Interview composed on 5/28/2012.
Thank you so much to Dan Kubat for doing this interview!!!
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BG: A lot of HTTYD fans are interested
in going into storyboarding and animation for TV. What got you interested in
this, and what do you think is the best path for this career?
DAN: To be a great Story
Artist you must have an interest and ability to clearly visualize the shots in
your head, and interpret crappy scripts and make logistical sense out of them,
and the have the drawing skill to put those thoughts onto paper…under a tight
deadline.
If you are up to the
challenge and this sparks your interest…then this is what it takes. I know
plenty of great animators and designers that make terrible storyboard artists.
Animators are a different breed then story artists and most animators make
crappy storyboard artists.
Storyboarding is the
pathway to directing. My experience as a story artist gave me the opportunity
to direct. And I always was more interested in telling a story visually. To get
into the industry and learn all the fundamentals of drawing and storytelling,
try to get an internship, volunteer to work on an independent film until you
can build an industry standard portfolio.
BG: How long have you been working on
the show? Did you know about HTTYD beforehand?
DAN: I worked on the series August 2011-January 2012. I was a big fan
of HTTYD beforehand!
BG: What’s been your favorite part of
working on the show? Do you have a favorite episode you've worked on, or
favorite character to draw?
DAN: My favorite part of the show has been the flying sequences and
the character banter and interaction within those scenes.
My favorite episode is 8…when Stoick gets his own dragon. And I
enjoy drawing Stoick, Gobber, Hiccup, and all the dragons as well.
BG: Okay, so more about the show
itself. From the boards you've worked on, do you know if it has a main plotline
spanning many episodes, or is it more along the lines of a plot-per-episode
show?
DAN: It’s mostly a plot-per-episode kind of scenario. With an ongoing
thread with the Hiccup/Stoick and Hiccup/Toothless relationships expanding.
BG: Can we expect to see Hiccup and
Astrid's romantic relationship grow even more in the show?
DAN: Yes! Astrid and Hiccup’s relationship INTENSIFIES.
BG: What's the process and logic
behind transferring someone's writing into a storyboard? Do you have to read
the whole script beforehand or just the sequence you’re storyboarding?
DAN: You need to read the whole script to get the feel of it. Then,
you focus on your section and break it down.
BG: We've heard several times in many
different interviews that the TV show will keep the darker, more mature tone of
the original film. From what you've worked on, do you think this is the case?
DAN: No, the tone of the series will have to be a little lighter to
comply with the network content rating system. Unless it was being done as
Adult Content for HBO, etc.
BG: How much has the design of the
show been influenced by Cressida Cowell's books?
DAN: The spirit of the books is there, but the show must be
functionally designed to work as 3D animation. The style is a hybrid of
traditional and contemporary 3D animation models.
BG: What's your opinion of the show so
far? Will fans of the movie like it?
DAN: The writing is some of
the best I’ve ever seen for a TV adaptation from a feature film. It had been
one of my favorite shows to work on.
The writing has been a
good balance of action, drama, and humor. And due to its 22 minute an episode
format, there is only so much that you can do.
BG: If you had to compare the
series to another TV series, which one would it be?
DAN: At the moment, I can’t compare it to anything out there. It had
the classic elements: great characters and storytelling that kids as well as
adults will enjoy.
BG: Where is the series in the
production process? Is season 1 finished yet? And how long does it take to complete
an episode from start to finish?
DAN: The series’ pre-production is almost wrapped up by now. It takes
about 3-6 months from script to screen.
That includes Pre-Production (scripts, storyboards, design
revision, timing, dialogue recording, etc.)
Production (Pre Vis, layout, rendering, animation, compositing,
etc.)
Post-Production (Combining the audio with the visual, to Network
Ready Master). If the Production stays on the that tract, the series should air
Fall 2012 and Spring 2013.
BG: We know that Hiccup, Toothless,
and Astrid are the main characters, but do some of the episodes focus on the
side characters as well?
DAN: Most of the episodes feature the main characters, but some
episodes will introduce new ones.
BG: What do you ship?
DAN: It’s not the storyboard artist’s responsibility to ship. The
production managers handle that, and most assets are delivered via FTP site.
BG: Have you seen a finished product
of the series? Is the animation similar to that of the movie or the short film
"Gift of the Night Fury"?
DAN: I have seen finished
footage and, although we don’t have the very large budget of the animated
feature, the animation of the TV series turned out pretty darn good!
BG: And finally, who is Heather?
(We're all pretty much dying to know). Can you shed a little light on her
character?
DAN: Okay, Hiccup falls for Heather. Heather is Astrid’s EVIL
ANTAGONIST AND COMPETITOR.
And that’s all I can say without unveiling the surprises!
