jjconway

[jjconway]

More Transformers Earthspark storyboards - I was really getting into 3D at the time so I used this sequences to really explore ToonBoom’s Storyboard Pro’s capabilities. Bee and the Ghost vehicles were provided by the production and the rest was found on 3D warehouse (Sketchup).

[jjconway]

From Earthspark episode 25, "Last Hope"

Thrash fighting Mandroid is another one of my favorite scenes!

[jjconway]

Hi there! I'm hoping to one day storyboard for a transformers show of some kind myself one day. I'm going into my senior year of highschool, and i'm not quite sure where to really begin in terms of figuring out the path. If you can share a bit of advice as a storyboarder in the industry, i'd really appreciate it big time! Thanks in advance!

Happy to! I think there are 2 really important things you can do at your age, and luckily they're both really fun! First, DRAW. A LOT. The more you draw, the better you'll get. And don't just draw from your head, make sure to do studies. Half of drawing is knowledge. You can't draw a cat if you don't know what a cat looks like, right? So whenever you sit down to draw, take 30 min to do some warmup studies before drawing from your imagination. Either study what you plan to draw, or study what gave you trouble last time. I literally do this to this day. One exercise I'll do is copy something once, then I'll compare my drawing to the original and try to understand what I didn't quite get right. Then I'll either do a second drawing of it, or I'll do a few drawings on the side practicing the area I got wrong, and try to understand how to do it better. Another great exercise is to take an artist you want to draw like and trace their drawings. The loose/rough drawings are best, because those show you how the artist THINKS. So trace each line, and in your head ask questions like why did the artist make this line, and what is it communicating? The goal is to learn how to THINK like the artists you admire, so that you can make the same choices in your own work. Second, WATCH MOVIES (and TV). A LOT. Study classics, for sure, but also watch the stuff that inspires you. Watch the stuff that makes you want to be a filmmaker, and just absorb as much as you humanly can. It's so important because when you become a storyboard artist, you'll have to problem solve how to approach story beats, and all those movies you watch become your library, and they'll give you ideas on how different filmmakers have approached similar problems in the past. It allows you to stand on the shoulders of giants, instead of struggling to reinvent the wheel. Also listen to director commentaries and interviews, and watch video essays that dissect film. Like the tip about doing studies, it's all about learning how they THINK.

[jjconway]

Here is another section I storyboarded on the season 1 finale of #TransformersEarthspark. The rest of this sequence was storyboarded by the amazing Veronica Liu, but during revisions there was a rewrite so I had to storyboard a new ending to the fight.

[jjconway]

Yo! I was wondering, how on model do you have to be in boards for a 3D show? I work on a 2D show, so so don't know how different the pipeline is.

Hey! Depends on the production (and what the executive producers want to see), but drawing perfectly on model is definitely not as important for 3d as it is for 2d. For me as a director, these are what I consider most important: - ACTING - Make sure acting/expressions are clear, so that the animators aren't confused about your intentions. - SCALE - Make sure characters are drawn at the correct scale, because getting that wrong can completely change blocking and composition. This goes double for a show like Transformers where the character heights range from 4ft to 22ft. - SILHOUETTE - Make sure you account for any design elements that might affect your blocking or staging. For example, you CAN NOT do an OTS shot of Thrash because he has tail pipes and giant shoulder rings that would obscure the CAM. You need to account for those silhouette elements when boarding so that your shots are achievable for the layout team. If you're hitting these elements, I don't need a character to be perfectly on model because the storyboards will still correctly translate from boards to layout to animation. And I think if you look at some of the Earthspark boards I posted, you can kinda see how I apply that. The bot forearms and shoulders are usually just blocks with no detail, but the proportions are pretty close to the model. Torsos usually have only basic directional information, but any kind of unique silhouette kibble is usually accounted for.

[jjconway]

SPOILERS! Some of my work from the season 1 finale of Transformers Earthspark.

Milo Gould originally boarded this sequences, which was a more extended encounter, but due to time constraints I had to reboard it to be more compact.

(animatic has temp music & scratch)

[jjconway]

Season finale for Transfomers EarthSpark is out now! Go watch it!

It's gonna be a bit before I cobble together animatics to post, so here are a few board panels I liked. I've got a bunch of deleted scenes, so keep an eye out!

[jjconway]

A few revision panels I drew for ep22 of Transformers Earthspark. Mandroid was super fun to draw. Such a smug POS.

[jjconway]

A few more non-spoiler panels I drew for the season 1 finale of Transformers Earthspark. I'll post some spoilery stuff after the weekend!

[jjconway]

Screenshots i took from Transformers earthspark ✨

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1

[jjconway]

Grimlock says "Go watch the final episodes of Transformers Earthspark season 1, now up on Paramount+!"

I was given the privilege of directing the finale, and this is a panel I drew for that episode.

[jjconway]

One of the animators uploaded another storyboard! This is from Age of Evolution.

[jjconway]

Glitch Techs is live on Netflix! If you’re a gamer or just a fan of great animation, it’s a must-watch!

[jjconway]

Best show you’ve never seen. I’m so glad it’s finally coming out! 

Releasing the Glitch 👾February 21st on Netflix Family!

This is NOT a glitch! Get excited! 🙌

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nickelodeon Animation (@nickanimation) on Feb 7, 2020 at 9:02am PST

[jjconway]

Rise s1 Finale tonight!

I can't wait to see what you all think of the Rise s1 finale tonight!

[jjconway]

From one of my favorite scenes I've ever storyboard.

Oh my god....

[jjconway]

I approve of this gif.