Impact Of Digital Film Through The Eyes Of Keanu Reeves

I think it's brilliant how Keanu's taking to documentary filmmaking! And this is such a broad and interesting topic to begin with. It showcases the transformation and impact of digital film in the industry. Featuring interviews from the likes of James Cameron, George Lucas, Christopher Nolan, Steven Soderbergh and more as Keanu takes you to the very core of today's production environments - the transition from film to digital. 

The Last Stand Shows Schwarzenegger's 'Old' Bad-ass Side

So there's Arnold Schwarzenegger getting back into movies because apparently he once implied that if the scripts are good, he'd take the project. We're seeing him return to the big screen as a member of the Expendables alongside the likes of Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis.

Words can't describe my excitement however when I see the flurry of Terminator gags in his latest movies. Such as The Last Stand coming 2013. It stars Arnold as an aged, yet able Sheriff that takes it upon himself to rid his town of an upcoming drug cartel headed their way.

I just love how he's all calm and collected while firing heavy artillery out of that bus. 

Disney Planning To Clone And Shave You?

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Completely taken aback by the recent news that Disney Research is working on digitally cloning and shaving our faces. Not sure if this is bad or not, but it certainly points towards not needing facial scans from actors anymore.

What is astounding is that they've taken it a step further by applying this new technique to 'audio animatronics' - Simply put, these scans will be used to automate replication of human faces for future Disney Robots. The process is complicated enough in that a subject's face is first captured under a variety of different expressions and the data is fed into a system that later uses the data to composite synthetic skin. Thereby, creating a digital version of the subject.

It's still pretty cool though! Check it out:

This brought back memories of the ever-advancing Lightstage - a cutting-edge technology headed by Paul Debevec of University of Southern California's Institute of Technology. Lightstage, having been used in many of today's visually spectacular films, replicates real-world lighting under HDRI (High Dynamic Range) conditions. Hence creating a digital map of every bit of detail on the subject's skin while capturing a barrage of expressions. ---- This is Lightstage in a paragraph although there's a lot more than meets the eye. 

If you're interested in learning more about Lightstage in all it's tech, be sure to check out FXGuide's take on Paul Debevec and ICT - here's a link http://www.fxguide.com/featured/paul-debevec-and-ict-an-fxphd-bkd/

Hope you've found this at least a bit informative. Till' next blog post!

Mocap - In Your Browser?

WebAnimate

Honestly didn't know about this until today but this is kind like motion capture plus Skype.It was part of a lesson at fxphd and I thought it was really cool! 

Simply put, this is animation in your browser. You can upload motion capture data and your rigged character from your computer, and you'll be able to make use of the IKinema Solver with it's very intuitive interface (load assets, pass animation from one character to another etc). And then you can export the animation and share it with your friends and fellow artists.

Note: That they will NOT be able to view or download the files that you upload. 

Ubisoft's Choice In Trailer Music Is Brilliant - Iron By Woodkid Was Perfect For Assassin's Creed

I recently started playing Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. I know...VERY LATE! I actually stopped playing the Assassin's Creed games because I got into Skyrim but then a friend of mine forced me to get back into the series, and I was hooked, naturally. 

So at last year's E3 they launched a reveal trailer for Assassin's Creed Revelations - the last game featuring Ezio as the protagonist assassin and ending his saga. I think that aside from the epic-ness of the trailer, yes I did just say epicness, the soundtrack made people go wild. It was all over YouTube the next day. I just bought the track on iTunes, it's brilliant! 

And the official music video below: 

The official music video is symbolic of so many things. Each of which are debatable but relate to war and power in different ages. 

That marks the end of my 2 cents. 

When You Own A Light Saber - And Don't Know It...

Found this old gif that I made a couple years back lying around in my computer today. I guess I made it because of my hatred towards the cool-looking, expensive-as-hell Star Wars merchandise. Nonetheless, it's dumb, choppy, and unfinished - all the more fun. 

Weird Looking Car

Saw this car sitting right in front of a TTC stop. It shouldn't be there but it looks so cool!

Kinda like the Batpod from the Dark Knight Trilogy

- Posted using BlogPress from the Bat Cave.

Batman...As A Drunk?

Out of the countless parodies that were sure to be flood the internet following the release of the MEGA-AWESOME 'The Dark Knight Rises' this one is THE MOST HILARIOUS one. Considering the fact that these guys probably had loads of time on their hands and since this is only a parody of the 3rd Trailer for the film, it's still pretty nifty. 

Fake Commissioner Gordon looks a whole lot similar to the original one played by Gary Oldman -- his first appearance in the spoof looks like he's overdoses on drugs - bizarre but funny. 

Iron Sky - This Is Dumb. In A Hilarious Way!

I honestly don't know what to make of this other than the fact that I found this to be funny. Based off of a TV series of the same name I believe, Iron Sky is an upcoming comedy (not too sure about that but it made me laugh) film about...well...Nazis in space. 

PROMETHEUS Landing by MPC

Saw the film in 3D last month and this was one of the most visually striking CGI sequences I have EVER seen. 

Brilliant work by MPC!

Ubisoft's AnvilNext Engine Helps Assassing's Creed 3 Work Wonders!

I shouldn't have been surprised when they showed off the fantastic Naval Warfare gameplay at E3 this year because the team over at Ubisoft just released a video showing off their proprietary engine, AnvilNext. 

"This proprietary technology renders seamless worlds of nearly infinite possibilities. Transporting you deep inside American before it was America," says Ubisoft. 

Assassin's Creed 3 delivers on spectacular visuals and what seems to be remarkable and fluid gameplay. With the help of AnvilNext, another tale in the Assassin's Creed saga will leave it's mark when it lands on October 31st.