tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41657180778050710992023-11-16T05:20:22.358-08:00Andrew Laverty - Animation and Other Wordly DelightsThe world seen through the eyes of me... Follow along through my journey of the crazy and unforeseen things I do and encounter :-)Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-54579252076581929672013-08-25T21:21:00.003-07:002013-08-25T21:21:51.485-07:00Skydiving Post #2 (What was going through my head)So this will be another post about skydiving and what goes through your head and how your body reacts to the sensation. Honestly, it is difficult for me to stop talking about this because it is the single greatest feeling I have ever experienced.<br /><br />There is a really a series of emotions that are going on leading up to, during and after a successful skydive.<br /><br />The night before was probably the most uncertain I have felt in my life. I kept thinking about how I could get out of doing it without looking like I was afraid. And honestly this is nothing to be ashamed of as it is jumping out of an airplane. And for all the safety measures taken, it is still a very dangerous activity. Which would probably make people ask why other people do it? <br /><br />I imagine the answer is different for everyone when they are asked why they do something that can be fatal if something goes wrong. Most people don't intentionally do things that can be fatal if something goes wrong. And let's face facts, skydiving fatalities are not pleasant. Death would most likely be instantaneous upon impact (if you're lucky) but it certainly is going to be messy. That being said, the truth is there is probably no simple answer as to why people skydive. I can't honestly say why I did the first time. I say first time because I know why I want to do it again. Because it was so much fun and such an amazing feeling.<br /><br />But back to the night before, I had the thought going through my head that I could die tomorrow and what that might mean for my friends and family. And honestly, death was not something I was ready to accept. Once I got that out of my system, I went to bed and probably slept the most calmly I have ever slept in my life. There was a feeling of contentment present that had not been before. And also probably because I wanted to be well rested and very alert during the actual skydive and I think on some level my body knew that because my brain was telling it that was what needed to be done. <br /><br />So then came the morning I went for the skydive. I ate breakfast and had been chugging lots of water so as to avoid any possible dehydration. Just prior to heading to the drop zone, I ate an apple just to keep something in my stomach since breakfast had been about a couple hours prior and my metabolism is so insanely high. The previous nights fear gave way to anxiousness, but no so much of an nervous anxiousness but an eager anxiousness. Part of me was excited and the other part of me wanted it to be over. <br /><br />So I get to the drop zone which is really a five minute drive from my house and check in at the desk. I am then taken to a little room to watch a video about what the skydive will feel like and various instructions that I need to follow. The video I guess was about 30 minutes. After watching the video, I had to read and sign several legal forms that acknowledged I knew what I was about to do was very risky and could be fatal. I also had to sign my life away essentially. What this means is that if I died, the drop zone would not be held responsible in the possibility of equipment failure that resulted in my death. If there was a moment that I was going to back out, this was that moment. It is one thing to know what you are about to do can be fatal, but to have it spelled out for you on a piece of paper and acknowledge it by signing your name can be one of the toughest decisions to make. <br /><br />So I go back to the desk and give them the signed forms and they tell me that my name will appear on a whiteboard shortly with the name of tandem master. I went to the bathroom a lot while waiting because I had drank so much water and honestly I was really not wanting to pee myself when jumping out of a plane. So then the whiteboard shows up with my name and my instructor Joe. I ran to the bathroom one more time just to be sure. <br /><br />When I came back out, I met up with Joe and he strapped me into the harness. Which was nerve wracking because it fit really loose. Don't get me wrong, it was tight as it could be but it was still loose. There were two major concerns I had about doing this. I was less concerned with parachute failure and hitting the ground and more concerned with slipping out of the harness or my lungs collapsing due to the sudden rush of air that would be forced into my chest. This has been known to happen because I researched prior to the jump which is likely why I had a fear of that happening. <br /><br />So I am in the harness and Joe has the rig on which contains the parachute and we wait. And we just sort of idly chatted a bit and talked and maybe got to know a few things about each other. After all, this is the guy I am trusting to save my life. At this point, he is my best friend!! He commented on how I was not nervous at all and I told him how I got that out of my system the night before and now I was just ready to go. <br /><br />So now my cameraman Mico who is going to document this whole thing for me introduces himself and he interviews me before we get in the plane. It is nerve wracking to have someone ask you if there is anything you would like to say to friends and family when you are about to jump out of an airplane. Because this could be the last thing you get to say to them. <br /><br />After the interview, Joe gives me a rundown of what to do once we are in the plane and what to do on exit of the aircraft. He will repeat this several times during the flight to make sure it is drilled into my head. As I get into the plane, I begin to start about how I am getting out of the plane. By this point, I am no longer thinking about backing out. I came this far so my thought was I am going to do this and go all the way. The plane ride up was strangely calm. It was though I had accepted what I was about to do and on some level accepted that I could die doing this. There is a tranquil feeling in that which is really difficult to describe. <br /><br />So as we reach about 7,000 feet and Joe begins strapping me to his harness and all the looseness of my harness goes away and suddenly becomes super tight!! There was no getting out of this thing, slipping out or otherwise. After I am all hooked up to Joe, he goes over the instructions one more time and gives me my goggles to wear during the skydive. So we are now at jump altitude which is 13,500 feet and they open the door of the plane. The wind suddenly rushes in and feel a sudden burst of excitement and fear. I can see the ground and the clouds. I've flown in a plane before but never with a door open so this was a strange new experience. <br /><br />One jumper looks out and observes the sky for a minute or two which I am guess is checking to see if it is safe to jump. Then they start jumping out. There were four jumpers ahead of me and they all go out. I think this is the coolest damned thing I've ever seen. They fall so fast they were out of view in a matter of seconds. Then it is my turn! MOMENT OF TRUTH! <br /><br />I start inching slowly towards the door sliding on my butt as Joe instructed me to do and BOOM, the plane hit some turbulence and almost turned on it's side. I AM AT THE DOOR!! If Joe had not been holding on to the rail, we would have likely gone out! This is when I am having second thoughts and thinking maybe this is a sign I should not be doing this. Joe informs that we will circle back around and try again. So we start moving back away from the door. After a minute, we are ready to go again and start moving towards the door once more. Mico, my cameraman climbs to the outside of the plane and just hangs there. Joe and I get to the door. I look down and see my shoes hanging into nothing. I then look at Mico, and then I feel I slight push and suddenly I am out in the open air. <br /><br />This felt like being hit with a ton of bricks!! And I'm terrified!! It's cold up there, I'm falling through the sky and the only thought going through my mind is 'I'm going to die'. I was very convinced I was going to die! In a matter of minutes my life will be over. And I'm scared out of mind. I have no idea what to do. There was nothing I could do at this point. One way or another, I am going to touch the ground either violently or softly. And my one of my biggest fears is starting to be realized because the air is rushing into my mouth so quickly that I'm using every ounce of my strength to force it back out. <br /><br />THEN THE ADRENALINE KICKS IN!! <br /><br />And while I am still convinced that I'm going to die, I suddenly don't care or worry about it at all anymore. At this point I am having the time of my life. I am Superman at this point. I could fight a bull and win just because of the adrenaline coursing through my veins. My arms are out there in the wind, I'm making all sorts of funny gestures to Mico who is now about 6 feet away from my face. And I was just enjoying every minute of it and loving the experience of free falling at 120 miles per hour. Then I see Mico start increasing his distance from me and I'm not even thinking about that I am strapped to Joe. Then I feel a sudden tug on my body and I'm upright again and no longer in free fall. The loudness of the wind has given way to the most quiet sound in the world. It is insanely quiet! That is the most quiet I've ever heard anything in my life. And I'm just loving it!! It takes a minute or two for me to even realize the parachute opened and I am now floating safely back to the earth.<br /><br />There is no better way to describe it than I am at total peace. I am unattached from everything but the sky and have the most amazing view that anyone could ever hope to have. I can see my town while hanging in a harness strapped to a fabric designed to slow my descent. I can look down and see my feet hanging into open space and it is the best feeling on earth! There are no more worries or concerns but just pure contentment. And we slowly begin approaching the ground which I did not even notice was getting closer until it was right up on me. And we floated safely to the ground and slid in on our butts and my feet were back on the ground safely and I lived to tell the tale. But my head was in the clouds. And it remains there. There is something about skydiving that is the ultimate in fear and the ultimate knowing peace. Nothing matters when you are up there but you and the sky. I was completely free for 6 amazing minutes. No worries, no pain, nothing is wrong. Everything is right and absolutely as it should be and the closet to perfection anyone could ever become. There is a peace in that can never be explained and the best understanding of everything and the perfect moment of clarity. Falling from the sky and floating safely back to the earth is for me the truest form of everything making sense. <br /><br />And after that, there is the realization that if I can jump out of an airplane, there is nothing I can't do.Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-19074960826617211202013-08-22T00:34:00.001-07:002013-08-22T00:34:04.001-07:00Touching the sky!!<br /><br />So I deleted this blog and have undeleted it to maybe start it back up again. The reason it was deleted is because what the original intent of the blog was has changed dramatically. The reason why it has changed dramatically is because on some level my life has changed dramatically. In the sense that I have given up on thinking I have my life figured out or what I am going to do with it personally and professionally.<br />
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<br />So let's go over the events of the 2013 that have lead me to where I am now. The year started off rather scary with the discovery of a tumor on my ear that thankfully turned out to be benign. I've never been a person who has been afraid of dying and frankly have been closer to it than most people will ever be in their lives. But if I do not fear dying the one thing I do fear is how I will die. That is something that always stuck with me and a tumor that could be cancerous was not high up on my list of ways to die. At least that is what I thought. Strangely when I was first told about the tumor, I really was not afraid of it as much as I thought I would be. I really had not thought of what would happen if it was cancer and what that might mean for me in regards to my health. <br /><br />It was almost as though I had accepted my fate and the possible outcome. Now this was 4 months from going on a trip to Rome that I was very much looking forward to and the thought of not going due to something that was out of my control like a potential life threatening illness was not something I could take. So if anything when I found after the removal and biopsy of the tumor that it was benign I breathed a sigh of relief. Not because I was not going to become incredibly ill but because I was not going to live to keep doing things I wanted to do that I had put off for far too long. <br /><br />Now I have had my share of life changing experiences but most of them began to fade with time and as people often do they sink back into complacency. Getting a tumor was not the shock out of complacency that most people would think it would be. <br /><br />So what was?<br /><br />Something that I've always wanted to do but honestly never really had the courage to do. Skydiving. This was one of those things that I always talked about wanting to do but was probably never going to actually do it. Sure talking about it sounded cool but I knew in the back of my mind I would never actually do it. That was until one day when I just decided to go for it. It was like the perfect chain of events and all pushed me right to it. <br /><br />It's hard to express what it feels like, but I will spare the aspect of the science of it and yes there is a science to it as far as how you position your body so you are not spinning out of control. But that is where I leave the science and the physics of it behind.<br /><br />The feeling is what is important. That is the moment and the ONLY moment in my entire life that I ever felt truly free!! Falling towards the earth at 120 miles an hour is terrifying and thrilling all in the same moment. It's rare that people can experience utter fear and exhilaration together. And the freedom it brings!! <br /><br />Skydiving is truly a great way to have the single most incredible moment of clarity! You aren't think about anything in your life that may be going wrong or even right. You are only thinking about that you are falling through the sky. And once the adrenaline kicks in, the fact that you could die doing it no longer matters. It is one thing to be afraid of dying and it is another to do something willingly that could kill you and no longer find it terrifying. That is the most intense 45 seconds anyone could ever experience. And then that chute opens and what was once loud rushing wind racing past you has no become the most peaceful and quiet sound there is to hear!! 5000 feet off the ground and floating back safely under a parachute is the most peace I imagine anyone could feel. And when your feet touch the ground and you land, there is no feeling like knowing that you did something that should have killed you and you lived to tell the tale. <br /><br />What I have gathered is that most people look at skydivers and feel they some sort of death wish. After having done it, that could not be further from the truth! Skydivers have a life wish! That is the most alive I've ever felt and it lasted for weeks!! I can never explain why I felt that way but it is what it is. Some could call it the adrenaline and all the energy that comes from jumping out of a plane. And there is a lot of energy that will be present after jumping and landing safely. But really it is the feeling. It is the feeling of touching the sky and the absolute freedom you have in your life when you are in freefall. The peaceful feeling comes not from the quiet sound under the parachute but from the realization that have you freed yourself from all the boundaries, limitations and learned to truly let go and not worry about the things that are not in your control. Life is always something to be lived, enjoyed, cherished, and when your time is up... it is better to look back on it with a sense of accomplishment rather than regret. <br /><br />So that is why I have realized that I am no longer thinking I have my life figured out on a perfect little road map. It is going to be chaotic, out of control, sometimes sad, sometimes happy, but it will be a worthwhile to me and without regrets. I always used to tell people that the only certainty in life is that one day we will all die. But I never really believed it myself. I always thought that everything I want to happen will happen. But now I realize maybe for the first time that I won't get everything I want out of life. But for everything I do get out of life will not make it any less of a life because of the things I did not get. And oddly it took putting my life in real danger and jeopardy to finally understand that. And from this day forward I will always be looking at my life at all the things I accomplished and not focus on the failures and the things I did not get. <br /><br />I have touched the great blue sky and will always be touching the sky! :-)<br />
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<br /><br />Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-41772857193816705512013-06-24T20:02:00.002-07:002013-06-24T20:17:56.129-07:00Getting Lost in Rome<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--> So I have not updated this blog for a while and had the intent to make a post about my trip to Rome. Though I did not right away because I think I needed some time to process everything and write a worthy post about the trip. I could go and write absolutely everything I could about what I saw when I was there but I feel that would be a disservice to the experience and could only do this properly by talking about how I felt about it instead. <br />
<br />
So where do I start?<br />
<br />
I’ll start with the telling that going to Rome was something that I had always wanted to do in my lifetime. For as long as I can remember, Rome is the city I was always the most interested in even as a child. I saw films featuring Rome and pictures of the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine and it was difficult to imagine even as a child that a place like this really existed in the world. It was even more difficult as a child and probably more so as an adult to fully understand the depth of the history of this remarkable city. This passion to go to Rome was fueled even more when becoming an art student but it was still just a dream. A dream I thought unattainable. I never imagined I would really go anywhere outside the comforts of the state I live in for the most part. I had been to a few places in the U.S. for sure but flying over the ocean to a country I knew nothing about was not something I could truly fathom ever occurring. <br />
<br />
And I really knew nothing about what I was going to see and experience when arriving in Rome. I had read books, knew the history of the Roman Empire, did as much studying of the culture and it still did not prepare me for what I was walking into when I stepped off that plane. It really was a feeling of not being in Kansas anymore. As soon as I stepped off the plane and into the terminal I had no clue what to do or where to go or how to get out of the airport. The airport in Rome is like the city, a maze that is difficult to navigate. But that is what was great and could have summed up the entire trip. I had no clue what I was doing in that city and it was great. I just went with it and had the most amazing time.<br />
<br />
I have heard it said many times the best way to take yourself out of the comfort zone is to travel to a foreign country. And I agree. There is no better way for all the things you think you know and all the things you don’t know and all the things you want to know to meet in one big collision. My first days in Rome could be summed up as absolute confusion. I just tried to find my way around and not stick out like a sore thumb. The last thing I wanted to do was look like a tourist. I genuinely wanted to immerse myself in this culture and be a part of it through experience. I did not want Italians to look at me and see the “American tourist”. I wanted Italians to look at me and see someone who respected their history and wanted to truly know about their city and culture. And I feel on some level that it is how they felt towards me. I was not afraid to ask questions, I tried to use their language as much as possible when I could, and I felt they knew I was genuinely interested in what they had to say. And I loved that because of my interest I was able to learn about and see many places that were off the beaten path that tourists don’t see. <br />
<br />
Don’t get me wrong, seeing The Vatican and the Colosseum is amazing but my biggest memories are going to come from standing on Aventine Hill and looking out over the city. Or standing in a circle of ancient ruins that has a keyhole in a single door and when looking through that keyhole shows St. Peter’s Basilica as it is directly in the line of sight of the keyhole. Something I would never have known about had I not conversed with the people who live in this beautiful city. Sure I was a tourist as clearly demonstrated by the camera around my neck but I did not want to see this city. I wanted to get to know this city like I would a new friend met purely by chance. This is really how I found myself in Rome and having this wonderful experience to talk about because nothing was planned.<br />
<br />
This decision was made literally in the space of a few minutes after some encouragement from an instructor and realization that if I did not go I would regret it for the rest of my life. And so I found myself in Rome and had no clue what I was doing. My first thoughts of being in the city were ‘what do I do now?’ or ‘where do I go?’ And I had no idea. Here I was in this unfamiliar city on my own and all I knew was I’m here for two weeks. And by unfamiliar, I mean really unfamiliar. The way things are in Rome were so vastly different than anything in the United States I did not even know where to begin. So I did the only thing I could do... I put my bags in my hotel room, nervously walked out on to Ancient Roman cobblestone streets and got lost!! And it was perfect. <br />
<br />
There was only really minimal planning involved as to what I was going to do when I got into the heart of Rome. I knew I wanted to see Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, Roman Forum, The Pantheon, and The Vatican. But not a single one of these places was seen without seeing amazing things on paths I had not planned on taking to these destinations. Even Trevi Fountain was seen because I simply got lost on the way back to my hotel. Not a one of these things were seen without encountering a chatty Italian who just wanted to talk to this strange person who clearly was clueless about where they were going. Not a one of these things were done without multiple Vespa riders coming close to hitting me as they navigated the winding streets of Rome. Not a one of these things were done without hearing street musicians or seeing horse carriages circling the fountains in the Piazza’s. <br />
<br />
These are all the things I will remember about going to Rome. Because at the end of the day after seeing all the sights and learning more about the history, it will be the experience and how I felt that will stick with me until the day I die. It will be the lack of planning, the cluelessness and being lost, and the nervousness of being in a place of which I was not familiar. It will be the memory I had at the end of the trip of knowing that I had learned so much of which I really never thought about learning. It will be the memory of knowing that by the end of the trip, I was finally starting to understand the culture and embrace it, it will be the memory of knowing that I had finally after two weeks had begun to get lost a little less and less. It will be the memory of knowing that Rome came to be a really good friend that I can’t wait to see again. And that by the end of the trip and before, the nervousness faded into a relaxed calm and I found myself doing something that I always wanted to do but never thought I ever would. I challenged myself and went into something completely unknown and came out with wider eyes and a bigger understanding of who I am and who I want to be. <br />
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</span>Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-85919706854685749712013-04-08T00:09:00.000-07:002013-04-08T00:09:18.726-07:00Hail to the King Baby! (spoiler warning)So I have once again been neglecting my blog and I am going to write about something near and dear to my heart. <i>Evil Dead </i>or the remake of the original <i>The Evil Dead</i>. Though I would say it is not really a remake as it is a re-imagining and feels more like a sequel rather than a remake.<br />
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So I like many fans of the original<i> Evil Dead</i> films was concerned about there being a remake cause I really hate remakes. They usually suck and are really just a way for the lack of originality currently plaguing Hollywood to run rampant. This is extremely common with horror films. Some examples of which include <i>The Thing</i>, <i>Nightmare on Elm Street</i> and <i>Halloween.</i> All classic horror films that were remade and absolutely sucked and should have been left alone.<br />
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So naturally hearing about an <i>Evil Dead</i> remake was met with some trepidation on my part. I just knew that this movie was going to suck and how dare someone even think of remaking the mother of all horror films in my humble opinion. But I can honestly say that was pleasantly surprised and thrilled. This movie does deserve and earn the name of <i>Evil Dead</i>. <br />
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The film starts with the same premise as the original <i>Evil Dead</i> of 5 friends going to a cabin for the weekend. Unlike the original <i>Evil Dead</i> though, a purpose is actually given as to why they are going to this cabin. In this film, they are there to help their friend Mia kick a heroin habit cold turkey. The plot of the film beyond this is really not the different from the original. They discover some scary shit in the cellar and a book of incantations for giving a demonic force the ability to possess the living. Naturally one of the five friends is curious and very foolishly reads the book and unleashes the demonic force. <br />
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Mia now fully in the throws of withdraw wants nothing more to leave the cabin which she attempts to do on her own when her 3 friends and brother refuse to let her leave. She is attacked in the woods by the demonic force in a horribly brutal way that is the same (though a little less brutal in the remake) as the original and becomes possessed. She is taken back to the cabin with her companions still believing her to be going through heroin withdraw which would be a good reason for her advancing state of psychosis.<br />
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Once Mia becomes fully possessed, all hell breaks loose. And <i>Evil Dead</i> becomes what it is meant to be, a 97 minute gore fest. <br />
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Now I say that it becomes what is meant to be because I have seen the complaints about the film and how there is no story or character development. And these are complaints coming from hardcore <i>Evil Dead</i> fans just like me. And it just makes me think they are forgetting what the original <i>Evil Dead</i> was as a film. The original had very little plot and no character development. It was literally just a gore fest and was not meant to be anything more than that. That was part of what it made it so much fun. And the same is done for the remake. That is what I want as a fan of this series. <br />
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None of the characters are spared from being brutally attacked and becoming possessed just like Mia. Deadite (as the possessed are called in <i>Evil Dead</i>) Mia is killing off her friends one by one just like Ash's sister Cheryl did in the original when she became possessed. And of course this done in absolutely grotesque and stomach turning fashion. I have a strong stomach but there was even a brief moment when even I cringed at the sight of one of these gory scenes. <br />
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I have also seen the complaints that this film lacks the humor of the original which I find equally as wrong as complaining about the lack of story and character development. The original film had no humor either and was not intended to be funny. It was not until <i>Evil Dead 2 </i>which is more of a remake of the original than the 2013 <i>Evil Dead</i> film that humor was introduced. And that humor became even larger in <i>Army of Darkness</i> or as it was originally titled <i>The Medieval Dead.</i><br />
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<i>Evil Dead</i> does work as it's own stand alone film in the series and also an excellent addition to the series. It is a great film if a person goes into it knowing what to expect. Lots of gore and brutality and just a simple idea that is plainly fun movie going. Now I'm sure not everyone would say this is their idea of a fun movie, but for horror movie fans, it is a very fun movie and at times can be humorous. Even though it is a more uncomfortable humor because it does make one wonder if it is appropriate to laugh. But humor none the less. <br />
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So my overall thoughts on <i>Evil Dead</i> are it is a good movie for just having some fun at a movie if you are into horror films. And while I feel that it is important for movies to have a strong plot and character development, sometimes seeing a film without these things and just getting right to the bare bones of what the movie is about is a really great movie going experience. So with that I say <i>Evil Dead </i>did everything it set out to do and did it in true over the top <i>Evil Dead </i>fashion. And I'm thrilled to say this will be put in my film collection right along side, <i>The Evil Dead</i>, <i>Evil Dead 2</i>, and <i>Army of Darkness</i>.Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-60857020957264557202012-12-18T21:22:00.002-08:002012-12-18T21:22:45.903-08:00A touching tribute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I have not posted here for a while cause I have not really had a
whole lot to say. And it is a sad chain of events that brought me back
to post something which I wish were not the case. By now everyone has
heard about the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary school. I had this
whole long post planned about the things that really need to change in
this country so this does not happen anymore. I've felt at a loss over
what happened because it was children even though I am not directly a
part of this tragedy. And I felt anger, sadness, and grief. And it's
tough to look at the pictures of the children. And I had this whole post
planned and I think it is better just to save it for another day. <br /><br />I'm
not a religious person by any means but when something like this
happens to children, I would really like to believe that there is
something out there. <br /><br />And I found this touching tribute and I thought I would share it here rather than going on a rant. <br /><br />Rest in Peace little children <br /><br />And Rest in Peace to your adult protectors<br /><br />:-( </div>
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Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-19501640691095425382012-08-15T12:43:00.000-07:002012-08-15T12:43:15.078-07:00SIGGRAPH 2012 - RetrospectiveSo normally when I do my blog posts about SIGGRAPH I go through a rundown of all the awesome things that happened during the week. <br /><br />This time I am going to do something a little different. Rather than talk about all the cool things I saw and did, I'm going to talk about the experience and what I learned this year. Because that is so much more important.<br />
<br />
Most people who know me and know me well are aware that I am a stickler for organization and planning. I like to know exactly what is going to happen and when and where. But this year that all went out the window. <br /><br />Of everything I had planned to do this year, only about 10% of it actually happened. Where as with year's past I did close to 90% of everything I had planned. <br /><br />But that was not a bad thing. Because I got so much more out of just letting random things happen that I would have with the planning. <br /><br />Everything is a learning experience in my eyes and this year I walked away from SIGGRAPH far more fulfilled than I did in 2010 and 2011. And it all mostly happened by chance and the unexpected. That is the real point. <br /><br />What is great about SIGGRAPH is not the parties you went to or the talks you saw but the people. The friends you make and the bonds you form. <br /><br />This year some of those bonds were tested, some were likely broken completely. While some grew stronger. <br />Some of the people I have met through SIGGRAPH may be lifelong friends. Other's may not even be there next year. Some may eventually fade as years pass. But this is how it goes.<br />
<br />
This is what I learned this year. That nothing can be controlled. Life just has to happen and to let it happen as it is supposed to happen. <br /><br />Forget all the planning, the fears of success or failure, the inhibitions, and just let go and let everything happen how it is meant to occur. Just say to hell with it and live life. <br /><br />Because for all the things I planned to do this year, it is all the things I did not plan for, all the unexpected things that I will remember the most. Those are the stories I am going to tell until the day I am no longer here.<br /><br />So that is how I feel at the end of this year's SIGGRAPH. This is what I will take away from it. The experience is what matters most. And this is why this has been the best SIGGRAPH I have attended so far.<br />
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And I can't wait to go back next year. Whether or not I return as a volunteer or an attendee is a decision I have not made yet. I will cross that bridge when I come to it. But the one thing I do know is I can't wait to see my friends again and see what experiences I will have next year. And the stories to tell when it is over. <br /><br />That is what I miss the most. The experience of it all and my friends (new and old) who I can only hope will find their way back. <br />
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And to end with a quote from of my favorite films and books <br /><br />"stop trying to control everything and just let go" <br /> <br />
<br />So until next year....Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-88506298998082546742012-06-14T02:48:00.001-07:002012-06-14T03:00:02.825-07:00In perfect isolation here behind my wall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">So this past Monday night I saw the one concert that I always wanted to see and never thought in a million years I would see. The Wall performed live in it's entirety by Roger Waters. The last time Roger Waters performed this show prior to the current tour was in 1991 not long after the Berlin Wall came down. That show was played Potsdamer Platz in the no man's land where the Berlin Wall separated the East and West. After that show, it was thought that Roger Waters would never play The Wall again. Thankfully he has taken it back on the road and I finally got to see this show. Now for those who don't know, Roger Waters is one of the founding members of Pink Floyd and The Wall is largely based on Water's life. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Now as fan of Pink Floyd, I have pretty much enjoyed anything they do but The Wall itself is the album to which I relate to the most as a person who suffers from a mental disorder and knows what's like to completely suffer a breakdown. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So what is The Wall all about. The Wall itself serves as a metaphor for the walls that people put up to protect themselves from emotional or mental harm from others. The story of The Wall is essentially about the disintegration of a rock star as he isolates himself in a hotel room and is driven to madness when he reflects on his life. This ultimately culminates in his total psychotic breakdown in which he envisions himself as a dictator over his audience and exacts his warped violent ideals on to his audience. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But The Wall while it does focus on one man going mad, the themes are much broader which is something that Water's himself as stressed as being about the self imposed isolation of humanity and how it leads to wars and other detestable acts of violence. The political and religious ideals that create these wars are riddled throughout the performance of The Wall and photos of the victims of all these wars were projected on individual bricks during the show. Of course The Wall was built between the audience and the stage during the course of the show. And was subsequently torn down as the show came to an end. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What was very prevalent was Water's dedication to the material and subject matter and the point he wanted to get across to the fans. That we must tear down our own walls to move forward as a species on this planet. That "fear builds walls" and that we must not succumb to those fears. The show itself ends in dramatic fashion with the audience chanting over and over "tear down the wall". </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Now it goes without saying this was the most emotionally gut wrenching show I have ever seen. It starts off much like the album with a fascist rally during the song <i>In the Flesh?</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8cCANTOtPh5Swia-38CBzSRu6gnPyc9igTnYWieep60GZyLmpRfpbP9gSLyRbEy3eUsTWzNqML3Qfe3dCccrurefJxMKQ9RbDBnt-vtirWj6G2COxIIraLvQjgSXXCA1xnSnZ5Ka-WY/s1600/100_3341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8cCANTOtPh5Swia-38CBzSRu6gnPyc9igTnYWieep60GZyLmpRfpbP9gSLyRbEy3eUsTWzNqML3Qfe3dCccrurefJxMKQ9RbDBnt-vtirWj6G2COxIIraLvQjgSXXCA1xnSnZ5Ka-WY/s640/100_3341.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFDP3aqmZy95uF1wIVOf4Birsq3ujxH-TaZu1ihPYNMLdJ0Kpx71zVH3gqgeTFX1YyQdi5WmXOBAscSt1u2cybgXzupAtTyBCC5_MGPzVe8bKpm5jaZXHnWwyl5wnkUXIOd09hGLJ_kQ/s1600/100_3345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFDP3aqmZy95uF1wIVOf4Birsq3ujxH-TaZu1ihPYNMLdJ0Kpx71zVH3gqgeTFX1YyQdi5WmXOBAscSt1u2cybgXzupAtTyBCC5_MGPzVe8bKpm5jaZXHnWwyl5wnkUXIOd09hGLJ_kQ/s400/100_3345.JPG" width="400" /></a>After the song, the show now takes a step backward and begins showing the character of Pink and his descent into madness. During the course of <i>The Thin Ice</i>, photos are shown of all the people who have been killed during the course of foreign wars.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiMR4FS5xeAwsYa8OHCggiaba3UXVgYJket2CTyslgwfWhi98HHDSAonGipsbOrbRc_w99atSmwYguC5y0F4HiREL03yo3oQgc07Eib3b4Ob95jWAQg70T-Vd39b9E_J-5oUyKvMdB6w/s1600/100_3352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiMR4FS5xeAwsYa8OHCggiaba3UXVgYJket2CTyslgwfWhi98HHDSAonGipsbOrbRc_w99atSmwYguC5y0F4HiREL03yo3oQgc07Eib3b4Ob95jWAQg70T-Vd39b9E_J-5oUyKvMdB6w/s400/100_3352.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> After this, <i>Another Brick in the Wall Part 1</i> is played which deals directly with the death of Water's father during WWII. Next the show erupts with the <i>Happiest Days of Our Lives </i>and <i>Another Brick in the Wall Part 2</i>. After which this commentary on sadistic teachers (we have all had them at some point) ends, it gets quiet again during the songs <i>Mother </i>and<i> Goodby Blue Sky. </i>During the former Water's sings very poignantly "mother, should I build the wall?" </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now the show begins to focus on the next bricks in The Wall. The adultery committed by the character Pink's wife. What is noticeable about all this is that the adultery is a result of Pink's self imposed isolation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NRGpHVp3OXP4RLaYuH8Myz40gCNbPhvo1t6pk1QgZ0qSttsPhMw2d3DeRs2-ty6Ad78rAko6pXoyjwrS-ykD3lLTtNuacryEJ2aDx_BFnLZCrFXNXRrZLUCL37_SjH4S3fCeRj32CiQ/s1600/100_3388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NRGpHVp3OXP4RLaYuH8Myz40gCNbPhvo1t6pk1QgZ0qSttsPhMw2d3DeRs2-ty6Ad78rAko6pXoyjwrS-ykD3lLTtNuacryEJ2aDx_BFnLZCrFXNXRrZLUCL37_SjH4S3fCeRj32CiQ/s400/100_3388.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">The song <i>Empty Spaces</i> deals with his hurt over this and <i>Young Lust</i> is strange act of revenge by thinking he must be with someone else. But even his isolation cannot allow him to feel for this other person which builds into a violent outburst during the song <i>One of my Turns</i>. It is only during the song <i>Don't Leave me Now </i>that he expresses some sort of guilt, but this guilt soon turns to further cement his isolation behind this metaphorical wall. The show then erupts again with <i>Another Brick in the Wall Part 3</i> in which Water's angrily sings "Don't think I need anyone at all". This is final step towards isolation and alienation. During the course of <i>Goodbye Cruel World</i>, there is only one brick left to place within the Wall which Water's stands behind as he painfully sings this song.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cblASeM17P19Cl_vT-e70IhY9agsf67EuUk1b55gLXIbLC-WVHnqy7b9u0MDk9NDZEHIilLya9824AkQ97KogNGBUMdaFGAWZLslNPQM-FBjoY2Jm2104sr8ZtXgkDwdgiPhuwzkEX8/s1600/100_3402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cblASeM17P19Cl_vT-e70IhY9agsf67EuUk1b55gLXIbLC-WVHnqy7b9u0MDk9NDZEHIilLya9824AkQ97KogNGBUMdaFGAWZLslNPQM-FBjoY2Jm2104sr8ZtXgkDwdgiPhuwzkEX8/s400/100_3402.JPG" width="400" /></a>So after a brief intermission, the second half of the show starts with the band and Water's now completely separated by this large wall built across the front of the stage. The songs H<i>ey You</i> and I<i>s There Anybody Out There?</i> play with only the wall being seen by the audience and spotlights shining on them as though Water's is looking for someone to help in a last bit of desperation as he is now fully behind his wall. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">During the course of Nobody Home, a small opening in The Wall reveals Water's in a mock hotel room singing about the things he has experienced and his failed attempts to escape his isolation. This then leads to the most emotional tear jerking portion of the show during the songs Vera and Bring the Boys back Home in which Water's again sings of the horrors of war and the effect it had on his life. But he puts a much more universal spin on it this time around and shows how it applies to everyone changed by war, for better or worse. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What was particularly poignant about this sequence in the show were the projections of soldiers fighting in the so called "war on terror' being reunited with their loved ones. And the plea from Water's and the audience to bring all these soldiers back home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After this portion of the show, the focus then comes back to the central character who now lies in a comatose state after the apparent mental breakdown and building of the wall. The song <i>Comfortably Numb</i> focuses entirely on the attempts to revive the character and keep him "going through the show". Water's is now performing in front of The Wall as he sings the verses to the song and the music builds as the character comes around is about to begin his full descent into psychotic behavior. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is here now that a "surrogate band' sings <i>The Show Must Go On</i> just before everything erupts into absolute chaos. The character now fully revived but still feeling the effects of the drugs used to bring him from his comatose state have him now hallucinating as a dictator over his audience and exacting his previously mentioned hate filled ideals on the crowd in mock fascist rally which bears striking resemblance to Nazi Germany.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This fascist portion of the show occurs during the songs <i>In the Flesh</i>, <i>Run Like Hell</i>, and <i>Waiting for the Worms</i>. It is during this moment of the show that Water's pulls no punches and goes for the throat. This is the point in which everything that has been building reaches it's climax and the hatred born from fear is let loose on the crowd. Water's very loudly proclaims "if I had my way, I'd have all of you shot". There is no hesitation from Water's as he sings what could be considered some of the most provocative lyrics in rock music.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As these songs reach their end, the fascist hallucination of the character is over and he now asks himself during the song <i>Stop</i>, 'has he been guilty all this time?" This sets up the next song <i>The</i> <i>Trial </i>in which the character puts himself on trial inside his own mind and he plays out the characters of his wife, mother, schoolmaster, prosecutor, judge and himself. Playing the role of the judge in his mind, he declares he must be "exposed before his peers" and the audience following the lead from Water's begins chanting "tear down the wall". </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is here the show culminates with the wall that was built during the course of the show being knocked down which could be best described as like a bomb going off. It was loud and dust and smoke was kicked up everywhere as the wall came down and the audience once again had view of the stage. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After this, the band and Water's stand in front of the stage as they sing the final song <i>Outside the Wall</i>. The fate of the character and what happened after the wall is torn down and is left intentionally unspoken. It is never stated whether his madness completely consumed him and or he recovered from his traumatic life that led to his eventual emotional collapse. But in true Water's fashion, he left some form of hope for the character and the audience with one final image of silhouette of a girl waving her arms. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So why such a long post about this? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Because other than this being the one concert that I always wanted to see, it also the best representation of this little thing we call the human condition. There are lessons to be learned from The Wall about our own humanity. That our own fear will lead to atrocities and that we must not isolate ourselves from each other. That we must genuinely care for each other and not allow ourselves to hide behind our own walls due to whatever fears we may have. </span><br />
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<br />Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-59765557520314625152012-05-23T20:27:00.001-07:002012-05-23T20:27:28.048-07:00This made my day!!So today on all the social media sites there was this vid going around made by Dreamworks animators as they prepared to attend an acting seminar. <br /><br />While that vid was funny, the one they made prior was even better and one every animator can understand. <br />Even as a student, the shots we work on are picked apart. We get long lists of notes on everything that needs changed and so on. And let's face it, sometimes it feels a lot like nit picking... and you may feel the need to vent your anger and frustration. Possibly through dance!<br />
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So the next time you are working on a shot and it just is not going right; watch this vid, have a good laugh and get back to your shot.<br />
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<br />Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-49606250315788252012-04-15T16:56:00.000-07:002012-04-15T16:56:36.997-07:00A dose of inspiration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-69818183154600934582012-03-29T18:44:00.001-07:002012-03-29T18:45:35.733-07:00Dreamworks is getting it right!!Not since Tangled have I been this excited for an animated film. Heads up Pixar cause if Dreamworks keeps this up, you may not be top dog in the animation industry anymore!! <br />
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Cannot wait for this film and even further confirmation that I MUST be an animator at Dreamworks!!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/aPLiBxhoug0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-76861799333756295482012-03-08T13:26:00.000-08:002012-03-08T13:26:10.935-08:00quadrupeds!!!! *headdesk*<br />
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Okay so here is the blocking of my quadruped assignment. They are really
hard and I'm looking forward to the end of this assignment. Give me
back my bipeds!! Oh and I hate how blocking in stepped tangents looks
horrible with quadrupeds no matter how good it looks in splines. <br />
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But here it is. <br /><br />
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<br />Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-88483351718174860502012-03-02T22:27:00.000-08:002012-03-02T22:27:48.503-08:00Watch the Weather ChangeSo it has been a while since I have posted anything. I have not really had much to say lately. Well, I sort of do now. I'm sure everyone in the country is aware of the massive string of tornadoes that have been bombarding the Midwest over the past week. Well today or as it is now yesterday, the weather made it's way to Indiana. <br /><br />But to clarify, tornadoes are sort of treated like a joke in Indiana quite a bit. They form a lot here but they usually don't do much but every now and again a nasty one comes along and really mucks up the works. <br />Today there were two that completely wiped out two towns. One for each tornado. In all truth according to the current weather reports, there were total of 42 tornadoes on the ground between 2 and 5 pm. <br /><br />So this is how it started from my perspective. I went to lunch break shortly after 2 and went out to my car to get a little sleep. A common practice for me since I stay up all night quite a bit. About 10 minutes into my lunch the tornado sirens went off. It was hailing and raining really bad but I thought nothing of it. After all this is Indiana. Bad weather just sort of comes with the territory. This is a state that has been known to have snow, ice, rain, thunder, lighting, tornadoes, and sunshine all within the same 24 hour time period. <br /><br />I went back inside after the sirens started sounding just to see if everyone working knew what was going on. They did. I hung out for about 10 minutes and got word that a tornado south of my location was heading northeast. <br /><br />Now I grew up in a family of storm chasers so I knew since it was heading northeast, it would just pass the town I was in right on by and went back to my car. It was not until I got home that I found the full extent of what happened. Two towns in Indiana were wiped out today in the Southern portion of the state. <br /><br />So it would appear that the thing we generally treat with a bit of humor here came and bit us on the ass today!<br />It's not to say we think tornadoes are funny, but we don't generally view them as a threat because they don't amount to much in Indiana other than something that on occasion knocks over a few trees and downs some power lines. <br /><br />That having been said, Indiana did not really have much of a winter this year. February which is usually our coldest month felt like early spring. And we only got snow twice which was not much. That is odd because Indiana can typically get blizzard like conditions 5 to 10 times in one winter.<br /><br />So my general thought is we are going to get one hell of a tornado season. After today, it would appear it also started a few weeks earlier than usual. <br /><br />But also after today, I think Indiana is probably going to see one of it's worst tornado seasons in recent history. <br /><br />Only time will tell.Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-43775465769922902852011-12-31T22:55:00.000-08:002011-12-31T22:55:22.431-08:00Can't wait to see what the New Year bringsI was going to wait to do this post but I can't sleep so thought now would be a good time.<br />
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For this I wanted to do something different. Rather than reflect on the past year I wanted instead talk about the future.<br />
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I have this feeling this year is going to be a big one not just for me but for my friends as well. I would also like to impart some words of wisdom going into the New Year based on what I have learned this year.<br />
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The most important thing I could say is don't change anything for anyone. Not personally, creatively, or intellectually. Be who you are and do as you want.<br />
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Also, fail! And fail a lot. I don't mean this to say don't strive for success. But our failures are what shape our success. Don't be afraid of messing up every now and again. It's how we learn. Wear your failures like badges of honor. Because without any of those failures we would not be who we are. So let me rephrase. Failure shapes our character and points us in the right direction.<br />
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Always pursue your dream. I've met too many people this past year who talk about doing something but never actually do what they say. Don't talk and take action. It's the ones who act instead of talk who change the world. <br />
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So those are my words of wisdom.<br />
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I would also like to take this moment to express my passion for something I've discovered this past year.<br />
I have learned that I really enjoy in some way mentoring those who do not yet have the knowledge I have about animation and storytelling.<br />
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And while I do not yet know everything, this blog is going to change this year. I am going to do a weekly post as much as possible about storytelling and how animation plays into that. So that perhaps someone who finds it can learn something. Because if there is anything I have learned this past year is animation is not about gags and gimmicks. It is about telling a story. A story that an audience can relate to on a personal level. <br />
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As Ed Hooks said during the class I attended. "Empathy is the most important thing an audience needs to feel for a character. Without empathy, the story fails."<br />
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So with that. Happy New Year. Let's see what this next year brings. :-)<br />
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Good night all!Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-61075138353410647402011-12-28T00:01:00.000-08:002011-12-28T00:54:30.360-08:0025 years of The Legend of Zelda- The Timeline and History (warning Skyward Sword spoilers) So it pretty much goes without saying that The Legend of Zelda game series is my favorite of all time and is a big part of my life. And with 25 years of LoZ and my recent completion of Skyward Sword, I decided to write the history and a timeline of what I consider the core games in the series. Note, this is my personal interpretation and Skyward Sword spoilers are in this so if anyone has not played Skyward Sword yet, stop reading now and listen to this song instead!!<br />
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</div>Skyward Sword is essentially the origin story the entire series is based upon. This would be the game where everything started. So as it has been said in many games, the goddesses; Nayru, Din, and Farore came from the heavens and created the world and when they departed, they left behind the Triforce. The three goddesses entrusted the Triforce to the Goddess Hylia to ensure it was protected.<br />
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After some time had passed, the demon king known as Demise sought the Triforce for himself and threw Hyrule into civil war. In order to prevent Demise from obtaining the Triforce, Hylia used her powers to seal him away in the Sacred Grounds and as a result she took a mortal form. Before doing this she created the Goddess Sword and tore a chunk of land from Hyrule and sent it to the sky. The essence of her power would be contained with the newly formed Goddess Sword.<br />
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The last surviving Hylians now only vaguely aware of these events now lived in Skyloft. The same piece of land Hylia sent to the sky in order to protect the Hylians from the demon infested world below. It would be sometime in the future that Demise in his imprisoned form would begin to break free. During this time, childhood friends Link and Zelda are celebrating Link's recent knighthood in Skyloft. Zelda goes missing having fallen to the ground below. Link discovers the goddess sword in Skyloft and is guided by the sword's spirit known as Fi. Entrusted by Hylia to guide the Hero of the Goddess, Fi helps Link on his journey to find Zelda and stop the demon lord Ghirahim from reviving Demise in their time.<br />
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As events unfold, Link using the Flames of Nayru, Din, and Farore gives the Goddess Sword it's full power and creates the Master Sword. It is also during this time that Zelda is revealed to be the mortal form of the goddess Hylia. Zelda enters a sleep that she will not wake up from until the destruction of Demise. Link is now tasked with finding the Triforce and wishing for the end of Demise so that Zelda will awaken. Link discovers the Triforce in the Goddess of Hylia statue in Skyloft. The statue and the Triforce fall to the Sealed Grounds below as the wish for Demise's death is granted.<br />
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Ghirahim knowing that is Zelda is awake and Demise has been destroyed in the present takes Zelda through the Door of Time to the past to revive Demise there. Using Zelda's spirit and nearly killing her, Ghirahim succeeds in reviving Demise. Ghirahim's true nature is revealed as he is the spirit of Demise's own twisted version of the Master Sword. Link battles Demise in order to save Zelda who is dying as Demise continues to consume her spirit to sustain his life. Link ultimately kills Demise but not before Demise places a curse on Zelda and Link that a reincarnation of his hatred will be born and Link and Zelda's descendants will never be free from pain and suffering.<br />
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Link's quest completed places the Master Sword in the Pedestal of Time to never be used again and Fi enters a neverending sleep within the sword. Link and Zelda decide to stay in Hyrule rather than return to Skyloft. It is likely this Link and Zelda of whom the future Link's and Zelda's descend. During this time Link and Zelda build Hyrule Castle and construct the Temple of Time in the Sacred Grounds to conceal the new location of the Triforce.<br />
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Events seen in Twilight Princess leading to Ocarina of Time<br />
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After a thousand years of peace, the people of Hyrule begin to once again fight for the Triforce. The ones seeking this power became known as the Dark Interlopers. With the assistance of a mysterious man known as Ganondorf, the Sages were shown how to defeat the Dark Interlopers. The Sages ultimately banished the Dark Interlopers into the Twilight Realm where they became humbled and know as the Twili. <br />
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Ganondorf had now gained favor with the King of Hyrule for his help in banishing the Dark Interlopers. The King's daughter however did not trust Ganondorf and believed him to have more sinister motives. The King's daughter Zelda sent a Kokiri boy known as Link to open the Door of Time and retrieve the Master Sword so Ganondorf could be stopped. Once Link now known as the Hero of Time had opened the Door of Time, he was sealed away for seven years. Ganondorf knowing what Zelda was up to followed Link until the Door of Time was open and Ganondorf now had complete freedom to take the Triforce for himself and usurped the Kingdom of Hyrule throwing the land into darkness and polluting the once sacred Golden Realm into the Dark World. It had now become clear that Ganondorf was the reincarnation of Demise's hatred and the curse placed so many thousands of years ago was coming true.<br />
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After seven years, Link awakened from his slumber and with the help of Zelda and the other 6 sages, Ganondorf was sealed away within the Golden Realm but not before vowing his return. This chain of events would later become known as the The Imprisoning War. After Ganondorf's defeat, Zelda used the Ocarina of Time to return Link to his childhood to live the seven years he lost while sealed in the Golden Realm.<br />
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It was this that would cause the timeline to split thus creating two parallel Hyrule's each with it's own history. The first of these would be the Hyrule of the adult Zelda timeline. Zelda having sent Link back to live out his childhood had a terrible side effect. The line of descendants for Link had now been broken. When Ganondorf did as he said and broke free from his seal, this time no hero appeared to stop him. The people of Hyrule prayed to the goddesses and those prayers were answered with what was known as The Great Flood. The people of Hyrule took to the mountain tops and made homes for themselves and has time passed had forgotten the blood stained history of Hyrule.<br />
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It was now that an aged and weary Ganondorf would once again break free from his seal and search for the descendants of Zelda and Link. Zelda would soon be revealed to be the pirate girl Tetra with Link now becoming the Hero of Winds. Together with the help of the King of Lions who actually turned out to be the past King of Hyrule, Ganondorf was defeated for what appeared to be the last time as the Triforce was used to wish for an end to the curse that had been placed on Link and Zelda so many years ago by the Demon King Demise.<br />
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The other history of Hyrule that would occur would be a direct result of Link's return to childhood. Link as a child now knew the full events that would occur and warned the King of Hyrule of Ganondorf's deception and true intentions. After telling the King of this, Link set out on a new quest where he found himself in the land of Termina and battling against an ancient demon known as Majora. During Link's time in Termina, the Sages were conducting an execution of Ganondorf. In a cruel twist of fate, the Triforce of Power became Ganondorf's and the execution failed which resulted in the death of the Water Sage. The remaining Sage's banished Ganondorf to the Twilight Realm. The same place where the Dark Interloper's had been sent during their bloody quest for the Triforce.<br />
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It was in the Twilight Realm that Ganondorf would find a puppet in the downtrodden Twili Zant. With Ganondorf's power, Zant was able to take over both Hyrule and the Twilight Realm and transform the Twilight Princess Midna into an impish manifestation of her former self. Midna found the new Hero of Time and took him to Princess Zelda. The Princess explained what was happening though none of them were fully aware of the power and rage that fueled Zant. It was now clear that the Master Sword would once again be needed and Link removed the sword from the Pedestal of Time in the ruins of the what was once the Temple of Time.<br />
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With the Master Sword in hand, Link traveled all across Hyrule and to the Sky to discover the keys that would take him to the Twilight Realm. Once in the Twilight Realm, Link learned Ganondorf was behind everything and defeated his puppet Zant. Link then proceeded to Hyrule Castle for one last confrontation with Ganondorf. After a long battle, Ganondorf was defeated once again and this time seemingly for good. But he would still return one last time.<br />
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Sometime long after Link and Midna said their goodbyes and a new line of descendants had been born, Hyrule was enjoying a time of peace. This peace would not last with the arrival of a mysterious wizard calling himself Agahnim. This mysterious wizard began sending the descendants of the Seven Sages to the Dark World that had once been the Sacred Realm. The Hero of Time would once again return to thwart the evil that was now taking over Hyrule. Traveling between both Hyrule and the Dark World, Link learned that Ganondorf had once again returned. Link would follow Ganondorf atop his pyramid within the Dark World and battle him in one last fight. After Link was able to defeat Ganondorf, the Triforce was once again Link's to make his own wish. Link made his wish for the return of peace to Hyrule and the end of the curse that had been placed by Demise all those years ago. With that, Ganondorf was now finished and Link returned the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time where it would sleep forever....<br />
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The End<br />
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So yeah, there is my interpretation of The Legend of Zelda's history. I know I have left the original Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link but I do not consider them core games as I think they were made before a definite history had been established. So if anyone reads this, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGxKpmq3O4jy4ecU2XCn-oMk188u8faL59qMLBbcyI7awQPmNyyFh4UBKXf9pzhlYTeNdY0t_a-O_rOwdUzjUMwxxE1EdiTEbvYxD8FGI423944GiVh5JLekEKXhPCl9KjsnUsAjNcK8/s1600/loz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGxKpmq3O4jy4ecU2XCn-oMk188u8faL59qMLBbcyI7awQPmNyyFh4UBKXf9pzhlYTeNdY0t_a-O_rOwdUzjUMwxxE1EdiTEbvYxD8FGI423944GiVh5JLekEKXhPCl9KjsnUsAjNcK8/s640/loz.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-38923468150868919162011-12-02T19:09:00.000-08:002011-12-02T19:09:09.323-08:00Dialogue shot blocking/finalHere is the final blocking pass of my last character animation assignment for the semester. I'm rather proud of it and amazed at how well it is looking. Time to take it to the final polish. :-)<br />
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<object height="315" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ug28w75femY?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ug28w75femY?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-45938053479419144502011-11-08T16:50:00.000-08:002011-11-08T16:50:12.105-08:00Animators... are actorsI'm sure that many animators have heard people say after watching 'Toy Story' that Tom Hanks and Tim Allen did a wonderful job portraying Buzz and Woody. Non-animators will accept this but animators know the performance came not from the voice actors but the animators.<br />
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On Saturday I had the privilege of being a part of an all day master class taught by Ed Hooks. Animators know him as the author of the 'Acting for Animators' books.<br />
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If there are 3 essential books an animator must have they would Acting for Animators, The Animator's Survival Kit, and The Illusion of Life.<br />
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So to be a part of this class was amazing and I learned so many new things and approaches to animation.<br />
Performance and acting is far more important than gags. Ed told us that many reasons students don't get hired is because their characters don't act. He said if we have a reel full of dialogue shots, body mechanics, and cheap gags we won't get hired. Studios want to see acting and story.<br />
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He taught us a lot of really cool tricks to apply in getting a believable performance from our characters that I will share in a later post.<br />
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He also deconstructed several films that many of us know and love and pointed out why they were films with bad acting and story. Most notably of this was 'UP'. Shocking right!! Who does not love UP?<br />
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But he was right about UP. It really is a poorly made film and it shows. <br />
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He also stated how with Pixar being acquired by Disney, we will see the further decline of Pixar. He pretty much said Pixar has not made a good film since Monster's Inc.<br />
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He also offered words of encouragement and inspiration in light of further decline of Pixar. <br />
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He said to us, we don't want to be Pixar anyway, we want to be the un-Pixar. He said to us this is an exciting time for us to be animators. We are the next generation of animators and the innovations that create a giant leap forward in animation will come from us. He told us we are the ones who will bring a something new and fresh to animated films. I took this to heart and firmly believe that.<br />
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Stay tuned for Part 2 of my day with Ed Hooks.Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-48531043964533413662011-10-11T23:27:00.000-07:002011-10-11T23:27:13.975-07:00Pixar bound!!!!!!!So as the title says I'm going to Pixar!!<br />
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Apparently the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco hosts a benefit each year that includes a tour of the Pixar Studios.<br />
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<a href="http://cartoonart.org/2011/09/save-the-date-benefit-at-pixar-animation-studios/">http://cartoonart.org/2011/09/save-the-date-benefit-at-pixar-animation-studios/</a><br />
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So I made the decision to go. I have to go. It would be an absolute dream come true. This is one of those things I could check off my bucket list!! I am going to Pixar!!Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-53451323132926192372011-10-04T20:40:00.000-07:002011-10-04T20:49:49.626-07:00Hakuna Matata!!!So today I will blog about something special that could be said to coincide with certain milestones in my life.<br />
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The release of The Lion King on blu-ray. By far one of the greatest animated films of all time.<br />
But this film probably more than any other has many memories for me...<br />
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It was released in 1994 at which point I was just entering high school. Yeah, I'm that old. Though I'm not really. I just like to joke about being that old.<br />
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I was just about to turn 15 a few months after it's release. Not really a milestone so much.<br />
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But these are.<br />
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I loved drawing all the time. I got my hands on everything I could related to art and drawing. This caused me to have a hard time in high school because I got picked on a lot. In 1994, being an artist in high school was grounds for bullying. (it probably still is) <br />
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If anything The Lion King (though I did not know I wanted to be an animator yet) kept me drawing even though I took abuse for it everyday because my fellow students labeled me an "art fag" A fave term of the bullies. <br />
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The Lion King also coincides with what was my first real girlfriend. Many times we sat and watched The Lion King and discussed the film and how much we enjoyed it. Though I do not see or speak to her anymore, I still remember those moments. <br />
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It also coincided with my formative teen years which can be rough for everyone. I was one of those kids that did not know what I wanted to do with my life except I knew it would be something artistic. Though my high school years almost killed that dream due to the bullying. I just wanted to not be bullied and tried to avoid it as much as possible.<br />
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I would watch The Lion King on my parent's old VHS copy when they weren't around because I was forced into being ashamed of liking animated films at 15 by my school bullies. I was picked on for still buying toys.<br />
Though all of these things were signs of what I would become nearly a decade later. (or what I always was... an animator)<br />
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And also probably the most important milestone that began in my second year of high school that I learned from The Lion King. Be who you are and be who you are meant to be and let nothing stand in your way.<br />
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So I now have The Lion King on blu-ray and watch it fondly with memories of my childhood and how the film helped in defining who I am and to not care what anyone else thinks. :-)Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-42659095464077897212011-09-08T18:01:00.000-07:002011-09-08T18:01:05.618-07:00character model.... done<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvZBkq43JE6B9CP42vlsvCMQAYxcTyUYgZF_YzbQDHZJ8BLqR_Khp5iG3ACyDlUMzF2CFXPaWhJzRQCwUw5kJvelTgGnxKvR-d5YBZdxudKoMFRmQbSSKc3rpYeCalH67pzziPBA_iVI/s1600/ZOMBIE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Yep, finished this model for rigging class. I had to stick with certain guidelines for the model, but I really just wanted to make something as cartoony as possible within those guideline. I like how he turned out. Still debating on whether or not to give him hair<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvZBkq43JE6B9CP42vlsvCMQAYxcTyUYgZF_YzbQDHZJ8BLqR_Khp5iG3ACyDlUMzF2CFXPaWhJzRQCwUw5kJvelTgGnxKvR-d5YBZdxudKoMFRmQbSSKc3rpYeCalH67pzziPBA_iVI/s1600/ZOMBIE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvZBkq43JE6B9CP42vlsvCMQAYxcTyUYgZF_YzbQDHZJ8BLqR_Khp5iG3ACyDlUMzF2CFXPaWhJzRQCwUw5kJvelTgGnxKvR-d5YBZdxudKoMFRmQbSSKc3rpYeCalH67pzziPBA_iVI/s400/ZOMBIE.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-53791447816097898482011-09-03T20:12:00.000-07:002011-09-03T20:12:16.406-07:00Music that rocks my socksGood stuff to listen to while animating. Bands with female singers are so much cooler!!<br />
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Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-59185344757598446752011-09-02T19:11:00.000-07:002011-09-02T19:12:32.064-07:00May the force be with.... uh wait nopeQuick post about something near and dear to my heart. A big chunk of my childhood being ruined. I was very excited that the Star Wars Saga would be hitting blu-ray on the 16th but not anymore.<br />
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This is why!!<br />
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Thanks George Lucas for turning Darth Vader (the most badass villain in film history) into the biggest pansy in film history!!<br />
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And here is another vid to show far Lucas has fallen from grace and given into the temptations of the dark side.<br />
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I now go back to school work.Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-80991825621658050982011-08-28T18:27:00.000-07:002011-08-28T20:02:15.975-07:00twinkee twinkee twinkeeYeah, so I got back to this finally and did the mouth animation. The word twinkee starts to sound really weird after hearing it again and again. That is one shot down. One to go...<br />
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Edit:<br />
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I'm going to do a shot breakdown of this to get used to it for a demo reel and why I made the acting choices I made.<br />
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First up. His body is moving through the entire shot until after he says lives and then he stops moving his body in reaction to what he just said as he tries to digest the realization.<br />
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His eyebrows. I have them hold for 2 frames after he raises them just to add that same element of acting as mentioned with the body movement.<br />
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Also he moves his head a lot but also moves it much less after he says lives.<br />
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I let his eyes do a lot of the acting as far as his emotion. He is dumbfounded that his life is about to be risked for a box of twinkee's so to express that, he never stops moving his eyes. Even if it is very subtle.<br />
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Lastly his hands. I animated the right hand and the fingers to move much more than the left to show that this is a right handed character.<br />
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At SIGGRAPH, I learned from some great animators and they all said the same thing. The little subtle touches you add to a character are what make their performances believable. Not the over the top exaggerated stuff.<br />
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Great advice that has already made me a better animator. Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-18439906279519467732011-08-20T19:15:00.000-07:002011-08-20T19:15:11.827-07:00dialogue blocking twinkeefeel free to critique. taking some of the things I learned at SIGGRAPH and applying them to my animations. No mouth animation yet and still in stepped mode.<br />
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Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-16598906837759469942011-08-16T22:35:00.000-07:002011-08-16T23:12:36.996-07:0025 cent peepshows... SIGGRAPH RecapSo here goes...<br />
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SIGGRAPH 2011<br />
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I got in Vancouver on Wednesday and stayed at the Samesun Backpacker's Lodge until Friday. I only mention this cause if Vancouver has a red light district, Samesun was in it. There was a place for 25 cent peepshows on the corner. Hence the title. This also became a running joke during the week.<br />
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So Thursday I woke up and took a walk around Vancouver. That afternoon I met up with some other SV's and TL's and we went to dinner. This was a good start to the week. Saw some friends from 2010 and made some new ones.<br />
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Also saw some sights during the day as well. Stanley Park is amazing. I walked everywhere in Vancouver. Vancouver is a big walking city. Everyone walks there. Granville Street is certainly the place to be in Vancouver if looking for anything to do.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLx9IJyNFO5uOY4jkWviAUsUddR8NUVvIp0oyRPFkyxnUn4WFuKQp-emNpYX7dHngKXpnoU27OaWOmaAsT1LtuO00fKM65Io8QiKjkiyioKupt0YI0pHvvYyz7OzWt3Cc63WjV-yDSDwA/s1600/226092_691155856416_45505293_35015870_4829943_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLx9IJyNFO5uOY4jkWviAUsUddR8NUVvIp0oyRPFkyxnUn4WFuKQp-emNpYX7dHngKXpnoU27OaWOmaAsT1LtuO00fKM65Io8QiKjkiyioKupt0YI0pHvvYyz7OzWt3Cc63WjV-yDSDwA/s400/226092_691155856416_45505293_35015870_4829943_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>So Friday came and it was time for my first (pre-conference) shift. We were supposed to set up the computers in The Studio. As sometimes happens, the truck with the computers was being held up at border control. Needless to say my first shift consisted of sitting around and talking with the other SV's. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I met up with my roommate Shern when returning from shift and we hit the Steamworks Brewpub in Gastown. This became one of my fave places to go. They have an awesome drink there called the Nirvana Nut Brown Ale. I don't know what was in it or how it was brewed but two of them could knock me on my ass. I did this just about every night. Next day was SV Orientation. I could tell right away this was going to be one hell of a fun experience. With Maya Karp running the show, there was never a dull moment.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuP7chUDrXtYz5vzhjemlE_sSKVFvqAmQQuFMlKzK7U1G4HDp2jAyjJYM3bZeYJJ6Bk41N4qFEzHgsHBbUYKzniJ1IMqrnTSW_-9fjWBW0gihMHyYrfXlTXZQdjSquPDFiHP8vUgJYV40/s1600/251494_2002577820384_1121747852_31966374_2551478_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuP7chUDrXtYz5vzhjemlE_sSKVFvqAmQQuFMlKzK7U1G4HDp2jAyjJYM3bZeYJJ6Bk41N4qFEzHgsHBbUYKzniJ1IMqrnTSW_-9fjWBW0gihMHyYrfXlTXZQdjSquPDFiHP8vUgJYV40/s320/251494_2002577820384_1121747852_31966374_2551478_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Sunday came and did my short shift in The Studio and then started making the rounds. Went to several places but most importantly was the Autodesk Student Experience at the Marriot just around the corner from the Convention Center. Since I registered, I had a cool little badge waiting for me with my name on it. I felt a bit like an important person at that point. During the Autodesk event, I was able to see Carlos Baena talk about animation and his work on Toy Story 3 animating the Spanish Buzz. This was awesome to say the least.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Went out for a party that night. I would describe it, but I honestly don't remember any of it. It was that good. Before that went and saw more of the sights with some of my new friends. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCMaz1o-DM8Mv79f3lxrLB3snkcE2tBCAhMJdVPnDLRiIgpjhDLvOAoS2ZaASfJlgsN74eR0_7xhrdYbkQvy0f0lvt5RTIWqb0l0bQPL4lcGt5xsI499IBNmvEwGWuRTpKEKnkuzEtkg/s1600/198796_269887026358302_100000110217881_1277239_7604728_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCMaz1o-DM8Mv79f3lxrLB3snkcE2tBCAhMJdVPnDLRiIgpjhDLvOAoS2ZaASfJlgsN74eR0_7xhrdYbkQvy0f0lvt5RTIWqb0l0bQPL4lcGt5xsI499IBNmvEwGWuRTpKEKnkuzEtkg/s320/198796_269887026358302_100000110217881_1277239_7604728_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Had a total free day on Monday.<br />
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Went to the Computer Animation Festival and saw the Commercials, Games and Music Videos presentation. Saw lots of cool stuff there. <br />
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Saw Terrence Masson sitting outside the Convention Center and immediately went up and talked to him. Got his biz card. Score 1 for the day.<br />
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Went back in and took in more of the Conference. Went back out to eat, and saw Carlos Baena outside. Immediately went to him and talked to him. He was freaking awesome and very personable. Score 2 of the day.<br />
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Then went and saw the Captain America production sessions. I love comic books so I had to see how this movie was made by the people who made it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPvDKDy3tgJbKmuYkX-xy3M_KcgfaIYADSYOhFNItaT4mpIYAHyTiHI-yNsKU2Osc24zy22zolkuNS66fv-pP1-1QSWWt6vn8KDqqRYNaXIVaZSNNpx04C-dE4gIzcAiqaZsCa1RBCsE/s1600/185579_10150256856088940_509208939_7653296_30471_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPvDKDy3tgJbKmuYkX-xy3M_KcgfaIYADSYOhFNItaT4mpIYAHyTiHI-yNsKU2Osc24zy22zolkuNS66fv-pP1-1QSWWt6vn8KDqqRYNaXIVaZSNNpx04C-dE4gIzcAiqaZsCa1RBCsE/s320/185579_10150256856088940_509208939_7653296_30471_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Then went to the SV Office for the Special Session with Jeremy Birn from Pixar. Got him to sign my Digital Lighting and Rendering Book. Score 3 of the day.<br />
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Had a late night shift working the reception so I did not get to attend the Chapter's Party. This was probably the biggest disappointment. I'll never figure out why the Chapter's Party was scheduled the same time as the reception. But I had a damned good day so I was cool with it.<br />
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So came Tuesday and my long shifts in The Studio started. During my shift I met a girl named Elvira (yes that is her actual name) no joke!! After the shift ended, we went and grabbed a bite to eat and hit the Animation Festival. Many great films were shown at CAF this year. I was amazed by all the work that went into each film. Some were funny, some were very poignant and some drew uncomfortable responses from the crowd. But they were all damned good. Left the convention center and walked Elvira part of the way back to her hotel and met up with the guys and had a few drinks at the Steamworks Pub again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjFTVBfcb2n7S4l_TXQIg-XyYcQ1c_yhY-zbgEhKbFrNXOxrkk9tU1j8Gcdf7YE3Biepod4kSF42m4gVRQqDFwZYOf2nTEP7QKWTQveNSuRxtpPC5WZgNNJCL_I0O2bY0B_UNOpB6xIM/s1600/281496_269887159691622_100000110217881_1277245_653715_n%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjFTVBfcb2n7S4l_TXQIg-XyYcQ1c_yhY-zbgEhKbFrNXOxrkk9tU1j8Gcdf7YE3Biepod4kSF42m4gVRQqDFwZYOf2nTEP7QKWTQveNSuRxtpPC5WZgNNJCL_I0O2bY0B_UNOpB6xIM/s320/281496_269887159691622_100000110217881_1277245_653715_n%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a>Next day came for my other long Studio shift. It was over and I was going to meet up with guys to go grab a Canadian dish called Poutine? Elvira found me in the SV Office and bailed on the guys to hang out with her. What can you do?!! I didn't live that down. The guys ragged on me a lot for that. The fact that they actually saw me walk out of the SV Office with her didn't help any. Turns out Elvira got a ticket from the guy at the VFS booth to see a presentation from a Disney animator and did not know where the place was for the presentation. I offered to help her find it as I had been in Vancouver for some time now. I honestly think I was the first SV to arrive other than those who did not already live there. I got there before some of the TL's.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>So I walked Elvira to where she needed to be for the presentation and was going to leave. I did not have a ticket. I just wanted to make sure she found the place. The person in charge let me come in to the presentation also. I got to see lots of the shots the animator (don't remember his name) did on Tangled. I love Tangled so I was pretty much happy as a lark at this point. And then he showed something special that no one will see until it's release. That was awesome. All that just for making sure someone found where they needed to go. Nobility does pay off. Walked her back to her hotel and met up the guys again. The ragging on me began at the point during another venture to the Steamworks Pub. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVn5nbF_7ERzawysn88YnvPHVAtXcUN8YoaUj9ZhrsFgfCDUPFAv0c4rCkqKCyS5OAwwuc4ODpkp5eR0HVAxtJ7bZljmm31ix7RXXzSCkJGhb6JD7xAwZ4NmNT2QK-lEGhk8z5gJKNxw/s1600/251532_10150256451541300_510256299_8134291_1428802_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVn5nbF_7ERzawysn88YnvPHVAtXcUN8YoaUj9ZhrsFgfCDUPFAv0c4rCkqKCyS5OAwwuc4ODpkp5eR0HVAxtJ7bZljmm31ix7RXXzSCkJGhb6JD7xAwZ4NmNT2QK-lEGhk8z5gJKNxw/s320/251532_10150256451541300_510256299_8134291_1428802_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Then came Thursday. Last day. Bittersweet!! Went to the Exhibition Floor. Made the rounds and got my teapot. I was really worried I would not get one cause the line formed fast. I was there, walked out for ten minutes, came back and there it was. But I got the teapot and all was well. Then came the final SV raffle after check out time. I won something!! I won one of the top prizes. The Art of Kung Fu Panda 2 signed by the artist's themselves! I also won something earlier in the week during a raffle so I think I did a pretty good job as an SV. Elvira also won something during the final raffle and this is us posing with our prizes. Yes, I look like a dork. I'm not photogenic!!<br />
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So with that came the teary goodbyes to everyone and end to one of the most amazing weeks of my life. I learned a lot of new things. Made some new friends, and forged some strong bonds and memories that will last a lifetime. This was an amazing experience at SIGGRAPH with my SV family, but as with all good things, it must end. I love them all and it was a great time and I will miss everyone of them. I can only hope that I will see them again next year. All I can think is that I can't wait to go back home and see my friends again. :-) <br />
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Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165718077805071099.post-19376481753896086982011-08-01T19:21:00.000-07:002011-08-01T19:21:25.449-07:00SIGGRAPH... tis almost hereGot my schedule. yay!!<br />
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I'm an application guru again this year!! I loved being in The Studio last year so I'm sure I will love it this year as well.<br />
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I also have a pre-conference shift this year setting up The Studio. That should be fun as well. I'm a big geek so I rather enjoy setting up computers. I tore them down last year and that was fun. <br />
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And a shift at the Reception. Not sure what that shift will be like, but it should be interesting.<br />
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All in all, I will have pretty much a total of 3 of the 5 days free to take in the Conference. Not to thrilled that I won't be able to see the Exhibition Floor until Thursday, but I will have a full day to see it rather than the half day I had last year so that is awesome.<br />
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On to the parties I'll be attending.<br />
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Animation Mentor Happy Hour. Yeah, I got into that one. :-)<br />
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SIGGRAPH Chapters Party of Course. I will go to this one after the Reception.<br />
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League of SIGGRAPH Parties Party on Saturday. Yes, there is a group for SIGGRAPH parties that decided to throw a party. Any reason we can. We geeks know how to party that is for sure.<br />
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And the Autodesk Reception. Last but not least.<br />
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So with that, this is my last post until my return from the happy happy joy joy land of SIGGRAPH. <br />
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Soon begins the packing and last minute prep for my flight on Wednesday. <br />
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Stay tuned for the post SIGGRAPH post about all the week's festivities. <br />
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It's almost time to Make it Home. :-)Andrew Lavertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470591931175154014noreply@blogger.com0