We Are The Rooster Teeth 2D Animation Team, Season 2 of Our Show Camp Camp Premieres Today, AMA!

Why is Maggie so awesome?

JC: She's not.

JB: Hahahaha

AL: Uhhhh

BM: ¯_(ツ)_/¯

MT: I'm just happy to be here guys.

To each member of the animation team, which character from Camp Camp was your favorite to create and continue to develop?

Also thank you to all the members of the 2d animation team, Camp Camp is one of my all time favorite shows

JB: Any and all of the Flower Scouts. I love the Flower Scouts.

AL: Mine's Preston. He's the best.

BM: Mine's Quartermaster (JC: You have a thing for old men.)

What has been your favourite complex shot to plan then eventually animate?

JC: In the episode that just came out today, we have a 360-degree rotating shot of a two-dimensional character that I knew was probably going to kill Yssa, our lead animator. Before we even did storyboards for it I asked her to make sure she could do it, and rose to the occasion and absolutely crushed it.

Hey guys, big fan of your work. I was curious when it comes to discussing the concepts surrounding new shows (like setting it in a camp, or following a rock band) how many people play a part in that process as it evolves? Looking forward to seeing more from you guys!

GH: Depends. These days the tendency is to bounce ideas around the animation creative staff. The more people we have chipping in ideas the stronger it gets.

MT: Collaboration! High five!

JC: One of the biggest advantages Camp Camp had was its longer (for us) development cycle. We were able to really flesh out the setting and how the camp worked, and what a typical episode would be.

GH: Plus Matt and Burnie are always pushing us to make the best content we can.

First of all amazing job with Camp Camp its incredible.

and my question is who is your favourite character and why is it Space Kid?

JC: My favorite to write for is Nurf; we always say lines in his voice in order to make sure it feels like something he'd say. Also his voice is just really fun to imitate.

BM: Old Man in Rocking Chair #1 from episode 8. There's just something about him.

MT: Larry the Hamster! I miss him so.

How is the relationship between the writer and the animators in terms of communication? Is the script up for change on the day or do you usually stick to it?

AL: It comes down to the director and animator, and usually we get to do our own key poses after getting direction from Jordan. We add our own little touches to it as long as it fits the character/scene. He's very open to collaboration.

JB: We can often hear laughter coming from the writer's room so we trust that it's gonna be good.

What was your favorite episode of last season to work on?

JC: Storyboarding the shots for the scene in the finale between Max and David was a lot of fun to direct. Coming up with more dramatic angles to adjust the tone for the scene was cool. Going from David on edge and Max in control, then switching, then having them be on equal footing without ever really moving from their spots was an interesting challenge.

BM: Mine was Spooky Island!! I had to animate the scene just before the reveal at the end. I loved playing with all the emotions happening in that scene from terrified Neil and Jasper to angry Max.

What has been your favorite episode of any show you've made and secondly how'd you guys get away with half the stuff in the Dolf focused episode of Camp Camp?

JC: I'd argue we didn't get away with anything at all <_<

Have you ever hid easter eggs in scenes that nobody ever found? Like the alien on South Park sort of thing.

JC: We've done a couple of things animation-wise nobody has picked up on. In the Spooky Island episode, we didn't give Jasper a shadow. And in Sex Swing episode 1, the dialogue on the TV in the last scene is actually dialogue from a scene in the finale episode.

Also our storyboard artist, Al, puts a crap-ton of stuff in the backgrounds of a lot of shots.

If I wanted to hire a decent freelance animator to make a 90 second short, what should I pay them? What should they charge?

JB: More than you'd think, but less than they deserve.

GH: One mmmmilllionnn dollars.

Who would be your dream voice actor for a new character next season?

AL: Danny Devito

MT: David Cross

GH: Donald Glover

JB: Justin Roiland

JC: Matt Chapman or Alex Hirsch

What's the usual process in developing and creating a 2D show?

JC: It's usually always different and very complicated to get a new show of any kind up and running, but once we do the pipeline for a typical episode looks something like this:

Brainstorming/Writing -> Storyboarding -> Voice Over Recording -> Animatic -> Art and Backgrounds -> Animation -> More Animation -> Visual Post-Production -> Music and Sound -> ??? -> Profit

Did Han shoot first?

JB: Yeup.

Hello RT Animation team! Thanks so much for doing this AMA!

Firstly, how many people do you hire on (full time or contract) from discovering the fan work they've made? Be it fan art, fan animations, fan music/remixes, etc.

And secondly what creation have you contributed to within RT that you're most proud of?

Thanks a ton!

MT: We were really surprised at how many fans applied to join the team. (Andrew is the biggest RT fan I've ever met. [BM: Actually Tanya is.]) If we see someone who is talented when going through resume submissions we hire them?

Also I'm really proud of saying "post-abortion rape" on On the Spot

JC: I can't top that.

Sex Swing was understandably not for everyone, but I absolutely loved it. I just wanted to say congrats on that show, it was fantastic, and weird, and great.

Are there any fun collaborative plans you have for the other arms of Rooster Teeth for the future? Even on just a personal level, who do you really want to work with?

MT: We've been working with a lot of people on projects throughout the company this year, including animating the trailer for the new game we're publishing Battlesloths (check it out if you haven't already!) But don't be surprised if you see more 2D animation popping around here and there.

GH: Facilities and accounting seem cool - let's do something with them.

Are there any features or memories of camps you went to as a kid that you've subtly incorporated into scenes of Camp Campbell?

JC: I actually never went to a camp, but a lot of the inspiration I use for writing episodes is just from summer vacations when I was a kid. I take a lot of inspiration from Ed, Edd, n Eddy especially. Miles was an eagle scout so I guess he knows all the camp shit.

AL: I went to a summer camp but there weren't like any Nazis or anything!

MT: I went to Engineering Camp! pushes up glasses

This may have been asked before, but who was the hardest character to write?

GH: With Max you're always trying to strike a balance between savvy-kid and some kind of childlike ignorance.

JC: Keeping Campbell's weird type of humor in check so that not every joke is about a Cayman Islands bank account or some geopolitical statement can be challenging as well.

Hey RT 2D team!

What programs do you use for shows like Camp Camp & X-Ray and Vav? Toonboom? Adobe Animate (aka Flash)? What does your timeline/production pipeline look like per episode?

Context: I work in 2D animated children's content and we've recently completed a whole show using Adobe Character Animator & doing more advanced animation within After Effects. I did the animation/editing, my boss and his wife did the voices and we completed a 15 episode (roughly 7-11 minute long episodes) 'show' in 4 months. I've never worked in a proper animation pipeline, I'd love to hear how RT operates!

JC: It used to be a mix of Flash and After Effects for season 1 of X-Ray and Vav. Then we discovered the glory of Toon Boom and never looked back. Even RTAA is made in Toon Boom now.

When you decided to become an animator, who inspired you to animate?

JC: Homestar Runner is the only reason I became an animator.

JB: The pencil test for the Avatar: The Last Airbender finale fight. I changed my major after seeing that.

BM: There wasn't really any one time I got inspired, but I was always genuinely interested in animated films when I was younger. And I always would watch the behind the scenes stuff. Then I discovered Glen Keane's interviews and his animation process and I knew then that's what I wanted to do.

AL: I saw Tom & Jerry as a kid and didn't understand how it was made. Then I realized you could have a job making things like that, and it sounded a lot cooler than an office job!

When the show was being pitched, was there any knowledge of the real Camp Campbell in Boulder Creek, California?

JC: Yeah, turns out there are a lot of Camps Campbell out there. I think it only adds to the mediocrity and mundane nature of the camp.

MT: You should google "Camp Camp" and see what real camps come up.

Do the team members roles ever cross over into each other? (Ex. One of the writers being involved in character design, an animator pitching story ideas, etc.)

MT: That's the only way this show gets made. The 2D team is surprisingly small but mighty so many people wear multiple hats.

BM: The character designers will sometimes talk to us about how we rig and animate the characters so they can implement that into their designs. (Animators have also been rigging and modeling the characters thus far. We wear many hats!)

What is your favorite moment from the season 1 and season 2?

JB: I like the reprise of the Camp Camp theme at the end of season 1

MT and AL: Quartermaster's wobbly dildo hand.

GH: Every time we make Miles scream as David.

BM: I like the part where Max fixes the Order of the Sparrow staff. It's cute. :3

JC: When David and Max stare each other down in the finale, and the lightning strikes in the background.

Are there any ambitious projects you almost gave up on, but stuck it out solely because of spite?

JB: It's not really a project, but a part of Camp Camp... that GOD DAMN flag in the intro crashed so many times when I was animating it.

AL: The cloud Campbell from Episode 12 was traditionally animated and had to be done during the last day of production. Maggie is the worst. Just kidding. (Not really) (Justkidding..dakjfoia)

Pixar had a story where someone accidentally deleted all of Toy Story 2 before it turned out someone on maternity leave actually had about 70% of it backed up at home.

What's the worst thing on that scale to have happened in a production?

MT: There have been a few instances where some stuff mysteriously disappears. The biggest one was during production of RWBY Volume 1 - but we now have a lot of systems in place to make sure we don't lose things like that anymore. That being said, a certain person who plays a character that rhymes with Shmavid may or may not have deleted everyone's projects the other day. We're fine now. Don't worry.

With the positive reception of season 1, has that given you more confidence/freedom in putting forward ideas and stories this time around? And has your approach changed at all compared to before?

MT: We are who we are, we don't change for no one!

JB: I don't think we were very reserved at all last season

AL: What JB said - if anything we can get away with more now

GH: I don't know what you all are talking about - get ready for the most WHOLESOME CAMP CAMP YOU CAN IMAGINE - breathe a sigh of relief, no more cursing

BM: We're all so much better at using the tools that I think we're all more confident in our abilities

If you had to add a new permanent camper into Camp Campbell, what would their hobby be?

JB: Band Camp Kid

JC: Anime Kid

MT: Rasta Kid

GH: Pasta Kid

AL: I'm already a camper so the best one already exists.

(If you didn't notice already, there is a camper from when Davey went to Camp Campbell that looks just like Andrew - because it is Andrew. Where the fuck is my camper?! - mt)

What's something that no one has asked you about but that you're dieing to talk about?

JB: How the two counselors from when Davey went to camp look like Gwen's parents.

JC: Canonically they ARE NOT Gwen's parents. But y'know if you want to have that as your head cannon, I'm not going to stop you.

MT: Terrace House - we are addicted (Mizuki is best girl)

GH: Maggie's addiction to reality shows

AL: Maggie's addiction to Steve Buscemi

GH: Our addiction to Maggie's addictions

What TV/Movie monster do you guys think will be the most probable to attack Camp Campbell? and the most probable to attack your offices?

MT: Reptar!

AL: The Dirty Bubble

JC: Max

JB: Rogue bears, I dunno.

BM: Manbearpig

GH: Kerry

I absolutely loved the end of that episode! Props to the whole animation team! Can we expect more songs in this season of Camp Camp?

JC: We try to limit ourselves to one musical number per season (they're really difficult to make x_x)

MT: One thing to look forward to musically is new songs from Richie Branson in the end credits for every episode! SO STICK AROUND CHUMPS!

How has moving into your own building changed the department? Do you miss being in the thick of everything at the main RT building?

MT: I feel like it's made the department grow a lot closer. But it does make maintaining the inter-departmental relationships more difficult. Plus I hate having to go to the other building all the time for meetings.

AL: We still have our own mini-fridge, so that's a plus.

When creating the characters which one went through the most changes while the series was being worked on?

JC: The reason Nurf wasn't around early on in season 1 was because we had no idea what his character would be. We finally had a breakthrough with the "bully with a conscience" angle and he's been stealing scenes ever since.

How long does it take, from brainstorming to release, to create one episode of the show?

Also, please release the animatics from season 1!

MT: ~~Boring answer time~~ This is always one of the most difficult questions to answer. We don't typically work on episodes linearly, so if we're just looking at actual days it would probably be about 6 weeks. But if you broke out every step of the pipeline and completed them one at a time, we'd be looking at about 14 weeks per episode. pants

(I can provide spreadsheets later.)

JC: Spreadsheets are lame.

What episode this season was the hardest animate? What was the hardest last season?

JB: Last season's finale was pretty crazy, with the rain. Turns our animating rain is hard.

BM: I had to animate Neil rotating on the operating table in episode 7, and slowly turn his head. It required a lot of traditional animation with lots of hand drawn stuff.

GH: Non-typical movements tend to be the most challenging things to animate.

AL: THAT FUCKING CLOUDY CAMPBELL IN EPISODE 12

Is there anything to know about Lazer Team 2?

JB: It's the second one!

In a time in which anti-semitism is on the rise, particularly here in the U.S. and over in Europe, why do you guys think it's funny to make anti-semitic jokes such as the entire episode last season, and the gas chamber jokes this year? As someone who is Jewish, I don't find it funny especially given that most of the people who DO find it funny are anti-semitic.

All: We appreciate your point of view and definitely try to take these thoughts into consideration whenever we approach any piece of content. We'd rather acknowledge the darker parts of the world than ignore them and let them fester. We don't think that any jokes are presented in a way that condones any type of hate. We're not trying to normalize the outrageous but sometimes we'll use the outrageous to demonstrate how ridiculous a character's thinking or motivations are. Thank you for giving us an opportunity to address concerns such as these.

Why can't anyone at Rooster Teeth handle criticism?

All: I'm offended.