YouTube Clip from the movie

Glen Hansard - Lies Lyrics

I think it’s time, we give it up
And figure out what’s stopping us
From breathing easy, and talking straight
The way is clear if you’re ready now
The volunteer is slowing down
And taking time to save himself

The little cracks they escalated
And before we knew it was too late
For making circles and telling lies

You’re moving too fast for me
And I can’t keep up with you
Maybe if you slowed down for me I
could see you’re only telling
Lies, lies, lies
Breaking us down with your
Lies, lies, lies
When will you learn

The little cracks they escalated
And before you know it is too late
For making circles and telling lies

You’re moving too fast for me
And I can’t keep up with you
Maybe if you’d slowed down for me
I could see you’re only telling
Lies, lies, lies
Breaking us down with your
Lies, lies, lies
When will you learn

So plant the thought and watch it grow
Wind it up and let it go

The main character is played by talented musian Glen Hansard and I love his music, particularly two which really struck a chord - Falling Slowly (lyrics) and All the Way Down (lyrics). Wow.

As a note Falling Slowly won best original song at the oscars and you can see the two musicians and actors receiving their award here - two very humble cool people. And great accents.

Some fight you gave,
when I pushed you away
from me.

And in the morning when you turn in
I’ll be far to sea.

And you have broken me all the way down.
You’ll be the last, you’ll see.

And what chance have we got
when you’ve missed every shot
for me?

And in the morning when you turn in
I’ll be out of reach.
And in the darkness when you find this
I’ll be far to sea.

And you have broken me all the way down.
You’ll be the last, you’ll see.

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We’ve still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You’ve made it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can’t go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I’m painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It’s time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We’ve still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You’ve made it now

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We’ve still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You’ve made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I’ll sing along

With ‘Ratatouille’ however, Pixar has taken animation to a level that is beautiful, emotive and stunning. Animation is the tool, not the show. Yes the opening sequence I was wondering what renderer they used and how they got the rich colours and soft beautiful depth to the scenes. I wondered at the amazing rigs they must have created to animate the fluid fast paced rats, the water, the light. I smiled right through the movie at the incredible level of creativity and imagination.

But there is more to Ratatouille than the visual excellence and execution. There is a multi-dimensional story handled with finesse. The facial - dare I say - ‘animation’ is rich and detailed. The caricatures are great and that has been the strength of animation. But Ratatouille almost made me wish there was less exageration, that it was almost a distraction from the excellent acting. On a simple level, Ratatouille is an uplifting feel good movie that leaves you smiling and nostalgic. I laughed. I never laugh.

On a technical and creative level, Ratatouille is a landmark piece that breaks out of the ‘animated movie’ tag and uses the medium to tell a great story. It’s the first time I would consider the story has transcended the medium. Brilliant, well done Pixar.

Here’s a compilation of a little of the material I built up in the making of…

I knew when I took this thing on that a) it was going to devour a lot of time and b) I would never get the result I wanted. Boy did I underestimate. On the positive side, in the last couple of months I’ve doubled my knowledge of Maya - heck I think I’d almost say I know what I’m doing now. Did it devour a lot of time? SO much more time than it should have. Rendering a test image in the middle of the night on a painfully slow computer is enough to have you rocking back and forth chanting ‘come on.. come on’… And yes I did.

I’m glad I did it (now) but if I’d known the trials… The problem with learning is you do something - and it’s wrong. So you have to do it again. Or you persevere all night and achieve nothing. And the problem with 3D is that it is an intricate and painstakingly slow process. Anyone who has painted skin weights will know what I mean. To wait for a 10 minute test render when you want to sleep, only to see an error that needs fixing. Arrgh.

With a week to go to deadline I had chucked it in. I had worked every spare hour for weeks on end, built and rebuilt models, rendered and re-rendered scenes. And I realised when it came to the final renders that I had major problems with both of the central pieces - the main characters rig SUCKED. And for some reason the dynamics on the ship absolutely REFUSED to calculate in the final render. I built. And rebuilt. And rendered. And nothing. I reached a point one night where I felt I had to rebuild and re-animate the character, and then, somehow, forget the hard work I’d put into the ship dynamics and rebuild it ’static’. I didn’t think I could cope with going back after all that work and redoing it. I had been at it for so long and I was totally shattered. So I swore, quit, and went to bed. And lay there.

Now this wasn’t about finishing an animation. It was about sticking something out, it was a mental battle. I knew the result wasn’t going to be the masterpiece I wanted. But could I quit after so much thought, research and work. Leave something ‘almost finished’. Unfortunately.. no. So against my better judgment, when I craved just lying in front of the TV, I carried on.

The last week before deadline was hell, a voice nagging while I worked ‘you’re not going to make it, give up’. Now you may laugh! I do now. And then the last night, trying to pull it all together - yes I might actually do it. It won’t be anything to be proud of, but it will be finished. Then closer to the deadline and realising there was a good chance I wasn’t going to make it and three months of day in, day out hard work could be wasted. The website countdown ticked - 5 hours to go, 4.. 3…2… and then suddenly, click - 17 days to go. An extension?? Are you joking? Was I happy? Hell no. Strangely I felt bad for those who HAD finished (not many) and I couldn’t cope with another 17 days. I was gone. I could finish up and send in what I had - or I could make the most of the extra time and re-do a few things. I couldn’t bare the thought, I just wanted it done. But again, sending in what I had seemed a cop out. SO after a few days holiday I went back and re-worked things. Again.

Am I proud of the final result? The concept, a little. The actual animation, not really. I haven’t delivered the world and tale in my mind. But the base is there for something better, and with more work (what am I saying??) I could tell the story I wanted to tell. I have pushed myself hard and have learnt so much. I’m proud of that. What I loved about this competition was that there were so many other artists facing the same battles. That was great to be a part of and so great to see people come up with some amazing stuff.

Things I learnt, technical and otherwise.

1) I need to learn how to build a rig I can animate. Like battling a broken umbrella I tell you.
2) Mental Ray hates Maya dynamics - I simply had to turn off some custom MR setting and hello, the dynamics worked. Are you joking??
3) Doing 3D has got to be akin to waterboarding, or some other form of torture. I don’t think I’ve done one project that hasn’t pushed my stress levels through the roof.
4) It’s not the result that matters, it’s how you got there. And the harder it is, the more rewarding, and the better a person you are for it.
5) A simple comment from a peer like ‘looks good’ is enough.. pressure.. haha to keep you going for another week.

It’s a weird thing to basically write a personal diary entry online. Forgive my rant.

Well strangely, I was burning the midnight oil two weeks ago, struggling to quickly hash out the final scene when suddenly up popped an extension of two weeks for the competition. Initially I was stunned and actually felt bad for the few who had finished on time. But then I realised that most people were struggling. Even now I can’t believe how many people, especially in the Teams event didn’t finish given the extra lifeline. Crazy.

So after what seems like forever (only 2 months?) it’s over and I’m ‘reasonably’ happy with the result. There are so many things I’d like to fix. The animation lacks any sort of finesse, basically it’s crap, there is poor flow from shot to shot, the lighting sucks.. etc! But hopefully I’ve portrayed the feel I was aiming for. Anyway, it’s done. Unfortunately, a re-do to the standards I was aiming for is beckoning already sigh. Click the picture to link to the movie.

The weirdest thing ever, epecially watching it when you’re tired.

Go the Super Rabbit!

The background sound really makes this one

Canadian soldiers ambushed in Afghanistan. Raw footage.

The sun drew down again on the cold day
the waves followed one another
endlessly to the empty shore
and nothing broke the line of the earth
but the crest of idle waves

And then, even as I felt to surrender
and lie with the darkness again
she came
a light, flickering so wondrous, so unexpected
on the edge of the stark sky

My heart lifted
As the flicker became a fire
And the burning light drew closer still
Undeniable, unquenchable
Strong against the black sheet of night

And as she drew nearer
I could not help but drift toward
until I stood to my waist in the broiling sea
Yearning, away from this place
Pulled to her beauty and grace

Yet even as I stumble
deeper, and deeper still
Until to my chest the cold waves break
The light hesitates, wavers, dims
and drifts
away
from me

I am not her destination
She steers a new path
and in that raw moment
in that hope of her
so much of me breaks away
and goes with her

And I stagger
battered by the sea, and the dark
unable to make for the shore
and I watch
as her beautiful burning light
closes with the horizon
flickers once
twice

and is gone..