Power of Story: Visions of Independence at 2015 Sundance Film Festival

 

A cocktail of Lucas, Spielberg, and Henson feed my obsession for the cinema and today, I still feel that passion.  Recently at the Sundance Film Festival, critic Leonard Maltin had a conversation with George Lucas and Robert Redford about the ‘Power of Story,‘  Maltin commented that,  “one of the problems with the institutionalization of film schools is that you have now more than one generation of young people who all they know is film, they haven't had so called ‘life experience’ and  life experience is the basis for  telling stories and for inventing stories and imagining stories.”  I completely agree with Maltin.  I feel that today’s generation is so immersed in the digital world that they have become satellites to the media industry revolving around television, video games and the internet, with no down time or a chance to get bored. I laugh when I hear myself say this, I am also speaking of myself . . .  I got my first computer in 1982 and it has been at my side ever since.  I am getting old!

It is a very interesting Conversation and worth listening to.  ~Cornell

Kicking off Art of Film Weekend, a program celebrating the craft of filmmaking, join Robert Redford and George Lucas—two iconic filmmakers who epitomize the spirit of independence in American cinema—in conversation with critic Leonard Maltin.

The Sci-Fi Boys

 

The Sci-Fi Boys is a great an awesome documentary to show your students who and what inspired the greats . . .  I have watched it, way too many times and I am watching again as I type this post  .  .  .  I am a bit geeky.  Here is my suggestion; buy the DVD!  You can get it on Amazon really cheap, for under $2.  Now if you do not believe me, you can also watch a super low resolution full version of the film on Youtube, see link below.  It is also free right now on Comcast right now, just search for ‘Sci Fi Boys’ and it will pop right up.  Either way, just watch it.    ~Cornell

 

Peter Jackson, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, John Landis, Dennis Muren, Ray Bradbury, Rick Baker, Roger Corman, Ray Harryhausen, Forrest J Ackerman, Stephen Sommers, and other legendary all-stars of cinema bring to life the evolution of science-fiction and special effects films, from the wild and funny days of B-monster movies to the blockbusters of today, including KING KONG.

This is the story of the Sci-Fi Boys, who started out as kids making amateur movies inspired by FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND magazine and grew up to take Hollywood by storm, inventing the art and technology for filming anything the mind can dream. The DVD has the 80 minute feature, plus over one hour of bonus features of rare sci-fi treasures, described below.

 

 

On Comcast

 

Amazon Sci-Fi Boys

The Industry: Color Grading vs Color Correction

(Color Correction vs Color Grading, by Justin Troyer)

I have worked in industry for a number of years, but I have spent most of my time teaching and experimenting with my own work.    I love playing and am always experimenting with new techniques.  Sometimes I used the wrong terminology, but is it terminology that important?  Well, it will not make you a better artist, but it is always good to know.   In the past, I haven’t always used the terms Color Correction & Color Grading correctly.   Here are a few examples and explanations.  ~Cornell

 

Color correction vs. grading | 30 Second Film School

 

Color Correction vs Color Grading

August 12, 2014 at 12:35pm by Justin Troyer

Working with color is an important aspect of video production that many people grow into, at least cursorily. As part of being a novice in post-production terminology frequently gets misused or interchanged. While color correction and color grading use some of the same tools and processes they serve different purposes and are done in different parts of the workflow.

Color correction is used to alter footage across a project so that its appearance is consistent, creating an accurate portrayal as it would be viewed by the human eye, making sure whites look white and blacks look black. Typically this is compensating for inaccurate camera settings, leveling color temperature, or adjusting contrast, brightness, and saturation. The human eye will view white under varying lighting as white. However, with cameras you have to tell the sensor what white is. If done improperly your image will have a red, blue, or yellow cast. In addition, if you are shooting outside over the course of an entire day the color of the light will change as we move from sunrise to mid-day to dusk. Even passing clouds will change the color.

Color grading (color timing in reference to film) is altering the image for aesthetic or communicative purposes to enhance the story, create a visual tone, convey a mood, express emotion, or carry a theme. Typically the alterations in color grading are more extreme than with color correction. Rarely color grading can even be used to salvage problematic footage that color correction is incapable of fixing. Usually at the end of editing the editor will begin color grading, give the project to a dedicated colorist, or when quicker turnaround is required the footage will be sent off to be graded while editing is being done.  (Color Correction vs Color Grading, by Justin Troyer)

 

The House on Pine Street Color Correction Reel Graded and Edited by Taylre Jones

Check out the dramatic work done on this film, the changes are completely amazing. The color work was done on DaVinci Resolve.

 

Also Check out this ‘tutorial’ . . .

Color Correction/Grading Tutorial

By Swageberg Productions

Home Depot Sells 3D Printers

One of my students came up to me in in class today and told me that they were selling 3D printers at Home Depot.  VERY COOL!!  AND they have them in stock at the local store down the street.   As I always say . . . “3D IS THE FUTURE!!! and it is not going away.  ~Cornell

http://www.homedepot.com/p/MakerBot-Replicator-Desktop-3D-Printer-5th-Generation-MP05825/205142845

MakerBot 3D printers coming to some Home Depot locations

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/makerbot-3d-printers-coming-to-some-home-depot-locations/

If you live in New York City, Illinois or California, 3D printing may be as close as your nearest Home Depot.

MakerBot and Home Depot announced a new partnership on Monday to bring 3D printing capabilities to the masses. Several models of 3D printers will be sold in select stores and on Home Depot's Web site, and MakerBot kiosks will be available in a dozen Home Depots in nine cities to demonstrate how the technology works . . .  << MORE >>

"Unbox Yourself" with Zihua Creative

 

A while back I showed you a cool 3d printed stop motion bear walking, now check out “Unbox”.   A Chinese animation  took it much farther and created a full stop-motion short film.  ~Cornell

"Unbox Yourself" with Zihua Creative

This fully 3D printed commercial for Zihua Creative (zihua.com.cn), China’s first online learning platform focused on the creative industries, illustrates how creatives must break out of their boxes to innovate as well as how technology is driving change in the creative industries.

Zihua Creative worked with their creative agency Goodstein on the conceptualization and production of the film, which fuses traditional stop motion animation with cutting-edge 3D printing technology. Although the film is under one minute long, the team dedicated several months and 3D printed more than 600 “Boxman” figurines in order to complete the project – the first of its kind in the world.

This animated short highlights a number of the courses that will be offered on the Zihua platform, including character design, CG animation, stop motion animation, illustration, film scoring, sound design and 3D printing.

Behind the Scenes of "Unbox Yourself"

This video gives an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at what exactly went into the making of "Unbox Yourself", a 3D printed commercial for Zihua Creative (zihua.com.cn), with insight from some of the key people spearheading this project. Take a peak to learn more about character design, 3D printing, stop motion animation, sound design, and what "Unbox Yourself" is all about.

Autodesk Meshmixer 101

 

I have been playing with Autodesk’s Meshmixer lately and it is a pretty cool tool for both 3d printing prep work and it is also  just a fun  introduction tool to the 3d world.  I tried out earlier versions, but I wasn’t impressed at the time.  The current version 2.6 (Fall 2014) is worth playing with so check it out.  ~Cornell

What is Meshmixer?

From Autodesk: Meshmixer is a prototype design tool based on high-resolution dynamic triangle meshes. We are exploring the new capabilities of this surface representation for interactive design and fabrication, in the context of a practical system we release to the public.

Meshmixer 101 – Software Overview 

Why I use Meshmixer?

IT IS FREE!  It is an awesome quality FREE application for use on both Mac and Windows.

Complex Boolean Operations.  When ever I do complex Boolean Operations in Maya, it either crashes or just doesn’t work.  For example, if I were to boolean text on a ring, Maya will just explode.  So anytime you want to boolean open up Meshmixer.

Make Solid feature. THIS IS  AWESOME!!!! If you are making parts for 3d print in Maya, you do not have to combine all the object and redo you geometry, just bring them into Meshmixer and MAKE SOLID.

Analysis Features.  This menu offers a number of powerful analysis tools.  Note, I have not really taken advantage of them yet,  and was frustrated with the support feature in the previous version.  I will explore the tools and follow up. 

• Inspector – Cleanup features with auto repair
• Thickness
• Strength
• Stability
• Orientation
• Overhangs
• Slicing

Converting File Types: Meshmixer can import the following  file types(.OBJ, .STL, .PLY,& .AMF) and export in the following formats (.OBJ, .STL, .DAE,  .PLY, .AMF, & .WRL)

*It is also good at cutting models apart and hollowing models out.

Download Here: http://www.meshmixer.com/download.html

 

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Make Solid Feature – THIS IS MY FAVORITE FEATURE!

In this video, see how toStart Page use the Make Solid tool to combine 2 objects into one water tight object for 3D printing.

The Higher Purpose of Doodling

As a kid I loved Sunday Morning on CBS; it was always interesting and still is.  Sunday is my running day, so I don’t get to watch it as much as I used to.  Either way, here is an episode that I missed . . . “The Higher Purpose of Doodling” and I can relate. 

I use doodling for a variety of reasons: I use it to get clarity around a concept, I use it to relax, I use it to communicate ideas with others and get their refinement of them, I use it to map complex systems for companies, I use it to run innovation games for business, I use it to get insight on something puzzling me. -Sunni Brown

I have always been that doodler in class, at work, or just waiting around, but I remember either getting dirty looks or even scolded by teachers.  Was I aware that it helped me?  Not at all, but I am now.  I doodle even more, but I am still aware of my audience who might not see it the same way.  

Under no circumstances should doodling be eradicated from a classroom or a boardroom or even the war room. On the contrary, doodling should be leveraged in precisely those situations where information density is very high and the need for processing that information is very high. -Sunni Brown

On a side note, I tell my students to draw / sketch everyday, it is a powerful tool to have no matter what industry you end up in.  Sometimes it is like pulling teeth, to get them to draw but I truly feel it is important.  Share this video with them, it might give them a little push . . .  GET DOODLING  ~Cornell  

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-higher-purpose-of-doodling/

 

SCI-FI Air Show

I grew-up watching the effects created by Bill George.  He is known for his visual effects work on Star Wars: Episode VI - The Return of the Jedi (1983), Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006). He was a model maker through out the 80’s and physical models were slowly was replaced by CG work, he took the role of visual effects supervisor and art director where he continues to work today.

I just recently came across this WIRED interview about Georges’ Sci-Fi

Airshow.  Check it out! ~Cornell

The SCI-FI AIR SHOW

The SCI-FI AIR SHOW’s purpose is to preserve and promote the rich and varied history of Sci-Fi/fantasy vehicles. Through display and education we seek to celebrate the classic design and beauty of these ships and the rich imaginations that created them. When the cameras stopped rolling, many of these proud old ships were lost and forgotten. Please join us in working to keep these rare and beautiful birds soaring!

Here is Bill Georges WIRED interview for the Sci-Fi Airshow. 

World's First 3D-Printed Car?

Hmmm, the worlds first 3d printed car?  The first thing I think is, the 3d printer has revolutionized prototyping, it is true.  It puts prototyping in the hands of the ‘garage designers / inventors’ a total Game changer.  And now, large-scale printing houses and cars?  So Cool!!!  Now will we ever get to the point where this is practical for actual product production – meaning economical option?  I have seen 3d printed bikes and they were very delicate and not great for actual use.  For prototyping, we are there, but for production we have a ways to go.  Either way, new uses for 3d printers are reveled everyday and the direction we are going is just awesome!!! ~Cornell 

Watch this CNN Video.

http://us.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2014/09/14/dnt-illinois-3d-printed-car.wgn.html

 

The 3D Printed Car (a.k.a. Direct Digital Manufacturing) – Project Brief

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Futuristic drive: Step inside a 3D printed car

By Teo Kermeliotis, for CNN

updated 9:42 AM EDT, Thu June 26, 2014 |

(CNN) -- It seats two people, has a sleek retractable roof and runs on electric power. And its body can be 3D printed in a single piece.

Meet the Strati, the concept vehicle that was selected from more than 200 entries as the winner of the 3D Printed Car Design Challenge -- back in mid-April, US-based company Local Motors invited designers from around the world to submit their concepts for a car that can be manufactured using 3D printing.

Developed by Italian designer Michele Anoe, the Strati will now  < < MORE > >

What are You Working on this Summer? Check out Emka’s Work (15 Years old)

Need some inspiration? Check out Emka Klučovska’s latest work.  Very Cool!  She is a 15 year old artist from Slovakia and is self taught.  Some say she is a prodigy, I don’t think that term really applies here.  Well it all depends on how you define prodigy, I guess.  Emka works really hard and she is very talented!  She has be drawing since she was 2 years old, that is over 13 years.  How many hours a day do you draw?  How bad do you want it?   She wants it and all those years sketching  paid off.   I talk with my students all the time and tell them that being able to draw is not something you are born with; it is a skill AND YOU CAN LEARN IT!   So if you want it, get to work! ~Cornell

 

https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/blog/artist-spotlight-drawing-prodigy-emka-klucovska#

 

And now she is becoming a digital sculptor working with zBrush . . .  it will be great to see where her hard work takes her . . .

""5.80 Metros" . . . Very Cool!!!

"5.80 Metros" is an animated short film by Nicolas Deveaux, produced by Cube Creative et Orange. An imaginative video in which a team of giraffes practice professional dive from platforms high, demonstrating the grace of these animals.  http://www.cube-creative.fr/

Honda : Super Ultra Daydreams & 3D Printing

Check out Honda: Super Ultra Daydreams, it is a short video which explores the history of their concept designs from the 90’s to present as well as a website that allows you interactively navigate the 3d designs online.  Honda also made these designs available in a downloadable 3d format, where you can either print them out on your 3D printer or ‘reimagine’ your own design.  It is a cool idea and it is interesting to see their concepts over the years.   Check out the site and try printing few out, I plan on printing the set for a classroom demonstration.  ~Cornell   

“If your basic idea is strong, developing a new technology isn’t that hard. Technology is simply the end product. The idea from which it springs is what really matters.” ~Soichiro  Honda

FROM HONDA: At Honda, product development is driven from the bottom up, instead of from the top down. Why? Because we believe great inventions can spring from seemingly crazy ideas. That's why we actively encourage our engineers to come up with the most radically innovative Concept Cars they can imagine.

Over the years, we've showcased many of these vehicles at motor shows around the world. Now, to share the fun with everyone, we're making 3D design data for some of them available on the web. So you can download the designs, reimagine them according to your own personal vision, and share them with the world. Who knows? You may discover that you have what it takes to become the go-to car designer or engineer of tomorrow!

Thoughts from within Jim Henson - “The Red Book”

When I was six years old, The Muppet Show premiered and was hooked right from the start.  I just grew out of the Sesame Street era and directly in to Jim Henson’s hands.  The show aired between 1976 until 1981 when I was eleven years old;  I was a true Muppet kid.  I am sure I even kept watching the reruns until they were off the air.  The Muppets definitely influenced my childhood.   I can’t even tell you how many sock puppets I made as a kid, way too many.  I even had a puppet making supply kit fully stocked with a variety of googly eyes and a bag full of old colored socks.  I wonder where they all ended up?

“I don't know exactly where ideas come from, but when I'm working well ideas just appear. I've heard other people say similar things - so it's one of the ways I know there's help and guidance out there. It's just a matter of our figuring out how to receive the ideas or information that are waiting to be heard.”  ― Jim Henson

Either way,  I just came across “The Red Book” ,  which was a log that Henson started in 1977 and continued until the end in 1988.  He recorded his activities and his thoughts.   One of the entries was from 1970 where he was working on computer animation for Sesame Street.  Yea, I wrote that right, in 1970 he was doing computer animation – cutting edge stuff for that time.  As a creative you need to be an explorer, a risk-taker, and also learn from others creatives, the habits, environment, the community, and their thought process.  Even if you are in a completely different industry, these skills are completely transferable.  Check out Henson's thoughts…  ~ Cornell

9/10-12/1970 – ‘In Denver doing Computer Animation for Sesame #’s 10 and 4 – Second season of Sesame Street.’

Historical information provided by The Jim Henson Company Archivist:

Jim was always interested in the next technological advancement to further express his creative vision, so it’s not surprising that he would seek out the earliest innovations in computer animation. For the second season of Sesame Street, Jim was contracted to make a series of counting films using a range of techniques. Some were live action, some were made using stop-motion animation, Jim painted under the camera to bring other numbers to life, and he worked with Maurice Sendak to produce two traditionally animated films. For numbers 4 and 10, however, Jim was eager to try a new analog computer system called Scanimate. Invented by Lee Harrison III in the late 1960s and built by the Computer Image Corporation in Denver, the Scanimate process involved back-lit high-contrast artwork that was mounted on animation pegs and scanned by a progressive scan monochrome camera. According to Scanimate chronicler Dave Sieg, those working on this technology were, “…an interesting mix of technicians and creative geniuses that understood the subtleties of color and motion that gave the work its real value.”

It’s unclear how Jim learned about Scanimate, but he had been interested in electronics in general and had used his Moog synthesizer to great effect on numerous projects. His colleague, Jerry Juhl, was an early adapter of computers and would have been intrigued with the process as well. Jerry wrote the scripts for “Number 4” and “Number 10” which Jim recorded the week before going out to Denver. The system allowed for the animation to be created in real time which made for an efficient production process. Jim arrived with the audio tracks and detailed storyboards in hand, and was able to complete the visuals for the film in just three days. While visually unimpressive in the context of today’s digital graphics, Jim’s Scanimate work was cutting edge in 1970 and an example of how he was always leading the way in the world of visual media.

FROM: http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2011/09/910-121970/

AND you have to watch my favorite Muppet Show skit, “Manana“,  which was the first skit shown on season 1, episode 1.

3D Printing: The Hype vs. the Reality

Autodesk jumps into the 3D Printing industry . . . It is about time!  What does it mean?   Autodesk just introduced a new open source 3D printing platform, Spark.  They want to make it easier  for the end user to design and then print without all the in-between hassles.  Since historically they are a 3d software development company, they want to streamline the 3d printing processing by offering an open source platform with hope to push 3d printing to the next level.  The Spark platform will be open and freely licensable including their 3d printer design which will be made publicly available to allow for further development and experimentation.  I think it is a super smart move on their part because with the increased ease of 3d printing, there will be an increased demand for new designs, designers and more demand for their software.  Either way, Very Cool Autodesk!   ~Cornell

*Here is an recent Bloomberg TV interview with Autodesk CEO Carl Bass, 3D Printing: The Hype vs. the Reality.

What if M.C. Escher was A Game Designer?

There once was a princess that fell in love with geometry.

My father was one of the head graphics designers for Kodak, hence I was surrounded by illustrators, designers, photographers, and artists, while I was growing up.  I was always drawn to a few books in our family library, the works of  M.C. Escher and Salvador Dali.  Check out this geometric based video game, Monument Valley, that has a Escher influence.  Very Cool!  One of my students yelled out and said, “I love that game! It really hard, confusing, but allot of fun!”  Check out the trailer and the behind the scenes video.   It was also made with Unity, which is a free game. ~Cornell

Behind the Scenes - Monument Valley Game

 The Trailer . . .

http://www.monumentvalleygame.com/

Nanoscience 3D Simulation Using Autodesk Maya

 

NanoScience Simulation?   What the heck is that?  And how are they using 3d animation?  I am always looking for cutting edge real-world uses of Autodesk Maya and I came across an article about 3D Visualization of Nanostructured Surfaces and Bacterial Attachment.  I spent a couple hours reading about it; nanoscience is wild and how Maya is being used for scientific simulation is very cool.  Check this out . . .  ~Cornell

 

3D Visualization of Nanostructured Surfaces and Bacterial Attachment Using Autodesk Maya

“We ( Boshkovikj, Fluke,  Crawford & Ivanova) present a novel approach for the 3D visualization of bacterial interactions with nano-structured surfaces using the software package Autodesk Maya. Our approach comprises a semi-automated stage, where actual surface topographic parameters, obtained using an atomic force microscope, are imported into Maya via a custom Python script, followed by a ‘creative stage’, where the bacterial cells and their interactions with the surfaces are visualized using available experimental data. The ‘Dynamics’ and ‘nDynamics’ capabilities of the Maya software allowed the construction and visualization of plausible interaction scenarios.”  ~ Scientific Reports

What is Nano-Science? Watch this . . .  http://vimeo.com/49364316 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70ba1DByUmM (long )

 

Nanomodelling with Maya

One of the main research tasks of the Visualization Lab is to use software similar to that used to create animated special effects in Hollywood productions, including Autodesk Maya. Data is pulled from various sources to create three-dimensional visualizations communicating complex nano-scale concepts. More importantly, we investigate how animation and graphic design principles in general can improve and further advance the research, inform discovery, and enhance communication processes. The research and productions are driven by the passion for visual storytelling that is combining accuracy in science and aesthetics in art. The animated work mainly covers modeling of cellular processes and material/surface analyses.

http://inano.au.dk/research/research-platforms/nanomodelling/

Virtual Archaeology

Can a 3D animation education lead you to a  career in archeology?  Indiana Jones and the Temple of doom came out in 1984, I was 14 years old.  I loved the movie, who didn’t.  Now I didn’t become an archeologist, but I wanted to for a few years.  The movie inspired a generation of archeologists.   "As a teacher, I would ask my students, 'How many of you were influenced by Indiana Jones films?'" said Fred Hiebert, an archaeology fellow with National Geographic. "Everyone in the class would raise their hands."   It was a Hollywood interpretation of what an archeologist was, but it still inspired a generation, particularly in the field of science.   I even went to a Indiana Jones themed wedding . . . my friend was a high school science teacher.  Hollywood is still inspiring, not only with its films, but with it technologies. 

Look how archeology has evolved.  Maurizio Forte of Duke University, is one of the leaders in this field, "Technology is a wonderful catalyzer, and there are people here from a lot of different backgrounds who together can share a lot of ideas and research," he said. "I want to make this field very different from the traditional view of it."  The techniques used in in Hollywood films and video games are taking the field of archeology to the next level.  "Any scientific approach uses inferences and hypothetical analyses," Maurizio said. "We cannot reconstruct the past, but we can simulate it because the past itself is fluid. Our job is to be open to multiple interpretations and perspectives."   These skills and software applications are just “tools” and will be infused with almost every future industry and career path, from Hollywood to archeology.  ~Cornell

https://today.duke.edu/2013/03/maurizioforte

Biome Concept Car

The other day I was a workshop presenter and was looking for some videos to share that day and I came across this concept car video from Autodesk; it is way to cool.  After  showing it in the workshop and to my students, I felt the need to post it.  I will quote one off my students, “The is mind blowing!” Check it out!   ~Cornell

Here is the Autodesk Video:

Here is a video showcasing the concept art behind the project:

3D Printed Stop-Motion Animation

 

Check out this 3d printed stop-motion animation.  If you have ever done a stop motion animation, think about how a 3d printer can change your workflow.  Not only just for props, but all kinds of elements.  I can’t imagine printing a whole animation like this, it is just not practical, let alone affordable.   But very cool! ~Cornell

 http://www.visualnews.com/2014/04/13/frame-stop-motion-animation-made-3d-printer/#ZC4V2p7A1Ag0UHxt.01

 

Bringing Coraline to life with Objet's 3D Models

Here is a short clip about how Laika uses 3d printing in there stop-motion workflow.