LEGO - HIDDEN SIDE

WOW- I'm so excited to share this production with the world. This was my first time working in 3D and I've learned a ton. Although the rules of creativity running a show are the same in all formats, the workflow and pipeline for a 3D show are definitely different. I'm proud to add this series of shorts (and the work I've done for the 44min being created) to my resumé, and hope everyone else out there enjoys them, too. I'll post a few links to get you started, but please, go check out the LEGO channel on youtube and look up these shorts- they're awesome! ALSO- I'll post a few quick screen shots of what I do in my role. I hope to find more and better examples, so check back to see more added and updated. (hope someone is looking!)

Finally, a website!

Yep, I finally did it! I decided to create a simple website to host all of my work over the past few years. I haven't needed to share my work in literally 15+ years, but figured now might be the best time to have one. It's still a work in progress, but please... check it out: Zac Moncrief website

Troop logo I created for my daughter

Quite a while ago, I decided to create a fun logo for my daughter's Girl Scout Troop (Saint Francis Xavier - trout 3106). I didn't know a thing about using illustrator, so after roughing out the idea, my good friend Edgar helped me play around with the software. By the end, he and I created this final piece. I uploaded it to Cafe Press the members of her troop could have it put on t-shirts, mugs, etc. We actually made a few for the members, and I made some mugs and shirts for us. I had hoped that maybe the organization would like it enough to want it for their own logo's etc (everything on line is pretty hideous), but never got around to contacting and sharing the design with them. I did get an email from Cafe Press stating that they would be locking out the design because they were afraid it might fall into copyright issues... LAME- It doesn't say "Girl Scouts" on it anywhere, but Cafe Press was afraid to leave it up, so I guess it will just have to live here for now.

Fun doodle from today.

Dude totally looks like George Harrison...

Fun Drawing

Worst part about being in development is that I can't share most of what I'm doing. SO, since this is nothing like what the final will look like, nor can you tell what this is even from, I can post an image from my sketchbook. When I first stared looking at the breakdowns of who these characters were, and what shows influenced the creator, these were my first initial pencil to paper thoughts.

I never post enough up on here, so I thought I'd throw something fun for the world to see.

As always, I hope to post more in the future.

A few more- just want to make sure I can find them some day...

My Family Guy Model sheet - Season 4. Son't think this ever got used, didn't look like the show style enough that we were afraid it would pop out too much. Oh well.

This was just a fun game I used to play. I just had someone create a shape on a post-it using a the highlighter, then I just filled in what I saw.

I love this fun idea. A friend, Steve Umbleby, has fun doing little cut-outs when he's traveling around. I was at work late one night when I discovered this, and thought I'd quickly play along, too. May have to create more while out in the real world - too much fun!

(Steve's are WAY cooler!)

found some more old drawings I don't want to lose...

Found some art from a short I helped make a few years ago.

As I worked with my pal, Zach Smith on his short for Nickelodeon a few years ago, we wrote, rewrote, and rewrote some more as we played around trying to nail down the final product, each time boarding out these versions along the way. Today, while looking through my old files, I came across a folder containing quite a few of the early rough versions of this short with many gags, and passes I had completely forgot about. (So glad I kept these.)
The first image I'm posting is a page of doodles and notes I made as I was doing research on deers as I tried to get some insight on the main character, Dennis. This a great starting place for any character/show development because it helps bring elements that can spark insights on the characters, rules for the universe, or even help with world building. These sketches just helped me illustrate fun tidbits like: Deer will starve if food runs out because they won't travel into a new domain. I took visual notes in their speed and leaping abilities, and, most importantly, the fact that they poop up to 13x a day as some of the other interesting facts I learned (that would definitely interfere with ones daily routine, right?) These are ideas I would have loved to have weaved into the show had Zach and I developed this short into a series.
Below that image, is one of my very early thumbnail roughs (and animatic, just playing around) to see what is and isn't working about these characters. The great thing about working in Storyboard Pro is you can create in a timeline mode that allows you to easily drop in temp dial/sfx to see how well things are playing before you finally get into actual animatic editing and storyboard clean-up. Below that, is another version of the storyboard that is closer to the final piece. I believe you can still see the final WOODSTUMP short that Zach and I created at nick.com

I post these here more as a dumping ground for me so I don't lose these files,  more than a "this is how to do it" blog. Also, it's fun to share the process with those who might not know the stages animation can sometimes go through on the way to a final produced piece.

Here's one of the many different passes above...

and here's one closer to the final board

some old title cards/credits

Playing around

Gesture drawing has always been something I want to get better at and really learn to have fun with. So, when I find a little time here and there, I'll sneak in a few 2 min sketches. Think I might actually go somewhere local with a live model and get some pencil millage.

A really fun part about working in this industry...

..is sometimes your friends put you into the shows. I've made it into a few different series, but I just came across this one today. It's from the "Teacher's Pet" movie I worked on. I'm the guy playing with the beach ball, and the one who laughs at me is another board artist from the show, Tina Kugler. She and I were inseparable during that entire production, and I couldn't have survived without her there to laugh and freak out with. I loved working with that entire crew and am glad that most of us have continued to work with each other off an on over the years.

2 early roughs for DVD covers (Season 1)

These were the first two roughs I did when asked to help create the DVD cover for season 1.
I eventually pitched something that was closer to what the original is now, but it lost some of it's punch along the way. Hopefully I'll find those roughs, too someday and post them here.

Family Guy "Blind Ambition" boards

This was the very first work I had done on the show. I boarded the first half of Act 1 (and adjusted/fixed parts on the second half), having so much fun posing out Peter's bowling and adding subtle acting and expressions to all the characters. After I finished my pass (with little to no notes from Seth), we went back and added the Chicken Fight Sequence. That massive insert was an undertaking that required multiple board artists to create, so many of us can take credit for this awesome sequence.
One of my favorite little contributions was to that fight was the sound work I did in the original animatic. It happened just after following Peter and the Chicken as the came down from the train tracks rolling towards at the edge of a cliff. You can here the music and SFX playing at full intensity just until they roll off the cliff. Then, when I cut to an extremely wide shot, with the 2 falling towards a giant cruise ship, I only left a faint/subtle SFX track of them still hitting each other, until the next cut, when the sound came back in at full volume in the interior dining room. It got great laughs in the screening, but was changed in the final sound mix. Of course there were other parts I really enjoyed figuring out and punching up in that fight (Indiana Jones ref, etc.) but that little punch to almost complete silence still makes me smile when I think about it.

click this link for Family Guy _ Blind Ambition boards pt 1

click this link for Family Guy _ Blind Ambition boards pt 2

This clip is ref from the board posted above.

Playing with Hair

Circle into a Square

Phineas and Ferb board - Klimpaloon Ultimatum part 1

During some downtime in-between seasons 1 and 2 of "Brickleberry", I was so happy to find Phineas could use my help back at Disney. Although I helped write on all parts of this episode with my board partner, my 'drawings' were mostly on the following pages: Sc's 1-15, 25-56, 82-107, and 123-139. I had so much fun co-writing this episode and am in love with a lot of the gags I created.

What always happens on a collaborative effort, we share the jokes in each others sections at times. Therefore, one of the bits I still remember us laughing at the most, was when I came up with part of Doofs back story. During his rant, he talks about in the past the public elected a warthog, because they were so fed up with the previous administration. They thought, "What's the worst that could happen???" <Beat-then the answer> "Nepotism!", then the staff is all filled with multiple Warthogs popping in. Uncles, cousins, brothers, it was a real mess... literally." I still remember pitching that and having my partner Patrick bust up laughing. Then we come back from the flashback,and Doof stops mid sentence, looking off screen at Perry... he's not paying attention but rather looking down at his phone. "...Perry...are...are you, TEXTING? While I'm Monologuing??? <beat> How are you even getting signal in here?" Sorry, just so much fun. That show allowed for creativity and was full of "Yes and.." attitude. It's why the show was so entertaining and loved by so many.

This is one of the last boards I got to co-write and draw for Phineas and Ferb.

(My drawings start on page 1, please see above for Sc #'s)
click for part 1 of this board

(My drawings start again at pg. 226)

click for part 2 of this board

(My drawings start again at pg. 317)

click for part 3 of this board

Clarence Board - unfinished rough test

Here's a sample of some unfinished roughs I had done for a "Clarence" test for Cartoon Network. I really loved the first clips I had seen of this show and was excited at the chance to possibly be a part of it. He was such a warm, charming main character with an amazing innocence. The story telling had a fresh take that really hit me so I thought Id take a shot. Although there was no reference for any of the other characters, I thought I'd take a stab at it with what little guidance there was. I had fun playing around with it, and  since I wasn't sure what job I was going to do next, I started the test.  Unfortunately, before I could really fully get into roughing the entire sequence out, I was given the great opportunity to run and produce a new Scooby series at WB.

CLICK THIS TO VIEW PDF

Family Guy board samples from the episode "Barely Legal"

This was one of my favorite episodes I directed while at Family Guy. (Wow, look, actual pencil on paper!) Whether it's the subtle addition of Brian's little tail wagging (pg 17 - I loved to bring him back to a dog every now and then), or Stewie's hop-hop-hopping over to Brian, or just the subtle expressions and head title I gave to each character in these scenes, I loved being trusted to visually punch these hilarious scripts. We didn't just board what was on the page, we found the little moments and acting in-between to bring the characters to life even more. This combined with the timing made this show such a favorite of mine.

click this link for "Barely Legal" board sample