Chat Ed is on the blocks.
Candy Guard : Hello it's Candy here!
Chat Ed : Hi Candy! Right, let's get going.
SpannaHeed : I think Pond Life is ace! :)
Candy Guard : Thanks very much.
John Hayden : Me too!
Polly : What inspired the making of Pond Life?
Candy Guard : Have you got ten years? Reading things like reading the Beano when I was a kid. There was always these naughty little characters and then when I became a teenager and started to read things like Jackie - girls weren't funny anymore... it was all spots and greasy hair and fellas. So I thought I wonder what Beryl the peril and Minnie the Minx would be like when they grow up.
Candy Guard laughs
John Hayden : I think Pond Life is hilarious and that the actress that does Dolly is fantastic. Is Dolly based on yourself or on anyone you know?
Candy Guard : I'd say it's err... 40% me and 60% my friends! In fact Sarah who plays Dolly gives me quite a lot of inspiration we're old college friends so we've had lots of funny experiences together.
Dollys Mixture : Everyone will assume Dolly is an aspect of you... weren't you tempted to make her drop dead gorgeous with huge.... assets?
Gurt : So.... if Dolly is based on you.... do you boobs....er.... .... really.... hang like that?
Chat Ed chuckles
Candy Guard laughs
Candy Guard : Of course... I AM drop dead gorgeous! So I thought I'd do a plain character to please those who wanted her! More seriously though I was tired of all the big knockers...
Dollys Mixture : *chuckles*
banger : wooohooo
Candy Guard : ...so we decided to go for a plainer character I've got more hairs though.
Runt : Has Pond Life been a 'labour of love' or did you have constant fun developing it?
Candy Guard : Runt?!
Candy Guard laughs
Candy Guard : It was fun eight years ago! It's been a labour of love - it's been quite hard. It takes a long time from seeing the idea to having it realised. And of course writing is very isolating. Of course sometimes you chuckle to yourself but most of the time it's isolating.
blue : I am a final year animation student specialising in puppet animation so am consequently 'cackin it' about what to do next,could you give any advice or any pitfalls that you found when first trying to break into the industry?
Candy Guard : Ooo god what can I say hmmm... erm... well first of all what I remember was teachers trying to put me off telling me I'd have to be a runner. It's just plugging away really, things don't always happen that soon. Don't let people knock it out of you really - Be determined.
tadpole : So Candy, did you know you were basing the cartoon on my life?
Candy Guard : erm..
Candy Guard chuckles
Candy Guard : I haven't got an answer to that! Her niece and nephew in the prog are called Tad and Pole to make as many references to ponds as I could! I ran out though.
SpannaHeed : Would you ever consider 'selling out' and putting Dolly in a tampon ad or something? (!)
Rokk : Dolly should do the next WonderBra advert, what do you reckon???
Candy Guard : Absolutely! That is my next plan! I would quite like to get some campaign for her. I don't know if they are ready for her yet! WonderBra! Yes! She sooo should! We should do this in America! The English aren't that good at that kind of publicising.
Chris : Who is the person who does the voice of Dolly......she is brilliant i relate so much to the way she talks i never miss an episode i even taped it tonight while i was at college :)
frogspawn : are any the voices done by famous people?
Candy Guard : The voice is Sarah Kennedy. She made an animation series called Crapston Villas. She's brilliant.
SpannaHeed : !!!!!!!!! That's ace! With the vomiting cat!!
Candy Guard : I chose her to do the voice because she's not a trained actress and i wanted someone natural And she understands how I mean things. She's a very funny woman. Frogspawn - nobby and Mrs Alrite are played by John Thomson, and Emma Chambers plays Belle the ditzy one from Vicar of Dibley, and for anyone born before 1970- Brian Murphy plays her dad. And my mum plays the MUM! Charlotte Mitchell.
Chat Ed : aw bless.
penski : do you get animation groupies?
Candy Guard : Nooo I did take my boyfriend to an animation festival in Cardiff and some students came up to me and asked me for my autograph - my boyfriend thought that's how it would be all the time. It wasn't, they were the only ones that ever asked!
Van Norris-Jones : who did the voice for Dolly originally? It was someone different wasn't it?
Candy Guard : No it's always been the same person.
graham : Hi candy I canny get hang of this Chat thing - you know me with computers - I put my message in the wrong window - Its Graham, how are you please get in contact soon - We've moved and redirect has run out so drop us a line at the University of Northumbra. Lots of love Graham & sue. PS Nice one!!
Candy Guard : Aaarrr! That's sweet, I sent a postcard to the old address to tell you when the series is on. Hello graham I'll send something via Adam when he next goes up. : )
Van Norris-Jones : do you have anything else in the pipeline other than 'Pond Life' and if so is it in the same vein?
Candy Guard : Yeah, I am developing a live action series with BBC 2. It's similar but with real people. And I'm writing a feature film too. I'm still a bit knackered from Pond Life so it's very much in the beginning stages. It sounds flash though doesn't it!
Chat Ed : Very :)
Van Norris-Jones : very!
TRACEY : I LOVE THE POND
RaeJarvis : Who would you most like to turn into a pond life character (celebrity wise)?
Candy Guard : Ooo hard one - erm... I kind of did Anthea Turners sister in the one about when Dolly gets a dog. Let me think...
beampot : my mate cat is just like dolly! it cracks me up.
Candy Guard laughs at beampot
Candy Guard : I've done Bob Dylan. I don't know who I'd like to do, someone I can't bear! To get my revenge. Usually my producer!
scoyy : that one is wide open!
SpannaHeed : and how much does each episode cost?
Candy Guard : About £200,000 an episode. Not that i saw a lot of it!
SpannaHeed : whoa!
Candy Guard : No one will believe me - but I didn't!
Candy Guard laughs
Candy Guard : I know it look like it costs ten pounds an episode.
Candy Guard chuckles
Chat Ed : heh
Rokk : What do you think of anybody being able to publish animation over the web?? Is it a good or bad thing??
Candy Guard : It can only be a good thing I think. Mind you I haven't seen any of it.
Candy Guard laughs
Runt : Hey Candy.... WASSSSUPPPPP?
Candy Guard : A very sore throat and my lips are a bit dry! Well- you did ask me Runt!
Chris : waasssssssssssuuppppppppp
Runt : ack, not good you should be in bed with some weak lemon drink.
Badger : Candy can we expect more episodes of Pond Life & be able to buy series on VHS & DVD?
Candy Guard : Badger - you can buy one video with six episodes from Series 1 You can get the first series from: Videoshop.co.uk/cat/f-po.htm. £12.99. Whether there'll be another series I don't know.
Gurt : good plug Candy!
Candy Guard : Someone else will have to write it otherwise I'll be 90 and people will be asking when the fourth series is coming out!
YSL : Candy, are you really good at pictionary then?
Candy Guard : MMmm... I've never played it! We used to call it the artists game. I'm quite good at it. I know the game.
RaeJarvis : How long does an episode of pond life take to make?
lul : WILL DOLLY EVER MARRY NOBBY??!!
Candy Guard : It took two years altogether including the writing. The actual animation took four months.
Chat Ed faints.
Candy Guard : That was a big team of Chinese men who did not know what they were doing! You can tell they were Chinese because when they stroke a cat they do it the wrong way!
Candy Guard laughs
Candy Guard : lul.... not if there's not another series. So no I don't think so. It would be nice, but that one where she lives with that guy they just fight. Nice idea.
Chat Ed : Right folks. Another chat just zoomed by - last three questions now!
Chris : I thought last nights was brilliant about the smoking.....did u base it on real life experience?
Candy Guard : Yes I'm ashamed to say I did. I actually fried some tobacco! I soaked it to try and stop.
Chris : hey I know the feeling too heheh
Candy Guard : Then got up in the middle of the night and fried it to dry it out. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
markus : Did you use computers or is it all hand-drawn?
Candy Guard : All the animation is hand drawn. All the colouring and inking is done on computer.
Chat Ed : And the last question.. well, squeeze two in, why not.
YSL : who is your favourite animated character of all time then?
Candy Guard : Sylvester from tweety Pie!
Chat Ed : Last one...
penski : i have this rash... should i see a doctor?
Candy Guard : urrr...
penski : omg... ed - i hate u
Chat Ed grins
Chat Ed : That's it folks - thanks for coming, Candy!
SpannaHeed : thanks Candy!
Runt : Yay! Thankee Candy!
STEVEY_BOY : bye candy
Candy Guard laughs
Nina : nice one, candy...
penski : cyas candy!
Van Norris-Jones : cheers
tadpole : thanks candy
June : Brilliant work Candy!
Candy Guard : That's lovely. Thank you all. Bye bye.
Candy Guard leaves the room
