Transformers Prime Q&A Session: Production Coordinator Meredith Rodgers

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The Transformers facebook page has posted this week's Transformers Prime cast and crew fan Q&A session with Production Coordinator Meredith Rodgers.
Yessie Nieves asks: What are the main
tasks you are in charge with as Production Coordinator and how did you
get to be part of this awesome project?



MEREDITH RODGERS: My main tasks are overseeing the work of the
Production Assistants, implementing the scheduled deadlines per
department as provided by my producer and being my Production Manager’s
right hand. Some tasks involve design reviews and animation reviews.
It's up to me to make sure that information is properly dispersed and
executed. Animation is so much fun, but get the wrong color on an
Autobot and that’s a big problem! Since Transformers is such a huge
franchise we really have to be delicate in designing from the vast lore
of the brand. I was very lucky to land this job and for a Transformers
G1 fan, it’s awesome!







Michelle Stosez asks: What is the
target time frame for each stage of production? Storyboard, VO
recording, Editing, PR..etc...? What is the total time frame from
pre-production to completion for an entire season?



MEREDITH RODGERS: I can tell you that not all productions have the
same time frame. It depends on many different factors to determine the
schedule. For Transformers Prime, storyboarding for one episode takes
about six weeks. Designs from conception to final art take approximately
eight weeks. Records can take up to five hours depending on how many
people are recording. Each department also has to do some area of prep
which is also figured in and usually several different episodes are
overlapping in various stages. Our management team has been in the
business for some time now, so I would say that we have a pretty smooth
production process.







Cassidy Klassen asks: What were some cool ideas that, for whatever reason, just couldn't be used in the show?



MEREDITH RODGERS: Transformers Prime has a nice story arc that does
not usually happen in an animated series. But we all love the action
too! There has to be a balance of story and action. In some episodes we
have to cut some of the action to help the story and some times we find
it necessary to cut a line or two to keep the action moving. Both are
hard decisions. For example in "One Shall Rise:Part 2," we had to cut
quite a few action shots with Optimus Prime fighting Unicron. The action
was so cool, but we needed to get to the following scenes with Ratchet
and the team joining him in the fight. Maybe the edits will be included
as extras on the upcoming DVD!







Cambria Castle asks: What sorts of
skills/interests does it take to perform the job of a "Production
Coordinator"? Is there something special added to the usual list when
you work on a show like Transformers with a high quality standard and a
serious fan base behind it?



MEREDITH RODGERS: A production coordinator should be someone who has
good organizational skills, is able to juggle several different tasks
and be a positive motivator. I have a Computer Animation degree which
has served pretty useful since Transformers Prime is a CG show. There is
definitely some serious thought that goes into each aspect of the
production. Transformers Prime goes through many different approval
processes. Since the show raises the bar on children's animated series,
we have to constantly up the ante and push the show towards great
storytelling, action packed storyboards, and animation that is out of
this world! We need to make sure that Optimus Prime is pleased with our
work!







Jocelyn Simmons asks: Are you a [Transformers] fan, and if so, for how long and what brought it on?



MEREDITH RODGERS: I have been a fan of Transformers since the
eighties; I grew up watching Transformers G1! I have to admit that what
brought it on was the converting sound. I remember sitting in the
kitchen in my parents' old house and I peeked around the corner to see
my brother watching it. I was hooked! I hope all of you enjoy the show
as much as our crew. We truly enjoy hearing the feedback from the fans.









--Meredith Rodgers is the Production Coordinator on Transformers
Prime. In animation, the Production Coordinator assists with the flow
and details of the production process from pre-production (writing and
design) through post production (editing and sound). As the Production
Coordinator, Meredith helps manage the day-to-day running of departments
(schedules, assignment lists, project review, etc). Meredith is the
soccer mom of Transformers Prime, making sure every episode has what it
needs before heading out the door. She loves working with so many
different kinds of art (sketches, transformations, color scripts, CG
models) to ensure that what Prime artists see in their heads is what
fans see on the screen.





Before this, Meredith lived in New York, working as a Production
Manager/Coordinator on several animated series for Animation Collective.
She also worked as a Design Coordinator at Curious Pictures and painted
backgrounds for Clifford's Puppy Day's at Scholastic Entertainment.
Meredith has a degree in Computer Animation from Full Sail University.