Now I've seen every Batman episode...

[Salvor]

Hey guys. I'm not sure whether this topic needs actually a brand-new thread but what the heck :)

I've just seen the original Batman pilot Bruce Timm showed the Fox back in the early 90s... it's so awesome to see it now, after so many BT animated series. I mean, that was where it all started, the beginning of a new era in animation, and this short epitomizes the sweeping changes Timm and co. made to animation itself. The very short is the embodiment of the trail-blazing animation BTAS used to offer.

Anyway it had music from the first Batman movie, plus great (though a bit awkward) TMS animation and BT's original designs for Gordon and Batman (the latter is basically the same one as that of BTAS)... pure gold! :)

[Heehaw]

TMS had nothing to do with the pilot. It was animated by a small company out of Canada. I think they were called Lightwave Studios or something involving Light???? I know this because I once chatted with a member of the company. They got the job after completing the animation on some commercials from a Zellers campaign in the late 80s. They were also being held as "insurance" in case a certain number of animation houses couldn't be found. They were, so they never got to work beyond the pilot.

They were also kind enough to show me some scans directly off of the master tapes of "work in progress" animation from the pilot and the Zellers commercials. Stuff like uncolored pencil only versions, audio-free version, uncomposited animation and backgrounds, etc., etc. I also got to see some scans of very early live action moving storyboards which basically outlined the entire pilot. Pretty cheesy, but effective and normal for that sort of thing.

[Salvor]

Sorry about mentionning TMS... I guess I'm used to associating the words "great animation" with TMS..??? Anyway of course it wasn't TMS :)

About Timm... I'm sorry but I've chatted with many original members of the BTAS staff and all of them acknowledge the huge work Bruce Timm did when the series originally launched. He did draw most of the model sheets, came up with smooth character studies... and new animation standards! Of course Eric Radomski did a wonderful job too (his backgrounds in the two-minute short are compelling-- though he may not have done them all...)

[Salvor]

I can post some screengrabs if anyone is interested...?

[Maxie Zeus]

That would be great, salvor.

And where and how did you get to see it? You're going to make a lot of us extremely jealous . . . ;)

[The Flash]

Originally posted by Salvor
I can post some screengrabs if anyone is interested...?
Oh right! Like no one is interested! ;) I'd love to see them! ....it only lasts 2 mins right (if I remembered that right)? Would a Vid clip be too much to ask? :)

[The Mad Hatter]

No! No one at this Batman fan board wants to see rarely-seen and improbably cool grabs of the rare Batman test animation! :p

[Heehaw]

You have to consider that the chums are going to talk nice about each other. That's just good PR. My source described some pretty rough behind the scenes conflicts, esp. in the beginning stages of the show. Heck, the show was given the greenlight before the pilot was even finished, so I'm not really sure why it was ever completed. Anyway, it's some of the best animation packed into 2 minutes and it's better than anything in JL which is sad.

Also, I didn't say BT contributed nothing, in fact, everything you mentioned is right on, it's just that there is a lot of stuff that made BTAS great and alot of it wasn't necessarily because of BT. I'm talking mood, creative use of composition, black paper, the overall look of the backgrounds, etc. You'll notice as the each successive series came out, and more and more original members went to other projects, the different series started to lose all that was special in BTAS. That's because BT gets more control and less of the input from the talented people around him. It's not crap, it's just different and not necessarily in a good way, though that's debatable I suppose.

BT contribution came from the character designs, animation techniques and, of course, getting the show off the ground. He has alot more control over JL, and I'm afraid it shows. Just imagine how it would be if the BTAS team were back together on JL.

I just don't put him on a pedestal like some do, though I recognize the huge leaps he set into motion.

[Salvor]

Actually it's already a vid clip... if it's ok with the mods, sure, I can put it online :)

[SoulQuarian84]

please do! :D

V.

[James Harvey]

Originally posted by Salvor
Actually it's already a vid clip... if it's ok with the mods, sure, I can put it online :)

It's cool with us!! Feel free to put up screengrabs and a link to the vid clip in this thread!

[Salvor]

Ok let me give it a shot... considering the rather poor quality of the file, I don't think screengrabs would make for nice pics.

http://www.ifrance.com/batmanbeyond/BTAS_-_000.wmv

Nope... not working. Anyone know why? I'll try and find another server.

[BWDK]

I tried upload it by using angelfire, but it didn't work :(

I also have that file and sreengrabs really don't do justice.

The clip is cool, I think they should put this clip on the BTAS DVD.
Salvor, did you get it off mIRC?

[Salvor]

Originally posted by BWDK
I tried upload it by using angelfire, but it didn't work :(

I also have that file and sreengrabs really don't do justice.

The clip is cool, I think they should put this clip on the BTAS DVD.
Salvor, did you get it off mIRC?
You bet I did :)

[Naraht]

how big is it, I could try to find a hime for it...

=\

[Heehaw]

I wish my computer had the proper hardware to capture video to the harddrive. I have a flawless, 2nd generation copy of the pilot in stereo and that would take care of the quality issues.

[BWDK]

Originally posted by Heehaw
I wish my computer had the proper hardware to capture video to the harddrive. I have a flawless, 2nd generation copy of the pilot in stereo and that would take care of the quality issues.


:eek: Where did you get that from?