Here’s a quick one today- sometimes I get contacted at the last minute to quickly sketch up a concept for a pitch, and it’s just a handful of frames to run by a client, and see what might stick. That was the case for this project- and I don’t know enough of the context or concept to really even say what’s going on here- I guess its about transitioning from being a baseball fan when you are young, to carrying that tradition into adulthood, while still retaining that childlike sense of wonder for our national pastime. How’s that sound?
Joking aside, theres a lot of difficulty sometimes in my job when the director briefly describes the shot but provides no context, like “A kid is facing camera at homeplate, about to swing at a pitch, when suddenly the screen splits with a bolt of energy and he becomes a professional athlete”. That’s nice, but how old is the kid? Is he in a uniform? Is it just him or are there many kids on his team? Are they at a stadium or neighborhood field? What’s the time of day? Right of left handed batter? Is there a PRODUCT or BRAND that I should be featuring? I don’t have the answers to these questions, all I have is the shot description, which is pretty darn vague! No background knowledge to fill in the gaps- I don’t even know if this is a humorous spot, or inspirational, I just have to run with it. Amazingly, according to the director, I always seem to nail it. So I have my immense work experience to thank for that, I guess. At the end of the day, I can always make an appealing drawing, and sometimes that’s enough. And I do like how these drawings turned out, even though I can’t explain them fully. Enjoy!
Looking back, I really like how I handled the ambiguity of detail in these shots- there’s just enough information to describe what’s happening, but really nothing is specified at all – minus the Angels team logo. There’s plenty of room for the client to bring their limited imagination to help embellish the concept- I guess that’s why the director finds my work so useful!
And I have no clue if these where ever used in a production! Many times I just miss the final outcome entirely, if there even is one. That’s life in the major leagues, folks.
Leave a Reply