Monday, July 21, 2008

The Invisible Hand of Fate

Well, now that this season of Venture Bros is well under way and especially since "The Invisible Hand of Fate" has already aired, I can now post some work that I've done on the show.

Even though this wasn't the first episode to be aired, this was the first episode to be written and storyboarded. Reasons being, you'll find on Mr Jackson Publick's blog.

Anyway, it is unusual for us not to have some sort of problem with our first episode of the season, especially if we're working with a new storyboard artist. The problem with this episode is that time ran out for this storyboard artist so as great as the rest of his work was we were left with an unfinished board. This is where I had to step in and brush off my own artistic cobwebs and complete the final sequence.

I have to say I wasn't looking forward to it too much as there was more than a few perspective shots to work out, some with camera moves and some without but I had a lot of fun doing it and was happy with the end result.

Storyboard Guru, Stephen DeStefano also added some beautiful expressions to Billy and Professor Fantomas and are marked with a red asterisk where relevant.

Oh and yellow post-its are from the direction team, who get the storyboard after I'm done with it. They add any extra poses that they feel are needed for acting purposes.

Hope you like them!








That is all.
x Shivers

Monday, July 14, 2008

Jackson Publick Storyboard Notes



Just thought I'd post a set of
Jackson 'the hardest working man in animation' Publick
revision notes.

My job on The Venture Bros is to supervise an in-house storyboard revision team*.
We get the storyboard. We make notes**.

During this time we're allocated 2 weeks to complete revisions for each episode.
Act 1, the first week and act 2, the second.
Notes for an episode can be extremely heavy and tough on the revision team so we, more often than not, will spill over onto the following week.
This actual information we desperately try to keep from our lovely producer, Rachel Simon. Alas, we usually fail and she eventually busts my imaginary and Jackson Publick's actual set of balls when she finds out.

Moving swiftly on... at the end of each week I have to conform the revised act to a final animatic provided by our genius editor, Mr Tom Bayne AKA T-Bone.
What this really means that I have to watch the animatic closely and make final revisions from any last minute Jackson Publick notes.
I also have to listen closely to the dialogue track and paste dialogue and include direction notes to match the picture.
I then print off a copy of the storyboard so as to write in scene numbers, panel numbers and to make sure the final storyboard is clearly labeled when there's a cut or hook up (H.U.) between each scene.

Still with me? Good.

All in all it can be a pain in the ass but I truly love it and wouldn't change my job for the world.

So anyway, this is one of Mr Publick's notes from the season opener and is one of many, many notes that I get during the course of a season.



And I don't think this one has aired yet but this was my favourite note of season 3 from Mr Publick. And not because of the front side of the storyboard page...


but because of the back, where he sometimes doodles. This one is particularly cool, methinks!

BROCK F***ING SAMSON indeed!

That is all.
x Shivers


*The talented revision team for season 3 was Jon Roscetti,
Danny Hynes, (who's now a character designer on season 4) Rick Lacy, who left us half way through season 3 and was replaced by Lauren Monardo.

**By 'We'
here, I really mean its mainly Jackson Publick who makes changes and provides us with notes. During those two weeks I'll spot other technical problems and draw extra panels, whilst also adding all of the amazing panels that our storyboard guru, Stephen DeStefano kindly provides. It can get especially tasking when conforming at the end of each week.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

LÜLÜ

On Her East Village Rooftop 07/04/08


For The Fireworks







That is all.
x Shivers




Saturday, July 5, 2008

Friday, July 4, 2008

The Met Life Annex & Brooklyn Bridge

Yesterday, I spent the whole afternoon strolling around the glorious city of New York and ended my day with, not just a few photo's but a tan to boot.

The Met Life Annex, on 25th & Madison.

Built in 1919, the Annex was originally designed to be a 100 story telescopic tower
but after the economic crisis of 1929 the only thing erected was what was previous considered the base.

All in all, this is a complex, geometric wonder of a building and one of my favourites.







And who doesn't love the Brooklyn Bridge.
This is New York to me.

These were taken with my lovely fish-eye lens,
while scouting out a position for tonight's 4th of July fireworks celebration,
under the FDR.




And with my regular lens.


And a closer look at one of the four 90-120ft waterfalls that are now on the East River.
This one installation is under the far upright of the Brooklyn Bridge and will be there until mid-October.



That is all.

x Shivers