Still no sound but this is what I’ve done. Not sure if I should tone down the grain effect but I’m happy with it at the moment. Logic Pro isn’t working so I’m going to have to settle in using basic audio in AFX. Never done it before but we’ll see. Ooo I love doing sound. During the final year of uni, my friends and I had a whale of a time foley-ing. Sometimes we left the recording studio in a bit of a mess… The atmospheric background sound for Hannah’s, “The Predatory Habits of Yetis” was the noises I made haha. It’s a good little film! Check it out. Maybe I should pursue this as a career. Hmm…
Ident #1
March 8th, 2010Playground love
March 6th, 2010I meant to be away from computer because my eyes are starting to burn but I feel like posting something really cool to share like this.
pics via Behance
How amazing are the interiors? I want to see the real thing. They’re done by Maria Yasko who based the design on Tove Jansson’s famous Moomins. I’ve probably mentioned I went to Finland a few posts ago but still haven’t uploaded our Helsinki adventures. Unfortunately, it didn’t include going to the Moomin Museum in Tampere (just outside Helsinki). I don’t know much about the Moomins except for the early mornings I used to spend, watching the cartoon before school. However, I’m currently reading Moominpappa’s Memoirs. You never know, I might be hooked.
Gosh, I’m super tired and it’s only 8pm. Too early…
pic via ffffound!
Showreel, Jobs fair, mag and list
March 5th, 2010I’ve been trying to get Flight of the Conchords tickets last night and this morning. No luck…and you know what bugs me? Those people who buys tickets just to make profit (big rip off) on ebay. Ooo…aaargh…uuurgh… Anyway, this is the FINAL final showreel of 2009. Seriously… I can’t help myself. Perfection is my weakness. I did this before I went to the Wired Sussex Media Jobs + Skills Fair yesterday. It’s basically a fair with career recruitment stalls, course stalls, CV/covering letter/interview workshop and panel sessions of people who are already in the industry giving advices. It was really good! I get to network a little (really have to work on that. I’m shy to new people okay, but that’s no excuse). Made a new friend who came all the way from Bath! That is dedication. I was there from 12.30 – 19.30 that went really quickly with my head filled with so much information that I had to put them into, what it seems to be a never ending list of things to do. It’s going to be a busy week, starting today. I’m very excited though that there’s still hope.
Off the topic, in the Computer Arts March 2010 issue, I found this! I was chuffed knowing that I helped to make Flöjtelös (Whistleless). Also, it so happens that the screenshot they’ve published is the tiger scene. The first shot I worked on I think… I did those stripes! What’s a tiger without stripes? Just a big cat. Oh I miss working in that small studio and eating lunch on the rooftop with Chris. I dream of being in a small team studio…preferably Manhattan…doing whatever cool things I’ll be creating. Then at the end of the day, take the L train back to my dream rented flat in Brooklyn. Hey, I can dream!
One more thing, I’ve finished animating my own ident but with no sound! My silly Mac can’t take Logic Pro or even a small external HD. Not sure if it’s a RAM thing or what, but it was a pain to even import sound so I’m going to have to ask Mac people what’s wrong with it. Okay, I better act on my To-Do list and I will leave you with this BBC article on the art of list making. I can totally relate to Adolf Konrad’s packing list but he is a step ahead by colouring his listed items…
Brought to you today by…
February 26th, 2010the Super 8 effect, the Blur effect, and the Wiggler. Just a few things that I’ve learnt these past few days.
So it’s been a busy week for me. After an awful start, I decided to take my mind off things and do my own project. Making my own idents. If the BBC and E4 can have them, so can I. Would be great to have my own tv channel but I’ll just stick to idents for now. So, the above image is a screenshot of what it looks like at the moment. The initial idea was that it’s going to look like a grainy b&w footage from the 1950s or Georges Méliès’ Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon – 1902). However, while looking for tutorials in how to do this sort of style, I came across the lomo and Super 8 effects which I found to be very cool. I’ve used Flash to build the UFO, Photoshop for the objects and AFX for animation, composition and effects. Give me a day to finish up without sound and I’ll upload it.
NOTE: I feel cheeky to use Video Copilot’s 8mm frame footage. One day soon I have to find my own 8mm film. I thoroughly recommend Video Copilot. They’re one of the best AFX tutorials on the internet. Free too!
Just found this awesome website. It’s a big archive of idents. Haven’t looked at them all but channel 4 always have the best idents. My favourites are the american diner and the roller coaster one. So calming that I wish I’m on that roller coaster. Check them out. Oh yah, there’s a UFO one. I guess I’m inspired.
Couldn’t sleep…
February 14th, 2010…until this has finished. I’m not sure about the pose. Just trying to be a better painter.
New version
February 13th, 2010…of my showreel.
I just replaced some clips with new ones.
UPDATE: I’ve updated a different showreel… The last one for 2009. I’m serious.
The Bear
February 12th, 2010He doesn’t seem too happy…
Princess, frogs and blue people.
February 11th, 2010WARNING: If you haven’t seen Avatar or Princess and The Frog, there could be spoilers.
Before that I would like to show you my animatic on Jon’s (Awesome Wells) music video. I’m working on the design and style of the characters at the moment so everything is a bit unmethodical. I’ve showed this to Jon and he likes it and suggested to add something dark. Here is what I’ve done so far.
I finally got to watch Avatar in 3D last night. It was amazing. I didn’t read up on anything much about the technical aspects because I know that my brain will constantly analyse everything (I still did). The world of Pandora was so imaginative with the forest and creatures looking slightly familiar with our own world but extra special obviously. I want to be in a helicopter and fly through the floating Hallelujah Mountains. I want to have an avatar! The technology they had on the film was so cool. I really want one of those transparent concave screens. Also, forget USB sticks! They just have to transfer a file from one screen to a portable screen with one swoop. Everything is just pure coolness.
While the visual effects and compositing is fantastic, I was more curious about Jake’s bare atrophied legs. I was wondering if Sam Worthington is a real life paraplegic as this was the first time I’ve seen the actor. I thought it would be so amazing if it was CG or a very well made prop. This is something I have to check out because I know for sure that Worthington is not a paraplegic. He could be a dedicated actor like Christian Bale for The Machinist but I doubt that there is a method to make his physical appearance possible.
UPDATE: I’ve got this source from MTV.com. “John Rosengrant at Stan Winston’s studio took a mold from the legs of a paraplegic who had about Sam’s skeletal size, and then we created rubber legs,” Cameron said. “Sam’s actual legs are tucked down through the chair.” Prosthetics! Wow…
I’m liking the Native American/African tribe vibe going on with the Na’vi and the story is a bit like Pocahontas, but lots of things are inspired by others. It went a bit Braveheart/Hollywood-ish near the end but it’s still a very good film. 9.5/10!
Another animation I saw recently was Disney’s Princess and The Frog. A very impressive 2D comeback too! I wasn’t sure if everything was made in 2D as there were some parts of background and minor animated bits that could have been done in 3D. I think it was set in a 1930s New Orleans so they had really catchy jazz tunes. Also, I have to get me some gumbo, jambalaya and beignet! I wonder what they’re like in real life because they looked so tasty in 2D. I was having trouble with the firefly’s Cajun accent, I wondered if our Japanese friend understood what they were talking about with the heavy accent. If I was little, I would have been petrified of the voodoo shadows because they were rather scary but not as bad as hypnotised Aurora in Sleeping Beauty (watch below). I mean THAT was scary. One thing bothered me, all the time that Tiana was as a frog, everyone else was carrying on with the Mardi Gras as if she wasn’t missing. I’m just nitpicking.
I’m still here!
February 8th, 2010It’s the new year and it’s February and here is the first post of 2010! I’ve been too busy (possibly lazy too..) to update and I had lots of materials to post but I’ll just put some snipets of my Christmas. I had an old friend visiting all the way from Australia. It was great because we get to see places that I normally wouldn’t have thought about visiting. I wasn’t sure if she was satisfied with her trip, but I think we did a lot around London and Brighton in two weeks. England didn’t show the best winter weather either. We saw How It is at the Tate Modern, changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square… We went to the Winter Wonderland Christmas Market at Hyde Park, The National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, V & A, Hampton Court Palace, Roger Hiorns’ Seizure exhibition, Brighton Pavillion, Sherlock Holmes Museum, Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross and Jack the Ripper trail. The last one wasn’t an official tour so we had to follow a map that was part of an AA 1001 Walks in Britain file that my dad got me as a joke. However, it proved to be very useful. The tour will be the first and the last for me. The cold and the short daylight really gave the creepy atmosphere when you go through small, quiet alleyways.
Besides the events at Christmas, I did some animations for a company, sent CVs/showreel, got an interview, had the interview, nearly got the position but they wrote the loveliest rejection email so I wasn’t too disheartened, did a storyboard and animatic for Jon’s music video, looked at Escape courses, re-did my showreel, still animating things for the company, learnt something about php from boyfriend, met another old friend and did some catching up. Now it’s back to updating blog, sending CVs/showreel, character design for Jon’s MV and thinking of a new layout for website. The list is never ending…
Churros are freakin’ tasty.
Freaky panto window display at Selfridges.
Vero and I.
Mushroom-like trees on the grounds of Hampton Court Palace.
The start of the creepy trail of Jack the Ripper…
Roger Hiorns’ Seizure
Tourist couple posing as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
It’s an almost Christmas miracle!
December 17th, 2009It’s very rare to get a snowy Christmas over here but it’s happening! I was reluctant to go out because I didn’t want to step on the fresh snow… but I had to take pictures. In my pyjamas. I’m so happy!!!
