weekly

As the week trucks forward things continue to be at a standstill. Im starting to get impatient with myself because after 6 months of minimum wage b***s*!* I finally managed to get close enough to my financial goal to build my own computer. My first two parts arrived on Tuesday,a GeForce GTX970 graphics card and an intel i7 6 core processor. Needless to say im excited to buy the rest of the parts. Im all caught up on my video projects this year to my surprise, most of these tutorials are easy enough to breeze through in 30-40 min. Though I am a bit frustrated with my layering in After Effects, I did learn to mind placement in 3d space next time. Im looking forward to some work time to work on the documentary with President Nathan.

To wrap things up I thought I'd start by stating the obvious, almost all of us like video games. However would you like them as much if you had to experience them irl?

Gaming irl

Mythic storytelling structure

        This article was quick to dismiss the possible confusion of giant floating castles with the kind of "mythic" actually mentioned. The first of which being "The World is Full of Patterns", after reading that my initial reaction was to assume that instead of grandiose flying castles, I would be dealing with concepts in human nature. And right I was. Patterns in this case, implied; induced moments of "deja vu" through visual or situational similarities.

The next portion of the reading covers the impact of shock value or over the top concepts.To a viewer or just plane human being, pushing someone to heir limit and possibly beyond is more than fascinating. Throw in some other aspects to make the senario unfamiliar and you have the audiences undivided attention. The example provided for this in the reading was the I Am Legend trailer.

The third concept is wants/ desires. Most of the time in movies these are obviously unobtainable to the character, but this doesn't stop them from wanting it. Desire is a very relatable concept, everybody wants something.

Unfortunately Loosing is also a very relatable concept. Nobody I have ever met has won everything, the feeling of loss is the worst. This feeling allows the audience to project empathy onto the character and their situation.

Lastly "the take away lesson:". This seems to be the largest commonality between films and shows today. Starts off things are good, things get bad, things get good again, what did we learn? A person learning from their mistakes is an overplayed concept at this point.  Not everybody learns, but films want to send a positive message and receive positive feedback from the general public. For me this distances me from the film due to lack of realism, but maybe thats just me.

Good Transitions

         Transitions are something a viewer might not even give a second thought to, but the editor can spend what feels like an eternity on just two shots. In the provided videos the critic mentions that a lot of the transitions and shots end up being un-intentional. It was mentioned that its better to get way more footage than you need just for the sake of a seamless transition. In other words it seems like a lot of the transitions are happy accidents.

 Though it may seem a bit redundant, I agree with the "happy accident" concept. In the short time I have been gathering footage I noticed that a lot of the shots I gathered intentionally don't or barely make the cut... literally.

 If anything this helped me to realize the importance of gathering the extra footage. As the old saying goes, Its better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

Comment (also 100th post!)

This week and the next was and shall be the busiest I have been in a while. Between work school and Marine corps shenanigans I have had no time to relax. I am happy that I managed to keep up with the demo's this week though, I am looking forward to Christmas break at this point. I just want to sleep in... This kinetic type project is going to frustrate the crap out of me I can already tell. So all I can do is focus on one thing at a time and make sure it gets done on time.

kinetic type (has a lil' bit of cussing)

The very tedious Peanuts movie

As an animator I can appreciate the amount of time and effort it takes to make something really MOVE. The peanuts however, have more extreme exaggerations than your average character. Translating this onto the big screen in 3d no less is an impressive and time consuming feat.

The process for this movie was described as simply, Pencil drawn to character creation and rigging, to posing and concept, to animation. Which on paper seems simple enough, but this process takes much longer than two frustrating weeks at BOCES. 

The amount of attention to detail and finess that is required to work on something as beloved as the Peanuts characters are some things that most people could never understand. I am not personally interested in the movie, but if it happens to be on one day im sure ill carefully analyze the animation.

Knowing the audio

as the video mentions, audio is a huge part of any film. Every room or even just space is alive in some way or form with sound. Only a few types are mentioned throughout the video such as transient, short abrupt sounds, and evolving sounds, long progressive sounds.

 I like that this video calls attention to audio, it feels like audio can be under appreciated at times. Frankly audio is the only reedeming factor in some of my work in the last two years so I agree regarding its importance.

Learning what audio to use and how to apply it correctly or even differentiate it from other types of audio is a very important part of  video production.

weekly

It has been a taxing week for me. I manage to catch up on work then immediately fall behind, there are several (extra) projects and tasks I want to take on but with all of the responsibilities I have had lately I just don't have the time or energy. I still feel a little slow with premiere, like there is more to it than I realize. I usually have to defer to my notes for every little thing I want to do which is frustrating. Regardless my big focus for the next two days is going to be my PSA, on which I have to get my ass in gear. There are still several shots I haven't had the chance to get and I still have to edit. It seems like a lot of the projects overlap this year and at times it can feel overwhelming. Any how I have been trying to refine my non existent coloring skills lately using a few friends sketches and Sai. Im not quite there but hopefully ill get better...I hope.

Did you say fake blood?

Blood and film

Let me say at least once that I absolutely HATE John Hess and his monotone speaking manner and lackluster acting. In regards to the information however hes checked and rechecked his sources. Horror is a genre that is becoming more and more popular with the coming generations, and a big part of these films is blood. Several recipes are mentioned in the video this week and even provided below but I think in a school setting, even with our classes elevated privileges, I wont find very many opportunities to use them. The history behind the different uses and substances of fake blood do make for an interesting history lesson though. Personally I felt like the information was buffered between film history and what the video was actually about (blood) so I struggled to pay attention. Regardless I still have a few ideas should a project come up that requires this kind of specialty.
,but maybe thats just me.

The hidden meaning

   This interview of Inside Out's Jonas Rivera, brought to my attention some interesting points about animation and film in general. a good amount of time given for all stages of production in class is roughly two weeks,  sometimes it takes the entire first week to prepare the idea before I can even start actually working on it. I will usually pull up a reference image or two do some concept art in my spare time, but I never really do much research on whatever I happen to be doing. Beyond whatever background is provided in class of course. The amount of detail and complexity that went into just the research of Inside Out makes me really appreciate all of the little things in these kinds of movies. For example the American version of Inside out used broccoli to introduce a character named disgust. In Japan the broccoli was replaced with green bell pepper. Knowing that such a minute change could effect the audience and the film so greatly is amazing to me. While I don't have enough time in class to do as much research as these filmmakers and animators do, I certainly think I will consider some more in depth concepts on my next project.

 ,but maybe thats just me.

Weekly

I have quite the amount of work to make up, between missing 2 days already i have to schedule another 2 days off from school soon. On the bright side I passed my road test and got my license+car. I am looking forward to being done with these awful Premiere tutorials, which ties into what frustrated me most this week. Did you think I meant the Premiere tutorials? Well then you're right. I can follow 200-300 step Maya tutorials but something about these ones make them obscenely difficult to follow. I just want to work on my PSA...So I thought this would be a good day (10/25/15) to clean my media/ gaming room, so I re-arranged all of the furniture so that my corner desk is almost like a cubicle. I like changing things around once in a while, it keeps me from going mad.

but maybe thats just me....

behind Marvel trailors

The best part of the article hands down is at the very end where the author thanks the reader for reading... I failed to find interest in this article, and believe me I grasped at every straw I could reach.
This was about as interesting as story time with grandma. Except you have heard the story before and now she is sprinkling in some new vivid details.

 The most I could gather information wise was the interesting array of programs used for the trailers production, maya, After Effects, Houdini, and NUKE. Other than that *gasp* it takes a lot of time to put this stuff together.

A very quick read, I got a little excited because I thought "Hey Marvel! This might be cool.." okay so I was hoping it would be a video, but none the less I was bored to tears reading it.

But maybe thats just me.

Inspiration and false hope

     Everyone has had an ah-ha moment at least once in their life. While this is an interesting subject and I can see why people would want this information, at the same time you cant just bottle something as complex as inspiration. However these methods were pined as common between big thinkers, so if it will help the hopeless masses that have resorted to google-ing "inspiration, then so be it.

  After reading the article my first impression is that most of these methods are what prevent me from doing my blogs/ homework in general, when they are assigned. I quickly go from

"holy crap that's right I had homework! 

to,

"meh its not due until Tuesday, I'll do it then."

Then Tuesday rolls around and I just can't bring myself to do it. I personally have about as much passion for school as some poor victim with Stockholm syndrome. But once again I can't (as much as I want to) deny the validity of the power behind motivation, inspiration, and decisions.

I just want to tear this article apart for its zealous use of broad spectrum statements that the vast majority of people would relate to or agree with. Inspiration can not be pinpointed, it has proven itself both illusive and spontaneous for everybody. If the 8 habits that were listed really worked everybody would be doing it and we would have a lot less problems.

I think its feel good reading bs, but maybe that's just me.

Weekly comment

 This past week was sllooooowwwwww for me. It seemed like the firs of many weeks this year that seemed to go on forever. Unfortunately that meant that as the week went on my work deteriorated. Though I haven't fallen to far behind I will still have some catching up to do. I was a bit frustrated with my English teacher this week, as if 2-3 essays a week aren't bad enough, on top of that I have a 500 point project on a successful CEO. At least I convinced her to let me do Gabe Newell. I have been having fun in video though, working with audio is surprisingly fun. Im looking forward to working on the PSA, hopefully it turns out well. The only other thing worth mentioning is that I have a driving test in NT on Friday this week and on Nov/7 I have been invited to the Marine corps ball. So to wrap up the week enjoy---   Drive through lolz

Coloring books of the future

   I remember drooling with every colored crayon as I scribbled all over the pictures in a coloring book, but now kids at the age of three already have their own Ipad for such tasks. Disney is now kicking things up a notch and is forcing their stubby little mitts to actually experience the feel of paper.

   With the use of a tablet children, and as a somewhat amusing side note, adults may witness their coloring project literally jump off the page. New technology allows the scribbles to be projected onto a 3d version of the character visible on the tablet. This technology opens doors to all kinds of new immersive experiences though.

   The author thinks that this new leap in technology will allow people to further enjoy coloring in general. But from a business perspective I don't think the product will last long once the novelty has worn off.

But, maybe thats just me.

Music to my ears

   Every man, woman, and child should to some degree understand the effect that music has on our emotions and thoughts. The author of the provided reading/ watching for this article barely scratched the surface on how music really effects us as human beings.

   The closest the author got to "in depth" on this topic was in regards to the violin and its high pitched notes creating a reaction in the human brain. This reaction causes our brains to interpret the sound as a cry for help, which instills or is associated with fear.

  With the new generation of horror movies bouncing around, comes a new breed of terror not covered by the article. Jump scares which are usually the combination of tense or rising musical notes ,or sometimes even lack there of, and a sudden jarring event. Unlike the suspense mentioned in regards to "Jaws" where the viewer has some idea of the impending danger, this form of horror has potential to leave its audience in the dark.

   Silence and the lack of a soundtrack sometimes lead to the most tense moments in film. Music ,when well done, can blend into the background and control a viewers interaction or experience with a film as it goes along. Pure silence however, leaves the viewer with nothing but a swirling pot of emotion. Each respective viewer may be experiencing the film in a different way, and silence usually indicates that the situation has just become serious!

 All in all there are several reasons for and against the proper use of audio in film, but if it is done right it can leave the best possible impression on its listeners, and make the movie more memorable.


But, maybe thats just me.

dat comment doe

Well Im excited for the week ahead! On Wednesday I have my road test so Im a mixture of nervous and excited. But thats not going to stop me from enjoying the freedom that comes with a licences.

I have also started to devote a little more time to Destiny on the xbox 360, and I am starting to enjoy it more. Though its frustrating when I catch up to the level of the missions Im doing. 1 level higher or lower than my own means the difference between life and death.

Anyhow, I am really enjoying Photoshop still. There is so much to do i feel like I could never get out of my chair. And then the bell interrupts my thought process. This past week I learned how to fix a large obstruction in an image too! So Ill be able to use more of my older pictures.

The only thing im looking forward to now is the 15th and 16th. Those are the days that I'm scheduled to go to MEPS. Military. Entrance. Processing. Station. So as of those dates I will be a Poolee In the United States Marine corps. Anyhow I hope this week is as amazing as the last! have this beautiful link to enjoy! (In the spirit of immersive tech)

https://youtu.be/HBNH8tzsfVM?list=PLSKUhDnoJjYn0TV9V84C4Wr2DjKPc492c

Virtual reality! ~woo

Its hard to think that mere decades ago the next big thing was Atari, or the Nintendo 64. Fortunately for the newest of generations I cant even imagine what this technology will develop into in the next 20 or so years. Needless to say I am excited.

From what I read this new immersive technology is still working out the kinks. The author constantly refers to Us as newcomers in this field. Essentially the most lacking area if this tech is apparently the motion tracking. Which only makes sense, The Wii, Xbox, and Playstation all had at the very least a sensor bar. These bars would project lasers out into the room which when broken would effectively signal to the consol that movement had occurred. Kind of like a spy movie. But Tracking head movement without a sensor bar is much more difficult.

How does the Oculus Rift work?

Picture a set of ski goggles in which a large cellphone screen replaces the glass. The screen displays two images side by side, one for each eye. A set of lenses is placed on top of the screen, focusing and reshaping the picture for each eye, and creating a stereoscopic 3D image. The goggles have embedded sensors that monitor the wearer's head motions and adjust the image accordingly. The latest version of the Oculus Rift is bolstered by an external positional-tracking accessory, which helps track head movements more accurately. The result is the sensation that you are looking around a 3D world.                                               Source

 All of this is amazing. Being able to literally insert oneself into a game or movie sounds awesome, but I can't help but to feel that there must be some downside to this. After some searching around I discovered several health concerns that come with this level of immersion.

 The most minor of the health concerns for the Oculus rift are, motion sickness and neck stiffness. Major side effects can be Loss of sight, heart attack/ panic attack, and there were several instances where someone injured themselves reacting to something that wasn't there.

So these are just a few of the complaints I found summed up. Honestly I think the reward in this instance out weighs the risk. 

With tech as cool as this starting to find its legs I can't wait to be able to safely plug me head into a game and play full body! but maybe thats just me...

Over thinking the action?

No matter what anybody says, everyone loves a good action scene. Though what Samandniko said was mostly true, in the sense that story development is what really drives action scenes. However I believe that it is not as critical as Samandniko leads us to believe.

I think that most people tend to project themselves onto the characters we see in movies. Think about it, whats the first thing you do when a character goes for a daring dive into water from which they may not return? Let me guess, hold your breath? While connecting an audience to a character is important you don't want to disconnect the audience from the immersion of the film.
  A character that has a family goes off to fight an unwinnable battle. The family is sad, and for some reason so are you. Thats because you are projecting yourself into their position. They have a family they care about, so do you. But if there is to much backstory like little hidden meanings behind every scene or action, the character becomes harder to relate to.

 For instance, character has a family. Ok, good me too. That family is an alien species raised on some distant planet. Starting to loose me but at least there is a family. That family must annually sacrifice one of its own to appease a space god. Now im gone.

  While it is important to make a character stand out with an amazing story, there should still be some remnant that the audience can hold onto. Feelings for a character in peril is one thing, but feeling as if you yourself were in that position can make for a way more interesting experience.

I would rather see myself run off walls and do cool martial arts than someone else, but maybe thats just me.

Weekly comment #2

  Life continues to be good, I honestly don't have many complaints about the week. Other than the fact that I blew my paycheck this week on Destiny. My computer back home has been out of commission for a couple of weeks now, and I don't want to buy a new one before I get my car on the road. So I bought Destiny to tide me over. Im still looking forward to editing, that remains my favorite part about last year. I have been a bit frustrated at work though, all I can say is, don't ask for your bags to be light if all you bought was f**king canned foods... Also the blood moon was very cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eozgKGRFr70

Evolution of an artist

     Evolution of an artist was an excellent time waster. Although I do mean that in the nicest possible way. I could spend days sitting and laughing at the old cartoons. I remember watching some of those characters develop, but I never gave it much thought as to how.

     The video mentioned several aspects of character development that all artists either metaphorically, hit a wall or fly with. It is relatively easy  to make a character, the hard part is giving it character, or as some prefer "life".

  I love that one of the more driven points in the video was the difference between human expectation and reality. That paradime will always preserve the hilarity of the classics simply because you never know for sure whats going to happen. spontaneous but predictable, the perfect balance to keep an audience hooked and coming back for more. the same characters they love in an unpredictable situation.

  I think the best thing to take away from this though is how the characters grow over time. In actuality they grow with the artist but even with some of the characters I have personally designed I have noticed some personality. For instance I could give a lot more life to a character I designed 8 years ago than one I did in class last year.

  Things take time, you have to learn and grow before your character ever can. But maybe thats just me.

Props for better and worse

     If a film is made right, it should be memorable. But what is it that most seem to find memorable about films? Usually its whatever had the biggest influence on the story. For instance where would Indiana Jones be without his crystal skull? That being said, it should be noted that props leave a huge impression on the audience and also as a general rule play a huge part in story development.

    A prop can be anything a young filmmaker's heart desires. However as stated by

Noah Yan, it is usually the strangest objects that are left with the audience afterword. For instance, I recently watched a horror film called Babadook. In the film a terrifying childrens book was used to announce the presence of an evil spirit personified from the main characters depression. Her anxiety and sadness over loosing her husband manifested into a terrifying demon, whose rules and regulations came with the book. The book stuck with me because of its strong contrast between the usual joy and lightheartedness of a childrens book and the horror of a demon. 

                                                 -This is one of the pages from the book-

     One of the ways Yan mentions the usage of props to pass time. This is a great way to progress a scene or film in general, but beware of clichés. This task is not easy but it may help you to give a little more depth to your characters. For example, instead of an alarm clock every morning to let the audience know its morning, why not have the character begin a unique morning ritual. Turn on some tunes, use their favorite hair brush, etc. 

  Though a prop can control everything from the tone, scene itself, it shouldn't be the only redeeming factor about a movie. In other words, a film shouldn't focus all of its time and energy on its props. An example of this would be the "rubber shields" from 300. This movie lost most of its audience in the pure testosterone fueled battles filled with blood and violence, but to anyone that cared enough to look, the production crew cheeped out on the props that the audience fell in love with. The best example of which being the elastic like qualities to Leonidas's spear when he threw it and deemed the god king Xerxes mortal.

I think a prop can control audiences and the film itself, but maybe thats just me.

Weekly Comment #1

Hot damn, back to doing blogs at 11:44 p.m.

 I have been rather happy the last two weeks, school hasn't thrown me offbeat one bit. Since I started actually working, school doesn't seem to bad in general anymore. Not that what I do is difficult in any capacity but I don't hate school as much as I used to.

 The better part of my week was this passed Sunday, when I got out of work I went with my mother to Barns & Nobel and pre-ordered a new book. After that i went out to Panera for linner (Lunch/ dinner).  I have only eaten at Panera one other time, and the food was just as good.

I also managed to find my Halloween costume at PartyCity afterword. So Sunday turned out to be a pretty good day.

I haven't had a particularly bad day since school started, I suppose the closest I have come to that would be a couple of a-hole customers at Tops. But what else is new.

I did enjoy learning and using Photoshop this past week. I wish we had a little more time for it, but I also can't wait to start editing. That was one of my favorite parts last year, when I strung together my terrible 3d short.

There is certainly a lot left to learn but this year is looking pretty good so far. It just scares me a bit how quickly adulthood is going to be forced onto us in the next year. I don't suppose Marines can just sit around playing video games and animating, but maybe I'll get lucky.

I think things are happening very fast indeed, but maybe thats just me..Before you go.

All in Your Head

While normally at the sight of a video for a blog I would metaphorically jump for joy, this time around I was a little disappointed. My disdain for the video wasn't for its information, which was useful in itself, but how it was presented. Simon Cade managed to quickly loose my attention in regards to his lesson to focus on little irritants he performed throughout the video. A slightly shorter "Shatner pause" on top of the constant jump cuts and a very monotone voice only succeeded in making me think he was having a conversation with multiples of himself.

Setting my irritants aside, the information he gave his viewers seemed to be on more of a personal level. I assume he has been making videos and possibly films for a pretty good lenght of time based on his popularity and comfort in being a male Kristen Stewart alone.

Anyhow Simon seemed especially interested in creating something you think is good rather than what is popular. I can certainly agree with him, its really easy to go with the flow but its not very rewarding.

 The next big thing has to come from somewhere, and if all artists simply recreated what already exists we wouldn't get very far culturally.

 However the mistake mentioned that resonates with me the most is probably the whole "you are your own worst enemy" notion.

 For the longest time I was very uncomfortable in new positions, I didn't like change or trying new things. Not that I wouldn't, I would just be incredibly nervous or scared. That's part of the reason I quit the youth organization I was with, and it even contributed to my fear of crowds.

It wasn't until halfway through my junior year of high school that I realized how to control that. The problem was at its center, me. Simply I was a judgmental d!ck. My father always picked people out of a crowd and mocked them in comparison to himself, and I realized that I had been doing the same thing.

 I guess I just thought "Well if I'm doing it, than other people must be too." I felt like people were judging me as much as I judged them. but I have to give the masses more credit than that. Not all people (contrary to popular belief ) are @$$holes. Still, even if they are? Who cares?

 Now I know, that person is probably just making themselves miserable doing exactly what I did.

The other points mentioned in the article were simply, get out more, learn to live with failure, and put more effort into your work.

I would go farther in depth with each of these, but I'm pretty sure I would end up having something around the length of a novel.

 I would like to note that my skipping of those last points is not because they are any less important than the others, they just don't seem to resonate with me as well.

but maybe that's just me...

Every Student's Worst Nightmare

 As a frequent procrastinator myself, I was immediately intrigued by the title of the provided reading I got this week. "6 Steps to Beat Procrastination" was a good short reminder of how important prioritizing work can be.

  The first thing to jump out at me was the first mentioning of a list...well that's not true, the first thing I saw was the absurd tattoo. But after I gave myself a moment to question that persons moral decisions I pressed on to find the actual information.

 A list is one of the most basic means of keeping track of what is going on for most people, or in this case what to do. Though it is a good idea to have a list, my mind drifted to the godawful organizers I was forced to keep in middle school. For me personally it wasn't very effective.

 On the other hand I do have a whiteboard mounted on the wall next to my desk at home, which happens to be probably the most convenient thing I have ever screwed into my wall for no other reason that to look good.

 As a quick side note, I really like the idea of keeping a minimized window with "to do's" on it.

 Another thing I happened to notice in tangent with the reading was that I seem to only write down the most important information on my white board, as opposed to everything. Prioritizing in the moment almost. In the text Paul Allan mentions that you should do what you deem the most difficult of the tasks first. I guess I simply hoped i would remember the simpler tasks.

I almost want to disagree with 15min breaks every so often to wade through Facebook posts or watch a quick video, but it is a required part of Digital Media. The only reason I want to resent those 15min is because once I get into the right mindset and focus on my work, it is quite difficult to just turn it off for a quick breather.

The only other important points that were covered in the reading were in regards to pre-planning and breaking down performing the action itself. Pre-planning can be a good thing, and I only use "can" because in reference to everyday tasks pre-planning should be used in moderation. Its easy for me to say on Monday "Im going to do my blog posts on Wednesday!" but when Wednesday rolls around I find out my bus was delayed, I have a test at Boces, I have a test in every other class, I put my shirt on backwards, and somebody at work quit so I have to pick up the hours after school... By the time I finally get home its 11:30 and I just want to go to bed.

So giving yourself time is always a good thing but if I personally don't start on it at my earliest convenience, chances are it either won't get done or it will be done last minuet. Then again, maybe thats just me...

2nd chance post

yeah...

Obscure blog post

<insert mlp reference here>

Class evaluation

1. Why did you take this class?

Ever since I could hold a pencil I have been creating characters and stories. I love bringing life to a character by giving them relatable and lifelike traits. Though I could make a character sound lifelike I really wanted to take that extra step to bring even more life to my art. And honestly if I can make a career out of that I could die happy.

2. In general, what did you like most about this class?

I enjoyed the fact that it never really felt like a class. Yes, I learned a lot but I enjoyed what I was doing (most of the time) so much that it hardly felt like work. I loved that it never felt like an actual part of school.

3. In general, what did you like least about this class?

Even with the ability to work at home I constantly felt constrained for time. The blogs were of course tedious but that is of less concern. I disliked the 3d portion the most simply because if you wanted to be proficient at all in the class projects you would have to study the program yourself outside of class, due to the fact that what is taught seems like it lacks anything other than a foundation for the basic fundamentals of  Maya.

4. What was your most favorite project and why?

I really loved the presentation project because it gave me the ability to really share my passions and inspirations with everyone. But as far as the animation portion goes, my favorite was the final project. That was the first project I was really content with this year and I never felt overburdened or constricted despite the provided script.

5. What was your least favorite project and why?

My least favorite project was definitely the 3d short. As previously mentioned I never really had a good grasp on Maya's capabilities. The work we did in Maya seemed very mechanical and the projects made to help us understand it were less informative than one would think. It almost seems as if 3d and 2d animation should be two separate coarses rather than one.

6. Discuss the overall effectiveness of the instructor (for example: preparation, availability, interest, content knowledge, expectations, etc.).

Helpful when needed, out of the way when not. Irrefutably the absolute ruler of the room with an occasional comical understanding. Basically a common house cat.

7. What are the most valuable things you learned in the class?

Organizational skills, as well as college and career readiness.

8. Do you feel that this class will help you achieve your future academic or career goals? How or why (or why not)?

Yes, It gave me an edge over the other students and possible employees of whatever college or employment facility I will ever apply to in the future.

9. How could this class be improved?

Establish a more concrete method for time efficiency while working, and prevent excessive talking.

10. Additional comments:

This class taught me a lot about myself, and those that I worked with over this year. I think the best things I will walk away understanding are:
1. I'm not always going to be the best or the top, and thats ok.

2.I should never be embarrassed of something I put hard work and effort into regardless of how I feel about it.

3. Criticisms are not ment to be hostile, rather constructive in nature.

4. A little extra effort can go a long way.

4 (a). ~Insert final speech from "The Breakfast Club" here~

Analysis and reflection

   Unfortunately for me the script seemed like a limiting factor, at least at first. I felt that there were very few possible interpretations of the script that would be used throughout the class. I was thankfully proven wrong, while several of my preliminary ideas were taken by various other students, my main idea remained original. I really wanted to think outside of the box for this one as I have attempted to do with the other projects without bitting off more than I can chew. After some consideration and several scrapped ideas I thought of character interaction with the 4th wall, or acknowledging the camera/audience.This was inspired by two pre-existing characters; Hasbro's Pinkamina Diane Pie and Marvel's Deadpool. These characters goofy antics generally result in interaction directly with the viewing audience by acknowledging the existence of either their own fantasy world or ours. This interaction always proved to be entertaining for me personally so I attempted to re-create that feeling.
   Throughout the animation I used several animation principals to help bring the characters to life. Squash and stretch was, however, the most prominent with the rotation of the screen and characters. There are also several instances in which the characters anticipate an action, such as just before the bunny character interacts with the camera. Secondary action and symmetry also emanate a minor presence throughout the animation during several scenes where the characters are talking.
  The first few frames of the animation feel a little stiff to me. Accounting for my displeasure I changed styles a scene or so in, using thicker more smooth lines to define the characters shapes. At the start of the year I didn't really have a well developed style but I was very happy with the outcome of several of the scenes in this animation. While style is very important I believe that my coloring ability has grown the most over the year. I have always been a black and white artist and find that coloring is both tedious and a good time waster, it does however help the audience to identify and resonate more with the characters. This skill will definitely come in handy later in life.
  I was a bit iffy on the blur heavy scenes where the camera was spinning out of control, but after the effect was applied to the right degree I was happy with the outcome. The faster movements worked out better than I had intended which was a pleasant surprise. On that note, there were also several notable downsides to this animation. Once the pressure to hand the project in on time became apparent I started to rush and make rookie mistakes. There are many scenes with faulty lip sync and poor or reused movements. The most deplorable part though would have to be the female character messing around with the camera. Her giant key framed hands fondle the screen even with the absence of arms, coherent lip sync, and her bunny counterpart. This was the result of a very rushed scene, and definitely not my proudest moment. In the future I will focus my efforts on quality over quantity and will prevent something like that from even being in scenes of my creation, regardless of time constraints.
  Inevitably I learned a lot about myself and my process through this project. My means of doing things has been giving me trouble all year, thinking way to big for the time given. Its not that the ideas are bad just that I don't have the time, or experience rather, to complete such a task so quickly. I am happy with this project though, even with its many faults. Two steps forward and all that. I am definitely coming closer to a system that effectively allows me to make a well made animation in the time given, hopefully I will be better prepared in the future for a project of similar intensity.

Final project references

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/241/4/9/step_by_step__anime_eyes_by_sukieyo-d489uv7.jpg

-This helped me with the design and coloring of the anime character's eyes. The placement of the lines and pupil were especially handy.

 http://www.cartoonsolutions.com/store/files/images/detailed/AS_male4finger_detail.jpg

- I wanted an idea of a good mix between cartoon and anime style mouths for lip syncing. I created my own version of this chart and attached it to my storyboard for easy access.

http://flash-animated.com/sites/default/files/images/Lipsync/812af1a684bd41fc614d8366c14291e7.png

-I have always had issues with hands and positioning of fingers, I used this chart for when the characters were being thrown about the screen.

https://youtu.be/KdPd4iGzGEs?t=152 ~WARNING JUMPSCARE~

-I used this clip from paranormal activity 1, to help determine how the camera should move when severely interacted with. -Bad movie, decent reference...

http://www.lightfootltd.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/product_full/survivalkitbook2_0.jpg

-When I worked at home I would reference this book to help me with timing, and some of the movements. Unfortunately it is a moderately heavy book and I could not bring it to school because my bag is already around 40+ lbs.

weekly

Testing is approaching at blinding speed and im not to confident for trig, regardless I will hold my head high and attempt to fail with grace! I really enjoyed this week though, with my private tutoring sessions for the SAT in June and parades coming up on the 23+24th (which I will be in) I have had a pretty decent week. I only wished the end of the year would stop creeping up on me so fast! Im starting to wish we had learned some premier skills earlier in the year, it certainly would have helped. But I digress, here is my link for the week enjoy! (to be honest I only partially watched it) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWp0oZuDMEQ I hope there is something to take away from it....

Portfolios and you

Well that time of the year is coming where we as artists and animators are looking to put together our best work in the hopes of getting a job. (or at least to college) Regardless this article goes over the usual stuff covered in many of its eerily similar counterparts.
-Best stuff in the beginning and at the end
-Don't make it to long
etc,
Though it never hurts to refresh your memory of these topics to help keep on track. I always have mixed emotions about these repeated articles, they are useful of course but it is almost tedious to re-read what I feel I have already read a dozen times over. Like I said though it never hurts to refresh ones memory.

The art and anxiety behind filmmaking

Many a famous directors have found themselves in a tough spot whilst directing, a good director will get around the problem, but a great director will overcome the problem. However before even getting to worry about those kinds of issues several directors find that there are many other problems that may arise. the article provided (or video rather) describes workplace issues that directors have to deal with from their personal viewpoints, from stubborn actors to mother nature everything is unpredictable. Sometimes even personal issues get in the way such as parents and other family members/friends.
However if I take anything away from this its that through hard work, focus, and the right mindset any problem may be overcome, and every goal may be achieved.

11:30 P.M Weekly comment

Holy SCHEZIA this week went fast. Its almost scary how quickly testing and regents is coming up. But to my fellow juniors it is also a very exciting time. Our adult lives essentially begin this summer, weather its exploring colleges or getting a job, most of us will accomplish something. Hopefully that something gets you a step closer to your goals in the future. I feel like garbage knowing we only have a week-ish left to work on the final, but Im still looking forward to seeing my own end product. Im happy with what I have so far but its to time consuming. I really need to re-think my process so that I can be both time and work efficient. Anyhow the dragon topic got me a bit fired up so heres a little light reading on dragons! Enjoy!     http://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2014/apr/24/here-be-dragons-science-flying-reptiles

Ze Dragons

This article contained a wealth of information on a subject matter I have immense difficulty with, 3d animating. Unfortunately it also contains a subject I love very much..Dragons, I have studied dragons from several different perspectives since I was very young. From scientific, to artistic I love dragons in any form...The article gave a mixture of surprising and useful advice. The most prominent of which that I noticed was the title "Sometimes the best way to deal with a problem is to hide it". The issue at hand is that a fully grown male dragon has a massive muscular chest and long arms, but short legs. So in order to prevent the walking from looking awkward the animators literally hid the legs in most if not all of the scenes. This new information makes me feel a bit better about the possibilities in 3d, who knows I may even attempt to refine my skills over the summer.

Le Science

   While some questions are better left unanswered, the science behind the Avengers leaves some enigmas to be solved very promptly by scientists and super-nerds alike.
  As you may have gathered the article this week provided some scientific insight into the superhuman powers of the late and great avengers based on both the first and second movies. Using movie magic effects to generate hypothesis and just best guessing it, scientists and marvel fans managed to come up with some pretty interesting takes. The fact that they go into such depth on a subject like this always interests me personally, for example; the idea of captain america's shield converting vibration energy into light energy opens all new gateways for conversation regarding the subject. I absolutely love scientific perspectives on topics like this and hope to see more in the future!

Weekly

This was a miserable weekend for me for several reasons, but regardless with the new week comes new opportunity. I was very upset with my father this weekend, he was hospitalized with a concussion and guilt tripped me the whole time for not helping him when I have to many more pressing obligations. i.e. I found out he was lying directly to my face and doesn't trust me. Any how on a better note Im up for a promotion in the marine cadet unit, on top of the fact that Im now on the color guard. Im excited to see how my final will turn out and Im starting to look forward to what we will be learning next year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH7PijZF3HI

Being cynical?

I felt this article was a little harsh from the perspective of an artist and an animator.The author constantly goes over the various form of media containing forgettable animations and poor quality
animations, but this must be a conclusion that he came to on a small scale if not for his own opinion. As an example the article mentions "Formulaic, repetitive shows ruled, and although they retain a degree of cult status, they are not exactly considered true classics." This seems like an unfair judgement due to the fact that something forgettable to him may be a very influential force in someone elses life. One of the classics, is just a status given by the majority of society to a movie or short with heavy influence on its audience. In the end Something may only be as disposable or a "bad" as its beholder determines it to be. It has been said Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

3d printing and animation

3d printing has been a hot button topic for the last several months due to its multiplicative nature 3d printing made its way to the animation field. This created many different job opportunities and stop motion animators are practically giddy over the possible uses.

  As described in the article 3d printing can help with the diversifying of the characters, facial features in particular may take on more complex shapes situation depending. This will allow animators to focus on smaller details such as clothing and costumes in general. This will be great in future animations because it opens up opportunities  for clothing and costume designers as well.

 All and all 3d printing continues to diversify itself and prove more and more useful.

weekly blah blah....

Well this was a very dull week, I have had nothing to do but my independent study (which im still working on at 11:43 on Sunday night). The end of the year will be a double edged sword as always, no school (yay) but LOTS of testing. Anyhow I noticed this weekend that I have been becoming increasingly frustrated with my indep study project, but I found the remedy! yes music, bet you saw that one coming. Old time swing music is keeping me sane frame by frame by frame by frAME BY FRAME- dat music doe

Good god Adobe what have you done?

If you think the current animation process is buggy and ineffective, wait 'till you see this. Adobe attempted a leap forward in the animation field with facial interactive animating, but instead of landing on both feet successfully "Adobe character Animator" is about to eat pavement...
 This is an interesting concept but, similarly to EA, Adobe might have jumped the gun on this one. I do agree that this advancement is exciting but for it to have potential it needs waaay more fine tuning. Just ask our friendly neighborhood motion tracking experts over at Xbox connect. Even after talking all kinds of crap I look forward to this technology being used in workplaces, even though I'm a bit concerned it might take the passion out of animating...

Being a good director...

After spending so much time on a set i'm sure you can develop a sense of how everything works. This article covered 15 different ways a person may accomplish the status of a seasoned director.
 After reviewing the tips I found that they are fundamentally the same qualities that anyone would look for in a leader.  A combination of positive reinforcement, confidence, and respecting your co-workers all seem very important in any workplace, not just on set. Taking what you learn from each shoot and applying your experiences to more shoots in the future will undoubtedly be nothing but beneficial.

weekly comment

Not a bad week for me, I'm a bit behind on my independent study but ill make it work. I have been slacking a bit on my PT (physical training) but ill make up for it next week. I'm currently taking a painting class with my mother every Thursday in NT which is fun, but it can be a little awkward since i'm the youngest one there. I want to spend more time on the independent study but the final project is rearing its ugly head. I have some good ideas of what to do but ill have to get that storyboard out quickly if i want to hand it in on time. I'm looking forward to summer now and all of the free time I will have to experiment and animate in animate Pro.
Seeing as how our blog mentioned freelancing i thought this would be appropriate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtSucFftmC0

Break dancing on thin ice

I believe this title is accurate to the provided article due the fact that the Freelance life style is a very selective. The person in the article got lucky and was able to find work frequently enough to support at least himself: but the freelance type of work, as independent as it may allow someone to be, can be very unforgiving to some. Not having a secure job/career can be very dangerous especially to a young animator out of college still paying off dept.
 Regardless this man in the article is very satisfied with how his life worked out, he was able to experience everything he wanted and more. His largest point that he tried to push was his beliefs on the difference between a job and a career. While he may make some good points, "Each job is not an end in and of itself: it’s a piece of something bigger: something called a career. " I still believe i would feel very uncomfortable without a -secured- job and a steady income. In the end if you enjoy what you do who cares how you go about doing it. Its all up to you, my mother always said " you can even be a garbageman if thats what you want to do, but if you do be the best damn garbageman you can be.".

Neurocinema

 Neurocinema woo, this weeks provided article once again delves into the neurological levels of the common viewers movie experience. But, from what I have learned over the past year all this article seemed to do for me was put a name to a face, with some colorful South Park-esk animations and zapping sounds. But I digress, 

 Although it seemed a bit confusing and tedious the little voice in the video assured me that it was all a part of the experience. So broken down essentially science has come far enough to monitor how people feel or what parts of their brain are active during a film. This allows filmmakers to find what people, designated as 'The common viewer", find to be the most engaging parts of a film and add it to more films in the future. The video provided was even bold enough to predict that movies will react and possibly change in an interactive manner to how a person persieves something in the film. Which may seem cool to some, but as an avid horror genre fan I don't think that i would want to experience Paranormal activity on a neurological level, mostly because it bugs my mother when I insist on leaving the "hall light" on.

weekly comment ~enthusiasm~

I am not a fan of 3d and all it has to offer, my short will defiantly reflect that. If anything i think that 2d should be a whole year and so should 3d because even after the amount of time we have had im still not comfortable with the way Maya works. I was more acclimated to Toon Boom quicker but with that it seems like mostly technique. Anyhow twas a good week for me, my progress report shows all of my grades in the high 90's (except for trig). This coming week is going to be a difficult one for me though, I have my final evaluation next Saturday to find out if I can guard lives efficiently enough for the red cross. Even if that doesn't go well I can still look forward to my trip to marine corp base Quantico on Sunday. who knows I may even finish my storyboard this week.. Welp to wrap it up heres my first non pony related link in a while enjoy~Do you like The Amazing World of Gumball? Well prepare to hate it... (or not I liked this)

Your weakness can be your strength

Another cold slap from our old friend "reality" greeted me in the first several paragraphs of this article, reminding me of the most frustrating aspects of film and animation. What was described by the article as a "moving target" the possible jobs in these fields can be very illusive based on your skill set. In a way im remembering the Cake maker analogy from one of my previous blogs but at the same time this article was a little bit more forceful with its approach. In short this article goes over knowing the difference between a weakness and a strength, and what to do about it. Don't give up on a weakness just because it is difficult or you dislike it. "If you want to be a cake maker fine, but it couldn't hurt to learn how to make cupcakes too." In other words, or in my experience, I love 2d animation a whole lot more than 3d, but that doesn't mean I should not apply myself in 3d. If anything this article reminded me that I should crush the source of my frustration and make it my own.

To beat one's enemy, you must first understand thy enemy.

Drones and their future in film

In the past decade or so technology has made another astonishing leap in several industries. The drone or UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) is one of the faster growing technologies today. It has gained popularity with several different types of industries such as Amazon, the Military, recreation, and now it is taking over the film industry?
  This article covered the uses and practicality of Drones in a filmset environment. The drone was described as having a bright future in the industry and was even demonstrated through a youtube video depicting a first person view of superman flying around. The author of the article tried her own hand at piloting the rather expensive drone equipment, and found it to be both difficult and forgiving. After getting used to it im sure anyone could expertly pilot the drone to capture that "perfect" shot that budget or safety issues would normally prohibit.
  Personally Im excited to see the drone make an appearance in film, it will definitely open up a new world of potential for the monster film industry.

comment of the weekly variety

this year seems to be going by pretty quick and I'm both grateful and a little bit frightened by that.Easter break is coming up and I'll be going to Quantico in doing the research that I need for the project that we have been assigned in digital media which I can't wait for by the way. the 3d project is coming along I have decided to take it one step at a time and while the quality may suffer at least I'll have something decent to present. the only thing I've really been worried about lately is my trig grade unfortunately.but my week is kept exciting By life guarding and Marines.all in all I'd say Gage we have some hot dogs if you want one. haha wow this is a prime example of why you don't want to use speech to text on your phone last minute to write your comments and I'm not even going to take it out.hope the only other thing I'm really looking forward to this week is staying after on Wednesday too bad it's not an overnight, but hey maybe in the future.Little girl show with bad animation.

the influence of music in animation

music has been around for much longer than animation quite obviously but when you pair the two together you get something quite fantastic.but this article warrants that there are some very specific ways that you can blend both music and animation into an artistic science that everyone can enjoy.the article makes mention of several things that we have come across before such as repetition and posing.sometimes even color and style can influence how the music can be interpreted by people. I noticed several times throughout the article that ratatouille and the jungle book were mentioned both of them possibly for their mastery in music and animation because of the memorable scenes.there's anything to take away from this article its that timing, repetition, style, and several other factors contribute to how well music and go with animation and how it influences the audience.

practice makes perfect

this article someone states the obvious to people who have been in the professional field of animation and video for extended periods of time and honestly it didn't say anything that we don't already know, however practicing what you preach is something different altogether it does help reestablish that constant practice and determination can help you to go further with whatever you happen to be doing at the time getting the habits can be a healthy and positive thing that will also provide opportunities in the future that will help you continue to grow and understand more about the field that you were working at. however somebody must be careful not to become too involved with their work so that it consumes them completely.if your emotions and daily life happen to revolve around your work then it stops being something that you enjoy and truly becomes work.this article does prove an interesting point though and I definitely plan to practice animating more at home hopefully this will give me an advantage whenever I do a project for school.

weekly comment

different things continue to both plague and excite me. I'm getting much closer to getting my lifeguard certification which I'm looking forward to Easter break is just around the corner. going to have to work pretty hard to do a lot of catching up involving the 3d short though which will be tedious but not impossible. Interf things up I really am looking forward to Easter vacation and unfortunately I have to say that I was unable to obtain a 10 hour loop of Patrick's voice that ever was looking forward to so instead here's this. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VKmJt3VzrtA

spongebob irl requires tremendous effort!

SpongeBob SquarePants is an old and famous character that many people have come to love over the years so once again making his place on the big screen is another joyful occasion that many people looked forward to.
this article took the time to cover the very difficult and very meticulous different techniques that were used in order to bring spongebob to the real world.this was done using several different techniques the first of which or one of them was to give the characters an exceedingly overwhelming level of detail at least when the camera was up close for example using cross hatching techniques and the socks and giving slight bumps to both SpongeBob and Patrick skin however when they both happen to fade into a distance or into the background they would lose several layers of detail becoming smooth and blending in more naturally.when working with the actors in the live action scenes several props and people in different outfits were used to help locate where the characters would be on the screen for the different actors for example with planktons hate being much taller than usual once they become super heroes the article explains that a wooden plank was used deltato help actors locate where he would be located on screendelta actors locate where he would be located on screen.this work is very tedious especially for the animators and the people who were dragged in create the different 3d models that were used to represent spongebob Patrick and his friends but in the end it paid off having raked in more in box office then described 50 shades of grey why the article chose to reference 50 shades of grey when speaking of a children's movie I would never guess.
this article really did help give me a sense of how working on a movie would actually work involving the animation process it as well as modeling and rigging hopefully this will help to give me an idea of what to look for and what to expect when working on a very difficult project.

Better scene lighting

there are many different ways that someone can bring attention to different parts of a scene whether it be controlling the way that a person happens to be speaking or moving in their mannerisms, even setting up the scene itself sometimes involves the most simplest of things such as light.
in the articles of most favored way of speaking about light now it can be used in the scene was bouncing or reflecting the light off of a different surface in order to  balance out the scene at hand.this is a nice tactic to use because it can eliminate shadows another incriminating portions of the scene at our drawing attention away from what the person who is directing is trying to convey.
this article could prove to be extremely useful and the tactics applied could even be used in Maya I for one can not wait to apply these different uses of light into the scenes of my 3d short that we are currently working on.

Weekly Comment ~wooh

A variety of interesting things happened this week, the first and most important of which is that to my dismay I have decided to take school seriously in order to get to my college of choice. I rejoined the Niagara Youth Marine Cadets which is helping me to get in, and stay in, shape. I also started a lifeguard and CPR certification program through my school. So long story short im attempting to be more productive... What?   No I don't have minecraft and anime open in another tab! The high point of my week had  to be the fact that I have been in a relatively good mood lately. avoiding my usually pessimistic ways, at least a little bit. The low point must be that I had to discard the models I took a class period to find for my 3d short due to the fact that they don't quite want to work together in the same scene. ~yay modeling~ Regardless im looking forward to the presentation, I think I will suprise some of you and pass what you are all expecting me to do. Anyhow enjoy my link this week >>Since im modeling my own characters I determined that it might help to watch someone else's process.

Style and job opportunity

This article discussed the importance of variety in the animation field, sticking to one style or type of animation can severely limit your job options and opportunities.

 This article felt like more of a rant to me about our styles and stubbornness. In reality by only focusing our time and energy into one area of animation we are eliminating potential jobs in the future. Diversity never hurt anyone. In the article it touches apon animators being just that animators, not SFX or anything else of the sort. In  a sense animator equality.
Really there wasent alot i could pull from this article information wise other than to expand your horizons and add variety to your work. In short, don't pigeon hole yourself.

Editing according to the professionals

A good article covering some very pronounced issues today with films and addressing, or at least giving some suggestions on how to deal with them.
  Several techniques have been used in film editing some more popular over the last decade or so, but the most popularly used today is the fast cut.

Fast Cutting-
is a film editing technique which refers to several consecutive shots of a brief duration (e.g. 3 seconds or less). It can be used to convey a lot of information very quickly, or to imply either energy or chaos.
(Google / Wikipedia)
                                                                                                                                                                 
With the increasing popularity of horror movies and games lately this technique has been used heavily for its ability to convey, as Google suggests, energy and chaos. One of the other ways to edit in a scene is best put by William Goldenberg as "Sometimes the best editing decision you can make is not cutting." This gives the characters on screen more of a presence making them seem more important, even sometimes giving them more time to talk. This can also be used to build tension with something happening just off camera, when the audience finds that the source of the eerie sounds are coming from off scene they are literally on the edge of their seat trying to find the source.

 These bits of information will most likely come into play when I'm making my 3d animated short, Choosing how and when to cut will save me both time and effort.

Weekly comment

  This week was crazy for me, between changing my scheduled at school around and the damn chicken I have been exhausted. I am a little bit more confident in maya though and hope to do better on the 3d short. I loved learning about editing and found it to be surprisingly entertaining. I'm a bit stressed though because this coming week I will be having extensive interaction with the military to explore my options. After all thats happened this week I find I'm really looking forward to editing next year! tedious as it may be, it is equally entertaining. Lately I have been doing a lot more physical activity as far as exercise goes so heres my link for the week, enjoy! Don't be lazy its easy!

5 friends + camera and editing techniques = 1000's of people?

  1 man versus 100 men seems a bit unfair for several obvious reasons, but at least with todays technology we can make it seem as if the odds are a little bit more fair.

  This article goes over the possible use of software and programs such as After Effects, and various other editing programs. Though it may seem tedious it can be surprisingly easy to duplicate one person several times to trick the audience. The article recommends having your friends stand in multiple places wearing different clothes, after that all that you need to do is copy the footage into the scene and make sure they don't overlap. With those easy steps you suddenly have A MIGHTY ARMY! or zombie invasion.. sometimes there will be a problem with the audience recognizing the trick you are attempting to do. Don't have your extras stand in the same spot in different rooms, also having people cross closely in front of or behind the character will provide the illusion of a crowded area. Use of Long lenses and close ups also give the illusion that there are more people than there really are.
 Now you can save money and not break your budget with extras! yay!

Inspiration, Innovation and Location, Location, Location.

This weeks article provided by jack was a very interesting one, I love seeing the behind the scenes action when it comes to production and animation. A lot of work goes into (almost) everything we see on t.v and the internet, I love watching different peoples processes and applying it to my own work.
This article featured two behind the scenes looks at one of the famous super bowl commercials regarding the good old fashioned rabbit, hare, and car? Using multiple programs in coordination with live action shots the talented Robert Stromberg created this ad for Mercedes Benz. The first thing I realized when I watched the videos was how much prep work went into the animated characters. Going through tedious phases of sketch, paint, color, texture, photoshop, maya, etc. There was a hinted time period of several months alone in planning and development of the characters, not to mention that every step of the way each superior would have to "ok" the work.

 If I take anything away from this article its that I should start developing characters of my own in preparation for when I might need them. Saving myself the trouble of being un-prepared and unskilled at drawing and replicating my own ideas.

Weekly comment

  Yay tests... well test. seeing as I only have an english test tomorrow it won't be all bad. I am finding 3d very difficult and constantly have to go back over my notes to recreate something usable for the "chicken" project. Ugh. Regardless the highlight of my week so far other than successfully dropping my problem class, would have to be the end of it. This past week was killer, and felt slower than usual. The highlight/disappointment? That would have to be the movie I saw last night American Sniper. I only say that because yes the movie was good, I was even moved to tears at the end, but not as good as the slightly older movie it is constantly being compared to Lone survivor. I don't think the movie was all its cracked up to be, but that shouldn't stop anyone from seeing it and judging that for yourself. I'm looking forward to the independent study project so I can go back to the familiar warmth of Animate pro. I have some plans for the final project as well that should prove to be fun.
 Anyhow heres the link of interest for this week, enjoy! ( Not a trap. )

Sweet mother of render...

  3d has brought about many new challenges to animation but my least favorite to traverse would be rendering, simply because I can only sit back and tweedle my thumbs waiting for it to finish. Just looking at all of the complex  mechanics and sims running in the battle of the five armies movie made me want to cry imagining what it would take for poor Maya to crank that out in mental ray. But thankfully there are different programs specially developed for the job. Having hundreds of creatures and people battling it out on one screen is nothing to scoff at, the production and set up for something on this scale is absolutely ludicrous though it has been done before. Other movies such as The previous lord of the rings movies and Dawn of the planet of the apes, require the special attention of the high tech programs used at Weta Digital.
  All I can really say is that the process for a movie like this is incredible and complicated to no end. I am glad I only have to deal with a fraction of this on a minor scale.

Michael Bay has good advice?!

   It surprised me too when I read the article this week to find out that Michael Bay has more to his directing style than just explosions. The notorious filmmaker has laid the groundwork for many aspiring filmmakers in terms of action movies and sequences.
  There were a few things in particular I picked out from the interview with Mr. Bay, the first being how he used grand scale shots vs close ups. This would allow the audience to take in the enormity of what was happening while transitioning into the characters personal emotions and reaction to the event. Another tip I picked up on was the use of real "Large moving objects." that would also ad an element of realism to the shot. The last tip I noticed was director Bay's use of a tennis ball in order to gauge (haha...) gravity. Tossing it up and using its air time to reflect that of a character to help get a tough shot.
  Actually learning something from Michael Bay was a surprising experience but I will actually find some use for his recommendations in both my animation and future camera work.

Dat weekly comment doe

  Holy crap another week and I haven't put my fist through my monitor yet...just kidding I love it to much for that, but regardless as promised with the arrival of 3d his lesser known and hated by all sibling "crap load of work" is faithfully at his side. I never expected it to be easy but damn is it un-cooperative when i need it to be. Well, the good part about this week is that I will finally be able to drop my problem class without repercussion, ~yay. Although my sleeping schedule is severely jacked up. Im glad that we have started learning 3d but I will miss 2d very much so. Now all of my passion is focused on the final project, I already have a few ideas for it and I refuse to disappoint.
 Welp to wrap things up here be my link of interest--> As of late I caught up to an anime called Tokyo ghoul which in my opinion is the best anime so far in 2015. It is notoriously gruesome and should not be looked  at lightly, especially if you don't like blood, but that is my exact reason for watching it. I like to pick out how the blood is animated, though most of it is censored I still have learned a lot. If you have a strong gut and don't mind blood and broken bones, then this is a tremendous anime, I highly recommend it.

Perspective in perspective

  This topic has been lightly touched apon before in previous articles I have been, against my will, forced to review, and the takeaway remains more or less the same. Put extremely bluntly... Same $*!t different day. Regardless that doesn't make it any less important. Perspective is one of the greatest tools used by both masters and amateurs and when used correctly can receive the same response. As an animator or even an artist it is nice to think of myself somewhat as a magician. I trick the audience into thinking what I want them to while the real trick is all behind the scenes. Pronouncing a characters presence with power or might, a simple low wide angle lens.
   As I stated previously this is a very important tool that can be used in many ways and I have applied it to many aspects of my own work, it should not be taken lightly and should be used prominently.

Disney looks with their special eyes

  There are many things that make the human body and each individual person unique, be it their symmetry, emotions, facial expressions, and of course their eyes. Disney's tough team of computer graphics experts has derived a way to generate an ultra realistic human eye using a combination of people, lighting, and many expensive cameras. Pascal Berard, a Ph.D student in computer graphics currently working for Disney's research team behind the algorithm, expresses his excitement and explains the difficulty and expense of the process in the article.
  This article does really put in perspective the advances currently being made in the animation and graphics field, and strengthens its possibility for the future. The idea of actors them selves being replaced by animated replicas opens the door for a whole new era of entertainment. For better or worse I cannot wait to see how this unfolds.