ANIMATION DIRECTION
GRIMSBURG (FOX/HULU)
My role on Grimsburg is to provide creative direction for improving the initial animation. This can range from making minor adjustments to re-working existing sequences, or creating new shots from scratch, depending on production needs and available resources.
The videos below show side by side comparisons of these types of revisions.
LEFT SIDE: Take 1 - RIGHT SIDE: Revision
Though the original animation hit the marks prescribed by the animatic, the consensus was that this shot would benefit from additional art direction. Time was a factor, so I had to limit the scope of revisions. I did all the work within Harmony so that an additional compositing process would not be needed. I also refrained from introducing new design or animation (aside from the flock of birds) and focused instead on enhancing what was already in the shot. Among my adjustments were refining the overall lighting for depth and atmosphere, adding depth to the window frames, introducing reflected light and cast shadows, adding camera shake, and giving the smoke a burning quality with a slight bloom effect. (Toon Boom Harmony)
LEFT SIDE: Take 1 - RIGHT SIDE: Revision
The first sequence of a Grimsburg episode gets a lot of attention. It is the viewer’s introduction to the world, and has to establish the show’s unique balance of humor and horror. Every shot in this sequence was revised in some way to enhance the storytelling and world building established by the first pass of animation. Pacing was adjusted, blocking or compositions were improved, shots were entirely re-worked and many details were added, all to improve the clarity of the original intent. (Toon Boom Harmony, Adobe AfterEffects)
MULLIGAN (NETFLIX)
My initial responsibility was to review the first pass animation (Take 1) in order to identify necessary revisions and provide guidance on their execution via notes or drawings. On this project, the scope of the role expanded to encompass pre-production and production phases from look development and art direction, to character performance, to pipeline restructuring, as large swaths of completed episodes were discarded and redone from scratch.
The videos below show side by side comparisons of these types of revisions.
LEFT SIDE: Take 1 - RIGHT SIDE: Revision
The layout and character blocking was re-composed for cleaner silhouettes. Color styling was adjusted and depth of field effects were applied for better foreground/background separation. Additional poses were added to accent emotional or dialogue beats. Traditional animation pass was done overtop the base 2d puppet animation to make it more visually appealing. (Toon Boom Harmony, Adobe Photoshop, TVPaint)
LEFT SIDE: Take 1 - RIGHT SIDE: Revision
Many of the same layout, color, and performance revisions described above were also applied to this clip. To add subtext, the intact rectangular buildings were placed behind Lucy to convey her authority and stability, while for contrast, the damaged wreckage and severe angles were placed behind Matty to convey the chaos of his world crumbling. Lucy’s design was being reconsidered at this time, so she has an alternate appearance in the retake. (Toon Boom Harmony, Adobe Photoshop, TVPaint)
LEFT SIDE: Take 1 - RIGHT SIDE: Revision
Sometimes the Take 1 animation fails to successfully execute the intended storyboard or timing direction, requiring revisions to several separate aspects of a shot to bring it up to the desired production quality. In this example, characters were placed and sized for better performance readability, to improve scale relative the environment and to minimize feet sliding on the run cycles. 3D background plate was re-rendered to slow the speed and correct the perspective relative to the characters. Timing and spacing was adjusted on existing drawings to improve tracking and motion. (Toon Boom Harmony, Autodesk 3dsMax, Adobe AfterEffects)
HOUSEBROKEN (FOX)
Housebroken’s production process utilizes a live-action dynamic of rewriting and replacing completed sequences right up until final delivery. This enables the creators to continually improve the storytelling as it progresses. Consequently, my team incorporates design and storyboard artists in addition to animators in order to accommodate the scope of rolling changes affecting each episode. My role is to work with the show runners to translate notes and rewrites into animation, and I supervise story, design, and animation teams in execution of their tasks. The schedule keeps up to six twenty-two minute episodes in production at a time, so I multitask teams across several projects simultaneously, within a very fast paced schedule.
The videos below show a sampling of the kinds of direction I provide.
A common redline is to plus the animation beyond what was in the Take 1. Here, it’s improving a head shake. (Toon Boom Harmony)
LEFT SIDE: Take 1 - RIGHT SIDE: Revision
Often times the recorded dialogue will be much more emotive than what was storyboarded and initially animated. I find opportunities to let the dialogue push the performance and express a character’s distinct personality. (Toon Boom Harmony)
LEFT SIDE: Take 1 - RIGHT SIDE: Revision
Sometimes the action will be soft or floaty, and can benefit from pacing up or made snappier to accent a dialogue or emotional beat. The energy level in this Take 1 needed a boost. I got more urgency in the action, revised the blocking for cleaner silhouettes, and trimmed frames from the shot to tighten it up. (Toon Boom Harmony)
LEFT SIDE: Take 1 - RIGHT SIDE: Revision
Sometimes continuity issues unresolved in storyboards are manifest in animation. In this case, the camera timing was slow, and the orange cat crossing in front of the camera (at 00:27) created a discontinuous cut affecting the size and position of the grey cat and the background. My solution was to create a single continuous shot by revising the character blocking. I mocked up a reference by manipulating the existing assets’ timing and spacing. Not requiring new drawings expedited the animator’s workload. With the speed and volume of work we undertake, I must always consider the most efficient way to achieve the best result within available time and resources. (Adobe AfterEffects, DaVinci Resolve)
THE FANTSASTIC ADVENTURES OF RALPH PHILIPS - (WARNER BROS.)
I directed this short for a development project. I created the animatic visuals, timed the dialogue and did the sound design.
I also contributed to the visual development (Adobe Flash/Animate, Photoshop)
CRIMENALS - MFA Student Film
This was my second-year film at USC. I essentially set out to do an animated version of postmodern artist Jess’ Tricky Cad paste-ups. The response to my mock-up animatic was so positive at the mid-year progress screenings that I added credits and called it done. It really struck a nerve that year, providing me speaking engagements at Sundance, Los Angeles Film Forum, and LACMA, and had a surprising festival run, receiving laurels at several festivals including Annecy, SXSW, and was awarded at Ottawa. It was also a Student Academy Award finalist that year.
Done in AfterEffects with re-appropriated Dick Tracy art and audio from Anthony Mann noir films.
A detailed breakdown of the creative process can be found here.