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Like the characters Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford play in the new sci-fi western, "Cowboys & Aliens," illustrator and animator Ryan Woodward is quick on the draw. Not with a six-shooter, of course, but with a computer drawing tool.
The 39-year-old filmmaker and busy Brigham Young University professor makes animated short films and teaches animation. But he also draws movie storyboards, illustrations of scenes that help filmmakers envision the action.
His latest work as a storyboard artist is on display in the new "Cowboys & Aliens," a popcorn adventure opening July 29 that stars Craig and Ford as two cowboys who take on extraterrestrials in the Old West.
The movie, helmed by "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau, employed Woodward as one of a handful of storyboard artists on the film. He worked with another artist to create the "animatics," clips of scenes used as guides by the producers.
Woodward's job is to meet with movie directors and draw simple sketches of ideas for action scenes to help them visualize how they want the movie to look and flow. Once a scene's action is approved by the director, Woodward then creates the animatics on a computer, animated video clips of scenes to illustrate for production people how the action unfolds.
"The director hires us to be idea people," said Woodward, who works out of his Mapleton home and occasionally flies to Los Angeles to meet with directors. "He briefs us on the scene, and then he really wants the storyboard artist to help come up with ideas to help make it better or develop the character better. In fact, some of the best storyboard artists are not good artists, but their brains work like machines. How they think is their value."
Woodward has worked on such summer hits as the second and third "Spider-Man" movies, "Where the Wild Things Are," and "Iron Man 2." In addition, he's just finished drawing the storyboards for next summer's top-secret blockbuster, "The Avengers." Just don't ask him to reveal any plot twists from the movie — he's always bound by a non-disclosure agreement.
The fact that most of the movies he's worked on have been comic-book fantasies just fuels his personal passion. Since he was a boy, Woodward has always been a genre fan who thrived on X-Men comics and Japanese anime on television. Those interests fueled his desire to work in animation.
"My head was always in that universe," said Woodward, who also appreciated classic Disney movies such as "Robin Hood."
Raised in Southern California, Woodward earned an associate's degree at then-Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) but not a lot of encouragement from his professors.
"My teachers told me, 'Don't go into animation, it's not a reputable career,'" Woodward recalled. "At the time, there were fine artists and illustrators, and animation was still kind of a child's medium. I told them what I wanted to go into, and they said, 'Well, you're on your own.'"
He got his first Hollywood job working as an "effects animator" on animated films such as "Space Jam" and "Osmosis Jones." He drew minor animations, "stuff you don't pay attention to," like water splashes, splats, fire, smoke and dust.
Meanwhile, he also started drawing storyboards for smaller animated movies on the side. Woodward even created his own superhero comic book called The Invincible Ed, which eventually was published by Dark Horse Comics.
He earned a bachelor's degree in illustration from BYU and finally a job working for the school's new animation center, which has produced a string of award-winning shorts.
"Ryan is a supremely gifted illustrator and animator," said Linda Reynolds, chair of BYU's visual arts department. "He's relevant (to students) because he can live in Utah and be so connected to the industry on such a high level."
Now, Woodward divides his time working on Hollywood films, teaching classes and making short films. Last month, he even created a popular "Google doodle," an animated banner for Google's homepage for the birthday of famed choreographer Martha Graham, based on the dance company's recent visit to perform on campus.
"If I really wanted to, I could probably just quit everything and just do films," he said about his ability to juggle different jobs. "But it's not my personality. Sometimes, I really want to work on a major film [as a storyboard artist], and sometimes I really want to work on a short film, and sometimes I just want to ride my bike. And teaching has its perks and frustrations, but I don't think I could ever be just a teacher."
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