3/5/12 12:00-3:00

Today I spent most of time working on sounds for the Flythrough. There were some troubles in regards of the character (mouse) and it's feet. I then decided with the Sound Pro application to record my own by tapping my finger rapidly near the mic which turned out alright.

Before class I spent time working out some movement kinks in the letter. I pretty much got and will do what I can to finish quickly and put it on the render.

New Research Project: Wingnut

Again I screwed up so I went into researching a bit more to find another topic. Apart from the obvious of Pixar and Dreamworks I tried to find either something new or unique in the industries. Recalling the new Tintin movie I went out to see I was curious to see who was behind it. Peter Jackson's company Wingnut, who did effects in the Lord of Rings film gave me particular interest especially in the motion capture field.

Second Life Article

From what I read the boundaries between the digital world and the real world seem to mingle rather closely. The fact that despite the controversy surrounding the "world" of Second Life that art and its forms can exist. Idea of monetary transaction over the net is not foreign but that through the game actual painterly objects can be bought and sold, in such amounts, is baffling.

Also the idea of recreating or creating walk in paintings is amazing. It adds to another dimension to the work and another level of immersion/interaction. The only downside is that in terms of quality. The game engine only has so much it can do and accomplish that there is still the awkward sprite and shape.

There is an interest to be had in this world if not only that the artist is able to interact on a global level but achieve a greater platform for their work.

March 1st, 2012 Tuesday 12:30-3:05

As of today I found out the inherit problem that comes with making your own letters with the metaball tool. Through that process I would be able to control what it looks like in terms of the words I chose and aesthetically make it disgusting (as wanted). Though because of it they became too complex of objects that it literally affected the program itself bringing in major lag spikes that ultimately hindered the entire project for most of the class time.

The solution of the problem was found in just simply simplifying the objects themselves except in the letters (in case of F) that will have the actual complex animation. It took until the end of class but with that I was able to get a semblance of a start to the piece.

Luckily I was able to solve the problem but it leaves me alot to do. Again I wasn't able to do much this weekend and again will not be able to stay long on Monday. There are the problems in that I would like to have some wiggle in the words and the stretching of the F and the word skinny. I will do what I can to do what I can do at home (sounds, exact planning) and post it to the blog. On Tuesday I will come in early and do the initial fly through and if needed wait later for further help on the details.

On a slightly better note I had worked on the Gepetto piece a bit more and had finished the transition from the mouse revving up to push the plane. Next is the flythrough and getting to the cheese which can be maybe solved and all in one scene. It all depends if I would like to sacrifice some things or not. I guess it depends on time which I usually sorely lack but I will do what I can to make it work.

Response to MP3

I think it's pretty extraordinary on how he was able to create sounds from simplistic items especially in iconic some of them are (ie. lightsaber). It's inspiring to hear that even with a low budget (except in terms of equipment) that good sound could be made. Also the idea of

Wall-E's voice and robot's in general having a sense of character is insightful.

What I wonder though is that despite asked the question if the digital age changed the game in terms of sound he didn't give a real straight answer, at least for me. He shows that simple solutions could be found but I wished to know if he carried on the same tradition as he had done in the past. Then again this is a small clip, limited in size, so I can't ask too much.

Research Topic: Don Hertzfeldt

I've been of a fan of offbeat and alternative animation/art for a while. Someone I would call a genius/savant in that field is Don Hertzfeldt. Almost a near hermit he spends years working on his animations with techniques rare even near extinction in today's world. To be able to still survive and even standout is phenomenal. I follow his work when I can and I extremely respect him and would like if I can do my topic on him.

Tuesday 28th February 2012 12:30-3:00

Today for class apart from the disappear and reappear exercise we worked on the word play project. Due to the unique way I want to make the letters I was shown to use the Metaball tool. I spent most of the day experimenting with the tool and made my letters. Also I made a small landscape to accommodate the letters for now. If I'll stick to it who knows.

I think I'm satisfied with the letters themselves but I have the added problem of animation. I'll have to rig something up to make it work as well as the other word. Hopefully I'll be able to make do in the end.