WHAT IS 2D and WHAT IS 3D?

Over time the techniques may change. New things are learned and new avenues are explored. The goal, however, has always been the same. The blurring of the line between 2D and 3D animation. For me, this has never meant trying to bring 2D into a 3D world, accepting 3D is "the new way" as it seems the mainstream has. For me it has always been about achieving the look and quality of traditional animation as it has always been done, only using the technology to make it feasible for me to do so.

IDEAS ABOUND

Although I am generally known for working alone on animated projects, it can be amazing to see the things that come out of collaboration. The simple fact is, sometimes a single artist just doesn't see every possible viewpoint, and fresh ideas can come up in collaboration that help all independent artists out there!

When I was working on Shadowskin, I had help from a few friends of mine, including Mike Lightner, Jim May and, of course, Q. While doing the voice recording sessions with each of them, a printed out only their lines on paper for them to use and read from. I had a monitor displaying the scene they were doing in front of them. For those who have seen my shows, you know that I use the Japanese style in which all animation is done first and then the voices are done afterward to match to the animation. Each actor had a different method for how they would relate what was one their sheets to what was on the screen. Regardless, it was a challenge for anyone to be able to do both.

Now on J4A, Kevin Bair, heading the project at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office was faced with the same task. After I delivered the animation to him, he cast his voice actors and went into the studio to record the sounds which would bring it all to life. He, however, tackled the problem in an entirely different fashion that I did on Shadowskin. In order to keep the actor's focus directly on the screen and their character, he decided to "close caption" their lines over the video! The actor could then read their lines and follow their character at the same time! And why not?! Once again, the latest digital technology coupled with ingenious ideas, shows that there are always new and inspiring ways to get that project made! I, for one, will be using this technique on my future productions! Check out this clip!

Remember my post about the steps to get from zero (idea) to screen? I think the same can be said for comics. What is the best way to get from zero to the page?

I recently got yet another Shonen Jump, now putting me at three issues. I guess they wanted to get me on track from the beginning, since I subscribed slightly after issue one was out. Now I have issues 1-3. Aside from all the great and popular manga inside, the greatest thing about the book is the interviews with manga creators and editors. It really gives an insight into how it all happens.

From reading said interviews and also watching an interview with Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of Akira, I see that the storyboard is king, even in the world of manga. While I yet desire to do an experimental film, skipping the storyboard phase and going to an animatic, or "video-matic" type of creation, in manga it can be the greatest thing in the world!

I am left to wonder just how big an influence anime is having on American filmmaking these days. I was recently watching "One Hour Photo", which is a psychological thriller in the old school style. Aside from the fact that a few anime toys pop up and are talked about in the film, there seemed to be some scenes that seemed very reminiscent of things in GTO and Perfect Blue. Granted, in this case, the nature of story itself could lead to the scenes simply being a natural conclusion.

On the other hand, in "Requiem for a Dream" there is a scene that is shot-for-shot, angle-for-angle lifted right out of Perfect Blue. While "The Matrix" may be very obvious with it's links to "Ghost in the Shell", we also have a myriad of recent sci-fi and superhero films which show a lot of anime influence as well.

Just some random thoughts...

I sometimes wonder if large corporate giants truly believe they are above the law and have freedom to walk all over the little guy. What happened to the customer is always right? Nowadays it seems like a corporate screw up that costs the customer a sizeable amount of money is just too bad. They can't be concerned with such little things. The question is, do they truly belive they can get away with it? Or are they just so big and so busy that they don't have time to bother with it?

I don't know the answer, but whether it's huge phone companies, power companies, shipping companies, insurance companies, I am tired of these massive organizations thinking that the individual doesn't count.

Chaos and Shadowskin are BACK!

Since putting a small stock of Understanding Chaos on DVD back up on the webstore yesterday, half of them have already sold! I want to thank everyone for such a response. Those who haven't put in for one yet may want to get one quick!

Another bit of interest on the note of the last post. I got another issue of Shonen Jump today! The one I got yesterday was issue 2, now I just got issue one. This means I can see Yugi-OH! from the start!

I forgot to mention that I just read "Naruto" in the new issue of Shonen Jump that I just received. It was a very cool ninja story and I can't wait to see more. I am not entirely certain, but I think there is an anime series of this title out there somewhere. It may already be coming out here in the states. I will certainly be on the lookout for it.

Here is something interesting a friend just sent me. A very manga style comic from Roaring Studios, to be published by Image Comics. Check out the artwork and coloring in the layouts they link. Very nice stuff. The story sounds like it could be very exciting as well!

I got my first issue if Shonen Jump, the U.S. version in the mail today. Haven't read it yet, but I have been looking forward to it! That many more examples of manga to study right?

In other news, under boxes of my store-bought DVDs I found a hidden case of Understanding Chaos and Shadowskin discs! I will be putting those few discs up on the site by tomorrow at the latest.

I've been having some weird thoughts and ideas lately. These pertain mainly to the indie creator doing the one-artist show. When I work in this fashion, what is really the best way to get from zero to screen? We all know the very traditional route. It begins with a script. This may move on to storyboards and then animatics and so on. Is all of this really necessary, or even the best route on the indie or one-artist show? I wonder about that. This has lead to to want to do some experiments.

When I put together a show, I must always be conscious of who it is I am trying to convey information to. The final goal is, of course, to convey something to the grand audience. In getting it made, however, the person I need to convey information to is me. So what kind of information do I need to convey? On Chaos I started with a basic outline. From there I went directly to storyboards, which in my case include all dialogue and sound FX and timing written in. This was done in place of a script. Partly because I felt it best to develop a story visually and because I don't need all those steps to get the idea across to myself.

I wonder if this can be taken further. A method to get even closer to realizing the final product, eliminating steps where information can be lost. I wonder if it can be done in a way that is even easier to change, update and adapt. Recently, I once again watched the Richard Linklater film "Waking Life". In going through the special features again I had some new ideas. They shot their entire movie on DV, in actual locations and edited the thing together before any animation was done. They were able to see a final product before even the first drawing came out. Other studios, doing 2D animation get a similar feel for their completed film by cutting together a "story reel", images from the storyboards cut together with scratch voices or even the final actors' performance. They can even include a full soundtrack. The animators can see the film in a simple form before committing to the loads of work to be done to make it final. What if I could combine elements of all these previsualization techniques?

Let's say that I can establish shots with simple box animation done in Lightwave, basically blocking the camera, getting the timing down and attempting to really see the shot. As for character stuff, suppose I shoot live video of myself acting something out. I should know what I want to see from a character right? The advantage of this is that I can shoot something and immediately watch it to know if it's what I am after or not. If I am wrong, try again. Now imagine I take a mass collection of box animatics, still frame drawings and DV clips and actually edit it together. I can start to realize pace, flow and timing of a broader piece. Basically creating something of a videomatic if you will. I can even cut it to music, be it temp music or write original music for it. I can see in a much more visual sense what I want to make. Now Imagine that I am developing the script this way, not developing this from a script. Are you starting to see the possibilities?

I think the latest greatest technology has opened doors hitherto not considered in the world of visual storytelling. I think that this little idea must be tested. I, for one, am interested to see the result!

This looks like an interesting site for a live action, indie, sci-fi movie. They have a trailer up on the site and a bit of information about the project. The site appears to be under development. I've been looking around at the state of live action indie films lately to see what people are doing with the latest technology. My greatest interest being in what people are doing with the new low cost 24p technology out there. I haven't seen much yet.

I, myself, have been thinking of ways to plan for the 24p future that I know will fall upon us as indie creators. Should we really continue to embrace the limiting NTSC video format? Even DVD after all, as far as I know, can support true 24fps hi res files. They are converted to NTSC (29.97 fps) on the fly by the player during decoding. As a result I started thinking about ways to work in some form of forward thinking methodology. After all, if I were to start a project now, I can bet that some means of consumer based 24p technology will be on my desktop by the time that project is done. This gave me the idea of using DivX! Why not? It really is one of the best compression schemes out there. What if a creator were to use the DivX codec to put together a movie at, say, 1280x720x24fps. The movie could be compressed somewhere in the 45Mbps range, which should be more than sufficient image quality. When the technology arrives, which it should by the time a film were completed, that avi file could be converted to whatever medium was necessary to get it out to the Hi-Def device, be it through firewire or whatever. Of course a true 24fps MPEG2 file for DVD can be made at any time. I am just dealing in ideas here. But the future of movie making on the desktop is just around the corner. I know it!

I also came across this LXG trailer today, which looks like a pretty huge movie that I have not even heard about!

When I look at DVD extra features I am left with a sense that there are a lot of people who truly devote their lives to their craft. When you think about it, someone going into a feature film project knowingly walks into it prepared to commit up to three years of their life totally to this film. They don't get to go home and spend time with the family, or walk the dog on Sunday. It's 16, or more, hours a day, seven days a week for two years, sometimes more. That is a real commitment.

This makes me ask myself, "How much more could I be doing?"

"Am I making the best use of my time?"

It is truly a sad day when the IMDB no longer lists Paul Anderson, one of my favorite directors and maker of the original Mortal Kombat movie as the director for Mortal Kombat 3: Domination. It now lists John Leonetti, the director of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Truly a sad day.

So lately I am trying to think different. No, this doesn't mean I am considering buying a Mac or anything. I'm talking about story. How often do we see the same things over and over? Especially in anime, how often does someone truly go far outside the lines? This brings a film like Perfect Blue to mind. Definitely different in the anime world of Mechs, martial arts and girls with guns.

I am thinking I would like to try something truly different. I don't necessarily know what that is, but I am pondering... Imagine a character unlike any seen in anime. What about a setting? Someplace, or type of place, not overused in the vast realm of animated storytelling. You see, an indie can think of these things. This may not always be possible for the guys producing anime for major studios. They have executives to please, toys to market and sell and a host of other factors which may lead to a certain sameness to all that is popular in the medium. There's no reason for the indie to follow these guidelines. For the first time, as an indie, an animator can truly do whatever they want!

Here's an interesting project I recently found out about. They even have a full CG animation trailer on the Apple website.

When devising a story, some authors recommend making multiple passes at it. Lew Hunter, author of Screenwriting 434, for example, talks about doing multiple passes over multiple days. On day one he would write the first third of his outline. The next day he would review and revise, and then move on to the second third. Finally he would review and revise that, and complete the outline on the third day. I think this is a very good technique for building a story. I do things slightly different however.

I tend to have a need to see a whole picture, even if it is not complete or parts are a bit blurry. On the first day I will, as much as possible, complete a first pass on my outline, thus the whole picture. After letting it sit for while, I come back to it on the second day. Having this incomplete picture to look at, the gaps just start to fill themselves. Necessary scenes which may have been left out become instantly obvious, as do ways to enhance what already exists there. The most happens on this second pass. Finally on the third day, the outline is polished. Details may be filled in and the entire story solidified. At this point I should have a complete vision, as I go straight to storyboard from here!

Here is an interesting link I got from Jeffrey Lew of Killer Bean fame. The link points to a Sonic Foundry plugin pack for Acid Pro and Vegas Video for 5.1 surround encoding.

The last time looked into Dolby 5.1 surround encoding, thinking my future DVD projects should definitely boast 5.1 sound, I couldn't find anything very helpful on the PC side of things. The Mac market was at no loss for tools. On the PC I found many tools that mixed 5.1 but did not encode the needed ac3 files. I also found stand alone encoders, but they were grossly expensive, due to the Dolby license. The one program that seemed to do the trick was Soft Encode by Sonic Foundry, which they had already discontinued. Now I see why.

With these new tools Sonic Foundry no longer needs to offer Soft Encode. Granted this may make users buy Vegas Video or Acid Pro, but the cost of either, along with the plugin pack is less than many of the surround mixers out there, to say nothing of the overpriced encoders. Currently I use Adobe Premiere for my video needs, but now I may give Vegas Video another look.

It's been quite an adjustment getting used to drawing with the tablet in my new setup. A quick adjustment to be sure, but now I draw with it flat on the desk rather than in my lap. So I've been doing just a bit of drawing practice at night to get a feel for the new method. Overall I like this new setup better. It just feels like I have more room.

OK I AM FINALLY BACK!

The ordeal is officially over. Luckily it wasn't so bad as I expected, and I end up with a new more streamlined setup to boot. So basically, as you've known, my old Sony Vaio has been on its way out for some time. In the end, it got to the point where ICQ, FTP and other tools wouldn't even open. A format was the only solution left. This is usually not a desirable thing, especially since it was my internet computer and even this page was being created on it.

During the process of copying everything off that system, my biggest concern was my mail. I am on a number of lists, have many accounts and a complex folder setup. Never in my life have I been able to properly migrate anything from Outlook Express to another computer. With a bit a help from Jeremy (whom some may have known as a poster on Q's BLOG) I was shown the simple steps it takes to migrate everything over and lose nothing. So I did a test.

I copied the necessary info to the beast, my dual Athlon box. I started up Outlook Express and it was like nothing had changed. Then I had this novel idea. Why do I really need 2 computers in my setup? It made sense in the past, but now it served no purpose but to cave in my desktop and leave no room for my tablet except in my lap. Thus a one system setup was born.

Everything was setup on the beast, the system on which I am now typing its first BLOG post. The Vaio was formatted, Windows 2000 installed, service packed and updated. Throw in Quicktime, DivX and Windows Media Player 9 series and its a simple and ready box, but not for me. It was then taken down and now I have a new desk layout with more space and a permanent place for my tablet. Maybe I'll post a picture of the new setup.

Anyway, I'm back!

Suddenly, as if this computer knew that its demise was just around the corner, ICQ and FTP are now working... I will not be fooled though. Just because it's working at this moment means absolutely nothing. This computer goes down today!

It will be formatted... TO OBLIVION!.

And it gets worse... My FTP program no longer runs. This means I can't put any new images on this site or do any other major updates. This weekend, this system goes DOWN!

I believe it is time for a reformat. It has finally come to this. My Vaio is falling apart on the software level. Programs crash for no reason. ICQ or other messenger programs simply won't run. I have a directory full of temporary internet files and cookies, yet no site remembers me when I return. It has finally come to this. Time to format the system back to nothing. A fresh install of Win2K and start all over. Some serious backing up must be done.

In other news, I watched Spirited Away for the second time last night. I am truly amazed by this film. I also noticed that the movie has a lot more CG than I remember. Miyazaki, however, uses it differently from what is seen in most films, and thus it is a lot more transparent. I feel many 2D films use 3D just because they can. This film uses to do things that otherwise wouldn't be in the film at all.

The first episode of Animatrix is out today! Check it out here!

Ahhh... The beauty of rendering. It's been a long time since I had anything of noteworthy render time to deal with. I am currently, however, rendering a scene that is really getting up there is frame time. It makes me long for the days of old. Yeah... right.

I remember using Sculpt 3D on my old Amiga 2000, where I would put a ball over a reflective checkered floor and the render would take a week! When thinking in those terms I guess I shouldn't complain about a 15 minute frame, with radiosity and a myriad of realistic texture effects. Still I almost feel I don't know what to do. I have to let the computer just... sit there...

We're about at the halfway point in the production of Justice-4-ALL, so I thought I would put up another link to the original teaser from a while back. You can see that teaser trailer here.

Of course, there's more incredibly cool stuff to come!

THIS SITE is slow. It may be hard to get to, but if you do nothing else today, go to this site and download the teaser trailer for Wonderful Days! You'll be glad you did.