10 August 2016

Pickman's Model - well into production



I finally have some time to start animating my second Lovecraft inspired short, Pickman's Model, a follow-up of sorts to last year's Music of Eric Zann. My goals with these personal projects is to try out new things, or refine older techniques I have issues with. I still have problems making and rigging characters, but in this film they are slightly more advanced and actually talk. I worked out some of the rigging issues from last time but many still remain. I am hoping the next project will let me pin down for good a few snags I still have to deal with. This is the first personal project I am going outside Cinema 4D for the motion blur and depth of field, deciding to use plugins in After Effects instead. This saves me days of render time and as a one person studio with one iMac to render with (I can use team render with my laptop but find it buggy at best) I have to save time and simplify things as much as possible.

My good friend, Boston actor Micheal Z Keamy provides the voice of Thurber and I will try and voice Pickman myself. If that works out badly, I'll beg Mike Luce again like I did for Eric Zann. I am sort of saving that for my next project where I'd like him to be the main narrator again. Can't wear out my welcome on these vanity projects!

I am also deciding on wether or not to update to version 18 of Cinema 4D. If I get version 17 by the end of this month (1000$+ upgrade) I will get 18 free when it ships and not be 2 versions behind. If I had big contract coming up, I would do it in a heartbeat but since I live on so little money as it is and this update doesn't address much I haven't already addressed with plugins... it's not so black and white.

2 comments:

T' said...

If I remember correctly, you didn't 'beg' me to do anything; I butted my big nose into your business and told you I'd be happy to do the narration, and I was. I am a large ham, so opportunities to do such things make me happy. And I'd gladly do this project and the next one if you wanted me to and wouldn't feel slighted if you chose someone else. I like the change in character styles a lot for this one. They're more abstract and even more interesting. The backgrounds look nice and juicy, too. Don't know the story, so will be really glad to see this when it's done!

Behemoth media said...

I might hold you to that! I hate my voice as you know. This story was told before on Night Gallery with Mark Hamill in the lead! I am trying to get better at making and rigging the characters and i think more cartoon-y or more abstract but more fluid. I might have to simplify the backgrounds a little more as well. The studio set is so detailed I cant always animate without turning everything but the character i am working on off.