Thursday, April 16, 2009

Director James Cameron to showcase a "making of" for AVATAR

Recently I recieved a press release from a PR firm about an upcoming conference for producers of flim, TV, and video games.  Here's the full press release:

JAMES CAMERON

TO SHOWCASE THE MAKING OF AVATAR,

THE MOST ANTICIPATED FILM OF 2009


The most innovative filmmaker to utilize 3D technology will share insight into his next blockbuster and lead a rare personal discussion on the future of filmmaking at the inaugural Produced By Conference


LOS ANGELES, Calif. (April 14, 2009) – If sinking the Titanic was a filmmaking and storytelling marvel that led to the largest grossing film of all time, then Jim Cameron’s Avatar has the industry buzzing about what the maestro of mega-films has up his sleeve with his next hotly-anticipated holiday season blockbuster. Attendees at the PGA’s inaugural Produced By Conference will get to hear first-hand from Cameron when he makes a rare appearance to discourse on “Seeing the Future in 3D,” June 6 at Sony Pictures Studios.


Cameron, a pioneer of digital 3D filmmaking, will unveil the craft behind the making of Avatar with its combination of live action 3D and computer-generated, photo-real visual effects. Avatar, to be released by 20th Century Fox in December of this year, is one of the most highly-anticipated films ever and is Cameron’s first narrative film since Titanic, the biggest box office hit of all time.


James Cameron noted, "This is the perfect opportunity for me to share what I've learned from making AVATAR about the cutting edge 3-D technology that is re-shaping how people make and view movies."


The Oscar-winning producer-director plans to emphasize where filmmaking is now and where it is going, both creatively and as a business.


Cameron’s “Seeing the Future in 3D” is one of more than 30 extraordinary lectures, panels, and workshops at the Produced By Conference. Other producers on the dais and the panels for this first-of-its-kind event include Betsy Beers, Ian Bryce, Bruce Cohen, Roger Corman, Carlton Cuse, Clint Eastwood, Mark Gordon, Marshall Herskovitz, Gale Anne Hurd, Kathleen Kennedy, Norman Lear, Bill Lawrence, Ali LeRoi, Michael London, Gary Lucchesi, Jim Morris, Gordon Paddison, Sabrina Wind and more. A complete list of sessions can be found at www.producedbyconference.com.


Created and hosted by the Producer’s Guild of America, the Produced By Conference marks the first time that an educational and collegial event has ever been staged to bring producers together to advance their knowledge, creativity, resources, vision and connections. The Produced By Conference unites the entire producing profession—from acclaimed Oscar and Emmy winners, to experienced team members, to the young storytellers who represent the next generation of creative entrepreneurs 

The Produced By Conference, presented by Plymouth Rock Studios, will be held June 5-7 at Sony Pictures Studios. The conference features an incredible array of speakers, seminars, technology demonstrations, networking opportunities, social events and vendor displays.

In addition to hearing from Cameron about the latest application of 3D and motion capture technology, Produced By Conference attendees will get an up-close-and-personal look at the newest generation of digital cameras, learn the ways to finance and distribute their films, discover how to perfect their pitches and find out how the best television series are developed, produced and sold. 

The sessions are designed for both established and emerging producers, and include panels and roundtable discussions with the producers of Iron ManWALL-EThe Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonGran TorinoThe TerminatorBlood DiamondGrey’s AnatomyDesperate HousewivesScrubs and many more.

Seats to Cameron’s session are limited and are exclusively available to attendees of the Produced by Conference. For more information or to register for the Produced By Conference, visit www.producedbyconference.com.



About The Producers Guild of America (PGA): 

The Producers Guild of America comprises 4000 members working in all areas of film, television, and ancillary production. The Guild’s leadership, guided by its President, Marshall Herskovitz, is committed to just treatment for members of the producing team, from rigorous enforcement of workplace labor laws to fair and impartial standards for the awarding of producing credits.   



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Media Contact:

Insignia, Inc.

310-777-1150





James Cameron would certainly HAVE to show a scene or two from AVATAR in order to show how they did a making of. Hopefully we'll be able to get a taste from it too.

I think what's most interesting about this is that it's almost like a "behind the scenes" type showcase that is usually reserved for DVD extras. I really think some good money is going to start to flow in the direction of the artists who worked on this film, including Lightstorm Entertainment, and Weta.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Mass Effect 2 concept environments

I recently came across some of the new concept environments for Mass Effect 2 on IGN, and You know how I LOVE environments.

What really strikes me about these is that they have that "implied detail" about them where the artist/artists have used photographs and quick brushstrokes to make you think you're looking at something that is close to finaled or finished concept art. The artists at BioWare really know their stuff

When you zoom in (click the photos) you can see some of the fat brushstrokes and low-res photography stretched beyond recognition. Awesome use of atmospheric haze and depth as well.

The Art of Mass Effect has been on my wish list for quite some time so I may need to go out and grab it. I can only hope they do a book for Mass Effect 2.

A new space station image was just released so I've decided to post the art here. Big thanks to the folks at IGN .

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

brush demo/tutorial

Over the past three years I've created, collected, and edited brushes to use in my concept art and matte paintings.

I've decided to release these brushes to the wilds of the internet. Feel free to use, edit, and share them. Do whatever you want with them. Tweak them and then call them your own. Be inspired and have fun.


The concept painting I created with them:

















Here's a 40 min video of me painting with the brushes






Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Quicktime mysteries

So the other night I finished recording my brush demo in ishowU HD Pro, and the entire video came out to be 2 hrs 35 minutes long. I used quicktime to edit the clips together, and then I used MovieFunnel to speed up the video to be 25 minutes. 

Speeding up the video through MovieFunnel was easy and it saved out a different version of the file when I selected "Full Self contained movie". But here's where the problems start. 

My original file was  660 mb. The 'funneled'  version of the video came out to be just a tad bit larger. I looked at the video and found that my 25 minute version had been added to the front of the 2 1/2 hour version. 

Ok...select in point...select out point...trim to selection...Save...file size smaller right? WRONG. 

It seems that Quicktime still keeps the original file refrenced. I've tried exporting a new ipod version of the video using VideoMonkey and got some wierd results. Instead of creating a video 25 minutes long...it referenced the old video and output 1hr of it...what the heck!?

Ok so here's what I want. I just want to export a new 25 minute version from this 'funneled' video and then send it to vimeo. Any suggestions?