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As I continue work and, at the same time, ponder the concepts of mind animation I am really getting very different perceptions of what can really be done if an artist really applies oneself to the work. What markets are really open to us if we have the content to fill them? There is, of course, DVD, but to say that term is not enough. Who is it for? Where will it sell? How will they see it?
If we have a concept of who we are making something for and where they are, there are no limits to what we can choose to do. We don't have he chains which bind many studios in their content. For that matter, we don't have the chains which may even bind animation as a medium in this country. We don't even have to limit what we do to this country!
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I'M NOT ALONE
Apparently I'm not the only indie content creator out there who likes to have something of a backup. More than one reader has written me mentioning that they either plan to do, or do the very thing I am doing right now. What is it? It is having a second project to work on.
The second project serves two purposes actually. Aside from being a protection from burnout policy, sometimes stepping away from a work, even for a day or two can yield the solutions that staying up all night could not. I have in the past struggled with a scene all night only to come back another day, see the problem plain as daylight and fix it in thirty minutes.
The greater the variation between the two projects, the better I say. When I was doing manga, it was perfect because I was working in a totally different medium. The same was the case when I was working on live action video projects. I am told that Author Chris Abani writes a novel and a book of poetry at the same time as it allows him to move to one element when he needs to break from another one. I am basically doing a very serious and technically involved feature, and now also a light hearted and simple children's video project.
What's even more interesting is that combining techniques gained on J4A with mind animation, it's amazing just how much can get done in a short time on such a project. It's truly a revival of the fun of doing straight 2D animations in Dpaint on the old Amiga computer back in the days. Back then it was about spontaneous creativity. "Before I knew better" as one reader put it, I just got in there and made stuff. I have missed that. There's no reason for it to have been lost.
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According to Video Business Journal:
Average cost of a movie: $102.9 million
This must stop...
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The Touch
I almost feel like I've lost it! Working on the first shot of the picture and I find myself just doing so many things wrong. This is what long periods of inactivity will do to you. You forget the tools and the methods of working very quickly.
The good news is that I am back into the groove now! More than that, my stuff is looking better than it ever did. As animation goes, that's a story in and of itself. This is actually my second time animating this scene, though it was totally different before. I may have posted about this. The first time made me realize that more reworking of models was necessary. This time I like it. I will have to try and post a motion clip soon.
Still, a word to the wise. Doing this kind of work, especially animation itself, is like learning a language. If you don't use it...
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DELAY
While I was originally expecting to plow into production a couple of days ago, it seems that more things than I thought simply do not hold up to high definition scrutiny. I always thought it a great thing to have a library, be it of models or motions or whatever has been created over time which can be re-used. In this case, though, it seems none of my past work quite reaches the level that I am now shooting for and much of it needs rework.
Also, even the technique of mind animation is not without some real preparation. As I began plotting out the opening sequence, it became clear that in some cases, due to planned camera moves or other aspects of the work, sets will still need to be built. Luckily this will not always be the case and things will speed along at a decent pace from here... I think.
It's amazing what a long period of downtime will do to you. While I am quite happy with the look of the most recent tests, I am also noticing a great many deficiencies. This entire project will be both a great experiment and great exercise. Ok, tomorrow actual scenes begin for real!
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UPDATE
The great and dreaded updating is done. Now my basic male and female body models have been brought into the 21st century. It's amazing to think that the human body models I used on my previous projects were actually quite bad. I wonder if I actually thought they were good back when I built them. That's the nature of digital art I guess. There's always something to improve.
I am glad to have this out of the way. Just like when I originally began Understanding Chaos, I knew my human models needed major updating and I avoided it for as long as possible, but eventually I had to do it. Back then Lightwave 6.0 just came out and the new OpenGL modeling features made updating fun. Things are really not all that different this time, and the result is a lot more pleasing.
My skeletons have been updated as well. Overall it was a very necessary step as I move into this new project. I want it to reach for the top bar.
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Picking Up Steam!
I was finally able to see the Steamboy trailer. The one they had on their own site wouldn't play for me because they decided to use some stupid buffering system to try and keep it from you, but on the Japanese Apple site I was able to get it. It floored me. This is not, however, without qualifiers.
On the Japanese DVD release of Metropolis, there was a preview of this in the Otomo interview. It looked nothing like what we see now. It didn't even have his classic character designs. Worse still, when I was in Japan in 2002, this movie was "done" screened and failed before audiences. This after sinking 40 billion yen into it. Being nearly a full two years later at this point, I am hoping like I have never hoped before that they have spent that time really fixing it.
This is Otomo after all. He hasn't done anything of his own since Akira. He has been "involved" to one degree or another wit other good projects, but this is his. He can't have a bad end. I am hoping someone said, "You need to put your real signature on it. Use your classic character style!" The bad guy looks just like the Colonel from Akira after all! If it didn't, could we call it Otomo? The thing that strikes me greatest about this film, is that as much CG is in it, it is still very clearly a 2D movie, and that is beautiful.
With all the talk of new stuff like this Appleseed or Urda, I, for one, am very happy to see some real drawing on the screen. There is something to be said for the beauty of classic simplistic character design too. While I am putting all this effort into adding the Ghost in the Shell realism to my characters even now, and don't get me wrong, this is what fits the style for what I am doing, I am pleased to see the simple, yet powerful art of one who knows how to place every line for maximum effect. Perhaps one day I will turn around and do something in such a simple, classical style.
Right now, though, I am concentrating wholly on the task that lies before me. I have already finished updating my basic female form. Tomorrow I will do the same for the male. The story is written. After these updates, the first scene will hit the screen.
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Final Mind Animation
Mind Animation is the fewest number of steps between your head and the screen. If you visualize it, make it. No need to involve any steps or processes accepted in the industry as needful if they do not apply. When I compared it to digital music, I wrote that my keyboard is my 3D models. As such, the better the models, the better the foundation on which to build the music. To that end, it is time to do some updating to my character models.
I heard about the book Figure Drawing For All It's Worth by Andrew Loomis from a guy I worked with named Bruce Hall. He was one of the creators of Deadly Tide and the greatest art director I ever worked for. He, along with director Tony Stutterheim, taught me most of what I know about lighting. He had these worn old photocopies of the book and form those made some copies for me and another artist, as the book was out of print. Not long after that I found it in a rare books store and paid $200 to have it. Needless to say, he was jealous, in a friendly way of course. ;)
Today there is no fear, for as I posted a while ago on this very blog, the book is back in print, probably due to the demand from the growing CGI industry. Using it, I will now do some much needed overhauls on my human models for the new project.
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Understanding Mind Animation
I believe I have a handle on the techniques that will make my next generation projects. I believe I understand the methods which will allow me to do a major film project an any reasonable amount of time. Moving at the speed of thought. The ability to create unencumbered by the ways of the past or those of the major studio operations. The ability to work with as little as possible between your mind and the screen. See something in your head, and then make it. That is mind animation.
I want to thank everyone who sent comments and suggestions on my queries about indie animation. You have helped me greatly to decide what must be done next, and how it should be done. Now it remains to become prolific. To produce daily, even if only thirty minutes is available due to other gigs taking up time. Now it remains to officially begin the next project and bring it to reality.
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More Mind Animation
As I continue to think about "mind animation", and ponder the many comments sent me from readers, I am starting to see something. We as indie content creators stand at the threshold of a new era in digital media. With the cost of manufacturing DVD's continuing to fall, doors are being opened for us daily, and the market is throwing off its limits. We also, however, want to be taken seriously. I believe that means building something.
Like a building is started from a foundation and has a solid cornerstone, so must our content. The haphazard creation or throwing together of random ideas will never solidify a place for us in the ever growing market. We must also be very aware of our market and its limitations. Knowing this, we can start a snowball rolling down a hill...
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Wonderful Facts
Thanks to Q and DVDShrink which allowed me to pull the second disc of Wonderful Days extras off of the region 3 disc, that, due to the menus not functioning properly, didn't even play in my Japanese PS2, which plays all region, and put it on a region 0 disc of my own burning, I have finally watched all the making of features on that film.
I am happy to say, ALL the CG is modeled, animated and rendered in Lightwave 3D, on the Mac even! And not in dozens of layers either, but in camera. (for those elements anyway) However, there is more miniature work in there than you might think. Almost all backgrounds are miniature sets, even motion controlled for very CG-like camera work. And why not?
One thing I thought of special note was in the section on backgrounds. The guy talked about going out with a digital camera and shooting elements, cool rusted metals, stones etc., that were employed in the creating of the 2D backgrounds. This type of technique can be key to the indie animator doing a single artist movie. We must use whatever means gets the results we need in a reasonable amount of time!
I am seeing a new vision. One of the pictures below show give away that vision...
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Somebody's Going To Do It!
From Animation Magazine:
Mike Reeping, a waiter by day and a toon toiler by night. His animated series, Justin T. Nick of Time, might not be as polished as a network primetime series with millions of dollars behind it, but it shows what one talented person can do with a personal computer and some common software. It?’s funny, smart, fast-paced and just plain fun to watch.
Now here is a guy who is truly "just doing it". How much can anyone with the equipment complain when this guy works all day as a waiter and comes home to animate his series out of love for what he is making.
"This whole process initially took me about two years to figure out," he notes, "I have this down pretty good now so I can complete a 20-minute episode in about two months from start to finish."
Justin started as a series of comic books that Reeping tried to self-publish and sell as a weekly newspaper strip. The transition to animation has been a constant learning experience for the self-taught toon maker. "I don't even know if I have the right to call myself an animator. I'm just a guy who likes to make cartoons. With each episode, I try to push the envelope on what I can do with what I have," Reepin states.
Right now it's a lot of work for very little glory. There's no money in web toons and Justin isn't being seen by millions of people. But the fan base is expanding beyond the college crowd, according to Reeping. "For some reason (I have no idea why) my website is really big in Belgium."
What more needs to be said? He's getting something he loves done. He is just doing it. As I continue to think about mind animation, moving at the speed of thought, as Rodriguez says, I have to consider what is holding me up?
If an indie guy did an anime at the quality of Pokemon or Dragonball would he be laughed at? Now I am not saying they are bad cartoons. With hundreds upon hundreds of episodes done, one every week without reruns in Japan, the are great accomplishments no doubt, but even other weekly anime series like X or Cowboy Bebop eclipse them in visual quality. So is that quality acceptable because they are major properties or released by major studios. Is it acceptable because they are weekly series? I am considering this in all seriousness as I believe that we as the indie artists are judged harder than the rest.
So where is that line drawn?
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Mind Animation II
As I continue to think about animating at the speed of thought, the idea of being able to truly just get in there and do it, free of limitations, I constantly find myself saying, "There's got to be a better way!". I am experimenting; with ideas new and old and techniques new and old.
What will take down all the barriers and make the process as close as possible to doing digital music, where you can just start playing something on a keyboard and record it, play it back, and if you like it, record the next track and the next. Eventually you have a complete composition. This is how digital animation should be. The technology is right here! It just has to be exploited to its fullest.
The only way to truly find out may be to do a complete test.
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Mind Animation
Robert Rodriguez made a great point in his Once Upon a Time in Mexico DVD extras where he talks about moving at the speed of thought. As he shows how he can make his own music using Gigastudio and the Vienna libraries, he exhibits a freedom unprecedented in music history. When I hooked up my music gear and wrote the other day I experienced a bit of that freedom.
Using the keyboard, you have the ability to dive right into creating something, playing directly onto a track; Not necessarily laying down perfection, but laying down something which you will continue to refine and work with until you are happy with it. Even after I layed out all my tracks, I continued to tweak, adjusting volume levels and moving notes around a bit to get what I wanted. So how can I bring this moving at the speed of thought to anime?
In doing anime, my keyboard is using Lightwave 3D models. My tracks are the multiple layers in Mirage for compositing. I could conceivably have room to experiment, calling nothing final until I deem every layer to be what I want. If have models, and even they don't have to be final if you think about it, I can start animating something right now, this instant. I am talking about right from my head, where this is the storyboard or animatic. I can then refine, even replacing entire layers with something better until a scene is complete.
I think this will make the process truly fun again. I think this will enable me to dive right into something and just be creative. Having something to tweak and fix is much better than sitting around thinking continually.
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As much as I had mentioned making the switch to all digital music, I hadn't actually tested it until yesterday! I would have tested it the day before but I soon realized tha I pretty much forgot how to do most of that end of the business. I forgot how to setup Cakewalk to recognize my Keyboard. I forgot how to access the digital music library. Do you see why you need to keep up with things?
Keeping up with things is the real issue here. I am talking about software. I am quite a bit behind on Adobe Premiere, still using version 6.0. I need to get into Premiere Pro. Lightwave 8.0 is also coming up and I need to upgrade. Then there is one of the most awesome tools I have seen in a long time, Worley's FPrime. This is a must have in my opinion. Then there are the little things, those plugins, extra sounds, and nice little software tools that just make life easier. I have a lot to prepare for, not to mention my plan to move to doing all high def work.
This means getting a high def capture and recording device as well, like the JVC HD10U. I will wait on that one because NAB is in a month or so and I fully expect Sony and Panasonic to have counters to the JVC. Either way, that's also on the list for this year.
Do I have a lot to do or what?
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The World Changes
An article I just recently linked to said that if you were to tell an industry professional that you used Cinema 4D, you would get laughed at. Well, that's all changed dramatically according to Animation Magazine:
Sony Pictures Imageworks, the digital effects and animation studio behind Spider-Man, the Stuart Little movies and the Oscar-winning short The ChubbChubbs, will integrate Maxon’s Cinema 4D into its matte painting production pipeline.
Now you know a tool has to be good for a major studio to change their tried and tested production pipeline to integrate it. I can think of at least one guy I know who will be very happy to hear Cinema 4D getting its industry props. In fact, as he continued to show me just how much Cinema 4D had advanced and continues to advance, I said that the only thing keeping them from major industry use was a lack of "high profile" demo reel material. With Sony working on films like Cursed, The Forgotten, The Aviator, Spider-Man 2, and the computer-animated adaptation of kid lit title The Polar Express, that's all about to change too.
In other news:
The premiere of Tripping the Rift nabbed the highest ratings with the coveted 18-34 demo of any series episode ever aired on SCI FI. The racy comedy bowed at 10:30 p.m. with 2.08 million viewers along for the intergalactic voyage of the starship Free Enterprise and its misfit crew of aliens and robots.
For those who may not know, this, similar to South Park, started with a short film on the internet done years ago. This was one of those things so funny that everyone loves it and it gets passed around the studio so to speak. There were rumors of the creators getting a "deal" for a very long time. Guess it just goes to show how long it can take things to happen in this biz. I didn't see the show, but already hear great things about it. Amazing what one little short on the net can lead to, huh?
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PROLIFIC
Someone I know is doing a 24 hour comic right now. If I had known in advance, I would have loved to get in on this. I first heard about the 24 hour comic from an aspiring comic artist at a video store where I worked many years ago. I was intrigued by the idea even then, but never did one. Now I know that I will very soon have to try it.
From Scott McCloud's webpage, I found a link to a guy who did a 24 hour animation. Now that kind of thing could very good as an experiment, but on the whole, the idea of "getting more done" always gets me thinking. The idea of doing a 24 second animation in 24 hours in intriguing, but, thinking back on Chaos, what about a 24 minute anime in 24 days? That would be an experiment.
The point is, all this gets me thinking, in general, about just getting it done and having some real freedom to explore ideas. I have probably written before that I want to be truly prolific this year. In order to do so, sometimes you just have to get in there and do it! What would I be waiting for. Don't get me wrong, planning is always good, but it certainly can be overdone, especially if you find yourself constantly planning and constantly considering all the great things you can do, but never really animating.
I think the spirit of Chaos has been lost recently in my work. It's time to take it back. How do I do that? By just getting in there and doing a new show.
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NOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOO!
The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Columbia Pictures is in talks with filmmaker John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood, Shaft) regarding a feature film based on the Luke Cage comic books.
WHYYYYYYYY!! This was the worst black character ever created!! Talking about "...Jive turkey" this and that, with an ultimately bad temper. What kind of hero is this?! WHHYYYY!!!!
Cage, Marvel's first African American character, will join the small but growing list of urban screen superheroes which includes Todd McFarlaneÂ’s Spawn and Warner Bros. Animation's Static Shock.
These were not pathetically stereotypical black exploitation characters?! Granted, Spawn gets his powers from Hell so a brother still can't win, but he is actually a cool character. And let's not forget Blade which made for two great movies. But Luke Cage?!
Neal Moritz and his Original Films, along with Marvel Studios' Avi Arad, are producing the film about a former gang member who is framed for a crime and goes to prison where a medical experiment gives him superhuman powers.
Does more need to be said about this movie? Shut that green light off now!!!
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More Disney Madness
The board of Walt Disney Co. has stripped CEO Michael Eisner of his role as chairman after about 43 percent of shareholders voted to oppose his re-election to the company's board.
All I can say is HOORAY! Now all that remains is for them to strip him out of the company completely! After his neglegence in handling the Pixar situation, I am not in the least surprised that the board went this route. I am sure Roy Disney helped a lot in pushing things this direction too. At least to the magnitude that it has happened here.
"This is without a doubt the most withholding of support for a CEO of a major company that I have ever seen. It's really an expression of dissatisfaction," said Kevin Calabrese, an analyst with Argus Research.
"It is an unprecedented no-confidence vote in the annals of American business," Gold said.
Read the whole article at CNN.COM
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OVERSIGHT
There has been an oversight, or was it treachery? Whichever it is, it is costing me money. I am loathe to speculate too far at the moment, but I will say this: Be wise when dealing with large companies. I will attempt to get more in depth information tomorrow, then I will explain.
In other news, it was suggested to me that I should put a link to the contact page on the main title bar, so that is what I will do. After this I will call this page done until there is reason to put up new project information. That will hopefully be pretty soon.
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ABOUT TIME
Ok. Now the page is truly done. I just finished the about page. (get it? "about time"?) For a time I feared publishing my mail address on my site due to the increase in SPAM. They have bots that go through a site and pull mailto references and then add them to their database. That is no longer a problem!
Thanks to easy to find Perl scripts, which can be located in many places on the web, I have now created a contact page whereby readers can easily send feedback. This should also make it easier for users to quickly comment on blog items.
Care to try contacting me?
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LINKS
My links have finally been updated. That old page was just annoying in the end. I think this way has much more style to it. I am pretty sure there are no broken links, but you never know, right?
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IT IS DONE
I couldn't wait. I had to just get it over with. The more I looked at my old page I saw that it wasn't necessarily needful of being thrown away. I just needed updating. So now I have done this. I have kept what I liked about the new design, but for the most part, reverted all else to the old version.
In the end, the new design simply didn't have enough art to it. There were no images. This current version not only brings that back, but will be much easier to update and maintain. After months of the previous page going untouched, I think it became clear that I made it entirely too complex. Now it is back to simplicity, style and lots of art.
If I do it again, it will be time for a major flash page. I suspect that won't happen this year, if even next.
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You know what I realize? The previous webpage that I had really wasn't all that bad. Looking at it now, I like it better than this new one. Being so full of art was a good thing. I will keep that in mind as I redesign.
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What do you think? Time to totally redo this site? I am pretty much tired of it. It didn't last long at all did it? September 28th, 2003 is when it came up.
Actually, I guess I don't plan to make a major change to it. I just want to simplify things, and most of all, complete it!
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