tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87026795335491221642024-03-13T03:18:52.888-07:00Knights End-----Visual Effects, Illustration, Pixel Art and General GeekeryKnights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.comBlogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-84326686594766488812018-04-10T07:17:00.000-07:002018-04-10T07:17:07.838-07:00Red Markets---Aberrants---Ever-Vec<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RyxklFc-ZJ0/WpiOl1ulgCI/AAAAAAAAMkA/QucRyrJ5LCAEnWG35cdSpBFA1mXukoJ3ACLcBGAs/s1600/Ever_Vec_final_v001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="662" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RyxklFc-ZJ0/WpiOl1ulgCI/AAAAAAAAMkA/QucRyrJ5LCAEnWG35cdSpBFA1mXukoJ3ACLcBGAs/s640/Ever_Vec_final_v001.jpg" width="264" /></a>Upon contracting the Blight, the infected become classified as Vectors die within a few days. They develop into sacks of dead flesh animated by the sinews of Blight that have burrowed throughout their corpses. But on rare occasion a Vector never dies. They never bleed out. They retain the ability to climb, turn door handles and wield simple weapons. In fact, an Ever-Vecs body seems to replace torn muscle with more muscle, making them stronger and faster the longer they are mobile. There are multiple reports of the same Ever-Vec, a huge, mutated mass of Blighted muscle, swinging a parking meter like a club, murdering the inhabitants of the Cursed Settlement in several of its incarnations. </div>
<br />Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-30069207832606853232018-03-28T23:14:00.000-07:002018-03-28T23:14:56.941-07:00Red Markets---Aberrants---Empty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Empties are also called blanks, dreamers, pacifists, and downers. They are an unfortunately common sight. </div>
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The same mental remnants that cause casualties to gather in locations that they frequently in life goes haywire in an Empty. They do not bite, hunt or attack. They simply repeat an action over and over, stuck in an endless loop, mirroring an action they performed in life. Sitting in a living room, watching a blank television screen, scrolling on a long dead phone, with baseball glove in hand, waiting for a pitch that will never come. Somehow, these casualties are more haunting than the ones ripping your teammates apart. They are a reminder of the humanity lost and how the creatures you are gunning down may have been your neighbor or family days before.</div>
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<br />Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-88547935398089998192018-03-09T09:07:00.000-08:002018-03-09T09:31:59.405-08:00Red Markets---Aberrants---Scarecrow<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2c-niKBxqWI/WpiO1qIt8ZI/AAAAAAAAMkM/lQ_l3R61kP0YMDfWTL2QNaGa0CJX0xdWgCEwYBhgL/s1600/scarecrow_v001_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1052" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2c-niKBxqWI/WpiO1qIt8ZI/AAAAAAAAMkM/lQ_l3R61kP0YMDfWTL2QNaGa0CJX0xdWgCEwYBhgL/s640/scarecrow_v001_final.jpg" width="420" /></a>Another of the zombie classes that I illustrated for the Red Markets RPG, the Scarecrow. Part of the blight, the zombie virus, creates sinews of necrotic diseased flesh as it courses through the victims system. Sometimes however, the sinews tear through the flesh of their host. In the rare case a casualties sinew roots it to the ground, crucifying it upon its own Blight. The root like growths can radiate out, turning the area around it into a minefield of thorny black vines, ready to burst forth, ensnare and drain any creature with the misfortune of passing near. Entire enclaves have had to be evacuated as the roots of a scarecrow have dug under their crops and fortifications. </div>
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For this one I went for some Struzan inspired, designerly clouds that in the end, Im not entirely sure they worked. I also set the Scarecrow in a patch of earth I spent far to much time rooted to. It seemed far creepier to be set within a heavily developed area instead of a remote rural spot.<br />
<br />Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-65965602623026664352018-01-11T20:36:00.000-08:002018-03-09T09:32:17.733-08:00Red Markets---Aberrants---AerosolThe next Aberrant that I painted in Red Markets is the Aerosol.<br />
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In the case of this Aberrant, its a casualty, desiccated and long gone. It barely registers as a threat. Then one of your crew sneezes. Then they all begin to cough. Choke. Blood from the eyes and ears. All begin to turn without having come into physical contact with the infected. For some reason, the rare casualty turns the Blight airborne, infecting all who come close.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kcRefNjvIuE/Wlg55jpt_bI/AAAAAAAALvg/Vt-f9up_kKo8ZABFt9tv7P03CedR99GGgCLcBGAs/s1600/Aersol_Final_v001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1600" height="420" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kcRefNjvIuE/Wlg55jpt_bI/AAAAAAAALvg/Vt-f9up_kKo8ZABFt9tv7P03CedR99GGgCLcBGAs/s640/Aersol_Final_v001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I spent the majority of this illustration looking up decent mechanic shop/garage reference photos to make sure that the environment looked accurate without drawing too much attention away from the barely put together zombie. With each scene that I created, if there were just a few or single zombie in focus, I put together a backstory in my mind to make sure their injuries and clothing in the situation made sense.</div>
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<a href="https://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/product.php?productid=20533&cat=0&featured=Y">If you are interested in purchasing Red Markets, you can do so here.</a>Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-55637306470635757902018-01-06T12:08:00.000-08:002018-03-09T09:33:03.356-08:00Red Markets---Aberrants---Converts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The convert was my first illustration for the Red Markets RPG. The convert is a zombie (or casualty in the parlance of the game) who keeps its consciousness, but gives itself entirely over to the hunger. It can also control huge armies of other casualties and, no one knows why, is always a child.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gQq-7h4o940/WjtJB79q8oI/AAAAAAAALro/gPpEV2wjQNsPL6l9Gp328TcQ6PmXbYqJgCLcBGAs/s1600/RedMarkets_ChildZombieLord_final.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1600" height="420" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gQq-7h4o940/WjtJB79q8oI/AAAAAAAALro/gPpEV2wjQNsPL6l9Gp328TcQ6PmXbYqJgCLcBGAs/s640/RedMarkets_ChildZombieLord_final.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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From the book:</div>
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<i>I watched in shock as the enclave fell. I listened to their screams echo thoughout the valley. Near the end, the horde seemed to lose its focus....</i></div>
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<i>Just as night fell, I watched one wander away. It was a little boy, in pajamas soaked with fresh blood, walking in a straight line though it pursued no prey.. On its head rested a SWAT helmet, dented with bullet impacts. Eventually, it turned. It looked at me. It saw me. The rolling cataracts of its eyes locked on mine. I was recognized, found unworthy, and abandoned as it moved on.....</i></div>
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<br />Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-149794597121298522017-12-06T22:26:00.001-08:002017-12-06T22:35:15.438-08:00Role Playing Illustration---Base Raiders and Red MarketsSo for long time readers of this blog (Hi mom!) you will recall that back in late 2015 I was working on a feature film called "The Weight". The wheels of progress on films when not funded with Marvel money is usually pretty slow, so two years out and <a href="https://www.theweightmovie.com/">The Weight</a> is in the festival circuit, not quite ready for wide release. Which is too bad, because it means Ive not got to watch it yet. It should be amazing, as everyone I was fortunate to work with on the film was amazing. The lead actor, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0186728/?ref_=tt_cl_t2">Clayne Crawford</a>, is currently tearing it up as Martin Riggs on the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5164196/">Lethal Weapon</a> tv series, which is one of few shows Rachel and I try to keep up with. He was an incredible guy and deserves all of the great press the show is getting currently.<br />
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Anywho, as head of the Art Department, I had two guys who had to put up with my demands and thereby made my life a ton easier. Ross Payton was one. He is a big timer in the world of role playing games, running Ennie award winning podcast, <a href="https://www.patreon.com/RPPR">Role Playing Public Radio</a>.<br />
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Now, I had very little knowledge of role playing games outside of the osmosis a nerd has while interacting in our varied world of nerdality. I know I sat and watched a couple slow hours of a Vampire: The Masquerade game where a pack of werewolves were shaken off the sides of a van (I think). Ive filled out about three character sheets for D&D games that never progressed beyond the character sheet stage. And I wanted to create art for the games....which is good, because that's generally kind of an entry level illustrator gig these days and despite working as various forms of 'artist' for 15 years I am definitely still an entry level illustrator.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AvlVxjlMrG8/WijVIxk9bSI/AAAAAAAALQM/8L4YO7b8s2QF4HCoxiSFrFnKNcsuAZHtgCLcBGAs/s1600/Base_raiders_Underground_V4_fullres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1245" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AvlVxjlMrG8/WijVIxk9bSI/AAAAAAAALQM/8L4YO7b8s2QF4HCoxiSFrFnKNcsuAZHtgCLcBGAs/s640/Base_raiders_Underground_V4_fullres.jpg" width="497" /></a>So between shots and during the long drive too and from set, Ross filled me in a little about what he did and I mentioned wanting to do some art. He was kind and commissioned me draw the cover to his newest expansion to a RPG he created, Base Raiders. Its rough, but I like it.<br />
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In retrospect I would have dropped the background character a little darker so she didnt fight for as much attention as the foreground characters. It was meant to impart a feeling overwhelming action, and its busy enough that it definitely does that.<br />
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Ross ended up having me on <a href="http://slangdesign.com/rppr/2016/01/interview/interview-with-artist-and-animator-darrell-claunch/">Role Playing Public Radio </a>as a guest to speak about the film industry, gaming and gaming ideas within the bureaucracy of the entertainment industry. But, the bigger thing that I have to thank him for is introducing me to a friend of his who was putting together a group of artists. <a href="http://hebanon.blogspot.com/">Caleb Stokes</a> had invested something along the lines of four or five years of his life into an incredibly detailed and intriguing role playing game entitled Red Markets. To borrow from the Red Markets incredibly successful Kickstarter page:<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span><i><span style="border: 0px; color: #282828; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Red Markets</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: "maison neue book" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: "maison neue book" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">is a tabletop RPG about economic horror.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: "maison neue book" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>In <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Red Markets</span>, characters risk their lives trading between the massive quarantine zones containing a zombie outbreak and the remains of civilization. They are <b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Takers</b>: mercenary entrepreneurs unwilling to accept their abandonment. Bound together into competing crews, each seeks to profit from mankind’s near-extinction before it claims them. They must hustle, scheme, and scam as hard as they fight if they hope to survive the competing factions and undead hordes the GM throws at them.</i></div>
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<i><br />Takers that are quick, clever, or brutal enough might live to see retirement in a safe zone, but many discover too late that the cycle of poverty proves harder to escape than the hordes of undead.</i></div>
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<i><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Red Markets</span> uses the traditional zombie genre to tell a story about surviving on the wrong end of the economy. It’s cut-throat capitalism with its knife on your neck.</i></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P-ML_BtqE7o/Wijekpb7o8I/AAAAAAAALQc/r6yCY7gupc0AT-D7rTw8xBTsm1e1Fd5NACLcBGAs/s1600/2017-12-07%2B00.07.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1375" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P-ML_BtqE7o/Wijekpb7o8I/AAAAAAAALQc/r6yCY7gupc0AT-D7rTw8xBTsm1e1Fd5NACLcBGAs/s320/2017-12-07%2B00.07.44.jpg" width="275" /></a>I ended up creating more than a dozen pieces of art for the massive tome that arrived a month or so ago. It doubles as gym equipment while doing bicep curls. Its huge. The amount of work that went into this game is humbling. And the detail...I cannot even fanthom the thought that was put into all of this. But it seems like it was worth every period and bullet point, because it seems to be going over
incredibly well among the role playing set. Ive seen post after post of people taking photos of their setups and reporting that the Blight has hit different parts of the world. Its humbling to be a part of something someone enjoys so much. It feels different than most of my film work. I dont know. Somehow more personal. More of my fingerprint showing even if the concept isnt mine.<br />
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Over the next few weeks Ill be posting up my contributions to the game. Please, enjoy, comment and contact me if you are looking for an illustrator. 😀😀😀
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If you are into role playing, I highly recommend you <a href="http://redmarketsrpg.com/services/">purchase a copy of the book</a> and immerse yourself.
Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-8991160083499033972017-11-23T23:22:00.000-08:002017-11-23T23:22:27.769-08:00Zombies and HeroesI know, I know. Long time. Gimme a break. We had a baby, the beautiful and jolly Cordelia. On top of that, with the exception of three or four days, my vfx studio has had non stop projects to keep me up late knocking out shots. Most days I get up with the girls at 8a, watch them and have family time until that evening when I start to work and keep going until 3a. Lather, rinse, repeat. I love my time with them and dont want it to go quickly, but there is a part of me looking forward to them both being in school so I have weekdays and normal hours within which to get work done so I can start getting regular sleep.<br />
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Enough complaining.<br />
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<a href="http://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/2016/10/george_a._romero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/2016/10/george_a._romero.jpg" width="320" /></a>July 16th, the great George Romero passed away. It possible you only think of him as a director of some cheesy zombie movies. If thats the case then you must have found this blog through a very indirect google search. I mean, its probably true to an extent. But in this world of Walking Dead, Marvel and DC zombie variants of every character, it seems like zombies are everywhere.<br />
But he was the Dude. The man. The guy who made zombies zombies. Before that they were the voodoo breed only. No rotting corpses walking around. But they werent really rotting corpses. They were a metaphor and horrific. Your nearest loved one could suddenly be tearing your intestines out and using them to floss their teeth. There was no safe place, no one you could trust. If there were people, there was the chance of being cannibalized, ripped apart while you screamed and gurgled.<br />
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We didnt watch a ton of scary movies when I was a kid. My Dad would have nightmares and he was a scrapper. He wouldnt run from the scary things in his dreams, he would punch and kick. So for Moms sake we didnt see many scary movies. We didnt have cable or any of that, so we would either get watered down versions of scary movies or rentals from the local VHS palace. So Critters would have the best parts cut out, aired on Sunday afternoons or we would get the borderline creepy, like Gremlins and the like. The first scary thing I can remember watching was when I was 10, on a tv show called Monsters. Kind of a variation on Tales from the Crypt. Weekly creature feature. One week they had soldiers in a fox hole, the dead enemy combatants pulling them into the walls and ripping them apart. Plus, this all time creepiest Goosebumps book.<br /><br />
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Zombies were stuck in my mind.<br />
<br /> So long story not as long, horror is now my favorite genre. Its usually the most inventive, has the most poignant social commentary, and will haunt your dreams. But zombies, those are my favorite. My first zombie film was the remake of Night of the Living Dead, which like the remake of Dawn of the Dead, I ended up preferring over the originals. But that said, I loved George Romero.<br />
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He shot his first films on next to zero budget, borrowing from friends and local businesses, ignoring Hollywood standards. Night focused on the question of "who is the true enemy? and race." Surrounded by friends and family now focused on your death, the bigger threat may be the person fighting next to you. This was all fallout from the Vietnam war. Dawn of the Dead focused on consumerism, capitalism and materialism set inside of a mall. I dare you to watch the shopping spree scene and not be reminded of Black Friday sales at your local box store. Day of the Dead may be he most poignant of the trilogy, rife with the political undertones of the Reagan era, the monsters become far less threatening than the military, all huddled away in caverns full of all of the hoarded items of yesterdays opulence, put there by people long since eaten.<br />
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IE, these werent just movies of blood, boobs and jump scares...look to Return of the Living Dead for that in all of its delightful glory.<br />
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Romero made smart movies in easy to digest wrappers. He shunned the Hollywood system, preferring to make as much of his films in his home of Pittsburg (until they tried to hose him and he went to Canada). So a young horror nerd who had high asperations of becoming a filmmaker, Romero was the man. The first film that I wrote and shot was a horror film, set in an old farmhouse, full of rotting ghosts and Romero references. I've got his autograph on my studio wall.<br /><br />
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So when he died I mourned a bit. The local Alamo Drafthouse played Night of the Living Dead and I went dressed as Romero. And it got me thinking.<br />
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Why would I be so sad over the loss of someone I never met? Dont get me wrong, I tried. I drove to St Louis with friends over a decade ago to hit a Living Dead convention. We met the amazing Tom Savini, several actors from the films and incidentally, the incredible gem Tura Santana, who I also mourned at her passing. Romero was advertised as being the star of the show, but he was nowhere to be found. When I asked the information desk if we'd just overlooked him somehow I was told "oh, he wouldnt be here. He is filming in Canada."<br />
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I think it comes down to our modern day heroes. <br />
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Mainly, we dont have them. At least not like we used to. Or maybe its just me. There was no one I knew growing up that made me say " I want to be just like them!" No war heroes, no local leaders in sports, religion or life to idolize. My dad and grandpa were as close as it got, and they both made it a point to tell me to do better than they did, very aware of their flaws and shortcomings.<br />
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In college I started to look towards my interests for heroes and the list filled with directors. Spielberg, Kevin Smith, Rodriguez, Raimi and Romero. Schultz, Davis, Frazetta and Drew Struzan were the art list. I suppose we create our own pantheon based on who we are and what we need at the time. I need(ed) creatives who came from nothing and made a name for themselves. Not for fame, but for the need to create. The older I get the more mortal they seem to become, but still we mourn when one of our heroes die and can no longer bless us with new work. A little less magic in the world. A few more Kardashians and Trumps.<br />
<a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/image/2017/10/25/1140x_q90_a10-7_cTC_ca8,0,2951,1959/GettyImages-866360184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="800" height="224" src="https://www.post-gazette.com/image/2017/10/25/1140x_q90_a10-7_cTC_ca8,0,2951,1959/GettyImages-866360184.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Romero got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame a few weeks ago. An honor that is well past due even if its a little dubious in the nature of that honor. But regardless, Long Live the Zombie King.<br />
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<br /><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'A7Hf2eDQSV9oLFf6wx7BAA',sig:'MpVceRJDZlU1ssSsXJPZ5ZbB_Ylp5CMnbv1bRLBSLKs=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'866390266',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});</script><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embed-cdn.gettyimages.com/widgets.js"></script>Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-33526262221856501822016-05-17T00:43:00.000-07:002016-05-17T00:43:24.469-07:00Fall Recap--- Life as a Production Designer and meeting childhood icons.Before this October I dont think I had any clue as to what a Production Designer did. I could have taken a guess and been in the ballpark, but known nothing of the nuts and bolts. In early October a good friend of mine who I see as a standard of excellence in local projects (if she is involved then I know its worthwhile) asked if I would be available as an Art Director for an indie movie that was shooting in the area. Art Director I knew, I had been that on smaller scale stuff.<br />
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Imagine my surprise and brief panic when my contract said Production Designer.<br />
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So I googled.<br />
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<i><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.84px;">Production designers</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.84px;"> are responsible for the visual concept of a film, television or theatre </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.84px;">production</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.84px;">. They identify a </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.84px;">design</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.84px;"> style for sets, locations, graphics, props, lighting, camera angles and costumes, while working closely with the director and producer.</span></i><br />
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Turns out its mostly the same thing. On big films its almost more of an office job. They come up with color palettes, textures and the look of sets and all that goes in it. They are the big boss that set, props, wardrobe and all of that falls under.<br />
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With this being an indie, the crew was smaller and budget more limited. This mainly means I was more creative with ways to dress the spaces and learned the names of a few clerks at the local thrift stores (they have half price days once a month at the DAV, dontchaknow.) I also ended up creating a lot of art to dress the walls with on my own, rather than paying stock sites.<br />
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But, the big lessons learned for on set Art Department.<br />
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1) Ziplock bags of ice, opened and near the windshield helps to keep them from fogging over while actors are inside doing takes. Shaving foam wiped on then wiped off leaves a film that also keeps them from fogging.<br />
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2) Have multiple sets of license plates for the state and era you will be shooting in. Fake plates are always needed.<br />
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3) For props that will be handled by the actors, I found that small tupperware containers, each one designated to a specific character, saved me so much time and anxiety. I never had to dig for a fresh pack of cigarettes or remember which keychain I needed when I needed it.<br />
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4) Have on hand a broom, paper towels and window cleaner. You are in charge of cleaning up a set and making sure window smudges get cleaned between sets.<br />
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5) Unless they are supposed to be there. In which case come up with a way to do make it quick to reapply exactly the same every time. Our continuity supervisor was incredibly nitpicky, which probably prevented some issues in editing, but made our job a lot harder. For one scene we had a paper sign on a door. We only had the primary and a backup. Then the director decided he wanted the actress to plant a bloody hand right in its center. But then..."RESET!" We needed multiples to for each take. Luckily I had saved it on a jump drive and was able to send someone to print out new in the PO trailer. But this could have seriously messed with production and it would have been on me even though it wasnt in the script, discussed or planned in order for me to prepare. YOU MUST HAVE OPTIONS FOR EVERYTHING! The director wants the shot and if you are the only person who is keeping them from getting it then you either need to be able to think on your feet or be prepared to defend your position. Ultimately, this is why film budgets go so high. The Art Department must prepare for any eventuality, and if the scene requires building a cave, you had best make sure it can be shot from any angle. If its not, you can bet thats the angle he will want.<br />
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6) Actors who smoke in the scene do not want to try to smoke a cigarette each take. Second hand smoke hits the entire cast and crew. Use herbal cigarettes. They are all gross smelling, but the least gross were Ecstacy brand. However, any herbals proved impossible to find anywhere in Missouri outside of Kansas City or St Louis so I had to get them shipped in. Get lots.<br />
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7) Those 3m velcro hanging strips will be your saving grace to keep from angering the owners of the property you are in when you need to hang tons of new artwork and signage.<br />
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8) Because you need to fix/hide things fast, keep a pocket full of sharpies and several sizes of paper/post-its on hand. They hide logos or continuity mistakes quick and easy and if you are smart about what you write on them can add texture and detail to the scene.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u5CywrkN7S0/VzrKi_RTGHI/AAAAAAAAE_M/KIpcU6QwSYUpBybwH0UX5lQwCvwBnDe1gCLcB/s1600/weight_poloroids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u5CywrkN7S0/VzrKi_RTGHI/AAAAAAAAE_M/KIpcU6QwSYUpBybwH0UX5lQwCvwBnDe1gCLcB/s320/weight_poloroids.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We went through a LOT of Poloroids.</div>
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9)Take photos of everything, all the time. Label them in the shot if you can. If you think you only need the setup for one days shoot so you dont need to keep track, do it anyway. I guarantee you will need to match the prop placement. Plus, they will want it in the wrap binder.<br />
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Im excited for this film to come out. Its looking great and I got to work with some amazing people.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hH1Y-0CLm5k/VzrKgEICgCI/AAAAAAAAE_I/RVfQv-VE9cgOMKiZjoV3ROZmBIA8A7AFACLcB/s1600/clayne_weight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hH1Y-0CLm5k/VzrKgEICgCI/AAAAAAAAE_I/RVfQv-VE9cgOMKiZjoV3ROZmBIA8A7AFACLcB/s320/clayne_weight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The lead is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0186728/">Clayne Crawford</a>, who has been in a few incredible television series and next summer a movie called <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2106651/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_1">Spectral</a>, which he described as Call of Duty meets Ghostbusters...as these are two of my favorite things Im super excited to see this.<br />
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One of my childhood favorites also had a role. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0132637/?ref_=tt_cl_t4">Ken Hudson Campbell </a>plays the local private investigator who is hired to find the aforementioned Clayne. Back in the day Ken was in a tv series called <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101115/?ref_=nm_knf_i4">Hermans Head</a>, which was like the Pixar film Inside Out, but 20 years earlier and for adults. Ken played Lust and while most of the jokes flew over this then 8 year olds head, the ones that landed rolled me every time. He was channeling Belushi for sure. He was also the iconic <a href="http://www.snakkle.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Ken_Campbell_Home_AloneGC.jpg">Santa Claus</a> in Home Alone, he who helps set Kevin on his proper path.<br />
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I loved working with this guy. His subtle character ticks and little bits of business made him a joy to watch. Plus, he knows more dirty jokes and obscene Hollywood tales than anyone else I've ever met. Hire him for all the things. I want to see him on screen more.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-br6JYbzTQ48/VzrKQ5qnaTI/AAAAAAAAE_E/anfyFQZG7-4SbJse2XAi8BuLm4TezKtoQCLcB/s1600/2015-11-23%2B06.35.45-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-br6JYbzTQ48/VzrKQ5qnaTI/AAAAAAAAE_E/anfyFQZG7-4SbJse2XAi8BuLm4TezKtoQCLcB/s320/2015-11-23%2B06.35.45-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Can you tell how much I liked working with this guy?</div>
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<br />Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-53445967226557854812016-03-02T23:59:00.001-08:002016-03-02T23:59:30.434-08:00Random ink----Mum-Ra!I've been working on some traditional skills. This was just a quick play around with a new brush pen. <div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q7T8PIPJXZI/Vtfu4EMGAXI/AAAAAAAAEtc/3kpFcAI93R0/s640/blogger-image--597198375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q7T8PIPJXZI/Vtfu4EMGAXI/AAAAAAAAEtc/3kpFcAI93R0/s640/blogger-image--597198375.jpg"></a></div></div>Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-63491333664493361612016-02-15T00:16:00.001-08:002016-02-15T00:16:05.389-08:00I did a podcast!And I swear I thought I posted about it here already, but...<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">I did an interview with @rosspayton on his fantastic Role Playing Podcast Radio ( I was cast as theLevel 7 jaded vfx artist). </span><a href="http://goo.gl/HKamUZ" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://goo.gl/HKamUZ</a><br />
<a href="http://slangdesign.com/rppr/2016/01/interview/interview-with-artist-and-animator-darrell-claunch/#comments"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pW9nZszsAIc/VsGIOWOk4AI/AAAAAAAAEsc/NhJeynpkJZ4/s640/RPPR-2014-banner.gif" width="640" /></a><br />
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Ross is a friend from way back friend who used to do a lot of local film work and has since moved onto mainly writing. He is one of the lucky few who get to earn a living doing what they love from the comfort of their home studio, a right hard won by a decade of work on his part. He was my assistant Art Director on the movie I worked on in the fall and many of the discussions had on the hour drive to and fro was the impetus for this interview. Check him out and if you love his work then please contribute to his Patreon!<br />
<br />Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-88631850318706273242015-11-19T13:00:00.001-08:002015-11-19T13:00:43.633-08:00The evils of Instagram.I realized recently that since I downloaded Instagram I quickly quit blogging (which was already at a minimal state to begin with). Social media is so quick! Instant gratification! Then I realized how hard it was to find my own posts in my feed just a few weeks later. Social media makes you feel more 'active' but it's a dust in the wind scenario. Posts on projects and artwork quickly become hard to find. Sure, to those dedicated few they can all be dug up later, but we are lazy and distracted people. If it takes longer than twenty seconds to find then it may as well be Atlantis. <div>So, with that said, I'm hoping that this blogging app will help me combine the ease of phone posts with the need to create a constant body of work. Cross your fingers and bare with as I do some catch up posts in between takes on set. </div>Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-18810206185505917162015-11-19T12:33:00.001-08:002015-11-19T12:33:08.850-08:00Crew gift ---- life in 401stWhen filming a movie in the deep Missouri woods during deer season, hunter orange is truly the best crew gift. <div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fVrjfE3IvHw/Vk4yAI8AoKI/AAAAAAAAD4o/lrnoSY6GFvU/s640/blogger-image-1671024731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fVrjfE3IvHw/Vk4yAI8AoKI/AAAAAAAAD4o/lrnoSY6GFvU/s640/blogger-image-1671024731.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div>Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0Greenfield Greenfield37.415063 -93.844356tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-2471820117840947462015-08-13T23:50:00.002-07:002015-08-13T23:50:42.188-07:00Instagram is the blog killer.Ahoy!<br />
So, as the title suggests, I set up an instagram. It was mainly to be a toy nerd and follow designers...and then it became toy sellers....and then....well, its just so fast and easy to post photos up that remembering to do the same here became difficult. Plus, the app for blogspot sucks unless you throw down a little cash and how can I claim the life of a starving artist if I go around buying apps and whatnot.<br />
To recap since almost a year ago. We moved back to Missouri in order for our beautiful baby girl to be near family. Skyping with cousins and grandparents just isnt the same as being able to bite their noses in real life. An added bonus is how much our monthly bills dropped by moving back. Sad things we miss...well, thats a long list that goes from weather, geography, insects, events, produce, friends, etc.<br />
I've been working as a remote visual effects artist with a surprisingly heavy average workload. Im Mr. Mom during the day while Rachel is off educating young minds. So most of my work gets done from 9p-3a, which is kind of how its always been. For the first time in years I have a real office, with shelves and posters of the films Ive worked on and toys and everything! Its oddly exciting.<br />
As I mentioned in a previous post, in addition to the freelance work Ive also been trying to clean out projects that I have left behind. This includes 2 feature films, one short film and 2 concept paintings. I have notebooks full of ideas and things I want to work on, but as is the central point in the book <i>Getting things Done</i>, unfinished work (whether still relevant or not) hangs in your mind and weights you down. Im looking to lighten the load.<br />
Part of the new work is to push the illustration and sculpture side so that I can start selling castings and prints. Also, it will be nice to feel like an artist again as opposed to an overworked drone. Working in movies is awesome, but the hours can be gross. As I have been reminded lately, to be a successful artist you cannot just post to your social media. It is transitory and hard to reference back to. But a blog, that lasts literally forever (whether read or not).<br />
So look forward to more regular postings!<br />
Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-45689657139803294842015-02-25T22:22:00.002-08:002015-02-25T22:22:38.208-08:00Manticore Or cleaning out the closetFor this upcoming year I am trying to push myself more as a professional artist (and not part of a larger studio). So in order to clear out my head for upcoming projects I am trying to wrap up projects that I have started and left behind. This photoshop painting of a Manticore I started in June of 2012 and probably touched 4 times up until this week. My level of artistic skill has increased a great deal, so my work over the past three times were largely painting over my old work to make it...well...decent. Im wanting to do more card game style artwork, so this is my first step working towards building that type of portfolio. Comments, recommendations welcome. What is your favorite fantasy creature?<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/16028456264" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Claunch_manticore by Knights End, on Flickr"><img alt="Claunch_manticore" height="500" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8613/16028456264_97aed8d7d6.jpg" width="395" /></a></div>
Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-70509822121047963652014-10-01T05:25:00.001-07:002014-10-01T05:25:31.657-07:00Independent toy designSo, this is something new I am into. Basically, making figures of my character designs allows me to make them real without having to animate them and adds in the slight possibility of being able to sell them to collectors!<br />
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I mentioned this years Comic Con was lacking in panels I was excited about. One that I was excited about was about Independent Toy Creation, hosted by the fine people from October Toys/Toy Break. Naturally, since it was the one I wanted to see it fell at the same time as Wootstock (nerdworld problems) and I had to miss it. But thanks to technology and foresight it was recorded and put on youtube!<br />
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If you are remotely interested in making your own toys, this video is a good place to get started.<br />
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<br />Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-49135524745344214892014-09-28T03:35:00.002-07:002014-09-28T03:36:44.639-07:00The summer months and the fall arrival.For the first time in a little while, the summer was kind of slow. June wasn't as terribly busy as we were told to expect, but I did get put onto night shift which made most social interactions outside of work rare. We wrapped Guardians of the Galaxy and it was an incredible film, breaking all sorts of box office records. One would hope that Hollywood would see the risks taken with this property (Previously indie director, B-rated cast list, weird characters,talking raccoon and a walking, blinking tree) and try out some fresh stuff. However, I have a feeling what it means is there will be more space movies with classic 80s music as their soundtrack and zero passion. But, whatever, its their piggy bank.<br />
We also wrapped Ninja Turtles. While it was not as successful as Guardians, I still loved it. (In my opinion) the characters were spot on and all of the rumors (and based on early scripts justified) that had kept me leery of the film were not there. It was actually pretty accurate to the original comic story. I worked on a couple of other projects over the summer months as well, but those werent as noteworthy in my mind.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/15354951256" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Jeff Goldblum sings jazz by Knights End, on Flickr"><img alt="Jeff Goldblum sings jazz" height="400" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3921/15354951256_3452e3495f.jpg" width="299" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/15377648412" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Jeff Goldblum sings jazz by Knights End, on Flickr"><img alt="Jeff Goldblum sings jazz" height="400" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3902/15377648412_6c2bc0d19a.jpg" width="299" /></a> <br />
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We did go to the Rockwell to watch Jeff Goldblum sing jazz, which ranks pretty high up in my awesomest things ever list.<br />
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That leads us to San Diego Comic Con 2014....which was just weird.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/15191232588" title="Mariachi Kombat by Knights End, on Flickr"><img alt="Mariachi Kombat" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3865/15191232588_f7b95aaf59.jpg" width="374" /></a><br />
Its the best way I can think of describing it. It just seemed slightly off. We walked into Hall H twice without having to wait in line. This in itself is huge as sometimes the line to get into Hall H will take you (and has taken us) more than 10 hours to get through. There were fewer panels I was excited about seeing, fewer celebrities/artists/actors there that I wanted to meet and I went in with a light backpack that never really got any heavier. Wootstock was once again good, but last years show was an impossible act to follow. There were many random celebrity sightings.<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/15374649621" title="George RR Martin by Knights End, on Flickr"><img alt="George RR Martin" height="299" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3885/15374649621_443ef18c25.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/15377831465" title="Kevin Smith sayin hey. by Knights End, on Flickr"><img alt="Kevin Smith sayin hey." height="299" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3922/15377831465_cc154fc296.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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I met some cool folks and hang out with one of the coolest folks out there, Mr Tyler Rhoads. I got more signatures from one of the creators of Ninja Turtles, Kevin Eastman and finally remembered to get a photo with him.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/15191175610" title="Kevin Eastman by Knights End, on Flickr"><img alt="Kevin Eastman" height="374" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3875/15191175610_10ba041719.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I got to get some books and coin of the realm signed by Patrick Rothfuss (read his books and his blog if you are even remotely into fantasy). I did get to meet one of the Godfathers of modern day visual effects, Phil Tippet. He was incredibly cool and I was amazed by all of the films from my childhood that he was responsible for the iconic imagery (pretty much anything with a dinosaur in the 80s-mid 90s).<br />
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But it all was just <i>meh</i>. I dont think I am jaded, but rather its so expensive that a lot of artists are choosing to stay home and get work done and earn money rather than breaking even by attending. Also, several studios are blaming lackluster box office profits on the negative reviews of clips shown at the convention (as opposed to the more likely scenario of the films just not being great to begin with). Ill still try to get tickets to next years, but if I dont I wont be upset.<br />
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Home for a day after SDCC and Rachel and I went on our first vacation as a couple by ourselves. We had gone on trips where we were visiting people we knew and with other folks, but never just the two of us without seeing anyone we knew. We wanted to do a west coast tour. We took the train rather than driving because Rachel was 7.5 months pregnant and we wanted to both be able to enjoy the scenery.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/15191316927" title="somewhere in northern california by Knights End, on Flickr"><img alt="somewhere in northern california" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3894/15191316927_a04f1c3a89.jpg" width="374" /></a><br />
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We took the Coastal Starlight, which is an Amtrak train that has all the fun old school amenities such as observation car, dining car and sleeping bunks. It was a good time and a nice relaxing way to spend a day and a half after having just spent a week surrounded by people at all times at comic con.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/15374642941" title="Train at Union Station by Knights End, on Flickr"><img alt="Train at Union Station" height="374" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3866/15374642941_8fb5a7f048.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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We got off the train in Portland then spent a day there, Seattle, Vancouver and Astoria, Oregon. For those film nerds out there you know Astoria is where they shot scenes from <i>the Goonies</i> (and <i>Short Circuit, 1941, Ninja Turtles 3, Kindergarten Cop</i>, etc, etc, etc). It was a beautiful, sleepy little cannery town who were incredibly pleasant considering how many random nerds probably end up trooping through their yards.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/15190926559" title="Haystack rock by Knights End, on Flickr"><img alt="Haystack rock" height="299" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3929/15190926559_19c7331265.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/15354724956" title="2014-08-01 13.21.45 by Knights End, on Flickr"><img alt="2014-08-01 13.21.45" height="299" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3927/15354724956_a774a0582f.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Then, the big news.....<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/15190961370" title="Persephone and her pomegranate. by Knights End, on Flickr"><img alt="Persephone and her pomegranate." height="374" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3855/15190961370_930db8f7a8.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<b><u>WE ARE PARENTS!</u></b></h2>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/15374471811" title="First Family Picture! by Knights End, on Flickr"><img alt="First Family Picture!" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3843/15374471811_c5a9547ccb.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
Exciting, terrifying, sleep depriving. Persephone Rose Claunch arrived a couple weeks early, but other than a bout of jaundice is doing well. Her sleep schedule is still off, so she sleeps days and parties at night, but otherwise seems to be enjoying life outside the human submarine known a mom and we are loving our little girl!Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-49720683958438701972014-06-05T21:14:00.003-07:002014-06-05T21:14:57.208-07:00Life in the 401st----The more you know, the more you learn. Listen to this man.One of the best breakdowns of why Edgar Wrights films are pure genius while most comedies lose their luster after the first viewing. Watch, Learn, Laugh.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/96558506?badge=0&color=f0a400" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/96558506">Edgar Wright - How to Do Visual Comedy</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/tonyzhou">Tony Zhou</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-65089524449038305862014-05-19T02:23:00.002-07:002014-05-19T02:23:43.770-07:00A recap....also known as TLDR<span style="font-size: large;">Work has slowed up a bit. I have weekends again. Having the ability to get a full nights sleep and the ability to plan outings with the wife and friends took getting used to. The peace wont last more than another couple of weeks. Ive been told to expect virtually no days off all of June, so to suck up the easy days while I can.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are working on the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I am both excited and feel a little dirty about that. Next to Ghostbusters, TMNT is my favorite property and I have wanted to be a part of that universe since I was eight. However, I always have hesitations when it comes to reboots of old franchises as I rarely agree with the way they are handled. That said, its mainly because I want more of the version I loved as a child and not ready to give the series to another group of kids. What I have seen of the movie does look like a lot of fun, so every day I get a little more excited about the film.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are also working on Guardians of the Galaxy. Im a fan of the marvel owned movies and James Gunn is one of my favorite directors, so there is nothing but excitement and anticipation for this film. I mean, talking raccoon with laser rifles...how can that be anything but glorious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Rachel and I went to see Godzilla yesterday morning. This was another film that we worked on (if you havent noticed, the best way to get your name on a bunch of blockbusters is to be a stereoscopic compositor) and I was beaming with pride when the end credits rolled. The film was phenomenal from the script all the way thru the 3D conversion (the 3D scored almost </span><a href="http://www.cinemablend.com/new/3D-Or-3D-Buy-Right-Godzilla-Ticket-42967.html?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_182879" style="font-size: x-large;">perfect marks on one blog)</a><span style="font-size: large;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Its been awhile since Ive had the time for a good long type on here. I keep meaning to do little recaps, but I get distracted by Call of Duty or sleep. There was going to be a big End of Year wrap-up, but we spent a few weeks back home in Missouri with family and it was hard to pull myself away from all them. A short and quick summation of last year?</span><br />
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</span><u><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"> 2013 was awesome.</span></b></i></u></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Living in Los Angeles affords one a lot of opportunities as a nerd (its to balance out all of the time you spend dying slowly in rush hour traffic on the 101 or 405). In 2013 (and up to now in 2014) I was able to meet all of my favorite authors, artists, and many actors and directors. A few for instances.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/13007067515" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="kumailNanjianiNightCapBruceCampbell by Knights End, on Flickr"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="kumailNanjianiNightCapBruceCampbell" height="300" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2070/13007067515_d537d8f3d7.jpg" width="400" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I got to sit in and be a part of the audience for Bruce Campbells pilot, Nightcap. In real life he is just as charming, witty and hard working as he seems in his films.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/12217810765" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="spoilers_screencap3 by Knights End, on Flickr"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="spoilers_screencap3" height="315" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5499/12217810765_f1376ac26c.jpg" width="500" /></span></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/12217810765" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="spoilers_screencap3 by Knights End, on Flickr"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/12217810765" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="spoilers_screencap3 by Knights End, on Flickr"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rachel and I were in the audience for SPOILERS with Kevin Smith, who has been a icon of mine for quite awhile. I got to chat with him one on one for awhile and had him sign a comic that my Pops had bought for me a few months before he passed away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I met <a href="http://www.jim-butcher.com/">Jim Butcher (Dresden Files)</a>, <a href="http://www.neilgaiman.com/">Neil Gaiman (Sandman and a hundred others)</a>, <a href="http://chuckpalahniuk.net/">Chuck Pahlniuk</a> (Fight Club), got knocked over by <a href="http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/content/index.asp">Patrick Rothfuss</a> (he very was sorry and I bounce), <a href="http://jamesellroy.net/">James Ellroy</a>, <a href="http://www.nealstephenson.com/">Neal Stephenson</a>, new favorite author <a href="http://stephenblackmoore.com/">Stephen Blackmoore</a>, artists <a href="http://www.cagedbeagle.com/">Dean Yeagle</a>, <a href="http://apesandbabes.com/">Frank Cho</a>, <a href="http://blacksad-gallery.blogspot.com/">Juanjo Guarnido</a>, and the iconic and incredible <a href="http://www.drewstruzan.com/illustrated/portfolio/">Drew Struzan</a> (on 5 different occasions).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was able to meet actors from the Goonies, watch Elijah Wood spin the turntables at a movie shown in a cemetery, chatted with Bill Paxton (the dude is just as laid back and awesome as you'd imagine), and saw a random smattering of B-C-D list actors at the grocery store. I was able to meet the<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2284484/?ref_=tt_ov_dr"> director of Godzilla</a> who thanked us for our awesome work. We see Weird Al almost every Sunday morning (brother knows his hymns).</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/9373226855" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="2013-06-29 13.57.33 by Knights End, on Flickr"></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/14033597788" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;" title="dj frodo by Knights End, on Flickr"></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/9373226855" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="2013-06-29 13.57.33 by Knights End, on Flickr"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="2013-06-29 13.57.33" height="238" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7324/9373226855_2f7148d763.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="dj frodo" height="238" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5579/14033597788_f53f653b3b.jpg" width="320" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> My shelves of autographed books literally had so many books on them that they pulled themselves out of the wall. I had to buy another heavy duty, sealed poster tube to keep all of the art and posters Ive had signed better protected. For the first time my studio, Knights End, will be listed in the credits of a film created by people I had never met before, but contacted me after seeing my <a href="http://vimeo.com/77668146">reel</a> and wanted me to do all of the visual effects for their horror film, <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3253154/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt">Mile Marker 7</a></i>. I've added 14 movie and television titles to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3385958/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">my IMDB page</a> and worked with more incredible artists and compositors than I thought possible (none of who get the thanks and adoration they deserve but are all moving on to great things).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And the icing on the ridiculously tall, 30 layer red velvet cake, is that we are expecting our first baby in September. We are excited as all get out. We are told its likely a girl. To keep our baby name choices from getting out into the Collective Consciousness, we are referring to her as codename Dr Zhivago.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/14216655831" title="2014-05-18 12.24.08 by Knights End, on Flickr"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="2014-05-18 12.24.08" height="640" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2912/14216655831_a6d0fd0fa2_z.jpg" width="478" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">(photo taken at the Gallery 1988 Ghostbusters Art Show)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I dont expect the next year to be as mind blowing. Honestly, I feel like there are probably a lot of people calling bulls--t now. But If all else slows down, being a dad sounds like it will be an experience hard to top.</span></div>
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Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-58513168832699276122014-04-13T09:29:00.003-07:002014-04-13T09:30:28.904-07:00Neil Gaiman’s 8 Rules of Writing<div style="margin: 0px 0px 4px;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20.22222328186035px;">Another of the articles from brainpicking.org by Maria Popova. Gaiman is my number one literary type. At this point I think I have all but two of the books he has written signed (thanks in large part to ebay). His word on words is the last.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #cc0000; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/09/28/neil-gaiman-8-rules-of-writing/" style="background-color: black; text-decoration: none;">Neil Gaiman’s 8 Rules of Writing</a></span></h2>
<strong class="by" style="display: block; font-family: fenwick-1, fenwick-2, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 18px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">by <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/author/mpopova/" rel="author" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Posts by Maria Popova">Maria Popova</a></span></span></strong><br />
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<em style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">“Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving.”</span></em></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">In the winter of 2010, inspired by Elmore Leonard’s <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/08/21/elmore-leonard-10-rules-of-writing/" style="text-decoration: none;">10 rules of writing</a>published in <a href="http://exp.lore.com/post/25883124972/never-open-a-book-with-the-weather-avoid" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><em>The New York Times</em></a> nearly a decade earlier, <em>The Guardian</em> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">reached out</a> to some of today’s most celebrated authors and asked them to each offer his or her commandments. After <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/09/19/zadie-smith-10-rules-of-writing/" style="text-decoration: none;">Zadie Smith’s 10 rules of writing</a>, here come 8 from the one and only <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/05/22/neil-gaiman-commencement-address/" style="text-decoration: none;">Neil Gaiman</a>:</span></span></div>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Write</span></span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down.</span></span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Finish what you’re writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.</span></span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Put it aside. Read it pretending you’ve never read it before. Show it to friends whose opinion you respect and who like the kind of thing that this is.</span></span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.</span></span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Fix it. Remember that, sooner or later, before it ever reaches perfection, you will have to let it go and move on and start to write the next thing. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving.</span></span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Laugh at your own jokes.</span></span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it’s definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I’m not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.</span></span></li>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">For more timeless wisdom on writing, see <strong>Kurt Vonnegut’</strong>s <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/04/03/kurt-vonnegut-on-writing-stories/" style="text-decoration: none;">8 rules for a great story</a>, <strong>David Ogilvy’</strong>s <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/02/07/david-ogilvy-on-writing/" style="text-decoration: none;">10 no-bullshit tips</a>, <strong>Henry Miller’</strong>s <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/02/22/henry-miller-on-writing/" style="text-decoration: none;">11 commandments</a>,<strong>Jack Kerouac’</strong>s <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/03/22/jack-kerouac-belief-and-technique-for-modern-prose/" style="text-decoration: none;">30 beliefs and techniques</a>, <strong>John Steinbeck’</strong>s <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/03/12/john-steinbeck-six-tips-on-writing/" style="text-decoration: none;">6 pointers</a>, and<strong>Susan Sontag’</strong>s <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/07/25/susan-sontag-on-writing/" style="text-decoration: none;">synthesized learnings</a>.</span></span></div>
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<em style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Image by Kimberly Butler</span></em></div>
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Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-43509123269737740822014-04-13T09:14:00.000-07:002014-04-13T09:19:30.408-07:00Six Tips on Writing from John SteinbeckI am a huge fan of Steinbeck's work and over at http://www.brainpickings.org/ I stubbled across his six tips on writing. I wanted to bookmark it and realized I may never see it again and its something I need to keep in mind, so I am copy pasting it here. Here is the article in its entirety, but please go over to the site and spend some time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/03/12/john-steinbeck-six-tips-on-writing/" style="background-color: black; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Six Tips on Writing from John Steinbeck</span></a></h2>
<strong class="by" style="display: block; font-family: fenwick-1, fenwick-2, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 18px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">by <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/author/mpopova/" rel="author" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Posts by Maria Popova">Maria Popova</a></span></span></strong><br />
<div class="intro" style="font-family: ff-tisa-web-pro-1, ff-tisa-web-pro-2, serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: italic; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-left: 20px;">
<em style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">On the value of unconscious association, or why the best advice is no advice.</span></em></div>
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<img align="right" src="http://www.brainpickings.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/steinbeck1.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 9px 0px 3px 15px;" width="200" /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">If this is indeed the year of <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/01/09/best-books-on-writing-reading/" style="text-decoration: none;">reading more and writing better</a>, we’ve been right on course with <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/02/07/david-ogilvy-on-writing/" style="text-decoration: none;">David Ogilvy’s 10 no-bullshit tips</a>, <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/02/22/henry-miller-on-writing/" style="text-decoration: none;">Henry Miller’s 11 commandments</a>, and various invaluable advice from <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/12/29/advice-to-writers/" style="text-decoration: none;">other great writers</a>. Now comes <strong>John Steinbeck</strong> — Pulitzer Prize winner, Nobel laureate, <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/01/12/john-steinbeck-on-love-1958/" style="text-decoration: none;">love guru</a> — with six tips on writing, culled from his altogether excellent interview it the Fall 1975 issue of<a href="http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/4156/the-art-of-fiction-no-45-continued-john-steinbeck" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><em>The Paris Review</em></a>.</span></span></div>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised.</span></span></li>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material.</span></span></li>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Forget your generalized audience. In the first place, the nameless, faceless audience will scare you to death and in the second place, unlike the theater, it doesn’t exist. In writing, your audience is one single reader. I have found that sometimes it helps to pick out one person—a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one.</span></span></li>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">If a scene or a section gets the better of you and you still think you want it—bypass it and go on. When you have finished the whole you can come back to it and then you may find that the reason it gave trouble is because it didn’t belong there.</span></span></li>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Beware of a scene that becomes too dear to you, dearer than the rest. It will usually be found that it is out of drawing.</span></span></li>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">If you are using dialogue—say it aloud as you write it. Only then will it have the sound of speech.</span></span></li>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">But perhaps most paradoxically yet poetically, twelve years prior — in 1963, immediately after receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature “for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception” — Steinbeck <a href="http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/steinbeck/steinbeck.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">issued</a> a thoughtful disclaimer to all such advice:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">If there is a magic in story writing, and I am convinced there is, no one has ever been able to reduce it to a recipe that can be passed from one person to another. The formula seems to lie solely in the aching urge of the writer to convey something he feels important to the reader. If the writer has that urge, he may sometimes, but by no means always, find the way to do it. You must perceive the excellence that makes a good story good or the errors that makes a bad story. For a bad story is only an ineffective story.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">If you feel bold enough to discount Steinbeck’s anti-advice advice, you can do so with these <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/01/09/best-books-on-writing-reading/" style="text-decoration: none;">9 essential books on more and writing</a>. Find more such gems in this<a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2010/09/24/paris-review-archive/" style="text-decoration: none;">collection of priceless interviews</a> with literary icons from half a century of <em>The Paris Review</em> archives, then see <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/05/03/advice-on-writing/" style="text-decoration: none;">the collected wisdom of great writers</a>.</span></span></div>
Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-58314406339008874482013-12-04T18:03:00.000-08:002013-12-04T18:08:16.612-08:00Signing an NDA between myself and Lady Gaga and how it meant my work was shown in the Louvre.So one cool thing to happen during the recent slow period in the VFX season is that I start picking up random freelance jobs, half the time that I am recommended for by fantastic friends and fellow artists. This time I was put in touch with a gentleman from NY who was working with the Photographer (its a Cap cuz once your work is in enough big time museums you probably earned it) <a href="http://robertwilson.com/">Robert Wilson</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ladygaga/status/403612541550485504/photo/1">Lady Gaga</a> to put her up in the <a href="http://www.newnownext.com/robet-wilson-makes-lady-gaga-literal-work-of-art-hangs-her-in-the-louvre/11/2013/">Louvre in Paris</a>. Apparently it had been a long time desire as a google search pointed to articles for the past three years mentioning her wanting to have some installation involving herself in the centuries old museum. <br />
With her new album being titled "<a href="http://www.ladygaga.com/sites/g/files/g20001281/f/201312/admat-web.jpg">ArtPop</a>" then the marketing planets aligned and it went into motion. The installation was a mixture of photography and looping videos put up in rooms throughout the Louvre, and all of the pieces mimicked a piece of artwork that was either nearby or normally seen in the same area.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/11210519966/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Lady-Gaga-Louvre-1 by ehreleben, on Flickr"><img alt="Lady-Gaga-Louvre-1" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3830/11210519966_2fb5d03592.jpg" /></a></div>
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I did some compositing and looping on a video that mimicked John the Baptists head on a platter, originally created by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Solari">Andrea Solari in 1460</a>. You can see my version in the image above.<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Andrea_solario,_testa_del_battista.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Andrea_solario,_testa_del_battista.jpg" width="376" /></a></div>
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A few of these videos were hung in the same room as the Mona Lisa. I have no idea if mine was one of the lucky few, but the possibility of it and my artwork being in the Louvre at all is pretty incredibly awesome for a country kid from Missouri. I've had <a href="http://www.alexprager.com/#!/films/La-Petite-Mort">video work in the MET in New York</a> as a VFX artist, but this is the pinnacle of art museums in my humble opinion.<br />
I think in total there were around 23 video pieces installed throughout the museum and I am pretty sure there were a couple other John the Baptist segments. I wished I could have managed a trip over there to see my work hung up in the vicinity of half of my art history book, but c'est la vie.<br />
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Bonus Material:<br />
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.complex.com/art-design/2013/11/lady-gaga-louvre-robert-wilson-video-portraits">http://www.complex.com/art-design/2013/11/lady-gaga-louvre-robert-wilson-video-portraits</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://popcultureblog.dallasnews.com/2013/11/waco-artist-robert-wilson-turns-lady-gaga-into-art-at-the-louvre.html/">http://popcultureblog.dallasnews.com/2013/11/waco-artist-robert-wilson-turns-lady-gaga-into-art-at-the-louvre.html/</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.digitalspy.com/celebrity/news/a533348/lady-gaga-risque-video-portraits-unveiled-at-the-louvre-nsfw.html">http://www.digitalspy.com/celebrity/news/a533348/lady-gaga-risque-video-portraits-unveiled-at-the-louvre-nsfw.html</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2013/11/22/lady-gaga-robert-wilson-louvre-portrait/">http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2013/11/22/lady-gaga-robert-wilson-louvre-portrait/</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://operationgaga.com/topic/19717-gagas-portraits-by-robert-wilson-at-the-louvre-museum-in-paris/">http://operationgaga.com/topic/19717-gagas-portraits-by-robert-wilson-at-the-louvre-museum-in-paris/</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.newnownext.com/robet-wilson-makes-lady-gaga-literal-work-of-art-hangs-her-in-the-louvre/11/2013/">http://www.newnownext.com/robet-wilson-makes-lady-gaga-literal-work-of-art-hangs-her-in-the-louvre/11/2013/</a></span></div>
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<span class="s2">… and, in german: <a href="http://www.welt.de/kultur/article122399252/Lady-Gaga-haengt-jetzt-im-Louvre.html"><span class="s1">http://www.welt.de/kultur/article122399252/Lady-Gaga-haengt-jetzt-im-Louvre.html</span></a></span></div>
Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-53728664575873089372013-10-26T16:21:00.001-07:002013-10-26T16:21:42.449-07:00BeetleJuice 4 hour speed paint.Beetlejuice was on tv. My attempt was to speedpaint a frame of Beetlejuice before the movie was over. I would have managed it if the movie was as long as Lawrence of Arabia. So, 4 hour speedpaint study in photoshop. Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/10501712455/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="BeetleJuice_4hr_paint_study by ehreleben, on Flickr"><img alt="BeetleJuice_4hr_paint_study" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5521/10501712455_358ac94ab6.jpg" /></a></div>
Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-9106460298140962112013-10-15T02:07:00.003-07:002013-10-15T02:08:43.433-07:00Urban Paranormal Fantasy Series. Who do you love?My favorite book series is <a href="http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden">The Dresden Files</a>. It takes everything that I love from the crime noir genre and mixes in all of the magic and wizardry that I also dig in order to create an incredible world that is close enough to mine to be relatable but fantastic enough to be escapist. One book involves the detective wizard Dresden riding a zombie Tyranasaurus Rex into battle, which is pretty much a standard level of amazing that this series hits with every novel. Also, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Butcher">Jim Butcher</a> is just an awesome guy. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/9375860576/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="2013-07-19 12.26.56 by ehreleben, on Flickr"><img alt="2013-07-19 12.26.56" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7287/9375860576_5aaf61abac.jpg" width="299" /></a></div>
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I wont waste time writing a synopsis of the series when it has <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dresden_Files">been done by</a> better than myself already. <br />
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What I wanted to do was look for more stories of a similar vein so that I have plenty to read in those long cold years between new adventures with Harry Dresden, Murphy and the skull Bob (and how bout that <a href="http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121012103712/dresdenfiles/images/e/e5/Molly%27s_Mirror.jpg">Molly Carpenter</a>, huh?). I have made a list from a couple sites and forums and wanted your opinions on which you prefer and if there are any that I have missed (I have not read most of these). Of the ones that I have read I have found I prefer those more realistic, set in real locations (Chicago, LA, New York) and are not borderline romance novels (see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anita_Blake">Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter</a> by the talented Lauren K Hamilton or the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Southern_Vampire_Mysteries">True Blood series</a>). Books of paranormal romance have their merits but I want sarcasm and action with any relationship stuff to be a minor component. Very little brooding, no sparkling. Some of these books listed may involve a heavy romance component or not involve an urban setting, but as I said I have only read a few so I do not know for sure. Feel free to tell me as well as recommend other titles in the comment section!<br />
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My current list, in no particular order:<br />
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<li><a href="http://stephenblackmoore.com/dead-things/">Dead Things by Stephen Blackmoore</a> (Okay, I lied. This one is in order as this is one of my favorites so it made the list before the others I have not read.)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.ilona-andrews.com/kate-daniels">Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dragonmount.com/Books/index.php">The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan</a></li>
<li><a href="http://kevinhearne.com/books">Iron Druid chronicles by Kevin Hearne</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.patriciabriggs.com/books/">Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs</a></li>
<li><a href="http://simonrgreen.co.uk/">Nightside Novels by Simon R. Green</a></li>
<li><a href="http://wereworldbooks.com/site/home.php">Wereworld Series by Curtis Jobling</a></li>
<li><a href="http://seananmcguire.com/incryptid.php">Incryptid by Seanan Mcguire</a></li>
<li><a href="http://miragrant.com/feed.php">Feed Trilogy by Mira Grant</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.kimharrison.net/TheBooks.html">The Hallows Series by Kim Harrison</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.richardkadrey.com/sandman.html">Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey</a></li>
<li>The Night Watch Trilogy by Sergei Lukyanenko</li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/44177-felix-castor">The Felix Castor series by Mike Carey</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.brentweeks.com/books/the-night-angel-trilogy/">The Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.harlancoben.com/">The Myron Bolitar by Harlan Corban</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6065215-the-strain">The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro</a></li>
<li><a href="http://kellymccullough.com/the-webmage-story/">Webmage by Kelly Mccullough</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/40505-dracula-series">The Dracula Tape by Fred Saberhagen</a></li>
<li><a href="http://larrycorreia.wordpress.com/">Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12855784-zombie-fallout-4">The Zombie Fallout series by Mark Tofu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2185113.Daemons_Are_Forever?from_search=true">The Secret Histories by Simon R. Green</a></li>
<li>The <a href="http://www.robthurman.net/books/cal-leandros/">Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/95276-hellequin-chronicles">The Hellequin Chronicles by Steve McHugh</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8788554-first-grave-on-the-right">The Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/43591-incarnations-of-immortality">Incarnations of Immortality series by Piers Anthony</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/books/">The Women of the Otherworld series by Kelly Armstrong</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/43904-arthurian-saga">Arthurian Saga by Mary Stewart</a></li>
<li><a href="http://benedictjacka.co.uk/alex-verus/us/">The Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/40593-the-morganville-vampires">The Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.brentweeks.com/books/the-black-prism-trilogy/">The Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks</a></li>
<li>The <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/140671.The_Black_Company">Black Company series by Glen Cook</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/">The Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/49642-riftwar-cycle">Riftwar Cycle series by Raymond Feist</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dianarowland.com/zombies.html">The White Trash Zombie series by Diana Rowland</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/92537-the-tome-of-bill">Tome of Bill series by Rick Gualtieri</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.johnconroe.com/">The Demon Accords series by John Conroe</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/49861-grimnoir-chronicles">The Grimnoir Chronicles series by Larry Correia</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/43621-skulduggery-pleasant">The Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files">The Laundry Files series by Charles Stross</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/45779-allie-beckstrom">The Allie Beckstrom series by Devon Monk</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/41939-greywalker">The Greywalker series by Kat Richardson</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/101364-imp">The Imp series by Debra Dunbar</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.sniegoski.com/remy/">The Remy Chandler series by Thomas E. Sniegoski</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/58143-anonymous-rex">The Anonymous Rex series by Eric Garcia</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Norse-Code-Greg-Van-Eekhout/dp/0553592130">Norse Code by Greg Van Eekhout</a> (Awesome, but not a series.)</li>
</ol>
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It is by no means a comprehensive list as I assumed it to be a small genre when I first discovered it and constantly find new series to add to the list. After I wrap up reading the Feed series I plan on reading Patrick Rothfuss's The Kingkiller Chronicles, which I realize is not urban fantasy but how can you say no to a guy like this?<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/10287640546/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="559126_10100778875723944_1886301375_n by ehreleben, on Flickr"><img alt="559126_10100778875723944_1886301375_n" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5547/10287640546_7e73b30b5f.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
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(pictured left at SDCC 2013 with fellow Knight, <a href="http://lookingformoreblog.wordpress.com/">Tyler Rhoads</a>)</div>
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Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-60859502131325955262013-09-11T00:00:00.001-07:002013-10-15T02:09:36.828-07:00life in the 401st---THE BASICSFor awhile I've been thinking about a list of things I wish I had known long before I had moved from Springfield to LA to pursue a life in the visual effects/art/film industry. Having just wrapped up my most successful year, it seemed like a good time to put it together under my freelancer heading<i> Life in the 401st</i> (My LA area code is 818, Springfield Mo's is 417. Math in place of creativity.)<br />
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Here are the primary bullet points which I will expand upon in future posts. I really hope that you are reading this at around age 20 instead of age 30 when the wonderful obligations one accumulates during life has started to slow you down. Everything is easier when you are young and you have more time to commit to passions instead of mortgages.<br />
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<b><u>-freelance</u></b><br />
Start yesterday. Not when you get your portfolio where you want it. Not when things slow down. Not as soon as you finish that last level of Kill Em All X. Now. I dont care what field you are wanting to work in. Illustration, design, VFX, production, IT DOES NOT MATTER. Start looking for freelance opportunities as soon as you have a more than vague idea of what goal you are looking to hit. If you dont think you are good enough yet then give them a bargain basement price (or no price at all) and use the experience to get better.<br />
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<b><u>-portfolio focus</u></b><br />
Make sure your portfolio is focused on the specific job you are applying for. Dont send a folder full of character designs, backgrounds and still life drawings to Nickelodeon. Decide if you are applying for the position of background artist and make sure whatever you submit is full of backgrounds and then maybe a random piece or two to show other marketable skills. And always remember, <i>Quality over Quantity. </i>The same goes with an animation or effects reel. If you want to be a modeler then 90% of your reel should be models. Texturer, lighter, rigger, effects, compositor, etc. Someone who doesnt really know anything is going to tell you that employers want you to do everything. Maybe, but they are going to hire you for ONE thing.<br />
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<b><u>-dont put video copilot in your demo reel, keep fan art to a minimum</u></b><br />
<a href="http://www.videocopilot.net/">Andrew Kramers tutorials are amazing.</a> However, everyone in the effects industry watches them. We can spot a texture from his Action Movie Essentials pack a mile away. Learn from his tutorials and then make them into your own. Unless you are creating for local television, you will never be reproducing one of them exactly anyway. Same with art. If it looks like you could have copied it, it will probably be assumed you did. <a href="http://www.horrordigital.com/vb3forum/showthread.php?p=729499">The internet will catch you.</a><br />
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<b><u>-credits, you need em. the ole catch 22</u></b></div>
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Unless you know someone (see networking), anyplace that hires you will want to see you have some recognizable titles on your resume. How can you get a credit if you cant get hired onto a big project? You could lie, but its a small community when it comes down to it and its easy to get black listed. There are a couple ways, outside of catching a leprechaun (which is how I broke into the VFX industry) none will really pay the bills. This is the reason to start when you are young and your bills are minimal. You can afford to---</div>
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<b><u>-work for cheap---but not for long</u></b></div>
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No one wants to take a risk on an unknown when there are so many seasoned pros out there looking for work. If you really want that first credit, offer to work for as minimal as you possibly can in order to get experience and that first credit on the resume. However, know your worth and do not make a habit of this. On my first feature film credit, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1399683/">Winters Bone</a>, I couldnt get out of my <a href="http://blacklanternstudios.com/">day job</a> (which was also in my career path, so not expendable) for more than a week. They couldnt hire me for that short of a time period. So I offered to work for credit only. I got on <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3385958/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">IMDB</a> and they got a strong back to haul cables and fetch coffee. Win Win. But I only worked for free the one time. As shocking as it is, the world is full of scheming douchebags who love to tell the artistic that all work should be done for '<i>the love of the art</i>' and by asking for money you are 's<i>howing how little you care about</i> fill in the blank'. They want cheap labor because it means more money for them and not because they want to help you get your foot in the door. Once you have a few credits on your resume, charge a fair price for your work. If you are good, someone <i>WILL</i> pay it.</div>
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<b><u>-internships/apprentiships</u></b></div>
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Within the first 6 months to a year after graduation from college you are eligible for so many artist development programs it makes me weep that I didnt hear about them until too late. Companies enjoy grabbing up fresh faced grads to train in their business model before bad habits are learned. <a href="http://www.disneyanimation.com/careers/student">Disney</a>, <a href="http://www.nickartist.com/">Nickelodeon</a> and Cartoon Network as well as countless others offer these programs. Start applying your senior year and do not stop until you are told to stop. Also, just about every company in Los Angeles has a few interns (sometimes known as Production Assistants) on the payroll. Repeat after me: <i>I am not too good to be an intern or a PA</i>. If you want to believe that its likely you will end up being a waiter or barista for a lot longer than you need to be (and still likely making less money than the intern). </div>
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<b><u>-always be networking</u></b><br />
The internet is awesome and the best tool you have. Instead of trolling forums, post in them. Start discussions. Become involved in the society that forms around the job you would love to have. Its incredible the number of people I have met who ended up getting offered a job because someone knew them on a forum, linkedin or meet up. When you are looking for work, you need to be the most charming, chatty, and helpful You you can be. Post WIPS, throw your demo up and ask for tips and recommendations. Then actually use them. Post it all up again. If people can see your progress and you become recognizable, you will get hired.<br />
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<b><u>-twitter/linkedin</u></b><br />
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These two sites are the most often used tools I have in finding work. Many companies have twitter and linkedin accounts and they will not only post job openings but what they look for in employees or you can find current employees and look at their online portfolios. Both of these sites are also incredibly helpful in finding freelance work. LinkedIn has the added bonus of making it easy to find out the names of their recruiters and HR reps. These folks are the gatekeepers! If you can find a name and an email address to get your resume straight to them instead of an online application you are already ahead of the game. </div>
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<b><u>-get out there</u></b><br />
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Go to every job fair, meet up and casual bar gathering you can find (again, using twitter and linkedin are the best resources). Let people see your face, talk to them and become more than a generic looking resume or online portfolio. Again, its all about becoming a part of the community. After a little while, even if you havent done anything significant, people in the community will think you belong and will start referring you to jobs and opportunities. The major hurdle to this is in order to see your future peers socially, you have to live where they do. </div>
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<b><u>-moving verses telecommute</u></b><br />
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Getting hired in LA from Springfield is almost impossible unless you have a fantastic resume and portfolio. It means to hire you on they will either have to worry about paying moving expenses or be fearful you wont show up for an in person interview (that will likely be tomorrow and almost definitely rescheduled). I set up a google voice account with an Los Angeles area code to put on my resume and website a year before I moved just so businesses wouldn't see an out of town area code and skip to the next applicant.</div>
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If you are telecommuting it will make finding work a lot harder and for a long while the pay will likely be smaller, but that could be worth it if you want to stay where you are. Again, if you are young, single, without kids and a mortgage the time to live dangerously and move is now. It will only get more complex the longer you wait.</div>
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<b><u>-moving to LA </u></b></div>
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Yay! You committed to the dream, packed your life up in the back of your $800 car and moved to Hollywood. Swimming pools, movie stars. You were brave enough to get here, success should flock to you like flies to apple pie, right? </div>
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Nope...<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdFLPn30dvQ">this is when the hazing begins</a>. Hopefully you have a friend out here whose couch you can occupy for a little while (or in my case space by the washer dryer and longer than a little while.) You will need to have a lot of money saved because even the crappy day jobs will be hard to get. LA is full of production kids, actors, artists and hobos all in between professional jobs and they all have to pay that ridiculously high rent (hence all the hobos) so becoming a barista, waiter or angsty sales clerk at the mall will be a process rife with competition. If you get that first steady day job within the first two months you are ahead of the curve. </div>
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Temp work is a great way to bring in the odd paycheck or start making connections. The Glendale branch of <a href="http://www.appleone.com/">AppleOne</a>, for instance, is the company Disney uses for its short term office staff. An incredibly talented friend of mine started boxing files for Disney through AppleOne and within a few (Im sure exhausting) years through the connections she made and her innate awesomeness, she is now a big time v<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2706096/">isual effects coordinator</a>. Also, since every film and tv show need people milling about in the background, registering with <a href="http://www.centralcasting.com/">Central Casting</a> to be an on screen extra is a great way to see how a real set operates, get paid and see some big time celebrities up close. Its LA, you might as well try to get into a movie.</div>
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But, <i>Caveat Emptor</i>. LA is full of hidden fees. Anywhere outside of the valley will cost you to park your car, pretty much a $4 minimum. Beer will cost you $6 for the cheap stuff and a pretentiously named mixed drink will cost you $12 (you are meant to be seen with it, not necessarily enjoy it so sip and make it last). Everywhere you go there will be <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UupwKYfQJ9Y">legendary traffic</a> that will eat your gas and your tires. If you make it a month without a $75 parking ticket you must still have that aforementioned leprechaun. This is the land of the confusing parking regulations. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/9723512766/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="parking_signs_in_la_can_be_confusing by ehreleben, on Flickr"><img alt="parking_signs_in_la_can_be_confusing" height="375" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5532/9723512766_be177930ef.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div>
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Also, you are supposed to register your vehicle within 2 weeks of becoming a California resident. This will cost you at least a couple hundred if not more and is necessary unless you want to run the risk of paying extra when pulled over or getting towed (another great LA tradition). <br />
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But personally, I think this is all worth it to live out here. When you have work its one of the best places in the world to live. <br />
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<a href="http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll102/InfamousRacing/LA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll102/InfamousRacing/LA.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><u>-finish your projects</u></b><br />
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My biggest downfall. If it isn't finished, it doesn't exist, so it does not matter. Even if you aren't 100% happy with it, wrap it up and send it out into the world. Its finished, which puts it above 90% of everyone else's projects out there.</div>
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<b><u>-always be creating</u></b><br />
This is the most important mantra in an artists life. Whatever your passion is, work at it every day. You will only get better and you need good portfolio pieces anyway. If you aren't working at it every day, someone else is and they are likely going to get the job you always wanted.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dclaunch/9723573604/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="batmanart by ehreleben, on Flickr"><img alt="batmanart" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5466/9723573604_712a951141.jpg" /></a></div>
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Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8702679533549122164.post-72116493428201337602013-06-25T02:40:00.000-07:002013-06-25T02:40:25.150-07:00I still live.Sorry its been dead on here. The job has been going 80 hour weeks this month and 70 or so since...Februa-Marc-Jan...? Ive been busy. But the end of this week brings a slowdown and possible days off. I'm going to comicon again, second year as a profesional (its cool on the inside). Looking forward to meeting Neil Gaiman at the end of this week as he brings his last ever signing tour through LA. <br />
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To see what has kept me from here, check out my<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3385958/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1"> IMDB page</a>.<br />
<br />Knights Endhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031061808034064803noreply@blogger.com0