Blog & News

In addition to being an accomplished storyboard artist, Famous Frames artist Al Evicmen also carries the title of ‘Legendary Palm Cartoonist’.

As stated on The Palm’s website: “The Palm’s legendary tradition of caricatures originated in 1920s New York, when some of its first patrons – talented cartoonists from the nearby King Features Syndicate – virtually paid for their supper in original art on the walls of The Palm’s first restaurant; then a speakeasy. These artists would draw lively scenes of the restaurant’s clientele – neighbors, family as well as celebrity patrons – that came to be known as the hieroglyphics of New York City life at the time.”

Al began working as the resident caricaturist at New York City’s The Palm Too in 1974. His work continues to adorn the Palm’s walls to this day.

Al and Nas with Al's drawing of Nas on the wall behind them. 

Among the stars on the wall are Famous Frames' very own agent Scott Stein and family. 

For more on the history of The Palm's caricatures visit thepalm.com.

The long time running hit fashion show made a debut of integrating women and video games into one of this season’s episodes. To make this happen their team reached out to our very own women owned company to fulfill their artist needs. We were excited to have the opportunity to share some of our great talent for on air cameos and off air executions of designs, shown to the contestants later on in the show.

The episode starts with the likeness of Karlie Kloss done by Victor Gatmaitan. As we watch we are introduced to some of the top women in video games as they guide the contestants to create their own characters to be judged on the runway.

Our artists were asked to sketch ideas with the talent and finish them in color. Stefania Gallico & Maria Chou were featured on the show and off air executing the drawings for the finale.

Lanny Markasky helped from the sidelines with additional fashion executions as well as more work from Victor.

The art was integrated throughout the show and introduced each style as they took the runway, taking the episode to a more diverse level of creativity integrating fashion, video games and illustration. 

Famous Frames is happy to support our clients and artists with a message of inclusivity. Here is some work we have done for brand’s Pride and LGBTQ support.

Advertising is one significant way for companies to communicate their values. Companies like Ben & Jerry’s, Oreo, & Starbucks are among the businesses that have featured same-sex couples in their advertising.

(Fun Fact) Ikea was the first brand to feature a same sex couple in this 1994 spot:

According to Ad Age: “Last August, Hornet and Kantar published a study that revealed the LGBTQ+ market has expanded to a total buying power of more than $1 trillion. It’s the fastest-growing demographic in the U.S. right now, with an estimated 13% of Americans identifying as LGBTQ+. The explosive growth in this population is being driven by younger generations, with 20% of millennials and a staggering 31% of centennials comprising the community. And it just so happens that these are the generations that care the most about purpose-led brands and can easily sniff out those who are only in it to profit.”

Micah Brenner captured the spirit in these shooting boards for The CW’s “Batwoman,” which stars Ruby Rose as TV’s first LGBTQ superhero:

The Night King by Robert Kalafut

It may be the middle of April, but WINTER IS OFFICIALLY BACK!

Sunday's Season 8 premiere brought with it some major excitement!

"It was the TV fan's Super Bowl on Twitter." That's how Twitter VP of U.S. client solutions Jean-Philippe Maheu referred to the return of Game of Thrones on Sunday. The premiere of the show's eighth and final season was the most-tweeted-about episode of the show ever, with more than 5 million tweets. 

"That is roughly 10 times what the most-tweeted show usually gets," said Mahue. 

Naturally, brands are out in full force pushing every potential link, and who can blame them? The show's Season 7 finale attracted over 16 million viewers. That's more than the population of New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles combined.

Not wanting to miss out on all the hoopla, Famous Frames is sharing some of our brand tie-ins along with some good ole-fashinoed fan art!

Khal Drogo by Robert Kalafut

One of the most notable tie-ins was with Johnnie Walker for their special White Walker blend. Shown below are shootingboards by Jarid Boyce. Check out the finished commercial HERE.

Additionally for Johnnie Walker is this key art by Jasper Yu. 

Next we have some concept frames done by Jeremiah Wallis for a Game of Thrones video game. 

Here, artist Polina Hristova shows three stages of progression of this Jon Snow likeness. 

Lastly, Denice Au drew these awesome GOT icons for an mobile app game. 

Famous Frames has been proud to be a part of the Game of Thrones journey throughout all 8 seasons, and we cant wait to see who will wind up on the Iron Throne. 

For Women’s International Day, March 8^th, Famous Frames Inc, Grainey Pictures and Action Against Hunger teamed up to share with you a story about Hawa, a tribeswoman that has made a difference in the fight against hunger.

Famous Frames, a woman owned talent agency still going strong after 30 years, and Grainey Pictures, a directing sibling team known for their humanitarian outreach, came together to collaborate on a call to action video. The Directors of this project, Megan and Colin, with their award-winning documentary skills, made this particular project a cause we could enthusiastically get behind.

Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organization that takes decisive action against the causes and effects of hunger. When it comes to tackling hunger, particularly at the community level, women are among our strongest allies. This is why they choose to get the word out on March 8^th, International Woman’s Day. And why they choose women to spearhead this message.

Our beginnings on this project started with finding the right artist. This candidate, had to be a woman that could collaborate, create and execute beyond just drawing. There was no better choice than Renee Reeser-Zelnick. Renee is a seasoned, skilled talent in the creative world. She’s a visionary, taking an initial idea to higher levels on any job she takes on. She was the woman needed to make this project happen.

Tara Aarons, (Famous Frames’ VP) got right to work putting this team together. As another visual artist with years of film production behind her, she jumped to ‘greeking’ markers and sitting in on production meetings to establish the needed shots. The question was; how do we tell a long story in a short time while getting the poignant action across?  The answer was to incorporate a whiteboard style with live action. This video needed to inform and generate donations to the woman that need it most.

The day of the shoot was awesome. We connected with the team at AAH and locked in the right set up. Renee even had her own personal eraser assistant! With days of prep behind us, we got to see the ideas come to life, and hours before Women’s International Day, the video went live.

Thank you AAH, & Grainey Pictures for making us part of a wonderful project we can be proud of.

A spoon full of sugar (and some help from Famous Frames) helps the medicine go down!

Often when we hear medical jargon, the majority of us glaze right over. Famous Frames medical and pharmaceutical illustrators are professional artists that collaborate with clients to translate complex information into imagery suited for broad audiences. For medications, hospital care, diet products, skin treatments and much more, our artists employ a variety of techniques to communicate a clear and concise message. 

For instance, in this piece by Micah Ganske, we can see that combined elements of photo composition, 3D rendering and graphics to create a clear picture of what might otherwise be an incredibly complex description of a medical technique:

Medical illustrators are visual problem solvers. Their contributions are vital in developmental stages of Medical and Pharmaceutical advertising. From simple imagery like this doctor at work by Alex Lanier: 

Or these images from Nick Randall showing a variety of patient care in a hospital:

To more specific and technical images, like this rendering of a body in motion by Lidat Truong: 

The growing need for patients to better understand the state of their health and their medical options is expanding the production of medical information aimed at the public. Advances in graphic and imaging technology are making it easier for clients to relay to consumers what was once abstract, tough to grasp information.

In addition to still imagery, the Famous Frames animatic studio can bring your spot to life with the help of animation and sound. Animatics and Boardomatics can be used by directors to perfect scenes or campaigns before production. Creating an Animatic or Boardomatic can help prevent errors in the stages of production and post production. For more information or to hire an animatics artist please contact Famous Frames.

Famous Frames artists handle a variety of art services for productions: promos for photo shoots, key art, on air marketing as well as live events. These services can be used to estimate time and cost of a production, and ultimately bring the vision to life.  Using the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards as a case study we can explore the work that Famous Frames artists have provided to help these shows bring home the Gold.

Famous Frames storyboard artists Sean Chen, Drew Pierce, Robert Kalafut, Eddy Mayer, Lidat Troung, and Wes Louie, partnered with RPA and the Imaginary Friend Society to bring to life a cast of characters inspired by the imaginations of kids themselves. Through a series of 20 animated short films, our imaginary friends explain a wide range of complicated cancer topics in a way that kids can understand. Because the more they understand about their treatment, the less scary it will be.

Normy and Unie were brought to life with the help of FF Artist Drew Pierce

Sean Chen shows us that Robots Rock, and so do you!

Robert Kalafut draws Chopp and Cheetah

Renditions of Tipper and Princess Lulu, by Eddy Mayer

Lidat Truong illustrates the Power Puncher and Samson

Imaginary Friends Tuna and Jackson, illustrated by Wes Louie

Click Here to read more about the campain on Adweek.

For more info or to watch the films, please visit:

imaginaryfriendsociety.com

Pediatric Brian Tumor Foundation

Head over to our FAMOUS WORK section to see the work Famous Frames did for this year's Super Bowl!

Lexus: Black Panther 'Long Live The King'
Artist: Eddy Mayer

Pepsi Generations: This is Pepsi
Artist: Angus Cameron

Avocados From Mexico: #GuacWorld 
Artist: David Larks


Pringles: Wow 
Artist: Al Frank

DiGiorno: Long Way Home 
Artist: Robert Kalafut

T-Mobile: #Little Ones 
Artist: Kai Simons

Winter Olympics: Best of U.S. I Chloe Kim
Artist: Anuj Shrestha


Persil ProClean: Game-Time Stain-Time
Artist: Jonathan Woods
 

Famous Frames would like to congratulate all of the talented artists who were honored at the 22nd Annual Art Directors Guild Awards.

The awards took place before an audience of more than 1,000, including guild members, industry executives and press. ADG President NELSON COATES and Art Directors Council Chair MARK WORTHINGTON presided over the awards ceremony with comedian JOHNATHAN FERNANDEZ serving as host. Returning again as producers of this year's ADG Awards (#ADGawards) were Production Designers THOMAS A. WALSH, ADG, and THOMAS WILKINS, ADG. The guild debuted its new award category Excellence in Production Design for an Animated Film and Pixar’s Coco was the first recipient of this award.

Full list of winners below.

Fantasy Feature Film
Blade Runner 2049 — Dennis Gassner

Period Feature Film
The Shape of Water — Paul Denham Austerberry

Contemporary Feature Film
Logan — François Audouy
Animated Feature Film
Coco — Harley Jessup

One-Hour Period or Fantasy Single-Camera Series
Game of Thrones (HBO): “Dragonstone,” “The Queen`s Justice,” “Eastwatch” — Deborah Riley 

One-Hour Contemporary Single-Camera Series
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu): “Pilot, Offred,” “Birth Day,” “Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum” — Julie Berghoff
Television Movie or Limited Series
Black Mirror (Netflix): “USS Callister” — Joel Collins
Half-Hour Single-Camera Series
GLOW (Netflix): “Pilot,” “The Wrath of Kuntar,” “The Dusty Spur” — Todd Fjelsted
Multi-Camera Series
Will & Grace (NBC): “Eleven Years Later,” “A Gay Olde Christmas” — Glenda Rovello
Variety or Competition Series/Awards or Event Special
Portlandia (IFC): “Portland Secedes,” “Ants,” “Fred`s Cell Phone Company” — Schuyler Telleen
Short Format: Web Series, Music Video or Commercial
Star Wars Battlefront II: “Rivalry / PS4” — Jason Edmonds

Oscar-winning Production Designer RICK CARTER (Avatar, StarWars: The Force Awakens) presented KATHLEEN KENNEDY (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Jurassic Park, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial) with the prestigious Cinematic Imagery Award following a filmed salute to the eight-time Academy Award®-Nominee and President of Lucasfilm. The William Cameron Menzies Award honored Disney’s Oscar®-nominated animation filmmakers RON CLEMENTS and JOHN MUSKER (Moana, Hercules, Aladdin) and was presented by ANIKA NONI ROSE (Dreamgirls, The Princess and The Frog), who thrilled the audience with her vocal performance of The Little Mermaid’s “Part of Your World.” A special Leadership Award was bestowed upon International IATSE President MATTHEW D. LOEB by ADG Executive Director CHUCK PARKER. 

Fall is beautiful, and it’s a season well represented in the commercial arts. It brings a visible change to the world around us. From the colorful weather to the food we eat, the clothes we wear and of course, the celebrations. Throughout Famous Frames’ long history, our artists have created so many pieces that truly capture the magic of November. Join us as we take a look at some of the highlights.
 

Fall Fashion
While we may miss the summer sun, it's nice to cozy up in jackets, boots and scarves. Check out this glam gal by Nob Yamashita.

The Changing of the Seasons
Oh, the magic of the autumn leaves!  Poets have written about it, singers have sung of it, and Kensuke Okabayashi has drawn this enchanting image.

Presidential Election
The United States Presidential election occurs every four years on the first Tuesday of November. Last year, Fred Fassberger threw this one into the ballot box. 

Holiday Reveals
From Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa to Michelangelo's The Last Judgement, art has a long and storied history in relation to controversy. In modern times, we've been witness to a new art-controversy... Commerce and coffee!

Starbucks has been producing new holdiay cups for the past 20 years. Some have come and gone with little commotion,  while others have drawn the ire of conservatives for what has been seen as a secular design scheme that fails to properly represent Christmas. Below we can see a past holiday cup design drawn by Robert Kalafut.

Black Friday
Since 1952, the day following Thanksgiving has been regarded as the beginning of the country's holiday shopping season. In this photo frame by Peter Vu, we see a mall with shoppers hoping to take advantage of some Black Friday deals. 

Thanksgiving!
Of course, no November tribute would be complete without proper Thanksgiving coverage. On this day we celebrate family, friends, food, football, spirits... did I mention food? Here's a look at some Thanksgiving work our artists have done over the years. 

Alex Lanier

Barcelona Boys

Merle Keller

Renee Reeser

Shari Wickstrom
 

Famous Frames artists work on Storyboards for countless commercials, but we also offer outside-the-box services like Experiential and Whiteboarding.  

ExxonMobil’s new campaign shows how clean energy is created by capturing carbon dioxide molecules from a power plant’s emissions before they reach the atmosphere while also generating power.

Easy to understand right? ...We didn't think so either! That's why ExxonMobil Scientist Tim Barckholtz and Famous Frames worked together on this campaign to show what's really happening:

Vinny Dellay worked closely with director Christian Webber to create the shootingboards for the spot:

While artist Vinny was tasked with creating the storyboards, Evan Yarbrough's art (and hand!) was featured in the actual spot itself in the whiteboard illustrations:

And finally, a behind-the-scenes look with Evan at what went into creating the whiteboarding featured in the spot:

To see more of how Famous Frames can help elevate campaigns in ways that are outside of the box, check out these categories:  

Experiential  

Whiteboarding

Animation

Have you ever wondered if your city has disturbing hidden secrets from the past?

What if those things were still going on right now as we speak?

What if you were confronted with the truth and had no choice but to face it or die?

Famous Frames artist Alex Lanier has released The Hidden Dimensions, a graphic novel which seeks to have those questions answered.

Written and illustrated by Alex himself, this sensational story is the first book of a trilogy about government greed to the max and how it horribly backfires. Journey along with a hilarious and fun-loving family as they discover this government secret which is deeply embedded in their quiet City of Little Hill. What they see next can only be described as hidden pandemonium! 

CLICK HERE to see more of Alex Lanier's art, or CONTACT US to work with this visionary artist on your next project!

The much anticipated arrival of Destiny 2 finally came today, September 6, 2017, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with a Microsoft Windows version scheduled for release on October 24. Destiny 2 is an online-only multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Activision.

Famous Frames artists Micah Brenner and Shane Carrington spent several months at Bungie Studios in Seattle working with Bungie’s team. Micah, who also worked on the first Destiny game, said, "Bungie's cinematics team was amazing to work with – the Destiny franchise has some of the greatest art and artists around, and I'm proud I got to contribute.”

A sequence of Micah Brenner's storyboards of cinematics from the game.

Shane Carrington's storyboards of one of the lead characters, Cayde-6, taking on a big baddie. Of his work on Destiny 2, he said, “It was exciting to work on a massive gaming franchise that so many people enjoy.”

Destiny 2 features the same three character classes of the original Destiny; which Micah also worked on along with fellow Famous Frames artist, Drew Pierce. 

Drew Pierce's storyboards of an Exo in action.

Creating the boards for Destiny was extra fun for these artists because each class has their own specific upgrades, perks, special abilities, and two sub-classes that allow players to finely tune their individual characters to provide a different style. After choosing a class, players select one of three species for their character: Human, Awoken or Exo. There is a unique artistic aspect as players involved can then customize their character, opting to change gender or skin color. A character's species is only cosmetic and does not affect gameplay. 

A sequence of Micah Brenner's storyboards, featured in the "Official Gameplay Reveal" trailer.

In addition to storyboarding Destiny 2, Famous Frames artists have a rich history creating key art and promotions for a variety of video games. Jeremiah Wallis worked on to promotions for Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Siege, Lidat Troung has worked on several games, most recently Call of Duty. Charles Ratteray has worked on Concept Art for Assassin's Creed, and recently Amazon.com's game version of the film Dunkirk. Click an image below to see more!

To see more stunning video game art our artists have worked on, click here.

To inquire about your next storyboard or animatic project,
you can reach us 24/7 by phone, or by email:

LA  310.642.2721 
NY  212.980.7979
project@famousframes.com

Famous Frames artist Charles Ratteray teamed up with Amazon.com and the film Dunkirk to create a unique action-adventure game. For Destination: Dunkirk, an Amazon Alexa Skill, Charles was tasked with creating the art for 3 different immersive stories: Infantryman, Tank Commander, and RAF Pilot. In the game, you get to play a “Tommy,” a British soldier, during the Battle of France.

Charles says, "The project was super exciting to engage with. I thoroughly enjoyed designing action setups for the game, fashioning characters and WW2 tanks and aircraft to exist within the scenes."

"Several rounds of thumbnails were done to create strong, illustrative jump points for the final layered artwork..."

"...All the panels were layered for simple animations: foreground, middleground, and background. The final product Amazon created for the Dunkirk games was amazing!"

Click Here to play the game and check out more of Charles Ratteray's amazing art from Destination: Dunkirk.

                                             IT ALL STARTS WITH THE ART.

                           See the progression of a spot, from storyboard to screen.

Do you want to draw for a living? 

I am the first person to advocate anyone taking on a creative career. However, if you want to make money at it, expanding your professional creative side is a first step to finding a rep and seeing art as a business. 

I get where you’re coming from.

As an artist myself, I was fortunate to come from a creative home. Not just creative, but one that centered around the advertising business. And what is advertising all about? Selling. Never forget your ABC’s.  Always Be Closing. 

With a degree from School of Visual Arts, raised in the advertising mecca (New York City), and moving to the movie mecca (Los Angeles) to design events, creatures and sets for movies, I earned years of experience as a paid artist myself. This is my foundation of understanding where you are coming from and how to get you to the next level. With my passion of helping and developing the careers of other artists, I’ve been an artist agent now for 15 years.

I represent professional sketch and storyboard artists, and concept illustrators in the Film, Fashion, Television, Video Game and Advertising industries. When our clients need to sell an idea, they need strong visual development to support it. That may require the creation of a creature, a layout for a cat food ad, solving a car chase scene or simply rendering a box of cereal from a particular camera angle in a mid century mod kitchen.

Want to get my attention for representation?

In one average week of work I will receive an estimated 25 portfolios. Behind those portfolios are numerous artists looking for a way to get paid professionally for their art and illustration via an agent. Not many make the cut. Want to know why?

To answer that question, I’ve compiled seven basic errors that I see everyday.

#1 – BAD FIRST IMPRESSION
Your first impression is your email. Be concise, and please make sure there are no typos! Nothing is more contradictory than telling me in a letter how precise and detail oriented you are with grammatical errors, wrong attentions/company name and typos everywhere. It is a huge pet peeve of mine. On that topic, I am not looking for an administrative assistant, so emailing with adjectives about how great you are is a waste of our collective time.
That being said, please don’t send me a 500 word document on yourself. We both have work to do, and the first thing I am going to look at is your art. I will come back to know more about you if interested. All I need to know is: 
Have you worked in the industry? How long? Who are some of your clients? 
How do I reach you? Is there a clear phone number and email? Where are you located? Remember, you want to hook me, not lull me to sleep with your life story at first glance. 

#2 - NOT SELLING ME ON YOUR ART
Just like the advertising world, you want to brand and sell yourself with your art and images. You want to make it easily accessible. I don’t have time to download zip files, or go through unorganized PDF’s. I don’t want to get to a website that I have to put in passwords or click though eight categories to see what I represent.
What should you do? Include a page in your simple query email with key images that align with what we represent along with a (easy) link to see more. 
MAKE IT CLEAR AND EASY. 
Otherwise, You lose me after a few seconds. Make them count. 

#3 - NOT KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE
Perhaps I should have started with this. What does the agent /agency you are contacting do? What is their key focus? Who are their clients? If I represent storyboard artists, don’t send me your sculptures. If I don’t sell it, don’t send it. Research rules. Did you look at our website? Did you review the kind of artists we represent? Does your style look like everyone else’s? Perhaps you have a different look that stands you apart, but you understand the key elements of what is needed to work with clients? Great, but know whom you are selling to. That takes me to #4.

#4- NOT KNOWING WHAT WE DO
Wow. If you have to ask us what we do, that question gives me numerous insights on who you are. You don’t do your homework, and you don’t value my time. If you are just getting out of art school and think the world is your teacher, WAKE UP! You are calling a business. One with busy professional people trying to get their artists work. If you want to know more about storyboarding, the internet is there: Books, blogs, You-tube, your school’s website, classes and tutorials. Please do not call an agency asking how you should get into the business. As much as I want to help every artist, I did not receive your tuition check. Respect people’s time. Don’t expect us to do your homework, that’s not professional. 

#5 - NOT KNOWING YOUR COMPETITION
An Agency website contains all your allies and well as your competition. It takes a true person to look at their work and honestly say to themselves “can I compete with that?” Self-confidence is amazing, but knowing your limits is just as important. Everyone wants to start at the top. If you know you have potential, but know you need to develop more to compete, maybe finding an artist’s agency that launches entry-level artists is the key. There is no fault in starting there, gaining the skills and career momentum to work your way up. Perhaps all you need is a year of hard work to build experience and a winning portfolio to give a great first impression.

#6- NOT BEING HONEST
Just about everyone tells a little white lie to get in the door. However, showing us someone else’s work is unethical and will get you nowhere. What are you going to do when you are booked on a job and can’t produce? This industry is smaller than you think and a bad reputation flies faster than a good one. If one doesn't have a large body of work to show, I would rather see someone build up a portfolio from recent TV commercials they boarded out. That shows me that while they may not have the experience, they have the drive. That’s what I am really looking for. You don’t have to always have the experience behind you, but if you have the skill, my job is to book you and get the experience.

#7 - NOT FOLLOWING UP
Most of the time, if an agent has not reached out, they are not interested at that time. If you think your skills are comparable to the ones represented and you have not heard back from the agency, there is no harm in reaching out to check in. I do not recommend calling every week, however. Call once, let them know you are following up and let them know you will send your portfolio again after the call. Remember, you are simply following up, not using it as an opportunity to ask them a hundred questions.

Everyone makes mistakes. The great thing about being an artist is being able to invent yourself. I don’t care if you went to the best art school or university or if you’re self-taught and figured everything out yourself (I have both talents on my roster).
As an artist’s agent, I care about serving my clients and connecting them with the best creatives to get the job done. Avoid the errors others have made, you will have a better shot at getting an agent.

-Tara Aarons
Vice President - Famous Frames Inc.

Head over to our Famous Work page to take a look at the work we did for this year's Super Bowl!

Nob Yamashita - King's Hawaiian 

Shane Carrington - Audi

David Larks - Avocados From Mexico

Jarid Boyce - Daytona Day

Jarid Boyce - WeatherTech

Vinny Dellay - Nintendo Switch

Darek Gogol - Mercedes

Phil Babb - Lexus

Anthony Satter - Proactiv

We are always looking for exciting ways to convey the breadth of contributions Famous Frames artists provide throughout the advertising and entertainment industry. By highlighting some of the 2017 Golden Globe Award nominees, we explore the broad spectrum of avenues Famous Frames artists engaged for these critically acclaimed projects. 
 Famous Frames exclusive roster of artists aid production in a variety of art formats.  From concept development for photo shoots, credit  sequencing, key art for print and on-air marketing and of course, what we are famous for,  traditional shooting boards.  Be it for creative brainstorming or on air viewing, if you are seeing it - art helped bring the vision to the screen.  Here’s a behind the scenes look at how. 

For Mozart in the Jungle, nominated for best series-Musical or Comedy, Famous Frames artist Renee Reeser worked to create key art for Amazon’s marketing campaign.  Renee also worked on the marketing campaign for HBO’s Divorce, for which Sarah Jessica Parker earned a best actress nomination. For the same show, artist Darek Gogol worked with the VFX team, concepting a version of the show’s title sequence.

Renee Reeser's key art for Mozart in the Jungle:

Renee Reeser's concept art for Divorce:

Darek Gogol's concept art for Divorce:

Artist Jonathan Gesinski worked with the production team of The People v. O.J. Simpson  a Golden Globe winner for Best Television Limited Series. Jonathan worked with pre-production creatives to design hair and wardrobe for key characters, John Travolta’s Robert Kardashian and Cuba Gooding Jr’s O.J. Simpson.

Jonathan Gesinski's concept art for The People v. O.J. Simpson: 

Another great example of the diversity of our artistic reach can be found with Game of Thrones, nominated for best TV series, Drama. This hugely successful franchise branched into a number outlets like this digital video game. Take a look at these concept frames by Jeremiah Wallis.

Jeremiah Wallis' concept art for Game of Thrones:

Storyboarding out a sequence allows a director to communicate their vision to the actors and the crew. This can be witnessed in this scene Famous Frames artist Jarid Boyce created for the Showtime hit Ray Donovan, for which Liv Schreiber was nominated for Best Actor in a Television Series-Drama.

Jarid Boyce's storyboards for Ray Donovan:

Black-ish was nominated for best Television Show Series, Comedy-Musical.  Additionally, Tracey Ellis Ross won the best actress Globe for her performance in the show. Here is some promotional art and shooting boards Mercer Boffey worked on for the ABC production.

Mercer Boffey's shooting boards for Black-ish:

Indie-pop band Young Rising Sons paired with Famous Frames to create a unique and customized roll out for their new single “Undefeatable.”

Rob Gross, Marketing Director at Interscope Records contacted Famous Frames and proposed the outside-of- the-box marketing campaign that would hire 3 artists and pair each artist with a band member.  Once the band and the label agreed that Doug Brode, Drew Pierce and Evan Yarbrough were right for the assignment, they jumped right in.  The artists were given a storyline for each band member and created 20 rough sketches to illustrate the narrative of the song.  After going over the designs with the band and the team from Interscope, the artists polished up the work and it was ready to be rolled out.  The band then unveiled a still for each member on social media, 1 per day (3 members, 20 days) to tell the story of “Undefeatable.”

Each band member was paired with an artist:

Andy with Evan

Julian with Drew

Steve with Doug

 Evan Yarbrough

Drew Peirce

Doug Brode

“When we became involved in this project,” says Famous Frames agent Pamela Gross, “ I knew it would be crucial to have artists that were self directed take on this job.”   When asked to comment on his experience Evan said “I worked in the music industry for almost a decade, so it was fun to get creative with a band again. Their ideas and conceptual input differs vastly from film and TV people, which makes for a refreshing change of pace. Also, Andy was hilarious and easy to work with, hopefully we’ll be having a beer next time they’re in town.” Additionally, Drew said "It was a blast working with fellow artists from a completely different discipline. They were so enthusiastic to collaborate and come up with something special. Their positive energy was contagious."

Check out the rest of Evan, Drew and Doug's work and keep up with Young Rising Sons on their Instagram and Facebook.

For this year's back-to-school campaign, Target tapped kids to steer their back-to-school production.  They did let one adult work on the project- hiring artist David Larks to create storyboards and animatics that would assist the teen directors in bringing their visions to life.

Here is a behind the scenes look at the making of the campaign: BACK TO SCHOOL

David created the art and animation for the following spots:

CAT & JACK

BACKPACK

“Kids and families are incredibly important to Target, and just as parents recognize the potential in their kids, Target does too,” said Jeff Jones, chief marketing officer, Target. “We were inspired to work even more closely with kids after seeing the difference they made in the development of our new Cat & Jack and Pillowfort lines. Now, we're taking things a step further, allowing kids to put their mark on Target’s community giving and marketing campaign for the back-to-school season. Both are not only inspired by kids, but completely created by kids. Kids didn’t just help with our school-bound efforts, they led them! Take our TV commercials for example: three kid directors oversaw the production, seven kid writers put the stories together, kid illustrators brought the sets to life and a group of girls from the band L2M performed all the music. Simply put, the kids ran the show." Take a peek at what went on behind the scenes of the first totally kid-driven marketing campaign. 

David Larks and family are proof of the saying ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’.  Upon learning that Target's campaign was run by teens, David’s daughter, Cambria Larks 15, an aspiring fashion designer, was hired as a stylist. She was tasked with picking out the outfits for the shoot along with making sure there was continuity with the on camera wardrobe.  Cambria had previously appeared on Project Runway Threads as a Jr. Fashion Designer when she was only 13 years old.  Next week Cambria, along with a few other kids involved are being flown to NY to appear on the Today Show, which will air 8/6! 

Watch the Today Show feature HERE

See some of Cambria's work below.

Famous Frames Artist Sean Chen, a storyboard artist known for his commercial and comic work, recently worked along side Marvel and Audi on a spot featuring the Avengers. His job: the penciler.

Once the script had been finalized, Sean stepped in to bring the text to life.

When asked how the frames are conceptualized from the script, Sean stated, “Ultimately, the story determines the composition within those panels, while taking into consideration the special constraints of comics as a medium.  Comics are handicapped by not having movement or sound which usually are important elements that clue you in to what exactly is going on in the story.”

For this piece, Sean drew rough sketches and established the locations and proportions of characters, places, and objects within the frame, and once finished, we have an extraordinary frame that provides clear direction, interesting action, and the beautiful visuals we’ve come to expect.

Sean concluded saying, “This visual storytelling ability is the most important skill that a comic book artist brings to the table.  Composing a scene in comics is quite different from how it would be handled in film.  We really have to be expert visual storytellers.”

Check out the work below and let us know what you think!

Above: The final pencil of the The Avenger's Cover.

Above: Sean Chen uses thumbnail sketches to plan the layout of each panel. 

Above: Storyboard artist Sean Chen pencils Marvel's The Avengers.

Category: Comic Book

Virtual Reality and Storyboard Artists

Virtual Reality (VR), once a figment of human imagination, has become an accessible form of entertainment due to virtual reality headsets such as Google Cardboard, Oculus Rift, and PSVR.  Famous Frames artists Rudi Liden and Philippe Collot have shared their insight as to how drawing virtual reality storyboards differs from the norm and the future of storyboarding.

Virtual reality is an immersive experience that takes video gamers to a new dimension. Whereas previous video games create a two or three-dimensional world in which users can progress within their favorite quests, VR takes the players inside the game by stimulating their sense of vision, hearing, touch, and even smell.  Currently, VR is marketed for entertainment purposes – specifically video games – using virtual reality headsets or goggles.  Despite its popularity amongst video gamers, VR is on track to benefitting several other major industries, such as cost efficient educational training/on-the-job learning and advancing medical practices.  However, in our industry, it all starts with an idea and a storyboard.  

Storyboard Artist Jobs: Briefing, Drawing and the Future of Artists

Rudi Liden most recently created a VR storyboard for a commercial project that would take its viewers on a ride from downtown L.A. to the TLC Chinese Theatre; Philippe Collot created an instructional video game tackling the subject of drinking and driving. Though the subject matter is different for each project, the artists share similar experiences.

“A decision has to be made about how you want to use the frame because technically, the far right and left side of the frame touch, and represent the space directly behind you,” said Liden.  “For the commercial [of the trip to the theatre], I extended the frame and did my best to capture about 180 degrees.”  Liden explained that the broader visuals in turn require more time and may even look strange when compared to more traditional storyboards.

Above: Rudi Liden's wide screen frame compared to the ultra wide frame of virtual reality.

Collot added, “the client wants to make sure the camera has a wide range of action, either by going left or right and up and down.  So, the images are wider to show the 180° angle or the 360° angle.”

When asked how the brief was different, Liden shared, “Aside from goggles being handed around the table, there were a handful of considerations that needed to be problem-solved, namely narrative.  Who’s the [point of view] belong to?”

Above: VR and first person POV puts you behind the wheel. 

Since VR mirrors what the human eye sees – from focus to peripherals – practicing the ability to capture and accurately recreate a 180° to 360° image would be another beneficial “tool” a storyboard artists could add to their tool belt.  Collot commented, “It is useful when artists have used goggles like the Google Cardboard and they know about the GoPro camera, 3D camera and 360° camera.”

Above: Philippe Collot's use of first person perspective in a storyboard for film.

When asked their thoughts on the future of VR changing the storyboard industry, Collot shared, “I don’t think that [VR] will change storyboarding, aside from bringing in more work.” Collot reiterates that all storyboarding is 2D.  “The narrative is going to be conveyed with a chain of images that will be linked by arrows.  Which means that a storyboard will probably need more frames and also some master layouts that show the environment where the 3D or 360° camera would be moving around.  So, [the more frames to be done] might be good news for storyboard artists.  We’ll see.”

Liden concluded, “the most obvious player in the VR world is going to be video games for the next few years.  It’s exciting, fun, and immersive in ways that traditional film and TV are not.  The overall potential, however, may change entertainment forever.”

Categories:

shootingboards

video games

For over 25 years, Famous Frames has provided agencies and production companies with the visual elements needed to ace pitches and create award winning productions. In addition to storyboards and illustrations, Famous Frames offers visual research and layout design. We realize this is a crucial need in the industry, and Famous Frames has the highest quality artists to provide the best visual research and design.

Treatment Artists

Our treatment artists offer Layout Service, Visual Research, Copy Writing and Editing. 

We offer the highest talent at reasonable rates. The complete package! 

View Treatment Samples

Here is a fun behind the scenes look at the advertising and production art that led to these great spots featured during the 2016 Super Bowl- Enjoy!

In this first spot, Famous Frames storyboard artist Shane Carrington worked with Smuggler on ‘The Party’ for Amazon Echo.

Amazon Echo 'The Party' / Client: Smuggler / Artist: Shane Carrington

In this hit spot, artist Philippe Collot drew storyboards featuring Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen for Caviar’s ‘The Bud Light Party’.

Bud Light 'The Bud Light Party' / Client: Caviar / Artist: Philippe Collot

In this beautiful Acura NSX spot ‘What He Said,’ Philippe Collot shows his skill with great concept art and storyboards for a WHITELABEL product.

Acura NSX 'What He Said' / Client: aWHITELABEL / Artist: Philippe Collot

A big crowd pleaser is this ‘Bounty of Earth’ spot that Victor Gatmaitan worked on for Avocados From Mexico with GSD&M.

Avocados From Mexico 'Bounty of Earth' / Client: GSD&M Austin / Artist: Victor Gatmaitan

A star in the comic book world- Sean Chen showed off his skills for this ‘Mini Marvel’ Coke spot for Wieden & Kennedy.

Coca Cola 'Mini Marvel' / Client: Wieden & Kennedy Portland / Artist: Sean Chen

For this adorable Hyundai Elantra spot ‘The Chase,’ Hugo Dipietro created these boards for InnOcean.

Hyundai 'The Chase' / Client: InnOcean / Artist: Hugo Dipietro

Kevin Hart comically stalked his daughter’s date in this Hyundai Genesis spot boarded by Philippe Collot.

Hyundai 'First Date' / Client: InnOcean / Artist: Philippe Collot

Storyboard Artist Lidat Truong worked with Omelet to create these Pokemon ‘Train On’ boards.

Pokemon 'Train On' / Client: Omelet Los Angeles / Artist: Lidat Truong

For this funny Squarespace campaign, Doug Brode worked with Caviar on ‘Real Talk with Key & Peele’.

Squarespace 'Real Talk with Key & Peele' / Client: Caviar / Artist: Doug Brode

Philippe Collot also worked on this Honda spot ‘A New Truck to Love’ for RPA.

Honda Ridgeline 'A New Truck to Love' / Client: RPA Los Angeles / Artist: Philippe Collot

Artists Alessandra Divizia and Peter Vu worked with RSA and 3AM on this LG ‘Man from the Future’ spot.

LG 'Man From The Future' / Client: RSA / Artist: Alessandra Divizia & Peter Vu

See more Famous Work here! 

Famous Frames exclusive roster of artists service a variety of clients in the entertainment industry. From layouts for photo shoots, concept illustration for print and on-­air marketing to event renderings and of course, what we are famous for traditional shootingboards for movies and television. Highlighting some of the 2016 Golden Globe Award nominees, we capture the broad spectrum of contributions our artists make in these critically acclaimed projects.

With 2 nominations for best television series ­- musical or comedy & best performances by an actress in a television series musical or comedy we have HBO’s VEEP. Famous Frames artist David Larks was called on to concept key art frames for the network to be used for promotion of the show.

David Lark's key art frames for VEEP:

In the Best Original Song Category, “Love Me Like You Do” from Fifty Shades of Grey, film storyboard artist Vincent Lucido worked closely with the director to evoke the heat between the lead characters.

Vincent Lucido's sequence from Fifty Shades of Grey:

Additionally Famous Frames artists Darek Gogol and Collin Grant helped storyboard Fast & Furious 7 which was also up for a best song nod with “See you again”.

-The Famous Frames Team 

Target and 72andSunny take us all on a "Holiday Odyssey," with a magical campaign incorporating TV spots and an on-line children’s storybook narrated by actor Neil Patrick Harris.

Famous Frames artists David Larks, Denice Au, Lidat Truong, and Micah Brenner were enlisted by 72andSunny for preliminary storyboards and design development for the children’s book and the five TV spots which will be released throughout the holiday season.  The Famous Frames artists had a blast bringing Minions, Lego people, Ninja Turtles, Barbie and Elmo to life.

In addition, Famous Frames artist Doug Brode worked on the production side with Interrogate and Method Studios storyboarding out director Misko Iho’s vision. 

The Holiday Odyssey, A Free Digital Storybook

Storybook art by Lidat Truong and Denice Au:

Target Holiday Commercial 2015: Chapter 1 - The Journey Begins

Storyboards by David Larks and Lidat Truong:

Target Holiday Commercial 2015: Chapter 2 - Pirate Shipping

Storyboards by Micah Brenner and David Larks:

Target Holiday Commercial 2015: Chapter 3 - Cornucopia

Storyboards by David Larks:

Production boards by Doug Brode:

Famous Frames artist Chris Scalf brings a 14-year-old boy and his 9-year-old sister to life in this 1 minute Star Wars inspired Duracell spot. These kids use the Force in a major way, wielding Duracell-powered lightsabers.  This is one of several major ads we will see leading up to the Dec. 17 release of Star War: Episode VII—The Force Awakens.

In this spot the children fend off an onslaught of Stormtroopers on Yuletide morning brandishing Duracell-powered lightsabers.  We are even treated to a cameo appearance from R2-D2 and C-3PO. The full spot will appear on YouTube, Hulu, Facebook, Twitter and various other venues, as well as in cinemas, where the movie-quality effects should really shine. Edits will run on shows such as Dr. Ken, Let's Make a Deal and The Price Is Right.

Artist, and Star Wars Super Fan Doug Brode created the storyboards that bring this PS4 Star Wars spot to life. Sony has released this commercial to headline its Holiday 2015 campaign. 

Star Wars Battlefront is an upcoming PS4 multiplayer combat game. It is a reboot of the Star Wars Battlefront series, originally created by Pandemic Studios. Battlefront depicts massive multiplayer battles between online opponents and also supports some cooperative split-screen modes.

The advertisement for the game follows the life of two friends who grew up playing Star Wars, and reminds us all that we're about to have a chance to get back to the magic.

Storyboard artist Doug Brode enthused, “The most amazing commercial came out October 19^th for PS4's Star Wars Battlefront, which I worked on for Park Pictures. Working on this spot was a dream come true! I actually canceled my anniversary trip to be a part of this truly special commercial”

The game Release Date is - November 17th, 2015

For more info visit EA.com.

It is doubtful that such a high profile platform of this nature for an illustrator has ever existed before. A 2 hour prime time, highly publicized, network Special focusing on the most publicized trial in American history that will use 24 full color illustrations by Famous Frames Artist Steve Werblun to visualize the majority of the story.

LMN will debut The Secret Tapes of the O.J. Case: The Untold Story, while sister network A&E will unveil O.J. Speaks: The Hidden Tapes.  Both two-hour programs — which are executive produced by American Tragedy author Lawrence Schiller, who was close to Simpson lawyer Robert Kardashian — feature never-before-heard recordings and interviews.  ABS Productions, the company who produced these 2 shows for A&E and LMN use Famous Frames artist Steve Werblun’s courtroom illustrations from both O.J. Simpson Trials, which he covered for a conglomerate of TV news stations.  Most notably CNN and NBC News.  Steve Weblun’s art served as the primary visuals for the sequences in these two programs that focus on the trial testimony and what actually occurred in the courtroom.

The Secret Tapes of the O.J. Case: The Untold Story promises insight into how Simpson was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman on Oct. 3, 1995.  Steve is pleased to have renewed interest in his work saying, “I'm quite excited about my illustrations being used. Unlike a news story, the art is shot and edited cinematically”

Famous Frames artists bring fan stories to life with Verizon for National Comic Book Day. POW! 

Here at Famous Frames we are doing everything we can to help Verizon celebrate a national comic book day Friday, September 25th. They are having several comic book artists including Famous Frames own Brandon Hamilton, David Hillman, Ed Traquino, Michael DeWeese and Paul Bonanno draw scenes created by fans who submit ideas via Twitter. If anyone is interested in this please go to Verizon's Twitter Page.

Left: Ed Traquino, Right: Michael DeWeese

Brandon Hamilton

Left: Paul Bonanno, Right: David Hillman

View all of our exclusive comic book artists.

With Famous Frames’ in-house studio and full-time animators, 
we are ready to turn your storyboard frames into animatics at a moments notice. 

Make the job easier with one stop.

Former Seinfeld writing alum Darin Henry reached out to Renee Reeser to draw the "Commercials" for SITCOMICS, a comic book company combining his love for sitcoms and comic books. Before joining forces with a successful sitcom writer, illustrator Renee Reeser's sole connection to the Seinfeld show was going bowling with Wayne Knight (Newman!) “Darin pitched SITCOMICS to me as ‘TV you Read.’ I was stoked and said sign me up.”

While 20 years of drawing for Television commercials is business as usual for this Famous Frames artist.  Renee commented "Being a sketch artist and drawing sequential art daily on demand developed the skill needed to meet tight deadlines, whether it's for advertising, fashion, film or TV. Comic books are another way for me to use my powers for good instead of evil.”

Renee’s first collected ARCHIE comic books as a child. “It’s great to be working alongside Jeff Shultz of “Archie” and “Betty and Veronica” fame and folks like Sal Buscema (Hulk, The Avengers, Captain America), the legendary Ron Frenz, Glenn Whitmore and amazing triple threat animator/artist/director Steve E. Gordon, among others.”

Darin’s also written for Ellen Degeneres, Futurama and is currently writing and co-executive producing KC Undercover on the Disney Channel. To Check out the full color, 64 page SUPER SUCKERS #1 and THE BLUE BARON #1 and, go to SITCOMICS.net and find them on Facebook and Twitter.

EVEN IN THIS AGE OF DIGITAL DOMINATION - IT STILL ALL STARTS WITH THE ART! Famous Frames artists proved this with integral preliminary contributions.  Here is a small sampling of some of the art that the Famous Frames artists contributed at this years 2015 E3 Convention. 

Famous Frames Art at E3 

One of the highlights of E3 Nintendo’s E3 Digital Event presentation started with puppet versions of Shigeru Miyamoto, Satoru Iwata and Reggie Fils-Aime doing a Tarantino walk to the stage, then transforming into delightfully fuzzy Star Fox characters. These puppets looked incredible because the Nintendo Muppets were actually built by the Jim Henson Company, and the intro was directed by Jim Henson’s son, Brian Henson. Famous frames artist Drew Pierce worked very closely with the Henson team to bring this vision to life.

Nintendo Digital Event - E3 2015

On Sept. 15, 2015, when the third expansion, The Taken King, will be released. At E3, the first slice of the expansion's new campaign was played.  

Artists Micah Brenner and Drew Pierce worked with Bungie to create the stunning art fans of the Destiny franchise are accustom to seeing.

Micah Brenner's storyboards for The Taken King

Jeremiah Wallis worked on to promotions for Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Siege, and this time it will have a few new game modes to play with instead of simply “kill everyone.”  Hooray for that!

Jeremiah Wallis storyboards a promotional campaign for Rainbow Six Siege

Category: Video Games

Our book is an exciting introduction to some of our artists top work from our diverse roster for your next project.

Want more? Need a hard copy? To receive one please click the link below to contact us:

Send me a book!

Famous Frames artist Charles Ratteray is currently featured in DGA Magazine’s Drawing Board. Famous Frames represents artists world wide with Film and TV credits from Maleficent to TNMT.  Check out the magnificent storyboards, that helped Joss Whedon visualize the epic Buffy The Vampire Slayer finale.

Category: Film / TV

Famous Frames artist Sean Chen was commissioned by Conde Nast to create this exquisite composition of the Television women we love and thier drink of choice. Learn what Homeland’s Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), The Mindy Project’s Mindy (Mindy Kaling), Scandal's Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and Game of Thrones Queen Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) and others drink. Where do you fit in? 

Famous Frames is best known for our storyboards for film, television and advertising. However, most people don’t realize the full breadth of production art services that we provide.

In honor of the 2015 HFPA’s Golden Globes, we’re focusing on the work that we have done for some of the 2015 Globe nominees in various stages of development, from concepting to marketing.  

1. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association Golden Globes - NBC

Artist Renee Reeser works with NBC on many projects. She even made an on air debut during The Voice drawing for a Kia Motor Spot. This year, for the 2015 Golden Globes, Renee provided key art concept sketches for the main event. This provided the producers with options for their execution of photo shoots and marketing materials. Drawing Tina Fey and Amy Poehler demonstrates Renee’s top tier skills in fashion and beauty as well as likenesses. 

2. Into The Woods- Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical nominee

Big studio films go through a lot of changes in the preproduction process. Artist Darek Gogol, who boasts credits like The Pirates of the Caribbean, Iron Man and The Fast & The Furious, worked with Director Rob Marshall to create some of the initial imagery that was later seen in the final film product. 

3. Louie - FX - Louie CK nominated for best actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy

Another piece of the Famous Frames pie is working with networks and studios creating their on-air promotions. Artist Charles Rattaray has worked with FX on several of their in house promos like Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story, and Golden Globe nominee Louie. His stylistic approach to these spots is what makes his art unique.  

4. How to Train your Dragon 2- Best Animated Feature Film

Gabriella Farkas provided the marketing art for the DVD and Blu-ray release of DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon 2; She does a lot of work with fashion and beauty projects as well as character art. These beloved characters were created in black & white first, and then transformed to color. 

5. The Book of Life- Best Animated Feature

So much of the work we do helps the director bring their vision to life. Artist Len Morganti is an excellent example of that! He’s done the storyboards for high profile Oscar winners like Argo and the Hunger Games, but he also works on unique projects like concepting art for The Book of Life’s Electronic Press Kit. A lot of this work is not seen by the public, but helps the production team plan their course of action.  “I am just interpreting the director’s notes into a visual representation so that everyone in the crew can be on the same page,” Len says about his work.  

We're very excited to be featured as one of the companies in SourceEcreative's article on Visual Effects and Animation. (Read below or click here to read the full article.)

Jennifer Warren, Artists Rep at Famous Frames, cites their agency’s contribution to McDonald’s “Bright Lights Big Mac” campaign as a good example of a brand’s utilizing a one-two approach to traditional media and new media. “Our artist, Michael DeWeese, was called on to design and create the final art for this graphic novel-inspired campaign,” she notes.  (Read more about it here.)

“And Caesars Entertainment created a cinematic five-minute web short to promote Harrah’s Atlantic City casino, a project for which Famous Frames artist Peter Vu collaborated on visual development and created all the final art. So we’re seeing a convergence of influences to a lot of our work.”ce of influences to a lot of our work.”

This weekend more than 150,000 people traveled from all over the world to New York Comic Con. The event displayed movies, television, cartoons, magazines, gaming and all facets of fantasy, turning the Javits Center into a place where you can be with thousands of people who understand your language and references, no matter how obscure. Many also got to meet the people who created those comics, or portray the characters in film and television. Two Famous Frames artists, Sean Chen and Mike Deweese, were on the scene signing and promoting their work. 

NYC rep Barry Meadows with Famous Frames artists Mike DeWeese and Peter Vu, who came along to check out the awesome art.

Sean Chen specializes in comic and graphic art. He began his career at Valiant Comics, penciling their flagship title, X-O Manowar, as well as Bloodshot, Harbinger and Rai and the Future Force. His debut book, RFF #9, sold over 900,000 copies. Sean frequently works with Marvel Comics, where he drew Iron Man for over three years. His other works include Wolverine, Elektra, and the maxi-series X-Men: The End.  

Mike DeWeese was there promoting the comic supplement to the 2014 indie film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. The film is being released in New York and Los Angeles on November 21, 2014. Director Ana Lily Amirpour has written a six-part comic series, which explores the titular Girl’s backstory, with art from Michael DeWeese. Comic publishers Radco will be selling the comics digitally through Comixology and then packaging them as a graphic novel, both digitally and in print form.

Here you can see artist Mike Deweese at Comic Con signing copies of A Girl walks Home Alone At Night.

Famous Frames artist Mike DeWeese played an integral part of this cool McDonald's Campaign targeting millennials, gamers and all the other night owls. The "Bright Lights Big Mac" campaign utilized traditional mediums along with social media, including the hash tag #MCDafterdark on all of their elements. This is a really neat case study of how it all came together. Targeting the Gamer demographic was clearly a very good move. McDonald's saw a 25% increase in the sale of Big Mac's within only 2 weeks of launching the campaign.

Storyboard Artist - Michael DeWeese:

It’s no wonder that advertisers are honing in on the gaming demo. "Destiny", the new video game from the creators of the "Halo" franchise, is already setting industry records. Activision-Blizzard reported that the game hauled in more than $500 million on its first day, making it the industry's biggest new game franchise in history. Artist Drew Pierce created the storyboards that were featured in the epic spots.

Storyboard Artist - Drew Pierce:

For a look at more Video Game Storyboards, take a look at the category here: Video Game Storyboards

Guess who’s back? Back again? Music videos!

That’s who! It seems like the 2000’s brought the death of videos on what was previously the main place to see them: MTV. Lately though they have been back with a vengeance thanks to YouTube’s Vevo as well as other Internet formats designed for music videos. If there is any way to prove something is worthy in the entertainment biz- it is with an award show. So on the heels of last nights 2014 MTV Video Music Awards, Famous Frames would like to highlight the videos that storyboard artists Rudi Liden, Doug Brode and Michael Lee worked on.

Storyboard artist Michael Lee worked on the Best Female Video By Katy Perry and Juicy J, "Dark Horse."

Another Video that is earning attention and even won The “Cutest Audience Cutaway” Award Is this video with Art from Rudi Liden. Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora performed “Black Widow” at the event.

The “Cutest Cutaway” Refers to the camera cut to Charli XCX singing along to every word.

Storyboarding - Rudi Liden / Iggy Azalea - Black Widow ft. Rita Ora:

Famous Frames artist Doug Brode worked on what may prove to be the biggest break through of this new video hay day. Daphne Guinness’ sci-fi romp seems to be equal parts Flash Gordon and Flesh Gordon by way of Ziggy Stardust, Greta Garbo, and Nico. Directed by David LaChapelle and featuring costumes from Iris van Herpen, Noritaka Tatehana, and Guinness’s own personal collection.

Storyboard artist Doug Brode / Daphne Guinness - Evening in Space: 

Here is a whole page dedicated to the video:

Daphne Guiness's Evening in Space on MTV

For more art and videos take a look at all the exceptional pieces at:

Famous Work

The Ninja Turtles are back in this live-action adventure film featuring the popular sewer-dwelling, reptile ninjas Leonardo (voiced by Johnny Knoxville), Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), Donatello (Jeremy Howard), Raphael (Alan Ritchson) and their pal, roving reporter April (Megan Fox).

Wes Louie

It has been seven years since the last TMNT film came out and this year Michael Bay has produced the latest live action version. The new film, starring Megan Fox, tells the story of four unlikely outcast brothers who rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as heroes. When darkness settles over New York City, the Turtles must work with fearless reporter April O'Neil (Fox) and her cameraman Vern Fenwick to save the city and unravel the evil Shredder's plan.

TNMT 30th Anniversary

While TMNT fans are excited about the films release, the fever is not limited to the movie. TMNT art is popping up all over. The iam8bit Art Gallery just had an event, ‘Cowabunga!! 30 Years of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Where artist from around the world created art celebrating the mean green fighting machines. Wes Louie created this piece for the event.

Charles Ratteray

Artist Charles Ratteray was hired by Paramount to do the storyboards for the film. He worked closely with the films director Jonathan Liebesman as well as with the stunt department. Charles says that growing up with the Ninja Turtles influenced his style, so it was great to work on the film.

Charles Ratteray

Comic-Con 2014 was AWESOME! There was so much cool stuff to see, from the Studios bringing the biggest films to the event, to a number of stars making special appearances. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" showcased a sneak preview, while Legendary announced its plans for a Skull Island film. Marvel showed off trailers for "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" and the sequel to "Guardians of the Galaxy," called "Guardians," were screened to rave reviews.

Tara & Guardian                                                           Marvel Avengers Display

Comic-Con takes over the streets                              Legos Guardians of the Galaxy 

There were TV premieres, teaser trailers, industry announcements, exhibits, installations, panel discussions and A-list appearances. The four-day ‘celebration of the popular arts’ now encompasses the full spectrum of geek culture, including horror, fantasy, anime, action, and video games!  Comic con is now so well covered, that you can read all about Matthew McConaughey and Christopher Nolan’s surprise appearance, and other big news anywhere online. We want to share our Famous Frames Agents' first experience at Comic Con!

Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts

When we first got to SDCC 2014, it became clear that the city was completely taken over by Comic Con. We made our way into the main exhibit hall and saw a bunch of crazy stuff! Some notable Displays were Marvel's Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Legos. When walking around, you will see people in all manner of costumes, like these two dressed as the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts. We were also able to make some valuable connections, making sure to slip a card to TMNT Michelangelo. Hot Wheels was showing off a very cool Darth Vader Car, and Tara's son Devon got up close and personal with a Lego Dude!

Pam & Michelangelo                        Hot Wheels                                    Devon & Lego Dude

Pam & Dir. Richard Gale

For Pam, a highlight of Comic Con was independent film makers showing off their stuff! There is a You Tube Movie called The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon  that is a personal favorite of hers. She was thrilled to see the Director, Richard Gale, there and learn that he is in the process of making a Feature Film.

Pam with John & Matt Yuan

We also attended the Panel featuring IDW editors John Barber and Carlos Guzman, along with Michael Kelly, Hasbro's Director of Global Publishing, where they discussed all things IDW & Hasbro like Transformers! My Little Pony! G.I. Joe! Dungeons & Dragons! Then it was back to the main exhibit floor where we caught up with the Yuan Twins who were signing there new book SERVING SUPES with First Comics. 

Hope to see you there next year!

Famous Frames artist Wes Louie worked with Wieden Kennedy Portland on some of the preliminary art for Nike's "Risk Everything" campaign. Wes’ work contributed to "The Last Game"  which features an animated cast of soccer's biggest stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Neymar da Silva Santos and Tim Howard as they contend with "perfect" soccer clones who "play it safe." 

Nike Football: The Last Game

Artist Lidat Truong also worked on the Nike campaign with Wieden Kennedy, Portland providing key frames that appear in a number of the spots. These spots have racked up more than 75 million views, thanks to appearances from these World Cup standouts.

Nike Football - Free Kick

Nike Football: Tunnel

Artist Denice Au worked with DNA and gave a little thrill to Soccer fans worldwide with Samsung’s first complete Galaxy 11 promo video, showing an entire team of renowned players joining forces to play a football game against aliens who just happen to be football aficionados “visiting” Earth.

#GALAXY11: The Anthem

Micah Brenner worked with Skunk on this Visa spot, where Usain Bolt learns Portuguese, plays football with the kids on Copacabana beach, and even dances a little samba at a Rio street party. 

Visa Samba do Brasil (Samba of Brazil)

Famous Frames Storyboard artist Micah Brenner has worked on not 1 but 2 films that are currently premiering in the 20th annual Los Angeles Film Festival. THE WELL and COMET.

Of the experience Micah says, "I'm beyond proud to have contributed to these two great directors' visions. Tom Hammock is a long time friend of mine, and seeing his tale come to life is a real victory. Both of these films were visually dynamic and my collaboration with these new directors and their phenomenally talented DP's was incredibly rewarding. Get out and see some cinema at LAFF: THE WELL and COMET."

Take a look at the film info as well as some art below!

The Well
The Beyond

Michal Brenner's art:

Directed By: Tom Hammock
Screenwriter: Jacob Forman
Producers: Seth Caplan, Chris Harding
Cinematographer: Seamus Tierney
Editors: Adam Wingard, Sarah Broshar
Music: Craig Deleon
Cast: Haley Lu Richardson, Booboo Stewart, Max Charles, Nicole Fox, Michael Welch, Jon Gries, Michael Massee, Rena Owen, Leo Lee, Barbara Crampton, Michael McCartney, Jacqueline Emerson

Trailer:
At the edge of a barren valley, all that remains of the Wallace Farm for Wayward Youth is a few hollowed-out husks of buildings and the memories of Kendal, a seventeen-year-old girl who can barely recall when the valley was lush. It's been a decade since the last rainfall, and society at large has dried up and blown away. Only Kendal and a few others remain, barely scraping by while dreaming of escape. When a gang leader named Carson lays claim to what little precious water remains underground, Kendal must decide whether to run and hide or bravely fight for what little she has left in this post-apocalyptic thriller.

Comet
Narrative Competition

Micah Brenner's art:

Directed By: Sam Esmail
Screenwriter: Sam Esmail
Producers: Chad Hamilton, Lee Clay
Executive Producer: Steve Golin, Peter M. DeGeorge, Colin Bates
Cinematographer: Eric Koretz
Editor: Franklin Peterson
Music: Daniel Hart
Cast: Emmy Rossum, Justin Long

Trailer:
Hurtling back and forth in time over six years of a passionate, complicated relationship, this high-style love story crackles with brilliant repartee and simmers with true feeling. Emmy Rossum is the bright, skeptical Kimberly, and Justin Long is the tightly wound Dell. They first meet in a random encounter at Hollywood Forever, where they've both come to watch a meteor shower. It's the start of a romantic roller coaster ride that leaps from a Paris tryst to a squabble in New York to the Hollywood Hills, taking risky and unexpected emotional turns with daredevil aplomb.

For more information and tickets visit: 
http://filmguide.lafilmfest.com

Famous Frames was featured in Source Creatives Special Feature: Diversity Matters- Highlighting Minority and Women Owned Businesses

"What we used to call a 'melting pot' has become the norm in our culture, and in advertising and production it's no different.  Need proof?  Our diverse roster of sponsors in this Special Feature spans the gamut of companies specializing in music, VFX, production, editorial and storyboard art.  For example: animatic/storyboard experts Famous Frames exhibit their expertise in their pre-production work for Head and Shoulders that features Colombian bombshell Sofia Vergara..." - Halyce Naparstek

View the full article here.