By Ryan Broderick:
Roger Ebert passed away Thursday at the age of 70, but he left behind an amazing collection of writing that will live on. See you at the movies, Roger!
I love number 4. This also makes a great artist.
Getting Ready
Completely inspired by recent events. No child is the same. Half of the stuff you get before your child is born will not be great or your kid will hate it. Maybe you will too.
Nothing can prepare you for having a baby. At least your first. In fact you do a whole bunch of other stuff to keep yourself from thinking about it. You paint you clean. You shop. Cribs, and strollers, car seats and bottles. None of that can prepare you for who your child is.
When your child is born your thoughts will change. While you enjoy that wonderful cup of coffee in the morning when you should be still asleep, your thoughts will be different. Not only the thoughts but why those thoughts are there.
We want to bring meaningful life skills that help our kids progress in life. Not just in the moment.
A few things that I learned while being a new father.
Get a washer and dyer that can handle running 24/7 for 6 months. You have to be prepared for constant laundry. Not 2 loads a day but 4 or 5. Shopping for a washer and dryer and waiting for it to come, all while caring for a infant and a new mother. Not a good combo.
Get a dishwasher that can run 24/7 for 6 months. This falls into the same category as the cloths washer and dryer just its a separate appliance so I made different items. You will be doing a huge amount of dishes. Some that need to be washed in very hot water.
Get a car seat that you can take your new infant into the house, or store without extracting the kid from the seat and placing him into another stroller, or crib at home. This means your kid can nap while you cruise around doing errands without waking him/her up. This is huge.
Remember to keep something the same. Pick something that you do everyday. Something simple. I'm not talking about the gym or going to a baseball game. No, I'm talking about showering times, making coffee. Reading a favorite columist or author. This will make you feel normal for those minutes. Trust me you are going to need it.
Don't forget about your wife. While its hard to forget about her, you will find that most things will start to have to do with the baby,not just your wife. Find those things that you can keep up and make her feel special too. She is working her ass off, she deserves it.
Get a pair of head phones, and some kind of moblie audio player. I like the in-ear kind if you can stand them. That way you can have one earbud in one ear and be listening to the room with the other. I found listening to soft music, audio book or Podcast while helping a sleep deprived baby or folding laundry a great tool.
After about a week with the baby find sometime to sit down with your wife and figure out who is good at what. Meaning if you make a better faster breakfast, you make breakfast not your wife. This is not a time for wasted strokes.
Have fun and laugh. My wife and I have had really good times, cleaning taking care of Kamden. Some extremely funny moments that only my wife and I have witnessed.
Mark Freund told me as I was walking out the door for maturity leave.
Michael, get ready for the real magic.
He was so right.
The Mill TV Closed & Imageworks LA Layoffs | VFX Soldier →
VFX Soldier:
First the subsidies came for the entry-level artists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t an entry-level artist.Then the subsidies came for the mid-level pros, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a mid-level pro.
Then the subsidies came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.
A very smart take on what has happened. Well Said vfx soldier. I agree completely.
Prana Studios on Linkedin →
A simple Google search:
So are we still thinking this is a good thing that R&H was bought by a non Los Angeles based company? Nothing against the artists in Mumbai
Rhythm & Hues buyer tied to Prana Studios →
By Richard Verrier:
A company tied to Prana Studios beat out several other competing bids, including one from Prime Focus, which has a large operation in Hollywood; Psyop, a production and design firm; and a company affiliated with the president and principal investor in China Lion, the film distribution business which has an office in L.A.
The big question is, what happens when Jackson is done. A little birdy tells me the health care will be gone in 10 days.
Prana Studios Wins Rhythm & Hues Auction - Deadline.com →
By Jen Yamato:
2ND UPDATE, 10:30 PM: The 3D animation and effects studio based in Los Angeles and Mumbai emerged victorious tonight after an auction that stretched across two days. Its past high profile clients include Disney (TRON: Legacy, Planes), Paramount (Transformers: Dark Of The Moon), and The Weinstein Co. (Hoodwinked!), studios not involved in the recent bankruptcy saga of the Oscar-winning Rhythm & Hues. A court hearing is set for 10 AM tomorrow to finalize the sale.
Offices in Los Angeles, main office in Mumbai.
Why Rhythm & Hues? And How Do We Keep It from Happening Again? | Studio Daily →
I got sick to my stomach when I heard that the venerable Rhythm & Hues was going bankrupt. Sure, there's been a lot of speculation about what went on to bring R&H to its knees. I've said elsewhere that it collapsed from within due to heavy overhead. Well, I was only a tiny bit right about that. Finding out what really happened has been difficult. I've managed to have conversations with a number of people in positions to know who wish to remain unnamed. I've gotten diametrically opposite opinions at times and had to seek third- or fourth-party input. In the end, what I have makes sense, and I've shown it to knowledgeable people and asked if I was being reasonably correct and fair. After a number of revisions and re-writes, I'm quite certain this is what happened. Be aware that I have long been a fan of R&H, but I have done my best to remain objective here.
Rhythm & Hues Bid Deadline Today →
Few can blame Shim for wanting to guarantee work from two of Rhythm & Hues’ biggest studio clients after spending more than $17 million plus additional costs to save it out of bankruptcy, and I hear other potential bidders are just as uneasy about the studios’ lack of guaranteed business.
I'll say it again, I hope everyone has a plan over at R&H. It hurts less if you have a plan. Its going to get worse before it gets better. R&H as you know it is over.
Pressing
I have been in a funk that I couldn't get out of. Lucky for me I have a group of friends and co-workers that give a shit. It started with with a project that I just couldn't get a final on. I had to ask for help.
Nothing was tracking, or keying. My edges sucked and I was making mistakes in my setup.
I was pressing.
I have written about this before. Most of my job is to make as many mistakes as I can in the shortest amount of time. I wasn't making mistakes then correcting them, they were staying mistakes. That's not how I work. Mistakes are fine it's how you learn from them.
The hardest thing is to put your work out there are hope it meets the standard. By taking that risk you learn.
It's a good day when you learn something.
Nvizible (Nvizible) · GitHub →
Nvizible:
NukeExternalControl
A Python tool allowing for Nuke python commands to be executed from outside Nuke
Thanks for sharing Hugh.