BUILDING BLOCKS

I've been doing some testing. Testing cloth, double sided surfaces, double faced polygons, ray traced shadows, a list of stuff people probably would be bored to death reading about. But I've been doing some testing and making things better. Each test, I feel, brings me closer to that much sought after reward.

Now I am going to build a set. I am going to build it freeform. Why? Because I am testing and learning, but also creating the building blocks for the next generation of production. I am using and learning new tools and finding new ways to maximize old ones. I am changing the way I think and work.

WHICH CHARACTER ARE YOU?

There is an interesting little test to be found on this site here. Basically answer a short series of questions and find out which sci-fi or fantasy character you are. Don't ask me how but I got Aragorn.

SONY JUST KEEPS IT GOING

Sony has done it again. It seems like mere months after they wowed the consumer world with the HDR-HC1 high definition handycam camcorder, they are already giving us a new entry into this market, and this time with some advantages.

Sony confirmed the April release of its HDR-HC3E high-definition camcorder, a compact device that the company hopes will bring HD videography into the mainstream. In addition to recording in the high-quality but low-bandwidth and low-cost HDV format, the camcorder also can connect via HDMI directly to an HDTV for viewing or to a recording device for uncompressed high definition video recording.

That's what it says in an article on Gizmodo. Take special note of the uncompressed recording part. For those who seem to fear HDV recording, believing the quality will never hold up for serious film making, regardless of the fact that many have made and sold films shot on the much more inferior DV format, this option should appease them. Imagine, in a studio environment doing green screen work this just might be the ticket.

I've been saving up for some time with plans to get the HDR-HC1. I was even going to shoot my next set of anime training videos with it. Now it looks like this might be the thing to wait for. It even has a lower list price. On the other hand, what will this do to the HC1 price?

In other news, while far from a breaking story, Sony and other studios are cutting down on UMD sales for the PSP. They are quick to blame, as you might expect, piracy as the cause for the not so stellar performance of the format.

Sony will attempt to revitalize PSP movie sales by releasing bundled DVD/UMD titles. Unfortunately these dual-format released will be $28.95, still more expensive than just buying the DVD and ripping it to a memory stick. Also, Sony will be introducing the Connection digital media store for content downloading onto the PSP. This service will allow for movie downloads among other things and should be available next month.

That's what it says on on Gizmodo once again and it is on this that I want to comment. I am not going to get into format discussions and Sony bashing because of their proprietary format decisions. What I see as the real problem is a lack of understanding of what portable means to consumers. How portable does the device become if you have to carry a bag full of extras with you on a trip?

I actually have a couple of movies on UMD. I bought them solely for the purpose of studying how images were processed for the machine so that I can do my own show. The mistake here is that from the beginning, the thought should have been downloadable content stored directly to the machine, and that content should be easily accessible from anywhere. Think about why the iPod is so popular. The PSP still has the potential to be the end all be all portable entertainment device. The key lies in making it easier for the consumer, not harder, to do fun things with it!

Massive Multi-Player Massacre

The Korean massive multi-player online game Lineage is not without some violent history. It first made the news when it launched about five years ago to stories of violence in the game spilling into the real world, real life gangs making money from the game, and the makers having to bar their windows. Now it seems a new chapter in Lineage negative press is about to emerge.

According to recent reports, South Korean Lineage players have been ganging up on Chinese players in an attempt to wipe them from Korean servers. The recent killings are a response to rumors that Chinese gamers have not been following the unspoken rule: don't take money or items dropped by a monster slain by another player.

That's what it says on this game related blog which goes on to explain that it is the very subject of making real world money from the game which has led to this. Apparently in levels where it is easy to earn money, Korean gangs are hunting down and wiping out any Chinese players they come across. But as if Lineage needed more bad news, it doesn't stop there.

Lineage continues to be plagued by identity theft, which may be linked to reports that suggest there are Chinese sweatshops where workers play ceaselessly to earn money using Korean identities. More than 220,000 South Koreans have reported their identities stolen. NCsoft, makers of the game, are aware of the virtual genocide and have begun blocking Chinese IP addresses on Korean servers.

What happened to, "It's just a game"?

Electric Sheep and Lost Androids

It really just doesn't get any better than this folks. Of all the robot stories I wrote about, this is the first which needs no help to be a movie. Ok, get this, an android based on the science fiction writer Phillip K. Dick has turned up missing. This might seem like a joke or a tabloid headline, but the robot made his debut at Wired Magazine's NextFest in Chicago.

The most lifelike robot on display was one depicting the late science fiction writer Philip K Dick created by Dallas start-up Hanson Robotics. Founder David Hanson formerly worked at Disney.

Seated naturally on a sofa, the figure's face contorted into human expressions - frowning, blinking, smiling - and replied to visitors' comments using a software program that chose from among 10,000 pages of Dick's writings. Cameras behind its eyes could "recognize" acquaintances.

Can you believe this? The advancement in robots is really getting somewhere. When I was a kid, I always wanted to get into advanced robotics. Thinking that robotics would never get as far as I wanted to as I grew up, I figured I would make science fiction movies to the robots I wanted. I never thought, from the progress I saw in my university days, that it would get this far. Now we have robots with swords, robots that dance and robots that mimic life like in this ABC News article.

"We can't find Phil," said Steve Prilliman of Dallas-based Hanson Robotics, which created the futuristic robot with the FedEx Institute of Technology at the University of Memphis, the Automation and Robotics Research Institute at the University of Texas at Arlington and Dick's friend Paul Williams.

Getting back to the missing robot story, it's amazing to think we live in a world where an article like this can even exist. I mean, think about it!

The irony of the situation - a missing replica of the very author who championed "replicant" freedom - is not lost on Phil's creators.
But they still want him back.

They should just option the rights for the movie of the week right now! Of course I mean option them to me!

NO ESCAPE

SPAM! It cannot be escaped. It seems some spammer somewhere has even found a way around the contact form on my site, and my box was filling up at about five to ten mails per minute. The contact form has currently been removed.

To comment on blog posts here, use the standard blogger comments form. Comments will form now on be part of the blog thread, like most other blogs do. As for getting in contact with me, the email address is still contact, same as it was for the form, at the domain you are currently visiting.

Until I figure something else out, I guess that's it. There are a lot of things which need to change here anyway, so I may not be posting for a while... unless something explodes. ;)

PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE IT

I remember when I first got wind of this amazing camera, the Panasonic HVX-200, I raved to people about the future of indie work, being able to match the majors for a price of about $6000. Of course the snobbish pros who are used to their equipment costing hundreds of thousands of dollars got down on me immediately. "You will never be able to do anything matching a real movie.", I heard over and over.

The two projects I put the HVX to the test was a doc, about Joe Goossen the boxing trainer shot with 2 HVX's, and the second completely removed project was shooting comp pickups for the foreign theatrical release of Munich, Steven Spielberg's latest film.

That's what Jarred Land from DVXUser had to say. Seems like he is using it on a pretty real movie.

Most of you are probably asking why the hell did they use the HVX instead of 35mm for the elements? Well a few reasons.., one of the big reasons was DVCproHD's color space, effects houses live on green screen and the color space really helps. A deadline for the project also eliminated the whole film processing/printing/scanning option.

That's what he went on the say, and isn't that interesting. Advantages to using a cheaper HD camera rather than film and spending thousands processing and scanning said film, something we still do where I work. And don't let these people tell you anything about the resolution of film and how digital will never compare. This HVX camera is a true 1080P camera, same res as used on Star Wars, but guess what? They didn't shoot it in 1080p mode.

I donÂ?t care what the numbers are, it just looks good.I have fallen in love with 720 24pn mode. For a downrez from 1080 (not center pixel native) it sure looks damn good. Looking at the final comp from munich, the HVX footage matched up the the film stock incredibly well. The resolution is there. People look at the monitor (and these are very experienced people) and have noting but fantastic things to say... it just looks good.. and to me that is what matters the most. Period.

And that's what matters to me too. You can be certain that, should I make a movie, it will be shot on a camera I can afford. Maybe even one cheaper than this. The proof is there that if you know what you're doing, you will get the results. Let the film snobs blow their money out the window. We'll make a couple of films for the cost of their camera.

You can read the whole forum thread here.

Comments?

JUST WAITING TO HAPPEN

If this isn't a UFO Film just waiting to happen, I don't know what is.

An astonishing mist-shrouded "lost world" of previously unknown and rare animals and plants high in the mountain rainforests of New Guinea has been uncovered by an international team of scientists.

That's from an article in the independent, which just sounds like a great setup for something bad to happen. All you have to do a change a few of the species discovered there. For example, the birds: Just change the "red faced, wattled honeyeater" into the red faced, razor toothed, man eater, and you're well on your way to a UFO film. Maybe I should pitch this to my boss.

"This is a place with no roads or trails and never, so far as we know, visited by man ... This proves there are still places to be discovered that man has not touched."

Yeah, and there are places that should, perhaps, be left undiscovered.

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EVER CHANGING INDUSTRY

I must admit I have always been intrigued with the question of how well American audiences are getting into the Original English Language (OEL) manga put out by TOKYOPOP and others. Rumor has it that the books are not catching on as fast as they would like, and the results may not be very positive.

Conflicting reports indicate that TOKYOPOP has laid off 6 or 8 employees including Senior Editor Aaron Suhr. Publishers Weekly reports Vice President of Sales and Distribution Steve Kleckne also left the company due to a "differences about where the manga market is going."

That what AICN is reporting. Editorial director Jeremy Ross, who was also the editor on my World of Hartz book, says that is not the case. I personally have to wonder. I have often seen an attitude or bias against non Japanese works. When it comes to television animation, though, shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender seem to do extremely well. I wonder how many people actually know it is an entirely U.S. creation.

Additionally TOKYOPOP's initiative to publish work in Asian markets, such as new works from a Star Wars license, has made them a competitor to manga publishers. Consequently, these license holder have become more reluctant to work with TOKYOPOP when licensing manga for North America.

Who knows where that will end up. In other news, personal animation seems to be taking center stage in Japan. With the recent release of Yasuhiro Yoshiura's Pale Cocoon, which is already a best seller from what I can see, there are already announcements from others joining the fray. Romanov, known for the indie work Urda, is putting out an all CG series which you can check out here. There is a trailer on the last link.

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WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT

You know, it's amazing how much talk there is about independents and how we're going to take the world by storm, but how are we really going to do it? Who are we really fighting against? Why does no one know about this revolution? Or do they?

Indies need to think long and hard not just about what they are making, but who they are making it for and how they are going to see it. How will they find out? The sad fact is that too many have dreams of walking through those golden double doors into the big leagues. They don't really want a part in the indie revolution. They want to make that calling card that will have Spielberg phoning them. Well, there are some thing we have to think about when it comes to getting our content seen.

The chances of an independent getting a TV show on the air are slim and none. The existence of hundreds of cable and satellite channels is deceptive -- most of those channels are controlled by a very few major companies. Videogame producers have known the hard facts of life for years. The truth is that there are three things more important in real life than "Content is king,"” and they are, "“Distribution, distribution and distribution."”

That is what was spoken by a TV production company CEO on a panel at CES. The revolution is not happening where we think it is. Steve Jobs is proving that to everyone and a lot of people are running scared. There's an article on AWN that would lead one to believe that the revolution is on the move and people are moving with it. More people are connected to mobile devices than there are on the net. Like 40 times more people. I can assure you the big boys are already laying their plans and when the opportunity shall arise for them to control all content that goes to the people, they will take it. They can't physically close doors anymore. That much is certain. The new strategy will simply be to turn all eyes away from any door that does not lead to them.

I received my DVD of Pale Cocoon today and just finished watching it. Like the works of Makoto Shinkai or Yamato Works, with their Kakurenbo, this was mostly done by one guy. No major publisher to found here. They are putting it out themselves. Although it is being distributed by Avex Marketing Communications, these guys made their product their way. Avex doesn't seem to be going out of their way to promote it either since they have Initial D and Ichigo100% to deal with.

I guess my point is that maybe its time to stop thinking about getting "that big deal" and focus on how you can get your content to your intended audience. There are ways. There are many it seems. We just have to start exploiting them.

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168 Hours

Remember when I posted about my interest in the Duel Project films, Aragami and 2LDK? In this case, both filmmakers were given the task to create a feature with two performers, fighting in one location and shoot it in one week. Well, PJ Foley has sent me a press release on an interesting contest in that same vein.

Call for entries for the 4th annual 168 Hour Film Project (168), a competition where all films are created simultaneously during one week or 168 hours. Up to 60 teams will produce a 10-minute short film based on a Bible verse. The contest is judged by top Hollywood executives.

That's what it says on their press release which you can read here. Now you know I love this kind of challenge. I love this kind of thinking, but I started wondering why I haven't actually been thinking like this lately. I mean, imagine if the hard deadline were upon me. How much would I really get done in a week? Chaos had a deadline because I wanted to enter a film festival after all.

This kind of thing just really makes me wonder. How much of a 3D cel shaded show could really be done in a week? Not how much if you have stock models and a motion library already done? These things need to be tried!

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A Familiar Idea

It's amazing how ideas move. I was just thinking about how game engine technology can be used to help make films when I came across an article in VFX World on the very subject.

The benefit of being able to use a game engine is obvious — instead of the complex scripting usually necessary to move characters around a virtual set to act out a proposed scene, previs teams could use game controls such as joysticks to move characters around, simply and in realtime. According to Carey Villegas, a vfx supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks (Bewitched), “Using game engines and graphics hardware to create previs would allow for increased speed and performance, better interaction and higher visual quality and realism. Of course, ‘realtime’ previs is the ultimate goal."

That is what it says in the article and I totally agree about the power offered by such a technique. Imagine for a moment that the animatic for your movie looks like Doom 3, complete with dramatic lighting and special FX. Now in the cel shaded world this can be taken even one step further.

I always said that characters from a game like Dead or Alive would make for some of the best cel shaded characters. Wouldn't it be great to build your movie with totally real time tools? When your animatic was done, how close would you be to the final movie?

In other news, Western Union apparently sent their last telegram on Friday. Talk about technology changing. Formed in 1856 to utilize the then hot technology of the telegraph whereas today we have the internet by which messages can be sent anywhere in the world in mere seconds.

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Think About How To Use It

The web is still new in many ways, but the doors are open. Everyone is trying to get in and find their place. Everyone is trying to find out how to make it work for them. The big guys are still trying to find ways to turn it into TV or stuff the square peg of the web into the round hole of an old outmoded business model.

I don'’t think anybody believes the Web is the venue of choice to watch video. That'’s why people are paying $2,000 to get huge screen TVs. TV will always be the preferred medium, but it'’s a nice supplement --— it'’s a great second tier tool.

That is what Chip Duffey of Adult Swim is quoted as saying in an AWN article about repurposing animation for the internet. I mean think about it. When was the last time you sat down and watched anything serious on the web? There is a reason why Steve Jobs has found such great success in the products he has created and the means to deliver content to users, even be it popular content like ABC's Lost. Convenience and control. I know I would watch something on my PSP before I would sit tied to my desk and watch it.

The first thing everyone is interested in, though, is price structure. But is this the question people should be asking? Both record companies and broadcasters are realizing that perhaps the individual providers of content are making the money they may have expected from a service like iTunes. The first knee-jerk reaction, then, is a desire to raise the price to make it "profitable". Now how many people will continue to bother if the price of a show is even doubled? What about tripled? There is a line past which it no longer offers anything to the user.

I was sent an article from AICN about the difference between manga in Japan and comics in America. In Japan you may pay $3.00 and get a phone book sized magazine of hundreds of pages containing many manga stories. People read them and toss them. In America, for $3.00 you get a glossy, full color, work that weighs in at only 32 pages, many of them ads. It's a collector's item. As such, it tends to appeal to collectors and not a mass market like manga in Japan, where a "Shonen" magazine might sell over 2 million copies per week.

There's something to be studied there when considering how to get your products to a mass audience using the web or related tools. On the web itself may not be the answer, but mobile devices may be the next big step for indies. Like the manga magazines of Japan, there must be convenience. It has to be easy to find, easy to download, preferably directly from your site to the user's favorite device, and easy to pay for. This makes service like iTunes ideal is some ways, but if you can do it yourself, even better.

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