April 29, 2014 : Green Lantern’s Focus Group
Before it was unceremoniously cancelled, I was quite the fan of Green Lantern: The Animated Series (I didn’t even realize Bruce Timm was Executive Producer on the show). That is why I was interested when the showrunner, Giancarlo Volpe, posted a mini-comic he drew about his first experience attending a focus group for the series.
It’s a curious, albeit biased, take on focus groups. Like most things, there’s probably a place for them – but I am sure most people put either way too much or way too little stock in what they say. In either case, Green Lantern ended much too early, but it was nice to see some behind-the-scenes for the show.
posted by Pi Visuals at 1:03 am
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April 12, 2014 : Bruce Timm’s Batman: Strange Days
In honor of Batman’s 75th anniversary, Bruce Timm created the short Batman: Strange Days, which can now be viewed on DC’s YouTube page.
Bruce Timm is best known for being the co-creator and producer of Batman: The Animated Series – by far my favorite version of the series. The short clearly takes a page from that series’ design, which I absolute enjoy.
The main villain is Dr. Hugo Strange, an arch nemesis of the Caped Crusader who predates even the Joker. Personally I don’t know much about him. However, he is not to be confused with Dr. Strange from the Marvel Universe. The latter was used as inspiration for Dr. Orpheus from Venture Bros.
And that concludes this week’s portion of ‘Better Know A Fictional Comic Doctor’.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:51 pm
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March 29, 2014 : Article Dissecting Ratatouille’s Dolly Zoom
On it’s surface, Pixar’s Ratatouille might have had a premise that was difficult to swallow (I’m so clever), but it quickly won over critics and audiences. A lot of this has to be attributed to Brad Bird, who wrote and directed the film. I’m quite the fan of Mr. Bird – he knows animation and film making, in general. Which is why I enjoyed reading this article, which dissects and praises a Dolly Zoom used in the film.
It’s an interesting analysis on the technique, which also mentions other famously used instances in film while covering the theory behind the move.
Speaking of Brad Bird, Disney recently announced that he is writing a sequel to Incredibles – although it doesn’t say if he’ll direct the film. Personally, I have mixed emotions on the news. While this could be a solid flick (and one of the few Pixar sequels that a lot of people have been truly clamoring for), I would prefer more original material… like what Ratatouille was. With that said, I will gladly welcome any movie done by Mr. Bird.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:53 pm
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March 14, 2014 : Happy Pi Day!
Happy Pi Day, everybody!
It’s that special day where it’s not only acceptable to be irrational, it’s preferred. So by all means – wear those sunglasses at night, watch that reality show, or think Illinois will be in the NCAA Tourney this year. You’re not supposed to make any sense!
posted by Pi Visuals at 1:24 pm
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March 8, 2014 : New Rick And Morty? Yes, Please.
Pleading ignorance here, but I thought the 6 episodes of Rick and Morty that aired this past December/ January comprised the first season of the series. I couldn’t have been more wrong – apparently rather than just being a short first season, this was just the front end of the order as the final five episodes begin this coming Monday.
I’m a fan of the show. It is sci-fi fun, with a solid cast and cool plots – and the creators have even stated they will avoid time travel (awesome!). Needless to say, I am stoked since I thought I’d have to wait until the second season to see new episodes. The show was renewed for another season back in December, which seems earlier than usual for Adult Swim (at least based on the timing associated with Venture Bros). So it’s good news all the way around.
posted by Pi Visuals at 2:28 am
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February 26, 2014 : Storyboarding – Tips and Tricks
A week or two ago, I was looking around the interwebs for info on Storyboarding – hoping to find some general tips (specific to animation). Tom Warburton’s blog was particularly noteworthy. Tom is most known for creating Codename: Kids Next Door; and while I was never a huge fan of the show, I did watch it from time to time – and I was always drawn to the show’s aesthetics… pun not intended.
On his blog, Tom shares two sets of notes from Guy Moore – a storyboard artist and director of the show. Along with examples, Guy discusses general ideas and many interesting tips. Whether you’re storyboarding for the first time or just need a refresher on the subject, it’s worth a read.
posted by Pi Visuals at 5:13 pm
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February 11, 2014 : FXGuide’s Behind-The-Scenes For The LEGO Movie
The LEGO movie has done quite well for itself. In addition to solid reviews, it made more than its budget after the first weekend. The animation looks different – it’s not your traditional CG movie.
FXGuide has an interesting 30 minute long making of video that is worth a watch (sorry, I can’t embed the video). The video is pretty technical – covering such techniques as composition, animation, and rendering. There is also a complementary article that covers many of the same topics.
On a related note, I perused FXGuide; and it has a lot of cool articles related to the industry. It is definitely an easy way to kill some time while learning some interesting info – and that’s just the free portion of the site. Apparently, you can contribute money and get additional features. Not something I am considering at the moment, but I can see the appeal.
posted by Pi Visuals at 8:44 pm
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January 28, 2014 : Pre-Production Modeling
As mentioned in a previous post, I have started working on a new short. There are still quite a few things that need to get done before animation can begin – most notably, a whole bunch of modeling. This includes generating a fair amount of amount of characters. Last week I cranked out some preliminary models for a few of the smaller characters. Below is a shot of one of these models in Lightwave.
I still want to tweak the colors, and obviously I need to set up the bones for the rig (hence the static pose); but I’ve liked how the characters are starting to turn out, this one in particular. This week the focus is more on the main characters, which probably means it will be slower going since they are of greater importance. The plan will also be to work on some storyboards… along with a few other things, time permitting.
posted by Pi Visuals at 1:04 am
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January 14, 2014 : The Search For Evidence Of Time Travelers
I came across a pretty cool article about time travel, detailing researchers’ search for evidence of its existence. It’s an interesting article and worth a read. I like it because 1) the use of the scientific method, and 2) it says no to time travel (sorta).
For those that don’t know, I am not a fan of time travel – at least from an entertainment standpoint. There are several reasons for this, and it probably would require a much longer (and more thought out) post to properly address all my issues. However, boiled down, I think it is used way too much in TV and Film – and its nearly-always poor execution (and over abundance) destroys the few times it is properly done.
On a side note, I am currently working on a short that conveys that message. It will be a satire, and as always, won’t take itself too seriously. A script has been written, and most of the audio has been recorded. There is still plenty of pre-production to be done before animation can begin. More to follow…
posted by Pi Visuals at 3:26 pm
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December 31, 2013 : New Powerpuff Girls Special
A new Powerpuff Girls special, “Dance Pantsed”, premieres January 20 on Cartoon Network. The original voice actors will all reprise their roles. Not sure why it hasn’t been widely publicized, but the trailer is below.
Supposedly, there has been a lot of negative feedback with the new design. Personally, I’m open to it. If anything, I would be more concerned that Craig McCracken (the show’s creator) was not involved. Still, I will probably give the special a watch. As a side note, how scary is it that the show first aired 15 years ago?
posted by Pi Visuals at 1:15 pm
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