Category Archives: plan
Clearing Cobwebs
I’m actually not allowed to blog, there’s too much else in the queue, priority one, hurry the fuck up and get it done sort of stuff. So let’s just keep this a secret, just you and me… k? Where have … Continue reading
A Dogged Determination
I thought I’d already begun a post on the almost obsolete topic of unfinished projects. It’s been on my list to finish that post, but I guess I never started it. Well, here we are anyway. Since posting Illustrated Revelations … Continue reading
Illustrated Revelations on an Art of Self
The outcome for 1/1 – 1/2 is to publish a clear and fun compendium and quick reference for the driving objectives of 2013. Let’s begin with thinking about thinking. How do introspective sessions connect and coalese, how do I bind … Continue reading
How to finish DOG, step by step
October 18, 2012 Time for yet another revision. 1. update the current status for a subset of shots, let’s shoot for Red Hallway and Essentials, Act 1. We’ve committed to Red Hallway so it’s effectively Essentials. Cabin Window is already … Continue reading
Appropriate the super organism
October 13, 2012 ~ 7:30 AM After DOG then what? What do I want to do? FXPHD and widening my horizons, knowing what i don’t know VFX supervisor course, turns out I am naturally doing what the big kids do … Continue reading
Holy something!
My dog, have I done a lot of work on this project or what?! In three words, yes, yes and yes. You know things are getting interesting when you wake up and have to babble ideas into your recorder because … Continue reading
December 2012
Specifically, December 15, 2012. What I want to have accomplished, that is. What I want to experience. DOG is done. Pretty much good enough, 80% of awesome. Doesn’t suck, watchable, fun through out, even stellar at times. Screeners going out … Continue reading
Assembling a VFX crew
As VFX director for DOG I continue to learn how to assembling and managing a remote roto crew. Here I review past lessons and my vision for the now. My first attempt was in May and after several false starts … Continue reading
Projects in Progress Chapter 2
The current push is to get the to do list to a manageable size. This means the plans for any given day are actually achievable. Obligations are being consistently met, no new obligations are taken on unless they are strategically … Continue reading
Projects in Progress Chapter 1
Here’s my instant review of Blue Planet with David Attenborough – things want to eat and breed and not get eaten. The ocean is big and mysterious, underwater photographers experience some serious beauty. What struck me in the tub at … Continue reading
Music to repair cars by
Ben Woody rocks. As a summer intern for Trickster Pictures, Ben rotoscoped for DOG with zen-like concentration and produced a slew of personal bliss projects for YouTube. Towards the end of July, he proposed making a time lapse of his … Continue reading
Queue for Fall 2012, v.9
How to wrap DOG when there are some significant items in the queue? I don’t want to get distracted by other projects, especially other people’s projects. Diverting energy risks the completion of DOG. There are a few objectives to handle … Continue reading
August DOG plan
Looking at DOG and pushing for completion this fall, at least having most of the rigorous roto wrapped by end of August mid September. Ben’s going back to Western September 2. What can we accomplish together in the 3 weeks … Continue reading
Fukushima in the USA
Arnie Gunderson – 23 plants in the USA identical to Fukushima, 2 near Chicago, Dresden and Quad City neither are on Lake Michigan
Prop and set injections
She’s approaching the boat, passing boutique shops. Haute and Tea Room. Haute was couture for ladies and now features clothing strewn every which way, stylish gowns half hanging through shattered windows, fluttering in the morning breeze. Tea Room sign has … Continue reading
Posts to post
I’ve been blogging in my mind for the last couple of months, here’s a sample of the topics I’d like elaborate on soonish. First, a crisis of confidence. Gosh, why blog at all? With the explosion of FB, a personal … Continue reading
Protected: Animation
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Deserving to live
You know, I haven’t yet reproduced. There’s been some opportunity and perhaps even motive, but my unique DNA remains proprietary. Cool people should breed and all that. Am I cool? Do I or any of you deserve to even survive, … Continue reading
Artist reference May 2012
Introduction x Daughter of God is a narrative short originally shot in 2006, now moving steadily through VFX towards a completion by summer of 2012. Though roto artists will be repairing some continuity and production gaffs, we are mostly adding … Continue reading
Snip snip here…
04/29 Wow! In assembling the definitive essentials, I am finding more bits of fat to trim away… incredible! Beyond essentials, if we do flashbacks perhaps Uncle Joe could be making Christina tea when she comes in with the PKD book. … Continue reading
Interns and the last test of Version 1.0 2012
Trickster Pictures has two interns through the TBAISD Career-Tech Center’s Film and New Media Program – Cameron and Micah. They’ve been learning how to rotoscope using both After Effects and Mocha and will hopefully be able to contribute to DOG’s … Continue reading
Go Go Go Again
Budgeting for the completion of DOG distills down to a simple formula… Tasks / Team = Duration Each task describes a specific change to some shot, a shot defined as the IN point to OUT point of any edit. A … Continue reading
Roto ramping up
April 2, 2012 I’ve identified the Essential tasks and have assembled a core roto team – this week is the shakedown cruise. I’ve got two interns and two contractors and am interested to see how much progress we make this … Continue reading
Artist reference
Introduction DOG was originally shot in 2006 and was revived in the summer of 2011. It’s a quirky first project which I’ve decided to see through to the completion and thus here we are. If you’re inclined to read this … Continue reading
What’s essential?
In theory, we could loose the intro to Joe, though that fucks up the ending with the surveillance of C and G, unless we introduce the interface on laptop with G, which has to stay anyway. Then the inference is … Continue reading
Here we go again
That’s a delightfully ambigious post title for a critical topic – the schedule for completion. Am I reluctant to jinx myself with another prediction of imminent closure? Indeed I am! No more optimistic announcements, just the facts, ma’am. Last night … Continue reading
Testing V 1.0 2012 script revisions
I’m now cutting a rough test of the script revisions, with some basic effects and visualizations. So far so good. Having tried with the narrator voice, it’s too heavy and preachy. Interwoven with other audio it’s doable. The shortwave audio … Continue reading
DOG – script revisions
The plan is to revise the DOG script based around existing live action and VFX elements, adding new elements only when absolutely needed. It’s faster to rewrite than it is to edit. Unfortunately, Final Draft doesn’t have a very robust … Continue reading
Internship – a symbiotic alliance for dream manifestation
Version 1.1 February 01, 2012 Version 1.0 January 31, 2012 I have to evaluate interns at the end of the semester using CTC’s form, so let’s look at the categories that are most important to Trickster Pictures. Read everything, there … Continue reading
And so, DOG
Recent posts explore the motivations behind finishing / not finishing Daughter of God. Dedicating an hour to daily introspection makes sense, meanwhile the urge to edit builds. If finishing is really so important, why don’t I just finish? Rather than … Continue reading
Desire to finish DOG
I’ve added a new blog category – desires – specific objectives and rehearsed feelings. My motivations deserve more screen time generally, so now it’s got it’s own category. Ok, revelation. I’ve stalled on exploring my feelings about the finish of … Continue reading
Why finish DOG, a history
Here’s the history of ‘Why finish DOG?’ posts pre 11/25/11, references are mostly oblique to be sure. The Whys of finishing… http://www.holyboners.com/2010/01/13/a-coherent-plan-emerges-mission/ Daughter of God is my most ambitious narrative project to date. It’s a surreal exploration of how picturesque … Continue reading
Inventory end within sight
I’m pushing mid September with this shifting milestone, and it’s all good. Since combing through my journals from 2006-2009, I’ve discovered more material scattered hither and yon throughout the full archive. I’ve not included analog storage like notebooks in my … Continue reading
Inventory milestone still pending
Another 7 days have rolled by and the inventory milestone is still on the horizon. It’s been a slightly traumatic week. I extracted DOG references from my personal journals from the years 2006-2009, which meant slogging through a lot of … Continue reading
Another DOG milestone… missed!
I’ve overrun the rescheduled inventory deadline, after only getting in about 30 hours in the last 6 days. What else was I doing? Some M3 business on Wednesday, the usual training, eating, sleeping, maintaining social ties, fixing things… Below is … Continue reading
Inventory emerges
I’ve been poring over the drive “momma”, 2 terabytes (5 years) of accumulated DOG development. I had this idea that the content was relatively organized, but it turns out – not so much. Sifting through the hoary once upon a time, … Continue reading
DOG notes August 1-15, 2011
As I dive back in, there will inevitably be tangential ideas and inspiration. These I’ll write down for later review, deep storage… edit (tools) image placeholder or describe what’s seen new script index cards image cards qualities humor / backstory … Continue reading
3 flavors of DOG
Let’s talk 3 versions. There’s a working 3:30 minute core, ready to get sleeky. The 2011 approach to the final cut is to cut to the core and add back in. Story support – what’s worth adding to deepen, reveal … Continue reading
ECL interviews DK – 3:30 milestone
A transcription of pro tem Producer El Carne Loco’s interview with Director Dan Kelly regarding Daughter of God’s first milestone completion in 2011. ECL: Regarding the 3 minute version, what do you feel was accomplished, did it meet your expectations? … Continue reading
DOG resurrection
She’s back! Daughter of God is in the house. 3:30 minutes The first objective was to post a micro version of the story (~3:00 minutes) by Wednesday 8/10. Between Sunday 8/7 and Wednesday 8/10 I was able to dedicate 11 … Continue reading
DOG post-production meeting
After updating the archive’s catalog the last couple of days, (40 terrabytes worth), I was finally ready to crack the DOG project this morning. Upon reviewing the major sequences, I had a series of epiphanies. Inventory Cataloging the possibilities will … Continue reading
Awash in wildflowers…
…and basking in beauty, that’s the summer of 2011. Hello World has been beached (blossomed) for a solid year following her crippling injury 30 miles north of Chicago that ended our 2010 expedition. She’s communing with the flox and vetch … Continue reading
The aesthetic and what’s next?
So we’ve pre-released the sfx reel and shared a little history. Now what? There are 4 sheets of newsprint in the backroom covered with to dos, here’s the jist. Two archival and non trivial projects are in the queue for … Continue reading
V 0.9 Trickster Pictures SFX reel
This is for my extended inner circle of creatives, both producers that might have a micro budget and/or good things to trade and artists that might have a wild idea or fancy getting hired to help. Please upgrade your browser … Continue reading
Canyon Princess
Premise “Up on the canyon edge, there’s a ship that sails the sky. They say it carries a thousand ghosts who once ate black gold and lived as gods. Big waters brought it here before my grandmother was born. We … Continue reading
Uturnpike’s drift
Premise Mysterious rows of snow covered cars snake into the distance. What happened here? Was a neutron bomb exploded nearby? Were the drivers raptured away by the returning Messiah? Why are the cars bumper to bumper in both directions? Unturnpike … Continue reading
R and D for Science Fiction Musical
Gosh, it’s nearly midnight, but I’ve gotta write a report on the recently initiated R and D for the Trickster Pictures project, Science Fiction Musical. James Weston and I are making narrative dance projects by recruiting talent from Mykl Werth’s … Continue reading
Trickster fx reel
The lads and I are assembling a motion graphics and fx reel. Making a range of support services available to other Michigan film makers could be a lucrative niche. The idea is to repurpose elements from past and current projects … Continue reading
Meeting 10-03-06 ondesire landing page
We’ve had two dream team meetings, in Brooklyn (Faisal, Erica and Dan) and yesterday in Beulah (Steve Elrick, Melonie, Jonathan, Lucas Kelly and Dan). Inviting collaboration and contribution was the focus of Saturday’s meeting. Components of the ask package for … Continue reading