thevictor2225

gradumacated

Hello.. here is a much needed ramble.

I've been quite busy lately... but since i'm currently rendering a furry dog for my demoreel, which takes 5 minutes per frame to render, and i have 220 frames.. . i guess i have time to do an update.  

So this is my final year at the allegedly renown Academy of Art University, and my anticipated completion time is on December 2011. The rest of my classes are mostly liberal arts (urban sociology, Art History of the 15th Century, History of Visual Effects), but i am taking a Lighting Production course in which we simulate a studio environment by working on a graduate's animation short film. Oh man... that class keeps me busy, but i'm producing some great work and getting constant feedback for my lighting and rendering reel. I've also been made a technical lead, so i'm expected to solve technical issues, as well as do a bit of facilitating. I've put my effects reel on hold for now, since it is a lot easier breaking in the industry as a lighting and rendering TD than an effects TD. However, switching focuses did end up backfiring since Dreamworks Animation recently contacted me requesting an effects reel for there fx internship, only for me to tell them i switched focuses-_-; I love both focuses, but lighting and rendering is just more feasible for now... Plus, the effects program at AAU has crumbled to oblivion since just about all the good professors left or are going to leave...

I also started a new FXPHD term...
~On-Set Lighting
~Editing
~Physics
~FumeFX

I focused a bit more on Motion Picture Television this time around, since I'm trying to shoot a short film sometime in the future. I'm also brushing up on my Physics and diving into a legitimate FumeFX class.

I raved so much about my Canon 550D in the last post, that only recently did i finally start producing legitimate photos with it. Admittedly, switching from Nikon to Canon did take a bit of getting use to, but i can now say that i'm fully integrated... haha. Magic Lantern's Firmware Update made the 550D a beast! and with my recent purchase of a 1.8 50mm prime lens, macro tubes, and a fisheye extender... i'm shooting more than ever.

Not sure how to end this post... but i'm getting close to a transitional point in my life... let us hope the next post i post will involve some sort of employment.

So i'm sick right now, so i guess i actually have time to do a journal entry.

I talked about SIGGRAPH extensively in my last entry. I can tell you that i actually got accepted as a team leader student volunteer, and it was the time of my life . I met so many awesome people, and i couldn't help but feel elitist. I cant wait until next siggraph, in where it will be held in Vancouver! I also got accepted to SiggraphAsia that will be held in Seoul, South Korea, but i had to decline due to the fact that it is during my finals period at school. I even got housing for SigAsia, but i just can not afford the plane ticket, on top of skipping finals week . I also volunteered at the Nvidia's GPU Conference doing filming for FXPHD. I basically lugged around a Canon 5D and shot interviews and sessions. Listening to these Computer Science oriented sessions makes me want to finish my CS degree...

For once, i actually got a 8,000 dollar grant for this school year. Money i don't have to pay back during tough times is awesome. And for internships, i got rejected to every single one -_-; Though, i don't blame them as even i don't consider my work up to par yet. HOWEVER, i should of at least got an interview for the production internships, because i have a lot of volunteer experience and i'm technical AND artistic. I think i just dont know enough important people in the industry yet . I will keep applying though, until i get in.

So i enrolled in FXPHD Online Classes over the summer because i cant afford AAU in the summer. I took
~Production Rendering Techniques with Mental Ray
~Mathematics for Visual Effects and Design  
~Real Flow 5 Project Workshop.
~Introduction to Renderman  (Renderman Shader Language and Architecture)

The good thing about online classes, is that they are incredibly lax. I was able to work while taking these classes. However, i only finished the Mental Ray class and the Renderman class so far. I'll finish the others when i have time.

So my classes at AAU are
~Renderman for Production (node based workflow using SLIM)
~Visual Effects 3: Node Based Compositing using Nuke
~Houdini 1
~Advanced Texture and Lighting using Maya and Modo

Needless to say, this has got to be one of the most demanding semesters ever, with so much sleepless nights. However, this will be the last of my major related courses, as next semester will consist of mostly liberal arts (which i will take online).
I'm learning a lot about rendering and compositing this semester, i wish i learned this sooner.

I also finally bought a new dslr camera! Goodbye D40, hello Canon 550D! This is a HUGE upgrade, and it is about time. I can finally shoot amazing video, so i can practice my cinematography and film making, as well as shoot my demoreel with my own clean plates! I got an amazing deal for it... 867dollars bought brand new from amazon, which included the 18-55mm lens IS, 55-250mm lens IS, and the 75-300mm lens! I'm selling the 75-300mm lens for a prime lens though. I finally have a telephoto lens!
Thank you Nikon D40 for the good times the past year, but i am on to bigger and better things.  

I expect big things this coming year. MY academic journey is nearing an end, but my professional journey will soon start.

Even though i'm on winter break, I still have so much to do! I recently finished my volunteer applications for Game Developers Conference and SIGGRAPH. Attempting to masterfully write 2000 words spread out in eight prompts over the course of three days wrecks havoc on the mind... but I'm rather good at inflating my ambitions and accomplishments. I got rejected from GDC last year, but since I applied much earlier and i had so much more experience now, I'm fairly certain that I will get selected. As for SIGGRAPH, I applied to become a Student Volunteer Team Leader this time around, meaning if i get selected i will be one of the ones that would select impending volunteers, then "lead" them during the conference... haha. It is unfortunate that SIGGRAPH is in LA this year, i want an excuse to travel outside California. However, SIGGRAPHasia will be in Seoul, Korea in December this year! Too bad applications don't open until March...    

So next on my list of things to do is to fill out my financial aid and finish my projects for my demoreel and website. I'm extremely skeptical on applying for the internship at Lucasfilm and Pixar. My body of work isn't nearly as good as good as I want it to be, but it doesn't hurt to try...   

Here are my classes for the next semester.


Advanced Scripting >>Python Programming. A nice change after writing so much scripts & expressions
Particles 2        >>After working with dumb particles, I'll finally get to work with "smart" fluids
Visual Effects 2   >>Compositing in AfterEffects. I should of took this class last year... haha.
Figure Modeling    >>A fine art class where i sculpt nudes... I have to take this course to graduate.

hmm.. i want to take a cloth simulation class next semester as well, but the workload would be too much i think.

Yes... i do realize my last bajillion submissions have been photographs. I've really fallen for that medium... haha. I'll try to draw something in the future when i have time.

wannabeTD.blogspot.com/


The domain name is “wannabe TD,” and it’s devoted to my computer graphic and art endeavors. For the tech unsavvy, TD stands for Technical Director. Here is the wiki definition:

“Typically, a TD is a mix of an artist and a programmer, responsible for the more technical aspects of film production, such as programming shaders, developing character rigs and animation setups, performing complex simulation tasks and setting up the pipeline how the data is passed from one stage in the film production to the next. In contrast to a programmer, a TD would normally not work on large programming projects but rather make heavy use of scripting languages such as Python, MEL, or MAXScript or shell scripting. Another responsibility of a TD is to look after any technical problems the regular artists encounter and to develop custom tools to improve the artists’ workflow.”

This blog was started two weeks ago, and i managed to cram in my last two years worth of underclassmen work. I hope to see a decent progression in my work by the time i graduate. I will be attempting to post EVERYTHING, whether it is good or bad. I hope by keeping this blog, it will help me keep my mind in track, and ultimately produce better content.

Do what you love, and you never work a day in your life.