Futur(ama)e

As you can see I have broken from my usual numbering system for my blog posts.

I grew quite attached to the system, but some posts just call for an actual title as a opposed to a serial number. Fear not! The system will remain for the most part, but I shall break from it from time to time.

I am currently employed to do some freelance illustration work (which I should really be doing instead of blogging) on a very exciting project which I'm psyched to be involved with. At the current stage that is all I cant tell you guys about that particular undertaking, sorry!

Still stuck at Liz's parents place, going to be for a while yet - have to house sit for a few months while they're on holidays. I'd kill to get out of here, insanity has well set in and I am well on my way to blown lunacy. I never intended on being here longer than March and yet here I am heading into July and not looking at getting out of here till October. I just can't put up with much more of this I'm afraid. There's an assumption that we don't know how to do ANYTHING which is killing me. I'm sorry, but after living on my own for 4 years to back to living under someone is just like walking through a sheet of glass and then rolling around in the shards just to make sure I'm bleeding enough.

Anyhoo.. Enough on that.

I'm very jealous of all of you who are in Melbourne and am regretting coming to Sydney instead of Melbourne (not for the first time). The Tim Burton Exhibition at ACMI opened yesterday and I would have loved to have been there to meet Mr Burton and get his signature. I have a NEED to get one of the limited copies of 'The Art of Tim Burton' but I don't like my chances of any being left by the time that I'll likely make it down to Melbourne (the long weekend in October). I may have to request one of my Melbourne-based buddies to grab me a copy. That could work.
nb. Part way through writing this I was talking to Pam (she's in Melb) and she's going to pick me up a copy! Woo!


A few other things on my mind are what is going to be taking place in the next few years. By October 2011 I will have completed a short film and concurrently my Master of Arts Practice, something that is very exciting and feels very far away. I have been a bit slack in the past month and a bit on updating my Masters blog and I really need to get onto that before my supervisors get onto me about it. Sp far the project is proceeding reasonably on time, a few hold ups with ordering a book in have cost me some time (the book took 6 and a half weeks to arrive). If you're interested in seeing what is happening with that be sure to check out the afore mentioned blog, which will be receiving steady updates again throughout this week.


So that's happening and there is still this uncertainty in regards to full-time work, or at least regular weekly work that would allow me to live comfortably without fear of being income-less one week and thus unable to pay rent etc. I have landed a well-paying freelance gig which I mentioned in a previous entry which is going well, have been working on it for nearly a week now. It is unsure how long the work will go for and IF the project takes off there will be constant work for a reasonable time period. But I am obviously not betting on that as my only source of income, that would be foolish. I remain on the job hunt; if I could attain a regular flow of freelance work I would be quite pleased, it's obviously not ideal but it's more than I've got going at the moment.




Lastly, I checked out the new season of Futurama the other night and I did not come away disappointed. I was concerned for the new season (Season 5, not 6!) after the failure that was the 4 Futurama movies. That may be an unfair statement, I did enjoy Bender's Big Score - but it lacked the punchy pacing that makes Futurama flow. By the time the last film came out it was terrible and I was sad that the series would end on such an awful note which did not reflect it's successes for 4 years prior. 'The Devil's Hands are My Playthings' was one of the greatest Futurama episodes and the perfect unintended ending to the series back in 2003. However, after watching 'Rebirth' and 'In A Gada Da Leela' I am more than pleased to see Futurama back were it belongs; syndicated television. Doubly pleased that they followed up on Fry and Leela's relationship - which was something that after the end of Season 4 they ignored completely until throwing it into the end of the final film. That was poorly handled I must say.


Highlights of the 2 episodes would definitely be Zapp's Victory Yodel, Professor Farnsworth, Stem Cells, Robot Leela, hack on CSI Miami, V-Giny, Shrapnel-vision and most especially 'The Man With No Name' - Zapp Brannigan. Oh and also Bender taking a bit of a back seat unlike his overbearing presence in the films.


So that's about it.


PEACE!

Twelve*4

g. from J. Xavier Velasco on Vimeo.

I have recently decided upon the objective of my Master's Project - to achieve a unique visual style through developing a unique visual style and using the visual effects to introduce elements of the way that I perceive the world into live action footage. Everything will reflect my personality  and perception of the world - the way that thing's and people appear, the way that that thing's move and interact with each other.

I know it probably sounds a little complicated but in my mind I have a very clear image of how this will work. Imagine walking past someone in the street - you see them but you don't really SEE them. All you see is what they project to the outside world - where you might see a huge bearded mean-looking fellow riding a motorbike, those that know him might see something different all together - like a cute little creature with endless compassion. That's what I mean - just by looking at someone and inevitably judging them from their appearances, it doesn't mean that you know them or see them at all.

Some main inspiration points that I am drawing on for this project are the works of Tim Burton, Chris Landreth and the film Tron.

The short film 'g.' provided me with some more inspiration today. The look and feel of the film is awesome, but the way that the story is what really inspires me.

Nine*6

I have been trying to type this entry for two days now, and I am at the point that I want to do a few other posts so I really have to get on with this.

I came across an article on Phillip Bloom on Monday night. It was on his recent visit to Skywalker Ranch to demo some camera's to the Lucasfilm crew out there, namely George Lucas, Rick McCallum and Mike Blanchard. The camera's that he was giving the run down on were the Canon 5DmkII and the Canon 7D - but focusing on their potential for use in film as opposed to still photography. As someone who is looking to make a short film over the next 2 years (Master of Arts Practice project) I was very quickly very interested in this article and followed it to Bloom's personal blog which went more in depth into what he did whilst out at the Ranch for 5 days.

Skywalker Ranch from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

It's amazing what can be done with a digital slr, I must say that i was unprepared for the superb quality of the video. No wonder ILM/Lucasfilm are looking into the cameras, moreso Lucasfilm than ILM. Lucasfilm just finished up principle photography on Red Tails and are looking into the cameras for use in shooting some cockpit scenes (WWII Fighters) which sounds as though they are once again moving ahead of the times. The maneuverability within a cockpit with a slr opposed to a full size film camera is of a definite advantage to the film maker - obviously allowing them the freedom for new angles, perspectives and techniques that the physical size of film cameras immediately dismiss. As Bloom mentions in his blog, they are also considering the cameras for some work on the upcoming live-action TV Series; which I am very curious to hear/see more about but that will not be appearing on our radar for a while longer. Obviously the range of the applications for these camera's is of obvious interest to those in the film industry looking to further the techniques of filming, or at least alternative methods.

Following this train of research has given me something to think about in regards to my Master's Short Film. There is an accompanying seminar that is to be written and given in the latter part of the course's duration which focuses on your project and area of focus. I think I will look into new and alternative methods of filming and incorporating visual effects. The specialisation of My Master of Art Practice is Visual Effects, which will focus on digital sets, set extensions and the like.