Jeff Boddy Talks About "My Giant Robot"

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: Avery Guerra

Back in November I wrote a little story about Jeff Boddy and his "My Giant Robot!" project. If you remember the gist of the project was that twenty lucky kids were being given a chance to design their very own giant robots via computer software. In turn, Boddy was filming the process from concept to 3D CGI, in hopes of producing a documentary film.

Now, our dear friend Avery Guerra has had a chance to corner Boddy and get the inside scoop on "My Giant Robot" straight from his own mouth.

Here is what Boddy told Avery: “I came up with the idea for the film after watching a collection of vintage toy commercials from the 50s, 60s, and 70s…Over the decades, many of the robot ads had the same message: ‘You control what it does!’ Which reminded me of an interview I heard with George Lucas about the original trilogy. Apparently, a lot of kids actually liked Darth Vader more than Han and Luke. Why? He said it was because kids are the powerless, having to look up at the world, and dependent on their parents. So Vader is more heroic in that respect because you know he’s the most powerful. Now this all happened just after 9/11 and I thought it would be a great time to empower some kids through their own creativity. In fact, the logo I designed was based on the idea of one of these creations guarding a city."

“Additionally, the film’s animated sequences allowed me to challenge myself with some 3D and compositing techniques I was eager to learn. The results, which you’ve seen and posted, really helped strengthen my portfolio. So before I finished the film, an opportunity came to relocate from Ohio to LA, where I’ve been able to put my new skills to work."

“In terms of giant robots, I think the highlight of the first year in LA was animating some promotional ideas for Transformers 2! I’ve also worked on trailers and promos for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Bedtime Stories, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and several commercial campaigns. I can tell you that a friend of mine, 3-D artist Chris Schoenman, has begun helping me and we’re in the midst of bringing Parker’s Spidertron to life.”(http://mygiantrobot.com/blog/2003_10_01_archive.html) (See Photo Above)

“He [Schoenman] also shot live action footage of downtown office buildings and tracked in the 3d ‘bot, jumping from rooftop to rooftop — which will be coming soon so….. stay tuned.”

Avery was quick to point out that the project had gone a hiatus back in 2006, but interest generated by my initial article and one by Robert Hood for Undead Backbrain, actually got Broddy back in the mood for restarting the project. (See: http://mygiantrobot.com/)

Broddy is promising to send both us, and Undead Backbrain, a lot of exclusives in the upcoming months!

See: Kids Given A Chance To Build Their Own Mechs Via My Giant Robot!