IF on AL’s Knowing fx

Inside Film interviews Animal Logic vfx supe Andrew Jackson on the train crash sequence in Knowing.

Charles Gibson talks T4 to Movieweb

Movieweb interviews Terminator: Salvation vfx supe Charles Gibson.

fxguide talks to VES Chair Jeff Okun

fxguide podcast interview with Visual Effects Society Chair Jeff Okun on ‘the mission of the VES, the difference between unions and societies,
health care for members, how to become a member and much more.’

attaching an expression to a value in python

Hey

I’m writing an expression that will eventually be a button on the tools shelf in Nuke. This is what I have so far:

def VectorBlurToggle():
for node in nuke.allNodes(‘vectorBlurGizmo’):
if node.knob(‘disable’).value() :
node.knob(‘disable’).setValue(0)
else:
node.knob(‘disable’).setValue(1)

But what I want to do is instead of disabling the node entirely, I want to ad the expression $gui so that even if the node is disabled – the node will still render (using the studios rendering software).

Would be awesome if anyone could help me out with this.

Pop Mechanics on T4

How Old School Effects Brought Schwarzenegger’s T-800 Back from 1983, at Popular Mechanics.

Portfolio Site

Hi all,

First time poster. looking for feedback on my work. Check it out at www.burdenwoe.com The animation section is most relevant and they’re ordered from most recent to oldest(left to right).

Looks like a great community here at vfxtalk, looking forward to hopefully making some connections with people.

Thanks in advance

Attachment 7727

Attached Images
File Type: bmp Clip.bmp (1,012.6 KB)

Millimeter covers Salvation

The Future Does Not Look Pretty is millimeter magazine’s coverage of Terminator: Salvation.

Brickyard VFX Completes a Slam-Dunk for the NBA Finals

Campaign for Goodby Silverstein Marries CG and Archival Live Action Footage to Create Stunning Portrayals of Historical Basketball Moments

Artist owned-and-operated bi-coastal effects boutique Brickyard VFX completed work on the ad campaign for the 2009 NBA Final Championship Series beginning May 19 via agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners. Entitled “Elevated Moments,” the four-spot campaign was directed by longtime Brickyard collaborators Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris of Bob Industries, and features NBA superstars Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Dr. J, Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal. The campaign first broke on May 10, and will continue to air throughout the 2009 championship season.

The :30 spots promote the upcoming NBA Finals with iconic moments in basketball history. The ads, which open in empty stadiums that gradually fill with cheering crowds, are powerful and balletic, slowing down the action and fading the players in and out of each shot. “Kobe to Shaq Alley Oop” features Bryant throwing his famous alley oop to O’Neal in game seven of the 2000 Western Conference Championships. “Bird Steals the Ball” showcases the Boston Celtics’ classic “Now there’s a steal by Bird!” moment in game five of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. Each spot builds excitement for the final championship games with the question “Where will amazing happen this year?” and ends with the “Where amazing happens” tag and NBA logo.

Working from archival photos provided by the NBA, Brickyard VFX assembled photo-real CG stadium backgrounds for the ads, painstakingly recreating the historical location from each iconic moment to seamlessly match with the camera angles in the original game footage. “Recreating the Boston Garden for the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson spots was particularly challenging since it’s no longer standing,” commented Brickyard VFX Executive Producer Kirsten Andersen.

Brickyard also provided previz to establish timing and camera tracking angles for the ads, along with extensive rotoscoping of players, referees, equipment and crowd elements, along with final compositing. “We created a matte painting of the floor so we could remove shadows and reflections from the crowds, and then inserted CG reflections from the empty arena,” Andersen detailed. “The trick was to find a way to integrate the background plate into the look of the original footage. Each spot demanded a different technique.”

Previous Brickyard work for the Dayton/Faris directorial team includes last year’s celebrated “There Can Be Only One” campaign for the NBA playoff season, and campaigns for such brands as Burger King, Sprint, Visa, The Gap, Old Navy, Chevrolet and Volkswagen.

About Brickyard VFX
Located in Boston and Santa Monica, Brickyard VFX is an independent visual effects boutique specializing in top quality visual effects from 3D characters through to compositing. Artist owned and operated, the company was founded in 1999 to bring clients a level of customer service, craftsmanship and focus difficult to find at facilities today. Brickyard’s creative expertise on set and in the studio has been applied to model, animate, light, texture, track, color correct and render seamless digital effects for Pontiac, Bud Light, T-Mobile, NBA, Visa, Sprint and many other accounts. For more information, please call Brickyard VFX Pacific at (310) 453-5722, Brickyard VFX Atlantic at (617) 262-3220, or visit www.brickyardvfx.com.

CREDITS

Client: NBA
Title: “Elevated Moments”

Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners
Creative Director: Jamie Barrett
GCDs: Ari Weiss, Stefan Copiz
Art Director: Devin Sharkey, Stefan Copiz
Copywriter: Craig Mangan, Ari Weiss, Jamie Barrett
Executive Producer: Tod Puckett
Producer: Timothy Plain

Production Company: Bob Industries
Director: Dayton/Faris

Visual Effects: Brickyard VFX
VFX Supervisor: Geoff McAuliffe
VFX Executive Producer: Kirsten Andersen
VFX Producer: Amy Appleton
Lead 2D Compositing: Geoff McAuliffe
2D Compositing: Jimi Simmons, Sean McLean
Lead Rotoscope Artist: Gina Downing
Rotoscope Artists: Sean Carroll, Henrique Ghersi, Anu Liikkanen, Charles LaPage, Jessica Jacobson, Rory Fitzgerald, Jeremy Brown, Roto Factory
Lead CG Artists: Robin Hobart, Rusty Ippolito
CG Artist: Vinny LaCour
Tracking: Brian Morse, Chris Kwiatkowski

Sound Design: Brian Emrich, Eben Carr, Rohan Young
Final Mix: Rohan Young
Final Music: Fly by Ludicio Eiunaudi

Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	KobeShaq_2jpeg.jpg
Views:	N/A
Size:	128.2 KB
ID:	7722
 Click image for larger version

Name:	KobeShaq_5jpeg.jpg
Views:	N/A
Size:	123.6 KB
ID:	7723
 Click image for larger version

Name:	Bird_5_jpeg.jpg
Views:	N/A
Size:	228.0 KB
ID:	7724
 Click image for larger version

Name:	Bird_6_jpeg.jpg
Views:	N/A
Size:	195.5 KB
ID:	7725
 

Compositor

LUXVFX is currently looking for a Compositor to join our talented team of award-winning artists to create visual effects for upcoming commercials, television series and feature films.

Essential Functions:

* Composite Digital Visual Effects in a team of 2D artists for final delivery of VFX
* Demonstrate a broad range of compositing abilities and determine the best approach to solve compositing challenges
* Attend and actively participate in team / production meetings
* Report to the Compositing Supervisor for the overall look, attitude and style of the production
* Meet project deadlines and milestones, including any weekly quotas, as set by project leads and the production department

Qualifications:

* At least 3+ years experience in compositing digital vfx for film or tv
* Advanced demonstrated knowledge and production experience in Nuke
* Must present a show reel highlighting candidate’s advanced skill and eye for colour, lighting, attention to detail and composition
* Strong leadership and communication skills are critical
* Must be organized, have excellent client and interpersonal skills, take direction well and be able to manage multiple projects in a high stress fast paced production environment
* Canadian citizen or valid work permit

To Apply:
Email hr@luxvfx.com with attachments of your cover letter, resume & links to your online demo reel. Subject Line: Compositor

If you don’t have an online reel, submit your demo reel to:
LUX VFX Inc.
HR – Compositor
Suite 201 – 196 West 3rd Avenue
Vancouver BC Canada V5Y 1E9

Please no phone calls – we will contact promising candidates.

CGI Systems Administrator 1

Aztec West/Gas Ferry Road
40 hours per week
Salary circa £33k all inc of benefits

The CGI Core Group services technically and creatively (as appropriate) the needs of the producers from all areas of the company. The CGI Core Group also resources compositing and post production skills for VFX for the studio’s stop frame productions, as appropriate.

We are currently looking for a CGI Systems Administrator to work as an integral part of the core CGI Systems Department. This role is responsible for the daily operational maintenance of Features CGI infrastructure and will be the primary point of contact for the production.

Applicants should have the following skills:

  • Substantial experience in an IT Administration role is essential
  • Must have Window Server 2003/2008, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Linux experience (Centos 4.x, Fedora, Rhel5.x)
  • High level of experience of Linux Networking, including DNS, DHCPBIND, Apache, Python
  • Mid Level experience of RenderMan Render Queuing and Data wrangling
  • Mid level experience in the installation and maintenance of fileservers, particularly NetApp
  • Mid level experience in Linux System Software, Nagios Puppet
  • Mid level experience of working in a domain environment, using MS Active Directory
  • Hands on experience of PC builds, software and hardware
  • Some experience in web development and asset management software
  • Some experience of back up, ideally Netvault or similar
  • Mid level experience of computer animation production and/or 3D software and/or rendering systems desirable

Applicants should also be able to demonstrate the following:

  • Demonstrate a positive attitude to work and strive to reach the highest standards
  • Strong communication skills and highly self motivated
  • Take responsibility for work and shows thoroughness and good attention to detail
  • Ability to work effectively under pressure
  • Ability to prioritise and provide accurate assessments of task requirements
  • Be a team player and supportive of other team/department members
  • Positive and pro-active approach to problem solving
  • Keen to develop in new areas. e.g. Netapp.

If you have the skills required to succeed in the role, please send comprehensive CV and CV Coversheet to Amanda Ososami, HR, Aardman Animations, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol, BS1 6UN or e mail jobs@aardman.com. A full job description and person specification is available from www.aardman.com/about-us/jobs.

Closing date for applications is midday Friday 29th May 2009.