Death of the Keyframe

Posted by Mark Anthony Marcelo | Outside the Box, Trade Tips | Tuesday 15 September 2009 11:12 am

Na, na, naaaa… Hey, hey, heeey… Gooodbye…

The beautiful video playing above was made with no keyframes at all. The animators used complex physics-driven equations and codes to create this trippy world with glowing spheres and bio-robotic plants.

Although it’s exciting to see technology advance before our eyes, one must ask the question, “What does this mean for animators?”

Are we entering a time where animation will be done solely through writing equations and defining physics parameters? Will animators go the way of the elevator-operator and soda jerk?

Will I be telling my grandkids stories about the good ol’ days when animators used to have to tell balls when to bounce? Or will we be granting Emmy nods for excellence in animation to Skynet and Agent Smith from the Matrix?

Let’s take back animation one keyframe at a time!

100 Years of How Did They Do That?

Posted by Mark Anthony Marcelo | Must See TV | Wednesday 9 September 2009 9:04 am

Remember the first time you were chased by a sprinting T-Rex on an island off the coast of Costa Rica? How about the last time you had an epic battle with an undead skeleton warrior? Can’t remember? You mean you’ve never seen Jurassic Park or Jason and the Agronauts?

That’s what Visual Effects do. They transport us to places that would be otherwise too expensive, too dangerous, or too impossible to ever visit.

I remember my jaw hitting the floor when I saw that Brontosaurus go up on it’s hind legs to get the leaves at the tippy-top of that tree. I remember the terror when I saw the T-1000 dispatching innocent bystanders in liquid metal form. I remember my first jump to warpseed and the iconic hum of an ignited lightsaber.

Do you remember the first time you felt the magic of the silver screen?

If not, here’s a quick look at the past 100 years of movie magic. Enjoy!

When Life Hands You Lemons…

Posted by Tiffany Olay | Must See TV, Social Studies | Wednesday 9 September 2009 8:41 am

“More than 70,000 advertising professionals have lost their jobs in this “Great Recession.” Lemonade is about what happens when people who were once paid to be creative in advertising are forced to be creative with their own lives.”

For more information and updates on the film’s release, visit their website.