SEMI-PERMANENT 2013 TITLES by Danny Yount

Great new title sequence by Danny Yount

3d Max 2013 - Media Sync Workflow

Don't let the image fool you, this video is gold dust to people like us!

Finally after years of being stood out in the cold to composition tools like Combustion and Smoke/Flame, After effects users are finally getting the interaction we have so sorely needed.

I have been using Max-to-AE for a number of years prior to this as my main interoperability tool between Max and After Effects, and I have to say that when I first saw this functionality I  was reluctant to switch our pipeline, however this video is a great "walk through" of the new features available in 3D max 2013, and goes a long way to helping old and new 'hands' get used to using their bidirectional workflow.

Sorry Max-to-AE I fear your days are numbered.

Motion Design Studios

I  used to love the "cream of the crop" list available on Motionographer, but understandably they were getting fed up constantly updating and maintaining their lists, and were being constantly badgered with requests for inclusion into the crop.

Having said that, I loved to use the list to "bookmark" if you like, the main studios and keep up-to-date with the latest and greatest. A great source of inspiration and development.

So, I thought I would build my own list;

MTV EMA 2011 - by Polynoid

Their 30 second, underwater wonderland looks pretty good and will work well with the ident and event cuts.

animation and more after break >

Great UNofficial Tintin trailer

Really cute personal project by James Curran themed around unofficial title sequence for "The Adventures of Tintin."

Motionographer got a good interview with him, shown here >

COPA AMERICA 2011 - by Superlativ

Great looking titles and infographical work created for the COPA AMERICA 2011 a Brazilian Football tournament.

Eva - main titles by Dvein

This is just simply beautiful, it has a real organic / mechanical feel to it. Its an opening sequence for a film "EVA - a retrofuturistic sci-fi thriller in which Alex, a young scientist, returns to the town where he grew up to complete an unfinished project and create a boy robot." 

People's Car Project - We Are Flink

I love the fluidity and simplicity of this campaign, the integration and development of these CG elements is really fantastic.

SHORT - Portal, in live action

This was beautifully made, a really well shot story. 1.6 million views on you tube within days, and everyone screaming out for a part two! Well played.

It seems odd that in this day and age of blockbuster films mainly comprising of remakes and cartoon adaptations, that a video game to Live action realisation can achieve such acclaim, cuz we all know how bad Doom was! Well played!



See the making of here.

Nosh goes crazy with their 404

Periodically we come across some crazy looking, elaborate "404" (page not found) pages, but none more than Nosh.

Check this out, I think it has been done quite well!

SHORT TRAILER - Imaginary Forces

Beautifully shot on "RED'S" with anamorphic lenses Hawks + Lomos all over the place. looking forward to the release of this.

for more from Ruairi Robinson visit him here ruairirobinson.com

Game of Thrones - VFX by Bluebolt UPDATE

Nice example of set extensions, camera mapping and CG integration for TV!

UPDATE - Further breakdowns and interviews here

Dark of the Moon - Transformers 'making of'

Well, let it be said, although the VFX and CGI detail in this third installment to the Transformers series will guarantee my unequivocated attention throughout the 2 hours of 'manic metal smashing mahem', I am under no illusions as to the quality of what I am about to see and feel, from a storied point of view.

This is the third time, alien robots have attacked earth and subsequently the third time we will look to Optimus Prime to save us from certain death, although not without destroying a good proportion of a famous US city skyline in the process. I love CGI, and I love the quality and detail, I well know that has been expressed in this project. There are probably hundreds of little discoveries and time saving or production saving techniques, of a technological nature in this project that will one day become useful to me in some script or another, or included as a time saving new release to a piece of software in the coming months, as we well know, that "necessity is the mother of all innovation" - Albert Einstein.

But...........

And this is still a but, why should such obvious brilliance and innovation be coupled (and for ever remembered) with this tired and repetitive premise. This project was not 'born of a story', but the conclusion to an Excel spreadsheet equation from the profit and loss calculations of a Hollywood production company.

I must end this by saying - this is a rant! I am under no illusions as to how the world works, I am thankful for the innovations and the quality these artists have been able to produce, I must also thank the people who will actually go and see this film in one form or another, as this is quite literally driving the wheels of the sequel train! I guess, I just wish the processes were not so mutually dependent.