World Leaders, Chili-Makin' & Chili-Eatin' Contest.

The CHILI-MAKIN' CONTEST

So towards the end of season 3, Venture Bros production manager, Peedee Shindell and Venture Bros editor, Tom Bayne decided it would be a good idea if the studio had a chili-making contest. The story of how this all came about is a long one, which was formed with untruths and challenges to ones manhood, and shall remain within the walls of World Leaders... to be honest, I just can't be arsed telling it!

Anyway, I must say that the whole studio took this competition very seriously.
There was secrecy, dirty tactics, name calling and hurt feelings for the 2 or 3 weeks run up to the competition. Spies were everywhere, resulting in fights breaking out in the W.L. kitchen.
Tensions were running high. So much so, that the night before the competition, there was a serious altercation between two different teams (who shall remain nameless), in Wholefoods supermarket... ahhhh, it was wonderful to see us all getting along so well.

So anyway, the chili had to be made at home and brought to the studio the next day to be re-heated and judged by a panel of chili experts. No cheese was allowed; it was strictly chili tasting only. Cheese was only added after the competition was over.


The Contestants
Standing left to right: Mike Foran, Rachel Simon, Alex Kwan, Carly Monardo, Lauren Monardo, Tom Bayne, Justin Offner, team Liz Artinian & Jackson Publick, Alexandra Andrew, Nick DeMayo.
And posing down in front... the uber sexy, Mr. Peedee Shindell.

First off...

The Re-Heat

Yuuuummmmmmmmm.....

The Judging

And Judges

Left to right: Head Chili Judge, Stephen DeStefano (one of the reasons we had the competition), Jennifer Batinich, Peedee Shindell (one of the organisers/competitors and NOT a judge so shouldn't even be there but I think he's explaining to all how the voting system works), Charlie Miller (President of W.L.), Joe Croson, Ben Stein.

The Wait

Which, now that I see this photo, was also the day we got our crew jackets, courtesy of Jackson Publick. Worn here so fetchingly by Tom Bayne.


While we wait for the votes to be tallied, a heated discussion about cheese...




And the Winner is...
(well, joint winners)

Team Liz Artinian & Jackson Publick (honest to God, it wasn't a fix at all) and Alex Andrews.
Funny thing was, they both used the same online recipe, which used dark chocolate, and yet they both tasted so different.


************************************************************************

The CHILI-EATIN' CONTEST

So to the Chili-Eating contest (oh God, it still makes my stomach turn to think of it), which was a last minute decision undertaken by two of the studio's finest gormandizers, Danny Hynes and Joe Cappabianca.

The Preparation

From left-over chili, scooped so lovingly into paper cups by Alex Andrews and Peedee Shindell.

The Competitors

Danny Hynes and Joe Cappabianca.

The Chili

Ugggggggh!!!!

Let's get ready to rumble...

And we're off...

I love the look on Danny's face here... it says it all.

Both men had very different styles. Danny just went for it, refusing to even stop and taste the chili. Whereas Joe had a much more relaxed approach, as seen here, and was pacing himself much better. Which didn't mean to say he was necessarily enjoying it.

The crowd looks on with baited breath and upset stomachs.

2 hours later...

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Joe Cappabianca ladies & gents.
And the poor runner up, threw it all back up, right after the bell went.

That is all!
x Shivers

Fionn O'Lochlainn

Joe's Pub, NYC, 7/26/08

That is all.
x Shivers

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

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.

LÜLÜ

On Her East Village Rooftop 07/04/08

For The Fireworks

That is all.

x Shivers

And God Created Man...

CRANKCASE
Lafayette, NYC. 07/03/08

That is all.

x Shivers

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

Venture Bros Wheelie Photo of Dooooooom!

Top moving clockwise: Me, Rachel Simon, Doc Hammer, Liz Artinian, Jackson Publick.

That is all.
x Shivers

Stormy Weather (just cant get my poorself together)

Last Wednesday, just before the Stevie Wonder gig out on Long Island... these ominous looking clouds came rolling in! :S
I've tried to merge some photo's together to give you a sense of how dramatic they were... not sure if I've really succeeded but I've pasted them anyway.

And just because it was he we were there for, here's a couple of Stevie Wonder shots and a video clip I took from where we were sitting... which, funnily enough, didn't seem as far as the photo's suggest.

That is all.

x Shivers

Coney Island Cowboy!

In Coney Island today.

"Set 'em up, Joe!"

Ahem... a bit of a pathetic attempt, eh Partner?

Bless his cotton socks, or in this case... his rather saggy balloon.

x Shivers

Cat (not) On A Hot Tin Roof!

LOLA
The Cat In a Bag!

Just look at those eyes!
x Shivers

Sit On MySpace And Tell Me That You Love Me!

Howdy do, folks!
I have a new myspace space... tis http://www.myspace.com/shiversphotography
Its got all sorts of photo's like this...



Please take a look and if you have your own account and feel like you wanna do something rash, please add me as a friend.
I promise I won't bite... unless you want me to!

x Shivers