Transformers Prime Q&A Session: Production Coordinator Meredith Rodgers

Yessie Nieves asks: What are the main tasks you are in charge with as Production Coordinator and how did you get to be part of this awesome project?

MEREDITH RODGERS: My main tasks are overseeing the work of the Production Assistants, implementing the scheduled deadlines per department as provided by my producer and being my Production Manager’s right hand. Some tasks involve design reviews and animation reviews. It's up to me to make sure that information is properly dispersed and executed. Animation is so much fun, but get the wrong color on an Autobot and that’s a big problem! Since Transformers is such a huge franchise we really have to be delicate in designing from the vast lore of the brand. I was very lucky to land this job and for a Transformers G1 fan, it’s awesome!


Michelle Stosez asks: What is the target time frame for each stage of production? Storyboard, VO recording, Editing, PR..etc...? What is the total time frame from pre-production to completion for an entire season?

MEREDITH RODGERS: I can tell you that not all productions have the same time frame. It depends on many different factors to determine the schedule. For Transformers Prime, storyboarding for one episode takes about six weeks. Designs from conception to final art take approximately eight weeks. Records can take up to five hours depending on how many people are recording. Each department also has to do some area of prep which is also figured in and usually several different episodes are overlapping in various stages. Our management team has been in the business for some time now, so I would say that we have a pretty smooth production process.


Cassidy Klassen asks: What were some cool ideas that, for whatever reason, just couldn't be used in the show?

MEREDITH RODGERS: Transformers Prime has a nice story arc that does not usually happen in an animated series. But we all love the action too! There has to be a balance of story and action. In some episodes we have to cut some of the action to help the story and some times we find it necessary to cut a line or two to keep the action moving. Both are hard decisions. For example in "One Shall Rise:Part 2," we had to cut quite a few action shots with Optimus Prime fighting Unicron. The action was so cool, but we needed to get to the following scenes with Ratchet and the team joining him in the fight. Maybe the edits will be included as extras on the upcoming DVD!


Cambria Castle asks: What sorts of skills/interests does it take to perform the job of a "Production Coordinator"? Is there something special added to the usual list when you work on a show like Transformers with a high quality standard and a serious fan base behind it?

MEREDITH RODGERS: A production coordinator should be someone who has good organizational skills, is able to juggle several different tasks and be a positive motivator. I have a Computer Animation degree which has served pretty useful since Transformers Prime is a CG show. There is definitely some serious thought that goes into each aspect of the production. Transformers Prime goes through many different approval processes. Since the show raises the bar on children's animated series, we have to constantly up the ante and push the show towards great storytelling, action packed storyboards, and animation that is out of this world! We need to make sure that Optimus Prime is pleased with our work!


Jocelyn Simmons asks: Are you a [Transformers] fan, and if so, for how long and what brought it on?

MEREDITH RODGERS: I have been a fan of Transformers since the eighties; I grew up watching Transformers G1! I have to admit that what brought it on was the converting sound. I remember sitting in the kitchen in my parents' old house and I peeked around the corner to see my brother watching it. I was hooked! I hope all of you enjoy the show as much as our crew. We truly enjoy hearing the feedback from the fans.



--Meredith Rodgers is the Production Coordinator on Transformers Prime. In animation, the Production Coordinator assists with the flow and details of the production process from pre-production (writing and design) through post production (editing and sound). As the Production Coordinator, Meredith helps manage the day-to-day running of departments (schedules, assignment lists, project review, etc). Meredith is the soccer mom of Transformers Prime, making sure every episode has what it needs before heading out the door. She loves working with so many different kinds of art (sketches, transformations, color scripts, CG models) to ensure that what Prime artists see in their heads is what fans see on the screen.

Before this, Meredith lived in New York, working as a Production Manager/Coordinator on several animated series for Animation Collective. She also worked as a Design Coordinator at Curious Pictures and painted backgrounds for Clifford's Puppy Day's at Scholastic Entertainment. Meredith has a degree in Computer Animation from Full Sail University.