Wing Commander Academy/on the air
Tim Eldred
Hi, all...
I debated whether or not I should post this, but on further reflection,
I decided it would be entirely appropriate, as the show is animated in
Japan, so here's the skinny:
WING COMMANDER ACADEMY, an animated program based on the famous computer
game starring Mark Hammill, Malcolm McDowell, Tom Wilson, and many
others, debuts TOMORROW (Saturday, Sept. 21) on the USA Network. Why am
I posting this? Because I had the honor of actually working on the show
as character designer, and I storyboarded pieces of several
episodes--all of which were animated in Japan!
Check it out if you're so inclined--I haven't seen any footage yet, so
I'm getting pretty geeked!
-Tim Eldred
Gordon Waters
In article <51ufk0$9...@uruguay.earthlink.net> Tim Eldred <eldre...@earthlink.net> writes:
>Hi, all...
>I debated whether or not I should post this, but on further reflection,
>I decided it would be entirely appropriate, as the show is animated in
>Japan, so here's the skinny:
HELL YES, Tim- it's relevant! It's just as much anime as, say GITS, IMHO...
>WING COMMANDER ACADEMY, an animated program based on the famous computer
>game starring Mark Hammill, Malcolm McDowell, Tom Wilson, and many
>others, debuts TOMORROW (Saturday, Sept. 21) on the USA Network. Why am
>I posting this? Because I had the honor of actually working on the show
>as character designer, and I storyboarded pieces of several
>episodes--all of which were animated in Japan!
>Check it out if you're so inclined--I haven't seen any footage yet, so
>I'm getting pretty geeked!
Congrats, dude! Can't wait to see you the handiwork turned out! Maybe we
can get Bruce to "smuggle" some footage from this to AWA? ^_-
Hey, we can hope, can't we? ^_^;;
Regards,
Gordon.
--
//|| || /\ || ||\\ Anime Weekend Atlanta -The Southeast US' Premier
//__|| || //\\ || ||__\\ Japanese Animation Festival- Nov.1-3 1996
//----|| ||// \\|| ||----\\ Holiday Inn Airport South, Atlanta GA.
// || | / \ | || \\ (404)-364-9773 gwa...@crl.com
Bruce Lewis
Gordon Waters wrote:
> Congrats, dude! Can't wait to see you the handiwork turned out! Maybe we
> can get Bruce to "smuggle" some footage from this to AWA? ^_-
No way, Gordo! The director of WCA rejected my storyboards AFTER they were
completed (even though he approved the samples I submitted beforehand)...I believe
his exact words were "You are the worst artist I've ever seen."
Forgive me if I'm less than enthusiastic about WCA...
Best,
Bruce "B-chan" Lewis
Manhattan Projects Multimedia
**************************************
An all-new, original STAR BLAZERS story--
STAR BLAZERS: ICARUS, written and drawn by
Yours Truly and produced by Studio Go! Now
running in STAR BLAZERS comics from Argo Press,
on sale at a bookshop or newsstand near you.
**************************************
Kujakuo
Bruce Lewis wrote:
>
> Gordon Waters wrote:
>
> > Congrats, dude! Can't wait to see you the handiwork turned out! Maybe we
> > can get Bruce to "smuggle" some footage from this to AWA? ^_-
>
> No way, Gordo! The director of WCA rejected my storyboards AFTER they were
> completed (even though he approved the samples I submitted beforehand)...I believe
> his exact words were "You are the worst artist I've ever seen."
>
> Manhattan Projects Multimedia
Well, I have to agree with the WCA director after seeing your artwork in the Studio
GO Project A-ko and Gallforce comics.
For Gallforce, why couldn't you translate and publish any of Kenichi Sonoda's manga
short stories (like "Private's Live," based on the Gallforce universe.) Dark Horse
was able to buy the rights and translate Gunsmith Cats, so couldn't you do the same
for Sonoda's Gallforce work? If the price was too high, I can understand...
--
Kujakuo, the "Peackock King"
"Cartoons are for kids of all ages, anime is for adults of all ages."
Bruce Lewis
Kujakuo wrote:
> Well, I have to agree with the WCA director [that I suck as an artist]
>after seeing your artwork in the Studio GO Project A-ko and Gallforce comics.
Well, Merry Christmas to you, too, Buster! Seriously, I didn't do the artwork in the A-KO
comic...that was Ben Dunn and Tim Eldred, but you'd never DREAM of criticizing them,
would you? Oh, no, only BRUCE gets the "brutal honesty" treatment! (T_T)! I only
colored a couple of issues of A-KO, so don't blame me. As for GALL FORCE, I thought they
turned out okay. Not good, but okay. Sorry you didn't like them.
I like to think I've improved, however. Please try my latest work--STAR BLAZERS:
ICARUS, running in issues #6-#9 of STAR BLAZERS comics. I think you'll like it better.
Note: (T_T) = me, crying bitter tears...
Best,
Bruce "B-chan" Lewis
Manhattan Projects Multimedia
**************************************
Doug Jacobs
Tim Eldred (eldre...@earthlink.net) wrote:
: Hi, all...
Howdy.
: WING COMMANDER ACADEMY, an animated program based on the famous computer
: game starring Mark Hammill, Malcolm McDowell, Tom Wilson, and many
: others, debuts TOMORROW (Saturday, Sept. 21) on the USA Network. Why am
: I posting this? Because I had the honor of actually working on the show
: as character designer, and I storyboarded pieces of several
: episodes--all of which were animated in Japan!
Well, 1 episode is hardly enough to judge by... Well, that's not actually
true. At least it didn't make me retch like Mortal Kombat did... ;)
Anyways...questions: Is Wing Commander Academy supposed to fit into
the game's timeline? If so, how? Maniac's managed to survive since
your "character" first meets him aboard the Tiger's Claw in WC1. Also,
as folks familiar with WC2 are aware, McDowell's character (forgot his
name...) wasn't the captain of the Tiger's Claw...especially since he
shows up in WC2, 3, and 4.
The artwork seems nice enough...and the ships are rather accurate from
the game(s). It also seems there's going to be continuity from
episode to episode. I certainly hope so.
Kujakuo
Bruce Lewis wrote:
>
> Kujakuo wrote:
>
> > Well, I have to agree with the WCA director [that I suck as an artist]
> >after seeing your artwork in the Studio GO Project A-ko and Gallforce comics.
>
> Well, Merry Christmas to you, too, Buster! Seriously, I didn't do the artwork in the A-KO
> comic...that was Ben Dunn and Tim Eldred, but you'd never DREAM of criticizing them,
> would you? Oh, no, only BRUCE gets the "brutal honesty" treatment! (T_T)!
Oh, in that case, I apologize to you and blame them. (see, I'm not afraid!)
I hope the WCA animation is good!
I only
> colored a couple of issues of A-KO, so don't blame me. As for GALL FORCE, I thought they
> turned out okay. Not good, but okay. Sorry you didn't like them.
>
> Bruce "B-chan" Lewis
> Manhattan Projects Multimedia--
Jeff Tatarek
Well, I saw the first episode this past saturday on USA...not bad, but not
terrific either. Voice acting is decent, writing a bit above average,
chara designs okay, mecha design okay (well, they -are- from the games)
and I was a bit surprised to catch some of Wing Commander's sounds in there.
The animation, though... ennnnh... Overall I'd place it squarely in the
midst of most lackluster farmed-out products. The fighters didn't track
very well...they kinda went all over the screen with little regard for
believable physics and sorta got distorted.
FWIW, I couldn't detect a lot of "Eldred-ness" in the chara designs. It
looks like a lot of it got washed out in the final production, and it just
looks flat.
Bruce, I wish I could've been a fly on the wall when your storyboards got
rejected. I'm at a loss to even begin justifying the Hollywood drone's
comments, especially since I really enjoy your work. Wish -I- had the
talent to match up to your "worst artist" status! ^_-. Jerry Jetter is a
damn sight better than anything I could ever crank out. Maybe Hollywood
just ain't ready for the kinda-shojo look...
--
-=-=I survived the Castlegate Hotel, and all I got was this lousy .sig!=-=-
*** jtat...@freenet.columbus.oh.us IS Jeff Tatarek ***
*** The Subversion Slingshot cannot be shipped to Malta! ***
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=ANIME WEEKEND ATLANTA '95 HONORED GUEST=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lewis
Jeff Tatarek wrote:
> Bruce, I wish I could've been a fly on the wall when your storyboards got
> rejected. I'm at a loss to even begin justifying the Hollywood drone's
> comments, especially since I really enjoy your work. Wish -I- had the
> talent to match up to your "worst artist" status!
The weird thing is that I submitted a sample storyboard before Universal hired me, and
they said "great, looks good, welcome aboard.." Then I do the assignment (80+ pages of
storyboards) and run it by Tim (who says it looks fine) before submitting it and invoicing
Universal for what they owed me in return ($4K). A few days later the exec. prod of WCA,
Larry L______, calls me up and tells me the boards are "unnaceptable" and "the worst
I've ever seen."
Kore wa nan desu ka?
If I suck, fine, but at least tell me right up front, BEFORE I waste three weeks drawing
the damn thing! Now I gotta take MCA to court for four grand...
...just another tale from the glamorous life of a professional artist...
^_-. Jerry Jetter is a
> damn sight better than anything I could ever crank out. Maybe Hollywood
> just ain't ready for the kinda-shojo look...
Thanks紀'm blushing! As for Hollywood, someday鬼OMEDAY!逆hey'll PAY for this
outrage!...
Best,
Bruce "B-chan" Lewis
Tim Eldred
Hi, Doug...
(I know you from Ann Arbor, don't I?)
>Well, 1 episode is hardly enough to judge by... Well, that's not actually
>true. At least it didn't make me retch like Mortal Kombat did... ;)
That's a plus!
>Anyways...questions: Is Wing Commander Academy supposed to fit into
>the game's timeline? If so, how? Maniac's managed to survive since
>your "character" first meets him aboard the Tiger's Claw in WC1. Also,
>as folks familiar with WC2 are aware, McDowell's character (forgot his
>name...) wasn't the captain of the Tiger's Claw...especially since he
>shows up in WC2, 3, and 4.
I've only ever played WC3, so I don't know that much about the overall timeline; therefore I can't tell you exactly what the
consistencies are between the show and the games. If you just look at it as something that might have happened to the characters in
their younger days, you'll be fine.
>The artwork seems nice enough...and the ships are rather accurate from
>the game(s). It also seems there's going to be continuity from
>episode to episode. I certainly hope so.
Indeed! There's much more continuity than usual, and that always makes for a better story. (Just wait 'til MY show goes into
production...!)
-Tim
Tim Eldred
Hey, Jeff...
>The animation, though... ennnnh... Overall I'd place it squarely in the
>midst of most lackluster farmed-out products. The fighters didn't track
>very well...they kinda went all over the screen with little regard for
>believable physics and sorta got distorted.
I tend to agree with you, and my experience working on the show gave me an insight into why this probably happens. Everything in the
show was designed by Americans and animated by Japanese. This means the model sheets of characters and mecha were conceived by
American sensibilities, which are different (not necessarily inferior to) Japanese sensibilities. It starts to look clumsy when you
try and shoehorn one into the other. I don't think it's really a budget issue; more an aesthetic one. Most Japanese animation is just
as limited as American animation, but they get around it with a more integrated design sensibility.
I tried to approach all of my own design and storyboard work from the Japanese sensibility; I'm really anxious to see if it made a
difference.
>FWIW, I couldn't detect a lot of "Eldred-ness" in the chara designs. It
>looks like a lot of it got washed out in the final production, and it just
>looks flat.
My contribution to episode 1 was actually negligible; this show was already pretty much done before I joined the team. I only had ONE
pure character design show up in episode 1; a red-headed female character who only appeared from the back. A lot of "my" characters
will start showing up in episode 2, and my first storyboards will start showing in episode 3. (although, actually, sequences that I
designed were apparently judged good enough to use in the opening title; about a third of the scenes therein are mine!)
>Bruce, I wish I could've been a fly on the wall when your storyboards got
>rejected. I'm at a loss to even begin justifying the Hollywood drone's
>comments
I am also at a loss to explain what happened there. I know the guy pretty well, and this behavior was very uncharacteristic. Maybe he
didn't get his donut that morning.
-Tim
Doug Jacobs
Tim Eldred (eldre...@earthlink.net) wrote:
: Hi, Doug...
: (I know you from Ann Arbor, don't I?)
Yep.
: >Anyways...questions: Is Wing Commander Academy supposed to fit into
: >the game's timeline? If so, how? Maniac's managed to survive since
: >your "character" first meets him aboard the Tiger's Claw in WC1. Also,
: >as folks familiar with WC2 are aware, McDowell's character (forgot his
: >name...) wasn't the captain of the Tiger's Claw...especially since he
: >shows up in WC2, 3, and 4.
: I've only ever played WC3, so I don't know that much about the overall
: timeline; therefore I can't tell you exactly what the
: consistencies are between the show and the games. If you just look at it as
: something that might have happened to the characters in
: their younger days, you'll be fine.
Hmm...that's sort of what I figured. It would make sense, especially
since Mark Hamill (that was him, right?) is doing the voice of the main
character, which would seem to be a younger version of "your" character
(Blair?) in the games.
Bruce Lewis
Jeff Tatarek wrote:
> Bruce, I wish I could've been a fly on the wall when your storyboards got
> rejected. I'm at a loss to even begin justifying the Hollywood drone's
That's kind of you, Jeff; thanks. As a reward, I put you into the upcoming STAR BLAZERS
SPECIAL EDITION comic that Argo's shipping with the video gift pack...
>Jerry Jetter is a
> damn sight better than anything I could ever crank out. Maybe Hollywood
> just ain't ready for the kinda-shojo look...
Thanks again. Hollowood ain't heard the last of Bruce Lewis...
Jeff Tatarek
.net>
Distribution:
Bruce Lewis (bch...@mail.idt.net) wrote:
: That's kind of you, Jeff; thanks. As a reward, I put you into the upcoming
: STAR BLAZERS SPECIAL EDITION comic that Argo's shipping with the video gift
: pack...
I dunno what to say...
Egad! Simply flattering. Thankee! Any chance I might be able to get a
photocopy of said appearance from you at AWA, or else look for it in
Animanga? Unless the book is sold separately from the videos, I may not
get it. I simply don't have the clams to buy videos nowadays.