Owen Dennis AMA

Q: Is there a toilet in the Infinity Train? (We are so lucky that you are here... I hope you will come here more often hehe c:)

A: No. Tulip has been holding it for a week. It's been tough.

     Q: will she ever burst?

     A: Spoilers!


Q: Do you have a particular fondness for trains or did the concept of an infinite train just stand out?

A: When I was a little kid my grandparents lived in an old house that had a coal room in the basement. My grandfather turned it into a big, working train set. It had skyscrapers in it and working trains and everything. So while I didn't base Infinity Train on that exactly, trains are definitely something that have been in my life a long time.
The concept for the show was more based on some thoughts I had when I was on a plane 2010, but I turned it into a train so there could be more exploration.


Q: What other dogs were in the running, or was it a corgi from the moment you thought of it?

A: Corgi from the get go!

    Q: If I'm not mistaken, your GF has a corgi you both love, am I correct?
    A: She has a corgi. I also had a corgi when I was a kid that was a long haired Cardigan with the same color markings as Atticus.


Q: Who did you base Tulip on, if any? Were her personality something you find easier to write for or do you write her that way because you find it interesting. I love her nerdy monologues btw.
About creative process, do you just go with whatever comes into your mind and then finding a juxtaposition later, or do you try to plan everything out ahead. I guess I'm trying to get at how static or dynamic the writing process is, can something that has been planned been changed along the way for example.
How long has the concept of IT been on your mind, like, have you always been meaning to do this, or is this just a spur.
And lastly, how long do you think until someone "comes up" with a theory that Tulip is in a coma and the train is purgatory and the Steward is death?

A: Okay, there is a lot to go through here.

Who did you base Tulip on, if any?

She’s an amalgamation of various friends I have. I would say most characters in shows have traits of people that the writer knows or the writer themselves. If you can’t recognize yourself or your friends in a character, then they’re probably not a very relatable or real feeling character.

Were her personality something you find easier to write for or do >you write her that way because you find it interesting. I love her nerdy monologues btw.

This kind of thing can get kind of messy in writing. Characters are interesting because of the way they’re interacting with their world. If you have a super crazy world, it helps to have a character that can react to that in some way. Tulip is sort of the natural foil to a train that is full of improbable things. If you have a world where every train car is completely different, where laws of physics might change or where animals talk, who would be the person who would have the most trouble dealing with that? A super straightforward, close-minded, logical person. So that’s who the main character becomes, the person that is least equipped but has the most to learn about what is going on around them.

About creative process, do you just go with whatever comes into your mind and then finding a juxtaposition later, or do you try to plan everything out ahead. I guess I'm trying to get at how static or dynamic the writing process is, can something that has been planned been changed along the way for example.

I come up with some ideas on what sort of interesting things could happen in the episode, then how those things would affect the character. First try to figure out the internal journey that the character has to go on, then figure out what external pressures can get them there. It all sort of happens at once, but I never start writing scenes without knowing the structure of the story and where it’s going first.

How long has the concept of IT been on your mind, like, have you always been meaning to do this, or is this just a spur.

Since 2010. I thought of it while flying from China to the US at one point. I didn’t put a lot of extra thought into it until I started itching to make my own pilot and ended up using this one. So it was spur of the moment in that I haven’t been thinking about it non-stop since 2010, but it’s been in the back of my mind since then as a possibility and only in 2014 did I find something I could do with it.

And lastly, how long do you think until someone "comes up" with a theory that Tulip is in a coma and the train is purgatory and the Steward is death?

Sounds like you just did!


Q: How much were you influenced by other shows in making Infinity Train? I have seen people compare IF to Gravity Falls, for example, or is it just a coincidence that people feel the two are similar?

A: You don't really think about other shows when you're creating your own. You want your thing to be unique, so if you DO think about other shows, all you think about is how to stand out from them.
The thing with people, all people, is that we harbor a lot of ideas within us that are seemingly opposed to each other. People really like things that are familiar, yet at the same time, we’re always looking for the new and the novel. That’s why studios can pump out so many sequels and remakes over and over again. People are familiar with the characters from the original, and now there’s a new story with the same characters, so it’s the best of both worlds: something they’re familiar with mixed with something new.
So my view on it, is that what’s happening with people saying that Infinity Train is just like Gravity Falls, is that they’re finding this new thing and trying to relate it to something they’ve already seen and experienced and enjoyed in order to feel more comfortable. It’s a natural reaction, it’s not even intentional. It’s like when you try a new food for the first time and you say “Oh it’s kind of like… chicken?” because you’re trying to find and name new feelings that you have by referencing old feelings. This is all just a thing that we do to find comfort in unfamiliar things.
I think the confusion comes when people don’t realize that that’s what they’re doing. Sometimes, often I’ve found, people start assuming that whatever it is they’re looking at took something from their experience, instead of maybe having gotten to the same conclusion from a different path and someone else’s experience. For example, I’ve seen many people say that I stole the Steward from No Face in Spirited Away. I came up with the Steward at a time that I was looking at a lot of Lucian Stanculescu’s work. At the same time, the lover’s mask from Majora’s Mask has long been an influence on me. Combine these, and you can end up with the Steward.
So I’m not bothered by people comparing it to other things. Someday, when Infinity Train is old and familiar and everyone knows everything about it, people will find some new thing that is novel and fun and they’ll say “Oh it’s just like Infinity Train but with __________” just like they say about Infinity Train now.


Q: Oh no, I hope I'm not too late! Just one question. Do you already know how you want IT to end? Thanks! Also, Atticus is my spirit animal.

A: Yes I do.


Q: Thanks for stopping by our great sub! If you ever come back, answer me this: Cartoon pilots and the TV shows that come out of them can have different art styles (Steven Universe is a great example of this). If Infinity Train gets picked up by CN, what do you think could/will change in the art style?

A: I'm pretty happy with how it looks, so I don't see anything changing too much.


Q: Woah awesome you're here man. You have any other projects we can check out? I love seeing creators past work.

A: Mmmm, I've had a couple older projects. The biggest one was when I had a cartoon band called Galactaron and I made a music video for it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixbtnq2MzzQ
I released two albums:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5jcLJGR2G8hHzIXlXY8eY7
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/galactaron/albums
I also made a video called 8-Bit Starcraft a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B16eAS1dwA


Q: What has been your favourite thing to work on other than Infinity Train?
What are your potential non-spoilerific plans for Infinity Train?
How do you make a nice Raspberry Jam?

A: 1) I've only worked on Regular Show, so that. However, I also liked being a teacher? So I guess working on student's minds?
2) It's hard to get into it without spoilers, but I want to make it, at the very least, have a satisfying ending that feels real and deserved.
3) 1:1 raspberries to sugar. Cook down raspberries first, filter out the seeds from half of the liquid. Add sugar, lemon zest, a little lemon juice, and a dash of basil. Perfect raspberry jam!


Q: I might be a bit late, I got too sleepy, but I wanted to ask these two questions:
Has you working with Regular Show affected how this pilot turned out? If so, how?
Would you rather Infinity Train be a miniseries, or a full-fledged series?
Also, I'm shocked that you actually agreed to do an AMA, thank you so much!

A: In my experience, most pilots are made as a reaction to what the person has worked on in the past. It’s not that you don’t like the thing you’re working on, but because of the tone of the show and the fact that you’re not in charge of it, certain things that you care about a lot might not make it in. That happens over and over again for years and eventually you sort of explode all of those things you wanted in the first show into your pilot.
Regular Show was made as a reaction from JG to Flapjack. He wanted people to talk in normal voices and find humor in the mundane. Mordecai and Rigby are two normal dudes with a dead end job, a relatable thing for most people, and the humor comes from the mundane things associated with that combined with the contrast of the surreal in the latter half of each episode. He also wanted it to basically be a sitcom where you watch an episode, then it’s done and wrapped up with only a sparse through line between each episode. Every time a new episode comes on, the world resets.
Infinity Train, like most pilots, was made with some desire to have a different tone than those kinds of stories. I want us to start in a surreal place. I want there to be a mystery element that isn't immediately solved. I want things from previous episodes to affect future episodes. I want Tulip to change over time through the adventures she goes on. The staging in Regular Show is very flat, with each shot being basically sitcom staging. I wanted shot choices that felt more dynamic. I want the camera to feel close to Tulip and I want the audience to see things from her perspective, even when she’s being mean. I want the audience to feel like they ARE Tulip, not even that she’s just a friend on TV, but that she’s reacting to things the same way any of us would, with fear and bravery and forethought.
It still has many vestiges of Regular Show in it however. I worked on Regular Show because JG wanted my voice, so there are things that carry over into this new show because they’re still part of my voice. So things get a little talky and there’s some word play here and there. I also still like grand and exciting action sequences.


Q: Sad-1's voice (as provided by your good self) is somewhat reminiscent of Marvin (from Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy) and the Brain (from Pinky and the Brain). Was this intentional?

A: It wasn't. I had been doing that voice while pitching the show and doing it in my head when I was writing it, so that was just the voice. By the time I realized it sounded sort of like Marvin, it was too late and the voice was pretty stuck.
I actually went through like 200+ One-One actors trying to find someone who could do Sad-One, but most of them just sounded angry or too gruff. When I did callbacks, there were maybe half a dozen for Tulip and Atticus, but like 20 for One-One. I preferred to get someone who is actually an actor, which is not me. No one sounded like they were just merose and sad though. I decided in the end that I should just do it and here we are, marvin-esque voice and all. Making stuff is messy.


Q: Hey Owen, thanks for doing this!
Can we get a book recommendation? I'm always curious about what different creators read. It can be your favourite book, a book you wish more people had read, anything.

A: I don't have as much time to read books as I used to unfortunately. I usually only end up reading a book or two a year now. When I was a kid through when I was teen I read tons of books though, mostly Agatha Christie mysteries. Here's some books that affected me and that I still think about now:
Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Nightbirds on Nantucket
Series of Unfortunate Events
Starship Titanic
Murder on the Orient Express
And Then There Were None
Hallowe’en Party
A Wrinkle in Time
The Magician’s Nephew
2010: Odyssey Two
Chronicles of Prydain
I also used to just buy books that were collections of Phillip K. Dick short stories such as: Upon the Dull Earth, Second Variety, and Paycheck.
The comic book series I’m midway through reading is Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka. Although I haven’t read it in awhile and I’ll probably have to start over. :-/


Q: Would you say the show is more sci-fi based or fantasy? Or a mix of both?

A: It's fantasy with a strong sci-fi tilt.


Q: Will there ever be a Train Car with another, smaller (or bigger or whatever) Infinity Train inside of it?
Also, what should I eat first, if I get locked in a Super Market for 3 weeks?

A: Can't help with the first question, but on the second question I would say start with the fresh fruit and meats. It's gonna go bad soon, so you should get it while the gettin's good.


Q: Do you like chocolate chip cookies?

A: Yes I do. I'm also going to LA Cookie Con this year. I'm all about it.


Q: Also, by IF do you mean IT (Infinity Train), or does IF stand for something different?

A: Whoops, yep! IT. My mistake. This is what happens when I answer questions late at night or right after I just woke up.


Q: Sorry if i'm late, but is there any tips you could give on creating interesting characters?

A: People have secrets. Give someone a thing they don't want other people to know. Depending on what kind of person they are, that can drive a lot of their actions.
Something else I try to do when I'm thinking of a character is figure out what elective classes they would've taken in high school. It's weird and specific, but it's an exercise I try to do because it immediately paints the person as having things they're interested in and things they're not interested in. If a character takes an extra art class, why didn't they take an extra gym class?
I actually was struggling with that electives thing with Tulip for awhile. I knew what kind of person she was and how she reacts to things, but I was having trouble nailing down what sort of things she liked and didn't like. Then, a bunch of women came to Cartoon Network from Google to talk about their jobs in programming and engineering. Danny Hynes asked them what they did when they felt frustrated, how did they react to things, stuff like that. I remember one of the women describing herself and she was just describing everything about Tulip! That's when I realized the elective Tulip would take was programming and she become like a fully formed person in my head.


Q: Did this show take absolutely any influence at from the Dungeon Train episode of Adventure Time, which also features people stuck on a train that never ends?

A: No, I made this before I knew that episode existed.


Q: Did you initially pick Ashley Johnson to voice Tulip? If so what was the deciding factor (The Last of Us?), and if not, why did you end up going with her?

A: She was my first choice. She was the only person I told my casting director to for sure try to get before he even put out the casting call. It was definitely because of Last of Us, her acting range was on full display in that game and that was something I needed. She's a great actress.


Q: How long did it take you to learn how to draw? I've dabbled in animation, and I have a really firm understanding of how video editing/animation software works, but I have little to no practice drawing.

A: Well I'm currently 29, so 29 years and counting. I drew a lot when I was a kid and I kept drawing for the rest of my life.
You say you have "no practice drawing" and oddly enough the fix to that is easy: practice drawing! When I was a teenager my dad said he would buy me a new computer if I drew two pictures from life a day. He did this because every summer I tended to draw less because I didn't have art class anymore and my skills would wane. He wanted me to keep doing it, so this was his encouragement. I hated it at the time, but man am I glad he did it.
So try that out. Two drawings a day, from life. Try it for a month and on the last day, draw the thing that you drew the first day again and see if it's better. I guarantee it will be. It might not be much better, but it WILL be better.


Q: How long did it take to create the mini-sode?

A: A year of actual production. About a year and a half if you count boarding, writing, and making the show bible. 5 years if you count from the first time I had the initial idea.


Q: As a woman who grew up with very, very few smart female protagonists to model myself after, I'm happy to see Tulip portrayed as a smart girl whose intelligence is not useless. There are very few characters like that in mainstream fiction.
Now, this isn't exactly a question, but: I've seen too many stories where "smart" is just another character attribute, like height or hair color. I feel like it is extremely important to respect Tulip's intelligence (like the deduction about the worklight being correct and relevant). Do you think this is something you will be able to preserve during the process of turning this into a show?

A: I know the exact character type you're talking about. Where she sort of acts like a human computer who is able to fix anything and do anything with her vast knowledge and internet-like brain!
You can rest assured that my goal the entire time I've been writing Tulip has been to not let her be that character. She makes her decisions based on logic from her own history and life, so sometimes she's going to make wrong decisions and sometimes she'll make good decisions. She's a kid who is trying to figure out the world, but she's not smart like it's some kind of super power. Tulip is full of faults, she’s selfish, she’s headstrong, she’s impatient, and easily frustrated. These are all bad traits to have if you’re on a constantly shifting and changing train. However, at the same time, she's pretty clever, curious, resourceful, and she tries to understand and fix things as best she can, which are good traits to have if you’re in the situation she’s in.
Another character type I will absolutely refuse to do is the super-happy-girl-who-is-extroverted-and-positive-and-everything-is-great-and-she’s-always-there-to-help-her-friends. I’ve seen that in a lot of shows and pilots in the past few years and it is, I think, a reaction to people asking for strong female leads, much like the human computer girl. It’s a bullshit stereotype and it's boring. Strong doesn’t mean faultless and always happy, strong means someone who has internal problems, not just external, and is able to overcome them. That’s Tulip. Sometimes she won’t help her friends. Sometimes she’s only thinking about herself or she’s sad because the world sucks. This is what people really do in real life. She has a whole life before the infinity train that affects her worldview, and as long as I am in control, I will not stray from that focus.


Q: Here's a sillier question: I just noticed that your twitter and tumblr accounts also have lots of e in your name. Is there a story behind this or is it just a 'what do I type here?' moment that stuck? Also how do you pronounce it? I keep reading it like a battlecry, Leeroy Jenkins style.

A: No story except I always assume "Owen Dennis" will already be taken on whatever platform I go to, so I just take the one with 5 e's. You're pronouncing it how I pronounce it too. ;)


Q: If Tulip was shopping on Black Friday, what would she buy? And also, what would One-One buy?
Feel free to disregard this question if you're not into Harry Potter, but which Hogwarts house would you sort Tulip and One-One into?

A: 1) Tulip would buy a new computer. One-One would buy anything that says "As seen on TV!" on the package.
2) Tulip would be in Ravenclaw, One-One would be in Hufflepuff, and just for good measure: Atticus would be in Gryffindor.