Dan Schaefer Talks About Monstrous Time Contraints Storyboarding 'Grimm''

Grimm started season two this week and I've contacted several people working on the show to share exclusive interviews and designs.
Today I'm sharing the work of storyboard artist Dan Schaefer (Leverage, Gone, James Bond Jr.).

His official site is filmstoryboards.com

Read his interview and check them out after the jump. Click the images to enlarge.

"The experience working on Grimm is usually one of being flexible and fast.  Meeting with the director (just before production or with maybe some lead time) is the first phase." Schaefer said. "I will sit down with and break down the script usually on the fly, creating boards based on what location photos they have as well as actors, props and proposed CG.  Mostly I have little of this and have to do what I can to pre-visualize the scene based on the director's interpretation of the script.  Often times the stunt coordinator, art director, First AD or props person will be involved.  I end up working with many departments, but it usually begins and ends with the director. Sometimes I work over the phone to break down a scene.  It just depends on the situation.  

"The biggest challenge can be pre-referencing locations that don't yet exist or are not found and making the staging work anyway.  I did some work on a scene that was supposed to be filmed in a pool in a basement that was later changed to an entirely new location.  Fortunately, the staging stayed the same and our work was helpful.  

"The time frame is a challenge too.  I usually have hours/minutes to do my work and not days.  Television is a very fast moving schedule and demands that you are focused. My work is very similar on both Leverage (TNT) and Grimm (NBC)."

Thanks for answering Schaefer.

Here's a set of storyboards from Grimm Season 1, Episode 11: "Tarantella "

Official Synopsis:

See more of Dan Schaefer portfolio at filmstoryboards.com

What do you think of the illustrations?
 
@ Copyright 2011 GK Productions, Hazy Mills Productions, Universal TV, Dan Schaefer. All rights reserved. Used with permission
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Exclusive: Hang Around With Spider-Man in 'The Amazing Spider-Man' Storyboards by Warren Drummond

Usually when you hear a movie is going back for re-shoots, it means it's bad. But, in the case of The Amazing Spider-Man this was obviously an exception. Back in 2011, ComicBookMovie reported that they were filming re-shoots in New York City and some panicked. Since the film is widely regarded as a raging success the re-shoots were a good thing.

Warren Drummond is an excellent artist who also worked on Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes and A Beautiful Mind. He's one of the storyboard artists that worked on The Amazing Spider-Man and shared his experience with me. He also sent me some exclusive storyboards from the film.



How did you get involved in the project?
I originally got a call from the production designer, Michael Riva in early 2010. I was on the movie ABDUCTION and couldn't take the gig. I was heart broken as I am a life long Spider-Man geek. [J. Michael Riva] (production designer) unfortunately recently died weeks ago while on Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. I never had the chance to work with him on a daily basis. Good man.

Last fall, the production supervisor JoAnn Perritano, whom I had worked with on other films called me in when the movie was about to do additional photography or "reshoots".

This is done when there is new footage that needs to be added do to various reasons. In this case, director Marc Webb wanted to explore some ideas that were not shot initially, like the first time Captain Stacy sees Spider-man.

I was told I'd get about a week's worth of work. I got about five weeks as Marc kept coming up with good ideas and I guess he liked the way I worked. The three storyboard artists who got screen credit did the lion's share of the work, but I did some cool stuff.

Q: I notice there were quite a few close ups and tracking shots. Were these from the director or your own designs?
Marc had a basic camera idea for every scene he had me do. Many of the shots were planned by him, but he let me be creatively free and involved. I was able to contribute, but ultimately, he had the final say on the shots, which worked out fine. Smart filmmaker.

Q: What was it like working on Spider-Man?
A dream come true. I grew up on John Romita Sr's drawing and his son JRjr is a buddy. I keep missing the opportunity to get on these super-hero films. I did to do one reshoot scene for X MEN: FIRST CLASS, but I was in and out. Maybe this will up my "Cape Cred".

See more of Warren Drummond storyboards at WarrenDrummond.com

What do you think of the storyboards?

David Krentz' Heart-Stopping John Carter Storyboards

David Krentz helped create some stunning action scene for the movie John Carter (2012).

The DVD and Blu Ray of John Carter came a few weeks back and, while it wasn't a commercial success, it had some amazing action scenes. David Krentz was one of the talented artists working on the film.

Krentz describes it on his site. I still haven't seen the film, so I don't know if there are any spoilers in it.

Storyboard sequence from John Carter.  Sab Than disables a Helium airship to capture the Princess of Mars Dejah Thoris.  

There are a lot of images in the storyboards, so I created a video out of it. I hope you enjoy it.


See more of David Krentz portfolio at http://www.davidkrentz.com/

What do you think of the illustrations?


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Batman 1989 Batwing Concept Art and Storyboards By David Russell

In one of the climactic battle scenes for the movie Batman (1989) the Joker faces off against Batman in his plane, the Batwing. David Russell (Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Red Tails) worked on the film helping to design and doing storyboards.

He has some great quotes in an interview with The Movie Blog, but there's one point he makes about working with Tim Burton.

In the early stages Burton was trying to connect the classic Batman with the Dark Knight. It did seem that he wasn’t very familiar with the character. Burton is not a particularly adept storyteller, but his visual signature is truly amazing. From the outset, Tim wanted Batman to be a very dark film. I started out designing in pencil, then black, but Tim kept wanting an even darker style, of imagery, so at the very end of my assignment, I switched to white pencil and black paper.

The scene as it was filmed is below.

See more of David Russell's portfolio at http://www.dynamicimagesdr.com.

What do you think of the illustrations? Do you remember the Batwing?

Exclusive: David J. Negron Jr. On The Battles Behind 'Battleship' (2012)

The blockbuster film Battleship (2012) is about Naval ships fighting a war against aliens, but it turns out there was an even bigger battle behind-the-scenes with the pre-production of the film.

In this never before told story, storyboard artist David J. Negron Jr. (G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) talked with me about the challenges of bringing an extremely visual movie based on a board game to the screen. At the end are some exclusive storyboards from a key scene in the film.

"As in the name Battleship, preproduction was engaged in a battle of its own." Negron Jr. said, "Early November 2009 began the art department's preproduction of Battleship the movie. We had a very strong Art Department led by Neil Spisak (Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Heat), which produced amazing visuals that brought the imagination of the film-makers to another level."

How Negron Jr. got involved on the project:

In January of 2010, I was hired on as one of three storyboard artists to start flushing out action sequences. During this time, the script was in a really rough draft and Peter Berg (Director) wanted to search for visual sequences that would ultimately steer the script in a direction. Early preliminary boards were really just an exercise in how far could we go with ideas. The three storyboard artists produced enough work to keep the pre-viz guys working on their sequence building, while Peter Berg was rethinking other possibilities.

One storyboard artist was let go after a few months, then myself and Tracy were left to continue working with Peter Burg. There was a constant redrawing and rethinking of huge sequences that Peter was searching for.

Another very key person in the design and development of the sequences was Tobias A. Schliessler, the Director of Photography. Tobias was an integral part in designing how shots should be viewed and incorporated into the film. 

Since most of the action takes place in CGI, Berg worked hard with the artists to visual the key battle scenes in a big empty space.

In an interview with MovieFone he said, "Literally nothing exists. So, you've got a plate of the ocean. You've got a big, wide shot of the ocean that we shot a year ago with a helicopter and I'm staring at that. And you ask, like, 'Okay. What are we going to do? We can start with this or this?' It's very challenging and I ask, 'Well, how have you done it before? Tell me how you've done it before.' 'Well, we've never done it. It's never been done.' 'It's never been done?' No. It has actually never been done before. We've never done this particular thing, and that's kind of awesome to hear."

Negron tells what it was like to work behind-the-scenes to help the director.

Once a pass of the boards were approved by Peter, they were then sent down to pre-viz (Previsualization) to begin working on the sequences. This added another dimension to the film as pre-vis was able to reconstruct the story-boarded sequences into a 3-D animated version. This is how it went for about for another two months and the second storyboard artist was then let go. The script continued to be revised with a variety of characters still being developed. 
 
With the action sequences still developing, the second unit director Phil Neilson was brought on. I storyboarded with Phil endlessly on sequences that offered carefully constructed and dynamic visuals that made Peter Berg jump with excitement as if we had just scored a touchdown!

All in all, I was on the show for about eight months and produced probably the most amount of storyboards for a film in my 24 year career.

As Peter Berg volleyed with the studio on the sequences and scale of the project, more sequences were drawn, developed, and pre-vized. 

On Peter Berg's style of leadership and directing:

Peter Berg directed with the leadership of a championship quarterback with 2 minutes left in the fourth quarter, every day. Being the football enthusiast that he is, I remember one day presenting him the KBAY (Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii) Shredder Helicopter Storyboard Sequence that I had laid out.  

He looked at it, then walked right past me and gave me one of those football slaps on the butt and said "good job!"  I think that meant he liked it.

That was Peter Burg. He can be aggressive, football coach-like, and hard on his staff, but that is only because he wants and expects the best out of us.

I think the whole crew delivered it's all on this film.  It took a lot out of us, but all of it got placed right back up on the screen.

Here's a clip from the movie of the alien "Shredders" attacking the Hawaiian base.

Here are some more from the film.

Thanks to David J. Negron Jr. for the story and the storyboards. You can see more of his portfolio at goliathpictures.com

Have you heard of another movie having as much trouble developing its scenes? What do you think of the storyboards?

10 Good Questions With Storyboard Artist Warren Drummond

Jackie Chan (left) and Warren Drummond (right)

Bruce Lee said, "Absorb what is useful, discard what is not. Add what is essentially your own." Warren Drummond is a martial arts expert. He's also a storyboard artist. Put the two together and you get a Kung-Fu concept artist. Drummond has made storyboarding his own.

I first saw his storyboards from Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but he's been working in the industry since 1994 on everything from A Beautiful Mind to X-Men: First Class.

He agreed to an exclusive interview to answer ten important questions. He names his favorite artists, the movie that didn't give him credit and the connection that helped him meet his wife.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Q. When you began your journey as a designer you probably had a few role models, would you name two of your favorite artists?
My favorite artists were my older brother, John Drummond Jr, as well the great John Romita Sr. I saw my brother's work all the time. His work was astounding. Professionals thought he should have gotten into comics, though John preferred fine art. Romita Sr's balance of anatomy and storytelling was only second to John Buscema (a LOT of "John's, eh?). Romita Sr was a better inker than Buscema, who was often inked by others. Buscema though drew the human body better than anyone.

Q. What has been your greatest artistic achievement in your life so far?
(Image: Nash chase - A Beautiful Mind)
Just getting FINALLY  into the movie business almost 20 years ago and STAYING in it. I believe my work on A BEAUTIFUL MIND was a high point as I worked with Ron Howard and the movie won Best Picture. I was on it seven weeks. My friend, storyboard artist (and current 2nd Unit director as well) Brick Mason brought me on to help him. last fall, I got to do over a month on reshoots for THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. I hope it rocks.

I got to work a week on STAR WARS: ATTACK OF THE CLONES, thanks to being buds with the stunt coordinator, Nick Gillard. I spent a blissful, geek-laden week at Skywalker Ranch.

Q. How has your martial arts training influenced your storyboard designs?
(Image: Martial Arts study - personal)
Martial arts has given me discipline and has kept me in shape to work those long hours. There are many martial artists I admire, Benny Urquidez, Anderson Silva, all of my previous instructors (who are all still in my life), and of course my hero, Bruce Lee.

Lee had an open mind to new things, as well as to keep trying to get better, and I have tried to hold on to that. There were also MANY unheralded black martial artists like Moses Powell, Steve Sanders, Carl Scott, etc whom I am sure I got something from if only through the ethers.

Q. What's it like seeing your storyboards come to life on screen?
On a movie like SHAFT (2000) it was unreal as John Singleton often sticks close to his boards when they are needed. It also does not hurt the ego to see your name in the credits.

It does SUCK, however, when you work hard and they DON'T credit you. Hello, "ANALYZE THIS"!!!!

Q. What was your favorite memory during your time on Rise of the Planet of the Apes?
Working with the director, Rupert Wyatt, a great guy, who's also so smart. I just loved the whole "process".

Q. What is your favorite movie and how many times have you seen it?
JAWS. I can't count how many times I've seen it. Perfect film. SUPERMAN and STAR WARS made me want to get into the business. I STILL have yet to meet Spielberg!!!

ENTER THE DRAGON is in the top ten. Waahhh!!!

Q. What was your most surprising inspiration for a storyboard?
(Image: Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift)
Music certainly brings out different attributes, but many artists listen to some form of music while working. I listen to John Williams scores, The Beatles, or a Tribe Called Quest (Jamaica Queens in the house!!!).

Q. You said in an interview that your first love is writing. Is there a pet project you have in mind you can talk about?
Nothing I can mention now, but my "coverage" on my current script went quite well. Let's talk in a year.

Q. In your line of work networking is key. What's the most amazing connection that networking has brought you?
Well, I met my wife through director Carl Franklin and his wife, producer Jesse Beaton. Knowing Brick Mason landed me Ron Howard. John Singleton got me work with Denzel Washington when Denzel directed ANTWONE FISHER. Working with on that movie introduced me to the wonderful producer Todd Black. Years later, Todd optioned a script from my wife.

Q. What’s next for you? What other projects can we look forward to seeing?
A just landed a few days helping out on a movie called THE TOMB (2013). I get to finally draw Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. No, I can't talk about it (LOL), but I really like the script.

See more of Warren Drummond's body of work at WarrenDrummond.com and check out the list of other artists I've interviewed here.

What do you think of the illustrations?

Watch Thor Demolish Destroyer in D'Alessandro's Dynamic 'Thor' Storyboards

The movie Thor had some insane visuals, but one of the scenes that got the biggest cheer is when Thor got his hammer and wasted the Destroyer armor.

One of the storyboard artists on the film was Federico D’Alessandro (I Am Legend, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger) and he has a storyboard on his website I had to share.

Here's the scene if you haven't seen it. Prepare to be amazed.


This is the scene from the script dated 03-26-10

Clad in his full battle armor, holding Mjolnir in his hand -- the God of Thunder once more.


Thor kneels, brings Mjolnir down onto the ground. 

KRAKABOOM!


Lightning strikes the Destroyer. It convulses.


Thor swings Mjolnir around, takes off straight up into the air, as the Destroyer gets back on its feet and looks up at the Thunder God. Storm clouds gather around Thor as he summons gale force winds.


Debris from the battle begins to rise up into the sky. The Destroyer stays there, kept grounded by its massive weight. It lifts its head up at the Thunder God, opens its faceplate, locks it in place, unleashes its blast. Thor dives downwards straight at it, with Mjolnir before him.


Mjolnir collides with the Destroyer's fiery energy blast, overpowering it, pushing it back, forcing it downwards at the Destroyer. Thor jams his hammer deep into the Destroyer's faceplate. The fiery energy within the creature builds up and EXPLODES within him, firing out of all his openings.


Thor smashes the Destroyer to the ground in a tremendous heap, the fiery energy within it extinguished forever. Thor pulls Mjolnir from its faceplate, walks away from its lifeless carcass. As he does, the other objects and debris pulled into the air by the gale winds drop down from the skies, around the Destroyer, burying it.

Amazing stuff.I actually prefer the way it was boarded since we get a side shot and a full view of the hammer just plowing through the armor.

See more of Federico D’Alessandro's portfolio at thefilmartist.com.

What do you think of the storyboards?