Interview No. 54

Interview By: @The-Great-One

Today's guest is an amazing artist whose work is known throughout Newgrounds. He has been known for his works in Madness one being Day of the Madness which he would win the triple crown for. Although he has works in Madness and stick figures he is working on branching out of these, but his contributions to Madness Day are recognized for their artwork and storytelling he is @LittleLuckyLink.

Q: How did you find Newgrounds and why did you join?

A: I found Newgrounds around the summer of 2004. I was throwing some end of the year pool party and made the decision to invite this one girl I had been having problems with all year. In some truce-type conversation, she mentions a website called "celebritykilling.com". I couldn't find an actual website, but a Google search brought me to the Assassin page, and I've been hooked ever since then.

Q: Your first flash movie would be entitled Kill Arena. The inspiration could've come from many different big stick artists, but where did it come for you? And looking back on this flash are you still proud of it today?

A: Kill Arena was something that actually came later on after I had originally started animating. I had thought my flashes before Kill Arena weren't good enough for NG, so I sorta refrained from submitting them. Kill Arena was something I made after I became addicted to RingFinger's Battlefield series. I guess just another test.

Q: When did you come across Madness and what from it inspired you to make Madness Inaguration and despite your description, will we see a sequel?

A: I had always seen Madness on the front page, but never really payed much attention to it until I saw Antipathy on the front page. From that point on, I was hooked. I also played Madness Interactive quite a bit. I started animating my first Madness cartoon on New Years eve of 2006/2007. Animating that movie felt right for some reason, and I really enjoyed it. But of course, it was never submitted. That was when I went for Inauguration. The story was something I just sorta threw together because I wanted to see a character I created in Madness Interactive come to life. The sequel had actually been started, and I got about two minutes into it before I just got bored with it. I have actually had thoughts and visions for a sequel, but no solid plans have been made.

Q: On September 22nd, 2008 was The 2nd Annual Madness Day. On this day you would give us the start of a small series that would be updated within the next two years starting with Dawn of the Madness. Of course Krinkels Madness series is the inspiration from an artwork standpoint, but this stands out from most other Madness fan animations. Where else did you draw inspiration from for this flash?

A: The summer of 2008 was actually a very important time for me. There were many things going on with my personal life at the time, and I guess you could say it was a bit of a "reawakening" for me creatively. Before and during that summer, I had taken a huge interest in zombie movies. The 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead and the Resident Evil movies caught my interest in particular. The movie went through many different changes early on in production. For instance, some of the art, including the zombies, was changed and recreated with the help of a great friend of mine.

Q: The following year you would revive an oldie of yours and that is Kill Arena III Incomplete. You have told this story in the description box, however others do not know the story would you share it here with us? Also will we see another Kill Arena in the near future?

A: I was nearly finished with the movie, but unfortunately, my computer just crashed while I was attempting to save the file. It couldn't be opened, and I lost much of my progress and many scenes that would have been really cool. An alien abduction, a scene with a lawnmower, chainsaws, exploding cars and video game shit. I tried finding ways to fix the file, but got absolutely no where and gave up. I have actually thought about a fourth movie quite a bit. In fact, it's in pre-production. I have been sketching out plans for what the arena would look like and I have been thinking of kills I'd like to animate. The main reason I want to make the movie is to bring those unseen kills to light. I am also somewhat disappointed with how KA3 turned out. A remake would be too boring, so I figure I'll just start from scratch.

Q: The 3rd Annual Madness Day has arrived and with it the continuation of the story with Day of the Madness. It seems that the story could have ended here, but your cliffhanger ending left us all in suspense for a year. This flash not only entertained me on a violent Madness style level, but I was also scared through some of it. What was the process in following Dawn of the Madness and adding more and more?

A: Day of the Madness was- to me- basically shoving in whatever references I possibly could into the movie. I am somewhat disappointed with the lack of original characters, but in the end, I am still proud of the movie. I tried to excel in areas that Dawn lacked. For instance, art, animation, camera angles, and of course, scares. My skills had improved greatly since then, and I felt that this movie really showed how much.

Q: The 4th Annual Madness Day would be the end of a wonderful zombie survival story. Dusk of the Madness. It was sad to see this series come to an end, but at the same time all good things must come to an end. Why end it off here? Was there anything you did throughout the series that you did or didn't like? Also is this really the end or will there be a "Night of the Madness" for next Madness Day?

A: I decided to end the series because I wanted to branch out beyond Madness mainly. In some ways, I felt that the movie sealed off the series pretty neatly, but in other ways, I felt that it greatly lacked that true substance and heart I had put into the previous two movies. During the summer I was working on Dusk, I went through many different bouts of depression, which hindered my progress to the point where working on the movie felt like a chore. There are only a few things I would do differently, but what's done is done. And no, there won't be another Madness-Zombie movie. However, I do definitely plan to make more zombie movies as soon as I find an animation style that I'm comfortable with.

Q: When it comes to collaborations. You have participated in a few of them, however some collabs have also dropped as well. Got any advice for those looking to start a collab or join a collab so their work isn't wasted?

A: Starting a collab is actually pretty difficult unless you know what you're doing. Your idea should be something that interests the right crowd of people, and the members of the collab should also have a good work ethic. Otherwise, the collab may fall and go no where, leaving one with only a few animation clips. If you're looking to join one, keep an eye out on the production. If lots of people are joining and it looks promising, go for it.

Q: As an animator and a writer what advice can you give to those out there who are looking to get into animation or writing?

A: I'd simply just say not to give up. Life is full of situations where you'll have to start out small to work your way up. As long as you have a passion to animate or write, it should take you to great places as long as you don't give up. One other thing- criticism is very important. Instead of taking it personally, let it guide you and correct your faults as you try to see things from the audience's perspective.

Q: Your first audio submission would be entitled Electrock. You've described it as just some club beat. Would this be your first experimentation with music programs or have you had flops in the past?

A: I've always had an interest in music, but it's never really taken me anywhere. Electrock was made with some free drum program I had downloaded and spent a night or two playing around with. I'm not particularly proud of those submissions or anything, but they may just be the foundation for something in the future. My interest in music just seems to go away and pop up randomly- usually going away due to a loss of interest.

Q: The mighty kahuna would start an interesting that you would call the Constipated Old Man Choir. I just have to ask this simple question. Where on earth did this idea come from?

A: Oh man, those were good times. Those basically came from some laughs with a few friends in an Xbox Live party. The Constipated Old Man's Choir is somewhat of an inside joke. We often joke about live performances, music videos, records, and clothing lines branded after them.

Q: What can we expect from Littleluckylink in the future?

A: Zombies and violence for the most part. However, the future is uncertain at this point, as I'm currently not in a great situation in life. These past few months have basically been hell, and I've lost access to my laptop for the most part. It's a troubled situation, but hopefully things may settle within the next three months.. I can't say when these new movies will come, but I can say that they will come. I'm practically making new scripts each day. I also definitely hope to pursue a career in animation later.

Littleluckylink is an interesting artist. If one thing you have noticed about these interviews everybody here makes a start somewhere whether it be with sprites, stick figures, or Madness characters. The point is no matter what you have with enough imagination and artistic skill you can tell a wonderful story.