13 December, 2012

Architectual PreViz: AllCGStudio



Some really nice work from the guys at AllCGStudio. Their level of detail in their presentation is outstanding - their lighting setup makes their models appear as if they already exist in the world. Learn more by visiting their site below: http://www.allcgstudio.com/

12 December, 2012

Man of Steel: Trailer 2



Something to look forward to...an all-star cast and a dark different take on what we are used to seeing - I love how the trailer continues to build. Looks quite epic. The soundtrack reminds me of Gladiator. Fire it Up!

03 December, 2012

Peregrine Falcon CG FX & Breakdown: By Fido



Some amazing visual effects work of a falcon by Fido, coming from Scandanavia. In this reel, you'll see exceptional examples of modeling, animation, rigging, lighting, and texturing coming together to compose a beautiful piece. You can learn more about Fido by visiting their website below. http://www.fido.se/ Fire It Up!

28 November, 2012

Game of Thrones: CGU VFX Breakdowns



Simple but effective use of CGI to create the over 350 visual effect shots of season 1. Many of the landscape shots are similar to what we create in class, but I especially like the variety of "kill shots". Another fun assignment is on the horizon. Stay posted. Fire it up!

21 November, 2012

Gustav Hoegen: 2012 Animatronic Showreel



All we can say is Wow! One thing to consider, are some of the benefits of using animatronics vs. cg. What do you think? Here, we agreed that an animatronic character, if done well, would be a better costar for an actor. The actor has the ability to react in a realistic fashion to a character that he sees right in front of him because the character has volume, one can make eye contact therefore creating a better connection. There are ways around this, but its usually up to the vision of the director to make sure that the connection is believable. In CG, the character is added in post, sometimes the reaction of an actor is not as believable. We wonder however, if it's cost and time effective, other than that we believe this work to be top notch. Nice job Gustav. Keep firing it up!

Art of Data: IBM Behind the Scenes



In this presentation, we see how code is used to create imagery that is not only beautiful and unique, but useful. Imagine seeing a heartbeat in a way that is unconventional, but dimensional in a way that is steps above a standard 2D EKG. Everything is driven by numbers and so presentations of this kind can only enhance our understanding complex mathematical concepts by giving all of us new ways to relate to the information. Enjoy! Fire it up!

10 November, 2012

Great White Shark "Kon Tiki" Visual FX Breakdown by ILP



Great white shark visual effects modeling, compositing, fluid and fx animation for the movie Kon Tiki, by ILP (Important Looking Pirates)- nice name. ILP is a visual effects group from Sweden. You can view their website and 2012 Showreel below. http://ilpvfx.com

08 November, 2012

Design Animation VFX Showreel 2011 by Engine



Oh yeah, hot stuff. Good mixture of CG with cutting edge motion graphics editing, the song helps out in a big way. Be sure to check out their site below. http://www.engine.net.au

31 October, 2012

CGI VFX Breakdowns: Dark Shadows



These shots are very convincing and were created by the visual effects house called The Senate. Remember that one of the main reasons shots like this are put together is because its too difficult to recreate, primarily because of logistics and cost. You wonder however if it was possible to secure a large warehouse to film some of the opening shots. You can learn about The Senate by visiting their site below. http://www.senatevfx.com Be sure you check their showreel. Fire it up!

25 October, 2012

LG IPS Monitors: So Real It's Scary


Saw this today and had to post and share. To pull this off however, is not just the monitors, but also the sound, animation, overall presentation, including the flickering lights. A very nice effect that you'll find interesting. Looks fun.

Particles Animation 2012 Olympic Candy Commercial.



Particle animation used for Cadbury Dairy Milk aired during the 2012 London Olympics. The particle trails created by the athletes' movements generates interesting and unique designs inherent to the unique event. Very nice to look at, making me want to see more. I forgot it was a candy commercial, did you? The animation was created by the talented crew from Piranha Bar, Dublin Ireland. Check their website, and you might find that you recognize a lot of pieces they've created. http://www.piranhabar.ie/ Fire it up!

23 October, 2012

Iron Man 3: Trailer 1



Iron Man 3, seems like Tony Stark gets into more trouble recovering from the affects of the The Avengers. A darker version where it seems that the suits turn on him. Premiering in April.

18 October, 2012

Julien Malot - CG VFX Demo Reel



 Julien displays some fantastic work in both his films and commercial venues and a wide variety of examples. Pay close attention to his breakdowns, design and layout.

13 September, 2012

Shrunkenheadman March for Equal Represtation 2012



A snippet from the letter sent to Alumni regarding The Shrunkenheadman Club's petition to become its own department at San Jose State University. Speaking as a former president of the club (1996), and being familiar with its humble roots, its so inspiring to see the program grow to its current active state. The spirit that permeates those walls is incredible and is simply inspiring.

- -

Yesterday will forever be remembered in Shrunkenheadman history. On Monday, September
10th, 2012, students, parents, and alumni rallied together in a march to iconic Tower Hall
to request more academic space and petition to make the Animation/Illustration Program a
bonafide department. President Qayoumi was not in his office when we arrived; however,
we were able to deliver a formal letter addressed to the President, along with a petition to
make Animation/Illustration a department, to Dorothy Poole, the President’s Chief of Staff.
The petition featured over 3,500 signatures and included personal comments from alumni
and industry allies from across the United States. A camera from the NBC News Team and
journalists from various papers were there to document our experience. Our story appeared
online in the Silicon Beat and was featured on the cover of the Spartan Daily.

We then walked to the office of Dean Vollendorf to deliver a copy of our letter and petition
addressed to the President. The Dean spoke briefly with a few of the officers and accepted our
documents. Unfortunately, she was not receptive to our requests and declined to meet with the
other students in the hallway. The march concluded with a final rally and clap on Tower Lawn.

- -

For those of you who have graduated, please lend your voice and expertise into making this happen, and for those of you are in the program, don't stop. Keep drawing, keep animating, keep improving, keep moving. This is a great thing.

To see the caliber of work coming out of the school...their 2011 Showreel is below.

Fire it up guys!



12 September, 2012

"Wreck It Ralph" Trailer 2

31 August, 2012

The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1. Animated Movie. Clip



This clips has definitely got the Frank Miller look and feel, but toned down quite a bit to look like a "normal" animated feature.

06 June, 2012

Wreck It Ralph: Trailer 1



Appearing this holiday season - ha ha, we can't wait. If the picture below doesn't make you want to watch the movie, just stay home. Where else can you see Bowser, Zangief, M. Bison, and Pac Man ghosts (just to name a few) sitting in a support group. Genius!

Fire it up!

25 May, 2012

Transformer Audi Visual FX Clip by: Geoffrey Guiot



A visual effects clip by director Geoffrey Guiot that features superb lighting and texturing. The opening car sequence had me fooled - so slick. Thank for the breakdowns at the end.

Fire it up!

16 May, 2012

Amazing Spiderman: 4 Minute Super Preview



More eye candy for you to see - we simply can't get enough! Really nice to see a 4 minute trailer, hopefully it doesn't give away too much, but even if did, ya'll are still gonna watch the movie.

To learn more, visit the official website here...
http://www.theamazingspiderman.com/

Enjoy!

11 May, 2012

Leaving Work on Time


Saw this today, and I wondered how much I personally follow what it says. Its a good checklist to make sure we aren't doing too much.

If you are an employee, definitely consider this - but does this apply to students too?

01 May, 2012

Paths of Hate



Wow, this animated short is great. I can imagine the time spent in coordinating the entire sequence...a lot of work, but time well spent, this is a jewel. Great backgrounds, and unique look and feel combining a toon shader with hand painted/rendered textures. Nice sound too. Thanks for sharing Billy!

Firing It Up! Here we go!

30 April, 2012

Dark Knight Rises: Trailer


This looks and feels way different from the first two installments, and as I watch, without knowing story, I wonder what looks to be a prison / arena shot below, and why the football field is collapsing, its just nuts! The entire trailer, dark and subtle is great to see.

Enjoy and Fire It Up!




19 April, 2012

Alma: Animated Short Film



No wonder I get creepy feelings when I'm around old dolls. We need more "creepy" animations.

01 April, 2012

Total Recall: Trailer 1



Ah something to look forward to this summer, and for those of you who are too young to know that this is a remake, here is the trailer from the 1990 version. I remember liking the story back then, we sure have improved as far as vfx goes.

28 March, 2012

Chuck Jones Experience


Thanks Kevin for putting this together. The show was inspiring. Be sure to stop by the exhibit at Circus Circus when you get a chance.

Fire It Up!

21 March, 2012

Flying Birdman: Real or CG


This clip is great... either way, its pretty darn convincing and nice to look at. Nice job.

07 March, 2012

Emil Madriansyah: Character Animation Demo Reel

Avengers: Trailer 2

Pretty cool. As well as screen grabs from some of my favorite shots.



20 February, 2012

McDonald's McBites Commercial: Feat. Bones & DJ Aron



Ha ha, saw this McDonald's Chicken McBites commercial starring Bones and Aron, and had to log it here for future reference. For a split second, I thought about it being fake, how can someone's arm rotate like that? Its pretty incredible and I'm sure it'll come in handy as a nice little class icebreaker to get things moving. Let's fire it up!

See them in this video by YAK films.



09 February, 2012

Amazing Spiderman Trailer 2012

When I first saw the teaser late last year, it didn't quite do it for me. But looking at it now, it looks quite good. It seems darker and has better fight choreography. Be sure to check it. Our villain this time around is Lizard.



06 February, 2012

Top 10 Superbowl Commercials 2012

Sorry I've been so infrequent in posting. Things have gotten pretty busy, but I'm ready to rock. Below are my top 10 Superbowl commercials for 2012. Surprisingly, Coke and Bud Light didn't make the list, every year, they have been my favorites. My criteria for choosing the best is simple they must have a laugh and or cool factor, animation and visual effects and we won't include any movie trailers. Let's begin with No. 10.


Number 10: Silverado "2012 Apocolypse"
This had potential to go all over the place. Nice detail throughout - they really hit Ford lovers hard.



Number 9: Hyundai "Rocky Theme"
The song was executed brilliantly. The guys doing the "buck a wow" at :34 are hilarious.



Number 8: Toyota Camry "Reinvented"
Reivented Pizza Drapes Awesome!



Number 7: Doritos "Sling Baby"



Number 6: Acura NSX - "No. 1"
This version is longer than what was aired on the Superbowl.



Number 5: M&M's "Sexy and I Know It"
Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle - The best part. If you like the song, you'll like this.



Number 4: Hyundai "Mr. Jensen"



Number 3: Metlife "Everyone"
Where can you see Voltron, Grape Ape, and He Man in one shot? Here...



Number 2: Audi - "Vampire Party"



Number 1: Cars.com "Confident You"
We can't stop watching this ad. And for that, its numero uno.


Thanks for watching! Which was your favorite?

03 January, 2012

Eye Blink Tutorial

This is great. So much can go into something that is so quick and simple. Just remember that everything counts. The whole face is gonna move. Happy animating.