Friday, December 23, 2011

Blade Runner Sketchbook (1982)

So I've been looking for a copy of the rare 'Blade Runner Sketchbook' for a while now and a few days ago my friend Eddie snagged a pretty good .pdf version! The images are a bit blown out but over all the scans are clear. If by chance you want to purchase an original copy check out the prices through the link below!

// Blade Runner Sketchbook via Amazon.com

part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 via Animopus blog


Thursday, December 15, 2011

Making of 'War Horse'

The 'War Horse' panel includes producer Kathleen Kennedy, production designer Rick Carter, first assistant director Adam Somner, costume designer Joanna Johnston, makeup artist Lois Burwell, cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, and film editor Michael Kahn.


















Scott Feinberg Interviews VFX Supervisor Joe Letteri

Here Scott Feinberg interviews Joe Letteri about his career and most recently Weta's work on Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It's interesting how Letteri doesn't talk about the importance of animation to performance capture but focuses on the technical aspects that go into creating a performance. At the 21:00 mark Letteri talks about the possibility of a mocap performance receiving an Oscar nomination. Also, at 30:55 he briefly talks about 'the uncanny valley'.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Tintin Featurette


Andy Serkis has a Vimeo channel dedicated to video clips and featurettes showcasing some of his motion capture work. Sadly not much is mentioned about all the animation that is added to his performances in post. There's no question Andy is a fantastic actor but there are dozens of equally talented animators helping to bring these CG characters to life on the other side of the mocap camera.


Tintin Featurette: The Filmmakers from

Tintin Featurette from

Tintin film clip: The Last of the Haddocks

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

[EVENT] Behind the Scenes: The Art and Craft of Cinema Phil Tippett, Special Effects Master

Just wanted to give you Bay Area friends a heads up about these upcoming lectures by Phil Tippett.

// you can purchase tickets through the link below

Behind the Scenes: The Art and Craft of Cinema Phil Tippett, Special Effects Master via BAM/PFA San Francisco Film Society

 


// Thursday, November 17, 2011
7:00 p.m. Phil Tippett: Illustrated Talk, followed by Starship Troopers
(Paul Verhoeven, U.S., 1997). Join special-effects legend Phil Tippett (Jurassic Park; Robocop; Empire Strikes Back) in a wide-ranging discussion on the movies, special effects, and his influences, followed by Verhoeven’s intergalactic bug-attack epic Starship Troopers. (129 mins, plus lecture)

// Friday, November 18, 2011
7:00 p.m. The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad
Nathan Juran (U.S., 1958). Introduced by Phil Tippett. For this fantastical tale from a 1,001 Nights, Ray Harryhausen perfected the integration of three-dimensional animated figures and live actors, and inspired generations of filmmakers and special-effects artists to come. (88 mins)


Behind the Scenes is a collaboration between BAM/PFA and the San Francisco Film Society. Major support for Behind the Scenes has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support has been provided by the San Francisco Foundation and the BAM/PFA Trustees.

 

Monday, October 17, 2011

'Classic Creatures' Return of the Jedi (1983)



This 1983 PBS behind the scenes look at the creatures of 'Return of the Jedi' is an awesome glimpse into the ILM model shop during it's prime. There's lots of footage of work in progress puppets and stop-motion rigs from the film.




















Thursday, October 13, 2011

'Secret Lives' Walt Disney (1995)



1995 documentary looking at the darker side of Walt Disney. Includes interviews with artists Bill Melendez, David Hilberman, Mary Eastman, Bill Hurtz, Marie Beardsley, and Bill Littlejohn, screenwriter Joan Scott, and biographers Marc Eliot, Richard Schickel, and Bob Thomas.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

The Great Camera Shootout 2011


"The most scientific camera comparison to date, “The Great Camera Shootout 2011: is a documentary of the Single Chip Camera Evaluation (SCCE)"








The 12-Camera line-up includes: 35mm Kodak 5213 & 5219 Film, Arri Alexa, RED ONE M-X, Weisscam HS-2, Phantom Flex, Sony F-35, Sony F3, Panasonic AG-AF100, Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 7D and Nikon D7000.

More info on the series can be found here: Zacuto



Commentary in this Episode Features:
Academy Award Winner Russell Boyd ASC, ACS (Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World, Ghost Rider, Forever Young); Academy Award Nominee Don McAlpine ASC, ACS (Moulin Rouge, Patriot Games, X-Men Origins: Wolverine); Calvin Gardiner ACS; BAFTA TV Award Winner Nic Knowland, ASC (The Final Passage, Around the World in 80 Days); Emmy Award Nominee & ASC Nominee Gale Tattersall, ASC (House, Ghost Ship, Wild Orchid); Mykelti T. Williamson, Actor (Forrest Gump, 24, CSI: NY); Ken Glassing (CSI: Miami); Philip Bloom (Sophia̢۪s People, Greenpeace: Voices of Change); Terry Hopkins (London Film School); Dan Chung, James Mathers (Digital Cinema Society), David Wexler (Broken, The Wind) and more.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Making of 'Equinox' (1970)





















This film featured the vfx and stop motion work of Jim Danforth, David Allen and Dennis Murin.



Cinematography Podcasts

Listed below are some pretty good cinematography podcasts via iTunes. All are free and available for download!



Conversations on Cinematography By American Society of Cinematographers

// Series of 6 episodes: Conversations on Cinematography








American Cinematographer Podcasts By American Cinematographer Magazine

// Series of 22 episodes: American Cinematographer






Wednesday, September 14, 2011

"MORAV: Missions" Live Action Series 'Pilot'



'MORAV' is a live action series currently in production in the San Francisco Bay Area. The creator and director of MORAV is Fon Davis (ILM and FONCO). A talented team of vfx artists and model makers have been donating their time to bring this project to fruition. I had the pleasure of working a couple of weekends with them last year and I must say MORAV is looking amazing!

Check out the MORAV Kickstarter page if you're interested in helping out with the project. You can also find them on Facebook.

// Kickstarter: 'MORAV: Missions'

// Facebook: MORAV 


Friday, September 9, 2011

Star Wars Trilogy Documentaries by Jamie Benning

These documentary's combine the movies as we know them with behind the scenes footage, audio from the cast and crew, alternate angles, reconstructed scenes, text facts and more to take you deep inside the process which brought the films to the big screen. [Directed by Jamie Benning aka Jambe Davdar]

Check out more about the series over on WIRED: Fan Filmumentary Trilogy






























Thursday, September 1, 2011

Kerner Optical, LL Closes







This is really sad news. Read the statement letter here: Kerner Optical Letter


"...It is with the deepest sadness and regret that I write this letter. Effective immediately, Kerner Optical, LLC is closed for business..." -- Eric Edmeades
Managing Partner

Tuesday, August 16, 2011