Six Weeks and a Good Night Sleep Later

The original intention was to blog as the work progressed, that was my usual pattern whilst studying at Glamorgan University, and I quite enjoy looking back over old posts to see how my former projects developed.  Sadly, I just did not have the time.

Let me get this straight right now for anyone who may be considering applying for next year.

BFX is not a holiday.

You will not spend six weeks getting drunk and partying on the beach. In fact I saw the beach only once whilst in Bournemouth... from a distance.

It is hard work, with late nights and early mornings, and you'll blast through shots at a speed you will have never quite encountered before. Don't let this put you off though. The whole experience is totally worth it. Your skills will develop and improve dramatically, you will gain a much better understanding of the Visual Effects pipeline, and you will get the opportunity to meet people who can teach you so much more than your usual university lecturers. If you love what you do, then you will love the BFX competition. And there is fun to be had, particularly during late night renders.

My BFX experience really began on the Sunday 7th July. My team was all settled in and we popped next door to meet another team for drinks. This really set the tone for the whole event. Everyone was really friendly and genuine, there was no real sense of competition or "winning", we just wanted to do the best we could and were excited to see everyone else's projects develop as much as our own. On the Monday, it was a similar situation, we met the Bournemouth University staff, were allocated machines and then headed down the pub.

After that, the hard work began. Because we were visiting competitors, and not the home team, we needed to be trained on the equipment available, which was significantly different from what we were used to working on at Glamorgan. The green screen studio in particular is really quite different, and as our film was to be shot on green screen this was very important for us. The staff did a great job, one lecturer said that he was cramming a whole terms worth of teaching into one afternoon. We all laughed, but he may well have not been joking. The time flew by and by the time the induction was over, I felt pretty confident stepping into the studio to shoot our short.

There were of course some snags along the way, there were issues using the computer system to book out equipment for example, and a few technical difficulties with equipment itself, but this was cleared up quickly by the staff, who showed an extraordinary amount of patience and good humour. Frankly, I am surprised there were no bigger issues than these. I can not imagine a bigger logistical nightmare than organising an event like BFX, and so I was very pleased at how smoothly everything ran, particularly considering this was the first year of the event.

At first we felt a little like we had put ourselves at a disadvantage by shooting on green screen, not because we weren't capable of compositing the live action footage, (I think the results speak for themselves on this front) but because shoots take time to organise and prepare for, afterwards footage needs to be watched, takes selected and an edit cut. We didn't really begin to get onto post production until late into the second week, which meant we felt like we were playing catch up from the start.

That's not to say we wished we hadn't done it. For one thing, shooting on location brings its own list of problems, particularly when our only suitable location was very far away and without elctricity. Besides, anyone who knows me will know I live for green screen shoots, and I was very excited to get back in the studio after spending a year behind a computer. The facilities at Bournemouth are awesome, (though not quite as awesome as Glamorgan! Well maybe on par... Mostly... Well ours is definitely bigger...) and we were willing to put in the extra hours to get ourselves back on schedule. We got some great footage, the green screen providing us with a really clean and even backdrop for keying and compositing, and only minimal roto was needed to get back some motion blur and a disappearing thumb. On the whole, a very positive experience, even if we did have some hiccups setting up the props.

And then of course came the packing up.



I can't really post an evolution from concept to final product as turn around was so fast that there wasn't much time to work on tests and make rough shots. We pretty much jumped straight onto final composites, with myself and Katt working on keys and matte paintings whilst Jo, Graham and Suvi got straight onto the robot.

I was given early animated block outs around week four, which helped with adding in VFX, which needed to be timed, and final passes for compositing toward the end of week five and beginning of week six. As you can probably tell we all worked flat out right until the last day.

The most important lesson I have learnt from BFX, is that Time Management is everything. I've always been pretty good when it comes to organising myself, but I found that unless everyone in the team is working to the same schedule, things can fall apart pretty quickly. Communication and cooperation are the most important factors in a team project. If there is someone who does not really understand what you do and how long it will realistically take you, pipelines can bottleneck. My advice to anyone taking part next year, is allocate roles for everyone, but also be fluid in what you can do, write a realistic schedule, and keep to it. If people start falling behind, it is imperative that not only is there is someone in the team chasing it up, but also that there is someone in the team able to jump on board and help out. It should never be about appointing blame, but asking "What problem are you having, and what can I do to help?" You are a team after all.


And at last, the final film. Thanks BFX it was awesome. A big thank you to the organisers and the coaches. See you in September for the Festival.



For more information on the BFX Festival, check out their website: http://www.bfxfestival.com/

BFX Competition

This weekend I shall be heading off to Bournemouth for six weeks to start work on an entry for BFX competition. I haven't posted about BFX before, and I really should have done.

Several months ago, a rep from Bournemouth University popped into the Atrium to do a talk promoting a new Festival that celebrates Visual Effects, which was to be held at Bournemouth University. They were incorporating a competition, which involved teams of 4-6 people making short films answering one of a number of briefs on their website. This competition was open to students and recent graduates, however teams were only allowed one recent graduate on each team. Seeing as I fell into the graduate column, and I didn't know many 3rd year students, I went away and didn't think too much more about it.

Not too long after that, my former head of department messaged me on Facebook inviting me to join the Glamorgan University BFX group. It seemed our faculty were trying to get a few teams together to enter the competition. So I joined the group and had a gander, and spotted that a group of CG Artists and Animators that were look for VFX people, so I dropped them a line.

These guys showed me some of their concept art and wow, frankly I had to be on that team. I was willing to beg to work with these guys, they were that good. Imagine how surprised I was when they told me they were second years, because seriously, these guys could hold their own against the third years easily.

Our team became Traditionally Digital, and we worked together to put create a pitch video that was our entry into the competition (though I think our team leader did most of the work...). The pitch went up and we held our breath for two weeks.

The competition you see was open entry, but there were several stages to get through. Anyone could submit a pitch. The idea being you put together previz and concept art and pitch it as if you were pitching to industry. The best ten teams were selected and would be invited to spend six weeks on Bournemouth University campus making the short films with the help of industry mentors. The best of those ten wins the prize, though I believe all ten films will be showed at the festival.

So after much fidgeting and pacing we got the call, and Traditionally Digital made the top ten and was invited to Bournemouth. Yay!

That's when the mad panic began, because honestly I don't think we expected to ever have to make this film, and it is rather ambitious. Nick, our team leader, has been amazing. He's taken control of the art direction, and organised us all with homework. He's anticipated where he thinks we may have problems and encouraged us to do research and work on test shots that will help iron out these issues when it comes to production. For example, my main problem is digital lighting. Nick wants a very specific style and I've been working on different methods to achieve the look we're after. Hopefully, the hard work will pay off and by the time we get to Bournemouth, we shall be working together like a well oiled machine.

So less than a week to go before production starts and I am both excited and terrified. Whatever happens, win or lose, I think we will have a fabulous time, make lots of friends and industry contacts, and gain an experience that will be more than valuable in our future endeavours.

Go Team Traditionally Digital!

Look out for us in 14th August edition of 3D Artist Magazine. We'll be appearing in the Community section talking about the run up to BFX.

Find out more about BFX on their Official Website: http://www.bfxfestival.com/

I plan to keep this blog up to date during the BFX process, so stay tuned for the trials and tribulations ahead.

The Greater Good Teaser Trailer

The tragedy and curse of a family. A climactic duel with a dark and dangerous wizard, second only to Voldemort. This is the moment that changed the fate of Albus, Aberforth, and Arianna Dumbledore forever. 

From the pages of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"

... THE GREATER GOOD 

Starring Josh Brodis, Chistopher Cramer, Colin Goodridge, and Kari Christopher. 

 Coming soon! 

I'm so excited to be working on this project that I just have to share this, even though my VFX aren't in this teaser trailer. It's going to be a great short and does real justice to the book. I can't wait for it to get out there. In the mean time, enjoy this trailer. You can find more information about the film on the website TheGreaterGoodFilm.com or join up to their Facebook Page.

The Greater Good

Before there was Voldemort…

 …There was Grindlewald. 

 The tragedy and curse of a family. A climactic duel with a dark and dangerous wizard, second only to Voldemort. This is the moment that changed the fate of Albus, Aberforth, and Arianna Dumbledore forever.

From the pages of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” 

THE GREATER GOOD 

 http://www.thegreatergoodfilm.com/ 

 trailer coming soon…

(Just a little something I'm doing some VFX on at the moment.)

New Showreel and Other Things

It's about time I wrote a personal blog post I suppose. I've been very busy working on a couple of projects. We've just finished post production on the short film "Another Day" which the team are planning to take on the film festival circuit. Because of this we can't post the film online, but watch this space, it will be up eventually.

I've also started work on a short film called "The Greater Good" which is set in the Harry Potter extended universe. Again I can't tell you too much about this, but it's a lot of fun and should hopefully get a lot of support from the fandom. There's a trailer coming soon which I shall pimp on here once it goes live. Check out their Facebook page: The Greater Good

Watch out for a company called Giant Space, who I've been doing some research and development for here in Cardiff. They do 3D stereo conversion, and I have no doubt they will be popping up in the credits very soon.

I've been putting together a new showreel for a couple of competition entries. Check it out. I hope you like it.

Amy Carpenter VFX Showreel 2013 from Amy Carpenter on Vimeo.

A Highly Spoilerific Review of Star Trek into Darkness

The risk with this film, after being so long awaited by fans, and the continuous advertising campaign, was that there was no way it would ever live up to expectations. I've not felt anxiety over a movie quite like this since the original reboot in 2009 after JJ Abrams admitted he wasn't a Star Trek fan. He didn't disappoint us then, and in my opinion, he has not disappointed us now. It's an exciting, fast paced action adventure, but it also contains the moral and ethical issues that was absent from the last movie, and is at the heart of the Star Trek fandom. It's funny and devastating and incredibly beautiful. It was everything I wanted in a Star Trek movie and so much more. Plus, there were tribbles!

It's going to be nigh on impossible to discuss this film without entering into major spoiler territory, so I'm not even going to try. I'm just going to dive straight in, so you have been warned, there are spoilers ahead.

So let's start with the question on the tip of everyones tongue. Just who is Benedict Cumberbatch playing in this movie? Well, the internet was alight with rumours and theories, and much fun has been had debating the possibilities. The number one thought is Khan. After all he is a monumental baddie, and appeared in the second of the original films. We also had Gary Mitchell and Mirror Universe Spock put on the table. In the end Abrams weighed in himself and announced, "He is John Harrison." The fandom gave a huge simultaneous laugh. If there was one thing we did know for certain, it was that Cumberbatch would not be playing John Harrison.

I said going into the the film that I had a feeling it was going to be a Khan movie, and that I would be very disappointed if it was. As it turns out, Cumberbatch is playing Khan, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. The character is introduced in such a way that all questions of his identity are wiped from your mind instantaneously. Harrison can save any persons life by handing over a vial of his blood, and yet he manipulated a grieving father into committing an act of terrorism, rather than become a doctor. Evil you might say, but then he saves Kirks life and grieves for his own crew, the people who are his family. You get a sense that he will do anything for his crew, including lie and cheat and kill. You convince yourself he's a good man driven to do bad things. When he reveals his true identity, it still completely knocks you for six. You've forgotten to ask the question, and you find yourself wondering how you missed the obvious clues. The answer is that the film is so fast paced and alight with humour that you barely pause for a thought.

Cumberbatch is an outstanding actor. He crawls right under your skin and demands that you care for Khan. He has been wronged, and his vengeance is justified. When he betrays Kirk, you'll feel that same horrible sense of betrayal. He fooled you completely. You placed your faith in him and so he betrayed you too. But then Kirk betrayed him first and for a while it's hard to let go.

This isn't the Cumberbatch show however. I did wonder if he would overpower the entire film with his presence, leaving the Enterprise crew to play second fiddle, but that is certainly not the case. Though he owns every scene he is in with an iron fist, he has surprisingly little screen time. This is the story of Captain Kirk and Commander Spock, how one learns to grow up and take responsibility, whilst the other learns to embrace his human side. Khan is just an antagonist, and a catalyst for the events that will take our favourite Star Fleet officers on their own personal journey.

What I loved about this film, is the beautiful symmetry that it had with the original Wrath of Khan movie. Though the story is self contained, and you can enjoy it as a non or casual Star Trek fan, the true impact of the story can only be felt if you have seen the classic movies. And not just because you won't know who Khan is! In a way this film tells much the same story. The scene is set slightly differently due to the altered time line, but events play out similarly. However, Kirk and Spocks roles are reversed, due to their different upbringings from the original time line. In a way they end up trading places, with both hilarious and heart breaking consequences. You won't see it coming, but once again you will ask yourself why not, because hindsight is 20:20.

Over all the film is very well written and directed. The pace never lets up for a moment, and so the experience is exhilarating. So much happens in just two hours. I had to see it again straight away just to allow my brain to catch up. The mood dashes from brilliant tongue and cheek humour, to high adrenaline action to pure devastation so fluidly you barely know whether you are laughing or crying. I did both.

Once again the cast is on top form, I must give a particular shout out for Karl Urban who often seems to be forgotten in reviews, and yet is the ultimate Bones, right down to the mannerisms. He had some cracking one liners, and brilliant chemistry with Zachary Quinto. Spock and Bones always rile each other up in the Original Series, and this time around it was no different. The crew dynamics was spot on all around.

I could lament for hours about the Visual Effects, particularly the new Klingon Bird of Prey design and the exterior shots of space. I love the warp effects, its nice to see the nacelles being stretched out old school style. I must admit the 3D conversion in the trailer had me a little worried but I felt the 3D in the finished film was outstanding. I have seen in it 2D as well though and I can't say I missed the 3D aside from the scene where Kirk and Khan dive through space to reach the other ship. To be honest it's worth the extra fee just to see that sequence.

I have a few niggles about submerging the ship at the beginning, in fact I'm pretty sure Voyager was the only class of ship that could enter the atmosphere, but I'd have to run that through my brother before I angrily rant about the science fail, he is the utmost authority on Star Trek engineering. But still it was a little ridiculous but a necessary plot device and frankly my only complaint.

This review is becoming ridiculously long winded now. There is so much left to say but I'm still finding it hard to process the level of awesome I have just been exposed to. I recommend you see it, obviously. It has so many nods to the fandom that it has thrilled me to the core. Hopefully I'll get to see it a few more times before it leaves the cinema.

Thank you JJ Abrams, you did us proud.

A few extra thoughts:

• Did anyone else think "uh oh" when Kirk gave Chekov a red jumper?
• "I'm a doctor not a torpedo expert" 
• Very sad that the tribble died.
• Anyone recognise the security guard? Yes Cupcake makes a return
• Spock crying was heard breaking. But then...
• "Kaaaaaaaaaaahn!" I laughed so hard.
• Loved the fact that the audience applauded at the grand reveal. The fandom approves.
• Didn't like the new Klingons, but loved the new ship design.
• A little sad that Kahn didn't do "The Speech" but "I'll walk over your cold dead corpses" was a suitable substitute. 
• Cumberbatch likes to jump off really tall objects doesn't he. Shame he wasn't so springy in Sherlock.
• I'm going to see it again tomorrow.

Iron Man Three (light spoilers)

 So i've just returned from the midnight showing of Iron Man Three, its 3:30am so forgive me if this review is a little choppy but I must blog about this right now.

I am going to start with my one true love, Visual Effects. There were so many great companies and artists working on this film, and they really brought their A game. Somehow they managed to bring a certain amount of gritty realism to FX that ordinarily would be over the top even by comic book standards. There's one scene where a large number of Iron Man suits are involved in battle, and start flying around, shooting and blowing up and yet somehow the viewer can totally accept it as real. This, in my opinion  is the art of good Visual Effects. It's not just about putting CG objects in live action footage, it's about putting it there and no one being able to tell. The level of detail that these guys have gone into, right down to the scratches on the paint work, is phenomenal. Hats off to these guys and gals, not just for proving that VFX is an art form, but for being an inspiration. It's not just about blowing stuff up (though that is cool and there is a lot of that) but making things look real, and it reminds me as a recent graduate and freelancer, that I should never stop learning the craft because perhaps one day I'll get to work on projects like this myself.

I'm not going to spoil too much of the story. I'm an avid hater of spoilers and so wouldn't wish to ruin the experience for anyone. Go and see it, it is beyond worth it. It's probably the cleverest plot line for a action film I have seen in a while, and had some particularly good twists and turns. All the clues are there for you if look out for them, but if you miss them, it all ties up in the end. It's got great Tony Stark dialogue, with humour in dollops, oozing with the same cocky swagger RDJ brings to the role. I was told in a very cryptic fashion before I saw this film, that something about the villain will split the fandom in half, and it most certainly will. I personally think it was a very ballsy move on the writers part, and one that brings an old school, cliched, comic book bad guy right up to date. Others will disagree. Watch out for Ty Simpkins, Starks unlikely side kick, who's a great little actor and bounced off RDJ with the talent of a real pro. They say never work with children or animals, well in this case they got the casting spot on.

What I really liked about this film, is the way they dealt with Tony Stark as a character. In the comic books, he got a bit dark towards the end, and yet they managed to work with that in a Disney fashion that shouldn't disturb the younger audience and yet still manages to deal with the a character post a highly traumatic experience (ie. The Avengers Assemble plot line). It also, quite cleverly, deals with the question that the Captain posed in the Avengers movie. Who is Tony Stark without the suit? The answer, well wait and see, but it is finely executed, with tonnes of symbolism as Stark learns more about himself and love and all the things that made Pinocchio a real boy. It's heart warming really,  and exciting, incredibly dramatic with laugh out load humour, high adrenaline action and just plain awesomeness. I couldn't have asked for more from a Marvel film. If you're not sold, just watch the trailer below!

A few things to finish off with.

1. Go see it immediately. I, in fact, will almost certainly be there again tomorrow night. 
2. Wait until after the credits, there's a nice little gift for you Avengers fans at the end.
3. Anyone else REALLY annoyed at how it's Iron Man 3 in all the promotional stuff but the film is in fact Iron Man Three? I don't know, that just annoyed me. It's really the only thing.