Being a professional

November 6th, 2010

Many people think landing a job is the ultimate goal for being in the industry, no matter which production it is. However, although money is important, and a stable job is even better, but many have forgotten what drove them to the industry in the first place- the “Passion”.

It is amazing when we landed fantastic jobs, especially working with high profile films, the joy is overwhelming. No doubt about it, that does not only look good on your resume, but also possibly put you at a higher rate and better negotiating position for the next employment opportunity. Often people say, “get your foot in the door first, the rest is easy”. Is that necessarily true? I have seen my share of people got booted, and not because their contract has ended, but they have been terminated prior. It is always hard to see when that happens, especially on the personal level, they could be the greatest individuals you’ve had the pleasure of working with. However, as professionals, they did not possess necessary qualities and contributed negatively to the production. My point is, it shouldn’t be about how you get the job, but how to keep the job, having contract extensions, and more important, being a professional!

So what does “Passion” have to do with being a professional? Remember the time when we were all in school, we assimilated every industry related knowledge, like a sponge, sucked it all up. We were hungry, creative, looked for every possible solution to compensate for our lack of skill and time. I have spoken to a few colleagues lately, and we all agree that the “spunk” has diminished over time due to long working hours, and/or  lacking creative freedom. As a result, some people withdrawn to their comfort zone, only perform tasks they’re comfortable with and refuse to further expand their skill sets; others loose their focus at work, Facebook and Youtube take most of their working hours instead. This kind of attitude could also have a rippling effect, creating an imbalance within the work place. The unfinished tasks pile up and shift ownership to other artists, and eventually someone will get burned out, sick, and halt the production in many aspects. Exaggerated? Not really.

Remember why you’re in the tv/game/film industry in the first place, is because your love for it, and so are your colleagues. Be a passionate responsible artist, and be a true professional.

-e

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Pixar’s creator: Ed Catmull’s speech

September 13th, 2010

This is a Youtube video I came across, called ” Pixar: Keep Your Crises Small”. Pixar’s creator Ed Catmull talks about what are the “requirements” which place Pixar in the top animation studios in the world. He also dissect the causes which had made some successful studio to fail. Very insightful, and definitely worth watching (the video is quite long)… enjoy~ :-)

-e

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True Stereoscopic and the “Not-so-true” ones…

August 9th, 2010

3D movies are hitting the movie theaters like tidal waves! The characters and objects come reaching out of the traditional flat screen, to provide an even more realistic in-movie experience. Plus IMAX 3D and growing popularity of digital projectors, the traditional film projectors are gradually a thing of the past.

But what’s “true 3D” and what’s “mock 3D”, and how about those “2 and half D”? Currently the industry is still experimenting with different techniques to create the “perfect” look… with different style cameras (IMAX, HD), different setups, even ingenious innovations by film such as “Avatar”. The main obstacle is still the budget. The high cost of having two cameras per unit prevents smaller studio to attempt for the true 3D setup. Not only that, production cost of dealing with stereoscopic footage is also significantly higher, due to each shot has to generate both the left eye & the right eye footage, which is twice as expensive.

So what are the difference between all the 3D movies on the market? First, the 3D animated films, such as “Toy Story 3″, renders the film with 2 in scene camera, creating an accurate Z depth information (X & Y are for the horizontal and the vertical, while Z is for the depth value into space). Unless there are many post special effects / motion blur adding to the raw render during compositing stage, which might encounter some stereoscopic issues, or else it is a great representation of a true 3D movie.

As for live footage films, different production has their own unique setup to achieve the look. But in general:
1) Two separate cameras shooting at the same time: Expensive, but this will provide one of the most accurate depth interpretation. Although most likely you will have to compensate for the difference between two cameras – polarization, coloration, or vertical alignment issues… etc. It would also run into the same issues when adding special effects, such as explosion, rain, smoke, blood… etc, because each effect has to have z-depth build in, in order to merge in with the footage seamlessly.

2) One camera with a mirror build in for image offset (the a negative offset on Y-axis). This is a slightly inexpensive way of dealing with shooting 3D footage. Still effective, but the difference between both eyes are much greater, especially the polarization issues from the (mirror) reflection needs to be addressed separately. Also if someone on set has bumped into the camera and cause the mirror to rotate or changing focus, you will most likely hear screams half way across the globe.

3) 2D to 3D conversion. By generating 3D models for each shot, to determine the overall depth of each key objects/characters. Then use the generated Z depth to create clean plates. Let the left eye being the fixed eye, an offset right eye information will be created with occlusion areas, to be later on patch in by the clean plate. This method can generate convincing 3D effects, but many limitations such as motion blur area, or ghosting images are common occurrences during this style of conversion.

4)Similar to the 2D to 3D conversion, but not as emphasize on the overall depth interpolation. The whole movie looks like cut out puppets inside a boxed-in set, which for some earlier animated movies, could be an interesting effect. But overall it has a very cheap look, and not offering an immersed 3D experience. (Some industry people would much prefer to see the film in 2D then “suffering” through this style of under developed 3D).

5) 3D generation through software! This is insane! how is this even possible but a gimmick from the TV and the software companies. Sorry, but there is just NO WAY to generate an accurate 3D simply by offsetting footage using perspective warp and corner pins. Seriously, if it is so simple, then all the stereoscopic film studios would already invest in the technology, why even hire artists with 3D stereoscopic experience (hitting my head against the wall)!

Hope this breakdown would offer whoever that’s reading this blog some more insight into the stereoscopic world. It is truly amazing to work with true 3D footage, and the end result is extremely rewarding! If you have any other discoveries, feel free to share.

signing off…

-e

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Perfection vs Acceptable (Safe version)

August 1st, 2010

Have you noticed any discrepancy between scenes of the same/similar angle, or objects that defy gravity or physics? How about actors that somehow doesn’t have the same body shape from one scene to another, or more funny, perfect skin to a “growth” on the chin.

A lot of the times, movie productions are always short on budget, and/or trying to catch the summer & winter blockbuster. As a result, it impacts the overall shot delivery timing, hence how much time can be spent on each shot. We as digital artists, have to deliver the best possible outcome to the clients, but sometimes when push comes to shove, a so called “safe version” will be accepted first, then any improvements will be welcome as bonus.

For example, during the filming of Spiderman 3, the final fight scene was still not being planned out yet. The storyboard artist was on site to sketch each cut scene and got them approved, while 2 extra units of camera crew ($$$) have to go shoot as many angle of the fight scene as possible, so hopefully at the end it will match the approved storyboard. Few versions of the special effects shots (regarding the Sandman) were delivered 2 weeks before theater release… panic was in the air and lots of red bulls was utilized to keep awake. But if you look closely (on DVD) you will see some CG mistakes, including garbage cans that defy gravity… lol.

How about “digital cosmetic surgery”? Sometimes the female lead actress has a really bad case of acne, thigh cellulite, or was wearing the wrong colour stocking that makes her “fat” (while she’s actually a step closer to anorexia than obesity). For male actors are always faking the  6 packs, and sometimes uncomfortable bulges. It is the digital artists’ job to fix them up (with extra budget of course), so they will be as glamourous as media wants people to believe.

Oh please don’t get me wrong, it IS hard to keep consistant, especially the skin condition, body shape… etc, during the 2~3 years of shooting. It is simply humourous to catch one of these “inconsistencies” once a while, and say “oops…” because it had sliped the eyes of the director, editor, supervisor, leads, and the digital artists that are responsible for the shot. But next time if you spot anything, share the info so we can all get a good laugh after a few beers and sleepless nights…

signing off

-e

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Out sourcing (film)

July 24th, 2010

Do you like the idea of out sourcing? Not to any other company, but to foreign countries such as China, India, Pakistan… when budget is the main factor for the decision.

Precisely because of that, many artists in the industry are suffering from lack of jobs or short term contracts (sometimes only for 2 weeks!). This is very much like the idea of internships, working for free so you can get industry experience. But what is stopping any company from getting 3~4 interns in exchange a paying artist? NOT A THING! This phenomenon is strangling the life force out of the industry, and many of my friends are suffering from lacking contracts.

One thing you can’t control, while out sourcing to any foreign countries, is the quality. You do not know whether the artists there received similar training, or how professional they are. Many times after a few months of work, the results were less than satisfactory, to be on the polite side. And when that happens, either the studio have to compromise and trying to salvage whatever that’s useful, or re-frame /re-edit the shots so the mistakes won’t be too visible. Worst would be a complete re-do, pulling resources within the company, getting all the senior artists working around the clock, so we could finish in 2 weeks what really needed 3 months to finish; ending up spending more money than they initially budgeted.

Same issue with the internships, I always tell my friends that’re just stepping into the industry, to at least ask for a small amount, or at least some training sessions with senior artists. We all have to live, eat, and sleep somewhere. Who could work for free for 3~6 months without any promise for a contract later? Be smart and be kind to yourself, if a studio could not respect you enough to pay you for your time and hard work, perhaps another studio would be a better choice, no?

If we can all be aware to this hidden pothole, perhaps we can retain more job opportunities in town, and stop the slipping rates. Tell your friends…

signing off

-e

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Hardcore “special effects” labour

July 10th, 2010

When Superman flies in the air, proving air plane is still the safest method for traveling, or when Harry waves his wand and his stag patronus shooting out towards Dementors. Dr.Manhattan’s energy pulse, blasting helicopters … etc… Exciting and fantastic looking, but does anyone even noticed, or even acknowledged the hard work each 3D artist & compositor had put into each shot that the audiences love so much?

From concept, storyboard, test screening, to 3D production, 2D composite… and sub divisions inside each category… Film and TV, are extremely labour intensive. Each shot average around 3~10 seconds, but that is enough to take hundreds of hours of work, from multiple artists. At the end, who gets the credit? the actors, the directors, but the people who actually working on each shot only get the fast rolling credit (stacked) at the end of the movie! Unfair? EXTREMELY!

Same for the Field of Asphodel, I’ve followed similar production pipeline to create the characters, story, surroundings, magic systems…etc. It is a brand new style of comic (3D focused) that people rarely attempted because it requires many different skill sets, also great amount of time to create the fantastic world of Asphodel. I am flattered by people that are able to see the hard work behind this creation of mine, and all the encouragement I’ve received. But also because it is difficult to create, a few people assumed I took some short cuts, such as using “Poser” (pre-created 3D character generator software) models. To me, that was equivalent of saying the “Transformers” are actors in plastic suits acting the entire movie.

I just want people to acknowledge all the hard work us “no-body” artists has spent countless hours to create something people would laugh, cry, enjoy, and show more appreciation to the art culture in general. I believe a country’s true wealth depends on how flourishing the artistic community is. So, GO CREATE!

signing off…

-e

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Work = Fun?

June 28th, 2010

Is work fun? Really, do you regret taking the job you’re currently in, or about to step into? Some of my friends could not bare the thought of going to work the next day, same old boring stuff and nothing too exciting besides office gossips; some of them don’t even feel like they’re working, but more like a group social event daily, just everyone is also working towards a common goal of making the project as polished as possible.

I was working with IMAX corp. for a few years. Work was ok, pay was ok (always could be better…) but the family in IMAX was phenomenal! We were all professionals, but the environment and atmosphere was very inviting. Of course, we purposely select people that are team players, with nice personalities. Plus drinking frozen margarita in the office also would bring out the best of us too :-)

Yes, reality bites, we all need money, and at times we have to do jobs that we totally despise, unfortunately. But no one says you can’t seek other jobs while you’re in one~ also, networking is important too, you never know who you’re going to speak to next and what opportunity might arise from the conversation.

We all agree that being shy and introverted is a very common trait for us artists. But have you ever seen a very outgoing person, that people just love their energy and feeling drawn to him/her, and you wish you only have a fraction of that courage or charisma in you that will make you less shy/awkward ? One thing I do all the time, is to imagine yourself being that person (with our superior skill of imagination of course), and start a conversation imitating what he/she would say. Not saying to be pretentious or even obnoxious by over doing it, nor be nervous or too eager, but to get the essence of that person, and be inside of his/her mindset for a few minutes. After a few trails, for sure you’ll learn how you can absorb it into your personality, and smooth talk your way into a new dream job! :-D

signing off… exhausted.

-e

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Freelance vs Job Stability

June 19th, 2010

Most of the artists I know, are part of this large freelancing “enterprise”. Most of us would be working at the comfort of our own home, or go traveling and work on the road. Free spirit, yes, romantic, perhaps, budgeting your next meal, most likely. Not that there are many other options, the graphic art / TV & film industry rarely offers permanent job placement, and once they do, thousands of people would try to grab onto it.

There’s a running joke among the freelance artists, that the person they speak to the most, would be the delivery man. Either for pizza, or Fedex / UPS, being social isn’t part of the game.  Some of us are quite proud of it, like some elite hermits that live inside a beautifully crafted dream. Plus doing work while wearing pajamas? COME ON, nothing’s better than that~ or so you’ll think. The story goes on and on, and on, one day I will share some of my horror stories.

The other side of the coin, are those artists that fought to the bitter end and got themselves a long term contract, offers stability, steady pay, sometimes even with benefits!
Never-the-less, being in a large design studio / firm, it is hard to express your own creativity in a group environment, and constantly working on someone else’ project. Time flies by and you’re cursing yourself for getting older and most likely, with a terrible back pain…

Sometimes I look at people around me, and thinking as a third person. No matter what we choose, we are the luckier ones blessed with the gift of imagination. I could be a construction worker, or a financial analyst, or a TTC ticket collector (mmm… 100K for just sitting there isn’t all that bad comes to think of it). We are what shape our culture, bring colours and dreams to everyone. Can you imagine if we have guns and grenades in our hands and bomb shelters to live in? or even worse, that we can’t draw / create and force to do other brain-dead jobs? Although we all have to put bread on the table, but that is yet another story…

til next time. signing off.

-e

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Asphodel Lyrics

June 11th, 2010

I have been writing spells & songs for Asphodel lately, some of them has been posted on the spell section too. I always envision them being sang by a songstress, hence I have approached a few composers & singers to see if they will be interested in producing musics, or any other types of Fantasy Asphodel related, in exchange for my services, such as Graphic Design, Illustrations, Print works, Websites, Video Editing & Effects, or 3D graphics.

The style of my spells, now looking back, are very Celtic / New Age in theme. I do love reading medieval literature, elaborated language and exaggerated emotions, very dramatic in general. The baby didn’t just wash to the shore, but with roaring tidal waves, and glowing auras, together with thundery chants and rumbling heavenly sky… lol.

I will put some songs I wrote in the “Spells” section, check them out soon!

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Lady Oscar

June 3rd, 2010

I have been watching this anime on and off for the past few weeks, it is called “Lady Oscar – The Rose of Versailles”, a story based on France 18th century, before and during the French Revolution. main characters includes Louis XV + Madame du Barry, Louis XVI + Marie Antoinette + Axel von Fersen, and Oscar François de Jarjayes + André Grandier. Interesting scheming plots between royal families, and the lavish lifestyle compare to the oppressed lower class, and how the storm of revolution came to term, make this anime a great watch.

I love strong female characters too. Beautiful yet not yielding, cold exterior with a passionate heart. I have incorporated these traits into my main character Carrial Crinis, a natural born leader, the reader will definitely see more as the story of Asphodel unfolds!

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