fifth day

Well, we finished several milestones today including but not limited to the Master Asset Sheet, the Master Shot Sheet, and the Thumbnails for the Storyboards. There was very good progress today in terms of what was accomplished, everyone should be proud of themselves. We are going at a very good pace. More and more people are getting the flow of things and the department heads are also learning to manage their teams better. Marshall has accomplished quite a feat with this short production class, not only that, he sacrifices some of his own wallet every morning, so thank you Marshall; for not just enriching our minds, but filling our stomachs as well. Already most of the students have gained irreplaceable knowledge on the creative processes that go on in a production pipeline, as well as the production pipeline's architecture in general. With what knowledge I've already gained so far, I feel as if the class has already payed for itself. I'm sure many of the others feel the same way. We're going to have a 5.5 day on Saturday, when Marshall gets back from his previous engagement. The lab is still open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm so anyone is welcome to come in and work, but it's not required. Everyone get lots of rest and be ready for Monday.

First Week

Well I made it through the first week without getting totally derailed by extraneous responsibilities. I've had sick kid management, but I think that's a decent trade-off for other potential disasters. As a precautionary measure I hope to focus on getting the comet up in all its destructive glory. (Are you sure we can't wipe out the village?!!??) If I can finish that, I can just fill in gaps on modeling and textures, so if I have to bow out, it won't have a catastrophic impact. Naturally I'll work on whatever concept art Jonathon has outstanding. :]

I can't wait to see some of this!

btw: if, in fact, the comet DID hit the village, we have an opportunity for a number of sequels, which would probably involve the undead. I can go either way. Living ... not living....

fourth day

So we went through today and finished up our script for Astronomer. After establishing the script we've built extensive shot lists and asset lists, in order to continue the production of our short. Many of us showed up slightly late and a bit tired, but there was a lot of work that was still completed at the end of the day. I myself have become more submissive to the whole process and I'm trying to allow it the room to start moving forward until it becomes a giant Avalanche of productivity. I hope that all of us continue to work hard at this short production. There have been ups and downs, but I am confidant that all of us will pull through to the end. Everyone please keep up the good work. Good Luck.

third day

we've chosen a story, written it out.
my task today is to turn in into a screenplay.
we will have an asset list, production art,
start on thumbnails and an animatic (for timing), by days-end.

the class is now in full-blow production.

after the tension of creating the story, choosing between many strong ideas, and debating the possibilities, sometimes with a passion, when the decision was finally made, there was a mild bemused applause. then we broke into teams, chose team leads, and got down to business.

there are some cynical students (tho this is subtle, and not malicious), there are some waiting for their turn to come up (yet they still give input), but all are now engaged in the creative process. there are some bumps, some doubts, especially when some consider the extremely close deadline that is looming. but we will not give in to doubt nor fear. I have maintained that we would not let technical considerations determine our story choices (and I'm the technician amongst all of them, if there ever was a naming-convention, directory-structuring, name-every-node, complex-shader-hierarchy, process-driven, attribute-connecting, script-stringing fool, it is me!), but rather, use the script to drive creative solutions to technical impossibilities.

i've scheduled meetings for the rest of the week. departments will form, do their work, and disolve. some will remain. some will split. i've got responsible individuals in areas of authority, and everyone is learning the value of criticism and open debate. a difference of opinion is not a negative nor personal thing, as long as the facts are discussed, and everyone defers to the responsible decision-maker.

we will have a high-calibre, quality animated short told in one voice. i can see it in my head (and have had glimpses of it since Clint first started telling the story). There are scenes and camera angles that demand themselves to be made. there are rich and engaging characters, each with their own pasts. i feel a bit like Christian Lorenz-Scheurer (www.christianlorenzscheurer.com/), inventing worlds by the sheer power of speech and line. And the students are full of ideas, a great group of advisors. we've got a good team.

second day

today's movie is Iron Giant.
there are excellent camera shots and characters in this one.
this is the story of the growing concious of a metal giant.

After reviewing 9 story pitches yesterday, I am impressed with the creativity. There were some who were holding back, or holding their cards close to their vest. But, after the ideas were pitched, almost everyone had something to add.

we've got to choose a story today.
there are several good stories and a couple of top contenders.
we post these on the forum, and several posts were made overnight, mainly for one idea. this might be good indication of the strength of each idea.

We are all eager to get into production. By the end of today we will have put everyone to work in some way or another.

first day of class

almost everyone is here.
we've started by watching Flash Gordon (with the Queen soundtrack), which has a good story and excellent production values, with plenty of practical and special effects.

the lesson:
creative input > creative output.
the very definition of "writer's block" is staring at a blank sheet of paper.

so, the previous two weeks we've been seeking inspiration, studying story, observing connections, and noting stereotypes. We've watched the Matrix series (including Animatrix), Equilibrium, and the Wizard of Oz, among others. These are not shorts, but we'll get to those. Paramount to a good production is Story. We'll get the technical and artistic aspects of short production down, but the story is the most precarious, and our greatest opportunity for success.

OMG it's a Mob Blog!

"Captain's log, star date 01032007
It's not because my (well, our) wedding announcement had a Star Trek touch, or because I own an English-Klingon dictionary as well as a USS Enterprise telephone, or because I went to a Star Trek convention in Düsseldorf once, that you can call me a Trekkie."
-http://no-copy.typepad.com/no_copy/2007/03/captains_log_st.html

So at the end of this class we're all going out and having a celebration... right?