With the news that the 2016 Botcon exclusives would include show inspired versions of the Tripredacus Council – based on their cameo in the Beast Wars season 2 finale, The Agenda Part 1 – TFW2005 member Verno reached out to Cal Shumiatcher, who directed the episode. Cal was kind enough to share a very detailed answer on the origins of the scene – an answer which we have reproduced here for the enjoyment of our fellow fans of Beast Wars, and all those curious about how things worked behind the scenes on the show.
Read on for Cal’s full response.
Original message from Cal Shumiatcher
Wow – this really came out of the blue. And you’ve picked one of my favourite scenes from the point of view of innovation on a limited budget. One of the great things about Beast Wars was the creative freedom afforded to directors on the show. And of course the amazing scripts made working on this show so rewarding.
This scene was a typical production challenge and I’m very proud of the results.
Here’s what I was given:
1) the design of a massive spaceship – exterior only. Because this was the only scene that ever takes place within the ship, no interior set was ever designed.
2) Three rough character models that had virtually no moving parts.
3) a three page dialogue scene that was important but virtually all exposition. no action.
Hmmm. How to keep the audience awake? As I recall, the Tripredacus Council were essentially putting a hit out on one of our good guys. So I decided to play them like film noir gangsters, sitting in a smoke filled room under a swinging ‘china hat’ lamp. The swinging lamp was supposed to be the only light source in the room and there was to be virtually no ambient light. I was looking for the super high contrast, film noir look – partially because I love the look and partly because there was no set! So I decided that we’d play the interior of the spaceship like a huge cavernous empty space – almost a bottomless pit with the council members floating in space.
So we set it up, and everything was great, except you couldn’t see the character’s faces. The overhead light was casting such hard shadows. So the supervising animator, Eric Reynolds – (who has gone on to supervise animation on movies like Avatar, The Hobbit and The Hunger Games), suggested the Council kind of ‘sign in’ when they arrived at the table by touching a palm reading pad that would illuminate when their identity was confirmed. The glowing pad provided a soft red light on the bodies. Now you have to remember that these were very rudimentary models that were quickly finished and textured. So I can only imagine that some parts of the characters were more reflective than others. We didn’t really plan it, but it looked really cool when parts of them glowed with red, so we went with it. Sorry, that’s pretty much all there is to it.
I love how the scene ends – one character grabs the lamp to stop it swinging and delivers a line I still remember well – “Terminate, with extreme prejudice”. It was so camp, and so cool all at once.
Thanks for your enquiry – and for picking a scene that I remember so well.
kaijuguy19
How do we know that Hasbro would have just rebooted the franchise anyway even if DiDio didn't do what he did?
Verno
Don't think of Beast Machines as a Beast Wars sequel. Think of it as a stand-alone story, unconnected to anything else.
I'm inclined to agree.
Insane Galvatron
This news is all the more reason for them to have been released in the toy colors. That would have made a more interesting combiner, especially with Ravage and Tarantulus.
Newholl
We can thank Dan DiDio for that. That continuity heavy BS of his is why we're now stuck with endless reboots.
Verno
Haha, I'm on the wrong side of the world unfortunately. But yes, a panel of the creative minds behind the show would be great at BotCon.
T-Logicon
Awesome insight. Thanks for posting!
pilotmaster70
Chillz
Ikkstakk
This should be a panel at Botcon. They need to get Shumiatcher there to talk about the show.
And Verno should be the moderator.
Autovolt 127
That would be not only fitting but awesome.
avc-prime
Man BW was so awesome. If you have not seen it please do. It is a shame all these characters were ignored in BM. Don't forget the vok, it is too bad they did not make an appearance in BM since Megatron was a big baddy.
UltraPrimal
Eh. I think you might be taking him a little too literal. For one thing he said "virtually no moving parts" and that this is what he was "given". By who is not clear. Does he mean this what the writer(s) wanted or that this was all he had to work with when he started on the scene.
I take it as they had virtually no original moving parts. The arms for each are probably copy and pasted from existing models. The bodies themselves are relatively simplistic. And as for the heads: while Sea Clamp is almost certainly wholly original, Cicadacon and Ram Horn look too elaborate to be completely new and are likely modified existing heads. Possibly those of Rattrap and Megatron by the looks of it.
Newholl
BW: Tripredacus Council : Terminate With Extreme Prejudice – YouTube
For having no moving parts they sure move a lot!
Dormamu
I am…..informed.
Sorry bad Beast Machines joke.
I love older background stories like this.
Markdelg
I saw those before but never knew who made them. You totally need to make more and sell them. I'd be your first customer.
As for not being able to transform: based on the look of several "protoform" Maximals and Predacons from the TV shows (Tripredacus Council, Megatron's pre-beast robot mode from the first episode, random bots seen on the Council's space station, Nightscream's pre-beast mode, etc.), they all look mostly humanoid. I wonder if they were actually meant to transform at all until they choose a particular vehicle or beast mode (i.e. like Action Masters.)
Unicron9
Pretty cool they are making transforming toys of them.
I made a set a while back but they don't transform.
durroth
didn't we just get a new flamewar from BH Arcee? What's wrong with that one?
Deonasis
I don't know the why of it, but am convinced the Tripredacus Council pressured the production company for time so only simple, uncoloured assets were use for their portrayal in the Beast Wars cartoon.
Chaos Prime
Very nice read.
The Agenda episodes were some of my favorite Beast Wars episodes ever.
IaconStargazer
Cool behind-the-scenes info on such a small but influential scene, and impressive recollection given the episode premiered almost twenty years ago.
The idea of setting it up in a film-noir style came across very well in my opinion. Granted, I haven't watched much stuff like that, but the Tripredacus Council is clearly skilled at the "planning how to tie up loose ends from a mysterious place" thing. That, and more specifically Cicadacon noting that satellite's "accidental" explosion is especially gangster-y.
alphatron10
im hoping that fun pub gains sense and uses the Unite Warriors Groove as the Flamewar attendee exclusive