fxguide.com:
This week we feature a presentation from visual effects artist Scott Metzger, who demonstrates how he used a special build of The Foundry’s MARI tool to project HDR set-captured environment data onto geometry. The work was done for director Richard LaGravenese’s Beautiful Creatures, coming out in 2013.
Cool stuff.
Paula Nelson:
I've been a fan of the photography and the stories featured in National Geographic Magazine since I was a child. I explored the world by simply turning the pages. It featured some of the most amazing and groundbreaking photography then and it's never stopped finding new ways to surprise. On January 13, 2013, the National Geographic Society will celebrate its 125th anniversary and its evolution from a small scientific body to one of the world's largest educational and scientific organizations committed to inspiring people to care about the planet. The Society has shared some images that represent those moments of discovery and will continue in its 126th year, to provide a front-row seat to what's happening at the extremes of exploration - bringing everyone along for the ride through its storytelling and photography. You can even "hangout" with some of it's more prominent explorers Jane Goodall, James Cameron and Robert Ballard, on the anniversary date, 1 p.m. EST
My mind has been going about 1000 mph. I have this thought that I can get a final on a v001. This never happens.
In visual effects there isn't a 85%. There isn't even a 99%. It's one hundred percent for final. Which brings me to my present state of mind. There is a joke about the last 10% is the hardest. How that is so true is beyond me but it is. There isn't a set of features they would like to see. It's all or nothing. You can't do a half face replacement. It's all or nothing.
Game on!
Have a good week everyone.
DL Cade:
In an age where horrifying events are often captured from many vantage points, many times over, the magnitude of the find is easy to misunderstand. In reality, the photo is one of only two very clear photos that show the cloud in two tiers — the other was taken from the Enola Gay that dropped the bomb.
I have always been touched by this story.
Mark Mayerson:
People who entered the animation business in the recent past have lived totally within a digital world. But before computers, animation had its own set of very specific hardware, developed from the 1910s onward to facilitate the creation of cartoons.
Mark: used to explain sometimes how he would do the shot on a optical printer. When you are stuck in a box this made the shot seem much more simple.
hollywoodcamerawork.us:
It has always irritated us that there are no green screen and VFX plates around the internet you can just download and play with -- everything is owned by some production. So we decided to donate some of the interesting plates from Visual Effects For Directors to the community, so you can download them and practice keying, matchmoving, compositing, tracking, and much more!
These look to be great if you want to practice your keying. Sometimes its not a easy as it looks.
By Jeff Heusser
Los Angeles – The Visual Effects Society (VES) is pleased to announce the nominees for the 11th Annual VES Awards, which recognize outstanding visual effects artistry in 24 categories of film, animation, television, commercials and video games. Nominees were selected Saturday, January 5 by VES members at SPY/ a FotoKem Company in the Bay Area and at FotoKem in Burbank in California; and at Blue Sky Studios in New York, Weta Digital in New Zealand, Fuel VFX in Sydney, Molinare in the UK and Image Engine in Vancouver.
Just in case you missed it.
By Jeff Heusser
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that nine scientific and technical achievements represented by 25 individual award recipients will be honored at its annual Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation at The Beverly Hills Hotel on Saturday, February 9, 2013
This should be part of the main Oscar Show, It will never happen but it should. No movie can be made without These guys. Period!
By Ian Failes
On Thursday night in LA, the 10 contenders for the visual effects Oscar were presented at the signature ‘bake-off’ event at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
This is always a fun event. One problem, who gets off early enough to make it by 7:00pm. Many are just eatting at this time.
VFX Soldier:
On of the first items is documenting the nuts and bolts of how subsidies work in the VFX industry. I’ll be working with contacts to get them this information but I’d also like to invite readers who have personal knowledge in this issue. If you feel you might be of help on this email me:vfxsoldier@gmail.com
I don't have high hope for this, prove me wrong. Please. The studios are not just going to let go of the this way of doing things. This is happening in production as well. Not just VFX. It's now ingrained in Hollywood. It's going to be hard for them to go back to paying full price for things.