It’s a joke as old as time: Mega Man and Samus Aran walk into a bar and talk about a crazy night at Dr. Wily’s. Or how about this: Two space-faring explorers bicker amongst themselves while a dastardly villain flies in on a space whale. Or maybe this: Some crudely animated characters embark on some crudely animated adventures, make the occasional poop joke, and comment on the fact that they’re crudely animated. It’s all part of Milwaukee’s delightfully monikered Getting Shit Done Animation Club.
“I was getting fed up with how long projects take,” says GSDAC founder Mark Peterson. “Between organizing shoots or getting everyone’s schedules to line up, it can take forever. I had an idea for a way to capitalize on people’s talent without asking too much of their time. So I started the Getting Shit Done Animation Club.”
A key contributor to Milwaukee’s long-running video series Rock and Roller Remote Controller, Peterson knows a thing or two about the difficulties and demands of film and video production. GSDAC aims to streamline and condense the oft-cumbersome creative process by pooling talent and turning the whole thing into an excuse to simply hang out.
“It’s an open club where the goal is to complete all the art, music, and voice acting for an animated video in one or two nights,” Peterson explains. “I come with a complete script, a list of items that need to be drawn, and a list of music that need to be written. Then I set out art supplies, musical instruments, and a voice acting station and try to get anyone from the group who can make it to come out on that night. I then take everything and animate it together over the following month.”
Since forming in September 2017, GSDAC has completed four short projects: the 8-bit aping “Party At Dr. Wily’s,” the demented Christmas carol “Chids Across The World,” the increasingly ridiculous “The Mutilated Man” (“How am I going to get a job looking like Captain fucking Ron?”), and the self-explanatory “Generic Space Adventure.” As the group’s name suggests, most of the videos are NSFW. More animated delights are on the way.
“I have a few projects lined up for future months including a script written by two 5th graders I’ve never met, a post apocalyptic episode with a magician, and a script to be written by one of the member’s dad, who is an accomplished author,” Peterson says. “And one scene for a shot-for-shot Shrek remake.” The mind reels.
“There are about 30 members of the group now, all with different talents and art styles,” Peterson continues. “It all gets mish-mashed together into something unique and really cool.”