Inspiration: 'Horizon'

Wanna see probably the most impressive 27 seconds you'll ever see? Check out "Horizon" by Mickaël Forrett and then watch the breakdown below. One guy did all this work in Photoshop, After Effects, Maya, Mudbox, and Nuke. Unbelievable!

Inspiration: 'Because of Stanley'

Here's an amazing video produced via "Camera Mapping" or "Camera Projection." From the video's creator, Topi Kauppinen:

The reason why I’m so fascinated by Camera Mapping is the way it enables, in a sense, rebuilding physically long-gone spaces and situations by using relatively simple geometry coupled with a little bit of photoshopping. And the ultimate pay-off that comes with it, if done right, is the possibility for near photorealistic, but more or less limited, interaction. The most obvious interaction, of course, is dollying the camera into the frame, which creates something of an elaborate Ken Burns effect, if you will.

Inspiration: 'Rest'

Here's a great short film to inspire students and professionals alike. A new twist on the zombie genre and a beautifully shot film to boot. Thanks to alum Abraham Stopani for passing this one on!

Inspiration: Stargate Studios' 'XXIT' Shot with the Canon C300

Test videos shot with Canon's new "Cinema EOS" C300 system are starting to hit the web, but none are as closely aligned with the type of filmmaking we do at UAT as this one. Produced by VFX house Stargate Studios, "XXIT" is a 12-minute film that channels a bit of Blade Runner while also showing the extreme range of the C300's capabilities.


The "making of" video below is not only a great primer for shooting on a "virtual backlot," but is also an in-depth look at the many features Canon included in their first Cinema EOS offering.

Motion Design Center: 'What is Motion Design?'

For more info, check out Motion Design Center's website.

AE Tuts+: 'A Look At Hollywood’s Biggest VFX – Part 1'

After Effects tutorials portal AE Tuts+ has begun branching out to take an in-depth look at Hollywood visual effects with this article on 2012, Avatar, Lord of the Rings, and Alice in Wonderland.

Here's their Avatar VFX breakdown video:


Read the entire article here!

FX Guide: 'Pan Am: Retro Greenscreen World'

FX Guide has published a pretty comprehensive look at how ABC's new 1960's-set "Pan Am" is making use of Stargate Studios' "Virtual Set" technology to recreate a bygone era.

Check it out here! Definitely worth a look for our students considering a career in VFX.

Cinemetrics: A "Senior Innovation Project" from The Royal Academy of Arts

Here's something that should inspire our DV students that are beginning their Senior Innovation Project: "Cinemetrics." It's a "bachelor graduation project" by a student named Frederic Brodbeck at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. In other words, their version of "SIP."

cinemetrics is about measuring and visualizing movie data, in order to reveal the characteristics of films and to create a visual “fingerprint” for them. Information such as the editing structure, color, speech or motion are extracted, analyzed and transformed into graphic representations so that movies can be seen as a whole and easily interpreted or compared side by side.

Here's a demonstration video:

More info can be found on Frederick Brodbeck's site.

The Visual Language of RAGING BULL

FreshDV has begun publishing articles focusing on the "Visual Language" of cinema. They kick it off with a detailed discussion of one of the masterworks of modern cinema, Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull.

This is not intended to be a comprehensive look at the language of the film, as there is a lot there to unwrap. Rather we will limit our discussion to a few select elements. We will look at how Scorsese uses shot composition, lens choice, and, surface division to enhance the tone and mood of the film.

Read the whole article on FreshDV's website.

VFX Breakdown: HEREAFTER

Check out Scanline VFX's amazing breakdown of their Oscar-nominated work for Clint Eastwood's Hereafter!

Inspiration: The Third & The Seventh

Here's an amazing FULLY COMPUTER GENERATED short film we stumbled across on Vimeo, "The Third & The Seventh." Truly amazing stuff.


The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

Francis Ford Coppola: On Risk, Money, Craft & Collaboration

The99Percent.com recently ran a great interview with master filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola:

Over the course of 45 years in the film business, Francis Ford Coppola has refined a singular code of ethics that govern his filmmaking. There are three rules: 1) Write and direct original screenplays, 2) make them with the most modern technology available, and 3) self-finance them.

Anyone who has taken UAT Digital Video classes surely knows the esteem in which Mr. Coppola is held by your professors. Check out the article for some insight into why.

Innovation: The Ice Book

Here's an amazing piece of film/theatre we first spotted over on Philip Bloom's excellent blog.

The Ice Book (HD) from Davy and Kristin McGuire on Vimeo.

"All we had was a 5D Mark ii, an old Macbook with After Effects, some builders lights and a green cloth that we improvised as a makeshift green-screen. Before we started we had no idea how to make pop-up books let alone how we could combine them with projections."

Brain Farm is Revolutionizing Filmmaking with Technology

Curt Morgan, the director and producer behind Brain Farm Cinema, has pioneered an entirely new style of action-sports filmmaking. Using cutting-edge cameras mounted on trucks, helicopters and snowmobiles, Brain Farm captures intense action without sacrificing scenery.



Originally posted on Motherboard.

"The Commuter" - A Short Film Shot Entirely With Nokia N8 Smartphone

From Mashable.com:

The Commuter is a nifty little action-packed film, directed by the McHenry brothers, and starring Dev Patel, Pamela Anderson, Charles Dance and Ed Westwick. Its distinguishing feature, however, is the fact that it was shot entirely with Nokia’s new flagship smartphone, the Nokia N8.

What do you think? Does this represent a sea-change in the way digital shorts will be created? Or just another phone company gimmick? Either way, this phone is coming to the U.S. very soon.

Also check out the Nokia N8 page on Vimeo and the Nokia N8 page on YouTube.

Inspiration: Whatever Lola Wants

Here's a great example of visionary low-budget visual effects filmmaking - "Whatever Lola Wants" by Dan Blank.



Dan has also posted an excellent "Making of" video that examines his methodology for every shot.



Photographer / DP / filmmaker / blogger Vincent Laforet also uses Dan's work as an example to discuss the "production triangle" - best summed up with phrase "Fast. Cheap. Good. Pick two."

You've Graduated. Now What?

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - Seneca, Roman philosopher, mid-1st century A.D.

You've just spent 3 years or so getting your degree. If you're a regular reader of this, that degree is probably in Digital Video and you've been forged in the crucible of one or more projects under my supervision. You know your stuff now. You really know it. You are prepared.

So now what?

Some of you will wait for opportunity to come knocking. Some of you will settle into life here in Arizona, or maybe back in your home town. You'll wonder why you're not working in this field that you love. You might even become bitter that your degree hasn't done more for you, that UAT hasn't done more for you, that I haven't done more for you. And unfortunately you might get stuck in that mode of thinking and if you do, you can rest assured that the elusive opportunity you seek will most certainly pass by your door without knocking.

But some of you - far too few in my humble opinion - will chase the dream and do whatever it takes to grab opportunity by the shirt collars and get its attention any way you can. You'll move to Los Angeles, or New York, or Austin, and you'll slowly but surely make it happen. You'll work for the Discovery Channel or on big-budget films like Avatar or maybe you'll rub elbows with one of our icons Robert Rodriguez. You might even stay here in the Valley and find a way to make a name for yourself here.

So what's the difference between these two groups of alumni? Well, the second group, the one chasing the opportunities - they make their own luck. They know that it's not enough to simply prepare. They know you have to chase it. You have to want it. And you have to be willing to go outside of your comfort zone and take a risk.

This week, one of my recent grads went through a mini-crisis that is both the reason for this blog entry and the proof of what I'm talking about. This grad went out to L.A. for a few days to hang with some of the other UATDV alumni who have landed out there, and he got a dose of how tough this business can be. The guys he spoke with out there - well, they're all looking for work right now. That's how it is sometimes. One day you're working on Avatar, the next you're "between gigs." It's rough, and it's not for the easily discouraged. Add to that the fact that this particular grad - whose demo reel is stellar (see below) - was being told by studios that he'd need four years of professional experience before they'd even consider him. All in all he came back from L.A. feeling very discouraged.

But did that stop him? No. He sat down with the Arizona Production Association guide and started researching postproduction houses here in the Valley. Turned out one of them had an opening for a freelancer with just this grad's skill set, starting immediately. On Monday was feeling like he'd had the wind knocked right out of his sails; but on Wednesday he started his first day working for a high-end post house on a project for a national client. Why? Is it because he's just lucky?

I say yes, he's lucky. Because he's done the preparation for the last three years and now he's actively pursuing the opportunities. He's not letting the business and its fickle ways get him down or stop him from making it happen. So let this be a lesson to all of you who are still waiting for opportunity to knock: You either make your own luck in this life, or you don't. It's all in your hands. Go after those opportunities. Chase 'em. Because they aren't going to chase you.

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” - Thomas Alva Edison, American inventor of the motion picture

Why We Teach Avid: Storytelling on the Cutting Edge

Check out this great interview with up and coming Hollywood editor Robin Buday, courtesy of Avid's official Vimeo channel!

Storytelling on the Cutting Edge: Robin Buday from Avid on Vimeo.

Inspiration: 100 Years of Special Effects

Technically it should be called "100 Years of VISUAL Effects." But I quibble. Check it out, courtesy of (inexplicably) CollegeHumor.com.

Inspiration: Command+Z

Check out this great piece of visual effects filmmaking produced by a bunch of students at the Art Center College of Design

COMMAND+Z

With visuals obviously inspired by German expressionism and produced entirely on greenscreen, this is one you need to watch!