Before this gets dull in my mind, I'm gonna write a snippet about the Gravity Falls panel that was held at the 2014 Creative Talent Network Expo (CTNX).
The panel consisted of Alex Hirsh (creator), Rob Renzetti (producer), Ian Worrel (art director), and Matt Braly (director/storyboard artist). They discussed the stages of production, from storyboards, animatics, creating backgrounds, Korea's involvement, and finally to the end product. They emphasized TELLING THE STORY. Macro details like the overarching plot to the micro details like the color of a bridge are all important, but ONLY if they successfully and clearly tell the story.
During the panel, Ian Worrel demonstrated his process of creating a Gravity Falls background. It was neat for him to share his knowledge with our group of ~200 people.
Besides the demo, the team showed us a storyboard animatic of an upcoming episode! It involves Dipper and Pacifica, and it is REALLY CREEPY. 8'D Also, as many of you now know, Alex officially busted the "Old Man McGucket is the author!" leak. The team put in a lot of effort to fake it! Alex sketched McGucket, gave it to Joe Pitt -- who drew the infamous pic, Ian Worrel painted the background, and then they took a screenshot of a real episode and Photoshopped it. They deliberately tried to make it look rough, like the overseas final product would be!
At the end, there was a Q&A. Some questions were obviously NOT going to be answered (ie-- WILL YOU REVEAL THE BIGGEST PLOT QUESTION TO US BEFORE IT IS AIRED TO EVERYONE ELSE?!11?) and were met with a comedic "no" answer. Some questions were very good, like "What plans are there for a season 3 or movie?" The answer is they're so focused on finishing season 2 right now, but they appreciate the interest in more!
After fielding the questions, we all stepped outside the tent, where the crew signed things. It was AMAZING meeting these guys. They were thrilled with the art I gave them (to be shown at a later time FOR REASONS), and all had great advice to give about working in the animation industry.
I did record the audio for the entire panel (which I may transcribe at some point). Overall, it was an AMAZING and intimate experience. One of the highlights of my CTNX weekend!
