WATCH! ILM’s Hal Hickel Talk – on Creating Believable Giant Robot/Creature Performances and Collaboration – With BONUS: PACIFIC RIM Pipeline Special

Animation, Concept, Design, Feature Film, Ideas, ILM, Insight, Inspiration, Making Of, Workflow

Great for Animators and Animation Enthusiasts alike;  ILM’s Animation Supervisor for  PACIFIC RIM,  Hal Hickel, talks about inspiration, the creative process, and creating believable performances with a sense of size, weight, scale, and a bit of style. As well as what it was like to collaborate with Director Guillermo del Toro…

~ Enjoy!

Filmed during the Bloomberg Businessweek Design Conference 2014.

BONUS Feature! 
Here’s the “Pipeline Special” featurette from FX Guide TV discussing, in this elaborate behind-the-scenes video, how PACIFIC RIM’s mind-blowing visual effects were made…

~ Enjoy!

Click here to see related post: Behind the Magic Collection: The Visual Effects of “Pacific Rim”
Click here to see related post: ILM tour with Shawn Kelly!
Click here to see related post: Transformers: Dark of the Moon – A Look Behind the Magic  
Click here to see related post: Rango – CG Breakdowns and a look Behind the Magic
Click here to see related post: Rango – Behind-the-Scenes
Click here to see related post: Studio Profile: Character Animation inside ILM
Click here to see related post: ILM – Industrial Light & Magic: Creating The Impossible
Click here to see related post: There are no words… Thomas the Tank Engine… Transformer!

WATCH! – Behind the Magic Collection: The VFX of “Pacific Rim”

Animation, Awesome, Concept, Design, Feature Film, Ideas, ILM, Insight, Inspiration, Making Of, Workflow

Awesome PACIFIC RIM: VFX breakdowns from Industrial Light & Magic, showcasing… giant mech warriors waging war… against giant epic monster invaders.  For over 2 years the team at Industrial Light & Magic in San Francisco, Singapore and Vancouver, in collaboration with Rodeo FX, Miranda Studio, Legacy Effects, and others, worked tirelessly to bring Guillermo del Toro’s science fiction epic “Pacific Rim” to life… check it out ~ Enjoy!

( Love the design note about starting with silhouettes first… )

BONUS Feature! 
Now here is the movie trailer ~ Enjoy!

… Crazy, Awesome, Fun.

Click here to see related post: ILM tour with Shawn Kelly!
Click here to see related post: Transformers: Dark of the Moon – A Look Behind the Magic  
Click here to see related post: Rango – CG Breakdowns and a look Behind the Magic
Click here to see related post: Rango – Behind-the-Scenes
Click here to see related post: Studio Profile: Character Animation inside ILM
Click here to see related post: ILM – Industrial Light & Magic: Creating The Impossible
Click here to see related post: There are no words… Thomas the Tank Engine… Transformer!

WATCH: Rhythm & Hues – Life AFTER Pi – Documentary & Behind the Scenes

Animation, Documentary, Feature Film, Food For Thought, Making Of, Short Film

A short documentary about Rhythm & Hues Studios, the Visual Effects company that in 2013 won an Academy Award for its groundbreaking work on “Life of Pi”– just two weeks after declaring bankruptcy and laying off employees…

How could one of the most prestigious VFX companies in the world not be making any money? …
These were tragic, ironic times, and as employees, we were compelled to document it. As the bankruptcy finalized and layoffs continued, we began filming – watching helplessly as one of the most prestigious VFX companies in the world crumbled. As we all asked how this could happen, many stood up in outrage, sounding the alarm that this incident was not an isolated event, but a reflection of greater problems.

The old model of the movie business is passing away, yet modern-day Hollywood grips it ever more tightly. VFX companies and artists are treated as mere cogs in the machine, with little regard to creating a sustainable, collaborative working relationship. This will lead not only to the demise of more VFX companies, but to increasing instability industry wide.

Rhythm & Hues reached new heights in visual effects mastery with its stunning work on “Life of Pi,” yet they still fell into bankruptcy.

“Life After Pi” reveals the behind-the-scenes factors that led to this sad and unforgettable moment in the history of Hollywood.
  Check it out!

This is only the first chapter of an upcoming feature-length documentary called “Hollywood Ending,” that delves into the larger, complex challenges facing the Film Industry and the many professionals working within it, whose fates and livelihood are intertwined.

You can learn more at hollywoodendingmovie.com.

Extra!
Here is a further look at – the making of the film Life of Pi

So… You Want To Be… a GAME DESIGNER

Concept, Design, Game, Making Of, Workflow

By request,… here is some fun & informative videos on what it takes to be a Great Game Designer.

 Enjoy!

Meet Ramiro Corbetta, Game Designer at Powerhead Games

 Ramiro has turned his philosophy degree, and quality assurance experience into one of the best jobs ever: Game Designer. While playing video games is a key part of Ramiro’s job (you gotta know your product!) the workday of this Game Designer is spent driving the design process from pitch document to finished profit-making product – and doing intense industry research.

Becoming a Video Game Designer

*BLOGGER NOTE: I don’t know about the school, but the info and advice is good.
And now… 
… for Fun… 

Bonus Feature!
BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT – 20th Anniversary – A Message From Blizzard (2/8/11)

BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT – History Retrospective
Watch how Blizzard Entertainment grew from a small startup company to one of the best game developers … in the world.

 Enjoy!