STATIC-MATION CUTIES: MARK HOLMES INTERVIEWED

In August 2020, I had he pleasure of interviewing renown pin-up artist, Rock Baker regarding his Cartoon Cuties Static-mation shorts. As Baker confirmed, his friend and creative partner, Mark Holmes (of Femforce fame), enhances the panels' flow with delightful, musical additives. 

I had the chance to interview Holmes, at which time he elaborated on his present and future plans for Cartoon Cuties.

Mike: Your choice of music works well for the Static-Mation shorts, Mark. I'm aware that your selected music is public domain, and yet it streams with precision to Baker's stories. How do you know what to tap into for an installment? Is your process instinctual, intentional or both?

Mark: Most Public Domain music I have found was created around the turn of the last century up until the 1930s. So it inherently has an "Old Timey" and innocent feel to it. When initially searching for music I searched for "Public Domain Cartoon Music" and found a couple of sites that I tapped into. So I pointed myself in the right direction and hit the target by accident. It wasn't until later that filmmaker, Joshua Kennedy pointed out YouTube's rich library of music that spans genres and time periods. Then I started to draw from there. 

Mike: Is there a certain choice of music that stands out to you among the Static-Mation shorts: one that seems maybe tailor-cut for a tale? For example, the "hillbilly" music for "The Legend of Lover's Bridge" fits to a tee to my ears.

Mark: Yes! I like that one also. Steve Reed's original piece in "Another Reason" is just about perfect. Truth be told, when I first saw Scott Joplin's The Entertainer was available and "Sister Act" came across my screen, I knew those two had to go together. That music selection is my favorite so far. 

Mike: Some of the recent Static-Mation tracks have proven more poignant than whimsical or comical. Do you see Cartoon Cuties heading in a more earnest direction as the mythology expands? (Baker's prose stories do, in fact, feature such deeper emotions.) How might such tonality impact the scores?

Mark: Rock is an old soul and draws from many areas. He has shown to have a pretty good balance of the comedic and dramatic. I personally lean toward the comedy, but I have become a little misty-eyed putting together some of these cartoons. I try to choose the music to fit the piece so comedy gets more upbeat and romance get the sappy stuff and drama gets whatever fits the mood. 

Mike: You've presented your musical-implementation process in an excellent YouTube video, but for the sake of this interview, can you give a basic rundown of the procedure?

Mark: Basically Rock sends me the plates, and I organize them in a stand-alone folder where I can work with them. I assemble in an open-source movie-maker program at six seconds per frame. I then save the video with no sound. I isolate the video in its own player and watch the silent video and get a general feel for what I have. I then go to one of my music sources, generally YouTube Music Library these days, and search out the theme. For instance, in "Living the Dream", we start off with a relaxing dream that turns into a nightmare. I searched for Dream Music and got several choices. Most didn't fit the bill because of the severe mood swing two-thirds of the way into the video. When I listened to the song, Lucid Dreamer, it had a severe mood shift built in, but in the wrong place! I had to whack off a good bit of the opening music to get that one to line up.

Mike: Baker intends to extend the Static-Mation format into traditional animation. When that happens, how will you tackle the technique? It would be trickier to implement or am I wrong? 

Mark: There is a famous, Clint Eastwood quote: "A man has to know his limitations." Personally, I am at my limit. A traditional cartoon is the next step and would require a composer who knows what he's doing. I would gladly step aside and let someone with real musical knowledge, talent and ability take over. 

Mike: As a "sound man", I'm assuming you'd also be involved with the voice and related, audio effects for traditional animation. Any thoughts and/or hopes on such?

Mark: Once again I would pass that off to someone else with experience in the subject. 

Mike: What are your musical influences, particularly with motion-picture soundtracks? Who are the composers you hold in high regard, and would any of them suit Cartoon Cuties, if you could only employ them? 

Mark: I love music movie soundtracks. I used to play the "Star Wars" soundtrack, James Bond, "Grease", "Saturday Night Fever", Spaghetti Western themes over and over again. Anything that I could get my hands on. Music and video always went together for me. I was around 18 when MTV premiered, and boy did that hit the spot. Music and short film combined. I view every Cartoon Cuties short as a mini movie and a music video. 

Mike: What draws you to Cartoon Cuties? For that matter, what entices you about Baker's artwork and storytelling in general? The two of you share a Femforce connection, and you've each worked with filmmaker, Joshua Kennedy, so there's are evident overlaps in your tastes and creative circles. 

Mark: From 2000 to 2010, I was completely out of comics That luxury had to go as at that time money needed to go elsewhere. I was a HUGE fan of AC Comics back in the day and missed getting Femforce comics for ten years. One birthday, my wife got me the entire back order of issues I missed, and I discovered the artist, Rock Baker. He drew stunningly beautiful, busty women, and I really fell for his style. An Internet search found him on Facebook, so my kids helped me set up an account so I could contact him. We share many interest like classic tv and movies. We have been more than Facebook friends ever since. When I started writing for Femforce comics, Rock and I collaborated on many stories, including "Book 'em, Synn", my first story ever published. 

Rock and I bounce off ideas with each other all the time. I came up with Crissy Carrot's catch phrase, "Hoppin Hassenpheffer" way back there when Cartoon Cuties was a different kind of animal. 

Cartoon Cuties is Rock's baby and a labor of love for him. I point out things I like and things I don't like. We do not always see eye to eye. We have a strong enough friendship where I am brutally honest with him, and he has big enough shoulders where so he can take it.  In the end, he is the boss on this outfit, and I'm just a hired gun.  

Mike: Baker has said he plans to promote Cartoon Cuties: the Static-Mation Collection further with a DVD release, but after that happens, how long do you anticipate it will take the two of you to get to the next animation phase? 

Mark: Rock needs to find a proper animator first. I will always be there as a sounding board if he needs me. 

Mike: Do you envision a Cartoon Cuties feature-length film, and if that opportunity were to arise, would you consider original music material for it. For the sake of a wish list, what composers might you consider? 

Mark: I would like to see an anthology piece with several shorts loosely tied together in a feature. Personally, I hope Rock can find a young composer and give that person the job.

Mike: Thanks for your insights, Mark!

Mark: Thanks for having me!

One can view Baker/Holmes' Static-Mation Cuties at   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69ktqR8dq_c&list=PLRPxwK10j5iR8_17DWy9y2ItfIWCSzIhp.

STATIC-MATION CUTIES: ROCK BAKER INTERVIEWED

Renowned pin-up artist, Rock Baker is determined to put Cartoon Cuties on a whole new level. With the help of his faithful friend, Mark Holmes, he's doing just that. The legendary Creek Bend and its adorable Annies have entered the process of Static-Mation  (a process wherein cartoon panels progress as music plays), and thus far, the results are an anthropomorphic triumph.

For the sake of commemorating these sensational, Static-Mation shorts, I had the pleasure of interviewing Baker to gain insight into his creative process and ultimate, Annie aspirations. 

MH: The CARTOON CUTIES Static-Mation shorts are an excellent way of promoting your characters. At present, YouTube is their main showcase. Do you and your production partner, Mark Holmes, have further plans to publicize the Static-Mation venue? If so, in what ways and within what formats?

RB: God willing, my plan is to produce about 30 such shorts and have them burned to a DVD which can be shopped to potential distributors interested in releasing those same shorts to an official DVD. Once that has been accomplished and the foundation has been established, I want to use that as a springboard to more complex forms of animation. The Static-Mation shorts are ideally but a sample reel to interest production of a more traditionally animated episode. Though rudimentary, the shorts should provide a flavor of what the franchise is like and act as a preview of what sort of material a more complex production could feature.   

MH: What are the general comments you've received from viewers on the Static-Mation shorts? (I suspect they're most satisfied, even if they're not familiar with your comic books and prose companion piece.)

RB: By and large, the response has been quite positive. Those commenting have seen that the focus is on sweetness and character, and some have even reported being moved emotionally by the stories and the relationships presented. As of this writing, the feedback has been fairly minimal, but it's been very encouraging. 

MH: How many CARTOON CUTIES Static-Mation shorts are queued on YouTube? How many more do you and Mark plan to produce? 

RB: As of this writing, there are 19 shorts currently "on the air" for viewing. I'm in the middle of doing coloring work for the 20th short, which could be published within the week. My aim, God willing, is to have a minimum of 30 shorts before having them burnt to a DVD. In addition, there is a behind-the-scenes video Mark put together, which I already planned to put on the disk as an extra. We also plan a special video to act as a sort of capstone to the series, one which will feature highlights of the run set to a piece of music that I own. The said piece of music was recorded by an old friend of mine, for another project which never worked out, and I've decided to make it the official theme for the CARTOON CUTIES. A sample of the tune can be heard to the soundtrack of the short, ANOTHER REASON, for those interested. 

MH: Crissy Carrots and Minerva Mallen are beyond a doubt Annie superstars, no matter the format they occupy. Are there any characters beyond them who've gotten a boost through the shorts? 

RB: I'm not sure they've proven more popular, but the Baxter sisters, Beverly and Jeannie, have taken a big step forward thanks to the cartoons. I so looked forward to featuring the characters that I made them a big part of the short stories I was writing to fill in the lag between the comic-book issues (the girls are set to appear in Issue 3 and finally grab the spotlight in Issue 4). I had to include them in the cartoons, although doing so proved an interesting challenge since from the start I found them more dialogue-based in their humor. They'd shine in a radio format, I think. As for the other characters who have benefited from the format, I was similarly able to introduce the world to Candy Sweeth prior to her comic-book arrival. She's set to appear in another short before it's over. Carole Corday is a character created specifically as a result of the shorts, developed for little more than the tag at the end of each video alerting viewers to the books being sold on Amazon. I liked the design and used her as the desk girl Candy Sweeth confronts in The SCIENCE OF LOVE. Feeling she had more potential, she finally headlined THE INVASION and has another short in the pipeline (one I'm currently doing the ink work for, actually). There are a few characters who will be first seen in the Static-Mation shorts or have been created specifically for the format to flesh out the world presented.

MH: Your "slide shows" are reminiscent of silent movies, particularly in their calculated scope and Mark Holmes' musical selections. For the sake this animation format, are there any silent movies and/or performers who've influenced your stories? (THE FAMILY WAY, for one, has a distinct, Chaplin feel about it, tugging at the heartstrings, while making one smile.)  

RB: Laurel and Hardy have influenced me to some degree. MINERVA TAKES THE CAKE is very much a conscious recall of the all-time classic THE MUSIC BOX, albeit on a much smaller scale. Ironically given that I'm working without sound for the most part, I haven't spent as much time as you might think mulling over silent films in search of inspiration. It's mostly been mulling over characters themselves, wondering what they might get themselves into, and then just running with it. I'm on record saying that I work in such a slapdash manner that any resulting structure or cleverness is credited entirely to the Holy Spirit. So it is with these cartoons. I'll generally start with a scene and go from there. THE FAMILY WAY was built from a simple opening scene of Roger dozing off as he rests his head in Crissy's lap, she looking on with contentment and love. At that point, the scene could have been used as the ending of a cartoon rather than the starting point (which is essentially how A WALK IN THE PARK developed). The telephone ringing and Crissy trying to answer it without waking Roger came from there. Though as I was drawing Crissy reaching for the telephone, I had no idea what the party on the other end of the line was going to tell her. It was imaging Crissy's beaming smile when she's told she's "that way" that really solidified the direction of the short. I basically let the characters dictate the direction their stories go in, though I do acknowledge the work of Chuck Jones in informing me of how they get where they're going. Jones made his cartoons so that they could be followed even if there was no sound, so he's been more my model than anyone else in this respect. 

MH: I see aspects of I LOVE LUCY and LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY in the Static-Mation submissions. Perhaps this stems from a focus on females in humorous (and on occasion, madcap) situations. Are there any sitcom scenarios or characters who may have impacted CARTOON CUTIES in a specific way? 

RB: I think there's a bit of GREEN ACRES present. I realized that the influence of Oliver and Lisa Douglas has been something of a model for the way I write my married characters. Oliver and Lisa, whatever loony situation they found themselves in, were always very affectionate, playing out a relationship that never lost its honeymoon tingle. That's very much on display with Roger and Crissy. Though I don't think it comes through as strongly, I credit Alvin and the Chipmunks for much of the tone found in the Baxter sisters. Although Beverly and Jeannie owe much in their design to later era Disney characters, their relationship as sisters is influenced by the Chipettes (though this may not be as up front in the shorts as it is in the prose stories). I was quite taken by the way the Chipettes interacted. They have their differences and their own motivations, but that all ultimately takes a back seat to their bond as sisters. I like that and use it as a model for the way these sisters live. 

MH: I've compared CARTOON CUTIES to Disney and Warner Brothers' animated shorts and their comic-book tie-ins, but in watching the YouTube submissions, it hit me that your stories also hold a Hanna-Barbera vibe, with possible, implied references to Augie Doggie, Top Cat and Yogi Bear. Were you at all inspired by HB?

RB: Certainly to some extent. I approached the Static-Mation shorts early on as if they were being produced for 1950's television. Without doubt, that era of Hanna-Barbera is the go-to model for 50's TV animation. Their reliance on humor growing from domestic situations most certainly served as a model for how to approach the CARTOON CUTIES. I had hoped in fact we could dig up music cues which would be reflective of those shorts. Happily, our first short, PICNIC PRETTY, captured that sound and feel rather well, I thought. 

MH: Though CARTOON CUTIES projects an old-fashioned, carefree innocence, the set-ups are also darn sexy (BEACH BARED immediately comes to mind). Sometimes that sexiness feels otherworldly. There's a Trixie episode, for example, in which she turns blue and displays her exotic pigmentation in wearing a bikini. The moment brings to mind the likes of Susan Oliver and Yvonne Craig covered in green as the Orion Slave Girls on classic STAR TREK. Is that the effect you intended to emulate (give or take)?

RB: Absolutely this was an influence. That particular short was based on a story I'd originally intended for use in a comic book, though my original concept involved a married woman with a husband rather delighted by her new hue. That idea sprung from Susan Oliver's green skin, as I found myself thinking that if women could (temporarily, of course) take on a similar hue it would be much to the delight of the men in their lives. If green looks good, I had to imagine blue would look even better. (The whole affair was the result of my suddenly being allowed to develop stories with color in mind, as my earliest published work was all black and white.) It hit me that this might make a good subject for a cartoon, and it seemed a good fit for Trixie Hope. It would have more impact happening to her, since her cartoon friends already come in a variety of wild shades and they might feel they could cope with it a bit better. Basically, the entire cartoon was motivated by trying to find a scenario which could take advantage of the fact that we're working in color. 

MH: Mark Holmes does a wonderful job arranging the music for your stories. His choices seem to enhance their emotional elevations and pacing, thus enriching the flow. Does he choose the music with any input from you? 

RB: Largely, Mark selects the music himself. I let him know that I want a period sound, but it's more or less in his hands once I turn over the plates to him. He likes to find a hook upon which to frame the musical selection, provided that he can track down a public domain soundtrack that he likes. It's largely out of my hands at that point, though I did direct him to the piece of music I actually own for ANOTHER REASON, which I mentioned earlier.  

MH: Getting back to CARTOON CUTIES' further expansion, would you ever consider a longer (beyond three minutes) adventure for YouTube or DVD? Considering the in-depth nature of your Annie/Creek Bend foundation, there seems to be more than enough content for a feature-length version.  

RB: Oh, yes, certainly. I want to use these shorts as a spearhead for the production of an animated special for DVD and television. From there I want to do a Christmas special and an animated feature. Actually, two or three features at least. Following that, possibly a television series. God willing, this is only the beginning. 

MH: Thanks for the fulfilling insights, Rock. Much appreciated, my friend.

RB: Thank you very much, Mike! I really enjoyed it. 

The CARTOON CUTIES Static-Mation shorts are quite an accomplishment. I encourage all my readers to give them a view: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69ktqR8dq_c&list=PLRPxwK10j5iR8_17DWy9y2ItfIWCSzIhp.

ROCK BAKER'S CARTOON CUTIES IN STATIC-MATION & INDELLICOLOR!!!

The evolution of Rock Baker's Cartoon Cuties is breathtaking, moving from a comic-book format to a prose volume and now into amazing, motion (C.B. International/Indellitoon) cartoon shorts.  

Mark Holmes (a fine chap who I've mentioned in previous posts in relation to Femforce and Joshua Kennedy's movies) is responsible for the technical aspects of these clever, musical slide shows (presented, by the way, in spiffy "Static-Mation" and "Indellicolor"). And each Holmes-spun entry is a genuine, Baker concoction, elevated by the pin-up king's peppy artwork and humble storytelling. At the moment, there are seventeen, collaborative efforts completed, with more in the pipeline. 

The cartoons run up to three minutes in length: easy to digest, but at the same time, so darn appealing that one can't help but demand more.

As expected, the cartoons' content spotlights Baker's stand-out Annies: Crissy Carrots (the franchise's mega star), Minevra Mallen (my foremost fave); the buxom Baxter Twins (Jeannie and Beverly); delightful Daisy Poise; tantalizing Trixie; yummy Yvette Pond; mesmerizing Misty Carter; cuddly Candy Sweeth; captivating Carole Corday; sultry Simone Grace; and that hot, new Creek Bend Cutie, Mala Winston. The always identifiable Roger Ralphwitt grants the gals his warm and appreciative assistance.  

It would be wrong of me to give away too much of the plots. However (if only for the sake of enticement), the stories include a cake-delivery mishap; a squirrel on the loose; a bear-clawed picnic; housework gone mad; talent-show buffoonery; a possible, alien invasion; and enough calamitous, movie mishaps to make Lucille Ball blush with envy. Naturally, there are ample, amorous hi jinks woven throughout to increase the Cutie caliber and a heap of tenderness tiered on top. (For the record, "The Family Way" is one of the most touching tales I've ever encountered.) 

To underscore the scenarios, Holmes' musical insertions abet the pacing, much as do well crafted scores for the best silent movies. Such gives each experience the perfect, melodramatic essence to ensure one's emotional investment.  

Make no mistake: Baker and Holmes' team-ups are presently in experimental mode, acting as hearty groundwork for what might someday become a series of full-fledged, traditional animation shorts. Still, what exists will satisfy all Annie fans and no doubt earn Baker and Holmes a swarm of additional admirers. 

 

One would be wise to give these sweet and endearing shorts a spin. A smile on one's face and jubilation in one's heart are assured: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69ktqR8dq_c&list=PLRPxwK10j5iR8_17DWy9y2ItfIWCSzIhp.