Advertising Color Storyboards: POLITICAL ADS

On occasion, I have worked on storyboarding political campaign ads.  I remain neutral as to whom I work for, because I believe that everyone has their right to free speech, even when my friends on The Right or The Left frown at me for working on something they disagree with.

Posted here are samples of color storyboards I did from a number of political ads for several different campaigns.

Penciled & inked, then colored in Photoshop. 

Advertising Storyboards: TARGET

A long time ago, it was suggested that I produce storyboards for my portfolio that showcased the various ways I was able to deliver them because I apparently didn't have enough to show clients.  I had done all forms of black & white and color frames already, but I couldn't show them to clients because of the non-disclosure contracts I had signed.

Waiting for the commercials I worked on to air so I could finally show my work was preventing me from getting work!  What a catch-22.  Frustrating.

So I decided to produce a sample storyboard based upon a Target commercial that had already aired, breaking up the boards into sections:

- Black & White Pen & Ink

- Graytone Markers

- Color Markers

- Photoshop

I'm happy to say these boards did the trick.  I immediately got work from clients who could finally see that I had the capability to do whatever they needed.  These boards still hold up pretty well, so I thought I'd present them here.  They demonstrate that I can work in any kind of format the client might require.

Nowadays, I no longer work in markers.  I do all my graytones and color work in Photoshop. 

3D Animation Storyboards: ZYNGA CASTLEVILLE [3D Animated] - ONLINE COMMERCIAL SPOTS

I was contacted by Green Grass Studios, for whom I've storyboarded animation for a casino game, done concept & character design for an animated feature film, and character design for a commercial product.  I was asked to board a series of 3D-animated shorts  for the wildly successful billion-dollar social network game development company ZYNGA, to promote the individual characters for their online game Castleville.

Green Grass Studios is a great full-service animation company that provides the most amazing array of 3D animation services, who imagines, creates and animates compelling visuals with great passion and excitement.  I get to be part of the 'imagining' every now and then, as I was when they assigned me to board these 4 shorts:

SONJA & GEORGE                RAFAEL

TOM                                      YVETTE 

These were very fun spots to work on, and Zynga was also pleased with the results.  So much so that I'm currently storyboarding on Zynga's newest game called The Ville.

When I'm able to post those, I will.  Meanwhile, here are the boards I did for the above finished spots.

3D Animation Storyboards / Orthographic Turnarounds for 3D Modeling: HASBRO STAR WARS TOYS

When I worked for Reel FX Creative Studios, I storyboarded for countless toy product commercials, mostly for Hasbro.  One of the jobs I had was to storyboard was a simple 3-5 second 'bumper' for the Star Wars toy commercials.  The approved concept I came up with was of the soldier droids from Star Wars: Phantom Menace, moving along an assmebly line with the Star Wars logo integrated into the back wall.  Just something visually cool to do for the beginning or the end of the commercials.

I was able to convey the concept in one single pan-shot frame storyboard, notated to specification.  In addition, I was given a previs design done by one of the Star Wars production designers, and assigned to produce orthographic turnarounds of it for 3D modeling, which you see below the bumper frame.  I had to take the previs design, and then extrapolate from the single representation to work up accurate views from all sides (except from the bottom, this time).

Even when I get paid to do my work, often a job goes nowhere and is abandoned.  That happened with this assignment.  I got to see a 3D test of the orthographics I worked on, and it was beautiful!  When we found out this was a no-go, there was a collective exclamation that came from all who worked on this project.

I can't repeat what a lot of us said here in this blog.  That would be just rude.

But it was fun to do!

Advertising Storyboards: HASBRO NERF LAZER TAG

Another job working for Reel FX Creative Studios, who handles many of (if not most) Hasbro toy commercials at any given time, was Hasbro's Nerf Lazer Tag toys.  Hasbro commercials are fun to work on.  One day you'll be storyboarding My Little Pony, then Transformers or Zoids, Super Soakers, or anything to do with Nerf commercials.  It always keeps you on your toes.

Penciled & inked, then scanned & graytoned in Photoshop.

Advertising Storyboards: POLITICAL AD

Another political ad that I did for The Wolf Group.   I was told of the kinds of images that were needed, as the script was still being finalized.  Sometimes as with this job, the process is very collaborative, with all the elements coming together in the final mix at the end. 

Penciled & inked, scanned and graytoned in Photoshop.

Advertising Storyboards: HASBRO ZOIDS

Okay, this is how you become a glutton for punishment.  It's bad enough that my hand almost falls off while drawing Transformers storyboards, but now I end up drawing something just as detailed, if not more: Zoids!

Intricately detailed work under a tight deadline.  This is the stuff that makes me have to put my hand in a bowl of ice to recover. . . ouch!  Work done for Hasbro, through Reel FX Creative Studios.

Storyboards penciled & inked.

Advertising Storyboards: POLITICAL AD

I have worked from time to time storyboarding on political ads for candidates, or having storyboarded for ads about a particular measure that is up for a vote.

This is one of those spots, done for The Wolf Group.  Key frames only, as the final script hadn't yet been completed.  

Advertising Storyboards: HASBRO TRANSFORMERS

Among the many duties while working with Reel FX Creative Studios, I would do advertising storyboards.  One of the most fun things to work on were the Transformers toy spots for Hasbro.  That is, except for all the excruciating details of the toys themselves.  They really are "more than meets the eye". 

Hey, you draw all those details and see if your hand doesn't fall off!

Cinematic 3D Storyboards: 2 MINUTE WARNING

Several years ago, I got to do some work with Green Grass Studios, an excellent animation company in Dallas, Texas, headed by Jesse Sandifer, Ryan Iltis & Brian Cole.  I was asked to work on a very cool assignment: to storyboard for a one-minute cg-animated cinematic that was to be used for the looped video on slot machines in casinos, titled "2 Minute Warning".

In our meeting, we talked over the concept and agreed that the video should be about one dramatic play in a football game that ends with a touchdown.  The deadline was rather tight, so this is one of those times I only did storyboards in a thumbnail form, which is a proportionately smaller version of what finished boards would look like, a time-saving measure.  This worked quite well because there wasn't any dialogue to plan out in and amongst the action.

The research was fun.  I cobbled together every bit of reference depicting exciting football maneuvers, and started to flesh out the storytelling in broad strokes.  Afterward, I did a tighter version that would fit as closely into a one-minute format that I could, from which Jesse Sandifer was able to have his team flesh out a fine looking piece of animation.  Quite a successful collaboration, I think.