[ explorations in audio and moving imagery ]
Listen to an MP3 of the Chord Progression Motif In between trying out the new Zigview video assist and doing other things I’ve started working on the musical score for the Vitruvius film. The motifs are being constructed in the key of G Sharp Minor and in the Dorian Mode. Why? Because that is the…
A couple of quick behind-the-scenes photos of the Serlio prologue stage sets. I’m in the process of shooting footage with the Serlio books and will finish the set design for the Serlio puppet when I begin shooting those scenes next. You can see my set framework in these photos which is constructed with pine…
It looks as though my short film “Man Drawing a Reclining Woman” screened at the Portland Indy Animation Festival. I don’t have other information at this time except for the online schedule which lists my film and my name.
View Quicktime Movie I used the Flash pre-visualization test (see previous post) to assist with a very short test using my actual set and objects. I printed out the Flash movie as a series of small thumbnails on 8.5″ x 11″ paper. I then used the printed sheets of individual frames for visual reference when…
I spent [another] hour with Macromedia/Adobe Flash tonight to experiment with animation timing and choreography of multiple objects. The result is the clip you see above. I used motion tweens to smooth everything out and added rotation to the objects to make the movement more dynamic. View the first version which was has very rough…
The secondary set (aka the Serlio Set) is almost done. Part of this secondary set development includes another minimal set that will be used for my prologue. I want to include some form of introductory segment in the Vitruvius film. The idea for a prologue emerged after listening to comments from people who saw my…
REVISED UPDATE – NEW PHOTO OF SECONDARY SET: Update to my update. I’m playing around with a desk, chair, and props for the puppet. ORIGINAL POST: The secondary set is almost done. It is a minimal and basic set for the Serlio character which is also being modified a little. I need to make a…
May 2006 was character development month complete with armatures, mask-making, and clothing. The puppets for the Vitruvius project are made of aluminum wire and epoxy putty for âbonesâ? in the arms, torso, pelvis, legs, and feet. Iâm using the Nick Hilligoss T-shaped tie down method for the feet. The head construction starts with balsa wood…
View Quicktime MOV (approx 4MB) Prior to 2003 I had been working with Lightwave and 3D computer graphics as my medium for independent film projects. As it turns out those projects never left the pre-production phase because in 2003 I made a wooden ball-and-socket joint to see if it would simulate the function of a…
Thank you Mark, Shelley, Jeffrey, Mike, Ale, Sven, Scott, Ward, and others that have shared your thoughts about my film “Man Drawing a Reclining Woman”. I’m in the process of crafting a “statement” about the work or my intentions with my projects. Some film festivals ask for a director’s statement so I figure it might…
Animation News The Animation Extravaganza took place Thursday night and I would estimate that about 300 people attended both shows. My film, Man Drawing a Reclining Woman, was the first to be shown which surprised me since I thought the line-up would be different. It is a different experience to see your film in a…
Here is some more production information about the Durer project which is complete and being submitted to various film festivals. The armatures and puppets are made out of bass wood, wooden beads, and threaded rods. The smallest bolts I could find are used to clamp the wood plates around the wooden beads that make up…
The main set for the Vitruvius project was constructed between April and May 2006. The following is a general description of the process and some photographs. Materials used: Pink insulation board for making set mock-ups, the background hills and buildings Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty to cover the insulation that make up the background hills…
It is official. My short film “Man Drawing a Reclining Woman” will premier at the Atlanta Film Festival on June 15, 2006. It is part of the Animation Extravaganza which screens a group of selected shorts in a 2 hour venue. I’m looking forward to seeing “Ichthys”, “Dragon”, “Loom” and “The Wraith of Cobble Hill”.…
I needed some trees for the set have more detail set so I got some poly-fil and something called “cluster stuff” which looks like very tiny cotton balls. I’m using a flat green interior latex paint for coloring the ground and foliage. I’m waiting for the paint to dry and will then attempt to put…
For my completed film, Man Drawing a Reclining Woman, I’ve made a DVD that is both NTSC and region free for my submission copy to send to film festivals. I’ve also registered with Withoutabox, which is a one-stop resource for describing your film and submitting it to many film festivals and paying registration fees. The…
I’ve finished my draft set design and now I’m working out the composition and refining the dimensions and space needed for the objects of the set and the background.
I recently completed my draft set design. (Photos 1 and 2) I used a sheet of foam insulation and hot glue to form the basic shape. (Photo 3) I also threw together some architecture props to see if using foam and watery putty was going to work. (Photo 4) I covered the foam with two…
I’ve been working on my armature development for the current project. The picture above ( click to enlarge) is of my latest armature tests. I’ve been using the aluminum wire and epoxy putty to make the skeleton of the armature then I use Sculpey Super Flex Bake & Bend to add muscles and body mass.…
I have been working with wire, Sculpey, and liquid latex to test armatures for my main character. I’ve also begun to try some animation tests to see how my armature will behave during production. Here is the first picture of my prototype character with costume. Vitruvius Project History (draft version while I revisit my notes…
This is the first post of the Objects at Rest animation studio blog. I recently completed my first short animation film titled “Man Drawing a Reclining Woman” which is based on a Durer woodcut and will be submitting it to film festivals. Currently I am in the development stages of my next project which is…