Category: Updates
FlexShopper T-Flex Holiday Spot
I had a great time working on this spot with Brickyard VFX. It was up to me to take the dialog and action notes to break it up into shots, set the camera and action within each action, fine-tuning with feedback from Brickyard and the client. Then, I got to work with the modeler/rigger on developing a strong rig that could be used for this and future spots. I always take great pleasure in telling riggers what to do.
Last but certainly not least, was animating this fun, t-rex character. It was a good challenge to determine how he should move and to strike a balance between realistic and cartoony. As noted, I animated the first three T-Flex shots and Ed Hull animated the last two.
Enjoy!
Hardees & Cheetos – Thickburger Spot
I have yet to try adding Cheetos to my hamburger, but I did have fun working on this spot. Again, working as Lead for Brickyard and with the very talented animator, Ed Hull, we churned this one out in record time. The most challenging shot, weird as it may seem, was Chester behind the bun rack and deciding what his reaction would be once he was revealed. For some reason, we just couldn’t nail down the right response. I’m happy with the one we ended up with.
Healthimation’s New Website
The company I’ve spent most of the year animating for has unleashed their website, complete with a couple of my animations. Healthimation – Healthcare’s First Animation Studio.
Check it out!
Click the above image to see a Maya playblast of the animation that appears on the Healthimation front page.
Tornado!?!
It was easily one of the scariest moments of my life. The weather was changing from hot and humid to a cool, dry September day, requiring a powerful transition. On Sunday morning, the wind started picking up so I went out to the backyard to roll down the patio umbrella. As I did so, the umbrella was caught by the wind and started leaning in one direction. In the next moment, it was leaning in the opposite direction. My only thought was, ‘Uh oh.’
I raced inside just as the first tree came crashing down at the edge of the backyard. Then another. Then another. I stood, mesmerized by terror as I felt this beast move from the backyard, down the space between our house and the neighbor’s house and out into the street before evaporating. We had no time to react. No time to run into the basement for safety. I just stood at one end of the house waiting for I don’t know what – the other end of the house to get ripped off? It seemed a strong possibility in that moment. Surely, a tree or large branch would come crashing down through that side of the house. All the trees falling over somehow missed the house.
The most haunting feeling I had was that this ‘thing’ had a presence. It was a beast. It moved quickly, but not so quickly you couldn’t track it’s movement. I’ll never forget it.
In the aftermath, even though over fifty trees were either uprooted or snapped in half and discarded, there was very little property damage to the four houses in its path and, thankfully, no injuries. Our neighbor’s shed was destroyed and cleanup will take months, but if that’s the worst after experiencing a tornado, I’ll take it.
Cheetos: Ranger Danger
Here is the first of fives spots I animated for Cheetos. I worked as a contract animator for Brickyard VFX who have been doing the Cheetos commercials for a few year. Working with the team at Brickyard and the creatives on the spot was an amazing experience. I had a great time and had the opportunity to give some uniques spins to Chester’s personality.
Good times.
Fall Colors
I’ve been busy the past couple of weeks on an animation project for a local studio. Outside my window, the colors have been changing from green to gold to red to brown. Every now and then, latte in hand, I’ll take a break and walk around the yard with my camera to try to capture some of the beauty.
