tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69608600706889401882024-02-07T05:50:17.442-07:00Xtopher's BLOGXtopherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860242543785745135noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960860070688940188.post-6140888404992186172010-09-24T14:43:00.009-06:002010-09-24T15:18:07.942-06:00On Becoming Bike-centric ...<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">(I can't believe it has been almost a year since my last entry ... pathetic!)</span><br /><div><div><div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520584074538360002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TOzXMyCno4_0SgYHwDcQf8qYoBNdRcTEs8Fh2driiz_QqbH-emIR5I4TBFGBsIPOAnCH7pSDIi5rQChj2VFhXJgEMSS05_8JjhUp9gYwUfziuART-_l0XkvBy0gzhIyeeuaSEc0mWQ/s400/Biking_yellow-field_2010.jpg" /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">At any rate, in the intervening months it seems I have somehow become fascinated with mountain biking (albeit of a much tamer variety than most enthusiasts). I must admit that I never saw it coming as my interest in exercise and the outdoors has always been marginal at best. Somehow that changed without me noticing, and I have found it all but impossible to resist the charms of the beautiful Wasatch front (where I live) and go for a least a brief ride 6 days a week. The picture above was taken this summer as I rode with my 2 brothers-in-law (both a good decade younger & fitter) through the trails of Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park near Vernon, British Columbia ... that's in Canada for those who might think B.C. sounds like an island somewhere ... or a chronological term (and no, I'm not being snide ... I met people while attending an American university who asked those very questions in perplexed sincerity).</span><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Here's a shot of the trail map ...</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520589716627580386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHmlZNz7URR53EE4W2mTULo72crZSO-pFnT0sgGDbMHMlywKFNZpA0raH5eEy0SHxHS_FLDV0v97jkFAgXEdi32-27pWFLBd4YP8paIUOXhZjxRiuD0axpb11l2RbJa2wI4ktUKhq9w/s400/Trail-map_Kal_2010.jpg" /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">... and of the spectacular view (one of many).</span><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520589108255376610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6e2TQ5025x4Wclj7oU8W47VM_fXQDHiXwKyM5arVkpp9ixub5oCs-W6HNsYI-8G9wgMlUd24A7tQBq-4raKTKbYt-zRzlvvvMoN7aY_5J-e2qYmfzG1Eg1RDETMNJMA6vlSWdxhqpg/s400/Biking_Kal-lake_2010.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">I have to admit that not all of my family's summer vacation activities this year were as uplifting ... we arrived at my parents farm just in time to help with the annual "chicken harvest" ...</span></div><div> </div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520589998605324706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OdrefvkksgW1IG1vDxV7NIqf21irNrAnlf2FUERgPlJ9A50k22lbS1L5czwsdzQhVRcPUrjZRYRh3d12qJOS7CM-o6C1bvECu1Xpml4QUxOwdzwvOF1BRzztUo5swU75hrN0AU6_LA/s400/Chicken-Killer.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">... and yes, I usually play "Chief Harvester." Believe it or not, this grizzly chore <em>does</em> actually provide some pretty hilarious bonding moments (as most hard work usually does).</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div></div></div></div>Xtopherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860242543785745135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960860070688940188.post-41648938477496277722009-11-03T20:04:00.033-07:002009-11-03T22:51:29.387-07:00Music Videos & Product Promos<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">I mentioned having had two interesting projects of late & thought I'd share a few details:</span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span> </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">The first was a rush-job for a music video featuring a new song from the band <a href="http://www.defaultonline.com/">Default</a> called "Little Too Late," which was directed by <a href="http://www.gofilms.net/">Ryan Little</a>. This involved taking 70 different shots of the band performing on a green-screen set and replacing the background with an imaginary cityscape. The initial step involved removing the green-screen from each shot while making sure the edges around the band members remained nice and clean. This was tough to do in some instances: occasionally one of the guys was standing quite close to the camera and nicely in focus, while another would be directly behind the first, yet much further away... and as a result, very much </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">out</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"> of focus. </span></span><span style="font-size:0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">(A very artsy-type of look, but a brutal, headache-inducing choice for the FX compositor to deal with, especially with a compressed timeline of only four days!!!)</span></span></span></div><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJbl4tqFU9larAECV4OLLeBSPmF0_PzpBG-gpNlbf6nCIqgojqDCg4UTCy1XnRF8RC5vt5bEYgdf9hzQGhgdg_TbU2hPjcIOLhgnM42tupi6IIgccw-9etWvQbCcOUtf-gGIi_9Q1Ag/s1600-h/L2L_CU_greenscreen.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400079302038005970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJbl4tqFU9larAECV4OLLeBSPmF0_PzpBG-gpNlbf6nCIqgojqDCg4UTCy1XnRF8RC5vt5bEYgdf9hzQGhgdg_TbU2hPjcIOLhgnM42tupi6IIgccw-9etWvQbCcOUtf-gGIi_9Q1Ag/s400/L2L_CU_greenscreen.jpg" /></a></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underlinefont-family:Georgia, serif;" class="Apple-style-span"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400079659637522306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIraSGa17hHZixAVKjQFfniNf3MGJM3Go750mLwUhdmhxtd6Z73bRtLN9reYdc3CXmelgJdHrEXZcTFonmvIn8A3ROmd8Pe6NoKz519_YCF2NQwmuh_ib7FqWctuLcPk2hZT6-s375g/s400/L2L_CU_newbkgd.jpg" /></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18px" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underlinefont-family:Georgia, serif;" class="Apple-style-span"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400084866947228690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjWLy4hNPS_iy3lgNK98tFjzrn2cARN2c8KMBL8wTHRFER4xo-sK6h_OZnRjOsvQFQpIwjjllvSDMOFNt0boby07ARSbOK5rducYI4hD-TqXSr__tzngeY7swHat05hPuPehTiWaSQww/s400/L2L_GreenScreen.jpg" /></span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18px" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underlinefont-family:Georgia, serif;" class="Apple-style-span"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400085147672539410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FHOlFyAE0KTwM2HwF9Mqj9VhIClapvJtmIOr5687fq-L-6aw9PN7RMWWDPchzKGc4cLnwxXtLfJTsCsN8pAGmQbXAFH5SBZ2YhLjmZXav4e0Z36RGtTwzRShU8yYpsvwlbconNbu9Q/s400/L2L_NewBackground.jpg" /></span></span></span><br /><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18px;font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;" class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">The new background was a static image (called a digital matte painting) that needed to move around with the camera just like the rest of the image, in order to look as though it had all been shot at the same time. To do this, the original scene needed to be "tracked," a tedious process I won't bother to detail here, but through the use of a motion-tracking program (in this case, a wonderful software package called <a href="http://www.imagineersystems.com/products/mocha/">Mocha</a>), I wound up with camera movement information that I could then apply to the background. That would get me about 85 -90% of the way, and then I would need to analyze and hand-tweak any movements that didn't match-up quite right. If all of this sounds labor intensive and detail-oriented, it </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">really</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"> was... but the results were very cool!</span></span><br /></p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;color:#000000;"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18px" class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYExkccZboycxjq6yCzAlyCt5_jsflXCC7PG-nZFRfK2ckJEqXveZxKrAoO4M9YbRLqAxYq4U4IXDAXqP8WL8-sOs5nanlkFGEpKRtd7FBG_fIcflGuaxKmIA30YhEn43jXnajkZyCg/s400/ScatterTunes-V-Album.jpg" /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">The next project was a promotional video for ScatterTunes (you can view the final promo <a href="http://www.youtube.com/scattertunes#p/a">here</a>). This involved creating a number of motion-graphic sequences to give the logo and individu</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">al features of this interactive media program a stylish, glossy look and feel. Although there was an enormous amount of work involved, this project was great fun creatively, and allowed me to try out several new techniques in simulating a 3D look using only 2D assets (as in this shot of three different MP3 players). </span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underlinefont-family:Georgia, serif;" class="Apple-style-span"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400081079716882322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jopRPwmIGYEj380lFdS8bRFTknO-Qfgl7PEOqZdwuvGpE1zymu2mW6zqllwCeVHM1LcQ9jdzVpuz3qbbkioXOa5qPdKl8U8smWTOJpU1_9NlGHU5TUW5ihCOV2eBL9pp_0izNGVbsw/s400/AllMP3s.jpg" /></span></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Each player is made from a high-resolution photo, and then made to look as if it has dimension within the virtual set. (I even added glossy screen reflections that move as the camera pans around the grouping.) I edited this piece and added additional sound FX as well, and am thrilled with how the final promo turned out.</span>Xtopherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860242543785745135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960860070688940188.post-27642143614124492322009-11-02T16:28:00.015-07:002009-11-03T09:56:57.981-07:00Happy Halloween '09!!!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 313px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399655930880014418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wqXd9HbzpgKyRgGxyeQ6mW_eETNdXeT6QpSpVy6At-NVY99FOlS2zPPoPT6Iaz7rkSOspOEaleHOjbE5WVMdueGEdOijolNNgtaasDNpVJ8Vee6V0F1xNUMtF52Bmug9XtiZSyXPpw/s400/Pumpkin_2009.jpg" />We grew our own pumpkins this year, of both the orange and white varieties. As I was looking over my chosen gourd, the pale hue gave me the idea to cook-up a quick batch of home-made playdough (as mentioned previously on this blog) and sculpt my Jack-O-Lantern this year instead of carving it! (Even the teeth and gums are made of the same stuff.) A quick wash of highly diluted water colors, and a finishing spritz of spray-on cooking oil (for that ultra-slimy look), and my evil goblin/pumpkin was complete!<br /><br /><div></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 217px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399712227873449410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4F8yoL2vzu40nQN-mZ3KJgCNT91yucBz_gtpxiOv-4eVSvObC2-HfnVVWYnj3LFFu96LlxP-yKXjVJzvUu1RdggBiIO-Kf76bvczYMbIfNdZ-HpvofKlnlLAOPPyCOyPH2YdWUOt4Ng/s400/Gravestone.jpg" /></div><div></div><div>This gravestone was made a few years ago as a family project, with each of my kids making their own out of styrofoam insulation and using a paper stenciling technique I came up with. You tack down a large sheet of cheap roll paper with spray adhesive onto the styrofoam sheet (already cut into the basic shape of your stone). Then you draw out your design, and carefully cut along the lines with an X-acto knife. Remove the 'negative' space, or the areas around your main design elements (like the skull and lettering in my example) ... basically, anything you want to carve 'in' to the stone's surface. Once that's done, lightly spray a solvent-based chemical (like paint remover) over those uncovered areas and watch the evil concoction eat-away at the foam (like <em>Alien </em>blood)! I spray it on a little at a time to get the right depth -- too much looks wrong, and you can't reverse the process. Then you strip-off the remainder of the paper stencil, and paint the thing, spattering the base color (usually gray) with lighter and darker tones to give the whole thing a speckled, ancient stone feel. It's pretty easy & a lot of fun!</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 226px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399658907270219714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp73ql6lkuyTSNpMQ0s2xvGSlZLHUTGXOWGvr2TX1Z7uOGHb7Qj7M7c9-e6jq3ajbjW4oO7OJsuL5x20ZyPpUxCWnnN4QwF_dNjoKziJVJ83X-6I9ZDA7JJaTKYocJcNU2KaQ4-8QTag/s400/Pumpkin-Carving_2009.jpg" /></div><div></div><div>Besides these gruesome delights, I've been busy working on some cool new projects, including fx work on a music video and some very elaborate motion graphics for a large-scale promo video. More later!<br /><br /><br /></div><div></div>Xtopherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860242543785745135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960860070688940188.post-87265256699689953862009-04-07T11:33:00.009-06:002009-04-07T12:53:42.528-06:00She's Back ...<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-7A8iOGAzQkGZ0QociHTOsJ-fyZwBPMFl5Is5OWYHey4vPgXY-8n1wiu-EAUjKDasFBNV4rEFRcRjLN4d5npZ2UHohR6_Javkio5jnBr9lYz-bEqcF_QvFKlJbRfhTTAcceri0mP-g/s1600-h/Dave+Laub+winner_She%27s+back.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322004140231865170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 319px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 399px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-7A8iOGAzQkGZ0QociHTOsJ-fyZwBPMFl5Is5OWYHey4vPgXY-8n1wiu-EAUjKDasFBNV4rEFRcRjLN4d5npZ2UHohR6_Javkio5jnBr9lYz-bEqcF_QvFKlJbRfhTTAcceri0mP-g/s400/Dave+Laub+winner_She%27s+back.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#ffcc66;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;"><em>"She's Back"</em> by David Laub © 2007-2009</span><br /></span><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Is that cool or what? The only thing more cool to me right now besides the fact that this wonderful image was created by my good friend, the artist David Laub, is that it also won the Silver Award in the </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">"Unpublished" category of the <a href="http://www.spectrumfantasticart.com/full_content.php?article_id=914&full=yes&pbr=1"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">Spectrum 16 Awards</span></a>! Dave's work has always inspired me -- he is truly one of the most gifted artists I have had the pleasure of working with.</span></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322017340718087810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 297px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytCvoMlNOnxsUKEPASK4RDqkupRiKT6WATM3GkzoDlCCI1fbUS6cvIZwPuiOXrhqQRZSVVX1vfTz0BAbnj_uIKyFOiB-lx0gc0d0Lih5Y4IAx0EZ4EwWIExNxCe2bMJgjVhThdoSbiA/s400/King-Slug.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;color:#ffcc66;">"King Slug" by David Laub © 1988-1993</span> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">This is an original that Dave gave me back in the early 90's that I've always really responded to -- it has such a haunting menace about it. I was writing a script at the time and this particular image really helped me define the aesthetic of my villain. (I'm sure Dave won't be too wild about me showing such an early piece in public, but hey! I'm the owner ... I can do what I want, right?)</span></p></div>Xtopherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860242543785745135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960860070688940188.post-87946009184434309792009-02-10T12:07:00.026-07:002009-02-18T15:49:55.097-07:006 Years of Dreaming ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibawgPfbaZxeNw0ssjZVWs5mzjIdzFViL5BcUfgRLcgHE0ZgcicQTbxR51Xr5Y3GC4USQA5sDFuFG6rCoJjcGEreLm34mdL8oF2hE1XXMp8f03oi9pi4mjiOIpWvddjwL1FhblZ7Y_9A/s1600-h/Gaiman-Coraline_03.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301292599916454322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibawgPfbaZxeNw0ssjZVWs5mzjIdzFViL5BcUfgRLcgHE0ZgcicQTbxR51Xr5Y3GC4USQA5sDFuFG6rCoJjcGEreLm34mdL8oF2hE1XXMp8f03oi9pi4mjiOIpWvddjwL1FhblZ7Y_9A/s400/Gaiman-Coraline_03.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Well, it's finally here -- <em><a href="http://www.coraline.com/"><span style="color:#ffcc33;">Coraline</span></a></em> the movie!!! It was six years ago this April when I first discovered this fantastic novel by <a href="http://neilgaiman.com/"><span style="color:#ffcc33;">Neil Gaiman</span></a>. Although I had heard of him long ago (via my good friend & artist, Dave Laub), this was the first of his novels that I had read. It remains one of my favorites (if not the favorite) of his works, and spoke to me fiercely ... so much so that I raced to my computer the day after I finished <em>Coraline</em>, burning with the need to <em>some</em>how, <em>some</em>way acquire the rights to make a film of this story that had grabbed a hold of my imagination and wouldn't let go ... only to be crushed mere seconds into my search by the fact that the rights had been gobbled-up before the book had even been printed!!! That the director would be <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0783139/"><span style="color:#ffcc33;">Henry Selick</span></a>, the wonderfully visionary director behind <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/"><span style="color:#ffcc33;">The Nightmare Before Christmas</span></a></em>, and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116683/"><em><span style="color:#ffcc33;">James and the Giant Peach</span></em> </a>was somewhat consoling, but my "loss" remained a brutal blow.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">We took our entire family to see it (all 8 of us!!!), and I was swept away by Henry's wonderful interpretation! I was worried that it might not retain the flat-out scares and terror of the book, but the sense of peril and maleficence was quite tangible -- my little 4-year old didn't enjoy the "Other Mother's" rampage so much. (I <em>kind</em>-of liked that it scared him a little ... I'm not sure what that says about my parental sensibilities ...)</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">So make sure you go and see it (especially in a 3D-equipped theater if at all possible) ... <em>highly</em> recommended!!!</span></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304268425616599234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzfSvgcc7XzTMJeWxBdCGDu-gIPwU4N5yrZo_saxGcY4rzh9QkyitIV3B7Ap4GavUpYr2eaMdAEHNhtMVpO6_Lse2eEkEL4m5QXwalJPyABEfhWf5UUEFU4nQL7fXMuro9MJwR1yHkw/s400/Graveyard-book.jpg" border="0" /></div></div></div></div><br /><p><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">I also wanted to mention that Mr. Gaiman just won the prestigious Newberry Medal for his latest novel, <em><a href="http://www.thegraveyardbook.com/"><span style="color:#ffcc33;">The Graveyard Book</span></a></em>. It is yet another astoundingly entertaining read, but for <em>maximum</em> enjoyment, I recommend listening to him <a href="http://www.mousecircus.com/videotour.aspx"><span style="color:#ffcc33;">read it himself.</span> </a>(I mean, who could possibly do it any better?) Congratulations, Neil!!!</span></p>Xtopherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860242543785745135noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960860070688940188.post-67846676471917635542008-11-24T16:15:00.038-07:002009-02-09T21:37:08.751-07:00Bloody Meats (Meier, that is!)<span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUhtoeHuVM6Jqf0qSsIW048cjwbLWQsNk8bVpxS-VrD_IXP2hyphenhyphen9RN4g5YmCOnja743W_nS8N1VBwjF4iZnUbOWjNbrZJoMyo3mlMFWtDvK1Fx6HdGLo1EvLjr_m4APhyphenhyphenfw579elLpfw/s1600-h/JimmyZ_header.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272394172131802002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUhtoeHuVM6Jqf0qSsIW048cjwbLWQsNk8bVpxS-VrD_IXP2hyphenhyphen9RN4g5YmCOnja743W_nS8N1VBwjF4iZnUbOWjNbrZJoMyo3mlMFWtDvK1Fx6HdGLo1EvLjr_m4APhyphenhyphenfw579elLpfw/s400/JimmyZ_header.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">I've had the great pleasure of knowing Jim "Meats" Meier for a little over 15 years now. (If you don't know him by name yet, you owe it to yourself to check-out this phenomenal artist's work <em>right this minute</em>: <a href="http://www.3dartspace.com/"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">Meats' Market</span></a>). I hired him while I was working as the Art Director of a screen printing shop, and was blown away by his outrageous ability with the airbrush. I saw him latch onto Photoshop the minute we got a copy, and he's never looked back. The world of 3D opened up for him in a way few digital artists can claim, and his style is wholly unique. (Not to mention much admired -- reading some of his fan-boy posts even made <em>me</em> blush!!!)</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">Back in 1994, a local radio station ran a promotional contest for an upcoming concert with a band called White Zombie. You were to create a video no longer than 7 minutes, featuring the station's logo, the band's music ... and it was to be as gory as possible (the band, as its name implies, has a not-so-subtle penchant for all things macabre).</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">This came at a very opportune time: I had been developing some film projects and had been invited to pitch them to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000339/"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">Roger Corman's</span> </a>studio, but lacked the fund-age to fly out to his offices in California ... and part of the grand prize in this video contest were 2 tickets to L.A. I <em>had</em> to do it!!! I have some experience in special effects make up, and (as mentioned previously on this blog) had developed a low-cost technique for quick (yet disturbingly realistic) blood-'n-guts using home-made play dough tinted with food coloring for fake 'skin' and Karo syrup-based fake 'blood.' (<em><span style="color:#ffffff;">A Quick Side-Note</span></em>: I had a couple of opportunities to show examples of my work to professional make up artists who were stunned to learn it was only play dough ... it looks terrific initially, but doesn't last long as it dries-out quickly and tends to slop-off when you move around too much -- you get what you pay for, right? Here's a quick example of a burn make up using the play dough & syrup trick:)</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272411188171273346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtLDRo0lwiedOVqTzICMpOmF2Qwajq_8X-25s3jvkgKA6kpPl6r9dEzZq-s9M1KAlqR7mTFFlFWeBMMid5pMLNxL5uJzFIzexh3coosqgnj19Rfthuu6b81gAnhC6ONFHRyM6mtwxiQ/s400/Burnt.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">Back to the video contest ... there was only 1 discouraging fact: I heard about the contest on a Thursday evening, and the deadline was in only one week. To make matters worse, I had already committed to work all weekend long and was going on vacation the following Thursday, literally leaving me 3 days to do the entire thing.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">Luckily for me, Jim and his entire house full of roommates were game to participate & willing to stay awake with me for 48 hours straight on Monday and Tuesday to shoot the video (when we weren't working). I edited the film all day Wednesday and then dropped it off on my way out of town on Thursday!!!</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">And guess what?</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">We WON!!!</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">(Unfortunately, after using my plane tickets and nervously making my way to Mr. Corman's office with my portfolio clutched tightly in profusely sweating hands, I learned there had been a family emergency that morning and that he wouldn't be able to attend me ... sigh. I wound up pitching instead to some low-level wannabe who actually claimed that Corman -- "King Of The 'B' Horror Movies" -- was no longer <em>making</em> horror movies. Okay, yeah, right ...)</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">It's been 14 years, and Jim has been asking me recently if I had a copy of the film (entitled <em><strong>Crunch</strong>)</em> somewhere he could watch it again (presumably for old times sake). Well Jimmy Z, here it is:</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">DISCLAIMER:</span></strong> As I mentioned above, the whole point of this video was to be <em>as gory as possible</em>, so if you don't like that kind of thing ... best not to watch it, all right?</span></div><div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw8hVbEoU3q2wGj_FuRGNU6HK7_olFOaO7ouKPX4-ifkO3E9JVtGZY2Jboz6fRQ-2R8mvJHWf-OQj9JH02iLw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Xtopherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860242543785745135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960860070688940188.post-49726755356584667262008-11-17T14:11:00.010-07:002008-11-25T13:25:07.850-07:00Ryan Peterson: Sculpting Lord<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGqv-sDTXNgAP2k3zbSB6y0t0HEynPWpo5IXWSNBrEu7zYkkjkuZ4r0XuTy825SNVVB5-kWpQrXTM5h_ix4I-4GoeYSXAz7IU3Jt-3A-SLML2WtcbS-EIl8VOZxqSPIrji06mTgR2RQ/s1600-h/RyansHellboy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269737439054152578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 215px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGqv-sDTXNgAP2k3zbSB6y0t0HEynPWpo5IXWSNBrEu7zYkkjkuZ4r0XuTy825SNVVB5-kWpQrXTM5h_ix4I-4GoeYSXAz7IU3Jt-3A-SLML2WtcbS-EIl8VOZxqSPIrji06mTgR2RQ/s400/RyansHellboy.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;"> So I was gleefully wading through the vast expanse of behind-the-scenes goodness on the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001F7MSFW/bookstorenow49-20"><span style="color:#ffcc66;"><em>Hellboy II</em> DVD</span></a>, when I saw this image onscreen and began yelling incoherently to my wife, "It's his! Oh wow -- THAT'S HIS!!!" After calming down a tad and reassuring Glynis that nothing was actually wrong, I replayed the segment on the disk with director Guillermo del Toro speaking that featured a bust of Hellboy in the background created by my good friend <a href="http://www.ryankpeterson.com/"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">Ryan Peterson</span></a>. An immensely talented sculptor/artist, Ryan created his own version of the comics titular character after falling in love with <a href="http://www.hellboy.com/"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">Mike Mignola's</span> </a>creation, and had sent a copy to del Toro after the first movie was made.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Ryan has worked for many years in the special effects make-up industry in Hollywood, but relocated back to his beloved Utah to pursue his own artistic projects. I was lucky enough to work with Ryan on several video game productions, and have always enjoyed vicariously his experiences with the make-up legends that I used to idolize as a teenager (most notably<span style="color:#ffcc66;"> </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000711/"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">Rick Baker</span> </a>and<span style="color:#ffcc66;"> </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001964/"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">Rob Bottin</span></a>).<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Despite not having the opportunity of working on either the original film or its sequel, Ryan generously sent a copy to del Toro, who responded enthusiastically (and apparently took a shine to it)! I thought his version was realized with extreme skill, and I look forward to collaborating with Ryan one day -- he is both a fantastic talent and a wonderful person.</span> </div><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272693705363704770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 251px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlgwbXOWVhYF2j13-YZqP7M8RHIjSju_0d9h11Qerp7jbIycsGsKmE9FK6Q7E-gsZV67-pmRj8ag-KczBNpAPUtCw95TIzg60OY2gPSR7f70sw9B-0dKAicXQYH55I5rkpY-e5dKkiw/s400/RyansHellboy_full.jpg" border="0" /></div>Xtopherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860242543785745135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960860070688940188.post-13557732383439438432008-11-10T16:51:00.010-07:002008-11-17T15:24:32.095-07:00Recent Work: Snoopy Flying Ace Trailer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcjOjmsuYIFvCjY36hadcJNxHrM8uzDGfweHm3xO7wVGfdlJD3UCDN3rdQcP60kz3tAPA1VQykXl5jef7Ms_5eJ8NQKRx0AU_EGiA1NQiwEjDgOiDrf4wHdmBu2XVVATC2j7g3GPtxQ/s1600-h/SFA_trailer.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267181127949484898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 270px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcjOjmsuYIFvCjY36hadcJNxHrM8uzDGfweHm3xO7wVGfdlJD3UCDN3rdQcP60kz3tAPA1VQykXl5jef7Ms_5eJ8NQKRx0AU_EGiA1NQiwEjDgOiDrf4wHdmBu2XVVATC2j7g3GPtxQ/s400/SFA_trailer.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">A quick note about a trailer I put together for my friends at <a href="http://www.smartbombinteractive.com/"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">Smart Bomb Interactive</span></a>; it looks like the game is getting some <a href="http://kotaku.com/5080122/apparently-im-buying-a-snoopy-game"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">nice buzz</span> </a>already! You can see the regular and HD versions of the trailer <a href="http://www.snoopyflyingace.com/"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">here</span></a>. The gameplay I've seen has been stunning, absolutely top-notch work from Kris Johnson and crew!!!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span> </div><div> </div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">Also, a very Happy Birthday to <a href="http://neilgaiman.com/"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">Mr. Neil Gaiman</span></a>!!! His latest, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Graveyard-Book-Neil-Gaiman/dp/0060530928/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226535739&sr=1-1"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">The Graveyard Book</span> </a>is spectacular fun! Even better than reading it, however, is <a href="http://www.mousecircus.com/videotour.aspx"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">hearing <em>him</em> read it</span></a>!</span></div>Xtopherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860242543785745135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960860070688940188.post-16491727891677836402008-11-03T13:24:00.010-07:002008-11-10T17:35:14.170-07:00Some history ...<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Ever since my Dad took me to see <em>2001: A Space Odyssey</em> at the age of 3, I have been obsessed with movies and movie making. I also developed an (un)healthy interest in monsters and the macabre at an early age, thanks in no small part to my Dad's youngest brother. He was my idol for the longest time; he could draw, tell great stories, and loved to scare me to death.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;"><br />I've been drawing for as long as I can remember, but I recall finally seeing a difference in quality from my peers when I was around 6 years old. Dad was always my best critic, giving good, honest feedback on whatever new image I stuck in front of him.<br /><br />When I decided to try and make my first latex rubber mask, he was also a great supporter. Being a dentist, he was familiar with the rigors of plaster mold-making, and was more than gracious with materials, advice, and helping me mix & apply a variety of goop. He was even willing to cast my entire head in Alginate & plaster bandages (an arduous procedure even for seasoned make-up effects pros, and here we were doing it with some "how-to" book open on the counter beside us)!<br /><br />Learning to sculpt was a lot harder than drawing, but creating something 3-dimensional at the end of the process was really satisfying! One day while my Mom was making some homemade play dough, it occurred to me to make some of my own, and "modify" it. I wound up creating a flesh colored, translucent material that could blend into skin with water that looked so realistic, it fooled almost everyone! After discovering a "recipe" for a Karo syrup-based blood formula to top things off with, my little town was never the same again. To my mother's dismay, I also dabbled in pyrotechnics: launching model rockets on a one-way trip (carrying payloads of gasoline or gun powder), building elaborate miniatures for total annihilation, and even trying to mix the explosives with the make-up effects. This particular practice came to a screeching halt the day I tried to emulate the bullet-hit "squib" devices I had seen on TV, and blew my shirt (and a fair amount of skin) clean off my chest.<br /><br />Then there were the "films." Hours were spent crafting detailed, scratch-built spaceship models (even rigged with rheostat controlled grain-of-wheat bulbs for glowing engine lights), then staging epic displays of thespian fortitude (usually involving one of my semi-willing siblings) using my Dad's trusty Super 8 mm camera, only to wait two nail-biting weeks for processing … all to screen a 2½ minute opus that was mostly black or out of focus. Great.<br /><br />By some act of fortune, my high school actually offered both an animation course and a television course (the curriculum was a tad lame, but both provided access to some killer equipment)! My best friend and I quickly finished whatever assignment was due, then geeked-out with cameras and ¾ inch editing systems, making as many films as we could. At first, the teacher was highly skeptical, and even antagonistic at times towards our unbridled enthusiasm, but after my first 24-minute production (<em>The Parasite</em>, a blatant <em>Alien</em> rip-off featuring a monstrous fetus that rips through the chest of a corpse in a small town morgue), he began to warm a little (even going so far as to show that particular piece at a school board meeting in order to win some additional funding … it was pretty amusing to watch a room of gray-hairs choke on their coffee at several of the film's more gruesome moments).<br /><br />I have continued to find ways to make independent video productions since then. I would do volunteer work at a local cable station in exchange for equipment usage & editing time. Many merchants & organizations lent/gave me props (from a bouquet of roses to an afternoon with a sports car), permission to film in private locations, even the usage of a police car, ambulance, and a power truck (with a 54-foot crane for some spectacular opening/closing shots)! Many of these were aired by that same station, and there were occasional write-ups in local papers. I was asked by a small independent film company to direct a children's television pilot, and have contributed make-up effects efforts to several low-budget productions and commercials (including the now infamous <em><a href="http://www.bestworstmovie.com/">Troll 2</a></em> that I was genuinely shocked to see has become a cult classic! I mean <em>really </em>... who could have seen THAT one coming? I'll need to write a little about that whole experience one day soon). One of my little movies even won a local radio contest (along with tickets to L.A., where I "pitched" some movie ideas to Roger Corman's production company).<br /><br />After an unsuccessful stint at a university decidedly not known for its cinematic prowess, I became involved in the graphic/apparel business to support my young family. While I gained tremendous experience working with other artists as an Art Director, and in dealing with clients and product promotion, it wasn't until I began to freelance for a small, local video game developer that I began to glimpse a possible career that was almost as interesting as film.<br /><br />I switched professions when it looked as though Beyond Games, Inc. was on the verge of scoring a major coup (we were asked to create a sequel game to the highly successful <em>Alien vs. Predator</em> on the Atari Jaguar system). Even though that deal never materialized, it was indeed the start of something special. From working as Creative Director on several titles at Beyond Games, I moved to GlyphX several years later to work with Orson Scott Card on their own original game property, <em><a href="http://www.adventtrilogy.com/">Advent Rising</a></em>. Creatively, I was challenged and rewarded more than ever before, and gained invaluable experience in this amazing and rapidly developing industry. And to top it all off, I was able to make several cinematic contributions: from in-game cinematics to "Behind-The-Scenes" documentary featurettes and even a 30-second trailer for <em>Advent</em> released theatrically in front of <em>Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith</em>. (For those of you who may be interested, you can view some of these at <a href="http://www.silverfishcreative.com/"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">Silver Fish Creative</span></a>.) I have been extremely fortunate to have worked alongside some genuinely great artists, who have inspired me greatly and elevated my own skills. Everyday has been pretty fantastic; and now working on my own, I just can't wait to see what's next!</span><br /></span>Xtopherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860242543785745135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960860070688940188.post-34240185572181277212008-10-31T11:31:00.005-07:002008-11-10T17:16:53.737-07:00Going live on All Hallows Eve<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">FINALLY!!! The <a href="http://www.silverfishcreative.com/"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">Silver Fish Creative</span> </a>website has gone live today! I haven't slept much this week, but tonight is a <em>great</em> time to finally relax and spend the evening with my family. We've got several pumpkins to carve, so no rest for the weary as of yet!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">I had a terrific chat today with my friend, the hugely talented Rob King, owner of <a href="http://www.greenstreetstudios.net/site.html"><span style="color:#ffcc66;">Green Street Studios</span></a>. Sound Designer/Composer/Audio & Dialogue Director extraordinaire (and all-around great guy), Rob's been kept massively busy for the past several months on a multitude of cool projects, but still wants to work on the music & sound for <em>The Price</em>. We got to know each other while working on <a href="http://www.adventtrilogy.com/"><em><span style="color:#ffcc66;">Advent Rising</span></em> </a>a few years ago, and I've been looking forward to hanging-out in his fantastic studio once more.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;color:#ff9900;"><strong>HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!</strong></span>Xtopherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860242543785745135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960860070688940188.post-47713501762927721102008-10-24T11:35:00.005-06:002008-10-27T04:47:00.895-07:00Here we go!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_2LcS_Xk2Mp9-YLSwAkmO9_VO0jjr83zGdVs9hLE8NQvtMxnWNSDEsHRcpZ0f3fR5vn-OcYPQlJ6PI5h4kAp9RlCZkN0QK60bNCKxgZGw-vuhKF6vMAszWdDJNkKYBtXqEPGUZ2p5w/s1600-h/ThePrice_animatic_title_01.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261798837289979074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 270px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_2LcS_Xk2Mp9-YLSwAkmO9_VO0jjr83zGdVs9hLE8NQvtMxnWNSDEsHRcpZ0f3fR5vn-OcYPQlJ6PI5h4kAp9RlCZkN0QK60bNCKxgZGw-vuhKF6vMAszWdDJNkKYBtXqEPGUZ2p5w/s400/ThePrice_animatic_title_01.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Thanks for tuning in! I'm excited to start keeping a journal (of sorts); the plan is to keep a production diary during the making and distribution of a computer-animated short film I am creating based on a wonderful story by </span><a href="http://neilgaiman.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;color:#ff9900;">Neil Gaiman </span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">entitled, <em>The Price</em>. I will inadvertently write about many other things (as the tangental urge strikes me) but I'll try not to ramble-on.</span></div><br /><div></div>Xtopherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01860242543785745135noreply@blogger.com0