26 October 2010

Something new! (This time with breakdown)

ANM 342 Midterm w/ Breakdown from Jeff Moore on Vimeo.

This is a copy of my ANM 342 midterm project with the breakdown added. Matte painting work performed in Photoshop, and all compositing performed in Nuke.


I'm enjoying working in Nuke immensely. I thought node-based compositing was fairly mystifying before, but Catherine Tate is pretty awesome. She makes it make sense - a talent for which I am completely appreciative.

24 September 2010

A new semester starts...

Okay, so I'm actually a couple weeks late. I'm currently in week #3 of FA10, and I'm having a great time with my classes. This is the longest I've ever stuck with a collegiate-level program, so the fine folks at Academy of Art University should be very proud. :)

I'm taking these classes:
ANM 104 - History and Technology of Animation and Visual Effects
LA 121 - Art History through the 19th Century
ANM 342 - Node-Based Compositing I

Both history classes are very cool, and my Nuke class is great. It's nice to have some guidance, because learning node-based compositing concepts on my own would have been way too tough. Catherine Tate knows her stuff, and she's happy to share with the class. I'm counting myself lucky to have her as an instructor.

Post-production on Gamer Chick has slowed down a bit, but that's only while I get into a good groove with my schoolwork. We're halfway through season one now, and then I can take a deep breath or two.

13 June 2010

"So what does a magical explosion look like?"

I've found myself asking that question over and over, since principal photography has wrapped on Gamer Chick season 1. I'm assembling rough cuts of all the episodes myself, preparing all the production audio, and also trying to turn over effects shots at the same time.

Most of the shots are fairly basic (and were designed to be such), but there are a couple that will need some extensive roto work and some fairly advanced (for my skill set) particle work. I'm not worried about the rotoscoping, since it's straightforward. I'm trying to avoid having to teach myself brand new concepts for this project, since the schedule is tight and I'm flying solo, more or less. I might try to shop out some extractions and roto work for screen credit, if anyone's interested...

And I also need a bit of matte painting work, too. I'm willing and able to do it, but it all starts to look like a lot when I see the list growing before my eyes. I'll post whatever I can as it becomes available. That's the perk of being the director, too - I get to decide what can be a "sneak preview." :)

19 May 2010

SP10 is in the can!

So my Spring semester has finally drawn to a close, and I have a couple new projects to show for it.

Here's the final from my VFX2 class:


And here's my final from Matte Painting:


I'm probably going to make a couple adjustments to each, based on instructor feedback, and then add them both to my reel. I felt pretty good about them, all in all.

18 April 2010

Busy, busy, busy!

It's been over a month since I've posted anything here, which is really not great for me. It kinda undercuts the purpose of actually using this thing. So here are the big updates:

1.) Gamer Chick is rockin' & rollin'. Principal photography is more than halfway done - not bad considering we have to sneak our shoots in when everyone is available and we can get enough volunteers. Episode 7 is entirely shot, and many other episodes are a scene or two away from being ready for post. It's a very exciting time for us Gamer Chick folk, especially because we'll be premiering at Gen Con in Indianapolis this year, so if you'll be down there, look us up! I may or may not be attending, but the ladies certainly will be there.

2.) I had to drop a class this semester due to some pretty serious time issues, but it's for the best. I can finally feel like I'm a part of my other classes, and I feel like I'm finally doing my own stuff this term, so my reel is already thanking me. :) Incidentally, here's a rough version of my final project for VFX2...



Clearly, it is an unfinished bit of work. The final shot will include some weather effects, particle simulations, a bit of lightning, and some heat distortion around the actress. I'll post progress as I make significant strides toward completion.

3.) I've also started writing the pilot for Romeo's Foe Studios' new web series, "Flint Steele." It's loosely based on a character we created for a live faux-radio show we performed for a couple years. It also will include some characters and pieces we had originally created for other ideas and projects, but it seems like they all fit in this particular puzzle. I'm excited to see where it goes. The pilot will likely be three episodes worth of story, most likely released as three episodes rather than one fifteen-minute video. I'll post more about this project as it evolves.

That's it for now - and really, isn't it enough? - so I'm going to get some of this footage logged from our Gamer Chick shoot today. It'll be so nice when we can work with a crew that includes more than five people, especially if I'm not the only one who knows anything about post production... Wish me luck! :)

~J

26 February 2010

A little update on what I've been up to...

So the past few weeks have been awfully busy, but projects are moving along quite nicely. School has started back up since my last update, and we're doing some pretty cool stuff this term. I'll try to post some WIP's as I remember to do so.

Our web series - Gamer Chick (find it on Facebook, and @gamerchickshow on Twitter!) - is moving along nicely. We haven't gotten into any of the required post-production work yet, but the sequences that will require the bulk of it won't be shot until the weather finally warms up for the season.

More updates soon! I promise this time.