The Energon Pub

Hey guys,

Ben Procter, lead robot illustrator on Transformers Movie, agreed to do an interview with me for the site. Do you have any questions in particular for him? Maybe some career type questions as well as some movie related questions. Here's his IMDB page: http://imdb.com/name/nm1929546/

Any serious questions you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I'm not the greatest on writing up interview questions!

Thanks in advance, my friends.

Ryan

1) It seems that the robot modes of the transformers were designed without concern that they could actually transform into anything. For instance, one of Frenzy's design drawings even saids something like "Alternate form: TBD" From a "mechanical engineering" perspective, which of the detailed robot CGI models could actually transform into their vehicle mode without "cheating"?

2) Scorponok has detailing on his back from a Pave-low helicopter. Is he meant to transform into part of Blackout's helicopter mode? If so, which part? If not, why are those details on Scorponok?

Graz73's Scorpinok question seconded.

Also, will there be any more robot designs similar to Scorpinok in later films? Such as the same style of robotic creature used for Dinobots or characters from the Beast Wars series, such as BlackArachnia?

Do you feel the Transformers on-screen designs transfered well into the figures? Are the figures, especially within the smaller less detailed Deluxe class, how you would have imagined them In your head back when designing them?

(May add another)

Firstly man, I have to hand it to you and your colleagues for really being the very reason that Transformers was a success. You created magic.


I want to ask what influences you drew upon to design some of the decepticons. Many complained about the lack of facial identification with Decepticons such as Blackout and Brawl. Was it your intention to make the Decepticons almost "featureless"?
The Autobots seemed to be a perfect movie translation image-wise from the G1 cartoon into a realistic world. Did you have the G1 look in mind when designing the Autbots or did you want it to be completely different?

Lastly, were there any designs or footage that you personally liked from an artistic point of view that was rejected?

Again, cheers for making some very quality looking robots.
BONECRUSHER!!!!!! (Needs much more screentime!)

Here's a few questions...

1) One thing a lot of fans have noticed is that the Decepticons have insectoid faces, while the facial designs of the Autobots look like various mammals. Was this a decision made early on in the process, or something that developed as it was being worked on? For that matter, was it completely intentional?

2) When you first took on the assignment, did you realize what an active(and borderline crazy) fan base Transformers had?

3) How did you react when the designs first started leaking, and the reaction was strongly negative? Did you feel vindicated by the more positive response to the movie after release?

4) You've worked with some major talent in the industry... Bay, Tim Burton, Bryan Singer, Steven Spielberg and now James Cameron, with Avatar. How closely do you tend to work with the directors? Anyone you've yet to work with that you'd like to?

5) What would be your dream project?

6) What character would you most like to work with if you came back for Transformers 2?

7) How did you end up getting into the industry, and what would you recommend to people who are interested in doing this kind of work?

Hopefully these help!

Congrats on those designs! I've seen your webpage and I do envy you a lot. Yours really is a dream job.

I know it has been a collaborative effort from the design team, but you've worked a lot with Optimus, Bumblebee and Frenzy.
Question 1: Can you tell us who was the "parent" of each character? (as in "you're Bumblebees daddy"...)


I'm very intrigued with Barricade, especially it's transformation. Hasbro's toys transform more or less as the movie CG version, but I believe Barricade's toy has his arms backwards.
Question 2: In the car prop, the "punish and enslave" AND the 911 decals are near (in the back). However in the CG and other art, when in robot mode the "punish and enslave" legend shows on his shoulders, but the 911 letters are near his wrists... with the white door between them ¿How can this be? ¿Isn't the CG model detail wrong, since it would be the purple decepticon logo what should be near his wrists?


I'm surprised no one asked this...
Question 3: I know it's VERY early to speak about a sequel, but what would you expect in a sequel?


Thanks!


If you decide to do a book with the rest of the team, I'd love to see the detailed transformation sequences for each character. Again, keep up the good work!
If you could post even more detail of your transformers work in the web (especially other characters), it would be great!

I got one:

While I loved the designs, just about everyone associated with the movie said the more boxy, classic TF look wouldn't translate well to the big screen. Micheal Bay himself said he'd love to show the fans this. My question is, will we get something showing us that this is true, say like an extra on the DVD or something? Maybe a scene cut with a classic looking TF rendered and interacting with an environment or something.

break that down a little more
1. what brought you into the graphic design industry.
2. what influences affected your design of the transformers?
3. There was talk in many interviews and forums of a 'formula' used for the development of each character, and with the idea that there should be no mass shifting, would this formula have values representing the potential for volume shifting, as many of the trasformations seem to involve a very advanced take on origami...
4. how does the desgin process in this particular case work for you and your team?
Do you start with the base alternate mode and start dissasembling the frame and then reassemble it? or is the reverse process more effective?
5. does the desing process in either of these methods work better with hand drawn methods or digital assembly?

Thanks,

Love the work on your page, especially the prototype Starscream.

1)Would I be right in assuming that the designed were partially influenced by incects (especially the faces)?

2)will there be major, minor, or no changes to the characters designs for the next movie?

3) If there will be some kind of changes, will the reasoning behind these changes be integrated into the plot?

keep up the good work!

1) Did you read the script or were you briefed on the specific plot points before designing the robots? If so, how did the plot influence the look of the Transformers?

2) Did you design the Transformers with a specific transformation process in mind?

3) Did you decide on the Transformers' weapons, or was that decided by someone else, for story purposes?

4) How many different designs had you created in all? Are they all on your site, or are there some that are being conserved for a possible sequel, or behind-the-scenes art book?

5) What did you think of your Arcee design being cut from the early drafts?

6) If you could chose one vehicle to use to design a new Transformer, what would you pick?

ive got one

For TF2 have there been any requests from the producer of other transformers to return?

When designing the transformers, did you try to give them a newish look or did you want to keep them as much to what they were like in the animated transformers?

Why was Optimus Prime given the flame deco instead of his G1 colour scheme? Will he receive the G1 colour scheme in the sequel(s)?

optronix91 wrote:Why was Optimus Prime given the flame deco instead of his G1 colour scheme? Will he receive the G1 colour scheme in the sequel(s)?

no i like the new deco, withh the flames!! I would also love to see the g1 scheme, i love em both

Grate jog you did on designing them, it must have been real painful drawing them!

1)Why do the Transformers have toes?

2)Why didn't most of the Transformers have hands but clows and pincher?

3)How does Megatron form his canon, it looks more like the metal turns into somekind of liquid and moves into the front then parts folding out.

4) Do you think it is posible to create triple changers in this new stile?

5) Will you give Soundwave and Shockwave (if they ever apear in the line) faces that look a lot like G1 ore wil they be as strange as in part one?

6) Are there any designs you did, that if you look at them now make you glad they wher not used?

7) Wehre the designs based of the human body, I mean all them fine bits of metal acting like mussels and bones.

Follow-up question for Mr. Procter. Hopefully, this will end an ongoing argument I seem to have with fellow fans regarding his Arcee design.

Were the two models on the left designed to be a protoform for Arcee? Unlike the design on the right, they are noticeably devoid of bike parts (like the wheels), were they designed with a "pre-earth" style in mind?

1) was there a character design that didnt make the cut.
2)if jazz comes back will he have a new paintjob, car mode,robot mode.

3. did you come up a concept design for prowl or other transformers

4.did you agree with the vehicle forms or you had somthing else in mind.

5.why was an unfamiliar roster for the decepticons chosen
except for starscream and megatron , why not thundercracker,skywarp,soundwave,shockwave.

What part of Blackout (robot or helicopter mode) is Scorponok supposed to be?

Dear Mr. Procter, why do you hate faces ?

1.When the transformers, particularly optimus change into their robot forms in the movie, the exterior vehicle "peices" on their bodies look like they've been bent or more contoured to their robot forms than they would if they had remained the same shape from the vehicle mode. Is this true? i noticed after comparing the toys to the movie pictures.

2. is there anything you would have changed in the finished movie?

Why dosn't Optimus Prime have his trailer in the movie will he get it in the second movie?

OK, this thread's been here forever. WHEN will Ben answer these questions???

Hmm... Now that I've watched the DVD features...

1. I heard that using red as the primary color of the robots wouldn't "look good" on the screen (reason stated for not having Prime use lots of red). Why, exactly, is this?

2. What's your favorite "robot part" that people will never notice or be able to see?

3. Have you been brought on board to work on new designs for TF 2 yet?

4. I noticed that there's no "transformation in mid-air" style transformations (other than in arial combat). How hard did that make things from a design aspect (as everything had to be kept on the ground)?

5. What's your favorite design element that never saw the light of day?

6. Were you happy with the way that Ironhide turned out on screen? While he has some great detail, a lot of it disappears due to his all black color scheme.

7. How has work on this project helped you in advancing your own career?

dalekblaster wrote:

optronix91 wrote:Why was Optimus Prime given the flame deco instead of his G1 colour scheme? Will he receive the G1 colour scheme in the sequel(s)?

no i like the new deco, withh the flames!! I would also love to see the g1 scheme, i love em both

The reason was, and this is completely true, because it was a homage to Rodimus Prime/Hot Rod. A tribute to good ol Roddie-kun.

Is thundercracker going to look like this?

I have a question...

Mr. Procter, are you ever actually going to be interviewed?