Bubble Engine Blog http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=78 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=76
But I was really impressed with the low light handling of the camera. It is also a great user experience, right now using only the Red Touch to control and it is very intuitive.




Cheers! - Joe Minuni]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=76 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=76


I'm glad to see the camera has evolved to what was announced on the 3rd. It is the first time smaller botique studios will be able to afford cinema quality 4K resolution cameras.

We already put a deposit on ours..

Cheers! - Joe Minuni

http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=74 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=74
These old tintin comics are near and dear to my heart because I read all of them as a child. Now that they are making a film, I can say I'm definately stoked to see a high level of production on these great classics. Even the look of Captain Haddock looks just like I'd picture him in a 3D world.

http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=73 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=73 In the film, Armie Hammer plays two roles as the twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. Lola (one of the studios behind facial replacement tech on Benjamin Button) takes a different but no less interesting approach to the problem of one actor playing twins in David Fincher's "The Social Network". Instead of using a digital replacement for the entire head of the actor, they essentially projected a recorded performance with the maps coming from 4 RED cams.
Very Cool!

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=72 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=72
In recent years HDR photography has been a great way to combine and capture all of the light in a scene for use in re-lighting CG scenes and creating imagery that is exposed as you exactle want, but imagine having all of that light data in a 24fps sequence, with one camera, in one pass.

One can only hope that the tone-mapping isn't overdone like half of the HDR images you see on the web. There are lines that get crossed from where the image goes from natural, to surreal, to visiting the uncanny valley.

That is the future of cameras..an exciting one at that.
]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=71 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=71 Check it out

Source Site
]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=70 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=70
Wes Caefer, VFX Supe:
"My preference has always been real is better. You can't really do any better than real. So where possible, I pushed for practical effects."

Thats right. A Real explosion is always way more fun.
]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=69 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=69
I bought mine from Manios Digital, and it shipped quickly and was at my door in a few days. I ordered the 3/2 version made specifically for the Canon 550D/T2i.

The build is very nice, nicer than the impression I had from photographs online, and feels solid. The plastic does not f It comes with a rubber eyepiece as well as a pad you can attach if you desire for extra comfort. Also included is a a microfiber cloth and a nice carrying pouch.

The LCDVF is affixed to the DSLR's screen by installing a metal frame around the outside of the screen (3M tape) and the LCDVF has magnetic points along it's frame that allows you to snap the unit on and off very easily. The magnetic system works quite well. It also does not interfere with the LCD proximity sensors on the 550D.

The optical quality of the unit is superb. Using all manual focus lenses, I was always able to pull focus accurately using the LCDVF, both with video and shooting stills. It was quite convienent in the bright morning hours for stills as well, I was able to accurately focus and check exposure in Live View using the LCDVF.

The only gripe I have about the system is that I noticed some dust collecting along the edges of the metal frame affixed to the Canon LCD. It also makes the edges of the LCD a little more work to clean ( I used a q-tip) but it is not too much of a hassle.

All in all, I was impressed with the optical quality as well as the build of the LCDVF unit. For only $179 it's a bargain and works as well as expected, and as an alternative to the Zacuto I highly recommend it.

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The art is awesome and their book is probably something I'm going to pick up as well..

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September they will be having the team at Double Negative answer questions about their work on Iron Man 2. Very cool! Register on their forum if you need to.

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Fxguide posted an article interviewing Motion Theory's vfx supervisor John Fragomeni and RealFlow lead Andy Cochrane about the work done on a spot to promote Disney's World of Color.

They used Realflow to sim the particles that are interacting with the characters, and Houdini for the additional particle effects. The sims alone took over 12 TB of data!

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=63 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=63
"Among the things presented were V-Ray RT GPU, PDPlayer, V-Ray RT for Maya, Proxy workflow from Houdini to Maya"

Right now there are only screenshots, but they say videos will also be posted soon.
]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=62 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=62
They talk about the announced PFMatchit, the node-based tracking software from The Pixel Farm that includes exciting features like native 64-bit operation, Rolling Shutter Correction, and ability to support Python scripting.

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=61 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=61
The article talks a bit about New Deal Studios' and their miniature work on the hospital fortress. The miniature that they blew up twice!
I never have gotten to be around any mini demolitions like this, but it is very very cool!

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=60 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=60
Just enjoy!
]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=59 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=59
They completed over 500 shots in 30 sequences.
The work they did is really cool, and sounds like it was a great marriage of CG VFX as well as practical effects

Here is a statement that scares me:"the shot of the skyscraper being torn apart by the winds in Limbo at the end of the film, which went from concept to film-out in nine days!"
Damn.

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=58 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=58
"Fusion CI Studios set up a straightforward Autodesk 3ds Max, FumeFX and Krakatoa pipeline, first creating FumeFX simulations around the animated dolphins, performers and birds, in which the FumeFX fluid interacted with each movements."

Always love anything done with some FumeFX!
]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=57 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=57 A nice way to wrap up the friday

Cheers! - Joe Minuni]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=56 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=56 Gary Adcock is the writer and he speaks very favorably of the camera, both image quality and features.
I just love the fact that it can shoot right to ProRes 4444, instead of a native format like the RED. Should make life simpler for the editors and workflow.

I just hope I get to work with one of these on a production...
]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=55 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=55 (8% on RT) Ouch.

Well if someone you know has to take you to see this, at least you can enjoy quality visual effects work from ILM.

A few cool things:
ILM tweaked its pipeline so that fire could be simulated and rendered using Nvidia's GPU language Cuda as a complete 3D volume in hardware, rather than software.
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The dude throws together a replica of one of the practical effects shots from Iron Man, where Paltrow replaces his Arc Reactor. And it comes out pretty good. Watch:

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Lots of studios had a hand in the film such as Prime Focus, MPC Vancouver, Rhythm & Hues, Digital Domain, Hydraulx, and Weta Digital.

I do a lot of lighting work, and hearing this from R&H was interesting:
"...We set up a 360 degree camera and rendered all our clouds, so it was as if you had a video camera capturing an HDRI image from each plane and we used that as a standard HDRI lighting model. We were actually generating a new map for each frame of the shot and if the plane was inside the cloud for those frames, it would actually ray trace into our cloud environment and youd get a fully grey surrounding HDRI map..."


>]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=48 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=48 I go to the movies to experience the story being told. To see cool gimmicks I go to Universal or Disney. That is where I feel this technology belongs.

There is an interview with the co-president of Dreamworks. And I do respect that it's his job to pimp 3D since they are raking in extra $ by producing the films, I just don't see it adding value to film as a medium. It's a gimmick.

From the Article:
"By the time you got to How to Train Your Dragon, there's a seen where Hiccup [the main character] puts his hand out to Toothless [the dragon]. Is he going to bite or nuzzle him? You don't notice this from the audience perspective, but that shot is slowly being brought forward into your space. That's heightening the feeling of the moment . As a viewer, all you know is that it's an emotional scene."

Well I saw this film in 2D and 3D, and that scene was just as emotional in both formats.

I think 3D just adds unnecessary production hours onto a film that could be better spent in editorial, or finishing off that last scene to perfection.

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]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=44 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=44 At USAToday is a article (not any kind of in-depth stuff, but still a fun 5 minute read) breifly touching on some of the fx work done on the latest M. Night Shyamalan film, The Last Airbender.
And it's Friday, so have a quick article read, and a few drinks before you start working again on Saturday....we all know a VFX artists' work is never done....

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=43 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=43 Bravo to all involved.

If you love film in any capacity, you will go see this opening weekend. Making an animated film that transcends age and gender is just an absolute marvel. Cheers!!

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=41 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=41 The interview covers their creative thought process in making the film.
They talk about "story structure, design, cinematography, character animation, directing, and much, much more."

It's about an hour long, so go to their site and play it while your working and enjoy!

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=40 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=40
The effect of the time reversal was a very cool effect, which they discuss early on. That effect was designed by DNEG.
Using 9 Arriflex 435 cameras, they shot the scene to remap to make that smooth bullet-time like effect.
I found that effect to be one of the coolest "time travel" sequences ever.

They also touch a bit on the importance of really good particle work adding production value to a film. Adding complexity and atmosphere to scenes. Ah, particles...the unsung heroes of effect shots.

This film FX work was (from what I gather) is fully London house based... & the collaboration between all of the companies is admirable as well. A great example of the artists working together. Maybe I will have to make a move to London in the future...

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=39 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=39
The spot is 3 minutes long and has 236 Visual Effects Shots. Those shots include a CG Stadium and lots of crowd work using Massive.

They mention having to roto out all the talent in the shots *SHUDDER* that must've been a nightmare.

Read it!

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=38 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=38
FumeFX is a great tool for 3DS MAX. Learn how to use it to make a realistic ink effect like you can buy hundreds of on those stock FX libraries...except this time you can have it interact with geometry! Get your tuts on...

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=37 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=37
This Red Giant Tool "Magic Bullet Grinder" looks pretty handy, converting the native H.264 stuff to other formats, and frame rate conversions all in a batch with multicore capabilities. Definitely a time saver if you are going to edit lots of HD footage from a DSLR with Final Cut Pro

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=36 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=36 Mentions quickly about them using 5D SLR's to shoot for reference footage, which is interesting that they're being used at all in a mega budget film.
And of course picking apart the smallest details in all the shots.
Always a good listen..check it out

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=35 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=35
]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=34 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=34 The film itself was pretty bad (go ahead and check RT), but at least you can read about the vfx work.

A bit of talk about the wings and stuff which is cool, because it's a uncommon thing to be the focal point of one of your effects. Also makes it sound like they did a lot of 2D projections to speed up the process instead of using actual geometry (hair for example) which is cool, since usually everyone jumps right to 3D as a solution when it can be done by a comp guy.

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=33 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=33
If you haven't seen the film yet you really are missing out. Finally something fresh from Dreamworks. It will make you feel like a kid again, and leave the theater with a big smile.

I really liked the soundtrack from the film too!

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=32 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=32
This is a quick little article highlighting some of the production process that Pixar goes through to produce their films.
An ever so true quote from the article that I think every artist feels about constantly improving their work:

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=30 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=30 Here is some info from their release:

Hybrido, the revolutionary new hybrid technology, which makes RealFlow 5 the only product on the market which enables users to simulate large bodies of water with sophisticated secondary effects, like splashes, foam and mist

Caronte, a cutting-edge body dynamics solver, which offers unmatched capabilities for large-scale, complex simulations

A highly- accelerated particle-based solver, which means that simulations with standard fluids are now up to 20 times faster

Each standard license of RealFlow 5 now comes with a free copy of the RealFlow Renderkit v2 for mental ray or Renderman (Windows/Linux only)

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=29 http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=29
"The 2010 Computer Animation Festival continues the tradition of showcasing the best in computer animation and visual effects," says Kerlow. "This year we have formalized the submission categories to bring the Computer Animation Festival more in line with other top international film festivals and to make the jury process a bit easier. We have a Student Projects category, for example, among the new submission categories, so that computer-animated works produced to satisfy a school, coursework, and/or graduation requirement are to be submitted under this category."



]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=15 Oscar-winning director Francis Ford Coppola says 3D does not enhance movies and that 3D glasses will hurt technology's popularity."

Exactly what I've been saying to everyone I know....In the 3D movies, I notice the effect for about 10 - 15 minutes, then after that I forget about it. And that is if the 3D is WELL DONE.

Clash of the Titans I found it to be an annoyance with the horrid conversion they tried to do after the production was done. You could really see the cut-out separation in some scenes with hair that looked like it was 'floating'.


I still have the same feelings of high and low emotions from films in either format. 3D never made feel the characters and stories were more real. It's the story being told that matters.

I go to the movies to experience the story being told. To see cool gimmicks I go to Universal or Disney theme parks. That is where I feel this technology belongs.
Are they going to move the seats in the theater with actuators? Are they going to use Smell-o-vision? Are they going to have paid actors run up and down the isles to accent the action on screen?

I say all this reflecting upon current gen 3D films. I might be singing a different song once they implement the technology WITHOUT having to wear 3D glasses.


]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=14
Right now he is wrapping up an independent feature film out of Tampa, Florida.

Once a trailer is finished I'm sure you'll see it here...

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What he says that sticks out for me, is the importance of being a photographer in being a Compositor / TD. Realistic falloff, exposures, depth of field, are all things in photography that you need experience with to translate into realistic effects.

I always find the more I practice photography...the more I find myself thinking about how light really works when I'm on the computer doing fx.

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Especially cool stuff with the jetpacks

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=11 Again, Digital Domain handles the marketing trailers for the latest Gears of War entry. As always, it looks epic.
The article is a good read, interesting talk about integrating their VFX pipelines in with a game engine.

Also they talk about the importance of storyboarding & planning in pre-production, which in some places i've worked isn't always a priority.

And it should be...planning each shot leads to a whole greater than the sum of all the parts.... regardless of what you think, VFX is an art.


]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=10
They will spend "$1 million to creating 10 theatrical releases for the bargain basement cost of $100,000 each."

Now besides the horrible name for the division (Insurge? Reminds me of "Revenge" or "Insurrection" or millions of other bad sequel titles), it sounds interesting.

When they mention using social media, I'm assuming it's for marketing. I'm wondering on how they are going to find the talent for these films, if they are just going to accept scripts off the street or do you have to have one foot in the indie film industry already? Guess we'll find out once the website launches...

]]> http://www.bubble-engine.com/blog.php?entry=9
This blog will serve as my outlet for industry news, opinions, projects I'm currently working on, and really whatever I feel like.

I'll post about how much I love watermelon if I want to. What are you going to do about it? Yeah that's what I thought. I eat a lot of it. Especially when I'm working late. Like right now, I just finished a wedge.

Welcome.]]>