A Conversation with Jim Geduldick about The Wonder Pets!
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The Wonder Pets! is an adorable animated series that airs on Nick Jr.\Noggin, aimed at the pre-k audience. It was created by the award-winning team at Little Airplane Productions. Toolfarm chats with Jim Geduldick, who is a Senior Editor but wears a lot of other hats in the production of the show.
iChat transcripts
Michele Yamazaki: Jim, you must have the world's most fun job. Can you tell us a bit about what you do and about the show The Wonder Pets!?
Jim: Jim Geduldick: Ok, where to start... I am at a studio in New York City called Little Airplane. We do shows for Nick Jr., Playhouse Disney, and Noggin.
Jim: My official job would be Senior Editor, but I handle Research & Development for software and hardware for the studio to streamline things... finding new plug-ins and new software to get certain effects shots done. I also handle the visual effects shots as a DP (Director of Photography) and I guess somewhat of a After Effects Supervisor for the live action shots we do.
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Jim: We are a full Mac house and the current show I am working on is Season 2 of the Wonder Pets for Nick Jr.
Jim: The tools we use run the whole Adobe and Apple gamut. Adobe CS2, Apple Final Cut Studio, wondertouch Particle Illusion 3, and the workhorse is After Effects 7.
Michele: It sounds like you do a bit of everything there.
Jim: Yeah, Shake and some other apps come into play as well.
Jim: The show is very different from other animation shows with something called Photo-realistic puppetry done in AE.
Michele: Can you explain what that means?
Jim: The look of the show is done from real photos and textures we shoot with an on-staff photographer. A lot of the backgrounds are done by some amazing designers in Photoshop.
Michele: So, what is the workflow like?
Jim: Lots of research, then pre-design of the storyboards, then to edit for animatics. From edit to blocking, from blocking to animation, then from animation back to edit. And then delivery.
Jim: I just summed up over a year in 3 sentences.
Michele: The characters are so adorable!
Michele: I have a preschooler, but I hate to say that I've never caught the show.
Jim: It's on Nick Jr /Noggin usually in the AM and on weekends.
Michele: ah, we don't have Noggin.
Jim: No Noggin!?
Michele: I tried watching some clips of The Wonder Pets! on YouTube and most are video of college guys watching Wonder Pets! and laughing hysterically.
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Jim: Ha ha.
Michele: Do you have any good techniques that you use that you can share?
Jim: Sure. Doing pre visualization is key. It helps layout how things will look and give you a better sense of timing.
Jim: Even if you can't draw, do stick figures, but storyboards are a must.
Jim: We do are boards in Flash 8. It makes it so much easier.
Michele: Really, in Flash?
Jim: Flash has the nice ability to make your lines straight and give you choice over your sketches and full boards.
Jim: This way you can create your character library and work from re-use.
Michele: That's a really good tip.
Jim: Yeah, we have some crazy illustration and drawing people with skills here.
Michele: Working on the show, do you get to do a lot of experimentation? Do you have much creative freedom?
Jim: Yes, I'd say it's all about trying new things here. We have big meetings that are just big think tank meetings to come up with new things and anyone can bring up anything, no matter how crazy an idea it is.
Jim: If it's not right for the show or the kids then we don't put it in.
Jim: The type of work we do with After Effects is very new and no one is doing what we do in the way we do it.
Jim: But some of it is top secret.......
Michele: I was wondering how the textures are composited. Is that top secret?
Jim: The work is done in Photoshop, as far as the backgrounds, the props and the characters, and then moved to block out the shots.
Jim: Animators get them collected and begin to animate like you would in character animation.
Jim: Without going into more detail, the character animation is pretty in depth and cutting edge, so to speak.
Michele: Yes, it looks so amazing.
Michele: I honestly thought you did most of it in 3D.
Jim: A lot of people are amazed with the animation. A lot of people ask, but it's all After Effects for the animation and Final Cut Pro for the editing.
Michele: That really says a lot about how far you can push the envelope with these programs.
Jim: Can you imagine 3D render times for a show like this?
Michele: Could you talk a bit about the process of syncing the audio and animation?
Jim: Lip sync is always a tough one. There are no great plug-ins or super easy methods to do it.
Jim: The mouth samples are done in Photoshop then brought into AE and the animators do the tedious work. This is where expressions come into play. Learn your expressions kiddies.
Michele: How do you utilize plug-ins in your work flow?
Jim: Well, I had been beta testing plug-ins and software before I came to the studio so I get asked all the time about what plug-in can achieve a certain look or effect.
Jim: I turned to Particle Illusion 3, Digital Film Tools, Vertus-Fluid Mask, Trapcode Plug-ins and a lot of Red Giant tools.
Jim: ... and of course Toolfarm has all this stuff - wink -
Jim: I always look to new tools and toys to get work done quicker and make it look amazing, both here and with my own work.
Jim: There is always some software that does what you need it to, and if there is not, you can make it with products like FX Factory.
Michele: What sort of challenges come at you during the post production process?
Jim: I'd say other than deadlines, you have the occasional corrupt or missing files and last minute changes. We just stay away from updating software during projects. That's a big no-no. Nothing worse than someone with a different version of whatever software creating projects that no one else can read or open.
Michele: Yeah, been there.
Michele: So, how long does it take a show to go from conception to completion?
Jim: Well, the way the show works is that we do all the shows, then deliver them all at once.
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Jim: A show takes 35 weeks from script to delivery on a 82 week schedule.
Michele: You work on several shows at once?
Jim: Yes, I am working on about six shows right now, about to go into the 7th.
Jim: I can be shooting some green screen, cutting animatics, helping with water or light effects, sending out DVD approvals and doing edit sessions in one day.
Michele: With the tight deadlines and hectic schedule, do you ever end up having to sacrifice something that you just don't have time to finish?
Jim: Not too much. We don't really cut too many corners.
Jim: It can be very hectic, but we have a pretty solid schedule that works.
Jim: Sure, things come up, like in any production, but it's also about quick thinking, working with the right tools, and people who know how to get things done in a crunch.
Michele: How did you get started animating and editing?
Jim: It all goes back to loving to draw and paint as a kid, watching way too many movies and cartoons. I'm a tv kid, still am. When I started skateboarding, it was just fun to grab the camera and film friends, and then cut it together with really bad music. I think my first paying gig was for 411 video magazine as a contributing filmer.
Jim: I got into the real techie side when I worked for Apple and then got to go to NAB.
Jim: Everyone one with a camera wants to be the next big thing, but it's hard work.
Michele: Indeed... and long hours
Jim: Yeah, and takes dedication. I never went to school for this stuff so I am self taught and still learning everyday.
Jim: Some of the younger animators still in school blow me away with their stuff they work on just for fun.
Michele: The tools are getting so powerful, too.
Jim: You don't need much at all these days to get your films and animation done.
Michele: Will they be out on DVD anytime? I know my daughter would LOVE it.
Jim: This spring. I don't have an official date.
Michele: Thanks again, Jim. You're a super talented guy!
Jim: Thanks, I work with a lot of talented people. Thanks, Michele, for the interview and tell your cable company to get Noggin for your little one.