[ZMFTS] Floro Dery Interview Online
Zobovor
original Transformers series and movie. He was extraordinarily helpful and
friendly, and obviously has very fond memories of his Transformers work, the
movie in particular.
Find out why the Romita models weren't created by John Romita at all, the
original name of the Decepticon space cruiser, whether Metroplex and Autobot
City are one and the same, and the real reason Takara's toy prototype for
Unicron had a moon attached to it. The answers may surprise you!
http://members.aol.com/tfencyc/interview_dery.html
Any and all comments are more than welcome. :)
Incidentally, I should probably point out that Gregatron conversed with Floro
Dery back in May and posted his findings to ATTCM, but I wasn't aware of this
until Mr. Dery brought it to my attention. This is one of the things that
disappoints me about the fandom being broken up like it is; all of us on ATT
are debating whether John Romita was involved in the character designs, and it
turns out that Gregatron found out the answer months ago. /:)
--
Zobovor
Estinated time to next update: Really, really, really, really soon.
http://members.aol.com/zobovor/index.html
Mouse_Pad
"Zobovor" <zob...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020717191102...@mb-mf.aol.com...
> http://members.aol.com/tfencyc/interview_dery.html
>
> Any and all comments are more than welcome. :)
Very interesting interview. He's a bit prideful, isn't he?
The line art that you use for comparison throughout the interview... was
that provided by Mr. Dery? Particularly the unused models, like Jetfire and
proto-Cyclonus.
> until Mr. Dery brought it to my attention. This is one of the things that
> disappoints me about the fandom being broken up like it is; all of us on
ATT
> are debating whether John Romita was involved in the character designs,
and it
> turns out that Gregatron found out the answer months ago. /:)
Indeed.
So, I guess we need to come up with a new word to replace "Romitazation,"
huh? I suggest "Oderization." :D
ADY
Derik Smith
>cylinder. I used that same idea when I was designing the
>Quintessons. It has five faces, each face representing a different
>personality. For example, the skull represents death, etc.
I don't suppose you managed to learn what the other 4 represent now, did
you?
Cool interview Zob.
-Derik
"You have zero talent. Give up writing." -Yuki Eiri
"In film you will find four basic storylines. Man versus man, man versus
nature, nature versus nature, and dog versus vampire." - Steven Spielberg
I probably don't care what you think
David Willis
the
> original Transformers series and movie. He was extraordinarily helpful
and
> friendly, and obviously has very fond memories of his Transformers work,
the
> movie in particular.
This was a really cool interview. ....until I started getting further into
it and
noticed lots of weird patterns.
By the end of the thing, Mr. Dery might as well have been ranting off "Yes,
the
solar system itself is my own design. I did it all myself. I am very proud
of the
solar system. It was all done by me. I was then removed from Transformers
because I am God and everyone is jealous of me."
"I also designed God."
Now I'm unsure exactly how much of that guy's answers I really believe. Not
to belittle your efforts, Zob, but that guy's got the creepy ego from hell.
--David
www.itswalky.com
Jackpot
>
>> Zobovor wrote:
>>
>> http://members.aol.com/tfencyc/interview_dery.html
>
> Now I'm unsure exactly how much of that guy's answers I really
> believe. Not to belittle your efforts, Zob, but that guy's got the
> creepy ego from hell.
Well, if he really was singlehandedly responsible for so much stuff, then
I wouldn't blame him for being egotistical (not to mention bitter). The
only thing I was disappointed in was how often he missed the point of the
questions. Maybe his English just isn't so good...
- Jackpot (who notes that "Floro Dery" rearranges to spell "Lord of
Rye," "Ryder Fool," and "Leroy Ford." I have no idea what those mean, but
I think I'm onto something.) (Or on something.)
--
| To contact me, please e-mail aquamandible [at] yahoo [dot] com.
|
| _ _ ______ http://spektakle.com ______ _ _
"The `k's are for the kwality!"
TheBoose965
interview, but yeah, like walky said, it felt as if he was taking credit for
everything. kinda wierd:) And he did dark water too! found it on his site.
nice stuff, loved that show too, but i think it got cancelled or i missed
alot when it was airing:(
"David Willis" <wii...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:dhBZ8.22431$A%3.27...@ord-read.news.verio.net...
Steve-o Stonebraker
> http://members.aol.com/tfencyc/interview_dery.html
>
> Any and all comments are more than welcome. :)
Just duplicating the URL for those joining us in medias res.
> Incidentally, I should probably point out that Gregatron conversed with Floro
> Dery back in May and posted his findings to ATTCM, but I wasn't aware of this
Dang... I even read that post, or at least part of it... how did I miss
the Romita stuff? Oy.
Well, on to my coments...
o Floro says that Autobot ship is called the Ark. So, I guess that makes
the name officially pseudocanon for the cartoon (since it wasn't
actually in the show) rather than just an assumption on our parts.
o It would be nice to know which early characters had their animation
designs done in Japan initially, and which ones Floro did on his own.
Based on the list he provided, it seems like most of the S1 characters
were done in Japan first. It would really be nice to eventually find a
name to attach to those designs, since they sort of set the tone for all
the later animation designs which Floro did. It would also be cool to
see what the Japanese animation designs looked like before he reworked
them into the forms we're familiar with.
o His answer about the coneheads is entirely unsatisfying.
o He refers to Elita One's early name of Ariel, but from the way he stated
it, it sounds like she was actually going to be called Ariel in her
first appearance, but the name was changed. Then, of course, pre-E1 was
named Ariel later on in "War Dawn".
o His comments about getting a "general half-page outline" for the movie
confuse me. Did he do his designs before the script was written? I
guess he might have, since many design elements like Unicron's brain
appear in the script itself. That would mean that he drew a bunch of
robots, and then Ron Friedman wrote a story around them. He even claims
to have come up with the idea for a transforming planet -- that would
mean that there was almost *nothing* of the movie's story planned at the
time that he did his work. Does that make sense?
o I'd love to see his unused Ultra Magnus animation design.
o If he did the Stunticons, and his S2 work was done before TF:TM, that
sort of goes against the old "fact" that there were no Scramble City
teams in the movie because they hadn't been established yet when the
movie was put into production.
o His answer about Unicron's brain-TVs is also unsatisfying.
o However, I love the idea of Unicron having a moon which can also
transform.
--Steve-o
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Stonebraker | Transformers FAQ Keeper | Astrophysicist
sst...@yahoo.com | www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~sstoneb | AOL IM: srstoneb
Steve-o Stonebraker
> >FD: In 1970, I designed a toy that had parts revolving around a
> >cylinder. I used that same idea when I was designing the
> >Quintessons. It has five faces, each face representing a different
> >personality. For example, the skull represents death, etc.
>
> I don't suppose you managed to learn what the other 4 represent now, did
> you?
Tengu more or less answered this question in Message-ID:
MPG.120adaf65...@news.mindspring.com
Based on a TF:TM model sheet (which would have been Dery's work, I'd
assume) Tengu said the faces were:
Suspicious Face (green face; spiky head)
Smiling Face (blue face; orange, "floral" crown)
Face of Death (green/light blue "skull" face; fanged)
Grimacing Face (green/teal face; oblate spherical head)
Angry Face (red/grey face; fangs and horns)
Not all that exciting, is it? "Grimacing Face" isn't representative of
anything, it's just a description. I guess we could make up symbols for
them... maybe the grimace is the Face Of Dissatisfaction.
Gyumaoh
> to have come up with the idea for a transforming planet
Unicron undoubtedly came about from an unused Takara Diaclone, "Planet Robo"
ZacWilliam05
Hmm...
>Based on a TF:TM model sheet
>Suspicious Face
For being sneeky or spotting
sneekyness in others.
>
>Smiling Face
For enjoying a quiet chuckle of victory.
>
>Face of Death
For sentencing your enemies to death.
>
>Grimacing Face
For expressing displeasure and/or unsatisfaction.
>
>Angry Face
For expressing true anger or hatred.
These would be the primary (perhaps only) things the Quints are physiological
able to express.
What a CHARMING society they must have. No wonder they're so screwed up.
Makes me wonder what the faces on the occasional 3-headed Quint we saw
symbolized. And whether you earned more heads as you rose in rank or it all was
set as you were born/came online alla a cast system.
Perhaps there were other casts of quints we never got to see? Perhaps female
quints with different heads to express Motherhood, readiness to mate, ect...
-ZacWilliam, torn between genuine curiosity and really not wanting to go
there. :)
Check out "Transformers: Rise of the Morning Star"
*Crimson Skies "CHAPTER 4: Running from the Devil" now online @:
http://hometown.aol.com/zacwilliam05/TFMorningstar.html
ZacWilliam05
>Unicron undoubtedly came about from
> an unused Takara Diaclone, "Planet
> Robo"
Did you read the interview?
That's brought up. He claims no,
it was his idea, that's what's
being discussed here.
Sky Shadow
> I recently completed an interview with Floro Dery, concept designer for
the
> original Transformers series and movie. He was extraordinarily helpful
and
> friendly, and obviously has very fond memories of his Transformers work,
the
> movie in particular.
From this (great) interview, he seems to be light years ahead of any other
person who had involvement with the cartoons, in terms of his knowledge and
familiarity with the Transformers.
> Find out why the Romita models weren't created by John Romita at all, the
> original name of the Decepticon space cruiser,
"Decepticon spaceship"? At least it implies that the ship probably wasn't
called the "Star Drive"...
> And about Ramjet, he had a "conehead" because he is a
> jet. It is the front, pointed part of the jet. It is the result
> of the transformation, from a jet to a robot.
Erm... I guess that means the 'coneheads' were definitely the result of
mistransformation then, and that no one should be bigoted towards people who
choose to display their Thrusts, Ramjets or Dirges with their cones in the
way in which they were meant to be: CONES DOWN! ;)
> Incidentally, I should probably point out that Gregatron conversed with
Floro
> Dery back in May and posted his findings to ATTCM, but I wasn't aware of
this
> until Mr. Dery brought it to my attention. This is one of the things that
> disappoints me about the fandom being broken up like it is; all of us on
ATT
> are debating whether John Romita was involved in the character designs,
and it
> turns out that Gregatron found out the answer months ago. /:)
I did read that interview, but because it was 99% devoted to his involvement
in the movie, I passed by his statement that, "In the first season of the
Transformers tv series, I was the character and background layout designer,
and design supervisor" without really registering what that really meant in
terms of Romitaism.
Also, Gregatron puts an amazing amount of time into his postings on ATTCM.
Does he have any erm... political reasons as to why he doesn't post them to
ATT? He'd certainly get a larger readership and a more deserving number of
replies if he did.
Sky Shadow.
--
Steve-o Stonebraker
Yeah, I think Gyumaoh's countering that claim. And, what he says is more
in line with what I remember hearing in the past. Floro Dery's answers
are a little odd in places, as if he doesn't write English very well. (I
wonder what culture that name belongs to?) So, it may be a
miscommunication, or perhaps Floro is misremembering?
Rik Bakke
Begging forgiveness if this seems suspicious on my part, but isn't
that screen name the same as one of Mr. Dery's homepage accounts?
To comment on the "insults" and such, I will say that I find some of
the comments from ATT participants unnecessary. There are far
better ways of conveying incredulity than some have put forth.
Having said that, Mr. Dery did make some comments that struck me
as perhaps a bit dramatic. I'm thinking specifically of this utterance:
"Since, I dominated the show and "I became the Transformers", they
probably had to get rid of me."
I'm sorry, but this does resonate with some egotism, as I can't really
imagine any single person dominating a show, which appears very
much a team effort on the whole, and I'm not sure what to make of
the "corporate evil" bit. As for his comment, "Some other person
even got credit for all the work I did," well, that's a truth which bears
some modification. The first season's episodes credit him with "Model
and Background Design" as well as a shared credit for "Storyboard,"
and the second season gives him a shared credit for "Model and
Background Design." Romita's name is nowhere to be seen in any
of the credits, so it's not like Mr. Dery received no credit whatever
for his work.
Don't get me wrong, here--Mr. Dery has much to be proud of, but I
have to say that this sinister conspiracy theory strains credibility.
At any rate, I doubt very much that either Jackpot or TheBoose965,
at least, made their comments out of jealousy.
> All of you missed the point. The interview is from the point of view
> of the designer. But all of you are looking at it from the point of view
> of the writers.
First, I really don't appreciate this "all of you" stuff. Kindly do us the
gracious favour of not painting us all with such broad strokes. Second,
I'm not sure I follow. How do you know we're all looking at things from
the writers' viewpoint? I'm sorry, but you don't know what goes on inside
our heads any more than vice versa.
> How come none of you have insulted Romita. He got all the credit didn't
> he!?
Well, if no one has outright insulted Romita the person, he has been the
object of some criticism for what some feel are oversimplified designs. It
is all just a matter of taste, though. And again, Romita didn't get all the
credit--not officially, anyway.
> Did any of you ever ask why Floro Dery is given the credit in the
> Transformers movie, "ORIGINAL CONCEPT DESIGNER", and no
> one else?
We don't have to. He explained it twice in the interview, I believe.
> I challenge any one of you or any artist to post the key original
> concept development designs of characters, backgrounds layouts,
> etc. of Transformers: The Movie and the 1st and 2nd season of
> the Transformers series just like what Floro Dery did, to disprove
> him, and stop yapping.
I'm not under the impression that anyone's really trying to discredit
Mr. Dery of did the things he did, it's more the apparent attitude of
"I WAS that show" that people seem to be reacting to . That's all, I
think.
> Floro Dery showed me the questions and answers. Many questions
> were combined into one, and sometimes the answers did not jive with
> the questions, because of this combination. You ask Zobovor about
> this.
If by combination you mean something like, "What can you tell me about
this? Was Romita involved in the design work at all?" why would it be a
problem to answer both questions in combined form?
No disrespect is intended in this post--just offering my thoughts.
--
Rik Bakke
silve...@c2i.net
The Cybertron Chronicle
http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/
Transformers Fan Code
G++ FR FW+ #74 D+ AA+ N++ W++ B++ OQP BC98-002++ CN+++ OM+
cappeca
> to belittle your efforts, Zob, but that guy's got the creepy ego from hell.
>
to see several japanese names involved with the toys designs from
several different sources, so I can take that. In this case, there's
this guy saying he did it all, and another saying "yes, he did". As
long as nobody else says "NO, *I* DID IT!", I'll stick to this one. No
problem.
And there's the original comcept credit. It's gotta count for
something.
Anyway, I was thinking about the first designs. If he did most of
the designs for the first season, and for the first characters of the
comics, why Megatron is so different from one version to the other?
Clearly cartoon Megs was based on the toy, but the comic Megs was
based on a Diaclone prototype, not even a regular toy. I wonder if he
could bring some light on the subject.
Cesar.
David Willis
> the designs for the first season, and for the first characters of the
> comics, why Megatron is so different from one version to the other?
> Clearly cartoon Megs was based on the toy, but the comic Megs was
> based on a Diaclone prototype, not even a regular toy. I wonder if he
> could bring some light on the subject.
Hrm. I assume you mean by "comic Megatron" the art used in the
early issues and his TFU shot, not to mention the model animated in
a shot or two in the first toy commercial.
I'd always assumed the "first" version was mere artistic license. It's
not quite THAT different, other than the helmet shape and the style
of his fusion cannon. But hey, it's likely you know way more than me.
(Though it's interesting how the comic held over the color of Megatron's
helmet from the first model, keeping it black instead of grey to match
the rest of him. I've always preferred that...)
--David
www.itswalky.com
Steve-o Stonebraker
> Actually, the designs done in Japan were very few. Most were
> designed by Floro Dery. He posted many of his designs in the
> interview. He designed most of the characters in the first and second
> seasons.
Oh, okay. I assumed the list in his interview with Zobovor was complete.
He did mention Optimus Prime as one of the animation designs that came
from Japan. I'd still be interested in seeing the old Optimus design, if
Floro Dery has a copy, to see what the differences are.
> He designed the conehead from a toy jet. It was the pointed front
> of the jet. Sometimes this conehead could be folded backward.
Right. The thing is, there were six of these toy jets that were,
basically, identical to each other. Three appeared in the first episode,
and their animation designs were based on the toys with the cone folded
back. In season two, the other three jets were introduced, and their
animation design had the cone pointed up. But again, the toys were pretty
much identical. So I'm curious as to why Floro decided to draw the "new"
jets with the cone up, instead of keeping them consistant with the other
jets. Did he just feel like throwing in some variety? Maybe he designed
the first three jets based on box art (Zobovor talks about that idea on
his website) but the second set of jets based on the toys? The box art
for the jets has the cone bent back, so you can't see it.
> The half page outline is a take off for development designs. There
> was no script. The script was created after many of the designs were
> done. Usually in animation, the studio gives, at most, only a page for
> development design to inspire the writers to write a short outline.
> From this outline, came a rough-draft, which the editor changed many
> times depending upon what design the artists came up with, and then a
> final script. This happens in the middle of production, and then
> storyboard follows.
Really? That's fascinating. I've never read much about how the design
process fits into the development of an animated series or movie. Thanks
for explaining that.
> The Ultra Magnus which was not use in the movie, he won't post on
> his web site because the studio in Canada wants it for "peanut". So
> forget about it.
Floro Dery said something similar in the interview about the original
Autobot City design, but I don't quite know what you mean. Are you saying
that he doesn't want to post unused designs because they might be stolen?
> He originally designed Unicron's brain tv with circular screens,
> which was changed into square tv screens. He designed it so that they
> were supposed to functions as monitors. The writers had their own
> idea. All of you missed the point. The interview is from the point of
> view of the designer. But all of you are looking at it from the point
> of view of the writers.
No, I'm looking at it from the point of view of the designer... It's
clear from what Floro Dery has said in interviews and on his website that
he often thought about "how things work" in his designs. He made sure his
characters for the movie could transform well, for example, and he thought
about Unicron's moon being another robot. Stuff like that. I think that
Unicron's brain looks cool with TV screens on it, and they served a useful
purpose in the movie because we could see what he was thinking about, but
it seems like a strange thing to put in the designs. Why would a robot
need screens inside his own body? Megatron's brain doesn't have screens
on it. I thought maybe Floro Dery designed Unicron while imagining that
people or smaller robots might live inside of Unicron. Maybe they would
be like a crew on a spaceship. In that case, they would need screens in
the "command center". Was it something along those lines, or was it a
purely asthetic choice?
> I worked with Floro Dery at Marvel Studios on the series, and he is a
> close friend of mine.
Oh, really? You hadn't mentioned that before. Is your name in the
credits anywhere? Were you one of the "assistants" that Mr. Dery has
mentioned? I actually have a question about Marvel Studios that you might
be able to answer. First of all, is Marvel Studios the same thing as
Marvel Productions? And secondly, the TF cartoon and movie list two
production companies in their credits: Marvel Productions and Sunbow
Productions. I've read that Sunbow was founded by Hasbro's marketing
firm, and Marvel Productions obviously is related to Marvel Comics. Do
you know what the relationship is between these two companies? Do you
know why they both worked on the show, or how the work was divided between
them?
> He did not insult any of you. But some of you insulted him. When
> you insult someone, it is a sign of insecurity and jealousy. How come
> none of you have insulted Romita. He got all the credit didn't he!?
Romita did not get any official credit except for in one short comic
series. In that series he is listed as "art director". At the time, that
was his job at Marvel Comics, and that is what the credit probably means.
A long time ago, some fans saw that and assumed it meant he was an art
director for Transformers, and since no fans knew any better, we all sort
of believed it. Now we know that Floro Dery was the one responsible, and
we want to make sure that is known. We want Floro to get the credit among
fans that he deserves.
Rik Bakke
> I've read that Sunbow was founded by Hasbro's marketing firm,
> and Marvel Productions obviously is related to Marvel Comics.
> Do you know what the relationship is between these two
> companies? Do you know why they both worked on the show,
> or how the work was divided between them?
Steve-o, did you happen to read my interview with Paul Davids?
He explained the basic relationship between Sunbow and Marvel
so:
"The Sunbow Productions people were located in New York. Their
production company was a sort of subsidiary of Griffin Bacal, which
is a huge New York advertising agency with Hasbro as a client. My
recollection is that Carole Weitzman, as Production Manager, was
not dealing with the day-to-day physical production--she was
primarily responsible to Hasbro in Rhode Island. Hasbro had very
specific needs related to this show. Most of those needs had to do
with how the toys would be portrayed visually, including the specific
design drawings, colors--and even the voice actors selected for major
roles, who were in fact 'interpreting' those Hasbro toys as characters.
Carole and Joe Bacal were the 'buffers' between Hasbro and Marvel
Productions, and any instructions from Hasbro came down to us from
them."
I don't know whether that makes things any clearer as to what you
wanted to know.
--
Rik Bakke
silve...@c2i.net
THE CYBERTRON CHRONICLE
http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/
Transformers Fan Code
G++ FR FW+ #74 D+ AA+ N++ W++ B++ OQP BC98-02++ CN+++ OM+
Gregatron
> convince some of you that he is telling the truth. By the way, a
> Canadian studio got the rights from Hasbro to publish a 3 book series
> on the original concept designs of the Transformers movie by Floro
> Dery. He got a "peanut" offer from the studio, but he turned it down
> because he sensed that they are going to use it in a movie. Floro
> doesn't know if they are still going to publish it. If they do, buy
> the books to convince yourselves.
Books? Is this related to the upcoming "Transformers: Genesis" book,
which is supposed to feature designs/art from the various series/toys?
Or is this something different? All I can say is, I hope I can find it
when it's released!!!!
- Gregatron
Jackpot
>
> I agree with you David, Jackpot, and Boose. Other people were
> jealous of Floro Dery, and that includes the 3 of you. To protect from
> jealousy and harrassment, Marvel Studio arranged for him to work at
> home, and to never go to the studio.
Bwah? You agree with me, but you accuse me of jealousy? The kind of
jealousy that leads to harrassment, which you say Marvel tried to
protect him from?
I *defended* Floro's ego, assuming he really did design so much
completely on his own. The only complaint I had was that the answers he
gave didn't always hit what the questions were going for (the
"coneheads" example having already been mentioned elsewhere). But then
I suggested that his English might not be that great, a reason which
you've echoed elsewhere.
While I *am* an artist, and I *am* in awe of anyone who could create so
many aspects of such a wonderful world, I certainly don't seek to
discredit Floro out of spite. However, consider that Floro has
basically appeared out of nowhere with a bunch of digitized concept
drawings and claimed to have singlehandedly generated almost the entire
TF universe from the beginning through the movie. It seems strange that
his creative process was as isolated as he claims. I've never worked in
cartoons, but I *have* worked in video games, and the concept artists
didn't sit alone at home and mail their pieces to the company, where
writers would then come up with stories to fit the pictures. First, the
writers would create the story outlines and characters, *then* the
concept artists (who worked with us in the same building) would
visualize those ideas, other artists would refine them, the writers
would share their input, new concept art would be drawn, etc. It's
certainly not *impossible* that Floro's relation to Marvel was
different, but it doesn't jibe with my experience. For instance, the
idea of Floro having originated the planet-robot first, then the writers
crafting a plot around it, seems highly, highly unusual to me.
None of this is to say that I disbelieve him outright. I'm just a
little skeptical at the moment until further evidence appears. Wouldn't
you say that's a healthy position to take, especially on the Internet?
> You know nothing about this.
Exactly.
> Did any of you ever ask why Floro Dery is given the credit in the
> Transformers movie, "ORIGINAL CONCEPT DESIGNER", and no one else? This
> alone will convince anyone that he did the original concept designs of
> the movie alone and by himself.
For the movie, perhaps. But there's still the question of the seasons 1
and 2. I don't have the time to find out myself, but I'd be interested
if anyone else has done or wants to do a thorough examination of the
credits to find every instance of Floro's name and also other credits
that are related to "concept art."
Most important, though, is that having a title by one's name in the
credits doesn't say anything about the creative process and how
collaborative it really was.
> Moreover, I don't know of any artist who can do what Floro Dery has
> done.
Quite true. Hence, the skepticism.
> He created a universe single-handedly. Whether some of you agree
> or not, that's your problem. And that's the fact! I challenge any one
> of you or any artist to post the key original concept development
> designs of characters, backgrounds layouts, etc. of Transformers: The
> Movie and the 1st and 2nd season of the Transformers series just like
> what Floro Dery did, to disprove him, and stop yapping.
You seem to be viewing this as an all-or-nothing situation: Either we
believe everything he and you have said, or we think it's all a pack of
lies. However, another option - the best one, I think - is to simply
say, "Hm, this is very interesting, and it's possible it's true, but
these are also very big claims, and I'm not going to just accept them as
gospel truth quite yet."
> Floro Dery showed me the questions and answers. Many questions
> were combined into one, and sometimes the answers did not jive with
> the questions, because of this combination. You ask Zobovor about
> this.
I'm not sure what you mean. Could you give some examples?
> Finally, if some of you have doubts, don't just insult him.
I'll agree there. I do think Walky was too harsh in judging him right
off the bat as having a "creepy ego from hell." If his facts ARE
correct, then, well, how is it egotistical to state them? Moreover,
poor English might be conveying a different mood than he intends.
> In other words, check if what Floro said is true or not.
It's rather hard to verify, though. Short of making contact with a
reliable source within Marvel (Romita, perhaps?), I can't think of
anything that would concretely prove or disprove Floro's claims.
At any rate, all doubts aside, I *would* like to convey my appreciation
that Floro has come forth and presented himself and his work to the fan
community. It's always good to hear from the creators who made the
world that our imaginations now feed off of.
- Jackpot
Rik Bakke
> kuest144 wrote:
>
> > Did any of you ever ask why Floro Dery is given the credit in
> > the Transformers movie, "ORIGINAL CONCEPT DESIGNER",
> > and no one else? This alone will convince anyone that he did
> > the original concept designs of the movie alone and by himself.
>
> For the movie, perhaps. But there's still the question of the seasons
> 1 and 2. I don't have the time to find out myself, but I'd be interested
> if anyone else has done or wants to do a thorough examination of the
> credits to find every instance of Floro's name and also other credits
> that are related to "concept art."
I already mentioned this elsewhere in the thread, but since it's you,
it's Friday, and I got rid of the staleness that's been plaguing my
body for the past few days, I'll do it again. :)
The first season credit him with "Model and Background Design"
as well as a shared credit for "Storyboard" (the others being Peter
Chung, Gregg Davidson, Lynsey Dawson, George Goode, Doug
Lefler, Gerald Moeller (who was also the Production Coordinator
of the first season and as such, Paul Davids' predecessor) Brian
Ray, David Russell, George Scribner, Roy Shishido, Bob Smith,
and Wendell Washer) and the second season gives him a shared
credit for "Model and Background Design" (the others being Pat
Agnasin, Dell Barras (who is apparently something of an animation
"star" as well), Fred Carrillo, Romeo Francisco, Gabriel Hoyos, and
Romeo Tanghal).
That's all there is for Floro in the Pre-Movie credits. His name never
comes up again after the film.
Steve-o Stonebraker
> It's rather hard to verify, though. Short of making contact with a
> reliable source within Marvel (Romita, perhaps?), I can't think of
> anything that would concretely prove or disprove Floro's claims.
I heard back this morning from one of Romita's Raiders, Jose Marzan. He
had no recollection of Transformers Universe, and barely remembered
Transformers at all. He said he would pass on my questions to Romita,
although I told him not to bother at this point, since I wrote to him
before Zobovor had started getting answers back from Dery, and we still
didn't know anything at the time... He may have written to Romita
already, though. If people really want a specific denial from Romita, I
can write to Jose again, but I think it's sort of moot now, personally.
Romita was listed as "art director" because he was, in fact, "art
director" at Marvel Comics at the time.
Jackpot
>
> Jackpot wrote:
>>
>> It's rather hard to verify, though. Short of making contact with a
>> reliable source within Marvel (Romita, perhaps?), I can't think of
>> anything that would concretely prove or disprove Floro's claims.
>
> I heard back this morning from one of Romita's Raiders, Jose Marzan.
> He had no recollection of Transformers Universe, and barely remembered
> Transformers at all.
Heh heh. That doesn't surprise me...
> If people really want a specific denial from
> Romita, I can write to Jose again, but I think it's sort of moot now,
> personally. Romita was listed as "art director" because he was, in
> fact, "art director" at Marvel Comics at the time.
Yeah. That's the thing - if Romita (or somebody) remembered Floro and
could back him up, then the case would be closed. But, in all
actuality, most folks will have probably just forgotten everything by
now, and that doesn't prove a thing either way. Ah well.
Sky Shadow
> the second season gives him a shared
> credit for "Model and Background Design" (the others being Pat
> Agnasin, Dell Barras (who is apparently something of an animation
> "star" as well),
There was an artist at Marvel UK named Dell Barras who was there at the same
time as Geoff Senior and who pencilled (amongst other things) Deaths Head II
(a character who's original incarnation was a bounty hunter from
Transformers created by Simon Furman and Mr. Senior). If the Dells are the
same person (which I think is relatively likely) then maybe someone at
Transforce (or Botcon) could ask Senior or Furman or one of the other Marvel
UK staffers if they know whether Barras is contactable. Then maybe he could
supply a second opinion as to the extent of Floro Dery's role in "became"ing
the Transformers.
Sky Shadow.
--
kuest144
your questions to Floro Dery. The "star" mentioned, was once his
friend and got into the business with Floro's help, but later turned
against him. So, if you want a neutral opinion on Floro's work,
contact the producer/director of the Transformers series and movie,
Nelson Shin. He is easy to contact if you really want to find out.
Jackpot
>
> So, if you want a neutral opinion on Floro's work,
> contact the producer/director of the Transformers series and movie,
> Nelson Shin. He is easy to contact if you really want to find out.
I didn't realize he was easy to contact. How would one go about doing
that?
Gregatron
> Does he have any erm... political reasons as to why he doesn't post them to
> ATT? He'd certainly get a larger readership and a more deserving number of
> replies if he did.
>
> Sky Shadow.
> --
Well, I've posted on ATT before, but my posts tend to get buried under
all the other daily stuuf. Perhaps I should repost my "greatest hits"
here...
Anyway, being EXTREMELY well-versed in both Marvel and DC comic books
(and comics in general), let me give my take on the Romita thing.
John Romita Sr. was an artist at Marvel for many years (and he still
ocassionally draws nowadays). In the 80s, he was promoted to ART
DIRECTOR, and was responsible for supervising the artwork in Marvel's
books. He also led "Romita's Raiders", a group that went around
correcting/modifying art to account for script changes, bloopers, as
well as improving covers, etc. The only involvement he and the Raiders
probably had in TFU was reposing character's limbs to make room for
the text, fixing mistakes, etc.
- Gregatron
cappeca
> Hrm. I assume you mean by "comic Megatron" the art used in the
> early issues and his TFU shot, not to mention the model animated in
> a shot or two in the first toy commercial.
> I'd always assumed the "first" version was mere artistic license. It's
> not quite THAT different, other than the helmet shape and the style
> of his fusion cannon. But hey, it's likely you know way more than me.
No. Actually I'm assuming way more than you :-) Because of this:
http://www.planetsys.com.br/cappeca/misc/MM_page_1011.jpg
Thanks to the Pre-Transformers page for the pic. And it's a Microman
prototype, not Diaclone like I said.
> (Though it's interesting how the comic held over the color of Megatron's
> helmet from the first model, keeping it black instead of grey to match
> the rest of him. I've always preferred that...)
Me too. Anyways, was Floro responsible for Megs design? And if so,
which one?
Cesar.
David Willis
> > not quite THAT different, other than the helmet shape and the style
> > of his fusion cannon. But hey, it's likely you know way more than me.
> No. Actually I'm assuming way more than you :-) Because of this:
> http://www.planetsys.com.br/cappeca/misc/MM_page_1011.jpg
> Thanks to the Pre-Transformers page for the pic. And it's a Microman
> prototype, not Diaclone like I said.
I'll have to take your word for it. Whoever runs this website hates me
specifically:
HTTP Error 403
403.6 Forbidden: IP address rejected
This error is caused when the server has a list of IP addresses that are not
allowed to access the site, and the IP address you are using is in this
list.
--David
www.itswalky.com
kuest144
It has his telephone and e-mail under contact info.
Jackpot
>
> cappeca wrote:
Me too.
- Jackpot (who's never been blacklisted before. Woo hoo! I'm a
counterculture revolutionary!)
cappeca
> > me specifically:
> >
> > HTTP Error 403
> > 403.6 Forbidden: IP address rejected
> > This error is caused when the server has a list of IP addresses that
> > are not allowed to access the site, and the IP address you are using
> > is in this list.
>
> Me too.
>
What are you guys up to????
:-D
Let me know in PVT if I can send you the pic. You can also find it in
the Pre-Transformers page. It's the one on the MicroMan section
listing.
Cesar.
cappeca
> > me specifically:
> >
> > HTTP Error 403
> > 403.6 Forbidden: IP address rejected
> > This error is caused when the server has a list of IP addresses that
> > are not allowed to access the site, and the IP address you are using
> > is in this list.
>
> Me too.
>
What are you guys up to????
cappeca
> the Pre-Transformers page. It's the one on the MicroMan section
> listing.
>
Anyway, you can find the pic here as well:
http://www.dutchbot.com/~pretf/pictures/MM_page_1011.jpg
> Cesar.
Jackpot
>
> http://www.dutchbot.com/~pretf/pictures/MM_page_1011.jpg
Cool, thanks!
Say, that kind of reminds me of that weird "Megatron" in the background of
the 1984 box-art battle scene...
- Jackpot
David Willis
>
> Cool, thanks!
>
> Say, that kind of reminds me of that weird "Megatron" in the background of
> the 1984 box-art battle scene...
Oh, yeah. I can definitely see where the early Megatron model came from.
The cannon, the head.... I'll have to doublecheck the tummy detailing
later, but yeah. Call me a believer.
--David
www.itswalky.com