'Chronicle' movie trailer vs. 'Zapped Again' trailer.

For fun..

Digging the new Cloverfield meets, Heroes trailer.  ...but then I was reminded of the loveable 80's classic Zapped.

Chronicle 2012 - Some of the effects look cool, but that shot with the bear on a string shot took me out of it.

Zapped Again 1990- Again, some of the effects took me out of the experience too.

...I'm not sure which I will watch first as a movie, stay tuned.

Cheers

The difference between concept art for Games or Film.

I have had some wonderful luck (opportunity) to work on both film and games as a concept artist.  Here is the difference from my perspective as a remote location guy.

Thinking about concept art'ing for Film?

Film is less forgiving.  An error in time management or networking can spell the end for a lot of potential projects.  Time lines are shorter, schedules are tighter, and turnaround is quicker.  The opportunity for revision is fleeting.  Projects are measured by hours, days or maybe on the rare occasion weeks, rather than months.  Risk is higher in this case.  You need to nail the piece in three rounds and deliver a great value or expect to 'miss' the call next time.   ..that said, the reward is higher than working in games, and more quickly turned around.  Pay for a good film project ranges to 50-100% higher than games, and you will see your work on screen much faster than you will see results of your preproduction on game shelves.  Usually remote guys are brought in to fill project gaps, and usually that happens during the crunch of the project end.  Expect that the 'big studios' or the union gigs to be rare so make the most of each as they arrive.  These projects can cherry pick the industry and people will gladly re-locate to collaborate with well known directors, art directors, and scripts.  Remote folks are the last to arrive and the first to go, so make the most of every moment.  Film artists are widely held in high regard.. Noteriety is possible to achieve and in the long run can present more opportunity to cherry pick concept art jobs.

Thinking about concept art'ing for Games?

Games offer wide breadth of design opportunities.  Usually, the vision is wider, and once the key image is established there are many more moments of discovery available.  Compared to film, which often brings you to perform a specific and exacting reproduction of the directors vision.  Personally, I find concepting for the interactive industry more relaxing.  Sheer waves of asset generation and environment generation will offer a lot of ways to improve, discover, and mature as an artist.  It will also allow you to discover the projects vision over the course of a couple tasks rather than have to nail it on the very first image.  Project cycles range longer and getting in a pre-production spot can keep you busy for a good while.  Games are also more remote savvy, they are not thrown by using tools like dropbox, hipchat, skype, and file sharing.. Generally projects leads in games are more informed about working remote and less inclined to need to see your face while you paint.  Pay in games is pretty tight, but it's a bit more regular.  The industry does not rely on remote guys as a stopgap measure, so they don't have to pay a premium for overnight work with 2 hours notice.  Game studios seem to embrace the model especially for their more visible art work.  Expect artists with a lot of notoriety to appear as regulars as pitch pieces, or marketing pieces are needed.

In my opinion, a well rounded remote artist should try to work, and be well geared for both industies.  Film is a great test to see how you perform under pressure and widely varying circumstances on individual tasks.  Games is a great way to really dig into discovering how you would concept an entire fleet of ideas with wide set collaboration.

-cheers

7 dream books for concept artists.

Remember books?

We used to hunt for rare books related to concept art for hours and hours.  I still can't pass by a used book store without looking at the 'movie shelf' and the 'anatomy drawing' shelf.  Here are a few books and authors to keep an eye out for while browsing through your local stack of used books.  In some areas a first pressing is worth six bux, while in the studio they can be priceless. With a keen eye you might just find a thousand dollars worth of 'old stuff' on the shelf..

Kronolog: Boxed Set  or any unprinted Syd Mead book.  Kronolog is nearly impossible to find.

Lebbeus Woods, Anarchitecture: Architecture is a Political Act (Architectural Monographs No 22) or any Lebbeus Woods book out of print.

Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life or Figure Drawing for All It's Worth must have anatomy basics for concept artists.  The current prints are cheap and great for the studio.

The ILLUSION OF LIFE: DISNEY ANIMATION This book was out of print when I went to school..  We found a rare copy here and there, but if you were not lucky full price at the time was nearing a thousand bucks.

The World of the Dark Crystal Another warm and great book for the studio.  The original print is amazing. The current print is good for the studio.. you don't want a co-worker putting a coffee cup on the original.

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia .. so many SW books to choose from.  This is good enough I suppose.

Nira Works Yasushi Nirasawa is the root for much of the entertainment imagery out of ACCD throughout the 90's.  Nira Works is a rare, and coveted book. Creature Core 2&3 Dimensional Works Original Demons & Monsters is another great and rare book from Nirasawa.

Do note, some of the re-prints are easily available.  The valued editions of books are usually the first printings.  I suggest picking up the re-prints for the studio.  Unfortunately, I've seen important books walk out of the studio or classroom more than once.

10 steps on how to become a concept artist.

I often get mail, on the best way to become a concept artist, so here are the top 10 steps towards becoming a concept artist.

1. Practice your craft 5 hours a day to 12 hours a day.

Remember, practicing concept artists, draw 8 to 14 hours a day.  You need to put the hours and practice in, in order to retain a spot on the curve.  I would say 5 hours is light.  If you think that is a lot, then concept art may not be for you.

2. Treat every opportunity as a job interview.

Freelancing is pretty common for concept artists.  Every job is an interview for the next.  Always treat it so.  Treat co-workers and clients well.  Find the professional moment in each job however large, or small.

3. Seek and enjoy feedback from people better than you.

Some artists hate changing stuff..  I never understood that.  Feedback, and change is an opportunity to make the image or design better.  The earlier you see things this way, the better off you will be.  Do not be a smarmy egotistical kook.. it will not take long for rumors to spread about your vast greatness, and your career will suffer for it in the long run.

4. Get an education, formal or informal, from someone in the field.

There are a lot of educations to get out there... Get a good one.  Get one from a person who has actually done the work you are looking to do.  Accept no less.  Do well, and inevitably that person will introduce you to a person who can help you along after you are done.  This does not have to be an expensive university.  I have had interns that have done extremely well, with minimal education.  They got their education on the job, and treated every moment as a learning moment.

5. Work on what intrinsically motivates you.

Find what you love and work towards that.  If you are not intrinsically motivated you will fail as an concept artist.  Ideas and design are moments that occupy our minds all day and all night.  If your task leaves you blank as soon as you leave your desk, it will never be enough motivation to move you towards an outstanding result.

6. Prioritize quality over money.

If one job pays little, but is awesome content, take that job.  Getting better at your craft is value added to your career.  This added value is way more important over the years than a minor bump in pay.

7. Return better value than you are paid.

Always try to give more than what is asked.  The most valuable artist is the artist that returns the most frequently.  They are also the artist who is exposed to the most opportunity and opportunity will free you to seek projects that you will love.

8. Be consistent and reliable.

A lot of artists can't even work 9-5 consistently.. Much less on demand on two or three projects all night for a week.  Be consistent, don't over stretch, but always deliver.  Your consistency will keep your quality high and high quality pays off towards more opportunity again.

9. Network.

Prepare to save email, and contacts.  Each contact is another source for an opportunity.  Not that you need to be a salesperson, but you do need to be able to send someone an image, if you think it may inspire them to have you contribute on a project.

10. Love what you do.

Don't do concept art for the fame, credit, or the money.. Do it because you have to design and draw. Do it because it's the best thing you can think of to do, and you would do it for free anyway.  If this is true, you will lead an amazing and fulfilling career.

There you go!

Photoshop hourglass problem?

Pro tip!

Do you have a Photoshop hourglass problem when painting?

My machine is cutting edge too.  Needless to say I was thoroughly perturbed at the hourglass appearing after each stroke of the paint brush.  How is it even possible my machine needed to take a sec to process the most minor of processes.

Well, do yourself a big favor and turn off the histogram window.  Apparently, the need to re-asses the image for the histogram is enough for that split second of annoyance.

..whew, back to pain free painting.

Advancing cognative ability for concept artists.

I'm not a fan of New Years resolutions.  The problem is they imply that the reason for the resolution is the 'New Year', and not the fact you wish to improve yourself or the environment around you.  In my opinion, new behavior starts from an intrinsic motivation, and if it isn't it's doomed to fail.  That said, timing around the New Year is great to post a few ideas.

I've tried several different ways to tap into creativity and I have perspectives on many others I have yet to try.  First and foremost I belive creative inspiration can be uniqe for each artist.  Muses range from joy, to lust to fear and all spectrums between.  I'm not talking as much about your muse than I am talking about the ability to have the clarity to communicate between your muse clearly and efficiently.  Sorry, there great exercises to enhance the discovery of design, but there are no tricks to 'getting' good ideas.

Meditation:

Meditation was the first tool I used to tap the muse.  When I started on my own, my mind was clouded with running a business, and being on my own with no safety net.  I spent much of my time designing also worrying about the future.  The anxiety of being an upstart was clouding my clarity for the task at hand.   Meditation saved me.. It's powerful. Clear your head, lose the noise, and watch for the slightest sparks of information.  Although, I'll admit most meditation is about clearing all thought, so I the term is a bit of a misnomer in this case, but if you can use the same skill to clear all noise around your idea the resulting clarity helps.  Use it to relieve or silence the stress of the moment so you can move forward.

Drugs:

I know a lot of guys who smoke or 'other' to 'get ideas'.   The notion is not for me for professional efforts.  I personally, don't want to get myself into a spot where I think something else 'tells' me ideas.  Frankly the ideas are already there, they are just very quiet..    My opinion is that if you let your guard down and silence the mental noise you will hear the idea.  Smoking is just a shortcut to to let your guard down.  Also, what happens when your in the middle of the board room, and the CEO asks you for a new idea.. might be tough to light up to get ideas real quick.  I'm very wary of changing my motivation to anything that is not intrinsic.  Heavy reliance on other stuff in my opinion is using a crutch.  ..not that it's totally off the table as an exercise, but it should not be the 'way' you work. 

Booze and drinking. I know a lot of guys who ideate over a few beers with folks.  I've personally done it a ton of times.  Lots of early stages for projects are born in the pub.  In some cases it works, although it's most likely a shortcut for 'guardless collaboration' that gets the job done in this case.  Fostering an environment that rewards open collaboration is as good as a few pints, and when your done, you can actually go back to work with some motivation.

Nutrition:

My latest observations have been while watching my nutrition.  I've been eating paleo style and I found the ability to see how each type of food effects my energy and mood very powerful.  You would be amazed at how much of a hangover a slice of cake can give you, if you do not eat sugar for a month.  I'm not a nutritionist, and most of my info is gleaned from CrossFit forums or various Podcasts. I can say this, good nutrition has given me better clarity, energy and has slightly improved my cognitive ability.

Pass on Sharp Mind, but try Carlson Cod Liver Oil.

Don't get me wrong, It's not so much that good nutrition is making my individual designs better, but it is giving me the clarity and energy to keep a focus and do better and longer design sessions.  For me, what works, is cutting out carbs, eating A LOT more greens than I have ever eaten before (generally in the form of kale shakes), cutting down portions, and exercise.  As far as supplements I've taken a few.. vit C, vit D, vit E, Sharp Mind, Fish Oil, Protein, and probiotics.  I found Probiotics (via Kombucha) and the Fish Oil to be most beneficial.  Kombucha is a great mood improver, and Fish Oil has helped with general joint wellness.  The other stuff seemed like fluff or seemed like they were just duplicating what a decent diet would do.

Exercise:

More a general wellness statement than a 'trick' to getting ideas..  A good fitness program helps tremendously with energy levels and clarity.  I personally do Crossfit, and found it to have relieved a lot of the annoyances while sitting at a desk all day drawing.  Amazingly my wrists feel better.  I imagine the bit of Olympic lifting we do that stretches wrist tendons helps a lot.  My posture is much better now too.  I can sit at my desk, and not suffer the pain from years of slouching.  If you have a poor level of fitness and wellness, don't bother with any of the minor changes people suggest.  Taking Vit D, may add a drop to the bucket, but switching to a nutritious diet and fitness program will fill the bucket.

Environment:

Do your best to love your environment..  I've worked in warehouses with folding chairs, to the latest and greatest studios with Aeron Chairs for everyone.. I have the most amazing headphone collection.. hahah..  For me I find a distraction free environment of neutral colors 3-4 monitors, dark'ish lighting with loud music works best.  Others I know, need to work among images and toy collections. Some need the womb of darkness and silence.  The point being that if you can feel like you fit well in your environment, you don't need to think about it allowing more focus to remain on task.

Proof:

Need proof that you are capable of the most amazing and peerless imagery and storytelling on demand?  Just look back at your last nightmare, or remarkable dream..  Your brain is capable of filling a convincing, fantastic, environment with all the detail in the world 'on demand' while you sleep.  It's amazing we have the ability to see the muse at night while we sleep, but can barely hear it during the day.  It's my thought that clarity and the ability to reduce noise will get you closer. 

My nightmare is a dreams of amazing space ships I wished I had the ability to design..  then I realize, I did, and smile.. 

Then I forget what it looked like, hahaha.. but that is another post.

Troll Hunter the movie.. Netflix super gem!

I just got a chance to watch Troll Hunter on Netflix..!!

If you know your going to watch the movie, and you don't know anything about it, do not watch this trailer =).. If your on the bubble, or just curious take a peek.

Box Office

Budget:
NOK 19,900,000 (estimated) or $3,487,972.62 USD

Opening Weekend:
$5,585 (USA) (12 June 2011) (1 Screen)

Gross:$252,652 (USA) (18 September 2011)

A quick note before we start, make sure you have intantwatcher.com bookmarked.. It's really the only way to seriously browse Netflix without pulling your hair out.

On to the review..  If you like the original Let the Right One In, District 9 and Monsters, you will love Troll Hunter.  I watched subtitled, and quite enjoyed the original dialogue.  Add the effects of Monsters, a story telling style of Cloverfield and you have the latest and greatest on demand gem from Neflix.  Filmed on an ultra low budget, the effects are really stunning.  Simply some of the best humanoid effects I have seen lately.

Check out this link on CG society to see some of the craftsmanship that went into the troll model.

http://www.cgsociety.org/index.php/CGSFeatures/CGSFeatureSpecial/the_troll_hunter

I found the effects tasteful, and moved the story along nicely.  They got a perfect balance of 'credibility' of texture, yet retained the whimsy of storybook 'trolls'.  Hair, and secondary motion was incredible to watch.  The trolls felt, strong yet weighty, matting and color matching was on par with pretty much any of the big guns.  Only one shot, the "rock statue" showed some semi detectible match moves, and matting.  Other than that, you could never tell this was a 'budget' movie..

It's incredible the ticket box is  Gross: $252,652 (USA) (18 September 2011).. The story and quality is sooo much better than only the best horror out there.  .. if there were no subtitles and the story was about bigfoot, I am sure we would be looking at 10x the results.

I found the acting quite plausible.  A few tongue in cheek moments, but less than you might expect.  The cinema style is Docu-Fiction and shares footage ranging from hand held to night vision to pro, with some hugely spectacular footage of Norway.. I am not distracted by the camera work like I was in Cloverfield, which is a huge win as I could barely watch Clovervfield without getting motion sickness.  The story was 'as it happens' and felt solidly natural for the straight characters, and a tiny bit campy but not distracting for the 'unique' characters.

Definitely save this one for a great cold Friday night with the lights dim.. Five Stars for sure.

Cheers!

From a PC guy.. We'll miss you Steve..

I actually found myself ambiguous about Steve Jobs until two days ago. I now know 'He was just great design..'.

Backing up a moment, I'm reminded of thousands of lessons learned as a concept artist trying to direct the viewer cleanly and efficiently to the goal. Weather it was film or games, I've been spending the last decades pushing and pulling on the curtains of revelation. To the viewer, it's easy to take great design and revelation for granted, it feels instinctual and natural. They (the viewers) are in tune and they don't even have to try. Viewers are part fan, part sheep, part critic and all funding, they live and die by design but they just don't realize it. ...So the real line is 'He was just great design.. and like most great design we take it for granted'.

Well, Regarding Steve I found myself the fan, sheep, critic like most.. On his passing, the ensuing reflection revealed that I caught myself in the viewer seat of decades of great product design, interfaces and systems. I never really took a moment to consider the gravity of his undertaking. His unending will and confidence to practically force his vision down Apple, and it's Board's throats. Basically I just assumed that Apple would always be there to assure me an instinctual and natural experience and as a beacon for what PCs could be (if they didn't need to run everything that i need). Then Steve Passed away ..and I realized it was not my god given right to have the best display, matte aluminum, peerless fit and finish as well as a seamless family of software to run it on.

Holy crap.. The thought that Steve is not around to show The electronic world what can be possible, scares the hell out of me. What if I actually had to use the Zune I early adopted years ago. The thing was so clunky and sub-robust. ..or the rio mp3 player.. Or the 'just as good as apple' Dell monitor.. Or the 8525 'smartphone' we nicknamed 'The Brick' and the world was just a sea of creaky plastic buttons set on the blank faces of the latest marketing craze...

I miss you already Steve Jobs. Thank you for all you have done.

Halloween for Concept Artists..

I've loved Halloween (H for the rest of this post) ever since I was a kid.  I decorated, and re-decorated our family home over and over..  Nothing was safe, loose yard became spider webs, bed sheets became ghosts, and record players pulled fishing lines.  I didn't know it at the time, but I was basically priming myself for being a designer at a very young age.  I would go through all the design processes I do now, but didn't understand that there was actually a career doing what I was doing.

Halloween, and Christmas are would-be prop builder and set designer dream days.  Okay, well maybe not for pro's, I'm sure they like a day off, but for us weekend warriors it is pretty cool.  H was a vent for the physical side of being a concept guy.  I always thought of decorating for H as building a set in my front yard.  We had sound, lighting, props, actors, and a green room (and by green, I mean.. a room filled with Pizza, Wine and Beer).  We put on a full scene to a voice over.  The story of the haunt looped, the lights flickered, fog rolled, actors acted, and we serviced 400 or so adults and children in a night.  I am very happy we are likely emblazened in the minds of kids the same way I can remember that one house we used to look forward going to every year as we grew up.

I suggest all concept guys pick up an outlet that requires physical construction.  It just feels great to work with lumber, foam, and gallons of paint instead of 6000 x 3000 pixels..  You can see it, smell it, and if your not carefully cut your finger off building it. Its how we can put into the real world our practices from the digital one.  ..Yeah, I'm waxing a little corny, but the revelation that you cant 'undo' a street light that is pretty much destroying your lighting scheme is a real eye opener for a 24/7 Maya/Photoshop guy, but once you get it figured out the joy is all the richer.

Do yourself a favor and check out at least one of these links.  There are some amazing talents out there.  They range from fully polished professional set builders, to simply raw and extremely talented individuals who have love for the day.  Here are just a few of my personal favorites.

http://www.hauntinggrounds.org/hhg.htm  - The Hallowed Haunting Grounds.  A group of studio talents who pulled off the grandfather of peerless yard haunts.  Simply amazing, and quite frankly the inspiration for much of our old haunt.  Sadly, they retired and I never saw it in person.

http://pumpkinrot.com/ - One word, Pumpkinrot..  PR is the master of H.  Much of his work has inspired how H looks in yards haunts across the nation.  His tell tale stylings, leering pumpkins, and crusty earthy creations were the first ever done.  There are many imitators, but his still the king of static display and H sculpture.

http://www.dc-cemetery.com/  - DC from what I understand is created by Brett, an Art Center guy.  His haunt tech rivals anything you would see in just about any dark ride.  He too has an amazing eye for texture and quality. 

http://housebloodthorn.blogspot.com/  Perhaps my favorite haunt, House Bloodthorn.  If you don't know the story, HB is actually the child of 'The Miss Rose Haunt' our very own Skull and Bone haunt.  Eventually the hobby worked its way into being a part time job over summer, and a full time job two weeks before the day.  Rather than watch Miss Rose decay, I decided to give her to a loving family with a ton of energy.  That is when I met Guy and his kids.  ..on just an email, Guy loaded up his family and they drove 16 hours from Oregon with a trailer.  It was a perfect match.  Guy has added and made the haunt his own.  He even won the Haunters Video Vanguard Award for Best Yard Haunt 2009!  An amazing feat.

...and if you do want to get started, better go for it now.  H is only 35 days away!

Red State

Kevin Smith redesigns the age old Hollywood production. I liked the movie enough, definitely my more favorite Kevin Smith movie, but most important is how Kevin released the flick with minimal advertising. He explains that the days of spending more on a movies marketing budget than the actual movie itself are numbered. I agree, so I caught the movie on iTunes as a first release rental @ 9.99. Welcome to the future folks!

http://www.gq.com/entertainment/movies-and-tv/201108/kevin-smith-interview-red-state