Peter Brooke update

Some info updates to Peter's painting site. New exhibitions, CV updates etc. If oyu haven't been there in a while recently the art was all changed as well!

Art Maps Boston

Done for BADA (Boston Art Dealers Associarion) another Behemoth client to help promote thier orgainisation of galleries. Map design by Dana Wynne, OSP Catalogs. There are downloadable versions ofthe maps also. Art Maps Boston

Coming soon... I hope

Starting a new animation soon. "Hérisson Maudit" . Based loosely on a visit to a friend's house. The animation should be 30 seconds or less, but already months of work have gone into it. The update to Cinema 4D has helped a bit in the rigging and I've learned a lot this time around since I've had to do everything myself, including some things like expresso coding which I've never wrapped my head around before. The creature was originally more boxy and maybe a little roo realistic for what I envisioned so I started over about 3 times on the model alone.

Tobias Blaine Allen - site update

After quite a few years, we've updated the Tobias Blaine Allen art site. I am using varied elements to make the site function better. A html database and a flash gallery feature are two examples. Tobias still needs to send photos of his newer artwork, but all the basics are in place. Be sure to tell Mr. Allen what you think of the site refresh. One of the sites new features is a poetry section. Toby has been getting published and some notice for his writing on top of his art and photography these days! 

Cheryl Warrick - site update

Artist Cheryl Warrick had me update her site not too long ago and I though it deserved a little notice here. She recently added a blog to her site as well where she is showing her illustrations. Please check it out and feel to contact her if you see anything you simply must have and buy it!

I will be showing more updated site here very soon I think.

Version 11 Much improved, but not nearly perfect

This version of C4D is a big improvement of the last, which was a big improvement of the version before that. In many places though, the improvements merely fix things that have been wrong with the software for a long time. Many other, much needed improvements are missing such as better dynamics, water and smoke creation and some interface problems which seem to stick around version after version.

I have months of playing around to get the most of this software, but right out of the box, the render engine and the interface using it are greatly improved. The timeline has some new features that allow you to save, reuse and add to motions created in animations... something C4D has negleted to include until now and really make more complicated animations possible for animators who work alone or in small groups. As usual, Maxon has brought these features in in interesting and very clever ways. The reputation for innovation and ease of use is well deserved with Maxon products.

One remaining thing that still bothers me is the object manager. If you have many selections, for example, it takes a lot of scrolling through little triangle shapes with no way to tell which tag is for what without clicking on it. Being able to to make multiple rows, folders, custom colours, shapes etc would go a long way to making this chore a pleasure. The tiny, and I do mean tiny, little « on/off » visibility buttons are so small the mouse can barely click on the right one. In fact, tiny text and icons in places is a big drawback and has been for too long now.

Lack of good maunals that actually tell you how to set things up is a problem all companies big and small have and while Maxon has improved the online manual, it's still anyone's guess what to do with some of the features since only a technical despcription is provided, leaving many important details like heirarchies and compatibility with other functions a matter of trial and error. On the other hand the C4D community as in the forums « C4D portal » and « C4D cafe » provide an incredible and free wealth of tutorials, advice and ressources no manual could provide. The new auto update feature will alow Maxon to fix things wihtout having send out a million notices and log-jam their servers when bugs are fixed and minor updates are made. This feature should make C4D a lot more responsive to problems and user complaints. They already hav eone of the best tech help teams out there, so this will make them even more above the rest.

Price as with all new updates on virtually any product is way out of line. Prices are skyrocketing out of control in this area and Maxon is no exception, sad to say. This upgrade set me back 935$ CAD when all was said and done. Price hikes like this are unacceptable in this economic downturn unless they are willing to provide enough new clients to make it worth your while. I mean, really, you can buy new computers for less that the cost of an upgrade these days!

Overall, I am looking forward to discovering more about this upgrade, improving my animation work with it and using it on client projects.

Take your workflow online!

I do most my work projects online, through the Internet and have for some time now. Sadly, it's a hard sell for many, even technically knowledgeable clients, who, oddly enough can be very reluctant to change. The resources and capabilities are fantastic right now. Below some tools we use.

E-mail: Hard to believe but it was once difficult to convince clients to use email. Now you can't get many to communicate any other way! Great for sending notes about changes, discussing the basics and sending small files and PDF mock-ups.
PDF: This format has changed a lot in recent years, now you can add notes, make changes and communicate in groups using the universal format, PDF. We use it for editing magazines and long form print documents as well as using it as proofs for smaller projects.
FTP: What used to be a daunting task is now super easy and for the most part even free. You can send HUGE files without having to resort to the very expensive mail services like FedEx etc which can take a couple days for international delivery. A multi gig file can take along time to up and download, but is still faster than even overnight delivery in most cases and virtually free. The Mobileme/dot mac account from Apple as well as many others allow you to send a link in an e-mail which lets the client download with a simple click.
Video/Audio chat: Another hard sell for some reason. The new ichat for example can handle large transfers, video conference with several people and allows some files to show up in the message window. It's perfect for making changes on the fly and finalizing work. You can even share screens now and actually do the work for the client on their own computer, eliminating confusion or long technical explanations.

Some misconceptions clients have:

Large files must be sent over and over again.
A photoshop file maybe, but a large print document (Indesign, Quark), video project (after effect, final cut pro, etc) will only be one large transfer. After that you simply send the changed After Effects, Final Cut file only. If the client puts the new file in the same folder and keeps the names the same, it will find the source files no problem and you are only sending a 1-5 meg file at most. Even normal e-mail can handle that! Video is especially good using this method.
It's slower that having meetings:
Are you kidding? Meetings are important at times, but often they simply bring all work to a halt. A video conference is just as efficient if not more so and can be done without needing to get everyone from where ever they are into one room at the same time. Even a sick member of the team can join in from home and stay in the loop.
Work will be delayed without direct supervision:
Sure there are lazy people out there. Creative work takes a degree of teamwork, but it requires a large degree of independence and « process time ». Ideas don't actually come out nowhere and some tasks, like animation, require a degree of solitude non animators simply find bizarre. My clients are always amazed at how fast I work and come up with things. The reason... I can work in my studio undisturbed for hours at time and focus completely on the task at hand.

Overall the pluses outweigh the minuses when taking your project work flow online. Suddenly distance is not problem and getting the work done better, cheaper and quicker is well worth any snags that might come up.

New creative consultant

We have a new creative consultant here at Behemoth media. Watson Berry de Beaudry. At 3 months old, we are not sure what his exact role will be here, but it will be important... that is certain!

L'hiver

Chaque hiver, je prends plein des photos dehors. Le 25 décembre, vers 5 h c'est le meilleur temps pour les photos "longue exposure" en ville...  personne sur les rues!  

(cliquer l'image pour agrandir)

Porn

If you find yourself taking a porn assignment, be prepared. Normal design and review procedures usually go out the window. It is very rare indeed to find such a client with any sense of design or even good taste. (I have worked for some who do.. well one, and he has exceptional taste in everything). More so than in my craigslist article... get paid first, give over the project last. Be clear about what you will and will not do and stick to it. Do not put your name on anything as you never know where and with what it will finally be used for. Even though I always, and sometimes foolishly, obsess over giving a good end product, I have more than once screwed myself with this otherwise essential work ethic. Give them what they want and get out, quick. 90% of all these jobs never make a cent or even get past the early planning stages. I know everyone think sex sells and it will, when it follows the same standards as any other business and porn very rarely does.

If the contact person calls himself by a different name... or calls you by different names every time you speak... drop it right away. If they can not provide you with proof the models are legal or the video is actually theirs to use, drop it even faster (and tell the police). If they insist your entire country “get over itself” and change it’s native language to English because they are there to film a porno movie... keep them on the phone and get as much dialogue for potential personal future use as possible (it’s much harder to get truly demented dialogue than you would imagine out of your head) then laugh at thier ignorance and hang up.

You can and might have to make money here and there with porn. Even big companies are not always as corporate and professional as you might think. One offered me 250$ to do a shoot for them as long as I flew to L.A., rented a hotel and fed myself for 2 weeks for the priviledge of having done work for them, as if it was a great CV enhancer or something!

Which reminds me. Do not put it on your CV.