Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Tron!
Found a new way to make glow in max using the glare function with glow-lume
Had to test it on the obvious =D
15 min give or take. Cant wait to Tron Leagacy
Had to test it on the obvious =D
15 min give or take. Cant wait to Tron Leagacy
Labels: own work
Out of Africa: The incredible tribal fashion show inspired by Mother Nature
With colourful make-up of bright yellows, startling whites and rich earth-reds, flamboyant accessories and extraordinarily elaborate decorations, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the designs in these images originated in the fevered mind of some leading fashionista
Yet far from the catwalks of New York, London or Paris, these looks are the sole creation of the Surma and Mursi tribes of East Africa's Omo Valley.
Inspired by the wild trees, exotic flowers and lush vegetation of the area bordering Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan, these tribal people have created looks that put the most outlandish creations of Western catwalk couturiers to shame.
See all here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-516490/Out-Africa-The-incredible-tribal-fashion-inspired-Mother-Nature.html
Yet far from the catwalks of New York, London or Paris, these looks are the sole creation of the Surma and Mursi tribes of East Africa's Omo Valley.
Inspired by the wild trees, exotic flowers and lush vegetation of the area bordering Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan, these tribal people have created looks that put the most outlandish creations of Western catwalk couturiers to shame.
See all here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-516490/Out-Africa-The-incredible-tribal-fashion-inspired-Mother-Nature.html
An Open Letter to the Terminator Owners. From a Very Important Hollywood Mogul
Found this over at Joss Whedon`s blog and though I just had to share!
"Dear Sirs/Ma'ams,
I am Joss Whedon, the mastermind behind Titan A.E., Parenthood (not the movie) (or the new series) (or the one where 'hood' was capitalized 'cause it was a pun), and myriad other legendary tales. I have heard through the 'grapevine' that the Terminator franchise is for sale, and I am prepared to make a pre-emptive bid RIGHT NOW to wrap this dealio up. This is not a joke, this is not a scam, this is not available on TV. I will write a check TODAY for $10,000, and viola! Terminator off your hands.
No, you didn't miscount. That's four -- FOUR! -- zeroes after that one. That's to show you I mean business. And I mean show business. Nikki Finke says the Terminator concept is played. Well, here's what I have to say to Nikki Finke: you are a fine journalist and please don't ever notice me. The Terminator story is as formative and important in our culture -- and my pretend play -- as any I can think of. It's far from over. And before you Terminator-Owners (I have trouble remembering names) rush to cash that sweet cheque, let me give you a taste of what I could do with that franchise:
1) Terminator... of the Rings! Yeah, what if he time-travelled TOO far... back to when there was dragons and wizards? (I think it was the Dark Ages.) Hasta La Vista, Boramir! Cool, huh? "Now you gonna be Gandalf the Red!" RRRRIP! But then he totally helps, because he's a cyborg and he doesn't give a s#&% about the ring -- it has no power over him! And he can carry it AND Frodo AND Sam AND f@%& up some orcs while he's doing it. This stuff just comes to me. I mean it. (I will also offer $10,000 for the Lord of the Rings franchise).
2) More Glau. Hey. There's a reason they're called "Summer" movies.
3) Can you say... musical? Well don't. Even I know that's an awful idea.
4) Christian Bale's John Connor will get a throat lozenge. This will also help his Batwork (ten grand for that franchise too, btw.)
5) More porn. John Connor never told Kyle Reese this, but his main objective in going to the past was to get some. What if there's a lot of future-babies that have to be made? Cue wah-wah pedal guitar -- and dollar signs!
6) The movies will stop getting less cool.
Okay. There's more -- this brain don't quit! (though it has occasionally been fired) -- but I think you get my drift. I really believe the Terminator franchise has only begun to plumb the depths of questioning the human condition during awesome stunts, and I'd like to shepherd it through the next phase. The money is there, but more importantly, the heart is there. But more importantly, money. Think about it. End this bloody bidding war before it begins, and put the Terminator in the hands of someone who watched the first one more than any other movie in college, including "Song of Norway" (no current franchise offer).
Sincerely, Joss Whedon"
If you have 10 thousand, the franchise is yours =D.. Personally, I would let Burton get his hands on it him but I would like to see him do everything. Go Whedon!
"Dear Sirs/Ma'ams,
I am Joss Whedon, the mastermind behind Titan A.E., Parenthood (not the movie) (or the new series) (or the one where 'hood' was capitalized 'cause it was a pun), and myriad other legendary tales. I have heard through the 'grapevine' that the Terminator franchise is for sale, and I am prepared to make a pre-emptive bid RIGHT NOW to wrap this dealio up. This is not a joke, this is not a scam, this is not available on TV. I will write a check TODAY for $10,000, and viola! Terminator off your hands.
No, you didn't miscount. That's four -- FOUR! -- zeroes after that one. That's to show you I mean business. And I mean show business. Nikki Finke says the Terminator concept is played. Well, here's what I have to say to Nikki Finke: you are a fine journalist and please don't ever notice me. The Terminator story is as formative and important in our culture -- and my pretend play -- as any I can think of. It's far from over. And before you Terminator-Owners (I have trouble remembering names) rush to cash that sweet cheque, let me give you a taste of what I could do with that franchise:
1) Terminator... of the Rings! Yeah, what if he time-travelled TOO far... back to when there was dragons and wizards? (I think it was the Dark Ages.) Hasta La Vista, Boramir! Cool, huh? "Now you gonna be Gandalf the Red!" RRRRIP! But then he totally helps, because he's a cyborg and he doesn't give a s#&% about the ring -- it has no power over him! And he can carry it AND Frodo AND Sam AND f@%& up some orcs while he's doing it. This stuff just comes to me. I mean it. (I will also offer $10,000 for the Lord of the Rings franchise).
2) More Glau. Hey. There's a reason they're called "Summer" movies.
3) Can you say... musical? Well don't. Even I know that's an awful idea.
4) Christian Bale's John Connor will get a throat lozenge. This will also help his Batwork (ten grand for that franchise too, btw.)
5) More porn. John Connor never told Kyle Reese this, but his main objective in going to the past was to get some. What if there's a lot of future-babies that have to be made? Cue wah-wah pedal guitar -- and dollar signs!
6) The movies will stop getting less cool.
Okay. There's more -- this brain don't quit! (though it has occasionally been fired) -- but I think you get my drift. I really believe the Terminator franchise has only begun to plumb the depths of questioning the human condition during awesome stunts, and I'd like to shepherd it through the next phase. The money is there, but more importantly, the heart is there. But more importantly, money. Think about it. End this bloody bidding war before it begins, and put the Terminator in the hands of someone who watched the first one more than any other movie in college, including "Song of Norway" (no current franchise offer).
Sincerely, Joss Whedon"
If you have 10 thousand, the franchise is yours =D.. Personally, I would let Burton get his hands on it him but I would like to see him do everything. Go Whedon!
Labels: movie news
Monday, October 12, 2009
13 Writing Tips
Chuck Palahniuk is an American transgressional fiction novelist and freelance journalist. He is best known for the award-winning novel "Fight Club", which was later made into a film directed by David Fincher. He shares here, some of his tips for good writing. Read on!
http://chuckpalahniuk.net/features/essays/chuck-palahniuk
http://chuckpalahniuk.net/features/essays/chuck-palahniuk
Labels: other
What every kid needs! A Alien Facehugger Plush!
He just wants to give you a kiss!
Don’t you wish there was someone, or something, at home that loved you unconditionally? The Alien Facehugger Plush can do just that! As soon as this little guy sees you he’ll try to jump up and give you a giant smooch. He loves you so much that he'll refuse to let go!
He even told us that he wants to give you a super sweet present called a Xenomorph. We don’t know what that is, but it sounds pretty thoughtful. Who knows? Maybe it'll be another pet that is BURSTING with love.
The Alien Facehugger Plush is made from extremely high quality material for maximum softness. Experience total comfort as he clutches your head in his loving grip. The 'fingers' of the Facehugger Plush have a wire skeleton that can bend in any direction for maximum poseability.
If you have heartburn or tightness in your chest don’t worry, that's just the Facehugger Plush filling you with its love. - source Thinkgeek.com
Me wanty! http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/plush/c534/?cpg=cj
Labels: toys
New Road Rash game.Pre-Vis.
YES?!
Road Rash was a goldmine for me in my younger days. As well as being a pure violent game with competitive moments, it also introduced me to Soundgarden and it had some of the coolest menys of all time. Hells yeah..
It seems that a animator from a uknown games-company leaked this vid.. and its looking great!
Road Rash was a goldmine for me in my younger days. As well as being a pure violent game with competitive moments, it also introduced me to Soundgarden and it had some of the coolest menys of all time. Hells yeah..
It seems that a animator from a uknown games-company leaked this vid.. and its looking great!
Labels: game news
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Sequels that bombed!
Someone made a list of all the sequels that bombed at the box-office into a pretty picture =D
Labels: movie news
Five Favorite Films with John Malkovich
Actor, producer, and director John Malkovich has had a long career spanning several decades, beginning on stage in high school. Malkovich, who went on to be a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, has also earned praise for several of his film roles, including supporting turns in 1984's Places in the Heart and 1993's In the Line of Fire.
This week, Malkovich stars in a new independent film, Disgrace, which opens in limited release on Friday. Based on a critically-acclaimed novel by J.M. Coetzee, Disgrace is the story of a professor in post-Apartheid South Africa who becomes embroiled in controversy when he enters into an affair with a mixed-race student of his. When we asked John for his Five Favorite Films, he responded by saying, "I can't really say that I have five favorite films; somehow my mind just doesn't work that way." As an alternative, we present to you John Malkovich's list of five recommendations he would make to any cinephile: - Rottentomato.com
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/disgrace/news/1844773/five_favorite_films_with_john_malkovich
Labels: review
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
New Images From Sylvain Chomet and Jacque Tati’s The Illusionist
From the maker of "The Triplets of Belleville", Sylvain Chomet, comes a few pictures of his new Animated movie "The Illusionist".
This looks gorgeous! Since Im working with 3d most of the week, its refreshing and inspiring to see "real" animation movies stil beeing made. (also cant wait for the new disney movies`s return to 2d with "The princess and the Frog")
Here are the four pictures, as freshly released by Pathe.
"You might recognise the likeness of Jacques Tati in one of these characters. The film is based upon an unproduced script of Tati’s and according to the official synopsis this is the “story of a dying breed of stage entertainer whose thunder is being stolen by emerging rock stars. Forced to accept increasingly obscure assignments in fringe theaters, garden parties and bars, he meets a young fan who changes his life forever”.
It appears to be a period piece, which is not a surprise; sheep feature prominently, as do cars and other means of transportation; the animation favours a watercolour look which suggests nostalgia; the actual performing of illusions appears to be somewhere off screen so far, and I don’t know about you but I can’t see a drop of rock music anywhere. What a tease.
Chomet certainly seems to have a strong Anti-American streak, caricaturing US tourists in both Belleville and his Paris Je’taime live-action short as being snap-happy fatties in Mickey ears. Bashing Disney seems a bit rich when Disney were responsible for refining the craft on which he’s built his work, and definitely set the precedent for much of this stylistic choices.
He has also, so far, shown a complete lack of control in plotting and pacing. There’s no denying how charming his work is, how wonderfully drafted, imaginative and full of character but there’s not been much narrative discipline on display. Here’s hoping The Illusionist, with the help of Tati’s screenplay, pulls that particular rabbit out of the hat" - /film.com
This looks gorgeous! Since Im working with 3d most of the week, its refreshing and inspiring to see "real" animation movies stil beeing made. (also cant wait for the new disney movies`s return to 2d with "The princess and the Frog")
Here are the four pictures, as freshly released by Pathe.
"You might recognise the likeness of Jacques Tati in one of these characters. The film is based upon an unproduced script of Tati’s and according to the official synopsis this is the “story of a dying breed of stage entertainer whose thunder is being stolen by emerging rock stars. Forced to accept increasingly obscure assignments in fringe theaters, garden parties and bars, he meets a young fan who changes his life forever”.
It appears to be a period piece, which is not a surprise; sheep feature prominently, as do cars and other means of transportation; the animation favours a watercolour look which suggests nostalgia; the actual performing of illusions appears to be somewhere off screen so far, and I don’t know about you but I can’t see a drop of rock music anywhere. What a tease.
Chomet certainly seems to have a strong Anti-American streak, caricaturing US tourists in both Belleville and his Paris Je’taime live-action short as being snap-happy fatties in Mickey ears. Bashing Disney seems a bit rich when Disney were responsible for refining the craft on which he’s built his work, and definitely set the precedent for much of this stylistic choices.
He has also, so far, shown a complete lack of control in plotting and pacing. There’s no denying how charming his work is, how wonderfully drafted, imaginative and full of character but there’s not been much narrative discipline on display. Here’s hoping The Illusionist, with the help of Tati’s screenplay, pulls that particular rabbit out of the hat" - /film.com
Labels: animation, animation news
Teaser for "Up in the Air"
From Jason Reitman, (Thank you for smoking and Juno) comes a trailer for his next project starring George Clooney. Clooney stars as Ryan Bingham, “a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and just after he’s met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams.” Despite what the official studio released plot synopsis might lead you to believe, this film is not exactly a romantic comedy, it is much more.
Last week I saw "Thank you for smoking" for the first time and I was blown away! Its all character driven which I like, but the characters are also so defined, yet loose and cool. Starring Aaron Eckhart as a "spinner" (basicly extremly sharp, and crafty and its his sole job to spin the truth) that represents the tobacco industry as well as being a good father to his son. It exposes the hypocracy that the society needs to make bad things, more palatable.
Paramount Pictures has provided /Film with the exclusive premiere of the first teaser trailer for Up in the Air, which is an alternative cut created by Reitman specifically for the internet. The teaser is based around a speech that Bingham gives at motivational speaking gigs. It’s a very Fight Club-esque philosophy — that the things you own, and the relationships you carry, end up owning you and weighing you down. (With a hint of "American Psycho" objectisme), and this is the key philosophy of Ryan Bingham, who lives his life traveling around the world, free of relationships, family or compromises. source /Film.com
Watch the trailer in High Definition here: 480p and 720
Up in the Air is currently scheduled to hit theaters on December 4th 2009.
Labels: movie news, Poster, Trailer
awesome cutlery
Im currently on a little "cutlery hunt" since my old knifes and forks are family air-looms and just misc gathered from the ww1 to Ikea. Now that I have bought my own place, I also finally want to start getting, or develop a style that suits my life.
I then came over these things and they are wicked!
http://www.yankodesign.com/2007/05/18/cutt-cutlery-by-buchegger-denoth-feichtner-design/
Pratical? no! amazing and well suited to my work? (3d biz) YES!
To bad they cost about 1000 euros.. (8500,- kr) Goddamn these artists and their artsy, outofthisworld prices..
Oh-well, there is always something else:
I then came over these things and they are wicked!
http://www.yankodesign.com/2007/05/18/cutt-cutlery-by-buchegger-denoth-feichtner-design/
Pratical? no! amazing and well suited to my work? (3d biz) YES!
To bad they cost about 1000 euros.. (8500,- kr) Goddamn these artists and their artsy, outofthisworld prices..
Oh-well, there is always something else:
Video Premiere: Basement Jaxx: "Feelings Gone"
After the first run through of Jaxx`s new music video and song I was a bit dissapointet.. but decidet to let it grow on me.. Now I am diggin it! And so should you!
Space travel meets puppetry in this cosmically charming clip.
Somewhere between 2001: A Space Odyssey and the puppets from "Mister Rodgers' Neighborhood" lies this new one from video innovators Basement Jaxx. In it, the Jaxx and their friends try to save electro-funk singer Sam Sparro, who plays a wayward astronaut. Did we mention their real heads are stuck onto little puppet bodies? (Of course, this isn't the first time the Jaxx have had their heads superimposed.) Andy Soup directs.
The new Basement Jaxx album, Scars, is out October 6 in the U.S. via Ultra and September 20 in the UK via XL.
Space travel meets puppetry in this cosmically charming clip.
Somewhere between 2001: A Space Odyssey and the puppets from "Mister Rodgers' Neighborhood" lies this new one from video innovators Basement Jaxx. In it, the Jaxx and their friends try to save electro-funk singer Sam Sparro, who plays a wayward astronaut. Did we mention their real heads are stuck onto little puppet bodies? (Of course, this isn't the first time the Jaxx have had their heads superimposed.) Andy Soup directs.
The new Basement Jaxx album, Scars, is out October 6 in the U.S. via Ultra and September 20 in the UK via XL.
Labels: music, music video
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Spotify!
Since Spotify is now on the Iphone after along await from Apple to approve it, id thought that I would share some of my music with you good folks ;)
The app couldn't have come at a better time. Its fast and reliable. You need a premium account for it to work with the Iphone but its not that expensive since I have totally abandoned Itunes as the main music-player in my life. Also you can DL the playlists so that you don't have to have it streaming all the time, as well as getting better bits per rate and no "Jonathan" on the regular version on your machine. Works great. The only thing that bothers me a bout is not spotifys fault but Apple`s since you cannot have spotify working in the background. You can only play the music whilst in the the app. It also doesn't work with the earpice remote. (stop,skip,repeat). Maybe that will change in the upcoming patches from both sides. as for now Im really happy with it. Find it on app store or spotify.com
So without further a due: My playlists
*spotify:user:fisk007:playlist:6fEQXP3hHFEgydQLbjOBpO - Norwegian hits (Everything ranging from Dum Dum boys to Rune Rudberg)
*spotify:user:fisk007:playlist:0w0MPhiIbcxhnotLIfMo69 - This is most of the music that I listen too on a daily basis. (Everything from Chemical brothers, INXS to Lykke li)
*spotify:user:fisk007:playlist:6BccZnVGXHfVPpaJOZbB5v - Drum N bass playlist. Everything from Pendulum to Seba and Adam F
*spotify:user:fisk007:playlist:1u1X3NMMiomw74WqhviH4H - Lazy summer days playlist. All the music in this one is for when you are hanging in the park on a warm sunny day or just chilling at home with the windows open on a hot day. Max Chillout
*spotify:user:fisk007:playlist:5fxTogjfGME3czwLNNBSYU - Old 50s music. More to come in this one as it will soon merge into my jazz collection/animation music. It will blow your socks off!
*spotify:user:fisk007:playlist:175zPrEMfqUdNwntTKCdXS - OST (origial soundtrack) Movie-music that covers everything from the old Batman soundtrack to Hanz Zimmer to the background music from "Lost". Great for inspiration when working on your masterpice!
*spotify:user:fisk007:playlist:3Xl2B6M68FjTQiaodfgyuN - All of the remixes. I do listen to alot of remixes and here they are. Chromeo/daft punk to late of the pier/hot chip
*spotify:user:fisk007:playlist:6A1mVaK4uJaFmDt1BlhYuY - This playlist is for when I want to get in a partymode quite fast, or working out. They are the definite pick me up songs after a hard day. Pluss their are really bitching!
Keep it up! Thumping bass! London retrival!
Labels: music video, other, progs
Friday, August 14, 2009
Fifty-Two Quick acting notes from Ed Hooks
Here are some tips that I myself find absolutely gold when animating.
I have these in the back of my head when animating as well as the twelve principles of animation. These are not rules meant to be followed specifically (your work would automatically be good just because of that) but think of them more as helpers. These tips from the worlds sweetest guy Ed Hooks apply to both Animators, Actors, Screenwriters as well as Directors. Use them well and double-check you work up against these. you will be amazed how much better and clearer your work will become. (It also help on speed and creativity process)
1. Scenes begin in the middle, not the beginning.
2. A character should be "doing" something 100 percent of the time.
3. A character enters a scene for a reason, and he exits for a reason.
4. Thinking tends to lead to conclusions; emotion tends to lead to action.
5. A gesture need not be an illustration of the spoken word.
6. Audiences empathize with emotion. The key to good animation is in empathy.
7. Comedy is drama heightened, oxygenated.
8. An action pursues a longer term objective. (Smile at the girl because you want to date her.)
9. Short term memory causes eyes to glance upward.
10. Long term memory causes eyes to glance downward, into the soul.
11. The human sense of sight is many times more powerful than the sense of hearing.
12. Humans act to survive. Find the survival mechanism in your character.
13. Play an action until something happens to make you play a different one.
14. A scene is a negotiation.
15. "Actors are athletes of the heart" - Artonin Artaud
16. Anxiety is a high or heady power center; confidence is a low power center.
17. Emotions are automatic value responses.
18. Characters that make steady eye contact for more than a few seconds are either going to fight or make love.
19. The human smile says, "I won't hurt you."
20. Never underestimate the audience.
21. When you animate, you are saying to the audience, "I understand this." When the
audience applauds, laughs or cries, it is saying, "I see what you mean."
22. Actors lead; audiences follow.
23. Background characters can be defined with shadow movement - a jiggling knee, a charcter's mouth moving when he reads the paper, biting fingernails and so on.
24. "The Iron Giant" is an animation classic. Every animator should study it, like visiting Mecca.
25. We see things before we hear them; we hear things before we touch them; we touch
things before we smell them; we smell things before we taste them.
26. A villain is a regular person that has a fatal flaw.
27. A hero is a regular person that has to rise to extreme heights to overcome an extraordinary obstacle.
28. The "beats" in a scene or script are better perceived as "beads" in a necklace. One bead leads to the next to the next and so on. Put the beads together, and you have a story.
29. The purpose of (character) movement is destination.
30. Acting has almost nothing to do with words.
31. Commercials convey almost zero actual information. They are about emotion.
32. Humans and other animals negotiate status continually.
33. To energize a scene, convert the character's "wants" to "needs."
34. Theatrical reality isn't the same thing as regular reality.
35. Acting is reacting.
36. Animators are not mimes. Mime is a specialized art.
37. A key ingredient of empathy is distance.
38. Old people stoop because their bodies ache.
39. A drunk character tries to counteract the effects of the alcohol.
40. To show that a character is hot, have him try to get cool.
41. To show that a character is cold, have him try to get warm.
42. An "adrenaline" moment is one the character will remember when he turns eighty and looks back on his life. The best movies include plenty of adrenaline moments. (Re-read #24)
43. A character analysis is like a character biography.
44. When a character is faced with a choice, be specific. Avoid ambivalence.
45. Allow your characters to be affected by the atmosphere in a location, the "feeling" it projects. (A car wreck has an atmosphere; a church has an atmosphere; a marriage bed
has an atmosphere.)
46. Yelling is a weak acting choice.
47. We speak of memory in general terms, but it is referenced in specific mental images.
48. A character that is listening to another is actually preparing to speak.
49. The camera tends to follow the character's gaze.
50. A scene should have conflict, otherwise known as an obstacle.
51. Trick for suggesting villainy: tilt head forward; eyes peer upward, exposing whites in lower portion of eyeball.
52. Character "personality" is actually character "behavior."
Source - http://www.ActingForAnimators.com
PS: Be sure to read Ed`s newsletters where he gives tips to aspiring actors/animators as well as sharing his view on the latest movies etc. Very good read!
I have these in the back of my head when animating as well as the twelve principles of animation. These are not rules meant to be followed specifically (your work would automatically be good just because of that) but think of them more as helpers. These tips from the worlds sweetest guy Ed Hooks apply to both Animators, Actors, Screenwriters as well as Directors. Use them well and double-check you work up against these. you will be amazed how much better and clearer your work will become. (It also help on speed and creativity process)
1. Scenes begin in the middle, not the beginning.
2. A character should be "doing" something 100 percent of the time.
3. A character enters a scene for a reason, and he exits for a reason.
4. Thinking tends to lead to conclusions; emotion tends to lead to action.
5. A gesture need not be an illustration of the spoken word.
6. Audiences empathize with emotion. The key to good animation is in empathy.
7. Comedy is drama heightened, oxygenated.
8. An action pursues a longer term objective. (Smile at the girl because you want to date her.)
9. Short term memory causes eyes to glance upward.
10. Long term memory causes eyes to glance downward, into the soul.
11. The human sense of sight is many times more powerful than the sense of hearing.
12. Humans act to survive. Find the survival mechanism in your character.
13. Play an action until something happens to make you play a different one.
14. A scene is a negotiation.
15. "Actors are athletes of the heart" - Artonin Artaud
16. Anxiety is a high or heady power center; confidence is a low power center.
17. Emotions are automatic value responses.
18. Characters that make steady eye contact for more than a few seconds are either going to fight or make love.
19. The human smile says, "I won't hurt you."
20. Never underestimate the audience.
21. When you animate, you are saying to the audience, "I understand this." When the
audience applauds, laughs or cries, it is saying, "I see what you mean."
22. Actors lead; audiences follow.
23. Background characters can be defined with shadow movement - a jiggling knee, a charcter's mouth moving when he reads the paper, biting fingernails and so on.
24. "The Iron Giant" is an animation classic. Every animator should study it, like visiting Mecca.
25. We see things before we hear them; we hear things before we touch them; we touch
things before we smell them; we smell things before we taste them.
26. A villain is a regular person that has a fatal flaw.
27. A hero is a regular person that has to rise to extreme heights to overcome an extraordinary obstacle.
28. The "beats" in a scene or script are better perceived as "beads" in a necklace. One bead leads to the next to the next and so on. Put the beads together, and you have a story.
29. The purpose of (character) movement is destination.
30. Acting has almost nothing to do with words.
31. Commercials convey almost zero actual information. They are about emotion.
32. Humans and other animals negotiate status continually.
33. To energize a scene, convert the character's "wants" to "needs."
34. Theatrical reality isn't the same thing as regular reality.
35. Acting is reacting.
36. Animators are not mimes. Mime is a specialized art.
37. A key ingredient of empathy is distance.
38. Old people stoop because their bodies ache.
39. A drunk character tries to counteract the effects of the alcohol.
40. To show that a character is hot, have him try to get cool.
41. To show that a character is cold, have him try to get warm.
42. An "adrenaline" moment is one the character will remember when he turns eighty and looks back on his life. The best movies include plenty of adrenaline moments. (Re-read #24)
43. A character analysis is like a character biography.
44. When a character is faced with a choice, be specific. Avoid ambivalence.
45. Allow your characters to be affected by the atmosphere in a location, the "feeling" it projects. (A car wreck has an atmosphere; a church has an atmosphere; a marriage bed
has an atmosphere.)
46. Yelling is a weak acting choice.
47. We speak of memory in general terms, but it is referenced in specific mental images.
48. A character that is listening to another is actually preparing to speak.
49. The camera tends to follow the character's gaze.
50. A scene should have conflict, otherwise known as an obstacle.
51. Trick for suggesting villainy: tilt head forward; eyes peer upward, exposing whites in lower portion of eyeball.
52. Character "personality" is actually character "behavior."
Source - http://www.ActingForAnimators.com
PS: Be sure to read Ed`s newsletters where he gives tips to aspiring actors/animators as well as sharing his view on the latest movies etc. Very good read!
The Spine. An animated short film by Chris Landreth
For The Spine, director and scriptwriter Chris Landreth joins forces again with producers Steve Hoban (Copperheart Animation), Mark Smith (Copperheart Animation) and Marcy Page (National Film Board of Canada), who had collaborated with him to make Ryan (2004) – Oscar winner for best animated short. Entirely computer animated, The Spine is a bold film whose dazzling artistic style pushes the limits of animated film. The Spine uses uniquely bizarre but strangely believable imagery, to tell the story of an ordinary married couple whose lives are in turn tragic, absurd and beautiful. The Spine was produced by the National Film Board of Canada in association with Copperheart Animation and C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures, with the creative participation of Autodesk Canada CO. and Seneca College School of Communication Arts.
Labels: 3d, animation, movie news, Shorts
Tron Legacy trailer
The trailer for the newest instalment after the amazing Tron movie released by Disney in 1982 is now finaly here!. The movie did fenomenal at the box office`s in 82 as it took movie-goers into the very heart of computers as we followed lovable arcade game champion and dorky self proclaimed ubernerd Kevin Flynn (Played by Jeff Bridges) inside the electric gladiator ring as he was tricked by the movie villian "Master Control Program". He now must battle his way to find a way out again. The movie also helped a rather small effects company called "ILM" to be the most profitable CG Companys in the world, toutching every movie that comes out of America and England as it was the first movie ever too have entire 3d generated shots in a feature movie, putting it firmely in the books about CG history.
The trail has been cold after small-talk in Hollywood about a reboot or prequel but atlas Disney said "Screw it" and greenlight a fully fledged sequel with most of the cast from the first one reappering and hiring ILM once again to create some mind boggeling effects and once again capture the heart of millions of nerds. Lets just hope it dosent end up as Wargames 2 did.. direct to dvd with no charm or fun
The company produced this "teaser" a year ago and it was first show to a unsuspecting crowd at Comicon, and is now presented in HD as the official trailer for the movie which is due in summer 2010.
Plot:
Sam Flynn, the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn, looks into his father's disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin's loyal confidant, father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.
The score for this movie is going to be done by none other then Daft Punk!
Que Nerdgazm...!
The trailer/teaser looks incredible and is 100% (last years) CG all exept jeff bridges scene offcourse and as almost everything ILM produces its mindblowingly awesome! Im going to be in Tron rush for a year now at least.
Fun fact: Back in the realy 80`s, it was so resource-demaning to work with 3d at that time, that the animators and modelers had to work in wireframe and moving the objects by punching in the X,Y and Z numbers to then wait a couple of hours just to see the shaded view inside the program. THEN it had to be renderd out
The trail has been cold after small-talk in Hollywood about a reboot or prequel but atlas Disney said "Screw it" and greenlight a fully fledged sequel with most of the cast from the first one reappering and hiring ILM once again to create some mind boggeling effects and once again capture the heart of millions of nerds. Lets just hope it dosent end up as Wargames 2 did.. direct to dvd with no charm or fun
The company produced this "teaser" a year ago and it was first show to a unsuspecting crowd at Comicon, and is now presented in HD as the official trailer for the movie which is due in summer 2010.
Plot:
Sam Flynn, the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn, looks into his father's disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin's loyal confidant, father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.
The score for this movie is going to be done by none other then Daft Punk!
Que Nerdgazm...!
The trailer/teaser looks incredible and is 100% (last years) CG all exept jeff bridges scene offcourse and as almost everything ILM produces its mindblowingly awesome! Im going to be in Tron rush for a year now at least.
Fun fact: Back in the realy 80`s, it was so resource-demaning to work with 3d at that time, that the animators and modelers had to work in wireframe and moving the objects by punching in the X,Y and Z numbers to then wait a couple of hours just to see the shaded view inside the program. THEN it had to be renderd out
Labels: 3d, movie news, Trailer
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Mudboxing 101
Hey`al.. Started some mudboxing in my sparetime now. Been doing tutorials today and this is what I got after a couple of hours. Nothing too fancy but have to start somewhere right?
Friday, August 07, 2009
Where The Wild Things Are Movie Trailer #2
Watch the trailer in high definition on Yahoo. The rumored Flaming Lips song does not appear, but I can certainly tell you Arcade Fire’s Wake Up gets another airing. That song will probably now be forever associated with Wild Things in the way Mr. Blue Sky is eternally Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Labels: Trailer
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Free HD Green Screen and VFX Plates you can download and play around with!
It has always irritated us that there are no green screen and VFX plates around the internet you can just download and play with -- everything is owned by some production. So we decided to donate some of the interesting plates from Visual Effects For Directors to the community, so you can download them and practice keying, matchmoving, compositing, tracking, and much more! - www.hollywoodcamerawork.us
Labels: 3d, commercials, other
Trailer for Peter Jacksons The Lovelybones
Plot: Centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family - and her killer - from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/thelovelybones/large.html
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/thelovelybones/large.html
Labels: Trailer
This and thats
Some random stuff:
Delphic - This Momentary
- Although the cinematography for this music video is incredible strong, I do find it a bit out of place. It could easily have gone to this. Oh well, powerful photography and great song.
Modest Mouse - King Rat
This movie is really weird.. Even for a modest mouse video. Its directed by the late Heath Ledger during his Terry gilliam faze =D
Bag Raiders - Shooting Stars
Also a really weird video for a incredibly kool track.. Seriously.. Its been looping in my head for a long time. The vid is kinda homemade tron/Miami vice feel.. Its sometimes cringe-worthy but at the same.. I cant stop watching.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Heads Will Roll (Passion Pit Remix)
Passion Pit remixed this new track from "Yeah Yeah Yeahs" and they did a incredible thing with it. *dance*
The Presets - A New Sky
Love the Presets.
Make The Girl Dance - Baby Baby Baby
Theres a song?
I concure. This is the best cinematic clip in the world
Delphic - This Momentary
- Although the cinematography for this music video is incredible strong, I do find it a bit out of place. It could easily have gone to this. Oh well, powerful photography and great song.
Modest Mouse - King Rat
This movie is really weird.. Even for a modest mouse video. Its directed by the late Heath Ledger during his Terry gilliam faze =D
Bag Raiders - Shooting Stars
Also a really weird video for a incredibly kool track.. Seriously.. Its been looping in my head for a long time. The vid is kinda homemade tron/Miami vice feel.. Its sometimes cringe-worthy but at the same.. I cant stop watching.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Heads Will Roll (Passion Pit Remix)
Passion Pit remixed this new track from "Yeah Yeah Yeahs" and they did a incredible thing with it. *dance*
The Presets - A New Sky
Love the Presets.
Make The Girl Dance - Baby Baby Baby
Theres a song?
I concure. This is the best cinematic clip in the world
Labels: other
Creativity Truths Every Freelancer Should Know
It’s the golden standard of freelancing — a holy grail of sorts. . .
We all think that we know what "creativity" is. It’s the beautiful logo, the smart web design, or the clever prose. Surely, those things are evidence of the creative process at work. But, there is something more to being creative.
What is Creativity?
Creativity is that rare combination of skill and innovation. It’s the ability to look at a blank wall or a dead end and see something else there — something much more meaningful.
Creative people aren’t stopped by obstacles. They don’t know the meaning of the words “it can’t be done.”
Four Characteristics of Creativity
What does creativity look like? Here are four characteristics of the creative person:
Persistent — If you look at the history of some of the most creative people in the world you’ll notice one thing about all of them: they never quit. A creative person doesn’t give up.
Unconventional — Creative people are often unconventional. Some may even be described as “eccentric.” They get this label because they don’t do things in the “usual ways.”
Imaginative — A key element of creativity is an active and vivid imagination. A creative person is able to imagine solutions and possibilities that other people cannot see.
Flexible — Creativity demands flexibility. Creative people are usually not bound by rigid rules, expectations, or circumstances. They are able to work around or see past their environment.
How Does One Become Creative?
This post might cause you to wonder, “how does one get creativity?” Or, you might ask, “can one become creative?” These are both good questions.
Many would argue that you can’t get or teach creativity, but that one is born with it. They have a point.
- Stephen Wiltshire, an autistic artist who drew London from memory after a single helicopter trip
On the hand, many of us live and work in an environment (sometimes even of our own choosing) that does not really foster creativity.
Here are some steps you can take to find your own creativity:
Slow down - As freelancers it seems that we are always in a hurry. If the project isn’t due today, it was due yesterday. Although sometimes creativity is born out of stress, most often it is not. To find your inner creativity, give yourself some extra time.
Allow yourself to dream — Rather than accepting your current circumstances, ask yourself the hard questions like: “what if?” Then, don’t be afraid to answer those same hard questions. Creative people aren’t afraid to answer the difficult questions of life.
Consider alternatives — Our society loves boxes. It’s more efficient to do the same thing the same way every time, but that doesn’t necessarily foster creativity. “Think outside the box” has become a cliché, but it’s a true cliché. Do something different.
Follow your passion — Is there something that you’d rather do more than anything else? Many of us have laid aside our passions to pursue our professions, but the two don’t necessarily need to be separate. Follow your passion and find your creativity.
You may find that you actually have more creativity than you realize.
Are You Creative?
What is the most creative thing that you’ve done? Why do you think that it was creative?
source - http://freelancefolder.com
We all think that we know what "creativity" is. It’s the beautiful logo, the smart web design, or the clever prose. Surely, those things are evidence of the creative process at work. But, there is something more to being creative.
What is Creativity?
Creativity is that rare combination of skill and innovation. It’s the ability to look at a blank wall or a dead end and see something else there — something much more meaningful.
Creative people aren’t stopped by obstacles. They don’t know the meaning of the words “it can’t be done.”
Four Characteristics of Creativity
What does creativity look like? Here are four characteristics of the creative person:
Persistent — If you look at the history of some of the most creative people in the world you’ll notice one thing about all of them: they never quit. A creative person doesn’t give up.
Unconventional — Creative people are often unconventional. Some may even be described as “eccentric.” They get this label because they don’t do things in the “usual ways.”
Imaginative — A key element of creativity is an active and vivid imagination. A creative person is able to imagine solutions and possibilities that other people cannot see.
Flexible — Creativity demands flexibility. Creative people are usually not bound by rigid rules, expectations, or circumstances. They are able to work around or see past their environment.
How Does One Become Creative?
This post might cause you to wonder, “how does one get creativity?” Or, you might ask, “can one become creative?” These are both good questions.
Many would argue that you can’t get or teach creativity, but that one is born with it. They have a point.
- Stephen Wiltshire, an autistic artist who drew London from memory after a single helicopter tripOn the hand, many of us live and work in an environment (sometimes even of our own choosing) that does not really foster creativity.
Here are some steps you can take to find your own creativity:
Slow down - As freelancers it seems that we are always in a hurry. If the project isn’t due today, it was due yesterday. Although sometimes creativity is born out of stress, most often it is not. To find your inner creativity, give yourself some extra time.
Allow yourself to dream — Rather than accepting your current circumstances, ask yourself the hard questions like: “what if?” Then, don’t be afraid to answer those same hard questions. Creative people aren’t afraid to answer the difficult questions of life.
Consider alternatives — Our society loves boxes. It’s more efficient to do the same thing the same way every time, but that doesn’t necessarily foster creativity. “Think outside the box” has become a cliché, but it’s a true cliché. Do something different.
Follow your passion — Is there something that you’d rather do more than anything else? Many of us have laid aside our passions to pursue our professions, but the two don’t necessarily need to be separate. Follow your passion and find your creativity.
You may find that you actually have more creativity than you realize.
Are You Creative?
What is the most creative thing that you’ve done? Why do you think that it was creative?
source - http://freelancefolder.com
Labels: other
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Star trek review *spoilers*
Back with a long overdue movie review. This time its JJ. Abrahams newest movie Star Trek.
Plot:
A chronicle of the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members
Let it be said that I am not the biggest trek fan. Ive seen most of enterprise and some of the movies. I'm more into Firefly, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactic (old and new) but still respect "Trek" for what it is. Its many questions and discoveries as well as the moral dilemmas and choices as well as pure entertainment and thrill
Ile get on..
The story in the Star Trek movie is fairly spares and underdeveloped. This is mostly because of the whole reboot take. JJ. had to reintroduce to the younger audience while pleasing the older fan-base and thus I feel that the movie lacks a serious story arc. Overall is almost a side plot. Despite this JJ. manages to make Star trek his own thing. It light, fast, pretty, fun and action filled with a dash of special effects contrary to the old star trek that was more about moral, embargo, communication and diplomacy/politics and exploring. I guess I wouldn't have liked the movie as much if it was a 2 hour long court trial set on the dark side of Pluto but I did feel that the new movie did sacrifice a lot of thoughtful decisions/questioning/dilemmas just so it could pack in more fast action. cue`s to old trek. Red shirt. Uhuras earpiece. Scotty`s line, Checov`s lines are also made to distract the fans while the movie is slowly going in another direction.
That being said the pacing in this movie is spot on. You are rarely bored or left wandering. The movie holds your hand all the time and guides you. This is kind my problem with the movie.. There where nothing other then what was happeing on the screen. The universe seemed small and not big or wast at the older films have been. This might be due to new time line that JJ. is creating. Ile get back to this..
"The bridge" kinda looks like a apple store if you ask me
At first the characters looked completely wrong and way to young to represent the new generation of trekkers. More like underwear models then serious actors, but given time they do kinda grow on you.
Chris Pine (Kirk) was to me a big help in the movie since he first came out as a young, relative unknown actor that looked like he belonged in a "final destination"/"high school/get laid" movie as the stupid bully jock. But, boy was I proven wrong. He didn't blow my mind or anything but he did give the movie the stage presence that was needed and he was a really good Kirk. He based his performance on Tom Cruise's "Maverick" and Harrison Ford's "Han Solo" and "Indiana Jones", heroes who Pine felt possessed the archetypal hero qualities Kirk has (humor, arrogance, decisiveness) and it totally worked in my book. I was afraid that he would just rip off shatner but he proved me wrong. His chemistry with Spock also worked really well
Spock in this movie was far more interesting then the rest of the cast. (except for Simon pegg that is) He was really the most "human" of the crew as he was torn between the whole half human/Vulcan issue. His story arc was one of the more interesting ones as well. and he was wonderfully entertaining to watch
I was really glad to see Leonard Nimoy as "Ol Spock" That to me, liftet the movie up to the "trek" that I know.. I thought that having him in there ensured a lot of fans not to totally hate the movie. Also JJ. properly dident have to give him much direction since Nemoy IS spock in that sense. It was just a joy to see.
Pine was great as the captain and the only one that really carried any authority. I would have wanted to see more of him
The only characters that I thought tried a little to hard was Checov and Sulu.
Checov to me is a really great character since he kinda stands out from the crowd in the old ones. (plus he is scary as hell as the Psi-Core leader in Babylon 5) In this one he had way to little to really say and looked way to young to have such a important role on the ship (as jocked within the movie) He also made transporting look difficult instead of the whole "onetwothreebuttonpush" the old ones had. (despite his screens made no sense at all during this)
Sulu wasen`t an important character in this movie so I dont have much to say about him. I was dreading the "harold&kumar" look and wibe, that I associate him with but he did for the most part stay out of the movie.
Uhura was build up to be something big in this movie but ultimately served as a toy between Spock and Kirk. The first Uhura was a really important icon in television history as she was the first black female in on tv. The new Uhura had little to say and was just "goggling" Spock. At least she was easy on the eyes..
The only character that I felt was severly under-used was Simon Pegg as cheif enginer Scotty. Im only saying this because I love everything Simon is in (despite whoring himself out to America lately with movies such as: How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, Big Nothing, and Mission: Impossible III) I have a huge man-crush on Simon from his early days in "Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Big train, Asylum and SPACED" and I wish that the entire movie was about him.. but sadly he was put there to pick up the comedic pace since everyone else was crying and whining. His accent was spot on for the average American moviegoer as they can identify him as "somwhere irelandyish" He did the best he can with what he got and can only blame (if any) JJ. for not giving him more back story and meat in the movie. He was sort of just squeezed into the plot to give audience a homage to Scotty and in order to somehow get Kirks character back on the ship.
Then there is Nero. The "villain" of the movie. This has got to be one of the weakest villains in a long time. (General Grievous on second place) To me he was more a disgruntled miner blinded by rage. It had a sort of "The Postman" feel to it. He was just a guy caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Eric bana did a good role with that that was given to him. Maybe he wasn't supposed to be a big villain like Khan or feared or something but he just came out as wrong. His henchman was more scary then Nero. Apparently IDW published a comic prequel series entitled "Star Trek: Countdown" that fleshed out Nero's back story and the reasons for Old Spock's involvement but if you have to publish a comic besides the movie inorder to get everything in place, isent that a sign of something? I did however like the fact that Nero was so blinded by rage that he dissident travel back to Romulus to tell people that they only had 150 years to fix this issue, or abandon the planet. He just waited.. Now thats bad ass!
I talked earlier about JJ. taking Trek into new territories. This especially since they destroyed Vulcan in this one and did not fix it before the end. I was sure that they where going to use the time warp factor or something. I don't really have a relationship with the old cast or history so this docent really bother me as much as it might do with some fans. When Nero went back in time...he created a NEW alternate reality. So now everything from the old star trek is preserved in another reality/dimension. While this reality can be FULL of surprises. Its a kool take and makes trek more new in many ways since they can really do what ever they want. Another sign of this is Spock and Uhura love affair. I didn't really care since it was only really put there to further the chemistry between Kirk and Spock.
Another thing I found really interesting me was how much Star Wars is in Star Trek. Think about it. Kirk is a a farm boy, Nero as Darth Vader, Pike as Obiwan ken obi. Its more of a heroes journey then the diplomatic quest, Ice planet with monsters?. All the way up to the end scene where they get medals. Cue fanfare. just a funny observation thats all
Also the chain of command is really screwed up in this one. Kirk gets back the the ship and immediately starts dissing Spock in-order to get a reaction out of him. Spock snaps off-course and gets towed of the brig while Kirk is promoted Captain. What happened there? Docent this show that Kirk is the ultimate bully and not really fit to run the ship? Clearly Spock was more right for this. While all the others are just staring at them bickering. It just seemed weird
The effects that ILM whipped up are incredible. Rarely has the Enterprise seemed so nimble and mobile yet dangerous at the same time. Theres monsters hissing, monitors bleeping and ships blowing up.. plus a planet or two. (funny since ILM is a lucas created company) My biggest consern is the over-use of lensflare. Ile admit that this does give the movie a "state-of-the-art/scifi" look but it was a little distractin when there is really nothing that suggest lensflare on the screen. Sun in space? Ok. Indoors in a bedroom? Slightly stretching it... The lensflare was there in MI3 as well, maybe to build it up or something.. Not sure about Cloverfield though.
Ile end here.
All in all. JJ`s Star Trek is not your fathers Star Trek. Its fast, stupid and action filled. I had hoped for more thought then simple action but it does work reasonably well. Hopefully they will address this in the sequel that is bound to come. Its a good ride and fun at the same time. Its easily forgotten and a fine reboot of the series. Heres hoping for Worf and Data in that one.
7/10
Plot:
A chronicle of the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members
Let it be said that I am not the biggest trek fan. Ive seen most of enterprise and some of the movies. I'm more into Firefly, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactic (old and new) but still respect "Trek" for what it is. Its many questions and discoveries as well as the moral dilemmas and choices as well as pure entertainment and thrill
Ile get on..
The story in the Star Trek movie is fairly spares and underdeveloped. This is mostly because of the whole reboot take. JJ. had to reintroduce to the younger audience while pleasing the older fan-base and thus I feel that the movie lacks a serious story arc. Overall is almost a side plot. Despite this JJ. manages to make Star trek his own thing. It light, fast, pretty, fun and action filled with a dash of special effects contrary to the old star trek that was more about moral, embargo, communication and diplomacy/politics and exploring. I guess I wouldn't have liked the movie as much if it was a 2 hour long court trial set on the dark side of Pluto but I did feel that the new movie did sacrifice a lot of thoughtful decisions/questioning/dilemmas just so it could pack in more fast action. cue`s to old trek. Red shirt. Uhuras earpiece. Scotty`s line, Checov`s lines are also made to distract the fans while the movie is slowly going in another direction.
That being said the pacing in this movie is spot on. You are rarely bored or left wandering. The movie holds your hand all the time and guides you. This is kind my problem with the movie.. There where nothing other then what was happeing on the screen. The universe seemed small and not big or wast at the older films have been. This might be due to new time line that JJ. is creating. Ile get back to this..
"The bridge" kinda looks like a apple store if you ask meAt first the characters looked completely wrong and way to young to represent the new generation of trekkers. More like underwear models then serious actors, but given time they do kinda grow on you.
Chris Pine (Kirk) was to me a big help in the movie since he first came out as a young, relative unknown actor that looked like he belonged in a "final destination"/"high school/get laid" movie as the stupid bully jock. But, boy was I proven wrong. He didn't blow my mind or anything but he did give the movie the stage presence that was needed and he was a really good Kirk. He based his performance on Tom Cruise's "Maverick" and Harrison Ford's "Han Solo" and "Indiana Jones", heroes who Pine felt possessed the archetypal hero qualities Kirk has (humor, arrogance, decisiveness) and it totally worked in my book. I was afraid that he would just rip off shatner but he proved me wrong. His chemistry with Spock also worked really well
Spock in this movie was far more interesting then the rest of the cast. (except for Simon pegg that is) He was really the most "human" of the crew as he was torn between the whole half human/Vulcan issue. His story arc was one of the more interesting ones as well. and he was wonderfully entertaining to watch
I was really glad to see Leonard Nimoy as "Ol Spock" That to me, liftet the movie up to the "trek" that I know.. I thought that having him in there ensured a lot of fans not to totally hate the movie. Also JJ. properly dident have to give him much direction since Nemoy IS spock in that sense. It was just a joy to see.
Pine was great as the captain and the only one that really carried any authority. I would have wanted to see more of him
The only characters that I thought tried a little to hard was Checov and Sulu.
Checov to me is a really great character since he kinda stands out from the crowd in the old ones. (plus he is scary as hell as the Psi-Core leader in Babylon 5) In this one he had way to little to really say and looked way to young to have such a important role on the ship (as jocked within the movie) He also made transporting look difficult instead of the whole "onetwothreebuttonpush" the old ones had. (despite his screens made no sense at all during this)
Sulu wasen`t an important character in this movie so I dont have much to say about him. I was dreading the "harold&kumar" look and wibe, that I associate him with but he did for the most part stay out of the movie.
Uhura was build up to be something big in this movie but ultimately served as a toy between Spock and Kirk. The first Uhura was a really important icon in television history as she was the first black female in on tv. The new Uhura had little to say and was just "goggling" Spock. At least she was easy on the eyes..
The only character that I felt was severly under-used was Simon Pegg as cheif enginer Scotty. Im only saying this because I love everything Simon is in (despite whoring himself out to America lately with movies such as: How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, Big Nothing, and Mission: Impossible III) I have a huge man-crush on Simon from his early days in "Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Big train, Asylum and SPACED" and I wish that the entire movie was about him.. but sadly he was put there to pick up the comedic pace since everyone else was crying and whining. His accent was spot on for the average American moviegoer as they can identify him as "somwhere irelandyish" He did the best he can with what he got and can only blame (if any) JJ. for not giving him more back story and meat in the movie. He was sort of just squeezed into the plot to give audience a homage to Scotty and in order to somehow get Kirks character back on the ship.
Then there is Nero. The "villain" of the movie. This has got to be one of the weakest villains in a long time. (General Grievous on second place) To me he was more a disgruntled miner blinded by rage. It had a sort of "The Postman" feel to it. He was just a guy caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Eric bana did a good role with that that was given to him. Maybe he wasn't supposed to be a big villain like Khan or feared or something but he just came out as wrong. His henchman was more scary then Nero. Apparently IDW published a comic prequel series entitled "Star Trek: Countdown" that fleshed out Nero's back story and the reasons for Old Spock's involvement but if you have to publish a comic besides the movie inorder to get everything in place, isent that a sign of something? I did however like the fact that Nero was so blinded by rage that he dissident travel back to Romulus to tell people that they only had 150 years to fix this issue, or abandon the planet. He just waited.. Now thats bad ass!
I talked earlier about JJ. taking Trek into new territories. This especially since they destroyed Vulcan in this one and did not fix it before the end. I was sure that they where going to use the time warp factor or something. I don't really have a relationship with the old cast or history so this docent really bother me as much as it might do with some fans. When Nero went back in time...he created a NEW alternate reality. So now everything from the old star trek is preserved in another reality/dimension. While this reality can be FULL of surprises. Its a kool take and makes trek more new in many ways since they can really do what ever they want. Another sign of this is Spock and Uhura love affair. I didn't really care since it was only really put there to further the chemistry between Kirk and Spock.
Another thing I found really interesting me was how much Star Wars is in Star Trek. Think about it. Kirk is a a farm boy, Nero as Darth Vader, Pike as Obiwan ken obi. Its more of a heroes journey then the diplomatic quest, Ice planet with monsters?. All the way up to the end scene where they get medals. Cue fanfare. just a funny observation thats all
Also the chain of command is really screwed up in this one. Kirk gets back the the ship and immediately starts dissing Spock in-order to get a reaction out of him. Spock snaps off-course and gets towed of the brig while Kirk is promoted Captain. What happened there? Docent this show that Kirk is the ultimate bully and not really fit to run the ship? Clearly Spock was more right for this. While all the others are just staring at them bickering. It just seemed weird
The effects that ILM whipped up are incredible. Rarely has the Enterprise seemed so nimble and mobile yet dangerous at the same time. Theres monsters hissing, monitors bleeping and ships blowing up.. plus a planet or two. (funny since ILM is a lucas created company) My biggest consern is the over-use of lensflare. Ile admit that this does give the movie a "state-of-the-art/scifi" look but it was a little distractin when there is really nothing that suggest lensflare on the screen. Sun in space? Ok. Indoors in a bedroom? Slightly stretching it... The lensflare was there in MI3 as well, maybe to build it up or something.. Not sure about Cloverfield though.
Ile end here.
All in all. JJ`s Star Trek is not your fathers Star Trek. Its fast, stupid and action filled. I had hoped for more thought then simple action but it does work reasonably well. Hopefully they will address this in the sequel that is bound to come. Its a good ride and fun at the same time. Its easily forgotten and a fine reboot of the series. Heres hoping for Worf and Data in that one.
7/10
Labels: movie review
Monday, June 22, 2009
Superb work by Matthew M. Laskowski, Student of the Art Institute in Boston
I love his style. Its a mixture of Gorillaz/passion pictures meets tank girl mixed with the wibe of Jet set radio/Mirrors Edge. Its also a subtle, minimalistic style similar to the animatrixs short "Beyond"
http://www.plasticshards.com/portfolio/
http://www.plasticshards.com/portfolio/
Amazing retro/steampunk hand crafted models by Stephane Halleux
Stephane Halleux, a French sculptor is the creator of a remarkable collection of steampunkish characters, engines, vehicles and very curious creatures. He makes the most amazing anthropomorphised creations, most of which is cyborganic in nature, existing in an interzone between man and machine, all rendered in a decidedly retro-futuristic flavor.
http://stephanehalleux.com/
Most of Halleux’s models are constructed and detailed from various media (see above), all sharing a cartoonish steampunk vibe that’s really appealing.
http://stephanehalleux.com/
Most of Halleux’s models are constructed and detailed from various media (see above), all sharing a cartoonish steampunk vibe that’s really appealing.
Labels: other
Fan created Mario art
Serveral different artist share their version of world famous Mario bros.. Quite kool
http://thedesigninspiration.com/articles/top-45-unusual-stylish-super-mario-brothers-artworks/
http://thedesigninspiration.com/articles/top-45-unusual-stylish-super-mario-brothers-artworks/
Labels: other
First Look: Tim Burton's "Wonderland"
The USA Today article (where the images premiered) confirms that the movie is kinda like a sequel. The film begins at a party where Alice, now the age of 17, finds out that she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of snooty high society types. She makes a run for it, and of course ends up following a white rabbit down a hole, back to Wonderland — a place where she visited a decade prior. The White Rabbit is convinced that he has the right girl but Alice doesn’t remember her past visit to Wonderland. The creatures of Wonderland are ready to revolt and are hoping/waiting for Alice to help them, but will she? Can she?
Burton gave us a tons of Oompa Loompas in 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and a grief-wracked demon-barber in 2007’s Sweeney Todd. Now one of Hollywood’s most visually creative directors layers his own surreal sensibilities upon the fanciful world of Lewis Carroll in Disney’s "Alice in Wonderland", due in theaters on March 5, 2010. This first look at some of the concept art for the film suggests there is the usual Burton dark magic afoot.
Its all very much like "Hook" with Robin Williams where Robin plays a old version of Peter Pan and is forced back to Neverland to help the kids beat Mr hook. This movie also featured a more gritty and surreal take on the classics.. Well, It will be worth it just to see what twisted creations Burton comes up with and how Depps character "The mad hatter" will sound like.. =D
This is the closest we will come to a movie version of the still great American Mcgee's Alice video game (released by Rogue Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts 2000) that depicted suicidal and catatonic Alice and "Wonderland" as a true dip in horror, discomfort, acid and true grittiness..
Labels: movie news, Poster
Trailer For The WWII Miniseries: The Pacific
Executive produced by Steven Spielberg and from the creators of “Band of Brothers”, The Pacific is a a 10-part HBO mini-series which tells the intertwined stories of three Marines, Robert Leckie (played by James Badge Dale), Eugene Sledge (Joe Mazzello) and John Basilone (Jon Seda), during America’s battle with the Japanese in the Pacific during World War II.
"Produced on a reported budget of more $200 million (some have reported $250 million), and shot on location in Australia, the series follows (from an early press release) “The extraordinary experiences of these men and their fellow Marines take them from the first clash with the Japanese in the haunted jungles of Guadalcanal, through the impenetrable rain forests of Cape Gloucester, across the blasted coral strongholds of Peleliu, up the black sand terraces of Iwo Jima, through the killing fields of Okinawa, to the triumphant, yet uneasy, return home after V-J Day.”
I loved band of brothers despite it beeing a tad slow and abit over the top patriotic at times. It was the first series that depicted war in a new and, dare I
say fascinating way. Be sure to check out...
Labels: movie news, Trailer
Sunday, June 21, 2009
This One Time...
This one time... from nelson boles on Vimeo.
Here's a great animated short by CalArts student Nelson Boles. I really love the look of it and the whimsical style and storytelling.
Also another vid by nelson entitled "Bad Hair":
And showreel:
Here's a great animated short by CalArts student Nelson Boles. I really love the look of it and the whimsical style and storytelling.
This one time... from nelson boles on Vimeo.
Also another vid by nelson entitled "Bad Hair":
Bad Hair from nelson boles on Vimeo.
And showreel:
Friday, June 19, 2009
Which Student are You?
A teacher named Chuck Dillon at The Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia made this list of different characters that he encounterd throughout his ten plus years of teaching art. The list captures stereotypical American characters and traits but some of them applyes to my own students as well. Cudos
SEE MORE HERE
Aint that the sad truth...
Timetravel tips!
Transformers2 fun facts
Did you know if you took all the robot parts from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and laid them out end to end, they would stretch from one side of California to the other (about 180 miles)?. Paramount has released a list of fun facts relating to Michael Bay’s alien robot sequel. Check out the full list after the jump. Warning: Possible minor spoilers (nothing you wouldn’t have gathered from the trailers/tv spots).
Robots
14 robots last time, 46 robots this time (ILM only)
If you had all the gold ever mined in the history of man, you could build a little more than half of Devastator.
Optimus Prime will be life size on IMAX screens in many forest fight shots.
Devastator’s hand is traveling 390 miles per hour when he punches the pyramid.
The pyramid destruction simulation was 8 times bigger than the old rigid simulation all-time record holder at ILM.
All robot parts laid out end to end would stretch from one side of California to the other, about 180 miles
Devastator’s parts stacked tip to tip would be as tall as 58 empire state buildings.
If all the texture maps on the show were printed on 1 square yard sheets, they would cover 13 football fields.
Disk space
TF1 took 20 Terabytes of disk space. Trans2 took 145 Terabytes. Seven times bigger!
145 terabytes would fill 35,000 DVDs. Stacked one on top of the other without storage cases, they would be 145 feet tall.
Rendering times
If you rendered the entire movie on a modern home PC, you would have had to start the renders 16,000 years ago (when cave paintings like the Hall of Bulls were being made) to finish for this year’s premiere!
A single imax shot in the movie (df250) would have taken almost 3 years to render on a top of the line home PC running nonstop.
IMAX frame render times: As high as 72 hours per frame!
Imax
Optimus Prime will be life size on IMAX screens in many forest fight shots.
Imax frames take about 6 times longer than anamorphic to render.
IMAX frame render times: As high as 72 hours per frame!
ILM screen time
ILM Screen Time is about 51 minutes.
Devastator
Devastator is as tall as a 10 story building.
Devastator has more than 10 times the number of individual parts found in an average car.
Laid out end to end, Devastator’s parts would be almost 14 miles long.
Devastator totals
Number of geom pieces: 52632
The total number of polygons: 11,716,127
The total length of all pieces: 73090 feet
The total length of all pieces: 13.84 miles
Other
According to the New Zealand Herald, Michael Bay has made it into the Guinness Book of World Records
So ambitious are some of the scenes, that Bay has made it into the Guinness Book of Records for the biggest explosion on film with actors present. That shot was filmed in New Mexico.
Hahah... Insane..
Labels: other
Cold Souls Movie Trailer
In the surreal comedy, Cold Souls, Paul Giamatti plays an actor named… Paul Giamatti. Stumbling upon an article in The New Yorker about a high-tech company that extracts, deep-freezes and stores people’s souls, Paul very well might have found the key to happiness for which he’s been searching. But, complications arise when he is the unfortunate victim of “soul-trafficking.” Giamatti’s journey takes him all the way to Russia in hopes of retrieving his stolen soul from an ambitious but talentless soap-opera actress.
Cold Souls premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and it’s easy to see why it has drawn many comparisons to the stories of Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine…etc). and I allready know that im gonna love it =D
Labels: movie news, Poster, Trailer
2012 Movie Trailer
Sony Pictures has released the first full trailer for 2012, the next big disaster film from Roland Emmerich, the director of Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and Godzilla.
To be honest, I had kinda gotten tired of the disaster movie genre as a whole, and wasn’t really looking forward to 2012 at all. But judging from this trailer, 2012 looks like it could be the first fun disaster film we’ve seen in a long while. Some of the effects-infused scenes just look incredible. I don’t think I’ve been this excited about seeing a disaster film since first witnessing the alien ship blow up the White House in the Independence Day. Bigger IS better!
CG destruction galore of epic proportions!
Labels: 3d, movie news, Trailer
Thirst/Bakjwi Red Band Movie Trailer
Focus Features will open Park Chan-Wook’s new film "Thirst" on July 31, and so far we’ve had only international trailers through which to check out the film. Now IGN has a red band trailer made specifically for the US, and it’s pretty freakin’ great. Check out the escalating pace of this story about vampires and faith..
The swedes reinvented the vampire story last year with the perfect "Låt den retta komma inn/Let the right one come in" and it looks like the koreans will have their pice of the bloody cake as well thanks to Park. Cant wait!
Labels: movie news, Trailer
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Lou Romano’s ART of "UP" *spoilers*
Former-Pixar production designer Lou Romano has posted a massive post on his blog, chock-full of production artwork and tests from his work on Pixars newest film, “Up”. Even video tests. Warning: there could be some spoilers, so don’t indulge yourself if you haven’t seen the film yet and want to be surprised.
As always the art of Lou Romano is gorgeous to behold. Similar to the work from The Incredibles, (production paintings, color/lighting design and artistic direction) this was done to help inspire the look of the film and you can get a sneak peak at the art pices here:
For every Pixar movie, a color script is created, which is essentially an at a glance look at the color keys and tones for the entire film. A color script gives you a good look at how the color arcs in a film relate to the story. Lou Romano created the color script for Pete Docter’s Up, which you can see after the jump. As a color script is an overview of the entire movie, be warned that it not only contains spoilers, but is a giant spoiler.
You will notice that the beginning of the film is heavily saturated. When Ellie enters Carl’s life, she brings much needed color. When Ellie dies, Carl’s life again becomes more mundane and colorless. But the color returns, as with the memory of Ellie and her sense of adventure, when Carl begins his journey with Russell. Each new character brings a new level of color and brightness. Also, notice how the scenes of adventure are bright, and the scenes of danger get dark.
"UP" has yet to hit scandinavia but it sure look amazing and I am pretty confident that it will elevate 3d and storytelling to a whole new level (and maybe even start a small spark for childish adventureisme)
Labels: movie news
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Sieve-Like Ubi Site Leaking Splinter Cell, Assassin's Creed Vids
Astute tipsters discovered some unprotected directories on Ubisoft's site, and we now have 20-second clips of Splinter Cell: Conviction and Assassin's Creed 2.
AC2 is up thar; SCC is down thar. These don't feature gameplay, QT events only. Im assuming these are meant to be played sometime at E3.
AC2 is up thar; SCC is down thar. These don't feature gameplay, QT events only. Im assuming these are meant to be played sometime at E3.
Labels: games
Thursday, May 28, 2009
27 taglines to put you off a film
Would any of these entice you to buy a ticket, I wonder?
See what you think, and add your own...
"From visionary director Brett Ratner"
"Based on the best-selling videogame"
"The Chipmunks are back! And they've never been squeakier"
"Better than Gigli!"
"Ben Affleck. As you've never seen him before..."
"Best Film (Dudley Film Festival)"
"A comic book movie that's even better than Catwoman!"
"Rob Schneider's funniest film ever!"
"Prinze Jr is back. And he's angry"
"Based on Dan Brown's best selling novel"
"The moving story of unspoken love in the world of banking"
"So good I almost put it on expenses!"
"The sequel to the direct-to-DVD smash hit!"
"Based on the classic 1960s TV show!"
"It's Star Trek meets Pretty Woman!"
"The film Chris Tucker was born to make!"
"Television's cutest animal is the movie's biggest new star!"
"Nicole Kidman's dream project!"
"Starring Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan"
Come to think of it, "Starring Meg Ryan"
"The amazing true story of Paris Hilton, in her own words"
"In Redditch, no-one can hear you scream"
"Inspired by the blog of the same name"
"The concert movie of American's hottest teen singing sensation!"
"Finally: Juggernaut gets his own movie!"
"You thought he was dead. But he's just resting his eyes, and having a bit of a kip"
"At last! A whole new Crank, without Jason Statham in it!"
See what you think, and add your own...
"From visionary director Brett Ratner"
"Based on the best-selling videogame"
"The Chipmunks are back! And they've never been squeakier"
"Better than Gigli!"
"Ben Affleck. As you've never seen him before..."
"Best Film (Dudley Film Festival)"
"A comic book movie that's even better than Catwoman!"
"Rob Schneider's funniest film ever!"
"Prinze Jr is back. And he's angry"
"Based on Dan Brown's best selling novel"
"The moving story of unspoken love in the world of banking"
"So good I almost put it on expenses!"
"The sequel to the direct-to-DVD smash hit!"
"Based on the classic 1960s TV show!"
"It's Star Trek meets Pretty Woman!"
"The film Chris Tucker was born to make!"
"Television's cutest animal is the movie's biggest new star!"
"Nicole Kidman's dream project!"
"Starring Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan"
Come to think of it, "Starring Meg Ryan"
"The amazing true story of Paris Hilton, in her own words"
"In Redditch, no-one can hear you scream"
"Inspired by the blog of the same name"
"The concert movie of American's hottest teen singing sensation!"
"Finally: Juggernaut gets his own movie!"
"You thought he was dead. But he's just resting his eyes, and having a bit of a kip"
"At last! A whole new Crank, without Jason Statham in it!"
Labels: movie news
The Complete List Of Tired Movie Cliches
So just last night I was watching a film that contained a whole heap of film cliches and screenwriting tropes, and I thought of an exercise to keep your brain ticking. I thought we could all get together and try to compile a complete list of movie cliches that we're sick to death of. Yes, all of them. Yes, from all the different genres. Then maybe someone in Hollywood will print the list out, put it on their wall and stop putting them in all their movies. Hey, it's worth a try.
Here are a few suggestions of the most egregious examples to get you going.
1. No one ever locks their car. This is especially true in action movies but kinda tired all over. In the modern world, you leave your car and you lock it. It's not even something you think about. If you are currently actively engaged in chasing a suspect, I'll concede that you might skip it, but if you're merely in the neighbourhood interviewing a witness, there's no excuse not to at least wave your infrared key fob in the direction of the lock.
2. The L-shaped sheet. So the couple are laying side-by-side in a post-coital glow; he's got the sheet somewhere below the belly-button but she's got it under her armpits. While there are good prurient reasons for both choices, have the courage of your convictions and go one way or other. Unless she's really short and he's really tall, in which case OK.
3. Splitting up to look around. You're in a scary house / spaceship / ol' silver mine. One of your number has gone missing. You're all wigged out. Why, in the name of Pete, would you split up to look for him/her? Has none of you ever seen a horror movie? Hell, even if you haven't have you no common sense? Might as well just blow your own brains out on the spot, unless you're the heroine. Getting split up by circumstance is one thing, but actively splitting up to search for someone is just naff.
4. The big soliloquy the night before the big push. This isn't just true of war movies, but it's most overused there. If you're going over the top in the morning, for god's sake keep your mouth shut. Taking out pictures of your sweetheart / reminiscing about your family back home or your childhood is a good way to get shot. See Dead Meet Thompson in Hot Shots for a great play on the practice, and Saving Private Ryan for its occasional subversion (Ed Burns has a speech but doesn't get hit, for example).
5. The father complex. Get over it. If you're over 21, there's just no excuse for it. This applies especially to Tom Cruise, whose entire '80s oeuvre was built on the father complex.
Right, those are just a few really obvious ones to get you going, and I've barely even touched on rom-coms. What other movie tropes and cliches need to be retired?
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