A Night to Remember

Last night was a rough one for the Visual Effects community.

I was about to embark down the road of writing up the evening’s events, as if I was some kind of journalist.

But I’m not. I’m a director, and a visual effects artist. I’m a fan of film who fantasized about making movies ever since seeing Star Wars at age five. I’m also a survivor of a VFX company bankruptcy.

So I know what it’s like to be an artist who feels overworked and under appreciated.

And I know what it feels like to start your dream company, and see it collapse.

I also know what it feels like to be a director who can’t afford all the VFX I’d like in my own work.

And here’s what I have to say:

Congratulations.

Congratulations to the visual effects crew of Life of Pi. I am simply blown away by your work. Your tigers and waves and artistry and technical mastery made me laugh and cry and revel in how wonderful movies can be. I know how hard it is to do what you did, and even though I know exactly how you did it, I have no idea how you pulled it off.

Congratulations to Bill Westenhofer, for your amazing work to be sure, but also for the nonobvious gift of being cut off at the exact right moment to make the experience awful enough for all involved that the world took notice. You did the right thing by starting off with proper acknowledgments, and then the right thing again by jumping right into the controversy. You came off as a class act, and as is so often the case with visual effects and cinema, you’ve captivated the world’s attention with what they didn’t get to see.

Congratulations to Claudio Miranda, who I know in my heart appreciates the hell out of the work that shares the frame with his. Although he failed to mention the VFX crew as their images danced behind him on stage, he later acknowledged it to press backstage.

Congratulations to the 400+ VFX artists who demonstrated in a way that got all the right kinds of attention. That’s not easy. As a nation, we suck at it. As a group of nerdy artists, you nailed it.

Congratulations to Ang Lee, for both your talent behind the lens, and also for the gift that awaits you. You’ve put your foot in your mouth twice now about how you wish visual effects could be less expensive, and in doing so, I dare hope that you’ve made it nearly impossible for yourself to continue to ignore the nuances of the situation. A wonderful education awaits you. Please listen to the thoughts and frustrations of the visual effects artists whose work you presided over so masterfully.

Their stories are true.

Dark Skies

Dark Skies comes out in the US tomorrow. My buddy Scott Stewart wrote and directed it, and it’s really good. Go see it—prefereably with someone who will hold your hand.

Newton2

The dream is alive. If you don’t hear from me for a while, at least you’ll know why.

Newton2, which now features joints, springs, and convex hulls, is available for $249.99 at aescripts.com.

RØDE smartLav

Perhaps one of the most controversial posts I’ve ever made here was Production Audio is Ripe for Revolution. I admitted that I’ve always found production audio confusing and asked gear makers to take my money in exchange for making my life easier.

It seems that RØDE Microphones was way ahead of me, as they have since announced two very interesting products, the iXY stereo microphone, and—of much greater interest to filmmakers—the smartLav lavaliere mic. Both attach to an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch and use the RØDE Rec iOS app.

Are we done? Not even close. There’s ample room for further innovation, but this is a great step. The terrific news is that now, with these hardware devices, RØDE can continue to develop the app and add new features, such as (who knows?) remote monitoring and control, integration with a slate app. And a shotgun model would be a welcome addition to this line.

No pricing or specific release dates (beyond “early 2013”) are available yet, but I’ll keep you posted.

Update

on 2013-02-04 04:40 by Stu

Just after I posted this, RØDE tweeted:

The RØDE smartLav is $60US & will be available in March.

Courier Prime

John August has just released Courier Prime, a free typeface designed specifically for screenplays. John calls it “Courier, but better.” I think it’s beautiful.

Screenwriting began in the era of typewriters, and it’s always been served raw. What the screenwriter pulls out of the typewriter isn’t a manuscript to be sent to the publisher — it’s the final product.

Over the years, the tools have changed, with the advent of computers and printers and PDFs. But we still expect scripts to look like they came out of a typewriter.

It was for a typewriter, not a high-fidelity screen or printer, that Courier was designed, as John goes on to explain. I’ve always had a love/hate thing for Courier, and John’s history lesson helps explain why. Give it a read, and give Courier Prime a try.

Update

on 2013-01-29 03:00 by Stu

The designer, Alan Dague-Greene, is a gentleman and a scholar.