Busy Boy
Well, I'm a step closer. I came to China to establish an entertainment career in a place with a slightly more climatizable economy. It took quite a while, but not nearly as long as it was taking in The States.
Last month, we were introduced to Zhang He, a businessman with government connections, a taste for the entertainment industry, a pop-singer wife, and absolutely no idea how they did A Scanner Darkly.
Coincidentally, we had just seen Scanner Darkly and our cheif complaint was the total lack of artistry or style to go along with the "revolutionary" real-life-to-animation technique they'd used (the script kinda sucked, too). So, Andrew got it under his skin that he could improve upon the technique, and give it a little class while he was at it.
Not only did he succeed in adding artistry to the technology, but he also added efficiency to it. It took the makers of Scanner Darkly 2 years to lay down their effects using the highest end technology available from the "geniuses" at Microsoft. Andy used his new technique to stylize a whole Jackie Chan video in just under two weeks. If he'd had the same hardware that those guys had, he'd have been able to do it in a day.
My theory is, the bigshots are spending millions on Programmers to figure out the problem, and not one damn artist.
Needless to say, when our new demo CD circulated around town, it landed in the hands of a man that was wanting to make a new music video for his wife with just that effect to it. Only problem is, not a damn soul in China knows how to use a computer past the "what's this button do?" stage.
So, we got the job. Our rent is paid, our utilities are paid, and we haven't eaten this consistently well in years. After a month of batting various ideas around, the music video turned into a half-hour short film, slathered with musical montages a la Karaoke Video. Last week was spent furiously filming all of the necassary footage before all of China went on vacation for the New Year. I haven't worked this hard since the last time I did Harvest with dad.
But, we got the footage and spent New Year crumpled in a small heap as the fireworks went off around us. We are now in the editing phase, a slightly less grueling process, though more time consuming. We edit together small clips of scenes, then sit and watch tv for a couple of hours while we wait for the computer to process the CGI.
Here are some highlights:
Andy, as our intrepid Director/CGI Expert/Cinematographer
They didn't have my color, so they had to put makup on my hands to match my face.
My new girlfriend, Sue, and I relaxing between takes.
Prepping for a "big date" at our favorite coffee shop, Store Cafe.
At dinner with our new producer, I was talked into trying Chicken Feet. Tastes like chicken.
The things that boy will do to get the right shot...
The Principal Crew
Last month, we were introduced to Zhang He, a businessman with government connections, a taste for the entertainment industry, a pop-singer wife, and absolutely no idea how they did A Scanner Darkly.
Coincidentally, we had just seen Scanner Darkly and our cheif complaint was the total lack of artistry or style to go along with the "revolutionary" real-life-to-animation technique they'd used (the script kinda sucked, too). So, Andrew got it under his skin that he could improve upon the technique, and give it a little class while he was at it.
Not only did he succeed in adding artistry to the technology, but he also added efficiency to it. It took the makers of Scanner Darkly 2 years to lay down their effects using the highest end technology available from the "geniuses" at Microsoft. Andy used his new technique to stylize a whole Jackie Chan video in just under two weeks. If he'd had the same hardware that those guys had, he'd have been able to do it in a day.
My theory is, the bigshots are spending millions on Programmers to figure out the problem, and not one damn artist.
Needless to say, when our new demo CD circulated around town, it landed in the hands of a man that was wanting to make a new music video for his wife with just that effect to it. Only problem is, not a damn soul in China knows how to use a computer past the "what's this button do?" stage.
So, we got the job. Our rent is paid, our utilities are paid, and we haven't eaten this consistently well in years. After a month of batting various ideas around, the music video turned into a half-hour short film, slathered with musical montages a la Karaoke Video. Last week was spent furiously filming all of the necassary footage before all of China went on vacation for the New Year. I haven't worked this hard since the last time I did Harvest with dad.
But, we got the footage and spent New Year crumpled in a small heap as the fireworks went off around us. We are now in the editing phase, a slightly less grueling process, though more time consuming. We edit together small clips of scenes, then sit and watch tv for a couple of hours while we wait for the computer to process the CGI.
Here are some highlights:
Andy, as our intrepid Director/CGI Expert/Cinematographer
They didn't have my color, so they had to put makup on my hands to match my face.
My new girlfriend, Sue, and I relaxing between takes.
Prepping for a "big date" at our favorite coffee shop, Store Cafe.
At dinner with our new producer, I was talked into trying Chicken Feet. Tastes like chicken.
The things that boy will do to get the right shot...
The Principal Crew
posted by The Infinite Jester at 1:18 AM
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