of the year because his wife refused to have any empathy or interest in him. Over and over again, Howard pays the toll for the shitty behavior of others.

And that’s what makes him the strongest character in the show.

“You’ve mistaken my kindness for weakness” - Howard Hamlin

When it comes down to it, Howard ALWAYS stuck by his principles. Over and over again he did what he truly felt was right. He didn’t try to justify shitty behavior. He wasn’t motivated by a vendetta against anyone. He didn’t make excuses for his shortcomings. Howard is the truly good man of the main cast of Better Call Saul . . . . and he suffered a horrendously awful death so that the bad guys could go on living.

Even when he’s in Kim and Jimmy’s apartment when Lalo shows up. Nobody would have blamed him for bailing. Nobody would have blamed him for putting his own safety first. But he stayed to try and talk Lalo down; to do what he could to protect two people who worked so hard to make him seem awful.

“there’s really no need to--” - Howard Hamlin’s last words.

And then Howard was buried with his killer under a lab that would go on to harbor the great Heisenberg. The worst criminal Albuquerque has ever seen.

What does his sacrifice lead to? Just more criminal antics from Saul Goodman. Even after the Christ figure takes the fall for us, we just keep on sinning.

[scrawnydutchman]

Mixed Signals Animated Film Trailer I 3 Days Left on Kickstarter

There are only 3 days left to donate to the Mixed Signals Animated Film Kickstarter! Here is everything your donation would be going to. Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tvkampen/mixed-signals-animated-short-film

[scrawnydutchman]

Mixed Signals Concept Art from 2019!!

Guess what? Another Mixed Signals Post.

These images are from 2019. The year after I moved to Halifax. I've been sitting on this idea for a movie for 3 years and have been trying on and off again throughout that time to make it happen. It makes me so happy that FINALLY this thing is coming together.You can help it come together too! It's not too late to donate to the Kickstarter or to buy merch off the redbubble. Thank you for listening and tune in for the release of Mixed Signals.

KICKSTARTER: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tvkampen/mixed-signals-animated-short-film

REDBUBBLE:https://www.redbubble.com/people/Scrawnydutchman/shop?asc=u#mixedsignalsmovie 

[scrawnydutchman]

Mixed Signals Artist Spotlight: Phillip A. Watson, Assistant Animator!

Hi Everyone! Time for another Mixed Signals Artist Spotlight! This one is dedicated to one of my assistant animators for the film, Phillip A. Watson (known on the internet as PAWdrawsart).

I met Phil through a series of mutual connections at Copernicus Studios and we have both made a contribution to the Spongebob Squarepants Rehydrated movie! Phil has worked on a lot of great productions, some of which are my favorites, like Harmonquest, Mystery Skulls and Teen Titans Go. Phil has a knack for adapting to new styles and new challenges which I feel made him ideal for jumping right on to Mixed Signals!

Phil is actually one of the first people I went into big detail with about my project and is one of the first to show exceptional enthusiasm for the vision. Thanks for your energy and for your help, Phil!

Normally I'd be happy to share some of the incredible work my artists are doing, but when it comes to most of the animation of the film itself I'd like to leave SOME room for mystery ;)

It's not too late to support Mixed Signals, folks! Share the project around and consider donating or buying from the Redbubble if you haven't yet! #mixedsignalsmovie

KICKSTARTER: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tvkampen/mixed-signals-animated-short-film

REDBUBBLE: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Scrawnydutchman/shop?asc=u

Give Phil some love too! You can find him on LinkedIn by searching Phillip A. Watson and you can find him on social media like twitter and instagram @PAWDrawsart

[scrawnydutchman]

there are only 15 days left for the #MixedSignalsMovie kickstarter! make a contribution today!!!!

Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tvkampen/mixed-signals-animated-short-film

Redbubble:

https://www.redbubble.com/people/Scrawnydutchman/shop?asc=u

[scrawnydutchman]

I’M MAKING AN ANIMATED SHORT FILM!! Announcement + Crowdfunding

Hi everyone! I’m pleased to announce today that I am working full time on an independent film right now! It’s called ‘Mixed Signals’. It’s a 9 minute 2D animated film about a little robot that comes to find out it’s very different from all the other kids. But by learning the truth about what it is and by harnessing the power of communication, it learns that just because it’s different doesn’t mean it can’t live a happy life with meaningful relationships. ‘Mixed Signals’ is an allegory for living on the Autism spectrum. As an autistic creator myself, many of the events depicted in the film are inspired by my experiences as a child before my diagnosis. For more information on the project I encourage you to watch the video!This project is mainly being financed out of pocket, but we welcome all the help we can get! If you’d like to support the project you can do so with the following methods:

1. Donate to the Kickstarter:

  https://www.kickstarter.com/…/mixed-signals-animated…

Donate to the Kickstarter to help us reach our goal and receive perks! The more you donate the more perks you get!

2. Buy merch from our Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Scrawnydutchman/shop?asc=u

You can rep the film with our clothing merch! Get the logo in a variety of colours on shirts, hoodies, pins, etc. Any and all proceeds earned from our Kickstarter and Redbubble goes towards compensating the artists helping me on this project!

3. If you can’t donate, spreading the word helps out too! Give our Kickstarter and Redbubble a share on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, etc. so that others may see it! Use the hashtag #MixedSignalsMovie Thank you and tune in for the release of ‘Mixed Signals’!

[scrawnydutchman]

Hello everyone! Let me start by saying thank you all SO MUCH for such a positive response to the announcement of the #MixedSignalsMovie project yesterday! Not only were people’s words very gracious and kind, but we managed to make incredible progress towards our goal in one day! We’re already at 10% of our funding after only one day of our 30 day campaign!!! That is absolutely crazy! Thank you so much to all the early backers of this project.

If you missed out on the announcement, check out the video below! If you would like to support the project, you can do so with the following methods:

1. Donate to the Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tvkampen/mixed-signals-animated-short-film?ref=user_menu

2. Buy Merch from the Redbubble:

https://www.redbubble.com/people/Scrawnydutchman/shop?asc=u

3. Spread the word! Share the Kickstarter and Redbubble links around social media and use the hashtag #MixedSignalsMovie!

Any and all proceeds made from the Kickstarter and Redbubble will go towards compensating my team of artists for their time! Thanks again!

#animation #2danimation #filmmaking #filmproduction #toonboomharmony #toonboom #autismawareness #autismacceptance

[scrawnydutchman]

One of my favorite things about how Mixed Signals tells its story is the way it uses colour throughout. Not just the different colours of the wavelength transmissions, but also how it uses colour as shorthand to convey the mood of every scene. The film leans hard into the subjective perspective of the little robot and isn't afraid to dramatize how things play out. I'm so excited for audiences to be able to see this in action.

The Mixed Signals animated short film campaign still goes on! please tell your friends and family about it! #mixedsignalsmovie

Consider donating to the Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tvkampen/mixed-signals-animated-short-film/posts/3542256

Or buying a shirt on Redbubble!

https://www.redbubble.com/people/Scrawnydutchman/shop?asc=u

*all 2D backgrounds for Mixed Signals by Lucy Little. Find her on instagram @guiguitheghoul

#animation #robots #robotsarecool #filmmaking #photoshop #toonboomharmony #shortfilms #kickstarter #kickstartercampaign

[scrawnydutchman]

*this post is part of a promotion for the Mixed Signals crowdfunding campaign. To learn more, check us out on Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tvkampen/mixed-signals-animated-short-film?ref=user_menu

You can also support the project by buying merch off of Redbubble!

https://www.redbubble.com/people/Scrawnydutchman/shop?asc=u&ref=account-nav-dropdown

Hello all! It's time for another Mixed Signals artist spotlight! This one goes out to a close friend of mine and a very talented film maker in his own right, Mr. Vinson Chan!

Mixed Signals has a lot more going on in it than just character rigged animation. It also has some traditionally animated segments and EVEN has some 3D elements! The 3D is where Vinson comes in, the 3D animator for Mixed Signals!

I met Vinson and his brother Simon way back in the day when we all won a contest by Telus Storyhive. I was flying for the very first time over to Vancouver for a workshop . . . . and Vinson and Simon just so happened to be in the seats right across from me! They heard me talking about my team winning a contest to get the funding to produce the animated film "Gerry Mouse" and introduced themselves. Together they produced "The Legend of the Bunny Phantom" which I can't recommend enough. HIGH quality film making that deserves all the praise it got and more.

Of the dynamic duo of film making brothers, Vinson is the animator. He's EXCELLENT at what he does, and was whom I had in mind to tackle some of the 3D challenges for the film. There's this driving shot in the film and I asked him how difficult it would be for him to create something that closely matches Lucy's background work. Vinson had a stellar result for me in less than 8 hours. Thank you for your contributions, Vinson!

If you'd like to see more of Vinson's work, he's very active on instagram @vinsonchanister. He posts a lot of charming sausage animations . . . .like . . . a LOT of them. Give him lots of love!

[scrawnydutchman]

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND MIXED SIGNALS: New Kickstarter Promo vid

Hey gang! In this video I talk about my thought process behind the premise of Mixed Signals in an off-the-cuff sort of way, accompanied with sped up footage of a scene for the film I'm working on!

If you'd like a more formal idea of what Mixed Signals is all about, check out the official promo on Kickstarter!: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tvkampen/mixed-signals-animated-short-film?ref=user_menu

You can also support the film by buying merch from the Redbubble

:https://www.redbubble.com/people/Scrawnydutchman/shop?asc=u

All proceeds from both the Kickstarter and the Redbubble goes to artist compensation! Tune in for the release of #MixedSignalsMovie

[scrawnydutchman]

I’M MAKING AN ANIMATED SHORT FILM!! Announcement + Crowdfunding

Hi everyone! I’m pleased to announce today that I am working full time on an independent film right now! It’s called ‘Mixed Signals’. It’s a 9 minute 2D animated film about a little robot that comes to find out it’s very different from all the other kids. But by learning the truth about what it is and by harnessing the power of communication, it learns that just because it’s different doesn’t mean it can’t live a happy life with meaningful relationships. ‘Mixed Signals’ is an allegory for living on the Autism spectrum. As an autistic creator myself, many of the events depicted in the film are inspired by my experiences as a child before my diagnosis. For more information on the project I encourage you to watch the video!This project is mainly being financed out of pocket, but we welcome all the help we can get! If you’d like to support the project you can do so with the following methods:

1. Donate to the Kickstarter:

  https://www.kickstarter.com/…/mixed-signals-animated…

Donate to the Kickstarter to help us reach our goal and receive perks! The more you donate the more perks you get!

2. Buy merch from our Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Scrawnydutchman/shop?asc=u

You can rep the film with our clothing merch! Get the logo in a variety of colours on shirts, hoodies, pins, etc. Any and all proceeds earned from our Kickstarter and Redbubble goes towards compensating the artists helping me on this project!

3. If you can’t donate, spreading the word helps out too! Give our Kickstarter and Redbubble a share on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, etc. so that others may see it! Use the hashtag #MixedSignalsMovie Thank you and tune in for the release of 'Mixed Signals’!

[scrawnydutchman]

Hello everyone! Let me start by saying thank you all SO MUCH for such a positive response to the announcement of the #MixedSignalsMovie project yesterday! Not only were people’s words very gracious and kind, but we managed to make incredible progress towards our goal in one day! We’re already at 10% of our funding after only one day of our 30 day campaign!!! That is absolutely crazy! Thank you so much to all the early backers of this project.

If you missed out on the announcement, check out the video below! If you would like to support the project, you can do so with the following methods:

1. Donate to the Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tvkampen/mixed-signals-animated-short-film?ref=user_menu

2. Buy Merch from the Redbubble:

https://www.redbubble.com/people/Scrawnydutchman/shop?asc=u

3. Spread the word! Share the Kickstarter and Redbubble links around social media and use the hashtag #MixedSignalsMovie!

Any and all proceeds made from the Kickstarter and Redbubble will go towards compensating my team of artists for their time! Thanks again!

#animation #2danimation #filmmaking #filmproduction #toonboomharmony #toonboom #autismawareness #autismacceptance

[scrawnydutchman]

Mixed Signals Shirts!

Check out what came in the mail!!This T-Shirt is one of several products you can purchase from the Mixed Signals Redbubble! All proceeds earned from the store go to compensating the artists helping me on my film 'Mixed Signals'. Mixed Signals is a 9 minute animated short film about a little robot that comes to find out it's very different from all the other kids. But by harnessing the power of communication, it learns that just because it's different doesn't mean it can't live a happy life with meaningful relationships. Mixed Signals is an allegory for living on the Autism spectrum and is based on my experiences as a child pre-diagnosis.If you'd like to know more about the film, we're also running a Kickstarter! Check out the promo video there:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tvkampen/mixed-signals-animated-short-film?ref=user_menu&fbclid=IwAR1_K36sX9CuJW_krZR7sx4y90OOYQ3ftGR0H6nq3SNCcAqxOuZp3HF0efAThis same logo comes in 6 different colours total and can be put on other items like pins, stickers, hoodies and so on. They feel great and pair well with other articles of clothing!Check out the Redbubble today: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Scrawnydutchman/shop...Tune in for the release of Mixed Signals! #MixedSignalsMovie #Animation #2DAnimation #autismawareness #autismacceptance

[scrawnydutchman]

I’M MAKING AN ANIMATED SHORT FILM!! Announcement + Crowdfunding

Hi everyone! I’m pleased to announce today that I am working full time on an independent film right now! It’s called ‘Mixed Signals’. It’s a 9 minute 2D animated film about a little robot that comes to find out it’s very different from all the other kids. But by learning the truth about what it is and by harnessing the power of communication, it learns that just because it’s different doesn’t mean it can’t live a happy life with meaningful relationships. 'Mixed Signals’ is an allegory for living on the Autism spectrum. As an autistic creator myself, many of the events depicted in the film are inspired by my experiences as a child before my diagnosis. For more information on the project I encourage you to watch the video!This project is mainly being financed out of pocket, but we welcome all the help we can get! If you’d like to support the project you can do so with the following methods:

1. Donate to the Kickstarter:

  https://www.kickstarter.com/…/mixed-signals-animated…

Donate to the Kickstarter to help us reach our goal and receive perks! The more you donate the more perks you get!

2. Buy merch from our Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Scrawnydutchman/shop?asc=u

You can rep the film with our clothing merch! Get the logo in a variety of colours on shirts, hoodies, pins, etc. Any and all proceeds earned from our Kickstarter and Redbubble goes towards compensating the artists helping me on this project!

3. If you can’t donate, spreading the word helps out too! Give our Kickstarter and Redbubble a share on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, etc. so that others may see it! Use the hashtag #MixedSignalsMovie Thank you and tune in for the release of 'Mixed Signals’!

[scrawnydutchman]

Hello everyone! Let me start by saying thank you all SO MUCH for such a positive response to the announcement of the #MixedSignalsMovie project yesterday! Not only were people's words very gracious and kind, but we managed to make incredible progress towards our goal in one day! We're already at 10% of our funding after only one day of our 30 day campaign!!! That is absolutely crazy! Thank you so much to all the early backers of this project.

If you missed out on the announcement, check out the video below! If you would like to support the project, you can do so with the following methods:

1. Donate to the Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tvkampen/mixed-signals-animated-short-film?ref=user_menu

2. Buy Merch from the Redbubble:

https://www.redbubble.com/people/Scrawnydutchman/shop?asc=u

3. Spread the word! Share the Kickstarter and Redbubble links around social media and use the hashtag #MixedSignalsMovie!

Any and all proceeds made from the Kickstarter and Redbubble will go towards compensating my team of artists for their time! Thanks again!

#animation #2danimation #filmmaking #filmproduction #toonboomharmony #toonboom #autismawareness #autismacceptance

[scrawnydutchman]

I’M MAKING AN ANIMATED SHORT FILM!! Announcement + Crowdfunding

Hi everyone! I'm pleased to announce today that I am working full time on an independent film right now! It's called 'Mixed Signals'. It's a 9 minute 2D animated film about a little robot that comes to find out it's very different from all the other kids. But by learning the truth about what it is and by harnessing the power of communication, it learns that just because it's different doesn't mean it can't live a happy life with meaningful relationships. 'Mixed Signals' is an allegory for living on the Autism spectrum. As an autistic creator myself, many of the events depicted in the film are inspired by my experiences as a child before my diagnosis. For more information on the project I encourage you to watch the video!This project is mainly being financed out of pocket, but we welcome all the help we can get! If you'd like to support the project you can do so with the following methods:

1. Donate to the Kickstarter:

  https://www.kickstarter.com/.../mixed-signals-animated...

Donate to the Kickstarter to help us reach our goal and receive perks! The more you donate the more perks you get!

2. Buy merch from our Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Scrawnydutchman/shop?asc=u

You can rep the film with our clothing merch! Get the logo in a variety of colours on shirts, hoodies, pins, etc. Any and all proceeds earned from our Kickstarter and Redbubble goes towards compensating the artists helping me on this project!

3. If you can't donate, spreading the word helps out too! Give our Kickstarter and Redbubble a share on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, etc. so that others may see it! Use the hashtag #MixedSignalsMovie Thank you and tune in for the release of 'Mixed Signals'!