Mike Winn - Animator

Nothing much to say here except that not long ago I was doing some quick color tests on a few shots. Just beginner ones. I never did plan to take my film all the way to color and even right now I'd rather move forward then backwards. Normally this sorta thing would be the purview of a completely different department but us 'indy' folk and school animators have to be one man studios, so to speak!

Now the color flat tests are self explanatory but I also wanted to try my hand at doing tone. Unfortunately at the time I didn't really know the 'process' for doing tones properly so I sort of winged it! I'm sure to the eye of the FX artist the tone tests aren't all there but it was my first time, at the time and I'm okay with how it looks for a first attempt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n07wIKWqxaQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IfGvzrC2zQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmikewinnart%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F&feature=player_embedded

Ocula - plug-ins for Stereoscopic post production

Watch Simon Robinson, Chief Scientist at The Foundry, demonstrating Ocula to FX Guide's Jeff Heusser.

Ocula is an Award Winning plug-in set that helps to solve common problems encountered during post production on stereoscopic footage. Tools include: Interocular Shifter, Vertical Aligner, New View, Paint, Rotoscoping & MatchGrade. (www.fxguide.com)

HARRISON ELLENSHAW: MATTE PAINTING & VISUAL EFFECTS

Catch this industry looking glass! It's a rare interview made years ago and looking (back) at this old ( video) footage, we hear from one of the first uses of computer generated (CG) effects in film. Looking ahead ( forward ) as to how far it might be utilized in film, in many ways the interview was prophetic.

SEBASTIAN'S VOODOO

Director : Joaquin Baldwin
Running time : 4min 6sec
Country : United States
Synopsis
A voodoo doll must find the courage to save his friends from being pinned to death.

Joaquin Baldwin is an Annie Award nominee director and animator from Paraguay. Living in Los Angeles, he is now finishing his MFA in animation at UCLA. He has received over 50 international awards for his animated films Sebastian's Voodoo and Papiroflexia, and also several grants including the Jack Kent Cooke full Graduate Scholarship in 2006.

FROM THE HOOP

Story of From the hoop is inspired by Earl Manigault's life. Earl Manigault was one of the greatest basketball player of his generation. Mentored by Holcombe Rucker through his youth he became the star of his high school team. As an universitary champion, he seemed destined to shine in NBA. But before the transition, he fell into drugs and lead his life far away from the basket. After dark years made of jail, drugs and friend's death, he gave up this world to return in the right way to Harlem. He started the "Walk Away From Drugs" tournament for kids in Harlem. He died in 1998 from a heart failure.

From the hoop first take place in Harlem streets then go to the Rucker Park, a famous Harlem's playground renamed in memory of Holcombe Rucker.

The Rucker park is considered as an important place of street ball history and had welcomed some of the greatest players of all times during yearly competitions.

From the hoop from From the hoop Team on Vimeo.

EOLE

The story is about the unexpected meeting between a yellow shirt sailor (responsible for aircraft movement) and a kite on a aircraft carrier…

Eole is a short 3D movie directed by 3 students of Supinfocom Arles in 2008 : Aurélien Martineau, Etienne Métois and Moana Wisniewski.

Eole from Eole on Vimeo.

Character Design

Digital Painting Tutorial VIDEO: Jason Chan Character Design 1: Style Exploration, Adobe Photoshop

Sometimes a client has a strong story but they don't know exactly what they want for the visual look of their game or movie. Enter the ChanMan.

In this video we see him go through a broad range of stylistic iterations based on the same lead male character. The client can then use these ideas and move forward with a much clearer visual direction. This gets to the heart of concept art, and the more an artist is able to work in a variety of different styles the more he/she will be able to help a client, and get paid, and then have kids, or maybe a fast car.

6 Famous Characters Were Shameless Rip Offs

You’ve heard of X-men, but do you remember The Doom Patrol?

They say that there are no "original" ideas. Everything comes from somewhere.

Still, it's hard not to feel betrayed when you find out that some of the great characters and stories we loved and enjoyed as kids, were merely cut and pasted from previous earlier works.

Cracked.com has posted a rather humorous article regarding pop-culture rip-offs. Included in the list at #3 is Cobra.

CLICK HERE TO SEE 6 Famous Characters You Didn't Know Were Shameless Rip Offs - http://www.cracked.com/article_17299_6-famous-characters-you-didnt-know-were-shameless-rip-offs.html

Rome's catacombs uncovered in 3D

A three-year-long project has created the first fully comprehensive 3D image of one of Rome's catacombs.

Using laser scanners, a team of 10 archaeologists, architects and computer scientists have started mapping the 105 miles (170km) of tunnels.

CLICK HERE TO SEE some of the images that have been created - http://www.cgexplorer.com/2009/05/04/serious-cg-3d-scan-of-catacombs-in-rome/
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