Directors!

[zartok-35]

Episode directors on The Simpsons. Come on folks, lets get to it!

The director is the person who they get to over see the storyboard, character layout, and timing processes on an episode, and pretty much decides how the show is going to look visually. Over the years, many talented people have headed up episodes of The Simpsons, executing the episodes with all sorts of different visual styles. Who do you like? Who made the most well animated episode? The most appealing? The most visually interesting? Who was responsible for your favorite episode, or peice of character animation? Anything else you can say about directors? Let us rule it all out here!

Now with a poll! Vote on it.

[zartok-35]

As many of you probably already know, my favorite director on The Simpsons is Mark Kirkland, because he excells is pretty much every aspect of episode direction, be it timing, expression, or cinematography. He uses all of these tools in a smooth a even mannor that is very satisfying on all accounts.

My least favorite director is Matt Nastuk. His episodes are bland, and lack visual interest.

[Old painty-can Ned]

It's hard for me to really pick as favourite director because sometimes I have trouble telling the differences between some directors style(plus my lack of knowledge in animation which I'm trying to rectify) but I think Wes Archer is my favourite director. His stuff on King of the Hill is great as well. As for the post classic era Lauren Macmullan has done some amazing work as has Chuck Sheetz

[zartok-35]

Wes Archer is neat. I find he did the best movie refferences on the show. He was very good at handling dream sequences, as well.

[Nauru-1]

I gave votes to Wes Archer, Mark Kirkland, Rich Moore, Jim Reardon, David Silverman, Brad Bird (his directing credits are slim but he was executive consultant from seasons 1-8 and felt there was at least a certain level of influence on his part), and Lauren MacMullen (as far as post-classic seasons go, her directing is standout). I'm not overly knowledgeable in animation but I think these directors made some very noticeable visual impressions.

On the other hand, Michael Polcino's credits don't impress me at all for the amount he has done. Then there's Jen Kamerman who was stuck with awfully notorious material in Kill the Alligator, Tennis the Menace, and to a lesser extent Homer the Moe.

[zartok-35]

I've noticed quite a few directors just get the bum deal when writing conditions are bad. Steven Dean Moore is a very good director, but he's put out several of the wost episodes in the series.

[Nauru-1]

Mark Kirkland is a pretty good example to me of the dichotomy between the classic and post-classic scripts being at the helm for both Summer of 4 Ft. 2 and Simpson Safari. Then again, something like Bye Bye Nerdie shows that some nice touches in the animation can exist over lackluster material. Generally though the script does seem like it will influence how easy or difficult it is to make more artistic visuals.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

Kirkland's my favorite, but I'll also give Silverman and Reardon some love...

[zartok-35]

Is it just me, or is Jim Reardon is very good at directing episodes about vehicles?

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

It's just you....

[zartok-35]

It is? Really? I mean, he did great stuff like Mr. Plow, and NewYork verses Homer Simpson.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

I was being sarcastic....

[Ben Chan]

i was thinking about making a david silverman 'appreciation' thread, or something, and then i see this thread

i voted silverman, archer, moore, kirkland and reardon. their credits are the best and above the others, and they're the originals who bought the show from ugly (season 1) to beautiful (season 2-3).

[zartok-35]

David Silverman is pretty cool, his animation has a delightful elasticity to it that no one else can get. His episodes look the funniest just by how they move.


He pretty much created the entire animation style that is The Simpsons, so he has an advantage over the other directors: the 'Silverman advantage'.

[Ben Chan]

kent butterworth had elasticity too.

[The Governor]

Lauren MacMullan. Why? Because she's the best of the latter directors, IMO.

[Ben Chan]

having taken that swipe at butterworth, i'll add that silverman is my favourite director and insofar as animators go, he's pretty much a god.

like, i masturbate to his likeness daily.

[cloneasaurus]

I dunno much about directors and all that so I voted for the 3 that even I know are damn good:

David Silverman (for obvious reasons)

Lauren MacMullan (she brings a new lease of life to newer episodes, her use of lighting is fantastic)

and Steven Dean Moore (purely based on his work for Marge Be Not Proud, a fabulously directed episode).

[Comicshow MolemanBob]

Bob Anderson's work on "Bart's Comet" is brilliant, All of the characters subtle facial expressions and the brilliantly cinematic scenes with great shadow work. He's also great at using camera reveals and pans... (I don't know about any of his other work, but this one is too great to go under the radar)

[zartok-35]

"Bart's comet" was a pretty good job. It's really atmospheric in it's depiction of dark evening scenes.

[leprechaun_dan]

Jim Reardon for my favourite episode, Lemon of Troy.
David Silverman for many reasons.
Steven Dean Moore
Mark Kirkland
Jeffrey Lynch
Wesley Archer
Rich Moore

[zartok-35]

Very good Dan, a very solid list indeed. Glad to see some more love for Jeff Lynch.

[leprechaun_dan]

Jeffrey Lynch deserves to be in everyone's list. After all, he did direct Who Shot Mr Burns, a truly stunning two-parter

[zartok-35]

He's the underrated genius of The Simpsons, with the most inventive camera angles. Everyone loves Lauren MacMullan more for doing the same thing, just because she did it later on the show.