Behind The Scenes of the Transformers The Movie Photocomics

[GoktimusPrime]

There's actually a lot that goes on behind the scenes with my photocomics, and especially my current ongoing Transformers The Movie photocomic series.

I always delete all my photos after I've done them up on MS Paint, but I'd like to show you guys some of the crazy things that go on behind the scenes when I'm making them.

Okay, here's one bit that got cut from Part II (Autobot shuttle attack) that I've since deleted so I can't show them to you: One of the Reflector robots (Spectro) being shot dead by Ratchet and Ironhide returning fire. Later when the Decepticons are taking control of the ship, you can see the other Reflector robots (Spyglass and Viewfinder) attending to Spectro's fallen body. In the next panel where Megatron is calling Starscream an idiot, I actually had Spyglass and Viewfinder in the foreground carrying Spectro's body away like pallbearers. Due to size limitations that was completely cut and the background image of Megatron talking to Starscream became a foreground close-up shot instead.

Anyway, here are some behind-the-scenes stuff from Part IV...

First of all, I actually do make storyboards for these photocomics because I am trying to make them as accurate to the movie as possible. It's hard because I'm deliberately only using G1 toys - which is part of the challenge/fun of doing this... using stuff like Classics would be cheating (and canonically incorrect anyway). But here are the storyboard sketches I made from basically watching the movie, pausing it and then scribbling rough sketches. The way I pose and photograph the toys afterward is based off these sketches.



Here's Hot Rod standing on top of an alarm clock on a window sill. It's for the shot where he's jumping down from Lookout Mountain after being blasted at by Megatron. By doing this I've actually got real sky behind him!

Unfortunately after I reduce the image heaps you probably can't even tell. Oh well, it's the thought that counts right?

Here I have the Decepticons "flying" out of the Autobot shuttle as it blows up.

I've used Chess Pawns (from the TF movie Chess game) to prop up Megatron and Soundwave at the desired angles.

I usually use 'doubles' where possible for montage shots, like original G1s and reissues. You see this whenever there's a transformation and other such montages. Unfortunately for me, I only have one Blitzwing - the original (I don't have the reissue)... so it meant that I had to do extra work to make the montages for his transformations. Oh wow, he's a triple-changer... son of a--!!

You can also see that I've used my City Commander box to prop up Blitzwing and Shrapnel in mid-flight. The box was later removed with good ol' MS Paint.

And here's Kup - the middle one is propped on an alarm clock which was later removed on MS Paint.


Here's my wife deciding to be a smart-donkey during this shot...


So while she was around I got her to hold Starscream for me for these shots.

Her hand was removed on MS Paint.

Here's a close up of Autobot City as seen in the distance in the very last panel:

...yes, the idea was ripped off from Robotech: The Macross Saga (SDF-1 & SDF-2), but I think it looks neat.

Yes I did think about using Fortress and Brave Maximi... but that would be out of canon - again, I'm intentionally sticking only to G1 Transformers that would have been around in continuity at this time. Metroplex was as demonstrated by Scramble City and the G1 comics... yeah yeah, technically Metroplex is a separate entity from Autobot City in both the cartoon and comics, but meh... it's easier than building a set from scratch. Same reason why I used the Ark for the Autobot shuttle - and yes, for the other two shuttles later two. I'm already wasting far too much time on this project as it is without purpose-building props for it!!

[roller]

wow thats alot o work

i always thought you would just make the poses then add captions

i may need to rethink how i do my proposed photocomic.

[GoktimusPrime]

Some other "Easter Eggs":

* The Lithonians are all PlaySkool and Happy Meal Transformers.

* When Soundwave transforms I used Music Label and Smallest Soundwave for the mid-transformation and alt mode respectively, showing mass shifting as he transforms. When Megatron transforms I used Mega-SCF and Smallest Megatron to achieve the same effect. TFC Starscream is holding the Megatron gun that comes with that toy.

* During the fight inside the Autobot shuttle, Scavenger is using Treadshot's gun and Mixmaster is using Slog's gun.

* On Moonbase 1 when Ironhide is looking at his monitor with Decepticons on Cybertron, Red Alert is next to him watching the 2007 live action movie! (specifically Optimus Prime vs Bonecrusher).

* "Daniel" is of course the Mutt Williams toy from Indiana Jones, who of course looks like Sam Witwicky from the 2007 movie. "Daniel" is sitting on the AllSpark Cube as his fishing chair!

* The "STOP" road sign has the Japanese word of stop written on its side.

* One of the Autobots at that roadwork site is Spectre, one of our Sabretron 2004 exclusive Chainmasters.

* When Hot Rod is targetting the Decepticons in the shuttle (from Hot Rod's POV) the Japanese text on the left says "Hot Rodimus" which is of course Hot Rod's Japanese name.

* When Kup says, "What's that darn fool doing?!" we see Tracks standing in the foreground instead of Sunstreaker. This was done to 'correct' continuity since Sunstreaker will arrive on Earth later on with Optimus Prime's reinforcements.

* When Blitzwing is targetting Hot Rod (from Blitzwing's POV) the top right corner has "Hot Rod" written in the Decepticon alphabet.