Spring 2011 Reel Update

Just done a little update to my reel. Same deal, just replaced a bunch of stuff I didn't like with more recent projects that I do like. Check it out.

[vimeo width="590" height="332"]http://www.vimeo.com/21865256[/vimeo]

 

This reel contains more of the work I have been doing over the winter here in whistler. I have really enjoyed working more and more in Nuke and really understanding the application.

The Art Of Flight

The bar for cinematography, production and all out crazyness of winter action sport film, has just been raised once again by the people who brought you Thats it Thats All.

The Art of Flight is the latest offering from Red Bull and Brain Farm and looks set to blow us all away. I will be following the release of this very closely and keeping my fingers crossed that there is a Whistler premiere.

For now watch and enjoy.

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(Brain Farm, can I come work with you)

Deep Winter Photo Challenge

I recently attended the Deep Winter Photo Challenge event here in Whistler. It basically boils down to a 3 day event where 6 of the most talented photographers around head out into the Whistler Blackcomb abyss and capture as many moments as possible. They then have to build the best shots into a 3-5 minute slideshow that we all get to watch at an epic Fairmont ballroom extravaganza. When you cram 1000+ snow junkies into a room with multiple bars and a visual orgy of winter imagery the vibe gets up there with a great concert of that band you love, or a standing ovation for the play you just saw. As the slideshows rolled and the well thought out music choices play, you cant help but cheer for the photos that really get you going and you identify with. It has really made me think about the power of a great photo and how its power can effect so many people in generally the same way. I say generally because there is no way I can assume that the way a photo makes me feel is the same way as it makes the person next to me feel. However if we both cheer and whistle because it encapsulates the essence of mountain life and why we are out here doing what we are doing then I feel like I am in the right place. This event has definitely got my creative juices flowing again and got me thinking about ideas and angles, stories and narratives, graphics and design, all things that I have lost a little sight with as I enjoy the winter day to day. Maybe there is something in enjoying such creatively on mass. Maybe art galleries should have a timetable and a matinee so we can all enjoy a group response. Maybe that is what cinema is all about (good cinema). Random Tangent but I hope you get the idea. The Deep Winter Photo Challenge is a great event and I will certainly attend next year and support it in any way I can. The teams clearly go though a massive amount of effort in the 3 days no matter what the conditions (hence Deep Winter) and their effort and creativity shine through to make a room full of addicts wooo and wwhheeyy, while walking away feeling inspired on multiple levels. At least I certainly did.

deep winter photo challenge

ESPN write up

Whistler Photoblog

My posting and general blog development has been slow recently as I have set myself up in Whistler. Thought I would give a little update in the form of a photoblog of what I have been getting up too.

The short version of the past 6 weeks basically boils down to: we have a house, jobs and a dog, some giant tetris outfits but most importantly the snow is getting closer and closer to the village. The latter suggests that my blog posts will become even more infrequent as I will be spending every ounce of my free time in between working and editing, cruising the pow and shredding the knAr (snowboarding). I have had the opportunity and the pleasure to meet and begin working with some fine production outfits out here so I will post some works soon.

For now enjoy the photos. Their permanent home is here on my photoblog page but I thought I would add them here just for kicks. Its a direct feed from a Flickr account we share (we being: myself, my beautiful Victoria and Mike) and the idea is we all post our photos from goings on and everyone gets an idea of what we get up to without long winded emails. Hopefully in 12 months time we will have a cracking library of our whole adventure.

Leave a comment, let me know if you like.

[miniflickr photoset_id="72157625274366630"]

The best VFX Breakdowns, Cinemotion and Science

This is the first of what I believe will be post's purely based on what I have come across recently that has caught my eye, made me chuckle, or made me think "I should write a blog post about that".

Breakdowns

To start with AEtuts+ have posted a brilliant list of some of the best VFX breakdowns out there. I could watch them all night long. Especially the "Salty" a spot by Axyz, they reveal their secret to getting such great hdri solutions. Using "far-field" reference photos from the set as well as the usual HDR acquisition blended together to create great high detail lighting solutions for that super shiny ceramic look. I will certainly be experimenting with this, hell I might even post my experiments on here.

HQueue - the future of rendering and render farms

I am currently finding my way around SifeFX's Houdini. Everyday I sit down and learn something mind blowing about this piece of software. Working procedurally has totally changed the way I think about developing my projects and a whole new world of dynamics and particles is unfolding as I go. I thought this software was pretty cutting edge, then I had a look in sidefx.com today and realised these guys are way beyond cutting edge.

Side FX Have just released a public beta release of their new tool HQueue. This tool allows artists to essentially add an extra node into their network and submit their renders and simulations to the cloud computer that is Amazon EC2.