Inspiration: Zombies vs Robots

I've been working for the past 4 days on a 300 frame cut scene that is driving me nuts. The sequence has been a real lesson in overlap for sure. To break up the insanity I've been checking out Ashley Wood's blog. There are tons of awesome illustrations. What could be better than Zombies and Robots!!

J.J. Abrams and his mystery box

Here's a really good lecture by JJ Abrams that he gave at TED last march. He makes some really good points about story and the whole talk is centered around his "Mystery Box".




Lost, Alias, Forever Young, Armageddon these are all creations of J.J. Abrams. I just saw his new movie Cloverfield with my friend Adam last night. Awesome! I loved the realistic camera work, lighting, and the approach Abrams took with the VFX was perfect. I really felt for the characters as well and the "reality" shooting style of the film really worked. From an animation standpoint the creatures looked great. I loved the little ones the most because they a broader range of movement and interaction with live-action characters. Don't get me wrong though, the big creature was sweeet and so was the animation. The good thing is the show left me wanting more and all Adam and I could talk about was the possibility that the creature was alien. There's also a recording at the end of the credits and you can hear the translation here: Cloverfield whisper

I'm also really pumped to see what Abrams does with the new Star Trek film. The trailer looks awesome and I really like the fact that we get to see the building of the first Enterprise.

Plastic Animation Paper

I just downloaded this free 2d software called Plastic Animation Paper so I can practice my 2d animation "skills". It seems to be pretty cool software and I'll upload some of my tests in the next few days or so (once my primitive mind can figure out how to draw again).

You can download the software here:

New Take on Peter and the Wolf by Suzie Templeton

{spoilers}

This modern rework of Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf by Suzie Templet is a beautiful film. I thought the staging, camera work, and lighting was wonderful. I loved the how Templet chose to hold the camera on the characters for long moments so the audience really had a chance to take in the moment and the environment. The level of detail put into the environment and character costumes was amazing.

I love the fact that this film was stop motion and it's unique animation style lends well to the piece. The animation as a whole works well with the design and feel of the story but at the same time I wish there was more facial expression in some scenes. Over all the story is great and flows well despite the absence of dialogue but the ending felt a bit slapped together. I like that the boy lets the wolf go free in the end but that story point could have been made much stronger. It's a great visual accomplishment but the story looses it's luster in the end.

Here's the film in 3 parts:

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3

Ray Harryhausen & Friends

I can hardly wait to go to this lecture on Feb 20th! Ray Harryhausen is going to be there, Craig Barron, Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, and Arnold Kunert!! Talk about an awesome line up! I can't wait to hear them talk shop about projects they've worked on and where they think the industry is going!










Here's the show info: Ray Harryhausen & Friends

Disney Family Album: Eric Larson

I've been listening to these over the past few days. Be sure to check out Eric Larson's animal sketches! His since of anatomy is amazing! The Thumper bit is awesome!



Part1



Part 2



Part 3

Sketches

I did these today while I was working. My sketchpad is highly therapeutic for me because it gives me a chance to take a break from the computer screen and actually work with a pencil for a while. I recommend it!

Learning the ropes

Over the past week and a half I've really learned a ton about game animation. I'm also finding that there is less facial animation and more of a focus on physical animation (at least on the current game I'm working on). It's also very interesting how all the animations for a character is compiled for a working scene in the game. The cut scenes I really enjoy because there is much more room for acting and performance that includes facial expressions. The work flow here is pretty fast paced which is forcing me to be a quicker animator (which is a good thing). I'm animating Sam right now. He's a pretty cool character and love his hat!

NEW JOB!!

I finally got a job! TellTale Games

Updates

I haven't been around for a while... almost a year to be exact! Crazy. I just haven't had time to post anything this year. I've been busy getting married and finishing my thesis! Last Dec. I graduated from AAU finally! My thesis presentation went well but I still have plans over the next few months to reformat the entire project and tweak the rendering and animation. Here are a few screen shots-