MMAFigs.com Has Chosen Its First-Ever Contest Winner!

Featuring a Full-Length Interview and the Winning Video!

With the advent of UFC action figures and MMA figures in general comes the birth of an entirely new line of collectibles. Some have come before them, undoubtedly many will come after them, but both Round 5 and Jakks Pacific can be thought of as the two great companies that truly ushered in the era of MMA collectibles. In this bold new territory there exists a small but growing community, many of whom first got into the hobby with Jakks Pacific’s WWE line of action figures, which creates customized matches.

Whether pictures or animations, this small group of trailblazers is setting an impressive groundwork that hopefully many will follow. Like the UFC itself, there will be some growing pains. There will be some necessary evolutions, and some misfires. But like the UFC, those that stand the test of time will be remembered not only for their contributions at the beginning, but for their impressive talent as a whole. PdW2kX and MMAFigs.com is proud to shine a light on the growing MMA picture/animation community, and highlight one of its best and brightest.

 I will admit, when I first announced the first-ever MMAFigs.com picture/animation contest, I was not overly optimistic about it. The community was just barely getting off of its feet, so I honestly was expecting that I would either receive few entries or entries that were severely lacking in quality. To be perfectly honest, I thought both scenarios would happen: I would get few entries, and what few entries I had would clearly show how new the MMA picture/animation community is.

To say that the winning entry blew me away was an understatement. As I expected, there were some rough edges. There will be some necessary evolutions. But there was so much honest-to-goodness heart and soul in this video that it left me floored. From the opening second I could tell that the person behind the camera was someone that loved the sport of MMA and took a lot of pride in what was being done. It’s not perfect, but whatever it lacks in the subtler aspects of quality it more than makes up for with its spirited attempt at recreating the atmosphere of an MMA match. It’s my pleasure to showcase this video on MMAFigs.com.

But first, here’s an exclusive interview with the winner of the first-ever MMAFigs.com picture/animation contest, Leslie Q. Raines.

PdW2kX of MMAFigs.com (MF): What got you into making MMA animations?

Leslie Q. Raines (LR): Well, I've always had wrestling figures, and I would remake their entrance using stop motion animation. By the time I started a lot of people were already making pro wrestling stop motion entrances, matches, etc. So it was nothing new, and I never really went too far with it. But when I found out that the UFC would be releasing their own line of action figures, I was like WOW! I just knew it would be a cool deal to do MMA Stop Motion. So I was determined to do it. And with them being Jakks figures, that just made it better.

MF: What is your process for making MMA animations?

LR: I use the animation technique most commonly referred to as “stop motion”. The process of putting it all together is a little different for me. I would watch other people's wrestling stop motions and try to think of a way to bring a little something that was different from others in my MMA stop motions. The main difference is that my videos feature accurate songs and real-life commentary, commentary that I personally record. In MMA, most fighters don't have a composed theme made just for them. Most of the time they’ll just use a normal song they choose themselves, like when Frank Mir used "Amazing" at UFC 100, or when Brock Lesnar uses "Enter Sandman". So in a way, that left me room to use almost any songs I wanted. Commentary to me was easy, since I make music also, meaning that recording and effects weren’t really a hard factor. I knew how I wanted it to look and sound, and it's exactly that.

MF: How difficult is it to make MMA animations?

LR: Well, the main difficulty lies in getting used to these figures. The pro wrestling figures wear boots, they're flat footed. As long as that figure isn't loose or worn out, standing and walking is pretty easy. With these figures, they're bare-footed with the arch in the middle just like a real foot. So I would have some problems with them tipping over at the wrong time and it would throw me slightly off track. Also, true-to-life accuracy is something that was difficult. I found myself watching my UFC and PRIDE DVD's a whole lot, trying to study certain fighter’s styles, like Frank Mir. In the match I made, I wanted to create as close of a replica of the actual Mir as I possibly could.

MF: Where would you like to improve going forward?

LR: The short list is goes like this: my walking and foot movement, the lighting, and the fights in general. I'm still working on Griffin vs. Alexander and Liddell vs. Bisping. This fight was good; the next two will have more than one round, and way more action.

MF: Are you a fan of the UFC line or MMA in general?

LR: Yeah man, I love it. I've never really been a football or basketball type guy. I played football early in school, and while I was good at it, it just wasn't me. I've always been more of a wrestling/fighting type of guy. I know in the recent years UFC and MMA in general have really boomed, but I've always watched it. I'm only 21, I'm still young, but I know about the old days. My first time really checking out UFC was in middle school: they had a game on Sega Dreamcast, and I bought it and played it like crazy. That's what got me watching. That was like 8 or 9 years ago. Caol Uno, Gary Goodridge, Frank Shamrock… guys like that were around back then.

MF: You have a very large setup in your video, consisting of a crowd, commentators, even ring crew and trainers. You even have custom MMA clothing. How difficult was it to film and animate such a large scene?

LR: It just took a lot of time. I've always made clothes for my wrestling figures due to the fact that they would be backstage or in the ring doing a promo in street clothes, and most of the figures I have came in wrestling attire, so I would make the street clothing for them. I did the same for the MMA figures, because when they walk out they have their sponsor shirts and banners, and they didn't come with them so I made them myself. When it comes to the arena, my friend Michael came up to me one day with some half boxes and thought I could use them. With a little modification I was able to use them to make the entire arena, stands and all. I just wanted to replicate everything you see on TV.

MF: Some people may be embarrassed or hesitant to throw their work out there for the entire world to see. It can be incredibly difficult to make a true-to-life picture/animation match, and the internet is the home of harsh criticism. What would you say to those that want to make the jump but are afraid to?

LR: If I can borrow a popular phrase for a second: just do it. Honestly, I know what that feels like because I used to be the same way. I just got it into my head that I wanted to do it, despite any criticisms, and so I did it. And I’m not going to lie, my first video sucked (and still does). To me, other people's criticism is best when it’s used to motivate you, to get you in the mindset that you want to prove to everybody that you can do or be better than what they may say. Just put it in your head that you can do it and succeed at it, and you will. It may be rough going, it may take longer than you like, but you will.

MF: What’s next for you?

LR: I just want to keep doing MMA stop motion and get better at it. I've got a lot of ideas for the new figures: Kimbo Slice, BJ Penn, Matt Hughes, and all the others coming out throughout the year. I'm very excited about the new figures coming out. I'm gonna put them to work.

MF: What helpful hints, tips and tricks, and/or any other advice would you give to those looking to break into the MMA picture/animation community?

LR: Come up with some ideas, think it through, and just do it .But if you really want it to look its best, TAKE YOUR TIME and to do it right. Patience pays off in the end.

MF: Any closing thoughts?

LR: I'm just happy MMAFigs.com selected my video. I'm very grateful. I’d like to throw a quick shout-out to all my friends on YouTube, and my good friend Michael C. Hopefully one day maybe Frank Mir or Kevin Randleman can check this out. If they do, I hope they like it too. Thanks again to MMAFigs.com for selecting my video and giving me the opportunity to showcase my talent. You guys are pretty cool. Thank you!

And now, for your viewing pleasure: the winning video of the first-ever MMAFigs.com contest!