WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE: An Interview with Storyboard Artist Federico D’Alessandro

It’s the film everyone is buzzing about. Where the Wild Things Are is one of the year’s most highly-anticipated films. All signs point to you, me and…well, everyone we know going to see it. Yello! had a chance to chat with the film’s storyboard artist Federico D’Alessandro about working on the project. And quite frankly, we’re smitten.

Born in Uruguay, raised in Colorado and schooled at the School of Visual Arts in NYC, Federico D’Alessandro has been drawing from & drawing (literally) his environment his whole life. After leaving a career in soccer to pursue one in the arts, D’Alessandro has worked his way into becoming one of the most sought-after storyboard artists in Hollywood.

Some of his work includes I Am Legend, The Assassination of Jesse James, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, & The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader and of course, Where the Wild Things Are, which opens today (Oct. 16th).

SB: Okay Rico, tell us a bit about Where the Wild Things Are and how the project came your way.

When the opportunity to work on Where the Wild Things Are came my way, I jumped at the chance. A friend of mine, Josh Sheppard (another storyboard artist), recommended me for the project. I went up to Spike Jonze’s house up in the hills and hung out for a while, talking about the project, getting a sense of what kind of story he wanted to tell, and how I could help him tell it.

SB: What was it like to work with Spike?

Spike is a little kid in an adult’s body. Working with him was a unique experience. He approaches filmmaking in such an original way. When I had a new scene to work on, we’d pull a bunch of coworkers away from their desks, pile into his office, and act out the scene as if we were the characters. It was like playing make-believe in your living room — a desk would become a cave, a couch would become a cliff. We’d come up with ideas on the fly, and sometimes Spike would walk around with a camera and take pictures of different angles.

Afterward, I’d go off to my drawing table and storyboard the scene, using Spike’s pictures as a jumping-off point for the drawings. Other times, I’d storyboard a scene how I saw it and I’d show him what I came up with. The end-result was usually a combination of my vision and his, which for an artist is really creatively gratifying.

SB: So break it down for us. What is it that you do as a storyboard artist? And before that, what role does storyboarding play in the filmmaking process?

Basically, a storyboard is a graphic representation of each shot in a film, displayed in sequential order to tell the visual story. Imagine a comic book version of the movie and that will give you an idea. Filmmakers use storyboards to visualize the script, plan what they’re going to shoot and how, and basically get everyone on the same page. Sure, a script will give you the story but how is it going to look? What kind of angles? How is the camera going to move? That’s where storyboard artists come in.

SB: The latest buzz-word in storyboarding seems to be “animatics.” Can you enlighten us on what that is?

Animatics are animated storyboards cut together with sound effects, music, and dialogue. Basically, storyboards on crack. To create an animatic, I’ve got to think like a writer, director, production designer, actor, and editor. The kind of animatics I do are really detailed and animated–I visualize the script, not just to figure out how the scene will play out but what it will feel like. I like to think of film, at it’s core, as an emotion delivery mechanism and that’s the approach I take to my work.

SB: What was your approach for reconciling or translating Maurice Sendak’s classic images with Jonze’/Eggers’ screenplay adaptation?

I’ve always been a huge Maurice Sendak fan, having grown up with his books like so many other kids. The original book of WTWTA is only like 188 words long or something like that. On the surface, there’s barely anything to work with…but digging deeper, there’s a wonderful, emotionally resonant story for the silver screen. The script did an amazing job of extracting that story. The main beats of the book were all there, but of course there was a ton that needed to be made up to make it a feature length movie.

For instance, there’s a fun action scene that I worked on where Max and the characters have a mock-battle using dirt clods. That’s not in the book, of course, but it captured the playful and mischievous qualities that Max and the Wild Things represent. Working on this movie wasn’t just a “job.” It was daydreaming and drawing and…somehow getting paid to do it.

What was the best thing about working on the project? The worst?

The best part of working on WTWTA was knowing that I was helping to turn one of my favorite books into a movie, while collaborating with one of the world’s best filmmakers. The worst was the drive up to Warner Bros. I live on the westside, so that haul was brutal. L.A. traffic is demoralizing. I do most of my work from home now, so my blood pressure has gotten better since then.

What’s next for you? What other projects can we look forward to seeing?

Right now I’ve been working on Thor, which has been a lot of fun. Kenneth Branagh is great to work with and Marvel has given me a lot of creative freedom which is amazingly satisfying. I’ve also just finished directing a short horror film called Recollection which is in post at the moment. It’s about a guy who wakes up in a shallow grave with no memory of how he got there, and realizes that he’s in a serial killer’s backyard. [Laughs] His troubles only get worse from there. My writing partner and I also have several scripts which are starting to make the rounds around town, which is really exciting.

And what’s the dream project for you? What other story would you love to work on?

There are a few projects which I’d love to work on, such as Masters of the Universe and The Hobbit. There’s also a project that I might co-direct with a pretty well-known director. When I’m not storyboarding, I’m working on my own scripts and making some pretty kick-ass concept art and animatics to go along with them. Of course, the ultimate goal would be to direct one of my scripts, which hopefully I’ll get the chance to do soon.

What advice do you have for someone trying to get into your line of work?

You need to be able to draw quickly and clearly, be a good visual storyteller, and it doesn’t hurt if you can work well with others. Many artists out there can manage two out of the three, but to be a successful pro, it’s all three. A good resumé is a bonus, though it’s a catch-22 type of thing…you won’t get work unless you have a experience, and you can’t get experience unless you have work! There are several storyboard agencies which will take a chance on an aspiring artist, which gets around the catch-22 dilemma. Commercials are a good way to cut your teeth, as are small film productions. Eventually, if you impress the right people, you get on someone’s recommendation list. That will lead to bigger and bigger opportunities. There’s a lot to be said about momentum in this job. However, if I was to boil it all down, here’s my advice: work harder than everyone else.

*Check out some of Federico D’Alessandro’s work from the WTWTA  gallery below. Like what you see? Make sure to check out his website at www.thefilmartist.com and also www.hunted-film.com.

And now, time for a Set of Quick Questions for Rico…

Vegetarian, pescatarian or meatatarian?

I’m an equal opportunity eater…I was raised on a macrobiotic diet from my pseudo-hippie mom. But I’m also full-blooded Uruguayan, which means no cow is safe around me.

Red wine or white wine?

Depends on what I’m eating with it, but most of the time it’s red wine, preferably a Syrrah or Zinfandel. That makes me sound snooty, but I’ve accepted who I am.

Boxers or briefs?

Boxers. I haven’t worn briefs since I was a kid and back then they had Star Wars all over them, so they were worth wearing.

Guiltiest pleasure?

Honey Ice Cream from the ‘Reserve’ Haagen-Daas brand…it’s amazing, and I think its secret ingredient is crack.

Last “best meal” you’ve had?

That would be a meal I had at the Black Cat restaurant in Cambria, CA. It started off with seared abalone in a  vanilla beurre blanc. I can’t remember what I had for the main course but I remember stealing my wife’s scallops. She offered, so don’t think less of me. It’s a tie between that and the cheeseburger and fries I had after being stranded at sea near the Florida Keys. Of course, I was so hungry by then I would have eaten the table.

Present woman-crush? Man-crush too.

My wife. If I was to pick a second…Jessica Biel.

Do you have a man crush?

[Laughs] I’m not very modern, so no man crush I’m afraid! I keep it to the traditional woman-crush.

Five things you can’t live without.

My Cintiq drawing tablet, playing soccer every Sunday, cuban cigars, horror movies, and oxygen.

Three things you definitely could [live without].

I’m pretty easy-going but the stuff that really gets under my skin are rude people, traffic jams, and ‘Negative Nancies.’

Finish the sentence(s).

Always…think several moves ahead.

Never…underestimate the power of positive thinking.