I've finally finished my Animatic (at least until I get feedback on it). If the changes are minor, I may not revise the animatic. I'll probably just make the changes once I get into animation... I'm really excited though! I may have mentioned before, but my main character is modeled, textured, and rigged already. It was modeled by my friend, and past co-worker Vaughn Smith. I textured him in Bodypaint 3d, then rigged him using the Anzovin rigging tools, The Setup Machine, and The Face Machine.
I plan to do a promotional poster for the short, once I figure some things out (while doing some render tests of the model, I've come across some weird things happening). In the mean time I'll spend some time doing animation tests, to make sure the rig is in good shape. I'll probably do a walk cycle, run cycle, pantomime test, and a dialogue test. I'll post them as I complete them!
Adios!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
House from "UP" now for sale in Utah
I posted a video on this house the first time I saw it and it wasn't done yet, but now it is and is on the market!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Real Life "UP" house!
This is pretty crazy. I'd love to see how the inside looks when it's finished!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Tomb Raider Gameplay Demo at E3 today!
Some of my work is featured in the Gameplay Demo today. Here's a brief...
I animated the section where Lara falls on the Spike and has to pull it out of her side and get up. Everyone working on this game, has done a FANTASTIC job! I wish I could say and show more about it, but I have to hold off until something is released to the public.
Enjoy the Gameplay Demo!
I animated the section where Lara falls on the Spike and has to pull it out of her side and get up. Everyone working on this game, has done a FANTASTIC job! I wish I could say and show more about it, but I have to hold off until something is released to the public.
Enjoy the Gameplay Demo!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
New Tomb Raider Trailer!!!
So, as some of you may know. I've been working on the new Tomb Raider game since last August. The trailer has finally made its way to the world via Spike TV...
Here's the trailer if you missed it! I'm very proud of what we've done as a team on the game. I can't wait for everyone to see it!
Here's the trailer if you missed it! I'm very proud of what we've done as a team on the game. I can't wait for everyone to see it!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Michael Caine - Acting in film workshop
I watched this a while ago, and it was very insightful! As you already know, as animators, we are all still actors just putting our performances into a digital puppet. Check it out!
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
Part 5:
Part 6:
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
Part 5:
Part 6:
Friday, April 22, 2011
Connecting with your work
I've had a tough time over the past few years choosing what to spend time working on. I've gone through a bunch of shots that never made it past my computer. They've been marked as simply "Practice" shots, which it really is if you think about it. I'm sure there are many animators, or artists out there who go through this. Which made me want to write about this...
I think finding a connection with you and your work is the BEST thing to do to get some kind of worth out of it. Even if no one ever sees it! Instead of just picking something to do to practice principles of animation, take some time and think about something that you can connect with, and put a bit of who you are into it. Studios notice those things, plus your work will get better and better the more you do that, trust me! Of course there are things that simply look fun to animate, with no deep emotional connection, and I think those are good things to do as well, because we should always have fun with what we're doing! I think it shows when someone has really had a good time animating something!
I'm gonna go through the current shots in my reel and talk about why I chose to do them, and what, from myself I've put into them. Of course in the future this won't match up because my reel will be different, but readers can still get the idea of it.
UPDATE: MY REEL HAS CHANGED, THE SHOT 2 LISTED HERE IS NO LONGER PRESENT ON MY REEL. IT'S BEING WORKED ON.
Shot 1: "I need help"
I chose to do this one, because I wanted to explore how this person felt trying fight something that kept coming back, and just trying to get over his drug addiction. My dad had a drug addiction problem, and that had a lot to do with what drew me to this as well. He passed away when I was five, and I was picturing him saying this if were alive, and became clean... It was tough acting this out because I didn't know how to feel, but I watched a lot of interviews with recovering addicts, and got an overall feel for how a lot of them felt, and how honest they've become with themselves about needing help, because they didn't feel that they had the power to do it alone.
Shot 2: "Never enough"
I chose to do this shot because I felt a connection with the dialogue, in that, in the animation industry, I was feeling like I wasn't enough to make it, when I was seeing a lot of people I knew getting work, etc. I had a rough time looking for a job and spent over a year unemployed. I was practicing, sending out reels, and was getting a lot of rejection. Although I experienced this 2 years ago, I could easily go back to how I felt during that time, so when I saw this film I knew I wanted to do that clip.
Shot 3: "Bad people"
I went with this shot because I really liked the contrast in the dialogue and I felt the connection with the secondary character realizing the harsh truths about how some people really are, and how corrupt some things really are. Aside from that, it just seemed like a fun clip to animate! A good chance to hold back in areas, and focus on the acting.
Shot 4: "Dr. King"
Who wouldn't want to animate an audio clip like this? This shot just seemed really fun to me! I loved the contrast in characters and how crazy this old man was! It makes you wonder if his story was really true! This is one of the examples of shots where it just seems fun to animate. While working on it, I was remembering older people at church when I was younger, and the stories they would tell, or people I would encounter on the bus in SF while in school, over-hearing their conversations and stories, and seeing the listeners faces looking like they knew that the storyteller was full of it.
I hope that this helps someone out there struggling with finding what to work on. I still suffer from this from time to time, and it probably won't end. Just remember to show yourself in your work; tap into your different emotions and let yourself be vulnerable so you can get a sincere performance.
I think finding a connection with you and your work is the BEST thing to do to get some kind of worth out of it. Even if no one ever sees it! Instead of just picking something to do to practice principles of animation, take some time and think about something that you can connect with, and put a bit of who you are into it. Studios notice those things, plus your work will get better and better the more you do that, trust me! Of course there are things that simply look fun to animate, with no deep emotional connection, and I think those are good things to do as well, because we should always have fun with what we're doing! I think it shows when someone has really had a good time animating something!
I'm gonna go through the current shots in my reel and talk about why I chose to do them, and what, from myself I've put into them. Of course in the future this won't match up because my reel will be different, but readers can still get the idea of it.
UPDATE: MY REEL HAS CHANGED, THE SHOT 2 LISTED HERE IS NO LONGER PRESENT ON MY REEL. IT'S BEING WORKED ON.
Shot 1: "I need help"
I chose to do this one, because I wanted to explore how this person felt trying fight something that kept coming back, and just trying to get over his drug addiction. My dad had a drug addiction problem, and that had a lot to do with what drew me to this as well. He passed away when I was five, and I was picturing him saying this if were alive, and became clean... It was tough acting this out because I didn't know how to feel, but I watched a lot of interviews with recovering addicts, and got an overall feel for how a lot of them felt, and how honest they've become with themselves about needing help, because they didn't feel that they had the power to do it alone.
Shot 2: "Never enough"
I chose to do this shot because I felt a connection with the dialogue, in that, in the animation industry, I was feeling like I wasn't enough to make it, when I was seeing a lot of people I knew getting work, etc. I had a rough time looking for a job and spent over a year unemployed. I was practicing, sending out reels, and was getting a lot of rejection. Although I experienced this 2 years ago, I could easily go back to how I felt during that time, so when I saw this film I knew I wanted to do that clip.
Shot 3: "Bad people"
I went with this shot because I really liked the contrast in the dialogue and I felt the connection with the secondary character realizing the harsh truths about how some people really are, and how corrupt some things really are. Aside from that, it just seemed like a fun clip to animate! A good chance to hold back in areas, and focus on the acting.
Shot 4: "Dr. King"
Who wouldn't want to animate an audio clip like this? This shot just seemed really fun to me! I loved the contrast in characters and how crazy this old man was! It makes you wonder if his story was really true! This is one of the examples of shots where it just seems fun to animate. While working on it, I was remembering older people at church when I was younger, and the stories they would tell, or people I would encounter on the bus in SF while in school, over-hearing their conversations and stories, and seeing the listeners faces looking like they knew that the storyteller was full of it.
I hope that this helps someone out there struggling with finding what to work on. I still suffer from this from time to time, and it probably won't end. Just remember to show yourself in your work; tap into your different emotions and let yourself be vulnerable so you can get a sincere performance.
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