I get a lot of email from you all (which I love!), and there are a few questions I get more than others. Once upon a time I had an FAQ page, but I think it fell down the rabbit hole. I couldn't tell you what happened to it, but I imagine it's probably having tea with a festively bewigged Johnny Depp or something. So, here's a new one! [toc title="FAQ Contents:" hint="Click a title to jump down to it!" style="inline CSS style"]
What software do you use to make your movies?
Adobe Flash.
Where do you get your inspiration?
From everything around me. Memories, music, nightmares, things I thought someone said but actually misheard, shapes in the clouds, interesting patterns in half-mixed cake ingredients. There's no one source for creativity. So, if you're hoping to find a magical font of inspiration, all I can say is look around you. It's everywhere!
I have an idea for a cartoon. You could do one about...
No, I couldn't. If you have a story idea, I wholly encourage you to do something with it! Invent your own characters and make your idea come to life. Don't give it away to someone else! I just can't take anyone else's idea, no matter how great it might be. It wouldn't be mine, you see, and that's important. (But thank you for the suggestions, of course!)
Where do you get the music you use in your movies?
Sometimes friends write it for me. I've occasionally found songs in the public domain. Sometimes I purchase a license for royalty-free music, and there are a variety of places to order such tracks. I will not use anything without permission. Unfortunately, this also means you usually can't look up the tracks on iTunes and order them for yourself.
When is your book coming out? Where can I find your book?
Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrow came out on August 23rd, 2011 and is available pretty much everywhere. If you can't find it in a local shop, you can most certainly order it online. BookDepository offers free shipping worldwide, so that's usually my recommendation for those of you outside the US.
What's the book about?
It's about a terrible evil that takes up residence in the woods of a small, forgotten town already cursed by dark forces and locked in perpetual autumn. People have vanished! Ghosts shriek desperate warnings! And there are signs of worse to come. It's up to three strange girls and one rather awkward boy to save this town, even though they have been cruelly outcast by it.
How do I get you to autograph my copy of your book?
Send it with return postage, preferably on a self-addressed envelope (USPS priority mail envelopes make this easy if you're in the States) to:
Katy Towell
NEW ADDRESS COMING SOON
Be sure to let me know who I'm signing it for and if there are any special messages you want me to write!
Will you make a music video for my band?
How much are you willing to pay? ;-) And, well, no. Probably not. It's not that your band isn't great. It's just that animation is an arduous process for me, and I don't know how I'd manage to find the time!
Can my band make music for one of your videos?
I'm extremely selective when it comes to the music that I use, so unless I've posted a call for music submissions, I've probably already got something in mind. Also, I'd feel bad about asking for a lot of changes, and you know I would ask.
I'd like to offer my talents as a voice actor.
Thank you! ...but, just as with music, unless I've made a specific call for voice actors, I'm not really looking for anybody as I already have a list of go-to people. It wouldn't be an easy job, anyway. I'm a mean director. I made Tim Jones cry when he was working on The Little Girl. Um... don't tell him I said that. It's, uh, very upsetting for him. Yes.
How did you come up with the idea for Skary?
The Childrin were mostly inspired by the antics of actual children. I worked with preschoolers a long time ago. Loved it. But I found that kids really do say the darnedest things. The darnedest, creepiest, most disturbing things. And they have no idea how strange the things they're saying are! Yet they say it all with such sweet, cherubic smiles. Parents don't usually allow their little ones to play with sharp objects. You think that's for the kids' protection? THINK AGAIN.
Who does your web design?
I do!
Can I send you my resume?
Er... okay, but it won't do you much good. I'm a one-woman operation.
Will you answer some questions for my school project?
I usually do, but it can take me a while to get to all my email. So, please don't ask if you've got a close deadline, and I recommend having a backup plan!
Have you thought about collaborating with Tim Burton?
Sure. But has he thought about collaborating with me? I don't know! Let me call him up and ask. Hold on. Got another call. Oh, drat, it's Scorsese again. I gotta take this.
Those are all the FAQs I can think up at the moment! As always, if you have other questions, use the form and ask away.
