Week 31 Comments

This week was overall good, but a little frustrating with the tutorials. I've fallen behind with them lately and hopefully I'll catch up soon. I'm really excited to get more down and dirty with after effects and I can't wait until I'm more comfortable with it. What made me happy this week was going on the field trip. I actually liked Daemon a lot better this time than last. I think it was because I got to see more of their animation program though. It looks like a pretty good fit for me and I'm defintally applying there. Me personally though, I'm not looking forward to this week. I have to work 4 days and on Thanksgiving. But at least I'm getting paid double. But anyways, Link of interest time.

Here's the trailer for the new Marvel Netflix show, Jessica Jones. So far it's been pretty good, but not as good as Daredevil yet. I like how Marvel is trying a lot of new themes lately with all their TV shows and movies. I think this coming year is going to be one of their most interesting years yet with Cival War and Doctor Strange. But anyways, that's all for now.

The Tech of the Peanuts

This article was about the technology that went behind animating the new Peanuts movie.  The director of the film Steve Martino said a lot during the production of the movie when in doubt go back to the comics. This is of course referencing the 2D look of the comics and cartoons and emulating that in the 3D movie. One way they did this was keeping the view of the characters limited to the way they originally looked by Charles Schultz. They would also have to occasionally sculpt a model specific to the camera or it could look off model. Another problem was facial expressions. This is of course making them look hand drawn but still 3D. To do this the animators had to create an entire new system for the lines to wrap around the face. So much work went into this that Autodesk put the feature into Maya afterwards. Another problem was that the characters would often go into extreme poses that the original model could not achieve. The solution was to model different meshes to fit the animation. Motion lines where also added on later to help give it the old animation look. Although it's a lot of work, Blue Sky ultimately achieved a look that looks almost exactly like the old 2D shorts but being done in 3D.
I liked this article. It was very interesting to see how they changed the rules to make their animation look like it was 2D. To me that's a very interesting concept and I respect how they did that process and how great it looks in the end.

How to record great sound with a camera

This article/video was about how to record great natural sounds with a camera. Normally, finding great natural sounds are hard. But this video gave some great tips with how to get some great sounds. Ambient noise is really important and it can be broken down into a few parts. Transient sounds, Evolving sounds and speech. Transient sounds are short and impactfull sounds,  like a glass breaking or footsteps. Evolving sounds are long sounds that change over time. Like the hum of a light bulb or the sound of the outdoors. Speech sound effects are just that, sounds that involve a voice. This could be anything from the sounds of children in a playground or a busy mall. Each types of these sounds can be tricky to record and must be done differently. A camera with a shotgun mic is good for this. Levels should be set at minus 10 db at the beginning. Sounds can seem like their further away if they're quieter, but even with that it will still sound very close to your ears. This can be changed depending on the way you record the sounds. For instance if you record it super close, it will sound impactful and strong. But recording from far away can make it sound less important and quieter of course. For transient sounds, shooting up close is better because your not worry about context and want a short sweet sound. Adding more evolving sounds will add more context to your film. The audience can really create a better image of the environment with the addition of more of theses sounds. Speech sound effects known as "walla" help us relate more to the film as we identify with human noises.
I thought this article was really great, and I learned a lot about recording sounds. I didn't think about before how a boom mic is good at recording sound effects. It's interesting the different techniques required to get good sounds, like standing far away from the noise or not.

Week 30 Comments

This week was a work week and we got to take a Field Trip to Villa Maria again. I was happy to go there again because it's my favorite college that I've been to so far. I also got to see the Animation classes flour sack animations. I hope I didn't crush there hopes and dreams too much though. Nothing really frustrated me this week honestly, but some of the shots we had to get for the PSAs Joe and I are working on we're a little tough at points. I'm currently looking forward to finishing the PSAs and going on the next field trip.

My link of interest this week is the trailer to the Warcraft movie. I wasn't that excited for the Movie at first but I think this could be pretty good. The CGI is a little cartoony, which at first I didn't like but it does fit the style of the actual game and it's growing on me. Honestly this trailer kind of makes me want to play World of Warcraft which I haven't played sense I was like 12. But anyways, that's all for now.

Inside Jonas Rivera and Out

This article was an interview with Pixar Producer Jonas Rivera. The first question he is asked is why is Riley's Mom's head motion sadness. This is because they really wanted to show that Riley's main emotion pushing her forward is happiness. They aren't trying to say that her mom is depressed, rather that her sadness comes out a little more than other people. The next question that was asked is if Pixar discovered any thing interesting about the human brain while working on the film. He explained that big thing was that there's a lot of scientific debate on a lot of things that go on in the brain. One thing that took a lot of discussion was the idea of long term and short term memory. In the movie it is shown that short term is displayed in the control room along with core memories, and at the end of the day they are sent off into long term memory. But of course a few things were scrapped like knowledge and understanding. The next question was if he was iffy on if a few things would work with the narrative or not. He feared that there where too many ingredients a lot of the times. Also for the fact that Joy loves Riley but Riley doesn't even know joy exists. Also they needed to know if the islands would work or not, and if they should destroy them or not. The next question was how many things they had to change in the film to match the emotional levels of different cultures. They had to change brocolli to a bell pepper in Japan because that's what they find discusting. Also they changed Riley's Dad from thinking about hocky to soccer in European countries. And the last question he is asked is if he is excited or nervous on the next film they are working on. He explains that he is having the same conversations with fellow Pixar people and are already thinking of exciting new ideas.
I liked this article. Pixar really are masters or their craft and the people there really know what they are doing. I've seen Inside Out and I thought it was a great movie. I was kinda sad that Pixar kinda had a recent streak of okay movies, but I really think they're getting their groove back and I can't wait for even more great movies.

Making Blood

This article/video was about the history of Blood used on stage and in film. They go over a few basic ways the blood was made. The first way is the Grand Guignol. This is using vegetable Glycerine and then colored with red, a little bit of yellow and a touch of blue. Next is the Kensington Gore. This way is 2 parts of golden syrup, 1 part water Red/Yellow/Blue food coloring, a bit of corn starch, and peppermint extract taste. And finally theres the Modern Dick Smith Recipe. This is 2 quartz corn syrup, 5 oz Red/Yellow/Blue food coloring. Non-dairy coffee creamer to thicken it, Liquid lethicin and peppermint extract to taste.
I thought this video was good but a bit too long for my taste. I mean theres a lot of info in it but I don't really want to sit through a 20 minute video. But I found the ways they make blood interesting and I'll try some of them maybe myself this year.

Week 29 Comments

This week flew by. What made me happy this week was getting to film the first PSA video Joe and I are working on. It's hard to believe but we got it all done in one day. We got some pretty good results that we will have to tweak a tiny bit in post, but I think that the final result will be very good. What frustrated me this week was forgetting to bring headphones in on friday, Sense I couldn't use them, I wasn't able to finish up my Quest project that day, and I ended up going to the Halloween party in the commons for half of the day, and getting an astonishing 4th place in musical chairs. I'm currently looking forward to editing my PSA Video and also filming the second video soon. Personally, work at Tim Hortons has become very excruciating. But it does pay ok so that's nice. I'm looking forward to Christmas where I can spend some save upped money (and some loaned money from the bank) on a brand new PC for editing videos, playing games and everything a shut in can dream for. But anyways, onto the link of interest.

This video is from of series of videos based on DidYouKnowGaming called DidYouKnowVoiceActing. I'm very much into Voice Acting and it's history and I love this series a lot. This one is on all the voice acting that was involved in last years Smash Bros game. It's really interesting to see all the different aspects that went into this game. But anyways, that's all for this week. 

9 Compositing shot tips

This article/video was about different tips for composting shots in film.  Rules of Thirds is a common one. This is where you line up points of interest on intersections on a grid. The next one is leading lines. This is where you have to parallel lines horizontal or vertical in a shot of your points of interest. This can create a nice effect. Next is is Diagonal lines. This effect is similar to the last but can create a sense of motion. The next one is framing. This is where you can create a frame within a frame. It can create an effect where maybe you don't want to reveal everything. Figure to the ground is where you create strong contrast between your subject and background. This can create a nice sense of depth. Fill the frame is how much of your subject is filling the entire frame. This can be very important and can adjust the aesthetic effect of your shot. Another effect is Center Dominant Eye. By placing the dominant eye in the very center of the shot, can give the illusion that it is following you. Patterns and repetition is also important as it can create a sense of chaos or order, depending on how you use it. Symmetry is also important as it is naturally nice looking for humans. This is to make everything look perfect basically. But it is important to note there really is no defined rules in cinematography and you should focus on what looks pleasing to you as an artist.
I enjoyed this article a lot more than the other one. It was short, informative and to the point. I can't wait to try a lot these techniques in my projects this year.

What type of animator should I be?

This article was an interview with ILM Animator Erik Morgansen on the different types of animators and which you should be. The first question he is asked is what type of work you should use when submitting your work to studios. He says for this you need to keep in mind what you're submitting for what the project you'd be working on is. If its for a How to Train Your Dragon movie, then you probably will want to submit some creature animation. You also should consider what is your relevant work and your best work. For video games, consider which type of games you'd be making. If it's Halo, you should submit sci-fy type work. Or if it's a Mario game, some squash and stretch work would be best. You should also decide on which type of studio it is. If it's an Animation studio you should focus on character animation. If it's an VFX Studio, then you should look into animation that involves physics and realistic animation. And if it's a boutique studio then you can focus on rigging, modeling, simulation and texturing skills.
The next question he was asked is on is where should you get started. He suggests looking into mentor-ships, as a way to improve your own work. Sometimes watching the best work, really gives you a lot of insight onto how to improve you're own. And having professionals critique your work really helps you strive to improve. He also talks about how he acts as a mentor. He explains that he gives his student a clear idea of what it is like to work in the industry. It's about knowing what directors want, what blocking is necessary and communicating with your team. He also says unless a student is really struggling, he is always hands-off, which helps students feel like their shots are their own.
The next question he is asked is what are some common mistakes students make when starting out. He explains that students struggle with getting variation in different parts of the body. To solve this. its important to think of the hierarchy in the body in characters and think on how certain parts effect others. Anticipation is also important, in so that it should match the movement. The last one is getting eye direction in shots. To solve this it's important to understand your character and what situation they are in.
The next question is what is the most gratifying part in being a mentor. He says that its easy for him to anticipate mistakes and help students with them. And its also gratifying for him to help students make a few changes and have them feel good about their work. It also makes him glad in his career and see younger people start out their careers in the field.
The next question was having humanity. It's important to pace yourself and make sure you can take criticism from other people. Confidence is really important and can make a tremendous difference.
His closing thoughts are make sure you know the fundamentals and work on it. Also enjoy your work, and people are bound to enjoy it too.
I thought this article was helpful, but unnecessarily long. A lot of this stuff is important but I was struggling to get through it all. But I'm sure die hard animators will enjoy this article.