Forum member StayGold97 scored a short interview with a former Toonami and Brand New School artist who worked on the first Saturday night incarnation of the block. He helped with designing the Clyde models, among other things. Sadly he asked us not to mention his name, so we’ll do just that. Below is the interview:
What was the design process of things like the bug-clydes? How did they go from idea to the TV?
You usually get a client brief on what they are looking for. In this case they wanted a refresh of TOM and crew. We came up with the idea that TOM goes out to different planets and scans for shows for Toonami and the Clydes would be the ones doing the dirty work for TOM. We wanted to emulate those movies with space ships or probes entering the atmosphere of planets, so we came up with a probe like Clyde. I was responsible for drawing out designs of the Clydes along with another more talented designer. My designs were more mechanical and functional like a robot built by NASA. I took the time to show how it would transform upon entry into the atmosphere. The other designer created Clydes with more character too them and looked like the final designs of the Clydes, but they lacked the functionality. The clients wanted the designs combined with the character of the bug design and the functionality of the ones I drew. I solved this by modeling the Clydes out like the second design while playing around with how they’ll fold and transform. We made two versions of the Clydes, the mini bug ones with just arms and the 4 legged ones that go down to the surface and scan for content. SARA was a little more straight forward. I drew a couple designs but they all had similarly digital make up to them. The only change was that we give her smaller breasts.
Were there ideas you were interested in trying, such as new characters, that didn’t make it to the end?
We had a lot of ideas that didn’t make it. It was mainly a budgetary and scheduling limitation that we had to scrap a lot of it. Seeing that it was 6 years ago, a lot of the companies I worked for were small boutiques and with limited infrastructure to render out CG. Brand New School was no exception, so we had to optimize and pick and choose the ideas that were doable. Originally we had designs for a complete refresh of the cockpit as well as TOM. I started modeling a new TOM that coincidentally looked very similar to the one on your site (he means NeoToonami’s TOM5, designed by thehiddenice). I wish I had the old render so I can show you. We had to scrap all that. SARA had a lot more particles around her and she wasn’t quite as solid as the final CG. The particles should have been more dynamics too, but a lot the team including me were pretty fresh out of college and that was the best we could do in that time frame. So we mainly concentrated on the new Clydes and created a new editing room for the opening and planet surface for the opening and close of Toonami. I forgot to mention that we had to deliver a Teaser Promo, Opening, Close, Bumpers, and more Promos for the Toonami refresh package. There were a lot of late nights, but I think it was slightly because of our inexperience. If I were to work on the same thing now I think it would be a lot more efficient.
What computer software did you use/would recommend?
I work in the motion graphics field so for 3D programs Maya is mainly used, and Cinema 4D comes in second. C4D may even be growing in use because they made implemented features in C4D that makes it easier to export out your renders into an After Effects scene for comp (more automated and streamlined.) This makes it easy for designers who are mainly 2D to translate their concepts into 3D faster. I started out using 3D Studio Max, but I found it hard to find work and had to learn Maya on the job. For Toonami I kind of fumbled through Maya and learned it during the project. We had to use Maya because the past Toonami was done in Maya and all the assets were in Maya. We did make later Toonami promos in 3D Studio Max. So I would recommend Maya for 3D since most mograph studios use it as well as the big movie studios. I use After Effects for compositing since most mograph places uses it, but many places uses Nuke or Fusion. Those seem to be more vfx oriented.
Did you have any interest in Toonami before you started work on it?
Actually I was a Toonami noob when I started working on Toonami. I didn’t have cable so I never really watched Cartoon Network.
What kind of advice would you give someone who wanted to have a similar career as yours?
I am considered a 3D generalist in my field. So I dabble in almost the whole process a project from design to modeling, animating, lighting and render. I composite my own work a lot of the times. If you want to be like me, I think you would have to try and learn as much as you can on the 3D program of your choice, but I suggest Maya. Learn animation basics even if you are not a character animator. It really helps on other kinds of animation because you’ll have an understanding of timing and weighting. Get some compositing knowledge as well with programs like After Effects or Nuke. If you can get some practice on a Flame machine, go for it. Flame artists make big $$$. I guess the more you know the better. Big vfx and feature film studios require you to be more specialized though as you’ll probably be required to hunker down to one role. For example if you are a modeler that is all you be doing. If you were a lighter, you would only be responsible for setting up lights in a scene and maybe setting up the renders. If that’s what you want to do then I say make a reel that really caters to that role and show your strengths in it. That’s my really general advice for you. I think new students are coming out of school way more advance than I was when I graduated. That’s a plus for you too.
I didn’t do this when I was in school, but try to get an internship at a company that will let you try out the actual work. Don’t get internships where you’ll be bringing coffee for people, that’s just not worth your time. Find a place that helps you develop your skills on real world projects. As a bonus you will also make some good contacts too. I learned and develop my skills on the job. I would say I learned 10% of what I know now in school, the rest is all from working on projects and coworkers.
I would suggest when you make a demo reel, you should reference the reels from more established people or companies. Compare your work to theirs and really try to match the caliber of work. Go to sites like www.motionographer.com and look at their “Cream” section. Look at the work that’s being posted there. There are projects and reels from individuals on their that should be the bar you want to reach. Also if you are making an animation or movie, be mindful of your editing. A lot student work seem drag out on shots that are way to slow and long or have weird cuts and camera work.
I would also suggest getting a Digital Tutors account. www.digitaltutors.com It really helps to watch the tutorials and learn to do somethings the proper way. They have tutorials that’ll cover most programs you’ll be working with and they are not as dry as some of the other tutorial sites. I have an account with them myself. It helps me round out the skills I’m weak on.
Well I hope that helps and didn’t drag on too much. Good luck with your Toonami project and school.
I must say that was a really good and informative interview. I especially loved the advice question and answer. Thank you StayGold97 for conducting the interview and thank you [insert name here] for taking the time out to answer some questions!
Also, if you’re new to NeoToonami, be sure to join the forums! When the front page is not being updated, rest assured there is something going on in the forums! Join the forums! Forums, forums, forums!
-Zipper
