New Season, New Office, New Beginnings

 I'm the Art Director for the animated series, Archer, currently airing Thursdays on FX at 10 PM.  The below is a brief glimpse into our process in making the show.  You can read the earlier posts here.

NEW SEASON, NEW OFFICE, NEW BEGINNINGS

I've been on break for about a month, thus the no new posts in a while.  Firstly and foremostly, if you've never been to Costa Rica, you should.  Like, right now.  Stop reading this.  Jump on the first plane you can get and go decompress on the beach or in the jungle or by a waterfall or underwater volcano.  It is beyond awesome.

Secondly, we have a brand spankin' new office.  New gorgeous Wacoms.  New Mac Mini's (which if this works like we believe it will, then this office should be a freakin' commercial for them.)  New patio w/walking track to possibly use for 40 yd. dashes, of which I'm sure we will have plenty.   

Thirdly, we have shuffled things around here a little, adding the unbelievably talented Jeff Fastner and Joe Peery to our preproduction team.  New talent, new ideas, new dynamics.  

We have one season's worth of lessons (re: mistakes) to build off of, to stand upon to move this show into a higher level.  Tomorrow, the Illustration and Background departments load in, kicking this season into high gear.  It is, to say the least, exciting, like the first day of school, but I have less hair and no new shoes to wear.  Accidental rhymes aside, I am pumped.

Whereas I walked into the first season with eyes wide, filled with nervous anticipation, unsure of how the season would unfold, this time around, I am more confident in how this production will work, down to the last detail.  It's a big ship, filled with problems and headaches and sleep deprived nights, but it's a ship I've sailed before.  I can't wait.  

Of course you won't see the fruits of our labors until 2011, but I'll try and drop a teaser image here and there when I can.  In the meantime, you can look forward to posts on cinema theory, storyboarding technique and whatever else comes across my brain that I deem worth posting.  

Neal