Blast from the Past #598: November 12, 2002: Fwd: Young TMNT Design, other flashback idea, and Re: Color models on Episode #4, November 14, 200: Re: TMNT episode #4 - additional color model, and November 15, 2002: Re: FW: TMNT Outline - episode 021

Subj: Fwd: Young TMNT Design
Date: Tuesday, November 12, 2002 4:41:48 PM
From: Peter Laird
To:   Lloyd Goldfine

In a message dated 11/12/02 1:08:49 PM, Gary writes:

<< Hey Lloyd,  I defer to Pete on the overall design of a young TMNT, but I
have one element I'd like to throw out to you, Pete and Vinnie.  Does it
make any sense to have the young TMNT wear less "gear", or none at all?  The
logic for this would be that it took a while for them to choose and develop
all their gear, like bandanas, pads, weapons and belt.  Just a thought.
Gary.>>

Lloyd,

I think Gary has a good point. While this is a nice drawing and probably adequate to the task intended, it might be a very good idea to establish a special look for "early" or young Turtles which is similar to, but different enough from, their adult look that if we ever show them in flashbacks again (and I have a feeling we will) the audience will immediately "get" the concept that these are the young Turtles.

In fact, this is exactly what Kevin and I tried to do when we produced our (at least as far as I can remember) only "pre-Teenage" Turtle comic story in issue #13 of the original comic series. This is the one about the kid who becomes the head of the Gosei samurai clan via a mental transference from his dying grandfather via Splinter. In that issue, the Turtles had bandanas which actually were more like skull caps, covering the tops of their heads as well as going over their eyes, as well as elbow pads which looked different.

I'd suggest either of these ideas, and/or possibly giving the young Turtles only their bandana/masks and/or their belts and/or their elbow/knee pads. Perhaps they don't get their belts until Master Splinter decides that they are true ninja (much like in martial arts training you don't get your belt until you've reached a certain point).

--Pete

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Subj: other flashback idea
Date: Tuesday, November 12, 2002 4:55:06 PM
From: Peter Laird
To:   Lloyd Goldfine

Lloyd, 

Just as I sent that last email, I was struck by the thought that it might at some point be fun to do another little flashback to the young Turtles, and show how they ended up with different-colored bandanas -- my idea is that is was Splinter's doing, due to the fact that when they were young he had a hard time telling them apart. (In fact, maybe we could show them all starting out with red bandanas, as a nod to the comics!)

--Pete

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Subj: Re: Color models on Episode #4
Date: Tuesday, November 12, 2002 6:26:13 PM
From: Peter Laird
To:   Lloyd Goldfine

In a message dated 11/12/02 6:00:24 PM, Lloyd writes:

<< Hi Gary -

These helmet designs have already been approved as B&W models.  Adding a
strap or jazzing them up with a graphic will, at this point, cause us
production problems down the line (for example, the storyboard won't reflect
these changed models, the B&W models have already been released to the
studio, etc.).  However, if there are color specific notes you have, we'll
be happy to implement 'em!

Cheers!

Lloyd>>

Lloyd,

I'll have to dig through my ever-deepening pile of TMNT show faxes and printouts to confirm or refute my memory, but I could have sworn the art for Casey's helmet included a strap. If not -- how did we let THAT get by? I suppose from this point forward we should establish the across the board "helmet strap" rule -- "Any helmet meant to be worn by one of characters as protection while operating a vehicle MUST have a chin strap!"

I'm a little confused about the "color specific notes" versus graphics, the former being okay and the latter not. Are you talking about just changing the single color for the helmet -- i.e. making it blue instead of red? Or can we make it multicolored -- which in a way could be a new graphic treatment (i.e. the green with red bandana Gary mentions, or red flames on a green background, etc.)?

I think both bikes are looking cool!

--Peter

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Subj: Re: TMNT episode #4 - additional color model
Date: Thursday, November 14, 2002 6:18:51 PM
From: Peter Laird
To:   Lloyd Goldfine

In a message dated 11/13/02 7:19:45 PM, JoEllyn writes:

<< Dear All:  I am attaching one additional color model for episode #4.  Please
let us know your thoughts and comments on the interior of the Battle Shell
as soon as possible so that we may proceed with production.  Your help in
finalizing this model is greatly appreciated.

Thanks a zillion JoEllyn >>

I think this looks great! One comment/question for consideration: Do they have seat belts in this rig? I think I see one going across the driver's side window at a diagonal, but am not sure. Anyway, just thought it was probably a good idea to have them, and also wondered if it might be cool to have -- instead of the typical one diagonal strap across the chest type -- a double strap in an "X" configuration similar to those found in racing vehicles, and maybe the connecting clasp/lock at the center of the "X" could be a shell shape. Not absolutely necessary, but I thought I'd throw that idea out for consideration.

Also just occurred to me -- would it be fun to give the shift lever knob in the Battle Shell a cool custom look? Like make it look like the leather-wrapped hilt of one of Leo's swords or Raph's sais. Or a shell, or a skull, or an eyeball... or maybe just make it red to stand out from the overall green color scheme of the interior (this might be handy for action in the vehicle where one of the Turtles' hands will be shown going to the stick shift). 

Here's an even wackier idea -- what if Donatello has tricked out the Battle Shell with customized personal settings for each Turtle (you know, like some cars nowadays have memory settings so two people who use the same car can push one button and the seat height and position, etc. will automatically go to their preferences)? He could do this with four different-colored (red, blue, orange, purple, to match the colors of the Turtles' headbands) snap-on knobs for the stick shift, which could be kept in a tray under the dash or next to the driver's seat somewhere. When, say, Leo gets in to drive, he could pop on the blue knob, and instantly get all of his personal settings -- perhaps even including lighting effects, radio station, air conditioning, etc.. Just a thought!

--Peter

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Subj: Re: FW: TMNT Outline - episode 021
Date: Friday, November 15, 2002 12:46:59 AM
From: Peter Laird
To:   Lloyd Goldfine

In a message dated 11/13/02 11:34:38 AM, Gary writes:

<< I'll save most of my comments about #21 until after I read what Peter has to say, but I did want to pass along one overall comment now.  My initial understanding about the action in this episode was that the Turtles would fight floor by floor up to Shredder's Shinto Palace, not sneak in through air ducts, etc.  Also, I had the impression they would encounter different divisions of the Foot and a variety of traps as they moved their way up through the building.  Therefore, my comment/question is, what happened to that cool concept?  Later, Gary. >>

Lloyd,

I agree with Gary -- the bit with the BattleWagon used as a diversion is cool (though is it really totally trashed?), but the rest of the Turtles' entry into the Shredder's HQ is boring and that whole bit with the "duct sweeper" (!) is really pretty silly... and it being the ONLY opposition they face until they get to the top floor and face the Shredder kind of wastes the whole ninja vs. ninja setup we have here. I would much rather have them engage in a running battle with progressively tougher Foot adversaries as they struggle to reach the top and face down the Shredder.

1.) Pg. 4: When the Turtles get back to their lair after being away for so long, and they're all reacquainting themselves with it, I thought it might be funny to have Mike (who's checking out the food situation) get himself some milk and cookies, and just as he's taking a big drink of milk, one of the other Turtles says something like "Hey, Mikey -- you know that milk's a month old...!" (or however long they've been away) upon which Mike gags as he realizes that he's just taken a BIG mouthful of sour, curdled milk! (This is taken from one of my favorite scenes in the movie STRANGE BREW where one of the McKenzie brothers greedily gulps milk from a carton out of a vending machine -- only to have his brother remind him that the power to that cafeteria had been off for weeks.)

2.) Pg. 6: Raph tells Casey "You have to stay here... in case we don't make it back." Uh... why? All four Turtles and Splinter are going -- if they don't make it back, what is Casey supposed to do? 

3.) Pg. 8: Are we going to be able to get away with all this gun use? I thought that was a big S&P  problem.

4.) Pg. 14: What's with the "large metal sphere" which pushes up through the floor, then opens up to reveal Stockman's robot thing? Or is the sphere actually the robot in another configuration? It's unclear as written. If it's the former, it makes the robot seem wimpy -- why does it need help breaking through the floor?
Also, what stage of amputation is Stockman up to here? And are we not going to do the idea used in the comics of him transplanting his brain into a robot body?

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I see no problems with the final draft of Episode 19 ("Tales of Leo").

--Peter