Dominic Bianchi and Mark Hentemann at CCAD, photo by Katlin McNally

Dominic Bianchi and Mark Hentemann visited CCAD on April 29 and gave students a rare peek behind the curtain, showing what goes into creating a weekly, half-hour, prime-time network television program. The fact that they were hilarious while doing it shouldn’t be a surprise; they are, respectively, the supervising director and head writer/executive producer for Family Guy.

Like any good comedic act, the duo knew how to warm up their audience, opening with a montage of clips from the popular series. They then went on to detail the creative efforts that go into producing each episode—a process that  takes approximately 13 months, which means that multiple episodes are in varying stages of development at any given time.

Hentemann shows the writers’ room, photo by Katlin McNally

It all starts in the writers’ room, where Hentemann and his team collaborate on a script that must be ready for the first table read at the end of the week.

“That’s when the first version of the script is finalized and all the actors come in,” said Hentemann.  “We get about 60 people in a room at the table read, and we hear a script on its feet. (We call it hearing it on its feet—it’s performed.) We hear how it sounds, get a good sense of what’s working and what’s not.”

From there the writers will go back and rewrite jokes (aka gags) that didn’t quite work. Hentemann went on to share a few gags that were proposed in the writers’ room but didn’t make the final script—they may not have made it into the show, but they still got laughs from the CCAD audience.

Bianchi talks about the storyboarding process at “Family Guy,” photo by Katlin McNally

“Family Guy is storyboard-based show,” Bianchi said as he began to explain the process for dealing with the artwork on the show, which begins as soon as the audio track of the script is recorded.

“A director and assistant director will have two to three storyboard artists per episode,” said Bianchi. “They’ll take the audio file and listen to it, and go over the script and break it down into different scenes.” The team uses Cintiqs with Toom Boom Storyboard Pro software to begin creating thumbnails of shots for the show, which are then pitched to the supervising director, who makes edits. Bianchi and Hentemann used the episode “Back to the Pilot” (S10, Ep 5) to illustrate this process.

After more editing and rewriting, the team moves to animatics, which (at their most basic) are animated drafts that include sound. There are more rounds of editing and rewrites. At some point color is introduced, and even after that there are rewrites. During this process they also have to work with standards and practices, the network entity responsible for ensuring that a program’s content doesn’t cross legal, ethical, or moral lines that might result in anything from FCC fines to lawsuits or lost sponsors.

Bianchi shared examples of animatics from “Back to the Pilot” (S10, Ep5), photo by Katlin McNally

Anyone who has watched Family Guy can imagine the conversations between the show’a producers and the network. Hentemann read some particularly funny notes they received from standards, including one that involved the word “kleeman”—a word the writers made up to see if the standards office would tag it. They did. However, when producers noted that the word was not in any dictionary and did not actually exist, the standards office had to concede. Unfortunately, after the episode aired “kleeman” became a popular Google search term. When the writers tried to use it again four months later, they were denied, because several online dictionaries had come up with a definition.

The last stage of the production process includes final animation, which is done in Korea and can take as long as four months.

Bianchi and Hentemann ended their presentation with a Q & A that naturally generated questions about how to get a job in their industry. Both men noted that everyone has a different story for how they landed their careers, but Bianchi still offered some advice:

“No matter where you go, what job you are targeting, if you are at a job that you think will lead to that storyboard job (or whatever it is that you want), if you are PA [production assistant] somewhere, be the best PA, have a good attitude, ask questions, be indispensable at that job.”

Michael Goodson (second from left) during an MFA critique, photo by Luke Kramer

By Melissa Starker

CCAD has been raising its profile in Columbus quite successfully over the past couple of years.

But Michael Goodson, CCAD’s director of exhibitions since August 2011, is looking ahead with something much broader in mind.

“My goal with exhibitions and visiting artists is quite simply to bring great contemporary art and artists to the school,” he says. “This will in turn make CCAD a destination for contemporary art—not only for patrons but also for great students and teachers from all over the U.S. and, ultimately, the world.”

Formerly exhibitions director of New York’s James Cohan Gallery and a professor of art at Hunter College, Goodson has also assumed a teaching role at CCAD. He guides students in the MFA program, leading discussions and presentations of their thesis work. But as he explains, “The exhibitions programming and visiting artists are my first thought as I drag myself to consciousness each morning.”

Goodson sees a distinction between his efforts in the classroom and in the Canzani Center Gallery and believes there’s educational value in developing thoughtful programming that doesn’t always fit seamlessly into school curriculum — but his two roles are organically entwined. Each strongly informs the professional development of CCAD’s artists in training.

By exposing students of all levels to the works and real-world wisdom of a stellar assortment of visiting artists, he’s expanding and strengthening personal connections between the student body and the global community of working artists.

Stefan Sagmeister speaking at CCAD as part of the Visiting Artists & Scholars Series on Aug. 30, 2012

According to Ric Petry, director of graduate programs and part of the search committee who hired Goodson, “He has brought an impressive group of artists and scholars to campus who have been meeting with the grad students—Stefan Sagmeister, Benjamin Anastas, Eleanor Heartney, Byron Kim, Donald Moffett, and Chris Ware, to name just a few from last semester. It’s been great.”

With MFA candidates, Goodson also shares the practical experience he acquired from conducting the day-to-day operations of a top-tier commercial gallery, from developing contacts to planning and physically installing exhibitions to marketing artwork.

Petry notes that Goodson has taken these lessons off campus as well. “He has organized grad student visits to New York, where his network has provided studio visits and mentorships with a number of artists.”

At the same time, Goodson has challenged himself, branching outside of his existing network to connect the college with the finest international talents.

“Honestly, I’ve asked things of New York and Los Angeles and Hong Kong galleries since arriving here that have little if anything to do with previous connections through the New York art world,” he explains. “You ask things, respectfully and thoughtfully, and people say yes…sometimes.”

His efforts have yielded a diverse and unassailably impressive slate of exhibitions and lectures for 2013. Among the artists scheduled to make an appearance at CCAD, whether in person or through their work, are Sol LeWitt, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Nari Ward, Jim Hodges, Fred Tomaselli, and Gary Panter, along with author and cultural critic Greil Marcus (Lipstick Traces).

Such notable scores suggest an increasingly prominent role for CCAD in the art world, as well as for the city it calls home. The line-up is enough to whet the appetite of most contemporary art lovers, not just students and faculty, and holds the potential to make the college’s gallery exactly the kind of destination Goodson envisions.

“In my estimation, one reason to live in Columbus is the Wexner Center,” Goodson says. “I think that, given a little time and energy and growth, exhibitions at CCAD might be another reason.”

Trenton Doyle Hancock, photo courtesy Bill Surface

CCAD’s Visiting Artists & Scholars Series will bring in speakers ranging from poets and music critics to sculptors and painters for its spring season.

“Our Visiting Artist & Scholars series has continued to grow,” said Kevin Conlon, CCAD’s vice president for academic affairs. “Having well-known speakers come to our campus and speak on their career and/or in conjunction with exhibitions allows us to engage the community with our programming and events and also with the Columbus arts scene.”

The first artist talk will come from John B. Carls, Jan. 30, 7 p.m. Carls is an award-winning film producer whose credits include the Oscar winning Rango, which won for best animated feature film and Where the Wild Things Are, which was nominated for a Golden Globe. Carls was the executive producer on The Little Bear Movie and Open Season, which he also co-wrote.

Following Carls’ talk will be Trenton Doyle Hancock, Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m. Hancock will be showing his work in CCAD’s project space, Room. Hancock is internationally known for his narrative of the battle between good and evil—executed across a wide variety of media that includes painting, collage, sculpture, print, and the performing arts.

Shortly following Hancock, CCAD will host poet Sharon Olds, Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m. Olds is the author of eight volumes of poetry. Her most recent collection, Stag’s Leap, was published this fall and earned her the T.S. Eliot Prize. She is the first American woman to be awarded, and her work is described by judges as “a tremendous book of grace and gallantry, which crowns the career of a world-class poet.”

Greil Marcus, photo courtesy Thierry Arditti

Following Olds, on March 14 at 6:30 p.m., is sculptor Nari Ward. Ward creates dramatic sculptural installations from material found in his urban neighborhood in New York. His work is included in the exhibition WALL, which will be in the Canzani Center Gallery, Feb. 21–April 4.

Painter Fred Tomaselli will speak on April 4 at 6:30 p.m. Tomaselli first became known for highly decorative, intensively worked paintings that evoked escapism through both their imagery and their materials.

Tomaselli’s exhibition New York Times can be seen in Room, March 18–April 8, and his artist talk will be followed by a reception and an opportunity to view his work.

Sharon Olds, photo courtesy Brett Hall Jones

Greil Marcus will join CCAD April 11. Marcus has been America’s foremost expert on pop music for more than three decades. He is an iconic columnist and the author of classic books such as Mystery Train and Lipstick Traces.

The season will wrap up May 2 and 3 with an exciting duo, the internationally renowned retail design and branding expert Marc Gobé and his daughter, Gwenaelle Gobé. Their visit is part of the CCAD MindMarket’s ThoughtLab and presented with support from the Easton Foundation. More information coming soon.

Presentations are held in the Canzani Center Auditorium and most are free unless otherwise noted.

CCAD’s Visiting Artist & Scholars Series is sponsored by the Skestos Endowment Fund for Visiting Artists & Lectures, Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel, the Ohio Arts Council, and the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

Check out CCAD’s Visiting Artists & Scholars web calendar for full event details.

Add the following dates to your calendar

The days may be getting shorter (and colder), but that doesn’t mean we don’t still pack them full of events! Here are a few things going on that might interest you.

CCAD in NYC Feb. 15

Several CCAD faculty will be in NYC for the College Art Association conference and are planning a get together at 7 p.m. on Feb. 15. Want to meet up with President Denny Griffith, Dean Julie Taggart (class of ’91), Graduate Studies Director Ric Petry, Professor Tim Rietenbach (class of ’77), and more? We are still figuring out a few details, but if you’d like to be kept in the loop, shoot us and email and we’ll make sure you’re updated as we get more info.

Exhibitions:

• Byron Kim’s The Sunday Paintings, open through Jan. 10.
• Donald Moffett’s The Radiant Future and Mr. Gay in the U.S.A. open through Jan. 11.
• Simulacrum open through Jan. 11.
• Scholastic Art Awards: 2013 Central Ohio Regional Exhibition, Jan. 18–Feb. 2
• Sam Martineau’s Fair Touching, Feb. 4–Feb. 21
• Wall, Feb.22–April 5
• Trenton Doyle Hancock’s FIX, Feb. 22–March 14
• To see a full listing of upcoming exhibitions, click here.

Visiting Artists & Scholars:

• Feb. 22: Trenton Doyle Hancock, multimedia artist
• Feb. 28: Sharon Olds, poet
• March 15: Nari Ward, sculptor
• To see a full listing of Visiting Artists & Scholars, click here.

To keep up to date on all CCAD events, check our continually changing online calendar here. Also, check the exhibition page for updated holiday hours.

Add the following dates to your calendar.

Per usual there is a lot going on at CCAD. Whether you’re local or planning a trip back to Columbus, here are a few things coming up that might interest you. Follow links to more information on each event.

It’s Time for HOMECOMING!

Oct. 12-13

Family Weekend & Homecoming

Don’t miss out on hearing from recently retired Dean Richard Aschenbrand (a.ka., respectfully, Fashionbrand); catching up with fellow classmates; celebrating the 2012 Alumni Award for Excellence winner; touring campus (it just keeps changing); and talking with faculty (it’s a lot more fun now that you’re not being graded). You can get a complete schedule on the event page. If you haven’t already, please RSVP.

Also coming up…

Oct. 3-6

Mix 2012: Comics Symposium with Keynote Speaker Chris Ware, learn more and register online.

Dec. 1

CCAD Art sale, sign up dates TBD

Exhibition openings

• Sept. 21: Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan, read more.
• Sept. 27: Todd Slaughter’s American Primitives, read more.
• Oct. 16: Ian Ruffino’s Sleep, read more.
• Nov. 16: Donald Moffett’s Radiant Future and Mr. Gay in the U.S.A., read more.
• Nov. 16: Byron Kim’s The Sunday Paintings, read more.
• Nov. 17:  Simulacrum, a group exhibition, read more.

Visiting Artists & Scholars

• Sept. 28: Roger Martin, design thinking expert (this is a ticketed event), read more.
• Oct. 19: Benjamin Anastas, author, read more.
• Nov. 16: Donald Moffett and Byron Kim, artists, read more.
• Nov. 28: Simulacrum panel, read more.

Check out a full listing of CCAD events online.

Stefan Sagmeister will kick off the Visiting Artists & Scholars series on Aug. 30

Artists, designers, and authors OH MY—CCAD is bringing big names to campus this fall through the Visiting Artists & Scholars series. Speakers range from fine artists and designers to nationally renowned authors.

The college has made a few changes for fall 2012, the most noticeable being the presentations’ starting time. The lectures are now offered in the evening and most are free and open to the public.

“The college has brought some great creative minds to Columbus in the past, but the afternoon time slot for the lectures made it difficult for our alumni and members of the community to take advantage of these programs,” said Kevin Conlon, CCAD’s vice president for academic affairs. “Changing to evening hours means more accessibility for a larger audience, and thanks to wonderful sponsors and grants we are able to bring in a very exciting and eclectic group of artists and scholars this year.”

The series kicks off Aug. 30 with Stefan Sagmeister. A renowned graphic designer, Sagmeister studied in Vienna and New York. After working with Leo Burnett’s Hong Kong Design Group, he returned to New York to work with Tibor Kalman. He then proceeded to form the New York-based Sagmeister, Inc.

Following Sagmeister, multimedia artist Aurora Robson will present Sept. 12. Robson is known for her use of plastic debris, excess packaging, and junk mail as art making material. Her presentation coincides with her exhibition Sacrifice + Bliss at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens from Sept. 9–April 28.

The CCAD MindMarket will bring Roger Martin to campus Sept. 28. Martin is best known in design circles for his book The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage. He has been named one of the 27 most influential designers and the sixth top management thinker in the world.

Martin’s presentation officially launches the CCAD MindMarket, a new creative business incubator on campus. In addition, after the presentation there is an open house to tour the MindMarket and an opening night party with idUS—Columbus’ citywide celebration of innovation and design. Tickets for Roger Martin’s talk are $100 and go on sale Aug. 3. The post-lecture open house and idUS events are free and open to the public. 

On Oct. 19, author Benjamin Anastas will join the list of presenters. Anastas has written two highly regarded novels, and his memoir, Too Good to Be True, will be released in fall 2012. His short fiction has been published in The Paris Review, The Yale Review, and GQ. His criticism and essays have also appeared regularly in Bookforum, The New York Times Sunday Book Review, and The New York Observer.

Artists Donald Moffet and Byron Kim will speak on Nov. 16, coinciding with the opening of concurrent exhibitions of their work in the Canzani Center Gallery. Moffett and Kim will lead an informal conversation about the ideas, catalysts, and context for their art making.

Wrapping up the fall lecture series will be a panel of artists speaking in conjunction with the Canzani Center Gallery exhibition Simulacrum. The panel, Remaking the World, includes Tom Burkhardt, Chris Hanson, Hendrika Sonnenberg, Tony Matelli, and Kaz Oshiro. Eleanor Heartney, an award-winning, internationally recognized art critic who writes extensively on contemporary art, will be the moderator.

Ongoing support for CCAD Visiting Artists & Scholars is received from the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Ohio Arts Council, Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel, and the Skestos Endowment Fund for Visiting Artists & Lectures.

To keep up on all CCAD events and programs, check our online calendar.