Tuesday, April 05, 2011
CAT Shotgun test
Tried to animate the C.A.T. rig that follows in Autodesks 3DS MAX 2011.
It wasn't as easy as I thought. Its a brand new system and as with everything else new, its a bit wonky at first.
I had big troubles with the hand following the barrel of the shotgun as "Link constraint" diden't work, so I hand-animated it. (also the gun is way too big for the arms, so the swivel angle of the arms flipps) The annoying thing is that C.A.T. puts a key on every link/bone made down the hierarchy, making it a bit unstable after a while. Fun test though
Labels: 3d, animation, own work
Saturday, February 12, 2011
kokiriko bushi - music video
Maybe I have shown this one before but I recently found it again and it felt good! The morbidly kiddie-friendly style and high energy socked in Japanese lore (Bushi is a type of Japanese folk music genre) really makes this one stick. Not too fond of the middle parts, but I instantly forget it when the main chiptunes kicks back in. I think I watched the video so many times on loop that I know the whole skeleton dance =D
*Writes draft to next halloween*
I also recommend Hohai Bushi by the same band Omodaka ;)
*Writes draft to next halloween*
I also recommend Hohai Bushi by the same band Omodaka ;)
Labels: animation, music video
Friday, February 11, 2011
The Backwater Gospel - Batchlor film from The Animation Workshop
Story
As long as anyone can remember, the coming of The Undertaker has meant the coming of death. Until one day the grim promise fails and tension builds as the God fearing townsfolk of Backwater wait for someone to die
See it here:
I love the style! Its a great mix between "Borderlands" and "The Amazing Screw On Head" Beatifully animated and executed.
Best of luck in the future guys!
Friday, November 12, 2010
L.A. Noire Explores The Subtleties of Crime With Nuanced, Digital Actors
I've always been bothered by how out of sync, how unreal, digital actors look in video games. That's exacerbated in the sorts of games they expect you to read anything into the folks you run into in a game.
Imagine trying to tell if someone is lying to you when they're wearing an ill-fitting rubber mask. That's essentially the issue with most dialog-heavy video games, until now. If Rockstar is to be believed, this is a game created to "render every subtlety and nuance of an actor's facial expressions and emotions."
Why does that matter? Because in L.A. Noire you play a detective in the Los Angeles of the 1940s. Rockstar says the game has you trying to solve crimes through a "blend of classic action, clue-finding and interrogation, allowing players to analyze every subtle nuance of an actor's performance in order to get to the truth."
If they can do it, if these aren't just canned animations, then L.A. Noire could become an important piece of interactive fiction. More importantly, it could be one of the first games that allows you to use some of the real-world skills investigators tap into to solve crime.
It's worth pointing out that the game will include Mad Men's Aaron Stanton as lead officer, Cole Phelps, Fringe's John Noble, and a cast of "esteemed actors," working alongside director Michael Uppendahl (Mad Men), according to Rockstar.
L.A. Noire is due out this coming spring.
Imagine trying to tell if someone is lying to you when they're wearing an ill-fitting rubber mask. That's essentially the issue with most dialog-heavy video games, until now. If Rockstar is to be believed, this is a game created to "render every subtlety and nuance of an actor's facial expressions and emotions."
Why does that matter? Because in L.A. Noire you play a detective in the Los Angeles of the 1940s. Rockstar says the game has you trying to solve crimes through a "blend of classic action, clue-finding and interrogation, allowing players to analyze every subtle nuance of an actor's performance in order to get to the truth."
If they can do it, if these aren't just canned animations, then L.A. Noire could become an important piece of interactive fiction. More importantly, it could be one of the first games that allows you to use some of the real-world skills investigators tap into to solve crime.
It's worth pointing out that the game will include Mad Men's Aaron Stanton as lead officer, Cole Phelps, Fringe's John Noble, and a cast of "esteemed actors," working alongside director Michael Uppendahl (Mad Men), according to Rockstar.
L.A. Noire is due out this coming spring.
Monday, November 08, 2010
Wizzdesign presents The Thunderclaps - Tudor Petru - Incredible music video
France continues to kill it in the music video world as seen in this latest piece of greatness, an un-offical video for The Thunderclaps called Tudor Petru. In collaboration with WIZZ, this animation collective are still students at the powerhouse that is Gobelins.
Having worked with WIZZ on Jesus 2000 last year, they came in with their footage and camped out for two months to create one of the more captivating and energetic pieces of live-action and 2D mixed-media we have ever seen. It also gave me tons of AKIRA associations. Incredible timing and weight on the animation throughout. I wished more movies and games understood this consept
Having worked with WIZZ on Jesus 2000 last year, they came in with their footage and camped out for two months to create one of the more captivating and energetic pieces of live-action and 2D mixed-media we have ever seen. It also gave me tons of AKIRA associations. Incredible timing and weight on the animation throughout. I wished more movies and games understood this consept
TODOR & PETRU from CRCR on Vimeo.
Labels: animation, music video
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Mars Needs Moms
Im not a huge fan of the 3D Zemeckis, though I really am digging the craftmanship and tech that goes into the movies. The CG looks incredibly good but the characters are lacking. Boardering on "uncanny vally" alot. His "preformance capture" is really quite incredible (despite still looking overacted and the "dead-face" syndrome) and a huge step over regular motion capture, but they have yet to make me really love the characters portrayed in his movies. I am however curious about his new movie..
Walt Disney Pictures has released the first movie poster for the Robert Zemeckis’ produced adaptation of Berkley Breathed’s children’s book Mars Needs Moms. The performance capture film is being directed by The Prince of Egypt/The Time Machine helmer Simon Wells and stars Seth Green, Joan Cusack and Dan Fogler.
Plot:
A young boy named Milo gains a deeper appreciation for his mom after Martians come to Earth to take her away.
This poster reminds me of something though....
Labels: 3d, animation, animation news, movie news, Poster
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Banksy Simpsons Intro
I bet they will never get a artist to do another intro for them again =D Hurray for some balls!
Labels: animation, animation news
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Goutte d'Or - trailer
Sexy animation - Goutte d'Or - trailer from Happy Flyfish on Vimeo.
The official trailer from the stop motion short film Goutte d'Or - a film by Christophe Peladan, produced by Soren Fleng for Happy Flyfish. We are still on progress with the film (as of 26 May 2010) and expect to complete the film in the early autumn 2010.
Labels: animation, animation news
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Gesture vs Lip-sync
Here’s evidence that proper acting and gestures are more important than lip-sync.
It works really well and makes me laugh every time.
So make sure your character’s body sells the line before you go crazy trying to get the lip-sync right.
from speakingofanimation
It works really well and makes me laugh every time.
So make sure your character’s body sells the line before you go crazy trying to get the lip-sync right.
from speakingofanimation
Labels: animation, commercials
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
Friday, August 14, 2009
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
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Team ICO reveals "TRICO"
Finally some video from the developers of ICO and Shadow of the colossus, Team Ico about their newest game: TRICO (placeholder-name)
Two of my favorite games of all time and they are coming out with a new one soon! At least some more info. Not much have been shown since the reveal of a picture a couple of months ago. And this trailer is breathtaking! Its apparently "leaked" footage of the current game. Leaked or PR stunt? Anyhoo the games looks amazing and get this. The footage is apparently over a year old! Thats right. Old footage that are kicking current next gen games into oblivion!!
Team ICO really pushed the capabillitys with the PS2 with games as big and grand as Ico and Shadow of the collosus. They werent highrez or had any fancy shaders/displacement/paralex mapping as the newest games have but they do have something that all other games are stuggeling with. Namely atmosphere. On top of that they have top notch animation and an unpresidented sense of scale unmatched even by todays standards. It also features a beutifull errie setting as you can never take things for granted. They are the JJ abrahams of the game industry. And by that I am talking about the "less is more" and "keep it simple stupid" approaches.
These games are my favorites because they dont really see obstacles in the game philosophy but new ways of using old techniques and they also challenge the gamers with some quite tough moral choices. Truly what games are about. Innovation. I also love these games because of the superb animation that are on display here. Timing, weight and the characters are well thought out and impressive to behold.
Ile stop now before I accidently write 500 pages of how I think every family should have a playstation 2 with a copy of this game, and each child would be required to play it once they had come of age.(In addition, sports franchises would be limited to releasing one game every 4 years!)
Looking forward to E3 for more candy from this game!
(PS: Dragonbaby dies)
Two of my favorite games of all time and they are coming out with a new one soon! At least some more info. Not much have been shown since the reveal of a picture a couple of months ago. And this trailer is breathtaking! Its apparently "leaked" footage of the current game. Leaked or PR stunt? Anyhoo the games looks amazing and get this. The footage is apparently over a year old! Thats right. Old footage that are kicking current next gen games into oblivion!!
Team ICO really pushed the capabillitys with the PS2 with games as big and grand as Ico and Shadow of the collosus. They werent highrez or had any fancy shaders/displacement/paralex mapping as the newest games have but they do have something that all other games are stuggeling with. Namely atmosphere. On top of that they have top notch animation and an unpresidented sense of scale unmatched even by todays standards. It also features a beutifull errie setting as you can never take things for granted. They are the JJ abrahams of the game industry. And by that I am talking about the "less is more" and "keep it simple stupid" approaches.
These games are my favorites because they dont really see obstacles in the game philosophy but new ways of using old techniques and they also challenge the gamers with some quite tough moral choices. Truly what games are about. Innovation. I also love these games because of the superb animation that are on display here. Timing, weight and the characters are well thought out and impressive to behold.
Ile stop now before I accidently write 500 pages of how I think every family should have a playstation 2 with a copy of this game, and each child would be required to play it once they had come of age.(In addition, sports franchises would be limited to releasing one game every 4 years!)
Looking forward to E3 for more candy from this game!
(PS: Dragonbaby dies)
Labels: 3d, animation, games, Trailer
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Transformers 2. 2 min + new trailer!
Jesus christ... I feel sad for the ILM renderfarms
At ShoWest, Michael Bay premiered a scene from Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen which featured Shia LaBeouf having a heart to heart with Bumblebee in his parent`s garage about moving off to college while Megan Fox changes into a dress outside. This is of course followed by a new kick ass montage of clips from the film you`ll notice the first real look at Devastator). Well guess what? The two and a half minute video package is now online thanks to MichaelBay.com
- Slashfilm.com
Check it out here:
Also adding some high-res photos:
While Im not fan of the "emote/over the top charismatic stereo-typical" robots, "Shia le chitchat" or "Megan fucxy"... I must say that the CGI, action and soundwork both looks and sounds out of this world!
Summer cant come fast enough!
Labels: 3d, animation, movie news, Trailer
Saturday, February 14, 2009
‘G-Force’ Teaser Tests Our Ability to Comprehend Stupidity
Now I know why America is having such a hard time fighting the war in Iraq. They aren’t using guinea pigs as soldiers!
Disney’s "G-Force",a film about a group of highly intelligent guinea pigs trained by a covert government program in the art of espionage, doesn’t come out until July 24, 2009. But we’ve got the teaser for it in all its furry goodness, thanks to the official Disney site. The film is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
G-Force has a pretty solid cast of actors attached to it, with the likes of Sam Rockwell, Penelope Cruz, Tracey Morgan, Kelli Garner, Bill Nighy, Steve Buscemi and dare I say it, Nicolas Cage. The main problem I have with it, and many other animated films, is the tendency to make characters racial stereotypes. Penelope Cruz is “Agent Juarez?” Why didn’t they just name Tracey Morgan’s character “Agent, I Play Basketball Well” and have the guinea pig wear a skullcap and gold chains? Yay perpetuating of ignorance!
Labels: 3d, animation, movie news
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The Story of One-Eyed Ophelia Jackson
The Story of One-Eyed Ophelia Jackson is a 2008 graduation film by Kat Morris from School of Visual Arts. The eye-catching short, about the luckiest girl in the world, Ophelia Jackson, and her encounter with a Sea Witch, stands out for its confident drawing style and sophisticated sense of design.
check out her blog here: http://ghostdigits.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Tulyakhodzhayev
Uzbek director Nazim Tulyakhodzhayev’s short, animated adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s short story of the same name. The tale of a robotic house mindlessly continuing its tasks even after the human residents have been wiped out by nuclear war.
Orignal plot:
Set in August, 2026 in the city of Allendale, California, There Will Come Soft Rains details the daily tasks of a robotic house after its inhabitants have died in a nuclear war. The house is fully automated and sensitive to its owners and their requests and needs. Unaware of the absence of its owners, though aware of other external and internal disruptions, such as the weather and birds attempting to land on it, it continues to serve the dead family. Throughout the story, the house makes breakfast, disposes of it uneaten, and performs various domestic tasks.
Only one living thing makes an appearance in the story: the family dog, which had been slowly dying from the radiation of the nuclear war. It makes its way back to the house only to die; its corpse is then swiftly removed by the house's automated cleaning robots.
The author at one point mentions the shapes of the family's silhouettes which are permanently burned onto the side of the house (as was exemplified at Hiroshima) when they were vaporized by the radiation.
Orignal plot:
Set in August, 2026 in the city of Allendale, California, There Will Come Soft Rains details the daily tasks of a robotic house after its inhabitants have died in a nuclear war. The house is fully automated and sensitive to its owners and their requests and needs. Unaware of the absence of its owners, though aware of other external and internal disruptions, such as the weather and birds attempting to land on it, it continues to serve the dead family. Throughout the story, the house makes breakfast, disposes of it uneaten, and performs various domestic tasks.
Only one living thing makes an appearance in the story: the family dog, which had been slowly dying from the radiation of the nuclear war. It makes its way back to the house only to die; its corpse is then swiftly removed by the house's automated cleaning robots.
The author at one point mentions the shapes of the family's silhouettes which are permanently burned onto the side of the house (as was exemplified at Hiroshima) when they were vaporized by the radiation.
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