Grayscale Gorilla

We fell in love with Greyscale Gorilla initially for their C4D After Effects integration tutorials. The blog is quite robust, check out their blogpost about how they did the CGI opening title sequence in Pacific Rim.

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"Beyond" by Raphael Rogers CG VFX Short

I'm a big fan of the storytelling and overall presentation of Raphael's piece. See how many VFX shots you can spot. You can do many of these shots, but his refinement and attention to overall detail makes them superb. Also, pay attention to their duration and its use in the context of the film. This is just as important as the actual CG effect.

Ryan Prestridge: Matte Painting TD Reel

World War Z - CG Jerusalem Breakdown

The Hobbit 2: Desolation of Smaug - UK Trailer

Stick around, they actually show the dragon at the end.

Iron Man 2 - HUD Design Breakdown

Inspiring breakdowns. I've always been amazed at the look and feel of these designs which appear complex, the main shapes are basic and simple, but have numerous levels of detail in the forms of little tick marks and numbers for added texture.

Post Viz Documentary

Post Visualization is the process by which actual plates used in a film are given to a vfx artist. The vfx artist blocks in the animation to give the director/producer an actual working piece that exists within the current movie. From this point, refinement can occur. This documentary filmed in 2011 describes that process. We've actually been using it quite a bit, but nobody has articulated the process. This video does a great job in doing that. Fire It Up! Randolf

Matte Painting VFX Breakdown Reel : Carlos Nieto

If you are going to put matte painting examples in your reel, its a good idea to think ahead and to save the various layers of detail used to create your scene. Not only is it helpful to have the final composited shot, but if you can animate the various layers and assemble the piece, it lends insight and understanding into your creative process, especially to your attention to detail and presentation, in many cases this goes a long way. Check out Carlos' reel, not only are his examples very good, but he's included simple effective breakdowns for each. Well done. Fire It Up! Randolf

Pacific Rim: Trailer 2

"Thor - Dark World" Trailer

Loki looks like he could be the lead singer of a band in this trailer.

Man of Steel: Trailer 3

Elysium: Trailer

Something really cool about this movie. Let's hope its cool.

The Hobbit: Post Production Featurette

Bought The Hobbit on Bluray about a week ago, and haven't stopped watching it. I love this move even more, even after seeing it on the big screen. The video blogs that accompany the bluray give a nice tour into the creation of the film, and if you haven't seen it, here is video blog 9 about the post production process. Items covered in this featurette include: sound design, sound engineering and foley, color correction, animation, and compositing - subjects that are right up our alley. In a small way, you'll get a taste of the stress involved in creating all of the work in a compressed timeframe. Enjoy!

Silent Hill: Opening Title Sequence Featurette

I saw this featurette and immediately thought of the many students who I come across who love drawing, painting and conceptual development, but shy away from 3D. I know very well that you are familiar with this opening title sequence and admire it and so do I. We appreciate the tone it has, the use of lighting, cameras, character development, and the excellent execution to achieve the unsettled feeling for the viewer. None of this happens without the initial drawings created from the storyboard, it would be too difficult to plan and approve otherwise. This featurette walks one through the many storyboards to achieve this idea, but most importantly, pay close attention to when they show your Maya viewports. The models are simple, but what makes this sing is the work done in the lighting and camera. Its a piece that I believe most of you can pull off in my classes, I've seen it. All you have to do is to commit to the vision you have and do whatever it takes to achieve your goal. Hope this featurette inspires you. Fire it up!

Gustavo Maia: Motion Graphics Demo Reel

Many practical Cinema 4D examples in this reel. Good use of particles and Mograph tools, but pay close attention to his transitions, many pieces begin as an abstract only to later become clear.