[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPu8gO2erjg&eurl=http://www.google.com/reader/view/[/youtube]I can’t really tell what part of this vid is more disturbing
Way to defile the memory of great artist through the use of bad CGI!LINK (via Cartoon Brew)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK7b7oc7hWI[/youtube]
This compilation reel from the folks at Information International Inc. (aka Triple I) was shown to Disney Execs in 1981 and resulted in the go-head for the classic CG flick TRON. The demo includes a Mercedes Benz logo, a scan of Peter Fonda’s head and Adam Powers’ classic short “The Juggler”. Most of this imagery was rendered on the Super Foolny F-1, the fastest and most advanced computer of it’s time. Triple I ended up being one of the three CG houses (Robert Abel and Assoc and Magi were the other two) to work on TRON helming the Solar Sailer and MCP sequences among others.
LINK to the Triple I page on TRON Sector
I gave a quite lengthly interview to the good folks over at the Fractal Matter blog. It mostly covers the work done for the new FOX series based on the Terminator, The Sarah Connor Chronicles. The piece also lets me ramble on a bit about my philosophies regarding creating cool effects for TV shows. Take a peek!
LINK to the interview
UPDATE: Disney has already had this clip removed from YouTube! Guess you gotta be quick these days.
This incredible piece of retro-future starring William Katt from tee-vee’s Greatest American Hero was originally broadcast to showcase the state of the art in 2D and 3D animation. The series has been posted in seven parts on YouTube and has some great clips of the early pioneers including a young John Lasseter. The bad VHS transfer of the clips makes the whole thing that much more adorable.
LINK to Beyond Tron Part 1
There is a cool article in today’s LA Times about the YouTube sensation “UFO Haiti”. The clip is a pretty well done shakey-cam account of a UFO sighting on a tropical island. Although obviously a hoax, speculation abounds about the source of this phony close encounter. The 3d message boards have been abuzz about the possibility of E-On software’s Vue 6 as the source of this. The Times makes this connection too, and actually gets to the source of the animation.
This is a cut-out a frame from the Vue 6 demo reel
And a frame from UFO Haiti off the YouTubes
You be the judge.
Weather you are shopping your new reel around looking for work, or trying to land that big film/cinematic/tv show for your facility, one thing is true. Throughout your career in visual effects you will have to explain yourself and the work that you do to people who probably have no idea how what the heck it takes to get VFX done. For most perspective clients and some perspective employers, VFX is a black box were ideas (and money if you’re lucky) go in and finished frames come out. I have had the unique position of not only pitching visual effects ideas to the powers that be, but being pitched to by young hopefuls and freebie seekers. Here is a quick lists of Do’s and Don’ts that can help you navigate the often tricky waters of the visual effects pitch meeting.
Do Come Prepared - Bringing your reel? Bring two just in case. Don’t know if there is going to be a TV and player set up for you when you get to the meeting? Bring a laptop. I have a huge backpack I bring to every meeting with a special compartment filled with AV connectors. Remember you’re the VFX guy, you’re supposed to solve technical problems. It may sound ridiculous but I have thought to myself many times, “If this guy can’t figure out how to play a DVD, how is he going to run a 3d package”
Don’t Go Negative - In a pitch meeting you may feel it necessary to degrade a competitor or former colleague to make yourself look better. Don’t. Seriously, you never know who is in the room with you. That guy you just called a talentless so-and-so could be the nephew of the guy who has the power to give you the job. Besides, you should be confident in the quality of how your work stacks up to the competition without having to lower yourself to petty name-calling. Save that for the office Holiday Party.
Do Have a Plan B - Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men. Here you are strolling into a pitch meeting, grinning ear to ear, knowing that you have the perfect CG methodology that’s going to land you that award winning gig. Then, in first 30 seconds of the meeting, the Director says he hates CG and he wants the whole job to be motion control. In this situation, it is better to have thought of an alternate plan before hand rather than the somewhat less desirable alternate option of soiling your pants and asking to be excused from the meeting. The choice is yours.
Don’t Show Weekness - One of my favorite VFX Supe stories goes something like this. As a young tike of a 3d animator I sat in on a meeting where the VFX Supe I was working with was hashing out the details of fairly complex sequence in a room of writers, producers and execs. At a certain point the Supe slumped in his chair and covered his face with his hands. A producer asked him what was the matter. His reply? “You’re all f****d!” Needless to say, at the next meeting there was a new VFX Supe. People in power can smell fear. Don’t let the pressure get to you.
Do Know Your Work - You should be able to give the details of ever shot on your reel with your eyes closed. I have been asked ever question imaginable from “How long did this take to do?” to “Which film stock did you shoot these elements on?” Most of these questions are designed to expose poseurs and get a glimpse at the depth of knowledge you really posses about your craft. Sometimes these questions are designed to make the asker feel like a reel smarty-pants. Either way it’s up to you to have an answer.
Don’t Give Up Ever - The only thing that you can say for sure about going out and pitching VFX is this. Sometimes, you will fail. My advice to you is, walk it off. Suck a lemon, do a couple of push-ups and get right back in there. If you got into this business cuz you wanted a never-ending series if warm fuzzies heaped on you then you should probably pick up a copy of “What Color is Your Parachute?” and start looking for a new career direction. Just keep pushing forward and if your your work is good, and you have a little luck, you should be OK.
When things get rough around a facility and the normal flow of (mis)communication comes the screeching halt, it’s time to whip out the old Custom Client Configurator v880. This product is great because it uses all of the client based technologies we have at our disposal today. It’s a major upgrade from v799.09. The bugs in the Verimilitude slider have been worked out and Magic! now calculated in floating point. Check out the screenie below..
I love this thing cuz as one of the original authors of BiGiBiSi technology, I get a royalty every time this check box is selected.
Credit for this image is being withheld for more than obvious reasons.
