New Demo Reel Rough Cut

Well, I have not been on the blog lately. Reason being I have been back in Animation Pre-Production to get together another asset for my demoreel. None of my assets are finished but this is a new version and a preview of what the reel will be once the shots are animated and rendered. Hope you enjoy Demoreel Rough Cut

"Always Keep your Head in the Clouds"rtq

Werewolf Scene Submitted

Well earlier I mentioned that I was working on a Werewolf animation. The Werewolf rig was provided by my rigging friend Derek McAtavey. He asked me to do a scene to show off the capabilities of the rig. I had a short amount of time and many other things to juggle at the same time. So, this is what I submitted to him. It is not the greatest piece I have done, but I have also not done that many scenes. I am still learning, and fundamentally I think everything is there it just is not finished and polished like I had planned. Sometimes the deadline is more important than the work. Well take a look and tell me what you think.
Werewolf animation

"Always Keep your Head in the Clouds"rtq

Asset 1 Finished

Well, as far as finished I can not testify to the validity. But, I must be honest that it is the best piece of animation that I have ever done. I do not say that pride. It is just, this is the best scene that I feel I can do right now. Hopefully this month I will ascend that. I will most likely revisit this asset after a few exit critiques and if time permits. Right now I have to finish this Werewolf animation and the Team Barracuda project (which is the 8 bit type game project), as well as all the 2D projects that need to be more than well underway by next week, and sooner or later I will have to finish some other stuff that I have not even mentioned. Exhausted just thinking about it all. Well got to get to work. Here is the link to the final video of Asset 1

"Always Keep your Head in the Clouds"rtq

Asset 1 Final Passes -1st Pass

Just a quick update on asset one, nothing major or long winded. No real problems or anything as of now. Just working on final passes and trying to plus the animation as much as I can. Now I am going to be adding some blinks and eye darts. Than it is on to moving holds and texturing the animation using some animation layers.
As far as curves go. I will be most likely taking the curves into linear from spline and than tweaking them to respect the keys and poses that I had already set.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8BenBIt0Ik

"Always Keep your Head in the Clouds"rtq

Asset 1 Update Last Passes

Alright, so this here is asset one ready for final passes. At this point I think that the animation is about done (as far as poses go). At this point the major things to do is make sure that the slower walks for the little spiderbot are reading properly. From there I will be adding the plusing type material to the spiderbot like eye darts, blinks, and cannon overlap.
After those major things are hit, pushed, and polished. It will be going into animation layers and seeing if there is any texture that can be added. I will do this on animation layers so that I can turn down the mix on any little extra polish type material that might be over the top or distracting.
And than the part of animation I hate the most, curve cleaning. But, thanks to Eric Luhta and his book I am confident that I will have that under control. The animation is due next Friday 8/27/10 (my 21st birthday actually). So I have until than to get this thing polished and shipped so to speak. I think I can make it.

Here is the link to the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LZjWEfDJeM

"Always Keep your Head in the Clouds"rtq

Asset 1 Update Working for Final

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgG30G6UAqo check out the new playblast on my Channel

I am now working for final with this last redo of asset one. I did a lot of scrapping and trashing of animation, as well as many start overs. But, this is the one that is working and therefore the one to be finished. I was very nervous about going into my scheduled critique today with Sean Springer and Barry Temple. Considering how many times I have started over and how many problems I was having with my original story. But, to my surprise they told me that they loved it and that it was great. Barry told me that I had reached another level because rather than focusing on the action and a bunch "video game animation" (which would be the cannon launch and kicking) that I was more concerned with their emotions and their character. Sean went on to say soon after that he was glad to see me more focused and putting in more of the time to thinking about the acting and the interaction between the characters. As well as who they were and how they interact with one another ( my heart about stopped when he mentioned "...you can tell that in the future your going to be really great at that [referring to the acting through characters]). Hearing all of this from the two of them was nothing short of amazing.

I was prepared to be eaten alive and reassured that all the impossible heights I had set to achieve were just that; impossible. But, they had a lot of positive things to say. Some plusing notes to push some acting when I break it down later. But, that was it. I don't want the tone taken from this to be that of teasing. But, the celebration of someone on death-row who was just given another chance.

Who knows? I might just make it. I might just be able to pull it all off. I might actually be an animator. Now wouldn't that be something? If I actually was an animator? Am I an animator?















"Always Keep your Head in the Clouds"rtq

A Brief Mention of other Work

I am waiting in school for a scheduled critique on my Asset One animation and I realized that I have not yet posted any of my other work, such as sketches or photographs. So, if it is not going to create a stir if I go on a momentary hiatus and post some not aforementioned work. I would like to share some rough work.

A quick note about my photography. I tend to consider my techniques in photography the same as those in drawings. More focused on gesture and color, and than considering composition.















Here are few Sketches and drawings of mine. I just wanted to include some stuff on my blog that is not considered pre-production.








"Always Keep your Head in the Clouds"rtq