Andy Belenger Interview July 2009

Do you ever feel as if the task at hand is so overwhelming, you just know you're gonna suck? And suck HARD? Do you ever wish there could be something... I dunno, like a bottle... that could make you so awesome, that you would be like, the world's best at... whatever?!


Sounds like you need to listen to today's interview.

I recently caught up with professional Toronto illustrator: Andy Belanger, creator, writer and artist for Bottle of Awesome which you should all check out over at Zuda Comics.

Andy's career is diverse and extraordinary. Apart from drawing some killer comics of his own devising, he has created take-away comicbook storyboards for films, pitched children's comic ideas for kid's magazines, and even illustrated custom covers. You can see much of his work at: www.andybelanger.com or over at Transmission X which features Raising Hell.

Also in the podcast: feedback! You guys are awesome. I tried to address many of the issues folks emailed me about, as well as give thanks for all the praise.

Next week: the usual discussion point and project updates. Cheers for now, guys!

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Work in Process June 2009

TPD WIP - June 2009 from Paul Caggegi on Vimeo.

Welcome to this month's WIP video! I managed to finish it in time. To date, this has been the hardest to put together. Mainly because I'm not a great rigger. I did about two months research to present this video for you guys. I believe in producing the best possible example of work, even though I don't know the full scope of the area. In any case, I hope you enjoy it.

Marcus as the subject for this rigging demo. I outline some of the methods I use when setting up a character rig, some handy shortcuts, and how to split up your armature into neat sets on separate bone layers. After that, I give you a quick overview of putting those methods into practice, and then show you the completed body rig with some demo renders.

Much of the methodology here is not original. The main sources of research are:

• The ManCandy FAQ

Bassam Kurdali, director of Elephant's Dream, put together over 7 hours of videos, demo files, and .blend files in this DVD. The mancandy rig is still one of the most versatile and efficient rigs out there for blender. I will mention here that you can legally download a torrent of this, and as far as I know, it is widely encouraged to share this torrent, but The link above is to the blender eStore. I highly recommend the purchase, if only to support an artist who deserves your money.

• Big Buck Bunny Rigging Tutorial

Again, I urge you to purchase the Big Buck Bunny DVD, but the Rinky rigging tutorial is available free on Vimeo in the above link.

• Eric McGee - Leg Rigging tutorials

I've linked the first of four parts. This tutorials demystifies the conventional leg rig. It helped me understand the relationships between each of the bones, and how to control the overall leg using the minimum amount of controls for maximum pose effects. Some great methods found in there.

As a bonus to this episode, anyone wanting a copy to play around with (blender only, of course) just email me at: flawedprefect@gmail.com with the request, and I'll email you back the .blend file. Any feedback would be most welcome. When the rig is completed, I'll make it freely available so you can see the completed version.

Cheers for now, folks, and see you again next month!

Bonus brainstorm 06-09

What a month for updates. I'll begin with my quick foray into the wonderful world of rigging. This past month, I have been deeply entrenched in blender rigging tutorials, trying to find that magical, elusive process which will render the most efficient rig. And efficiency is what it is all about. I've now fully-rigged Marcus Blair, and I have to say, putting him through some motions is making me SQUEEEEEE with joy. Can't wait to show you.

As this month's work in progress video is all about that process, I will go into more depth next week, suffice it to say there are some clever chaps out there in blender-land. I applaud you all, and you all get a big shout-out here, as well as references in the video.

Script writing has gotten a breakthrough. Marcello and I agree on most things! To his credit, 'Cello tempers my habit of being happy with early drafts and saves me from potential ridicule. Without him, my scripts would read much like any of the Star Wars films here Lucas himself wrote dialogue. :O

This brainstorm yeilded many surprises. The biggest of which was that we FINISHED THE F*CKER. Oh - and beeps a-plenty, so the story isn't totally given away.

As an aside, I came across the preview for this new mini-series called "Impact"




At first glance, I thought someone had taken my "moon is destroyed" idea and I'd have to give up the story, but then... well, just watch the trailer, and make up your own mind. I did find the uncanny resemblance of some of my previz shots in this trailer a tad unsettling. I hope this does not herald a whole spate of "moon is destroyed by impact scenario" movies, tho. My humble independent story will be caught in the avalanche of badly made sci-fi, and probably avoided by audiences who don't wish to see "yet another moon movie".

I hope you enjoy this month's brainstorm. Next week, the monthly vidcast will be available right here on the process diary. See you then.

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Backyard Astrophotography - 365 days of Astronomy special

Hi folks - both fans of the the process diary, and fans of astronomy! In this very special podcast, I talk to Kynan Stephenson about his new hobby: backyard astrophotography.

The podcast can be downloaded by subscribing in iTunes to the excellent 365 Days of Astronomy podcast feed, or by going to the official blog: 365 days of Astronomy

Below are a few photos Kynan sent me. Here is Kynan's telescopic rig:

From astrophotography

If you're interested in setting something up to take pictures of night sky objects, there is a fantastic forum here: iceinspace.com.au mainly made up of Aussies! There, you'll find a supportive community eager to help you with your questions on how to get started.

Now for the mind-blowing bit. Below are some recent shots Kynan took from (practically) his backyard:

A sun spot

From astrophotography

Alpha Centauri

From astrophotography

Carina Nebula

From astrophotography

Omega Centauri

From astrophotography

Orion Nebula

From astrophotography

His camera is not that great: a Canon EOS 300D digital SLR which maxes out at only a 6 Megapixel resolution. I would be fascinated to see what a higher resolution capture would look like, but from what you see here, it's pretty clear that the optics and calibration are sufficient to get dazzling shots from the ground - and not too far from a major city!

Discussion Point 06-09 - extra-curricular work

I have been doing some exciting stuff other than Character Development recently. Stuff I have not been able to reveal up until now. Be it because ownership was not mine, or I had to keep it under wraps before its release, I can now talk about these works so you can all have a look at what else has been going on while working on my own project. I bring these up because they impact my work in ways that are creative, instructive, and they add to my ever expanding body of work in positive ways.

The first job was for Like-minded Studio in Surrey Hills. It was to produce a 30 second spot for Optus. The subject matter was pretty simple: promote a new phone deal as the monster creation of the "Optus Lab".

From Freelance Work

I worked with three other creatives, but ultimately took main ownership of the project, especially when it came to final edit and client tweaks. We just made the deadline on this, and I must say I'm pretty proud of it... even if the ad itself is kind of annoying and silly.

Another project most of you won't know about is issue 138 of the Heroes Web comic. It's process is well-documented over at Jason Badower's blog, 1000 words. Jason gave me a brief outline and layout of the room. He then gave me creative license on producing a clean, modern style apartment, furnished with trendy lamps, shelves, and things. It was done completely in Blender, and the final camera angles were rendered with the "edge" mode selected. I had aimed to help Jason out with the line work, giving him the basis to add his artwork to, but to his credit, I simply gave him a clear reference to overlay his own line-work.

From Freelance Work

Here is a short video I did to illustrate the layering process, and the 3D set behind it:

Heroes Web Comic breakdown from Paul Caggegi on Vimeo.

NBC just recently released the next issue - Rebellion Part 4 in which I was privileged enough to have modeled Building 26 - complete with hospital gurneys and human figures for Jason's perspective reference. The backgrounds are not so noticeable, but another breakdown video is in the works.

Overall, I have been proud with the results of this past work. There are a couple more jobs which are being worked on at the moment, of which I will speak of in weeks to come, once they are released to the general public. It really feels as though several months of networking, making contact and slaving away at trying to set myself up, are all beginning to pay off. Hopefully, Character development won't suffer greatly.

Finally, I am appearing on three other podcasts this month. The first will be accompanied with a post right here on June 6th. The 365 Days of Astronomy podcast has been set up to celebrate the international year of astronomy. I submitted a short interview with colleague, Kynan Stephenson, and we talked about his new hobby - backyard astrophotography. If you're interested in all things astronomical, why not check it out and subscribe via the iTunes music store, or by visiting the official website: 365 days of astronomy.

The second podcast I will be featured on can be found here: Starship Sofa: Aural delights episode 86 I have offered my voice talent to this podcast in the past, reading several short stories. This "issue" I read a Cory Doctorow article titled "Extreme Geek". This article is extremely relevant to what I do, and what I aim to do with my own story.

Lastly, I will be appearing on a future episode of Chris Oatley's Artcast. You might remember Chris from a couple of episodes ago. I was invited to speak on his show along with children's book illustrator, Dani Jones. We spoke a bit about how the internet affects us as artists - a topic close to my own heart. Subscribe to his podcast today, or check back to his website for this up-coming episode, which should be available soon.

Surprisingly, all this extra work has not detracted from Character Development! In fact, between the promotional advantage of appearing on other podcasts, and the opportunity to keep my skills well practiced, it has only helped in seeing new options for what I need to do in future on this project. To drive home the points: I got to practice some animation withthe Optus ad; I got to create sets in the quickest, most efficient way I could think of with the Heroes work (not to mention I practiced taking direction, which only helped me become a better director); and I got the chance to put my thoughts into concise and punchy soundbites when self-promoting.

All these are vital to becoming a better storyteller. It is no secrect that today, the writers that thrive are the ones who learn a bit about PR, and how to bend social media networks to your will.

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