The Pre-production Design
Portfolio of Owain Hollett
BROS AGAINST BAD THINGS:
BOARDS
Precise Viewing:
Background:
‘Bros Against Bad Things’ is my first storyboard for a client. I was contacted by Zak Dranoff-Caspi, a writer who needed a storyboard animatic for his original script.
Synopsis:
Four frat-bros: Pontius, Declan, Truck, and Ridley, eagerly try to solve bad things around the world. Their instincts, however, are very misguided with “solutions” that only result in making the situations worse. No matter how badly things go, they’ll see it as a job well done and celebrate by getting hammered.
Animatic / Storyreel:
The episode I boarded was a pilot titled, ‘The Bros Put Child Labour on Break’ - which establishes the characters and their hijinks with solving the issue child labour. They mistake the problem entirely by believing children are being denied the opportunity to obtain high-positions of authority around the workforce, which results in them replacing all the high-status job workers with children. The episode ends with the world in chaos as the bros blissfully drink tea, unaware of the destruction they’ve caused.
OTHER PROJECTS:
CREATIVE PROCESS
Art Direction
I wanted to provide this narrative with funny and expressive visuals to make it land while appealing to Zak’s vision. The premise reminded me a lot of the cartoon- ‘The Ripping Friends’ -four idiotic superheroes who accomplish problems in a similar fashion.
I discovered that Zak and I are both fans of this show, an inspiration we both share. This provided some great insight on what direction to take it. I chose a style that is very snappy, expressive, and exaggerated to enhance Zak’s jokes while utilizing every ounce of the medium.
College Revival
The fact that this story takes place in college intrigued me. College stories haven't been popular since the spring-break era of the early 2000s— the culture shifted from party-going rebellion to anxiety-driven career pressure.
The bros recapture that lost energy: vigilance mixed with idiocy, like 2000s frat-dude confidence time-travelled to punch today's problems in the face.
To get in that mindset, I listened to what I'd call 'frat-dude' music from that era: Sugar Ray, 311, Bloodhound Gang, Beck, Smash Mouth- all of which sets the tone.
REFLECTION
Freelance Hurdles
It was new for me to work on someone else’s story, which was great practice- but met with some minor mistakes and communication errors along the way. I tend to get carried away with the boarding process which resulted in a few small details in the script getting overlooked. For example, I mistook a location taking place in a ‘science lab,’ when the script specified ‘nuclear reactor.’
Luckily, this was an easy revision that only required a quick background fix- not requiring a redo of an entire scene. I've learned to be more perceptive with key-details in the script, now reviewing it thoroughly before boarding sequences, rather than relying on memory.
Outcome
Despite these early learning curves, I was successfully able to complete this four-minute animatic within one month for Zak to pitch at the Ottawa International Film Festival (started August 12th - completed September 20th).
I utilized my time efficiently to complete a production-ready animatic that Zak was confidently able to display for festival guests. The project received positive reception- fuelling our passion to further develop this project into something big.
Balance in Teamwork
Given that Zak and I come from two different backgrounds created a solid balance in teamwork. Zak wrote the foundation that nails all the right beats for an engaging, funny story- but with many of the descriptive visual-cues left vague. That's where I stepped in.
Others might have been daunted by this, choosing to stick exactly to every detail in the script- sacrificing the project as ‘work,’ as opposed to ‘collaboration.’ I understood what was needed and provided Zak’s story with the visuals it deserved. As a storyboarder with integrity, I communicated suggestions that would improve the story with visual clarity- allowing both our abilities to shine and serve the project. The final result is something we’re both happy with- and I’m excited to see where that goes.
