LeapOffaCliff.com

This blog has moved

2010-04-28T09:03:00.001-05:00

This blog is now located at http://leapoffacliff.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://leapoffacliff.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

The Old Iron Bridge

2009-02-15T12:31:00.006-06:00

Jett West and Tony G of IGP are gearing up for working on the next film after The Devil Lives in Hot Springs, and asked me to look through the script to see if I was interested in helping out. Absolutely.

First thing was the need of an old, impassable bridge in the middle of no-where. The old Iron Bridge near where I grew up came to mind, so we went out on a Saturday morning to Plainview Arkansas, to check out this Old Iron Bridge.

The Bridge spans the Petit Jean River, and really, I'm not sure if it even has a proper name. Any of us local kids instantly know what your talking about if said "meet at the Old Iron Bridge." It was great to get out there in those woods and backroads- see in a rural community like that, the kids didn't go to clubs or wotnot, they went to backroads and bonfires. Good times, and a lot of memories.

I was glad to get some nice photos of the bridge, if nothing else but posterity.

Special effects wise- the script calls for the bridge selected to be impassable and more run down. I'm happy to say that the real bridge is in excelent shape, however it will take some 3D and matte painting to make the bridge suitable for the location. Something I'd love to challeng emyself with if this is the location they pick.

All in all, a fun day.

Stadium

2008-11-13T11:46:00.003-06:00

Another return to Semi-realism. Supposed to be a bit cartoon-ey, especially given that I'm animating about 30k shuffling people... Happy with the result so far. I've automated the random shuffling of the crowd, and have rendered out a HDR pano from the boxing ring, so that I can easily animate/render/post any characters in the ring without re-rendering the entire scene.

Daily work

2008-11-12T15:10:00.003-06:00

So, I haven't blown the dust off this blog-thingy for too long. I am still working, and still cranking out the spots.

So, to actually use this thing, I'll start posting up projects I find at least partially interesting. Starting with today's:

Doing an animation where the camera swings from outside to inside and some red arrows bounce around demoing heat retention/reflection.

First time I've done realistic renders in a long time, so I'm having fun sharpening up that skill set. Plus, it's really fun to see my work in HD on the big 52in HD plasma monitor!

2008 48 Hour film project

2008-06-13T14:43:00.002-05:00

So, another year, another 48 hour film competition. Once again, working with the best crew I can imagine was a blast, and we have a fun film to boot.

I used 3ds Max, and AE for the effects shots.

More Orphan Works

2008-05-16T10:28:00.000-05:00

http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/

My understanding of the bill:

Current copyright law provides that the creator of the work enjoys 100% protection the moment the work is created. If an infringer uses the work without permission, the copyright owner can sue for cease and desist, damages, compensation and court cost. If the copyright holders work is infringed, the infringer is responsible to prove that they used the work with permission. A formal copyright registration can be made for $45 at the copyright office at any time, however, no such formality is required*, but expedites court cases. If a copyright is infringed, the copyright owner has a retroactive 90 day period to register the work with the copyright office.

The Orphan works bill would change the consequences of copyright infringement, not copyright itself. Any work that after "a reasonable search" the copyright holder cannot be found, the work is considered an Orphan. Any Orphan work can be used in any way the infringer wants, and should the owner of the copyright discover the infringement, their only recourse is to sue for "cost of fair use". not damages, not even court cost. "fair use" is essentially what the infringer thinks they should pay, and may not even be enough for the copyright holder to pay for the litigation to get their "fair use" fee. Additionally, the responsibility of proof now shifts from the infringer to the copyright holder.

So this is the problem. It is TOO easy to Orphan a work*, and the copyright holder has little legal recourse to resolve the infringement.

If this were physical property law, rather than intellectual property law, this would be struck down in an instant- this is the equivalent of "borrowing" your neighbors car because you knocked on the door and they weren't home. and when you got caught driving to Mexico, all you had to do was pay for gas. There is no recourse for damages- what if your work was used for a cause that you found morally or ethically offensive? you could not sue for cease and desist or damages, just "fair use".

In Senator Pryor's letter back, he mentioned this law was to balance rights of copyright holders with the needs of users. To go back the car analogy, this is the same as saying balancing the rights of the car owner with my desire to drive it to Mexico. This is unacceptable. This is the Information Age- we have recognized that Information, i.e. intellectual property (IP) is more valuable in many cases than physical property. However, this Bill makes it easier for infringers to steal IP, as well as being plain insulting to those who create IP, by saying that what you produce is not as important as what a physical product is. This, in my opinion, is a huge step backward from the so-called "Information age".

*Berne Convention and current Copyright law states that copyright owners enjoy protection without a formal registry. Under the Orphan Works Act, copyright holders would be required to register their work into some sort of registry (the bill suggest commercial registries!) in order to be "searchable". at this time, the technology does not exist to search images except by tags, text labels, and watermarks- all are easily removed. Being required to register your work with one or more commercial registries will drive the cost of doing business up, as well as being a direct violation of the Berne Convention and other International copyright laws.

Sorry for the long email, but I feel strongly that this Bill is Dangerous to anyone who creates IP for a living, and plain insulting to anyone who believes that IP has any real value.

-Cliff

Oppose the Orphan Works Act of 2008

2008-05-08T14:03:00.000-05:00

Take Action: Don't Let Congress Orphan Your Work

This site makes it easy for you to communicate with your members of Congress. Please feel free to use the templates below and when you fill out your address, your members of Congress will be automatically identified. Non U.S. artists please go here for a sample letter and the U.S. agencies to contact.

IF YOU WANT TO OPPOSE ORPHAN WORKS, CLICK HERE:
>>>http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/<<<

Links:
The Orphan Works Act of 2008
CGTalk Thread

Edit: some additional Links to track the legislation, courtesy Chris Storey:

www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-5889
www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-2913

Digital Grunt

2008-04-09T14:04:00.001-05:00

This is for anyone who has ever worked in a production environment, particularly Animation!

Great work guys, I laughed till I stopped!

Article in Create Magazine

2008-01-23T11:05:00.000-06:00

I was recently Interviewed for an article in the Jan-Feb issue Create Magazine. The article featured a look ahead at the future of of Motion Graphics. The Magazine should be hitting the newsstands soon, so look for it at your local Barnes & Noble or Books-a-Million.

Create Magazine

Last Post about the 48Hour Film project

2007-08-10T16:11:00.000-05:00

at least till I get the tutorials posted.

Here's a pic of the Rogue Wave Productions team members at the awards ceremony. Left to right is Heather Collins, Kelly Griffin, Cliff Brannon, and Brant Collins. Little Maggie is at the bottom front. :)I think we're gonna try to get a pic of all of us soon.

but look, ain't they shiny?

Site Update

2007-08-06T09:40:00.000-05:00

Updated the layout of the site slightly, mostly aesthetic- seemed some folks wondered why I liked tea so much. Fact is, I do like tea, however, the teapot in this case is the iconic Utah Teapot. at any rate, I've changed up the side GFX to be a bit more prosaic.

Also, I've added clips from recent work to the Broadcasting and GFX area.

Nick of Time

2007-07-31T09:44:00.000-05:00

alright, Here is our entry to this years entry to the 48Hour film competition. I'm pleased to say that we were nominated in several categories, including Best Director, Best use of prop, Best sound design, and best VFX and Best GFX. We also made it into the top 10 of the audience choice.

of course, i'm especially giddy about the best VFX and best GFX nominations :)

My plan is to work up full tutorials on how the VFX were done using Particle Flow in Max, and lots and lots of After effects. stay tuned!

congratulations to everyone at Rogue Wave Productions! We made a great team! Now just imagine what we can do next without the insane time restraint.

Article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette

2007-07-23T12:56:00.000-05:00

This Sunday's paper included an article on the 48 Hour Film race that included coverage of our team, Rogue Wave Productions.

The article at Arkansas Online

Our film shows Tuesday night, along with the rest of group A, at the Riverdale 10 theatre. after it shows, we are free to post the film, so i will be posting some clips, and tutorials on how the FX shots were completed.

Monday Morning

2007-07-16T10:14:00.000-05:00

Well, It's Monday morning, and back at the day job. Mind you, I haven't slept more than an hour or so at a time since Thursday :)

Our film was completed with time to spare, and we had a blast! Was able to have plenty of fun comping up some FX shots, and really put my AE skills to a speed test. All told, I did 8 separate effects shots, in just under 12 hours total time.

How does the song go? "Shoot all night! Edit all day!"

I hope all the other teams has as much fun as we did. Best of luck to everyone, and I look forward to seeing the films.

Its time!

2007-07-13T11:50:00.000-05:00

48Hour film race starts tonight, and I'm ready to start!

I'll be a member of Rogue Wave Productions headed up by Brant Collins

www.48hourfilm.com/littlerock/

Best of luck to all the teams competing this year!

Website update

2007-04-12T14:47:00.000-05:00

Updated my resume, minor layout update.

Kurt Vonnegut

2007-04-12T14:36:00.000-05:00

Sad news today,

Kurt Vonnegut died last night at the age of 84. One of my favorite thinkers, artist, and of course, authors.

You will be missed.

http://www.vonnegut.com/

I won a copy of Polyboost!

2007-03-19T15:49:00.000-05:00

Like the man said, I won a copy of Polyboost- a plugin that enhances 3ds Max's already formidable poly modeling toolset.

A huge thank you for Script spot (THE defacto site for Max scripts) for their weekly re-launch raffle, and to Polyboost for providing such a wonderful prize.

WHOOT!

Website update

2007-03-05T16:06:00.000-06:00

Broadcast and GFX reel page has been updated. this new layout is much easier to update and maintain- so it will be added to regularly, accordingly i'm currently encoding additional clips of more recent work.

but hey, you got clips now, instead of the red x's

GFX and Broadcast

2007-03-02T15:38:00.000-06:00

the GFX and Broadcast demo page is sortof messed up- the links still work, but in the process of updating the page, i deleted the old thumbnails. that's why you see the red 'x's. the new page will be up shortly- i would rather continue on with the new page, than fix the old one.

Don't ask me to do a bad job

2007-02-21T15:46:00.000-06:00

and i mean it.

more and more frequently at my current studio, i'm being asked to "do a bad job". not in so many words, mind you, but that's what i'm being asked.

"just slap it together."

"you don't have to spend very much time, just so something is on the screen."

"can you do this by tomorrow morning?"

this is what i actually get asked, usually with no input, or guidelines, or even the bare information i need to get the job done. however, i'm routinely asked to fit 20-30 hours of work into an afternoon- and quality, creativity, effectiveness, or communication are not criteria.

now, apart from all the professionalism issues, and doing a service to the client, what you're really asking me when you ask me to do a bad job, is to take a cut in my pay.

seriously.

i'm not likely to retire here at my current job, i'm not likely to be content to let my creative and technical skills stagnate, so when i do go for the next rung, when i go to the next job, i want it to be a better job. a more creative and fulfilling job. a better paying job. and i'm telling you right now, that doing a bad job will follow you, and that next job that you are looking for will go to the guy that did a good job.

What kinda hours do you work?

2007-02-21T15:31:00.000-06:00

This is from an email conversation i had with Chris Storay. i'll post my reply (with permission!) and then elaborate a bit.

i average about 45 hrs a week, and no, i don't take work home. there are a couple of web guys here that will on occasion, but i think it's a slippery slope. they pay me for work here and i give that my full attention- however, they do not pay me enough to take work home and make them money on my time, and my equipment. i do have a life, and my own ambitions, and i separate my employers workload form that. Now, this is not to say that occationally, last minute projects and crunch times do not happen... When they do, i'm more than willing to go the extra time and effort to see things through. However, these whould be the exception, not the rule- good management and good project planning can minimise the likelyhood of a "last minute crunch" from happening, and lessen the impact when they do.

it is a fundamental mistake to think in terms of trading time for compensation. it is a much better world view to think in terms of trading VALUE for compensation. unfortunately, here at RSA time is king, and the work flow suffers for it (i punch a clock!).

now, you are young, and presumably single. when i first started working in 3D, i had a pillow and a blanket under my desk. i spent 16-20 hour days working, would take a nap while rendering, and then start again. unfortunately, this work ethic led my employers to take advantage of me, rather than compensate me for my enthusiasm. however, now, i have commitments to my wife and home, and the desire to be something other than a robot working to make someone else money. i understand from talking to others that this is a natural progression, and i'm not alone in thinking this way.

basically, what i'm saying is, at some point you have to draw a line in the sand between what you're willing and/or able to give, and what is fair compensation, and what an employer can take from you. if it's a supportive relationship, then both parties can benefit from the value you bring. however, working someone to death with the attitude that the employer owns the employee's time, is a mutually destructive relationship that will result in severe burnout for the employee and the ultimate loss of productivity and creativity for the employer.

Figure Drawing

2007-02-20T09:15:00.000-06:00

While digging through some old drawing pads and found a bunch of drawings from an informal drawing group i attended in Russellville. it reminded me of how much i enjoy drawing the figure, and how much i still have yet to learn.

at any rate, i've started a figure drawing gallery of some of the better sketches. i'm planning on getting back into a regular figure drawing habit, and hope to start up another informal group soon. just looking for a suitable space, an assortment of models, and an interested group of artist.

Scott Frikin' McCloud

2007-02-19T14:58:00.000-06:00

this post is a little late, but i've been busy, then sick. but anyway:

yup, it was a privilege to meet, and hang out with Scott McCloud on the Arkansas stop of his Making Comics 50 State Tour. my Wife Gretchen, my Brother Justin, and myself packed up for the short drive to Henderson College for an informal Q&A with Scott and family. it was a blast to get to ask questions, and interact on a first hand basis someone who i have seen as an inspiration for much of my professional artistic career. i first picked up Understanding Comics my second year of College, and found not only was it a careful and thoughtful treatise on the media of comics, but an in depth look at how we as humans go about thinking visually, and connect icons, visual media and language. it really is a great read, even if you aren't interested in guys in tights.

this of course just kicks my rear in gear to get back to work on my own comic projects. too many ideas, not enough time...

Character Modeling

2007-02-19T13:30:00.000-06:00

Character modeling is what i love to do best. i've been learning the demo version of Mudbox3D, and am absolutely in love. i'll be buying it with the next character job that i pick up. usually, picking up a new interface is the most difficult thing for me when picking up a new software. it will run me a few days to a week to get up to speed with a new package but mudbox was easy to pick up inside of an hour. now, i'm primarily a 3dsmax kindof guy, mostly because thats what i've been using the most, and the Mudbox interface is the same as Maya, which i've used but only for a handful of projects, and the Maya interface is what usually throws me off, but after a couple of days with Mudbox, i found myself trying to use Maya interface navigation inside of 3DS! 12 years of 3DS (DOS, then MAX), and it took a week for Mudbox to turn me into a Maya user. heh.

Here's a simple test i did when learing Mudbox: took a box in 3ds, extruded fingers, set up edgeloops, then spent about an hour in Mudbox.

speaking of character modeling, my character modeling reel will be complete shortly and will go here when complete.