Damil Bryant
Director|Producer|Storyboard Artist| Animator
Breaking into Directing
I made my directorial debut in 2014 on Fox's Golan The Insatiable season 1. I originally served as the lead animator on the pilot. My leadership on the pilot was acknowledged as I was promoted to assistant director for the series. After season 1 premiered FOX decided to convert the adult animated series from quarter hour format into a half hour primetime animated series. Now serving as the Animation Director on season 2 I worked closely with the supervising director Doug Olsen and writers/creators Matt Silverstein and Dave Jesser to help revamp the series into primetime quality show.
Role:
Golan The Insatiable production was a special project which allowed me to wear multiple hats under one production. . With season 2 in full production I supervised an internal team of 8 key animators, a team of 12 clean up animators as well as supervising another animation in New York (augenblick studios). At full stride I was overseeing as many as 4 episodes in various stages of production at a time.
​
Duties
-
Collaborate with the Creators and Supervising Director to discuss creative ambitions for each episode
-
Manage animation at all stages of the episode including animatic, Key Animation, Clean up animation, revisions, and lock
-
Oversee revisions and provide notes ongoing to ensure the style and vision for the show is maintained
-
Participate in storyboard final reviews and provide clear notes to locked content for animation
-
Review animatics with Animatic Editors to direct continuity
-
Provide status updates, troubleshoot, and review potential changes on a regular basis with production staff
-
Oversea Key Animation and evaluate the quality of all Key Animation and punch up the Animation from the animatics as needed.
-
Oversea Clean up Animation to ensure the Quality and show is maintained
-
Participate in the talent acquisition process with the Line Producer to review portfolios and tests, interview candidates, and provide detailed feedback
-
Mentor and support the Animation team and cultivate positive team morale
Pushing Animation
Season 1 we were tasked with keeping the characters consistent and on model as we were trying find the tone for the series. Season 2 we were tasked refining the style and breaking the model to more dynamic and expressive characters. We wanted to seize those special moments by capturing more exaggerated expressions to add the comedy of the series
Check out season1 and season 2 for a comparison of the exact same scene
Season 1 TownHall Meeting
Season 2 TownHall Meeting
Breaking the Model
The creators welcomed an open door policy as we redesigned Golan as primetime series. I pitched adding an eye shadow under the eyes to help give Golan a wider range of expressions
Making a Statement
Part of Golan's stoic character is making exclamatory statements suddenly, even at inopportune times. We wanted to make sure for season 2 these moments felt bigger!
Season 1
Season 2
Capturing the moment
The writers and creators' vision for this moment was to recreate the moment with Jack Nicholson in the film The Shining. This was a perfect opportunity to push the limit and break the traditional model.
