Animace's Blog

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:34:56 -0600

After working on the homeless guy model and creating the scene for the first shot of the prequel episode, I decided to post a picture for you to enjoy. More coming soon.

New Free download coming

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:03:14 -0600

I've decided to put Episode 3 on hold for a bit and start working on a short episode that will be a free download. I am anticipating that it will be about 4 to 5 minutes in length.

I'm doing this for two reasons. One is to create a short prequel episode to Episode 1 and two, to allow people to download and watch part of the story in hopes that they will see the quality of work as well as, the story I am creating.

More to come in a few days. Stay tuned.

Episode 3 Underway

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 23:44:07 -0600

I took a few days off to enjoy life a bit. I had several things on my mind in conjuction with the next episode; but, I didn't want to rush into it without first wandering down a few idea pathways. I feel it's best to just let the ideas flow when there's no need for restriction or form and see where they lead.

The concept for the animation has already been outlined. But by exploring a few different approaches to an idea is always healthy. I feel that when an idea hits you, go ahead and write it down, ponder it and then if you need to set it aside for now and come back to it, that's okay. Brainstorming is a great way to just let ideas come forward and be known.

I think I've got a good handle on where I want the next episode to go; so, now, it's just laying the groundwork for the future.

And I feel it's going to be a great one. Until next time fans, enjoy the first two and I'll be posting more regularly with pictures and comments on the production of Episode Three - Steps Untaken.

Subject 99 DVD now available

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 23:23:48 -0600

It's finally here. It was great to finally complete this phase of the production cycle. In creating each episode, it was all about finish just that episode.

But, now, I have completed the 2 episodes and created the full DVD product. It's been quite a journey. When I began, all I was interested in was seeing 'if' I was able to accomplish what I had set out for myself. However, I had the final goal of putting out a DVD always in mind. It feels good to actually accomplish that.

Now, the journey forward (will all the lessons and solutions well learned) will be that much more enjoyable as the first hurdles have been overcome and the dream has been realized.

There are many more exciting things to come and stories that I want to create. For now, I'll take a little time for myself. Thanks everyone who believed in my dream. :)

Subject 99 - Episode 2 - Doors Opened Finally Complete

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 09:49:54 -0600

The completion of Subject 99 - Episode 2 - Doors Opened is finally complete. It took a bit longer than scheduled, but there is alot more going on in this episode. Also, motivation was a factor. Each day would present new challenges and finding solutions to them took more time. But all in all, valuable lessons were learned; which sets the stage for future episodes to be more easily created. I'm hoping :)

This episode also needed more objects created and modified than the last; as well as, some effects that needed tweaking. I'm only using a laptop and I have to used what's supplied. No easy way to add a new video card, or processor. Hopefully, this year will be profitable enough to invest in those things. But, for now, it's the good ol' lappy.

One thing I did learn on this episode was asset management. Keeping thousands of images managable was a challenge; especially with many scenes encorporating up to 6 cameras and rendering from each camera. But I've solved that issue and keep things a little more organized.

So I hope you will enjoy this new episode, and look forward to the DVD coming soon that will feature some extras; including my very first animatic video done with stop motion puppets.