Diarrhoea: superrune blog
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Film update and rig release
Posted: 04. Mar 2013
Super Simple Rig released!
I put my Super Simple Rig online last week. This is a character rigging system I have been developing since late 2008, and used on every character project I've done since then. The system will see a lot of development in order to be ready for the short film, so take a look if you are a 3ds Max rigger/animator.
And a site update too!
I've done some minor design changes to the website, and will try and update the gallery as soon as I can. The site should be a little bit friendlier to read and browse. I have also added a list of my most popular pages on the left. Nothing big, but I hope it too will ease site browsing.
Letter from the trenches
Posted: 23. Jul 2012
It's been a while, hasn't it?
It's been over two years since I updated the gallery on this site and made a proper blog entry. A lot of things has happened these two years, and I thought I'd update you on what I'm doing. Follow me on Twitter for more frequent updates. I also keep updating work and making-of's to Vimeo.
I'm directing!
The biggest surprise is that I'm actually co-directing an animated feature film at the moment! I thought I was going to do some short films, prove my worth, but I suddenly got an offer out of the blue. I had been prepping this other feature for many years, and through that I got asked if I could step in as co-director on a children's movie. Thanks to Neofilm and Qvisten for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to tell more about the film as we start releasing press material. The film premieres in Norway at the end of summer 2013.
Other things that might happen
I'm still working on other things, but updates will be slow for some time. In addition to the feature film, I'm also working on other commercial jobs, a short film, my Maxscript collection, the Super Cubic plugin, this website - which are prioritized in that order. I also have a couple more surprise projects up my sleeve.
There is this growing handful of short film ideas I'm playing with, and a couple of dream projects in that collection. One of those dream projects, a co-operation with a highly respected cartoonist, could get started real soon. Looking a lot forward to tell more about that one too!
My collection of scripts are still not ready for release, I doubt they will be this year. They need an installer and some proper documentation, and the latter can take some time to do.
I get emails weekly about updating the Super Cubic plugins to 64-bit and port them to OSX. At the moment I can't do that unless the FilterMeister language is updated and ported, and that is completely out of my hands. The developer didn't see the need for a 64-bit version up till now. However, now that Adobe is going 64-bit exclusive, he has promised an FM-update within 6 months.
Not your grandfathers trolls!
Posted: 28. Oct 2010
Forget the cute trolls your grandfather told you about, with their porridge and mumbling riddles. Trolls are mean, vicious and lethal creatures, best kept within contained areas. Myths tells us they could be the unholy offspring between man and gnomes, or sad remnants of godly giants expelled from Valhalla. No matter what you believe, beware the woods at night, fear the cracking of rocks, and do not walk alone in the cold mountains.
I had a hand in bringing a couple of these trolls to life, and was responsible for one of the major VFX-sequences in the film! Check out my Troll Hunter project page to read about it!
A Design Award
Posted: 03. Apr 2010
Award time!
One of the jobs I did in 2008, the NTNU Heads, was just awarded the Honorary Award of Good Design from Norwegian Design Council. I had never heard of the price before, but after reading it up it seems to be really prestigious. Thanks to Agendum and Commando Group for letting me be a part of the project.
Mjau mjau test upgrade
As I mentioned in the last blog entry, I was hoping to find time for some of my personal projects. Last weekend I found myself with some time off, and I decided to do something with my Jason project. I wasn't really supposed to finish off this project, but there's not much left to it - so why not. Here's a small preview.
I basically redid everything, from the models to the animation. Thanks to my new Super Simple Rigging system, I was able to do re-rig the character in a matter of hours. And with my new clip loading and saving system, I was able to quickly apply the same animation to all the shots (very clever of me to choose a walkcycle-based animation!). This was supposed to be a quick short film, but only now (after almost ten years) am I able to do it as quickly as I originally wanted! I hope this can be one of my next projects.
Don't call us, we'll call you
Posted: 09. Feb 2010
Sorry for the lack of updates
I've been on a large feature vfx job since October, and between work and spending time with my baby daughter there hasn't been much time to update the blog. The feature film will be delivered by the end of April, and I'm not taking any other projects until that is finished. If I find time available now, I'm concentrating on my short films. And that is what this update will be about: a quick update on my personal projects.
Getting my foot in
And how are things? So far, not so good. One of the major film funds in Norway had a deadline on the 1st of September last year. I submitted two projects, but both were denied funding. After that, I took my scripts and applications around for comments, and I have received mixed feedback. Getting into the direction business is a bit of a catch-22, it's hard to get funding unless you have made a film before. My reputation as the "photoreal VFX guy" is really starting to work against me here, but it's too late for me to go back to film school and start a new career that way. And there's no way I can make a proper short film without funding. If I get a well-paid job, I might be able to invest enough spare time to do a 1-2 minute short by myself, but that is too short to explore the kind of narrative and acting I want to see in animation. So funding it is.
What's next
Most of the feedback I has been very helpful. The best ones exposed holes and problems in my scripts and in my applications. So I am trying again. There was a new deadline on the 1st of February, and I resubmitted one of my applications. It will be interesting to see how it goes this time. If I get a positive, I might get started on a short film before summer. If I get a negative, I will look around for other people's scripts to direct. Good animation scripts seem to be far between in Norway, but I'm probably saying that because I've been too long in advertising. I am hoping that is the case.
Follow me on Twitter
As usual, I will keep you updated! (By the way, I am updating more frequently on Twitter, so subscribe to me there if you want to know what I'm up to!)