pho·to·shop, transitive verb, often capitalized \ˈfō-(ˌ)tō-ˌshäp\
to alter (a digital image) with Photoshop software or other image-editing software especially in a way that distorts reality (as for deliberately deceptive purposes)
- Merriam-Webster online dictionary, 2012
In the beginning there was 'Display'
From MPC to Cinesite, Fuel VFX to Weta Digital and everything in between! Escapee Leo Neelands.
Ska loving escapee Leo Neelands made a career change but 7 years ago, when upon the word of a trusty friend who recognised the potential of his artistic skills, he made his way down to London with nothing but a Wacom tablet and pen in his bindle and a bucket load of raw talent in his brain.
Behind the scenes at Cinesite - See you there?
Game of Thrones fans, series 3 is on the horizon!
I’m a big fan of Game of Thrones and LOVE the VFX work the guys at Pixomondo have done on the series, especially the set extensions, and it gave me a real thrill to read that series 3 is on it’s way! The series 3 release date being announced at the 31st of March 2013.
2013 Oscars - VFX Nominees!
Tis but 10 days until the much anticipated Oscars! Here at Escape we have a keen eye on who will be winning the prize for best VFX, there are some pretty heavyweight contenders and nominees are as follows…
Please do not pet the animals
Something different for your viewing pleasure – ingenious Polish artist Marta Klonowska creates these amazing sculptures from glass, ever seen anything like it? I want one!
View Conference announces cash prizes for 2013 winners!
Our friends over at View Conference Italy, last week unveiled that they will be providing cash prizes for winners of their different awards. The prizes vary from top of the range tablets to a lump sum of 2000 Euros. The categories for application are as follows (complete with direct links)
You water believe it!
Heinz Maier is an amateur photographer who has undertaken a rather unique project.
C (299,792 km/s)
The phrase ‘put your money where your mouth is’, is rarely put into practice. However, over the last few years, website kickstarter.com has bucked the trend by allowing generous and creative types to come together and put their money into projects that they genuinely believe in.
Flying Sorcery
You may remember this fake UFO clip made famous last year - naturally everyone quickly branded it a fake which it clearly was/is.
Break out of the Box with VFX!
I really like how Michael Rigley has used 3D in a very creative, non-conventional visual effects project for his thesis.
Photoshop goes (even more) 3D
Fans of 3D and users of Photoshop will be delighted this week, with the announcement that 'Photoshop CS6 Extended' is on the market, it allows you to create 3D shape text using extrusions as a 3D layer... "similar to CS4 Extended" I hear you say! But alas, according to this write up, we are told that this works far more 'natively', with 'the usability you’d expect from an integrated Adobe toolset'.
Animation Ireland
And how has this happened? Well a decade of tax breaks and investment basically. Tax breaks to aid production costs and funding for development prior to production from various sources. Very interesting given the impending tax breaks around the corner in the UK. Could this be a new dawn in film and broadcast for us here?
I was amazed by how many companies are turning out real quality work in Ireland. The tax breaks have not affected the passion for excellence. In fact I would say it has merely fuelled it - the companies are competing against eachother to produce the best work. And as the industry steadily grows there are now whispers of full length animated movies being made there.
If you are curious about what has been happening in Ireland check out the Animation Ireland showreel on their website...
Here's something you may not know. Ireland has a booming animation industry. No I didn't know that either until I went to the Cartoon Finance conference in Dublin last year. In fact the animation industry is doing so well, that in the face of the downturn, it has become one of their major exports. At the conference, it was quipped that the animators are now the ones with the proper jobs.
Blown Away by Disney short 'the Paperman'?
Walt Disney shorts are always a treat for viewers. In fact I’d go as far to say that when going to the cinema to see a new Disney Pixar film, part of the excitement is the opportunity to see the preluding short that comes with the main feature
A giant robot, loud music, and plenty of explosions, what's not to like?
The office here at Escape is usually bustling with an array of different musical sounds, and it’s rare we fully agree on what radio station to keep on for more than an hour and a half.
"remember, the Death Star’s power to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the force"
We’re well aware that this is rather old news, but what kind of film loving bloggers would we be, if we didn’t share a story about the United States receiving a petition to build an Empire Inspired Death Star?
Homemade Iron Man Laser Gauntlet!
So we’re all looking forward to the arrival of Iron Man 3 this year right?
2013, the year of the special effects film?
It’s no secret, here at Escape, we love special effects. For that reason, we are especially pleased that someone (Cinefex) has taken the time to find out what VFX clad films we’re set to expect in 2013/14, and compiled them into a succinct, chronological list for our (and your) perusal.
VES Cinematic Color White Paper!
Cinematic Color: From Your Monitor to the Big Screen, documents current state-of-the-art practices for accurately working with color throughout the visual effects and animation process.
Total Rigging in Total Recall: Webinar
On 7th of February 2013, Escape HQ will be welcoming Jakub Krompolc, who is head of rigging at London’s Prime Focus world.