One Down

Three to go.

The last week of term one was good, got all the work done on time although i was disappointed i wasn't able to get a hold of my project from last year. I talked to Huni, i got everything together, and made a plan for the holidays. I enjoyed scanning though i didn't really seem to have the hang of it like some of the other guys did. I am concerned now about the amount of time i have. I have taken on some work experience at an editing company during the holidays. With that, work and other such commitments i'm already worrying about having enough time. On top of that i'm sick. I know now that i'm an adult being sick doesn't count as an excuse but when you're working weekends and doing work experience during the week and you come home at night tired, coughing, voice gone, nose running the last thing you want to do is draw.

I will persist. I will work, i will gain experience, i will knock my animation bible out of the park. cold be damned.

I hope.

Tired. Sleepy. As always wish me luck.

Till next time, space cowboy.

Snakes in Spaceships

Yesterday when i closed my eyes i saw meshes and joints. Like when i saw Alice in wonderland and when i looked at the cheshire cat i could see how they would have modeled him. It's trippy how i'm beggining to understand 3D so clearly. I mean i'm not good at it yet (i moved the friking leg!) but i'm understanding it, understanding the concepts now and it is so weird. Anyway, on with the show.

This week went by pretty well. I was a little stunned to learn first drafts of storyboards are due next week but i should be able to knock them up over the weekend. A tragity befell me and i lost both of my usb's on tuesday so i no longer have some of the files i'd been working on. I don't know when i'll get another one and at this rate i'll only have one maybe two saved versions of some of my work which after spending two years creating up to three copies and four copies of work gives me the heeby jeebies. I'm used to backing up, backing up, backing up. Used to keeping work on up to three or four different devices (computers, usbs, ipods etc). I'm very disappointed. I have to move on and suck it up.

Darrens class went well, the computers are working now and we caught up on all the work we lost out on last week which eased my mind a bit. Like i said, the maya class went well this week. learned lots and was happy to be quite hands one and practical. My brain felt slightly melted by the end but for the most part it was all good work and practice. Nothing much else to report. Going to see Cobra Starship tonight (a band) and to save on the work i have to do over the weekend i am doing my journal now instead of on monday night.

Fangs up, cobra style.

Back on Bullseye

(Back on the Animated Horse)

I got three versions of my thumbnails done. I re-wrote my script. I’ve gone over Jack’s videos and done some practice on the skeleton by myself. I’m back.

I feel the maya lesson last week was intense and to be honest I’m not sure if I could even begin to re-create what we where taught. However I’m going in early on Tuesday to give it a wack. Despite the fact that I’m on time with the thumbnails and the third version of my script I feel as a class we might be falling behind a bit. I could be wrong, I am a little paranoid this year.

Darren’s class left a lot to be desired due in great part to the programs we have been ‘provided with’. Once we got hold of the edited versions of our videos which took a few hours they where eventually transferred onto our computers. While a handful of the class (5 or less) where able to access and edit the files on fusion Ryan and I spent our time logging onto computer after computer all of which where unable provide a working version of fusion. Together we accessed 9 computers on which fusion did not work the rest that where not taken up where broken (did not switch on, would not log on). Later that week Ryan experienced these problems again in a different class going through multiple computers before finding a fully functioning computer.

I will return to Darrens class this Wednesday hoping instead of knowing weather these computers will work which is unacceptable. Last year and the year before we ran into such problems; programs that did not work, crucial programs we where not provided with for months, buggy computers that turned off by themselves, computers that deleted our files, computers that corrupted our files, W drives that would not work (also for months).

This year had gone so well. 5 weeks had gone by almost without interruption by crappy computer systems. We where even being allowed to access the videos of Jack’s Maya class on the internet (something media students should ALWAYS have had but until now a luxury that only foreign students where given). Now the problems have begun again and I am not comfortable with the idea of learning maya essentially from scratch on computers that will crash and corrupt and fail when I need them to work smoothly and efficiently. It’s bull.

Aside from that massive rant everything is going well, back on schedule as it where. I left Darren’s modeling class half an hour early to talk to a manager of an editing company about work experience. It went well and I may be doing some paid work experience during one of the holidays this year. Darren’s modeling class is great. Productive, enjoyable and I finished my model before I left. I am eagerly looking forward to how this model will be scanned into the computer and how this class will proceed. It’s good to be back.

Ride like the Wind, Bullseye

Dropping the Conshi Ball

Well week four rolls around and work finally catches up to me. A months not too bad i suppose. At the start of the week i came in early on Tuesday to catch up on the Machete work i was supposed to do the Friday before in Darren's class. I unfortunately I forgot the second draft of my script for Huni to clear and the Machete i made in the morning before school started was wrong and i had to make it again. None the less i caught up on the work i has missed out on.

During the week however i was very distracted, i got a rush of creativity and ended up drawing, writing and editing personal artistic ventures instead of focusing on my school work. I was also helping my friend move out towards the end of the week. I couldn't seem to take my mind off Alice in Wonderland (great movie, but a simpler story than i expected, hope to see it again before it goes out of the cinemas) and all this was was to the detriment of my work.

I didn't get my thumbnails done like i should have and while i have a rough draft of my thumbnails since the script has changed so have the plans for my story board. I will endeavor to do my thumb nails and hopefully a pineline before the week begins so i will be ahead of my work again. I'm also trying to fit in some time to go over the recorded Maya sessions in Jacks class as well as some practice time. Maybe i'll come in early again on Tuesday to work on that. Juggling has never previously been my forte.

Til next time sports fans.

*or lack there of*

Through the Looking Glass

At the end of my third week things are continuing to move along well though we are now well and truly through the looking glass. I handed in my assignment a few days early and re-wrote my script. My progress at maya and my increasing ability to answer questions correctly in class is delightful to me after years of confusion and struggle. I'm getting new ideas for how i want to 'shoot' Machan all the time and am looking forward to re-drawing my storyboard (as the one i drew during the holidays is now outdated).

Seeing animations done by other students is a heartening experience as well as an educational one because not only am i seeing what is capable for a student to achieve but it has also been great discussing and breaking down how fantastic animations could be better. It seems i end up saying the same thing all the time. I'm enjoying myself, i'm trying to stay conshi*, succeeding so far and maya is all the more challenging and all the more accessible.

I'm disappointed that i was not able to work on my model with Darren on Friday but that was my choice and I have arranged to catch up what i missed out on tomorrow. Juggling everything is difficult and i get idea's for other short animations all the time and find it a pity that i am not able to attempt to create some of these. I haven't even had time to review the Maya tutorial videos Jack makes in class or find any time for precious practise and revision either. I know this is very important especially with my history but alas, alack i'll have to keep trying to fit it in somewhere. I will be downloading Maya for my computer soon but am leaving it for a bit longer so as to make sure i have it in the more crucial months of production.

As with all students who don't know what they want to be when they grow up, i ask the same question as Alice sometimes too:

“One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. Which road do I take? she asked. Where do you want to go? was his response. I don't know, Alice answered. Then, said the cat, it doesn't matter.”

* Cara speak slang: Conshi meaning conscientious

Till next time boys and girls, adios.