State Bicycle

State Bicycle did an interview series with pro bicyclists, where instead of sitting them down in a room, they filmed the pros riding out in the real world while the interviewer rode alongside them.

They got some wild stories, and State asked me to animate some of them to really bring the stories to life.

The stories are silly and lend themselves to a cartoony style. But even so, it was a challenge to figure out what to draw! Because even with the voiceover, I had to decide what to show: which moments, what angle, how to structure scenes, how to find moments of drama or comedy.

The producers gave me feedback every step of the way, but it was my job to dream up the cartoon and its characters.

Some animators try to do things as cheap as possible. There's a tendency to avoid doing anything difficult because it'll take too long and it won't be worth it. But I think the final product really suffers with that kind of mentality!

Difficult shots don't have to be expensive. Things like lip sync, special effects, complex action, and inbetweening add a richness that I believe is worth figuring out.