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TheWax12QW

Welcome to Sonic Wiki Zone's interview series: 12 Questions With! Today our interviewee is TheWax. TheWax is a longtime animator who has made many Sonic the Hedgehog fan animations. They are the leader of the Sonic Paradox animation team, who has made the popular Sonic Shorts animation series.

Without further ado, here is 12 Questions With TheWax!

TheWax Self

What began your journey in the Sonic fandom?

When I was just a little kid I saw a friend play Sonic 2 at a party around the game's release. It was so colorful compared to my NES games. A year later I got a Genesis with Sonic 1 and 2. By then AoStH and SATAM started airing. I really digged the world of SatAM; it's environments & characters really got to me. Eventually, I got a Sega CD; soon as I saw the intro to Sonic CD I got truly hooked on the franchise. I missed out on the Saturn though, as my family went with the 32X instead ([I] still had a good time with Knuckles’ Chaotix though).

Having worked with online animation for about two decades, what has changed the most in that time?

While I've stuck [sic] with the same old animation programs, the team has gotten a lot of new short entries done in new programs. It's not like the old days when everything was done in Flash. It's great seeing how the animators pull off tricks to get a style of their own too.
AnimationProgram12QW

A production shot of the up coming Sonic Animated Episode 2.

How does it feel to be the leader of an animation team that has left a lasting impact on the Sonic fanbase and the internet?

It's been a blast! The Sonic animation community is awesome and I've made so many friends through it. Making people laugh through the shorts has always been a highlight for me.
Were you mentally prepared for Sonic Shorts to become this popular?
It definitely surprised me to see how big of an event people made it out to be. So many Sonic fans grew up with the original shorts, so we had a high bar to go over. Thankfully everyone had a good time and had a good laugh.

What has made you stick with Newgrounds for so long?

Best part of Newgrounds is the community. There's so many talented animators, voice actors, musicians, and game programmers that you'll never get bored browsing it's portals of media. I personally recommend checking out the audio portal, there is a lot of content there you can't find anywhere else!

Has the resources on Sonic Wiki Zone helped you in your animation process?

Yeah! The site has helped with getting lore details right on projects like Sonic Animated or when I need to explain the [sic] details about a character to a writer of a Sonic Short.
Is writing a separate group or is it a collaboration with everyone involved for Sonic Shorts?
The team has to approve every short that goes into production, so we have an ideas thread that everyone is welcome to join in. People can post ideas they want to animate or want to see someone else animate. Usually we have at least 2 project leaders on hand to make sure scripts get the greenlight.
V10preview12QW

Preview of Sonic Shorts Collection Volume 10.

How does an idea for a short start? What aspects happen before you open your animation program?

Usually I start off by playing a game. As I go through the stages, I look for anything that seems like it can be turned [sic] into a short. Sometimes I also go through bosses/badniks/character lists at places such as Sonic Wiki Zone to see if there is anything worth turning into a short. For example, that is how I did the Sonic vs Bigbom short; I saw it on the list of badniks so I thought of a way to turn it into a short.

I’m sure people ask you for advice about animation a lot, like what to do or how to do something. What advice can you give for what ‘not’ to do?

Don't start off thinking you can pull off everything you want right away. Animation takes time and practice. Avoid complex backgrounds or features on a character until you get the basics down.
Instead, Learn the programs and practice drawing your characters. Start off animating with simple shapes and slowly move into more complex ones. Check out all the tutorials while also watching animator's work to see how they pull off techniques. Take all the time you need, don't overdo it.

What part of the Sonic series really resonates with you?

The animated openings (Sonic CD, Riders, Dream Team) and specials (Mania Adventures, Frontiers: Prologue, Overdrive) have always inspired me to animate. The quality of those sequences was a bar I always wanted to achieve.
V9credits12QW

Behind the scenes of the Sonic Shorts Collection V9 credits.

If you could be an animator of any Sonic show in its history, which would you pick?

I guess Sonic X would be the one to pick. It's always been my favorite style to animate in. Don't think I could pull off the styles of the other shows (I can do them, just not smoothly, haha).

What are your thoughts on the animation in Sonic Prime and Sonic Superstars: Trio of Trouble?

I loved the amount of battle scenes in Sonic Prime. There were so many of them compared to the other shows [sic]. [There are] so many dynamic angles and feelings of speed during those sequences. Think my favorite was the whole battle scene down the stairs. Trio of Trouble has some amazing lighting and character expressions. Not to mention the amount of work that went into the backgrounds. They're quite inspiring!

Animation can be a long, difficult process. Have there been moments where you struggled to keep a project going?

Plenty, animators are people too and I can't always meet my own deadlines. Of my personal projects like Dark Chaos and Sonic Animated, I've always had struggles to get scenes done in a certain amount of time. One nice thing about the Sonic Shorts is if you don't get your short done in time you can simply have it moved to the next volume. That is a big relief for many of the animators of the shorts.

How can people support you and your work?

Simply watch the videos and leave a comment on them! The team members always enjoy hearing from the fans.
Get-Down12QW

TheWax, thank you for interviewing with us!

Be sure to join us in our next interview of 12 Questions With.

This interview was conducted by SilverPlays97

Credits

Join the discussion about the interview here!


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