On Saturday, March 30, TAG hosted its first panel at WonderCon at the Anaheim Convention Center. Titled “Action in Animation,” it featured an all-star lineup of Animation Guild veterans whose experience in action animation spans the genre. Panelists included Vinton Heuck (Transformers: Prime, Harley Quinn), Colleen Evanson (DuckTales, DC Superhero Girls), Mairghread Scott (Dragon Age: Absolution, Guardians of the Galaxy), Angela Entzminger (My Adventures with Superman, Unannounced Lego Adventure Series), Gavin Hignight (Gundam: Requiem For Vengeance, Tekken: Bloodline), and Ben Juwono (Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Big Hero 6: The Series).
Moderator Dan Salgarolo (Transformers: Cyberverse, Transformers: Robots in Disguise) led a lively discussion that kept the 200+ audience members entertained—anecdotes about working with Standards & Practices was a highlight. Panelists shared stories about how to get around the “imitateable actions rule,” which is a rule for children’s television that mandates not portraying dangerous or detrimental behavior that a child could imitate. The workaround? Make a scene so ridiculous or unrealistic that it’s impossible to imitate.
Along with discussing topics such as what makes animation so uniquely suited for action and adventure, and how to build tension or visually elevate action, the panelists also fielded questions from aspiring artists and writers. These covered both the craft side of the industry, as well as advice for collaborating and how to make your portfolio shine.
“The panel offered convention goers a snapshot of what goes into making the action/adventure genre in animation,” says Salgarolo, “as well as access to Animation Guild members and their valuable experience.”