| Bryan Konietzko | Bunny fun time! It's Bryan Konietzko, uh, [Laughs.] I forget what I do on the show. |
|---|---|
| Michael Dante DiMartino | And this is Mike DiMartino! |
| Joaquim Dos Santos | This is Joaquim Dos Santos. |
| Lauren Montgomery | And this is Lauren Montgomery, the first woman [Bryan laughs.] in a commentary of this season. |
| Mike | Unbelievable. |
| Bryan | Sorry. |
| Lauren | I fill the girl quota. |
| Bryan | Sh-shameful of us. |
| Mike | Yes. So... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Joaquim, what do you-explain what you do again. |
| Joaquim | Uh, I am the uh, co-executive producer of the show. |
| Bryan | And that entails? [Mike chuckles.] |
| Joaquim | Uh, executive producing on a uh, co-level, [Bryan and Mike laugh.] along with other producing types, and uh, yeah, that... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] And you work closely with Lauren, and Lauren... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects.] Yeah, just overseeing uh, a lot of the-the storyboards and-and, you know, uh... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] An-animatics, and... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects.] Yeah, all that good sorta stuff, along with-with Lauren; we're-we're sort of like uh, I-I refer to her, me, and Ryu as Producer's Row in the-the back end of uh, the Korra department. |
| Bryan | And Ry-and Lauren, what's your official title? |
| Lauren | Uh, my official title is supervising producer, and uh, I do similar to what Joaquim does, except less important. [Bryan laughs.] |
| Joaquim | Wow. |
| Mike | What's your-what's your unofficial title? [Bryan laughs.] |
| Lauren | Um, my unofficial title is... |
| Bryan | [In the background.] Toy hoarder. |
| Lauren | ... the hater of... [Mike, Lauren and Joaquim laugh.] of rainbows, apparently. [Mike and Joaquim chuckle.] Which is not true, I love rainbows. |
| Bryan | It is not true, yeah. [Joaquim affirms.] If you go into her office, plenty of rainbow colors happening. |
| Mike | So, we-we worked with Lauren on-remember, long time ago, Lauren? Back on the old Avatar series? |
| Lauren | Yeah, long time ago, kids, because we are-we are old. |
| Bryan | I think you were a kid, [Mike affirms.] you were like fifteen or something, [Lauren laughs.] I-I dunno. |
| Mike | And I think we f-we found you 'cause-through Joaquim, right-right, Joaquim? |
| Joaquim | Yes, [Lauren affirms.] I've actually known Lauren since she was a child. [Everyone laughs.] |
| Mike | Wow. |
| Lauren | Not much, but-but yeah, we worked together on-on uh, Justice League, and some things, but he brought me in and it was super awesome 'cause, you know, I, like Joaquim, had been a fan of the first series just watching it on TV, and then getting a chance to work on it was really cool. |
| Bryan | Yeah, you guys, you know, you were on Joaquim's team, right? When he was a-a director. |
| Lauren | Yeah. |
| Bryan | You were one of his board artists, yeah. You guys were a powerhouse of a duo, there; it was awesome. So, yeah, when we um, when we got to do Korra, initially we had a really small crew, uh, for-for Book One, uh, 'cause we were only picked up for twelve episodes, so we could really only afford uh, Ryu and [Laughs.] Joaquim, and then uh, Ian came, he was-he was a veteran from Avatar, and he's now a director; he came and helped out on like storyboard revisions. And then when we got picked up for more, we were very lucky to get Lauren. So-so, was it-was it uh, coming off all the like superhero shows, was it exciting for you, interesting to you to get to work on a show with like a-a female lead in an action series? |
| Lauren | Oh yeah, of course, like um, I would always kinda try to get the female shows or-or movies, I would work on like a Wonder Woman, here and there, um, but they're pretty few and far between when you're working on-on superheroes, which are mainly geared towards male viewers. So, when there was an opportunity to work on a show that has a strong female lead, and it's actually, you know, coming from a show that had a huge female audience, it-it was a really big deal for me, and it was something that I was very happy to be able to jump on. I was jealous 'cause I didn't get to work on the first season, [Bryan chuckles.] but-but then, yeah, so it was awesome that you guys got a second season, and even more awesome that you offered me a place. |
| Mike | Although, I do remember, you did do-didn't you uh, storyboard like a scene with-the-the little racing scene with uh, Asami and Korra? |
| Lauren | Yeah, yeah. |
| Mike | I do remember that now. |
| Bryan | Oh yeah. |
| Lauren | I did just do like a little bit o'-a little bit of freelance work [Mike affirms.] for you guys on season one. |
| Joaquim | And, I may add, a scene that uh, got cut... |
| Mike | [In the background.] Oh right. [Lauren laughs.] |
| Joaquim | ... like an alternate-alternate ending to the original... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Oh! |
| Joaquim | ... first... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] I've completely forgot about-when we thought that Book One might be the end [Mike affirms.] of the whole thing, we had to write in a... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Asami was gonna go off and join the United Forces. |
| Joaquim | Yeah. Yeah, that was a whole scene [Bryan affirms.] where she was [Mike affirms.] like on the boat leaving with Iroh. |
| Bryan | That's right. Well, I think because, you know, we were busy on Book One, and, you know, obviously in contact with Lauren, over workin' on her movies, and stuff, and-and it was like, "oh, you know, who's available for some freelance?" and it was like, "Lauren!" so, we gave you that r-you know, car race scene, and then we were like a couple episodes later, "oh, is Lauren available [Laughs.] for anything?" "yeah, but she said no action," [Bryan, Joaquim and Lauren laugh.] and we were like, "oh, but-but she's amazing at action!" "she doesn't want any action, she just wants people talking," [Bryan and Lauren laugh.] so, then we gave you that end scene, and... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] What... |
| Lauren | [Interjects.] Just hugs. [Mike affirms.] I just want nothing but hugs. [Bryan laughs.] |
| Mike | Yeah, I would say one of your-your highlights this season was all the uh, Varrick drawings you did in the storyboards, making him very lively and exciting and humorous. |
| Lauren | Yeah, Varrick is awesome. Like, originally, before he had his final like dashing design, he was-I just imagined him, like, I would always draw him with like a nice, big old, massive pumpkin head, [Bryan, Joaquim and Mike laugh.] and, like, little like skinny legs; and then I think like Ryu did his design, and he's all handsome, now. [Bryan affirms; Mike chuckles.] But I still draw him like super skinny, that's just-he's stuck in my head that way. |
| Bryan | But we-I-that influenced the design I m-I made. Like any, like, further versions of him, we've-we've kept him nice and lanky, totally influenced by-by your designs. Lauren is also the master of-of hair, especially flowing, [Joaquim affirms.] long, flowing hair, usually worn by the females, [Mike and Lauren chuckle.] female characters. And uh, and also good at cute, little animals, and many-well, really anything; action... |
| Joaquim | [In the background.] All the... |
| Bryan | ... car racing. Um... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] What's your favorite... |
| Joaquim | ... just masterful... |
| Mike | ... what's your favorite thing to do, Lauren? |
| Lauren | I-the cr-the crazy thing is my favorite things are, like, either like death scenes [Mike and Bryan laugh.] or like love scenes; [Bryan laughs.] it's like two extremes, [Mike affirms.] like either things where people are so happy or the things where people [Mike laughs.] are so sad, and like those are the things that I love to do, just, like, I guess the very emotional, like as emotional as you can get. |
| Bryan | I like that stuff, too. |
| Mike | Good to know. [Bryan affirms.] |
| Joaquim | I realize we have not discussed... |
| Lauren | [Interjects.] This episode? |
| Joaquim | ... this episode [Lauren laughs.] at all. |
| Bryan | Oh, I guess that's the... |
| Joaquim | [In the background.] This is some... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Stuff happened in it; I don't remember. [Bryan and Lauren chuckle.] |
| Joaquim | [Refers to Bolin meeting Mako and Asami at the Nuktuk set.] This is some Nuktuk magic going on, right here. |
| Bryan | This is commentary, I guess. |
| Mike | [Refers to the long shot of Bolin hanging upside down, his legs wrapped around a large prop resembling a bird's talons, as the scene transitions from the film crew on set, to Bolin by himself and still in the same position.] Yeah, I did like the little part where they just like left him hanging up, [Bryan affirms; laughs.] with the uh... |
| Lauren | [In the background; laughs.] These are some... |
| Mike | ... with the bird legs. |
| Lauren | ... [Refers to the closeup shot of a scowling Mako as he tries to explain Varrick's connection to the cultural center bombing and Asami's shipments being hijacked.] some good looking Mako drawings, [Joaquim and Bryan affirm.] there. |
| Mike | But what I like about that scene, isn't this-that's the scene you see later on in uh, episode eleven, there's like, the little like, "previously on Nuktuk," [Bryan and Lauren chuckle.] and it was like, "he was sa-you know, he-with the power of his whistling, he escaped, and..." |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] "From the dastardly bird". [Lauren and Mike affirm.] I love that adjective. |
| Mike | So, that's the scene they're filming, right there. [Bryan affirms.] Little-little easter egg, for you. |
| Bryan | That's meta. That's... [Mike affirms; Lauren chuckles.] |
| Joaquim | It's just a little Back to Future II. |
| Bryan | Yeah. [Refers to Korra in profile as Tenzin describes Aang's spiritual journey at the Eastern Air Temple with Guru Pathik.] I-actually, I really like the-the Korra drawing, here; it's very nice. [Joaquim affirms.] Yeah, so... |
| Mike | [In the background.] And then... |
| Bryan | ... this was the last episode Studio Pierrot worked on. [Refers to the shot of the lush Eastern Air Temple garden surrounded by multiple massive, fused trees that Korra and Tenzin meditate in.] Uh, this was a painting by Lauren Zurcher; she is a really talented painter that we added um, along, you know, we've got Emily Tetri and Fred Stewart are-have been our two main painters, uh, but the-Mike and the guys just kept writing more and more and more and more locations, so we needed some more help for all the paintings. So... |
| Mike | [In a mock offended tone.] Don't blame me for that. [Joaquim and Lauren laugh.] |
| Bryan | No, I do. I, [Mike laughs intermittently.] there is a bus that I throw you under every day; it's how I wake up in the morning. And uh... [Lauren chuckles.] |
| Joaquim | [Interjects.] Shot the skunk eye on that one. [Mike chuckles.] Nobody could see that, [Bryan affirms.] but there was skunk eye. |
| Bryan | There was, there was. And uh, yeah, so we-we got to add Lauren um, to the team, and she's awesome. [Refers to the establishing shot of Korra and Tenzin's next meditation location, this time being a plateau, the mountainside below carved into the shape of an Air Nomad's face.] That's a really cool painting by Emily, she was really excited to paint that one. |
| Mike | [Refers to the angled up smoking incense stick fitted through the hole in a rectangular, wooden carved incense burner with the elemental symbol for air inscribed on it.] I love that little prop of the uh, incense holders; [Bryan affirms.] very, very accurate. [Lauren chuckles.] |
| Bryan | And that-that cool uh, location was designed by Angela Sung. Sh-I think it was her idea to put a big, big uh, statue head on there. |
| Lauren | Yeah, whenever we're watching, uh, the finished animation, Bryan will call out, like, paintings, and whenever he says like, "oh, that, that was a Lauren painting," I like to think that someone [Bryan and Mike laugh.] out there thinks that I just did [Bryan and Joaquim laugh.] a painting. |
| Joaquim | There was-there was some confusion, I remember back in the day, between, uh, Lauren MacMullan and Lauren Montgomery, and like, "oh, you're Lauren." |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Yeah, 'cause they were both Lauren M. [Joaquim affirms.] |
| Lauren | Yeah. And now there's a Lauren Z, [Joaquim and Mike affirm.] and, um, my uh, my fiancé's last name starts with "Z". |
| Bryan | Uh-oh. |
| Lauren | So, it doesn't matter which way I go, [Bryan and Joaquim affirm.] 'cause I'm gonna get [Mike laughs.] confused. |
| Bryan | So, we should point out that you also had a big hand in designing Kya, uh, Tenzin's sister. [Joaquim affirms.] And she came out really cool. |
| Lauren | Yeah. It was-she was fun, it was, like, I'd done a couple drawings of her that were, like, I wasn't really sure what she would look like, and then I just remember Mike saying, like, "oh, she's-she's a hippie," [Bryan and Mike laugh.] and then I immediately knew what she would like. And I just, and then it was-it was amazing 'cause I'd basically done just like the one drawing of her, and you guys liked it. |
| Mike | Yeah, you did that cool like hippie kinda hair thing... |
| Lauren | [In the background.] Hippie. |
| Mike | ... I remember. |
| Lauren | Which... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Again, with the hair. |
| Lauren | My hair. |
| Bryan | Always with the hair, yeah. [Lauren chuckles.] Lauren's just, it's kinda like animals that can see like uh, different spectrum, you know, spectrums than we-than humans can see. Like, Lauren can see hair in a way that like [Joaquim laughs.] Mike, Joaquim, and I are blind [Mike affirms; Lauren chuckles.] to. Like, you know. |
| Joaquim | I will say "absolutely blind to it", and like, for me, long hair is just one big clump that moves [Bryan and Lauren laugh.] with the head, and just... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Like clay? |
| Joaquim | Yeah. |
| Bryan | Just like a... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects.] Like, [Bryan and Lauren laugh.] it's like a big sculpture that just moves. |
| Bryan | Everything Joaquim knows about hair comes from his action figures. [Joaquim affirms; Lauren laughs.] Well, speaking of action figures, I've posted a few photos throughout the years, but Lauren, every ti-I don't get back to Producer's Row that often and uh, visit their offices, but every time I walk into Lauren's office, there's about like thirty-one percent more toys [Lauren laughs.] in there, and [Lauren affirms.] if we have a-the big one, you know, if we have an earthquake, it's gonna be a mess in there. |
| Lauren | That's true. |
| Mike | That's the thing, they're very well organized, this isn't just a mishmash [Bryan affirms.] of toys sitting around, they're all-they're all set up with her... |
| Lauren | [Interjects.] They gotta be with their buddies, you know. Can't just... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] And Lauren... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects.] There's a little story going on, [Lauren and Mike laugh.] too, on the desk. [Bryan laughs.] There's like a whole little scenario and a story, and Dragon Ball Z is hanging out with... |
| Lauren | [Interjects.] Well, that's how it gets out of control, [Mike chuckles.] is like I get-I get one, and I'm like, "well, if I just get this guy, [Bryan laughs.] uh, the-I gotta get the rest o' the guys from that series," and then they're all there, and then it just-it's... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] So, there's-there are many, and they're on every available surface, any [Lauren affirms intermittently.] surface that is, you know, horizontal, they're on there. And then some of 'em are quite large, I'd say maybe some of your Sailor Moon ones are gigantic; and then Lauren is very small, [Lauren and Joaquim laugh intermittently.] so when you walk in, especially, you know, with the perspective, she just looks like a little toy. It's kinda like Blade Runner, you know? She's Pris, just hiding amongst all the dolls, you know, it's... [Lauren chuckles.] you always kinda have to find her in there. "Oh, she is here. Talk to her". [Refers to Tenzin being hesitant to follow Jinora's dragonfly bunny spirit friends out of the temple in search of a better meditation spot.] So, this episode's about how Tenzin is no good, [Mike and Lauren laugh.] and his daughter [Joaquim laughs.] is way good. |
| Joaquim | She's the best, and he's the worst. |
| Bryan | And he can't accept it, and his daughter's like, "dad, just accept it, you're no good." |
| Lauren | [Laughs; refers to Bumi telling Tenzin they'll let him know if they need help getting into the "Tenzin World".] I love that "Tenzin World" joke. |
| Bryan | Yeah, it's a good one. [Lauren affirms; refers to Bumi horizontally sliding next to Tenzin from out of frame.] I love the uh, the way he slides in. [Lauren chuckles; refers to the area near the spirit portals, depicted in a more realistic visual style.] Uh, so I think this is the first time we see the, you know, the Korra world version of this uh, Spirit World portal area. We saw this in Wan's [Mike affirms.] flashback, but that was in the stylized, uh, background. |
| Mike | [Refers to Unalaq, Desna, and Eska trying to open the Northern portal by using their bending continuous streams of water.] Yeah, I remember we needed like, you know, since Korra and Tenzin and all them had their own story, we're like, "well, what's-what's going-what's Unalaq doing? What's his-what's he deali-dealing with, right now?" so he came up with this story about now that the-they have one portal open, you know, we're like, "how-how could he try to open this... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] 'Cause he bluffed. |
| Mike | ... portal." |
| Bryan | Yeah, he bluffed to [Mike affirms intermittently.] Korra; like, he-he really did need her to open the second portal, and, you know, when-when she figured out the obvious, [Laughs.] that he was a bad guy, he uh, no longer had her. So... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] But it seemed like, you know, legitimate idea to, since mo-throughout history, no one has ever had bending inside, or at least in the last ten-thousand years, [Bryan affirms.] haven't-they haven't had bending inside to try a little uh, bending on the portal, see what happens. |
| Bryan | [Refers to Unalaq's pronounced scowl after his spiraling ice drill has no effect on the sealed portal.] I like-I like this Planet of the Apes uh, Unalaq, right here, when he fails. [Mike chuckles.] He's just like "argh". |
| Joaquim | And his id-idea would-would have... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] "Doctor Zaius!" [Lauren laughs.] |
| Joaquim | That's totally it. [Bryan and Lauren laugh intermittently; refers to Unalaq's waterbending form when he was leaning forward and thrusting his arms out.] Looked like he was doing a little bit o' Jazzercise, there too, when Unalaq was opening it up, his technique. |
| Bryan | [Refers to Varrick talking to Mako in a room where part of the floor has been replaced with a bed of hot coals, the simmering embers casting everything in an orange color.] I love this... |
| Lauren | [In the background.] Oh... |
| Bryan | ... this sce-this scene's really fun. |
| Lauren | ... this is a good scene. I think Colin did a... |
| Joaquim | [In the background.] This is Colin. |
| Lauren | ... pass on this scene. |
| Joaquim | I remember seeing like an all red [Lauren affirms.] storyboard. [Mike chuckles; Bryan affirms.] |
| Lauren | And he'd... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects.] Bright purple. |
| Lauren | He lighted it. |
| Bryan | Colin-Colin loves bold color. [Lauren chuckles; refers to Varrick showing Mako the discolored fungus growing on his left foot.] He uh, that's-that's some disea-sease... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] That design is pretty nasty, too, this... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Oh, dude, I, [Joaquim and Lauren laugh.] when I had to approve that design, Christie Tseng gave that to me, I was just like, "oh, whatever, I don't wanna see this," and then the color model came, [Joaquim laughs intermittently.] and ugh! I think Sylvia colored it green, and I was like, "no!". And then-but then I was like, "man, I don't even know what color foot fungus really is," [Laughs.] so I had to look online. [Lauren laughs; Mike affirms.] |
| Joaquim | Oh, why? |
| Bryan | And I was like, "oh, why did I that? [Lauren and Bryan laugh.] I coulda made it any color, it's a cartoon!" |
| Mike | Yeah, we kinda have this ongoing thing with Varrick and his foot hygiene issues. [Bryan affirms; Lauren and Mike laugh.] He s-he seems like a clean man, but I don't know. |
| Bryan | Every... |
| Mike | [Interjects; refers to Varrick firewalking to try and get rid of the fungus.] He's got some issues with his feet. |
| Bryan | [Refers to when Varrick asks Mako if he knows that Varrick knows that Mako knows about Varrick knowing something regarding the attacks on Varrick's ships.] Every time I watch this scene, his dialogue cracks me up. It's so like brilliantly labyrinthine, [Mike and Joaquim laugh.] like it just, like, he really is good at being an ambiguous, [Mike affirms.] like chaotic neutral, quasi-bad guy/good guy. [Brief pause; refers to Varrick smiling at Mako as he tells the police officer that, if the two of them don't work together, something could happen to Asami and Bolin.] He's kinda-I like how he's kinda creepy sometimes, he's-he's a little weird. |
| Mike | [Refers to Varrick returning to his firewalking.] And then with the... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects; laughs.] He's going right back to it. [Lauren and Bryan chuckle.] |
| Mike | Yeah. You gotta do a couple passes, [Joaquim laughs.] or one pass won't clean it up. [Refers to Bumi naming his new dragonfly bunny spirit companion "Bum-Ju".] And then we get to meet Bum-Ju, who's like, we were calling him like "the Wilford Brimley bunny". [Bryan affirms; Lauren laughs.] |
| Joaquim | [Laughs.] He is... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] He's got like the Wilford Brimley moustache. |
| Joaquim | ... diabetes bunny. |
| Bryan | Yeah. [Mike laughs.] He is a cutie. [Joaquim laughs.] |
| A brief pause in commentary until Kya reassures Jinora that her father is not angry at her, but is more so frustrated that he doesn't share her connection to spirits. | |
| Bryan | [Imitates Kya.] "'Cause he's no good." [Everyone laughs.] |
| Mike | This uh... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects; imitates Kya.] "He's always sucked." [Bryan and Joaquim laugh.] |
| Mike | [Refers to Korra and Jinora talking about their respective spiritual experiences with Wan as they fly on Oogi.] One of our-one of our classic fly-and-talks. [Lauren and Mike laugh.] |
| Bryan | Those are easier than the walk-and-talks, [Mike affirms.] yeah, [Lauren affirms.] this is a b-much more like the old Avatar series where they're flying. [Brief pause; refers to the long shot of Oogi flying by the massive waterfall flowing out of a hole in one of temple mountains.] I don't know how the water gets up to the air temple mountain. It's not like it's covered in snow right now. [Joaquim affirms.] Maybe there's a crazy... |
| Joaquim | [In the background.] There's like... |
| Bryan | ... spring. [Lauren affirms.] |
| Joaquim | Yeah, natural spring. |
| Bryan | Girdles up. It's like a giant water fountain. |
| Joaquim | It's a geyser up there that... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Waterfalls are magic to me, anyway. [Bryan and Lauren laugh.] Even in real life. |
| Joaquim | I really-yeah, I don't [Mike chuckles.] know-I don't know how it all works. |
| Bryan | Well, usually it's from snowmelt, [Mike gives an affirming murmur.] and uh... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] No, I know, but seems like a-ah, whatever. [Bryan laughs.] |
| Joaquim | If we could-to me, it just seems like we're wrong. [Mike chuckles; Lauren affirms.] |
| Bryan | We're just gonna show how stupid [Lauren laughs.] we are if we-if we take this any further, [Joaquim laughs.] we show how little we know, and... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Waterfalls are Magic. [Lauren laughs.] |
| Bryan | ... and, [Laughs.] and why we work in animation and not in... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] The name of my memoir. [Lauren and Joaquim laugh.] |
| Bryan | [Laughs.] Oh man. |
| Joaquim | When I was a kid... |
| Bryan | [Interjects; refers to the shot tracking along with the dragonfly bunny spirits as they fly toward the overgrown airbender meditation circle.] Look, bunny butts! Very cute. Sorry, go ahead. |
| Joaquim | When I was a kid, I-I-I thought there was a beginning to the freeway; just so everybody's clear, like, I just thought [Mike chuckles.] there was a leader at the beginning of the traffic on the freeway, [Bryan and Mike chuckle.] and in my mind when I'm going to work every day, I still believe there's a guy at the beginning of the traffic. |
| Bryan | Well, I still think when we're in traffic, if everyone just all decided to move forward at the same time... |
| Joaquim | [In the background.] We'd get somewhere, yeah. |
| Bryan | ... we could move, you know? But I guess there're people at stoplights uh, on the offramps that might get... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects.] Ah, who cares about them. |
| Bryan | ... might get jammed. So... [Refers to when a colony of dark spirit bats erupts out from underneath the meditation circle.] so, yeah, we're getting close to this uh... these crazy bats, and when the guys wrote this, I'm throwing Mike under the bus again... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Hey, Josh wrote this episode. |
| Joaquim | Skunk eye, right there. [Mike chuckles.] |
| Bryan | Well, you guys all, you know, it's a collaborative effort, but you were like, "a swarm of bats". It's very hard to animate, so luckily uh, we've got some-some help from the Nick uh, I think Nick CG Core team, [Refers to the CG modeled dark spirit bats darting around as they swarm together.] and so we did these uh, little CG dark spirit bat guys that're really cool and, sadly, you don't ever see one up close, but I-I was pretty happy with their design. They have a-they have like a mouth on the top of their head that's sideways, or it's... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Yeah, they're... |
| Bryan | ... vertical. [Joaquim gives an affirming murmur.] |
| Mike | ... pretty creepy looking. [Bryan affirms.] But they're moving around f-quick. [Joaquim affirms.] |
| Bryan | These-you'll never know. [Mike affirms intermittently.] I think we're gonna put them in the art book, though. |
| A brief pause in commentary until the dark spirit pats pour out of from underneath the meditation circle, a cacophony of high-pitched shrieks reflecting the size of the swarm. | |
| Mike | Yeah, I like the-Ben did a cool sound design, screechy bat sound [Bryan and Joaquim affirm.] for these guys. |
| Bryan | No, it came out cool. [Refers to the mass of dark spirit bats moving through the air in a stream.] They-the uh, the Nick CG artists did a cool like um... flying cycle, like a wing flapping cycle on them that, you know, we repeated, and then they, it's crazy that-I don't really know how it all works, but they made like a spline that uh, the artists overseas could-they could direct the path, and then this... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects.] The mass would kinda follow the spline. |
| Bryan | ... the-yeah, the mass would follow it and randomize. |
| Joaquim | It's really cool. It came out, I mean, we were worried even through the boards, 'cause I remember this was like a classic case of the big pixel brush in our storyboarding program just on repeat a million times. |
| Bryan | [Laughs.] Yeah. |
| Joaquim | And uh, we were kind of worried about the-the amount [Bryan affirms.] even with the boarding phase. |
| Bryan | I like uh, a lot of the water effects are nice in this sequence; [Refers to the high angle long shot when Korra, partially obscured by the whirling mass of dark spirits, gracefully bends streams of water through the air.] that down shot where she pulls up the water, really beautifully animated. [Refers to the oscillating, ringing sound that plays as Korra spiritbends the dark spirit bats, wrapping them in streams of glowing water.] And then, yeah, another cool sound from Ben, this sort of resonant sound that he does for like spirit-y, energy stuff. [Refers to the dark spirit bats dissipating into glowing specks of light.] Man, I've bee-I've been watching a lot of uh, shows about astronomy stuff, which I find very interesting and I understand very little, but uh, you know, this whole, like, energy, all matter comes from energy, and all, you know, and it can go back to energy, and uh, I was like, "you know, there's some pseudoscience that we can apply to uh, we can say works," 'cause I always wondered like what are the spirits? Are they just a kinda ghost that's see-through, but has no eff-you know, but wi-ours tend to have a, you know, effect on matter. Like, they-they can knock you over, [Joaquim affirms.] they can smash through things, but kinda makes sense that they're this like projection of pure energy that can sort of can-phase, you know, into matter and, I don't know, something like that. And the portals are just spewing pure energy, I don't know. |
| Mike | Well, yeah, 'cause when Korra like turns them light, like she's not just destroying them, like they just transform into this different type of energy that... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] It's sort of uh, it's sort of a-an enigma; what are, you know, [Mike chuckles.] do they retain their essence? Do they retain their identity? Do they reform as a different spirit? Are they uh, just reabsorbed into the cosmos? What-what, Mike? Tell me! |
| Mike | Maybe. I don't know, man. |
| Joaquim | Where do they go? [Lauren chuckles.] |
| Bryan | Gotta get Stephen Hawking on this. [Mike affirms.] The-the science, [Laughs.] the physics of... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Of the Avatar universe? |
| Bryan | ... of-of Korra, yeah. Or-or that Krauss guy that wrote The Physics of uh, Star Trek, we'll have to get him [Mike chuckles.] on the case. [Joaquim chuckles.] He'll be like, "it's like a one page, [Joaquim laughs.] it's a pamphlet." |
| Joaquim | "Nothing makes sense." |
| Bryan | He's like, "it's-nothing makes sense, [Joaquim chuckles.] it's a fantasy series." |
| A brief pause in commentary until Mako and Asami's kiss in the former's apartment is interrupted by Lu banging on the door, with Gang and Lin in tow. | |
| Mike | These guys always ruin the moment. [Bryan laughs.] |
| Joaquim | They really do. [Lauren laughs.] |
| Bryan | I love this [Laughs.] scene. [Mike laughs.] Oh man. |
| Mike | [Refers to Lu when mispronounced Mako's name by elongating the "A".] And they still never learn Mako's name. |
| Bryan | [Laughs; elongates the "A" in "Mako".] "Mako". So, that is because whatever name, you know, some of the names, Mike and I make up; some we derive from, uh, real names, you know, from our world, and-and some our just straight names from, you know, from our world and from different, you know, cultures, and stuff. And-and "Mako" is, obviously, Japanese name, and-but it doesn't matter what name, what the origin is, whatever it is, the actors say it differently than we've decided it's gonna be said. You know, Sokka, everyone says [Elongates the "O" in "Sokka".] "Sokka", um, Mako, [Elongates the "A" in "Mako".] everybody said "Mako". So, uh... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Yeah, when the actor came in, yeah, usually we correct them, and then-but the actor who played uh, Lu or Gang, I forget which guy [Bryan laughs.] did it-did it first, [Elongates the "A" in "Mako".] said Mako, and I was like, "oh yeah, they should just call him [Elongates the "A" in "Mako".] 'Mako'." [Joaquim laughs.] |
| Bryan | Oh, I thought that was like a joke that like you g-you guys came up with. |
| Mike | No, it was in ah, I think it happened in the recording... |
| Bryan | [In the background.] Oh. |
| Mike | ... 'cause we were like, we hadn't thought about it, and then we're like, "but if anyone's gonna mispronounce Mako's name, it's these guys, [Bryan laughs.] 'cause they have such little respect for him." |
| Joaquim | I'm gonna-I'm gonna throw Lauren under the bus here... [Mike chuckles.] |
| Lauren | [In the background.] Uh-oh. |
| Joaquim | ... for a second, and I remember being in a couple pitches in the early Avatar days, and her saying [Elongates the "O" in Toph.] "Toph"... |
| Mike | [In the background.] Oh. |
| Lauren | Uh-oh. |
| Joaquim | ... and I'd say Toph, then you guys would always say Toph, and finally she's like, "whatever!" [Everyone laughs.] |
| Bryan | Awesome. [Refers to Bumi poking a prone, meditating Tenzin with a long stick.] This always cracks me up, too. [Refers to Bumi following up by asking Tenzin if he's in the Spirit World yet; Bryan and Lauren laugh.] |
| Joaquim | [Brief pause; refers to Tenzin bending small currents of wind around the stick and throwing out of Bumi's grasp.] That was great. [Lauren chuckles.] |
| Bryan | Tenzin's fancy, little stick throw. [Imitating and referring to Kya gently telling Tenzin that he can't be Korra's guide to the Spirit World.] "It's okay, Tenzin. You're just-you don't have any useable [Laughs.] skills." [Lauren chuckles.] |
| Mike | Tenzin's, you know, he's a good mentor but maybe not the guy for the job, you know? |
| Joaquim | Yeah. |
| Bryan | [Refers to Tenzin refusing to let Jinora be Korra's guide, citing his years spent studying the Spirit World.] His-his-he just, you know, he is on his own spiritual journey, and uh, his intellectualism and his ego seem to be hindering his... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Yeah, exactly. |
| Bryan | ... his-his... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects.] But that's, yeah, that's his lesson. |
| Bryan | ... development, yeah. Big difference between knowing and doing; think that's what he has to learn. |
| Lauren | [Refers to Jinora holding onto Tenzin's hand and telling him that she can guide Korra into the Spirit World, reassuring him that she'll be alright.] I feel some hugging coming on. [Mike and Joaquim laugh.] |
| Bryan | Man, I-I-it is probably already out there, but someone needs to make a GIF set of all the hugs in The Legend of Korra becau-and, man, wait 'til you see Books Three and Four; hugs galore. [Joaquim and Lauren chuckle.] Hugs-hugs upon hugs. Hugs at the beginning of the scene... |
| Lauren | [In the background; refers to Jinora hugging Tenzin after he relents.] There we go. |
| Joaquim | There it is. [Lauren chuckles.] |
| Bryan | ... and then also at the end of the scene. [Mike affirms.] |
| Lauren | [Refers to Jinora reassuring her father after he finally admits his spiritual shortcomings, while Tenzin says he's proud of her.] Aw. It's very sweet. |
| Bryan | I like hugs. |
| Mike | See, how many hugs do you see in, you know, the Justice League? Probably not that many. |
| Joaquim | That's true. |
| Lauren | There's not a lotta huggin'. [Mike laughs.] |
| Joaquim | Not a lotta hugs. |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Well, it's interesting 'cause, you know, I've been going over to Korea for over a decade now, well over a decade, and I come from a pretty big hugging family, we-we-big family, we tend to hug a lot, so I would say it's in my culture, but hugging, not so common in uh, the Korean culture, and, you know, I've got some friends that I've known for a long time over there, and I would like go to hug them, [Laughs.] and they would just give me the like, "ugh!". [Joaquim and Lauren chuckle.] They would like to turn to... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects.] Uncomfortable. |
| Mike | [Imitates Bryan's friends.] "What do I do in this..." |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Yeah, like, "ugh!". And I kinda knew it, but I'd already committed to the hug; I was already going in, I'm like, "oh man, this is gonna be bad". So... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects.] That's when you just gotta go like full Chris Farley, and pick 'em up and... [Makes a grunting noise as though he was throwing someone; Joaquim and Lauren laugh.] |
| Bryan | [Laughs; refers to the background of the meditation circle behind Korra and Jinora illuminating and blurring out of focus before coming back into detail, revealing the abnormal landscape of the Spirit World.] So, that was a cool transition into the Spirit World um, that uh, Jeff and Matt and-did some cool like effects with Korra and Jinora were meditating, sorta morphed the background, and uh... |
| Mike | [Interjects; refers to Unalaq apologizing to Vaatu, peering through his prison in the hollow of the tree between the two portals, saying that he cannot open the Northern portal without Korra.] So, this-I think this is the first time you see that Unalaq is in full cahoots with Vaatu. |
| Bryan | Yeah. Yeah, and we get to see Vaatu in the, again, he looks the same, but we're seeing him in Korra's-the kinda-the real world, not the flashback world. [Refers to the episode concluding with Vaatu telling Unalaq that Korra is still alive and has just entered the Spirit World.] Dun-dun-dun. |
| Joaquim | Is this the first time that we see him there? |
| Bryan | Yeah, I mean, we s-we jus-we just only saw him in the stylized flashbacks. So, great job by Josh, Colin, and everybody. |
| Joaquim | Yeah. Everybody killed it. |
| Bryan | Yeah. So, thanks, Lauren, for joining us. You got a little quiet in the end; sorry, I guess we... |
| Lauren | [Interjects.] It's A-okay. [Joaquim and Mike laugh.] |
| Bryan | [Laughs.] Anything else you wanna add, Lauren? While we have you? |
| Lauren | Ugh, not a thing. [Joaquim and Mike laugh.] I am coming back for another one, though. |
| Bryan | Alright. |
| Mike | Stay tuned! [Laughs.] |
| Lauren | So... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Good. I'm glad. |
| Lauren | ... I'll be just as quiet in that one. [Bryan, Mike and Joaquim laugh.] You can look forward to it. [Mike chuckles.] |