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09-04-2010 |
 
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The Blog History 2009
04/10/2009 News As always life has it's way of making things harder then they really need to be. I have been waiting for Paula to finish the narration for Wicked Oz part 1 and it turns out she may have to have an operation as she is currently struggling with major back trauma. So as a point to set myself I'm releasing the Teaser for this, even though I have no idea when Paula will be well enough to get this finished. So with this hanging around my neck I have gone back to my original "War and Peace" project, and have started getting this finished. Today I announce that "If Ever" the most successful song I think I have ever been part of. Which has been played on TMOA and been used on a number of Machinma films has finally had it's visual film started. Yes like Wicked Oz this will have the musical treatment applied to it and I am currently re-scoring the song to fit the film. I didn't just want to make a music video, I wanted to tell the story of the reason behind the words and the sentiments that the song gives. Yes there is a new page dedicated to "If Ever". - As we begin October there are some amazing launches going to be happening. One which I'm sure many are waiting for is the release of iClone4. Reallusion have been working hard again to get another version out to us film makers. From the announcement page and the demo videos this really does look like an impressive piece of kit and something I look forward to adding to my production pipeline. The Future I think that one thing that I have always wanted to be able to create is photorealistic animation. I've always been impressed by DreamWorks and Pixar's films but I've never seen myself as a charactures animator and to be honest my stories would never fit this style. As someone who's aim is to make realistic animation, not that used in live action films but as complete pieces. I'm now been drawn to other tools, other applications. One applications has been catching my eye for around a year now, which is Daz 3D. Mainly due to the visual splendor it produces, I've avoided getting it due to me being worried about the learning curve. Well I was right, it's very very difficult for the new person. I took the plunge a couple of weeks ago and have been trying to learn how to use it. The quality of the models is without question outstanding and far superior to iClone. However there is a major set-back in the rendering times. We are talking hours here, my first animation attempts which are so bad I would never subject the world to, took around 2 hours to output a 10 second file. If you then add additional lighting and shadow, texture and props well your looking at a day to render 1 shot (12 Hours). I've placed a couple of my first 3D art work done with Daz 3D to my Digital Art section.
Music Even though I have been working on Catherine's (My Daughters) album, due to the projects I have been making, music has become a big part of my pipeline. There will be a lot more released regarding this soon. That's all for now Colin.
03/09/2009 News Over the last 6 weeks I've been tied up preparing things for my wife's (Paula) 40's birthday party and had been given the task of organizing the entertainment. Which meant the artist on the night, the sound system and then doing the DJing. With the fact I'm working with my daughter on her album I had to prepare her live set for the big night as well. On Saturday 29th August the party went a head and I'm pleased to say that the night was an amazing success, everyone enjoyed themselves and a good night was had by all. There are a number of people who helped us make this night special for Paula and they were all thanked in person on the night. However just for the record I want to thank you all again for everything you did no matter how small. All my animation projects have had to take a step back due to me being tied up with this and even updating this blog has been delayed on about 6 occasions now. The teaser for Wicked Oz is finished but I don't want to release it until I'm virtually complete on part 1. I've released teasers in the past and then the final project has been held up or have never been completed. The hold up is down to the narration that needs to be recorded by Paula (The birthday girl) and now that the party is behind us I hope to get this completed as soon as possible. On this subject, once Wicked Oz part 1 is done, I will be moving onto "The Forgotten Children" but I'll give the script and story a face lift, discard all the stuff that was problematic and break the story into parts. Trying to attempt a 5 minute piece is causing me difficulties, never mind a full blown feature film. Finally there is some major news that I'm currently working on that could change many aspects of my life. Any one interested in my work keep posted, as soon as I can announce anything I'll post it here. Studio So considering that my final artistic resting place is finished, I've decided to dedicate a page to it via my About page - Final Phase Studios Music This last few weeks have seen me start to work on some new music. Which at this stage is not planned for anything but has the potential to develop into a possible album. I'm working with my daughter on a number of tracks and I cannot wait to get some of the finished tracks out for people to listen to, as she is most definitely her mothers daughter. Her debut album is coming along very well. Digital Art
I have added some new images in the Digital Art section. These are not only to do with my projects but stand alone pieces as well. That's all for now Colin.
07/07/2009 New approach to animation I recently read a document called "Using Dynamics in Disney’s Production Environment". I found the first quote somewhat inspiring (Quoted above) and it has made me think a lot about my animation approach. I think the key is how you tell the story as opposed to how you make it. I've seen people make videos of just a still image, but the way they film it, use music and in some cases add narration. It tells the story in the way they want it told. This has really made me look at approaching my projects from a different perspective. I have so many stories to tell but I seem to get bogged down in the thought of having to animate a full 60 minute piece and the thought of spending a year doing so puts me off. So I've decided to give this new approach a try and the next project which I have been working on for some time will be different from anything I've done before and more to do with telling the story. I've already mentioned the project and setup the page "WiCKED Oz" on the website but I'm going to change how it will be created and then produced. I'll update more soon and I'll have a teaser out to give people a glimpse of what I'm attempting to do. Community I have been looking around other peoples websites lately and wondering if it was just me that didn't update often enough, thankfully I'm not. That I think comes from the fact that producing our art is time consuming enough but to then update and maintain a website for that art is the bigger challenge. I suppose if I can contribute towards my website every 2 to 4 weeks it keeps things ticking along and all allows those following my projects an update. On the subject of other website please check out the website on the left, here you find lots of information on iClone and the Machinma community at large. Music I've uploaded my first album finally to the new website. Please check out the Music page for those wanting to have a listen or download. Please remember these are copyrighted tracks and if you wish to use them please email us at contact@capemediauk.com. That's all for now Colin.
14/06/2009 Wow another couple of weeks past and very little done for my projects. Just finished being in work for 6 days so tiredness and spending time with my family took priority. I'm about to go onto a new rotating shift roster so I might be able to get some production work done...fingers crossed. Anyway, I have entered Angels v Demons into the "War & Peace" competition Reallusion are running. Mainly because I'm not going to finish the project I wanted to enter. To be honest "A V D" is the best thing I have at this time and hopefully can do reasonably well. A new page has been added as promised regarding one of my latest projects WiCKED Oz. I have researched so much regarding this, which includes the original stories of Oz and the more up to date text. As I have delved deeper I have uncovered many great stories and work being done. One project which has captured my imagination is a Youtube channel by samuraislider. He has done some wonderful videos of his artwork and has done the dialogue of his writings over them. I've been thinking of this approach to my projects to progress a story without having to spend hours doing additional animation and in WiCKED Oz I'm going to have a go. I've also done a bit of artwork myself based on the Oz universe, which people can view. Regards Colin
24/05/2009 I have continued the design of my website. As always these things evolve over time and hopefully the navigation is starting to come together. I'll then start looking at jazzing things up a little with more pictures and colour. Anyway the big news is I'm proud to announce the name of my next release:- Wicked Oz This is just a single scene based around the books of, L. Frank Baum, Gregory Maguire and Winnie Holzman. I will release more soon and I'll dedicate a whole page to this production, which will include updates, posters and teaser. The poster is nearly complete but the teaser is some way off, so keep posted you "Wicked" and "Wizard of Oz" fans.
07/05/2009 Well another birthday came and went yesterday 6th May 2009, with me being 21 for the 20th time :) "Angels v Demons" has been doing really well and has surpassed all my expectations with over 400 view in a week....wow. I have had a nice donation this last week from Mike Aparicio. He has given me a full version of his amazing "Skirtmagic" content pack. I think I'm a fully affiliated C4G3 user now, I'm going to be looking at this over the next couple of weeks but so far so good. I have a number of projects on the go at this time and each one requires me to get different resources. This is probably the worst part of making films as you sometime cannot find exactly what you need and spend far too long looking for it. Anyway fingers crossed I find what I need, soon. Current projects:- Trailer to be released soon for "Deliverance" My entry for Reallusion "War & Peace" competition. My musical stage show piece - Still top secret :) Previous projects:- "The Forgotten Children" - Will be started again later this year. "The Disciple (The Dark War)" - Is currently on hold.
30/04/2009 What an amazing week I have had. Angels v Demons has had a fantastic response from the Machinma crowd, even thought the little nudity issue cropped up. I was on TMOA (The Ken & Roger Show) on Sunday 26th April talking about the release and other iClone related things. I always have a blast on the show. Then on Monday the film was discussed on the Wolf & Dulci Show again they spoke kindly of the piece. I'm now concentrating on my entry for the War & Peace competition that Reallusion are having. This will be an amazing contest and so far there have been some really impressive productions entered. I really will need to raise the bar if I'm to have a chance. I have added a donation button to the website, sadly I cannot continue to fund my production on my own. As much as I hate to ask for help, I really need some. Thanks for visiting Colin
26/04/2009 Angels & Demons released: Yes it has finally been released. You can watch it on the Film page in both Standard Definition or High Definition. I hope you enjoy it. Colin
22/04/2009 The Sword Dance has now been added to the website you can view this from the film page. Regards Colin
20/04/2009 We now have version 1.1 Continued the design of the website. New page added which will be like a historical record of the changes being made. A little bit of art work has been added check out the "Art Work" page. Regards Colin
19/04/2009 Just a quick update I have set a release date of 26/04/2009 as the release date of "Angels v Demons". By then I hope to have a little more stuff on this website as well as the HD version of the release. All the best Colin.
18/04/2009 Finally uploaded the new website. Nothing spectacular at this stage and pretty much empty. But like everything it will evolve and over time I hope people will enjoy what I'm trying to do. Thanks Colin Cooper (aka Capemedia) |
