Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Comic-Con 2015 Reel

Sorry, I've been away for quite some time. My professional focus has changed. I no longer am a visual effects and animation instructor at the school, and have been grinding away at a few studios within the last year. It feels good to be able to use my fighting skills once again and I am thankful for the awesome talent around me. More on this later, but I'll do my best to maintain this blog of cool things that I see which continue to inspire me. I saw this presentation for the next Star Wars movie, its a reel that played during this year's Comic Con in San Diego. It made me happy when they touched upon the focus of practical effects throughout the movie and how much the film meant to all of us. Time to have some fun. Chewie hit the Lightspeed! Fire it up! Randolf

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!

"Hereafter" - Opening Tsunami Shot Breakdown

Nice opening to the movie. Watch the scene first, then the breakdown below. The water moving throughout the shots looks good. Here's the scene...

http://youtu.be/2t0zQ9RmYSc



Their website can also be checked out below. These guys are really expert in water, simply the best.

http://www.scanlinevfx.com/muc/de/reels.html >>

Inception: Best VFX 2011

"Inception" wins the 2011 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. If you haven't seen it, the movie is mindbending, be sure you watch it on Blu Ray or on a large screen. This video showcases some of the inner workings of one of the more memorable shots of the film. The movie is rich visually, and if you are wondering about the story, just do your best to pay attention, you could get lost.

ED 209: Classic Robocop Scene

Saw Robocop appear on Netflix the other day, and I immediately fast forwarded to the most memorable scene of the movie - it has been years since I've seen this movie. The scene features a malfunctioning robot animated via stop motion, great sound, and visual effects squib work (this is the bloody explosion stuff happening on the guy's body).

Also is a documentary about the scene called "Making ED 209), as well as the latest poster for the scheduled remake.

Enjoy!

Star Wars In Game Cinematics Better Than Prequals

Crazy right? But I rightfully agree. A good example is this trailer for Force Unleashed II. So sweet. The timing and camera angles of the fight scenes are better than any that I have scene in the movies. Check out the trailer below and see for yourself.

Iron Man 2 : Suit Design Featurette

Attention to detail plays a big part in the look and feel of a film - everything MUST have a purpose, even when we don't "see" it. In designing Iron Man's armor, pay close attention to the inner workings of the armor and how that lends itself to the aesthetic appeal of the overall design. The thought process displayed in this featurette is what good character design is made of.

http://www.makingof.com/posts/watch/1743/legacy-studios-iron-man-2-suit-tour

The site hosting this featurette is called "Makingof.com", they seem to have lots of featurettes for the movies we love. I'll be checking it often and will post anything that makes me salivate.

Fire it up! Keep drawing, painting and animating!

Randolf

Avatar: MOCAP Featurette

By this time, you have all probably seen Avatar, by far one of the greatest, most enjoyable movie experiences I've had in quite awhile. Be sure you watch it in Imax 3D. You'll be amazed at how beautiful the film is.

As an animator, I paid close attention to the handling of the eyes. In animated CG films, the models and characters look great, but there is always something fake about them, that is usually attributed to the eyes.

This "eye thing" is called the "Uncanny Valley". Avatar however, hit the spot. The eyes looked very natural, through appropriate eye rolls and darts. Not sure if this was MOCAP'ed, anyone know. Usually, this is done by hand.

Kudos to the animation crew of Avatar for making such a memorable film, you guys deserve everything grand brought on by your work.

Fire it Up! Anyone see this for a second time? How was it?

Avatar: Featurette

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This is a nice featurette about the making of "Avatar" (Dec. 18, 2009). In it, you'll see more scenes, more creatures, more characters, more environments and James Cameron's personal view of the film, where he shares that he had to "shelve" the idea because the technology was not available to make his story come to life...lucky guy! Its great to see him back with what appears to be a strong movie on his plate. You can tell that he's really passionate about making these types of movies. Titanic?

We're all looking forward to the opening of the film which premieres Dec. 18. Save up your money and be sure to check this movie in 3D. I've seen the trailers in the 3D... the colors and sets were simply gorgeous. Oooooh can't wait. See you all at the theatres. 

Enjoy!