Friday, March 31, 2006

"MOMENTS" Rough Line Test Sc. 14

Here the girl picks up her "pull string box with doll" and takes to the busy street as she tries to cross it to get to the Grapes on the other side!

This is rough first line test. I also have a slightly updated version with more layers, which i will post soon!

(If u see just a white square then please click hereto open video.)

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Tarzan On Broadway Preview


Tom Schumacher ,Head of DIsney Theatrical and former head of Disney Feature Animation introduces and talks about Tarzan The Broadway Musical at the Ricahard Rogers Theatre.

Sorry about my shaky camera, but its a real challenge when u trying to be inconspicuous AND trying to capture everything AND are over excited!:-)

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Just Saw TARZAN On Broadway Preview On Opening Weekend!

WOW! Yes...i was in NYC this weekend and on a mission.And i wont get into how i managed it but yes, i saw TARZAN on Boradway on the opening weekend!

Tarzan just started previewing and the final production does not open till May 10 2006.
This was the first time i saw a Work-In-Progress of a broadway musical. Seen so much of dirty laundry for films and animation, but theatre? This was my first such expereince and it wasn't any less fascinating.
I wont go into reviewing the show, cause what i saw was work in progress..and i am sure many,MANY changes are yet to come cuase they r surely NEEDED if Tarzan needs to be as jaw dropping as Beauty And The Beast or The Lion King were when they opened on Broadway.
But it was an unforgetable experience to see a show being tweaked and worked out with the producers and directors sitting 4 seats away from you (Thomas Schumacher & PHIL COLLINS among many!)

BTW...Phil Collins has written 10 new songs for this Stage version in addition to the original songs that were there in the 1999 Film version.

New Songs Include:
"Who Better Than Me?"
"No Other Way"
"Sure As Sun Turns To Moon"
"Jungle Funk" etc etc

Check back later in the day for an XCLUSIVE surprise! ;-)

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Congratulations To The Crew Of "In The Air" Music Video


http://www.animationxpress.com/anex/y2k6/headlines/anex623.htm

Yesterday we won the Best Music Video Award at the FICCI BAF Awards 2006 In Mumbai,INDIA.
So congrats to Simi and everyone else who worked on the video! It was loads of fun working with all of ya!
:-)

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

"MOMENTS" Original Score-Recording Session

This was the first time i was in a recording studio EVER. It was an unforgetable expereince seeing all these fellow artists and musicians getting all excited and giving their best for MY little short film.
It was the first time i felt it was not JUST mine...
Here we see the Flutist IMPROVISING to the footage from the film wher the old man's floating in a state of bliss,as he lets the rain(not seen in the video) wash over his face and he learns once again to embrace life.

Monday, March 20, 2006

In Theatres (Review)-V For Vendetta

I must admit, when I first saw the trailer for this movie it looked awfully unappealing and ridiculous with a guy with a strange "Joker-esque"mask and a bad wig in a trailer for movie which seems quite "Serious" and not some slasher comedy!

Ofcourse,it did not help that I was totally ignorant of the fact that this is based on a graphic novel and was totally unawares of the world, the character and the themes it dealt with.

I guess never judge a book by its cover. I was pleasantly surprised...It was quite a cool film. With its many political ideas which I have thought about myself on many occasions. Yes there was a lot of talking, but I did not mind it cause I think they had strong cast which delivered their lines with just the right energy and force.

And I got used to the strange grin on the mask after the first 10 mins...The action was cool...And NOT totally pointless for a change. Though the ideas were too many & not indepth, I did not mind it. Cause I thought I could see where the filmmakers were coming from and generally where they were trying to take this film. I saw shades of phantom of The Opera, Beauty & the Beast, Shyamalan's The Village in it and more...And I don't mean that in a bad way.

There are a handful of cheesy moments(like everyone taking off their masks in unison to see the fireworks as the 1812 overture reaches its crescendo)and plot loop holes...But not overwhelming enough for me to not recommend this movie.

It tries to be a fun "super hero movie", with something to say...Rather something RELEVANT to say and does a not-so-bad job of it.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

"MOMENTS" VERY Rough Composite of Sc09




This is an extremely rough composite with a thumbanil for a background and only HALF the characters in, just to see the timing and to figure out the camera move and stuff.
In this scene the girl walks across the busy pavement with her "Pull along doll-in-box" thingie and comes to the edge of the pavement to cross the busy street.

(If U see just a white square up there,please click here to open video.)

Thursday, March 16, 2006

In Theatres (Review)-Hills Have Eyes

Squish!Chomp-Chomp!Spluuuurt!AAArrgghhh!Rrrrrrripppp!
Grrrrrrrrrrooowwwll!Sllluuurrrrppp!Gulp!Heeeelp!Noooooo!!
(Note:Most sounds are used in conjuntion
with human flesh/blood)

Well all these and MORE of the similarly wonderful aural & visual splendours await u where The Hills Have Eyes!!
Enough Said!

Thumbnail Concept For A Project I Did

Monday, March 13, 2006

Pics From Niagra

Hey... it was beautiful warm day yesterday...after ages! like 18 in the positive! So ,randomly...we just decided to head off to Niagra...it was beuatiful, and misty etc etc..here are a few pics i took that i liked!


Saturday, March 11, 2006

"Left Out"- Rough Interstitial Story Reel (10sec)

This is the rough story reel for my 10 sec Interstitial project with the Matroshka Dolls.
Its called "Left Out".



On to the actual Production now...

Interstitial Project-"Matroshka Dolls" (10 seconds)

For my first major assignment this semester...ihave to conceive,develop and animate a 10 sec Interstitial saying "Be Right Back" or something to that effect...
And i have to include a Toy as the main star of it...and i have to model ,shade,texture,rig, animate it with enviorments and all that.
And yes..it could tell a story...if one could manage that in 10 seconds!

So...i have picked a set of "Matroshka"dolls, which my cousin very briliantly brought to my notice! (Thnx Annie)
Have just finished coming up with a short silly story/premise and finished a rough story reel for it (will post it later on in the day) and have to NOW start working on Setting up the characters in Maya....JOY!

Wish i could just jump to the Animation part directly!!:-(

Thursday, March 09, 2006

On DVD-"Elizabethtown"

Somehow up until i picked up this DVD to rent, I did not know it was a Cameron Crowe film...had passed it off as an Orlnado Bloom romantic chick flik or something(not that anything wrong with that, no offense meant to anyone:-)).

But i was pleasantly surprised...though the performances are not great or anything, and the storytelling does meander a LOT and is a bit too slow at times...but it had some REAL nice moments and he manages to capture some very nice intimate human characteristics through some well written lines and hints of good performances, specially by Susan Sarandon (yes, she is in it too!).
And though a bit dark..i genuinely found myself laughin out loud at certain points...which is VERY rare for me!

Kristen Dunst's character, though very sweet, seems a bit exaggerated...but it works, surprisingly!
The film does a great job of capturing the randomness of life and death and teh way people deal with both.
I find that quite interesting...worth a watch!

Monday, March 06, 2006

It Seems I Can Now Say "I Have Met/Conversed With An Oscar Winning Filmmaker"!:-)

Congratulations to Mr.John Canemaker for winning for Best Animated Short today!
And i guess i did not do TOO bad with my prediction score....18/24 and that is INCLUDING being spot on with Best Picture AND Best Director!!! Coooooooooooool:-)

Saturday, March 04, 2006

OSCAR Time!! My Predictions :-)

78th Academy Awards
My Predictions In All 24 Categories
I am still debating as i begin to type this, wether i should put my money on things I REALLY liked or just get on the Brokeback Bandwagon and just say what most other Oscar pundits are saying...i dunno...i will decide as and when i get to the categories as i type them!
Best Animated Feature : Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride (NOT W&G for God's sake!):-)
Best Animated Short : The Moon And The Sun (John Canemaker)
Best Picture : Crash :-)
Best Director : Ang Lee(Brokeback Mountain) (I am tempted to put down Crash here too, but its ok, i am willing to compramise here)
Best Actor : Philip Seymour Hoffman(Capote)
Best Actress : Felicity Huffman (Transamerica):-)
Best Supporting Actor : George Clooney (Syriana)
Best Supporting Actress : Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener)
Best Original Screenplay : Paul Haggis (Crash)
Best Adapted Screenplay : Larry McMurtry, Diana Ossana (Brokeback Mountain)
Best Original Score : John Williams (Memoirs Of A Geisha)
Best Original Song :Travellin Thru(Transamerica)
Best Art Direction :Memoirs of a Geisha
Best Costume Design : Memoirs of a Geisha
Best Cinematography : Brokeback Mountain
Best Editing : Crash
Best Make-Up :The Chronicles of Narnia: TLTW&TW
Best Sound Mixing : King Kong
Best Sound Editing : King Kong
Best Visual Effects : King Kong
Best Foreign Lang Film : Tsotsi
Best Docu. Feature : March of the Penguins
Best Docu. Short : God Sleeps In Rwanda
Best Live Action Short : Six Shooter
So...what do YOU think???

Friday, March 03, 2006

NotJust WORDS...

"...Heaven holds a sense of wonder
and I wanted to believe
that I'd get caught up
when the rage in me subsides"

A PIG!! Drawing from the Winter Fair

This paper was black...it showed up as this weird pink after scanning!! Anywho...i did this and some other animal drawings with pastels...just was trying to learn to handle them!

NotJust Something Fishy...

2003
2004
Talk about Originality!?

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

NotJust NEWS: Too Dark For Animation, But OK For The Stage!?

For Disney Creative Entertainment, Menken is creating a stage musical of "The Snow Queen," set to debut at Tokyo DisneySea with Amon Miyamoto directing and John Weidman as the bookwriter and Glen Slater the lyricist. He also is writing music for a Sinbad attraction in Japan for Walt Disney Imagineering.
More on that other realted good news.Click
here

Wonder how the Brizzi Bros. feel about this?!

Adventures in Maya...My First CG Animation!!

God!! Who said computer animation is easy...or easier???
Its driivng me nuts...i admit that i love traditional animation more than i could even begin to care fo CG...but inspite of that , i do respect it as another tool to tell a story and hence i am getting acquainted with it.
Its so different form traditional animation in terms of the interface and how u approach things.
Atleast thats what i find right now in the initial stages.
I think am BEGINING to get a hang of animating in Maya...and those beuatiful web of colours called the "Graph Editor"...but Modelling, Texturing and all that technical stuff..just seems too alien to me right now...well,time will tell.

For now...i am trying to be brave by putting up my first piece of CG animation...ROBOT JUMP!