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Blame it on FaceBook!

2010-03-15T22:09:00.000-07:00

July 2009???? What? It's been that long? Oh, hell. Well, obviously I've failed miserably as a regular blogger. But thinking I may be able to get back to throwing a few thoughts and experiences out there.

I blame my negligence entirely on FaceBook, which can obviously be a time-sucker, if you use it like a teeny-bopper (dagnabbit). Although I was one of its biggest detractors, I have come to see the light, and now am connected to more people in the VFX community than I knew that I knew! (Well, when I say "I," I mean my alter ego.)

Instead of doing what I thought it would do (i.e., discombobulate people from real interaction, à la the people on the Axiom spacecruiser in Wall•E, who stopped communicating IRL, after hundreds of years of screen-time)... it actually did the opposite! I get a glimpse into the more human, interpersonal side of many of the people in my professional network—more so than I would otherwise.

As an added bonus, it does the inverse, too, wherein I am able to allow my professional network to see more of who I am, than just a person who has worked with someone they know... whose resumé they have somewhere. And instead of coming to mind once every year or year and a half, when I e-mail people that I'm looking for a new show, I come to mind regularly. I'm in the consciousness of my professional network on a weekly or even daily basis. This global villiage thing really happens, so I'm eating my words... or my hat (or a crow pie).

But as a result of updating my FB status at night, and perusing the long list of what the other people in my network of friends has been up to, I have all but abandoned this (and my other) blogs. Leaving them unwritten. Blank. Stale. Motherless. How sad.

I want to try to do both, so we'll see how far I get. In the meantime... HIYA to my old readers, if you're still out there. I'll try to post some interesting stuff soon.

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 74:In Which a DI Demonstration is Given

2009-07-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

Working with a first-time director has its advantages. This is not the first movie on which I've worked, where the crew knows the ropes a lot more than the captain steering the ship. It's a wise first-timer who lets those who've been around the block a couple times show them the way.

One of the advantages is that I learn new stuff when the director has to be taught. The other week I had the rare pleasure of sitting in on the DI Demonstration we arranged for him. It was truly imperative that he have a good education as to what is possible in the DI, so that when we're screening VFX shots, the phrase "we'll fix it in the DI" will be meaningful. Why is this so important? Because the more he knows what is possible during that process, the more likely he is to Final a shot when we're screening it for him (which means the visual effects facility is done with it, can deliver the files, and cross it off the books).

The Digital Intermediate (DI) is a process that many—if not most—films undergo these days (as far as I know), whereby the entire film (even non-visual effects shots) is digitized and worked on by the Director of Photography, the Colorist, and the Director. They do this in a very dark screening room, wherein the Colorist sits at an array of controls that would rival any NASA console.

For the non-initiated, what you can do in the DI to film is akin to what you can do to one photograph in Photoshop, but to the Nth degree... and across a moving image, because the adjustments you make are tracked as objects move through the frame.

The software that does this is called "Lustre," and is explained by the manufacturer thusly:

Use Autodesk® Lustre® color-grading and color management software to shape color and lighting to create a stylized look for your story, and balance and maintain continuity across shots.

The implications of this technology are amazing... and something I hadn't thought about, until I saw his examples from previous films. The most striking of these was a shot that he knew going in to production, they would not have time to light properly. It was an extremely wide shot with a staircase and multiple levels. It would have taken hours and hours to light the real location properly for the kind of mystery-mood they were going for. Knowing what was possible in the DI allowed the DP to shoot the entire scene lit with a more flat, brighter lighting (a quick setup during production). All the information ended up on the negative, which allowed him to work his magic later, in the DI.

He showed us another shot, where the trees were changed from green, summer leaves, to Fall leaves, because the movie was not shot in the Fall, when the story takes place. This is basic stuff using mattes, but I still find it awesome. Here is part of EFILM's DI overview, which is not where we are doing our DI (nor is the image the one our DP had worked on), but this shows exactly what I'm talking about:

The other thing that surprised me was the extent to which the audience is manipulated (in a good way), in other words, how much of the WAY the story is told is managed in the DI. If you wonder why your eye is drawn to a particular person or object in a shot, you can bet it was by design. Vignetting and defocus are used regularly to help guide the audience to look at the pertinent parts of an image, so that they don't miss the point of the shot. Essentially, this helps tell the story better.

A real treat to see masters of color and light work their digital magic. Glad I got to sit in and witness the process in person, finally. Fascinating.
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Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 73:In Which the Studios Send More Jobs Overseas

2009-02-17T23:31:00.000-08:00

I'm in post on a movie, working on one of the studio lots. One of my longtime acquaintances in the Studio's IT Dept - or MIS Dept - or whatever it's called... was among those let go... In fact, the whole department is going to be outsourced. That's right. This guy, who's worked at this studio for 13 years is packing his bags in a couple months and someone in (get this!) POLAND will be answering calls at the Help Desk. POLAND. The rest of the MIS dept that doesn't have to be on-site will be in INDIA. I'm not kidding.

What's wrong with this picture? It's not the Studio's fault that sending jobs abroad saves their bottom line... but participation in this outsourcing epidemic has got to be curbed. What do we do? This is NOT helping the economy recover (is it?) Is it okay to do this if it means the overall company as an entity will stay viable? Isn't there any sort of incentive program the government could institute with all this bailout money, that would reward Corporate America for NOT outsourcing?

Should I brush up on my Polish?

I feel so helpless in this financial crisis... not only on a personal level, but in the big scheme of things, as well. I do feel a great sense of pride that we put a really, really smart man - a man of true greatness - a doer - in the White House. But aside from electing Mr. Obama, I am beside myself as to how to effect change.

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 72:In Which a Trip to the Academy's VFX BakeoffInspires and Enthralls

2009-01-18T14:49:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday evening, our entire VFX team
(PA included) left work early and went to the
VFX Bakeoff, which is held every year at the Motion Picture Academy. For the uninitiated, the contest does not entail muffins or bundt cakes; it is the annual gathering of the VFX community to whittle down seven films to the three* that will be the Oscar nominees, for the upcoming Academy Awards.

I have to admit that I went with some prejudice, wondering how in the world the VFX Steering Committee came up with the seven films it did (from fifteen original contenders**). I suppose this feeling cannot be avoided, though; everyone has an opinion (and those of you who know me well, know I am always among the opinionated).

My skepticism was replaced with sheer giddiness, however, once I walked through the door. All my coworkers, former bosses, almost bosses, and potential bosses were there... Every VFX position was represented there: supervisors, producers, coordinators and the like, CG artists, VFX editors, studio executives... all in one room! I was like a schoolgirl, running from one end of the theater to the other, just to say hello to everyone I knew.

I recognized a few people that I was sure I didn’t know... then realized—geek that I am—I was seeing people who had given interviews for supplementary material on DVDs. That’s right: I watch all that stuff. I admit it. So when I saw John Nelson and John Berton... their faces were familiar, but I was sure I hadn’t worked with either of them. Ah, yes... then I made the connection: they were both in the bonus material on my i, Robot DVD (VFX Sup and DigFX Sup, respectively). It sounds silly, but I had a few nerdy-fan moments before we were all entreated to sit down so the evening could begin.

The seven movies that made the Bakeoff were:

Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Journey to the Center of the Earth
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Australia

This is the order (drawn by lot) in which we saw the presentations.

My not having seen all the movies before I went to the Bakeoff, did not (I am ashamed to admit) prevent me from being sure*** which three movies should win the nominations. Before the evening started, I wanted to see Iron Man, Dark Knight, and Button win. After viewing all the reels and hearing all the presentations, though, I am hoping that Iron Man, Hellboy, and Mummy comprise the nominees.

I shan’t be surprised, though, if Journey makes the cut instead of Mummy, as there were innumerable advances for them to master, in creating the first feature film shot entirely in stereo. Although I was impressed with the technology, I can’t imagine having to sit through more than the 15 minutes I did. 3D is not for the headache-prone, that’s for sure.

Nor should I be surprised if Dark Knight makes it instead of Mummy, as quite frequently a stellar performance by an actor colors one's overall opinion of a film. The VFX were pretty awesome and that, combined with Heath Ledger's masterful (and sadly, his last) performance, may just win the slot.

One of the coolest parts of going to any screening at the Academy is the fact that the projection and sound systems are incredible (as they should be). On occasion, I found myself thinking about how amazing the sound design was (when, in fact, I was supposed to be thinking about the VFX)!

Despite the fact that some films were jilted (having not made the Bakeoff at all) while others did not deserve to be on the list (due to some abysmal effects, in my humble opinion), I found myself surprisingly inspired by the evening. It was a real reminder to me of why I love what we do... a reminder of how much I adore movies... and an inspiration to be the best little cog in the process, that I can be.

The 81st Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Thu, 22-Jan, at 5:30 a.m. PT on ABC, from the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

__________________________
* Sadly, the VFX Oscar category is only allotted 3 nominees, rather than 5. I have never gotten a straight answer on why this is. Rather boggling, considering the ever-growing prevalence of VFX in our business.

** The fifteen contenders, from which the seven Bakeoff choices were made, are the following:

Australia
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Cloverfield
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Hancock
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
The Incredible Hulk
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Journey to the Center of the Earth
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Quantum of Solace
The Spiderwick Chronicles

Notably absent from the list: Speed Racer and Wanted.

*** Mental notes on the feeling of Assuredness... Have you seen Doubt yet?? Brilliant and provocative, sparking all sorts of fascinating discussion on—not only what was true within the context of story—but also on the very nature of doubt, assuredness, truth, obligation, and compassion.

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 71:In Which a FileMaker Conundrum Remains Unsolved

2009-01-11T22:03:00.000-08:00

Another geeky post, sorry. One of these days I'll return to pondrances on the Famous with whom I come in contact... or some other, more sexy topic. In the meantime, here's one for the database geeks who might be lurking about these halls...

There is a specific database issue, unique to what we do, that can rear its ugly head if certain circumstances exist during production. Really, it all comes down to how well-controlled the slating is (i.e., how consistently and accurately potential VFX shots get put on the camera slate) and how good Scripty* is at her job.

The issue has to do with reconciling data from the Editorial dailies database (the "Codebook") and the VFX database. In a nutshell here is the dilemma: From a VFX standpoint, there are VFX shots which consist of any number of filmed elements. For example, there might be a background plate, and a few different greenscreen elements, all which need to be put together during post-production. In this sense, the parent database file is the VFX shots database and the filmed elements file is a child, in related terms. In most instances, this is a simple many-to-one relationship.**

In normal database design, strict control is maintained, in such a way that child records can only be created through the parent database. The relationship is seamless, and done with unseen serial keys (that is, the match ID is never the shot name or some other bit of data).

The problem:
The Editorial Codebook is it's own deal. This is always a stand-alone database that belongs to Editorial, the data for which is generated by an export of data directly representing all footage that has rolled through the cameras (the vast majority of which is usually non-VFX related). If Scripty is not at the top of her game or if you have rogue camera assistants who are not earnest in their VFX slating, then footage can be shot (elements) for which the VFX database has no corresponding parent shot record.

There is a flip-side to the problem, as well:
What if you have shots you know were filmed, but no filmed elements are pulling through to your shots database (i.e., the child records have not been "tagged" to the appropriate shots... or might not have been tagged at all). This problem came about when I realized I was getting JPGs from our VFX Editor (who supplied daily images of the VFX material, in order that I could import those pictures into our database) but elements never showed up in my shots file. Normally if you have shots in the database and nothing pulls through the elements portal, it would be because that shot was nixed: not actually shot, even though it was planned or budgeted. The existence of a JPG from dailies, however, confirms that's not the case, though.

Why is this a problem?
You might think: so what... won't it all get sorted when you start looking at the cut? Yes, it will. However, the Studio will always want to know from the VFX Producer how close to on-budget each sequence is. Studios don't like surprises. So... if a director ends up shooting a lot more shots than are budgeted for a certain sequence, then it is imperative that the producer have an accurate picture much sooner than when a sequence is finally cut. So really, this database reconciliation issue is only a problem during the middle and end of filming. By the time you get to post-production, a producer has at least some idea of where the sequences are, just by analyzing the cut.

What is the solution?
I'd be very interested to learn how this has been handled on other shows. As I said before, if you have awesome people on-set, it may never be an issue. If, however, that is not the case, then, well... there you have it. So the task I set myself to was twofold:
1. To find child records (filmed elements) for which no parent (no VFX shots) existed in the VFX database, and
2. To find shots for which no filmed elements were showing up.

Thank goodness there are smart Filemaker gurus who love to answer questions like this. Following is my post of the problem on an online forum:

Here are the answers I received:

And:
I was able to create flags for both problems, thanks to these answers. However, the whole endeavor seems like a clumsy way to deal with a problem that may have a more elegant, systemic solution. Any thoughts or suggestions on this would be welcome.
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* That's a term of endearment for the script supervisor.
** Footage reuse in multiple shots is another issue, altogether.
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Idiot Checks

2008-12-19T03:30:00.000-08:00

This day refuses to end. So whilst I wait... let me summarize what I have learned today:

Do your idiot check before you go to bed, the night before you travel. This, in case you only sleep 3 hours and have an even harder time thinking, upon waking. Concentrate on the bare necessities. What would I REALLY need if I was, say—stranded in my connecting city, due to blizzard conditions?

• If I had done this, I would have not packed Kitty’s health certificate in my luggage (luckily, I wasn’t asked for it).

• If I had done this, I would have packed some insulin needles in her carrying case, not just her insulin.

• If I had done this, I would have brought a small amount of dry cat food in a baggie.

• More absorbent pads for her kennel and more baggies to contain the soiled pads would be useful to have on-hand.

• A portable water-dish would help. [Kitty finally decided she was thirsty enough to drink out of a paper cup (after traveling 13 hours (and counting)). I’m sure I’ll regret encouraging her to drink, since it means having to clean up when it comes out the other end!

• A phone charger would be a good item to include on the “must” list... in case you drain your phone battery talking to the production office, the studio travel agent, your sister, your mom, your other sister, the production office again, the friend overseeing your subletter’s move-out, the production office a third time... etc. all whilst standing in the airline Customer Service line for 2 hours and 30 minutes.

• When packing, and it seems “all this crap will just NOT fit,” do not give in and pack more boxes or bins. Do not acquiesce to pay all those extra baggage fees that are running amok these days. When all is said and done, that could be some very expensive Christmas ribbon.

On a side note: remember how much of your packing space will be usurped by any hard drives you have to hand-carry. Not only are they HEAVY... but it means going with less, in an emergency.

• Animals are very smart; they know something’s up, when you are in “packing mode.” Put your pet where you can find them, when it is time to kennel them and go. Otherwise, you may spend 10 minutes looking the animal and another 10 trying to get them out from a hiding place.

Well, did I learn anything relatively positive? Yes:

• Some airports have what is called “family restrooms,” which are single rooms (not stalls). This is a brilliant thing to use when traveling with a pet, because you’ve GOT to let them out of their carrier to walk around, drink, etc.

Aside from 3 hours of unavoidable shut-eye, I have not slept since Wednesday at 6 am. [It’s now Thursday night, 9 pm... and I’m still waiting for my connecting flight! (Poor kitty!!)] My kingdom for a hotel room!!
__________________

I hit a wall just after I wrote this and decided to throw in the towel and see if there were any flights in the morning. All I wanted was a hotel room... even if I had no litter box. Just as I was about to ask, they called for us to board and I sucked it up and got on the plane.

By the time I arrived at my sister’s house, it was about 3:30 am. What a day. 5 hours of travel turned into 20.

We’ve now recovered nicely and it’s wonderful to finally be with my family, whom I get to see so infrequently. Oh, how I love them so!

I’m only doing spurts of work. I still need to decide on a PA and narrow the pool of coordinators, so I can get some conference call interviews done next week with my producer. Also trying to button up the new offices plan, phones, furniture, etc... and coordinating the delivery of all the Editorial and VFX boxes arriving at the studio on Monday (where I won’t be). Not sure where we’re going to put all the boxes... VFX alone totaled 56, when all was said and done. How is that possible!!

I have lots of half-written posts that I will try to revisit over the holidays. More to come...

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 70:In Which Another Lesson is Learned

2008-12-09T23:55:00.000-08:00

No, I am not dead. Just terribly neglectful of pretty much everything that is not work. (Eht-hemmn! This was not what we agreed to, is it?!) I thought I might have a Doogie Howser moment and actually write a short post on my "Doh!" moment.

On every show for the past 3 or 4 years, I suppose, I have followed the same routine: going through several massage therapists when I first get to location, and then settling on the one right for me. Things are so stressful and intense that I end up having to basically keep a standing weekly appointment, just to keep the knots and stress toxins at bay.

I didn't do that on this movie. Why? Because the people are awesome, the work is good, the atmosphere is positive, healthy, and pleasant (albeit busy)... and basically, I didn't have the physical pain that comes with being wound so tightly. This is good.

So what lesson did I learn today? That even in the best of circumstances, it's important to have a plan that you know works for you. I have found that generally, you can get a good massage therapist to come to your room after work (late if need-be) so long as you contract them apart from a hotel spa. I KNOW this. And even though I was given a recommendation for someone to call, early on, when I first got here... I never did.

Today around 4 pm, I recognized the signs of stress manifested physically, and immediately called the spa in my hotel. They were very unhelpful, insisting that the last massage was at 8 pm. When I mentioned having it in my room, I got the impression they don't do that.

So... lesson learned. Build the relationship early, so that if the need arises, there will be someone to call.

We are in our last push to finish shooting in our current location and wrap out of here before the holidays. Lots of pressure on both fronts (the shooting and the wrapping). Today was a 15-hour day, not including commute time. I have about 10 posts (and another 3 poems*) started and never finished over the last 2 months, because sleep overcame me... or I was too exhausted to put words together on the weekend.

*I don't claim to be a good poet, but heck... a poor literary attempt is better than never penning anything.

The good news is: I'll be on hiatus from Dec 19 through Jan 4, which is soonish!! More pondrances and contemplations to come then... and perhaps a discussion or two about VFX-land. Until then... be well.

On Divergence, Happiness, and Approximation

2008-10-14T01:13:00.000-07:00

Contemplations on the incongruence between action and intention...

[This post now lives on Get a Chicken. Please go to that link for more thoughts like this:

I have always heard that when it comes to having and wanting, that a person should want what they have, rather than have what they want. Actually, both sides hold merit for me, but being able to see both sides only further complicates the issue. There are only two options, if I am to attempt to narrow the gap between what I WANT for myself and what I actually DO in my life...

...How to embrace an evolving world and how to adapt with it. How to reach your goals before you blink and realize you’re 10 years older and not any farther along in your life.

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS ON THE FULL POST, OVER AT GET A CHICKEN. THANKS!
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Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 69:In Which Automation and Efficiency Prevail

2008-10-03T02:25:00.000-07:00

An idea struck me like a lightening bolt this afternoon, just as I was about to ask my PA to start the arduous task of researching, then renaming over 200 images for our database. I had a little victory celebration at my desk, because I’m all for working smart, not hard. (Sometimes the smart solutions don’t always present themselves or pop into our minds before time has been wasted.)

Let me back up, a bit.

We have over 1,000 shots (or will have). Our shots database is filled with storyboards representing each shot. However, we have now started to get in some images from Editorial, which are stills from the actual photography we’ve done. Unfortunately, the Avid likes to output images by naming them the same as the clip, from whence they came... which makes sense. But how to get those into our images database and related to shots, without a lot of ridiculous work?

[E.g., the clip names (and by extension, then: the images) are named things like “VX113E-2 B MOS” whereas our shots are named “DR010.” Of course, both the clip names and the shot names really mean something. In this example, the clip name tells us: V (for VFX shot), shot by 2nd Unit (that's what the X means), scene 113, slate 113E (which would have been the 6th camera setup for that scene), take 2, B-camera, MOS (no sound). The shot name could be the Dead Rat sequence, shot 2 (going in 5’s).]

This is what I did to work around hours of research and renaming:

• Imported into our Images Catalog all the images provided by Editorial (given to us in 30 different directories); I did it in only two clicks, thanks to a nifty bulk-import script!)
• The image filename automatically goes into a “Name” text field for each record.
• Found/replaced “.jpg” with “” in that field (so the filename was now just the Avid clipname)
• Created a File Reference, Table Occurrence, and Relationship between the Images Catalog and Editorial’s Codebook (which we are serving on our FileMaker Server, as well), based on ImageName = ClipName.
• Created a new field in the Images Catalog called “PlateID,” into which a looked-up VFX ID could be pasted for each image.
• Created a loop script that went through each new imported Image, and set the new VFX ID field in the Images Catalog to its corresponding ID, living in the codebook under each ClipName.
• Back in the shots database, I changed the name of the Images Catalog table occurrence to “Storyboards.” I then duplicated it and renamed the duplicate “Plates.” I hooked up PlateID (in Images Catalog) with VFX ID (in Shots file).

• Put a second “Image” field on the shots layout, based on the newly-related table occurrence called “Plates.” (The same field, but from the Storyboard table occurrence, was already there.)
• Et voilà! No need to look up slates, and then rename 220 JPGs with their corresponding shot numbers.

But that’s not all!

I had another happy FileMaker moment when I realized that I could create a calculation that shows the plate, if we have it... and if not, it shows the storyboard. This was a very simple calculation, but for some reason I had never thought to incorporate it into any database of mine. [We are not using my currently under-construction Uber Database of Doom; instead, we are using my boss’ database (which I am modifying a lot).]

This idea of the calculated container field came up because we created mini shots binders for our VFX Supervisor and Producer to carry on set with them. My boss had asked me if I could designate what was already filmed (even, at least, partially). What better way than to show the photographed image, if we have it!

So here is my humble calc field in the Shots file:

c_plate_or_storyboard =
If ( IsEmpty ( Plates::PlateID) ; Storyboards::Image ; Plates::Image )

“PlateID” is a text field in the Images Catalog; and
“Plates” and “Storyboards” are the names of table occurrences of the IMAGES CATALOG, which reside in the SHOTS file. These table occurrences use differing fields as match IDs.

It’s as simple as that!
Just wanted to share, since it ended up being so basic and yet so nifty.

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 68:In Which Geeks Rule!

2008-09-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

Geeks are awesome. It’s one of the biggest reasons I love the VFX world. Smart people are helpful, reliable, innovative, and yes... adorable.

Today I needed to tackle a FileMaker problem that I knew had a solution. I had, in the past, created a very cheaty workaround, but now the Real McCoy needed to be implemented. I racked my brain. To those FMP gurus in the know, it’s obvious, basic scripting. To me, however, it was a revelation. The biggest problem with my FileMaker knowledge is that I only know and understand those things I’ve had to muscle-through to implement. Granted, it is a varied array of knowledge... but there are gaping holes in my FileMaker education. One of those holes was scripting with variables.

What I really wanted was a simple way to make the “...of 5” part for page numbering that shows “1 of 5, 2 of 5...” etc. On layouts that have no sliding fields, you can do a simple division calculation with the number of records found, to come up with how many pages you’ll get. But really, that’s not the way to do it.

The layout I had created utilized all sorts of sliding fields that were going to compress to varying heights, depending on how much text was going to be in them. Therefore, a page could have as many as 6 shots listed, should there be minimal shooting notes, or vastly fewer shots per page, where methodology was described in detail.

Enter the FileMaker Café, which is an amazing online community of my favorite geeks... who can solve any problem... and DO, just because they like to. Blessings to “kjoe,” who wrote a post to someone back in March, explaining just the scripting steps I needed. That gave me the umph to read all about variables and to apply his steps to our own database. Yay!! Huzzah to kjoe!!

Also, today... I was having a terrible time getting my computer to see the color printer we successfully hooked up to the network. This is the exact printer I used on my last show... the very same machine, yet I couldn’t for the life of me get it to work. Enter a smart dude with stick-to-itiveness (or stick-to-itivity, if you prefer) and I rested easy that whatever I was doing wrong over and over, would be solved.
He had me printing within 20 minutes.

But my favorite geek moment came at the very end of the day. My producer and I were bantering about who was going to take home the database tonight (yes—there’s a lot of work to do in the next few days!). I suggested that what we REALLY needed to do was to leave the database up on the server; that way, we could both VPN in, from the hotel. His response was, “VPN?!” And in complete unison, a chorale of 4 or 5 geeks chimed in, “Virtual Private Network!”

Now, my producer wasn’t really asking what VPN stood for, but merely stating the fact that on this show, that was never going to happen. So it was unbelievably charming when every geek in the room rose to the occasion, volunteering their awesome knowledge.

For the record, the reason it’s not going to happen is mostly because the hotel rates for VPN connections are EVEN HIGHER than for simple internet connections (for which the Production is NOT paying—see Adventures #67). If I remember: it was closer to $150/mo. Additionally, we’d need some smart I.T. guy to set up the VPN server and our VPN clients and make them all work.

We don’t have any of those, I.T. guys or VPN-stuff, that is. We'd need someone for whom it would be natural, everyday conversation to explain, "The three protocols used by VPN are PPTP (point to point tunneling protocol), L2TP (layer 2 tunneling protocol) and IPSec (Internet protocol security). IPSec is the most common technology in use for creating and operating VPNs. In IPSec tunneling, all packets are completely and securely encapsulated; each packet receives a new header with all address and connection information hidden from public view..." and on and on he would go, happily babbling about the network fairies and how they make it go.

In any case, it was a delightful, geek-filled day. I have about 350 more days just like it, on this show. Fantastic!
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A Mystery Solved—Today was a Good Day

2008-09-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

Despite the money spent, which is not entirely good... today was a good day.

After researching the yoga studios in the area, it doesn't look like I'm going to find anything later than a 7:30 or 8 pm class... so it's really not realistic to think I'll be making that during the week. Not to mention the fact that I'll be overdue nearly every night, in giving Kitty her insulin. So I went online and ordered a yoga mat, some DVDs, a meditation CD, n other stuff... and plan on just making it happen here, in my apartment. Yay! It's a step in the wellness direction. There IS a yoga studio 2 blocks from here, that I will be able to visit on the weekends, once they are finished relocating to a new space (one more week).

Today, on my way to look at options for yoga clothing (some of which I brought with me, but it is really too big... and I am going to try to send it back to the merchant)... I walked by a GAP. Ah - here is my chance to fix the jeans problem (all my jeans are too big). What a pain, though. I marched in, despite my personal feelings on shopping, and emerged victorious. As a bonus, I remembered that they have socks. My feet have been cold since I got here... and all my socks are in a box that has yet to be shipped to me.

Then on to the sport-clothing store. I'm always suspicious of these types of stores and did not expect to find anything that would work for me. Little did I know that the whole place was mostly yoga attire and accessories. Perfect! I ended up trying yoga tops and pants... and being quite pleased with what I found. Brilliant!

Back home, I started stewing about my sneezy kitty. Poor thing. She always gets sneezy when we travel. It's weird. And this time, it seems pretty frequent. Huzzah to concierges the world over! They tell you where to find DVDs, cat-scratching posts, Chinese food, sports bras, veterinarians... I took Kitty to the local vet, which is like 5 minutes from here! Our vet was so brilliant, she had interesting, up-to-date information on all sorts of new research, including the fact that studies have shown that cats on an all-wet-food diet are more likely to go into diabetic remission than cats who eat dry food.

The most brilliant thing, however, was learning why Kitty always has such serious sneezing fits, every time we travel. They last for days... and I always thought it had something to do with allergies or something. But no. Because she was adopted, there is a near-certainty that she has some strain of the kitty-herpes virus. As long as she is healthy otherwise, and her immune system is not suppressed, she shouldn't feel any symptoms. But under stress (like every time we travel), the number one symptom is sneezing in cats. Isn't that weird? But the best part is this: treating with Lysine (2 cc's / day) when you know they will be stressed (before and during) boosts their immune system such that this sneezing is really minimized. Amazing! Why has no other vet ever told me this? It seems I've taken her in for sneezing every time we travel, poor thing.

So how about that! Mystery solved.

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 67:In Which Tightwads Suck

2008-08-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

I've worked on a lot of movies out of town. A lot. There are a quite a few firsts on this show that I am having to swallow, in order to keep relations friendly between our department, Production, and Accounting. These are all justifiably arguable, but they are not battles to choose:

Production is not paying for internet connections at our hotels (even though this is key to doing our job). There is simply too much communication and too much after-hours work that has to happen outside the office to think that hotel internet is not a necessity. For reasons why this is not a battle I am going to wage, see Adventures No. 48, posted Saturday, April 07, 2007.

We are not being reimbursed for gas (They have put us up in very lovely hotels, that happen to be 30-40 minutes from the studio. This would not be a problem if Transpo was running vans for the crew, but they are not.)

We cannot use the corporate FedEx account and reimburse the company for personal charges as bill-backs. (Studio FedEx rates are around 60% of what normal consumers pay.)

Oh, well. They do seem to be feeding us lunch... and I do have the weekend to settle in, so those are good things.

OTHER RANDOM THOUGHTS...
Kitty is not grateful for the cat scratcher I just bought for her (but I think... if she uses it... it'll be a much smaller price to pay than if she scratches up the furniture). She is, however, extremely ecstatic about the water fountain I shipped from home.

Everything is very expensive, here. The hand lotion that I normally use is over $11, instead of $6-something. Geepers!!

On a persono-professional note (I just made that word up, but I think it does the trick)... I am suffering a bit from a confidence problem. Probably because I haven't been here. I'm very conscious that others have been doing what is essentially my job, since I haven't been here during prep. I feel like if I get a few kick-ass days under my belt, I'll feel better about it, though.

Last night I went to dinner with my boss and a facility supervisor. Lovely to like the people with whom you work, break bread with them, and share industry nightmare stories. Making movies is hard enough already, so a little frivolity among coworkers makes all the difference.

And so it goes.
.

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 66:In Which We Are Ready to Begin... Again...

2008-08-27T22:32:00.000-07:00

What a day! Or should I say days? It started on Tuesday morning, which was my last day on the in-town, union gig. Big show. Great people. It was difficult to leave both old and new friends, there.

Drove over an hour to my oldest, dearest friend’s house (he reminded me that it is the anniversary of our first meeting... TWENTY-SIX years ago!). Now, who feels old!! Dropped off my car, so he could store it, start it periodically, and keep an eye on it, whilst I am away.

By 9 pm, I was at home, faced with the daunting task of packing and/or storing crap (so my sub-letter has some breathing room). My taxi wasn't to arrive until 3:30 am, so I had 6 1⁄2 hours. How hard could that be? (Of course, the grand plan HAD been, of course, to pretend I was leaving a day early, and get most of it done the night before that. But alas... I was tired and cranky and just went to bed early, instead.)

6 1⁄2 hours later, I was still not finished, but knew I’d manage by 4 am. Taxi was 20 min late, anyway. Alas, I did not leave my house the way I had hoped, but did manage to mobilize, Kitty in tow (much to her surprise), and was out the door in plenty of time.

After paying $100 in heavy baggage fees (over 60 lbs each) and $100 in cat-travel fees, I headed for the requisite espresso fix, and then the gate. An announcement was made that there were upgrades to First Class available for $50. I figured since I wasn’t paying for the flight, using a bit of my per diem to get some rest didn’t sound unreasonable. Unfortunately, not all First Classes are equal. I guess I was thinking of the luxurious Business Class to Europe, where you could stretch out. Anyway, it was a lesson learned.

First thing I did when I got off the plane was wo change Kitty’s bedding. A veteran traveler with cats, I came prepared. Getting through the customs line, the immigration and cashier lines (for my work permit), and the agriculture line (for kitty) went relatively quickly, since I had arrived so early. Found the Transpo driver and was dropped around 11 am.

At the front desk, I was told that check-in wasn’t until 3 pm, and that they probably wouldn’t have my apartment ready before then. But after some begging and explanation about Kitty, they agreed to put me in a courtesy hotel room for a few hours until I could move. Phew! I was pretty bleary-eyed by then and couldn’t wait to collapse.

But first-things-first! Insulin and food for Kitty, then to the grocery store across the street for a litter box and litter... and a few other things. On most location trips, a helpful PA or Transpo driver has always done me the favor of getting that ahead of time, so it could be waiting at the hotel for me. They seem to be a bit more unaccommodating on this show, but luckily, there was a store literally across the street.

Just after setting everything up and ordering room service, I was told that my apartment WAS ready, so we packed everything up and moved. By 2 pm, I was finally in bed. Oh—that never felt so glorious. That moment when you can finally rest your head, all emergencies at least momentarily quelled.

The courtesy room was really fancy-schmancy. Very pretty... but even the bedspread was gold. I don’t mean mustard-colored, I mean like that gorgeous, expensive, metallic-like crumple-material, with a bronzy-gold weave. Fortunately, the apartment we’ll be in for the next 4 months is a little more modern and conducive to casual relaxation. Thought I’d snap some pics, before it got that “lived-in” look:

ENTRY HALL:

Straight ahead, the BEDROOM:

To the left, the LIVING ROOM
(that's a sliding glass door, to the balcony... I'm on the 11th floor):

The DINING ROOM:

From the dining room, the KITCHEN:

The only disappointment, but it's totally adequate, is the BATHROOM, which is a whole lot of nothing special:

I am driving myself to work tomorrow in the car that is here for me. Need to leave around 7 am... so going to bed, now. And so the adventure continues!

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 65:In Which the Next Twelve Months Fall into Place

2008-08-08T23:54:00.000-07:00

So it seems that my previous gig—the one that shut down—is back up and going. Prep is in full swing, on location right now. The Studio still has not granted the green light, but I think it’s all, but a technicality. We expect to officially get it next week. [In fact, I have worked on at least one movie, that never officially got a green light. They just kept releasing funds, bit by bit... so we could build this set, then that one...]

My former/future boss is so awesome, he is willing to hobble along without me, until I fulfill my obligation on this short-term gig. My last day on this show is Tues, 8/26... Then, my kitty-cat and I get on a plane the following morning!

The dates may seem arbitrary, but actually, it’s by my own design. Working through that Tuesday will bring me up to exactly the 300 hours I need to bank through the union, in order to get my health coverage back (next February). Yay!

Actually, I’m going to be working for that show on my weekends... or at least this weekend... to get the database started for them. We have a local coordinator who is starting on Monday, they need to hit the ground running.

So, I basically have two weeks left to really, really get my stuff settled (and hopefully find a subletter), before I leave town for the next four months. After that, a trip to see my family for the holidays... then back to Los Angeles before the New Year, for post production through August ’09. Wa-hoo!

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 64:In Which A Spreadsheet Function Makes Me Positively Giddy

2008-08-06T23:09:00.000-07:00

It’s not often that you learn something so revolutionary, that it will literally change how you work, forever.

Yesterday, I was lamenting to our VFX Accountant how unfortunate it was that you cannot assign hierarchies to Excel rows, similar to how you can apply styles in Word. He didn’t know if or how it was possible, but thought maybe they had made some sort of provision for that.

Low and behold! It is true. And as long as you are utterly consistent, you can actually create a document that will hide or reveal multiple levels with the click of a button.

This may seem silly, since really, everything should be done in a database, not in a spreadsheet. But that idea is not practical—at least for most producers at the beginning of a show when they are dealing with an initial breakdown. I’m actually in the middle of developing a new database that might change that, in such a way that it could be done in FileMaker from the get-go... but Studios like spreadsheets, and there is a lot to be said for being able to see it all laid out like that and having the tweaking freedom that a spreadsheet affords.

As I explained before, what I’m doing is taking the Studio’s old breakdown and actualizing it with real dollar amounts from actual vendor bids on specifically-numbered shots that are really in the cuts. Among other things, it means I need to paint finer brush strokes than the broad sequences that are normally roughed-out in a breakdown. That is to say, I am now determining “beats” within sequences, such that the sections are more manageable and have less going on within each unit (story-wise).

Here is what the spreadsheet looks like on “Level 1,” where you only see the original sequence names and totals for each sequence:

When you open the document to “Level 2,” you see the beats (also known as sub-sequences) of which each sequence is comprised, along with their subtotals:

And when you open to “Level 3,” you see the full breakdown, including the shots that make up each beat:
This grouping tool is so versatile, that you can set your document to see all one level or two levels with the click of one button... OR... you can open just the individual bits you’d like to see, like this:

How fucking amazing is that!! Okay—I know I’m a total nerd. I know normal people do not become giddy over spreadsheet capabilities, previously unknown. But ya know... this will change the way I work, forever!

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 63:In Which Reconciliation (in multiple varieties) is the Flavor of the Day

2008-07-24T23:43:00.000-07:00

Today my bosses were at a mo-co shoot all day (that’s motion-control). I stayed at the office and started to tackle the job for which I was hired, which is to incorporate and reconcile shot bids from vendors with an early (non-shot-specific) breakdown of the movie, provided by the Studio. (Are you fascinated yet?)

With script before me and a quicktime of the cut to watch (this would be some live action with greenscreen, some previsualization animation, and some “cards,” on which only a description has been typed)... along with a print-out of a bid with shot numbers and costs on it from a vendor... I was able to begin reconfiguring the vague Excel breakdown to reflect actual numbers.

Don’t think I’m finished. I got through one bid today. A single sequence in five parts, consisting of 70 shots. I only have about 930 shots (and at least 4 vendors) to go. LOL.

On an entirely different topic, today I got an iMac sent over from the Studio to use as a database server. When trying to tread lightly and still figure out where it should best live, I got TOTALLY chewed out by a coworker, who was flagrantly rude for no reason. He later apologized for his behavior on several subsequent occasions. I think he was having a really bad day, but it was a little disconcerting to encounter someone so difficult on my 2nd day.

For the record, I left work yesterday and today between 7 and 7:30 pm. I realize this is not “normal,” but I’m pretending it is, for now. (Yay!)

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 62:In Which the Health Insurance Fairy Bestows a Visit

2008-07-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

Oh, me of little faith!

I am starting a new, short-term gig tomorrow AS A UNION HIRE! I’ve never worked for this particular studio before and have had doubts about which studios I could convince to join the precedent-setting, ground-breaking ranks of hiring VFX Coordinators as union employees.

This means that (after 3 and a smidge of international, non-union gigs) I will finally be able to gain the hours I need to be covered again for health care (for one 6-month term). The hours I bank on this job will turn into real coverage next April. That means I’ll have 4 months (ish) where my COBRA benefits have run out and before my regular coverage kicks in... but still, I couldn’t be happier about this job. Of course, it would be awesome if the next gig were union, too... but we’ll just have to wait and see.

On a separate note, I’ve watched several awesome movies recently, about which I’m thinking I’d like to write. I haven’t put up a new post on Deirdre on Movies in a very, very long time. Here are my recent favorites: Junebug, The Kite Runner, The Great Debaters, Wall•E, and Kung-Fu Panda.

For my last afternoon before returning to full-time work, I’m going to:

Take a nap
Tidy my house
Take a walk
Do laundry
Work on the final assets database I still owe the studio from my last show. I have been putting this off because after that last movie, I just don’t want to work for free, ever again. I plan on watching Turner Classic Movies whilst I input filepaths and images, so it won’t feel like work, as much.

More, later.

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 61:In Which a Gamble could become a New Bridge

2008-07-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

I sent out e-mails on Friday. Today, while I was at the Studio filling out my “start” paperwork for the show that has closed up shop (which felt more like “finish” paperwork), I got a call for a short-term gig with a producer I know, with whom I have never worked. Just when I had started working on my database and started roughing out character sketches for the novel I keep saying I’ll put onto paper, and started planning my new garden... I am now looking at the possibility of going back to work.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a good thing. A steady paycheck would be a very good thing and this gig will last for probably as long as I would need to hold out due to the looming SAG strike. On the other hand, there are rumblings that this supposed 2-week work stoppage (that everyone is reading like a shut-down) may actually only be a stoppage. Apparently, new story points have been written and a presentation was given to the Studio today. We may know more, tomorrow—whether they are amenable to spending more money on the endeavor.

So I am stuck with the awkward decision of working on a new show for 4-8 weeks, when the one I was going to start (with a totally awesome new producer) might start up again. I have still been advised to take the bird in the hand, because 2 weeks could turn into 4, etc. Studios can’t expect freelancers to “hold out” – but this is the game we play.

Fortunately, I spoke with my former boss, who said that if the show gets going again and I was on this other gig, he’d try to hobble along for a few weeks without me, whilst I fulfill my obligation... and then bring me back on the show. How awesome is that!!! Oh—would that it were true!

Tomorrow morning, I am supposed to call the executive at the new Studio and solidify that it’s a real job offer. Then call my old boss and my old studio and find out what they say. THEN, I’ll call the new producer and accept the job, which will start THE NEXT DAY (Wednesday).

The temptation, if the report tomorrow is favorable, would be to turn down the job and wait for the old one to start back up... so that I could have a little more time off. Not a good strategy, I know. But then, telling the new producer I need to leave before they want me to let me go, (because I’m wanted back at my old job), is not an enterprise I anticipate with any relish or alacrity.

More to come...

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 60:In Which a Surprising Turn Changes Everything

2008-07-18T23:03:00.000-07:00

I have been counting down the days, trying to put everything in place before I leave the country for five months. Today I canceled a dermatologist appointment, a root canal specialist’s evaluation appointment, and a pain management specialist appointment—just to get a big shipment of all our VFX equipment out the door on time.

It was a long, long day, that started at 5:30 am. [I couldn’t stay up last night because I was feeling bad (with residual pain from surgery that is taking its time to subside)... so instead, I got up early to pack a big bin of personal crap to send in the shipment.]

Spent all day packing, labeling, correcting manifests (so things won’t get stuck in customs), faxing, orchestrating pickup times, arranging drive-on permission, etc.... I ended up not only missing all my doctor appointments, but also my hair appointment...

And at 5 pm, I realized I had not eaten yet. Not the entire day.

Thus far, it was a very bad start to making sure I change the way I do things. I managed to make all the decisions that favor the company and none that promote my personal well-being. I realized that and the red flags were flying by the end of the day. I must do better, in order for me to walk the walk.

I left the Studio at around 6 pm and stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things to get me through the next two days, before I leave.

And then I got the phone call.

My boss, who had already flown yesterday, is getting on a plane in the morning to come back home. He was grilled all day during a location scout about the cost of sequences and if they might come in cheaper if we shifted more of the VFX work to vendors in the location country, rather than sending all those shots to the US vendors (who have been slated to do the majority of the show). That was as late as 3 o'clock, I think. By 6, even those questions didn't seem to be a factor. Everyone was to go home.

Technically, this is a two-week push... But we’ve already had more than one push in start date, due to script rewrites. The Studio is thinking seriously about whether the movie in its current state is something with which they should continue. Maybe it'll go into a 6-month turnaround, and get its guts rewritten. Who knows.

My boss is going off payroll after he travels back tomorrow. That is never a good sign. Oftentimes, when a show pushes for two weeks, it’s a time work really hard and kick-ass... and be ready with answers when the Big Cheeses ask the money questions. Going off payroll does not bode well; it brings the process to a grinding halt. All the sudden it feels like we are now in discussion-land, not in strategy-land.

So, as far as my boss is concerned, we are both back on the market and looking for work. The Studio cannot possibly expect crew to stay attached to a project after it continues to push so many times... when there is little hope that waiting it out will yield a job, in the end.

I was going to sign my deal memo today, but there was a mistake in how they reported my title (I was getting a bump to the title "VFX Production Supervisor" (which is a big YAY!!)), so they were just going to FedEx the corrected deal on Monday for me to sign, from location. Now there’s no need for that.

Aside from the fact I'm reeling, because I thought I was going to start getting steady paychecks in another week, the undoing of all the wheels that are in motion has been kind of like trying to turn an ocean-liner on a dime... or like stopping the presses. It’s a big deal.

My poor little house-sitter will be broken-hearted when she either gets my voice message or checks her e-mail. (Not as broken-hearted as I am over losing a job, but still...) I won’t have to take my cat in to get a health cert tomorrow. The arrangements for the storage of my car need to be un-done... OOH – and the change I made to my cell phone service needs to be changed back. I just realized that.

Hmmm. On the bright side, I can hope to find a domestic movie, maybe... and stay in town for the next one. The number-one goal being to get someone to hire me in a union capacity before my COBRA runs out. (How awesome would that be?!) In the meantime, I can:

Finish my taxes

Plant a few things in my empty pots and dirt garden

Get some furniture repaired

Hang a birdfeeder

Write a few thank-you notes

Write some fiction

Read some fiction

Start working seriously on the revamp design for my VFX database (this requires a great deal of dedication and focus... and many hours)

Continue to heal from surgery and start doing yoga again, as soon as is advised

Maybe go out on a date or two

Figure out how to live on unemployment until I find a new job

I have vowed that my time between shows will not lead me back to the heinous legal document forensics that I used to do to make ends meet. Instead, it will be used to renew and rejuvenate. To reinvent and become. To make path corrections to my life... and to enjoy the roses, whilst there is more time.

And so it goes...

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 59:In Which I Stand with High Hopes beforea Clean Slate

2008-07-13T02:16:00.000-07:00

I keep saying I’m going to chronicle a show from start to finish, and make my posts short and more frequent. Thus far, my work habits have been so out of hand, though, that that’s been impossible.

I’m really excited, though, because by managing to live through my last gig at maximum abuse levels, I can honestly say I never want to have that experience again.

There are several factors involved in being able to continue working in visual effects, but with my well-being intact. Those things are: starting a new show healthy; handling all my personal responsibilities in the interim, that I couldn’t (or didn’t) get to for the last 15 months; finding a new producer with whom to work (who lives a more balanced, reasonable life); setting new precedents where work hours, sleeping, eating, and exercising are concerned; and remembering to nurture my non-work interests more regularly.

Sounds like a tall order, but I’ve got a good start. I’ve been off for 2 months, now. I started doing yoga, which is hard-hard-hard... but I can feel in my bones that it will be my salvation... I’ve taken care of tons of stuff, including surgery I’ve needed, but have never been able to schedule... and found a new boss and a new show. My start date has been pushed a couple of times, but as of right now, I should be on a plane for location a week from tomorrow.

So there it is. I’m going to try to remember that some of the mundanity in my job is a mystery to the non-initiated... and I’ll try to explain more regularly just what this particular cog in the movie-making wheel actually does. Until then...

Decompression

2008-06-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a whole year since I posted any poetry or prose on
The Life Internal. Wow. Lots of revelations have come from this last job. Epiphanies, not about visual effects or the industry, but about well-being and what's Really Important.

I managed to squeeze in another Jack Grapes writing class, after wrapping my last show, and before I begin my next VFX adventure.
In the coming weeks, I'll post some of what I wrote, starting with Decompression, which you can find here.

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 58:In Which I Pay the Price of Koyaanisqatsi

2008-04-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

I tried to write a post on March 10th. This is as far as I got:

“Despite all my good intentions a month or so ago, I have been devoured by the shot-delivery monster.”

Now it is April 30th. Thank you to all who voiced concern for me (both in comments and private e-mail), regarding the accident and my subsequent silence. After six visits to the chiropractor, I was fine from the accident. Repair on the car is more than its value, so I have been hoping to sell it for parts, at least, but haven’t had the wherewithal to take care of that. [Psst! Wanna buy a ’94 Accord?]

This movie (on which I am STILL working!) has been the hardest show ever for me. In fifteen years in the industry, this has been the most grueling... both psycho-sociologically and physically. There are many reasons for it, many seeming justified and necessary... but the bottom line is, they are all excuses—and I am the only one to blame for how I lead my life.

On Sunday, I was diagnosed with Shingles. I thought it was a poisonous-spider bite, at first, because it was so painful and kept getting bigger as the week progressed. But nope. Shingles. WTF!! I panicked and did lots of research, only to find that people under 50 usually manage to reawaken the dormant chicken pox virus when they wear down their immune systems enough, due to stress. So what did I win, with 15 months of sleep-deprivation, poor nutrition, zero exercise, and high levels of toxins produced by a continuously high-stress environment? A virus run-wild in my nerve roots. Aaaah! I’m on the antiviral med and, barring no complications, will hopefully put the monster back to bed for an indefinite hibernation, sometime within the next week.

In the Hopi language, the word Koyaanisqatsi means “crazy life, life in turmoil, life out of balance, life disintegrating, a state of life that calls for another way of living.” If you looked it up in the Hopi dictionary, you’d find a picture of me.

I put that Yin-yang on my blog to remind me of that for which I need to strive. My understanding is that the yin-yang are: opposing, mutually rooted, mutually transform, and mutually wax and wane. Chinese wisdom never felt clearer.

Painful Irony

2008-02-23T22:39:00.000-08:00

Mostly, I'm okay, save for the whiplash kink my X-rays showed. My chiropractors are taking good care of me, though.

The thing of it is... I was sure I was headed for an accident, working the hours I've been working: getting 4-5 hours of sleep each night--nothing but working and sleeping. I am the undead. I drive anywhere from 45 min to 1h 45 min to work... sometimes deliriously exhausted. The ironic thing is that this accident was not my fault. I was stopped on the freeway in traffic. Stopped. This happened to my car whilst I was going 0 mph.

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 57:In Which the Building Blocks of a Movie...Turn out to be...

2008-01-23T00:11:00.000-08:00

E-mail. That's right. Bet you didn't know movies were made of e-mails. Thousands and thousands and THOUSANDS of them. Honestly, I usually top out at the end of a show around 8,000. I have nearly 3 months to go, still... and look at my running total!*

To those of you who have wondered where I am and have hoped aloud that I am not dead... thank you. I promise to resurface in April. Will try to write before then, but 85-hour weeks don't leave me much in the way of energy or creativity. More, later. Thanks for looking in on me.

* This is my work inbox for work e-mail only, nothing personal here!

Adventures in Visual Effects, No. 56:In Which a Small Portion of the Typical VFX Pipeline is Elucidated

2007-11-29T00:24:00.000-08:00

At Kate’s behest, I am posting the text of my reply to a comment on No. 55, because she says it’s informative (and I guess, interesting to a handful of folks, out there). I always forget that what we do to make movies is not completely known to those outside the production bubble. I’m beginning to write down topics that occur to me, so that perhaps there can be more posts like this (only better). So here it is: a small portion of the VFX Pipeline in a nutshell.

1. We break down a script and try to figure out what amazing things we can accomplish filming live action, on the set and in-camera. These things are handled by Special Effects (like explosions or melting clocks or oysters rigged to fly across the room into a maitre d's hand). The other things, like a giant pterodactyl landing on the roof or a person leaping across an impossibly-large elevator shaft, or adding snow, when we didn't shoot snow during production... we decide should be done with Visual Effects. This means digitally painting the effects on a computer or creating a 3D digital model and popping it into the live-action to make it look real.

2. The script breakdown represents all the visual effects we've identified, broken down into specific shots that represent what is written in the script. These shots are grouped into sequences, based on either scene, location, or type of effect (whichever makes sense for getting the shots made).

3. We bid the shots out to visual effects facilities (private companies who have infrastructure and pipeline and CG artists who will make the shots). Sometimes 15 or 20 facilities will get to bid on various sequences. What they bid on is usually based on what the VFX supervisor and VFX producer think the company's strengths are... so that has to do with previous work and overall industry consensus/what they're known for.

4. Sequences are awarded to various facilities, who are essentially vendors of the VFX dept. We are the clients. Each VFX house (aka facility, aka vendor) has counterparts to our own crew: a VFX supervisor to oversee and lead the creative and technical aspect of the shots, a VFX producer, who deals with bidding and budgets, coordinators, who keep track of everything and make sure everything gets where it needs to go and when, and artists (who come in many different flavors).

5. Vendors send us quicktimes of their shots and we review them in sessions called "dailies." (Dailies is also what the screenings are called that a director reviews at lunch or the end of the day, during film production.) During dailies, the coordinator(s) take notes on the supervisor's feedback. At first, the feedback is about blocking, then animation, then lighting, textures and "shaders" (how realistic the surface of 3D objects look).

6. The feedback is relayed to the vendors, who try it again. This goes on for many iterations... until they get it just right, and the shot is done.

7. All the while, our editors cut the work-in-progress shots into the movie, so that we can see the sequences getting closer and closer to how they should look.

8. Every week or so, we show the shots to the director and get feedback from them, to make sure everyone is on the same page.

So this is what the notes are about: feedback on dailies from the supervisor and feedback on shots in weekly director reviews, which then go back to the vendors, until they get it right and finish the shots.