Fallout from the Calendar archives...

That's about how I recall January of 2009....

Illustration compilation at lulu press.  Here's the link:  http://ar.gy/3UB9

Experiment with Chroma Keying - ANM 239 at KVCC

The Cinematics/Animatics capstone class wanted to experiment with After Effects for a chroma key exercise.  I demonstrated the same work here using simple ol' Sony Vegas.  It's the technique, not the technology....so much time is spent learning software instead of massaging the mind...

Meat Puppetry Experiment #2 - KVCC ANIM130 Class

It's supposed to be a class on 3DS, but these guys and gals need their exercise....

Edit and render using Sony Vegas.
Sound from the Walter Camp Daily Dozen, ca 1921....

Deconstructing Griffith - A Girl and Her Trust (1912)

This ground-breaking one-reeler hit the century mark this year, and being relevant at that age is always worthy of note.  So in examining the working methods of D. W. Griffith and the production process at Biograph, this film was broken into its individual scenes, then reassembled as it was probably photographed.  Interiors are presented first, arranged by set (there are some slight moves to the camera, and some redressing of the railway station, among some of the shots), followed by the exteriors, relinking the continuous takes that were then edited into the sequencing of the final 10 minute film.
Griffith worked without a script, and editing was an evolving skill.  The dramatic closeups are, nonetheless, quite striking, and the use of a railroad engine as a featured player guarantees that the pacing will seem accelerated.

Created as a tutorial for the Cinematics class at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

The re-cut footage (a youtube link to my channel there) : Click here

The original 1912 film, as released (another youtube link): Click here

Meat Puppetry - Two Versions

Some quick experiments (5 seconds each) of Meat Puppetry, making use of the KVCC ANIM130 class.  Edited with Sony Vegas V11, with the second clip being still another experiment with the zoom function in the software.
Version 1:

And Version 2:

Phenakistascopery

Students in the Kellogg Community College and Kalamazoo Valley Community College animation programs get an assignment to create the old pre-cinema animation toy called the Phenakistascope.  Everyone gets a blank template and two days to clutter up the dozen slices of optical pie!  Here are some specimens from the past couple of semesters.

First film in first session of ANM239 at KVCC

Here's a tribute to Georges Melies from Kalamazoo Valley's ANM239 Class - the first night experiment with "establishing shot" cinematography.  Total of 14 minutes to start, cut down to just under two, with a likelihood for more trimming... but it's their first film! (Youtube link below!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TYi_IoTEYU&list=UUheAG-fkvEzLX4UaCnj_cUQ&index=1&feature=plcp