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!

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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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!

"Wreck It Ralph" Trailer 2

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.