fandom q+a Silly Filly Studios Q&A

[Meresims 48]

Oh goodness the questions are coming fast, sorry if i'm answering too slowly.

 

Vulcan - I got into MLP in my sophomore year of college, in the middle of season one. I found a starcraft pony crossover video using some sort of browser add-on that took you to different cool pages when you clicked on it...I can't remember the name of it for the life of me. But it linked me to that, and I thought the animation was cute, so I watched more. I got more into the fandom side when the Fighting is Magic voice auditions came up and I got the part of Twilight Sparkle.

Batbrony - This is a difficult question to tackle, because each project that we've worked on has been so drastically different from the other. For projects we created like Snowdrop and Fall of the Crystal Empire, it was important for us to at least think of a way we could string it into the existing Equestrian mythos (I worked a lot more on Snowdrop than Fall, so I know I concentrated a good deal on making a story that could fit easily into the mythology when it came to that one, but I know that Zed, who did the Fall of the Crystal Empire script, wanted to try to expand on the original content since there wasn't much Sombra mythos to go on in the first place - he had based a lot of that animation on a Tumblr comic he had been working on at the time.) For projects like Donut Steel, and our parodies like Fresh Prince and the Kerninja and Cookiezard scripts, those are more just trying to have as much fun as possible without worrying too much about breaking some sort of existing character mythology...granted, they are parodies so we get away with that, haha.

 

And then there's Johnny Test and the Case of the Missing Whipcracks...well, I think we stayed pretty true to the themes of the original source material there.

FlutterGuy999 - I'm a HUGE One Piece fangirl. I also love love love Princess Tutu, Cyborg 009, Fruits Basket, Kill la Kill, and Ouran High School Host Club. 

Flitterflutter - I like Fluttershy, Lightning Bolt, Derpy, and Chrysalis.

[Zedrin 38]

So I'm wondering, do you ever start losing motivation to work on a project? And what do you do to get through those times?

 

Head down and plow through it, usually. I have to force myself to commit to things frequently. Snowdrop required 5 12-hour workdays straight during the home stretch.

 

This is a lot more of a risk for bigger things. It's usually better to avoid this problem all together by not biting off more than you can chew. Of course that's not always feasible.

[Charlemane 29]

Will there be more sequels to thing like: "Doughnut Steel", and "Snowdrop"? 

I don't have any plans to write another Donut Steel. I feel that the gag is done at this point. Any further expansions on that series would either be grasping at straws, or very redundant.

[MEMJ0123 33]

So I'm wondering, do you ever start losing motivation to work on a project? And what do you do to get through those times?

From a VA's perspective, sometimes you get tired of the script or the character. Either your voice gives out or you're experiencing fatigue from the project. I find it's important to keep the end goal in mind, remember what made you excited about the project, and what about the character that interests you. Sometimes it's just a matter of discipline, you gotta do the work no matter what, in the end.

[SoundRez 46]

What type of Anime shows (if any) do you guys enjoy?

 

HA...HAHA...HAHAHAHAHAHA...yeeeaaaahhhhh I'm not really an anime fan anymore.  I watched a lot of stuff when I was in high school when everything was on Toonami and Adult Swim, but now I just find it all to be the same pratfall gags and the same dull art style (but yes there are some that stand out from the rest).

 

HOWEVER, there are 3 anime that I'll always watch and love.  Android Kikaider, Lupin III, and Detective Conan.  Mostly because they stand out with actual clever writing.

 

What is your favorite ponies?

 

Vinyl Scratch overall and Rainbow Dash for the mane 6.

 

 

Now, I wanted to ask you, as a future animator (I hope x) ), how did you find the motivation to carry on animating when you first started out? I can only guess how tedious it must be if something didn't go correctly.

 

Secondly, do you see yourselves choosing animation as a full time career in the future?

 

Thanks

 

Motivation can be a hard thing, there're times where I don't feel like drawing anything either.  On those days you kind of just have to force yourself to do something.  Animation is a little harder since it takes so long; just start getting your keyframes in first and keep filling in the blanks between them.  I do get inspiration from watching other animations and looking at other srtists I enjoy, especially tutorials.

 

For the other question, I'd love to, but I'd rather do something with a group online than work for say Pixar or Dreamworks.

[Castle Bleck 19,545]

Hey, SFS, will you ever have Discord and Chrysalis review anything else after they gave Snowdrop a try?

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,826]

What inspired the character Snowdrop?

[Meresims 48]

Okay I finally figured out multiquote haha.

 

I recently saw the footage you guys showed for the upcoming StarSign series and since I'm a Sagittarius, out of curiosity, is there going to be a Sagittarius character in the series and if so what kind of design would they have?

There will be~...if we're able to make a lot of StarSign. Which will depend on if you all like StarSign. (Hopefully you all will!)

 

What inspired Snowdrop? It was a very good short

I think I answered this one, but basically I was missing snow while I was studying abroad in Australia, and we were looking to make some new scripts...so long story short, I wrote a story about snow because I wanted snow, haha.

 

So I'm wondering, do you ever start losing motivation to work on a project? And what do you do to get through those times?

Oh yes, I think any creative loses motivation, regardless of the job. As fun as our job is, work is work...so occasionally we all just want to sit back and play games all day. What we have to do to get past it is just support each other and try to push through the stagnation. When you have a good group on your side though, it's easy.

 

Will there be more sequels to thing like: "Doughnut Steel", and "Snowdrop"? 

There will not be a Snowdrop sequel.

[TheRockARooster 55,452]

What's the greatest thing a fan has done for you?

 

To all members.

[SugarfootWillie 383]

So what were you all doing before SFS and how have those skills evolved up until this point in time?

[Charlemane 29]

What's the greatest thing a fan has done for you?

 

To all members.

Support. I remember after we released Snowdrop I was sitting with Zed and Taylor at Everfree Northwest. We were wearing our staff shirts and one of the people recognized us. That made my day. Fast forward a few years, and I'm still blown away when people come all the way out to the conventions we're invited to and say hello.

[Meresims 48]

Hey, SFS, will you ever have Discord and Chrysalis review anything else after they gave Snowdrop a try?

 

We no longer have the voice actress with us who voiced Chrysalis, so likely not..but we still have Rev, who works as our Discord, so he may pop up now and again.

What inspired the character Snowdrop?

So the character of Snowdrop herself came from a few different people. There are characteristics of myself when I was in grade school that I put into her experiences at school, and a lot of her character traits came from one of my friends...I watched her overcome a lot in middle school; her shy nature was really debilitating. (And I know the feeling myself, dealing with that...just not to as much of an extreme level.) If you're talking about the blindness though? That was so she could have heightened senses, enough so that she could handle delicate snowflakes.

[Speed 33]

Hello there SFS, what is the most challenging project you had to work on and why?

[SoundRez 46]

What's the greatest thing a fan has done for you?

 

To all members.

 

I haven't really been around long enough for anything to happen to me personally, but seeing the support and excited from everyone is always awesome!

 

So what were you all doing before SFS and how have those skills evolved up until this point in time?

 

Most of us still work other jobs.  I'm still working the same job I had before.  I had a few freelance gigs with a couple well-known companies before as well.  It hasn't really affected my skills, just practicing drawing everyday is what helps me improve.

[Castle Bleck 19,545]

We no longer have the voice actress with us who voiced Chrysalis, so likely not..but we still have Rev, who works as our Discord, so he may pop up now and again.

 

Sucks about the Chrysalis VA, but good to hear about Rev -- he almost sounds just like a younger De Lancie.

[FlutterGuy999 2,228]

For someone who wants to get into animation or VA work, what sort of computer programs, equipment, advice, anything would you guys recommend?

Edited November 22, 2015 by FlutterGuy999

[MEMJ0123 33]

What's the greatest thing a fan has done for you?

 

To all members.

Oh gosh, you're making me think! I've met a lot of great people who enjoy my/our content, and I'm not a person who likes to pick favourites! I really just love it when people approach me and tell me they like the stuff I do, that makes me feel great.

[twilight24 325]

Whay advice would you give to others who have ideas but need to find motivation to create and build them up ? Great work by the way

[Charlemane 29]

So what were you all doing before SFS and how have those skills evolved up until this point in time?

I was sitting in a dead-end job from which I have since moved on. Now I'm doing more stuff than I know how to keep track of. I've learned how to draw, I'm writing again, I'm even working with sound design and music composition, which has been a dream of mine for the last few years. Oh, and I also made a lot of awesome friends.

[greencm 1]

Who is your favorite princess  :comeatus:

 

And how hard is it to keep replying? 

Edited November 22, 2015 by greencm

[Zedrin 38]

What's the greatest thing a fan has done for you?

 

To all members.

 

Probably the best thing has just been be supportive. E.g., sharing our videos with friends, subscribing, etc. It seems small, but it's something anyone can do, and there's a lot of different ways to do it, both small and large. And at the end of the day, the support does help a lot.

 

 

So what were you all doing before SFS and how have those skills evolved up until this point in time?

 

I was just starting to learn how flash worked thanks to some tutorials by OneyNG. Since then I've made it my main source of income and my job.

[Meresims 48]

What's the greatest thing a fan has done for you?

 

To all members.

 

Support is the biggest thing. Seeing people come out to our panels at the conventions, seeing positive comments and messages, those make the hard work worthwhile and keep us going when it gets really tough. (That being said, some people have brought me beautiful drawings...oh, and candy, and I do love candy donations~!)

So what were you all doing before SFS and how have those skills evolved up until this point in time?

I was in college, writing short stories and trying to not be a social recluse by working as a moderator on a One Piece writing site (which I loved doing, I still have great friends from that too, but the sites kept dying, and dying...very sad stuff.). I had pretty much given up voice acting - Fighting is Magic got me back into it a bit, but it was the group that really encouraged me to give it another try. I'm very happy that I did.

[Trixie Heartstrings 434]

Hiya, do you have any upcoming projects? (Sorry if this question was already asked)

[Varrack 1,080]

Hey, SFS. Have any of you seen LittleshyFiM's video "Everything wrong with Snowdrop in 2 minutes or less"? If so, what did you think of it?

 

I like your work btw. I found his video of yours and became curious on whether any of you had seen it.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,826]

 

 

So the character of Snowdrop herself came from a few different ponies. There are characteristics of myself when I was in grade school that I put into her experiences at school, and a lot of her character traits came from one of my friends...I watched her overcome a lot in middle school; her shy nature was really debilitating. (And I know the feeling myself, dealing with that...just not to as much of an extreme level.) If you're talking about the blindness though? That was so she could have heightened senses, enough so that she could handle delicate snowflakes.

 

Wow! That's amazing! I really love it when people base characters off of their own experiences and life.