Hey, y'all! Trevor Carlee graciously agreed to do an interview on SAD! Thank you so much to Trevor for agreeing to do the interview (and answering all the questions!), especially with how busy he is! And thank you to everyone who submitted interview questions (your name should appear after your question)! :o)

We hope everyone enjoys reading about him, his love of the Buffyverse, his art, and his podcast with Kristin. 

Please see the end of the interview for where to find his work! :o) (The banner for the interview has caps from Doomed, which is the next episode he and Kristin are covering on their podcast...new episode out tomorrow!)

Interview with Trevor Carlee

About the Buffyverse

How did you get into the Buffyverse? 

I originally watched the movie when it came out and was relatively indifferent. I remember enjoying it but not thinking anything of it. So I wasn't inclined to watch the show when it was announced. It wasn't until all the promos were stirring about "What happened to Angel'' and "The curse" and all that. I was like "Oh! That show is still on?" So my first episode was Innocence and boy oh boy is that a doozy. I fell hook, line, and sinker.

How old were you when you started watching Buffy? (Niamh)

I was about 9 or 10 when I watched the movie (can't remember if I watched it in a theater or rented it from Blockbuster). And I was 14 when Innocence aired and my life changed forever :)

Which BtVS episodes is/are your favorite and why? Which season is your favorite and why? (Tessa)

Innocence is definitely one of my faves because it's what hooked me. Also Becoming Parts 1 & 2 (I actually hope to edit them down and screen them in a theater one day. Maybe on my 50th lol). That finale just feels like a movie. I remember seeing that as a teenager and being blown away. Nothing had been done on television like that before.

Some other faves are Fool For Love, Normal Again, The Body, The Gift, Once More With Feeling ... I feel like I'm falling into a trap of just listing every episode haha

I want to say season 2 is perhaps my favorite season, which is rooted mostly in nostalgia. It was just so pivotal to me at the time. But if we're going off the now, I'd have to say Season 5 probably.

Which Big Bad do you like most and which one is your least favorite? (Tessa)

I think my favorite big bad is probably ... oh boy that's a tough one. I love the overall presence of Glory, but I think The Mayor is probably my fave. I love how much depth he had as a villain. 

What are your thoughts on ships in the Buffyverse? (Maggie)

I think ships are fun and such a great way to keep a franchise alive and kicking. I also love ships that aren't even romantic. One of my favorites ever is Jeff and Abed in Community. I get choked up every time they hug on any of my many rewatches because their connection is so deep (IMO) and I love that people get to express their love for that in any form, whether it be art/fanfic or talking about it online with peers.

I do wish the people who are angry about certain ships could just find peace though lol

What was the moment when you started shipping Spuffy? What are your perspectives on Spike? (The Sunny Slayer)

I'm not sure if there was a specific moment. I think they always made sense from the beginning and as it was happening live I fully accepted it because the show and the actors do such a great job of prepping you for it. I'd imagine Something Blue was the metaphorical chip implanted in my brain that told me "This is happening and this is good.

And I absolutely LOVE Spike. He's funny, charming when he wants to be, and absolutely adorable.

What draws you to Spuffy compared to the Bangel ship? (Tessa)

I think Spike and Buffy just have so much time to grow and explore each other, so I'm drawn to a fully fleshed-out relationship. Unfortunately, Buffy and Angel had a few months of getting to know each other before he lost his soul. And then when he came back it was melodrama out the butt until he left. There wasn't really anything for me to hold on to.

All that being said, I ATE UP the melodrama of Bangel as a young teenager.

Which Buffy character do you identify with the most? Why? 

I probably identify most with Oz. I'd love to say Cordelia because she's who I aspire to be like, but I'm more of a quiet, monosyllabic type (among other people at least - I'll talk up a storm by myself). Also red hair.

Who was your least favorite of Buffy's love interests? Why? 

I feel like Parker’s too easy of a target. Probably Riley .. and mostly because they dragged it out far too long. 

I heard you were in the Marines and introduced your comrades to Buffy. Can you tell us an anecdote of what it was like when you watched the show with your fellow Marines? What were their reactions? (The Sunny Slayer)

It was fun. I was SO confident in it back then, but it was also 2001. So Buffy was still airing and it was in the zeitgeist and it hadn't aged yet. I remember excitedly watching it with them just KNOWING they would love it. I've since experienced people not being super into the show, so my confidence isn't as high when I recommend it anymore. But it was so cool to just be three or four Marines huddled in a small barracks room watching each batch of episodes (my mom would ship out a few episodes so we could binge them and also to save on shipping).

As they are comic book fans, what specific story arcs are a Must Read for people who dislike/disavow the comics? (sabershadowkat)

Well, obviously, I think watching the Spike/Buffy story hit its highest potential is #1. Domestic Spuffy is a sight to behold (and oh boy, that one moment when she sees in his mind there are not enough heart-eye emojis in the world). I also really liked the internment camp storyline and the “new magic” storyline, they were super interesting. The FINAL final story was a great way to tie everything up IMO (and even closes out Faith's Mayor storyline). I also think the Angel/Faith comics are a great dive into who Faith is.

What is it about Buffy (the character) that you like the most? (Niamh)

I love her perseverance. No matter what, she keeps pushing. Fighting gods and monsters with zero hesitation. I love her so much.

What is your opinion of Willow and Xander? (Niamh)

I didn't fully realize how deep Willow's problems were and how it didn't all just start in season 6 until many years later. And not even FULLY fully until doing this podcast where I'm watching it so critically. I still love her though. Xander however; I never really clocked the stuff he was doing/saying to be bad back when it aired, but it is one of those things where every time you watch, you're like "...yikes." But he has redeeming qualities too so I'm not gonna throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. Honestly, I just watched the unaired pilot and THAT Xander was so much better. I really wish they went that route.

What is your perspective on Dru? (Syn)

I love Dru so much and wish we got more of her. We at least get a good chunk in Angel, but she's so electric when she's on screen, I always want more. Her entrance in The Trial (in season 2 of Angel) is one of my favorite entrances ever.

Has your opinion of the characters changed with your own maturity? And if so, how? (Niamh)

Yeah. I don't think drastically, but more so I've found nuance to certain performances that I didn't really appreciate back then and I've, as mentioned before, come to realize and acknowledge the more problematic sides of characters.

Which vampire would you let bite you? (ClowniesLivEver)

I don't know what this says about me, but probably Dru.

If you were Buffy's creator/writer, how would you have changed the final season (season seven)? 

Honestly, I absolutely love season 7. We'll see how I feel watching it critically while recording the podcast, but I really dug the (structured) "race to the finish" nature of the storytelling. It even has some of my all time favorite episodes (Help, Conversations with Dead People, and Lies My Parents Told Me). I guess if I was changing anything, I'd not make Giles do some of the things he does or act the way he does, but that's just because I don't want Buffy and Giles to be at odds with each other selfishly.

About His Art

What made you decide to start creating fan art and animation? Any tips for fan creators creating in fandom now? 

Honestly, I've been working as an editor for television for about 15 years, and I'd been doing motion graphics as side work. I always avoided 3D work because it seemed too difficult. Then one day I just took the dive and got into it and fell in love with the whole process. I wanted to improve and not lose interest so I set a goal for myself to create an art piece for every episode of Buffy. That way I always had a reason to go into it if I was ever bored or couldn't think of what to do to improve my skills.

And I figured tying it around Buffy (my all time favorite thing in the world) would keep me inspired. And it's worked so far! I did the same thing for my Buffy: Into The Slayerverse animation. I figured I might as well tie my first "big animation project" to something Buffy so I'd be motivated to finish it.

Regarding tips, I'd say "Release it!" Whatever the art is that you think isn't good enough, just put it out anyway. There are a good amount of my pieces that I wasn't happy with and I just put them out there because I needed to move on. And on most of them I got some really great comments telling me how it was their favorite one or how it moved them. Art is different for everybody and we're our own worst critics.

What's behind your stylistic choice to not include faces in your art? (Maggie) (And Niamh)

This actually started because I was new to 3D and I barely knew how to do what I was doing, much less make accurate faces lol - so I figured I'd do the low poly art style and then it just kind of became my thing. I think it also really helps bring the focus to the overall piece. It's a fun challenge trying to get people to remember an episode with as little information as possible. Although I do get the occasional "Is that Darla or Buffy" comment haha

How do you go about deciding what to model? What software do you use? What advice would you give people starting out on 3D modeling? (ClowniestLivEver)

I use Blender (which is free) for all of the 3D modeling. I use Photoshop to do some finishing touchups (but you could use something like Gimp, which is free - I just happen to be comfortable in Photoshop.

Regarding deciding what to model: Sometimes it's super easy. I had the idea for Fool For Love when I started making the art and had to wait till I was in season 5 to do it. Sometimes it's tough and it takes me weeks to think of something. If I know what I'm gonna do, I just kind of hop in and start building and moving.

I typically start with all the characters, get them into place, then position the camera, then I start building the set. After that I work out their clothes, all the textures, etc. I usually do the lighting about halfway through and then I just kind of keep tweaking until I'm happy or exhausted.

My advice would be to just keep doing it. I kept dipping a toe in 3D and abandoning because what I was making looked like ass. It wasn't until I did the donut tutorial (a Blender tutorial series on YouTube) that I felt fully confident in my abilities. And then making consistent Buffy art really boosted my confidence as well. 

Has anyone from LEGO contacted you about making actual Buffy sets based on his animation? When will they be available?  And I'm not joking! I would buy some. (Jasna) 

No one has contacted me yet, no. I think someone from Lego Ideas retweeted one of my animations, but that's about it. Hopefully one day!

What is your favorite Lego piece - which of the little component pieces - and why? (Syn)

I don't know if I have a favorite Lego piece. I suppose just the standard 4x2 brick? I'm sure I sound really basic.

Have you always been into Legos? What was your favorite set as a kid? 

I actually have! When I was a kid, I would build all kinds of things out of Legos. I don't think I ever had sets (not sure how prominent they were back then?) I just had a bunch of random Legos and I would build all these things and keep them in an empty cabinet in my mom's house.

What does your family think of your fanart? 

My kids love it. They like watching me make it and ask what certain things are. They always ask if Spike and Buffy are married (they’ve never seen the show) even if whatever I'm working on is literally them just in a room together. So even Spike and Buffy with no faces standing in a room together have enough chemistry to transcend generations lol - They also constantly ask me “Do you have a new Lego animation we can see?”

My wife likes my art and my animations too. She's even helped me with some. For instance, with my Passion piece, I initially just recreated the scene where Angel snaps Jenny's neck and I wasn't feeling it at all. I showed it to her and said I couldn't figure out why I didn't like it and she reminded me that I typically create my interpretations of the episodes and this was more or less just a shot from the episode. Which led to one of my more popular pieces.

So, an exception to that advice above, sometimes if you're not feeling your art...start over!

When can we expect to see more Spuffy in your art? (hellishyen) What is your next big project (like the Dark Willow one)? 

Haha, well we're definitely getting close to a point where it'll be hard NOT to make every art piece a Spuffy art piece with where they're going in their relationship. But outside of my episodic ones, I'm not sure. I kind of just do them when the inspiration strikes.

I have a couple "big" projects that I'm putting together. I don't want to say them officially though. Not for any kind of secrecy, more for my own mental health. If they turn out not to unfold or not be what I expected, I'll think "But I said on that one site X months ago that I was going to do this! They're gonna be so disappointed!" And then I'll spiral haha. But I have a couple cool Buffy-centric projects in the works. And then obviously I'll keep making the little moments as often as I can.

Once I get to a comfortable amount of patrons, I’ll be in a healthier place to spend a lot more time on the bigger projects. Right now, I just dip in when I find slivers of time.

Is there a scene from Buffy that you will never attempt to LEGO? Why? 

LMAO - I think we all know one very specific scene I would never attempt with Lego. And we all know why. I'd rather not elaborate so as not to trigger anyone.

Would you ever use fanfic as source material for your art? 

I've actually been thinking about it lately. I read my first fanfic a few weeks ago. Someone mentioned online that they wanted to see Buffy riding on the back of Spike's motorcycle. So I animated it. And then Holly (from Elysian Fields) wrote a quick fanfic as a companion to it. So I read that. And then it got me thinking that it'd be fun to bring some fanfics to life. We shall see.

About Another Buffy Podcast

What made you decide to do a podcast about BtVS? Have you done other podcasts? 

Kristin and I met through her husband (who I went to college with) and her best friend (who I also went to college with). We quickly realized we both loved Buffy and would constantly geek out over it. Then one night she was just like "Let's just do a podcast." We both had our own podcasts at the time, but this just started as a way for us to have a reason to talk about all aspects of Buffy, without really thinking about an audience or anything. We just wanted to pour out all of our thoughts on Buffy in one place.

I used to do a gaming podcast a looooong while back. And then more recently, I did a podcast called "Trevor Loves Everything." My friends typically joke that they don't take my recommendations seriously because I love everything. So I did a podcast where I'd invite friends on to talk about movies that most people hate and that I love. My guest would be someone who also hates the film and we just had a fun conversation about said movie. It's still up and available. I haven't done a new episode in years, partly because of the pandemic and partly because ABP has taken up most of my time.

Pros and cons of podcasting? 

Podcasting is a great way to just get all your thoughts out and recorded somewhere. It's like journaling I suppose. Unfortunately, it's also a lot of work (depending on what you put into it). Kristin and I record twice a week (which also means watching two episodes a week - so 4 hours) and then I edit the next week's episode usually on Friday. And each episode takes approximately 3-6 hours of editing depending on how much we talked and how much I need to clean up our time delay. Also finding the clips and incorporating them takes a good amount of the editing time.

10 Hours might not seem like a lot, but doing it on top of work and taking care of kids (and animating and creating art pieces) can get very exhausting. But it's such a great outlet that it never feels like a chore.

What will you do after you are done with Buffy (and Angel)? (hellishyen)

Oh boy, I'm not sure. I guess we'll have to start figuring that out when we get closer to the end, but we have a few more years until then.

Where are you in recording (I know y’all are ahead) and how do you feel about it eventually ending? 

We are currently in the middle of season 5 of Buffy and Season 2 of Angel. Right now, we're very excited because we're covering some of our favorite stuff. I'm sure being near the end will probably hit us once we're nearing the end of season 6 though.

Will you cover the comics?

Yes. We currently plan to cover the comics unless something changes. I'm actually super looking forward to it because I only ever read the comics once. I'm pumped to dive deep into it all.

For those of our membership who haven’t dipped their toe into listening to your podcast, what would you say is unique about “Another Buffy Podcast” that you think people resonate with? 

What I've noticed is people say it's like chatting with your friends about your favorite show. I think that's because we didn't really approach this like "Let's make a Buffy podcast and do X, Y, and Z to reach certain audiences." We just kind of started talking about our favorite show and anyone who wants to come along for the ride is welcome!

About Fandom

How do you deal with people commenting in a negative way about the Spuffy ship to you? (Tessa)

Usually, any negative or unwanted comments, I just ignore. I typically respond to every comment (as long as I see it, Social Media is finicky), but those negative ones I just ignore (or straight up delete). I don't like giving fuel to the fire.

Do you enjoy reading fanfiction? Why or why not? 

I enjoy the idea of fan fiction and I want to read a bunch of it. I just don’t have a lot of time. I read that one I mentioned earlier because it was a fast read. I’ve got books piled up to my right as I’m typing that I still haven’t finished and they just stare at me all day. 

If you do, what do you enjoy about fanfic? 

I have peeked in on fanfic stories here and there out of curiosity (read a paragraph or two) and I really love how well some writers can speak in the language of the show I love so much. So I know when I do step into fan fic, I'll fall down a never-ending hole haha

I would be interested in hearing more of his perspective as a male fan of the show. I know there are lots of guys that are fans of the show, but our Spuffy fic community is more female-dominated. (bruskiboo)

It's interesting, most of my straight guy friends have seen and enjoyed Buffy but none of them are as into it as I am. The people I geek out with the most about the show tend to be women or gay men. Even in high school, the friends with whom I talked about Buffy were girls. I don't have any intellectual insight to add. I just have a lot of passion for the things I love and am unapologetic in talking about those things, hence "Trevor Loves Everything" haha

Has negativity ever impacted your art/creativity, and what advice would you give other creators who have gotten negative feedback?

I wouldn't say it's impacted my art because I'm just gonna keep doing what I do. But it has affected my mental health.

Two things that help me get through:

1 - I try to approach those negative comments from a place of empathy. I imagine the people going out of their way to be negative on the internet are very emotionally unstable and are lashing out. So I try to understand it's just a hurt person trying to hurt someone. 

2 - The second thing I do is give it no oxygen. I reply to and like all of my comments (again, as long as I see them all - apologies if I never replied to you). The negative ones just sit there alone (unless someone comes along and fights them in my comments) and disappear into the fold.

Sometimes I'll delete comment threads or mute them if people fight in my mentions and I don't want the mental exhaustion of reading it all. I deleted an entire post on Tik Tok because a whole war was starting in the comments and I was like "No thank you."

So I guess my advice is that your mental health is the most important and do what gives you peace. No one wins internet arguments, everyone feels like shit (except for the trolls...don't feed the trolls). 

Where can people find your works (links, prints, etc.) and social media? (Also would you let us showcase some screenshots of your art when we post the interview? Or could you make us a little something?) 

Thank you so much! This was fun. You can check out all of my stuff on my site www.trevorcarleeart.com. There's a link to my shop there where you can buy all my art prints. 

Also, if you aren't following me already, I'm on all the socials (Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter, YouTube) with the same name @trevorcarlee. And if you want, I have a Patreon. For $5 a month, patrons can vote on my next Lego animation for that month. I post in-process behind the scenes type stuff. Also, I'm going to start posting some sneak peeks of my upcoming projects before anyone else gets to see them. But it'll all come out eventually so if you'd rather not spend $5/month and wait till it hits YouTube that's totally understandable too. I'm just happy anyone is enjoying what I make and I want to spend as much time as possible making it all, hence Patreon haha.