Today's show: Classic Childrens’ characters in Comics

Today at 5pm on Resonance 104.4FM - Strip!: Classic Childrens’ characters in Comics

In the last Strip! of the year, Alex Fitch and Duncan Nott are looking at the depiction of beloved children’s characters in comics. First we have our interview with Mark Buckingham about reinventing classic fairy tales in Fables and the challenge of bringing something new to the character in his two year run on Spider-man.

Later in the show we have the first on air broadcast of Alex & Duncan’s conversation with Geoff Senior and Simon Furman on 25 years of Transformers, which was first podcast last summer. This is a change to the show advertised at the end of last week’s episode (which was to be about adaptations of classic literature in comics and will be broadcast in a fortnight) mainly because I accidently left the CD at home this morning…

Links: Wikipedia pages on Mark Buckingham, Fables and the comic: Peter Parker, Spider-man
Download free Marvel Comics by Mark
Partial bibliography
Interview with Mark at Silver Bullet Comics

Podcast: Animation - Great British Cartoons

I'm ready for my close-up -
[Animation month] Great British Cartoons
Partially broadcast 22/11/07

Yesterday's show is now available to download now...
(mp3 format, 28.5mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: Animation - Great British cartoons

10.30pm Resonance 104.4FM: I'm ready for my close-up [Animation month] - Great British cartoons

Alex Fitch interviews former animator Grant Rogers about his work on classic childrens' cartoons such as Father Christmas, Grandpa and Tales of Beatrix Potter - made by legendary production company TVC - as well as his work on international shows such as DuckTales and Dogtanian and the three Muskehounds.

Links: Grant's website
Wikipedia pages on Dogtanian, DuckTales, Beatrix Potter and Raymond Briggs
Animation World Network articles on TVC and Disney investing in UK programming

Podcast: Animation - Editing cartoons

I'm ready for my close-up -
[Animation month] Post-production and editing of cartoons
Originally broadcast 15/11/07

Yesterday's show is now available to download now...
(mp3 format, 28.5mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: Animation - Editing cartoons

Tonight at 10.30pm on Resonance 104.4FM: I'm ready for my close-up - [Animation month] Post-production and editing of cartoons

Continuing IMFRCU's look at animation, Alex Fitch talks to editor Carin Anne Strohmaier (Beowulf, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Salvador Dali's Destino) about editing cartoons and the variety of post-production work needed to finish aninimated movies. Carin Anne worked for Disney on such projects as Bambi II and Lilo & Stitch II and with Robert Zemeckis on half a dozen films including the Back to the Future sequels and Contact.

N.B./ If you're planning to see Beowulf because you're a fan of the co-writer Neil Gaiman, you can listen to my interview with him about Stardust now and if you tune into the World Service over the weekend you can hear the BBC Radio adaptation of his novel Anansi Boys on Saturday at 8pm & Sunday at 9pm.

Links: Official Beowulf movie site
IMDb pages on Beowulf and Carin Anne Strohmaier
Wikipedia pages on Beowulf (movie), the original epic poem, 'motion capture' (mocap), director Robert Zemeckis and Disney's Destino
My interview with Carin Anne's husband about Cinerama
Cartoon Brew - one of the most authorative blogs on animation on the 'net

Podcast: Animation - Creating great cartoon characters

Last thursday's I'm ready for my close-up is now available for download...
(mp3 format, 28.6mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: Animation - Creating great cartoon characters

10.30pm - I'm ready for my close-up [Animation month]: Creating great cartoon characters

In a show recorded 'live' in front of a studio audience, Alex Fitch interviews former Disney animator Vincent Woodcock about working on such films as The Tigger Movie and DuckTales: Treasure of the lost lamp as well as writing a book on creating cartoon characters. This is the start of animation month on IRFMCU and was recorded live at last month's Hectic Peelers event at the Roxy bar and screen...

Links: Buy Vincent's book from amazon.co.uk
Wikipedia pages on The Tigger Movie/, DuckTales the movie and Bimble's Bucket
Cartoon Brew - one of the most authorative blogs on animation on the 'net

Podcast: The art of Paper Rad

As their exhibition closes Saturday evening and IRFMCU is being podcast only this month, in a break from tradition, this week's I'm ready for my close-up is available to download now (30 hours early) to give our listeners a chance to get down to Conduit Street and check out the installation...
Alex Fitch interviews Jacob Ciocci and David Wightman members of the band Extreme Animals. Jacob is also a member of the art collective Paper Rad (for whose videos David has supplied sountracks) and while they were in Europe touring with their band Alex spoke to them about the Paper Rad exhibition showing at Sketch Gallery in London which Jacob curated. Paper Rad are famous for their low-fi DIY videos, art and comics which mix fanzine indie aesthetics with the detritus of our generation's pop culture...
(mp3 format, 27.4mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Links: Wikipedia's page on Paper Rad
Sketch Gallery's press release about the show: PDF format / HTML format
Sketch Gallery's website
Paper Rad and Deitch Projects' Super Mario Movie

N.B./ The following links are not suitable for viewing if you suffer from epilepsy, if you choose to click on them, it is your responsibility!
Paper Rad's website
Paper Rad comics
Extreme Animals' myspace page

Podcast: Transformers - ...and now

With the new Transformers movie currently in cinemas, Alex Fitch and Duncan Nott conclude their interview with the writer (Simon Furman) and one of the most acclaimed artists (Geoff Senior) of the seminal British Transformers comic from the 1980s looking at Furman's continuation of the mythos for a variety of publishers, Senior's new career as a graphic designer and what they think of the live action movie...

In other comics news: The Observer has launched a competition to find new comics artists and writers so if you think you can create a short story using pictures, word balloons and captions that fits on a single page of A4, visit Random House's Graphic Novels website for more details.

Panel Borders is currently podcast only and you can download this episode now... (mp3 format, 13.5mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Links - Wikipedia entries on: Transformers comics, cartoon, Simon Furman and Geoff Senior
Simon's blog
Geoff's website
Titan Publishing's new UK Transformers comic by Simon & Geoff
Dynamite Entertainment's new Terminator 2 comic by Simon
Underground Online's guide to Transformers
Monzo and Jhiaxus' guide to obscure Transformers comics

Podcast: Transformers - then...

This afternoon's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 13.8mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Today's show: Transformers - then...

With a week to go until the release of the new Transformers movie, Alex Fitch and Duncan Nott interview the writer (Simon Furman) and one of the most acclaimed artists (Geoff Senior) of the seminal British Transformers comic from the 1980s which helped cement a love of the robots in disguise for our generation as much as the cartoons and toys the franchise was based on.

In other comics news: The Observer has launched a competition to find new comics artists and writers so if you think you can create a short story using pictures, word balloons and captions that fits on a single page of A4, visit Random House's Graphic Novels website for more details

4.45pm BST, Resonance 104.4 FM (London)* / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

*In case there are problems with the show being transmitted on Resonance, the podcast will go online at the same time...

Links: Wikipedia entries on:
Transformers comics, cartoon, Simon Furman and Geoff Senior
Simon's blog
Geoff's website
Titan Publishing's new UK Transformers comic by Simon & Geoff
Dynamite Entertainment's new Terminator 2 comic by Simon
Underground Online's guide to Transformers
Monzo and Jhiaxus' guide to obscure Transformers comics

Podcast: The current state of anime

Last night's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.7mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: The Current state of Anime

Alex Fitch interviews Helen McCarthy, author of 'Hayao Miyazaki - Master of Japanese Animation', '500 Manga heroes and villains' and co-author of 'The Anime encyclopedia' about the season of Japanese animated films she's curated at the Barbican which coincides with the 90th anniversary of the medium. The season continues this month with a sold-out screening of Satoshi Kon's new film Paprika, so Alex and Helen talk about the director as well as the work of his predecessors and contemporaries such as Miyazaki and Ôtomo plus the continuing influence of manga artist Osamu Tezuka.

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: If you want to queue for returns, here's
info on the Barbican Japanimation season...
...plus next month's 'Animate the World' season
Wikipedia pages on Satoshi Kon, Hayao Miyazaki, Katsuhiro Ōtomo, Osamu Tezuka and anime in general
For the latest Anime news, why not check out otakunews.com
Buy 500 Manga Heroes and Villains and The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 from amazon.com

Podcast: The Magic of Alan Moore part three

The second half of tonight's show is now available for download...
(mp3 format, 27mb)

Podcast: The current state of children's television

Last night's show is now ready to download...
(mp3 format, 27mb)

Tonight's show: The current state of children's television

Tonight it's the "I'm ready for my close-up Celebrity Christmas Special"!
Alex Fitch presents an overview of this year's Children's television at Christmas with a special report on Sky's live action adaptation of 'The Hogfather'. Alex's guest in the studio* is Ed Petrie, Children's TV presenter / stand-up comedian and the show also includes short interviews with David Jason, Nigel Planer and Terry Pratchett.

10.30pm Resonance 104.4 FM / streamed at resonancefm.com

*actually Ed's brother's bedroom, but let's not diminish the glamour here!

Links: Wikipedia page on Terry Pratchett
Sky's Hogfather site
Ed's website