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3DTotal: You have done Storyboard and Animatics work for Edge of Reality on “The Incredible Hulk” game as well as many others, but for anyone who is unfamiliar with these terms could you please explain what these titles mean and what your job requires of you, exactly?
Derik: No problem, storyboarding is creating a series of illustrations or frames for the purpose of pre-visualizing a sequence of some kind. We start by reading the script or a treatment and draw out each dramatic beat. Storyboard Artists need to have great command of film language, the camera, figure drawing, editing and pacing. One doesn’t need to be the world’s most accomplished draftsman, it’s more about drawings that communicate efficiently and quickly. A Storyboard Artist is basically the actor and the camera-man all in one; you are depicting actors in action and deciding how it’s going to be staged cinematically. An animatic is essentially an animated storyboard, which contains all the story beats, pacing and action. It is absolutely invaluable to the development of a sequence. Our animatics done for |
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Edge of Reality were then handed to Black point Studios for the final 3Dmovies. I create all my boards in Adobe Photoshop and draw on a Cintiq, which is a huge screen that you can directly draw on. I then edit and animate the storyboards using After Effects and Final Cut Pro.
3DTotal: Did you have to undertake any training in film-making in order to gain an insight into the |
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language of film? If not, what has prepared you for working as a storyboard artist? Can you describe some of your favourite film sequences and explain why they have stood out to you?
Derik: With regards to your question about training, a lot of it comes from just being a life-long lover of the movies. I watch ton of movies and, after a while, you start to get a sense of what works for you visually and what doesn’t. While at UCLA, I took several film criticism and production courses which really honed my sense of taste, as well as sharpened my craft in terms of staging, lighting and editing. After UCLA, I worked in the motion graphics field for several years which allowed me to practice everything I had learned in school. It was a great field to be involved in because it was so multi-disciplinary; you had to be skilled in terms of graphic design, illustration, editing and video production.
In terms of favourite film sequences, any of the boxing sequences in Raging Bull are incredible examples of the use of editing and sound to create an absolutely brutal experience. I just loved the use of slow motion contrasted with the brutal punches in real time as well as the complexly layered soundtrack. I thought Children of Men was really special. I loved how the film used long takes and complex choreography to portray the action - it really draws the audience in because they can see things unfold in real time. I also love watching pro sports, the spontaneity, creativity and power of the athletes create moments of sheer surprise and wonder. |
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3DTotal: Tell us a little about Shrap Wars and the Misfits and the ideas behind the images?
Derik: Shrap Wars was created as a result of my obsession with junk and context. I always liked junk and scrap because they were discarded pieces from another object or another “narrative” of some kind. And when they are thrown or collaged together, these random pieces that are “out of context” become reconstituted into something original that would have been impossible in their previous state. The world I created was set in the future where much of the world has become a gigantic landfill, and societies and tribes have sprung up around different piles of trash. Property and power is acquired by using giant robots created out of garbage and shrapnel. This is a world I really enjoyed creating and would like to create more pieces for in the future which have a balance of sci-fi and humour, that I really enjoy. Misfits is about kids who just don’t belong. Each of the characters have some kind of visual quirk that represents a core personality trait or an insecurity of some kind. I wanted to create characters that are relatable and appealing, as most of us have been self conscious about some physical or personality attribute in our lives and have learned to work through it. I also thought it’d be fun to create these silhouettes that communicated the personality of the character immediately. |
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3DTotal: Where would you eventually like to take these two themes?
Derik: Hmmm... I would love to see Shrap Wars become a film; I can see it as a cross between City of Lost Children crossed with Dark Crystal. As for Misfits, I was actually in talks with a publisher a while back about making it into a children’s book, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. As part of my pitch package I wrote up bios for all the characters and created a short story with one of the characters. I envisioned all the characters living in the same town and their lives all interlocking in some way - sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly ala Crash or Magnolia. This is definitely one of my favourite projects because I am fascinated by human imperfections and quirks.
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