Cynematik on IndieWIRE

The comments on the Tribune Article keep coming in. There are the crazy comments about taxes that keep popping up but, in addition to that, there are the wonderful, amazing, affirming comments from so many of my former students about their successes and the value of their education. As bad as this whole hearing thing has been, it has been so rewarding and humbling to read their letters of support. The emails and telephone calls have been pouring in. A dear friend sent this email and I wanted to post it.

"I read your blog; I do agree that we are all insignificant when compared to the universe. It is rather humbling to imagine our own problems compared to the entire history of man. And then to expand upon that sense of entire meaninglessness, to the cosmos. But, it is also reassuring that my life is so small. I think it suggests that things will go on and I will continue to find my way. I read something recently that said anything we undertake that is truly profound will never be accomplished in our lifetimes. So, as you have already alluded when you speak of teaching, you have already set the wheels for your own immortality in motion. Best, "J"

When I was young, I recall my father commenting about people who thought they were more valuable than others or more important. "You aren't worth less than anyone else, Cyn," he would say, "You aren't worth more either. We are all important. We are all valuable." J's email reminds me that the contribution of each and every human being matters in the cosmic scheme of things. The goal is to just keep moving forward.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on August 29, 2007 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

BY CYNDI GREENING, PHOENIX, USA – As an instructor for Final Cut Pro, Shake, Maya and After Effects, I found the post production information on the film about the battle at Thermopylae. Post production on the film 300 took almost a year. The film was edited on an Avid, with an HD cut also maintained in Final Cut Pro The 3D was made using Maya, XSI, and Lightwave The 2D composites were made with Shake, Inferno, Fusion, and Combustion. The filmmakers preferred Macintosh, but large portions of the movie were made under Linux.

Asset management was handled by custom software written in the Panorama development environment, made by Provue. Color management was handled by Truelight software. The film was scanned on a Northlight scanner and was recorded on the Arrilaser.

Most of the film was shot at high speed, between 50 and 150fps. Normal film is at 24fps. The film was transferred to HD SR tape and quicktime, and HD quicktimes were the basis for the HD preview cuts. The working resolution for the film was 2K, at a working aspect ratio of 2.11 and a projected aspect ratio of 2.35.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on June 06, 2007 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I just love the new PC vs. MAC ads that are running on broadcast television (and can be seen on the Apple website). They feature the nerdy, geeky PC fellow extolling the virtues of a PC with complete sincerity. He speaks glowingly of the power of speadsheets and ease of use. The MAC fellow is a young, hip fellow who just wants to get his computer out of the box and get to making things. They're really funny.

I've had numerous friends over the years who have been completely devoted to their PCs. For many of them, the argument really centered on money. But, I get so much more for less, they'd say. AFTER using a MAC for a while, most of them discover that it wasn't an apples to apples comparison. The "loaded" PC they had just couldn't do half the things the Mac could do. What it could do, it didn't do as easily either. Thank Gawd for the iPod. It opened the eyes of the general population to the true GENIUS of the Mac.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on June 19, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

It's hard to believe school has been out for almost a month now. Today, Robby, Heath, Lindsey, Nick, Jeanette and I went in for most of the day to finish up with all of the loose ends of the semester. We edited down the Spotlight Promos that I wrote about in the earlier Sennheiser post. I think they turned really well and I'm hoping they do a good job of giving potential students the good look at the program they may be a wonderful new future for them.

We also completed a page of ALL Program Brochures. Eventually, it would be great to have a spotlight promo for EACH program but that would take a little more time than we had on Thursday.

I was so exhausted today from pushing so hard that SIX people told me how bad I looked. There's nothing like being told over and over again how bad you look. Even Jabbes told me that he felt sorry for me because of how "worn out" I looked. Even worse, tomorrow I have to fly to LA for an important meeting with a Sr. VP of Production at New Line. I've got to get some good sleep.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on June 08, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Another exciting development in the Zambian project. We've been shooting the documentary about the making of the first dramatic feature film in Zambia. We're preparing diligently for the feature. We've scheduled a three-week shoot beginning the first week in July. We've allowed for a fourth week, if we need it. Ideally, we plan on teaching the fourth week at one of the colleges in Lusaka.

As the education piece of the project started to take shape, it started to evolve and grow. Initially, our plan was to educate artists and filmmakers on how to make films. We had hoped that other films would be made after Jabbes' film and that the Zambian film respository would expand rapidly. When we spoke of the Voice of an African Nation, we hoped that voice would be multi-layered and multi-dimensional. While Jabbes' film would create a loud roar in the world, we wanted the rumble to continue.

So, I came up with the idea of contacting equipment manufacturers to see if we could get new or refurbished equipment that we could leave behind in Zambia. It seemed that it would help the film industry greatly if we could leave the equipment the Zambians were trained on. I thought it would also strengthen the industry, stimulate economic development and allow more people to acquire technical skills.

Other faculty became interested in the Zambia project and asked if there were any way they could participate. At the same time, we were working on the Chinese Educational Exchange CD and I started to think about how great it would be if we could create an exchange with Zambia. What if we could exchange faculty from a variety of disciplines and students? What if we could create an ongoing commitment and long-term link with Zambia? I mentioned this to Jabbes and told him that I had asked the Dean of Instruction to join us. Shortly thereafter, the education representative of the President's cabinet indicated an interest in developing that connection with MCC. How exciting is that?

At MCC, we currently have exchanges with Ireland, England, Australia and China. I'm excited to be helping to facilitate an exchange on a new continent.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on May 23, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Today, the Media Arts faculty and students were invited to the meeting of the college leaders. Commonly called the Leadership Meeting, we were given the opportunity to present what we've been working on for the last four weeks. Among the projects we've been working on:

• The Interactive MCC “Donut” CD consists of an interactive interface, a core body of information that is common to all groups and two customizable presentation sections. The interactive interface was designed by Media Arts Faculty Jeanette Roe using Macromedia Director. With the assistance of the Institutional Advancement Staff, the core content was created. MCC Media Arts Students prepared the video segments for the core and the custom videos for the Chinese Exchange program. They assisted with the production of the dual-platform CDs.
• MCC Program Brochures in printable PDF FormatMCC Media Arts student M.K. Racine used Quark Xpress (from a layout and design provided by Joan Waters) to create an efficient method for laying out Program Brochures for all departments. They were then exported to PDF format for printing. MCC Media Arts student James Bowles designed a web page that displayed all brochures.
• A Recruitment Introduction in Spanish. Rather than an interactive CD, a DVD was chosen because over 90% of the homes in Maricopa county have a DVD player. Computers are in significantly fewer homes. The DVD concept allows for family participation in the dissemination of information. Recruitment advisor Sherrie Soria present to a Spanish-speaking audience. MCC Media Arts students recorded the presentation with multiple cameras. Students then taped an introduction and conclusion outdoors to create familiarity with the campus and enrollment process.
• Career Spotlight Promos MCC Media Arts students have created several “commercials” that spotlight specific programs. These promos are designed to be used on the web and on the donut CDs to reach a narrow market segment. To heighten student comfort and identification, the promos feature MCC students, happy MCC graduates, highly-skilled and compassionate MCC faculty AND a representative from Governor Napolitano’s office discussing the need for future graduates. Shot and edited by Media Arts students, these promos are exciting, interesting and leading-edge marketing.
• Innovative FilmZambia Project
A pivotal moment in African film history is being made possible by the recognition and contribution of an American community college, its Media Arts faculty and students. Read more about it on the film blogs:

• Zambian Dramatic Narrative, BAD TIMING


• Zambian Documentary, VOICE OF AN AFRICAN NATION


• Jabbes Digital Story

MCC Media Arts Students who contributed to these projects includes: Lindsey Black, Pamela Bowman, Robby Brown, Carlos Espinoza, Alec Hart, Ross Ingle, Heath McKinney, Michael Montesa, Jared Moschcau, Jabbes Mvula, Gina Puma, M.K. Racine, Stephen Shelley, Kyle Taylor, Jeniece Toranzo, Jason Werner. MCC Media Arts Faculty who contributed to these projects: Cyndi Greening, Keith Heffner, Cindy Shievitz and Jeanette Roe.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on May 22, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

If I stayed up and never, ever went to bed, AND worked every single minute I was awake, I don't think I'd get everything done. Now, I just try to do the most critical things first. I'm very much enjoying the process of doing all these things. It's an exciting new challenge.

Today, Saturday, they'll be running the Preakness. My sister Sandy and I love watching the Triple Crown. (To be honest, she's much more excited than I am but it's positively contagious talking to her.) Anyway, normally, I'd be glued to the television but today I've got a meeting with Jabbes, a gathering of the film crew, a meeting with the web programmers and designers and script feedback.

The website FilmZambia.Com is up and running. Cindy Shievitz did a great job with the design. It's very distinctive and appealing. There is an area for Zambian National Arts and an affiliation with ZNAC. There is another area for Zambian Film Industry and a space to connect filmmakers in Zambia. There is fourth area for Zambian National Tourism. The third button is for current film productions (that's BAD TIMING, the dramatic narrative and VOICE OF AN AFRICAN NATION, the documentary). Additional kudos to Jonathan and Lorra Gilbert (pcoptimized.com) for all their server and programming support.

It's great to have our "global face" on.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on May 20, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The press have started to take interest in the project ... the first feature story about the Zambia films was in the East Valley Tribune on Monday. Very exciting. Thanks to Emily Gersema for her terrific story and Leigh Shelle Hunt for the very cinematic portrait of Jabbes. Other media are now starting to contact us. Ironically, its the Trib that got us out into the public first. Our thanks to the Tribune crew.

Jabbes says he's getting dozens of calls and emails from home. I guess it's an expensive call. People are wanting to reach out to him, now. What's that old saying, "A success has many fathers but failure is an orphan."

Posted by Cyndi Greening on May 11, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Life is spinning out of control as we all run for the completion of the semester. To enhance student learning, I decided to take on some complex production projects for the college. The students are building an interactive CD to send with a college envoy that is going to Beijing on a global exchange. I had heard that one of our sister colleges had an interactive CD made and that it had cost over $40,000 to have it produced. Now, our CD just kicks butt on that other one. We have a sophisticated, well-designed interface (kudos to Jeanette for that) and media-rich content. We even have an introduction in Mandarin (we had hope to do Cantonese also but, alas, we ran out of time). I'm really, really, really proud of all the work that went in to that piece. Heath and M.K. have created wonderful videocasts of campus areas. Quite frankly, they started out rough but I am quite pleased and amazed with what they're doing.

Several other students have been working on a dual language Spanish/English DVD that explains what MCC has to offer and how to come to the college. From personal experience, I know the buget on this piece would be over $22,000. Students served as production crew -- recording, editing, sweetening, pressing. This project is very dear to my heart because I've attended school in Guadalajara (twice) -- this makes me very fond of the Hispanic culture and population. These students tend to seek the advice and support of their families so a native language tool will really serve these students. On top of that, current trends indicate that the Hispanice population will surpass the Caucasian population within the decade. It only makes sense that we need to start serving this market NOW. Ross, Heath, Kyle, Nick, Jason, Alec and Robby get the glory on this project. It's super cool to have them working in teams on professional projects.

Another group has been working on Spotlight Promos for specific courses of study. These 2-minute commercials are being produced, edited and streamed for the MCC website. Several student groups took on this project. Some were more successful than others. Some students thought they were "done" but others had to dig in and revise the pieces to make them more viable. In the end, it's been a compelling learning experience. I'll post a link to the promos as soon as they're ready. The goal of this project was to reveal the "exciting and rewarding" elements of these career areas, to share benefits of learning at MCC and provide information on how to enter the programs. Kudos to Jeniece, Kyle, Pam, Robby, Jason, Alec and Lindsey on these pieces. I'm thinking these promos would be budgted around $7000 each.

There are four other projects being completed by student groups. It's been fantastic. The proof, however, will be in the pudding (as they say). If these tools help us to reach the optimal target groups and increase enrollment, I'll be deleriously happy. Some people make think marketing is all negative but I think anything that helps the right people find the right path is a plus. I'll update you later on how it goes.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on May 09, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

When I decided it was a good idea to go to Zambia to support Jabbes in making his film, like the lead actress in a HORROR Film, I had no idea what I was getting into. There are daily challenges and periodic horrors that grip me and threaten to stall the production. I'm wondering if the Zambian documentary we're making, THE VOICE OF AN AFRICAN NATION will end up like LOST IN LA MANCHA ... a horror film of production terrors.

There are the small issues that crop up. There is no diet Pepsi in Zambia. What will I drink? There is the problem of Shots which must be started no later than May 21 but we're still collecting funds, so we don't know for sure who's going, yet. There are a bundle of shots to get (some in sequence); most are inexpensive but at least two of them are over $100. That's a big investment for students when they don't know if they're going. There's getting the students to wear sensible shoes and reallize this is WORK, not a vacation.

Then, there are the big issues. We've been awarded the Innovative Project Grant but the funds are not available until July 1st. Everyone is supposed to be getting on the plane on or about July 1st. I'm relatively certain the airlines will want us to pay prior to getting on the plane. I'm sorting that out now. Producing is not terribly glamorous; at least a few times a week, the producer is hated by at least one person working on the film.

Mostly, I keep my eyes on my goals:

1. bring the voice of an unrepresented country to global cinema;
2. stimulate tourism and economic development in Zambia;
3. train and educate other Zambian artists and filmmakers while we're in the country;
4. provide MCC students an opportunity to participate in a profound cultural exchange; and
5. reveal the contribution of Mesa Community College to individuals, the community and the world.

When I focus on those things, the horrors slip back into the mist and become (almost) bearable.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on May 07, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

As I blogged yesterday, the MCC IP Grants were announced yesterday and the Zambian films were funded. In the last 24 hours, the films have taken on a whole new life. Today, the graphic artist completed the logos and visual identities for the two films. The graphic identities are different yet related because of their logical link. The feature film, BAD TIMING is the story of Chiku, a Zambian social activist who has an "indiscretion" shortly before his wedding. His bride, Mutinta, is horrified at the post-wedding celebration when the police arrest her groom. Accused of rape, Chiku's watches as both his personal and professional worlds crumble. A tale of failure, forgiveness and redemption, BAD TIMING reveals the lives of contemporary Zambians.

The corresponding documentary, VOICE OF AN AFRICAN NATION is already deep into production. The documentary is about the making of the first feature film in Zambia. It's also about cross-cultural experiences and international partnerships. The film follows Jabbes as he acquires the skills and resources in the U.S. in the hopes of helping to establish the film industry in his country while making a story of modern Zambians.

The film crew includes Mesa Community College students. The documentary will follow them as they go from their relatively afflent, predominantly white community to the economically challenged nation. Additionally, the efforts of MCC faculty (that's me and Jeanette Roe) to bring digital filmmaking, motion graphics and animation skills to Zambian artists and producers will be documented. This blog will share the process and progress from now until it's a wrap!

Posted by Cyndi Greening on May 04, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I've often wanted to start my own film and animation school but who can compete with this pedigree??? Kurosawa's son opens film school. International News: Two-year degree course will be offered -- Hisao Kurosawa has launched the Akira Kurosawa School for filmmakers in Tokyo. It's named after his father, the late helmer. [Variety.com] Growing up with the man who wrote, directed and edited cinematic masterpieces such as ROSHOMON and RAN must give Hisao advantages I can only dream of. Like actors who grow up in acting families, dancers in dance dynasties and musicians in musical legacies, it seems that they often have a depth of understanding that takes the rest of us our entire adult lifetime to acquire.

Speaking of acquisitions, I'm wondering if this has been picked up for distribution yet ... WRISTCUTTERS Wowed Gen Art Festival. Film Festivals: Fest Briefs -- Helmer Goran Dukic's "Wristcutters: A Love Story" won the top prize at the 11th annual Gen Art Film Festival in Gotham this week. Helmer received $10,000 prize as part of the honor. "Wristcutters" is a warped road-trip comedy starring Patrick Fugit. [Variety.com - Film Festivals] Note: We saw this film at Sundance. It featured the music of Gogol Bordello and it was an original, quirky film. Several months later, it still hangs with me. I recommend catching it if it comes to town.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on April 15, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Since I have so many students who go to Brigham Young University after they complete their studies at MCC, I am getting quite familiar with their program. Both their film and animation programs look quite impressive. Some of the student productions have won prestigious awards and their graduates are doing quite well! I found a wonderful animated short that they're working on called OUT ON A LIMB. They've got character sketches, environments, animatics and support materials online.

Since I've studied in Mexico (twice), I love the idea of a story from a piñata's point of view! Not to mention, when I was in sixth grade, my family took a trip to California. We crossed the border to Tijuana and misplaced my younger brother for a short while. (Fortunately, we found him under a table.) My mom bought a piñata that she wanted to bring home. There was no room in the car. There was some suggestion about tying it to the roof of the car but Dad said it would be shredded in seconds. So, we left it behind.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on March 30, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES: The story behind The Lion Sleeps Tonight --- As Solomon Linda first recorded it in 1939, it was a tender melody, almost childish in its simplicity --- three chords, a couple of words and some baritones chanting in the background.

But the saga of the song now known worldwide as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is anything but a lullaby. It is fraught with racism and exploitation and, in the end, 40-plus years after his death, brings a measure of justice. Were he still alive, Solomon Linda might turn it into one heck of a ballad.

Born in 1909 in the Zulu heartland of South Africa, Mr. Linda never learned to read or write, but in song he was supremely eloquent. After moving to Johannesburg in his mid-20's, he quickly conquered the weekend music scene at the township beer halls and squalid hostels that housed much of the city's black labor force.

He sang soprano over a four-part harmony, a vocal style that was soon widely imitated.

By 1939, a talent scout had ushered Mr. Linda's group, the Original Evening Birds, into a recording studio where they produced a startling hit called "Mbube," Zulu for "The Lion." Elizabeth Nsele, Mr. Linda's youngest surviving daughter, said it had been inspired by her father's childhood as a herder protecting cattle in the untamed hinterlands.

"The lion was going round and round, and the lion was happy," she said.

When Mr. Linda died in 1962, at 53, with the modern equivalent of $22 in his bank account, his widow had no money for a gravestone.

How much he should have collected is in dispute. Over the years, he and his family have received royalties for "Wimoweh" from the Richmond Organization, the publishing house that holds the rights to that song, though not as much as they should have, Mr. Seeger said.

"I didn't realize what was going on and I regret it," said Mr. Seeger, now 86, adding that he learned only recently that Mr. Linda received less than the 50 percent of publishing royalties Mr. Seeger says he was due. "I have always left money up to other people. I was kind of stupid."

But where Mr. Linda's family really lost out, his lawyers claim, was in "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," a megahit.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on March 23, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Spring Break is over and I'm back at school. A lot of the faculty say we shouldn't have spring break because the students never really come back. There are the obvious ones who literally drop out. There's the other bunch who are there in body but their minds are elsewhere. Yesterday, I was having trouble coming back, too. Between the proposal writing, the festival adventures and the Zambia project, I was awash in things to think about and do. Now, I've got to buckle down and get back to lecturing.

Last night, I was talking with another professor, Cindy Shievitz. She was talking about how her favorite moments in the classroom were when you could see "the lights go on" when a student grabs hold of a concept and gets excited about the possibility of what he/she can do with the knowledge. I agreed that those were amazing moments (such a rush for a teacher). I think it's those types of moments that keep me teaching. I love digital media and that rush of having someone else come to love something about it is incredibly energizing. So, last night, even as I was struggling to return from spring break, we started talking about spot color channels in Photoshop, mock duotones and sophisticated two-color design. The class got excited and so did I. Everyone should feel that good about doing his/her job.

Prayer for Jabbes' Daughter Rough news for Jabbes yesterday. He got word from home that his daughter was ill. He spent the day text messaging back and forth to find out that Taonga is suffering a bout of malaria. We were supposed to do some recording yesterday but he was too worried and distracted. So, those of you who are so inclined, please say a prayer for her or hold her in a good place in your thoughts.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on March 21, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Apple updates its Hot Deals site. Apple has updated its Hot Deals site with the latest offerings from CDW Mac Warehouse, CompUSA, and Publishing Perfection... [MacMinute]

Posted by Cyndi Greening on March 15, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

From Blogger to Published Author, for $30 and Up. BookSmart software from Blurb downloads and reformats the contents of a Web log into a book. By SEÁN CAPTAIN. [NYT > Technology]

Posted by Cyndi Greening on March 02, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

RenderMan for Maya training released. Digital-Tutors today announced the availability of an interactive training solution for RenderMan for Maya, "Introduction to RenderMan for Maya," the newest release in an expanding library of interactive video-based training for digital artists... [MacMinute]

Posted by Cyndi Greening on February 20, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I applied for and was granted a one-year sabbatical by the Maricopa County Community College District for the upcoming academic year. The purpose of a sabbatical is for a faculty member to deepen his/her knowledge in his/her field, explore areas of interest and bring this new knowledge/renewed enthusiasm back to the classroom. As part of my proposal, I proposed to attend the GNOMON SCHOOL to acquire more animation skills. I also proposed to attend the NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY. So, when people ask me what I'm doing for my sabbatical, I'm surprised that I say, "I'm going to Zambia."

Though I'll study at GNOMON and NYFA when I get back, my focus from June until October will be supporting and documenting the first dramatic narrative film to be produced in Zambia. That's right, Zambia. I'm as surprised as anyone. It was certainly nothing I ever thought would appear in my life.

About a year ago, one of my students told me that he was from Zambia and he was in the U.S. to learn how to make films. His goal was to make the first dramatic narrative film in his country AND launch the film industry in his country. Students tell me a lot of things so I nodded and smiled. I did a bit of research and found that there had been no dramatic narrative films in Zambia and only a few documentary clips that had been shot there.

The student, JABBES, continued to study and work on his filmmaking craft. His short films were quite good. They often had a different rhythms and sensibilities than his American counterparts. I found out that he had been a producer/director for Zambian National Broadcasting. He was a teacher for the Zambian Department of Education. He had been the director of national theater, served on government committees and proposed a national film festival.

When I got back from the Sundance Film Festival this year, Jabbes came to ask for my support. He is returning to Zambia in June to shoot his film. He asked me to executive produce the film. I agreed to get on board and I'm really excited about the possibility of helping Jabbes create the first film from AND about his country. I'm on board to support the creation of the first Zambian film about Zambian culture by a Zambian. As an art teacher, I am eager to bring a unique voice and vision from an unrepresented culture to the world stage.

Additionally, I decided to do a documentary about the making of the first Zambian dramatic narrative. Currently, the unemployment rate in Zambia is about 60%. Copper and coffee are the primary exports. Both industries have significant human costs. The country only has about 18% arable land even though is has some of the most spectacular waterfalls, forests and wildlife in Africa. The documentary will provide a look at how someone from a highly-industrialized nation experiences and interacts with the challenges of an economically-challenged nation.

So, in the upcoming months, in addition to blogging about digital filmmaking, fine art, education and animation, I'll be writing about the First Zambian Feature.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on February 19, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Apple Supplying Henrico Middle Schools with iBooks. Henrico County (Richmond, Virginia) has decided to renew their contract with Apple in supplying iBooks to their middle school students. Henrico had previously dropped Apple from their High School program in favor of Dell. The high school Apple iBooks were sold off for $50 a piece and drew a lot of interest as well as a stampede. The new contract is worth $16 million and supplies Henrico with 12,675 iBook laptops for $1,246 each. Interestingly, Dell's bid for the middle school contract was $1,111 per laptop.... [MacRumors : Mac News and Rumors]

Posted by Cyndi Greening on February 12, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Sometimes, I sit down to blog and I find myself lost in the blogosphere for hours. Tonight, I started looking for video FX sites and found a site with GREAT how-to's, interviews and clips. And, it's shockingly speedy on the download. I strongly recommend VFX Guide and, in particular, the making of the Guinness "Rhythm of Life" Ad. In addition to viewing the AD you can also watch a "Making Of" Interview.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on February 09, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

'Gromit' grabs 10 Annies. Film News: Toon awards honors Aardman -- DreamWorks' "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" took home 10 awards, including the feature nod, at the 33rd annual Annie Awards on Saturday night. "SpongeBob SquarePants" vocal talent Tom Kenny hosted the Intl. Animated Film Society's annual kudofest at the Alex Theater in Glendale. [Variety.com]

Posted by Cyndi Greening on February 05, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Marshall McLuhan is famous for referring to the planet as a "global village." Nowhere is that more true than at the Sundance Film Festival. The World Dramatic and Documentary films at Sundance are incredible. Some of the most amazing films I've seen have been in those categories. Alec still talks about a film that he really liked at the 2003 festival. Benjamim was his favorite that year and it was never released in the U.S. One of my favorites was Desnuda Con Naranjas, another film that was never released in the U.S. The tragedy is that folks who don't go to film festivals never see these rare and wonderful cinematic gems! The stories are often unlike anything you'll find in the theater chains AND the scenery is so deliciously unusual.

The Global Village is certainly felt by the presence of the world films but it's also enhanced by the confluence of people who merge at Sundance. All of the film industry folks congregate in the city, casually attired in boots and knit hats. You can stumble on some tremendously well-connected and influential people. And, ironically, nearly anyone who deeply loves independent film eventually finds their way to Sundance.

Speaking of stumbling upon things, I was looking for someone to edit my podcasts and I was referred to an MCC student who is in the Digital Music program. I was talking to him about editing and told him I wanted to get everything in place before I left town for Sundance. He asked me if I had seen the multiple award-winning Sundance film Down to the Bone (which I had). Turns out he had a role in it. He was originally cast for the male lead but then the director decided to shift the cast a bit older. We saw that film (because I generally buy the Directing Award Film) and were impressed with Granik's direction and Vera Ferminga's performance. The world is so tiny!

"The new electronic interdependence recreates the world in the image of a global village."

    Marshall McLuhan (1911 - 1980)

    Canadian Author, Educator & Philosopher

Posted by Cyndi Greening on January 13, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I'm terribly excited to report that the Sundance 2006 Credentials and Tickets arrived via FEDEX today! So, sweet. Over the weekend, I was looking for my Sundance Beret (yes, a beret) and I stumbled across my credentials for all of the previous years. The 1996 credentials were so primitive! No bar codes, foil embossing or elaborate maps. I had a lovely trip down Sundance Memory Lane.

It's hard to believe it's less than a week away. I've got so much to get done so I can go. In addition to all of the technology issues (laptop for editing podcasts and vcasts, internet connectivity, blogging enhancements), I've got to gather winter clothing. Of more pressing concern than either of those tasks, I've got to get ready for the start of spring semester at Mesa Community College.

I'm really excited about the upcoming semester because I get to teach Digital Cinematography & Lighting -- ART290-2351 (Mondays & Wednesdays from noon until 2:45) using the new Sony HVR-Z1U (which is a wonderful HD camera) AND the Panasonic DVX-100A. The Panasonic is great for green screen and compositing work. We got TWO Lowell Close Quarters Light Kits and Photoflex Silverdome kits. Now, if you're thinking, "Holy cow, they could shoot a great looking independent film with that stuff!" You're right! Should be fun.

I'm also doing the Digital Filmmaking Class -- ART290-7349 (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:10 until 9:50pm) with Bob Lewis (my Apple guru/compadre). In addition to the cameras and lights, we'll be taking advantage of the new sound systems, Glidecams and industrial movement systems. In addition to the live action digital films, we'll team with my 3D Maya students to generate some composited animation/live action films. We are so lucky because we are strongly supported by the MCC Administration in providing excellent, real-world tools for use in our program! Not every school has the support we have.

One of the main things I'm always investigating at the Sundance Film Festival is how independent digital films are being made, how they're being received, production techniques and opportunities for MCC students. That's why I'm always so excited to see the Animation Shorts and the Panel Discussions.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on January 13, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I've written about Jake Parker on this blog before. Jake is a former Photoshop student who also took Drawing and Life Drawing classes with Jim Garrison. Jake was super talented. He loved, loved, loved animation and illustration. I'm terribly exited to report that Jake is a proud papa (again) and he's now at Blue Sky Studios in New York. Blue Sky did ICE AGE and ROBOTS. Congrats to Jake!

Jake's career has been a steady climb. He went from Mesa Community College to a job at the Phoenix-based Fox Animation Studios. He began as an inbetweener on ANASTASIA. Then he worked as a concept designer for gaming company Phantagram in Los Angeles. His next jump was to ReelFX in Dallas before settling in at Blue Sky. Hard to believe it was a few short years ago that Jake was in my class (mostly ignoring me and doodling ... I saved a cartoon he drew of me teaching ... I'll have to scan it and post it). Be sure to check out Jake's site at Agent44.Com. He's very generous about posting his work.

Kohl Glass was attending MCC at the same time as Jake. Kohl was also interested in animation and film. Kohl is currently completing and animated short entitled Der Ostwind that they started while they were still at MCC. In fact, there is a very early Der Ostwind archive that has a lot of the concept art that Jake Parker created for the film. One of my favorites is the blueline of vonKellerman running.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on January 11, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

If you have stuffed your face for Thanksgiving and need to lose that Turkey tire, then I suggest you spend the weekend making a dolly. Here are the links you will need:

• Camera Jib Arm – This site has several good links at the bottom of the page.
• GreatDV Download – Download a copy of step by step instructions for building a dolly for $5.
• Maybe you would like to use a bike as a dolly.
• Skate Wheel Dolly – Excellent link.
• Make Magazine's $14 Dolly – You cannot read the article unless you are a subscriber or buy the single volume. But the page does list all what you need.  Ars Technica followed the instructions in the article, there also have a quicktime file of the result.
• Home Built Stabilizer - No instructions. But there is video and pictures that should be helpful.
• DVXuser dolly – Buy them cheap if you hate doing it yourself.
• DV camera rigs – A book with all info you need. An excerpt from the book.
• Create Your own boom – You finished making the dolly, make a boom then!

  
  From Ajit Anthony at DV Guru. Terrific blog for all things related to independent film!

Posted by Cyndi Greening on November 28, 2005 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

A few months ago, the New York Times did an article on how a Film degree is getting to be the "new MBA" because so much of business is marketing, communication and visual presentation. Just look at THE APPRENTICE. Most of the tasks that the teams are given relate to marketing and media. The cynics among you will no doubt be thinking that is simply for product placement and better advertising. While that is also true, the media mania of this decade shows no sign of slowing. In fact, with the advent of the iPOD VIDEO and games on your CEL-PHONE, the obsession only looks to be getting started.

I teach digital filmmaking and 3D animation (using Maya, Shake, Final Cut and AfterEffects), so I am certainly an advocate of the democratization of the medium. This week, the New York Times' Charles Lyons has a sobering article called Make Movies. Go Broke. Read it BEFORE you decide to make your film. The credit rating you save may be your own!

SYRIANA ... I Can Hardly Wait

The Art of Butterfly Wings

Posted by Cyndi Greening on November 21, 2005 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Student folds paper 12 times!. Cory Doctorow:
A high-school student has defied the received wisdom that it is impossible to fold a paper more than eight times by folding one twelve times:

For extra credit in a math class Britney was given the challenge to fold anything in half 12 times. After extensive experimentation, she folded a sheet of gold foil 12 times, breaking the record. This was using alternate directions of folding. But, the challenge was then redefined to fold a piece of paper. She studied the problem and was the first person to realize the basic cause for the limits. She then derived the folding limit equation for any given dimension. Limiting equations were derived for the case of folding in alternate directions and for the case of folding in a single direction using a long strip of paper. The merits of both folding approaches are discussed, but for high numbers of folds, single direction folding requires less paper. Link (Thanks, Alex!)

Posted by Cyndi Greening on November 17, 2005 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Teacher sacked for screening Elizabeth. An American high school teacher who screened the Oscar-winning film Elizabeth for his students lost his job following complaints from parents. [Film Unlimited]

Posted by Cyndi Greening on November 17, 2005 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

From the PIXAR website:  RenderMan® for Maya® delivers all of RenderMan's legendary performance and quality to provide your creations with that distinctive visual edge. Combined with an intuitive workflow, RenderMan for Maya sets a new standard for rendering high-quality visual effects and animation. RenderMan for Maya is a next-generation Maya plug-in built that offers:

• Cinematic-quality imagery


• Seamless
  integration; nothing new to learn.


• Fast 3D motion blur and true depth of field


• Pixar's "Deep Shadow" technology


• Ambient occlusion, Global illumination, and HDRI


• Software rendering of all Maya Particles, and Maya Fur and Hair


• Render Maya Material networks,
  PaintFX, and much more!


• Questions? Check
  out the RenderMan for Maya
  FAQ

From my personal life experience in education:   Since I've been lecturing UV coordinates and texture mapping for Maya in the last two weeks, I'm excited to read about ways of rendering all that work more effectively. Priced at $995, it's still a bit steep for educational budgets but way reasonable for the independent filmmaker! (Thanks to Aaron for the heads up!)

Posted by Cyndi Greening on November 09, 2005 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The SpongeBob SquarePants movie game coming for Mac. Aspyr Media today announced it will publish The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie game for Macintosh, with an anticipated release this month... [MacMinute]

Posted by Cyndi Greening on November 02, 2005 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

For starters, there's the Prosumer HD Camera Roundup-updated with everything about what camera to buy and why.

Right behind it is Mike Field's Report on Classic Indie Mistake - Shoot 24p, capture/edit 60i . This article can save you a world of hurt on your independent production. Read it and save yourself!

Finally, he's got a list of several great Apple Knowledge Base Articles on video.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on October 17, 2005 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Tim Burton's newest stop-motion film, THE CORPSE BRIDE, was produced in a completely digital form. Prior to this film, digital cameras had never been used for stop motion, a highly specialized process. In the end, the crew chose the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II. The 16.7-megapixel cameras could deliver high-definition, high-quality stills for almost instantaneous output to Final Cut Pro, the team’s editing tool of choice.

The production crew at Three Mills Studios used two-dozen Canon cameras and five Power Mac G5 desktops. They also had about $100,000-worth of Nikon lenses at their disposal. To mate the lenses to the Canon bodies, they used NEOS adapters. In any stop-motion production, the crew likes to see what the camera sees before they take a snapshot. No digital SLR is equipped with a video-out port, so the team mounted tiny video cameras just above the lenses to get a live preview as they animated.

Three Mills Studios also worked on Danny Boyle's MILLIONS and 28 DAYS LATER. Boyle is currently working on the sequel, 28 WEEKS LATER. No doubt Three Mills will be in on that as well.

Posted by Cyndi Greening on October 02, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Mike's Best of IBC 2005 Picks (so far, updated)

Reporters Laura Sullivan and Daniel Zwerdling of NPR's All Things Considered did a terrific two-part timeline today. These two radio segments are essential listening.

Katrina Timeline:
(1) Unexecuted Plans
(2) Misdirected Aid

Posted by Cyndi Greening on September 12, 2005 | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

In the latest