Check out this crazy 8-bit rant from uber-hip animator David O’Reilly that was posted on biongbiong.tv today. It makes some really obtuse points about animation history and the future of CG through the use of crazy primitive rendering techniques. Got to love the title tho’ Innovate or GTFO.
LINK to more David O’reilly madness on bbtv (Super Mario 8-bit theater)
There are certain stock visual effects that I’m asked to create over and over again for multiple projects. Creating realistic lightning seems to be one of those things that never goes out of style. If you ever need a shove in the right direction here is some of the reference footage I use most often when starting a project like this
The Real Deal
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY-AS13fl30&NR=1[/youtube]
To get lightning right, you have to look at the subtleties. A good charge has just the right amount of randomness and flow. My favorite reference of the real thing is this big-ass Tesla coil in Oklahoma. Yee-haw!
The Prestige
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOdtR_s9Yjw[/youtube]
Speaking of Tesla, this shot of Bowie walking under the coil is the best example of lightning I’ve come across in recent years. It looks organic and has a great sense of depth to it. That is hard to achieve since the bots themselves have no shading. Subtle differences in the thickness and amount of glow in the bolts realy help this shot out. Interactive lighting at the contact points is key.
Big Trouble In Little China
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2qyeZw9KaM[/youtube]
Now I’m a sucker for hand drawn lightning. In fact I’ve never seen a software solution that looks as good as an animator creating it the old fashioned way, painting it frame by frame. In this clip from the John Carpenter classic, check out the way the bolts contour around body. You just can’t do that with a plug-in. One major drawback to the hand drawn method is that if the client comes up with changes, the frames need to be painted all over again.
Star Wars Episode 6: Return of the Jedi
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsl7bVmLnMw[/youtube]
In my opinion this is the granddaddy of all lighting VFX shots. The lightning looks hella-angry and the smaller discharges on Luke between burst really make you feel the charcge. The illuminated Vader skeleton is just icing on this delicious electric cake. One thing still bothers me though. Would it have killed Yoda to say “Oh, yeah and watch out the emperor shoots lightning out of his fingers so don’t put down your light saber or anything.” before he kicked the bucket?
Last month Variety published an article about the increased role of the VFX supe on set subtitled “Tech Pros Move Up In Film Production Hierarchy”. Here’s a taste.
“Not so long ago, visual effects were an isolated corner of post-production, a ‘black-box’ process headed by amiable engineers who kept largely to themselves. ..That has turned the job into a kind of uber-technician-diplomat whose job touches all departments”
I guess that officially makes 2008 The Year of The VFX Supe! To help guide us the dangerous wilds of our new found celebrity I’ve come up with a few tips to ease the transition.
Tip #1: It’s Time For a Makeover
A Hawaiin shirt under a custom-made photographer’s vest coupled with Trebekian facial hair just won’t cut it anymore. Put away the mullets and fanny-packs fellas cuz your with the big boys now. Get subscriptions to Details and Esquire now! Before you know it you’ll be on the carpet with Cloney and Pitt.
Tip #2: Get On The Scene (like a VFX machine)
Since VFX folks have a tendency to fall on the sedentary-anti-social-misanthrope end of the civility scale, newly found celebrity will have to include a social make-over of sorts. Topics that need to be focused on include; volume modulation in both conversation and laugh, human to human eye contact and of course grooming. Please take note that waiting in the comic book store for new books to arrive on Wednesdays is technically NOT considered socializing.
Tip #3: Use Smaller Words
Now that you’ll be released into the wild it’s time to be your own personal Henry Higgins and start listening to the way that you talk. To get started, try this role playing exercise. Don’t talk about Blade Runner for 5 minutes. How’d you do? If you made it more than 30 seconds your on the right track. Other off-limits topics include; the relative merits or high end video cards, TOS vs TNG and whether Greedo shot first just to name a few. A good rule of thumb is that if a conversation topic sounds interesting you, it will probably be insufferably boring the the non-vfx people you are trying to impress.
Tip #4: Keep Your Friends Close and Enemies Closer
Having a VFX Supe involved in every aspect of production on every flick from Tranformin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo to Rainbow Bright: The Movie means that lots of folks on the practical side of things will be out of work as a direct result of what you do. From now on, every Art Director, Make-Up Effects Artist, Special Effects Whacko, heck everyone with the possible exception of the guy who makes the smoothies will be giving you the stink eye every time you walk on set. So be careful, many these people are crafty and have access to high power explosives.
Tip #5: Stop Letting Others Drag You Down (and also don’t forget the little people)
Your time has arrived! You’ve been baptized into the realm of the Hollywood Gliterazzi and now you’ll have to engage in that age old Tinsel Town tradition of blaming others when things go wrong and taking credit for just about everything when things go right. There is only one thing you must do to maintain your good standing. If you are ever in a position to receive an award of any type for your work, make sure you mention that you “couldn’t have done it without my super-talented crew”.
LINK to Variety article
The site bmovies.com offers hundreds of streaming b-grade horror, Sci-Fi, Kung-Fu and Western flicks. All you need is a broadband connection and countless hours of free time (come on your a geek you’ve got nothing better to do). Aside from some awesome retro-VFX (Attack of the Monsters) there are some early gems from today’s film-making giants (Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste and Coppola’s Dementia 13) and some oldies that might remind you of some current box office hits (Vincent Price in The Last Man On Earth was later remade into The Omega Man and I Am Legend). Video quality is at a youTube type level good enough for extended viewing for sure. Along with the tons on great movies you’ll find some really bad ones that are just a scream to watch (try White Pongo or The Killer Shrews) .
LINK to B-movies (thanks to Nyarlathotep)
Those of us blessed enough to have children know what a struggle it is to have to sit through agonizingly long hours of the pure crap that passes for kids entertainment these days. VFX pros also know how hard it can be to describe to young people exactly what it is that Mommy or Daddy do at work every day. To top it all off, a lot of the time the stuff we do work on just isn’t appropriate for the eyes of innocents. To that end, here’s a list of five of my favorite VFX flicks that you can watch with your kids and hopefully get them interested in finding out more abot the craft. By the way, if your children are really interested, I could always use some help with roto.
The Wizard of OZ – 1939 (Unrated)
Why it’s great It’s the one that started it all. Matte Paintings, wire work, make-up, pyro and much more combine to create a fully realized fantasy world.
You might want to skip Parents of male children might want to gloss over some of the more sappy musical numbers for fear of creating an “over-attachment” to Judy Garland. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
Prepared to be annoyed by High-pitched little people singing peppy songs. Not quite that bad compared to the insanity inducing Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) but close.
Mary Poppins – 1964 (G)
Why it’s great Shear volume of innovative VFX techniques. Sure there is quite a bit of piano wire and bungee chord practical type stuff but you can also see some choice matte painting work and compositing on the “Jolly Holiday” sequence still holds up. DVD extras on the 2004 DVD include an informative “deconstructing a scene” section.
You might want to skip The song “Feed the Birds” is a about a homeless woman who tries to sell you groady bird seed to feed diseased pigeons. You should probably teach your kids to steer clear of such folk.
Prepared to be annoyed by… Dick Van Dyke’s “english” accent. In some scenes I swear I can see Julie Andrews wince.
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back – 1980 (PG)
Why it’s great What’s not to like? Stop Motion, Motion Control, Yoda, Solo in Carbonite, this one is firing on all cylinders. Tons of techniques to explore with interested young ones. 2004 DVD comes with the Ken Burns Directed doc “Empire of Dreams” to get you into the behind the scenes mood.
You might want to skip The Wampa. It freaks out some youngsters, especially in the special edition. Luke’s kiss with Leah might bringup some tough questions.
Prepare to be annoyed by Billy Dee’s ‘stash. It’s almost like you want to slap it right off his face.
Apollo 13 – 1995 (PG)
Why it’s great Incredible example of effects that look real, lots of great CG and compositing to obsess over. 2-Disk Anniversary DVD includes documentary footage of the real space race for comparison. Heck the kiddies might even learn something from this one.
You might want to skip All the scenes of the worried hair-dos back on planet earth. For your convenience, the 2-Disc set has a shorter version of the movie originaly made for IMAX with the back at home cut-aways removed.
Prepared to be annoyed by Repeated use of the phrase “Huston, we have a problem” by your kids to announce everything from potty related accidents to unintentional glass breaking. Wallace & Grommit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit – 2005 (G)
Why it’s great The amount of character that this film squeezes out of a couple of lumps of clay must be seen to be believed. The Rube Goldberg contraptions are great launching pads for discussions of cause and effect and timing in animation. The simple yet extremely effective composition and lighting in this film is also something the deserves a close look.
You might want to skip You should probably skip the movie all togther if you are worried that this film might be a gateway to more British humor. If your kids like this I see lots of Monthy Python and Black Adder in your future.
Prepared to be annoyed by Puns. “Anti-Pesto”, “24-carrot” bullets, “PC Mackintosh” it sends chills up my spine just writing these.
Have a fav of your own? Feel free to leave comment and tell us what is is.
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