Monday, April 23, 2012

KFP: Secrets of the Masters (2011) Pt. 2/4

Ox is the consummate tactician. By slowing down the action in his mind, he can hyper-analyze his opponent's fighting style, quickly identify a hidden weakness and exploit it through a counter attack. In the final version, he does all this while flying through the air rather than standing still as I have him here.






































Wednesday, April 18, 2012

KFP: Secrets of the Masters (2011) Pt. 1/4

These boards are from a bonus short that was released on the KFP2 DVD called, Secrets of the Masters. This project was unique in that it was traditional, 2D, hand-drawn animation; presented in a 3D stereoscopic format. The result was strikingly beautiful. The graphic immediacy of the hand-drawn animation and backgrounds, combined with the depth of a 3D environment was stunning. We were able to screen it in a theater wearing 3D glasses, whereas for most the only way to see it in 3D is with a 3D-TV -- and who has one of those!? It's still worth seeing, even without the 3D, thanks to the high quality animation from Duncan Studio, and the beautiful art direction.

Working on this was a change of pace for me. I don't often get handed  fight-scenes to board. As a rule I'm usually given the more earnest, touchy-feely stuff. Maybe that's why the scene still felt a little too static after I finished and needed a final punch-up from Jeff Snow. (A director once told Jeff that his drawings were, "too actiony" -- lol!)

There was no script for this section. My instructions were to come up with a way for the Masters to defeat the Wu Sisters using their individual strengths in a coordinated effort.













































Coming soon...part 2. Ciao.