O Cameron, my Cameron!

The play on Walt Whitman's phrase is in reference to, as you have no doubt already picked up, director/producer, James Cameron.
It has just been released across the news services that ol' J.C. has produced a documentary claiming to have uncovered the true burial site and remains of the other J.C.

Even though reputable scientists (and conservative theologians, naturally) are claiming that the research is flawed and inaccurate. The filmmakers maintain their assertions. I'm not going to spout my opinions on the ossuary in question. I haven't seen it close-up, so that would be silly.

However, I am immediately reminded of the 1994 book by Dr. Paul Maier, A Skeleton in God's Closet.
I got to meet Professor Maier and sit in on some of his lectures. I can tell you that not only is he an exceptionally knowledgeable man, but an incredible storyteller, too. The plot of the book centers around an American professor of antiquities on an archaeological dig outside of Jerusalem, where today's news story plays out. However, the find in the book has much better evidence. You should read it to find out what questions you should be asking about today's news story.

Yes, professor Maier's novel has become prophetic. Interestingly enough, he set the book in the late 90's/early 00's and had a new Pope named Benedict.

Eerie, huh?

Yes, you should locate this book and read it.

I bought the book on my lunch hour when it first came out, and left it in my car, knowing that I would start reading it an not get any work done that afternoon. That evening, I ate a quick dinner and proceeded to stay up until 5am to finish the book.

Last year, I talked with the publisher and tried to option the film rights. But unfortunately was beaten to the punch by another filmmaker. I hope he/she does a great job.

I still stay in touch with Dr. Maier (and thank my good friend Ken Spirduso for introducing us) It will be interesting to see what he thinks about all of this.

Your thoughts?

Firepit Friday

Last Friday night, I joined my friends at FirePit Friday as a guest on their podcast. I will be posted this coming Friday (February 23, 2007)

I was one of several guests, local authors and filmmakers and photographers. (My pal Kurt Heinecke was there,too). Log on and find out if I made a big fool of myself.

It's a roundtable discussion (or 'round the fire discussion) with Nashville area artists and what we are up to. I spoke about my work with Big Idea, and where I am in finishing up the last bits of "Time & Chance".

Tune it. It should be fun! Click here!

(In case you are unfamiliar with Podcasting, it's like a radio broadcast, except it emanates from a website. And you can start and stop it at your own convenience. You can listen on the website (www.firepitfriday.com) or you can subscribe via iTunes and even download the broadcasts to your iPod.)

Couldn't resist

How to Play Football
Uploaded by thadk

Smear

I was over at my friend Dave Nethery's blog, where he recently posted a great Pepe LePew sequence. This is one of my favorite moments in the series, incredible pantomime. Everything great animation is supposed to be, you know? Anyway, as a learning exercise, I regularly frame through animation (and live action), looking for ideas like these:

In the world of traditional animation, these are called "smears". One of the many ways traditional animators learned to mimic motion blur, and in this case, improve upon it.

(To be more precise, a true "smear" does look like a drawing stretched like a comic on Silly Putty --- you've done that, right? But I put these multiple images into the same category.)

It got me to thinking, is there anyone who is doing anything like this in CG? Would it look good? Or just freaky? Since CG is more akin to puppet animation, I kind of doubt there has been too much experimentation of this sort, especially since motion blur is so easy to render.

I bet there are plenty of Flash animators who are trying this. Anybody want to point me in the direction of some Flash that's stylized like this? The "smear" technique goes beyond squash & stretch, it's adding something beyond reality rather than imitating or caricaturing it.

Beautiful, beautiful.

My Dear Wormwood...

Many of you will recognize that famous opening line to C.S. Lewis' bestselling book, The Screwtape Letters. (Lewis remarked in the prologue of one edition that the reason it was bestselling was that it was the kind of book that gets given at graduations and confirmations, etc, but never read.)

The photos here are of sculptures I made around 1982 or '83 of Screwtape and his nephew Wormwood. (Yes, Calvin's teacher was named after this junior devil).
The reason I invoke that salutation as my title, is that I just heard last week that Walden Media (Holes, Narnia) has announced that they have struck a deal with Ralph Winter (X-Men II, Left Behind, Fantastic Four, Thr3e) to produce a film version of this book. I am excited and upset.

You see, since I was in high school, I have wanted to do a film version of the Letters. As you know, the book is just a series of letters (originally published in a monthly church newsletter), and has no discernible plot, by conventional thinking. So I had constructed a whole story around Wormwood's "patient" (his human victim, for those of you who got the book for graduation and never read it). I thought it was quite entertaining. Now it looks like I shall never know.
I originally wanted to do the film animated (this was around 1981), then when I saw Roger Rabbit, I realized this was the way to go. Naturally, as the years went by, I saw that CG would be a much more viable medium for these characters.

If any of you knows Mr. Winter, or anybody at Walden, have them call me.
P.S. My version of Screwtape was definitely inspired by the illustrations of the cartoonist, Papas (who illustrated an edition in 1979).

Wallace, Gromit & Jeffrey

Well, if you keep posted on happenings within the ever changing world of animation, you have no doubt run across the news that Aardman and Dreamworks have divorced. Sad news indeed. I think it was one of those marriages that left the honeymoon blinders on waaaayyyy too long. It seemed like such a perfect match that neither side could imagine the partner being anything less than perfect.

(Click here for the full story in Variety).

The suave, worldly groom thought, "This beautiful dame is gonna make me rich! I just gotta teach her a thing or two about Showbiz!" And the bubbly young bride believed, "What a lucky girl am I! This one, above all suitors, will indeed show me to the world! They will love me for the charming sweetness I am inside." At least they tried hard to make it work.

And as our nations are "a people separated by a common language", as G.B. Shaw noted, I don't believe either party fully understood the aspirations of the other. From what I saw from my stadium seat in my local multiplex, Dreamworks took everything about Aardman storytelling, every facet and nuance that made it appealing, indeed the very things that attracted Jeffrey's eye in the first place, and put them in a box labeled "keepsakes and memories - Do Not Open".

From the very onset of "Chicken Run", we could see that Yanks were in the garden. Oh, Aardman seemed to be in control of their destiny, but the story formula was clearly apparent. The metaphor of the American Rooster coming in to show the British hen party how things should be run was not lost on me. (Unintentional as it was.) But in the end of that story, maybe Mr. K should have taken notes that the American was all flash and dance with no real substance and had a thing or two to learn from his tweed knitting hostesses. A lesson to be learned for sure.

I am glad, however, that they did open that keepsake box for "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit". Pure Aardman!

Granted, as much as I adore the offerings of Aardman, I don't see that they are traditional blockbuster material. They are good, solid box office performers (or would be if left alone), but not what an American studio with mega millions at stake would bet their summer bankroll on.
No, they married Tracy Ullman thinking they could turn her into the Spice Girls.

I have no doubt that Aardman will find a suitable benefactor. Wallace and Grommit might seem orphans for now, but wait. This breach will be will like shackles shaken loose. They will be free to travel their own road now.