Check out the new official trailer for 'Prometheus' by Ridley Scott. The film will consist of the following all star cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green and Charlize Theron. Conceived as a prequel to Scott's 1979 science fiction horror film Alien, it is in fact a separate story and is not directly connected to the Aliens franchise.
The Coolest VFX Apps on the Market
There are so many useful apps on the market and I have found a couple of super useful and cool iPhone apps for the VFX artist and digital photographer. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be sharing these with you in a series of blog posts.
A Sad Day for Comics, French Artist Jean Giraud - Moebius - Dies at 73
A very sad day indeed for the comics industry and for all of those like me who grew up within the amazing and imaginative world of Moebius. I have always been an avid comics fan and for me, the two most influential peolple have been Stan Lee (he taught me very important words such as puny proverbiale and imperious rex) and Jean Giraud who I stumbled upon by accident. He introduced me to the world of french comics and it was a revelation. The French are masters of comic art and narrative, and the works of Moebius have inluenced all manner of media including some of the most important science fiction films.
His legacy will no doubt live on - a true inspiration. You can read the full article on the Geek Out Blog.
Want to See Your Name on the Big Screen?
It's great to see our escapees leading the way in a new film from Skillset promoting the computer graphics industry.
Stargate Studios 'The Walking Dead' VFX Showreel
As an avid zombie fan, I spend my days either killing zombies on the game console or watching them get hacked to pieces on tele (not to mention seeing one in the reflection of the mirror, the morning after a night of partying). One TV series which I'm sure most of you have heard of, is 'The Walking Dead'. Apart from the ghastly zombies and the characters of the show - one of the most common things people talk about is the lovely VFX. The talented guys at Stargate Studios are responsible for the VFX for The Walking Dead and they have just released their Season 2 showreel.
Enjoy, VFX/Zombie fans!
Love is Making its Way Back Home
I've seen a lot of stop motion animation videos lately made with Post-it notes, and all sorts of other media. Some have made me chuckle, and some have made me laugh, but when I stumbled across this sweet video for 'Love is making its way back home' I was absolutely gobsmacked.
i-SPEED at Outlook Festival
With festival season starting to gradually rear her smiley face, a number of video teasers have been released online. This stunning movie, filmed by my former company The OMC, a freelance collective of creative media professionals based in Hackney Wick London, succinctly captures the essence of a good festival, and was shot at Outlook - Europe's largest Bass music festival.
A Modern Soundtrack for a Restored Classic!
Last weekend I stumbled across an album cover with the VES (Visual Effects Society) logo on it. For those of you who don’t know, the current logo for the VES is the iconic image of the moon from the film Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon), a 16 minute black and white silent film from 1902. It was a revolutionary film for its time, being not only the first sci-fi but also using special effects that were very high tech at the turn of the century. Though the film was distributed predominately in black and white there was also a hand-coloured version that was thought to be lost for quite some time until the only surviving print was found in Spain in 1993.
Free Download: An Artist’s Guide to a Career in CG
Are you an aspiring CG artist who’s trying to get your CG career off the ground? Are you working in the creative industry and want to transfer your skills to VFX? We know how difficult it can be to make decisions and chose the right path, but that’s where our Careers Guide can help. By revealing the many opportunities that exist within the CG industry, the guide helps you overcome some of the hurdles you might face when you start making career choices.
“The Artist”: Hype or Genius?
Hype or Genius? That’s the question on many people’s lips – especially with so much speculation as to whether or not it will steal the show at the Oscars, and take the prize for best picture.
Pixel Palace Artist in Residence: Kelly Richardson
Digital artist Kelly Richardson recently completed an artist’s residency at the Pixel Palace, a new digital media arts programme of the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle upon Tyne. During her time there, she began initial research and production into an ambitious new three projection video installation entitled ‘Mariner 9’. During her residency, the Pixel Palace commissioned a short film about the work being developed where she explains some of her processes and ideas behind the new installation.
A Cube Made Out of Gears
Sometimes, you just come across something which simplify defies logic and the laws of physics... Today, I did just that when I discovered this incredible piece of 3D printing. It just goes to show the magic you can create with such technology. And if you fancy trying to build something like that yourself, here is where you can find some instructions.
Amazing Realistic Paintings of Children’s Drawings
An old colleague of mine (thanks Miles!) recently posted this link on his Google+ profile and I was instantly mesmerised. Illustrator Dave DeVries has had the amazing idea of taking children’s drawings and representing them as ‘realistic’ paintings in a project called “The Monster Engine”. The results are absolutely amazing. The artist describes his initiative as “a book, a demonstration, lecture and a gallery exhibition. The premise for all three came from one single question: What would a child’s drawing look like if it were painted realistically?”
News Round-Up: Monday 5th Dec 2011
Here is my usual Weekly Round-Up of News, with stories that I have picked up over the past week. If you have suggestions for stories I missed, just drop me a line or post a comment.
News Round-Up: Monday 28th Nov 2011
Here is my usual Weekly Round-Up of News, with stories that I have picked up over the past week. If you have suggestions for stories I missed, just drop me a line or post a comment.
Students Love our Mentored Training Courses
We have students from all over the world training with us - all from different walks of life and with different priorities and motivations. Whether they’re in full-time work or part time study, it’s our core aim to help them develop the skills required to progress their career as a VFX artist in a way that works for them. Our Online Mentored Training enables students to do just that – learning online, and working around day-to-day commitments.
The Illusionist: Beautiful Animation but is it Faithful to Tati?
I love Sunday. It’s my favourite day of the week: a day when I can 'veg out' and watch all the stuff on TV I don’t normally have time for. Yesterday, I settled down to watch a feature animation which had been on my ‘To Watch’ list for some time. It’s called “The Illusionist” and is a Franco-British collaboration, directed by Sylvain Chomet.
News Round-Up: Monday 21st Nov 2011
Here is my usual Weekly Round-Up of News, with stories that I have picked up over the past week. If you have suggestions for stories I missed, just drop me a line or post a comment.
November Free Tutorial: Animate a Bird & Make it Fly (Part 1)
When I created this tutorial, my number one objective was to ensure that whoever was learning could really use what they create and incorporate it into something that they might already be working on. That’s why this animation tutorial is so substantial and has been separated into two parts! This month, we will use a pre-created rig, which you can buy here and use to explore the mechanics of bird locomation. It costs just $5 and trust me, it’s worth it.
Resonance Producer Will Be Presenting Project To Escape Students
We are delighted to welcome Simon Jones from SR Partners to Escape Studios this week to present a visual treat 'Reasonance' to our students.
