Channel Frederator Blog

Achilles Heels is another great one from Matt Gaston and the guys at Uber Street. Makes me very, very happy to have 2 working legs.
We caught up with Matt, and asked him a few questions. Thank heavens, he didn’t tell us to “go take a walk”.

1) This was a great short, and very inventive, might I add. How did you come up with this idea, and what was the inspiration?
The original idea came from a box of old records from I acquired from my parents place when they moved. I had a completely different idea for the film. Time and a few other issues like my car being stolen caused me to come up with a new idea. I had spent so much time building the life size metal armature, I decided to incorporate some of it.

2) What was the process you used to complete this, and how long did it take from start to finish?
First I storyboarded everything, then I went to junkyards in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Got all the parts and started doing some metal work like cutting, grinding, and drilling. The legs finished weighed around 60lbs. I then went out and did some filming. Next I animated them against a green screen. I composited them into the computer using After Effects. Then it was the long process of making masks frame by frame and adjusting them. I went for a choppy look to add texture and blend everything together.
I had the length of my senior year at the University of the Arts to complete it, from September to early May. The second idea didn’t begin until February.

3) How long have you been animating/filming, etc?
I have been animating for about 4 years now.

4) I’m a relatively short fellow. Not quite “small person”, but definitley a shorty. Oftentimes, growing up I thought about getting that one surgery to extend my legs. It’s a long and painful journey, one I’m glad I never journeyed on. Have you ever thought of altering your body or modifying it in some way?
Well I’m getting fat, so I should probably start to think about breast reduction.

5) What are you working on currently?
Currently I’m working at MyDamnChannel.com. I’m doing editing and uploading videos. However, you will soon see some animated shorts from Uber Street Studios on their website.

That’s great Matt! Thanks again for submitting to us! We can’t wait to see more from you and the rest of the gang from Uber Street!
-Jeaux Janovsky