J. Todd Anderson is a storyboard artist who has worked with a number of filmmakers, including the Coen brothers.[1] He also, along with film archivist and friend George Willeman and WYSO D.J. Niki Dakota, produces the radio show Filmically Perfect.
He made his directorial debut in 1998 with the film The Naked Man.[2] A few years later, he served as second unit director on the Coen brothers' Intolerable Cruelty, which earned him membership in the Directors Guild of America.[3]
Anderson received credit for appearing in Fargo as "Victim in Field".[4] Instead of his name being used, he was credited with the symbol for the artist formerly known as Prince, which was turned on its side and a smiley face drawn in the circle.[5][unreliable source?][6] In addition, his name was used in the 2010 film True Grit as one of the many aliases for the outlaw Tom Chaney.
Storyboard
Anderson has stated that his role as storyboard artist is "less creative than interpretive". When working with Ethan and Joel Coen, the Coens go through the movie shot by shot, and Anderson works to "establish the scale, trap the angle, ID the character, get the action". Afterwards he sits and does a more polished drawing from the sketches drawn with the directors. After getting feedback from the filmmakers and adding several details, such as facial expressions, necessary props and arrows depicting actor and camera movement, the drawings are photocopied and given to everyone on the set. Thus, the storyboards Anderson creates are vital to the smooth process and good communication on the film set. [citation needed]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Raising Arizona | storyboard artist |
| 1989 | Twister | storyboard artist |
| 1990 | Miller's Crossing | storyboard artist |
| 1991 | A Rage in Harlem | storyboard artist (uncredited) |
| 1991 | Little Man Tate | storyboard artist (uncredited) |
| 1991 | Barton Fink | storyboard artist |
| 1991 | The Addams Family | storyboard artist |
| 1993 | Addams Family Values | storyboard artist (uncredited) |
| 1994 | The Hudsucker Proxy | storyboard artist |
| 1994 | Nadja | storyboard artist |
| 1994 | Nell | storyboard artist (uncredited) |
| 1995 | Search and Destroy | storyboard artist, as J.T. Anderson |
| 1995 | Something to Talk About | storyboard artist (uncredited) |
| 1996 | Fargo | storyboard artist, also as "Victim in Field", credited by a symbol parodying that used by Prince [7] |
| 1996 | I Love You, I Love You Not | storyboard artist |
| 1998 | The Big Lebowski | storyboard artist |
| 1998 | Overnight Delivery | storyboard artist |
| 1998 | American Cuisine | storyboard artist |
| 1999 | Weeping Shriner | storyboard artist |
| 2000 | O Brother, Where Art Thou? | storyboard artist |
| 2001 | The Man Who Wasn't There | credited as Hand-to-Eye Man |
| 2002 | The Mothman Prophecies | storyboard artist |
| 2002 | Confessions of a Dangerous Mind | storyboard artist |
| 2003 | Shooting Miller's Crossing: A Conversation with Barry Sonnenfeld | storyboard artist |
| 2003 | Intolerable Cruelty | credited as Unit Limner |
| 2004 | The Stepford Wives | storyboard artist |
| 2004 | The Ladykillers | credited as Inks and Leads |
| 2006 | Paris, Je T'aime (segment "Tuileries") | storyboard artist, as Todd Anderson |
| 2007 | No Country for Old Men | credited as Visual Consultant |
| 2007 | A West Texas Children's Story | storyboard artist |
| 2007 | Have Dreams, Will Travel | storyboard artist |
| 2008 | Nosebleed | storyboard artist |
| 2008 | Leatherheads | conceptual consultant |
| 2008 | Burn After Reading | credited as Graphite Operator |
| 2009 | A Serious Man | credited as Pen Grappler |
| 2009 | Whip It | credited as Executive Artist |
| 2009 | Norman | storyboard artist |
| 2010 | True Grit | credited as Drawboy |
| 2011 | The Big Bang | storyboard artist |
| 2011 | Paul | storyboard artist |
| 2012 | Contraband | storyboard artist |
| 2012 | The Dictator | storyboard artist |
| 2013 | Inside Llewyn Davis | credited as Nibdipper |
| 2013 | A Night in Old Mexico | storyboard artist |
| 2014 | The Bag Man | storyboard artist |
| 2016 | Hail, Caesar! | storyboarded by |
| 2016 | The Nice Guys | storyboard artist |
| 2016 | Warcraft | storyboard artist |
| 2017 | Freak Show | storyboard artist |
| 2017 | Suburbicon | storyboard artist |
| 2018 | I Got This | storyboard artist |
| 2018 | The Old Man and the Gun | storyboard artist |
| 2018 | The Ballad of Buster Scruggs | storyboard artist |
| 2018 | The Predator | storyboard artist |
| 2019 | The Peanut Butter Falcon | storyboard artist |
| 2021 | The Tragedy of Macbeth | storyboard artist |
| 2022 | Servant, episode "Ring" | storyboard artist |
| 2022 | The Pentaverate (6 episodes) | storyboard artist |
| 2023 | Fool's Paradise | storyboard artist |
| 2024 | Drive-Away Dolls | storyboard artist |
| 2024 | You Can't Run Forever | visual consultant |
| 2025 | Honey Don't! | storyboard artist |
| 2025 | Play Dirty | storyboard artist |
| 2026 | Jack of Spades | storyboard artist |
Pop opera
Anderson has written the words and music for a pop opera entitled Nativity.[3] It tells the story of the birth of Jesus through the eyes of angels. First performed in Dayton, Ohio in 1995, the show was not performed again until 2008. Anderson cites his influences on the piece being rock operas such as Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar as well as gospel musicals.
Notes
- ^ Price, Linda S. (May 25, 2008). "Coen Brothers Movies: Drawing Storyboards". American Artist. Archived May 30, 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
- ^ Nashawaty, Chris & Willman, Chris (October 11, 2012). "Flashes". Entertainment Weekly. Archived October 11, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ^ 7 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Fargo!, CineFix, March 7, 2016
- ^ Dayton Daily News, Friday, March 22, 1996, p.1
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2025-11-29.