Journal

Ninja Sequence Workflow

Reference

Perhaps the most difficult part of this sequence was gathering and creating reference. I filmed as much as I could to get a starting point, but some of my action choices were pushed beyond human capabilities. for the last shot, I made a hand drawn animatic which gave me a rough idea and expedited the blocking process.

Using Curves as Guides

I used EP curves to establish the profile of each jump and then as a visual guide when animating. For the running shot, I built a rig that attaches the Ninja's COG to a motion path. Click here to watch a demonstration of how I animated the Ninja running along a curved path.

Heist Plan Reference & Blocking

For my full body acting shot I decided to record my own dialogue and act simultaneously. This is a similar workflow to Fantastic Mr. Fox and the mad tea party sequence from Disney's Alice in Wonderland.

Glenngarry Shot Reference & Blocking

Approaching the Unknown

Model Maker

On Approaching the Unknown (feature film), miniatures were used for exterior shots of the spacecraft. As a model maker, I helped the art department build the truss supporting the living capsule. I designed and milled a jig that provided precise alignment for each beam. Once the truss was welded together, the jig could collapse within for removal.

I designed and milled the heat shield for the lander, seen below. The part was modeled in maya and used as a positive mold for the final piece.

Programming and wiring

In the Interior of the spaceship there are multiple "mission clocks" That display accurate time according to the scene in the script. I programmed and wired 4 arduino devices that maintained sync throughout all of the interiors so that continuity could easily be maintained.

PreVis and Motion Control

I also worked as a previs artist and motion control operator. Below is an example of a digital version of our set. I was responsible for creating a 3D layout for all the shots that helped us maximize the space and do tricks like animating the light relative to the model to mimic sunlight. I also animated the shot below, seen in the final film, and below that is raw footage before compositing.

Andy Emulator

Rigging

I rigged the dragon used in this spot for Andy Android Emulator. I wanted animators to have intuitive control over the wings so I created controls to automatically unfold the wings, flap them with variable amplitude, and modulate the slack in the skin. Click here to watch the full spot.

Trey Anastasio - Lever Boy Music Video

Animator

I served as lead animator for Trey Anastasio's Lever Boy music video. The visuals were based on patterns by Varnish Studio Inc. I created all of the animation in after effects with expressions and custom javascript for the concentric growing effect. Click here to watch the full music video.

More rigging examples

A little mechanical rigging.

A biped rig with nCloth and nHair simulations.

3D Modeling

Some vehicles and tools that I modeled. 

An early Concept I modeled for the "Mother" creature seen in Wendy (feature film).

I modeled this mascot for the musician BAIR.

Previsualization

Previsualization can be a really helpful tool when you need to coordinate camera moves, plan the layout of sets, or plan the construction of set elements. In the first example above, I made some digital camera moves and planned out the scene in 3D so that multiple identical camera moves could be executed on set and then the footage from different locations could be stitched together. The second example is from a recent AutoZone ad seen here. We digitally modeled everything out and planned the choreography of the camera and set pieces. Once everything worked in 3D, the set and rails for moving objects could be built to these specifications.

Coding / Scripting

A couple examples from my film Line on X. This effect was achieved using a high speed camera on a train. I wrote a JavaScript expression that allowed me to manipulate every vertical line of pixels as an image array. I then created several functions for various effects. Seen here, the first simulates a vertigo effect and the second sweeps through the array from left to right. Click Here to watch the full film.

A couple examples from my Phish promotional project. I went through over 18 Hours of concert footage to stitch together a 360 view of every band-members head. I then used this image matrix as the base element of a larger organism. In the last example you can see I spent a lot of time programming organic growth. Here, the entire string wobbles, but as each cell duplicates, they need to change places along the path of the wave, this was tricky to program but created an interesting behavior. Click Here to watch the full film.

Filmmaker

A 3D film I made at RISD. 

My Lip-sync project from intro stop motion at RISD. Click Here to watch the full film.

Some puppets a friend and I made in a day, complete with flexible joints, interchangeable mouths, and magnetic hands and feet Click Here to watch the full film.