Alvin and the Chipmunks swearing up a storm, snorting cocaine and packing pistols. Jabba the Hutt making moves on sorority girls and Yoda "bustin' a flow."\nIt's safe to say, these are not your ordinary Saturday morning cartoons. \nSenior Jason Brannon and former IU student Chris Crawford have created something with a life of its own. Their animations, "Chipmunkz Gangsta Rap" and "Star Wars Gangsta Rap," are currently the No. 1 and No. 2 most watched cartoons on
Humble Beginnings\nWith "Star Wars Gangsta Rap" being viewed an estimated five million times since it's been on the Web site, Brannon and Crawford are receiving international attention far beyond anything they ever imagined.\nBut ironically enough, they never strived for such fame; it just happened.\n"It kind of got started by accident," Brannon said.\nBrannon and Crawford, who have known each other almost all their lives, began "Star Wars Gangsta Rap" first as a song they decided to do for fun.\n"Even in high school, we would always make up funny songs," Crawford said. "We would play with tape recorders and stuff. Now that we have more sophisticated equipment, we recorded stuff like this for fun."\nCrawford would collaborate with Brannon at the recording studio Crawford has in his Chicago home, which Crawford uses to record tracks for his band, "Bent Frame." Using Crawford's musical skills and Brannon's character voices, they created a three-minute song parodying the characters of George Lucas' masterpiece by adding a hip-hop feel.\nIn the song, the Emperor raps, "It's not the east side or the west side, it's the dark side," and Luke Skywalker raps, "Yoda, why you being a player hater? You know I still must confront Lord Vader."\nAfter posting "Star Wars Gangsta Rap" on www.mp3.com, some fans decided to create animation to match the song. Brannon said a lot of them were lousy, but one artist caught his attention -- cartoonist Thomas Lee.
Instant Popularity\nIt was at Atom Films, where they first posted their cartoon, where they really found success. "Star Wars Gangsta Rap" won the Audience Choice Award in the 2002 Star Wars Fan Film Awards and both animation shorts receive tops spots, beating such famed filmmakers as Nick Park, the Oscar-winning creator of "Wallace and Gromit," and Tim Burton, who revolutionized animation with the film "The Nightmare before Christmas."\n"The reaction has been phenomenal," said Scott Roesch, vice president of marketing at Atom Shockwave Corp. "People just can't get enough of it. We have over 1,000 titles and consistently they are the top picks."\nNow that they have received such success, demand has increased for their cartoons. Brannon said he recently signed a two-year, 18-film deal with Atom Films which would feature their production company, called Bent TV, on a special section of the Web site.\nBrannon even was contacted by MTV series development about four months ago to see if they were going to come up with any more material. \nWith the increased demand, Brannon has been working vigorously to churn out more cartoons for the Web site. \nFirst off, Brannon and Crawford record the audio in Chicago and then e-mail it to Lee, who then animates it using Flash Media Player and sends it back to them. Brannon said they completely trust Lee to use his own creativity in visualizing their music, but on occasion they suggest ideas or explain the characters.\nBrannon said the cartoons which will most likely debut this month on the Web site will be completely different from "Star Wars Gangsta Rap." He said they aren't all going to be music videos like the first two shorts and will probably deal with more timely topics.\nBrannon said the new cartoons will be edgier than "Star Wars Gangsta Rap" and will probably be as vulgar as "Chipmunkz Gangsta Rap," which portrays Alvin and the Chipmunks brutally murdering their guardian David Seville for holding back the money they earned from singing.\n"We are just naturally rude people," Brannon said. "Most of our cartoons will reflect that."\nFuture topics include a parody of the "Matrix" and a short film making fun of television war coverage.\nWith their audience appeal and recently signed agreement, Brannon said he is looking to expand beyond one- to three-minute Internet cartoons into a full-length television series, which he would call Bent TV. He said he would also like to incorporate digital video into the series.\nCrawford said he is beginning to learn animation on his own, but still does the cartoons for fun, while he focuses most of his attention on his band, Bent Frame.\nAll the collaborators in the cartoons receive royalties, but Brannon said it is not enough for them to quit their day jobs -- just yet.
Web of Opportunities\nBrannon said without the Internet he does not believe he would experience such success. He said he likes how the Internet has created a marketplace where ideas can flourish, even if they aren't as developed.\nRoesch said computer programs such as Flash, which Lee uses to create their cartoons, teamed up with Internet sites, give greater opportunity to budding filmmakers.\n"Flash has made animation a lot more accessible," he said. "Before Flash and the Internet, you would need formal training and industry connections to get your cartoons produced and get it seen. Now, if you have a good idea, you can make it."\nAtom Films Director of Film Acquisitions Megan O'Neill said before the Internet, it was difficult to make it in the world of film.\n"Before the Internet, the only place to have your independent films seen were film festivals," she said. "Now it takes only a few clicks to be seen worldwide."\nRoesch said the Internet has turned some unlikely candidates into stars. Animator Joe Cartoon started out making T-shirts for a living until he decided Flash animation might be fun. Now, his cartoons about gerbils being cooked in microwaves have made him a star.\nRoesch said this unpredictability makes the industry so much fun.\n"There is a guy who got laid off from Atom and made a funny animation about being unemployed," he said. "He got a lot of media attention for that. So it shows how there are a lot of opportunities out there."\nOverall, Brannon said he appreciates the exposure the Internet has given him.\n"It's awesome," he said. "I just want to keep putting out cartoons and be able to keep doing comedy and hopefully this is the way to do it"
