Yo bros. I’ve been working on this show for the better part of a year, and now the fruits of my labor are beginning to show up on the TV. This Monday (Nov. 29th) my first episode will air at 8PM on the Cartoon Network.
Cole Sanchez was my partner, and he pretty much showed me the ropes (how to board properly, and how to spoon a man).
Little inside story on “Crystals Have Power”:
This board was crazy hard to finish. We were making major changes up till the very last minute. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as I remember, but I guess I was super nervous about doing a good job, and not getting fired. Anyway, main characters and motivations were flipped and cut, including this guy – who I’m hoping to resurrect in a season 3 board that I’m working on right now.
He was supposed to be a New Age guru named Googax who hypnotizes Jake. I hope I’m not saying too much.
Yeah so the changes were so extensive that I never got to do finished drawings for the board. Now, watching the end product is teaching me all these lessons on how to make sure the animation turns out the way I want. In reality you can’t guarantee anything, but there are bases you can cover to make it more likely to turn out close to how you saw it in your mind.
Another lesson I learned is coping with the heartbreak of seeing your ideas get shredded in the editing room. It’s a reality that really can’t be avoided, except to make sure your first pass runs short. “Crystals Have Power” was overstuffed and so a lot of subtlety and comedic timing had to get cut in order to make room for plot points/through-lines.
That said, I’m glad my first episode involves Tree Trunks. She’s a beautiful character. She’s super real. ENJOY!