please forgive your useless sister.
Joined on 2/27/05
I simply envy that when you write long posts it's considered a considerably worthy personal and critical opinion.
However, everything I write is just over-dramatic crap.
I suck.
And I was disappointed to see that neither Egoraptor nor Tom Fulp have a reply anywhere in here.
All I spot for miles is bystanders shouting their opinions.
I suppose some props must go to them for not wanting to get involved in this.
Tom already knows what I think about this, and Egoraptor gave up on me a looooooooooooooong time ago. I don't want to have anything to do with him, and he knows that.
I think Egoraptor is funny, he has a good sense of humor, but he is so incredibly over rated. He deserves an award for his shit, but I think the whole Awesome thing is just...pretty stupid, they're all average Flashes, and I think the movie I made in one day about squirrels is just about as good, honestly.
I don't expect an award for that because I know it sucks, but I don't understand why Egoraptor gets THAT much attention. He's a good voice actor, he's funny, but there are things which should be in the top 100 which aren't yet are much better than the awesome movies.
Well, think about the subject matter. Squirrels, or metal gear solid? Take that squirrel cartoon you made and throw in some final fantasy, you've probably got yourself an award winner there.
If there's anyone egoraptor has to thank for his success, it's a bunch of fictional characters, not his "talent".
I just wanted to drop by and apologize for referring to you as a fraud. It was an inappropriate and unfortunate choice of a word. I won't go into a long explanation, as I did that already in my blog.
And quite frankly, if I met you face to face, I would probably like you. I admire your passion, even if I think you are misdirecting some of the anger resulting from your passion. But that is a matter for another time. I didn't come here to perpetuate a flame war.
Whether it is important to you that I apologize or not, it is important to me. I do apologize for the earlier statement.
I wish you well.
Thank you very much, I'm glad you changed your mind about that. I would hope that nobody would see me in that way. apology accepted. :)
Dude I feel where you are coming from but I don't think Egoraptor is a proper example of this sad trend. He actually has skills and it shows in his cartoons. I don't ever think for a second he creates horrible animations, he created a style people are familiar with and like. Just because it doesn't have that "polished" look doesn't mean its no legit. So what its a parody on a popular video game? It entertains and in my book that means everything.
By the way I love the Freetown series.
Everyone's got potential. He's wasting it.
Like I said, productivity= success. Not just even success, just getting noticed. People will come if they see more and more of a person's work. Hell, many of the animators I like (not online) I wouldn't know if they didn't keep on producing more work. If Disney had stopped animating with "Steamboat Willy" I probably wouldn't know much of anything about Disney. He had it hard starting out too. But jeez, look at it now, it's a friggin' empire.
That's just how the real world works. You have to be productive and just keep making and making. You'll eventually catch someone's eye and they'll come watch. Also in a place like newgrounds, you're always bound to get at least one viewer to see your work and give you feedback. This place is HUGE, people are always watching. No one gets ignored. They might not get the attention they want from thousands of people at first, but they'll get someone.
If people want change, maybe it's time to get to creating. They need to stop getting mad about what other people make that they dislike and try to produce more original content to wash these "parodies" out of everyone's memory. They need to inspire people with their own ideas and creations to work on their own original things. It works, I've seen more frequent original work getting uploaded to the portal now than ever before. I know because I've hanging around this site for almost 10 years.
I mean, it works. So far more animators who fbf are inspiring other animators to try fbf too. It just takes more work, more inspiring. You watch a movie by someone from 2003, then look at something from now, you'll see many animators are growing and trying to better themselves. It just takes more productivity, more inspiring.
It CAN happen, work just needs to be done. I'm not saying to do this alone. I've seen enough people on this site that want these changes to happen. But many of them seem to hide from all this stuff. Maybe it's time to stop getting mad and spread the woooord. No one will listen if you're angry.
You're not paying attention to what I'm saying, or what I'm doing, if you think all I do is sit here and complain about the status quo. I run an online animation encyclopedia and do everything I can to promote original ideas and traditional animation. I want to get people creating, and I try my best to inspire them.
"If people want change, maybe it's time to get to creating." More people would if they could feel a little bit more motivated. A lot of people are discouraged because of the way this site is run and what types of content is privileged.
Ha ^^
Honestly, read through all your answers in this thread... after that, thoughts like "Omg what a frustrated artist. THIS guy definitively has no humor." were running through my head.
Then, I took a brief look at your profile again. MAN, I had no idea that you are the autor of such striking masterpieces of humor like "The Grinch: Abriged" or "Pallid Fingers"...!
Now I realize you DO definitvely have an assload of humor AND talent. You're even great at parodying stuff.
Still, I (too) have to admit that I like the Awesome-Series. Sure, it's overdone but... *sigh*- well, you've heard plenty of arguments and crushed them all (although I find the "car sales" metaphor fairly to the point).
So you're complaining about the fate of animation... well I've got to admit that I only know very little about its history. But I'm very interested in general, especially military history, so I can kind of relate to your thoughts.
Animation is an art. It entertains.
And therefore, animation is a tool.
Seriously, I absolutely agree with you concerning the decline in quality in TV, and in entertainment in general. Like in my case; I study in Vienna, and got no TV in my room, or anywere near. Back at home, I do watch TV, of course.
And you can really recognize how it -bedims- the mind... the shows, the cartoons seem to me like a big part of a general stupifying process.
You see, this is what I meant with "animation as a tool" of the ruling class (or whatsoever) - you can manipulate people. Just take a look at "The Fuehrers Face" - you surely know this movie. A brillant, ironic, entertaining piece of propaganda, to get people behind a course - the war.
Nowadays, a different way is chosen - the way of easy distraction. People should be distracted from what REALLY matters in society (politics), and get cluttered up with cheap, stupid entertainment (which, of course, animation is part of). Stupid people are easier to manipulate. Easier to govern.
...
Did you ever read the book 1984 by George Orwell?
Anyways, I do also believe that the manipulation of daily news is a big part of this process; but that would be to far off topic.
So I think I understand what you mean - Newgrounds is just a "mirror" of a general process of loss of sophisticated arts and thought. (Or at least I hope I do ^^)
And erm... sorry if the construction of my entry may seem confused - it's 1:49 AM here and I'm fairly tired.
Gotta go get some sleep...
And keep up your passionate work =)
greets
Yes, you do understand what I'm talking about. Animation, in my opinion, is the most powerful tool in the world to communicate to people. Therefore it is dangerous, and can be easily abused. But in turn, it can also be used for a lot of good. Today, I think it is mostly abused, and for two things - attention and commercialism.
I have a bone to feed with you RTIL
Today I ate a sandwich and I think Egoraptor destroyed it. I was looking for the mayonnaise, but it was gone. I think Egoraptor destroyed it. Shortly after this I wanted a glass of milk but all they had was skim. Egoraptor drank my full cream milk. He destroyed it. After that I went to go rent out the movie Bad Boys 2. It was already rented out, by Egoraptor. He destroyed my evening. After that I went to go play nintendo but all I had was Xbox. I thought I had a Nintendo. Egoraptor destroyed it. I was planning to go out drinking, when Egoraptor delivered the new cartoon lines too early, so I had to edit them. Egoraptor destroyed my weekend. I came home and found my I found my wife in bed with Egoraptor. He destroyed my marriage. Egoraptor raped me. Egoraptor raptor ego ego raptor. Young man, there's no need to feel down. I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground. I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town There's no need to be unhappy. Young man, there's a place you can go. I said, young man, when you're short on your dough. You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find Many ways to have a good time. It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a. It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a. They have everything for you men to enjoy, You can hang out with all the boys ... It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a. It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a. You can get yourself cleaned, you can have a good meal, You can do whatever you feel ... Young man, are you listening to me? I said, young man, what do you want to be? I said, young man, you can make real your dreams. But you got to know this one thing! No man does it all by himself. I said, young man, put your pride on the shelf, And just go there, to the y.m.c.a. I'm sure they can help you today. It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a. It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a. They have everything for you men to enjoy, You can hang out with all the boys ... It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a. You can get yourself cleaned, you can have a good meal,
You can do whatever you feel ... Young man, I was once in your shoes.
I said, I was down and out with the blues.
I felt no man cared if I were alive. I felt the whole world was so tight ... That's when someone came up to me, And said, young man, take a walk up the street. There's a place there called the y.m.c.a. They can start you back on your way. It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a. It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a. They have everything for you men to enjoy, You can hang out with all the boys ... Y-m-c-a ... you'll find it at the y-m-c-a. Young man, young man, there's no need to feel down. Young man, young man, get yourself off the ground. Y-m-c-a ... you'll find it at the y-m-c-a. Young man, young man, there's no need to feel down. Young man, young man, get yourself off the ground. Y-m-c-a ... just go to the y-m-c-a. Young man, young man, are you listening to me? Young man, young man, what do you wanna be?
Now the king told the boogie men You have to let that raga drop The oil down the desert way Has been shakin to the top The sheik he drove his cadillac
He went a cruisnin down the villeThe muezzin was a standingOn the radiator grille
ChorusThe shareef dont like itRockin the casbahRock the casbahThe shareef dont like itRockin the casbahRock the casbahBy order of the prophetWe ban that boogie soundDegenerate the faithfulWith that crazy casbah sound
But the bedouin they brought outThe electric camel drumThe local guitar pickerGothis guitar picking thumbAs soon as the shareefHad cleared the squareThey began to wailChorusNow over at the templeOh! they really pack em inThe in crowd say its coolTo dig this chanting thingBut as the wind changed directionThe temple band took fiveThe crowd caught a wiffOf that crazy casbah jive
ChorusThe king called up his jet fightersHe said you better earn your payDropyourbombs between the minaretsDown the casbah way
As soon as the shareef wasChauffeured outta thereThe jet pilots tuned toThe cockpit radio blareAs soon as the shareef wasOutta their hairThe jet pilots wailed
He thinks its not kosherFundamentally he cant take it.You know he really hates it.
WHAT SAY YOU?
STAND OUT
ABOVE THE CROWD
EVEN IF I HAVE TO SHOUT OUT LOUD
"You're not paying attention to what I'm saying, or what I'm doing, if you think all I do is sit here and complain about the status quo. I run an online animation encyclopedia and do everything I can to promote original ideas and traditional animation. I want to get people creating, and I try my best to inspire them."
I actually keep forgetting that place even exists.
Ever thought about trying to get an ad or some sort of direct link to it on NG so it can catch peoples' eye more? You did mention NG has some fine exposure.
i'm assuming most people would just vandalize it, that's why i haven't really told anyone on newgrounds about it yet.
Well, in my opinion this is just evolution at work.
Teenagers hate what their parents liked. We would never wear anything our parents wore when they were our age. We would never fix up our house like our parents did when we're old enough to have one. Most of us can't stand what our parents listened to. A fine majority of people around your and my age, rtil, listen to rap and hip hop.
But guess what? A generation later, what do THOSE people have to like? They can't like what their parents liked. It's human nature, it's innovation. So they go back two generations, and say, hey, this is actually pretty cool. Gee, Led Zeppelin. Pink Floyd. I can listen to this. But they end up putting a spin on it, changing it, modifying it so that it's somewhat different than it was two generations ago. Hey, here comes Wolfmother.
You, rtil, are a generation ahead. You love the old style frame by frame cartoons that your parents watched, and can't stand what our generation has taken a like on.
And I think you can count on more people slowing becoming like you. I honestly don't think you have anything to worry about.
But then that's just my opinion.
maybe. animation is a lot younger than music, though. we haven't seen it go through so many cycles.
Rtil, I agree with you.
After watching all of your flashes, and Ego's, I noticed a HUGE difference. You put much, much more effort into your flashes. They are all well done. Ego's, are, simply to put, poorly done. So, being the 6th person out of around 124, I just want to say good job.
People who call their own work awesome are damn fucking frightening
I understand want you are on about, and fairly agree with your points. But, let me just make one point: Newgrounds isn't just for animation with fantastic art, it includes everything like humor, art and everything else that the general public like. Even though there is slight favoritism, some people do get that glimmer of hope and shine to the NG Community.
this is a community where people submit cartoons. cartoons typically have animation in them. doesn't have to be amazing - it should be the best you can make it in the time that's given to you.
"this is a community where people submit cartoons. cartoons typically have animation in them. doesn't have to be amazing - it should be the best you can make it in the time that's given to you."
and that's exactly what egoraptor did
haha. i do not think metal gear awesome is the best he can animate.
you're imposing your opinion on others here. your post concludes by saying that it is 'not about you' but really that's all it is, and by distancing yourself from your claims and having a smart answer to every comment you pretty much bullet proof your argument and reenforce your view that you are correct and everyone else is wrong.
Firstly and most importantly, you seem to be dramatically insisting that the future of the animation industry (or 'culture') is resting on newgrounds' userbase. true that newgrounds is the largest online animation community, but don't forget it roots as a parody site. newgrounds hasn't really left this behind over the years, and although it encourages more original content it's still considered one of the biggest parody machines on the internet. from what you're saying, it seems like you're longing for something that isn't ng, but something more 'elite'.
secondly animation is a very accessible form of entertainment like music. you're going to get a huge viewership from just about every kind of person, and you can't really expect them all to give a damn about the integrity of online animation. they really just want a cheap laugh - much like people who listen to highly commercial pop. are boybands killing the artform of music? these simple and accessible aspects of art are always going to be more popular as they appeal to the largest audience.
it should be accepted that a majority of your viewers won't have a clue what they're talking about, and you should take comfort in the criticisms of your fellow animators. does the opinion of a 13 year old kid really matter to you? no. what about that of a fellow peer? yes. when it gets to showing your stuff at film festivals you can then have liscence to expect a higher level of empathy with your audience.
thirdly, from what i've gathered you seem to be bitter (?) that you aren't receiving as much attention as the next video game parody. if this is the case, then surely the average NG viewer isn't your intended audience? why get so angry about losing viewership from people that were never going to watch your stuff anyway? you say that people have become disillusioned and have "forgotten what cartoons are all about". you should take into account that this is really the first time that animation has been so widely distributed, and as such, a majority of the ng 'video-game parody' audience probably never knew what cartoons were about in the first place. i doubt that egoraptor has caused animation lovers to actually FORGET why they loved cartoons in the first place, despite the loose anecdotal evidence you gave.
if you look at this in the bigger picture you've taken all these 'clues' as to newgrounds' fate into your own context, whereas infact the same can be done for any other argument. For example did you know newgrounds used to be just a collection of celebrity killing games? now look at it, with independent films and creations being shared with millions worldwide. it doesn't seem like newgrounds is going backwards in my eyes. i know that i won't change your opinion because it seems so vigorously ingrained, but you should take a step back out of your own perspective and view the entire situation as a whole.instead of trying your hardest to 'do damage' to something, try a more constructive route to promoting original animation. there's much more to be accomplished in this way rather than write angry posts...
i didn't force anybody to read this, including yourself.
that being said, i do promote original animation, more than you would know or care to find out about.
do not take me for a wreckless fool who sits on his ass all day and writes angry blog posts. you're only looking at one side of me. my intent is not to destroy anyone or anything, but to encourage people to not go the route so many take.
i'm open to debate, but when you come in here and assume that all i care about is myself, i have no further interest in speaking to you.
his animation has gotten a lot better, the humor is still shit though.
Egoraptor just found an idea that works for him and he has decided to stay there, too scared to try something new and upset his retarded fans. I feel a good animator is always trying to change and expand their horizons on each Flash, and sticking with one thing, such as video game parodies which is probably the lowest type of Flash there is, but when you get down to it, Newgrounds is a business, and must cater to the fans, and the majority of the fans happen to be 13 morons who get a kick of of video game characters running around and swearing. But there are still some great cartoons on the front page. I've just learned to look past the crap.
I can bet you that "Metal Gear Awesome 2" won't be number 1 in a month.
personally i think the subject has been tapped dry since the reign of legendary frog and there's very little to debate about. I wasn't really suggesting you only care about yourself, only that the post is more about your own thoughts than you seem to acknowledge.
anyway i've lost interest, WHY DID YOU REMOVE ME FROM YOUR FACEBOOK FRIENDS
nalem
While I understand what you're saying, Newgrounds isn't exactly the place for ideal animation. You're giving it way too much credit. To see the future for animation, you have to check out your Disneys, your pixars, and even your Studio Ghiblis. This place was pretty much created because Tom Fulp wanted a place to host his flash games of his characters killing kids or celebrities. Over the years it grew into what it is now. But you can never forget what it once was. People love to see things that they're familiar with, that's why many people like things with pop culture crammed into it. (Just look at Family Guy and Shrek for proof of that).
Sure, more original work would be great, but to crack under the pressure of parodies getting more attention then submitting and doing it is pretty pathetic. It should never be about how many viewers you get, it should be about who you entertain. Even if it's just one person, it's still worth it. The future of animation doesn't need people who do it just to get lots of fans. Making parodies is never going to become a full pledged career anyway. It might win them a few prizes here and there, but big woop. Basically, all I'm saying is, don't count on much of this stuff seeping off the internet. If you consider that it has with such cartoons like Family Guy that just steal pop culture references everywhere from books to the internet, then it's really not a big deal. In a few years, Family Guy will drown out of existence because it really has no sort of... what's the word... substance? It basically hasn't done anything revolutionary and it'll be ignored and forgotten. You've heard of Snow White, right? Sure you have, it was the first animated feature film. It's down in history. Ever heard of Dino Saucers? ... you probably have not. Because it didn't do anything to revolutionize animation and was pretty much washed out of history.
One more thing, if people REALLY want their original work to be successful, perhaps they should do more than ONE. Productivity= success. You think Disney, Studio Ghibli, Stephen King, and JK Rowling got noticed from just 1 work? They had to keep on working, cramming out more and more and more to really get noticed.
rtil (Updated )
Newgrounds may not be the ideal place, but it's the ONLY place for animators to really have any hope of getting started. I know what people love to see, but I also know what people didn't know they wanted to see - it's all over the place and it never gets a chance. I'm not talking about being popular or having lots of fans - i'm talking about giving a cartoon even the chance to reach its audience it never knew it could have. Newgrounds caters to an easy to get audience. I think this could be changed, and in turn give the video game parody people the same chance as anyone else to make their day. I know people who gave up animating because they never even had one person come back to say something about another piece of work they did. They weren't dying for popularity or anything, all they wanted was one person who knew they cared about what they created. And they never got it. That's messed up.