A few weeks ago, I asked my good friend Toniko Pantoja if I could interview him. He kindly accepted & here we have this. An interview. With TP. You may have seen some of his animation work on Newgrounds or some of his artwork on DeviantArt. Some of his notable animations are "On Your Mark Pt.1'' & ''One Wing Rush''. So sit back & enjoy:
How old are you?
I am currently seventeen years old. I was born on September 28, 1990.
Where are you from?
I come from The Philippines, though I have lived in Jakarta, Indonesia. I've
lived in Indonesia basically my whole life, whereas I've only lived in my
home country for three years due to the whole economic riot happening in Indonesia.
How long have you been animating?
To be practical, I've been animating since I was fourteen, and began to get
serious with it. Technically, I've used flash since I was eleven.
How would you describe your animation style?
Mostly frame by frame with heavy gradients on the characters, and a finished background done in Photoshop. Flash 8 has given me some great advantages, such as the filter effects like Blur help give the power of motion within my work. The blending effects are currently the main reason why my flash animations are considered to be "moody" and "dynamic", since I can easily simplify colors with them.
How long have you been drawing?
I've drawn from stickmen to what I can do now from when I was five to now. My biggest DRAWING year was in 3rd grade, when I kept drawing the anime style over and over again. It had lasted until I was 14-15 and I am currently shifting styles. My style now is a mix.
How would you describe your drawing style?
During my fourteen years of age and before that, I was mostly inspired by anime and games. Anime was one of my "mainstream" styles, but when I turned 15, I decided I wanted to change the style of my drawings. My style now is possibly a mix between standard cartoons (Disney, cartoon network stuff I'm assuming) and anime; because I get hundreds of mixed views with my style.
What got you into flash animation?
Things I saw from Newgrounds. Basically, sprite movies. That's right. Oh, and don't forget XIAO XIAO.
At the time, did you aspire to make stick movies as good as Xiao Xiao?
I actually did want to make movies as good as Xiao Xiao. I had tons and tons of unfinished ones. They're all violent in their own way.
You seem to have a lot of stories brewing in your head. How many are there and which one are you most interested in making a flash out of?
That's a tough question. I don't want to, but I HAVE to finish On Your Mark pt.2. TBL (Tike's Bizarre Life) was actually something I kind of started in 2003. I've been thinking over and over about coming back into it. I've mostly thought of feature films rather than just flash movies, but do have a lot of intentions into making flash shorts. TBL is one of the main things I'd like to pull off, along side with Refugee Jones and an idea that me and a good guy named Allan Parker are progressing. Really, I haven't decided what to animate once On Your Mark pt.2 is done, only time will tell.
Sadly I've never hear of Allan Parker nor do I know him. Who is he and what are some things he has done in the past?
Alan Parker is not very well known when it comes to the flash animation world, but he is a very talented chap and is a good friend of mine, and I met him during the Mystery of Albesila concept art project. He is a good concept artist himself, and shares some really interesting themes. What makes working with him fun is that we both have a very directive and cinematic eye, and are into producing movies with a purpose. He has done concept art for projects such as mods, movies and a hell lot of things. This guy is one of those drawing machines, and I can see a very promising future in him.
What are some of your biggest inspirations as an artist/animator?
I've always came up with crazy stories since I was a kid. Films and cartoons (including anime) have pretty much inspired the way I look at life, as well as video games. Books too, but that's not too occasional.
Why do you hate Michael Bay so much?
Hahahah, that is a good question. Nah, I don't hate him. I don't love his work either. It's just that his films lack depth (Very stereotypical plotlines, unbelievable characters, etc.) it's all eye candy and it's reaching top charts. I mean, it just sucks seeing new coming director's get raped out there trying to write a memorable (in terms of story) with a good plot and believable characters. To be honest, Michael Bay would be one of the greatest directors in my list, but because he lacks the in-depthness of the film and still receives the whole spotlight, it's kind of annoying.
Who is your favorite flash artist and why?
There are many flash artists who have inspired me in my work.
Legendary Frog used to be my favorite flash artist, I just began to move on to things that would inspire me more. NanokoStudio's flash, Renegades Ch.1, really inspired me to make movies that have a point, a purpose, etc. It's directing was pretty incredible, supported by the music scores. But the real guy who's inspired me in flash was Ed Skudder. His movies are just; crazy enough to shake the world. His flashes don't look too "flash", and achieve a professional level. He's also a good director himself. His Cigarette flash pretty much told me to improve my skills in flash because that rocked hard, and he's been working on Conversion which is going pretty slick. He's not my only favorite flash artist overall because
of what he can do, but he is an incredible person himself. Talking to him; he is the most supportive person I've ever talked to, he's one of the rare friendly artists I would meet online. A lot of artists I have fancied and talked to pretty much are jerks, arrogant assholes; but Ed is way different than all my favorite artists, and I am damn proud to have talked to him.
What would you like to be doing later on in your life?
I'll go for being a director in gaming, animation and movies. Though it's still undecided
