Thursday, February 28, 2013

Everybody Got That?

Don't feel like typing. Not much happened anyway. DVD authoring class sucked out my fun, so I got some more from Dawnguard (love the armored huskies) and got started on the editing for Pokemon 3 now that there's FINALLY enough to go on. Gonna be hard to get back into the groove...

Yeaah, I got nothing, here's a video of Charizard coming back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFiArcht-yY

Awesome.

Movie of the day: Spaceballs. Now that everyone knows the "Hello my baby" gag from Aliens: Colonial Marines, make time to find out where it came from! There about a gajillion other golden moments in this movie, and it's a better story than the prequel trilogy, not that that's hard... Watch it before the J.J. Abrams movie comes out and jump on the bandwagon early.

Song of the day: Genesis Of Next by Globe. I Don't normally like yen minute long techno songs, but this one's melodic enough to hold my attention the whole time. Probably one of my all time favourite trance pieces.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Is It Bright Where You Are?

Welp, I promised yesterday and now I deliver! Here are the latest photos of my spawn!



Already it is a thumbsucker. Already it has brought shame to this family.

Yeah, actually seeing it on screen is quite a wake up call (if the original announcement wasn't enough of one) that there really is a living creature in there that I will have to love unconditionally. In some ways it's really strange, in other ways it's strangely awesome, but most of all it's downright terrifying. Despite that, I'm oddly serene about it, probably because there's really nothing I can do about it. Still amazing, though.

Otherwise, at school we're learning how to put DVD menus together. It's a three week module. Even my tutors think it's a waste of time. At least that means I'll have more time to edit. Huzzah! Ugh... 

Movie of the day: Basil, The Great Mouse Detective. I'm not sure if I agree with Doug that this is a huge unrecognised classic. I felt like the timing and pacing was off in places. However I will agree with him in that Ratigan is a great unrecognised Disney villain. The way he just seethes, the primal rage that he worked s hard to conceal bubbling a hai's width below the surface, is pure animated awesomeness, as is the final showdown. It's also always nice to hear the dulcet tones of Alan Young doing his inimitable brogue as well.

Song of the day: The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning by Smashing Pumpkins. Whatever your thoughts on the Watchmen movie, Ido appreciate it for bringing this otherwise obscure b-side (from the Batman and Robin soundtrack, of all places!) from a great band into a more deserving light. Depressing but with a triumphant and hopeful note in the middle, this can either sink you further into the depths of depression or help you out of it. I love songs like that. 

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Can I Handle The Seasons Of My Wife?

Today was meant to be one of those days where not much happened. I was going to go to school, head home at 12 and then hopefully begin work editing Pokemon 3 (Linkara sent me the voice over, but not the video yet). Maybe a little Skyrim before bed, that kind of thing. This was denied me. Instead I got a call from my wonderful wife at about 11:40.

"William, could you please take me to the midwife's appointment today? It's no pressure, I'm able to drive myself, it would just be a really big help if you did, I'm not feeling so good..."

"sure, I guess. Where are you now?"

"...Outside in the car. Love you!"

The woman knows me too well. After the very long appointment with the midwife, we found we needed to get an ultrasound and another blood test, quick smart. However, we had to wait about an hour and a half before the appointments, and the house was very far away, so we decided to eat out. After a lot of indecision, we landed ourselves pretty much at random at a thai restaurant on a street corner. It was the BEST thai food I had ever had in my life. I mean, it was like all the regular thai I had eaten before today was really those cheeky waiters slipping me the plastic display dishes. Each bite was seriously like an explosion of new and unique flavours with every mouthful, these guys were freakin' surgeons with coconut and chili.  It was one of those meals which left you with a warm glow in the pit of your stomach, a once-in-a-decade chance discovery.

Of course, the day could only get worse from a high point like that. Luckily,'worse' in the case of that benchmark means 'awesome'. We got the ultrasound and found that the baby was doing great, and was now in the shape of a baby! Legs and everything! We have photos, but it'll have to wait till tomorrow as I can't be bothered hooking up the scanner just now. I just wish I could have chosen the pictures we could keep. Ultrasounds are awesome, but they can be pretty dang creepy too! You see, the image just cuts through the layers of sound like an x-ray, so the whole experience was basically "hey, I can see It's head! Awesome! There's the nose... Oh, and there's the little brain, too! And... the rib cage... and oh look I can see the heart... kidneys... eye sockets... *faint*" Seriously, one image made the baby's face look like the Decepticon logo if H.R Giger designed it. I really wish I could have shown you guys.

After that we got the blood test (which I love watching out of a healthy sense of hypocrisy , got some groceries, hired some videos from the greatest video store in the southern hemisphere, http://www.aliceinvideoland.co.nz/ , then we headed home at about 6:15. I may not have done what I was planning to do, but I sure am glad of it. Sleep mode activated.

Movie of the day: Sleeping Beauty. Yeah, it's a bit dated and the characters (apart from Maleficent and the fairies) are all very one-dimensional, but at the same time that's almost what I find appealing about it. It's pretty much THE STORY, distilled to it's purest form. The forces of light overcome the forces of darkness, I don't know there's always something primally satisfying about that plot if it's done with feeling. You know what else is primally satisfying? The most Freakin' sweet Dragon in the history of animation. In terms of visceral awesomeness, I'd even put it above Toothless. Just wish the wings were a bit bigger.

Song of the day: Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. I normally don't like Country/western stylings that often, and I've heard really trite and annoying covers of this song all my life, so I'd grown to resent it. Then the original came on the radio the other day and I decided to give it one more chance. This song (meaning the Fleetwood Mac version and NO others) is painfully personal. This woman put herself completely into this song, you can just feel it. The lyrics are heartfelt and poetic without resorting to cliches, and it has a very mature message. I apologize  Stevie Nicks. you are awesome.



Monday, February 25, 2013

Well, It's Too Late To Say You're Sorry

Well, I've finally got some free time now that we've moved on to the 'learning' part of the next module, but here's the strange thing... I really don't want it. I actually really wish I could have gotten you Pokemon 3 this month, but because of the completely unforeseeable incident of Linkara's illness, I simply wasn't able to. I didn't have time to get another video ready either, so I'm afraid I'll have to put out another Suede Played. It really bugs me, as I really don't want to fall into obscurity again and I hate disappointing you guys. However, once Linkara finally recovers I will work as fast as I can to get it done by the middle of the month. I'm sorry this had to happen but there really wasn't anything I could have done.

There really wasn't much else that happened today; I presented my project which was certainly in the top 3 in the class, which was a load off my mind and good reassurance that it turned out ok. After that I exhaled the breath I had held in for the last few days and blobbed like I had never blobbed before, which is one of those things which feels really awesome, but is very boring to hear about. It's like dreams in that way.

Movie of the day: Mary Poppins. Everything just kind of clicked with this movie, didn't it? There's just something about it, even the dreadful accent of Dick van Dyke becomes strangely charming on repeated viewings. It's sweet without being stupid, smart without being pretentious, quirky without being strange. It's one of those rare movies where the parents enjoy it just as much as the kids, not because of the jokes aimed at them, but because of how it instills that sense of childhood fun (and fear) within them. A really nice film to come back to.

Song of the day: About Her by Malcolm Mclaren. An obscure little piece from the Kill Bill volume 2 soundtrack, But it really packs an emotional punch, especially if you've scene it goes with. Quite impressive for what's essentially just a remix of "she's not there" by The Zombies (itself a fun little tune, if not very dramatic).  

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Sketchbook Sunday, Part The Sixth

Well, I promised to show my finished product once it was done, so here it is!


I'm certainly not as pleased with it as I was with the typography, but it did turn out better than I thought it would. Still not sure whether to make it public. Maybe.

Sketches under the jump!

Saturday, February 23, 2013

I Am The Last One!

DID IT! Ugh, it took all flippin' day! It's currently rendering for the third time now (the file got so complex for my poor widdle macbook pro that I had to render the whole dang thing in order to scrub through it accurately), so you'll have to wait until tomorrow to actually see it. However it is done, and the next module in my course involves learning a new piece of software, so that means I will finally get some time for editing. Impeccable timing, too, as Linkara says he'll have his footage done by tomorrow. Oh, it's going to be down to the wire again, isn't it... Up till 4 and all that... I'm not even that popular, what am I doing? Oh, that's right, sense of accomplishment and making people laugh. Keep forgetting.

Movie of the day: Dragonheart. This one's got my nostalgia behind it, but it's still one of the better 90's fantasies with an iconic score, and the main dragon is really well designed. It also has Pete Postlethwaite! I just wish it had two more things: A look at some of the other dragons and for it not to have a really stupid sequel that negates the whole point of the ending.

Song of the day: Lovely Day by Bill Withers. One of the best wake up songs ever. I'm still on a quest to find the one song that doesn't annoy me when it wakes me up, and this one came close. weary yet optimistic, warm fuzzies all round.

Friday, February 22, 2013

I Should Have Seen You Were Trouble Right From The Start

And so the slog continues. I wasn't able to finish the project today, even after working about eight hours on it. I'll have to finish it off tomorrow, but darn it it's not coming out the way I wanted. Sure, it's serviceable enough, but it just doesn't look as professional as I would like. I think the reason was that I have the drive and the vision, I just didn't quite have the experience and know-how to pull off  what I had in mind just yet. It's the equivelant of "eyes bigger than your stomach" and I think it's one of the biggest banes of arts students everywhere, I think. I've met so many students at my school that have these genuinely good and epic ideas that do sound awesome, but they just can't comprehend that they don't have the capability to pull it off yet. THey want their pet projects realised NOW, dagnabbit! Trust me on this one: If you can pull off a small, tight and perfectly executed idea, it's worth a billion high-concept flops. That's my experience, anyway  Take it or leave it.

Hearthfire is strangely enjoyable, a lot more so than I thought it would be! I just hope I can get some more variety in decorating choices eventually.

Movie of the day: Shattered Glass. I reccomend this movie heartily for three reasons: One, it's a rarity in film in that Hayden Christiansen actually acts well in it, Two, it's one of the most realistic fictional portrayals of print journalism, and three, it captures perfectly on film the knotted feeling of being caught in a lie. I just find it fascinating for that. It's based on a fascinating true story too!

Song of the day: Do For Love by Tupac Shakur. I actually prefer the remix version of this song that has a backing by the late, great Nujabes found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrzDZ0imS2Y This is the only Tupac song I really like, not just because it's one of the only ones where he doesn't swear, but you can feel that he's really putting himself out there, and some of his concerns do resonate well, even if you haven't experienced those problems yourself. Don't like the guy, love this song.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

I Don't Eat, I Don't Sleep...

Darn it, I can't believe I forgot to write an entry last night, I usually can't sleep until I do. Well, even if I can't say I did one a day, hopefully I can say I did one FOR each day. That's legit, right?

Things aren't going so great for the project, either. It's taking ages to do the simplest-looking things, I don't think it'll turn out the way I want it to turn out at all. Worst of all, crunch time is darn close, and I'm going to have to spend absolutely all my free time working on it today. Fun!

On the lighter side, how about that ps4 announcement, right? I'd almost be tempted to buy the thing (it'd make Let's Plays a lot easier), but there aren't any games I MUST have that have been announced yet, and NO reverse compatibility (none?) is a real deal breaker. We'll just have to see.

Movie of the day: The Thing. I can't stress enough that this is not for the squeamish. Unless you have a decent desensitization to horror, don't even try it. But if you can play Resident Evil 4, it's one of the best horror movies I've ever seen, even today. The only thing that's aged is Kurt Russel's hairdo. The sense of atmosphere is unique and powerful, and the monster is just as scared of the heroes as they are of it! You have fear both ways. This is 80's filmmaking at it's finest, just steer clear of the 2011 version that completely missed the point.

Song of the day: Under Your Spell by Desire. This song is hypnotic and dreamlike, 80's styling done exactly right... Except for that freaking spoken part. Take that out and it's an elegantly beautiful song.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

And For A TIme, It Was Good...

...and then school happens. Once again, apologies for the short journal entry (you'll probably get the same for the next two days, unfortunately), but the project won't do itself and dang is it taking a while! How can a set of thin black lines take up so much render time?

I also have some bad news regarding Pokemon 3. Through no fault of his own, Linkara has fallen ill and can't record his lines for the time being. I obviously can't edit the film together without his lines, so if he doesn't recover pretty soon, the review won't be released this month. However, this also presents a nice little signal for you: as soon as Linkara says he feels better, the review should be released about a week after that. Sorry!

It's coming close to the time I have to prepare my big end of year project. Better start thinking of what to do...

Movie of the day: The Animatrix. Yeah, I know it's technically nine short films, get over yourself. This was the sequel The Matrix should have gotten. I especially like the history lesson, even if it was a bit ham-fisted in it's symbolism. It's always nice to hear good lore. That and two short films by Shinichiro Watanabe can't be wrong!

Song of the day: 1976 by RJD2. This guy's an instrumental hip-hop master. There are parts of this beat that cause me to bob my head completely involuntarily every time I hear it. Don't like the keyboard solo though. Good walking song.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Everybody Look What's Going Down

It's annoying to write these blog posts when I'm working darn hard on a couple of projects because I'm pretty much doing only that, and there's not much to report. However, I made the resolution and by golly I'm gonna stick to it! I'm still working on the Fringe opening on hardcore mode and I can't show you any WIPs soo... How bout them dodgers?

Oh! Oh wait! There is one thing I saw today that I'd like to share with you guys, just because it really made me think. I've always liked Totalbiscuit's videos, mainly because he has the same uncanny ability Spoony has to talk for ages without being boring, but this video he uploaded recently was a brilliant, simple and very sobering (while still dryly humourous) look at an aspect of gaming that isn't often looked at. Check it out.

That's all I got, folks. G'night.

Movie of the day: Bride Of Frankenstein. This is considered one of the few sequels to surpass the original. I don't think I agree with that, the acting is silier and more over the top and Frankenstein Jr. just doesn't look as creepy as he did in the first one. However, the actual bride herself is a very awesome creation with a distinct style to her (even if she's only onscreen for five minutes) and some of the effects are fantastic, holding up even today. Seriously!

Song of the day: Colorblind's Worth It by Mighty Mike. I'm using this song for my Fringe opening. I thought it fit the vibe of the show pretty well while still retaining some freshness and originality. Love some of the complex harmonies that occur in the mashup.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Beauty Lies Behind The Hills...

...and those hills are big. No sooner do I hand in my typography assignment (it was well received, by the way) then we are handed the major project of the motion graphics module. I have one week to put together the alternate opening to Fringe that I did the style frames for earlier in the year. This coupled with editing the next Pokemon review leads to a pretty daunting workload. However, I was able to finish the previous assignment early yet still be proud of it, maybe I can do the same this week. Details as they occur. Not much else happened today, but I was surprised to find that the Fish and Chip shop on our street has old arcade machines, including Street Fighter and Metal slug! too bad none of them work right...

Movie of the day: This Is Not A Film. Warning: This is also not an exciting film. In fact, at times it is downright boring. However the story behind it makes it worth at least a look. It's a documentary of sorts chronicling the daily life of an Iranian director who is about to be taken to prison and banned from making films for the next 20 years because his films spoke ill of the government. The film is a very intriguing slice of life that shows the oppression occurring in Iran and how it's affecting a man who just lives for making films. It was also smuggled out of Iran on a usb stick that was hidden inside a cake! You almost feel like a spy or a voyeur watching it.

Song of the day: Run Boy Run by Woodkid. This guy probably has the most hipster sounding stage name I've ever heard ("You ever heard of Woodkid? He's opening for Splitfinger and The Patch Muffins next Tuesday. No? I'm not surprised, he's pretty underground..."), but you can't argue with his output, no you can not. The video for this song was nominated for a grammy, and I can definitely see why, the thing's glorious. The song coupled with the sublime editing in the video resonate emotionally on a very primitive and basic level, and I really dig that. See it before he sells out (kidding).

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Sketchbook Sunday, Part The Fifth

Sunday once again! As we all know, nothing ever happens on Sunday, so let's look at what I draw in my spare time for no reason!


Saturday, February 16, 2013

Now, Where Was I?

I did it! I flippin' did it! Granted, it's not quite as polished as it could have been, but it is out of my sight. I'm still proud of it, though! Whatcha think?



Ugh, this month's going to be disgusting, I can feel it. First I half kill myself getting this done by Sunday (It's due on Monday, but I don't work on Sunday for both religious and health reasons), and now because Linkara is delayed in sending his footage to me for completely excusable reasons I'll probably really have to stretch myself to the limit to get it done in time. Oh well, at least I got a bit of Dragonborn time in there. Apocrypha is best daedric realm!

Otherwise, the day hasn't been terribly eventful, mainly due to the work mentioned above, but we were able to get some good eats on my parent's dime (yes, they were aware we were doing it)! I got a pork belly and hollandaise pizza. The taste was a bit confused, but pork belly never tastes 'bad', so it was still an enjoyable experience.

Movie of the day: Cinderella. We were house sitting for my parents and since they actually use the TV for TV(as in they have a cable), we always see what's on. First thing that was on: Cinderella III on Disney Junior. I remember the Nostalgia Chick said that it was the least horrible "disney sequel" and I'd have to agree after seeing it. Mostly it is schmaltzy and cringe-worthy, but there are a surprising amount of genuine laughs (Prince's Mother's portrait) and even some really good kick-butt moments ("bad kitty!"). I was pleasantly surprised, I really was! Then we switched over to the main Disney Channel and what should be on it but the original Cinderella! That one I can always recommend, if only for the outstanding villain. Lady Tremaine is just personal human evil personified.

Song of the day: Wish You Were Here By Pink Floyd. This came on the radio while I was driving to get the pizza, and as I listened to it (cranked up and singing along, of course) I was reminded as to just how good these guys were, especially in terms of lyrics. I normally don't even listen to lyrics, they just pass over, another instrument. But Floyd's are just so good, so well placed, eloquent and music-enhancing that I can't help but really listen to them and contemplate them. Rant over.


Friday, February 15, 2013

Trying To Get Some Rest

Can't type much tonight. Typography assignment more work than expected. Planning to work all flipping day tomorrow. Weekend gone. Teacher can rot in pits of Hades. Show you all tomorrow. Wife feeling better. Nice people brought chinese. Haven't had good chinese in a while. Time to work. Time to die.

Movie of Day: V for Vendetta. Origin of symbol used by Anonymous. Not sure if they got the point. Movie good, better than Moore gives credit for. Ignore political agenda of screenwriters, overall sentiment sound. Very emotionally effective, harrowing at times. Something different, yet still thrilling and fun. Recommended.

Song of Day: Paranoid Android by Radiohead. Calm yet angry, melodic yet noisy. So good Ergo Proxy used it in end credits. Guitar break favourite part.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

I See Dead Projects

Hmm. This project is going to be darn tricky. As I mentioned briefly before, I have to take a sound clip of at least 30 seconds and create a full sequence of kinetic typography to match up to it.

Lots more after the jump.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Your Head Will Collapse, But There's Nothing it, And You Ask Yourself...

Hooray! DLC for Skyrim at frickin' last! Hasn't it been, like over a year now? So far it looks awesome, especially the Lovecraftian vibe and tentacled abominations. It'll definitely last me until next week, that's for sure!

We had to rush through class today, as the computers had to be moved. Unfortunately, the 3D photo I finished wasn't rendered, so I wasn't able to bring a movie file home. However! I did manage to get a movie file of the second stylized logo I did:


I wish I could say I figured out how to put all that together on my own, but it was pretty much a step by step tutorial. I did take it all in though, and I'm sure I could recreate it. I learned about linking effects to sliders, complex stuff. Next we have to apply what we have learned and put together some Kinetic Typography. Should be tough!

Jess is improving at a good rate, I can breathe a little easier. Nancy Drew is completely done, just need to upload it. Should be done and scheduled by tomorrow evening. Hope you guys like it!

Movie of the day: The Third Man. I feel like this was the first time a movie was really built up around the wrong star (hey, a second meaning to the title!). I always thought this was one of Orson Welles' big roles, but he's barely in it! Other than that, it is an intriguing picture if you're willing to put up with the slow pace. The dutch tilts got a bit much at times, though.

Song of the day: Where Is My Mind? by Yoav ft. Emily Browning. The first  half of this song is just sublime, and because of that it's really disappointing when it goes into really generic territory in the second half. I love the original by The Pixies, but at least for those first three glorious minutes. this arrangement blows it out of the water.  

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Here Comes The Judge

Got to love the rush posts, but by golly I must keep my resolution! ...Even though I started late... Hey, shut up!

Learned a bit more about applying the skills we've learned in After Effects. Tomorrow I'll show you what we put together. It looks very nice, very professional. We also made a rostrum which I can't show you now because I'm lazy and forgot to bring it home. double feature tomorrow, I guess...

Jess and I were finally able to visit the doctor today to ask about the anti-nausea medicine that we stopped taking because of a no-pregnancy warning we found on the label. Luckily the doctor was able to call up the Department Of Medicine and confirm that it's perfectly safe, the warning was just an insurance safety from when it was unproven, and they just never bothered to alter it. Hooray! maybe now Jess can get some sleep...

Still waiting on my collaborator's footage, but until then my next Let's play is almost ready, and should be on the site by friday. Two videos in one month! It's a miracle...

Movie of the day: 12 Angry Men. I know that there are multiple holes in this courtroom drama (one of the jurors would have been dismissed on the spot for producing a knife) but it's still a great mystery with a good reveal, excellent pace and tension for a one room movie, and one of the awesomest anti-prejudice scenes in movie history.

Song of the day: Here Comes The Judge by Pigmeat Markham. This song was released in 1968. Dang. That beat is amazingly modern and tight, and the guy raps amazingly for what may be the first rap in the sense we think of it in history. All that and it's funny, too!

Monday, February 11, 2013

Crazy, Am I?

It was a pretty relaxed day today.  At school we were shown an after effects template and we were to put different pictures as appropriate. It was actually a template for the grammy awards, which was kind of fun. I just hope it's not conditioning us for the kind of mind-numbing work we'll have to put up with just out of school, although to be honest that's probably exactly what it is.

We were also let out early because they had to elcome the newcomers to the lower class, the one I did last year. I'm still not sure I made the right choice of school, but hopefully what I've learned will help me get a job in America (or anywhere for that matter, I just want to provide a steady income.

Oh! Bonus for being so patient: I actually had the foresight to bring my flashdrive to class so i can show you guys the ident I did in After Effects for my own theoretical production company. This is the FIRST DRAFT, with many flaws. but I still dug it. Whatcha think?


Movie of the day: Frankenstein (1930's). I thought it would be fun to watch the really old classic horrors and see what made them s special. Despite a few elements of the time (when has fast motion EVER worked in a non-comedy setting?), It's actually very effective in terms of atmosphere and the acting is wonderful. Dr. Frankenstein is great, really good at the intelligent-yet-crazed looks, but that monster... I know he's not portrayed as intelligent as he is in the book but the emotions this guy can portray under a metric ton of make up is staggering. Having a mentally disabled brother, I can cofirm that Boris Karloff really nails the feel.

Song of the day: Crazy Avalanches by DJ Cheekyboy. This is a great example of a perfect thematic mashup. Both the songs play off each other exceptionally well, I even made an AMV to it back in the day! Maybe you'll see it sometime...

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Sketchbook Sunday, Part The Fourth

It's lazy Sunday, so that means padding! What kind of padding? Why, sketchbook padding, of course! And I included a jump because the pictures take up room and I just discovered what the jump actually does! Hooray...

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Thing Of Beauty

Well, I did get to do at least one of the things I wanted to do today done, and started on a few of the others. I recorded a new episode of Nancy Drew (this one should be interesting), fleshed out the idea and began work on the script for a new Amv Heaven and... yeah, that's about it. Main reason I wasn't able to do more was because poor Jess has taken a bad turn lately. Poor girl has begun to hate food because she's always hungry, but never for anything. That seems like a bizarre paradox to me:  To be ravenously hungry, yet not desire food. I mean surely you're hungry FOR something, right? But no, Jess must continue to suffer this bizarre oxymoron, at least until the first trimester is over. Fingers crossed she gets better!

I also briefly played Skyrim to get some new characters ready for the DLC that's finally, finally coming out in 3 or so days! I just love Skyrim, it's the escapist game that just keeps on giving. For those curious, I have a straight-arrow adventuring Nord shield-and-sword paladin named Aventir Ice-Branded, A Dark-Elf thief named Alvalys who wants money more than anything, A High-Elf Necromage named Sincerion who wants control above all else (100 Speechcraft) and finally, I think my favourite though I love them all: an Argonian Hunter who does whatever the flip he wants to do named And-Yet-He-Moves. With him I set some limits: He cannot fast travel, uses the map only in extreme circumstances, and he doesn't refuse a quest when it presents itself. It's a blast playing him, a real sense of discovery. Nerd rant over!

Movie of the day: I, Robot. A lot of people dismissed this one out of hand as a Will Smith cash-in blockbuster based on a smart book that deserved better. I can definitely see the shameless product placement in there, but I can't elp but love Will Smith's Will Smithiness and some of the emotional moments and action beats are extremely effective. I also like how Spooner and the female scientest have a platonic relationship throughout the movie. Dang, that's refreshing!

Song of the day: Skyrim Atmospheres by Jeremy Soule. A Forty-two minute song, yes. But a forty two minute song that, when played in your headphones while walking,  makes you feel like the hero of your own personal adventure. What a Pick-me-up.

Friday, February 8, 2013

It's Hard To Explain

Curses! I wanted to fix the problems on the Ident I made in class yesterday and show it to you guys today, I even saved the file in a backwards compatible format... it just wasn't backwards compatible enough. I saved it as a AE CS5.5, and I took it home to find that the program I have on my current system is CS 5.0. Give me a break. Next time I'll just export it at school and bring it home, shouldve done tat to begin with. Can't do that for a while though, because Hooray! It's the weekend! I actually have some time on my hands for the first time in forever, since I don't have any pending projects and I have to wait for Linkara and JW to record their lines. The possibilities lie before me... I could record two or three new episodes of the Nancy Drew Let's Play, I could write a new AMV Heaven, I haven't done that in a while... Heck I could even continue the Fanfiction I started writing to see if I have any kind of fiction-writing talent! No, I won't tell you what fandom it is or where to find it, I want it to be anonymous (at least until I get some unbiased feedback). It's funny isn't it, hw too much choice can sometimes be worse than not enough... I just hope I don't squander it. I guess you guys'll find out if I do!

Played the demo for the new Sly Cooper game. Jess is a huge fan and even though I was more of a Jak and Daxter child, Jess bought the HD collection and has been showing me it's awesomeness. Those games had so much in them, man! They were really long for platformers, the value for money was insane! Sucker Punch really does get shoved under the radar, but they're one of the most consistently good companies out there, and I can't wait to see what they do next.

Movie of the day: Ladyhawke. I realised only recently that my movie education was severely lacking when it came to the old 80's style fantasy movies like Willow, Legend, Ladyhawke etc, so I'm setting out to rectify that. Despite Matthew Broderick's Brodericking and accent-slippage, the film actully stands up very well today. The story is tight and uncomplicated, the cinematography and costumes are beautiful, and Rutger Hauer continues to be one of the most underrated actors of his generation. There's only one aspect of this that really did NOT age well, and boy is it hard to get past: the music. 80's power guitar CAN work in a fantasy setting, but cheesy Casio Synthesizer? No, no, NO! It just killed the immersion whenever it showed up. Luckily it tones down near the end.

Song of the day: Nightcall by Kavinsky. Now this is 80's synthesizer done right. It's original, it's catchy, the melody is very pretty, it's dark as anything but retains an air of cocky coolness (which I suppose is the acid test for all 80's pop stylings). Play it when you're driving through the city at night and feel like the ultimate boss.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Oh, Please Just... Let Me Please Break Down

Ugh. Well, I finished recording my lines for the Pokemon 3 review. Things are moving forward! Now I just need to play the waiting game with Linkara and JW for their lines. Then the real fun begins! It's actually been quite a productive day, I worked my rear end off to make an ident for my "company" in After Effects in under four hours. I quite like how it turned out, although I can see some flaws now. I would show you... but I forgot to save the After Effects file in a reverse compatible format. So, I'll fix that tomorrow and show you then!

We also received the My Little Pony Comic we ordered! There is one and precisely one comic shop on Christchurch, so we reserved a folder and asked that any and all MLP comics be placed in there when they come in or they restock. It looks like issue 2 restocked! The art style is fantastic, reminiscent of the show while retaining it's own style, which is flippin' manic! Some of the expressions are just priceless! Maybe I'll put some scans up later, but right now, I must rest...

Movie of the day: Groundhog Day. I seem to be segueing nicely between movies from day to day, with Inception leading to Source Code, so I'll mention this one as it's probably the first movie you think of when describing Source Code's plot: "It's like Groundhog day, but sci-fi and gritty".  This is my Mum's numer one favourite movie, and it's definitely my favourite romantic comedy. Everything just clicks and gels together beautifully. They wring as many jokes as they can out of the premise, and then they stop. It has a good redemption message, and you think about how it applies to your life afterwards (one of the signs of a truly great movie). I also like that we never find out why this is happening to Phil. I know it was explained in the early script, but I think it was a bold move for Harold Ramis to simply say, "it's really not necessary". I also like how this is unintentionally one of the few thoroughly buddhist movies in mainstream hollywood.

Song of the day: Breakdown by Handsome Boy Modeling School featuring Jack Johnson. This song is the music equivalent of a good friend sitting you down and saying, "Look, just shut up and take it easy, man! Geez!" Jack Johnson suits Trip-Hop surprisingly well... This one always helps me unwind.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Tell Him Everything's Going To Be Fine

Ugh. It took me all flippin' day, but FINALLY I was able to finish the script for Pokemon 3! Huzzah! It was dang hard. As mentioned before, I had to deal with writers block, working around schedules, all that AND it was inherently hard to write funny because it was actually a good movie! Hopefully it says all that I wanted it to (and doesn't offend anyone).

Well! The new Nostalgia Critic is up! I personally think it's a fine return to form although it's strange, I could almost feel him kind of settling into his groove again after an awkward beginning. How is that even possible in an edited video? It's either a coincidence or pure genius on Doug's part, and I'm not sure which is more unrealistic! I'm just glad he's back.

Movie of the day: Source Code. It's really been a while since mainstream movies that HAVEN'T been directed by Christopher Nolan have engaged in any good old fashioned brain-bending, which is why this one's a breath of fresh air. It actually reminds me of Nolan's early work, especially Memento, although a nice difference is that there's actual optimism in this movie, a marked difference from the aforementioned director's work. It was a good romp that made you think, and I really wish more action/thrillers were like that (if I haven't made that clear over the last few days). Good job, David Bowie's son!

Song of the day: Let's Go by Stuck In The Sound. I love a real "get up and go" song that makes you feel confident and optimistic, yet this one still instills it with a sense of cynicism and concern. I didn't understand half the lyrics to this song, but that's the vibe I got from it. Awesome.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Keep It Cool

I am WAY more jealous of this than I should be:

I know I'm not as famous as NC (heck, JesuOtaku or Sage would probably be a likelier candidate than me T.T) but gosh darn it I WANT IT! They acted pretty unrealistically though, when you think about it. I doubt those two would react so calmly...

Since we found that the anti-nausea medication might not be healthy for the baby, Jess is trying out hose acu-pressure bands. Fingers crossed, they work! We finished the technical chapters of After Effects in class, and now we're moving on to our first assignment: Building an ident for our own filming company! I'll be sure to show you guys when it's done. However, before that we have a New Zealand exclusive holiday tomorrow (Waitangi day), so I'm going to be spending all day... working furiously on the Pokemon review! The things I sacrifice for you people...

Movie of the day: Inception. I feel kind of bad that this movie's been made fun of so much and memed to within an inch of it's life, it kind of caused people to forget just how awesome and different it was. I was able to follow the story okay, but that's only because I was warned to never stop paying attention. It's certainly not a casual movie, but I love the idea of the mega-budget thinking man's action movie, even if it's only pulled of very rarely. Also, Gasp! no swearing or explicit sexual content! See, Hollywood? You CAN still make money off of movies like that without pandering!

Song of the day: Just Hustle by The Reborn Identity. This song got me back into mashups after a long absence. This, to me, sounds way better than the original mix, and it matches up so perfectly it's almost suspicious. What haven't you been telling us, Miss Gaga? Oh and by the way... this version really does make me want to dance.

Monday, February 4, 2013

I Didn't Murder My Wife

Ha! Got you with that heading, didn't I? See if you can figure out what I was really referencing...

Learned about Lighting in class today, then we had a workshop on storyboarding in the afternoon. Storyboarding is probably one of my favorite stages of production (even though when you think about it, it sounds like some kind of torture where people are bound and forced to listen to Twilight or something). When I want to make films, I get a really clear image in my head about what it will look like, and it's exciting to put it on paper in a no-budget environment. I actually miss out on that when I do reviews, seeing as there really can't be any storyboard for those, but maybe if I can finally get working in the field, I can get an opportunity.

Jess has been doing a lot better, and a couple from our church actually dropped off some roast chicken for us because they knew we were having trouble getting good meals into us. It was so good... What nice people!

Movie of the day: The Fugitive. This movie pretty much pioneered the "thinking man's" Action movie, with a very intelligent protagonist, a complex plot that takes concentration to figure out and an antagonist that actually isn't a bad guy... and flippin' sweet explosions. The train crash is spectacular every time i see it. Since Tommy Lee Jones really only plays one character for the most part (and does it well), he performs well, but the dynamic betwen him and Harrison ford is what really makes it. Both of them even manage to crack jokes without breaking the mood! This is quite a forgotten gem for action buffs, even though it was nominated for Best Picture (seriously!).

Song of the day: Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!/I Want You (She's So Heavy)/Helter Skelter from The Beatles' Love album. Being a lover of mashups (and of the Beatles, for that matter), I thought this album, a selection of officially endorsed mashups of Beatles songs taken from the actual mixes,   was fantastic. This song was one of the real standouts. Near the end it really goes into "whoa" territory. these guys knew what they were doing.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Sketchbook Sunday, Part The Third

Yet another lazy Sunday, as all Sundays really should be. You know what that mean? MEDIOCRE SKETCHES! Yaaaay...

This started out as me trying my hand at a new style of nose design (I have weird creative tangents, okay?), and I ended up drawing the slimiest person I have ever drawn. I also wanted to try out an afro, with disappointing results. Agent Crick & Agent Fuller: One's a Vampire. One's a werewolf. They're in the FBI. Can they EVER get along?
Trying out a dynamic grup pose with my favourite Pokemon party. Very amateurish all around but I did like the perspective on Scizor (haven't been able to recreate it since) and Mewto looks pretty cool.
...and here's one I did today. Thought I'd try doing an Unreal Tournament style Egyptian cyborg. I enjoyed putting snake and bird motifs in there, and the shoulder pad was me really challenging myself with 3D armor. I think it turned out ok!

Movie of the day: Where The Wild Things Are. I heard that this movie got a bit of executive meddling after Spike Jonze put his first cut forward for being to adult-oriented. I can definitely see that, and occasionally the tone of this cut is very muddled, not sure whether it's meant to be family-friendly or not. However, the sense of wonder is second to none, the cinematography is gorgeous when the sun s out, and they really nail how a child thinks and speaks. It's definitely more if an experience than a story, and if you go into it with that mentality, It is a very zen piece of filmmaking.

Song of the day: Still Alive BY LISA MISKOVSKY. The capitalisation is to distinguish it from the other song called "still alive" that everyone knows. I loved Mirror's Edge way more than I should have, and this is a very atmospheric song that somes up the beautiful-dystopia feel perfectly.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

I'm Not Sleeping Now, I'm Wide Awake

Some good news and bad news about my upcoming Pokemon review! Get the good news out of the way to ease your minds: It's going well, and it will DEFINITELY be released this month. Bad news: I think it's going to kill me. The reason it's been taking so long to get it out is for three reasons: One, I've had other ideas that had to be done first, and I only have time in the month to put together one video well. I felt like my Pikachu Shorts videos and the Christmas episode needed to be made before my next review, so I had to do that. Second, during the month of January when I wanted to work on it, we had a nasty project at school that took up more of my time than I thought it would. I still worked on it, but I had to cop out with a let's play, mainly because third, I have had an enormous writer's block regarding the review since December. There have been afternoons when I had tons of time to work on it, but the whole thing ended up as a staring session at the monitor. Finally, finally it clicked, and now everything is on the fast track. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep this month! At least I'll have some sympathy with Jess...

Movie of the day: The Lovely Bones. I have not read the book, so I can't really comment on that aspect. However, I'm still not sure why so much hate is poured on it. I can see the flaws (some of the fantasy sequences are a bit jarring) But I personally really liked how everything looked like a 70's photograph and dang, can Peter Jackson do tension! I know he had a background in horror (everyone in NZ does) but I could just feel every muscle in my body completely tensing up in some scenes, it was almost unbearable. Certainly an uncomfortable watch, but an intriguing one.

Song of the day: United State Of PoP 2012 by DJ Earworm. Probably should have brought this one out at NewYears, but here it is. I love this guy's stuff. Every year he brings out a mashup of the top 25 pop songs of the year all at the same time, and they're always awesome. I find a sweet irony in the fact that most of his songs are better than all of the top 25 songs of year put together when that's exactly what it is!

Friday, February 1, 2013

He Was So Nimble Toed

Well, today was one of those days when nothing especially happened. It was a tutors-only day at the college, so I had naught to do but work on the script and relax. I'm hoping against hope I can finish the thing by tomorrow evening. Like Linkara, I work best under pressure, so we'll see what happens.

Poor Jess has taken a turn for the worse, she's been pretty much bedridden of late. however she has been taking advantage of the situation to watch a lot of anime. She's just finished another series, so perhaps you'll see another review up here soon. She also finally got her birthday present from her best friend in America: The first four .Hack games for the PS2! I do hope I'll see her again before the end of the first trimester...

Movie of the day: The Wind In The Willows (ie Mr. Toad's Wild Ride). I'm actually writing this as the end credits roll. I'd only ever seen snippets of this movie all through my life, and now I've finally been able to see it all the way through, it's... well, I guess I agree with Doug, it's pretty forgettable and nothing really stands out. However! There's one thing you can't deny, and that is that it does ooze that quirky british charm and it's one of those movies that feels like the cast and crew had a ton of fun making it. Not only that, but it has nearly all the Pythons and even Steven Fry popping in for a cameo! Mostly harmless, but I was charmed by it. Badger was awesome.

Song of the day: 23 Hanashi by Yoko Kanno. Quite an obscure one, but this is one of my favourite soundtrack pieces in anime. Only problem was that you had to get the limited edition soundtrack to own it! Beautiful build up, exquisite payoff, unnerving yet relaxing at the same time and I'm sure I've heard that soundscape at the beginning used somewhere else, but I can't quite place it. Maybe I'll remember it tomorrow. Recommended just as you're going to sleep as I am. Goodnight!