The New Adventures of Zorro<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0was my first assignment at\u00a0<\/span>Filmation<\/span><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span>Rich Fogel<\/span>\u00a0was my supervisor.<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/span><\/p>\n“The Trap”<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\nI started by cleaning up\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Don Manuel’s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>storyboard roughs for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“The Trap.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The experience was both exhilarating and intimidating. The story and the action were fun to stage and illustrate. My drawing ability was barely acceptable. I remember Don’s disappointment in my cleanups. I think he redrew some of my lesser panels which was probably most of them.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zorro_trap_ruff.png” title_text=”zorro_trap_ruff” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Storyboard roughs for “The Trap” by Robert Lamb – 1981<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nRich Fogel<\/span>\u00a0let me try boarding a sequence in\u00a0<\/span>“The Trap”<\/span>\u00a0but it wasn’t used. Still it wasn’t too far off the final animation. <\/span><\/span><\/h4>\nI learned as much as I could in that first board. As you can see below my cleanup was a bit uneven.<\/span><\/h4>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zorro_trap_sb.gif” title_text=”zorro_trap_sb” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Storyboard cleanups for “The Trap” by Robert Lamb – 1981<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#d1d1d1″ text_font_size=”18px” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_margin=”60px||8px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
“Fort Ramon”<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nMy second\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>story to board was\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“Fort Ramon.”<\/strong> Rich Fogel<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>handed me the script and told me to board several pages. After editing and revising my roughs he said go ahead and clean them up. My jaw dropped. I had fully expected to be just cleaning up other artists work for a long time. Then I remembered I wasn’t hired from my drawing but for my ability to visualize a script. So though\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“The Trap”<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>was the first show I worked on,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“Fort Ramon”<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>is actually the first show I boarded. (DISCLAIMER: Scripts were divided up among two or three board artists to meet deadlines. It wasn’t until He-Man and the Masters of the Universe that we got to board an entire script alone.)<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zorro_sabre.gif” title_text=”zorro_sabre” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”141px|||||” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#d1d1d1″ text_font_size=”18px” custom_margin=”150px||8px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
The frustrations with the Standards and Practices censors harping on how weapons were used in the series provoked various retaliatory cartoons that we posted on our walls in the storyboard wing as a catharsis to relieve tension. This is mine.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nAt first I was disappointed to learn that\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>would be sent overseas for animation production, but with\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Blackstar<\/strong>, Hero High<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Shazzam!<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>all in production at the same time there was a real possibility we wouldn’t make our air-dates. However, instead of using other Asian animation producers,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Filmation<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>went with\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Tokyo Movie Shinsha<\/span><\/strong>, which had done\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Space Cobra<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Lupin III<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>at that time. When I saw the final\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>product, I was very pleased.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zorro_mate.jpg” title_text=”zorro_mate” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||7px|||” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#d1d1d1″ custom_padding=”||5px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
My costume designs for Zorro as “Mate.”<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#d1d1d1″ text_font_size=”16px” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_margin=”||8px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Swords and Censors<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nI loved working on\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>having grown up with the Disney tv series starring Guy Williams. I also loved sword fights and choreographing the fight scenes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nUse of weapons in children’s television was a very touchy subject in the 1980s. Guns were necessary in the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Lone Ranger<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>show but no one could be shot, other than shooting something out of someone’s hand. The implication was that the object was hit by the bullet not the villain’s hand. Trick shots that hit objects that then impeded the bad guys were acceptable. You could shoot things not people.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nNetwork censors, known Standards and Practices, put restrictions on anything that could be construed as violent or easily imitated by children. They didn’t like the idea of guns or swords. However,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>had a guardian angel at\u00a0<\/span><\/span>CBS<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in the Saturday morning programming staff. He was a member of the 1976 American Olympic fencing team and enthusiastically supported\u00a0<\/span><\/span>CBS<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>acquiring the series. What’s more, he became the rotoscope model for the stock animation which aided the authenticity of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro’s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>swordfighting scenes. I wish I knew his name to thank him for his contributions.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1981sb_CensorNotes_larger.jpg” title_text=”1981sb_CensorNotes_larger” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#d1d1d1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Zorro’s response to the network censors. Cartoon by Robert Lamb1981<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Filmation Studios – The New Adventures of Zorro 1981 –\u00a0 My First Storyboards – “The Trap” and “Fort Ramon”Featured in\u00a0cereal:geek issue sixby James EatockZorro presentation art – copyright 1981 Filmation Associates The New Adventures of Zorro\u00a0was my first assignment at\u00a0Filmation.\u00a0Rich Fogel\u00a0was my supervisor. “The Trap” I started by cleaning up\u00a0Don Manuel’s\u00a0storyboard roughs for\u00a0“The Trap.”\u00a0The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-94","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/94","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/94\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":194,"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/94\/revisions\/194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
“The Trap”<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\nI started by cleaning up\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Don Manuel’s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>storyboard roughs for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“The Trap.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The experience was both exhilarating and intimidating. The story and the action were fun to stage and illustrate. My drawing ability was barely acceptable. I remember Don’s disappointment in my cleanups. I think he redrew some of my lesser panels which was probably most of them.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zorro_trap_ruff.png” title_text=”zorro_trap_ruff” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Storyboard roughs for “The Trap” by Robert Lamb – 1981<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nRich Fogel<\/span>\u00a0let me try boarding a sequence in\u00a0<\/span>“The Trap”<\/span>\u00a0but it wasn’t used. Still it wasn’t too far off the final animation. <\/span><\/span><\/h4>\nI learned as much as I could in that first board. As you can see below my cleanup was a bit uneven.<\/span><\/h4>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zorro_trap_sb.gif” title_text=”zorro_trap_sb” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Storyboard cleanups for “The Trap” by Robert Lamb – 1981<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#d1d1d1″ text_font_size=”18px” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_margin=”60px||8px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
“Fort Ramon”<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nMy second\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>story to board was\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“Fort Ramon.”<\/strong> Rich Fogel<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>handed me the script and told me to board several pages. After editing and revising my roughs he said go ahead and clean them up. My jaw dropped. I had fully expected to be just cleaning up other artists work for a long time. Then I remembered I wasn’t hired from my drawing but for my ability to visualize a script. So though\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“The Trap”<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>was the first show I worked on,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“Fort Ramon”<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>is actually the first show I boarded. (DISCLAIMER: Scripts were divided up among two or three board artists to meet deadlines. It wasn’t until He-Man and the Masters of the Universe that we got to board an entire script alone.)<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zorro_sabre.gif” title_text=”zorro_sabre” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”141px|||||” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#d1d1d1″ text_font_size=”18px” custom_margin=”150px||8px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
The frustrations with the Standards and Practices censors harping on how weapons were used in the series provoked various retaliatory cartoons that we posted on our walls in the storyboard wing as a catharsis to relieve tension. This is mine.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nAt first I was disappointed to learn that\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>would be sent overseas for animation production, but with\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Blackstar<\/strong>, Hero High<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Shazzam!<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>all in production at the same time there was a real possibility we wouldn’t make our air-dates. However, instead of using other Asian animation producers,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Filmation<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>went with\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Tokyo Movie Shinsha<\/span><\/strong>, which had done\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Space Cobra<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Lupin III<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>at that time. When I saw the final\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>product, I was very pleased.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zorro_mate.jpg” title_text=”zorro_mate” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||7px|||” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#d1d1d1″ custom_padding=”||5px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
My costume designs for Zorro as “Mate.”<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#d1d1d1″ text_font_size=”16px” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_margin=”||8px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Swords and Censors<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nI loved working on\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>having grown up with the Disney tv series starring Guy Williams. I also loved sword fights and choreographing the fight scenes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nUse of weapons in children’s television was a very touchy subject in the 1980s. Guns were necessary in the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Lone Ranger<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>show but no one could be shot, other than shooting something out of someone’s hand. The implication was that the object was hit by the bullet not the villain’s hand. Trick shots that hit objects that then impeded the bad guys were acceptable. You could shoot things not people.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nNetwork censors, known Standards and Practices, put restrictions on anything that could be construed as violent or easily imitated by children. They didn’t like the idea of guns or swords. However,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>had a guardian angel at\u00a0<\/span><\/span>CBS<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in the Saturday morning programming staff. He was a member of the 1976 American Olympic fencing team and enthusiastically supported\u00a0<\/span><\/span>CBS<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>acquiring the series. What’s more, he became the rotoscope model for the stock animation which aided the authenticity of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro’s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>swordfighting scenes. I wish I knew his name to thank him for his contributions.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1981sb_CensorNotes_larger.jpg” title_text=”1981sb_CensorNotes_larger” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#d1d1d1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Zorro’s response to the network censors. Cartoon by Robert Lamb1981<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Filmation Studios – The New Adventures of Zorro 1981 –\u00a0 My First Storyboards – “The Trap” and “Fort Ramon”Featured in\u00a0cereal:geek issue sixby James EatockZorro presentation art – copyright 1981 Filmation Associates The New Adventures of Zorro\u00a0was my first assignment at\u00a0Filmation.\u00a0Rich Fogel\u00a0was my supervisor. “The Trap” I started by cleaning up\u00a0Don Manuel’s\u00a0storyboard roughs for\u00a0“The Trap.”\u00a0The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-94","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/94","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/94\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":194,"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/94\/revisions\/194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
I started by cleaning up\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Don Manuel’s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>storyboard roughs for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“The Trap.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The experience was both exhilarating and intimidating. The story and the action were fun to stage and illustrate. My drawing ability was barely acceptable. I remember Don’s disappointment in my cleanups. I think he redrew some of my lesser panels which was probably most of them.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zorro_trap_ruff.png” title_text=”zorro_trap_ruff” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Storyboard roughs for “The Trap” by Robert Lamb – 1981<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zorro_trap_sb.gif” title_text=”zorro_trap_sb” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Storyboard cleanups for “The Trap” by Robert Lamb – 1981<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#d1d1d1″ text_font_size=”18px” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_margin=”60px||8px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n My second\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>story to board was\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“Fort Ramon.”<\/strong> Rich Fogel<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>handed me the script and told me to board several pages. After editing and revising my roughs he said go ahead and clean them up. My jaw dropped. I had fully expected to be just cleaning up other artists work for a long time. Then I remembered I wasn’t hired from my drawing but for my ability to visualize a script. So though\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“The Trap”<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>was the first show I worked on,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“Fort Ramon”<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>is actually the first show I boarded. (DISCLAIMER: Scripts were divided up among two or three board artists to meet deadlines. It wasn’t until He-Man and the Masters of the Universe that we got to board an entire script alone.)<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zorro_sabre.gif” title_text=”zorro_sabre” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”141px|||||” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#d1d1d1″ text_font_size=”18px” custom_margin=”150px||8px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The frustrations with the Standards and Practices censors harping on how weapons were used in the series provoked various retaliatory cartoons that we posted on our walls in the storyboard wing as a catharsis to relieve tension. This is mine.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n At first I was disappointed to learn that\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>would be sent overseas for animation production, but with\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Blackstar<\/strong>, Hero High<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Shazzam!<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>all in production at the same time there was a real possibility we wouldn’t make our air-dates. However, instead of using other Asian animation producers,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Filmation<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>went with\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Tokyo Movie Shinsha<\/span><\/strong>, which had done\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Space Cobra<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Lupin III<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>at that time. When I saw the final\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>product, I was very pleased.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zorro_mate.jpg” title_text=”zorro_mate” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||7px|||” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#d1d1d1″ custom_padding=”||5px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n My costume designs for Zorro as “Mate.”<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#d1d1d1″ text_font_size=”16px” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_margin=”||8px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n I loved working on\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>having grown up with the Disney tv series starring Guy Williams. I also loved sword fights and choreographing the fight scenes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Use of weapons in children’s television was a very touchy subject in the 1980s. Guns were necessary in the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Lone Ranger<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>show but no one could be shot, other than shooting something out of someone’s hand. The implication was that the object was hit by the bullet not the villain’s hand. Trick shots that hit objects that then impeded the bad guys were acceptable. You could shoot things not people.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Network censors, known Standards and Practices, put restrictions on anything that could be construed as violent or easily imitated by children. They didn’t like the idea of guns or swords. However,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>had a guardian angel at\u00a0<\/span><\/span>CBS<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in the Saturday morning programming staff. He was a member of the 1976 American Olympic fencing team and enthusiastically supported\u00a0<\/span><\/span>CBS<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>acquiring the series. What’s more, he became the rotoscope model for the stock animation which aided the authenticity of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zorro’s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>swordfighting scenes. I wish I knew his name to thank him for his contributions.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1981sb_CensorNotes_larger.jpg” title_text=”1981sb_CensorNotes_larger” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#d1d1d1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Zorro’s response to the network censors. Cartoon by Robert Lamb1981<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Filmation Studios – The New Adventures of Zorro 1981 –\u00a0 My First Storyboards – “The Trap” and “Fort Ramon”Featured in\u00a0cereal:geek issue sixby James EatockZorro presentation art – copyright 1981 Filmation Associates The New Adventures of Zorro\u00a0was my first assignment at\u00a0Filmation.\u00a0Rich Fogel\u00a0was my supervisor. “The Trap” I started by cleaning up\u00a0Don Manuel’s\u00a0storyboard roughs for\u00a0“The Trap.”\u00a0The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-94","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/94","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/94\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":194,"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/94\/revisions\/194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertartwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Rich Fogel<\/span>\u00a0let me try boarding a sequence in\u00a0<\/span>“The Trap”<\/span>\u00a0but it wasn’t used. Still it wasn’t too far off the final animation. <\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
I learned as much as I could in that first board. As you can see below my cleanup was a bit uneven.<\/span><\/h4>\n
“Fort Ramon”<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
Swords and Censors<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n